I John 2:10-11 (KJV) Says, "He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because the darkness hath blinded his eyes." Matthew 22:36-39 (KJV) Says, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
In the above passages of scripture it is made clear that as born again believers in Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we are to live our lives in a Christ-like manner. Jesus set the perfect example of what that looks like, and it is well documented in the Word of God. In the above scripture it is also made clear that the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord God with all of our heart, mind, and soul, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
When we go about our everyday lives as Christians the light of Jesus Christ should shine through us in all we do, and that includes in how we treat other people. In today's world we have too many Christians living their lives in a manner that is far from the example that Jesus set for us to follow, and they do so while they profess with their mouths to be Christians. When the lost witness an individual profess to be Christian, and then behave in a manner that is judging, condemning, prideful, hateful, and other like behaviors it is very damaging. What others should see in us are the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
I know firsthand just how damaging to lost individuals negative behavior found in some self-proclaimed Christians can be; because I have personally witnessed it. I grew up attending a small Church in Smyrna, Georgia, and I was very active in that Church. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior at the age of nine, and I felt a call on my life to serve God immediately. I love the Lord and his Word tremendously, and I always will. At the age of 15, however, my family received a phone call that my grandfather had suffered what appeared to be a stroke. I loved my grandfather so very much, and my immediate reaction was to drop to my knees and pray. My prayer was that God would grant me the opportunity to see him at least one more time. I wanted to tell him what he meant to me, and how much I loved him. My prayer request wasn't granted, and I became angry at God. I couldn't understand why he took my grandfather before I could see him again knowing what he meant to me. I strayed from my walk with the Lord immediately.
During this period of my life I distanced myself from God, and I spent a great deal of time with some lost souls. Being well aware that I was in no place to serve as a witness for Christ secondary to my behavior, I did a great deal of listening and observing whenever my new friends engaged in conversations about Christianity. My friends were of the opinion that Christians thought they were better than everyone else, and that they were condemning and judgmental. Not having experienced anything, but positive behavior coming from the Christians in my life, I sat quietly by taking in what they had to say, and trying to understand where all of their bitterness toward Christianity was coming from.
In a short time, however, I came to understand exactly how my friends had come to form their opinion of Christianity. On various occasions I was with my new group of friends, when we were approached by self-proclaimed Christians who assumed we were all lost, and clueless as to anything pertaining to God or His Word. There were several instances where self-proclaimed Christians in an attempt to witness to us did in fact come across in the stereotypical manner that my friends had described to me. They were critical, judgmental, they talked down to us, and all but condemned us to hell. Although I was backslid at the time, I still had the Holy Spirit dwelling in me, and I have to tell you I was shocked and disgusted by their behavior.
I eventually turned back to God repented and asked Him for forgiveness, and I thanked Him for never giving up on me. I could not, however, let go of, or get over the way I had seen so many self-proclaimed Christians behave toward lost souls. This prompted me to write a book called Christian Behavior (A Look in the Mirror) which is available on Amazon.com, if you're interested in reading it. It is a small book with a big message. I had to find a way to bring attention to what I had witnessed. I felt the labor of writing the book was worth it, if it would change the heart of even one Christian who behaved like some of the many that my friends and I had come in contact with.
As a Christian are you heeding the above verses of scripture? Do you walk as Jesus walked, or are you walking in the dark? Do you love the Lord God with all of your heart, mind, and soul, and demonstrate love for your neighbor? As born again believers in Jesus Christ, we are His disciples, and as such we are to go about witnessing for Him in the hope of growing the kingdom of God. The manner in which we live our lives and go about as His witnesses has a powerful impact on those we come in contact with. We can have a positive impact by following Jesus' example and leading others to the Lord with love; or we can behave as some of the Christians my friends and I came in contact with, and run people away from Him. It is of vital importance that we recognize as Christians the powerful impact our behavior has on others, and that we strive to make certain ours is a positive one.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!
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