God Is Not Passive

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet...

Being a Christian does not make you weak. I had someone to Direct Message me about a post I shared regarding my disappointment in a Facebook post by a business partner. The post suggested unprovoked violence toward angry protesters on the injustice of Mr. George Floyd. Sadly, she referred to the protesters as animals and stated, “they should be shot”. I was indeed hurt, but not surprised by her vicious and insensitive comments. So, I decided to share her sentiments on my page, only after my husband tried to reason with her and she refused. As a matter of fact, she became aggressive in her response.

The person who messaged me used the “Christianity Card” of how God does not want us to respond to this type of behavior. She suggested that we should just pray for those who are racist or may have racist views; to wait for God to deal with them. I think she is wrong. While it is not feasible to address every negative act, there are times when we are required to take action against the works of the enemy.

The bible gives a simple but effective manner on how to handle conflict. According to Mathew 5:23-25, we are to get rid of anger quickly. Jesus is clear that those who harbor anger against a brother or sister was just as guilty in God's eyes as a murderer. Wow, anger can carry the same penalty as murder. Further, Matthew 5: 23-24 instructs us to settle our conflicts first... then return to worship. This is important because many make the decision to continue their spiritual practices while holding on to anger. Perhaps, this passage is telling us that God won't even accept our gift, service or worship until we make things right with our brothers and sisters. 1 John 4:20 puts it like this "If anyone says, 'I love God' yet hates his brother, he is a liar.

The second thing we’re instructed to do according to Matthew 18:15 is to confront the person face to face if possible. This rarely happens due the convenience of modern technology and the influx of new and savvy ways to communicate. It is very hard to adequately communicate emotion in an email or a text. Hence, it is very easy to misconstrue someone else’s intention. While technology affords the quickest way to get a message out, it is not always the most effective. There is value in face to face confrontation because it gives opportunity to read body language and sense the spirit of a person along with their verbal message.

Referencing conflict, there are times when we choose to remain silent for a greater good. In accordance with Matthew 5:39, this approach was sometimes demonstrated by Jesus when He was ridiculed or attacked. Please do not mistaken this strategy for passivity; in being silent we are making an active choice for a purpose greater than our personal agendas. Therefore, this is in no way suggesting we ignore the issue or pretend we don’t see the wrong.

There are times when we are commanded to handle conflict boldly with a specific call to action. Joshua was commanded to take action toward “rooting out” the evil in Israel as explained in the book of Joshua. Further, Ephesians 6:19 explains while the apostle Paul was in prison, he asked the church to pray for him to have boldness whenever he was sharing the gospel of Jesus. Boldness requires action while passivity refuses to engage. Imagine if the disciples had chosen passivity, Christianity would have dissipated quickly.  

God is not passive. According to John 3:16, God sent His only Son to redeem us. Luke 19:10 expresses that Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost”. Jesus’ assignment to restore our authority in God, required action. Proverbs 31:8-9 states “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy”. While I agree that God wants us to pray regarding our conflicts, I do not believe that we should stop there. God calls each of us to be good stewards of our gifts, talents and abilities to influence others to be just. Speaking up may not be easy, but it could be the one thing God uses to help change lives.