Things I’m Learning while I’m out of School
"Let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 2:5
When I get close to someone that I'm in a relationship with, there are times in which my thoughts become that of like that person. I'll do things because I enjoy doing those things with that person. I'll go try new things because that person enjoys them. I'll do whatever I can to basically make that person happy and fulfill their need that they have. I enjoy making people happy. It's like this flood of joy, knowing that I have existed for one small minute, to bring happiness in the life of someone else instead of bringing them pain, which is what I seem to enjoy doing most of the time. It's wonderful to use my life, if only temporarily, making someone else happy.
I think we are all somehow supposed to bring joy into the lives of other people. In some way, that joy radiates into the part of Christ that is within a person, and it shines back to making God happy. Bringing glory to God, and living our life for his glory, I think, is the act of doing things with the intent of making God happy.
When we start to get close to God, and form a relationship with him, we start to want to do what makes him happy. We spend time with him, and suddenly, we're closer than we've ever been before. There's an element of getting to know him that we go through all over again, and we become closer. Our thoughts start becoming the thoughts he would think. Our actions start becoming the actions that he would say.
Like with sinners. A lot of people out there are quick to judge and condemn them, and according to John 8, Jesus just stoops and writes in the dirt, draws a picture in the sand as they throw their condemnations. It would have easily been just simple for him to follow the rules and condemn her, but he didn't. He just wrote in the earth, and when asked, he simply said "Let he who has no sin cast the first stone." This would have been Christ himself. But he just stoops into the dirt again and finishes drawing or writing or whatever he was doing. In that way, he instructs us how to correct the sins and faults of each other. Instead of condemning and judging people, we're to encourage them, not into sin, but out of that sin. But the really cool thing about it is that we're all sinners. We all have sinned and fallen short...what makes Christians any better than anyone else? Where do Christians get the foundation to say "you're a sinner" and "you're going to hell?" Shouldn't that be judgment laid upon God's shoulders, and not our own? I do believe so. I think that our judgment should only come when we have finally figured out perfection and what's more, have become perfection. It is okay to say things to people in the effect of encouraging them to leave that sin, but not okay to say "you're a sinner and you're going to hell because of it." I'm sorry, but scaring people using fire and brimstone theology doesn't work. Most people will see that, and be like "oh well." Everyone works on the "what's in it for me?" theology. If we show the goodness of life with Christ and the completeness of life in Christ, then those we wish to come over back into God's fold...they'll see more of Christ in us than fire and brimstone. I heard a message the other day while I was in church, talking about hell, and I looked up, and there was this baby, and it was doing the whole "baby flirt" thing that babies do. You know, when babies look at you, and then they hide in their mom's shoulders, and then they'll look at you and flash that million-dollar grin and then hide again? It's so cute. But as I sat there and listened to fire and brimstone, I caught myself losing the attention on the message, and focused more upon flirting with that baby. I think I saw more of Jesus, his message and his teachings in that baby than I did in a preacher who was hollaring and angry. The point is, there is more to loving people in Christ than condemning them. First we must remove the things that plague us in our lives before we attempt to remove what plagues others' lives. It's what Jesus did. And it's what we should do.
I'm tired of this whole small-town philosophy/theology/whatever you wanna call it. There's a lot of it here in Mt Airy, where the fields once were lined with tobacco, now lines those workers in the unemployment office. Where once there were tons of booming industries (including toasters!) is now one singular booming industry: tourism. Bloody tourism. I'm also tired of the whole Southern Baptist preacher who preaches fire and brimstone theology, and never once mentions anything else of God. I'm very tired of the attitudes towards the youth our town has, we're nothing, according to these people, but people who smoke, drink and party all the time, of which I do neither on a regular occasion, and will never participate in these things. I'm very tired of the attitude that Mt Airy has, regarding arguments, in an argument, you are automatically wrong, and everyone is right. No matter what you think or feel. I'm tired of everyone looking down upon my father because he left my abusive mother and is now divorcing her despite the fact that she's probably remained faithful, after all, who else would have her? I know these are stereotypes, and in my own way, I'm being hypocritical, but they serve my purpose. My point is, there is more to life than just tradition. Just because your grandfather fought in the Civil War doesn't mean you have to believe in slavery or that the south will "rise again." It has never rose again, and most definately over at least a century after the war, will not rise again. Just because I find myself in a church does not mean that I am a Bible beater, fried chicken eater. I'm vegitarian for the most part. On special occasions, I have mexican chicken nachos. Just because I'm outside at night doesn't mean I'm up to trouble, although that's common in my neighborhood, it's very hot during the day and I like to run. And just because I'm Christian does not entitle me to judge someone else's eternal salvation and status. Just because I have a piercing in my ear does not mean that I am homosexual, it just means I'm cool like that.
Everyone likes to judge people. I'm convinced that everyone in their own form or fashion, judges other people. Don't tell me you don't...because you choose who you'll hang around with and not, and that's judging people. So everyone judges people, but why is that? Because it makes us feel better.
The only person to ever walk this earth who was entitled to judge people is Christ himself. If we are to learn from his example, I do believe that we will find that he didn't come to judge us or condemn us. He came so that through him we might have salvation. But he could've judged everyone on this earth, but instead came to do ministry and to instruct the new ways of life. Instead of judging, he loved. Instead of telling us all the people around us that we're sinners and we've done wrong, he loves us, and tells us to change our lives. Instead of saying that we're going to hell, he came to tell us that we can find salvation if we seek it, and we can be changed by love.
It's so sad that the message of the gospel gets distorted by Christians, and henceforth, those who do not know Christ judge us all by those who distort the message of Christ, one of judgment instead of the truth, the message of Christ is love. And that is how we should be.
"Let this mind be in you which is also in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 2:5
When I get close to someone that I'm in a relationship with, there are times in which my thoughts become that of like that person. I'll do things because I enjoy doing those things with that person. I'll go try new things because that person enjoys them. I'll do whatever I can to basically make that person happy and fulfill their need that they have. I enjoy making people happy. It's like this flood of joy, knowing that I have existed for one small minute, to bring happiness in the life of someone else instead of bringing them pain, which is what I seem to enjoy doing most of the time. It's wonderful to use my life, if only temporarily, making someone else happy.
I think we are all somehow supposed to bring joy into the lives of other people. In some way, that joy radiates into the part of Christ that is within a person, and it shines back to making God happy. Bringing glory to God, and living our life for his glory, I think, is the act of doing things with the intent of making God happy.
When we start to get close to God, and form a relationship with him, we start to want to do what makes him happy. We spend time with him, and suddenly, we're closer than we've ever been before. There's an element of getting to know him that we go through all over again, and we become closer. Our thoughts start becoming the thoughts he would think. Our actions start becoming the actions that he would say.
Like with sinners. A lot of people out there are quick to judge and condemn them, and according to John 8, Jesus just stoops and writes in the dirt, draws a picture in the sand as they throw their condemnations. It would have easily been just simple for him to follow the rules and condemn her, but he didn't. He just wrote in the earth, and when asked, he simply said "Let he who has no sin cast the first stone." This would have been Christ himself. But he just stoops into the dirt again and finishes drawing or writing or whatever he was doing. In that way, he instructs us how to correct the sins and faults of each other. Instead of condemning and judging people, we're to encourage them, not into sin, but out of that sin. But the really cool thing about it is that we're all sinners. We all have sinned and fallen short...what makes Christians any better than anyone else? Where do Christians get the foundation to say "you're a sinner" and "you're going to hell?" Shouldn't that be judgment laid upon God's shoulders, and not our own? I do believe so. I think that our judgment should only come when we have finally figured out perfection and what's more, have become perfection. It is okay to say things to people in the effect of encouraging them to leave that sin, but not okay to say "you're a sinner and you're going to hell because of it." I'm sorry, but scaring people using fire and brimstone theology doesn't work. Most people will see that, and be like "oh well." Everyone works on the "what's in it for me?" theology. If we show the goodness of life with Christ and the completeness of life in Christ, then those we wish to come over back into God's fold...they'll see more of Christ in us than fire and brimstone. I heard a message the other day while I was in church, talking about hell, and I looked up, and there was this baby, and it was doing the whole "baby flirt" thing that babies do. You know, when babies look at you, and then they hide in their mom's shoulders, and then they'll look at you and flash that million-dollar grin and then hide again? It's so cute. But as I sat there and listened to fire and brimstone, I caught myself losing the attention on the message, and focused more upon flirting with that baby. I think I saw more of Jesus, his message and his teachings in that baby than I did in a preacher who was hollaring and angry. The point is, there is more to loving people in Christ than condemning them. First we must remove the things that plague us in our lives before we attempt to remove what plagues others' lives. It's what Jesus did. And it's what we should do.
I'm tired of this whole small-town philosophy/theology/whatever you wanna call it. There's a lot of it here in Mt Airy, where the fields once were lined with tobacco, now lines those workers in the unemployment office. Where once there were tons of booming industries (including toasters!) is now one singular booming industry: tourism. Bloody tourism. I'm also tired of the whole Southern Baptist preacher who preaches fire and brimstone theology, and never once mentions anything else of God. I'm very tired of the attitudes towards the youth our town has, we're nothing, according to these people, but people who smoke, drink and party all the time, of which I do neither on a regular occasion, and will never participate in these things. I'm very tired of the attitude that Mt Airy has, regarding arguments, in an argument, you are automatically wrong, and everyone is right. No matter what you think or feel. I'm tired of everyone looking down upon my father because he left my abusive mother and is now divorcing her despite the fact that she's probably remained faithful, after all, who else would have her? I know these are stereotypes, and in my own way, I'm being hypocritical, but they serve my purpose. My point is, there is more to life than just tradition. Just because your grandfather fought in the Civil War doesn't mean you have to believe in slavery or that the south will "rise again." It has never rose again, and most definately over at least a century after the war, will not rise again. Just because I find myself in a church does not mean that I am a Bible beater, fried chicken eater. I'm vegitarian for the most part. On special occasions, I have mexican chicken nachos. Just because I'm outside at night doesn't mean I'm up to trouble, although that's common in my neighborhood, it's very hot during the day and I like to run. And just because I'm Christian does not entitle me to judge someone else's eternal salvation and status. Just because I have a piercing in my ear does not mean that I am homosexual, it just means I'm cool like that.
Everyone likes to judge people. I'm convinced that everyone in their own form or fashion, judges other people. Don't tell me you don't...because you choose who you'll hang around with and not, and that's judging people. So everyone judges people, but why is that? Because it makes us feel better.
The only person to ever walk this earth who was entitled to judge people is Christ himself. If we are to learn from his example, I do believe that we will find that he didn't come to judge us or condemn us. He came so that through him we might have salvation. But he could've judged everyone on this earth, but instead came to do ministry and to instruct the new ways of life. Instead of judging, he loved. Instead of telling us all the people around us that we're sinners and we've done wrong, he loves us, and tells us to change our lives. Instead of saying that we're going to hell, he came to tell us that we can find salvation if we seek it, and we can be changed by love.
It's so sad that the message of the gospel gets distorted by Christians, and henceforth, those who do not know Christ judge us all by those who distort the message of Christ, one of judgment instead of the truth, the message of Christ is love. And that is how we should be.
