One of the most common emotional blackmails and psychological manipulations used against Christians who seek to uphold the right thing is the accusation, "You're taking this personally". Whenever you stand for what's right, you're accused of taking things personally. Whenever you try to uphold the truth, you get attacked with the same accusatory statement. Whenever you try to expose falsehood and those who merchandise it, you're chided of having something personal against those promoters of lies and deceptions.

 

However, nothing can be further from the truth. Everything that concerns religious faith is personal. Yes, it's personal! That's exactly why the emotional blackmailers and psychological manipulators react the way they do: because they too take things personally. On the one hand, they tell you Christianity is a personal thing; on the other hand, they tell you not to take things personally. 

 

Even though the Christian faith is not a private affair, it's personal. In fact, it's very personal. Yes, it's both personal and corporate; but still personal. You see, the Christian God is a personal God. He takes things personally. He handles things personally. He relates to everything and everyone personally, and on a personal level. He deals with us personally. He communicates to persons personally. 

 

Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord took things personally. He fed the multitudes as though they were His own family members. He was angry at those who made merchandise and mercantile of religious practices and activities. He called religious leaders hypocrites (because they cared more about their statuses and self importance than the truth), brood of vipers, and open sepulchers for upholding falsehood above truth. He healed the leprous with a personal touch. He personally hurt for Jerusalem. He healed the blind man as though he was His own sibling. He executed the work of our salvation as though He were the one who was lost and dead. Everything about Jesus Christ was personal.

 

Yet, today we want to be followers of the same Christ without taking things personally. It's just practically impossible to genuinely follow Christ without taking matters of the Christian faith personally. We can't be true Bible teachers without seeing false doctrines as personal offense. We can't be preachers of the true Gospel without taking heresies as personal attack. If the Christian faith and practice does not affect us personally, then we probably haven't made any serious commitment to it.

 

Yes, it's personal! The Christian faith is personal. And everything that concerns the Christian faith is personal to the Christian. If it's not personal, then how and why on earth would it matter? If it's not personal, how on earth would it make any difference? If it's not personal, why on earth are we talking about losing ourselves? If it's not personal, how does the demand for personal sacrifice fit in? If it's not personal, how can it pain us? If it's not personal, in what way can it hurt us? If it's not personal, why talk about loving our enemies? For, to begin with, an enemy is someone who hurts us and inflicts pains on us personally.

 

But then, being personal doesn't mean seeking revenge. Taking things personally doesn't mean attacking personalities. Making the Christian faith personal isn't the same as villifying and demonizing anyone who disagrees with us, or antagonizes the Christian faith. It doesn't mean embarking on personal crusade against those who speak ill of the Christian faith, or preach falsehood about anything in the Christian faith.

 

You see, the right way for us to make the Christian faith personal to us, and take matters that pertain to it personally, is by cultivating and maintaining a consistent, continual and fruitful relationship with God. Through this rich relationship, we keep understanding God better and better; we receive His grace and appropriate it well; we appreciate His forgiveness and mercies in our lives; we constantly get awed at His splendor; we understand the things that irk, pain and hurt God; we understand the things that please, respect and honor Him; etc. When all these become realities in our lives through personal relationship with God, then there's no way anything about God would not be personal to us.

 

So yes, it's personal; and we should take matters of our faith personally. And if it's not personal, we shouldn't get involved. But truth is, things in the Christian faith don't bother us because they're not personal to us. Heretical teachings don't bother us because the doctrinal truths of the Christian faith aren't personal to us. We're not disturbed about people misinterpreting the Scriptures because the Scriptures aren't our personal Scriptures.

 

But think about it. Assuming you write a will and someone tampers with the will, wouldn't it bother you? Assuming your words are misquoted and misinterpreted, wouldn't you get mad? Assuming someone violates your own wife, would you clap for the person? Assuming someone lures your own daughter into prostitution, would you give the person a medal? Assuming someone influences your own son into drug addiction, would you send him a congratulatory and celebratory message, especially because he influences tons and tons of young people?

 

No! You wouldn't do any of such! You wouldn't congratulate such a person. You wouldn't celebrate such a person. You wouldn't give such a person an award. And yes, you'd get mad at anyone who does such to you. Yes, you'll be burning with conflagratory rage against anyone who wreaks such perversion on your family and property. Why? Because they're your personal belongings. Your house, your wife, your son, your daughter, all are your personal belongings. You're bothered because it's personal to you.

 

Now, I think we understand why we feel comfortable about heresies. Now we know why we're at home with evil and wrongs. Now we understand why we feel those who preach false gospels shouldn't be exposed. Now we know why we feel there's no point in pointing out heretics. The reason is one: The Christian faith isn't personal to us; and we don't take anything pertaining to the Christian faith personally.

 

We must not kid ourselves. We must quit deceiving ourselves into thinking that we're some apostles of love. We must stop mistaking ourselves for some advocates of unity of the Body. Enough of thinking ourselves ministers of peace. Nothing love about showing apathy and indifference toward God and things that concern Him. If the zeal of the Lord consumed our Lord Jesus, I wonder why it's not consuming us. Maybe — just maybe — ours has become a rosy cozy comfy air-conditioning faith that can't spark up, let alone getting fanned into flame. 

 

Phinehas son of Eleazar used his spear to demonstrate his abhorrence of the abomination brought into the camp of God's holy people. Elihu had to speak out against the insipid oratories of four aged Ancient Near East sages. Our Lord Jesus had to unleash His verbal incendiaries against the religious merchants of His time.

 

Maybe they took things too personal. Maybe they shouldn't have taken the actions they took. Maybe Phinehas would have just chatted that culprit privately. Maybe Elihu should have just allowed elderly people to address the situation and the people. Maybe Jesus should have waited until He had a million followers on YouTube. Maybe, just maybe...

 

But then, these people (and others like them) couldn't stand the sight and sound of blasphemy against God; because, since it concerned God and His glory, it was personal to them. And till date, when it comes to matters of faith and God, it's always personal.

 

May God show us His mercy.

TEXT: LUKE 6:1-11

TOPIC: NO BARRIERS TO DOING GOOD

The Lord Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, anything god done to honour and glorify Him on the Sabbath or worship day is permissible, especially if it is to save a soul. 

There are no barriers to doing good. The Lord Jesus healed through speaking. The word of God still physically heals today. 

Let us not, like the religious Jews, be fault finders, out of jealousy, but be opened to what God is doing, even if it is through someone else or outside our Church denomination or circle.

QUESTION: 

Are you always eager to do good?

PRAYER:

 O God, help me to always do good and never, because of jealousy, find fault in anyone doing good in Jesus name. Amen.

DECLARATION

May God bless you today. May you be favor today. Good testimony shall be your portion. Peace be with you always. 

Now if you believe in the above prayers kindly say Amen and share to others.