A few days ago, I used a quote from Rick Joyner’s website to point out a concern about people not seeking to understand what was going on before they responded to bad information.

I take this opportunity to give Mr. Joyner some appreciation for his latest newsletter. I don’t agree with everything he says every week, but he’s a respected friend of a man that I respect and honor, so I listen to what Mr. Joyner has to say. I don’t immediately and unthinkingly adopt what he says, but I consider it.

In the article linked above, Mr. Joyner writes about Christians’ mandate to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14). He states:

To be the light that inspires the world and the salt that keeps if from falling into depravity is our calling. If the world is slipping into darkness, we must not condemn the world, but consider how our light has been dimmed. If the world is falling into deeper depravity, we need to determine how we, the salt, may have lost our savor so that we can no longer prevent this. Occupying until He comes infers not letting this happen. Therefore, the impetus for the meltdown of morality and growing corruption is on us to prevent, which we can only do by being who we are called to be as Christians. It is not the time to condemn the heathen for living in darkness—they cannot help this without us. It is time to judge ourselves, and resolve that we are here to help save them, not condemn them.

OUTSTANDING!!! Too many Christians in the West today are condemning their fellow man, thinking they’re “shining a light” on sin. In reality, they’re offending their fellow man, and showing an ugly, un-Christlike view of the Church to the world. Mr. Joyner has very eloquently challenged all of us to quit judging, and start loving!

A pastor friend recently cited statistics that most 18-29 year olds, when surveyed about Christians, first responded with “hates homosexuals”, followed by “judgemental”. WOW. Kinda the opposite of the Jesus I know. We, the body of Christ, need to get our act together. Our light’s going out, and our salt is tasting kinda sandy. In the process, we’re losing ground in a fallen world.

To my fellow Christians: If you’re going to judge, grab your Bible and a mirror. When the two images match, then you’re qualified to judge others. Until then, humble yourselves, and keep trying to get the mirror image to look like the Bible image.

To my non-Christian friends: We don’t deserve it, but would you consider giving us Christians another chance? I can only speak for me, but I’ve messed up more than I’ve gotten right in loving my neighbor. But God’s only had a few years to try to fix what I’ve worked real hard to corrupt for most of my life. He’s a miracle-working God, but I’m a pretty hard case, and I haven’t always gone along willingly. Would you please forgive us–we mean well.