Lenny Kravitz: "Bank Robber Man"

The lyrics on this song are hard to hear so I'll explain the song. It's about a man walking on a city street when the police arrest him. He fit the description of a man who had just robbed a bank but it wasn't him who did it.

Listen, if you can, to this song:

I don't blame black American folks for hating being mistaken for criminals. Though a higher percentage of African-American men commit crimes, it's still insulting to be thought of as being guilty until proven innocent.

We Christians are in the same sort of situation. Non Christians make assumptions about us such as what Paul wrote in Romans 3:8 (Bible in Basic English). "'Let us not do evil so that good may come' (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment."

Likewise, Peter explained why we suffer for righteousness' sake and yet it's to our credit in 1 Peter 3:15-17 (BBE). "But give honour to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you, to give an answer in the fear of the Lord and without pride; Being conscious that you have done no wrong; so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame. Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing."

If you still wonder why we must suffer for being righteous, Paul provides the answer in Philippians 1:29 (BBE). "Because to you it has been given in the cause of Christ not only to have faith in him, but to undergo pain on his account:"

If Christ hasn't returned to reward us for our faithfulness by Monday, I hope to post about the folly of using faddish techniques to proclaim the gospel.