In the dark hours of Sunday morning some 50 people were killed and another 53 injured in a terror attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, USA. President Obama called it an “act of terror and an act of hate,” and it’s being described as the most deadly shooting in American history.
News of such violent atrocities comes to us so regularly nowadays. In the wake of mass violence, a common pattern is emerging among tech-literate, socially connected Christians. Rather than hearing the news and turning to God, we turn first to social media.
The bigger question is, how do we react to these sudden tragedies? No matter how frequent such tragedies occur, our first response should always be the same: turning to God in prayer.
Lets talk about the Orlando shooting. I’m Christian, I love and believe in God. However the problem with Christians is that they put homosexuality as a far worse sin then their own. The bible says we are all sinners.
I know that too many Christians are the first to call other people out on not living a holy enough life, when in the shadows, they do the same. God is love period, for everyone, no exceptions.
Many are quick to say this happened because of their sin….. What about your sin as a Christian? Should you die the way they died? True, loss is inevitable. None of us live forever. As Christians, it is our responsibility to love those in need, in pain, in sin not judge them.
Yes, we are all struggling with our sins. And, God loves us all. BUT, God also calls us to repentance. God calls us to turn from our sins. Whether it is ‘Big’ or ‘small’ sin, as we usually prefer to call it, it is SIN. Gods commands us not to celebrate our sins.
Not once did you ever hear of a murderer going to a murderer nightclub. When was the last time you saw an advert for the thief nightclub? How about a liar nightclub?
Celebrating the sin is what causes many Christians to appear to be more judgmental about sexual sins than others. Think about the nightclubs and bars that have sins attached to their descriptions: gay nightclubs, swingers clubs, etc.
The faith of a homosexual may save them. But, celebrating that sin as if it were not sin is putting their faith in someone other than Jesus. And, there is no other name by which man can be saved.
Christians have a commandment to tell people that they are going to hell. They are commanded to tell people that they don’t have to go to hell. And, they are commanded to tell people how to avoid going to hell. It’s a three-part message. All done in love!!!
One day there was a tragedy with a similar story as the one that we have today. Many folks died and the people questioned how they should react to it. Jesus’ answer was amazingly short and profound. He said, “Unless you repent you too will perish” (Luke 13.3).
As the English writer Samuel Johnson once said, people need to be reminded more often than they need to be instructed. We probably don’t need to be instructed about how to react. We know what to do. We’ve faced this situation before and will face it again all too soon. We just need to be reminded of our call to muster the courage and respond in a way that brings honor to our Savior.
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Article by Joe and Emmanuel Silva.
