Pride Month

Rainbow tinted profile pictures, rainbow light displays, the pride flag on nearly every staff—reminders about what month we’re in greet us at every turn. Pride Month has grown from a recessed community recognition to an international celebration. 

We can no longer ignore what’s going on “out there” in the world, because now the world is barging into the community of believers, demanding full acceptance (or else). Followers of Jesus must reckon with the LGBTQIA+ community — the agendas and the people. Especially the people. But we need to remind ourselves of what the apostle Peter wrote to the first century Christians who lived in a world generally annoyed and angered by them:

Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect (1 Pet 3:14-15).

Sometimes what we feel about this celebration of sin looks like “righteous indignation” and maybe zeal. But as truth takes hit after hit after hit, we need to draw some hard lines in the proverbial sand, stand up for what’s righteous, and speak for the truth. Yet, in a society fueled by outrage about nearly everything, I want to propose that while indignation may have its place, our first response should very likely be a broken (and therefore compassionate) heart.

Remembering My Sinfulness

Allow me to ask: What’s the worst sin in the Bible? 

There’s only one sin that Jesus said was unpardonable, unforgivable — the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt 12:22-32). This is the section just before Jesus’ statement about us being judged for every idle word we may say (vv. 33-37).

Outside of this sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit I would believe it right to say that any sin will destroy our perfect relationship with God, separating (even eternally) from God. 

And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Mark 7:20-23)

Daniel serves well as a cautionary story — he was captured as a teen, and he lived almost his entire earthly life in Babylon; nearly 70 years in captivity. One day while he was reading and thinking about the prophecies of Jeremiah, he realized that the time of exile was nearly done. He knew why his people had been punished by Babylon in the first place, and in his prayer, he said: “Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the LORD our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets.” (Dan 9:9-10)

We might wonder what sin Daniel was guilty of because there’s nothing in the biblical record that tells us, but he, like all of us, certainly was a sinner (Rom 3:10, 23; Gal 3:22). My point is that in his prayer he includes himself by saying “we” and “us.”

If we have any integrity, Pride Month could probably be called “Self-Righteousness” month for us all. Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable (Lk 18:9-14), we are prone to thank God that we’re not like “them,” as if we’re a better class of sinner.

This month we all need to remember that every sin, including self-righteousness, is only forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God and our mediator (John 14:6; Rom 6:1-7; Gal 3:26-29, 1 Tim 2:5). As Isaiah reminds us all: “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

It might seem easy to condemn others this month, but if we’re looking in the mirror of God’s word (James 1:19-25), then we will see our own hideousness. We all need to see the ugliness of our own sins and busy ourselves working on ourselves (Philippians 2:12-13).

We All Need Jesus' Compassion

The one big thing it seems the Pharisees lacked was compassion. In Mark 3:1-6 we have an example of just how hard-hearted they were against others who were not them. In this case, there was a man with a withered hand: 

Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. (vv. 4-5)

In Luke 18:9-14 Jesus tells them a parable — and we’re informed by the Holy Spirit that “He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others.” (v. 9) He could well be telling that parable to us all.

I often think of Jesus walking among us, among mankind. I realize we may feel that things in the 21st century are much worse than they were in the 1st, but we’d be wrong with that assessment. Mankind is chock full of sinners (Rom 3:23). Our sins today are like all the sins of yesterday. And they are despicable.

And yet Jesus didn’t walk around sneering at people and mocking them. That’s essentially what the Pharisees seemed to do:

But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues . . . But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. . . . But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. (Matt 23:5-6, 11-13)

Do we weep over our own sins? We may feel justified being angry about the sins of others — again, it being Pride Month — but are we moved to tears?

Sin destroys lives — think about the first sin of Adam against all of mankind (Gen 3; Rom 5). “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)

We should be moved to pray for others — “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matt 5:43-45)

We also need to pray to God to help us when we’re talking to others. “Speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). “Love is always patient; love is always kind; love is never envious or arrogant with pride” (1 Cor 13:4).

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. (Col 4:5-6)

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world (Phil 2:14-15)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matt 5:16)

We are not judges, we are sinners — “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom 5:6)

Consumer Christianity

Our culture is all about the consumer. We hear and believe things like—“The consumer is always right.” And the real problem comes into focus when we find people applying the consumer mindset to God, His church, and salvation. For example, the notion that one church is as good as another, or that we’re all heading to heaven in different ways. The expression, “Go to the church of your choice” seems to summarize the religious person’s consumer mindset.

One writer put it this way—“Every church has the problem of Consumer Christians: people who attend, sing, listen, drop in some money, and go home.” The point is simple enough: Consumer Christians lack a genuine connection to the Lord (they don’t understand the relationship He seeks with us) and even the relationships they are supposed to be a part of with other disciples: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25). Or, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10).

These Consumer Christians among us have essentially left their first love (Revelation 2:4) if they ever had that love in the first place. And once they are dissatisfied—whether they find themselves disappointed in people or in God—they go shopping somewhere else to find what they’re looking for. “Self-made religion” is what the apostle Paul called it (Colossians 2:23). It existed in his day, and continues in ours.

When Paul wrote Timothy, he gave him the solemn charge to “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths” (2 Timothy 4:2–4).

With a consumer mindset, people look to God and the congregation of believers they are part of in a number of misdirected and dangerous ways.

Some will look to God as a harsh taskmaster that they really don’t want anything to do with; that He’s aloof and detached from real problems. He’s there, but He’s not attentive. They will look to the congregation as something they’re not a part of, speaking in terms of “What they do …” rather than, “What we’re doing.” The Consumer Christian doesn’t simply have high expectations, they have unrealistic and often subjective expectations they hold to firmly in their unfair condemnation of others without first considering themselves; that these high expectations (and rules) don’t apply to them, but do apply to everyone else.

We’re all going to fail one another at one time or another. We’re all going to disappoint one another, but when we eagerly show compassion and love to one another, we won’t hold it against anyone that they’ve failed us because we realize that we, too, fail others. “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart … Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 1:22; 4:8).

Rather than being a Consumer Christian, we need to strive to be a Servant just like our Lord and Savior—“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). When we serve one another from a genuine heart of love we will “grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15–16).

Instead of us asking what others could do for us, we need to ask what we could do to help others. “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. … For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Corinthians 10:12, 18).

Don’t be a Consumer Christian.

God's Longsuffering and Our Diligence

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected;

but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which

Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

—Philppians 3:12—

Numbers 32 shows us that the tribes of Reuben and Gad were satisfied with not crossing the Jordan into the promised land. The essence of their attitude is revealed in verse 5 when they say, “Do not take us over the Jordan.” Moses’ reply sounds visceral—“Shall your brethren go to war while you sit here?”

In our own assessment of things, it may not seem to be so bad that Reuben and Gad wanted to remain on the east of Jordan. Their argument is that they have a lot of livestock and the land they were already occupying, with the rest of Israel, was good for livestock (vv. 1–5). But, again, Moses sees their disposition as discouraging to the rest of Israel as they were poised to displace the Canaanites and possess the land as God was giving it to them (Num. 15:2; Deut. 7:1–2). And this, to me, seems to be the issue: God had promised Israel, including the tribes of Reuben and Gad, a possession in Canaan; and here they were saying that they’d rather have something else. They were happy with the shortcut.

As the rest of this plays out, the armies of Reuben and Gad pledge that they will help their brethren in the upcoming battles against the Canaanites. Moses sternly warns them, “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23).

One of the clear lessons we can take away from this is about God’s longsuffering. Here He wanted to bring them all into the promised land, a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Lev. 20:24). They were satisfied with the shortcut.

God has promised us a dwelling place in His house (cf. John 14:2–3; Heb. 11:13–16; Php. 3:20–21). And although we don’t know exactly what all this entails, or how we will experience it in its fulfillment, we know Him and therefore trust that He will do what He’s promised (cf. Heb. 6:13–20).

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2–3).

We need spiritual stamina. We don’t know how long this journey in life under the sun is going to be; we don’t know when the Lord will come again or when we will pass from this life, but we can be prepared (cf. 1 Pet. 1:6–9).

Preparation involves diligence. “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:10–11).

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises (Heb. 6:11–12).

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith (2 Pet. 1:5).

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 1:10–11).

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation (2 Pet. 3:13–15).

Never give up! Be patient and trust in the Lord completely (James 5:7–12; Heb. 11:6). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

Pursuing Christ’s Holiness

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:8–10).

The apostle Paul urged his readers to: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Because “the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5). The Lord Jesus Christ fulfills every single one of these characteristics fully—the pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. And the apostolic charge, the divine charge, is that we strive to become like Him: “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ ” (1 Peter 1:15–16).

Notice that righteous men are not our standard: Paul didn’t urge the Corinthians to imitate him, per se, but to imitate him as he imitated Jesus Christ. Jesus is our standard—“For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding” (2 Corinthians 10:12).

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love (Ephesians 4:11–16).

Growth is essential to life: if we’re not growing, then we’re dying. But spiritual growth that will reach into eternity is not growth for the sake of growth, rather it is growth based upon the word of Christ (Romans 10:17; 14:23;  Colossians 1:4–6;  2 Thessalonians 2:13–14). Again, Christ being our only standard.

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:1–3).

More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:8–12).

So how do we go about this pursuit of Christ’s holiness? Is it even possible? “With man it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27;  Acts 17:27;  Hebrews 11:6).

Our pursuit begins with a desire to know of Him (Luke 9:23–27; Romans 10:17;  2 Peter 3:18). We go to the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. When was the last time we read through the gospels?

Jesus is not just another historical figure. Jesus is God with us (Matthew 1:23;  John 1:1–5, 14–18). As He said to His apostles, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

In closing, notice how many passages show us that Jesus wants us to follow Him—Matthew 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21;  Mark 1:17; 2:14; 8:34; 10:21;  Luke 5:27; 9:23, 59; 18:22;  John 1:43; 10:27; 12:26; 13:36; 21:19, 22. “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 John 2:6). He has revealed Himself to us so that we can, through Him, live eternally (John 3:16;  Philippians 3:20–21).

Seeking Forgiveness, We Must Forgive

The principle is easy for us to understand: What goes around, comes around. Paul said it this way: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7–8).

The thing is, we all want God’s forgiveness. Maybe more than that—we expect His forgiveness. It’s us after all. But God makes it clear in His Word that if we do not show mercy—if we do not forgive, doing so from the heart—then we will not be shown mercy, and we will not be forgiven (Luke 6:37; James 2:12–13; Matthew 18:35).

God is impartial (Romans 2:6, 11; James 2:1). And we are to be like Him (Matthew 5:48). It’s not that we cannot comprehend this characteristic, or that we don’t appreciate this characteristic; it’s that we struggle with it because it truly is a divine trait. “And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:17–19; also see 2 Peter 1:3–4).

“Whoever says ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:4–6).

If we call ourselves Christians—followers of Jesus, Christ-likes, if you will—then we must challenge ourselves to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Genuine, lasting, beneficial growth doesn’t come easily, and hardly ever comes quickly.

For example, after the Lord taught about how to deal with a brother who has sinned against us (Matthew 18:15–20) the apostle Peter then asked, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21)

From this point, Jesus taught a parable about an unforgiving servant who owed the king a mind-blowing amount of money which would be impossible to repay (10,000 talents comes to 200,000 years’ worth of work). The king compassionately forgave him the debt! (Matthew 18:27) The servant’s reaction? He sought someone who owed him a significant debt—obviously nowhere near the amount he was forgiven by the king (about 3 months’ worth of work)—and had his fellow-servant jailed.

What the forgiven servant did was then reported to the king; and the king’s full anger came down upon him: “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (vv. 32–33). Jesus concluded as plainly as could be stated: “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (v. 35).

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3).

Forgiveness is an essential aspect of this. Again, if we want to be forgiven by God, then we must forgive from the heart our brother’s and sister’s sins against us. This isn’t set up as an option—it is a commandment, and God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2–3).

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:14–15).

"Out With Doubt?!" You Better Check That Attitude

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted” (Matthew 28:16-17).

What?! Some of the 11 doubted? I think today we’d toss the doubters out on their ears!

At Corinth (really no surprise there) some did not believe in the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12). Paul does not simply ignore this as he spends a lot of time defending the reality of the resurrection, but he doesn’t withdraw from them either. Today preachers would vilify this church on Facebook. (It takes too much time, effort, and love to talk to people face-to-face.)

I mention these things because doubt is normal, and it may be that we sometimes doubt and feel that if we let anyone know about our doubts that we’d be criticized. The truth is we would probably be criticized, but that’s other people’s problem as they struggle with their own insecurities.

The apostle John said this:

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. (1 John 3:18-20)

 “God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

When we doubt — notice that I said WHEN and not IF — we should trust that God is longsuffering and that his longsuffering is our salvation (2 Peter 3:15). And so, with doubt should hopefully come a desire for a greater comfort: not necessarily more knowledge, but more love, mercy, and faith.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. "Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and recline at table'? Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" (Luke 17:5-10)