Acceptance vs Prejudice.

Acceptance of others.

Rom 14:1Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.

Rom 15:7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Acceptance is usually a huge challenge

(hard work)

Prejudice is built on Ignorance and is an easy road.

(lazy option)

“Worldly Wise”

If it’s hard to be accepting in the Church how more difficult is it going to be accepting in the

world?

The World already has the opinion that Christians are

anything but accepting.

If you do a search on “Christians are…” and press it into the google engine , within the top 15 sites from about 94 million, you'll read…

“Christians are Hypocrites,”“Christians are delusional,”“How Christians are getting Love Wrong.”“The real reason Christians are Leaving the Church.”“Christians are narrow minded,”“Christian are leaving the church in droves,”“Christians are quick to judge,”“Christians are hate filled hypocrites,”

HOW DOES THE CHRISTIAN RESPOND TO SUCH

CRITICISM?

Romans 1:16-17 Paul Declares16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,fn just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

1Pe 3:15 Peter’s advice…But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

Twisted Minds in the World. Isa 5:20Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Col 2:8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

2Timothy 4:3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

1 Corinthians 15:34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

Amos 8:11-1311 “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign LORD, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.12 People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. 13 “In that day “the lovely young women and strong young men will faint because of thirst.

2 Timothy 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

2 Timothy 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Darkness Turns to LightIsaiah 8: 19-2219 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 21 Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God. 22 Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.

2 Tim. 2:14-1514Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. 15Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 16But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness,…

1 Tim 2: 14-1914 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

To be “Worldly Wise” and accept people with compassion and communicate a message of

God’s Truth you have to be “Word Wise”

“Word Wise” to be

“Worldly Wise”

“Word Wise” Means you can accept the

individual without agreeing with them and without accusing

them.

“Word Wise”

We have an Idea!