Integrity

[mendown]

I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on integrity, and the meaning of the word. Because as I have been searching the so-called Christian community for the past 20 years, from the inside, I have found little to none. In fact if I have found any, it has been from the guys or gals sweeping the floors. The words that keep ringing in my head are, “Vomit you out of my mouth” because you are neither hot nor cold. Then there is, “White washed tombs”.

I wonder what the True light of Jesus Christ would expose if He walked through our American churches today.

When I speak to the lost, I am ashamed to call myself a Christian.

 

[MATTHEWE]

Never be ashamed to call yourself a Christian, as long as you exercise your faith with integrity.

Unfortunately, there are those today who claim to be Christian and yet willfully distort the true Word of God to suit their own purposes or to yield to the latest fashionable thinking.



In my experience, America seems to be a land of very devout Christians. Many believe in the word of the Bible without compromise and refuse to adapt their thinking to accommodate the latest 'progressive' views. I think this is marvelous.



How, for example, can you claim to be a true Christian if you:



a.) deny the facts as given in Genesis in favour of crazy Darwinian notions of evolution

b.) believe in the existence of dinosaurs which are not mentioned once in the Great Book

c.) do not believe that Jesus walked on water or raised Lazarus from the dead

d.) believe that homosexuals can enter the church without renouncing their chosen ways



For me, in relation to one's faith, integrity means believing absolutely without question. To do anything less is to surely put your faith upon shaky ground and to lack any spiritual conviction. Or, to put it another way, if we could simply choose what to believe and what not to believe, as it suited us, would that not make a complete farce of our adherence to the Christian faith?

God Bless

 

[Everlastinglife]

Dont be ashamed to be Christian. That is to follow Christ. Jesus carried the weight of the world on His shoulders, you just carry your own. Do it right and be a light for all to see. A few words from the Bible on integrity.....

Psalm 25:21,"May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in You."

Luke 16:10-11, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"

God Bless.

 

[AutumnDreamer]

The sad thing is there are so many people out there that say the same thing, "I am ashamed to call myself a Christian" Are you follow Christ or are you following Man? I am proud to call myself a Christian. Of course I have very few friends left. B/c they are ashamed to call themselves Christians. They were so focused on taking religiousness and legalism out of the church, that they also took out holiness. This is what many people are doing today in the name of witnessing. Integrity is being able to follow what Christ says regardless of what Man says. No it is not alright to sit and drink alcohol in a bar to witness to an alcoholic, no it is not alright to sit in a movie theater watching HP to witness to a wiccan. The best way to lead others to Christ, is not through tolerance, but through the Love of Christ shown through you. Accept the person, but not the sin.

 

[billwald]

Never lie in writing. Never lie under oath.

 

[ghs1994]

I hear where you're coming from. Basically we don't consider ourselves. We look at everyone else and never consider how we are walking. We never want to compare ourselves in light of the Word. We have our own ideas.

 

[jande2211]

Integrity . . . being caught doing what is right.

I am ashamed of my "family" lots of times. I get edgy about being mocked for being a Christian for what dopey Christians have done or said, or their ignorance of Scriptures. It's one thing to be mocked for Christ, quite another thing to be mocked for idiots.

But I am not ashamed to be a follower of Christ.

 

[mendown]

AutumnDreamer: Are you follow Christ or are you following Man?

The problem is that the lost look to us as a reflection of Christ until they come to their own saving knowledge and acceptance of Him. I'm not worried about the effect man has on me but the effect Christian's have on the lost. As soon as you decide to wear the Christian banner the lost immediately start to watch you. They are looking for something different in you then what they see in the world, if they don't find it then why should they consider following Christ. We can preach at them all we want, but if they don't see us continually living what we preach we will lose them. I know just because we are Christian's doesn't mean we are perfect, but we are held accountable for our witness, we are held to a much higher standard. In my lifetime I have witnessed to many people and every single person carried the same theme, "You Christian's are all hypocrites". I know we are not all hypocrites, but when 50 out 50 people you come in contact with say the same thing you must agree that this is a widespread problem. It is easier to witness to someone that has never seen a Christian then it is to witness to someone who has been burned by someone wearing the Christian banner.

The best way to lead others to Christ, is not through tolerance, but through the Love of Christ shown through you.
Exactly!


MATTHEWE: In my experience, America seems to be a land of very devout Christians. Many believe in the word of the Bible without compromise and refuse to adapt their thinking to accommodate the latest 'progressive' views. I think this is marvelous.
I pray you are correct in your assessment, but you must not take people at face value, especially the face they have on Sunday morning. Your opinion may change if you see how those same people interact with the world. I am not trying to be cynical, I am simply wanting us to hold one another accountable, our common mission to lead the lost to Christ is too important not to.



ghs1994: Basically we don't consider ourselves. We look at everyone else and never consider how we are walking. We never want to compare ourselves in light of the Word. We have our own ideas.
Your right on target. We must grasp the vital importance of a clean witness, and continually examine ourselves in His light. The worst sin is that which is hidden from our own eyes. That is why it is so important that we hold one another accountable. Sometimes others can see something in us that God has revealed to them, which because of deception or pride, is hidden from our own eyes. We all must also be humble enough to accept the rebuke and lean on Christ for deliverance. We must also remember to approach our brethren with the same humility and love we expect them to have.



billwald: Never lie in writing. Never lie under oath.
What are you trying to say?

 

[mendown]

Integrity . . . being caught doing what is right.

I am ashamed of my "family" lots of times. I get edgy about being mocked for being a Christian for what dopey Christians have done or said, or their ignorance of Scriptures. It's one thing to be mocked for Christ, quite another thing to be mocked for idiots.

But I am not ashamed to be a follower of Christ.

I love that saying! (Integrity ....being caught doing what is right.) That really does say it all!

I am seeing a trend that I'm sorry for. I may have not expressed correctly what I meant, so let me set the record straight. I am not at all ashamed of being a follower of Christ, for He is my very life. I feel ashamed of the title "Christian" because of those that have destroyed the title. Once you call yourself a Christian the lost immediately lump you in with all their bad religious experiences. It is so hard to overcome that. I just wished when you said you were a Christian that the lost would at the very least respect you for belonging to a solid group of people.

 

[CoolWater]

Mendown,

It sounds like you are right on. Keep on keepin' on. It sounds like you have found the light and are on a mission to find its source. Answers do exist. And there are others like you... if I have determined your ferver to be pure.

CoolWater.

 

[jande2211]

I love that saying! (Integrity ....being caught doing what is right.) That really does say it all!

I am seeing a trend that I'm sorry for. I may have not expressed correctly what I meant, so let me set the record straight. I am not at all ashamed of being a follower of Christ, for He is my very life. I feel ashamed of the title "Christian" because of those that have destroyed the title. Once you call yourself a Christian the lost immediately lump you in with all their bad religious experiences. It is so hard to overcome that. I just wished when you said you were a Christian that the lost would at the very least respect you for belonging to a solid group of people.

Mang, I hear ya. I am sick to death of bad religion by Christians. "It's a sin to lie!" "It's a sin to judge!" "It's a sin to drink!" "It's a sin to root for any team but the Redskins!" -- well, I actually go with that one. <ahem> It's like you can't give the Good News until you do a clean up detail on all the tripe that's been put out there. Very discouraging. Let's both try to not be discouraged. Let's keep witnessing to our family so they can get it so we can all be the best ambassadors for Christ!

 

[mendown]

Mendown,

It sounds like you are right on. Keep on keepin' on. It sounds like you have found the light and are on a mission to find its source. Answers do exist. And there are others like you... if I have determined your ferver to be pure.

CoolWater.

Thanks CoolWater,

If my ferver were any purer I think I might explode. I'm normally a very meek and mild individual, I guess I've just had enough. Thanks for the boost, I'll never give up! I know there are many, many true Christians out there. The problem is there just so darn hard to find. I know when it comes down to it I'm only going to answer for myself and I should let people be, but I know for so many lost people out there we are their only hope. I can't stand the thought that somebody may go to hell because I couldn't step it up a notch and be the kind of Christian Christ expects me to be, and if we think that's not possible we better think again. We are His Body! Thanks again CoolWater.

And a special shout out to you to jande2211. Let's keep it up! Thank you!

 

[AutumnDreamer]

AutumnDreamer: Are you follow Christ or are you following Man?

The problem is that the lost look to us as a reflection of Christ until they come to their own saving knowledge and acceptance of Him. I'm not worried about the effect man has on me but the effect Christian's have on the lost. As soon as you decide to wear the Christian banner the lost immediately start to watch you. They are looking for something different in you then what they see in the world, if they don't find it then why should they consider following Christ. We can preach at them all we want, but if they don't see us continually living what we preach we will lose them. I know just because we are Christian's doesn't mean we are perfect, but we are held accountable for our witness, we are held to a much higher standard. In my lifetime I have witnessed to many people and every single person carried the same theme, "You Christian's are all hypocrites". I know we are not all hypocrites, but when 50 out 50 people you come in contact with say the same thing you must agree that this is a widespread problem. It is easier to witness to someone that has never seen a Christian then it is to witness to someone who has been burned by someone wearing the Christian banner.

The lost should be able to look at us and see something different, and they do. Yes some are hypocrites, but I am afraid many that wear that label are not hypocrits as much as people think so. I have been called a hypocrite, for following the bible. B/c I put God's word before the feelings of other Christians. I do not focus on what other people see. I do the best I can to follow what God says, but an unbeliever is looking at a christian expecting to find perfection, it isn't there and never will be. The problem is the world's view of a Christian is too high a standard. One that only Christ Himself can fulfill.

 

[Joykins]

There's a scene in the Bujold novel _Mirror Dance_ where a clone is finally united with his biological parents after having been told any number of vile lies about them. He overhears them in the library when they don't know he's there, and discovers that they are just the same when they are home and nobody's watching as they are with him and everyone else.

That's what integrity is like. Oh.

 

[xenia]

What is true relgion that is pure and undefiled before the Lord? According to St. James it consists of visiting orphans and widows in their affliction and keeping oneself unstained from the world.

I see no mention of dinosaurs.

 

[CaDan]

Never be ashamed to call yourself a Christian, as long as you exercise your faith with integrity.

Unfortunately, there are those today who claim to be Christian and yet willfully distort the true Word of God to suit their own purposes or to yield to the latest fashionable thinking.

I totally agree! Distorting the Second Person of the Trinity--the Logos of God--and confusing it with a book is a very bad thing!

In my experience, America seems to be a land of very devout Christians. Many believe in the word of the Bible without compromise and refuse to adapt their thinking to accommodate the latest 'progressive' views. I think this is marvelous.

I am so glad you agree! Friends 4-ever!

How, for example, can you claim to be a true Christian if you:



a.) deny the facts as given in Genesis in favour of crazy Darwinian notions of evolution

b.) believe in the existence of dinosaurs which are not mentioned once in the Great Book

c.) do not believe that Jesus walked on water or raised Lazarus from the dead

d.) believe that homosexuals can enter the church without renouncing their chosen ways

I completely agree with everybody except you!

For me, in relation to one's faith, integrity means believing absolutely without question. To do anything less is to surely put your faith upon shaky ground and to lack any spiritual conviction. Or, to put it another way, if we could simply choose what to believe and what not to believe, as it suited us, would that not make a complete farce of our adherence to the Christian faith?

God Bless

I hope you can find more people to agree with you! I'm sure you will be very happy!

 

[CaDan]

The sad thing is there are so many people out there that say the same thing, "I am ashamed to call myself a Christian" Are you follow Christ or are you following Man? I am proud to call myself a Christian. Of course I have very few friends left. B/c they are ashamed to call themselves Christians. They were so focused on taking religiousness and legalism out of the church, that they also took out holiness. This is what many people are doing today in the name of witnessing. Integrity is being able to follow what Christ says regardless of what Man says. No it is not alright to sit and drink alcohol in a bar to witness to an alcoholic, no it is not alright to sit in a movie theater watching HP to witness to a wiccan. The best way to lead others to Christ, is not through tolerance, but through the Love of Christ shown through you. Accept the person, but not the sin.

I agree with everybody except you!

Maybe if you were more agreeable you would have some friends

 

[invisible trousers]

How, for example, can you claim to be a true Christian if you:

a.) deny the facts as given in Genesis in favour of crazy Darwinian notions of evolution[/color]

b.) believe in the existence of dinosaurs which are not mentioned once in the Great Book

c.) do not believe that Jesus walked on water or raised Lazarus from the dead

d.) believe that homosexuals can enter the church without renouncing their chosen ways

whoa, who needs God when you can have other christians determine your salvation?

 

[Harlan Norris]

I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on integrity, and the meaning of the word. Because as I have been searching the so-called Christian community for the past 20 years, from the inside, I have found little to none. In fact if I have found any, it has been from the guys or gals sweeping the floors. The words that keep ringing in my head are, “Vomit you out of my mouth” because you are neither hot nor cold. Then there is, “White washed tombs”.

I wonder what the True light of Jesus Christ would expose if He walked through our American churches today.

When I speak to the lost, I am ashamed to call myself a Christian.

Well, I guess we do the best we can.Jesus showed us a perfect walk.We try to copy that.I can't do it.I don't know who can.Never met anyone that could.Pride and fear get in the way I guess.It's a daily battle.However, I don't think that's a good reason to give up.

 

[mendown]

Well, I guess we do the best we can.Jesus showed us a perfect walk.We try to copy that.I can't do it.I don't know who can.Never met anyone that could.Pride and fear get in the way I guess.It's a daily battle.However, I don't think that's a good reason to give up.

I'm sorry, I can tell you mean well, but that is just a cop-out. We Christian's have been using that excuse forever. We will never be perfect like Christ so basically, "I'll do the best I can but don't expect much", becomes our motto.

Again, It would be ludicrous to expect perfection from one another, we all know that is impossible, but the more we say we can't be perfect the more we just excuse our own behavior. Why not say, "we can do anything through Christ Jesus".

We must do the best He can! In fact, if it helps, rather then compare yourself to Christ, compare yourself and the rest of us to those involved in the first Church, apples for apples. If you compare today’s Christians with the first Christians, how can you say,” I guess we do the best we can"? They were human also, they had just as many of the same hang ups and weaknesses that we do, in fact they had one other small problem that we American Christian's don't have, they were getting killed because they would not stop trying to be a better Christian.

Here we are in a Country that was founded by Christians. A society that even wrote the Christian values system into the framework of our government. A country that from the beginning has held a motto, "In God We Trust", and you look at the state this country is in and you tell me, "I guess we do the best we can". Shall we talk about millions of abortions, or homosexuality running ramped and being taught in schools to our children, or the horrifying decay of general morality.

I mean, all we had to do was hold onto something others died to give us, and we can't even do that.

I am sorry, WE ARE NOT DOING THE BEST WE CAN! NOT EVEN CLOSE!

Is it hard? Yes! In some cases, is it almost impossible? Yes! With the power of Christ and Him working through one another can we get the job done? MOST ASSUREDLY, YES!!!

We must stop accepting mediocre Christianity from one another!!! We must pray for one another!! Support one another!! Hold one another accountable for their witness to the lost!!! We must not allow hypocrisy to run ramped among our brethren!! We must continue to be a lighthouse in our country so our country can be a lighthouse for the world!!!

If we do not step up to the plate now, we will severely regret it. Already you can see The Hand of God pulling away from our shores. His wonderful blessing over this country is being removed. We must not allow that to happen. If not for our own sake then for the sake of our children, and their children and so forth.

We must not tell ourselves that this is just the end times and this is just the way it has got to be. We don't know that! Nobody knows that, not even the Son of God! For all we know, this country could lose Our Father's Hand of protection and we could live under terrene for 5 thousand more years before Christ comes again. And if you don't think that is possible ask a Jew for a history lesson or better yet, blow off the cob webs and crack open the old testament and see for yourself.

Enough is enough!! It is time to change the direction of this ship we call America !!! I believe this is our time. Our Father is giving us all one more chance before His judgment pours out. If we don't take advantage of it, shame on us, we deserve what we get.

But what of our children? You look into those innocent little eyes and envision their future living in a country without God's favor, and you tell them, we did the best we could.