We often read that people call the church a place of sinners, with people who are struggling with their own individual sins, addictions etc. It is not right for us to judge anyone for anything, but we can freely and lovingly offer help.
A Christian may be addicted to cigarettes and that is an area that needs dealing with. Pornography is another addiction, it does not mean that a person is necessary evil if they have an addiction, it means that they have an area in their life that needs cleaning up.
Looking at a females or a males flesh is an addiction because Jesus made it clear that we are only to look at the one that we love.
Society teaches us about sex from childhood now, it is in the school system (sex education), it is on advertising, movies, TV, games, it is everywhere and as an adult of having years of sex it is hard for people to change that pleasurable habit. One does not just cast aside such an intense pleasure. It takes time to get through to people, even for Christ. We need to be led from physical lustful thinking and to become more spiritually loving, a good teacher/preacher does that.
Drugs and alcohol are so easily available now. Do we condemn a person for becoming a victim of such things! No, we shouldn’t. What we should do is to find a way to help them. The same with violence, we should help them, not shun them.
One thing that I learned is that God gave me to help others is that while I struggled with my own addictions, habits, problems etc that I was able to help other people in other areas that I had conquered. So I wasn’t evil while I did wrong things. I was a sinner going through a trial to help make me a better person, at the same time I was helping others.
Please understand this, if you are struggling with an addiction right this very moment, you are not evil, disgusting, filthy or bad. You have become addicted to something, and you need real help to set you free. How could I dare condemn you when I have fallen so hard myself and so many times, I can’t condemn you and I shouldn’t. But we can offer love, assistance, and help to get another person over it. That is part of our calling.
But if the person who has the addiction refuses to believe that it is an addiction then that can be a serious problem because they won’t learn, change or get help.
When Jesus said ‘He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.’ He was talking about you and me. You are not perfect and neither am I. “I will not cast the stone at you” I have no right to do that, and neither do you to me. If we understand one another we can be friends.
We are all going through trials and learning and we should be respected for trying, struggling, learning and not condemned for our efforts.
Forgiving, encouraging, apologizing, and accepting that we are not perfect and that no one is, we can accept our own faults, mistakes, and errors, while also doing the same for others.
If we are humble, we can teach.
If we don’t judge, people will listen.
If we are meek, people will not fear us.
If we teach with respect for all in our hearts people will feel appreciated, understood and not victimized by our care for them.
If we really care for people it will show in their grateful response to our efforts to help them have a better life of freedom from the material world and the trappings of lusts, greed etc.
If we teach with wisdom and love, change will be seen in the people that are in our care. This will be positive change, like becoming free from addiction, free from pride, free from being a victim, free from manipulating, free from all forms of slavery.
With good honest teaching and preaching people’s attitude changes, their relationships change, they become more hopeful, more confident, more blessed and can deal with life better. All this takes time but those that do God’s work will be noticed because of this change and in the people under their care.
All the best from
James M Sandbrook.
24th of November, 2014.
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