Live Out the Word

This could be part of my rebellion issue popping up or it could be simply a "pet peeve" or it could be righteous indignation...

There is something in Christendom that makes my neck tighten up.

The ever present, "I don't care who this offends but I blah, blah, blah"
or the great threat, "Let's see who really loves Jesus and re posts this" or "forwards this"
or even the "If you care about (fill in the blank) then you'll re post/forward, etc"

I could be reading the most awesome email and then if I get to the bottom and read one of these it loses all sincerity to me.
I then delete it.

I just don't feel that I ever need to announce that I don't care if I offend you because of my convictions. The way that I live out those convictions should declare that in itself.

I also don't feel I need to prove my love for my Savior by cowering before a post threat... I just don't see how re-posting or forwarding an email is living out my faith before men. It's pretty easy to hide behind a computer screen and just press send.

You see that post might have said a really good thing, but if I re-post it because some person demanded me to prove something to them... then I am obeying man and not God. If the post is of God and it moves the Spirit within me, I'll re-post it because my God led me to, not because my loyalty was threatened by man.

I can forward a thousand and one emails and re-posts every thing I read and still deny my Jesus before men. I can declare on my facebook page how much I love Jesus... but it means nothing if I have not loved Him enough to obey Him or to share His love when face to face with another human being.

Personal interaction was important enough to God that He left the glory of heaven to take on humanity and this flesh in order to share His love with us face to face. God did not have a Written Word face and then have a completely different Human Interaction face. His life lived out His Word.

"And the Word became flesh,

and dwelt among us,

and we saw His glory,

glory as of the only begotten from the Father,

full of grace and truth."

John 1:14

When we become believers we are sanctified in this Word and we are filled with the Holy Spirit and we too should be fleshing out the Word of God and others should be able to behold His glory in us.

Jesus didn't have to stand up on a soapbox and shout that He didn't care who He offended and He didn't have to threaten anyone to spread His message. He just spoke and did what He did and didn't change according to where He was at or who was listening.
He simply lived out His Word.

May we too, as His disciples, follow His example and live out His Word.

May we not just be computer christians, blogging believers, facebook faithfuls, email evangelists, or testimony tweeters.

Let us also manifest and magnify the glory of our God and declare His gospel and let us praise His name outside the gates. Let us also, when we are given the opportunity to be face to face, and look another human being in the eye, be bold and confident enough in the truth that we know to share the only Name that eternally saves.

 "Therefore Jesus also,

that He might sanctify the people

through His own blood,

suffered outside the gate. 

So, let us go out to Him outside the camp,

bearing His reproach."

Hebrews 13:12-13