First, for those absent for the Sept.1 Mens Bible study, Ted did a great job in leading us this morning.
A closing question was posed on whether the President is a christian, as he claims he is? I have pondered this same question from time to time. For that matter, I even questioned the claims of Catholics, Mormoms and 7 day Adventist that they are christian. Then, a little uneasiness creeps over me (maybe the Spirit?) that reverses the focus of question on me being a christian as claimed.
Is being a christian defined in the Bible, or was its origin from the early Romans who used it to label early believers. I would dare to say that if being a christian is based on a man derived definition, I would hesitate to give creedance to its authority.
Hence, where does this train of thought leads us? Perhaps we should focus on our own belief and actions as being a "christian" rather than on others being christians. Essentially we could fall into the pitfall of judging others. In that regard, I defer to Matthew 7:1-7 (NIV):
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
Ok, is this a stretch to apply this Bible verse, to the question at hand? Maybe or maybe not, perhaps depending on the extent of judgment being made to answer the question. I believe some discrenment is warrented to determine whether one actions or beliefs are based on the Word merit my support, but it seems to be a threshold, where my judgment is beyond my authority (i.e., who is a christian). Perhaps this is a cop out, but I am only suggesting that Matthew would probably recommend some restraint in judging who is and is not a believer because we do not truly know the hearts of our fellow men or women.
This thread is posted to spark discussion, and hopefully, the Spirt, through your responses or input can enlighten me and others as well on this subject. We are tasked to pray for our leaders, presuming they doing God's worker whether they are true believers or not with respect to accepting Christ and God's grace.
I judge him not to be a Christian, Richard.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Ann Coulter, also. Check this: "Obama is not a Muslim" at http://townhall.com/columnists/AnnCoulter/2010/09/01/obama_is_not_a_muslim/page/full/
We do need to discern right from wrong and to be able to judge, not according to our likes and dislikes and our prejudices, but according to His principles. I see that as the crux of the Bible reference that you cite and a substantiation to be the "salt and light" that Jesus wants. Let's not loose that flavor or diminish His candlepower.
If a man is a Christian, he should act like one. If he pretends to be one, well, you can choose any name for it. I'll be kind and call it phony, yet still pray for the man because of the position he holds.
We can change that in about 26 months.
Thanks Jim for your comment.
ReplyDeleteI do not know for a fact whether or nor President Obama ever responded to an "altar" call and asked Christ to be his savior. There are raised Muslims that found Christ, but like any of us, because we come from a fallen world, we tend to bring baggage. That baggage, could pervert how we apply the Word, which brings in question, whether certain churches are really founded on a solid basis in Christ (forgive me if this is judgmental). Unfortunately, the pulpit becomes a forum to spouse "hate" rather than "love". However, to the non-believer, there is no distinction made whether a church is truly based on sound Christian principles or only in part.
We should not be surprise on his lack of application of Christian principals since Obama is a product of a society that has expelled God from any government and higher learning institution. I could make this same comment about President Clinton. This did not happen over night, and you might say, the churches allowed this to happen because we too were products of the same godless educational system. We were taught the lie that this country was founded on the intention to separate government and religion.
Yes, we must pray for the President and all our leaders in authority because they are captive to lies. Unfortunately, I have little hope that it will change in 26 months, or the upcoming November elections because these candidates whether party affiliations are also the products of the fore mentioned godless education institutions. Free the captives NOW!
Oh, I think that, if the pain is severe enough and lasts long enough for a sufficient number of God-fearing people, that things will change for the better in 26 months — and sooner.
ReplyDeleteI see trends of returns to the fundamentals of the Great American Experiment. Witness the TEA party movement, The Manhattan Declaration, 140 Days of Prayer, Glen Beck's deal on August 28, and other efforts that are swelling.
It's a great time to be alive, be part of this and watch how God is working. But then, I'm just an optimist — a conservative one at that, who happens to trust that God works all things for the good of those who love Him.
The current Federal administration and fall from grace could be just a test, maybe a crucial one for us (eh, the U.S., that is).
Question is: Are we up for it?
Answer: NO, I am not happy with this country falling from grace because the consequence is unthinkable. YES, GOD has given another opportunity to correct this in 26 months, but one man did not bring us to this ungodly state.
ReplyDeleteI am MAD, and I think all GOD Fearing people should be mad. The sins of a few or maybe many will affect the whole. Will we stand and do the right thing, or are the people of this country too stiff necked to change and see the Truth? I pray that the Spirit will soften their hearts, and open their eyes.