One no better than the other

Romans 3: 9

9What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

One line that carries such weight! This one statement applied today covers a multitude of peoples, and nations. This pride that so many feel about being Christian really needs to be addressed. While we should all be proud, even boastful, it should be pride in Christ, and boastful of the Lord. It is by glorifying Him that we are blessed, it is by His grace we are saved.

To believe for one second that there is an us, against them mentality is to miss the blessings of Christ. We are all "them" we all live under sin. By bringing others in to the light of Christ we give more glory to the Lord, not to ourselves. Our mission is not to change hearts and "win souls" for our church, our denomination, or ourselves. We bring people to the Lord so they to can experience the outpouring of love that God shows to his people.

We lead people to Christ so they to can magnify God, and we can continue to work towards the goal of all nations proclaiming Glory to God. For us to put ourselves in any other position, or to think of ourselves as anything other than a mere conduit for God's work is to miss a huge opportunity to place the praise where it belongs, squarely at the feet of Christ.

I would like to clarify, we lead people….we do not drag, force, condemn, or threaten. We lead. Just the term lead would indicate that people follow, or move in a group. This infatuation that many have with spreading the word by force, or by judgment, is exactly what Paul was speaking out about. One is not better than the other; hence it takes patience and understanding, not force, or judgment. St Francis of Assisi said it best “Go out in to the world and preach the Gospel, and use words if you have to.”

So let us all realize that one is not better than the other, we are all in this together. Let us all go out in to the world…………

Peace,
Rev. Thetford