I believe that as Christians we should be as kind to others as possible. There is an argument that we are supposed to be kind only to like-minded Christians. I would rather be inclusive.
I believe that we are supposed to share among the body. If you’re Brother or Sister in Christ lacks a basic necessity then it is the body’s job to supply that need.
We are supposed to look like a family of believers.
Just because you disagree with your Siblings on issues of faith doesn’t nullify your duty to them. I am sick and tired of the fighting. We will debate a comma for hours. Then we leave someone without help in their time of need because we think they are over exaggerating. When this is the reaction from the congregation, no wonder no one speaks up for help.
We are supposed to give sacrificially. That means that sometimes it’s gonna hurt. I would rather hurt now, than face my LORD in heaven and tell him why I missed out on the gift of blessing someone in need.
I’m sorry if I come off so angry but I’m heartbroken. I didn’t grow up in church. When I came to Christ all I had was my Mom and Dad and my bible. I don’t understand the selfishness that I see in the church.
We have someone who is retired in our church. He is on a fixed income and he doesn’t have enough to buy his medication and food. People in my church don’t want to help him because he smokes.
The people in my church would rather spend their retirement on cars, vacations, and homes, then on their heavenly retirement.
I wonder if we get so focused on Christ coming back that we miss all that God has for us in this life. We commit ourselves to Christ and then we wait. Then we die.
If all it means to have a relationship with God is to commit ourselves and then wait I feel like I missed something. I thought that being a Christian was life changing. I thought that it was supposed to be evident to those around us.
At least I hope that in my life, people see that I’m different.
Autumn Wood Writes 
Totally agree with you, Autumn! We should be careful what we prioritize, who we judge, and where we build our treasures…it may come back to bite some of us!
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Autumn, you are not alone in your thoughts and feelings. I often feel, as a Christian, that our world has become so skewed in what people set as priorities. I see too much materialism among us all, but if we are true Christians, it should be a priority to help our Siblings have the necessities of life before we enjoy something unnecessary. Thanks for sharing this.
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I think you are grieved because our Father in Heaven is grieved. You are right in what you say we should be doing.
Something the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart a long time ago when I was upset that the church wasn’t doing what it should is, “BE the change you want to see in the church.” I know it doesn’t seem right that people who should know better are being a bad example to us. We can’t change them, but we can become the good example for them and pray that they will catch on.
Also, those who are truly looking forward to the Lord’s return should want to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Could it be that some are looking for His return because they want to escape the troubles in this world? Maybe they don’t realize how selfish that is? God wants us to look forward to His coming, all the while sacrificing our all for Him and abhorring sin in our OWN lives instead of looking for it in the lives of others.
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Your are right. It’s important that we take the plank out of our eye before we point out the speck of sand in someone else’s eye.
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Yes, for sure! I was specifically talking about those who say they are looking forward to Christ’s second coming but who do not seem to be truly recognizing God’s abhorrence of sin. But you’re right; we all need to be careful.
You are so right that becoming a Christian is life-changing. If a person says they have become a Christian, but their life doesn’t change, that should be a scary thing for them. I see in the western church as a whole a downplaying of God as Judge and of His abhorrence of our sin. But God doesn’t change. He didn’t give us lists like the verse in Romans 12 above as a buffet menu to pick and choose which items we like and to leave aside the ones we don’t like.
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One hard part about the church body is we kinda hope everyone is at the same level. That’s not the case. It’s possible people who think they are Christian are not. This means sinners are going to church yet we have expectations on them they don’t realize are wrong.
It is a messy situation because there are believers too who have not been led yet in this. I think Ruth’s comment was great. We can be the example.
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