As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Acts 8:3
New York City and the Atlanta airport are my favorite places to people-watch. From these two nexus of human interaction one can observe every shape and size of human being and an encyclopedia of behaviors. It is at such places that we are confronted by our nature to judge people and to draw conclusions from little more than appearance. We can’t really tell a sinner from a saint, a rich man from a poor one; but we believe we can. As Christians we must guard against bringing our tendencies to try and convict people in our minds into the church.
Saul believing he was right persecuted Christians with determination and dedication. He worked with local authorities to make sure he had free reign to pursue, catch and convict those guilty of following Christ. As Christians, we need to take some serious time to reflect how we interact with each other as the “Church”. Too often, we pursue each other and are quick to hurl harmful accusations, share negative half-truths and attempt to assassinate each others character. What we need to realize is that when we do these things we are often acting as enemies of the church. The good news of the gospel is that Christ calls for us to live together in harmony promising that when He comes he will separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:30)
Be truthful today about the things you may be doing and saying that are hurting the household of faith. Pray for forgiveness and work to build rather than tear down.
Deacon Larry Woodard
New York City and the Atlanta airport are my favorite places to people-watch. From these two nexus of human interaction one can observe every shape and size of human being and an encyclopedia of behaviors. It is at such places that we are confronted by our nature to judge people and to draw conclusions from little more than appearance. We can’t really tell a sinner from a saint, a rich man from a poor one; but we believe we can. As Christians we must guard against bringing our tendencies to try and convict people in our minds into the church.
Saul believing he was right persecuted Christians with determination and dedication. He worked with local authorities to make sure he had free reign to pursue, catch and convict those guilty of following Christ. As Christians, we need to take some serious time to reflect how we interact with each other as the “Church”. Too often, we pursue each other and are quick to hurl harmful accusations, share negative half-truths and attempt to assassinate each others character. What we need to realize is that when we do these things we are often acting as enemies of the church. The good news of the gospel is that Christ calls for us to live together in harmony promising that when He comes he will separate the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:30)
Be truthful today about the things you may be doing and saying that are hurting the household of faith. Pray for forgiveness and work to build rather than tear down.
Deacon Larry Woodard
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