Life, broadly speaking.

I wrote this as a facebook message, replying to a few questions that a friend had posed to me. I hope you can learn something from it. :)

Also, if I said anything untrue, please let me know. I'd hate to spread lies.

Part 2: Life
To begin, I'll show you my response to a question posed on friend's blog:

The question:
"Something that came up recently in Alpha (http://alphausa.org/ or if you are in my area, http://www.drexelalpha.org/) was Christians making the claim that we are right, and everyone else is wrong. This is something that I myself have often thought about in the past, and I am curious to see what others thoughts are on this. Is it arrogance to make that claim? Is there a way to say it without being arrogant and prideful?"

My Answer:
To answer a question with a question:"What are Christians right about?"
As I understand it, Christians are still tainted by sin. That is to say, those people who believe in Christ, who accept Him as savior, who commit themselves to lives spent in adoration and service to God, still sin. Christians still commit sinful acts, think sinful thoughts, and love sinful pleasures.

What makes us so right? I'm assuming here that by "right," you mean, "good."

But, you really asked:
"What makes the message preached and lived by Christians, the 'right' thing?"

And:
"Is it arrogant to make that claim?" - (Verbatim)
I don't think that it's arrogant to tell the truth. Though, paired with this truth claim, empathy must follow suit. This truth didn't come to all Christians easy. For many, including the apostle Paul, it came with sacrifice. Sacrifice of lifestyle, sacrifice of friends, sacrifice of family, sacrifice of pride, etc. Yes, the world may be ignorant, but so were we.

I assume that Jesus Christ's message wouldn't translate easily with many people. I mean, that's why the world killed Christ, wasn't it?

I'll add that humility is just as important. When Christ's truth claim is made, the speaker must be honest about themself and about their personal testimony to this message.

Going back to my first point, we must be honest about what Christ's message does for us. It does not make us perfect. It does not prevent us from sinning. It does not make us rich, necessarily better off, or socially acceptable.

Christ, God, and the spirit gives us hope. Perfect hope. Hope that will not fail. Hope that will be sustained. Hope in life, friendship, and communion with our Father and Maker. (As was originally intended.)

How dare we be arrogant when proclaiming the truth! The truth doesn't makes us right! The truth proves that God is right!

The only good thing us Christians ever did was believe in the truth. We can, only humbly and understandingly, convey it to others."


"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes."
(Romans 3:10-19)

This is the entire world, Cara. Christians included.

I love the old testament because it tells of great failure on man's part, and abundant grace on God's part. The jews, who saw and met with God physically and visually, were just like us. They too, failed time and time again in their pursuit of God, turning to idols and other beliefs. Yet, rather than abandoning His people, God constantly brought the Jews back to Him.

Such is my life. Though I had been convinced of God's existance and grace, I have turned back to sin time and time again. Sometimes, I wonder if God didn't waste His effort on me..

"But wait! There must be some difference," you may ask.

There is, indeed.

It's hope. Hope that's real.

It's guilt. Guilt that I haven't felt in years for the bad thing that I do.

It's humility. My pride in myself, my own God, disappears as I seek unto the real God.

It's change. My thoughts, my desires, and my morals change as I study more into God.

I understand that I'll never be perfect. And while that may seem grievous to me, I bet that God feels a pain far worse. That is, to bear the sight of his prized creation hating Him, and doing all it can to rebel against Him.

"Then, why do I try?"
Remember me telling you about hope a few lines ago? While I sin, I know this great truth about Christ's sacrifice:
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)

"What is eternal life?"
Eternal life is an eternity spent with God, being filled with joy of His presence and glory. I've read that Revelations, especially the last three chapters, paint a picture of what Heaven will be like. I've never read Revelations myself, however.

Reading through Revelations, I hear, is tough. It's not an easy book to digest. I'm going to start going through it with Rebekah. If you can commit (hopefully, I can too) to a chapter a day, you're more than welcome to join. The three of us can discuss questions and such over email, if that works.

"Did God just let us into Heaven?"
"Did Jesus Christ have to die?"
No, God didn't just "let" us into Heaven. Remember when Adam and Eve sinned, and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden? Yeah, same goes for us, too. We choose sin, thereby denying ourselves access to Heaven. If we were perfect, then we wouldn't deserve Hell, God's punishment.

Now, this part always freaks me out. Don't worry, I'll explain. You see, God loves us, and wants us to be with him forever. Only thing is, we sin and disobey Him. He can't just let it slide and let us come to Heaven; He has to punish us. So, you can see the predicament.

So, remember how, in the old testament, people made sacrifices of animals and such? That was to atone for their sins. In order for the sacrifice to be accepted, the animal had to be as pure and blemishless as possible. Now, making a sacrifice did not mean that your sins were forgiven. These sacrifices were not completely pure, spotless, and perfect (such an animal does not exist). Rather, it was an act of obedience and submission to please and glorify God. God delights when we give our effort and best work to Him. So, before Christ, the Jews didn't go to Heaven, because their sins weren't forgiven. Instead, they went into slumber, to be resurrected at a later time.

"What to do, then?"
Only a perfect sacrifice could atone for sins. Insert Jesus Christ, the son of God, a perfect man who lived a perfect life. On the cross, Jesus Christ was killed and sacrificed. There, he took on the burden of the world's sins, and was sent to Hell. There, He was punished for three days before He rose from the dead. When He rose, He brought with Him those sleeping souls I had mentioned before. Because of this sacrifice, the sins of God's people were forgiven, completely. Although they had sinned, God now saw these people as perfect, and could let them join Him in Heaven.

That's why Christ needed to die.

So now, when we believe in Jesus Christ, and ask for forgiveness on account of Christ's sacrifice, we are forgiven, and God no longer sees us as sinners, but as perfect.

Although we yet still sin, our position with God does not change. This is referred to as "justification."

I give heed to you, that you seek to find these answers on your own, as well. If you'd like, I'd be willing to go through the book of John with you, along with Rebekah. Seriously, doubling up on reading is not an issue for either of us. :)

I don't know very much. This is but a smidget of who God really is. I also may not be right on many of my points. If you catch me in such a case, please let me know. I'd hate to say wrong things, you know?

Take care, Cara :)

Lost

Today, I got a nasty note on my car

A note that showed me who people really are

I had parked a little off-center

And someone else lost their temper

You left a note, I don't know who you are

that said "Learn to park your f***ing car!!!"

You get sad, you get angry, and you let it show

To someone you don't even know

Why all this sadness? Why all this fear?

Why all this anger showing right here?

You must be lost, don't know what to do

What you don't see is, someone is there for you

Someone watches over you, and is Lord over all

He sees your every step, and he sees you when you fall

He died for those who trust in him and acknowledge Him as Father

If He didn't care for us, He wouldn't even bother

To save those who love Him and follow in His ways

For those who trust, rely on Him, and also give Him praise

If you're feeling aimless and find no point in life

Look to the One who made you, and lay down all your strife

Lay down your burdens and give them to Him, and you will have joy

For finally you'll see that its more than girls and boys

Travelling aimlessly 'round the world, looking for something to follow

If they don't find anything, they find trials tough to swallow

And be irritated like you are, when things don't go your way

Just lay it all down, and give it to Him, that's all I have to say

A response for a friend.

So, I wrote this note as part of an message chain on Facebook. I feel that it's relevant.

"I promise that i'm not neglecting you. Well, not intentionally, at least. Facebook and writing have not been high on my priority list. The working life does that to ya, I 'spose.

I thought/have been thinking a lot about the issue of Church, and have been attempting to make a case for switching to a new one. Didn't fly so high with Rebekah, that is. You see, we both attend a church located in our hometown. She's been going to this church for her whole life. Persuading her to switch would be a very hard task. Task away I did, however, and got nowhere. I became frustrated, questioning why we should stay there. (You see, my church is comprised of elderly folks, mostly.) Clearly, I can't directly be served by an elderly congregation. They aren't my age, and that age gap represents an incredible divide in thought, action, culture, and beliefs. Why should I stay?

To say that i came to some grand realization, some great point in thought, would be a lie. I've been sitting on the idea. Writing this note now, I've developed a few thoughts.

My blessings:
1. I go to a church where Jesus Christ is taught as Saviour, and Lord.
2. I go to a church that upholds the bible as the authoritative word of God.
3. I go to a church that is commited to prayer, service, outreach, evangelism, and community.
4. I go to a church with my girlfriend, Rebekah.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning your desire to change churches. Not at all! Instead, I want to ask: "what is the church?" A list, or an explanation, or anything whatsoever, is just fine. :)

Regarding your answer to the third question, do you display those qualities you listed? That is, as I understand them,
Care/concern
Devotion
Appreciation
Spontaneity
Dedication

I don't. In fact, I very rarely do. I know some people who have it all together, or appear as if they do. Internally, I am not such a saint. My heart strays, Cara. It yearns for different things, different thoughts, different events, etc. Yet, I don't compromise myself to believe in God.

Belief is my life.

Well, that's not true, actually. Faith is my life. My faithfulness? Oh no. God's faithfulness. On my own, I would have never sought to compromise any part of my own desires, thoughts, or actions. I just can't. They're inherent to me. But, I know and trust that i am in my Father's hands. That he takes care of me, and steers me in the right direction; whether that be through pain or through blessing.

I asked you about what faith looks like. I asked you about how you would go about finding God. I asked you about what your faith looks like.

I'll ask you one more question: "Who is God?"

You're probably like, "Oh ho ho ho! That's a mighty tough question, Josh-O."

I reason that, if you hadn't an idea, or an appreciation of God, you wouldn't have asked me to help at all. You've given me a reason as to why you'd desire to have this relationship, but what makes your soul yearn for Him? "Just who is God, and why is He so important?"

Again, take your time here. I can wait, hehe."

A friend asked me, about three months ago, to help her with her relationship with God. I feel that she alreadys knows/needs to discover these things for herself. Let her and God deepen their relationship together, you know?

With her.

Beautiful.
The thought.
Vision.
Whatever you call it.

A look.
Just a glance.
Well, I stared.
I couldn't look elsewhere.

Memory.
It stayed with me.
This sight.
This infatuation.

Pursuit.
Dare I?
Too hard?
Or, too new?

Commitment.
A follow-up.
Reassurance.
For both.

Effort.
It's hard.
Why bother?
It's rewarding.

Love.
The reward?
No.
Came along for the ride.

Treasure.
A friendship.
A partnership.
For ever.

Amen.