Which Side Are You On?
Exodus 32:26
"Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him."
You know the story very well. Moses spent forty days and nights on the top of Mount Sinai receiving the commandments from God. While he was at the top of the mount, Aaron and the people were in the valley building and worshipping a golden calf. When Moses came down from the top of the mount, he saw the people naked and dancing around the golden calf. When he saw this, he became angry and threw the tablets of stone on the ground and broke them. It is always good to see that there are people who get angry with sin. Moses' action towards sin should be a lesson to everyone.
However, the truth I want you to see comes from the verse above. After Moses confronted Aaron, he then stood in the gate and drew a line to decide who was on the LORD's side. He told them that whoever was on the LORD's side should come to him in the gate. Moses was forcing people to choose sides. He was not worried about offending people by forcing them to make a choice; rather, he was forcing them to make a decision of whether they would serve the LORD or the golden calf.
One of the dangerous movements infiltrating our churches is one where you don't force people to choose sides. They simply don't want to offend anyone with truth. Instead of making truth clear, they muddy the waters and tell people that they need to decide what is right in their own mind. Their feeling is that they don't want to make people feel uncomfortable to the degree that it will run them off. Even if they must compromise who they are and what they believe, forcing people to make a choice will not be something they will do.
Let me make this very clear, the Scriptures will force people to make a choice. For instance, you make a choice of choosing Christ to be your Saviour to go to Heaven, or you choose another path that will send you to Hell. God is for people making choices for whom they will follow. God is not concerned with how uncomfortable it will make people, rather He is concerned that truth is made plain.
Truth will never be that light on the hill if we don't force people to choose sides. I know there are some who are uncomfortable reading this, but if we don't make our choices clear then truth will fail to be a part of our society. You may not like the Scriptures telling you how to live and dress, but that is all a part of choosing sides.
In order to make a decision then clear lines must be drawn. Moses drew a clear line for those who were on the LORD's side, and you must make a clear line for people so they will know which side is the LORD's side. Don't be afraid to define sin. Don't just tell people not to sin, but tell them what is sin. When people clearly know what is right and wrong, then they must make a choice as to which side they will be on. When you create gray areas, then people can't make a choice. It is imperative that people understand what is right and wrong.
Christian, don't flinch when preachers declare what is right and wrong. As long as they show you from the Scriptures where something is right or wrong, you should not fight against them. Drawing clear lines simply helps you to know which side you are going to follow. I challenge you to always choose the LORD's side. It may not always be popular, but it is always right. When you go to work or school, choose the LORD's side at all times. In your home, choose the LORD's side with what you watch and do. Everyone around you should know whose side you are on. Do they?