I've been thinking a lot about some of the things I have written over the years.I have probably said some things in other posts that may have been hurtful to other people. I am truly sorry if that describes you personally. Please forgive me. I don't "hate" liberals, or gays, or Muslims, or anyone else, much as it must have seemed so at times. I do think they (libs) are taking us down a dark road that I wish we could get off of....NOW....before its to late. However, that being said, I hate the, (I'm searching for the right word here), policy's or direction those policy's are taking us to, NOT the individual that BELIEVES in those policy's. I'm friends with all sorts of people that write blog's, here and at other sites. I believe ALL of them know where I stand, and that while I may or may not AGREE with their particular "lifestyle" or how they live their life.....ITS THEIR LIFE. Of course I hope they all come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ....DUH....I'm a CHRISTIAN..... why wouldn't I? They ALL know that about me. (I think at least. and If they didn't they do now....lol). That's my mission here on earth, to tell them that Jesus died for their SINS.
As I said, I'm still friends with them. Jesus was a friend to the tax collector, the prostitute, for crying out loud even to Judas who betrayed him.

And Jesus said unto him, FRIEND, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. Matt 26:50.

Jesus was the example for ME to follow, can I do any less? Ideally no.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James:4:4

Before someone accuses me of friendship with the "world" because I befriend sinners (which I am one also) this verse is talking about the worlds system. Playing the worlds game by the worlds rules if you will.

Being a friend to the sinner IS NOT necessarily being friends with the world.

There is a young man on one of the sites I write on that I recently befriended. He is Gay. Does his being Gay or my being Christian mean we can't be friends? Of course not! If I had his permission I would send you to his profile, he sounds like a terrific person. I like terrific people! Thus he is my friend. Do I think he should maybe talk to Jesus about being Gay, YES! I think that homosexuality is forbidden in the bible so yeah, I think it would be a good idea to discuss it With Jesus. Am I gonna come at him with a bunch of "thee's and "thou's" and "thou shalt not's"....NOOOOOOOO! Man it seems so clear to me. I hope SOME of what I'm saying hits a cord with some of you.

You can not "witness" to "sinners"about LOVE by hating them!

I've been home ill all week and I've spent a lot of time on the computer (don't tell the boss ) and I am starting to see how unbelievably hostile and toxic we can be to each other. This one says something to that one, they snipe back at them, back and forth it goes sometimes getting meaner and meaner. That's NOT Christian witnessing. That's not even civil discourse.

Someone once said: "you catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar".

Someone else said: A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Boy, do they!

Again, I don't condone some people's life choices but Jesus gives them that freedom, we all have that freedom. Will I be standing before Jesus telling them why THEY did what THEY do? No, and they will not point to me and say, "He made me do this or that or he never told me about YOU!" Either.

I will talk to ANYONE at ANY time about Jesus but I will not try to beat them to death with my bible or yell at them and call them names if they don't agree with me....it will not work. Ever hear "Love the sinner but not the sin?"

Someone wrote to me about one of my posts recently:

"And BTW, the proselytizing about which you speak, out of supposed concern for other people's souls, is one thing that turns people off the most. Religion, or lack thereof, is such a very personal choice that when you intrude upon that privacy, it aggravates people... even makes them become intolerant toward the intruders."

I don't mean to intrude on anyone's privacy or personal choices, but if you ASK me or give me an opening I'm gonna tell you about Jesus. You tell me "Shut up, I don't wanna hear it", I shut up, and hope for another opportunity. You are free to choose. We all are.

If given the opportunity, I would try and lead someone to Christ the same as I would yell LOOKOUT were I to observe someone walking backwards off a cliff. But ....berating, yelling at, putting down, or otherwise alienating someone DOES NOT REPRESENT CHRIST TO ANYONE!!!

If someone is openly hostile to the gospel, I tend to talk with them of other things OR tread very gently....hopefully in a loving way....on the subject of Jesus.

Let this be perfectly clear. The bible says in Matt 8:38,

"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

I am not ashamed of Jesus or of being a Christian. I am so very grateful He would see fit to save a person as sinful as I and that He would continue to love me, even as I am.

My biggest ambition in life before I met Jesus was to be, or to be like, outlaw bikers. If you know anything at all about that "lifestyle" you know that it certainly is a "sinful" lifestyle. I had felt more "love" around them than I had ever felt in any of the churches my Mom dragged me kicking and screaming to when I was a kid. Had I been on MyBloggers then and stumbled on a post about what scum outlaw bikers were would I have taken offense to that? You bet I would. Would that have ever lead me to Christ, no way.

It was through a friend that I told some of my deepest darkest "sins" to that I met Jesus. She just kept saying; "He (Jesus) know's "that" and He STILL love's you (me)." He knows all about you and He still love's you, and guess what..."I do too".

It wasn't over night but THAT had an impact, just as Jesus tells us it will.

The next time your tempted to jump on someone that has a different opinion or lifestyle than you do, think about that. Think about who YOU were before Jesus saved YOU.

Justmyopinion

Bill