Spiritual giants

I really like John’s account of what took place when Jesus was betrayed, crucified, buried, and the resurrection. The first thing I would like to point out is how ironic it is that the religious leaders in Jesus’ day were suppose to be pointing people to God and being an example yet they were face to face with God Himself and chose to KILL him! They were so obsessed with keeping laws and keeping clean hands yet they had Jesus’ blood all over them. On the day of the crucifixion the only thing they were concerned about was getting Jesus killed and buried before the Sabbath which started at 6pm that same day Jesus was hung on the cross. John 19:31 (NLT) says, “It was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then their bodies could be taken down.”
You may say like me, “How stupid can you be?” But before we say anything let’s look at ourselves. As Christians we are commanded to “study” and “show ourselves approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15). As we study God’s Word our faith increases (Romans 10:17) and our mind is renewed and we discover as well as know what the Will of God is (Romans 12:1-2). As we grow we become mature in our faith and we leave childish things behind (1 Corinthians 13:11). But with that maturity comes responsibility. We are told in scripture that if we see a brother stumble we are to help them. We are NEVER told in scripture to become the “spiritual police”. Throughout my years in ministry I have witnessed mature Christians acting like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Instead of pointing the way to God and showing the love of Christ they become a watch dog and they bash the one who is in sin. I have heard these “spiritual giants” tell people how they are going to hell and how they need to live their lives. Oh yea…that really works. Go blast a sinner who already can’t stand God and His ways…that’s the way to win them to the Lord! They live by a bunch of rules and regulations instead of the having the heart of Christ. Unlike Christ, if someone doesn’t “follow the rules” exactly like them, they are condemned. How sad! It’s just like the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. Jesus went against their rules and they called Him “the devil.” Then they manipulated the people and the Romans to crucify Him. They didn’t have the heart of God. They just had a bunch of rules. They had no grace or mercy. What about you? Are you a mighty spiritual giant just waiting to condemn those who don’t dress like you, talk like you, look like you? Are you just waiting for someone to make a wrong move so you can slam them with the Bible? If so, go and get a heart transplant. Get a heart from God because the God I know and serve is nothing like that. He is full of grace and mercy. He is patient, loving, and kind. Although He hates sin, He loves the sinner and He reaches out to them with loving arms. We should do the same. This world has enough hate in it. It doesn’t need more from God’s people. I’ll leave you with Philippians 2:5-8 (NLT) You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges, he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.