I’m a Christian, not a punk!

Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword – Matt 10:34

I have been tagged as not having patience but what I’ve come to learn about myself is that patience isn’t the issue. I actually have low tolerance for things like bullies, laziness, ignorance and people being rude and out of order. I am working to extend grace and mercy though because none of us are yet perfect. I know that God has definitely extended me much more grace and mercy than I deserve! There is one thing I have not yet mastered though, something that still bothers me. Why is it that people feel like they can say whatever they want to say about you, do whatever they want to do, give unsolicited advice and opinions, not tell the truth, pop off and be disrespectful, but when you finally respond, you are the bad guy? This happens all the time. Not just to me, I recently heard someone say, “She is supposed to be a Christian but she is evil” about a minister who stood up for herself after being continuously disrespected. My question is/was… aren’t we all supposed to be Christians? So why can you be mean and nasty to someone but they can’t respond?  (In my Katt Williams voice…”I’ll wait”….)

It’s frustrating that folks are so quick to question someone’s Christianity when they stand up or oppose them. And a lot of the times it seems to be the folks who don’t read their bible, barely attend church and lack understanding of and relationship with Jesus. The bible tells us to work out our souls salvation, not criticize others because they don’t act the way we think they should, because they aren’t quiet or shy or easy to walk over. So why do folks think Christians are supposed to be easily walked over? I am not sure but somewhere along the road folks got confused…

Consider these things :
• Remember when Jesus turned over tables in the temple because people were out of order? (Matt 21:12)
• Remember when Jesus cursed the tree because it didn’t produce fruit? (Mark 11:14)
• Remember when Jesus called Peter Satan because he opposed his teachings? (Matt 16:23)
• Remember when Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites for not following their own law but questioning Him (Matt 15:7)
• Remember how Jesus consistently stood up to those that opposed Him?

Point: It doesn’t matter who or what it was in the Bible, if things were out of order or got in the way of Jesus’ purpose, He set them/it straight.

Now am I advocating for getting mad and always popping off on folks, definitely not. There is a time to hold your peace and a time to speak up. What I am advocating is for the ability to stand up for truth and not be silenced. We have the right to stand up for ourselves! We can do so, however, without stooping to the level of others (Matt 10:16) in order to avoid looking like the world. Because of our flesh, we may get angry, but we should not sin (Eph 4:26).

In the key verse Jesus says why He came back, He knew He would shake things up and be punished for it. Jesus warned us that believing in Him would cause us to be consistently crucified, just as He was. But despite what or who attacks us, as Christians, we should also shake things up, challenge evil and be bold. We can stand up for ourselves, stand up for God, stand for truth and fulfill our purpose, hopefully without our Christianity being questioned. We are to live Christ-like lives, showing love of course but also truth and strength and courage! Jesus spoke his truth but He was not weak. Jesus rebuked evil and set folks straight. He isn’t a punk and Christians shouldn’t be either.

Don’t back down. Stand up for truth friends! Be tough like Jesus!

Peace. Blessings. Love.

Lady Z