Family of Wolves

Luke 21:16, 34

Brothers, sisters, parents, relatives, and friends are all people we usually develop a long-standing relationship with. In my case, the contact that I have with them is of short duration and a fairly long space of time between. I wonder why they even bother at all because the conversations are more like a therapy session from the dark side of life. Which basically I tell them I’m not interested in what they are selling…because it’s obvious to me they are trying to sell me something. It makes me wonder who my real sisters and brothers are when I read this, “And He has given us this command; Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
1 John 4:21

Especially one brother and one sister are very coy, sneaky, and untrustworthy in how they present themselves to me. That presentation is like presenting an attractively wrapped gift, but the contents include a bunch of pamphlets on the best partying methods, on the benefits of gun ownership, on the ills of the new world order, and a manifesto of war. Although that gift is not literal, their verbal support of those things is. It’s as if they think that the only agenda a Christian has is to defeat the New World Order. One sibling explains how he and those around him all own assault weapons, including his grown-up children. And I know that they all do! They tell me that the government of the new world order is going to take all our rights away, even Christianity. Most of what they say sounds legitimate, except they leave out all the essentials of the Gospel, namely the Cross. God’s children know that “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

If I bought into the things that they are selling me, it would have very bad consequences. Either I would be a victim of fentanyl overdose, alcoholism, or sent to prison on some gun violence charge, or marked as a home-grown terrorist out to topple the government of the new world order. My preference is to be known as a Child of God, desiring the Spirit of Jesus to have some place in my life. The only comfort that I have in practically writing off my brothers and sisters is in how family is defined, “For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.”

{There’s a comment in the comments section by “seekingdivineperspective” and I hope you all read it)

Luke 21:16, 34
“And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.”
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.”