The Power in Freedom of Choice - Why We Can't Force Others to Follow Jesus

I am an American. Freedom isn't just a dream here; here we expect it and we fight to keep it. Our ancestors had to dream about it but for us we just have to keep it. But many American's act like America was the one that thought about freedom first. But really it goes way back to the first two humans in the beginning pages of Genesis. 

Adam and Eve had the choice or the freedom of choice. They could do anything but one thing and when they were tempted they fell. They had freedom to obey and to follow God or they could do what they wanted to do. God is the author of freedom. When Elohim (name for God found in the creation story, also plural indicating the Trinity) made man He gave him and incredible gift... the gift of choice. 

Throughout the Bible you see choices, free will playing a huge part in the story. Throughout all our faults and failures, throughout all our disobedience, and when we openly choose to follow our wants over God that is when we see God continually opening doors for us to make the choice to change, to repent and come back to Him. He never takes our free will away but He does allow for the consequence of sin to rage war with us. But yet even though we have to go through the consequence of sin He still is there giving us choices. Let's ponder these great hero's of the Bible...

Moses, the murder, decided to follow the voice of a burning bush... His choice to follow instead of running led to the Exodus and He knew the Lord face to face.
David, the adulterer, decided to repent and lead the nation better. He is known as a man after God's own heart because his choice was to repent and follow God instead of following his wants.
Paul, the persecutor, decided to follow Jesus instead of killing those who did. His choice led many to the Kingdom and led to a good portion of our New Testament. 

The freedom of choice is important to me. When I heard the call to go to Bible school and to teach God's Word, women's ministry was where I wanted. But then I was told over and over that it was because that was the only place I could serve (well, that and children's ministry....). I started resenting my call. You mean to tell me that I turn in the same papers and read the same info as my male classmates but yet their call is greater and they can do more. Some tried to comfort me by pointing at women of the Bible that were indeed leaders. But that just put a bandaid on an open wound. Then Pastor Bob Russell, the lead Pastor at an amazing little church in Yakima, WA called New Hope Community Church of the Nazarene, said something to me that didn't just cover the wound.... it made it go away. He told me that women in that day didn't get to sit with the men during teaching times. They were not taught in the same manner as the men... the were not taught so why should they teach? When I realized that I could teach anywhere. I had the freedom to teach wherever, to whomever... I could freely choose where God was calling me. I could freely choose women's ministry. Women's ministry... isn't just something I am forced to do but It Is Something I LOVE TO DO!!!! 

This is why we can't force people to follow Jesus. We can't force them to follow Him and to love Him. He doesn't even force them too. He allows them to choose. They can choose life or they can choose death. He wants us to choose life and He warns us about the consequences if we don't... but it is our free choice. We cannot make people obey Him. 

There is a woman in Kentucky that will not give licenses to same sex couples. She is standing up for what she believes in. She is right in the fact that what God desires for marriage is a man and a woman. She is wrong in the fact that she thinks that we can take away peoples choice. Some will say that it goes against her beliefs but she isn't the one that is allowing them to live like this. They are choosing this lifestyle. They are choosing to follow man's laws instead of God's laws. Giving them a paper doesn't stop the sin... if she truly is convicted about it then she should step down. How many divorcee's has she given license to? How many adulterer's has she allowed to remarry just to do it again and again? To me it looks like she is trying to force Jesus' ways on people who do not even know Jesus. She is trying to make the world serve Jesus and be under His reign before the Father's anointed time for Jesus to do so. 

People will say that if she backs away now then the other side would be "right" they would "win". They are not right and they will not win. Let them think they get a victory and find out that it is not the way they should live. Jesus is always better. I am positive of this. But Jesus also lets us decide that for ourselves and everyone else should have the right to figure that out for themselves. The cross always wins. Jesus always wins. Even when it feels like Satan has the power... we then get to see the Power of God in the Resurrection. DEATH CANNOT HOLD HIM. SIN CANNOT STOP HIM. PIECES OF PAPER CANNOT MAKE HIM LOSE. 

Much more is on the line than us being right. Much more is at stake. These people's souls are on the line. Instead of preaching God's laws and ways we need to preach Jesus' love and sacrifice and the reason why He is worth following. We must allow the world to see that Jesus allows people to choose. You can choose Jesus and His salvation and that faith that comes from knowing that Christ paid your death sentence should move you to obey God because God can be trusted. When He says not to do something it isn't because He is mean... but because He doesn't want you getting hurt. In the book of Romans opening verses Paul writes, "obedience of faith" (1:5). When people have faith they will have the obedience of faith. But they have to know Him to obey Him. How many people can keep a leaders laws but does that make them know the leader? No... Faith and the relationship that Jesus calls us to allows us to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him.... TO OBEY HIM. Because nobody else is worthy of following. 

People need to see that they aren't forced to follow Jesus... when forced their heart becomes hard and they resent Him. But when given the choice... they see the God who allows them to come freely.  Some will not choose Him. It is a very sad and reason to grieve. But Jesus didn't die on the cross for us and then be resurrected 3 days later for us to enslave people to be forced to follow Him. He came so people would know He loves them and free them from sin... They have to choose to give the chains of sin to Jesus. We cannot do it for them. But we can choose to serve the undeserving... as Jesus did.

If you want people to follow Jesus, as do I, we have to share Jesus not His laws. He will call people to obey but first we have to introduce the man who doesn't care what you did, who you are... but wants you. There is power in the choice. The choice to freely love compared to forced to obey.... Let us let people freely come to Him.