Bored and Thinking...what if?

Pondering a few random thoughts at the moment.  Why in America is it so socially acceptable to say you believe in God or that you are a Christian, but so few professing Christians actually live a lifestyle conducive to their faith.  It’s acceptable to speak it, its unacceptable to live it.  I think about countries where it will get you killed to profess to be a Christians and those Christians speak and live it even unto death.  It has become a bit of a running joke in America that churches are full of people who profess Jesus on Sunday with their fake Sunday smiles and hands lifted as if in a theatrically scripted performance to the Almighty Savior, all the while thinking about what they are going to have for lunch.  The theatrical drones of the Christian church are for certain a major contributing factor to the lack of interest from the outside world as to why to even bother with Jesus if there is no difference he brings.  It’s almost like an assembly line for painting cars.  (I know this is random and a little off beat but I think it helps me visualize it).  Picture this.  Every car in the world is black (model T style).  Black paint is all that has existed from the beginning of time until recent advances in paint science have allowed paint engineers to develop a red colored paint.  It is ground breaking, earth shattering news; the biggest in car history over the last 2000 years.  Now there will be a way to rid your car of the this black dreary color and transform it into a new fresh red car, set apart and standing out among all the fellow black cars.  So here go the cars to the factory to be coated in this red paint.  Cars are going through the line day in and day out receiving this new red paint…but a new problem has arisen.  The black undercoat is eating through the thin factory applied red paint.  So the ones who care most about the image of their car are required to take it in weekly for a fresh robot applied thin coat of paint.  Others who are looking on watching these cars be paraded in and out of the factory see all this hard work being done, but the cars keep ending up the same as they did when they entered.  Meanwhile a small group of those who received the misted red paint are starting to truly seek a red coat that can last.  They seek it day in and day out.  Finally they find the source of the red paint and are blown away to find that the scientist producing it are giving it away for free!  They realize that the factory may be applying it too thin, but if they can only get one on one with the red paint and apply a thick coat to the car themselves that it just might last. The problem has been solved.  They realize if you rely on the factory to freshen up your ride every week, it fades before you can park it at work on Monday.  Seek a thick coat of red paint for the best interest of your car, apply it deliberately on your hands and knees with sweat and tears and it can withstand the ever-corroding black undercoat.  As is the problem with Christians who are showing up black to church every Sunday, receiving a dose of Jesus and leaving black back into the world.  If we are no different, why should anyone want what we have?  And if what we profess isn’t making us different, then we should examine what we think we have.  It may be we need to trade in the fake stuff for the real thing.  We as Christians need to embrace the free gift of Jesus’ blood to forever overtake the sinfulness in our core.  We need to stop faking ourselves out on Sunday and start seeking a genuine relationship with Jesus by getting on our hands and knees with sweat, prayer, and tears and seek the face of the one who is the very reason for our existence.  Too many of us seek the experience of church but forgo the experience of Jesus Christ, our hands lifted high but empty on the inside.  What will it take for me?  What will it take for you?  I hope we get it figured out while a world is perishing not knowing the genuine difference of a life changed by the blood.  While we fake religion in the comfort of our sanctuaries, millions are dying and going to hell in the real world.  I want to be held accountable for my actions by those around me.  I want to be able to say I am Christian.  To be able to say look at my life and the difference Jesus has made.  To have a life testimony where is Christianity is demonstrated and defined.  To take away the punch line of the joke that is the typical American church performance.  Give the skeptics something to desire instead of mock.  What if we changed the world?

'Unquestioned Obedience'

So I was reading through my normal round of devotionals this morning and this one by Tozer (which I think is just an excerpt from one of his books) really got me.  Thought I'd share.  To think that the Holy Spirit is jealous of my obedience is humbling.  I cannot help but fall in love with a Savior who died that I may live and Who loves me unconditionally regardless of how many times I cheat on Him and turn my back on him to enjoy the temporary 'pleasures' of the flesh.  To not have unquestioned obedience for our Savior is to give a measure of our obedience to His adversary.  And as all good Christians know in our head, 'you can't serve two masters (Lk16:13)'.  Why is it so easy for this idea to get lost in translation from the head to the heart? Wish I knew....

Unquestioned Obedience - A.W. Tozer

"If the Spirit takes charge of your life He will expect unquestioning obedience in everything. He will not tolerate in you the self-sins even though they are permitted and excused by most Christians. By the self-sins I mean self-love, self-pity, self-seeking, self-confidence, self-righteousness, self-aggrandizement, self-defense. You will find the Spirit to be in sharp opposition to the easy ways of the world and of the mixed multitude within the precincts of religion. He will be jealous over you for good. He will not allow you to boast or swagger or show off. He will take the direction of your life away from you. He will reserve the right to test you, to discipline you, to chasten you for your soul's sake. He may strip you of many of those borderline pleasures that other Christians enjoy but that are to you a source of refined evil. Through it all He will enfold you in a love so vast, so mighty, so all-embracing, so wondrous that your very losses will seem like gains and your small pains like pleasures. Yet the flesh will whimper under His yoke and cry out against it as a burden too great to bear. And you will be permitted to enjoy the solemn privilege of suffering to fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in your flesh for His body's sake, which is the Church. Now, with the conditions before you, do you still want to be filled with the Holy Spirit?" If this appears severe, let us remember that the way of the cross is never easy. The shine and glamour accompanying popular religious movements is as false as the sheen on the wings of the angel of darkness when he for a moment transforms himself into an angel of light. The spiritual timidity that fears to show the cross in its true character is not on any grounds to be excused. It can result only in disappointment and tragedy at last."

Giving it Up

So I've really been struggling with the idea of total surrender to God.  If you would've asked me a few months ago if every area of my life was completely surrendered, I would've said yes.  Ask me today and its a different story.  It's easy to surrender to God the things in my life with little importance.  Why is it so hard to let God have control of the things that mean the most to me?!  This is a question that has perplexed people of faith since the beginning.  No matter how many times I pray and tell God he can have control, I still want to do it my way resulting in a lot of worry and heartache over situations I can't control.  Do I really think I'm better at controlling situations than God?....apparently that's the case.  I realize being a Christian that I am free from the burden of sin, not from conviction, but the burden.  But what about the burdens of life?  The life decisions such as finances and relationships...should I not give those to God as well?  And if I try so hard to let him have control, why am I still burdened when things don't go my way? From the moment I put my trust in Jesus, the burden of sin left me, but when it comes to life’s burdens, God may or may not take them away. If He doesn’t, I have to remember that God will give me the grace I need to stand strong in His love.  One thing I have noticed, is that the burdens come when I shift my focus from serving and worshiping God, to looking out for my own needs.  To combat this means to completely sequester my pride.  As pastor Dennis said last week our life must be structured in this order: 1)God  2)others  3)ourselves.  God give me the strength and faith of Abraham.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Judgment

“It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.” -Billy Graham

Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. John 7:24

Judgment of Unbelievers

This quote has gotten me into some pretty intense debates on the Christian's role as a judge in this life.  Thought I'd share my opinions.  First I want to clarify that our judgment toward believers is treated separately than our judgment of unbelievers.  In reference to unbelievers, I think we are to judge right from wrong and actions seperate from the people doing them. I can judge evil and not judge the doer of evil. The doer's soul will be held accountable for their sins by God. Also, who am I to judge someone for sin when there is sin in my own life? Judgement in rightousness is necessary to disern what is good or bad but not to condemn someone.  Many instances talking about judgement are referring to making a judgement on someone's salvation which no man can judge because we can't see someones heart, only Jesus can. The point I thought of the Billy Graham quote was that we are to love unconditionaly without passing judgement. You can be a murderer and I can love you and at the same time hate the sin you committed. You can be an atheist and I'm not gonna think any less of you as a person than I do myself.  If we do not associate with unbelievers then how are they to become believers. This is clearly not the example Christ has set to judge the world and hold ourselves on a righteous pedestal.  A quote I run across frequently is that we are to be "In this world but not of this world".  This separation we are to portray should be from a difference seen in our lives and not because we have boxed ourselves in a church.  We're all in this together, all sinners in need of grace. Grace being the only way, no one person deserving it more than another. Either we accept that or we don't and that is basically the difference.   

Judgment of Believers

"But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. REMOVE THE WICKED MAN FROM AMONG YOURSELVES." 1 Corinthians 5:11-13. 

When it comes to the judgment of our fellow brother's actions (not their salvation or heart), we are instructed to offer reproof.  It is very clear. Simply ignoring the sins of our brother whether they are against us or against God and others, and continuing to “fellowship” with that brother as if nothing were wrong is simply not an option if we are going to truly obey God.  Of course, it is also true that withdrawal from this sinning brother cant be done without first confronting him in love.

Our job as Christians is to love others with the same love of God, to spread His truth throughout the world, and to be the vessel through which God saves souls.

In Matthew 18 Jesus gives one my favorite parables on forgiveness. I pray that you take the time to read this and consider its application in your own life.  At least pay attention to verses 22 & 35.

 ²¹Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"  ²²Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
 ²³"For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
 ²⁴"When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
 ²⁵"But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
 ²⁶"So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'
 ²⁷"And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
 ²⁸"But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'
 ²⁹"So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'
 ³⁰"But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.
 ³¹"So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.
 ³²"Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
 ³³'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?'
 ³⁴"And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
 ³⁵"My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." 
Matthew 18:21-35

Our Thoughts

So this is my first blog and consequently my first blog post. I typically wouldn't be interested in this sort of thing, but I've been in a weird mood lately; and on top of being extremely bored this seemed like a fantastic idea. I will spare the generalities of the typical 'this is my first blog post' and get into what is on my mind.

I recently attended a bible study at the church and with the class I am a part of. The topic of focus was our thoughts.  These are my thoughts on thoughts and how they relate to sin. I do believe some sin originates with our thoughts. ie. the sins of lust, adultery, fornication, and porn might have began as a thought, 'that girl has nice legs' or 'I'd like to see him with his shirt off'. Obviously these world viewed more serious infractions could have been controlled at the initial thought process. So, with just this one example I think we can agree that a number of sins are formed and can be controlled at their formation in our minds. Also, the point was made that God cares about our actions more than thoughts. So if we can stop it at the thought process, is it really a sin? My opinion is yes. The bible says as a man thinks in his heart so is he. So a sinful thought is a sin the same as the action would be. I feel like this is pretty clear throughout the Bible without much need for explanation. But, this doesn't satisfy my thirst. A taste of milk almost always makes me hungry for some meat and potatoes.

What about those actions that don't start with a thought. What about the reaction you have when someone cuts you off on the interstate? Did you really have time for a thought process to occur before you punched your steering wheel and called him a lover of his mother? No. So where do the un-premeditated sins originate; The sins that can't be stopped consciously at the mental level because they bypass this process all together?

They start with with the heart. I define the heart as our innate being. What we are at our core.

My favorite verse of scripture (at the moment, as it changes seasonally) is John 15:15
“I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in Me, and I in him,
bears much fruit; for without Me
you can do nothing.”

This whole concept of 'abiding' is relatively new to me, as in the last two or so years. Abiding in Christ is an action of the heart. When I think of abiding I think of seeking the very face, the very presence, the awesome nature of our Creator. Hopefully as we do this and mature in our faith, we realize that all this work of seeking is to make us realize we are nothing without Him. Once we humble ourselves to this servant-hood of our Master, we are now able to abide. Once we are abiding, He, as promised is abiding in us. In my mind this is the point where the heart (our very core) is changed. We are now tuned into the same channel as Christ. Our heart breaks when His breaks, we feel his Spirit guiding our every motion, and our innate being has been transformed.

So what is the solution for controlling the the uncontrollable sin in our life. The solution is we can't, but He can. We must start at the source of the thought. The very synapse that begins the thought process must be rewired from our heavenly power source. The all powerful source of the universe.