The Church Mocking the Church

Show me a passage in the Bible where Christ mocks the church.
Seriously, show me. Find me one where He makes fun of His followers. Where He calls them names, even in jest. Where He belittles them.
Know of any? I don’t. Maybe I missed it, and if I did, please correct me. But I do not know of any place in the Bible where Jesus mocks the church.
Corrects them, rebukes their behavior, gets angry and flips over tables- yes. Mocks them- no.

We need to stop making fun of people.
We need to stop calling names. We need to stop belittling. We need to stop shaming, discriminating, and abusing others. There is no place for this kind of behavior in Christianity, unless I am sorely mistaken- again, in which case please correct me.

This is hard. I know. Controlling your tongue is hard. I know. It’s hard for me, too. But it is vital. If we truly want to love in a way that is examplary of the love of God, we MUST keep the words of our mouth from being ones that mock others.

I don’t care if they can’t hear you, if you don’t mean it, if it’s supposed to be a joke, if the individual in question doesn’t seem to mind, or if you always talk like that and that’s “just how you are.” Your tongue is powerful. James chapter one calls it the rudder which is small, yet powerful, and controls the direction of the entire ship.
Where are your words steering you? Where are MY words steering ME? Call me out on this, guys. I don’t want to be full of nice-sounding ideas and not living them out.

Your words matter.
If we are to love others as Christ loved the church, then we MUST NOT BELITTLE OTHERS, EVEN IN JEST. That’s it. That’s how it is.
It’s not funny to put people down. It’s not ok. And it is definitely not Godly. It is hurtful, it is despicable, and it is wrong.

So let’s stop. We can, you know. Not on our own, of course- a task like setting out to control your tongue requires the infinite grace and strength of God. Rely on Him for it, because He is the only One Who can provide it.

We can do this.
So let’s do it.

Comments

Pause Before You Post: Representing yourself responsibly and honestly online

When I was about eleven years old I went to summer camp for the first time. Before my sister and I left, my mother talked to us about something. She explained that we needed to mindful of our behavior at camp, not only because it is important to be kind and respectful, but also because we would be a representation of both our family and Christ to the people around us. That stuck with me. Now, with so many of us daily browsing and posting to social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and blogs such as this, our representation is no longer limited to the people we are around in person- it is far-reaching, even global at times. It is certainly a far more widespread representation of yourself to post on the internet than it is to say something in person; on the internet, the dozens or hundreds of people you are connected with may see it. That is an enormous audience. I feel very strongly that we need to be mindful of that audience, of that re...

Girl, Your House is a Mess

Recently someone on Facebook posted something that bothered me. I didn't fly into a rage and comment viciously- I've been working on not commenting right away- or at all- when something bugs me, because often firing off a comment in the moment isn't most gracious ( more on this here ). But I've been thinking about it, so here we go. This post was about moms with messy houses, and how there is no excuse for one. People commented largely supporting this- asserting that messes are the result of laziness on the women's part, and that unless you are disabled in some way, you have no excuse. "Especially stay at home mom's," one woman, a stay-at-home mom herself, said, "I want to ask them what they do all day." Another comment agreed that the more time you have at home, the more time you have to clean, and therefore less possible reason why it should be messy. In general, it seemed agreed upon that a few books on your floor for a short amount...

Parenting Adventures: Already, I'm Wrong

I lay in bed five days ago, staring up at the dark shapes that the shadows made on the ceiling. It was the fourth night since Judah had been born, and I was realizing something: Already, I am wrong. Before our first child was born- this tiny blessing that we have had for just over a week now- I was certain of many things. I made plans. I confidently stated that our child would never co-sleep with my husband and I, because it was just too scary- and besides, we had a perfectly good cradle for him to sleep in instead. And yet now I found myself cuddled up beside the most precious human being I had ever seen, as he slept deeply (and safely) between Arthur and I in our bed. Before he was born, I said I’d never give Judah formula. And while I am sticking with breastfeeding, I cannot deny the fact that at 4am three days into motherhood I cried and wanted to give up. I have realized in these short nine days of Judah’s life that many of the things I was certa...

Sarah Anne I Am

Search This Blog