Harsh Stands for Christ?

Sorry, I have not posted in a while. Preparation for Conquering Addiction is a lot of work and we have had little things like ordination, baptism, membership, building a building, and finals at MAC taking a bit of time as well. Fun stuff though. Some of us have been discussing how harshly to take on the public in the name of Christ. I think sometimes while Christians are protesting abortion clinics, there are 3 young teenage girls in their immediate circle that are pregnant or living a lifestyle that could cause pregnancy and the protester is so busy protesting that he/she misses creating a relationship that could love these young ladies toward Christ and some Christ-like decisions. I am not saying that we should not make large public declarations on behalf of Christ, but we should not do so at the exclusion of paying attention to the OTHERS that we supposed to love from the Great Commandment. Maybe this story will provide my point:
About 4 years ago, MAC took a stand about not letting any churches use their facilities, not even to rent like the regular public is allowed. This was explained as separation of church and state. It is a horrible misread of the constititution and had I took a harsh stand representing all churches, I would have won in court. Instead, I protested very softly and then went about my business. In those 4 years, the Bible has been openly discussed in the athletic department, I have counseled many faculty members as they have experienced pain and difficulty, about a dozen students have come to know Christ, and the school donated $30,000 worth of seats to our church the other day, and GAP was actually allowed to use a room for CA -- none of which would have happened had a taken a hard line and brought in the ACLJ and sued the school for violating constitutional rights because they would have been watching their 'enemy' like a hawk. Sometimes it is better to drop the hard line and focus on people instead.

Jesus does not aak us to win every battle in His name; he asks us to love Him and others more than ourselves. A court case here would have been done in my name and for my pride's sake much more than for His. There are times to step up and make history in Christ's name; I just did not think this was one of them. And I think He is honoring my decision.

However, when I retire....

Don't forget to invite folks to church Sunday and let's honor Christ in a big way on His birthday.