"But one Sunday, after a service at the church we'd by then been attending for three months, I could see how upset she was. I asked her what was wrong---and it all poured out. People, she told me, had been treating her as if she were bad for me, as if she were an obstacle to my relationship with Christ. They had been very clear about the idea that I belonged to them now, and that if she wasn't going to get on board but soon,and become a Christian, then there would be no natural place for her in my life." -John Shore
The above quote, by Christian author, writer and editor, John Shore, is from a blog entry he wrote called, "After I Converted, the Terrible Way Christians Treated My Non-Christian Wife." From what I gathered, Shore became a Christian two years before his wife. The members of the church they attended for those two years had treated his wife as if she was unworthy of being his spouse since she was not a believer. I guess on more than one occasion she was told that she would be a hindrance to his development as a Christian. Honestly, it is difficult to believe that his wife eventually accepted Christ. The perception most people get about what it means to be a Christian, unfortunately, can come from believers who don't know what it means to be a Christian. I have met many so-called believers who come across as some of the most arrogant, condescending and mean-spirited people you'd ever want to meet. I mentioned, in a previous post, how one of the obstacles my friend faces to accepting Christ is the arrogant certainty that we proclaim our faith. Yes, I know, he doesn't have an excuse for not accepting Christ. But I would not be surprised if the Christians that he has met, and those brother Shore speak of who mistreated his wife, will have some explaining to do when they are appraised by God.
"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1: 5-11
Nobody has ever been born a Christian or been a Christian their entire lives, like some proclaim. This means that at some point in our lives we were unbelievers just like every unbeliever we come in contact with during our lives. However, religious pride and a misunderstanding of what we have been saved from, boils over into a judgemental attitude towards anyone and anything unlike us. Do we realize how much God has loved us and done for us? Before I became a Christian, one of the main reasons I rebelled against the Lord was the attitude and behavior of so-called Christians. The holier-than-thou, we are better than you obnoxious behavior made church the last place I wanted to be. If that is being a Christian than I will pass. Just like the wife of John Shore, the experience we share is not uncommon, unfortunately. I bet if you took a poll of unbelievers and asked them why they are not Christians, there would be plenty who say they are not because of their "Christian" experience. We forget that for the lost, Jesus Christ and those they encounter at Church, are one in the same. Therefore, if they are treated as outsiders by those claiming to be the representation of Christ here on earth, what does that say about Christ Himself? Where is the brotherly kindness? Where is the remembrance of the being cleansed of our sins? Where is the acknowledgment that without Christ we are just like an unbeliever. We may be better off than an unbeliever, but we are no better than one. We are of no use to the Lord when we forget from where we have been and what we have been delivered into.
"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light..." Ephesians 5:8
"Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior." Colossians 1:21
"Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." 1 Peter 2:10
What good reason do we have as Christians to look down on anybody or treat them as unworthy? None. There, but for the grace of God go I! When we look at an unbeliever we should see our past and what we once were. We were "once darkness," "alienated from God" and "not a people." And that should remind us of the grace and kindness God has expressed towards us and desires we express towards others. Think back to when you were lost, spiritually dead in your sins, alive to the world, but dead to God. Then remember the person, or people, who took the time to share the Gospel with you. Was it a track you were given? Maybe a book you read. A television program you viewed. A kind word spoken to you. The forgiveness you received for a wrong you committed. Now, imagine if Mrs. John Shore walks into your church. Would you say she was a hindrance to her husbands walk with the Lord? I hope not. There are countless individuals like Mrs. Shore out there who are in desperate need of having the Gospel of Jesus Christ shared with them. Our past should humble us to the point were the only thing that comes out of us is the love of God. Perhaps, if we find ourselves unable to express the love of God towards others, it is an indication that we have not really experienced it. Normally, we treat others the way in which we believe God is treating us. Therefore, if our behavior is turning people off of the Lord and making them uncomfortable to be around us, we need to take a look at ourselves and what we claim to believe. There is a good chance that we have forgotten, or don't know, that we are children of light who have received the mercy of God. It makes sense to share the light and mercy we have received with those that need it the most and are in a position we once occupied. Amen.
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