late night randomness

I’m lying there trying to sleep and all this keeps going through my head.  figured I’d write it out here and maybe be able to sleep.  please read to the end and I hope this makes some sense 🙂

Disclaimer:  I’m tired, this may sound like rambling.   Also, I mean all of this in love but I’m still nervous to put this out there…

We’ve been talking about revival at church recently.  Not the revival tent meetings type of revival, but the heart change where people let Jesus be real in you life revival.  A renewed conviction of sin and a deep desire for repentance.

These types of revivals bring people in.  A lot due to the members of the church inviting people, and people just hearing that there’s a move of God somewhere and they want to see it for themselves.  This, of course, can be a good thing.  We, as believers in the only way to Heaven, should welcome the ‘unsaved’ in our doors.

Ugh… here’s where my brain is overloading.  Will we really welcome the ‘unsaved’ in our doors?  Maybe that first week it’ll be OK that they’re still sinners, but after that they should ‘fall in line’, right?  I mean, if they come to the altar and give their lives to Christ, they’re a new creation and should clean up their act, right?

Isn’t that what happened to you when you got saved?

Oh, no?  You’re still a work in progress.  Hmmm, maybe they are too.

Maybe I am still.

Maybe we all are.

I’m NOT saying my church is like that, I believe we are full of loving people, but there’s always those few…

Imagine if a gay couple walked into the sanctuary next Sunday.  What would you do?  Really, think about it.  Would you pretend you didn’t see them?  Would you turn up your nose and not greet them?  Would you lean over to your friend and say something snide?  Or would you, image this, go over and shake their hands and welcome them in?

Cliche, but true, what would Jesus do?

A dear friend of mine recently told me she’s gay.  This kinda shook up my world a little.  Now I’m in the process of studying Scripture to find out if it’s really a sin or not.  (Please no debate commentary).

I share that to say this, I still love her.  She’s still my good friend.  I care about her and her family and have cried over their situation. I wish I could do something to make it all better, but I can’t.

But I have not judged her.

I will not write her off.

Regardless if I discover it’s a sin or not.

What would you do?  Really think about it

Our job, believe it or not, is not to convict people.  That’s the Holy Spirit’s job, and He does a pretty good job and doesn’t need our help.

Now I’ll be judged for being to soft of people or something.

Ugh.

Revival is renewed conviction of sin.  My sin.  Not my conviction of your sin, but conviction and repentance of my sin.  Revival starts in me, not me trying to change you.

Yes, there’s a lot of sin in the world.  But God didn’t tell us to go out and try to stop it, did He?  (no, really, did He?  I’ll gladly admit that I’m wrong and just can’t think of the Scripture where He said that!)   He said to make disciples.  Walk with people and love them and be there for them.  Be a guide or a friend while the Holy Spirit does His job in changing them.

I do care that there is sin in the world and that people are hurting.  I pray for conviction of sin and repentance.  But, and I’ll say it a million times, it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to bring these things to pass.  Me telling someone their sin is horrible or that God hates them isn’t going to solve anything.  God still loves them and hurts over their sin, as much as He does mine.

I hope you can hear my heart.  I believe, as Christians, we’re to be an example or a witness to the world, but not by trying to be perfect, but by showing His love.

I’ve got PLENTY of sin in my own life, I shouldn’t be worried about getting you to change, only changing myself.

On that note, I don’t trying to flaunt my sin, but I do want to be real about it.  If the Holy Spirit and I have victory in an area, I’d hope to inspire someone else and encourage them that there’s hope.

Yes, I care that you have sin, but, again, it’s not my job to convict you of it.  I will pray with you and talk with you through it, but that’s all I can do.

If we’re in an accountability type relationship, it might be my job to be frank with you, but I still can’t change you.

I can still love you.

Does this give us all a license to sin?  Heavens NO.  but you really should worry about the logs in your own eyes before worrying about the specks in other people’s eyes.  Or someone might get hurt.

So, did you make it to the end?  Did I offend anyone?  I hope not. Maybe I shouldn’t write when I’m tired! 🙂

I hope what I said came across as loving.

I welcome commentary, but if you get mean or hurtful, I will delete you.