Are Christians to be door mats?

[Richard D]

I read Ray's paper on ( You Fools! You Hypocrites! You Snakes! ) I understand as a Christian we are called to love and forgive and all the others things of the fruit of the spirit too.

Ray wrote this paper to show or point out to the reader that Jesus was not some wimpy little man who jumped when someone said boo. Jesus was a real man and not like a lot of men in todays world that's for sure.

Now I'm not saying this paper that Ray wrote gives me or anyone else the right to act like the devil but am I as a Christian and I'm not sure if I should use that refernce Christian as it has been tainted by Christendon as far as I'm concerned be a door mat eveytime someone is having a bad day?

Does Jesus expect me to be some whimpy guy who lives in fear of what someone might say or do? Are we who believe in Christ supposed to be a door mat for the whole world?

These are valid question I ask and are important for all of us to understand what is expected of us. So any help on this matter of being a door mat just because I believe in God would be helpful.

Jesus was not a door mat and I don't think I should be one either.


                                              In God's Love. Richard.

[mharrell08]

Excerpt from 'You Fools! You Hypocrites, You Snakes!' (http://bible-truths.com/fools.htm):

SELECTIONS CONCERNING JESUS—THE HUMBLE SERVANT OF MAN

"I must be about my Father's business... I must preach the Kingdom of God, for therefore am I sent... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: Who went about doing good and healing... Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men... Why call Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God...

    Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven... You are the light of the world... Love your enemies... I will come and heal him... the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head... Daughter, be of good comfort... Son, be of good cheer; your sins be forgiven you... I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life...

    But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness... Peace I leave with you... love ye one another, as I have loved you... Neither do I condemn you... He departed again into a mountain Himself alone, to pray... Be not afraid only believe... You are My friends... You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself...

    For the Father Himself loves you... In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit... I have spoken openly to the world... Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved... I have compassion on the multitude... Jesus wept...

    Let the little children come to me... Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...

    With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you... he poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel... O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings... And when they [and Jesus] had sung an hymn...

    Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Thine, be done... And being in agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as if were great drops of blood falling down to the ground... Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do... IT IS FINISHED... they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread, Jesus said to them, COME AND DINE" (Excerpts from the Gospels).

Jesus identified with our humanity when He said: "Simon, Simon... Martha, Martha..." Jesus was profoundly human. He was after all, the humble servant as the Son of man. But He was also the wise and powerful Son of God. Jesus spoke gently with the meek, but His speech EXPLODED with the wicked.

It is only when Jesus confronts the religious leaders that His tone of voice and choice of words changes dramatically from how he spoke to the people in general. Jesus came to expose evil and hypocrisy like no one had ever done before. His voice was the "voice of a trumpet." God told Isaiah to:

    "Cry ALOUD, SPARE NOT, lift up your voice like a TRUMPET, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" (Isa. 58:1).

Likewise, as a servant of God I cannot expose the evil and hypocrisy in the Church and in this world with a song in my heart, a smile on my face, and a chuckle in my voice! Sorry, but that won't get the job done. I laugh considerably more than almost anyone I know. But try to palm off the evil and vile doctrines of the Church to God's "little ones," and my countenance changes instantly!

There is a time for humor and there is a time to get serious. Sarcasm can be serious business. Well did Isaiah prophesy of such:

    "Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us SMOOTH things, prophesy DECEITS" (Isa. 30:10).

I would rather sound a little angry or sarcastic than to teach smooth and deceitful things. Even Isaiah used colorful language, "speak unto us smooth things." Could this be the origin of "smooth talkers?"

I'm not sure why it is automatically assumed that if one sounds angry there is something wrong with his message. When speaking of immoral and evil things that hurt and deceive people, it behooves us to be ANGRY about such things. Anger does not have to be a sin. God's anger is mentioned a couple of hundreds times in Scripture. Many of the teachings of the Church are not only evil, but they are stupid and foolish. Sarcasm is often the perfect exposer of stupidity.


You are absolutely right Richard...Christ was not a doormat and neither should we be. He was the humble servant, the Son of Man. Being a doormat compared to humbly serving is nothing alike.

Personally, I pray about my intentions regarding serving humbly compared to just being an a$$. But I remember our Lord's words:

John 4:34  ...My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work

John 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Let the will of the Father be our intentions and desires. Seek truth and righteousness. If our hearts stay on these things, we shall not fail.

2 Pet 1:10  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Jude 1:24  Now unto him [Christ] that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

1 John 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.


Hope this helps,

Marques

[Ninny]

Good answer Marques! I was thinking on those same lines. Jesus was meek which means "power under control" We are not door mats. We are to be mirrors! showing Jesus' character in our daily lives standing for what he stood for and doing what he did.
That's not always a popular and fun position, but it's our only path!
Kathy

[Richard D]

Marques.

Thank you for your response to this thread, I'm not sure if I' conveying myself properly but I took this excerpt from Ray's papers off what you have posted (Jesus spoke gently with the meek, but His speech EXPLODED with the wicked.) This is what I'm really talking about.

I was just reading on another post about Martinez having to deal with a 17 year old with a filthy mouth.

No one has a problem with an honorable man but how should a believer respond to those who walk without honor or are wicked when we are confronted by them?

I'm not talking about violence here but..........LOL..... Always a but Marques should we retreat?

Should we back down from arguments and abort defending our position if we are in the right for the sake of love and forgive wrong doing towards us for the sake of forgiveness?

It just seems to be a gray area for me but maybe I do know the answer and don't want to give recognition to it.

I do remember reading in scripture Christ saying what good is it if you only love those who love you don't even sinners do that much. I think I just answered my question.....LOL.... Sometimes I feel so stupid. 

Thanks Marques.

                                                     In God's Love. Richard.

[Marlene]

Wow, Marques that sure says it all. Now, that I found the truth I get so excited to tell it. Last night my 21 year old Neice Father passed away. I got to share the truth of where we go and what happens after death. She wants me to show her as many scriptures I know that points to salvation for all. This is new to her. She thought there was a Hell because all of Babylon tells it that way.

I imagine there is a possibility that even some ministers do not know , because they have been taught in theology schools. But, when I watch some of the TV ones I really am starting to think they do know.

Yes, we need to stand for truth.

Its so wonderful how God dealt with the sinner who was not teaching those things.
Makes us feel good how we know he deals with us and all the world.

In His Love,
Marlene

[cjwood]

door mats, no. welcome mats to the Door of Life, yes.

claudia

[Akira329]

door mats, no. welcome mats to the Door of Life, yes.

claudia

I was thinking the same thing Claudia!

Antaiwan