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SITE HAS MOVED TO: http://ChristiansFirst.Squarespace.com
will keep this site up in case I need to go back to a free version at some time.

MOVING

This blog is moving to Squarespace under the new name "Christians First"
stay tuned for updates!

The Muslim, The Mosque and the 'Merican

There's been an increase lately in Muslim Mosques being built in the US. its the fastest growing religion in the US. Here in Middle TN there was a community banning together to not let the Muslims build in their community. And, most recently, the outrage behind the mosque near the 9/11 site. 90% of you have probably seen the mass-status copy-paste going on Facebook right now.

this issue touches on

a few areas. One being personal freedom of religion as granted by the Constitution.

Most of the Hysteria (yes, hysteria) is due to misinformation. There is already a mosque 4 blocks from the WTC site, it has been there since BEFORE 9/11. No one is complaining about that. Also, the new mosque is 2 blocks from the WTC site.

Here's a map:

Photo from http://topherchris.com/post/958281057

Sorry for the language, I did not make this map, but we are all adults here.

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Here's the real issue here. Why are most people so opposed to this mosque?

It is FEAR.

You are AFRAID it will happen again. You are AFRAID of them.

Is that not the purpose of a terrorist?

to incite FEAR into your everyday life?

Years before 9/11 we had no fear for the mosque 4 blocks from the WTC, but now, now we are scared little children cowering before the coward terrorists.

We cannot fear them! its history repeating itself. The Indians, the African Americans (some of which still goes on to this day, for shame.) and now the Muslims.

Let me say i in no way condone the acts of the terrorists of 9/11, and I will NOT stand by and let them use the fear they created. If we ban this mosque, (to use the words of right-wing nuts) then "the terrorists win."

What does the Bible say about this? What does it say about loving our enemies?

"Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." - Luke 6:28

Are you blessing them when you TRAMPLE on their Freedom of religion?

There's a passage I love, and its quickly becoming my favorite passage. Most people read over it and ignore it (or seem to, based on the way they live their lives). it can apply to how we treat other christians, lost, and even those who want to kill us.

Romans 12:17-19

¹⁷Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

¹⁸If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

¹⁹Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

What a powerful passage...in fact that whole chapter is filled with good rules about how to live with difficult people.

Recompense to NO MAN evil for evil. Leave your own hatred at the door and let GOD deal with it.

This passage speaks for itself in so many ways, and I feel I havent even begun to touch on it. I will do my own study on this passage and a follow-up blog post.

For now, are you praying for those who despitefully use you? Are you praying and loving for those who wish you DEAD? Or would you rather go the way of bigotry and deny someone their basic rights? the same rights YOU ENJOY on a daily basis?

How can you call yourself a Christian and harbor this hatred? We don't condone or even accept what they have done, but the acts of some evil men do not mean we should condemn the entire people. It is racism at its very core, because you would be FINE if a baptist church were put up on the site. We would then bless that...we would give it our stamp of approval. We would celebrate that.

be careful of how you are portaying yourself to the world. You may not harbor the hate, but by forwarding emails, and mass-copy-paste facebook status', you are only fueling a fire that will consume and destroy.

The muslims aren't the problem. The untrue Christian is.

More on Romans 12 in a later post.

Hiding our Light Under the Bushel of 'Separation'

"This little Light of Mine, I'm gonna let it Shine. Hide it under a bushel? NO! I'm gonna let it Shine!"

We have all probably had this old Sunday School song drilled into our heads as kids. We would all say that we would NEVER hide our light. That we are proud of who we are as Christians. This song is the root of this type of thinking. its not a bad song, but hopefully I can explain my point of view.

How Light works:

A light needs several things in order for it to be useful.. in this case the three things are:

1- A Source

A source of light: the Sun, lightbulbs, flames, etc.

God is our source of Light. We do not shine with a literal light, we all know its figurative. But the Bible does refer to Himself as the Light of the world and we should reflect that light, becoming (for all intents and purposes) lights as well. It is our Message that shines out to the lost world. That pierces the darkness.

2- A bearer

The candle is useless until it is lit, as is the flame useless until it has a wick to light. You cannot shine the light without a flashlight. The bulb will do you no good until its within the handle.

Our Message (our Light) needs a bearer to shine it out to the world.

The alst thing that is needed for an effectual light is:

3.- Darkness.

What good is a candle or flashlight in a room fully lit? Yes, we should go to church and fellowship with other believers. Light makes us feel good. When we are scared as children, light makes us feel secure. The more lights the better.

You would say it was wasteful to be shining a flashlight into a bright room. We cannot spend all of our time in a lighted room...its not what we are called to do.

I understand that this is subject might scare alot of Christians. I don't want to be known as someone who thinks you can go to a bar and have a drink with someone and expect to be a good witness.

That being said, we will be examining Separation. What does the Bible say about it? How much is too much?

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News Flash: there will be darkness. It is unavoidable. There is sin. And to think taht you, as a Christian can hide in your little corner and not confront it is a big mistake. We are IN this world. Physically and Spiritually., and this world IS sin. It IS darkness. Sinners are everywhere and WE ARE SINNERS! Jesus said that he didn't come to the world to condemn it, but that the world through HIM might be saved. He was THE Light. The Source. His message was not of condemnation but of grace and mercy. That ALL men might be saved. he was among the poor, and the lost, and the despised. He is our example.

Let's be practical (I know, scary word for 90% of 'Christians') We are all sinners. Some of us have discovered the Grace that God offers to all men. Our main difference is that Grace. Heaven forbid we think too highly of ourselves! We did NOTHING to deserve Grace. We are no better than anyone else. Just sinners saved by Grace.

Another practical outlook: We are all brothers and sisters. We all come from the same place. Whether you believe in the origins of Adam and Eve as the parents of humanity (as I do) or that we all came from primordial ooze, we can all agree that we came from the same place.

We are all human! Brethren! Black or White, Hispanic or Indian, it doesn't MATTER. We are one.

Why then, when some of us find the true meaning of life and Grace Everlasting, do we hide ourselves away as if in SHAME of our discovery? Why do we not go to our brethren and share this gift? Why do we build walled compounds (both literal and figurative) to separate us from our Brothers and Sisters?

Galatians 5:1

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

It is obvious from Galatians 5 that a Christian is a part of a world of sin. But we STAND in it through Christ.

"and be not entangled AGAIN with the yoke of bondage"

I feel the bondage here is sin. You will be in the world, but don't get entangled in the sin again.

II Cor 6:14-17

"Be not unequally yoked"

Ah, the passage that everyone runs to when we don't go to that office Christmas party. We run to it when we try to defend out standards. it is the Crutch of the Separated Christian.

Look Closer, and take it in context.

The word "Yoked" was used when you would yoke oxen together and they would work together. They move towards a common goal.

Well, if that is the case then we as Christians should not be out in the working world because we are working with unbelievers towards a common goal. the goal that it is speaking of is not what you may think. Our goal for our LIVES should not be yoked with the unbelievers. They're goal is to make lots of money and live it up and party till they die. That is not our goal. Our goal is for God's Honor and Glory. In THAT we CANNOT be yoked together.

But does that mean I cant work with a lost person and make a great team together? of course not.

We all have to deal with co-workers and even unsaved friends. We just wont be working towards the same goal.

Let's go on:

"..What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness..."

While looking up the word fellowship. I found a lot of reference to how the SAVED should fellowship together. Phil 1:5 says"...our fellowship in the Gospel" it is a connection through the Gospel that we cannot have with the lost. Think of it as a spiritual connection. Seen in that light, yes, we can see that unrighteousness and righteousness cannot mesh. The unrighteous will not WANT to fellowship with us in the way the righteous do.

Also, don't discount a supernatural (I know, we are all scared of that word) connection that we have through Christ.

Does this mean we cannot have lost friends? I cant find anywhere were the Bible says those words. Sure. we wont be as close as if we were yoked together to the same goal, but we can be friends. After all, we are all human, and all sinners. Don't forget that.

"...what communion has light with darkness"

Heres the point i want to hit home.

Communion speaks of our partaking of Christ. A one time deal. So, obviously, the lost (or dark) cannot partake in that communion unless they cast the darkness and unrighteousness aside and turn to Christ.

So, the lost don't have a part in our communion, but I see that as a sad thing..as a thing we need to change by our Testimony.

vs. 17 "Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the LORD"

If we stop there it looks like the case of Separation is a clear one. But the verse goes on.

"...and TOUCH not the unclean thing; and I will receive you"

TOUCH: a PHYSICAL PARTAKING.

For example: If you ever go out Street preaching you will know this; You may go out to sin-ridden streets and preach in front of lasciviousness and immorality. Inside the dark, the light shines the brightest. If you ever have been in a cave and seen true darkness, it makes even the smallest light shine brighter. Like a beacon.

We "come out from among them" when we are saved. it makes us separate. But obviously, we are still on this earth...and sin is very much real. It is a SPIRITUAL separation UNTO GOD! we will not be PHYSICALLY separated from the dark until he comes to get us. because we are NOT READY TO BE SEPARATED. Don't try to rush something that GOD did not intend yet.

We cannot afford to be afraid to be around sin. The Lord also says He will not tempt us above that which we are able to bear.

I know what you are thinking: that I am some "Neo" or "Liberal", that I believe solely in lifestyle evangelism, and that I go to places with rampant sin looking for trouble. Thats just not true. There must be a balance.

We must look at what our weakness are and judge what is expedient for us.

For example:

I have never had a problem with alcohol. I can be around it and I am just not tempted by it. Needless to say i don't frequent bars and such where that is the sole purpose. I have been to restaurants like Chili's where alcohol is served. its not a problem for me. However, a recovering alcoholic might have a problem with that, and as such should avoid those places.

Know yourself.

We should be separated unto God Spiritually until we are Separated unto Him Physically.

This does not mean that we can lock away our lights and not shine it. You must be good stewards of what He has given you. Don't hide it from your brother's and sister's because you are afraid to be around them.

"Go out into the highways and byways and COMPEL them to come in" - to come into the light. Not to come to church, but to receive the gift of grace that God gives to all.

To sum up: Light cannot Fellowship in dark. It cuts through and exposes the sin problem. But how will they see if the light is not shone into the dark? Are you hiding the light under the bushel because you think you need to be Separated? Are you avoiding contact with humans because you don't want to be seen with those filthy sinners.

Get off your pedestal and realize that you too are a sinner. A sinner saved by Grace...but a sinner still. Never think to highly of yourself.

if you put that light under a bushel it WILL suffocate and become useless.

take an interest in your coworkers lives! Don't act like you are better than them. Always admit your mistakes and use that time as a witness tool to show that no one is perfect. Remind them of the grace of God.

Help the poor and needy. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked.

Don't lock your light away from the world when they so desperately need it.

The Forgiveness Gospel

Talking strictly to believers here. I find it very sad that we are the most judgmental unforgiving people who preach a grace-filled forgiveness-based gospel. Don't get me wrong. We all will be held accountable for everything we did or did not do on this earth, but its not OUR place to judge. I am reminded of the verse that SO many people quote and mis-use:

Luke 7:1-6
1 Judge not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.
6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.


I find this passage to be pretty plain and clear. Judge not. I've tried to follow this in my personal life with those around me who don't believe the same way I do. Sometimes I utterly fail...and I can only dust myself off and try again.

It comes back to our focus and our motivations. I should be more concerned about what I am doing and what I am not doing. Not what Steve or Bob or Lucy are doing. I am my own Christian, and if the Christian life is a relationship with the Almighty, then I should not try to step in my Father's shoes and pass judgement on ANYONE.
We see it all the time with small children. Trying on daddies work shoes or dress shoes. They shuffle along just fine for awhile, but they will fall. They will get to a place where they cant safely cross over that threshold or step down those stairs without falling. The only difference is, we will NEVER fill God's shoes. And we are not meant to.

Jesus Christ himself with the woman caught in adultery told them "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." Maybe we should write this verse out and hang it above out telephones, so that the next time we want to call our best friend and gossip about what Lucy said today, we may think twice.

take care of your OWN sin, and let GOD sort out the rest. Its His job, not ours.
Stop trying to step into your Father's shoes.

More on this later.

Reserve Judgement

I'm just going to send out a small blog post today. I have about an hour before I need to go to work, and some things are on my mind. I've been thinking about how we judge people. Not the "oh, he/she must be a bad person" kind of judgment... but good OR bad judgment.

We are all human...we look someone up and down the first time we meet them...and silently and quickly make a judgment on who that person is. I understand that...its just how we are wired.
But when you learn information about someone and yet STILL cling to that first judgment, you are erring. Its the problem with most Christians and Non-believers alike. We just wont let go. We wont let someone prove themselves.

So, today, I want to just step back from what I initially think about people. I know I will always make those initial judgments (because I am human) but am I willing to give up those judgments? Its hard to admit when you were wrong about someone...I know.. but its a sign of maturity and wisdom to reserve judgment.

Give someone a chance today to prove themselves to you. Don't lock anyone away in a box. Because if you do, you might miss the truth about them...and that truth can make you understand that person like you never would have.

More on this later.


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Test

Trying out the blogpress app...might be sending a blog post out this weekend


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