The Revolution Brigade

I’ve been having a series of conversations with people that go a little something like this:

“So, you’re really on fire for the Lord right now,”  says a friend.

“Yeah, God is really answering my prayer for more boldness and zeal for His cause,” I reply.

“Just make sure you don’t go too far with that, ok?” says the friend.

“Too far?”

“Yeah, you know how people get all ‘holier-than-thou’ with their message, and that’s really not love.  We should be less confrontational and just love people into the kingdom.”

Right.  Several concerns jump out at me when I hear talk like this.  I’ll try to contain myself enough to foster a reasonably edifying conversation on the topic.

1) There is no such thing as too much zeal for the Lord.  There is no possible way to go “too far” with being commited to the cause of Christ. Try it, and you will soon realize that the Lord burns His message into your spirit in such a way that you can’t hold it in.  You have to proclaim it far and wide.  If you’ve never been hungry enough for the Lord to pray and fast and seek His face above everything else, you don’t understand what I’m talking about.  I can accept that.

2) Love, in the context of this discussion, is not what you think it is.  I’m so tired of hearing people talk about accepting the status quo and permitting sin to take root in the fellowship and calling it “love.” It is not love.  It’s false mercy in a lot of cases, and it’s compromise of an epic proportion in nearly all cases. 

Let’s follow the biblical model of love and live like Jesus lived.  Jesus’ model of love was to walk the Earth proclaiming a radical truth such as the world was completely unequipped to accept, and letting the cards fall where they may.  When He encountered deception, He emparted truth. When somebody accepted the truth and desired restoration, Jesus was willing and able to facilitate that end.  Many were not willing to ante up to the kingdom life, and they went their separate ways.  Jesus did not chase after them begging them to enter the kingdom.  Was Jesus too harsh?

3) Is it really a ‘holier-than-thou’ message, or has the truth of the Gospel become a stumbling block to you?  This is a tough pill to swallow for some people.  I’ve noticed this happening around me from time to time.  A person catches on fire for the Lord and all of a sudden they start doing and saying things that are not socially acceptable.  They want to pray for everything.  They start quoting scripture and interrupting our meeting agendas with prophetic words.  They call sin what it is, and they speak truth in love and they slowly but surely become ‘holier-than-thou.’  In reality, the people around them are convicted about their own lack of zeal, and rather than going to the trouble of following after Jesus, they seek to discredit zeal and holiness. 

So, for all of those who are “concerned” about the radical nature of my faith and the level of love in my life, I thank you sincerely.  You obviously have heard me talking about the standards of truth and power and consecration without much language that allows for compromise, and you’re worried that I might be turning into some kind of fire brand or something.  I appreciate your concern.  

What you don’t know is that the Lord wakes me up in the early morning hours weeping with a burden for the lost and dying.  He shows me all of the wasted potential locked up in the homosexual community and it tears me to pieces.  He shows me all of the greatness that He had in store for babies who were aborted and I can barely stand under the burden.  And then, when I’m totally broken before Him, I ask for more zeal to help me communicate the truth.  Is that not also love?