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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"Earth" Day: Worship the Creator more than the Creation

Happy Earth Day!

I don't know about you, but I'm a little tired of hearing about the environment, global warming, and pollution. And, a few months ago, I realized how wrong I was for feeling that way.

As Christians, we SHOULD be good stewards of God's Earth. We SHOULD be concerned about pollution and trash filling up HIS world.

Because thats just it. It is HIS world. We have no claim to it. We are just here.

There's nothing we can do to purchase this Earth. We can own property, but is it really OURS? Do we control it?

Lets look at it from a purely scientific viewpoint. The Earth was formed Billions if not Trillions of years ago through the Compilation of chemicals, particles, or (fill in whatever crackpot theory you want here). A 'Big Bang'. Something happened. Of that we can all agree.

So, if the Earth was formed from chance, from the particles that just HAPPENED to join at just the right moment, then who's Earth is it? I would say it belongs to CHANCE. Luck. Fate.

its still not our Earth, because we did NOTHING to create it. We are just a compilation of chemicals produced by the almighty Chance.

This Earth is not ours, it belongs to Chance, as do we.

Thankfully...my outlook isn't quite that bleak. For me, its more than Chance that rules the world. Whether or not you agree that the Earth was created in 6 literal days, doesn't really matter to me. What DOES matter is that there is Someone who controls the whole process.

He spoke and the Oceans filled with water. He spoke and the land formed. He spoke and the animals began to roam the land. He spoke and I took my first breath.

My God is not the God of Chance. He is just GOD.

He makes no mistakes and puts no one on this world without a reason.

Whether or not you believe that He did it in 6 days is irrelevant. it doesnt lessen the fact that this Powerful force is controlling the very shape of our world.

For a Christian, this fact only intensifies how we should care for this world. Its not OURS. its shameful when we take care of a rental car better than we do His planet.

I believe that the Earth will be around for as long as God wants it to...no matter what we do to it. But He did leave us as Stewards of it.

I believe this passage sums it up:

Psalms 8:1-9

8:1 chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.> O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.

8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.

8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all [things] under his feet:

8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;

8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, [and whatsoever] passeth through the paths of the seas.

8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent [is] thy name in all the earth!

*Emphasis mine.

Notice then, that the World is obviously God's. We are just here as stewards. Caretakers.

also notice though, that not once in the Bible has it ever been mentioned that humans could destroy the earth. I truly believe that for all the harm we do, it doesn't matter. God will use this Earth for as long as He needs... and when He is done, a New Heaven and a New Earth will take its place.

Maybe men's destruction of His beautiful work is the ultimate poetic justice that we reap upon ourselves. Maybe when the heavens and earth "melt with a fervent heat" we are the tools and catalyst that god uses to bring about that prophecy. maybe. I can't say for certain. But we as mankind have brought about our own demise. Our sin destroys our lives...and no one makes us do it. We choose to live in sin everyday. We make our own demise...and only God can save us from ourselves.

So, to sum up. Pick up some trash. Care a little more if your old car is pumping out fumes. Recycle. Reuse. Be frugal. But most of all ENJOY what God has made. it is a form of worship to look out at the trees and clear blue sky and marvel at how Great He is! Enjoy the things that matter. But, worship the Creator, not the CREATION.

Romans 1:25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen"

What are we doing to His image then, when not only are the skies darkened with the fumes of our factories and vehicles...but our lives are darkened with our sins?

Money, Society, and the Wool

It amazes me sometimes how something that is taught in a class or in the Services on Sunday's just apply to something that's been happening to me that very week. And maybe not something that the pastor/teacher directly said, but something that just got me thinking.

This week it was dead on.

We started a scratch-off game at work. Simple lottery-type game. Scratch off and if it matches, you win. The associates also play with their own cards. So, of course there is a lot of talk about the big cash prize. $50,000.

I was talking to one of my friends/coworkers (Shelby!) and talking about being tired of being poor. To be all modest, I just said I didn't want to be RICH, just to be comfortable. A good car, a good home, maybe some money put aside for a rainy day. Just so I didn't have to worry about bills anymore.

I realized today how wrong I am.

I Timothy 6:10 "..the love of money is the root of all evil.."

Stay around churches any length of time and you find this taught. a lot.

I realized that I was doing just that. I was thinking that MONEY would make me happy. That if I just had a little bit more, I could breathe a sigh of relief and sleep better at night.

Am I not blessed? Do I not have more than most people in the world right now?

I'm typing this on my new laptop that I was able to buy. Using a connection I was able to buy. I have food in me and I really don't NEED anything right now.

Then why did I say I wasn't happy?

I didn't say it in those words...but I did say "It would be nice to not have to worry about bills anymore..."

So I AM relying on money to make me happy. Christian or not, that's no way to live your life.

Our Society teaches us to live our life to the fullest. Be all you can be. This life is all you have, so grab what you can and don't look bad.

take a look at what's on your TV.

The Apprentice. It encourages backstabbing and throwing people under the bus, and its done under the guise of "Business"... "its not personal, it's just business".

They are pulling the wool over our eyes. Money is NOT what makes us happy! Yes, we need it in the world we live in...but it cannot CONSUME us. Cannot control us like it does.

It doesn't say "Money is evil" but the LOVE of it is.

It scares me to look at my own life and see how concerned with money I am. I should be different. These pieces of paper and numbers on a bank account don't come with me. I'm going to stop placing so much importance on the Almighty Dollar and start placing it on the Almighty.

Can He not provide for me? He has so far. I have no reason to doubt He wont in the future.

Because I know that even if I win this scratch-off and bank $50,000... it wont make me happy. Not truly. I will only want more, and more, and more and more...

lift the wool and take a look around.

The "Extreme" Versus the Traditions

NOTE: PLEASE read the previous post from earlier today about the "15 Theses)

I posted those 15 theses' earlier today and I've had some time to ponder them and search them out. Some I agree with, others not so much. I'm going to go over each one and point out some things.

1. The Church is a way of Life, not a series of Meetings

I agree with this. As someone told me, it comes down to an issue of the heart. Regardless of where you meet... if the people's hearts aren't right, then nothing will be right. If the church becomes more personal...more "in your face" and blunt, would this not help our heart condition? Its a way of life.... constricting that life to one day a week on Sundays is not helping our Christian lives!

2. Time to Change the System

I realize that sometimes things need to change. But, myself especially, need to be careful about "change for change's sake". I agree that the time has come for SOMETHING to be done. We need to be more Christ-like in our churches instead of back-stabbing gossipers.

Yes, some of this comes from my past experiences with churches...but that doesn't make the truth any less real. The current way of doing things is NOT WORKING. Its not glorifying God as much as it could. It uplifts possessions and man's abilities. Yes, all problems with man's heart...but then again...what isn't?

3. Third Reformation

Something needs to change, I agree. Luther changed the message of the Catholic church, yes...but now all you have there is a strange Catholic-Christian Hybrid. He didn't take it far enough to remove the traditions and materialism that plagues our churches today.

4. From church-houses to house-churches

This one is tricky for me.

One one hand I agree that a church can work out of homes...and it would be a pleasant experience...and one that could be honoring to Christ...more so than these Mega-Churches. But, something my sister-in law pointed out to me, is that really addressing the problem in the church or just running from it? It's a heart problem. The people are not getting taught the right things, the right way or in the right spirit.

I do believe that traditional churches can be glorifying to God...but that its not the only way to "assemble yourselves together".

5. The Church must become small in order to grow big

I think the author of this missed the point a little. He's implying that a Mega-Church needs to be torn apart and start from square one in order to get things back on track. Now, sadly, this might be what it takes to get the peoples spirit back on track.

If they are too materialistic sell the jewel-encrusted buildings and give the money to the poor.

We have to get away from this numbers mentality. It shouldn't matter if there's 12 people or 20 or 2000. If the church NEEDS 2000 members to give money in order to pay the bills, then maybe some things should be scaled back. We need to get out of capitalizing our churches. We are not a business, nor a political party, so lets stop handling our churches like one. Exemplify faith that GOD can take care of His own. If we do that...the church building could burn down tomorrow and it wouldn't matter. The church would still go on.

6. No church is to be led by a pastor ALONE

A pastors role is very important. I don't want to lessen that. But I also don't want to put them on a pedestal. They are human just like us. They are fallible.

The pastor should be supported by ALL of the Church. They should ALL be helping to carry the load. The pastor is there to organize, preach, teach, and bring counsel.

Also, on a related note, the pastor should be training his people in such a way that even if he were to drop dead, the church would go on. Someone would have been trained the right way to step up and start teaching. If the pastor is the backbone holding EVERYTHING up in a church, it will crumble when he falls....and sadly they usually do, because NO ONE wants to DO anything. heaven forbid you serve your local church.

7. The right pieces, fitted together in the wrong way

There's little to no emphasis on serving. if the core 10 members were to die, the church would die. The members should ALL be taught to serve in SOME capacity.... not just being preachers or teachers. maybe cleaning the bathrooms or vacuuming, or preparing a meal. Every member actively involved....invested in their church.

8. God did not leave the church in the hands of a bureaucratic clergy.

Basically, I think this should read: Church is not a political party or a business.

Jesus Christ Himself pushed over the money changers tables in the temple. I will expound on this later.

9. Return from organized religion to organic.

here's the point: that we are fake. Our religion isn't enough of a part in our lives. We go to church on Sunday and sit in our padded pews and give our offerings...but then bicker behind each other's backs. There's a disconnect. We need something real. Something from God directly.

10. From Worshiping our Worship to Worshiping God

This is one of my favorites, because I believe it hits home so well. We have our little church traditions but WHY? Tradition for Traditions sake is useless. If it doesn't help us be better witnesses and better Christians....why does it exist? That is a question to put to any tradition you have in your church.

Such as your offering plates: do I put money in here so that people will see me and think I'm a good Christian? Or do I do it cause I love giving to God?

Would it not be better to have a private way of giving that NO ONE knows? Maybe of your time...cleaning toilets and not getting any recognition for it. There's too much "thank you so and so for setting up those tables..." in our pulpits. Amplify Christ in all you do.

11. Stop bringing people to the church and bring the church to the people

A better way to word this I think would be: Stop focusing on filling your pews and focus on teaching your people how to witness WITH THEIR LIVES. thats what church is about. Not to fill the pews so that we can get more money to maintain our ritzy lifestyle-center/churches.

If the lost people want to come to a service...great! they wont like it. We will make them as welcome as we can...and we will witness to them. But the church is for saved people.

12. Lord's Supper as an Actual Supper

This one I find kinda silly. The Lords supper is very pictorial. It's deeper than just consuming food. I like the way its done now. it amplifies Christ and His Grace to lost, evil sinners.

He could strike you down for eating unworthily, but He does not. Because of HIS Grace.

If you want to eat...have a fellowship. But keep the Lord's Supper

13. From Denominations to City-Wide celebrations.

I like the idea of taking services and preaching and teaching to the streets. Show your witness in a way that's engaging and thought-provoking...just don't be a loon.

14. Developing a Persecution-Proof Spirit.

This is essential. we have become too complacent as Christians. We need to live like we are under persecution...because one day we may have to meet in secret. Could you put away your petty differences?

15. The Church Comes Home.

I think the home is an extension of church. You have a service, then you go home and discuss it with your family. it should be an essential part of the service. And also, you should implement what was taught throughout the week.

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I'm going to expand on all of these as I mull them over. This is by no means comprehensive or complete. Just my thoughts...which could change as I study and pray.

more later.

"15 Theses" For A New Reformation By Wolfgang Simson

I always hesitate to "Copy-and-Paste" blog articles, but this one merits everyone's time.

For anyone who has sat in a pew and though "How boring" "How off-putting" "Why are they so hung up on traditions?" "why is everything about money and politics?" I urge you to read this article.

I never agree with anyone 100%. There are things in this article that I hesitate to say (at the moment...without more prayer and study) are correct... But the core of the matter is.

Catholic or Presbyterian, Baptist or Lutheran...it doesn't matter. This is all about getting back to what the "Church" should be.

I will be writing my thoughts on this later on today, but for now...the article:

(resources and links at the bottom of the page)

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"15 Theses" For A New Reformation

By Wolfgang Simson

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God is changing the Church, and that, in turn, will change the world. Millions of Christians around the world are aware of an imminent reformation of global proportions. They say, in effect: "Church as we know it is preventing Church as God wants it." A growing number of them are surprisingly hearing God say the very same things. There is a collective new awareness of age-old revelations, a corporate spiritual echo. In the following "15 Theses" I will summarize a part of this, and I am convinced that it reflects a part of what the Spirit of God is saying to the Church today. For some, it might be the proverbial fist-sized cloud on Elijah's sky. Others already feel the pouring rain.

1. Church is a Way of Life, not a series of religious meetings

Before they where called Christians, followers of Christ have been called "The Way". One of the reasons was, that they have literally found "the way to live." The nature of Church is not reflected in a constant series of religious meetings lead by professional clergy in holy rooms specially reserved to experience Jesus, but in the prophetic way followers of Christ live their everyday life in spiritually extended families as a vivid answer to the questions society faces, at the place where it counts most: in their homes.

2. Time to change the system

In aligning itself to the religious patterns of the day, the historic Orthodox Church after Constantine in the 4th century AD adopted a religious system which was in essence Old Testament, complete with priests, altar, a Christian temple (cathedral), frankincense and a Jewish, synagogue-style worship pattern. The Roman Catholic Church went on to canonize the system. Luther did reform the content of the gospel, but left the outer forms of "church" remarkably untouched; the Free-Churches freed the system from the State, the Baptists then baptized it, the Quakers dry-cleaned it, the Salvation Army put it into a uniform, the Pentecostals anointed it and the Charismatic renewed it, but until today nobody has really changed the superstructure. It is about time to do just that.

3. The Third Reformation.

In rediscovering the gospel of salvation by faith and grace alone, Luther started to reform the Church through a reformation of theology. In the 18th century through movements like the Moravians there was a recovery of a new intimacy with God, which led to a reformation of spirituality, the Second Reformation. Now God is touching the wineskins themselves, initiating a Third Reformation, a reformation of structure.

4. From Church-Houses to house-churches

Since New Testament times, there is no such thing as "a house of God". At the cost of his life, Stephen reminded unequivocally: God does not live in temples made by human hands. The Church is the people of God. The Church, therefore, was and is at home where people are at home: in ordinary houses. There, the people of God:

• Share their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit,
• Have "meatings," that is, they eat when they meet,
• They often do not even hesitate to sell private property and share material and spiritual blessings,
• Teach each other in real-life situations how to obey God's word, dialogue - and not professor-style,
• Pray and prophesy with each other, baptize, `lose their face' and their ego by confessing their sins,
• Regaining a new corporate identity by experiencing love, acceptance and forgiveness.

5. The church has to become small in order to grow big

Most churches of today are simply too big to provide real fellowship. They have too often become "fellowships without fellowship." The New Testament Church was a mass of small groups, typically between 10 and 15 people. It grew not upward into big congregations between 20 and 300 people filling a cathedral and making real, mutual communication improbable. Instead, it multiplied "sideward", like organic cells, once these groups reached around 15-20 people. Then, if possible, it drew all the Christians together into citywide celebrations, as with Solomon's Temple court in Jerusalem. The traditional congregational church as we know it is, statistically speaking, neither big nor beautiful, but rather a sad compromise, an overgrown house-church and an under-grown celebration, often missing the dynamics of both.

6. No church is led by a Pastor alone

The local church is not led by a Pastor, but fathered by an Elder, a local person of wisdom and reality. The local house-churches are then networked into a movement by the combination of elders and members of the so-called five-fold ministries (Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists and Teachers) circulating "from house to house," whereby there is a special foundational role to play for the apostolic and prophetic ministries (Eph. 2:20, and 4:11.12). A Pastor (shepherd) is a very necessary part of the whole team, but he cannot fulfill more than a part of the whole task of "equipping the saints for the ministry," and has to be complemented synergistically by the other four ministries in order to function properly.

7. The right pieces - fitted together in the wrong way

In doing a puzzle, we need to have the right original for the pieces, otherwise the final product, the whole picture, turns out wrong, and the individual pieces do not make much sense. This has happened to large parts of the Christian world: we have all the right pieces, but have fitted them together wrong, because of fear, tradition, religious jealousy and a power-and-control mentality. As water is found in three forms, ice, water and steam, the five ministries mentioned in Eph. 4:11-12, the Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists are also found today, but not always in the right forms and in the right places: they are often frozen to ice in the rigid system of institutionalized Christianity; they sometimes exist as clear water; or they have vanished like steam into the thin air of free-flying ministries and "independent" churches, accountable to no-one. As it is best to water flowers with the fluid version of water, these five equipping ministries will have to be transformed back into new, and at the same time age-old, forms, so that the whole spiritual organism can flourish and the individual "ministers" can find their proper role and place in the whole. That is one more reason why we need to return back to the Maker's original and blueprint for the Church.

8. God does not leave the Church in the hands of bureaucratic clergy

No expression of a New Testament church is ever led by just one professional "holy man" doing the business of communicating with God and then feeding some relatively passive religious consumers Moses-style. Christianity has adopted this method from pagan religions, or at best from the Old Testament. The heavy professionalisation of the church since Constantine has now been a pervasive influence long enough, dividing the people of God artificially into laity and clergy. According to the New Testament (1 Tim. 2:5), "there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." God simply does not bless religious professionals to force themselves in-between people and God forever. The veil is torn, and God is allowing people to access Himself directly through Jesus Christ, the only Way. To enable the priesthood of all believers, the present system will have to change completely. Bureaucracy is the most dubious of all administrative systems, because it basically asks only two questions: yes or no. There is no room for spontaneity and humanity, no room for real life. This may be OK for politics and companies, but not the Church. God seems to be in the business of delivering His Church from a Babylonian captivity of religious bureaucrats and controlling spirits into the public domain, the hands of ordinary people made extraordinary by God, who, like in the old days, may still smell of fish, perfume and revolution.

9. Return from organized to organic forms of Christianity

The "Body of Christ" is a vivid description of an organic, not an organized, being. Church consists on its local level of a multitude of spiritual families, which are organically related to each other as a network, where the way the pieces are functioning together is an integral part of the message of the whole. What has become a maximum of organization with a minimum of organism, has to be changed into a minimum of organization to allow a maximum of organism. Too much organization has, like a straightjacket, often choked the organism for fear that something might go wrong. Fear is the opposite of faith, and not exactly a Christian virtue. Fear wants to control, faith can trust. Control, therefore, may be good, but trust is better. The Body of Christ is entrusted by God into the hands of steward-minded people with a supernatural charismatic gift to believe God that He is still in control, even if they are not. A development of trust-related regional and national networks, not a new arrangement of political ecumenism is necessary for organic forms of Christianity to reemerge.

10. From worshipping our worship to worshipping God

The image of much of contemporary Christianity can be summarized, a bit euphemistically, as holy people coming regularly to a holy place at a holy day at a holy hour to participate in a holy ritual lead by a holy man dressed in holy clothes against a holy fee. Since this regular performance-oriented enterprise called "worship service" requires a lot of organizational talent and administrative bureaucracy to keep going, formalized and institutionalized patterns developed quickly into rigid traditions. Statistically, a traditional 1-2 hour "worship service" is very resource-hungry but actually produces very little fruit in terms of discipline people, that is, in changed lives. Economically speaking, it might be a "high input and low output" structure. Traditionally, the desire to "worship in the right way" has led to much denominationalism, confessionalism and nominalism. This not only ignores that Christians are called to "worship in truth and in spirit," not in cathedrals holding songbooks, but also ignores that most of life is informal, and so is Christianity as "the Way of Life." Do we need to change from being powerful actors to start "acting powerfully?"

11. Stop bringing people to church, and start bringing the church to the people

The church is changing back from being a Come-structure to being again a Go-structure. As one result, the Church needs to stop trying to bring people "into the church," and start bringing the Church to the people. The mission of the Church will never be accomplished just by adding to the existing structure; it will take nothing less than a mushrooming of the church through spontaneous multiplication of itself into areas of the population of the world, where Christ is not yet known.

12. Rediscovering the "Lord's Supper" to be a real supper with real food

Church tradition has managed to "celebrate the Lord's Supper" in a homeopathic and deeply religious form, characteristically with a few drops of wine, a tasteless cookie and a sad face. However, the "Lord's Supper" was actually more a substantial supper with a symbolic meaning, than a symbolic supper with a substantial meaning. God is restoring eating back into our meeting.

13. From Denominations to city-wide celebrations

Jesus called a universal movement, and what came was a series of religious companies with global chains marketing their special brands of Christianity and competing with each other. Through this branding of Christianity most of Protestantism has, therefore, become politically insignificant and often more concerned with traditional specialties and religious infighting than with developing a collective testimony before the world. Jesus simply never asked people to organize themselves into denominations. In the early days of the Church, Christians had a dual identity: they were truly His church and vertically converted to God, and then organized themselves according to geography, that is, converting also horizontally to each other on earth. This means not only Christian neighbors organizing themselves into neighborhood- or house-churches, where they share their lives locally, but Christians coming together as a collective identity as much as they can for citywide or regional celebrations expressing the corporateness of the Church of the city or region. Authenticity in the neighborhoods connected with a regional or citywide corporate identity will make the Church not only politically significant and spiritually convincing, but will allow a return to the biblical model of the City-Church.

14. Developing a persecution-proof spirit

They crucified Jesus, the Boss of all the Christians. Today, his followers are often more into titles, medals and social respectability, or, worst of all, they remain silent and are not worth being noticed at all. "Blessed are you when you are persecuted", says Jesus. Biblical Christianity is a healthy threat to pagan godlessness and sinfulness, a world overcome by greed, materialism, jealousy and any amount of demonic standards of ethics, sex, money and power. Contemporary Christianity in many countries is simply too harmless and polite to be worth persecuting. But as Christians again live out New Testament standards of life and, for example, call sin as sin, conversion or persecution has been, is and will be the natural reaction of the world. Instead of nesting comfortably in temporary zones of religious liberty, Christians will have to prepare to be again discovered as the main culprits against global humanism, the modern slavery of having to have fun and the outright worship of Self, the wrong centre of the universe. That is why Christians will and must feel the "repressive tolerance" of a world which has lost any absolutes and therefore refuses to recognize and obey its creator God with his absolute standards. Coupled with the growing ideologisation, privatization and spiritualisation of politics and economics, Christians will, sooner than most think, have their chance to stand happily accused in the company of Jesus. They need to prepare now for the future by developing a persecution-proof spirit and an even more persecution-proof structure.

15. The Church comes home

Where is the easiest place, say, for a man to be spiritual? Maybe again, is it hiding behind a big pulpit, dressed up in holy robes, preaching holy words to a faceless crowd and then disappearing into an office? And what is the most difficult, and therefore most meaningful, place for a man to be spiritual? At home, in the presence of his wife and children, where everything he does and says is automatically put through a spiritual litmus test against reality, where hypocrisy can be effectively weeded out and authenticity can grow. Much of Christianity has fled the family, often as a place of its own spiritual defeat, and then has organized artificial performances in sacred buildings far from the atmosphere of real life. As God is in the business of recapturing the homes, the church turns back to its roots, back to where it came from. It literally comes home, completing the circle of Church history at the end of world history.

As Christians of all walks of life, from all denominations and backgrounds, feel a clear echo in their spirit to what God's Spirit is saying to the Church, and start to hear globally in order to act locally, they begin to function again as one body. They organize themselves into neighborhood house-churches and meet in regional or city-celebrations. You are invited to become part of this movement and make your own contribution. Maybe your home, too, will become a house that changes the world.

Source: Houses that change the world, Wolfgang Simson; Postfach 212, 8212 Neuhausen 2, Switzerland Email: 100337.2106@CompuServe. COM. FAX +49-7745-919531

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Origin: http://www.3dff.com/pages/risky5.htm

RiskyReading: http://www.3dff.com/pages/zrisky.htm

NOTE! When following any of these links, do your homework! Study you're Bible. Don't take ANYTHING ANYONE says as truth. Question everything. Keep the Bible as your authority.

Many Thanks to Jordan Sterling on Facebook for the link.

Faith: A Work in Progress (Part 2)

"So few of those who claim they have Faith actually live by it"

As I said before, faith is a substance. Its the "Evidence of things not seen". I'm not perfect by far. The difference is I don't claim to be. We preach from our pulpits about having Faith in God for the things we need, for showing us His will for a situation but then we turn around and bicker and complain and backstab our fellow Christians. How is this "living by faith"? aren't we just "Living by the Seat of our Pants"?

Everything I write kind of all ties together in some way. The last post I was talking about God and Time, and how God controls everything. So, do we really have faith in God to work out a situation? When we try to find out what God's will is, then take a vote on it....how is this FAITH?! It's not.

You can't have it both ways. Decide. Do you have faith that God will work things out, or do you want to take a vote and see what the PEOPLE want. Actions speak louder than words... and you're actions aren't screaming faith.

Christianity isn't a Democracy, its a Theocracy.

Do you have faith in God? If not, then don't preach it.

More on this later.

TEST for Buzz

just testing the Buzz connection to my blog. new post coming tomorrow.

God and Time Part 1

Ive been thinking about this subject for quite a while and I realized I needed to start writing these things down, so maybe one day I'll get all these thoughts together in one place.

I've been thinking about the way we all perceive time and just how it affects our lives.

Let me put it this way.

We see time as constantly moving. Tomorrow never comes because its always tomorrow. It will never be the future, we are not in the past. Its always in the present. Always moving.

Its like we are stuck here, unmoving in this time... but somehow still moving.

When we as humans look at time we see it like this

0--------0--------0

past present and future

We see events on a time line. And it makes sense. Its the only way we can perceive time because we are stuck smack dab in the middle. In the Present.

But, the omnipresence of God doesn't just mean He's at all places at all times. It also means all TIMES at all times.

Keeping in mind how we see time, we can try to grasp the way God must see time.

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He wasnt just there at the beginning. He was there BEFORE the beginning. He isnt just here in the present, stuck with us... he's also in the Future, after the end.

All at once.

He can step back from the timeline and see the whole picture. Like the expression "Hindsight is 20/20" God doesn't need hindsight, because he can see everything that HAS and WILL happen!

I believe too that He sees time like this as well:

Since we have free will, things can always change. God has to be able to SEE what choices we will make, what the possible outcome is, and shift things. Could you imagine? He's not only seeing what IS and what WAS but what COULD BE and what WILL BE!

The concept is staggering.

I know its hard to grasp... I confess I don't understand it all. But the point is, God sees the whole picture. We cant possibly know the way things will turn out. But for GOD, he's in ALL times and ALL places moving events into a bigger plan.

Theres no way we as finite humans could grasp His plan. Thats why we need to have Faith in Him.

I was talking to someone who wondered why their life was messed up at the moment. I told them its all for a reason. Nothing can happen beyond the Eye and Hand of God.

And the greatest thing is, we still have free will to choose for ourselves, but God sees all possible outcomes.

Faith: A work in progress (part 1)

Everyone knows the verse: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen".

Without Faith, it is impossible to please God.

We've all heard these verses, and could probably quote them backwards and forwards.

but something dawned on me today, and I saw this verse in a way I hadn't before.

Faith is a SUBSTANCE. it's what gives our hope something tangible to cling to. I dont have any proof that God even exists! I cant prove it to anyone! But, my faith.... makes it all tangible, and I can see the evidence around me everyday.

Its an emotion, stirred and plucked like a musical instrument by the Holy Spirit. The kind of Faith we need doesn't come from ourselves, but it is a GIFT from God. Our own faith doesnt take us to heaven! it doesn't cleanse our sins. God does that. He makes our faith a SUBSTANCE. He makes it as tangible to us as anything in our physical world.

Faith is our proof. But only proof to ourselves. not to anyone else. I cant convince anyone else that God exists. Until they have that faith, it really cant be explained. It's different for everyone... some come across it quickly, others it takes longer. Its a spiritual stirring that God must do inside you.

I have a SUBSTANCE, a tangible feeling, a stirring of my mind, that tells me that HE is out there. and what He says is always truth. It's not tangible with my hands, but with my SOUL. It latches on and becomes a part of me. Defines who I am and what I do.

It doesn't make me perfect, but it makes me want to try.

In many ways, Faith is like the Holy Spirit, and I am coming to the conclusion that MAYBE (conjecture on my part) they ARE the same thing. maybe the Holy Ghost as we call Him, can be simply defined as "FAITH".

It comes, it lives in us, and through us, an extension of God Almighty.

Its a humbling thought.... maybe we should listen to that Faith a little more often. Maybe then, we would do all the things we are supposed to. Not to get to heaven, but to please the One who is already taking us there.

More on this later.

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1-10-10 Sunday post

I usually take a lot of notes during church. Sometimes though, I get distracted and start off on some topic that the pastor isn't even talking about. I used to feel bad about this, until it hit me today, that God has put me on that track... I am still learning something, I just took it in a different direction than most people would.

I thought I'd start putting these down here.

I'll title them all "Date" Sunday Post. There may not be a clear thought or anything you think it valid. But it means something to me.

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Why do pastors have sermons they preach over and over and over.

I'm trying not to seem judgmental or hateful, but I feel like its laziness.

I'll try not to name names here, but one pastor I knew of would preach the same message at the same time every year. I know this because I was at that particular church for a few years.

No changes. word for word. No thought or extra effort put into it. Why would you preach the same message twice and not improve on it? I know that God can lead for the same message to be preached....but wouldn't He do that so you could IMPROVE on it? He doesn't expect you to just recycle material. I'm guilty of this. But no more.

I haven't preached much, but from now on... if I'm going to re-preach a message, it will be with care and thought and MUCH MUCH MUCH prayer. Just because it was Christmas-time, doesn't mean I should dust off the old Christmas Message and re-use it.

I should find something new, something challenging for the people. For myself.

I'll post some of my messages on here sometime, but I need to be careful, or I can be just as complacent.

Could You Spare Any Change?: The Church and Your Money

Sitting in my car the other day, eating some lunch and waiting for my shift to start, someone walked up to my window and tapped on it. I rolled it down and this lady started in on her sob story.
Same old, same old. Need a bus ticket out of town, no one will help, not even the churches. Need just a few dollars for a hotel room for the night.
As she was speaking though, I made a note of looking her straight in the eyes. and a weird thing happened. She almost recoiled when I met her gaze and she swallowed hard, but she powered through her speech.
How do I know she was lying? Well, common sense for one. Most people who would go to complete strangers and ask for money, are the people who most likely don't need it.
The other way I knew? I don't care if you find this crazy, but I could just FEEL it. Why do you think people want you to "look at my eyes" when they think you're telling a lie? It really is a doorway to the soul. I can't explain it, I cant prove it... but I just KNEW she was lying.
Well, I dont keep much cash on me anyway, so I gave her some dimes I had lying around. I actually kinda found it insulting, but I wasn't going to give her anything else. Call me cold and calloused.

After she left, a unique thought crossed my mind. How is she any different then the plate thats passed on Sunday Morning? Now hold on, before you stone me, Im not saying that all churches are lying to you and just want your money. Not all churches are lying to you.
Not all.
But you'd be surprised at how many.

Its all about the money: the Almighty Dollar, and not the Almighty God.
It scared me when the thought hit me, that some pastors are like that lady. They carefully prepare their speech each Sunday, then lie to your face and tell you what you want to hear so you'll throw in your money.
Now, I know. A church needs money to operate. We as Christians are supposed to give tithes and offerings.
But a church should not have to pander to its people for their money.
The people are complacent and the pastors are willing to pander to that as long as they keep putting their weekly offerings into the collection plate.

The churches who have to get more and more people in the door (sometimes by any means necessary) are usually the ones who suffer from this. While they may have a lot of people warming their pews and a lot of people giving their cash, they are essentially dead.
Im not saying all big churches are this way, but the majority are. Theres a handful of people who want to do right and they try. But theres hundreds, maybe thousands that sit on their pews and do nothing. and the pastor doesn't challenge that. Because he's afraid of losing their "contributions".
On a related note: Why does the pastor have to drive a Bentley and have 300 suits and ties? Im all for looking nice...but come on. Someone has to see through these people!

What can we do about this? Should we all leave the big churches and only join small country churches? well, no, because small churches can suffer from this too, on a smaller scale. Sometimes it can be harder for the small church because if one person stops giving, that could cause the doors to close.
We should just focus on preaching to word. Let God worry about the money. Either he can supply or He cant. Which is it?
Do you rely on man's money to keep God's work going? or do you rely on GOD to keep His work going?

And how can you tell if someone is just pandering to you to get your money? Trust me, just like that lady in the parking lot, you will know the fake when you look for it. If you're comfortable and not being challenged while you sit in your pew, chances are something isn't right.

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