As a Christian, I have spent too much of my life blinded by own arrogance that Christians know better than the rest of the world.
The truth is that we don’t know better than anyone.
We are just people who are called to love and to serve, no matter what.
Christianity was founded on the principles of love, acceptance, service, and sacrifice.
Today, the world views Christianity as being hateful, intolerant, tone-deaf, and lacking empathy; the exact opposite of how Jesus was viewed by the people he served.
The problem is not with the rest of the world; the problem is that we Christians have lost sight of what matters most.
Jesus did not come to Earth to save our economy.
He did not come to Earth for lower taxes, to impose new rules and morality on the world, or the right to choose whether or not to wear a mask.
Jesus came to Earth to help the destitute and the outcasts.
He came to Earth to challenge the status quo, fix inequity, and to serve the destitute.
He came to Earth to set right the hypocrisies and atrocities that had become commonplace in the name of religion.
If we believe that life is sacred, then we must stand up and denounce systemic racism and inequity and demand society becomes more inclusive.
If we believe that God created our planet, then we cannot ignore the human-caused exploitation and devastation of that exact same planet.
My prayer is for a revival, for me, for all Christians, to put the world before religion.
The world needs compassionate, service-oriented Christians who put people first, who try to understand rather than be understood, who believe in freedom for others before freedom for oneself.
The Jesus that I know was the protector of the poor, servant of the people, the embodiment of love, a sacrificial servant to all humanity.
This is the true calling for Christians:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)
We need to decide now what we stand for.
It isn’t us against the world; it’s us for the world.
It’s time to decide who we really are.