My friend, Raymond, from Missouri shared this following story with me and I wondered what I, or maybe you, would do in this situation.
"In a small town of Mt. Vernon, Texas, Drummond's bar began construction on a new building to increase their business.
A local church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers.
Work progressed right up till the week before opening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means.
The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, 'I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not.'" (Author unknown)
Now as far as I have been able to determine, the story is not true, it was written perhaps as a parable, which is a story that makes a point about real life. The point here is that perhaps we need to ask ourselves the question, "How strong is your faith when become inconvenient?"
I honestly believe, looking at our present world, which Christianity is going to become more and more "inconvenient" as time goes on. Satan is not sleeping quietly on the sidelines of life, but is out in full force trying to tear down the very fabric of all that our belief in Christ stands for. He is attacking morality, ethics, family values, purity and our very faith itself in any and all means he can.
Though the story above is fictitious, I have known of churches in the past few years, who have been sued by disgruntled members or people of the world. I have seen in some cases where the churches have lost, because they stood by their faith and upon the principles of God, but what about you? If you were sued personally because of your faith, what would you do?
Notice the insight that the apostle Paul gives us in Philippians 1:27-29, "Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him."
If we believe that true life is lived with God and have laid up our treasures there, if we are sued and loose, will it make all that much difference to Christians? It maybe inconvenient, but as Paul said here, "For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." The "privilege of suffering for him," what about you, would you throw aside you faith, your values, your principles, just so you could avoid a law suit?
Would you throw them aside just so you could be accepted by your friends, your work mates, your neighbors or maybe even your family? You see, sometimes the truth is that Christianity is inconvenient. How will you react when it become inconvenient for you?
Russ Lawson
"In a small town of Mt. Vernon, Texas, Drummond's bar began construction on a new building to increase their business.
A local church started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayers.
Work progressed right up till the week before opening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.
The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that, until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the demise of his building, either through direct or indirect actions or means.
The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.
As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, 'I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not.'" (Author unknown)
Now as far as I have been able to determine, the story is not true, it was written perhaps as a parable, which is a story that makes a point about real life. The point here is that perhaps we need to ask ourselves the question, "How strong is your faith when become inconvenient?"
I honestly believe, looking at our present world, which Christianity is going to become more and more "inconvenient" as time goes on. Satan is not sleeping quietly on the sidelines of life, but is out in full force trying to tear down the very fabric of all that our belief in Christ stands for. He is attacking morality, ethics, family values, purity and our very faith itself in any and all means he can.
Though the story above is fictitious, I have known of churches in the past few years, who have been sued by disgruntled members or people of the world. I have seen in some cases where the churches have lost, because they stood by their faith and upon the principles of God, but what about you? If you were sued personally because of your faith, what would you do?
Notice the insight that the apostle Paul gives us in Philippians 1:27-29, "Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing side by side, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him."
If we believe that true life is lived with God and have laid up our treasures there, if we are sued and loose, will it make all that much difference to Christians? It maybe inconvenient, but as Paul said here, "For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him." The "privilege of suffering for him," what about you, would you throw aside you faith, your values, your principles, just so you could avoid a law suit?
Would you throw them aside just so you could be accepted by your friends, your work mates, your neighbors or maybe even your family? You see, sometimes the truth is that Christianity is inconvenient. How will you react when it become inconvenient for you?
Russ Lawson
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