Stop Condeming People

The church, generally speaking, condemns people. As a matter of fact it seems that 90% of the time that is what it does. Instead of condemning people, the church should spread more love and less hate. It seems that you can't turn on TV and not hear one televangelist condemning someone (except of course Joe Olsteen, I have yet to hear him condemn someone). They condemn people for their addiction to alcohol or drugs. For the choices one makes, for how people want to think as individuals. The church condemns people for their clothing. People get condemn for whether they go to church or they do not go to church. People get condemn for their lifestyles. Churches are publicly humiliating people. We sound as if people owe us something. And the only thing we should owe each other is the love of Jesus Christ for one another.

But all these pastors that spend 90% percent of their time in the pulpit condemning someone they forget one teaching of Jesus Christ, "don't judge, less you be judged the same way". There is no wonder many people get turned off by Christianity. There is no wonder people have stopped believing in God. They are being discouraged by venomous words, instead of encouraged by the words of God. Before oppression stops in the world by rogue countries or would be dictators, the church as a whole has to stop oppressing people first.

People who have these condemning afflictions are plagued by many things. We do not know what is going on in their lives, or what has happened to them that they behave like they do. What they need is love and understanding. I often think about the women caught in adultery. These crazed religious figures would have stonned her to death for her actions. But Jesus forgave her. When her oppressors left, the woman wondered what had happened to them. Jesus said to her "woman neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more."

From http://www.xenos.org/teachings/nt/john/gary/john8-1.htm I got this really good explantion regarding this same topic.

RELIGION SAYS: "Change, or I will condemn you." The fear and threat of God's condemnation ..."keep us in line." This does not promote deep and lasting change. [Church] people who live under this tend to have a superficial and self-righteous kind of holiness.

GRACE SAYS: "I have forgiven and accepted you..." We don't change in order to be accepted, but because we have been accepted. Real righteousness is practicing love toward God and others. Nothing motivates this kind of lifestyle like forgiveness received. This is why grace, properly understood and appropriated, produces a superior righteousness in the lifestyle of its recipient.

Never forget...God is love and grace and he loves you too!