09/04/22 AGGRAVATING, REALLY?

09/04/22 AGGRAVATING, REALLY?

Don't be surprised when someone (a third, uninvolved party) calls law enforcement because you are sharing the gospel, in a civil way, with an interested person.

Don't be surprised that law enforcement arrives and tells you that you cannot have that conversation.

Don't be surprised if you are told by law enforcement to leave the area.

Don't be surprised when law enforcement threatens to arrest you or take you to jail if you don't stop what you are doing (which is witnessing for Christ).

If you ask what law you are breaking, DON'T be surprised if they tell you, "Aggravating." Yes, you read that right. If you are peacefully conversing with a person, but a third party is offended that you are sharing Christ, they can call the law on you and you could be arrested or taken to jail FOR AGGRAVATING (at least that is the threat, which law enforcement has given to me, in two different States, on two different occasions).

WHAT DID I DO? I refused to stop witnessing. I told them to arrest me or take me to jail. I did not leave the area. And yes, it did get abusive, and threatening and I have thought that I was about to be whacked over the head with a night stick and I did think that two officers were about to physically accost me and I did think that I was about to go to jail). But I stood firm and even used the occasion to witness to those who were watching the police abuse of power and violation of my freedom and my allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Note this... People around you can be wearing shirts with vile, profane, offensive images, slogans, or they can be speaking with profane, obscene, vile, obnoxious language (which might actually be illegal), but the chance of law enforcement addressing that situation is almost nil. In fact, you and your wife and your children will probably be told by law enforcement to leave the area, but they probably will not take action against the actual law breakers and perverts who are taking over public space.

Yes, there are still decent law enforcers who will not encroach on Christian rights and behavior, but the thin blue line between decency and offenders is getting thinner.

If you turn to others for advice, such as preachers, law enforcement, lawyers, government leaders (local, State and Federal), the man on the street and the man in the pew, they will usually tell you to obey man, obey the State. Sometimes God leads us away from or out of these kinds of situation, but God's unchanging standard is obeying God rather than men.

Yes, as we move further from a free society into a godless, oppressive, anti-Christian society we (as Christians will need to be wise as serpents as well as harmless as doves and as bold as lions). But we never come to a point that we obey men rather than God. We may not enjoy the freedoms we should have, but we never compromise the Lordship of Christ over our lives.

Remember, this is not about religious stubbornness, or "standing for our rights," or trying to, SAVE AMERICA. This is about keeping a conscience void of offense and submitting to only one God. We should stand for truth, in love, in humility, in willingness to suffer for our faith rather than to inflict suffering on others.