A Call to Prayer instead of Condemnation
My heart breaks this week over the dissension and disunity among my brothers and sisters in Christ. The hurt stems from the vehement online battle over “The Chosen.” This battle, sadly, is not a standalone incident. Regardless of anyone’s opinion of the show or beliefs about gay pride, the battle and Christians who participate in it are wrong. Not because I say so, but because the Word of God says so.
My intention here is not to add fuel to this fire, but to, hopefully, spark a different fire that puts Christ’s love above all else. (Matthew 12: 18–21, 1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Every reader of this article is either a surrendered sinner following the biblical Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Second Person of the one true Triune God or an unknowing or resistant sinner who has yet to learn about or choose to follow the biblical Jesus Christ.
Simply put, we are all sinners who either belong to Christ or don’t.
If I ask, “Who is Jesus Christ to you?”, my brothers and sisters in Christ will boldly and confidently proclaim, “Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior.”
Readers, if you answered as described above, this message is specifically for you.
Jesus Christ came to save, not condemn
The boycotts we’ve seen recently (and in the past) scream condemnation. Christ came to save, not condemn (John 3:16–21, Psalm 109).
Does scripture mean Christ never called out something that was wrong? No, he publicly rebuked his enemies and opponents, like the scribes and Pharisees. (Why did Jesus rebuke the scribes and Pharisees so harshly in Matthew 23:13–36?).
When he corrected his disciples, he did so more gently and privately. We are to follow this example (Matthew 18: 15, Galatians 6:1, 2 Thessalonians 3:15).
What did Jesus do when the lame, demon-possessed, adulterous, and any other kind of sinner approached Him? He showed compassion. He welcomed them. He loved them, deeply and unconditionally. (Matthew 8, Mark 1, Mark 8:33, Luke 5, John 4 (a few examples of the many!))
Standing firm in God’s truth is not permission to ridicule others
The Bible teaches us repeatedly to stand firm. In the scriptures that tell us to ‘stand firm’ we do it for the building up the body of believers, the Body of Christ. Yes, we stand for the truth and we show love and we keep unity in the body (Ephesians 3, Philippians 2).
We are to stand firm so that we are not deceived by false teachers and the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 4 and 6).
We are to stand firm so that we are not swayed by human philosophies (Colossians 2).
We are to stand firm to show love (1 Corinthians 16:13–14).
We are to stand firm in our spiritual freedom (Galatians 5:1).
Christians are supposed to act differently
Bible-believing Christians are to be holy, which means we are to be separate. We should look, act, speak, and be different. We are to reflect the Lord so that others want to be part of the family. (1 Peter 1).
“For we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.” (2 Corinthians 10:3)
Being a Christ-follower is not easy. We are to love, show compassion, stand firm, and be holy, all while fighting a war.
Jesus and His apostles taught us that we do not fight against flesh and blood (John 8, John 10, Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 12–14, 2 Corinthians 10, Ephesians 1 and 6, 1 Peter 1.) We don’t attack people. That’s what the world does, and that’s what Satan wants us to do.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. James 4:1–2
How are we supposed to fight?
We fight with spiritual weapons. We are to pray (John 17, Ephesians 6:18, James 5:13–18).
A call to unified prayer
What if we showed the compassion of Christ, if we remembered we are all in need of God’s grace? (Ephesians 2)
What if our reaction to the lies that blind our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones (2 Corinthians 4:4) was a call to prayer instead of a call to condemnation?
What if we chose to pray together with the same fervor that we display in our arguments on social media? (Ephesians 6:18)
Will you pray with me? Will you share this article and spread this prayer to the Body of Christ? Will you pray that the Holy Spirit will move quickly and open the eyes of those around us to His Truth? Will you pray that the Spirit will fill us and equip us to love one another and to love our neighbors? Will you pray that every believer boldly shares the gospel of salvation?
Our Almighty Father has invited us to join His work. Let’s answer His call by praying and loving instead of fighting and destroying.
Almighty Lord, our Father, our Savior, and our Guide forgive me, forgive us for failing to show your love, for failing to stand united in You, for failing to be holy as you are holy, and for failing to love others as you first loved us. Lord, we ask that you would reconcile us to each other.
Lord, we pray for those who boldly stand on the front lines, our pastors, our missionaries, our evangelists, and our teachers, proclaiming your Word and sharing the truth of redemption through the price paid by Christ on Calvary. Protect them with your armor and strengthen them with your joy.
Lord, we pray for those who don’t know you. We pray you would lift the veil keeping them from seeing your truth. You defeated sin and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your Son. We pray for the world to know that Christ sacrificed Himself to take the punishment we deserve. None of us can do enough good works to earn your grace. We thank you and praise you Lord for freely giving us this eternal gift.
Lord, we pray specifically for the cast and crew of The Chosen. We know not everyone working on that production knows you as their personal Lord and Savior. We pray for you to soften the hearts of each person on that set and in that company. We pray that you will do a mighty work and bring all to repentance. I pray that their efforts draw people to your presence, to your truth, and to your gift of grace through Jesus Christ your Son.
Lord, we pray for people around the world who are hurting, anxious, and hopeless. Lord we know you give life and you give it abundantly. We know you give peace that passes understanding. Lord, equip us to be your hands and feet, enable us to love as you love. Show us Lord how to be the light in this world that needs you. Thank you for hearing and answering our prayers. Nothing is impossible for you, and we praise you for all that you do and all that you are.
We pray these things in powerful name of Jesus Christ, the name above all names. Amen.
