We live in a dangerous world. A world that seems to have gone off the deep end. Crime, murder and mayhem are everywhere and statistics tell us the number has increased. I live in St. Louis, Missouri, which is supposed to be one of the most dangerous places to live! But since I live here I don’t see it that way. I just know it is my city and it is in trouble.
But God did not intend for us to live in fear or our cities to be dangerous, he intended for peace to be our way of life. Scripture says, “For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.” John 3:17 AMPC
It is God’s intention that the world be made safe and sound through him! My city was not supposed to be the most dangerous city to live in…but safe and sound. So what has happened?
I believe it’s the lack of positive teaching in our churches. We’ve been guilted into service of our Lord but only for our own church. We never venture outside the church. We never reach out to the lost masses of humanity with words of grace because of our own fears and guilt.
In studying the Word more closely, I find one of the biggest tools the enemy will use against us is condemnation (guilt), which will cause discouragement, fear and depression. How many of us have sat through a legalistic church service and been condemned so much you just wanted to get up and leave? All that consuming guilt because you did not attend some special service or show up for church picnic or church work day, that you felt beaten down and not lifted up. Actually I would feel worse after church was over than before.
I don’t know if this happened to anybody else, but my husband and I were so moody when we got home we would begin arguing….because of the negativity. Trying to remember my past experiences right now, and I can’t remember one upbeat message or encouraging word.
But God did not intend for this to be a way of life. Scripture says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1 NKJV. God intended us to be witnesses for him to go out among the people and compel them to come to God. We are to go to their homes for dinner, we are to make friends with them, and to gently woo them to Jesus through the gospel. We are not to condemn and pass judgement on them. We are to lovingly share the good news of the gospel.
Of course we were never taught to do that and if we did make friends outside the church we were condemned about it. Then God opened up his word to me since I left the United Pentecostal Church and gave me a brand new world that is free from guilt. I have finally forgiven myself of my past and stopped beating myself up.
God has kept me going in the right direction. I have been able to witness to a lady at Walmart among the Christmas lights and pray with her, I’ve invited total strangers to come to church or bible studies, and God still has new things on the horizon for me to enjoy but I will never see them if I continuously live in the past. It is time to move forward, to forgive and forget and God “…will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3 NKJV
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We (wife and I) spent 12 1/2 years in this organization. We had been to various churches in a few different states. We never really fit the image.
The pastors are drunk with authority, and if you question them, even when they have said or done something questionable or downright wrong, you were viewed as a troublemaker. There’s much more to this, but won’t leave it all here.
I understand.