Today while looking through YouTube for Praise & Worship videos, I stumbled across a ministry that posts their sermons on this medium. Being curious, I watched some of the videos. The ministers (a husband & wife team) were very "in your face", with an obvious fundamentalist slant. OK, not my particular style of preaching, but nothing wrong with it, and I gathered from the videos, that they hold their church services at truck stops and are primarily called to minister to truckers. Maybe that requires an "in your face" style, I dont know, but if it does, God bless them for taking on what I can only assume would be a tough branch of ministry.
I am very sure most people know how YouTube works, but for those who dont, let me explain. There is generally a comment section at the bottom of the video. Anytime you have an open internet forum like this, and you let people post comments, you are going to get negative ones. Even something as universal & accepted as Amazing Grace has some nasty comments on it. Thats just how it works when you have an open internet forum with very little or no moderation.
So as I read through some of the comments, and some video responses to these ministers, I was not surprised to find comments & other videos attacking them & their ministry. What I was a little surprised (and saddened) by, was the ministers response to the comments and videos. The response to the negative comments was to respond negatively with a comment or video of their own. Even when the comment came from another Christian trying to point something out to them. They just did not want to hear it, and would go on the attack even stating that some of the comments from other Christians were "inspired by the devil", and saying that the other Christian was not saved because they did not believe as these people did.
I watched and read comments & responses for over an hour, before I wrote the ministers a comment of my own. It is the one & only comment that I will ever write and most likely the last time I would ever watch their videos. My comment was just trying to remind them that when they are attacked for their beliefs, they should not respond in a negative manner, and that they should not condemn another Christian just because they belong to a certain church or denomination. They should ignore the nasty stuff (or hit the delete button), and go about the work God has called them to do. I do not know nor do I care if the comment will be posted or not, but I do hope and pray that it will be read and make them think. Because the back & forth negative stuff, was taking away from the message they were trying to put out.
When we attack other Christians, because they may belong to a different church or denomination, we are doing nothing but sowing discord among ourselves. In fact, I will be so bold as to say that when we do this, we are doing the devil’s work for him. Why should he lift a finger and attack Christians when other Christians are doing it for him. We are the body of Christ, but if the body is fighting among itself, how can we then expect to reach those who have not yet heard the message of Jesus? Those who do not believe would look at this fighting and think how can I believe anything they say, when they cant even agree on anything themselves.
Luke 6:28-30 (NLT)
28 Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt also. 30 Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don’t try to get them back.
I think this passage would apply to the situation I saw today. And it is my prayer that God will remind them that they are ministers who have been called to do a work, and that taking time & energy to make these video responses to negative attacks could (and should) be better spent doing that work. I also hope and pray that I can follow my own advice and do the same.
As Christians we know that we will get ridiculed for our beliefs, sometimes by other Christians (as well meaning as they may be). When this happens, we must take the path of humility, the path that Jesus laid out for us in the passage above. We must turn the other cheek, by ignoring & praying for the attacker & going about our work. There is so much that needs to be done, and so many people in the world who need help and to hear the message, that we should not even have time to think about a negative response.
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