Christians Are Way Too Sensitive!

By David Ettinger

Yes We Are!
On Facebook recently, a “friend” posed a question: “Are Christians too sensitive.” Most of the replies were “No.” I scoffed at this overly sensitive reply, but kept my digital mouth shut. Of course I know the answer is “Yes.” In view of what the Bible teaches, Christians – specifically Western Christians – are WAY too sensitive!

From the Beginning
It amazes me how Western believers become so alarmed whenever a legal ruling goes against us or some religion-practicing-restriction is proposed. The world, by its very nature, is not neutral to Christianity, but against it – in theory and practice.

It was like this from the beginning. Even before Christianity became a reality, Jesus told His followers – those at the time and those to come – that “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you” (John 15:19).

And this before Jesus was crucified, raised from the dead, and the faithful began to build what would become the Church. And decades later, the apostle John reminded believers to “not be surprised … if the world hates you” (1 John 3:13).

The apostle Paul was always facing this reality – and bearing the physical “fruits” of it (2 Corinthians 11:24-29). Besides the bodily punishment inflicted upon him, Paul was always being belittled for his zealous belief and promulgation of the burgeoning faith.

When he defended himself to the philosophers in Athens, they said of him: “What would this idle babbler wish to say?” and “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities” (Acts 17:18). While explaining his faith the Porcius Festus, the Roman official chided him: “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad” (Acts 26:24).

And later, when he at last arrived in Rome and was introducing himself to the Jewish community, they told him:

We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere (Acts 28:21-22).

Did you catch those two last points? First, Christianity was already regarded as a “sect” – which implies a movement embraced by a bunch of crazies. And second, that “it is spoken against everywhere” – which implies that among “normal” society, Christianity was some kind of fringe group of fanatics whose teachings made no sense.

And all this was “back then.”

What Comes Naturally
Notice in these instances how Paul never took offense or argued back. He knew exactly what the world at-large thought of his faith, and took no offense. Notice, too, in the Book of Acts how when some of the believers (Peter, John, and Stephen) were arrested, they never put up a fight. They knew exactly why they were being treated the way they were and accepted it as the world’s “natural” behavior.

Yet, today, Western believers get so bent out of shape when the world – under the headship of Satan (1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:4) – rules, speaks, or acts against us. What Western Christians don’t understand is that when the world ridicules, abhors, and fights against us, it is doing what comes naturally; it is doing what unbelievers are “programmed” to do.

This is not to say that Christians should not stand up for our beliefs, but we need to stop whining about it. Did Peter, John, Stephen, or Paul whine? No. They accepted opposition as the natural way of the world, and used such opposition as golden witnessing opportunities.

And so should we. As we draw ever nearer to the end of the age, things are only going to get worse for Christians. The world believes it owes us nothing, and Western Christians should understand this and stop being so feebly sensitive. Rather than feeling sorry for ourselves and getting so offended, we need to flex our spiritual muscles and use all acts of hostility as golden opportunities to share the living Gospel to a lost and dying world!

Tagged: Christian Behavior, Stephen, Stop Whining, The Apostel Peter, The Apostle John, The Apostle Paul, The Book of Acts, Too Sensitive

Posted in: Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christian Behavior, Christian Ethics, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Editorial/Blog, New Testament, Obeying God, Practical, Serving God, Sharing the Gospel, The Early Church, The End of the Age