Strange world… but not so new
As I sit here trying to remember what I heard when listening to Trueman explain Strange New World in an interview, I am drawing a blank to his explanations. What does stand out to me is how he laughed when speaking about homosexuality and transgender individuals. Many jokes have been made about this subject but as he laughed I thought about those individuals as people. I also thought of how our Christian leadership would affect individuals if they heard us laughing at who they chose to be. How many souls could be brought to Christ if we made individuals feel low?
Sexual immorality is not new. The Bible warns us of days when these things will come to pass. The Bible also taught us that it is God’s job to judge those things. I agree that the world is going in the opposite direction of the Bible, but as leaders can we do our part? As stated many times before, in many blogs, and in many video assignments; we must love one another. In loving one another it does not involve making another person feel condemned, inferior, or low. In loving one another we offer Jesus and his principles. It is up to those individuals to accept or decline, but it is unfortunate if our actions cause that decline.
In a world filled with destruction, I imagine that discipleship would be a better remedy for changing the world. Jesus in John 13 states “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” I believe that this command is as effective as we will ever get as more is accepted less is rejected. We will not get there laughing at a person’s choice.
Discipleship
Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ ”
Mark 16:15
“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’ ”
John 13:15-17
“For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 5:42
“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.”
About the Author
Shonell Dillon
A daughter of the KING of kings and the LORD of lords. A lover of LIFE!5 responses to “Strange world… but not so new”
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Thank you Shonell for your exhortation to lead by example, and not fall to the level of the world in our morality. Well done.
Beautiful post Shonell. I love your comment, “In loving one another we offer Jesus and his principles. It is up to those individuals to accept or decline, but it is unfortunate if our actions cause that decline.” I live in a community where many I meet have been harmed by the church. They are not interested in what the church has to offer because all they have seen from the church is hypocrisy and condemnation. I am finding a new (or maybe old) kind of church in the midst of this community – a church that happens at a Tuesday night fundraiser at the local gay bar, at the dinner table of a nearby friend, at a lodge on Mount Tamalpias for a weekend of socialization. May we all be the instruments of change in this world and remember that Jesus said they will know us by our love.
Thanks for your post, Shonell. You give us such a good reminder that love is transformative and opens doors, not belittling people. I appreciated your post and the Scripture you added at the end.
Also, one reviewer I read on Trueman noted that what we are seeing now in our cultural practices is not new. That was one of his critiques of Trueman. Nice job highlighting that.
Hope you are well!
Shonell, as I was reading this post I thought about this Scripture.
You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.
Romans 2:4 Message Bible.
Great post.
Shonell,
I love that you drew from biblical teachings. In your post, you seem to be emphasizing the importance of love and discipleship in Christian leadership. Instead of condemnation or ridicule. This is key. The fact that you advocate for a compassionate approach rooted in Jesus’s commandment to love one another is beautifully done.