I wonder how ISIS knew who to kidnap?

Yesterday, I was saddened (but not shocked- it's too common now for me to be shocked) by reports that ISIS had kidnapped ninety Christians and were holding them hostage.  They will most likely kill them, as this is what they have done in the past.

I wonder how ISIS knew who was a Christian?  How did they know they were followers of Christ and not followers of Muhammed?  How did they know they were not atheists, or agnostics, or Hindus?

I wonder, if ISIS were to come to America, if I would be one that they would identify as a Christian. I wonder if you would be as well.

There were no reports of ISIS barging into a church service and kidnapping the believers.  There were no reports that the Christians were at a prayer meeting, or a TobyMac concert, or shopping in a Christian bookstore, or any other ways that most Americans would identify Christians.  So what was it?

Did they have their WWJD bracelets on?  Did they have their "Follow me to Assyrian Christian Church" bumper sticker on their cars?  Did they have Air1 and K-love pre-programmed into their car radios?

There were no reports of any of that.  Even though I don't have information, I can probably make a very educated guess as to how ISIS knew they were Christians.  They asked.  At gunpoint.  And the Christians said yes.

They stood up and were counted.

They would rather be executed in gruesome and humiliating ways than deny their Lord and Savior.

There is a great persecution growing in this world towards Christians.  Christians are now arguably the most persecuted people in the world.  Reports show that 2014 was the worst year in the history of the world for Christian martyrdom, and let's go ahead and say it- most of the persecution came at the hands of Muslims.  Not only fringe radical Muslim groups like ISIS and Boko Haram, but legitimate governments like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, and Pakistan.  We can forget about stating that the persecution of Christians isn't a part of true Islam.  That would hold water if only fringe radical groups were doing it.  But when established, recognized governments routinely jail and execute Christians for doing nothing more than owning a Bible or attending a worship service, we can deduct that the persecution of Christians is more ingrained in Islam than political correctness wants us to believe.

This growing persecution poses a problem for Christians in America.  It is getting very difficult for the average nominal lukewarm American Christian, which exists in very high numbers, to remain in that spiritual state.  Persecution has a polarizing effect on your spiritual condition.  You do not remain lukewarm in the face of persecution- you either go deeper into your faith or you bail out.

In the coming years, we are going to see a purging of the American church.  We might already be seeing it now. Right now, many church members have serious decisions to make about whether to go to church or whether to sleep in on Sunday morning.  Right now, many church members consider themselves regular if they attend church once a month, let alone engage in the Great Commission, prioritize winning the lost, prioritize prayer and study, and use their spiritual gifts to further the Kingdom.

These folks, the ones in the middle- the lukewarm, the nominal- are right now being faced with a decision.  They cannot remain in their current spiritual state.  Many will take the path of least resistance and walk away from the faith.  Many, however, will be inspired by the example of our Christian brothers and sisters in the Middle East and will stand up and be counted, regardless of the sacrifice or price.  

I guess the question facing all of us right now is- if ISIS were to come to your door, would you be the one they would kidnap and kill?  Would they know that you were a follower of Jesus of Nazareth? In that moment, would you be known as a Christian?

Looking at the ninety Christians that were kidnapped yesterday, looking at the twenty-one Egyptian Christians beheaded last week, looking at the hundreds of thousands of Christians displaced by ISIS, looking at the thousands killed by Boko Haram, looking at Pastor Saaed languishing in an Iranian jail, looking at the bombings of churches in Nigeria and Pakistan, I can think of only one thing, and it is this quote:

"There is a great gulf between the Christianity that wrestles with whether to worship at the cost of imprisonment and death, and the Christianity that wrestles with whether the kids should play soccer on Sunday morning." - John Piper

How to deal with a judgmental person

Everyone in America, it seems, has one fear.  It's not heights, it's not spiders, it's not terrorism.

It's "being judged."

Nothing will upset an American more than the feeling that their behavior or actions or thoughts are being judged by someone else. That is the biggest "sin" anyone in America could commit.  We put up with pornography, violence, divorce, profanity, drug use, materialism . . . .  but don't you dare judge someone.

The problem is that we can't live in this world without making judgements.

When I hear of 21 Christians being beheaded by ISIS, am I supposed to remain neutral and not judge that a heinous act?  Am I not supposed to label that "wrong" and condemn it?

So, it is important to realize that everyone judges.  Everyone judges every day, and if you happen to be the person that is the subject of judgment, before you go off on the person or criticize them or get your dander up or your feathers ruffled, I want you to ask yourself one question:

"Are they judging my sin, or are they judging my ATTITUDE towards that sin?"

Let me explain what I mean.

We all sin.  All of us.  All of us do things that are wrong, that are inconsistent with our beliefs on right or wrong, that we feel ashamed of or regret later.  All of us do those things.  Many times these are accidents, or they are random acts where you lose your head, where you stop thinking rationally and do something really stupid.

I'm not talking about those episodes.  Those are simply episodes of sin in our lives, and while not trivial, they are far different than the second category.

The second category is far, far different.  The second category isn't just sin- it's the CELEBRATION of sin. This is vastly different than the first category.  In the first category, the person goes against what they believe is right.  In the second category, the person sins and actually celebrates it.

For example, this past weekend, Fifty Shades of Grey came out at the movie theater.  Twitter exploded with pictures of people, mostly women, in line to buy their tickets to see this abusive porn show. Facebook lit up with selfies of people proudly proclaiming how excited they were to see this movie. (I must note- I do not judge non-Christian people for celebrating this film. I don't expect Christian behavior from non-Christian people. However, many, if not most, of the people that I saw celebrating this film were Christian people, or at least claimed to have a Christian faith.)

I wrote very strongly against this movie. I got several messages from people telling me not to judge, not to be so judgmental.  After all, they said, everyone sins.

I agree, people.  Everyone sins. But not everyone CELEBRATES their sin.  Not everyone publicly posts their sin and proudly displays it for all the world to see, stating that they are proud of their sin.  Do you see the difference?

So, when you feel "judged," are people truly judging your sin?  Probably not.  They are probably judging your attitude towards sin.  They are probably judging your celebration of sin.  Sins are one thing- celebrating it is another.

If you commit sexual sin, that's one thing.  Moving in with your boyfriend or girlfriend and broadcasting to the world your defiance of God's will for sexuality is quite another.

If you slip up and mutter a four-letter-word, that's one thing.  Filling your Twitter and Facebook feed and loudly using profanity at all times of the day is quite another.

If you struggle with alcohol or drug addiction, that's one thing. Posting selfies of yourself at the bar or strung out at a party, proudly proclaiming your sin, is quite another.

If you feel "judged," take a step back and ask yourself what is truly being judged.  Is it your sin?  Or is it your celebration of it?  Most people I know don't judge people according to their sin. Most people know that people make mistakes, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Most people are very forgiving and will extend grace to you for your sin.

Most people, however, DO judge according to your attitude towards your sin.  Before jumping to conclusions and lashing out at the "judge," simply ask yourself- "Are they judging me because of my sin, or because of my celebration of it?"

If the answer is "they are judging me because of my sin," then you need to find new folks to hang around.  However, if they are judging your celebration of your sin, YOU need to change.  We all sin, but the celebration of sin has no place in the life of a believer in Christ. Instead of jumping down the other person's throat, it is YOU who needs to change.  Stop hiding behind the "Don't Judge" mantra, and start repenting of your sin instead of celebrating it.  You will find yourself being "judged" a lot less.