Commitment, Compromise & Conflict II

If you listen to the news at all you can quickly discern the struggles we face as a Christian community.

Here are some things that caught my attention in the news from this past week…

• Another teacher scandal of inappropriate relations with a minor
• Yearning For Zion Ranch, a polygamist compound in West Texas is raided for sexual child abuse
• Three third graders plot to harm or even kill their teacher after being disciplined for a wrong behavior
• Two different fourteen year old girls in separate incidents try and dispose of their newly born child
• and the list goes on

Realizing the mixed up world we now live in, I must ask my self the question. What can the church do to impact our culture and change our world?

I conclude that the church must draw the line in the sand and raise high the standard of holiness while loving people unconditionally. It has been said that to draw a hard line is a lack of compassion. I beg to differ with that opinion and to the contrary, to not draw the line at all is a lack of compassion.

With that being said, we can have a high standard of holiness, have a definitive line drawn in the sand as to sin and still love people. We must understand that loving people does not mean we have to compromise the Word of God or our standards. But, if all we do is establish the line and never point people to the cross or teach them to grow in God’s Word we are simply building a doctrine of legalism.

The answer to changing our culture and our world is not a legalistic doctrine based on a set of rules established by man. It is a Bible based foundation established for the purpose of changing peoples hearts.

Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;(NKJV)

Pastor Ray