Monthly Archives: September 2013

You Believe What???

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by in christian, gay, Jesus, Uncategorized, whosoever

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“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” – Aristotle

This is where I would like to begin.  What we believe and why.  Do we believe what we believe because it is true, or do we believe because we have been taught to believe?  There are numerous examples of this throughout life.  For instance, if you were raised in the State of Alabama and are a football fan, you are probably either a die-hard University of Alabama fan or a die-hard Auburn fan.  Depending on which household you grew up in, will depend which team you root for with reckless abandon.  This loyalty is passed down generation to generation.

If you were raised in an Episcopal household, there is a high probability you will be Episcopalian.  If you were raised in a Methodist household, there is high probability you will be Methodist. If you were raised in a Baptist household there is a high probability you will be Baptist.  If you were raised in a Catholic household there is a high probability you will be Catholic; and so on and so forth.

Each of these faiths uses the Bible as their guidebook.  Yet each faith has a different set of doctrines and beliefs.  I am not implying one faith is more accurate or true than the other; that is not the purpose here.  However, what I am saying is those faiths are very different.  Yet each believer fervently believes they are right and in most cases perhaps even closer to God.  I am challenging us to briefly set aside what we have been taught.  To temporarily leave what is our spiritual comfort zone and look at things from a different perspective and determine what we believe the truth to be for ourselves.

There was a time when a ship sailing on a body of water and reached the horizon, it was not only assumed but sincerely believed it fell off the face of the earth because the earth was flat.  We now look back and think the people who held that belief were not very smart.  But in fact, that vast majority of individuals living at that time believed it to be true.

I remember growing up in the South in the 60’s.  It was a turbulent time.  Civil rights was a heated issue.  Many churches were involved on both sides of the debate.  Many churches would not let those of different races enter into their worship services.  People were beaten and/or killed simply because of the color of their skin.  Now in the 21st century we look back and say that behavior was WRONG.  When we read of something like that happening now we are appalled and righteously enraged.  The question I want to pose here is when did the rules change?  Was it RIGHT back then and WRONG now?  Or was it always WRONG?  Did people continue holding on to the belief that Black Americans were inferior simply because the beliefs were passed down from generation to generation or did they seek out what God said?

God is never changing.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  So who was it that missed the truth?  Of course, it was the humans. Why? Because a choice was made to believe the status quo and stay in the comfort zone of the time.  Humans took a few scriptures and interpreted them in such a way to make them mean what they wanted them to say, rather than investigate and believe what the Bible really said about the issue.

Isn’t it time we examined what we believe and why?  In this day and age of such hot button topics and great divides in the country not only politically, but spiritually, is it not of paramount importance that we sincerely search our hearts and ask God for direction, guidance and wisdom.  With hate spewing from every side, Christian and non-Christian alike, is it not time we searched and investigated what really is consistent with the character of God?  What is consistent with the character of Jesus?  Did Jesus Christ come to this earth, die for us and rise from the dead, to give us the freedom to beat and bloody each other in His name? I believe not.

I realize it takes courage to break your belief system down and examine it part by part. It takes even greater courage to admit perhaps you had a thing or two wrong.  But in the final analysis it matters not what man says, not what the preacher or priest says, not what the Pope says, not what momma and daddy always told me, but what does God say.  It is far better to recognize an honestly, non-malicious, skewed belief, than to keep beating Children of God over the head with our misconceptions and false truths because we do not have the courage to re-evaluate our beliefs and ask God for direction and wisdom.

If you find in your self-evaluation you were wrong, and most of us are wrong about something, then let’s pray we have the courage to adopt the truth and let that truth, in fact, set us free.  (Malachi 3:6; John 8:32)

Does God Love Me?

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

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“But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, God’s love for us does not.  It is not wearied by our sins, or our indifference; and, therefore, it is quite relentless.”  C.S. Lewis

Does God Love Me?

The answer to that question is absolutely, without reservation or doubt.

There is nothing any human can do to entice God to love him or her more than He already does.  Likewise, there is nothing any human can or cannot do to make God love him or her less than He already does.  Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.  At a point before you were born, before you heard of God, before you loved anyone, Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.  This scripture not only implies but clearly states that God loved you before you loved Him.  He loved you before you existed or did anything good or bad, positive or negative.  So even if this is difficult or awkward for you, just for a moment choose to accept the fact that God loves YOU; right now, right here, in your current state.

Since you now know God loves YOU, not just everyone but YOU specifically, the next question is do you have a relationship with Him?  This part is YOUR choice.  God will pursue you, ruthlessly trying to love you, but a relationship with Him is impossible until you say you accept His love.

How do you accept His love?  John 3:36 says “Whosoever believes in the Son of God (God’s sacrifice of love) has eternal life, but whosoever rejects the Son of God will not see eternal life.  The often quoted John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  So to accept God’s love, you accept His Son Jesus Christ and his sacrifice of love on the cross.

Now you know God loves you and how to enter into a relationship with Him.  But still you are cautious or doubtful because maybe relationships are not your strong suit.  Perhaps some relationships have ended badly for you.  Perhaps someone has told you because of something in your life or lifestyle you cannot have a relationship with God.

Because of things you have read, been told or taught you have this recording playing in your head that says “God will never accept me because of this or that.”  The bible repeatedly says WHOSOEVER.  But your heart screams, you do not understand I had an abortion … God says you are whosoever; I had a baby out of wedlock … you are whosoever; I was abused as a child and no one wants used goods … you are whosoever; I am a prostitute … you are  whosoever; I am gay … you are whosoever; I am an alcoholic … you are whosoever; I am an addict … you are whosoever; I am a self-injurer … you are whosoever; I attempted suicide … you are whosoever; I killed someone … you are whosoever; I have been an unfaithful spouse … you are whosoever; I committed a crime … you are whosoever.

When you say “but you do not understand, I _______________ (you fill in the blank)” or better yet, fill in the blank with what you find the most disgusting, vile, repulsive of all human behavior … and YES even that person is a WHOSOEVER.  There is NOTHING you can put in that blank that has the power to keep God from lovingly looking at you and saying you are WHOSOEVER … you are MY CHILD … I want YOU to be part of MY family.

Some will say those are strong words; how do you know that.  You cannot possibly know what God thinks.  What I do know, and the Bible (Romans 8:38) supports is that NOTHING can separate us from the love of God.  The only thing that can prevent a relationship with God from materializing is not accepting His love, not accepting His Son’s death on the cross as complete and total payment for your sins. Short of that, you qualify as whosoever. So replace what you have been defined as in the past with the truth … say and begin to believe I AM WHOSOEVER.

Many people are frustrated because they try to find favor with God based solely on what they do or don’t do.  They attempt to follow a list of spiritual laws or rituals.  The truth is these things will produce one of two things; at best, if you are honest, you will suffer defeat … at worst, if you are deceitful, you will be a hypocrite.

I suppose the reality, especially for a ragamuffin like me, is that it can be hard to comprehend and believe that through grace we are already accepted.

So the answer to the original question is without a doubt or reservation, God relentlessly, compassionately, inexhaustibly loves YOU!

They will know we are Christians by …

15 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by in christian, servant

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I had a conversation this week that would have made me angry if it were not so tragic and heartbreaking. I have heard this or very similar conversations many times … Paraphrased it goes something like this … an individual finds a faith based, mainstream church … Begins attending … Begins to make close, heartfelt relationships … Time passes … Friendships are made … Tithes are paid … Prayers are prayed … Attendance is regular … Bible studies are attended … Individual is faithful and serious about God and wants to become more involved in the church and ministry out reaches of said church … Wants to be allowed to do things like sing in the choir, help feed the homeless, volunteer time in the food pantry.  So this person goes to church leadership to determine how one becomes more involved … Only to be told they CANNOT until they are SAVED. The leader of the church bases this lack of Salvation on one thing and one thing only … This individual asking to become a servant is part of the gay community.

Now if this were a non-gay individual living with a girlfriend or boyfriend outside of marriage would their lack of Salvation be assumed and a disqualifying factor … In fact it would not and is not … This is evident in the congregation population … If this individual was a divorced person or an unfaithful spouse would their lack of Salvation be assumed and a disqualifying factor … In fact it would not and is not … This is also evident in the congregation population.  But because a person is gay they are not saved and cannot be a servant to others.  PS you cannot become a member either, but we will gladly continue to accept your 10% tithe and offering.

So now this individual is made to feel unworthy … Is made to feel less than … Is made to feel unwanted … Like Grace is for everyone, EXCEPT those who are gay. Consequently this individual no longer has a church home … A faith based safety net … and somehow we are supposed to drink the Kool-Aid and believe Jesus Christ is ok with this? That Jesus died on the cross for this? That Jesus looks down from heaven and looks at His Father and says I am so proud of my people who are called by my name … they are EXCLUDING all those for whom my death was not sufficient … NOT!!!

How can people who identify as Christians get this SO wrong? How can other Christians be so SILENT?  How can people be so comfortable showing such a distorted reflection of Christ?

Many of these very same Christians want to know why individuals are leaving the church or showing no interest in getting to know Christ … Honestly I want nothing to do with their Christ either … In fact rather than stating I am a Christian … I now say I believe Jesus Christ was and is EXACTLY who He claimed to be and is exactly who He continues to claim He is … I am not a Christian … I am a Christ follower … I strive daily to be more Christ like and introduce more people to my best friend and Savior … But I want NO part of being a Christian by their definition … On that point let me be crystal clear.

Heaven’s Prerequisite

12 Thursday Sep 2013

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“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C.S. Lewis

Heaven has been defined as a place where God lives. It is often described as paradise, a place to spend the afterlife. It is defined as the polar opposite of Hell.

A prerequisite is something that is required or necessary as a prior condition. So Heaven’s prerequisite by definition would be something that is required or necessary as a prior condition for entering Heaven.

You want to get a group of fundamentalist up in arms begin a Q & A on this topic. Pose this question, “What is required to enter heaven”? “What is required to secure a reservation in Heaven?” Those dragnet type folks who just want the bare facts sometimes ask “What must I do to avoid going to Hell?” All very good questions … all eternally important questions.

If you ask these questions you will receive a variety of answers with a plethora of biblical scripture to back up each point of view. This can be confusing at best and damning at worst. For instance, have you ever heard you must be baptized to go to Heaven? Many believe baptism is the right of admission or adoption into the family of God. Some believe you should be submerged in water to be baptized, some believe you need only be sprinkled with water, others believe you must be sprinkled with water as an infant and then at the “age of accountability” you must determine for yourself when is the appropriate time to be submerged in water baptism. As you can see the debate can be confusing.

Others believe you must not die with unconfessed sin in your life. I would agree confession is good for the soul. I would further agree that admitting to God we have fallen short of the mark is invaluable as a possible change agent. In order for change to take place, we must have knowledge that something needs changing right?
Others believe you must have a member of the clergy issue you last rites. Last rites are generally given to people who have knowledge of an impending death, i.e., those awaiting execution, mortally wounded or terminally ill. This has its origin in scriptures that talk about praying for the sick and anointing them with oil.

Some believe you must belong to and be an active member of a local church fellowship. Hebrews 10:24 says “do not forsake the assembling of yourself together”. I think most would agree church attendance can have a positive, life changing effect on a person.

Each one of these “prerequisites” is valid and good in their place. Baptism is a good thing. It is a choice, an outward behavior that signifies an inward change. It is a public acknowledgment that we are a new creature in Christ.

It is good to confess to God sins or shortcomings when they occur. This keeps honest people honest as they say. Admitting fault is a sign of maturity that signals a readiness to grow or change.

Laying on of hands and anointing with oil is good also; whether it is the sick or the dying. It is a display of faith. It is a signal of our acceptance that God is in control and our belief that He will do what is His best for the situation.

Belonging to a church fellowship is good. It surrounds you with a built in support group and allows you to be supportive of others. It provides an environment to grow and mature.

Each of these is important in the proper place, however; none are a prerequisite for Heaven. The ONLY prerequisite for Heaven is to accept and acknowledge the need for a Savior, recognized the one and only Savior is Jesus the son of God, believe he died on the cross for every sin ever committed or that will ever be committed in the future, He resurrected three days later and now sits at the right hand of God the Father. Nothing more … nothing less.

The Bible is full of scriptures about behaviors that can be added to make the Christian life more rewarding, more intimate, more productive, more fulfilling, more effective, more joyful. But there is nothing that can be added as a prerequisite for heaven. Nothing.

Some people are troubled by what happens to individuals who have never heard the name of Jesus. Which is difficult to understand in our Western world, but the very person we so often take for granted, the salvation we take so lightly was given freely by someone of whom some have never heard. In this case I believe the Old Testament holds the answer. For those whom have never heard the name of Jesus it is as if Jesus never lived and most importantly never died or rose from the dead. It is difficult to believe on the topic of salvation a loving God would hold a person accountable for knowledge he/she do not possess.

Having said that, we are each born with an innate sense of right and wrong. Some call it a conscience. Abraham in the Old Testament was called righteous and faithful without the blood of Jesus. So was King David, Moses, Noah, Ruth, Elijah, Elisha, Queen Esther, etc. None of these people could be cleansed by the blood of Jesus, as it had not been shed and many of them committed egregious sins. However, God called them righteous because of their faith and their desire to do good. Their willingness to follow and be guided by their God given conscience. I have even heard some say it is better to have never heard the name of Jesus than to have heard it and rejected it. But that is a topic for another day.

The good news is, thankfully for those of us who have heard the name Jesus we can choose to have absolute assurance. Once you have heard the name, once who He is has been explained to you, then the decision is yours. Jesus + Nothing = Salvation. #whosoever