It must be true.....

"The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. 

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it."  

Isaiah 55:10-11

Most of us have heard this verse a time or two, but maybe in a different version. I believe it is always used out of context. Many will say, "God's word will never return void" and then move on like the Bible is some boomerang that you use to fling at people.
I have personally been told after teaching the Bible, "Oh, don't worry if they got it or not, God's word NEVER returns void."
This seems a dangerous way to use the word of God. As I read the NLT version, I get a distinct impression that God will do what HE wants with HIS word and it will always produce fruit. What if we use HIS word the same way? Does it still produce fruit?
Recently, I participated in a spirited discussion about telling people the truth, and doing it unapologetically,which spiraled into a debate on free speech and civil rights. Now I am not here to argue the truth being delivered, but I will argue that Christians use the truth as a "weapon of mass destruction."
"I have a right to put a sign in my yard that says "Turn or Burn,"" was told to me. And I suppose you would have that right in America or other free democratic societies, but how does this build bridges of relationship and compassion? How does this make a hardened people any more receptive to the Good News of Jesus Christ? Does this sound like something Jesus would do?
I'm not trying to stand in my pulpit and condone the actions of the world, but I certainly don't believe the actions of Christians looking like the world, just singing a different tune, will ever make disciples of Christ.
Certainly we are entitled to debate such tactics and policy, but to fling truth about as a weapon, and then say "God's word won't return void" is irresponsible.
There is a lot of sin in this world, but we as Christians need to stop taking stands against just the sins that make you uncomfortable (homosexuality, abortion, pornography, oppression, drugs) and take a stand against ALL sin (gossip, murder, corruption, hypocrisy, adultery, divorce, coveting, etc..).
The point is, we should care less about how we are going to eliminate sin, and care more for the marginalized, the poor, the widowed. Care for the hurting, the lost, the hopeless.
How should we then stand up against Satan?
Stand in the gap for those you meet. Live in such a way, that the light of Christ shining through you compels them to know more. Love EVERY child of God as yourself. Yes, even the homosexual. You see, many people we brow beat with our theology are blind to the ways of God, because God intends them to be. The only way their eyes can be open is to measure God's people by what THEY believe.
"Well I hate the sin, but I love the sinner." I challenge you to ask any unbeliever you know just how much love you show them in regards to their sin.
It is impossible to show anyone the love of Christ if don't truly have it yourself. We end up being medieval Crusaders, lopping off their heads until they repent.
The blood of Christ was shed for ALL, not just the few who figured it out. Our mission as Christ followers is not to use the Bible as a weapon of truth, but to love the sinner so much, it breaks their heart to offend you.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22

I know loving someone to build a relationship is hard, and maybe even unwanted, but someone loved YOU enough to build a relationship in order to tell you the Good News. Don't forget it was JESUS who died on that cross, not you. Let Him worry about being offended.

"You must love in such a way 

that the person you love feels free." 

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Is the whole batch ruined with just a little poo?

       My pastor preached a sermon recently on 1 Corinthians 5:6. Paul is addressing the church in Corinth about allowing sinful people to exist within their fellowship. Paul uses bread dough to illustrate this point.
       Paul asks "Don't you realize that sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough?" His thought is quite profound, and I think we need to sit up and pay attention. Too many churches have "yeast" or sin, running wild throughout our congregations, but most of us defer responsibility to do something about it to someone else. Before we know it the "yeast" has consumed the group and we've all become sour.
       My pastor asked this question. Suppose you have a batch of chocolate brownies, and somehow a little doggie poo fell into the batter. Is the whole batch ruined? It's not like it was a lot, maybe just a pinch. Isn't it still edible? Suppose it was just in one corner of the pan, couldn't you eat around it?
       If you answered NO to these questions, then you would agree with Paul. Sin, no matter how small, if allowed to exist in our congregations, will infiltrate the whole.
       Please don't hear me saying the church should be filled with self-righteous, condescending, holier-than-thou, people; for we all sin and fall short of God's glorious standard (Romans 3:23).
But, I believe if we are all working toward the goal of abiding in Christ, surrendering ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and straining toward the goal of sanctification; we are getting rid of the poo.
It would be easy to just insulate ourselves from sinful people, and live sanctified lives separate from the outside world. In fact many early churches practiced this behavior. Some religions today still behave this way.
       In Luke 5:32 Jesus tells us the reason he wanted to establish his church:

"I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

       So if Jesus came to save the lost, then why do we continue to orbit within our church meetings? We spend more time praying for ourselves and the needs of our friends than we ever spend praying for those outside our social orbit. Why?
Don't worry you are not alone, Paul addresses the church in Corinth on this issue in vs. 9 of chapter 5:

 ^"When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin."

No problem, right? I can avoid people who dress sexy, talk dirty, and flirt uncontrollably. What Paul says next gets to the core of our conversation:

 ^10 "But I wasn’t talking about UNBELIEVERS who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. ¹¹ I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a BELIEVER^[a] yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people."

     Seems pretty harsh, but this goes back to a little poo among believers. Paul is not saying one or two believers who indulge in sin are okay, as long as the rest are strong Christians. No he says we aren't to "even eat with such people."
If we open our doors to sinful BELIEVERS and lower the entrance fee so all BELIEVERS can come in, then we have muted the Good News. We must be set apart from the things of this world, but not insulated from it. What should we do then? Paul answers that question in vs. 12-13 of chapter 5:

^12 "It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the CHURCH(the people of God, not the meeting) who are sinning. ¹³ God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”"^[a]

      So why do we spend most of our lives avoiding unbelievers? Why do we condemn them for being lost and doing only what lost people do?
When I was a student in high school we were always told to avoid parties and people who acted lost, because they might influence us to sin and stumble. Besides we don't want to do anything that might "ruin your witness." What I think we were being told, is don't do anything that might ruin what self-righteous people might think of you. Maybe we were never modeled on how to "not be of the world, but in the world."

'For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.' John 3:17

If we don't spend time with unbelievers, how will they ever hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
      Interesting fact about the early church: God's people never claimed the name Christian for themselves. They were given that name by people on the outside of the faith because they saw Christ's teachings being lived out. When was the last time someone said that about you?