A New Church?

My question this morning, to myself, is “Are we supposed to hold others accountable to the Words of Jesus Christ?”  That said, let me describe some points in that question.  “We” means Christians who follow Christ.  “Others” means others, those who believe in Jesus and those who don’t.  “Words” mean the words in the Bible.  So, the question could be reworded in a more formal manner to say, “Are those who follow Jesus the Christ supposed to hold all others accountable to the words in the Bible?”

As I consider this question, I am reminded that the history of man is full of wars, battles, and all kinds of evil done to “others” by those who considered that they were following Jesus.  Obviously, people start with good intentions but fail miserably, often because they forget there is only one king and one ruler, the One True Living God.  Many times history has recorded a “holy war” where supposed followers of Jesus on one side is fighting, killing, followers of Jesus on the other side.  Again, obviously something was seriously wrong in the beliefs of one or the other, or both.

These quick thoughts on history are just an expanded view of smaller daily lives of people everywhere and there seems to exist this constant war and battles in the life of every Christian I know who is personally following Jesus.  In my life, which is limited in the number of people around me since I am only one person, there is children who have fought parents, parents who have fought their families, spouses who have fought spouses, brothers who have fought brothers, parents who have fought their children, and friends who have fought friends.  In each situation, I can easily point out where one of the participants is a follower of Christ and are trying to live their life in that manner but are engaged in a war and constant battle for trying to have an influence in the lives of those around them.

It seems their life would be so much easier if only they would live to themselves.  I understand why some religions separate themselves out of the world.  This concept is a large part of why America was started.  The Puritans simply wanted to go somewhere away from the worldly government so they could live in a society based on their beliefs.  In our world, where is there to go?  Should we board up our windows and doors and live quietly as hermits?  I am not convinced that Jesus wants this for us.  He specifically said to us “If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first” and “since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you” (Jn 15:18,20).   He also gave us assurance saying, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).  But, are we to be in the world following Him and letting the world be the world?  Or are we to be in the world following Him and reaching out to all others knowing we’ll be hated for following Him and be in wars and constant battles and hurt deeply by those who “love” us?

This question is a deep subject but it is real life.  If I avoid this question and pretend like it doesn’t exist then how can I possibly know what direction I’m going in or have the courage in purpose to sustain the fight, if I will even enter the fight?  This is where I see the failure of the modern church.  It does not talk towards real life and teach how we are to be in this daily fight.  For me, it didn’t used to be a fight, it was a choice in a way to live.  But today’s society is so strongly opposed to all things Christian that living a life following Jesus is a real fight and there is an attack on every side.

I believe this topic should be studied and considered in how we live our lives and steer the direction of our churches.  If we are to be reaching out to those around us then considering the intentional hate and persecution from the world that we should expect, how can we create a body of believers that is set up in a way to encourage, support, and train us to survive in such an environment?