What do you look like to others?

I just sat here for the last forty five minutes listening to two men argue about their views on aspects of the Church. What they like and what they don't like about where they go or what the Church has or doesn't have. The interesting thing was that one man doesn't go to Church hardly ever and the other man is a Christian. Now this may not seem to interesting, maybe even a normal conversation for some people but I was amazed at the points they were arguing about.

The Baptist man, the one who doesn't go to church at all made a statement that he doesn't think that Woman should be Preachers because it just isn't right for a woman to lead that many people especially spiritually. Now the Christian man got upset at this and started to get very angry that the other man thought woman should lead the Church. This lead to not have gays or lesbians in the Church either.

Now the Christian, continued to ask the other man why he had such a view as woman have just as much right to Preach as any other person. The Non Church man could only say that he didn't think it was right based on his upbringing. The Christian at one point even cursed at the other because he didn't have a good reason for his argument. This went back and forth for some time.

At one point the Christian was talking about how the non Christain should not judge others and in the same sentance told the non Christian that he was just dumb and didn't know what he was talking about. Funny huh?

A few minutes later the subject turned to gays in the Church, Of course pretty much the same repetition to the conversation. One arguing for segregation and seperation and the other speaking about how off base the other was while swearing and being judgemental. Each just kinda pointing fingers and being judgemental of either each other or of the subject matter.

When it came to specifics in the Bible each had the things that they liked and disliked. Each was willing to accept the things that made sense but other things didn't matter. I expressed to the Chritian that the Bible speaks of not swearing but he felt that swearing was ok as it made his point but judgeing another was unacceptable.

The converstaion went on for some time, back and forth, and I am not doing it justice. My point to this that if you had walked into the room you would not have been able to tell the difference between the two of them. Each held to deep views. Each took from the Bible what they liked but tossed out what they didn't. Each spoke using the same swears, and both were being judgemental of either the others view or of the people they were speaking of.

The Bible is to be followed and we are to continually strive to live our lives the way God designed us to do. We are to leave judgement up to God. We are to love the sinner and hate the sin. We should hold our tongues and not use fowl language. respect for others and be a good wittness to them, even if they have different views. We are to show the same Love that Christ shows us.

If each had just realized that Christ Jesus died for all people the same. He spilled His blood for all sins now and forever. He loves all of unconditionaly, that is unconditionally of our own faults. We are accepted by Him in all of our faults so in turn we are to be accepting of others in their faults. We are to show Christ in all that we do, all the time, everywhere.

In a small way these two represent the rest of us. We like what we like and dislike what we dislike. Aren't we called to more though, to release our own pride and follow the Word of God, to see things as He asks us to see them. Evaluate yourself and see where you draw the line, where you become the judge. Work to do better. Look differently and speak differently than those around you, do. Ask yourself, what you look like to the others around you? Can they tell any difference between you as a Christian and the non Christian next to you.