You Might Not Finish This Chapter

An excerpt from Crazy Love, by Francis Chan, p. 41-42

When I am consumed by my problems - stressed out about my life, my family, my job - I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have the "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.

Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives.

Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace toward others, or our tight grip of control.

Basically, these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we've been forgiven, that our lives here are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won't be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that in the context of God's strength, our problems are small, indeed.

Why are we so quick to forget God? Who do we think we are?

the gate is narrow

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
- Matthew 7:13-14

I think that this verse refers to Christians as a whole; the wide gate and the wide road is often seen as the 'wrong way to go', and rightly so. But the narrow gate and the narrow road is one that leads to heaven. I believe that this applies to Christians who choose the narrow gate, but find it much easier to walk the wide road.

Christianity. Is. Hard. It's not meant to be easy living as a Christian. You will be persecuted (Matthew 5), you're meant to suffer (James 1), you're supposed to DIE to your earthly desires (Romans 6), and you should consider everything trash for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3). Yet we live in a culture that clearly does not endorse these things. Heck, I live a life that doesn't endorse these things.

When was the last time you were persecuted? Or how often to you suffer because you are sharing the Gospel? Are you sin-free? Do you still value material possessions (a lot)? I'm not saying that you have to be all these things to be a Christian, but rather our lives should show a change if we have been changed by Christ. It won't be perfect, but as your relationship with Christ deepens, you'll naturally want those things, or you'll naturally suffer because you are sharing the Good News. Our lives will gradually but surely become more and more Christ-like.

being wrong

...it sometimes sucks. but guess what, it's relieving to know that you were.

Another Religion

"If we were to set out to establish a religion in polar opposition to the Beatitudes Jesus taught, it would look strikingly similar to the pop Christianity that has taken over the airwaves of North America."
-Tony Campolo,from The Irresistible Revolution, p. 269

I wrote this on May 12, 2010 during a UWCRT Bomber shift while reading through The Irresistible Revolution. Here it is:

Is Christianity about gorging ourselves on Christian books, going to church on Sunday, listening to worship music, knowing all the books of the bible, or asking God to help you with your school marks or help you get a job? (I hope you realize the answer is no.) All too often we find ourselves following an idol of Jesus, not Jesus Himself. We pick the qualities that our human nature wants and we put it on a pedestal, on a totem. The other things, the "harder" things to do, we ignore and say it's not important or we don't have a passion for it. We want God on our side when we have exams, or job hunts, or things that annoy us, but we just say "I'm not made that way" when you are called to hang out with the homeless or care for our enemies.

Christianity is NOT about having all the 'Christian' books you can get your hands on, or having the latest Starfield album, or going to fellowship, or going to church, or constantly "building each other up". It's not praying for marks or getting jobs or for getting interviews. It's not sponsoring children, leading worship, opening your house, feeding people, or being on committee. Christianity is not a set of rules to follow, and it's not the freedom to do whatever you want because "God has already forgiven me." Christianity is not having good stuff happen to you and praising God, and not questioning "Where is God" when life takes an unexpected turn. Christianity is not about going to retreats, it's not about having good friends, or not doing drugs. It's not protesting against the government or voting conservative. REAL Christianity is not what it seems like today.

So then, WHAT. IS. CHRISTIANITY?
Christianity, then, is genuinely devoting your life to God. It is a desire and passion to leave all worldly things behind. It is a desire to flee from money, comfort, health, safety, sex, being popular, being successful, being powerful. It is a desire for the ONE and ONLY true God. It is to seek a life that is not your own. It is spending time with the homeless. It is spending time with the rich. It is forsaking everything physical that you can find on this planet. And Christianity is about enjoying it. To be a Christ follower means that you demonstrate love, to love thouse who are unloved, to touch the lepers, to eat with the hungry. It is to share the message of Christ and His redeeming grace, and to live it out here on earth. It is giving your coat, your other cheek, the extra mile, and seeing the image of God behind the person. It is loving those that Christ called his brothers (and sisters I suppose); the prostitutes, the lawyers, the fools, the church-goers, the drug dealers, the diseased, the homeless, the Christians, the gangsters, the frauuds, thieves, murderers, rapists, people-who-piss-you-off, politicians, sinners, drunks, everybody.

So then, what is this "Christianity" that I see today? It is not the way Jesus taught it, that's for sure. Humongous church buildings and BMW's at "church"? Strong hatred towards the gays and lesbians? Exclusive Chinese Christian circles? Why has Christianity turned from a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, to another industry, another commerce, another trade, another business? It makes me sick.

If being a Christian is about fitting in, or filling myself up with books to regurgitate with others, or being a good kid, I'm done. If Christianity merely offers life after death, or if it means living a comfortably safe life, or following a set of rules, it's over.

I want to live a Christian life that brings the Kingdom of Heaven to earth NOW. I want to live a Christian life that loves all people, regardless of where they'll end up (ie. heaven or hell. that's about all the options there are). i want to live a Christian life that is not my life, but a life that God can fully use for His glory. I want to live a Christian life that is not confined by what the "church" tells me, but one that listens to every whisper from God. A life of love, of grace, of mercy, and of Christ.

Tears of the Saints; Leeland

There are many prodigal sons
On our city streets they run
Searching for shelter
There are homes broken down
People's hopes have fallen to the ground
From failures

This is an emergency!

There are tears from the saints
For the lost and unsaved
We're crying for them come back home
We're crying for them come back home
And all your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

There are schools full of hatred
Even churches have forsaken
Love and mercy
May we see this generation
In it's state of desperation
For Your glory

This is an emergency!

Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!
Sinner, reach out your hands!
Children in Christ you stand!

And all Your children will stretch out their hands
And pick up the crippled man
Father, we will lead them home
Father, we will lead them home

bald!

so...i shaved my head today after raymond wanted some practice with his barber tools. i have to say it is really breezy up there now :P, not to mention interesting in appearance.

haha...my dream of being bald at least once in my life is now complete. i'll have pictures up soon hopefully (or from sean, since he took pics)

freedom from sin

Recently, God has taught me the importance of the Gospel and what it means in my life. Many churches teach and many people believe in a Gospel that says you are free from the punishments of sin. They teach how you are free from the harm, the repercussions, and the "bad things" that sin brings. While that is true, that is NOT the full Gospel.

If Jesus died to merely relieve us of the hefty punishments of sin, then that is meaningless. My Jesus did not die to just 'forgive' my sins, but He died to free from its bondage. Let me explain. Many 'Christians' believe that the Jesus has forgiven our sins, but continue sinning (the same habitual sin) thinking that they do not have any fault any more.

BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Nothing. Jesus did not die to ONLY forgive sins. He died to free us from the bondage of sin, from the seemingly-never-ending cycle of pain and suffering. He died so we might have LIFE in Him. And if this life in Him is genuine, where does sin belong? (it was a rhetorical question, but the answer is nowhere)

5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Freedom from sin does not entail only forgiveness; it is a part of it, but the greater part is the freedom from sin itself, to be able to live life without sin whatsoever. Being a slave to righteousness, to God, means you cannot be bound to sin at all. It is impossible to be both a slave to sin and a slave to God.