Blog

by Chad Koons

Someone has to say this: it’s time for you to come out.

You have been pushed around for too long; shame on them for making you hide in plain sight. The pressure is real, it’s been building, and I fear that it has changed us. It’s time to come out of the closet.

The Lie
The world has been lying to you. Hopefully, you haven’t believed it. Obscurely pointing to selective events within the life of Jesus, the world is trying to tell us that Jesus was universally accepting everyone and proclaiming a message of endless love without judgment. They are telling us that Jesus was also supportive of issues such as gay marriage, drug use, or other hot-button subjects of our day. And guess what? They are demanding that you believe this, too, and you are expected to adapt your beliefs accordingly. Their version of Jesus is a poorly constructed, easily unveiled lie. In under 2 hours you could read through the Gospels, and you would plainly read that Jesus had much to say on these issues, and that it’s quite clearly the opposite of what they are telling us.

There is enormous pressure to conform to their demands, however, and they will judge, slander, and persecute you if you do not do what they require. There is so much pressure in fact that we have created our own sect of Christianity just to accommodate them: the “Christian Left” is thriving now more than ever. Many Christians are facing persecution for the first time, which has made us uncomfortable and afraid. This fear has paralyzed the church and quite frankly has confused everyone. Who is the church anymore, and what should we believe?

The Coping Problem
How should a Christian cope with the pressure? While many of us have gone too far and become militant, many more of us have quietly gone the other way: straight into the closet. I hope that you catch my meaning here. To speak plainly, Christians are hiding who they really are while struggling to assimilate. We are hiding the hard truths of the Bible, seeking instead to portray a woefully altered, adapted lifestyle and message in hopes that they won’t exclude or offend anybody anymore. We have decided to agree with the ungodly culture surrounding us, sympathizing and figuring out ways to blend into it. We are listening to deceived teachers who claim to have progressive, “relevant” voices, boldly admonishing us to abandon old-fashioned Christianity with all of its dogmatic rules and antiquated 2,000-year-old notions.

Not wishing to offend anyone or to be judged as intolerant, much of the church has stopped proclaiming a message of repentance and has begun sharing this message of universal tolerance and acceptance, affirming sinful lifestyles without any of those judgmental bits. This “loving” message seems to be well accepted, so we continue to embrace it. If the Bible doesn’t agree with our new message, then we labor to reinterpret the Bible, twisting and manipulating it until it seems to affirm whatever sin we need it to. We are encouraging people to follow Jesus devoid of change, without the requirement to submit completely to His Lordship. Who needs rules, obedience, and struggle when all we need is universal love, right? If you stay in the closet, then this perverted message is what you are doomed to represent. Dear God, please wake up Your Church.

Coming Out
In this world full of confusion and fakes, people are starving for the real thing. Do you need some help coming out? The following will help you.

1. Realize that you’re not doing God any favors by adopting an acceptable message. God is making His appeal through you; don’t hide it. The Lord knows that His Word works. Simply present the Word of God and trust Him to work it out. He doesn’t need our help to make it acceptable.

2. Decide to be God’s first. You are not a puppet of this world. Loving God means doing as He has commanded 100%. You are His child, and He is to be obeyed before anything else.

3. Be proud of who you are as a Christian; it’s not a shameful thing. Own your faith and live it loudly and lovingly. People will respect you for standing up for your beliefs.

4. Come to terms with your own insecurities. You will be rejected, judged, and slandered. Expect it; Jesus was, too. Light will hurt the eyes of darkness. Please God and He will take care of you!

5. Understand that you’re not alone. Throughout history, the people of God have always stood out and have therefore endured persecution of various kinds. You are part of it.

6. Repent of your sin. Nothing can begin anew until the old has been broken off. If you are a closet Christian, repent before God and allow His newness to come!

7. Stay connected to other true believers. You will become like the crowd you hang out with, so find a group of Bible believing Christians and put down roots there.

Come out from among them and be separate, touch not the unclean thing, He will receive you!

What would happen if you came out of the closet? How would your world be different? Be bold. Be courageous. We are all waiting for you.

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