The Unchristian Christian

Some words of wisdom from a buddy of mine...

2012-01-14T18:31:00.001-08:00

Jon's a friend of mine. He had a great post recently:
http://jonsteingard.tumblr.com/post/15237149765/jesus-and-music?ref=nf

Thank God I'm not the one...

2011-12-26T21:28:00.000-08:00

A later Merry Christmas to all!
But why would Christmas be merry at all? Why in the world should we celebrate it as any sort of religious holiday? I mean.. it's been historically proven that the birth of Jesus didn't actually happen on December 25... right? What's the big deal?

The 'big deal' is that even though the date may not be exact... it's a celebration. It's a celebration of a birth of a man, a man who God gave us as his Son, to do a few things. First and foremost, he died for our sins. He did tons and tons of miracles and was completely sinless his entire life.

Even then... what should we care? What's the big deal?

Prior to this, people believed they had to do all kinds of crazy things in order to "get to heaven". Jesus came back to show us HOW to try to live our lives, but to also acknowledge that well.. there is no way that any of us are going to be able to do it. But the idea was that he was going to show us how to try.

As i've posted before... yes, I'm a Christian, and I have Christian friends, Jewish friends, Muslim friends, and athiest friends. ALL of us basically suck. I mean - many times we mean well... you know, try to be nice here and there. we might even go to church on Christmas Eve and Easter... or even every Sunday and Wednesday.

God knew there was no way we'd ever be able to be sinless and live a perfect life, so Jesus came down here to take all of our selfishness... all of our hatefulness... all of our greed... our meanness.. he took it upon himself so that we would be able to be near God in heaven. You see... God is like light. You can't have absolute light and absolute dark together. It's one or the other. There is either existence of light (at least in some small way) or complete darkness. It's not that God wants us to suffer, he doesn't - it's more like a 'law of gravity"... it's just the way it works.

How could You walk when You went down that dusty street
How could You speak when all your friends checked out
How could You love after the great betrayal
How could You reach out when they nailed You down

[Chorus:]
True as true can be
That's what they say You are to me when I'm so fake
Does Your heart ache
If I had been the one I would not have been that strong
If I had been the one, yeah, I'd have been long gone

How could You hang on with Your mama crying
How could You keep on breathing in and out
How could You watch while Your whole world was dying
Did it all happen cause we let You down

[Repeat Chorus]

And all the things we think of as eternal would come undone
All I have to say is when I'm praying
Is "Thank God I'm not the One"

http://itunes.apple.com/au/album/i-wish-we-all-could-win/id171716385

Despite all of this... all of the videos and song lyrics. Whether you believe or don't believe. Whether you just wonder if this is all BS or not - why wonder? If you REALLY want to know, just ask God. Just pray a simple prayer... in private.
"God, I'm not sure if I believe or not. If you are real, I'd like to know that you are. Please reveal yourself to me.

Then continue on with life. Most likely... you aren't going to hear a loud voice in the sky or anything like that. It's possible it could even be months later. For some, even years. Just pray that, and wait. And when a very odd string of coincidences happen... ask God "Is that you?" And pray the same thing again. What can it hurt? What's the worst that can happen?

Wow! A year has gone by....

2011-12-15T15:53:00.000-08:00

Can't believe a year has gone by and I haven't written anything on here!!!! The year flew by.

I have had some comments and emails asking me why I haven't posted lately... truth is generally I post something when I feel led, or inspired to. My personal "walk" has taken alot of turns, dips, hills and valleys, but I do feel more connected to God recently than I have in the former months. I've spent more time in prayer lately than I was and over the past couple months have spent alot of my "free" time (what little there has been!) to do quite a bit of extensive research...over different religions, different ideas, different ways of thinking and what leads someone to believe or not believe.

That doesn't mean than I'm "converting" to a different religion or anything like that. But I DO feel like each of us is called to learn more, try to discover God more, and try to find what God wants for our lives more... to never be stagnate. To never stop improving.

I'm where I'm supposed to be... and so are you!

2010-11-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

In life we tend to go through things and think "WHY do I have to go through this?? This is painful!!"

Truth is, like a father telling a child "no, you can't have candy before dinner is ready", God is the same way. You are going through that 'thing' and I'm going through things I'm going through for a reason. It's not a punishment. You (and I) are in the process of learning something.

You'll thank Him later ;)

Thank God for grace....

2010-09-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I'd hit dead square in the face by my choices and sins. Tonight I had a string of arguments with my wife. In the course of them, I started to realize... I'm always operating out of selfishness. and honestly, we all do. We all tend to look at things from the "what's in it for me?" point of view. Whether it's talking to your friend about his problems, deciding what to eat for dinner, or trying to talk your wife or husband into accepting the fact that you are right (LOL!), we are selfish creatures. And it's sad, really sad. I know from my own perspective, I want here to understand ___________, and I want her to say ________________ so I feel better. That's selfishness! Sometimes I feel like I'm so far behind that it's pointless to keep going, sometimes I feel that I'm the only one feeling the emotions I may be feeling, but then sometimes I get prideful and think "oh ya - look at me! I'm faithful!! I did everything right in that circumstance."

Thank God there is grace... because without it I'd be toast. Absolutely and completely.

How to be a Christian

2010-08-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

No, not seriously. But in reading some of Donald Miller's excerpts (http://donmilleris.com/) I came across this, I'll paraphrase a ton here.

Take out a piece of paper and write out how to become a Christian.

Now, take out another piece of paper and write out how to fall in love.

You will probably come to the same conclusion... you can't simply get there by defining "what do do" - it isn't a scientific process. It's a relationship thing.

I'm a mess!

2010-07-13T05:36:00.000-07:00

We should clarify something. I'm completely, utterly, without exception... broken. I'm a mess. Here's the thing though: I have a relationship with Christ not because I’m good but precisely because I am not good. He rescued me from myself and the ruin I was causing. But He’s changing me. I’m still a mess, but I’m God’s mess.

Too many people think that Christians are right wing, extremely conservative politically, complete "do-gooders" who are hypocritical and think that they are better than you somehow... and unfortunately there are believers who are just that. I can say personally that the church I came from had the same type of people. These same people looked down their noses at people like me as well. When I was going through severe personal problems I was shunned by some of these people.

And it's people like this that make it hard to be a believer in a world of non-believers. I must admit that there have been times in my life when I've questioned "what is truth?", am I really a believer or am I just another hypocrite.

Well of course I'm a hypocrite! I don't follow the normal 'dogma' like so many other 'religious people' do though, and honestly Jesus wouldn't have and DIDN'T. The right wing, extremely conservative politically, complete "do-gooders" who are hypocritical and think that they are better than you somehow type Christians back in Jesus' day were called Pharisees. They HATED Jesus. They actually KILLED Jesus they hated him so much. Yet, this is what Jesus warned believers of. He literally said DON'T be that way.

Don't get me wrong...I have all kinds of things wrong with me. Tons and tooooonnnns of baggage and personal problems. We all do, both believers and non-believers. Do I try to do good? Yes, but it's not because I'm trying to seek approval of others, and it's sure not to 'get into' heaven. I realize that simply by accepting Jesus, heaven is a given. BUT. I TRY to do good because I love others. I care about others. I still drink too much beer, cuss too much, have perverted thoughts, etc, just like everyone else. Truth be told, probably MORE than anyone else. ;)

But I'm still loved. I'm a huge mess, but I'll accept that and leave that to God.

2010-06-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

A couple of friends and I were in a bit of a heated debate a couple days ago. It didn't start out heated of course, but once it started to get heated we did all take a deep breath and no punches were thrown. At least at that time.

The debate: Religion. Who is God? Who was Jesus?

You see, one of my close friends is Jewish, which means (to sum it up quickly) that he doesn't believe in the New Testament, and believes that Jesus is not the Son of God, etc.

Personally, I try to have an open mind. There are alot of things that can be proven historically that make me to question the validity of some things in the new testament. Even just one thing, for example, is that there was no "Jesus" 2000 years ago. It was "Yeshua". There is no "J" in the ancient Hebrew language.

Research just WHY the name was changed to Jesus from Yeshua. You'll be suprised. Research why some of the original books that were written at that time are not included in our "New Testament". Google why there even is a "King James" version.

The drama and mystery goes on and on.

All that can get in the way of what we really were created to do though, which is love God. All the ifs, ands, whys, hows, buts, and all the gory details of exactly "what you are SUPPOSED TO DO" and "how you are SUPPOSED TO DO IT" all just politicize religion.

I look at it this way. A guy was trying his hardest to 'fit in' to his church group/family yet he was always not doing something correctly, or told that he should be doing something else in order to be a 'better Christian'. He felt he never could do the right things. One day he walked outside of the church and saw a man sitting on the steps. As he got closer he said "you getting fed up with church too?". The man, Jesus, turned around and said "don't feel bad - they don't want me in there either"

Who I've been hates who I am...

2010-06-23T00:52:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, Relient K released a song called "Who i am hates who I've been". I've definitely felt that way, but I've also felt the opposite.

I think both statements are equally depressing - the first states the naivety of youth is something to be ashamed of, while the latter underlines the compromises adults make and I guess for me represents a bit of backsliding.

I'm not sure what's worse though... remembering all the stupid things you did that was wrong in the past or thinking of how you were once maybe a bit closer to God.

Thoughts?

What are YOUR talents?

2010-01-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

Was thinking tonight, and I feel it's 100% completely true.

God gives everyone gifts and talents.... and at SOME point in their life there will be The Choice and The Opportunity behind the door that you will come face to face with to use those talents or gifts. Those who are happy tend to be those who are using their talents in some way to better life in some way.

The really sad part is that way too many will never see this.

Why? Because of fear, lack of initiative, or lack of self esteem.

It doesn't have to be that way though...

When you NEED to hear from God, what do YOU pray??

2009-12-28T22:55:00.000-08:00

Ever had one of those days where you just NEED to hear from God? Ever had one of those YEARS when you need to hear Him?
What prayers do you say?

If Jesus wrote a letter about christmas...

2009-12-03T14:28:00.000-08:00

It might say this:

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.
How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa’s and snowmen and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn If all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one, look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing the President complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5 Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary-- especially one who takes My love and Good News to those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.
Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and remember :
I LOVE YOU,
JESUS

I'm just amazed... Billy Corgan is a Christian??

2009-11-10T09:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.everythingfromheretothere.com/2009/11/09/forgiveness-is-the-key-that-unlocks-the-door/

That's so awesome...

For those who aren't sure who Billy is, he is basically the smashing pumpkins... writing, composing, recording... you name it. If you are familiar with any of the Smashing Pumpkins music, you know that he was a very troubled soul who seemed to be adamantly against anything Christian.

Lyrics from "Zero" (from SP)
Emptiness is loneliness, and loneliness is cleanliness
And cleanliness is godliness, and god is empty just like me
Intoxicated with the madness, I'm in love with my sadness
Bullshit fakers, enchanted kingdoms

That's just one example. From that mindset to this mindset:

When you are attacked, forgive your attackers, for they know not what they do. When you mess up, forgive yourself, even if you know that you shouldn’t be doing what you are doing. Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door....

I forgive myself for not meaning more, being more, saying more, doing more. I AM that I AM. If I choose happiness in this moment, it also means I accept my long list of limitations: I do not have the ability to fly thru the air, I cannot save all the babies from dying, I can’t sing a high A note, no matter how hard I try. There are, of course, many more limitations, but those are the ones that come to mind at the moment.

I forgive myself for all the dumb, silly things I have done. I forgive myself for all the dumb, silly things I haven’t done. I could explain each mistake to you point by point, but it would only attach me to your judgment and forgiveness. I could defend myself of all I stand accused of, but that would only make me guilty. After all, why would I defend myself at all? The act of defense alone would indicate some form of acknowledgment, wouldn’t it? That is the way it works in a system that knows no justice and no forgiveness. You stand accused for crimes against humanity, and they barely have the time to tell you why.

God knows my heart, just as God knows your heart. So, what if God is nothing but a cold computer, calculating nothing but raw physics and karma? Wouldn’t you rather be worthy of Love than demanding of it? If you answer no to that last question, then you are in the wrong place. You would be better served going to your door, because there is a big wolf waiting for you there, and he is known to be quite impatient.

That's just plain awesome in my book. That's so... REAL. So much MORE real than those who once were what i thought a Christian was supposed to be. I myself was once a hypocritical Christian. I didn't even see it. But by my actions at that time (sinful as they were and as ashamed as I am about them), being shunned by "Christians" from my inner circle of friends, and my plea to God for forgiveness, I finally saw that hypocrisy. I don't think I would have saw it without this succession of events.

Am I where I want to be with my relationship to God? NO. But I don't think one ever does totally get there... to get there would be complacent. I think the struggle to TRY to get there is what brings one closer to God. That act of real tears... of real pain from real remorse.

But I'm at a much better place now. I'm happy, but I still struggle with guilty feelings from past sins... which leads me to struggle to get closer to God.

Hell - if Billy can do it, I can too!! :D

What is church REALLY supposed to be like?

2009-04-14T14:39:00.001-07:00

A small group of Christians in the year 88 AD:

"Some of us are Jews; some are Greeks or Romans. Some are citizens; many are slaves. But we are all Christians, disciples of Jesus the Christ.

We think he was born about 88 years ago--that's why we call this the 88th year of our Lord. We believe he was crucified in 33, but we're not sure. All we have are some partial accounts of his life and teachings, plus a few copies of copies of letters from Paul or one of the others. The Lord's first disciples are almost all gone now. There are rumors that John is alive, but he is not here and we don't know where he is. Peter and Paul and many others were killed in 64, when Rome burned and Nero blamed it on us.

The Jews rebelled against Rome in 67. When the Christians in Jerusalem saw the city surrounded by armies, they remembered what Jesus said about that, and fled across Jordan to Pella, in the desert. The Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70, and by the time the fortress at Masada fell in 73, they had crushed the entire Jewish nation. Now they are after us, too. The three generals who decimated the Jews each became Emperor, one after the other--Vespasian and his two sons, Titus and Domitian. Now, we must hide because Domitian is trying to restore the Roman religion. He executes both Christians and Jews.

But tonight we are all here, together, and perhaps safe enough for the moment. So ... why have we come? Why do we slip out at night, away from our masters and hiding from the Romans, to meet in caves and catacombs and darkened rooms? What do we expect to happen that is so different, so attractive, so important, that we risk our lives to be here?"

What if we all placed ourselves into that situation--mentally, emotionally and spiritually? What if we could lay aside all the unnecessary paraphernalia, embellishment, and other trappings we have inherited from nineteen hundred years of church councils, tradition, theologians, translators and interpreters,?

We have to remember that First Century Christians did not have a creed, a prescribed order of worship, a special church language, a hymnal of their own, a set of scholarly commentaries, or anything like that. They didn't even have what we now know as the New Testament.

So ask yourself, "What kind of church meeting would bring me out at night if the government was trying to kill me?" Today, we can't even get people to church if it rains. What was it? What was there, in those early Christian meetings, that we don't have? What did they do that we don't do?--and what do we do that they never heard of? What has been added, and what has been lost?

Is it wrong to drink beer or wine?

2008-09-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

"Was the wine that Jesus drank the same as wine today?"

There isn't really much difference between the wine made in Jesus' day and the wine made today. The process of fermentation FOR WINE is similar. However, after the time of the New Testament the invention of distillation rather than fermentation greatly increased the alcoholic content and made liquor possible. This type of strong drink was not available in Bible times.

Concerning Jesus turning water to wine at the marriage feast, I believe that God DID approve of Jesus' action. There are a number of references to Jesus drinking wine (examples: Luke 7:34; John 19:29). We know from the writings of the Jewish rabbis and the writings of the early church that the wine used in Passover/communion was one part alcoholic wine to 4 parts water. My understanding of the Bible is that the drinking of wine is acceptable. It is the abuse of alcoholic beverages that is sin. What the Bible speaks against is drunkenness, not drinking.

"But how can you drink wine and not feel its affect? People always say "there ain't nothing wrong w/ drinking as long as you don't get drunk", but the truth is even if you only have one glass of wine (not communion wine) you may not be so drunk where you'll fall over, but it will have some affect on you....right? And won't that be bad so to speak in GOD's eyes?"

Apparently this mild affect of wine isn't bad in God's eyes: "God makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to cultivate - bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart." (Psalm 104:14-15). Note that in this passage "God makes... wine that gladdens the heart." Wine is viewed as a gift from God.

This discussion of drinking brings up a broader issue that you might want to think about. I think that many Christians have a Greek view rather than a Jewish view of God's creation. By the time of the New Testament, the Greeks had become very anti-materialistic. The Greeks divided reality into two parts: spirit, which they thought of as good, and matter which they thought of as evil (or at the very least inferior to the spirit). This is why the Greeks sought to free their spirit from the body. The goal of this life was to purify the spirit and free it from matter. As a result, the Greeks (and Romans) burned the person's body upon death. The material was evil and something to be left behind. And if you really wanted to free your soul, you would avoid bodily pleasures and material things. The ascetic (the person who did without things) was viewed as the most likely to gain happiness in the next life.

The Jews, on the other hand, followed the Old Testament view of seeing the creation as good. God looked at all He had created and said that "it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). Even after the fall, no "thing" is evil in and of itself (1 Timothy 4:4). The Jews had a very upbeat view of material things. The physical body was viewed as something to take with you into the next life - hence, bodies were not burned, but buried to await resurrection (Genesis 15:15; 23:19-20; 25:9; 35:8,19,29; 47:30; John 19:38-42). The Jewish view of sex (in marriage) is very positive (Proverbs 5:18-19; Song of Songs; 1 Corinthians 7:3-5,33-34; Hebrews 13:4). Likewise food, wine, dancing, money, etc. are all viewed as good things that we can take pleasure in as long as they are used according to God's commandments (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20; 8:15; 9:7-9; Psalm 16:11; Romans 14:14). At the risk of being misunderstood, I believe the Bible teaches a view of "Christian hedonism" - not living for pleasure, but living for God and enjoying all that He has created for our benefit and enjoyment (1 Timothy 4:1-5).

But sometimes Christian views on drinking, sex, or money come more from a Greek perspective than a Biblical perspective. In order to protect ourselves and others or in an attempt to become more holy or pure, we add rules or commandments that aren't in the Bible. But when we do that (even if we do it for a good motive), we have become legalists, rather than grace-oriented children of God. The Bible is clear that drinking alcoholic beverages (without becoming drunk) is an acceptable activity. In fact, Jesus even chose wine as an element for the Lord's supper. ONLY drunkenness is viewed as a sin (Proverbs 23:29-35; Ephesians 5:18). We can be tempted to add to God's commandments, because of the dreadfulness of alcoholism, drunk drivers, or simply observing the stupidity of drunk people.

However, if it isn't prohibited in the Bible or cannot be reasonably deduced from Biblical principles, then it's best that we not add to God's Word.

How accurate is the english bible as we know it today?

2008-09-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

For example, take this Hebrew text from Matthew 6:19-24:

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

In these verses we have Yeshua speaking about money(Yeshua is the original Hebrew proper name for Jesus of Nazareth), and not making it more important than God. Note that He begins speaking about money, then says something about "an evil eye," then finishes His statement about money. If this were penned in Greek originally, you would have to ask, "Why this odd verse about an "evil eye" in the midst of a money topic?" It makes no sense. However, if you happen to know that having an "evil eye" is a Hebrew idiom of that time for "being stingy with your money," then, a) the passage makes sense, and b) you realize it HAD to be written in Hebrew first, then whoever translated it into Greek, (unaware of the idiom), simply took it word-for-word from Hebrew into the Greek.

There are many "New Testament" verses that are very hard, if not impossible, to understand without knowledge of the deeper teachings of the Judaism of that day. There are also many places where Yeshua and Paul quote from Jewish literature as shown elsewhere in this study: http://www.yashanet.com/studies/matstudy/mat3a.htm

It is important to note who these letters were originally meant to be read by "leaders" in the Messianic community (most likely Jews), who were well versed in the Judaism of the first century and its understanding of Torah.. (Note Peter's concerns about Paul's letters being hard to understand and often twisted about by "lawless" people -- "lawless" meaning not knowing or respecting Torah, the "Law.")

Nothing in the "New Testament" was ever meant to be read out of context, by people from another culture ignorant of the Hebrew meaning to the words and the concepts behind them, and replacing this with their own personal meaning. Nor were any of the "New Testament" documents ever meant to stand on their own, apart from being interpreted in the context of the Torah (God's direct revelation/instruction), which of course came first.

Did Jesus have a radical viewpoint?

2008-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

- The devil’s purpose is to deceive and hide the truth. If this message from Jesus is not being taught, is it not being hidden?
- People may be put off by this approach, saying it is just too hard to do.
- Accountability for knowledge: Jesus told His disciples that by knowing the truth, they were now accountable. No excuses. The knowledge of what He taught – not just that He was the Son of God, but loving His teachings, as He directed.
- The good deeds of a church do not validate omitting the teachings of Jesus.
- First Christmas – First Easter, what about in between?
- The church seems to validate a lot of money issues – contrary to the teachings of Jesus.
- Where did the socio-political element of church come from? Did Jesus outline this? Did Jesus join a church and work his way up the hierarchy?
- Man’s rules and validations to each other, even in the Bible, are not the same thing as Jesus directly speaking to His disciples – US! The litmus test for every issue should be “Did Jesus say that?”
- Is the purpose of the preacher to make people feel good and want to return to his church? Do the preacher’s authoritative posture, professional persona, good personality and likeability validate his omission of the message of Jesus?
- Does a preacher who omits the teachings of Jesus have direct knowledge from God? How does this man circumvent Jesus, and bring God’s message directly to you?
- Recognizing and accepting Jesus as the Son of God is a necessary first step, but accepting His teachings as the Word of God is vital as well. Jesus did not even take credit for them; rather, He noted that they are from His Father in heaven.
- If Jesus’ message was the goal, the measuring stick, the doctrine that churches followed, all other issues would fizzle away of their own insignificance.
- Hypocrisy – The body of Christ? Better be sure! How can you leave out His teachings and in His name validate yourself? If all churches were aligned with Jesus, they would be aligned with each other.
- If Jesus returned today and pointed out all the differences between today’s church and His directives, would you change for Him? Then why not change them now? He did that already, 2000 years ago.

Jesus came to save this world, not just by dying, but by teaching us how to be. They rejected Him and killed Him out of their contempt for His message. Would today’s church, reject and crucify and kill Jesus just as they did the first time? It’s all up to you. What are you going to do with His teachings, His message, His directives to us, His disciples? They are the words in RED that you hold in your hands.

http://www.scripturesinred.com/

What is a "true" Christian?

2008-06-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

What is a true Christian? Is it someone who does all the right things? Thinks great and holy thoughts? Is it someone prude, boring and content on having no fun?

Before you answer... watch these videos and tell me your thoughts...these videos show what most people think...

Does Gay = hell? Do not collect $200?

2008-01-30T08:58:00.000-08:00

A controversial subject for sure... as I was doing a ton of research last night on this I noticed that there is a definite line drawn. Those that think being gay, committing adultery, getting drunk... these sort of things get you the quick trip to hell.

No doubt about it, they are considered sins... yes even homosexuality. But let's look at it closer... how did Jesus treat those that were sinners in his day? How would he treat sinners today? And why aren't we following his example?

Jesus says a sin is a sin is a sin... in other words, I'm sinning the EXACT same when I am greedy with my money, and the exact same as if I were homosexual as far as sinned is concerned. Romans 3:8-10

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 says, "9. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10. nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." (NIV). That means to a bible believing person (a Christian), that they go to Hell for all of eternity. So, whether you are "just" a liar or you are a murderer, in the courtroom on Judgement Day you will be found just as guilty.

Most of the hardcore "STRAIGHT TO HELL!" shouters forget the entire reason for Jesus. We are sinners. It's our nature. It's literally impossible for us to be sinless. For this reason, a sinless God took the form of a human from birth to madhood, remained sinless, went through all the temptations that we go through yet remained sinless. THEN he died for us... God literally cast all the sins we are guilty of ONTO Jesus and Jesus took the brute force and brutal torture that sin creates, and he took it to a grave. THEN, he rose from the dead to prove that He Is.

How would Jesus treat a homosexual? With Love. (Matthew 9:9-17)
Hosea 6:6

John 4 shows Jesus talking to a prostitute for a long time... showing her fatherly love. Note that not ONCE did he use a scare tactic saying "believe or you're going straight to hell!!!". He showed her LOVE.

Why don't we follow THAT example? Who decided that our "human" way of "converting" people to Christians works better than Christ's example?

Your thoughts welcome...

Brian

"But the greatest of these is love"...

2008-01-25T22:15:00.000-08:00

This isn't my story, but it's beautiful... its from the guy who took a picture of the image above...

"
Yesterday, while in Euclid Ohio, visiting my parents (dad is 88 and mom is 86) I saw love in action at a nursing home. Stopping at the city park on the shore of Lake Erie, I saw enduring love first hand.

Watching this couple walk down the path to the Lake I can see them as a young couple years before walking on this same path.

A foot note to this picture. My mother passed away in April following this trip and dad died the first week of June. Two hearts eternally linked by a love that kept both committed to life together and a desire be together forever in heaven. Just a note of encourgement, dad was 68 years old when he married my new mother who was 66. Both had come from marriages that had very hard challenges and were much less than the love and romance we read about in books.

They lived a life time together in the 19 years they had together. Holding hands, a smile between them, the spark exchanged between eyes that held respect for each other, and the kind loving words that could be heard well into the night behind a closed bedroom door told us, their seven children, that they had found their soul mates. We will miss these two, more than they will ever know because of their profound impact on all of us. They never stopped or gave up and they never stopped teaching by example. Every time I view this picture I remember and am profoudly sad at our loss and so happy to have known them. May they rest in peace...

Does God care if we do things the best we can?

2008-01-22T06:03:00.000-08:00

In 2 Kings 13-19, a sad account is told. "Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died," and "Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him." Elisha told the king to get a bow and some arrows and to open the east window and to shoot "The LORD´s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram!" Johoash did these things, each at the time Elisha instructed. Elish then instructed him to "take the arrows," and "strike the ground." Jehoash´s halfhearted attempt displeased Elisha.

Put into other terms, God isn't being petty. He's saying "if you're going to do something, put ALL your effort into it. Then I'll multiply your efforts to turn your best efforts into GREAT efforts."

Brian

My struggle with addiction...

2008-01-22T00:16:00.000-08:00

A confession...
I struggle with tobacco addiction. I've quit tons of times but I never can lose the craving or desire to have it. Though there are worse things to be addicted to, I don't want to be dependent and addicted.

If you get a chance, say a prayer for my desire to leave. If you struggle with an addiction, post a comment, I'll pray for you as well.

brian

Are Christians hypocritical, too focused on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, or judgmental?

2008-01-15T06:36:00.000-08:00

Welcome! This blog serves to point out things that God has laid on my heart, and I encourage you to post your comments and thoughts about it. I'm not your typical Believer. ;)

On to the first post:

How do people outside the church view those inside it? If you're talking about Americans between the ages of 16 and 29, the answer is, "Not favorably." Americans in this age range view Christians as hypocritical, too focused on conversion, antihomosexual, sheltered, too political, and judgmental.

The key to changing young adults' perceptions of Christianity is learning "to respond to people in the way Jesus did." This does not entail giving up or watering down key convictions about Christian faith and practice. Just because young adults view Christianity as antihomosexual, for example, does not mean that Christians should stop teaching that homosexual acts are sinful or that monogamous heterosexual marriage is God's will.

What responding to people as Jesus did means is, first of all, having the right perspective on their criticism. We should consider whether our response to cynics and opponents is motivated to defend God's fame or our own image.

Second, it involves connecting with people. The negative image of Christians can be overcome, and this almost always happens in the context of meaningful, trusting relationships.

Third, a Christlike response requires creativity. We cannot ignore the importance of breaking through the `been there, learned that' perspective young people have about Christianity.

Fourth, we must serve people. Young American adults view the church as irrelevant and uncaring. To respond as Jesus would, "we must cultivate deep concern and sensitivity to outsiders."

Of course, we ought to do these things because they're right things to do, not simply because they'll help improve our image among young adults. And doing these things does not guarantee that young people will become Christians. What it will do is change the perception about who Christians are, what we believe, and how we live. In a culture for which perception often is reality, changing the way the church is perceived goes a long way to solving humanity's basic problem: our separation from God, and our need for salvation.