Setting The Wrong Example

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” -- John 5:5-10 NIV

So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. -- John 5:16 NIV

There is a story in the news here in Oklahoma today about Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kansas. If the name is familiar it's because this is the church that has made a name for itself by traveling around protesting at the funerals of fallen troops. They came to Oklahoma to protest a funeral and got more than they bargained for. Someone slashed their tires and they had to have their van towed a good distance to find someone who would fix it. Now they want revenge, so they plan to start coming and protesting the funerals of Oklahoma children, stating "God Hates Oklahoma" and "The Lord curses them by killing Oklahoma's children and casting them into hell. Thank God for more dead children in Oklahoma."

These folks are messed up! God hates Oklahoma??? This is a church! This is Jesus' bride and they are talking about The Almighty hating His children!!! Preposterous is the only word that I can think of that even comes close!

The story I quoted from the Bible above is a good example of the leadership of the day setting the wrong example. Was it not better for this man to be healed no matter the day of the week than for him to go on another 38 years like he was? Likewise, Westboro Baptist is misguided and doing a spectacular job of setting the wrong example of what Christianity is all about.

I see it all over the place. We made it very easy for people to get divorced. I don't know why we did that, but we did. So now, years and years later we have generations who have grown up seeing so much divorce that it is rare for our teenagers to know friends who's parents have never been divorced. They grow up seeing what a mess that is and now we have a report out that 40% of Americans have decided that marriage is unnecessary and obsolete! I can't blame them, but it's the mistakes of past generations that lead to today's consequences...and it's time we changed the tide.

We have to be the ones to stand up and do it differently. We have to be willing to show people what it is to display the love Jesus told us to display. If consequences can span generations and magnify as it goes then why can't blessings? We have to be the ones to change things. We have to speak up when things aren't right and we have to be the ones to act. We've been setting the wrong example for far too long. Let's stand up together and set the right example...the Godly example. We don't have to be militant about it. We just have to stand together with Jesus in our hearts and refuse to be swayed.