WITNESSING FOR CHRIST, CRIMINAL?

WITNESSING FOR CHRIST, CRIMINAL?
The Bible teaches that God has given the sword to the State, to protect the righteous and punish the wicked. I was brought up to respect the police. I still respect the office and encourage my grandchildren to show respect for the law its officers. I still wave at cops, just like I did when I was a little boy. In fact, as a little boy I wanted to be a L.A. motor-cop.

Being a cop today is a dangerous and thankless job, so I still hold the position in high esteem. I am appalled at the anti-police attitude of the Obama administration, though I am not surprised at the shades of anarchist mentality of our younger generation, which has been educated by an anti-American, anti-Christian, pro-socialist, Post Christian society.

But cops are people, just like preachers, teachers and doctors. Just like everyone else, they were born with a sinful nature, and they have been brought up and taught in the same corrupted society as everyone else. Therefore there are some police officers that have a warped view of life, which is sometimes demonstrated through their position in law enforcement, just like it is in other professions.

As we have seen the State become antagonistic to the Church (Bible believing Christians), for the past several decades, it is only expected that an anti-Christian mentality is manifested in the legal arena of the State as well.

Let me mention three occasions of Christian witnessing which was squelched by the police, in the name of "AGGRAVATING."

#1 My sons,  David and Mark, with our brother, Wade were painting a house in Knoxville, while another crew was working nearby. The other crew, not being Christian, was being loud, vulgar and offensive. When my son spoke to them about their language (remember, this was in a family community), the crude crew became belligerent, abusive and threatening. It was so bad that one of my sons called the police because it looked like an assault was about to take place. When the police arrived, they warned my sons that they could be arrested for "AGGRAVATING" the other men. The other men were breaking the law, the other men were threatening physical harm, but our men were being threatened by the cops, with possible arrest, for "AGGRAVATING."

#2 I was in a Tennessee Walmart (Mark might have been with me), when I saw a man wearing a shirt with an obscene and profane message/logo. I approached the man quietly and talked to him about the inappropriateness and offence for other people, especially ladies and children. We talked, and I shared with him the importance of being a Christian. The man's wife (who was an off duty employee of Walmart) saw us talking and stepped in to hear what was being said. She then went to the manager and complained. The manager approached me and said that I did not have a right to talk to the man. He did not address the vulgar shirt the man was wearing. I told him that all we were doing was talking and I was not causing a problem. In fact, the other man did not have a problem with our conversation. Still, the manager insisted that I did not have the right to witness in his store. He mad a point of telling me that he too was a Christian. I told him that I would not leave my relationship with Jesus outside of Walmart. He told me I had to leave the store. I told him I was not leaving, because I had not done anything wrong. (Those who want to argue his legal rights, go ahead, but not here. This is about something else). He threatened to call the police and I told him to go ahead. So, he did.

Two uniformed cops were soon confronting me and telling me to leave the store. I told them, "No," because I had not done anything wrong, and all I was doing was talking to a man about the offensiveness of his shirt and telling him about Jesus. They pressed their point, threatening to arrest me. I asked what they would arrest me for, and they said, "AGGRAVATING" people. I told them they were going to have to arrest me, because I was not being violent or crude or attacking people. Since their threat did not seem to phase me, they resorted to physical intimidation.

I am smart enough to know that you do not touch a police officer, even in a non threatening way, so I kept my hands to myself, but refused to back up as he stepped closer and closer, putting his nose almost on my nose. I held my ground and watched as he became more frustrated. He eventually had a little conference with his partner and then told me that they were not going to arrest me, but I needed to be careful. They left, I did not.

Note also, the man I was talking with had no problem with me or our conversation (though he did have a wife that probably qualifies as a problem).

#3 Again, in Walmart, but this time in Virginia, I saw a person with a really filthy message on his shirt. I had written a tract that addressed such a situation, so I OFFERED him my tract, by telling him that I had read his shirt, and asked if he would read something from me. He took the tract. We then started to talk about it. Some female (either his mom or wife or some busy body female) saw us talking and then stepped in to hear our conversation. She then had a clerk call for the store manager. Sure enough, here he came, warning me that I needed to leave the store or he would call the police. Here we go again. I told him to call the police. Not long afterward the mall cop (off duty city police) showed up, telling my I could not hand out tracts or talk to other shoppers about these things. I told him that I had not accosted the man, I had not held the man, I had not insulted the man, therefore I was not going to quit sharing with the man. He threatened to arrest me. I asked him what the charge would be. You guessed it; "AGGRAVATING." Well, I did not leave, and I did not agree to not speak with anyone. The mall cop went away frustrated.

SUMMARY...
Be aware, witnessing for Christ (even when it is quiet and private) is not as well received as showing filthy pictures and filthy words on your shirt. Trumped up charges are being used against Christians. There is a mentality among some law officers that wants to use their position to intimidate and curtail Christians. When they have told me that they were just doing their job, I pointed out that the Gestapo was just doing their job when they arrested Jews and Christians in Nazi Germany. NO, I DID NOT SAY WE ARE NAZI GERMANY OR THAT THE POLICE IS THE GESTAPO. I simply point out that the same mentality is used as an excuse to attack free speech and Christian witnessing. Oppressing starts somewhere, but it does not have to start with you. I always encourage cops to put the Bible ahead of any anti-Christian influence they encounter (even the law). Remember, it is better to obey God than men. Anti-Christian attitude is worse in the USA today than it was in the past, but it will become much worse in the days ahead.