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How Do We Overcome The Fear That It Is Not "Politically Correct" To Share The Gospel With Others?
by Henry Miranda Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV) "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand".' Galatians 3:28 (NKJV) "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus". It is politically incorrect to say that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life but it is the truth. Only His truth changes lives and unlocks the beauty of our full worth as men and women who are made in His image. Only He can change our hearts so we are able to love our neighbors In truth, "Politically Correct" is designed to intimidate people into using language that has been pre-approved. Political correctness tends to be completely focused on human sensitivity and self-esteem. When you focus on human sensitivity and self, you eliminate God from your life. Before the "politically correct" crowd was ever born, believers loved one another. We didn't love because we were pressured by society to do it. We loved because Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35). We must continue to declare to the world that God does not judge us by outward appearance, but He judges us based on our faith in Him. Faith is our common denominator, not political correctness. Have you ever felt you were treated less than equal because of not having the proper upbringing, schooling, appearance, or speech? Society has a way of separating us into different groups. To be accepted in today's society, you have to have all the right credentials. I was born in South Texas. I remember going into a department store when I was young where there were two drinking fountains, one marked for whites only and the other marked for colored only. The restrooms were the same way. I didn't understand it at that time. Like everybody else, I just lived with it. I never met a black person until the age of eleven and we lived in different parts of town. I remember one particular incident to this day. I was walking with some friends in downtown Houston. We were walking on the sidewalk when this black person came around the corner. We were about ready to move out of the way, when he stepped off the sidewalk and into the street to avoid us. I learned later that he was considered a lower class citizen and he was expected to make a way for us. In 1955, I received an invitation from my older brother to visit him in California. He had lived in California since his discharge from the Air Force after serving in Korea. My brother sent me a bus ticket so I could travel from Houston, Texas to Los Angeles, California. As the bus made its way to California, it made several stops. In Arizona I was surprised to see that a black person got on board, and instead of going to the back of the bus, which is what I was accustomed to, he sat next to me. I didn't know how to act. I had never been close to a black man before. He broke the ice and started to tell me he was going home, and that he was from Oakland, California. I got to know him, and that changed my whole outlook on black people. I know now what is meant by the old expression "walk a mile in my shoes and you will know me" I really enjoyed his company and our conversation made the long trip easier to bear. We are all created equal in the eyes of God. He doesn't see any color or achievements that would get us closer to Him. Jesus paid the price for us to be all one family with God our Father. We all start at the same place when we enter the Kingdom of God. True followers of Christ must not engage in this absurdity and shallowness. We must declare openly and without shame that all those who are in Christ Jesus are brothers and sisters in Him. Everyone who knows Jesus, whether they are men or women, young or old, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American or from any other background are equal in His sight. Each will share equally in the inheritance of their heavenly Father's estate. That is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. If we must constantly self-censor any conversation pertaining to race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or physical ability, then we are doomed to perpetuate the very barriers we say we want to overcome. We can't be afraid of making people angry. Too often we think... "Wow... this will really get someone angry If you take the concept of political correctness at face value, it is a good thing. If being politically correct means that we treat people of different backgrounds with respect and do not stereotype them based on their race or gender, then it is in fact, very biblical. Scripture is clear. In 2 Timothy, Paul warns his young friend to not be ashamed to preach the Gospel, saying: "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths" (2 Timothy 4:2-4). We must remember that the only thing that counts is true faith "expressing itself through love" (Galatians 5:6). No one is off limits. We must reach out to all races, all denominations, and all belief systems. But instead of trying to be "politically correct" let's strive to be biblically correct. Evangelist Henry Miranda earned a Bachelor of Christian Ministry degree @ Christian Leadership University. Evangelist Henry Miranda is a Bible Teacher, Author, and Guest Speaker and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, has written ten books. You can reach @ //www.evangelize-for-jesus-ministries.co Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |