7 Ways for Christians to Love Our Neighbors even when we disagree

The annual Pride Parade in Seattle drew an estimated 300,000 revelers this year. The air was incredibly festive. Participants had seen victory after victory for their cause, and many others had jumped on the proverbial bandwagon, much as a winning sports team suddenly gathers a lot of new fans.

In the providence of God, I was also preaching that day at our downtown church, located right alongside the parade route. This is the city Jesus has called me to serve, and I’ve been ministering here now for about two decades. I can assure you, it’s complicated.



What does it look like to remain faithful to God while loving neighbors who passionately disagree with Christian convictions? If you’re looking for an answer that makes both God and everyone else happy, I can save you a lot of wasted time…it doesn’t exist (Romans 8:7).

So how do we avoid the ditch on the left -- where we don’t call sin a sin -- as well as the ditch on the right -- where we are angry culture warriors battling unbelievers instead of evangelizing them? In my new book, "A Call to Resurgence: Will Christianity Have a Funeral or a Future?," I offer the following suggestions:



1. Come to terms with disagreement. For the Christian, changing God’s laws in Scripture, by popular opinion, makes as much sense as changing God’s laws in nature -- including gravity and the temperature at which substances freeze and boil. Non-Christians don’t need to accept these laws but tolerate them, if indeed they believe in tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, as they boast.



Christians and non-Christians disagree on a lot of things including what to do with our money, sin, and genitals. We won’t agree because we don’t agree. Instead of trying to pretend that we do agree, we need to accept the fact that we agree to disagree and get on with evangelizing lost people, defending our religious freedoms, and loving our critics while leaning over the plate to take one for Team Jesus.



2. Turn the other cheek.  Both homosexuals and Christians are, curiously enough, organized minority groups. 

If Christians war with homosexuals, we’re ignoring the majority -- all the people somewhere on the continuum between the two groups. 

As a general rule, those people in the middle are the very people we’ve been called to evangelize. If they see us as being mean spirited, they will be less likely to want to hear about the love of Jesus from unloving people. 

Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek, not because he likes it when we lose a fight, but because he likes it when we win people who are watching the fight (Matt. 5:39).



3. Welcome everyone to your church… The same Bible that talks about sin is equally clear about love. The church I serve as pastor includes people who are practicing homosexuals, as well as others who are struggling with same sex attraction to varying degrees. 

They sit in service next to single people cohabiting, people who watch porn, adulterers -- and the self-righteous religious people who look down on all of them. 

We all start in a bad place. 

When the Bible says that Jesus died for sin, he’s talking about evil people, like me. I was sleeping with a pastor’s daughter when I became a Christian and realized that worshiping God included my pants.



We are all works in progress. We do not expect people to get their sin in order before attending church any more than a hospital expects people to get healed before they show up.



4. …but don’t allow everyone to lead your church. Christians who practice repentance should be the only ones allowed into official church membership and leadership (1 Tim. 3:1–12). 

This does not mean in any way that they are perfect, but that they agree with the Bible, and that when they are in sin, they are willing to fight to overcome sin by God’s grace. 

We’re not asking for perfection but rather for a desire for progress in victory over sin.



5. Distinguish between temptation and sin. The Bible is clear that Jesus was tempted and did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). Just because someone is tempted does not mean that person is in sin. 

Temptation is an opportunity for sin or for victory. 

We must not shame or condemn people who experience various kinds of temptation -- including sexual temptations such as same sex attraction or heterosexual fornication or even pornography -- if they desire to make a life U-turn.



At the same time, we must not endorse or encourage caving in to sinful desires either. Instead, we need to walk lovingly with people, telling them that part of the Spirit’s work in their lives is self-control, and that so long as they want to fight for holiness, we want to fight not against them but for them. And as they gain victory, we ought to celebrate and encourage them all the more.



6. The best defense is a good offense. The best thing the church can do for marriage is encourage and assist good marriages. This includes lots of teaching on sex and marriage, great premarital counseling, a supportive community for married couples, and efforts to nurture marriages that are enduring and endearing so that God’s people are getting divorced only on rare occasion because of extreme circumstances.



7. Evangelize through suffering. Bible-believing Christians will need to toughen up -- rather than crumple in a heap -- when slapped with words like hateful, bigoted, intolerant, shameful, cruel, unloving, homophobic, prejudiced, discriminatory, and more. 

Jesus told us to love our enemies; his assumption was that we would have enemies to love (Matt. 5:44).



If we say what Scripture says, we should expect to suffer as Scripture promises. In fact, Jesus promises that we’ll see trouble, experience hardship, and be hated. Rather than run away or fight back, however, he invites us to endure and persevere as an “opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12–19).



We have been chosen by God to live at this time and in this culture with all its faults and flaws, as part of the church of Jesus Christ with all her faults and flaws, as people with our own faults and flaws (Acts 17:26). 

Because our society no longer values historically Christian beliefs, we have an unprecedented opportunity for a resurgence of biblically faithful, personally humble, evangelistically fruitful, missional Christianity.



The truth of God’s Word is hard like an anvil meant to reshape us into something better. But we can deliver a hard word without having a hard heart toward the recipient. 

An honest explanation of sin is essential for our message of ultimate help, healing, and hope: Jesus Christ is alive. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. 

Jesus makes life, death, suffering, and persecution meaningful.

And the backlash is a blessing. 

After all, you really don’t know how committed you are to Jesus until you have to start paying a price for that friendship.

Pastor Mark Driscoll is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington and is one of the world's most-downloaded and quoted pastors. 

from http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/11/24/seven-ways-for-christians-to-love-their-neighbors-even-when-disagree/   

Is the Bible still Relevant? by Kelly Wright

Skeptics scoff at it. Atheists denounce it. Agnostics question it. Scientists debunk it. Religion debates it. The faithful value it. Yet, all agree it has an impact on the world. The Bible.

There are many books in the world ranging from fiction to non-fiction. There are autobiographies of great men and women, wonderful bestselling fictional tales from Shakespeare to "Harry Potter," from "50 Shades of Gray" to "Lord of the Rings."

However, the Holy Bible continues to be sold more than any other book on the planet. The Bible is still the most widely published and distributed book in the world. It continues to be the world’s bestselling book, with billions being sold.

It is a book hard to ignore. It is filled with riveting stories about life and death, tragedy and triumph, war and peace, love and hate, fear and courage, sadness and joy, darkness and light, good and evil, heaven and hell, God and Satan, destruction and salvation; sin and redemption. It is a book that is never short on topics addressing our human existence.

"Be advised, the Bible will cause you to think and to act."

In the Greek language, the root word for the Bible is “biblia,” meaning books. The Bible is comprised of sixty-six books, from Genesis to Revelation, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It claims to be the word of God that provides God’s account about the dawn of the world, the creation of man, the fall of man, the redemption of man, the eventual end of planet Earth as we know it, and the ultimate creation of a new heaven and new earth.

Pope Francis recently discussed the significance and relevance of the Bible during an annual assembly of the Pontifical Biblical Commission. The theme was "Inspiration and Truth in the Bible.”

The Vatican Information Service reported the Pontiff explained; “Sacred Scripture is the written testimony of the divine Word, the canonical memory that attests to the event of Revelation. However, the Word of God precedes the Bible and surpasses it. That is why the center of our faith isn't just a book, but a salvation history and above all a person, Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh.”

Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor of Potter’s House church in Dallas, describes the Bible as “The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.” 
He explains it is a book that goes beyond religion but studies relationships. In the T.D. Jakes Relationship Bible, Jakes writes; “Our relationship with God is the foundation for our lives. If we try to build on any other relationships or things, we are building on quicksand, because at some point all of our relationships will break down. It is from our earthly relationship with God that He gives us the privilege of having healthy relationships with our spouse, our families, our friends, and countless others. “

There are many people who question the Bible’s relevance to our modern world. And some of them do so with good reason. Consider this, through the ages; some have manipulated the Bible to use for their own selfish pursuits. They have unwisely advanced the drumbeat of wars, maligned people outside the faith of Judeo-Christianity, and even used it to make one feel superior over others because of race and ethnicity.

The abuse and misuse of the Bible prompted the great spiritual leader Billy Graham to wisely advise; “We are the Bibles the world is reading; we are the creeds the world is needing; we are the sermons the world is heeding.”

Graham added; “Man has two great spiritual needs. One is for forgiveness. The other is for goodness.”

Dr. Martin Luther King understood this concept. He relied heavily on the Bible to extend forgiveness and goodness to everyone, including those who were considered his enemies. The Bible was his foundational study guide for leading the historic non-violent struggle for civil rights and voting rights for Blacks in America.

King used the words of the prophet Micah to challenge those elected to serve in politics and public office to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with (their) God. His protest for being critical of the war in Vietnam stemmed from his hope that mankind would one day fulfill the prophet Isaiah’s vision that people would someday “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” To his critics who called him an extremist, he responded that he was an extremist of love like Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul and other great leaders who found guidance from the Bible.

Pope Francis stood on biblical grounds when he urged world leaders to seek a peaceable solution to the chemical weapons crisis in Syria. He asked Christians and people of other faiths to join with him in a day of fasting and praying for peace. He even posted a message on Twitter; “The only war that we must all fight is the one against evil.”
Even Hollywood is finding inspiration from the Bible. Successful Hollywood power couple Mark Burnett and Roma Downey recently produced the popular television series, “The Bible.”

They explained to me how they believe the Bible reaches beyond the Jewish and Christian faith. Roma explains; “The Bible is a book that changes lives. The Bible is the cornerstone of our culture.” Mark states; “We love the Bible and we believe.” Mark and Roma tell me the Bible has great influence on art, literature, history, science and human development.
No doubt, the Bible will continue to be a source of inspiration for millions around the world. Also, it will continue to be a source of controversy and debate for the skeptics. One thing is very clear; people who believe it or doubt it will continue to turn its pages searching for answers to support their faith or lack thereof.

But be advised, the Bible will cause you to think and to act. It gives a description of itself in Hebrews 4:12- “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. “

Kelly Wright is a general assignment reporter for Fox News Channel, based in the Washington, D.C. bureau.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/19/is-bible-still-relevant/#ixzz2fNypQu5v