The past several years at the beginning of each year I have vowed to myself that I was going to read through the entire Bible for the first time in my life. Each year, with good intentions, I faithfully start out on the daily plans and every morning or night I'd settle down and read the words that God had for me that day. This may have lasted a month, maybe half a month, and I'd always get at the same place--the beginning of Exodus--before I'd accidentally miss a day. Once I missed that day, it was all downhill from there and soon I'd be missing two days. Then three. Four. Five. And before I know it, a whole week has gone by without me opening my Bible. Then two. Three. And soon enough, I'm back to my old routine without doing my devotions and allowing my apathy to create a chasm in between God and I that I would not breach.
This year has been different, though, in several aspects. I honestly don't know how to explain the changes that have been happening in my life except that it has to be God's hand moving and working in my life. Last summer my time at Camp Hebron was, without a doubt, life changing, and it has pushed my life off of the top of the hill and set it in a full, down-hill sprint. That's definitely not to say that there haven't been some rocks on the path and a few bumps in the road, but my life is screaming forward now at a breakneck speed that I never thought would happen. God used my time at Camp last summer as a catalyst (You see what I did there?) in my life to set in motion future events and to bring me out of the life that I was living and into a new, better life. It was January 2nd at the first night of Passion and I remember in the middle of the first worship set that evening getting this overwhelming longing for change. I remember looking at my self (not literally, but figuratively) and saying these exact words, "Alright, Ben. It's time to grow up. It's time to become a man." Coincidentally, I was reading Wild At Heart by John Eldredge at the same time. Or not coincidentally, because I don't believe in coincidence. From that moment on, my life has been put on a rollercoaster. My college plans completely changed as I got accepted to Eternity Bible College. My future plans drastically changed as I am now planning on moving permanently (Lord willing) out to Simi Valley, California. My current life has completely changed because tomorrow is April 1st, and I am still keeping up with the One Year Bible, and there is absolutely, positively no end in sight. When I got home from Passion I was really feeling convicted of all the time that I had wasted in front of the computer playing games the previous year and felt like God was telling me that I needed a cleansing from that. So like any other crazy, abnormal person who is solely led by God I got rid of all my video games that I was so ensnared in and have been game-free for three months now (and loving it). I've been listening more to myself and my thoughts and feelings, passions and hobbies. One thing that I like doing is taking pictures, and someday I want to become really good at it, so I made the commitment (the previous Ben was awful at keeping them) to complete Project 366 this year and take a picture every day of this entire year. I also began learning more and more guitar because it's something that God gave me to enjoy. My parents left and are on an assignment for a year, so I'm living by myself which has helped me grow up and fend for myself in this world without holding on to the coattails of my parents. Like I said, my life is on a fast track right now. To where? I have no idea, only He knows.
That was a very lengthy introduction, and if you're still tracking with me, I'd like to get into the heart of what I felt prompted to blog about this morning. Like I said before, I've been going through the One Year Bible this year, and I'm currently in the middle of Deuteronomy. In my previous attempts to begin devotions or complete the One Year assignment, I came to Exodus-Deuteronomy and completely lost all hope of ever reading the entire Bible. How could anyone in their right mind slog through the seemingly endless laws, ritual requirements, commandments, and festival instructions in the Pentateuch? To tell you the truth, it's probably one of the most boring written accounts of history that have ever been conceived, and there have been a few days where I've woken up early in the morning to get ready for school and in my groggy, half-awake state the last thing that I want to do is dive back in to reading about what would happen if your neighbor kills your uncle's dog and where he should run to, blah, blah, blah...(Note: Not literally in the Bible). Part of me feels guilty for saying such things about the Holy Word of God and what a gift it is to even be able to read these accounts that have been passed down over thousands and thousands of years, but the other part of me is screaming, "Give me a break!" However, in the midst of all this I am reminded of two things that I want to hopefully pass on to you:
1. The penalty of sin is death, and Christ's death on the cross was the ultimate sacrifice for us, so that we don't have to face that penalty
I was reading this morning about how if something happened it was punishable by death and all this stuff about do's and do not's. I couldn't help but to be reminded (how "coincidental" that it is the Easter season) of the ultimate sacrifice that was paid for all of our sins. When Christ came to earth and died on the cross, he completely rewrote the laws of redemption. In Old Testament times, if someone wanted to be forgiven of their sins, they had to go through all these rituals that involved sacrifices at the temple and do all this stuff to make themselves clean and holy again. When Christ came he said, "No, guys, I'm throwing out the entire playbook and we're changing the game. The Levite priests are no longer your mediation between God and man, and you will no longer have to go through them to seek forgiveness and redemption. I came down to earth, I humbled myself, I died for you so that you can come straight to me." This is the whole reason why the curtain in the temple that protected the Holy of Holies (where God's spirit previously dwelt)was ripped in two during the crucifixion. God's spirit--read: The Holy Spirit--was released on the world, and we now have mediation to Christ through the Holy Spirit, or Jesus Himself. In the Old Testament the penalty for anything wrong that you may have done was death, and when Christ came down, he canceled that out and said, "It's okay guys, I conquered the grave, and I conquered death. Every bad thing that you have done, are doing, and will do was laid on my shoulders, I took that upon myself and I took the death penalty for you. Crazy, right? I know. All you have to do to accept forgiveness of sin is believe in me and accept the forgiveness that I'm giving you and lay down your life--your human desires and your earthly plans--and sacrifice what you want for what I want for you." He rewrote the game and he changed the rules. We no longer have to fear death if we are in Christ, because He already beat death back to the very pit of hell whence it came.
2. God wants us to be sanctified through Him and be different from the world, even if that means looking a little different.
If you read the Old Testament laws, some of them are pretty outlandish and crazy. My favorite is where if two men are fighting and the wife of one of them tries to intervene and grabs the other one's genitals by accident her hand has to be cut off (Not exactly sure where it's at at this very moment). If you were an Israelite you could only eat certain animals at certain times of the year, you had to pay all these crazy sacrifices with all these crazy animals and follow all these crazy rules for all these crazy festivals. You had to follow all these rituals for cleansing if you had mildew in your tent or if you were having your menstrual cycle or having sex or if you had a nocturnal emission. There was all this crazy stuff that they filled four books of the Bible with it. It reminds me of just how badly Christ wants us to be different from the world. Some of the stuff in and by itself is not inherently bad, such as eating certain animals. There's absolutely nothing wrong with eating these animals, but if you were an Israelite, they were forbidden by God and you couldn't eat them. In my series that I started a while ago about hypocrisy within the church, the next topics that I want to do are swearing, drinking, and sexual activity. Swearing is one thing that I've struggled with in the past. I'll go more into this later, but part of me thinks that swearing is okay because it's a word just like any other word, it's the feelings behind the word that matter. The other, greater part of me believes that swearing may not be inherently evil (like eating certain animals), but it's something that blurs the lines between us and the world. In a world that is supposed to be black and white, Christian and Nonchristian, by swearing we're creating this fuzzy gray line right down the center. We're supposed to be separate from the world, yet when we swear we look exactly like the world. That's why swearing is wrong.
So with that said, God wants us to be sanctified from the world to Him. We're not supposed to look like the rest of the world, we're supposed to look different, and if we're doing something that may make people wonder, then we shouldn't do it. Period.
Wow. Well, if you're still reading this then you're a trooper, and I thank you. It's just one more step on the journey that God has been teaching me in my life. With all that said, I hope to catch up on my Hiding Behind The Mask series this next week, possibly even on my day off tomorrow, but we'll see. Thank you so much for reading, and take the words that God is speaking through me to heart.
--DyingAnOriginal
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Catalysts
So I finally have the next topic I want to talk about for my Hiding Behind the Mask series. I'll hopefully work on that either today or tomorrow. It's probably going to be a really slow week--I have off all week. The busiest parts of my week will consist of school work and getting life together and cleaning my house. What fun.
I recently bought a Kindle. By "recently" I mean last week. And I've transferred all my Kindle books over to the Kindle and have been working on downloading .PDF files of all the paperbacks I have and putting them on it as well. It's not exactly the most legal thing to do (shh...), but I'm not stealing anything because I already own the books, so I have no problem with it. Anyway, I started reading the book, "Tortured For Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand recently. It's the biography (auto?) of this guy and his ministry to the Russians during WWII and all the torture and persecution that he suffered for the sake of spreading the Gospel. I read something last night that really hit home. I couldn't find the quote here and I have to get back to class in a few minutes, but he was talking about the difference between Russian Christians and American Christians. When American Christians get saved, they quietly begin to go to a church and live their cushy little lifestyle, never stepping on someone else's toes and never being so outgoing or bold that they get their toes stepped on. When Russian Christians get saved (at least in this time period) the persecution was so great and Communism was so oppressive that they weren't allowed to become Christians, yet the church was still exploding. When they because a Christian they literally were giving up their lives and severing ties with their family, friends, children, and significant others. They were saying that to live with Christ is worth it, even if their children become orphans or their wives become widows. They were willing to lay down their lives for their sake of Christ on a whim because they were filled with overflowing joy of the One who saved them.
There's a stark contrast between the two churches, and if you look at the American Christian church today, you can see the stagnancy and the obvious discontentment. Hypocrisy is running rampant (hence, my series), there's more youth out of church or currently leaving the church than there are in church or attending. With that said, something needs to change, and a catalyst must be placed in the river of the current stream, to direct the river of the Church to newer, more radical grounds.
That change is us.
I am a catalyst.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Let's Pack Up And Move To California...
Friends! I realize that I haven't finished the blogs on hypocrisy yet, and I will soon. This week has been super busy with midterms and things going on around here that I just haven't had that much time to sit down and write. I'm at home sick today, so I might pound one or two out throughout the day; we'll see. Even though I haven't finished them though, I wanted to take a few minutes here to update everyone on my life.
In the fall of 2011 I was first introduced to Eternity Bible College by my youth pastor, Mike Baker. No, let me back up farther than that. In 2009-2010, the Sr. High guys youth group at my church that I was a part of decided to go through the book, "Crazy Love", by Francis Chan. God used that book as a catalyst in my life and ever since that point I've been placed in the eye of a hurricane surrounded by torrential outpourings of His love and grace and experiencing Him in ways I never thought were possible. I point to that book as the start of me realizing the plans that God has for my life and his strong tugging on my heart for ministry and to do something crazy and exciting for Him. If you know me pretty well and what's been going on in my life the past two years since that point, you know that I tried running away, tried to do my own thing and tried to make my own path for my life. That's where I am now. Reaping the benefits of my so-called, "Smart moves" and gritting my teeth as I bear the last half of the second semester of my freshman year at Bloomsburg University. Now that I can see the plans that God has for me more clearly, I wish I would have listened to Him in the first place when he called me the first time.
With that being said, I enter the next chapter of my life. Let me pick up where I left off. In the fall of 2011 I was first introduced to Eternity Bible College by my youth pastor, Mike Baker. For those unenlightened, Eternity Bible College is the child of Francis Chan, author of "Crazy Love". Francis was the senior pastor at Cornerstone Church out in Simi Valley, California, and with the help of the church, Francis made his dream of bringing Christian education and ministry home to the hearts of hungry college students became a reality. Thus, EBC was born. Eternity is a small college--roughly 300-500 students including those involved in distance learning. Eternity is a college centered solely on Scripture. They have two programs, an associates in Biblical Studies and a Bachelor's in Biblical Studies. Obviously, the associates degree is a two year program, and the bachelors degree is a four year program. The thing that's neat about EBC is that most of their funding for tuition comes from generous donators who want to see the fire of God in the hearts of young Christians today; ready to take on the world. The average cost per year at EBC is $3,500.
When Mike initially planted the seed of EBC in my head, I was still in the stage of, "No, I kinda want to do my own thing." Besides, I'd be moving out there all alone to a place that I've never been before, which scared me. While it was definitely something to pray about, it was not on my list of top colleges. In fact, Liberty University, John Brown University, Messiah College, and even staying at Bloomsburg were among my greatest ideas. Nevertheless, I began to pray for a path to opened up and for the future to unfold in a way that would follow God's Will for my life.
Over the New Year, I went to Passion 2012 with my church. Passion is a youth conference in Atlanta, Georgia, that is hosted by Passion City Church (founded by Louie Giglio) and has become one of the strongest voices of salvation in Generation X. Among others, Francis Chan is also a part of this. It was while I was at Passion that I heard Sam Jablonski, one of my best friends who I've known for pretty much forever, was planning on applying for EBC in the late winter/early spring for the 2012 fall semester. At that point, EBC had fallen on the back burner in my mind, but hearing Sam talk about it like it was actually going to happen, like it was real, really hit the message home for me. Within days, I felt like God was speaking into my life, "Why don't you trust me? You said you wanted to do great and crazy things for me, but you have to learn to trust me and let go." Let go? Let go of what? Myself.
After I got back from Passion, I began researching schools of ministry. Why pay huge money to go to a liberal arts college for ministry when I could pay a lot less and go to a school of ministry and get an education that is strictly ministry? Elim Bible Institute, Eternity Bible College, and Anchor School of Ministry were the three that I checked out. Out of those three, Eternity Bible stood out the most. So after praying about it, checking it out, and seeking advice, I did the unthinkable. I applied.
Fast forward a month and a half to yesterday. Yesterday was the last day before spring break, and I couldn't have been more excited to start my spring break. I had plans already for that evening. After my last class, I would go to the rec. to hit around a racquetball for a little bit, then go to this old barn that I pass everyday on my commute to school to take some pictures, then finally head to the theater to meet up with a friend to catch the movie Act of Valor. I was stoked! God had different plans, though. After eating lunch, I got this weird pain in my stomach, like a cramp. It would come in waves, and sometimes I'd feel fine but then the next minute be wracked with an intense stomach pain. I didn't know what was going on and as I sat in class I began to wonder if it was something I ate. Between my last two classes I sat in the bathroom for a good while hoping that pooping would relieve some pressure. It didn't. I went back to class for 20 minutes before running out of class and barely making it to the stall in time to throw up. After things calmed down, I went back to class for the remaining couple minutes, then left to go home. I tried to eat something on the way home, but I didn't feel hungry even though I had lost my lunch. As soon as I got home, I walked in the door dropped everything on the floor and just fell on the couch and drifted off to sleep. It was at 4:30, an hour later, that my next round of vomiting came. What was going? I had barely made it back downstairs from the bathroom and was sitting on the couch cleaning myself up when the phone rang. I let it go straight to the answering machine, but as soon as I heard who it was I wished I hadn't. It was the Admissions Office from EBC.
I called them back right away and learned that my application had been processed and I had been accepted for the fall 2012 semester at EBC! Hallelujah, praise the Lord! Needless to say, amidst all the vomit and stomach pain I couldn't have been happier and I felt myself being overwhelmed in worship by a crazy and relentless God. A God who works everything out to good. While I have been piddling my time away at Bloomsburg pretending to have control of my life, he has been whittling my future out of stone and has presented to me the first piece of the sculpture. I'm not sure yet whether I'm moving in the beginning, middle, or end of summer, but within the next five or six months I will move out to Simi Valley, California, to start the next phase of my life.
Let me just say right now that I am ridiculously excited. In fact, images and thoughts were dancing in my mind up until 12:30 last night as I laid in bed. The very thought of what God has planned for me is overwhelming, and I almost literally cannot wait until those plans become reality and Sam and (for he got accepted too, ptl!) I move out to California and dedicate the next four years of our lives in studying and utilizing the Bible, the very words of God. I will be pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies, and it is a requirement of the school that I become affiliated with a church and dedicate so many hours a week in church service and work.
Am I scared? Mmm...a little. I've lived in Milton, Pennsylvania, my entire life and moving somewhere else (let alone to Simi Valley, which is 45 minutes west of Los Angeles) is different, and I can't help but be a little nervous about the huge change. But I'm excited. More excited than I can express right now. More excited than anything else, and I can't wait until all this becomes a reality.
So with that said, I'll keep this blog updated with information on my journey out there, and once I get out there I'll keep updating it with what is going on in my life. If you want to be a part of my life, even when I'm on the other side of the country, this is the place to be. I'll try to link these blog posts to Twitter and Facebook as well so that people of those networks can also be informed in what God is doing in my life.
"'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,' he used to say. 'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"--"Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien
--DyingAnOriginal
In the fall of 2011 I was first introduced to Eternity Bible College by my youth pastor, Mike Baker. No, let me back up farther than that. In 2009-2010, the Sr. High guys youth group at my church that I was a part of decided to go through the book, "Crazy Love", by Francis Chan. God used that book as a catalyst in my life and ever since that point I've been placed in the eye of a hurricane surrounded by torrential outpourings of His love and grace and experiencing Him in ways I never thought were possible. I point to that book as the start of me realizing the plans that God has for my life and his strong tugging on my heart for ministry and to do something crazy and exciting for Him. If you know me pretty well and what's been going on in my life the past two years since that point, you know that I tried running away, tried to do my own thing and tried to make my own path for my life. That's where I am now. Reaping the benefits of my so-called, "Smart moves" and gritting my teeth as I bear the last half of the second semester of my freshman year at Bloomsburg University. Now that I can see the plans that God has for me more clearly, I wish I would have listened to Him in the first place when he called me the first time.
With that being said, I enter the next chapter of my life. Let me pick up where I left off. In the fall of 2011 I was first introduced to Eternity Bible College by my youth pastor, Mike Baker. For those unenlightened, Eternity Bible College is the child of Francis Chan, author of "Crazy Love". Francis was the senior pastor at Cornerstone Church out in Simi Valley, California, and with the help of the church, Francis made his dream of bringing Christian education and ministry home to the hearts of hungry college students became a reality. Thus, EBC was born. Eternity is a small college--roughly 300-500 students including those involved in distance learning. Eternity is a college centered solely on Scripture. They have two programs, an associates in Biblical Studies and a Bachelor's in Biblical Studies. Obviously, the associates degree is a two year program, and the bachelors degree is a four year program. The thing that's neat about EBC is that most of their funding for tuition comes from generous donators who want to see the fire of God in the hearts of young Christians today; ready to take on the world. The average cost per year at EBC is $3,500.
When Mike initially planted the seed of EBC in my head, I was still in the stage of, "No, I kinda want to do my own thing." Besides, I'd be moving out there all alone to a place that I've never been before, which scared me. While it was definitely something to pray about, it was not on my list of top colleges. In fact, Liberty University, John Brown University, Messiah College, and even staying at Bloomsburg were among my greatest ideas. Nevertheless, I began to pray for a path to opened up and for the future to unfold in a way that would follow God's Will for my life.
Over the New Year, I went to Passion 2012 with my church. Passion is a youth conference in Atlanta, Georgia, that is hosted by Passion City Church (founded by Louie Giglio) and has become one of the strongest voices of salvation in Generation X. Among others, Francis Chan is also a part of this. It was while I was at Passion that I heard Sam Jablonski, one of my best friends who I've known for pretty much forever, was planning on applying for EBC in the late winter/early spring for the 2012 fall semester. At that point, EBC had fallen on the back burner in my mind, but hearing Sam talk about it like it was actually going to happen, like it was real, really hit the message home for me. Within days, I felt like God was speaking into my life, "Why don't you trust me? You said you wanted to do great and crazy things for me, but you have to learn to trust me and let go." Let go? Let go of what? Myself.
After I got back from Passion, I began researching schools of ministry. Why pay huge money to go to a liberal arts college for ministry when I could pay a lot less and go to a school of ministry and get an education that is strictly ministry? Elim Bible Institute, Eternity Bible College, and Anchor School of Ministry were the three that I checked out. Out of those three, Eternity Bible stood out the most. So after praying about it, checking it out, and seeking advice, I did the unthinkable. I applied.
Fast forward a month and a half to yesterday. Yesterday was the last day before spring break, and I couldn't have been more excited to start my spring break. I had plans already for that evening. After my last class, I would go to the rec. to hit around a racquetball for a little bit, then go to this old barn that I pass everyday on my commute to school to take some pictures, then finally head to the theater to meet up with a friend to catch the movie Act of Valor. I was stoked! God had different plans, though. After eating lunch, I got this weird pain in my stomach, like a cramp. It would come in waves, and sometimes I'd feel fine but then the next minute be wracked with an intense stomach pain. I didn't know what was going on and as I sat in class I began to wonder if it was something I ate. Between my last two classes I sat in the bathroom for a good while hoping that pooping would relieve some pressure. It didn't. I went back to class for 20 minutes before running out of class and barely making it to the stall in time to throw up. After things calmed down, I went back to class for the remaining couple minutes, then left to go home. I tried to eat something on the way home, but I didn't feel hungry even though I had lost my lunch. As soon as I got home, I walked in the door dropped everything on the floor and just fell on the couch and drifted off to sleep. It was at 4:30, an hour later, that my next round of vomiting came. What was going? I had barely made it back downstairs from the bathroom and was sitting on the couch cleaning myself up when the phone rang. I let it go straight to the answering machine, but as soon as I heard who it was I wished I hadn't. It was the Admissions Office from EBC.
I called them back right away and learned that my application had been processed and I had been accepted for the fall 2012 semester at EBC! Hallelujah, praise the Lord! Needless to say, amidst all the vomit and stomach pain I couldn't have been happier and I felt myself being overwhelmed in worship by a crazy and relentless God. A God who works everything out to good. While I have been piddling my time away at Bloomsburg pretending to have control of my life, he has been whittling my future out of stone and has presented to me the first piece of the sculpture. I'm not sure yet whether I'm moving in the beginning, middle, or end of summer, but within the next five or six months I will move out to Simi Valley, California, to start the next phase of my life.
Let me just say right now that I am ridiculously excited. In fact, images and thoughts were dancing in my mind up until 12:30 last night as I laid in bed. The very thought of what God has planned for me is overwhelming, and I almost literally cannot wait until those plans become reality and Sam and (for he got accepted too, ptl!) I move out to California and dedicate the next four years of our lives in studying and utilizing the Bible, the very words of God. I will be pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Biblical Studies, and it is a requirement of the school that I become affiliated with a church and dedicate so many hours a week in church service and work.
Am I scared? Mmm...a little. I've lived in Milton, Pennsylvania, my entire life and moving somewhere else (let alone to Simi Valley, which is 45 minutes west of Los Angeles) is different, and I can't help but be a little nervous about the huge change. But I'm excited. More excited than I can express right now. More excited than anything else, and I can't wait until all this becomes a reality.
So with that said, I'll keep this blog updated with information on my journey out there, and once I get out there I'll keep updating it with what is going on in my life. If you want to be a part of my life, even when I'm on the other side of the country, this is the place to be. I'll try to link these blog posts to Twitter and Facebook as well so that people of those networks can also be informed in what God is doing in my life.
"'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,' he used to say. 'You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"--"Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring", by J.R.R. Tolkien
--DyingAnOriginal
Monday, March 5, 2012
Sunset
I'll rise from the ashes of the pyre you burned me on
Walk away from the road you left me on
Pull the blade from my back and wash it clean
Your gun breathes my name, but silence speaks louder than words
This is the end of you and I
And it's safe to say: I'm not afraid
You chilled my steps, stalked my every move
I'm walking away, I've got something to prove.
Your blood ran in my veins
Filled up my chalice, wracked me with pain
I'm saying goodbye to your sad, decrepit world
I'm sailing off, His banner's unfurled.
I'm walking in love from this point on
Abiding in Truth, kissing the Son
No more lust in the grave of the crippled and broken
You'll fall to the earth with your treachery unspoken.
Walk away from the road you left me on
Pull the blade from my back and wash it clean
Your gun breathes my name, but silence speaks louder than words
This is the end of you and I
And it's safe to say: I'm not afraid
You chilled my steps, stalked my every move
I'm walking away, I've got something to prove.
Your blood ran in my veins
Filled up my chalice, wracked me with pain
I'm saying goodbye to your sad, decrepit world
I'm sailing off, His banner's unfurled.
I'm walking in love from this point on
Abiding in Truth, kissing the Son
No more lust in the grave of the crippled and broken
You'll fall to the earth with your treachery unspoken.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Come, Lord
Here's some lyrics that I quickly wrote during a worship service at church the other night.
This is the life that I'm called to live
Daily laying mine down for His
O, Lord of mercy, your blood has sanctified me
Screaming in worship, I'll fall to my knees
You alone are the one that I'm here for
My redemption is the one that you died for
So take me as I am, this mess is all I have to offer
Out of this crippled man you made a prince from a pauper
Come,
Lord,
Be my bride.
Take what I am, dwell inside
Come,
Lord,
Be my king
You are my life, I owe you everything.
This is the life that I'm called to live
Daily laying mine down for His
O, Lord of mercy, your blood has sanctified me
Screaming in worship, I'll fall to my knees
You alone are the one that I'm here for
My redemption is the one that you died for
So take me as I am, this mess is all I have to offer
Out of this crippled man you made a prince from a pauper
Come,
Lord,
Be my bride.
Take what I am, dwell inside
Come,
Lord,
Be my king
You are my life, I owe you everything.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Hiding Behind The Mask, Part 2
"98% purity is not enough."
Yesterday, we established that their is a new breed arising in today's churches that are devastating to the witness that the church has on the world. Hypocrites within the church are blurring the lines that separate the church from the world. In a faith that is required to be strictly black and white, these people are creating gray, yet still expecting to be classified with the rest of the church.
There's several issues that come to mind when I think about hypocrisy. They are issues that have been birthed in the world, but have found their way into the churches and are generally accepted by the church. Yet, even still, if we take a look at the Biblical ruler and what we should all be measuring ourselves against, these issues should not even have a hint within the church. The Church, the very bride of Christ (John 3:29, Ephesians 5:22-23), is meant to be presented to Christ on judgment day as pure and spotless; unmarred and beautiful. 98% of the bride is not enough.
Gossip
Perhaps one of the most devastating of all sins is gossip. Webster defines gossip as, "Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true." Gossip is addressed in the Bible multiple times (Proverbs 11:9; Psalm 101:5; James 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20), and it is unfortunately an issue that has seeped it's way through the cracks in the walls of our churches and become something that is looked over and passed by.
"God desires unity within his church."
1 Corinthians 12 addresses the need for the church to be unified before the Lord. On a sports team, if one player is against another and they refuse to work together, that part of the team will be weak until the difference is repaired. Jesus addressed the issue directly in Matthew 12:25, "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'"
Without unity within the global church, the Great Commission is compromised. Ministry is more than just going out and sharing Christ with the world. Ministry also involves, serious prayer and financial support that can come directly from local churches. When a church sends someone out in ministry, the church can't wipe it's hands and hope for the best, no, it continues support through serious prayer and intercession pleading for the work of God to be done in that person's ministry. Without this support, ministry loses its potency. If gossip runs rampant throughout a church, unity becomes endangered, and the power that the church has is lessened because of this sin that is accepted within the church and not dealt with.
So where does that leave us? Gossip is a serious issue and must be extricated from your spiritual and physical lives. Don't take part in it, don't do it, and in the love of Christ call out others that are doing it. Sometimes it can even be done unintentionally or subconsciously when people break confidence and spill secrets that have been entrusted to them to keep. If someone tells you something in confidence, it doesn't matter who you want to tell, don't tell anyone. Don't start rumors. This is especially true if you are in church leadership. Church leaders need to set a Biblical standard for the rest of the church to follow, and if they are knowingly involving themselves in spreading rumors and gossip, it will be so much harder for the church to bring themselves up out of the muck. Simply put, don't do it.
On a more personal note, I know first hand how destructive gossip can be. During high school I was deeply involved in a specific person's life and we were very, very close friends for several years. Some interesting dynamics entered into the friendship when I began talking to someone else about my friend behind their back. Through a series of events, my friend found out, heard the things we were saying, and cracks began forming in the foundation of our friendship. In fact, for a period of time we thought that our friendship would not last and that the differences were too big to be overcome. Fortunately, the friendship was repaired and we are still friends today, but the relationship will never be the same.
Gossip is dangerous, and it's effects can NOT be taken lightly. Jesus says we shouldn't do it, and that is reason enough to refrain. Cut and dry; black and white. If you gossip you are living in sin unless you confess and repent--change. Satan has been feasting on the souls that are effected by gossip that has been born in the church and enough is enough.
Yesterday, we established that their is a new breed arising in today's churches that are devastating to the witness that the church has on the world. Hypocrites within the church are blurring the lines that separate the church from the world. In a faith that is required to be strictly black and white, these people are creating gray, yet still expecting to be classified with the rest of the church.
There's several issues that come to mind when I think about hypocrisy. They are issues that have been birthed in the world, but have found their way into the churches and are generally accepted by the church. Yet, even still, if we take a look at the Biblical ruler and what we should all be measuring ourselves against, these issues should not even have a hint within the church. The Church, the very bride of Christ (John 3:29, Ephesians 5:22-23), is meant to be presented to Christ on judgment day as pure and spotless; unmarred and beautiful. 98% of the bride is not enough.
Gossip
Perhaps one of the most devastating of all sins is gossip. Webster defines gossip as, "Casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true." Gossip is addressed in the Bible multiple times (Proverbs 11:9; Psalm 101:5; James 4:11; 2 Corinthians 12:20), and it is unfortunately an issue that has seeped it's way through the cracks in the walls of our churches and become something that is looked over and passed by.
"God desires unity within his church."
1 Corinthians 12 addresses the need for the church to be unified before the Lord. On a sports team, if one player is against another and they refuse to work together, that part of the team will be weak until the difference is repaired. Jesus addressed the issue directly in Matthew 12:25, "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.'"
Without unity within the global church, the Great Commission is compromised. Ministry is more than just going out and sharing Christ with the world. Ministry also involves, serious prayer and financial support that can come directly from local churches. When a church sends someone out in ministry, the church can't wipe it's hands and hope for the best, no, it continues support through serious prayer and intercession pleading for the work of God to be done in that person's ministry. Without this support, ministry loses its potency. If gossip runs rampant throughout a church, unity becomes endangered, and the power that the church has is lessened because of this sin that is accepted within the church and not dealt with.
So where does that leave us? Gossip is a serious issue and must be extricated from your spiritual and physical lives. Don't take part in it, don't do it, and in the love of Christ call out others that are doing it. Sometimes it can even be done unintentionally or subconsciously when people break confidence and spill secrets that have been entrusted to them to keep. If someone tells you something in confidence, it doesn't matter who you want to tell, don't tell anyone. Don't start rumors. This is especially true if you are in church leadership. Church leaders need to set a Biblical standard for the rest of the church to follow, and if they are knowingly involving themselves in spreading rumors and gossip, it will be so much harder for the church to bring themselves up out of the muck. Simply put, don't do it.
On a more personal note, I know first hand how destructive gossip can be. During high school I was deeply involved in a specific person's life and we were very, very close friends for several years. Some interesting dynamics entered into the friendship when I began talking to someone else about my friend behind their back. Through a series of events, my friend found out, heard the things we were saying, and cracks began forming in the foundation of our friendship. In fact, for a period of time we thought that our friendship would not last and that the differences were too big to be overcome. Fortunately, the friendship was repaired and we are still friends today, but the relationship will never be the same.
Gossip is dangerous, and it's effects can NOT be taken lightly. Jesus says we shouldn't do it, and that is reason enough to refrain. Cut and dry; black and white. If you gossip you are living in sin unless you confess and repent--change. Satan has been feasting on the souls that are effected by gossip that has been born in the church and enough is enough.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Hiding Behind the Mask, Part 1
"If we lived a life where all we saw was the glory of God, would we ever need anything else?"
The Christian church--the body of Christ--is under attack. The world looks on us as if we're crazy, offering us little solace in a temporary world where we are strangers to those around us. Biblical standards and morals are falling more and more by the wayside, and we're fighting with every breath within us to regain the ground that we've lost, if not for the world, but for ourselves. The voice of God's unending and holy love is being drowned out amidst the screams of this world that cry for war, greed, and lust. Within the faith of what we believe we have all that we need, but we live in a completely opposite way. We have an eternal savior and a loving friend, yet we continue to look towards the world for our hope and sense of security. Relationships with others are put on a pedestal higher than a relationship with Christ. We forget the strength that God is offering us and the help he has promised to give us in times of temptation, and we fall victim to our vices--lust, greed, jealousy, vanity. We live in a world that screams, "More! More! More!" yet live with a faith that declares, "Less! Less! Less!" It's in this paradox that we find the Church struggling to recover it's breath in a whirlwind of despair that is wrought out of selfish initiative.
It's plain to see the damage that the world has done to the Church. In the media, Christians are portrayed as judgmental, homosexuality-hating pigs, "holier than thou", and old-fashioned. These are stereotypes that have been placed on us for so long that the rest of the world has succumbed to their beliefs. Now not only the media sees us like this, but the rest of the world is looking on the church through filthy lenses that have been crafted by media. The Church is placed in a stigma where all is perfect inside, and everything's wrong on the outside. It has torn us away from the world and separated us further from the ministry that we've been given to helping those around us.
There are two worlds battling for dominance within the global earth: The Church--those within the Christian faith--and the rest of the world. The world unabashedly sings its songs about greed, contempt, individualism, lust, idolatry, and selfishness, while the church is trying to sing louder about love, selflessness, faith, purity, and hope.
"The problem is when the two worlds try to mix, and like two paints that have mixed the original is lost and a new product is born"
In God's perfect and loving wisdom and mercy, he chose to make us with free will. It's with free will that we can choose to love him and live for him or forget him and live for the world. Two choices, you're either with God or you're against Him. While free will can become our saving grace when we embrace the love that he has poured out for us on the cross, it can also be our damnation when we choose to live enticed by the desires of the world and living for the materials that the world has to offer. What we see in the modern church is a new breed of people rising, and these people are more dangerous to the church than anything the world could birth.
These people live within the church, yet spend their lives in the world. To the world they look like the church with hints of the world, but to the church they look like the world with hints of the church. Their most dangerous when they've been raised in the church, but as they grew older bowed to the pressures of the world. They know the Bible, they have all the answers, and they know how to lie convincingly enough to make the rest of the Church believe that all is well, yet behind closed doors and in the public eye all is not well. While trying to dupe their Christian peers into believing that they are just like them, they have tricked themselves into believing their own lies--sometimes without even knowing it. While the church is trying to be set apart and different, without any traces of the world within its veins, these people are muddying the crystal clear waters with the filth that they carry with them. Jesus Himself speaks out against hypocrites. The Bible speaks out against hypocrisy. We as the Church need to cast them out in the name of Christ and set a new standard of 100% purity.
The Christian church--the body of Christ--is under attack. The world looks on us as if we're crazy, offering us little solace in a temporary world where we are strangers to those around us. Biblical standards and morals are falling more and more by the wayside, and we're fighting with every breath within us to regain the ground that we've lost, if not for the world, but for ourselves. The voice of God's unending and holy love is being drowned out amidst the screams of this world that cry for war, greed, and lust. Within the faith of what we believe we have all that we need, but we live in a completely opposite way. We have an eternal savior and a loving friend, yet we continue to look towards the world for our hope and sense of security. Relationships with others are put on a pedestal higher than a relationship with Christ. We forget the strength that God is offering us and the help he has promised to give us in times of temptation, and we fall victim to our vices--lust, greed, jealousy, vanity. We live in a world that screams, "More! More! More!" yet live with a faith that declares, "Less! Less! Less!" It's in this paradox that we find the Church struggling to recover it's breath in a whirlwind of despair that is wrought out of selfish initiative.
It's plain to see the damage that the world has done to the Church. In the media, Christians are portrayed as judgmental, homosexuality-hating pigs, "holier than thou", and old-fashioned. These are stereotypes that have been placed on us for so long that the rest of the world has succumbed to their beliefs. Now not only the media sees us like this, but the rest of the world is looking on the church through filthy lenses that have been crafted by media. The Church is placed in a stigma where all is perfect inside, and everything's wrong on the outside. It has torn us away from the world and separated us further from the ministry that we've been given to helping those around us.
There are two worlds battling for dominance within the global earth: The Church--those within the Christian faith--and the rest of the world. The world unabashedly sings its songs about greed, contempt, individualism, lust, idolatry, and selfishness, while the church is trying to sing louder about love, selflessness, faith, purity, and hope.
"The problem is when the two worlds try to mix, and like two paints that have mixed the original is lost and a new product is born"
In God's perfect and loving wisdom and mercy, he chose to make us with free will. It's with free will that we can choose to love him and live for him or forget him and live for the world. Two choices, you're either with God or you're against Him. While free will can become our saving grace when we embrace the love that he has poured out for us on the cross, it can also be our damnation when we choose to live enticed by the desires of the world and living for the materials that the world has to offer. What we see in the modern church is a new breed of people rising, and these people are more dangerous to the church than anything the world could birth.
These people live within the church, yet spend their lives in the world. To the world they look like the church with hints of the world, but to the church they look like the world with hints of the church. Their most dangerous when they've been raised in the church, but as they grew older bowed to the pressures of the world. They know the Bible, they have all the answers, and they know how to lie convincingly enough to make the rest of the Church believe that all is well, yet behind closed doors and in the public eye all is not well. While trying to dupe their Christian peers into believing that they are just like them, they have tricked themselves into believing their own lies--sometimes without even knowing it. While the church is trying to be set apart and different, without any traces of the world within its veins, these people are muddying the crystal clear waters with the filth that they carry with them. Jesus Himself speaks out against hypocrites. The Bible speaks out against hypocrisy. We as the Church need to cast them out in the name of Christ and set a new standard of 100% purity.
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