Has anyone else noticed a rise in the number of people who claim to be agnostic, atheistic and just scoff when you say that you are a Christian? Why is that? When I ask people to explain why they are so against Christianity and why they are so reluctant to associate with anyone who claims to follow Jesus, the most common response that I have come across is, "Christians are the most judgmental people in the world. They talk about God's love, but in order to receive that love you have to do this, this and this, never miss church on Sundays, and never ever doubt His plan for your life."
We, as Christians, are doing something incredibly wrong if this is the answer that we are faced with.
"Accept one another, then just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God"
-Romans 15:7
Who are we to judge those around us? God does not weigh one sin higher than the other, but rather He offers forgiveness to any of those who ask for it. Our job as followers of Jesus is to share God's love. To share that God loved each person so much that he sent Jesus to die for all of our sins, no matter how big or small that sin is.
"This is my commandment, that you will love one another as I have loved you"
-John 15:12
That means everyone. You do not get to pick and choose who God loves and does not love. You do not get to decide who shall be condemned or not. You do not get to call yourself a Christian and allow your heart to exclude certain groups of people and warp the Bible into supporting your individual beliefs. We have been placed on Earth to spread God's word, and no where does it say that we get to act out of hatred, judgment or exclusion.
Some have asked me how I can have homosexual friends, or Muslim friends or friends who don't even know what they believe in and my answer is always simple: "Who am I to judge? Who am I to decide who receives love or not?"
One of my closest friends always says, "Everyone deserves to know that someone loves them, so I will be that person, even if no one else will." That is the attitude lacking from so many of our hearts today.
Jesus said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." And so, everyone dropped their stones. -John 8:4
Drop your stone. Now. Not tomorrow. Right now.
God said, "As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him..." -Romans 14:1
Do not shame those who are walking through a period of darkness in their faith. Open yourself up to them so that they can begin a conversation with God. Soon those conversations will turn into a relationship with God, which is the ultimate goal.
"But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
-Romans 5:8
That "us" is all inclusive, all encompassing and all-powerful.
