2. Above and Beyond Discipleship Ministries a Living Truth Ministry Avoiding Christian Intolerance? All Above and Beyond materials are Copy Right Protected and created by, Dr. Cheryl A. Durham, B.P.Min, M.Min, D.B.S President Living Truth Director, Above & Beyond Discipleship Ministries www.livingtruth.us

3. Avoiding Christian Intolerance? Mark 9:38-41; Luke 9:49-50 Many Christians talk about how bad the world is today, however, not too many are doing anything about it. What’s worse, their public and private behavior towards each other is appalling and often goes ignored. They have strategies for attracting unbelievers that include “Christian” groups and activities, that have little if anything to do with influencing the hearts and minds of the world for Christ. They think that people will come flocking to them just to get in on the fun. While certainly Christ told us to love people, this strategy is somewhat disingenuous. Either it seems to minimize what the Christian message is, or it is a religious example of the “bait and switch” tactic used by sleazy salespeople, trying to sell a substandard product. Many actually think that these activities can generate, or substitute, for a real friendship that requires giving the other person what they need and not what we want to give. Sadly, this fantasy is often the result of ghetto thinking. The reputation of Christians in the U.S. is bad at best. When people think of Jesus, they think of pushy, intolerant, religiously motivated, power mongers that remind them of the Spanish Inquisition or the Crusades. Much of the rhetoric in the media and in political circles, paints us as single-issue morons, who cannot think outside our ideological box. They see us competing with each other, backstabbing each other, as well as other poor examples of character, and frankly find it hard to believe that what we believe has any merit at all. They see us as fools, but often for good reason. Why would anyone join a group largely viewed as ignorant and irrelevant? Page 1

5. Point 1 Beware of hasty conclusions Everyone’s spiritual walk is different. We all mature at different rates. Even so, we are not to judge the walk or motives of our brothers. If a person confesses Christ, and their actions are congruent, we must not hold him up to the scrutiny of, as Bruce writes, “trifles and crotchets” (Bruce, p 236). Point 2 Understand Church History As Christians, we cannot go around in ignorance of the historical context of our various squabbles. Remaining ignorant handicaps us and causes us to repeat the offenses and heresies that have gone before. We are ALL part of a very big movement bound by the ministry of Christ, His Word and the various creeds that are part of the Church Universal. There were people who have gone before that and faced exactly what we are facing in this time. Instead of reinventing the wheel on a daily basis, an historical awareness of the Church, its blunders and successes, will keep us from falling for false doctrine and heresy. As the old saying goes, “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it”. (George Satayana) Avoiding Christian Intolerance? Mark 9:38-41; Luke 9:49-50 Page 3

7. Point 5 Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks…. Our mouth is a good indicator of what we are really thinking and feeling. Our actions are even better at telling whether we are honest or not. What is your mouth saying about your heart? We, as Christians, need to stop our petty and useless fighting and embrace the Church Universal in order to be effective for Christ. Anything less is blasphemous. Read the newspaper and listen to the news. How does your community see Christians? What caricatures of Christians do you see? How are your thoughts, words, and deeds contributing to that? We can talk all we want about being Christians, but unless we learn about our history, how we have hurt others in the past, how we continue to do so, and how we can change that perception, we will only grieve the heart of God and do little to make a difference in our world. Avoiding Christian Intolerance? Mark 9:38-41; Luke 9:49-50 Page 5 Avoiding Christian Intolerance question study guide next page. E-Mail [email_address] for your bible study session. There she will go over answers with you on a personal level. Enjoy! www.livingtruth.us/chaplydia.html