A Rally Point

Many may feel their religion is supposed to be private. Nevertheless, those who have come into a relationship with Christ know our Lord has commanded us to go public. 

In Matthew 28: 18-20, we read these words:

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Going out into the entire world with Christ-centered principles is not an easy task as the owners of Chick-fil-a found out, and even more so last week. Chick-fil-A is a family-owned company. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. He has stayed true to those principles no matter what it has cost him or his reputation.

So why am I bringing this up? Saturday night, as I was walking around a mall in Atlanta, GA the Lord began to speak to me on the merit of this issue.

“This is one of my rallying points.” He said.

“What do you mean Lord?” I said.

“I am going to use prominent individuals to rally my people together.” He said.

Then He brought the Chick-fil-A stance to my mind.

As I pondered last week’s situation, I asked the Lord for wisdom in what He was trying to say.

Following God’s biblical principles is not always easy and definitely not popular. When God raises a standard to follow, we have a choice to make. Are we going to follow Him or not? God never makes those choices for us because He desires our willing obedience above all.

Showing your outward support of godly principles is risky. On August 1, when I stood with Chick-Fil-A, it was not to condemn anyone but rather to say God has shown us a better way. Heaven knows I have my own battles with godly principles. But biblical standards are something I have learned to appreciate, treasure and strive to meet even through I may fail. God’s ways are always going to be higher than our human reasoning. However, if we are going to fulfill God’s mandate to go and teach what He has taught us, then sacrifice is apart of the process. Just “blending in” is not usually God’s plan of action.

So what is God asking of us? This is what I sense to be true. To be willing to step forward, unite whether we all agree or not, and to show the world a better way, God’s way to truly be free. To truly live what we believe. To be willing to stand in the face of opposition with a loving and grace-filled heart towards others in spite of what we believe. And they will know we are CHRISTians by our love.

Are you on the fence? Do you have the courage to join with the body of Christ as God purifies us and unites us as one? These are challenging times and fence sitting may not be an option much longer. But remember…you will never be alone in this venture because we are all learning anew what it means to present the gospel in a way that draws others in by the power of the Spirit.