Lord, Save Us From Your Followers

We had the chance to preview this movie last fall, and while it has a great start in getting people thininking deeper, there was one thing missing. One can't help but see it was a glaring omission.

Who would disagree that we need to love, respect, and treat others with kindness? But the question becomes what do these things like love and respect look like. When you really love and respect someone, you will tell them the truth. Even if it's not easy. If Chris puts on an ugly shirt, I will tell him it doesn't look flattering. If I cook a dish that Chris doesn't like, he will tell me. Even if I slaved all day and I think it's great. Respectful and gentle, but never avoiding the truth.

Why tell the truth if it has the potential to make someone feel bad? Because if you omit the truth, you open yourself up to more problems. Chris realizes he doesn't look real great in that shirt. Now he sees that his wife has been lying to him and he looked like a dork in public. Or, I cook that dish again thinking Chris likes it...and you can fill in the rest. It breaks trust and we wonder -Why didn't they tell me?

Likewise, "Lord Save Us From Your Followers" takes us up to the edge of the pool, but we never really jump in. You can't dangle your toes in the water and call it swimming. While it can be uncomfortable to share the truth, it helps to avoid further problems. People trapped in the homosexual lifestyle do not need to like us. They need an opportunity to partake in salvation. Their sin is ultimately the same as everyonelse - unbelief. We too, at one time, lived in unbelief. Instead of believing in what God has said, we rationalize our own way as good and right.

Today's JQ verse is so perfect: John 3:17. "God sent His son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him". Christ came to "Testify to the Truth", John 18:37.
God does not ever turn a blind eye to sin. But he does offer salvation from that sin that separates us from Him. Why would anyone grasp onto a salvation they see no need for? At the end of the day (and the end of the movie), the evangelical Christian and the people trapped in the homosexual lifestyle both walked away feeling better about themselves. One did their spiritual duty of giving someone a warm fuzzy, and the other felt justified in their sin. What we did NOT see was the "transformation by the renewing of the mind" talked about in Romans.

Our goal as Christians is not to get people to like us. Jesus said, "They will hate us, but it is only because they hated me first". Jesus does not want us to concern ourselves with being liked by others. He is concerned with saving all those whom God has given to Him. Our goal must always be to point others to salvation from the sin that holds them captive. This is how we love our enemies. They may not like us very much, but we are still going to tell them the truth. Dan Merchant never leaves his comfort zone of - if they like me, maybe they'll like Jesus too. But that is the reverse order. It is not until they fall in love with Jesus that they will appreciate those who point the way to Him. Dan was able to get them to like Dan, but they all walked away still dead in their sin, with no desire to find forgiveness.