But recently I've found myself in conversations with some of my non-christian friends where my 'respecting' felt more like agreeing. And this made me uncomfortable.
For example, today one of my friends was all agog that they had been given an impression of Jesus on a rose petal that 'miraculously' appeared when they were at a conference. Evidently there is a man named Carmelo Cortez who is 'supernaturally' used by God to pull petals off of fresh roses, dip them in some kind of colored water, and then 'miraculously' divine impressions appear.
As my friend showed her 'holy rose petal' to others many ooed and ahhed and were clearly mesmerized by the 'power of the petal miracle'.
And since, many in my circle of influence look to me for prayer and encouragement they just assumed I would be equally enthusiastic.
But I wasn't.
Instead, I listened intently to my friends glowing explanation of what took place at the convention where the 'Rose Petal Miracle' occured. Then I said "I'm really happy for you" and "What a neat memento for you to have" but I stopped short of declaring it a supernatural phenomenon.
As I walked away from the 'Rose Petal Group' I was overwhelmed with sadness because my friends were easily taken in by what I felt was a hoax.
How could I have prayed so much for them and still they don't see Jesus for who He really is? I mused to myself.
But I didn't say anything. The truth is I wasn't sure what to say. I felt a strong urge to declare truth as I see it, but also realized it was important that I respect their right to choose to believe the rose petal image was straight from heaven.
So for now I've decided that I will pray for truth to be revealed to them. And I will write truth as I feel inspired to do so. (see my SIDENOTE explanation below) And I will keep on being their friend and keep on loving them.
Should I say more to them? I don't know. I'm still grappling with this question. What do you do when you come face-to-face with what you believe is a false belief? What did Jesus do? These are the questions I'm still seeking answers to.
SIDENOTE:The point of this particular post isn't to debate the legitimacy of flashy so-called miracle workers. But because I believe the Bible is our ultimate guide I think it's important to point out that Jesus himself warned us about people who use outlandish tactics to draw a crowd presumably in the name of Christ:
"For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will show great signs and wonders so as to deceive and lead astray, if possible, even the elect (God's chosen ones)." (Matthew 24:24)
At least it's something to think about....
