Thoughts from a road trip...

Letting go. At some points in our life we must get past our self and into Christ. Currently I am living my life stuck in neutral, and not moving on to the next part of my life. I’ve become self-focused and self-centered, ignoring my saviors calls by choosing for myself fleeting pleasures of a sinful life. Defeated, broken and destroyed I choose to “heal” myself through my own ambitions and the feeling that one or two half way sincere prayers will lift me out of the darkness into perfect union with God again. I keep cycling through the same moments, reach a point of “freedom” only to fall back down into the depths…or do I hold on too much. By holding on to the past and my own desires I do not allow God to step in and move my soul through the darkness sufficiently and into the light found in His arms. My life has changed, yet I am living as if it hasn’t by holding on to sin patterns and holding on to my own desires. When will I realize that my desires are not of value and it is God’s desires for my life that are sufficient to lead me into this next stage of life that I am denying to reach. Denying God to hold on to a state of life that I no longer need to be in is the act of insanity and self-denial that I long to leave behind…. literally and figuratively. The act of letting go can be nothing that I will myself but rather something I must let God do. The cycle of sin that I have is not healthy and it rots my soul. I feel good, then crash, feel bad…. repeat. I need to let God control my life and let Him take me to where he wants me. I cannot control my spirituality as much as I think. God is the catalyst, there may be certain reagents, but God is the catalyst and I am nothing more than a substance that he moves and activates. I cannot make myself into a spiritual being, it must be done by God. Letting go of myself, and leaving it in the hands of a savior that is worthy of completing my broken puzzle of a life, He is the key, He is the front of the box with the whole picture on it. I cannot put myself together, God is the one who sees where the pieces go and I must let him complete all the crooked pieces into a masterpiece. I feel as though he puts the puzzle together by starting at the center (heart) and work his way out by eventually smoothing out the edges that complete our puzzle of a life. I long for the master of my soul and life to complete my brokenness and build me into a masterpiece. My king is bigger than me and my sin patterns. I pray he will move through me like a lightning bolt, resuscitating the dead and completing me. God take me and move in me, let me let go of all things holding me back from freedom in you…freedom is what I long for.

Thought

"A Christians purpose is not to serve the church, a Christians purpose is to serve the world."

our purposes is to glorify God, we glorify God by serving others, not just the church. Until "christians" realize this, im afraid that the faith that ought be shared, will be locked in each of our hearts and only opened for those who share our belief. Our heart should overflow with Christ's love for entire world, not just the people in the church.

In the classical discipline of Lectio Divina there are four basic steps to be examined: Lectio, Meditatio, Oratio, and Contemplatio. Before we do this, however, it must be realized that Lectio emerged and was practiced in settings where those engaged in Lectio lived in a context of intimacy with God where lives of increasing Christlikeness were expected. This is hardly the context of our life in the world. Therefore, we need an added introductory and concluding step in our practice of Lectio: Silentio and Incarnatio.

Silencio. If the Scripture is to become a place of transforming encounter with God, we must first adopt an inner attitude of stillness, openness, receptivity, and responsiveness to God in love. We must begin our time with the Word become text by making our self available to God, setting aside our agendas, relinquishing our self-referencedness, willing for God to meet us in the text however God chooses, committing our self to receiving whatever God brings to us in the text no matter how disturbing or troubling it may be. Silencio is, at its heart, a loving abandonment to God which will allow God to be and do with us whatever God chooses. Don’t rush this step. Seek to become as abandoned to God in love as you possibly can.

Lectio. Here we read the text. Choose a small portion, the focus is not covering large units but plumbing the depths of a small, integral segment. Read the text slowly several times, absorb the text into your mind and heart. It might help, if the nature of the text permits, to place yourself in the role of one or more of the persons in the text and experience the text from those perspectives. Engage your sight, hearing, smell, touch and even taste as the passage permits. Live in the text as deeply as possible. Take the text into your being. Immerse your being in the text. As you “absorb” the text, take note of how your spirit resonates with the text. Are there moments of delight? Disturbance? Peace? Fear? Sense of loss? Light? Darkness? Decentering? Recentering? Presence? Absence? Resistance? Anger? Joy?

Meditatio. Now we “wrestle” with the text, with the Word become text. If you think of Lectio as putting food into your mouth, Meditatio is chewing. You ruminate upon the text and how you have been probed by it. What is God saying to you in this text? What engenders those resonances in your spirit? What is the source of your resistance, your fear, your sense of loss? What has been decentered and why? What has been recentered? Throughout your rumination keep your focus on how God is encountering you in the text, how the Word has become text for you.

Oratio. Meditatio should flow seamlessly into Oratio—prayer; but this is prayer of a special kind. Up to this point, God has been encountering you in the text if, through abandoned receptivity, you have been allowing the Word become text to be a place of encounter with God. Now you respond to this encounter from your heart. Oratio is no formal, stylized prayer. It is the communication of heart to Heart, spirit to Spirit, the outpouring of one’s being to God. In the text God may have probed some deep pool of anger in you and your Oratio is simply screaming out that anger at God. God can handle our anger, and this may be the most real prayer we have ever prayed! In the text God may have touched some hidden sin and your Oratio is tears of repentance. God may have opened a fountain of joy in the text and your Oratio is laughter and singing. God may have been silent in the text and your Oratio is affirming your willingness to wait upon God. Transforming encounter with God is always a two-way relationship, and Oratio is the first response of our being to God in that relationship.

Contemplatio. Once we have poured out our heart to God in Oratio, we then become still and allow God to implant the Word become text in our heart that the Word might become flesh in us. A powerful image of Contemplatio is from Psalm 131: “Truly, I have set my soul in silence and in peace, like a weaned child at its mother’s breast.”[9] The unweaned child is at its mother’s breast for what it needs and wants—milk. The weaned child is the image of abandonment to the mother in love, letting the mother be whatever she wants to be and do whatever she wants to do. Without such radical abandonment to God in love, the Word can never become flesh in us. In Contemplatio we may experience deep touches of God or we may experience nothing. Neither is as significant as the Contemplatio itself, the nurturing of the soul in a posture of loving abandonment, a yielded availability to God.

Incarnatio. The inner posture of yielded availability must then be carried out into the world of our daily life. If there has been a transformative touch of God upon our life, we must incarnate that reality at the first opportunity. We must allow the Word which has encountered us to become flesh in us, in our life in the world, in our relationships, in the circumstances and situations of our daily existence. A word or phrase from the passage might become the deep inner breathing of our soul as we move through our days.

One practical example of how the Word become text could become a place of transforming encounter with God so the Word might become flesh in your daily life. It comes from a portion of Scripture which, I presume, is very familiar to you -- The Lord’s Prayer.

Jesus teaches us to pray, “Our Father in Heaven” (Mt 6:9). This Word can be a place of transforming encounter with God, it can structure a whole new mode of being in the world. The first word, “our;” indicates that as we initiate openness to God in prayer we don’t do it alone. We come to God within the matrix of all the relationships of our life, real and potential, close and most distant, regular and occasional. We come to God in the context of life in human community, in both the broadest and in the narrowest sense. The entire human family is caught up in “our,” as well as the closer web of our daily relationships and the closest network of friends and family. In the word “our” our relationship with God and our relationships with others are inseparably intertwined.

When we pray, “Our Father,” with integrity, the context of all our human relationships is transformed. Every person encompassed by “our” becomes our sister and brother. Others are no longer valued for the ways they enhance our agenda or devalued for the ways they thwart our purposes. Others can no longer be pawns in our game, objects for the fulfillment of our desires, or enemies to be demonized and destroyed. Every person becomes one whom God loves and for whom God’s grace is constantly outpoured. Others are those for whom we are to be the sister or brother in whom God’s love and grace touches them. “Our Father,” instantly bonds us with God on the one hand and with others on the other hand. If we take these two words, “Our Father,” out into our life, if we make them the sub-text of every relationship, our relationships will be transformed and the reality of God’s dynamic for holistic human relationships will become incarnate in us.

When we pray, “Our Father in heaven,” with integrity, all of life is grounded in a radically alternative mode of being. “In heaven,” is not a statement of location, it is the affirmation of God’s realm of being in which the “our” can find wholeness of life in loving union with God in relationships with others. “In heaven,” affirms a realm whose values, perspectives, and practices are contrary to those of the pervasively self-referenced structures of our culture; a realm which, as Jesus said, is already in our midst (Lk 17:21). If we take these four words, “Our Father in heaven,” out into our life, if we make them the sub-text of every relationship, the reality of God’s realm of shalom and justice will begin to become incarnate in us; the Word will begin to become flesh in us in our world.



[8] In addition to the practices suggested in this section, cf. “Breaking the Crust,” “Wesley’s Guidelines for Reading the Scripture,” “Obstacles to Spiritual Reading,” and “The Practice of Spiritual Reading” (Ch. 10-13) in Shaped by the Word.

from

ML

In this sort of temptation and struggle, contempt is the best and easiest method of winning over the devil. Laugh your adversary to scorn and ask who it is with whom you are talking. But by all means flee solitude, for the devil watches and lies in wait for you most of all when you are alone. This devil is conquered by mocking and despising him, not by resisting and arguing with him. Therefore, Jerome, joke and play games with your wife and others. In this way you will drive out your diabolical thoughts and take courage
Be of good courage, therefore, and cast these dreadful thoughts out of your mind. Whenever the devil pesters you with these thoughts, at once seek out the company of men, drink more, joke and jest, or engage in some other form of merriment. Sometimes it is necessary to drink a little more, play, jest, or even commit some infraction in defiance and contempt of the devil in order not to give him an opportunity to make us scrupulous about trifles. We shall be overcome if we worry too much about falling into some sin.
Accordingly if the devil should say, "Do not drink," you should reply to him, "On this very account, because you forbid it, I shall drink, and what is more, I shall drink a generous amount." Thus one must always do the opposite of that which Satan prohibits. What do you think is my reason for drinking wine undiluted, talking freely, and eating more often, if it is not to torment and vex the devil who made up his mind to torment and vex me. --Luther

simple difficulties

Sinner...death....resurrection...life...destroy me, so that I may live a life worthy of the gospel...salvation is free but its a long road to sanctification. Fill me with ur love and power.

tainted

Sin Nature...is it overpowering at times? Does it control me? I find that the sin (old) nature of me, pre conversion seems to grab at me and control me at times. On the cross, the power of sin in our lvies is destroyed, we can avoid sin through Christ and His Holy Spirit can help us defeat the power of sin in all moments. Then why do i still feel controlled by sinful flesh? I have decided that the old man can creep in and devour our desire for Christ and enflame us for self-satisfaction. This is a long and steady decline that occurs when we cut ourselves off from God, fellowship and meditations on scripture and prayer. It slowly starts and once it is complete the soul is in dissarray and looks to itself as opposed to looking to God for satisfaction and guidance. Their is no formulaic answer to a soul's renovation, as much as we would like to think so. It cannot be instant, it will be hard fought battle, grinding it out with the demons of our past and present self centeredness. Renovation is what i long for. Taking the oppressed and forming it into a new battle hardened warrior of the gospel. I do not wish to be a fundamentalist legalistic bum, not do i desire a life of cheap grace, rock star christianity that i see rising. I desire to be well-balanced, devoid of legalism and leaning on real authentic grace. Living my life in balance under Christ, not leaning to the right or left, but maintaining my faith and growing towards Christ moment by moment. Allow God to be my satisfaction, not myself. Please God by glorifying Him in all i do, not placing trust in my self. My joy shouldnt be in me, but in God. I want to live my life in service to God, and God alone.

Nostalgia Pt. Deuce

nother old post that was tight...



So i had an interesting thought the other day. I have been having these thoughts of the phrase "sinner saved by grace." I have come to a conclusion. Yes, i am a sinner saved by grace. But as i broke this down i noticed something in which made me believe this was a strong statement. Sinner, i am not, not since God poured out his grace and forgivenss upon me when i asked Him to be inside me by faith. Justified through Faith. Anyway, i have alwasy hear that phrase previously mentioned, and although it is true, i think that it is looked upon in the wrong way often. We are Sinners saved by grace, and thats just it, we have been Saved by Grace. Saved from what? Saved From being a Sinnner! Therefore, we are not sinners, we ARE Saints(Followers of Christ, romans 8:27) The thought of being a sinner saved by grace is a good thought and a true phrase but people, including myself, look at that and think that since we are sinners....saved by grace..then sinning is normal and expected of ourselves.( thanks Louie G.) THIS IS NOT TRUE! We are Saved by Grace from sin. Sin does not define us any longer, we are now no longer bound by sin, so why would i think that sin is such a part of me? Believing lies thats why. Now it has been common for me to sin and think that it is normal and maybe even what im supposed to do cause after all i am a sinner( saved by grace). Well yesterday, when i was listening to Louie Giglio speak on this topic, i am to the conclusion that although the phrase is a true phrase, i dont think i wanna use it anymore....it makes me think that i am just going to sin, its a part of life. Well im here to say that it is NOT apart of my life, or anyones life who entrusts their hearts, minds, and wills to Christ.(Matthew 1:21 says he came to SAVE us from SIN)( i Timothy 1:15-16; came to the world to SAVE SINNERS).....Now to me that means that the ways of the world(sin) is no longer who i am, but rather i am Chosen, as a son of Christ and therefore Free from the old ways of sin and destruction. Why? Cause Christ is in me, and I am in Christ, who set us free. That means sin should not be a commonality in my life, sure i will still sin, but i should not EXPECT TO and write it off as normal cause afterall i am a Sinner Saved by grace....nope, i am a Chosen Son Of God Through Christ, Sin No longer has power over me or binds me.

Ahhhh...Nostalgia

This is an old post from years back...i liked it and it isnt on here so i decided to post it....


Have you ever sat on a porch of an apartment in Atlanta and wondered at thye beauty of the Lord and His creation....ha...well at least the second part? It is amazing as i sit and stare at the hibernating trees in the half forest off my balcony and the blue sky as the big white, fluffy, shape shifting clouds slide by. Awe inspiring beauty....yet i think that so often i neglect, not only the beauty of His creation, but the essence of His gospel message in my life. So often i try , check that, MOST often i try to please my self and the people around me rather that the God who saved me and pours out His love day by day and moment by moment in my Life. Choices to please myself or seek Christ should be easy decisions....and they are, but time and again they are not the choices i should make. Value in playing playstation or watching my favorite TV show is not that high. Yet, i make concious decisions to entertain myself with the things of this world instead of following after my Lord with all my heart, mind and soul. Do i really care about my purpse on this planet? Apparently not.....Football is a sport of action, strength, leadership and courage. The onlookers only experience this through heightened passion of "cheering your team on." The passion that is seen on the field's of battle are outpoured upon the crowd and the spectators put all they have into their cheering efforts in hope that the team pulls through. Slight problem here. Crowds may make a small difference in encouraging the team to victory, but the reality of it is: THEY CAN DO NOTHING TO DIRECTLY INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF A GAME WITHOUT BEING ON THE FIELD! My Christian walk is all about being a spectator in a game where i should be on the field giving my all to the cause of Christ. Sure, some may say im at least on the sidelines as I am in ministry, maybe the backup quarterback who sits and listens to the coach and signals in plays........Hope. Thats what i have that the Lord will do a work in my life, give me a passionate desire to see people changed and grow towards the King of Glory who changed my life and took my sin and made me righteous..........

ALL of ME

I think that God has been trying to bring to himself for years. I have strayed and returned, multiple times. Its not that i totally give up on God, its more of a running from Him and his calling in my life. I find that he continues to try and renovate my soul, bringing back to intimacy. The problem is that I run, i dont let Him in. I want to keep my self to myself! As much as God desires t orenovate me and make me whole in Him, He cannot do it without me allowing Him to have control and take ALL of me. Denying myself daily is what it will take....check that, denying myself EVERY MOMENT, EVERY BREATH, is the answer i seek. I must deny myself and surrender all to Christ in order to truly live. Its so funny that to truly live, i have to give it all up. Everything i hold dear and find important and even feel good about is not life. Sure i can still ejoy some of it "All In" with Christ, but it cannot take precedence over my King. I must allow God to take all of me and renovate my soul and heart into His desire for His creation. I have no right to live my life in my own way, i do not belong to myself....i belong to Christ, i must let Him do with me, what he wishes. As a strong willed, stubborn summabitch, i have to let go....of ALL of ME......Its very difficult for me, but it will be so rewarding. this journey has been long and taken many twists and turns, but i am going to do what it takes t oserve my King wholly....not half-assed.

So i just watched Elizabethtown. I loved it. I thought it was wa great story of a man and his father, and finding his love. I dont desire such an elaborate journey, but i would love to meet someone that made me feel alive like Drew in the movie did. He was at his wits end, fired, suicidal.....and the death of his father brought him life and love. I obvioudly dont want that story, but i want to find that person that makes me alive and feel like i am free again. For too long i have grown cynical and pessimistic in regards to the dating scene. I got burnt by a few ladies and it hurt so i blocked myself form the idea of dating. I have been out of it and have not felt a true attraction in years. That stopped the other night as i pondered on someone i know and enjoy. I finally, after 4 years, actually decided that i enjoyed a girl so much that i desired her companionship (in the non physical way of course)....it was a milestone. Who knows if she is gonna ever be a part of my romantic life, but it doesnt matter...she broke the mindset i have had for years.Recently i interacted with a girl and felt something i havent felt it years.....i felt a romantic connection. A connection tha i cannot describe as anything else more that n "Lightning running through my veins, everytime i look at you" (thank you David Gray) i am encourage and i look forward to moving forward in life, putin my self back out there...looking past the hurt and looking to the future....

Pits of despair

The more we've become accustomed to seeking life apart from God, the more "abnormal and stressful" it is to "look for God directly."

This quote, blazingly true, is unfortunately the end result of many rich christian's lives. The current state, so to speak. I know from experience that if we do not cultivate, do not feed, but constrict our spiritual lives, we will be at this point. A point, not of no return, but a point of stagnant despair in which we cannot seem to muster the strength and will to claw our way out of the depths. It reminds me of a path, walking towards and with God, only to see something shiny to our right or left and "go check it out". Wether this shiny thing is a sin, or even something less evil like an activity, person or group, it distracts us from God so much that we continue to walk towards it, and away from God. Seeking this object seems harmless at first, and maybe it is harmless, until we let our focus of of Christ. At this point we realize we have fallen into a trap of sin and instead of heading back towards God we keep getting more tangled up in this snare. Eventually we are so entangled we stay. When we try to get out, we easily give up because it is too stressful or weird to try and reach for God, we have lost our intimacy and direction in life due to affairs of this world. The desire to reach back to God is there but we have made it "abnormal" to seek God because we have maintained focus on this shiny object instead, only to find out it was a trap and we cannot get out no matter how hard we try.
But thats just it, we cannot remove our self from this snare, we must rely in the God we neglected, the God that has the power to raise the dead. Our God, Our Savior. Seek God in these moments and trials, getting back the intimacy with God is not easy, it is HARD, TOUGH, and outright DIFFICULT. But God can easily remove us from this trap, place us back in the right path and lead us towards himself. This is not easy as i said, we must remain in community, prayer and training our mind with scriptures. The trail we are on, is not easy and the only way we can navigate it is with a map. The map is nothing more than, community, prayer and training our selves with scripture. This is the map to regeneration, the map to rejuvenation and the map to reconciliation with Christ. The compass is Holy Spirit, follow his direction and your life will be on the right path. DIfficulties will still arise and new or old shiny objects will draw us off the path, but if we focus on Christ in these moments, we can get back on track easier and with less pain and difficulty. Life will be tough, weary and heavy on the soul, but God is stronger, reviving and his burden is light. Reaching back to God through fellowship, scripture and prayer is vital if we are to become intimate with God again if you have been snared. The importance of a bible study, accountability and support base of Godly friends is necessary in this life. Do not shy away from sharing your struggles with tight knit friends, this will free you, although in your mind it will weaken you it in fact will STRENGTHEN YOU against your struggles. Reach out to God, Cry out to Him, he is faithful.

As i sit in class, i find it interesting that many people are just now, or fairly recently, understanding the concept of the Trinity. It is sad as i sit and drop eaves upon converstions to hear the thoughts. Many are still clueless and do not believe that you can mention God with the trinitarian language. I on the other hand have no problem with mentioning the "roles" of the trinity singularly. I do not find it necessary to mention God and Christ if i am discussing walking in the spirit. At that point i am talking about the HS! It should be implied that i mean that particular characteristic of God that involves in the HS! I find it important to hold a Tri-une view of God, but i do not find it necessary to discuss each of the aspects of God individually. I am losing faith in the tradition i follow as it is too vague in doctrinal, theological and social issues that can be interpreted various ways. THis causes schism and i do not foresee any type of mending on the horizon. I am sticking to this tradition b/c it need strong, convicting leaders that it lacks as a whole. I vow that i will be who i am called, not in order to change the church, but in order that people may see that conviction and the gospel are vital to church life.

I am also not a fan of "inculsive" langauge. Sure God is not a man, but he has authority and positions as King. I will worship a King. Not an it, not or Queen, nor a Hermaphrodite deity....maybe my reformed views are flowing out currently, but thats fine. I am reformed, and my views will remain that way as i journey in Christ. Calvin and Luther are my heroes, not Wesley. Welsey is great, but i dont agree with all of his theology.

Sola Scriptura

Lately ive been wondering about if im at the right school...In class it seems that when everyone else disagrees with something with a "hmm" or a "nope" i am exceedingly and heartily agreeing with the statements/arguments. Maybe it is good for me to learn perspectives that are not my own. At the same time i struggle with wether or not i am at the right Seminary due to my differences upon theological and at times doctrinal issues. I find it hard to want to be involved with a church that does not hold Scripture as King in regards to theology, doctrine and value of what is said about God in scripture. After further review the idea is that primacy of scripture is overarching the tradition, reason, and experience. Teh problem lies in that most people will never or still dont truly understand this. Sola Scriptura. A Man of One Book like Wesley himself said. I find it hard to not place scripture as the main authority in all theological or doctrinal issues.

Missio Dei

This is a post, mainly that i myself remember the calling of the Apostolic tradition of the church. The church should be focused on the mission that God has set forth for us. We don't "have" a mission, but rather the church IS a mission. The gatherings of the church, such as SUnday school and "church", is for the believers to be equipped through teaching and discipling. Once we leave the church we are to be sent forth into the world. The world is our mission field. Our neighbors are our mission, as are our enemies. Church should never be about what "I" can get out of it, but rather it is about being equipped to reach the community and help our fellow believers in the works of grace that are called our lives.

What is important on this earth? Life? Living for Christ? Material things? Friends? Obviously some of these are more important than others but what is it all worth when we die. Death is not the end of life...it is the beginning! Dying physically ot this world takes us into new, painless and tearless life in heaven eternally. Maybe there will be tears, but tears of joy in the glory of God and reunions with old friends and family. The point is that dying on this earth is painful to loved ones, but truly it should be a celebration. The temporary absence from the presence of loved ones until our death, pales in comparison to the eternity of joy and life in Christ in heaven. People wonder why good people die. They die for the same reason bad people die, it is a natural fact of life. When Adam and Eve broke covenant with God it allowed death to enter. This death is painful and tearful, but it is not something to fear. SHy fear something that is gonna happen? The joy of the person who loves christ and leaves this earth is far surpassing the joy of being on this earth. We cannot fathom this because we have not experienced heaven, But when we do it will be awesome. I hope that all who love me will not be saddened when i pass, but instead will be inspired to live life and reach others for Christ, the savior i would be enjoying the presence of when i die...as i will do the same when my friends or family pass.

Social Gospel

It seems to me that the current under belly of Christianity is starting to shift to a social gospel. What i mean is that Christians, have started to emphasize the serving of others, sans the gospel message. What say you is the difference between a non-gospel presenting Christian and a blatant Atheist who serves others? Is there a difference? Should we help others just for the betterment of mankind? HElping others should be out of an outpouring of the gospel in our lives. This means that we should not just fill a man's belly, or give them the shirt off my back, but we should share the good news of Christ to theses people. The argument is that, "Christ helped others". I agree, whole heartedly. Christ also told other's about himself and the coming kingdom of God. HE did both. WE should do both. I do not advocate bible beating, i advocate a compassionate love of other's in which the gospel is shown through our words and actions. THere is no difference in helping others if we do not share with them WHY, we are helping them. I feel that the current though amongst young christians is very Socialist and at times Marxist. This caused many young people to vote for a Socialist president, because he wants to help the poor. (so he says) The president elect holds Socialist values and his church's Black Liberation Theology is also very socialist. The point is that our Christian society is starting to shift towards a focus upon values that may be biblical, but not complete. Sound Doctrine, prayer, reading of the scriptures, fellowship, evangelism and serving others are the tenets of the faith that i pledge to lean on. THe 6 foundations if you will. I refuse to sacrifice the gospel for this "social gospel" that is supposedly "just like ancient christianity." (except the part about casting the gospel aside) If they wish to be like Christ, (who came to save sinner's) then they must do BOTH. There is no compromise. You must be actively involved in evangelism and serving others. They go hand in hand. If one was to err, id rather them err on the side of sharing the gospel. Sharing the gospel is the ultimate act of helping others. WE are commanded to do this, if you cast that aside you might as well cast the whole Bible aside. Love God whole heartedly and you will love others whole heartedly...with service AND the gospel.

Reason and Faith?

Today in class we discussed the relationship that the two have. I have come to the conclusion that reason is important in the apologetical side of discussing faith, but i am not convinced that it is actually reasonable to have faith. Faith is not reasoned out, we do not "come to faith" through reasoning out the gospel in our minds. It is not possible to do this if you believe in the saving grace of Christ. We come to faith, not through any act of our own. (which includes reasoning, works, or choice) God pours out his grace upon us in an act of love. We do not deserve or earn our faith. We earn faith in others, but not God. God grants us faith and when his grace is revealed to us we cannot help but accept it. His grace, in my opinion is irresistible. How can one resist the power of God, especially when he pours out his saving grave upon us and reveals himself to us? It is not possible. This comes back to the original question. The question of faith and reason should be rephrased to is it rational to believe in God and that he exists. Faith is a gift and no reasoning is behind it. The reason i have faith is because God gave it too me, therefore i cannot reason myself into faith other than saying that it was given by God, out of grace, free from merit and not out of any effort of my own. I can reason how to advance my faith or how God gave me my faith, but in no means can i come to faith out of reasoning, for intellectual assent is not salvation. I can intellectually assent to the belief in powers and principalities, and know they are real, but that does not mean i have faith in them. Assenting to he belief in God is not saving faith. God's gracious gift is a saving faith from Him and through Him.

Christianity, is not about the individuals salvation and their community, It is about a community of individuals who share a salvation with one another.

Holiness

I just came to a striking epiphany that will hopefully transform my life into one that is more worthy of the cause of Christ. As i read on the attributes of God and how he is Holy, not just perfect, but wholly Holy. Holiness wraps up all of who God is into one phrase, but at the same time he is so much more. All of God is summarized in the term "Holy". God is fully present in each of his attributes, indivisible from any one of them, with Holiness encompassing them all. This comes to my epiphany. I just thought to myself about how sometimes I look upon certain issues as not wrong, although i am not looking at it from the right angle. Surely some things are not wrong, or permissible by God, but that doesn't get to the point. It is not about what is right or wrong, it is about holiness. It is about being set apart from the things of this world, even if they are harmless or "not wrong". I think of many vices the world offers and know that they are not all bad, and even satisfying without taking it too far and reaching into sin. The point is to strive for holiness above worldliness. I hope this thought rings true in my ears for life. I want to be set apart, yet within the world. I want to be inside the world, but as someone who is in it to influence other's through being set apart. I never want to be come a Holier than though legalistic christian, i desire to be a Holy, loving, grace-filled, relevant individual who serves others for Christ

Fear

Fear. A thought, an idea, a state of existence? In this life that we lead, it has become apparent to me that we are in a constant state of fear. I am not talking about the fear of spiders, snakes, vampires, or airplane crashes. Im not even talking about legitimate fears such as death. Instead i am talking about the fear of living life. What I mean is that we allow fears to hold us back from truly living. How is one to live if they are in a constant state of fear in some area of their life. Fear grabs ahold of our hearts and minds and holds us back from a life of abundance and freedom. As Christian's we must reject fear... all of them. The wrath of God is the only health fear one can have and truly live life. Common fears that hold me back from living a complete life is: the fear of rejection, the fear of God's will, and the fear of disappointing others.
If we hold back our passions, our hearts, in regards to ministering to others, what is the point of living. If we do not try to reach out to others hearts we are missing out on the gifts that God so longs to give us. I want to be in others lives actively and decisively in order that they and I may truly begin living in freedom from sin, that freedom that is found only in Christ. BY not fearing the rejection or failure of placing your heart into others, we miss out on blessings that could transform our lives into a bold faith that is afraid of nothing. This boldness is what is needed in the world today... passionate fearless faith that transforms lives and worships Christ without abandon. If we miss out on the will of God because we do not heed his calls, we are truly missing out on a special aspect of life. Many times i have rejected Gods call and begun to run the other way out of fear of how he could use me. The magnificence of being used by God should make one long for these moments. The problem comes in when we know we will have to give up parts of a lifestyle that we long to hold onto. The worst part is that we will be missing out on the most indescribable treasure one could ever receive. A treasure that holds more worth than anything this world has to offer. This treasure is the work of Christ that we can take part in if we decide to step out into His will and emptying our own will to be filed with Him alone. The problem arises when our selfish worldliness wants to hold on to sins or even things that are good, instead of allowing God to use us in His will. The ONLY way to be in God's will, is to reject our own will in order that God's will, will become our own. The fear of disappointing others could go along with the first fear, but i wanted to touch on it distinctly. If we fail, if we do not do what we think is expected of us, our lives will be nothing more than a life of slavery in which we are slaves to others indirectly. I have felt called to be a minister of God, yet i run from it constantly. Knowing that i could possible fail at anything keeps me in constant fear of doing something i am called to do. If i sit back and live in this fear, i will obviously fail. If you don't try, you have already failed to be who you are called to be. I must look past this fear of others disappointment and step forth into life with a boldness that says, "I may fail temporarily, but in the end i will succeed eternally" There is no need to worry about failing others b/c i am not perfect. I feel that sinning disproves my call, yet it proves it all the more. Because i sin, i am just like everyone that has lived on this earth, besides Christ. (who was perfect) Through Christ, my faith in Him has made me righteous, or perfect in God's eyes. This means that i am perfect in the future tense! Living with this in mind it becomes evident that i should not fear these things, particularly being who i am not by sinning. I am not the person who sins anymore, i am now a new creation who can live in freedom within God's will. This concept of freedom from fears can change people's lives and make them better. That is all i long for, is to change people's minds and provide the chance for them to see the glory of God through the life of Christ within me. Thats all i want. Do Not Fear.