Why the Hurt?

     My wife made an interesting comment not long ago. She said; "It would be easy to be a Christian if it were'nt for other Christians." We usually accuse Satan and his menions for the evil of this world and rightly so. But it disturbing to me the way Christians allow themselves to be used by the devil in sowing discord in the Lord's church. This should not be. As Christians, we are supposed to be bringing people in, not driving them away.


     I have recently read two books written by Dave Burchett. The first; When Bad Christians Happen to Good People."  It confronts the fact that there are people who who have been hurt, not by non-Christians, but by bad Christians. You may ask what is a Bad Christian? It's simply a christian caught up in sin. The second is Bring 'Em Back Alive. A follow-up to the first, its theme is how to reclaim those that have been hurt and driven away by the church.


     I have had the unfortunate opportunity (more than once I might add) to witness Christians behaving badly over the past few months. I have seen first hand the damage that it causes. I have witnessed the jealousies, the lying, the selfishness and other sins that have disrupted the fellowship and disheartened those that are fragile and may be waivering. This ought not be. Paul describes the ideal church attitude in the following verse.

⁹Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Romans 12: 9-13, ESV)

We need to take it to heart.