#132: When Love Must Get Angry

Anger is mainly an undesired emotion; although it can be used in a constructive manner, most of the time it is destructive in nature. What is the deep-seated cause of anger? I believe that the main reason we become angry is because things don't go the way we think they should, right or wrong, and we have little or no recourse. Anger can manifest itself in many forms: hate, revenge, violence, silence, a deceptive smile, separation, love, and of course, the most popular kind: indifference or apathy, which often follows one or more of the above. It can be expressed through words or physical action. When anger is expressed in hate, as mentioned above, it usually destroys, but it can be quite constructive when used in love.

I am basically a joyful person, but I do have an active anger that is being expressed in this blog. It is an anger directed at the ideas which paid religious professionals have been espousing for years: that a person can live and believe as they please (of course, with the pretense of righteousness) and still take on the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All religions basically are self-centered (“How am I going to make out?”), including organized Christianity. There is at least one exception. To display that exception and expose the religious fraud is one of the driving motives for the origin of these writings. Other than having an active desire to live in conformity with God's Word and being vocal in my dissent with half-baked counterfeit Christians, I have been frustrated in my God-given ability to actively do much about it; I have been a voice of one calling in the wilderness, with not many to listen. But not for long.

This anger is not directed at individuals, and yet it is. How can so many extraordinary, talented, intelligent, educated people be so ignorant of what God requires to please Him? I personally cannot figure that one out. I am angry that God can't have things His way at this time. His will is my will. As to the anger of love, I am forbidden to do anything forceful or violent to change that deplorable situation. I have come to this heartbreaking conclusion: The majority of people who call themselves Christians may be good, decent, generous, loving, considerate, honest, and sincere people, but they don't have a clue as to what God is like or what He expects of them because He must be unreal to them. There can be no other logical reason.

My/our anger toward bogus “Christians” will do no good until ego, pride, vanity, pleasure, worldly contentment, and things that bring material security are abandoned. Jesus Christ cannot reveal Himself until we start to cleanse ourselves, or more rightly, allow God to cleanse us. When the awesome power associated with Christ is revealed, we cannot help but desire to become like Him. What I have said is no riddle, yet it is a riddle to anyone who is not aware of their need for more meaning and purpose to their lives than they are now experiencing.

We should—or better yet, we must—have a justifiable anger at all “Christians” who disgrace or deny the name of Jesus with a life that has little or nothing to do with actively promoting His holy cause. This anger is of little value unless it is vigorously expressed through our displeasure with their lives. They may question our right to be judgmental in this area, to which I respond: If our own lives are not lived in a Christ-like manner, we have no right to get angry or judge. One can't solve the problem, let alone see the problem, if he/she is part of the problem. For that reason, it becomes evident that the reason some may get angry but do nothing about it is because they may not be much different than the fakes.

The love and goodness that we receive upon redemption (God's goodness) cannot be contained within ourselves. We feel like exploding, and we do explode with deliberate righteous anger–the truly perfect motive for evangelism. We want the whole world to have God's love and life, so we demonstrate that desire not within our minds, but by example with our lives. And this is what we see in its stead in the rest of the Christian world: religion’s busywork and hard-shelled spiritual devotion to self and family. They have the nerve to call these kissing cousins Christians? Yes, I am mad, mad, mad, and we (God and I) won't take it much longer. We must allow God to inspire us to do great things by making every effort, fighting tooth and nail, with all the power of God in every possible way–except violence—to make Jesus Christ known in truth. Tough though it may seem, we will win. I know the outcome. That is my belief. This blog is only one of God's many efforts to decimate the unbelief of people who only call themselves Christians. I do it with angry words of God's love.

Christ is no wimp, though He is merciful and compassionate beyond words. Yet, that mercy cannot be activated toward those who continually resist the logic of His ways. With even a little spiritual insight, His ways will be made known through the New Testament and hopefully this blog. It is said that the Bible is the world’s best-selling book and yet—though I can hardly believe it is the least read. How can this be true? It is the road map to living the high life. It is our instruction manual as to how a person is supposed to function. There will be vengeful anger for all who call on His name with only words; with no mercy, grace, or forgiveness, no matter how much they verbally rely on greasy grace to slip into God's heaven. A person’s life, not what they say, is the evidence of belief.

Do yourself a favor; get angry with someone—especially with yourself, if need be—for having a deadly dullness in comprehending the implications of the Christian walk. God's love makes the “spiritual needy” (so-called Christians) our business. Godly anger gets concerned. Get mad and stay mad (in love) with those who don't really know our Lord Jesus Christ, and see the results. In some cases, the result will be Jesus Christ walking this earth again in our shoes. There are great things waiting for all who allow God to do great things for Christ through our lives. Sometimes very little things are great things in God's sight.

Our attitude toward agnostics: Our anger must never be impulsive or aggressive; however, when people who do not call themselves Christians act in a way that makes us angry, our anger must stay hidden, but not fester. We have no right to impose or get angry because they do not embrace God’s standards. We must try to understand where they are coming from and why they act the way they do. It is natural for them to make us angry, and many of them would love to get our dander up. They live in a totally different world, the world of winning at the game of life on earth (“Hooray for me and boo for you”), and watch out if we get in their way. How do we love these people that antagonize us? We shut our mouths, and if the opportunity comes up, we demonstrate to them why and how we are different from them and the world. To carry out this type of response to the merciless wretches of unbelievers will not be one bit easy, but we can’t do it through arguments and accusation. To argue with them and become demonstrably angry at them will put us on their level and totally defeat the cause of Christ.

We must have an active anger, one that is expressed with a sensitive yet relentless force at people who call themselves Christians. The sad part is, of course, that when we believe and live this way, we will receive only anger and hate from most, despite our going softly, while only a very few may respond to Jesus Christ. By nature, we don't want to be hated, but if we belong to Jesus Christ, we will endure whatever anger and hatred comes our way because we will be doing it with His nature and His spirit. That is exactly what is missing in most of us: His nature and life. When people are truly aware of the immense love God has for them, it doesn’t matter if everyone else in the world hates them with a passion; they would still know and feel completely loved by God in that hateful situation.

At this time, many might be saying, “It is not like me to get angry at people for the way they believe and live. I am a peaceable and loving person. I say, ‘live and let live.’” You said it; that is the main problem with the whole of Christianity: indifference. I believe that indifference will be the most predominant reason for the damnation of the majority. Indifference is a candy-coated hatred that separates real gold from fool's gold. Indifference can be classified as anger without action. “Live and let live”? Would you say that about a cult that sacrificed children to their god? Well, they’re out there. The playacting Christians and their leaders are guilty of murder on a much larger scale; it’s just a slower process.

Jesus had a calculated, legitimate, and appropriate anger at most, if not all, of the legalistic orthodoxy of His day. From His righteous anger as He overturned the tables of the money-changers to the calculated and compelling way, He showed the true ways of the Pharisees and Scribes, He expressed legitimate anger and they ultimately killed Him for it. If we belong to Him, we will continue His work. It won't come easy or naturally, and we won't be popular, so you may not like it. If we are as adamant as Christ was in exposing their emptiness, they may also kill us, though we will live on. It is our job, like it or not.

As the saying goes, “You are either part of the solution or part of the problem.” There is no in-between. Love is not harmless. Love is sometimes angry. When you love someone, they are your business. That kind of loving anger will disrupt and disturb the schemes of those who work for and through man-made, self-inspired efforts of goodness and Godliness.

If only half of the above is true, we can see why Christ said we will be hated. He didn't say we may be hated. The irony of it is that we will be considered to have done great things, but only to the degree that we are hated. While I write these last few words as God dictates them, they don't sit well with me. I would like to have God do great things through me, but it is not my nature to want to be hated. I want to be loved, even though I know it is only my human nature speaking. God will win and do great things in my life, and I hope in yours, no matter how much others get angry and hate us. It will hurt, no doubt about it. But with God’s love in our heart, He will give us the strength to thrive in the midst of the storm. It is His promise.