Is Truth Hate?

Today at the end of lunch we started a discussion that ended with us having a special prayer for believers around the world who are being persecuted and killed for professing their faith in Jesus Christ! There are more people being tortured and killed than you can imagine and we are living in a bubble going on our merry way not realizing the pain and suffering that is happening all around us. I admire a person who is willing to stand up for their beliefs against popular opinion. I am not talking about people who can bend rules and scriptures to fit their particular “stand” but those living the according to the Word of God in a time when it has become a very unpopular thing to do, I applaud your guts for standing. There are people who will talk a good talk and take the stand with you until they get into a different environment and their big talk becomes silence and they would not be willing to take your part if you were criticized. If you believe in something then always believe in it, James 5:12 says: But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment. You agree, you don’t agree, just make up your mind and go for it! Revelation 3:15-16 “I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot—far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. You brag, ‘I’m rich, I’ve got it made, I need nothing from anyone,’ oblivious that in fact you’re a pitiful, blind beggar, threadbare and homeless. When I was in school I had friends whose families were members of my dad’s congregation and was amazed that they were different people at school than they were at church! At school they were part of the “bad” crowd but at church and in front of their parents they were perfect, I call it the “Eddie Haskell” syndrome, if you don’t remember, ask someone older than you are! God knows the difference in someone that is genuine or fake, you can’t fool Him with your cubic zirconium faith or love. There comes a time when you have to admit, to yourself, as well as others, who you really are. 1Samuel 16:7 But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.” 2 Cor. 10:7 You stare and stare at the obvious, but you can’t see the forest for the trees. If you’re looking for a clear example of someone on Christ’s side, why do you so quickly cut me out? Believe me, I am quite sure of my standing with Christ. What am I saying? Take a firm stand in your faith. Being a Christian is about love, joy, and the other fruit of the Spirit of God, true, but we need to be militant about being able to keep and practice our beliefs in Christianity. We were brought to tears as we were discussing a young girl of 13 who was buried up to her neck in the dirt and then stoned, after they had thrown stones at her and thought she was dead, they dug her out of the dirt so the doctors could check to see if there was a heartbeat, that poor child was still alive so they buried her again and finished the job. What was her crime? She was gang-raped and those who practice Sharia Law, the law of the Islamic faith, accused her of adultery after her father tried to get justice for her. Is this what YOU want? If we practiced what we preach, we would be filled with love and show it. John 14:24 Because a loveless world,” said Jesus, “is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn’t mine. It’s the message of the Father who sent me. It’s not always easy to take a stand, I know, but think about the one who died for you, He was not ashamed of us while we were still in sin. What will you do now? * George Orwell once said, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” As I have documented countless times now, not only do they hate truth and those who speak truth, but they also somehow manage to argue that such people are full of hate for simply speaking the truth!”   I have found that to be true in my experience. God is love, practice love.

*Bill Muehlenberg’s commentary on issues of the day