i want to begin by saying
that if you’ve been ‘turned
off’ by Christianity; if
you’ve been mortified by some of the things you may have
witnessed taking place under “God’s roof”; if you’ve seen nothing but lies and
hypocrisy and have been given every reason to believe that it’s all some big
business and a complete joke; or that Jesus is some harsh, judging, and
condemning being who wants nothing but our praises all day long, then this post
is for you and i beg you to continue reading.
i will say to you-- I
DON’T BLAME YOU! i believe there are some serious flaws within our
churches and the ‘messages’ about God that we receive. having grown up in the
church and witnessing so much of the aforementioned, i know first hand the ways
in which the enemy [Satan] makes his way into the places that are supposed to be the most sacred. he has crept
into the hearts and minds of the most respected pastors and men & women of God…and not to solely blame
the Devil here, we are human and because we are human we are all susceptible to arrogance and
‘superiority’ infiltrating our thoughts…when it happens to the best of us,
especially our pastors and fellow church leaders, it affects the entire church
and even new visitors who may have otherwise come to a true understanding of Christ.
as the years have gone by
and having found a church 8 years ago and a pastor whose life and messages have
always been consistent with the ‘LOVE’ and not
judgment of God, i feel
fortunate to have come to a deeper and truer understanding of the God who
created me and the depths of Jesus’s love for me. this is not to denounce any
other pastor i’ve been led by in my life, as i have heard and been affected by
some powerful and heartfelt messages, but i have been blown away through the example of our pastor;
Mark Foreman, at North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, CA. he is a man
who doesn’t only ‘preach’ the Christian calling but ‘lives-out’ his preaching
in the most determined, pure, funny, humbling, down-to-earth, and loving of
ways.
as he spends months
throughout each year traveling locally and to all ends of the world—sitting at the table
of world religion peace conferences and talking with religious leaders from
every nation--he brings back these stories and guest speakers from sister
churches around the world and i will say…. there have been some powerful messages!
on one trip where he had
returned from India, i remember him distraught as he shared his burden for
‘us’, the Western Church collectively. having visited churches overseas
where the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues was more common in church gatherings
than not and having seen Christians in these other parts of the world with a
pure and untainted knowledge and understanding of Jesus, as well as the pastors
who’ve told him that it is our
American churches they
are concerned for and praying for…it was an eye opening journey, even for him.
we have become ‘the mission’ for our own established ‘missions’
and if that doesn’t wake up the ‘all-superior’ Western Church, then we are in
serious trouble…why don’t we have more people, more young people in our nation taking a stand in love for Jesus? do we really know who He
is? do we really understand what He’s done? do we really believe that He is alive? for so many of us, at a
critical period in our lives, the wrong picture of Jesus was painted, leaving
us tainted and robbed of His true Love and calling. i was no exception. i
remember feeling ‘bad’ about who i was for the longest time until i discovered
that who i was, was who He created me to be. this girl likes to have fun! i can be wild
and have an internal, child-like need at times to just let loose; to dance and
bop around, to express myself vocally and freely...i love jokes and making
people laugh with off-the-wall comments and gestures…i AM a nut and often times all i need is to be around the people and friends
who bring it out… should i have ever been made to feel condemned for it? should
i have ever been made to feel ‘judged’ in having, quote on quote,
“non-Christian friends” or going to places like bars or clubs and enjoying
a night out with them? no. the answer is “no”. i know that now, but i didn’t
always…
i can remember
feeling tortured by the “Christian” way of not “doing as the world does” …not listening to music that
“the world listens to” …even music like Enya and
her songs without any lyrics …“but she’s not a Christian artist” i was told…says who!? and even so, who
are we to judge!?? when i got over all that
legalism and realized that God Himself actually detested the Pharisees for
these same reasons, i discovered the freedom of being
me, the freedom of being out with my friends while often times finding
myself witnessing to perfect strangers about God’s love… in these places that i “shouldn’t have been”. i believe that God chooses to use
us wherever we are if we are willing and wanting to be used.
there are some very
legalistic, condemning mindsets out there and a wide range of ‘Christian’
philosophy…but i believe that life is too short and ‘time’ too precious to
spend being wrapped up in a bubble and strictly conformed to the company of only “Christians” and maintaining some ‘holier
than thou’ attitude…ultimately,
we rob ourselves from the joys that we may experience in relationships that need us and more importantly with Christ
and knowing Him deeper. His Word tells us:
“Do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by
testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good
and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
what
i love about this verse is that He gives us the ability to discern for ourselves, through the
transformed ‘renewal of our
minds’ what His will is for
us. to me, this means that He has required me to first and foremost seek Him
and be led only by the conviction of His Holy Spirit in my life and decisions.
He has His faith in me to love people where they are at, to be a friend always,
and most importantly to take a stand for Him wherever i am. that said, i want to make
Him proud wherever i go. but this does not go without
saying that it is important that we are not brought ‘down’ by the world…to be ‘in’ it but not ‘of’ it. if we know we have or have had a
‘problem’ in the past with going to certain places than we shouldn’t go. there have been times in my
life where i’ve been out and instead of having a couple social drinks, i
have gotten incredibly drunk and made some poor decisions, like
driving... i regret those nights and those huge mistakes where i could’ve hurt myself or someone else very
badly. i praise and thank God with all my heart that it never happened! there
usually are consequences for abusing anything, especially alcohol. i’ve learned that lesson...
but as
i draw closer to Jesus, i haven’t made the decision to stop going out with
friends on occasion, but i pray beforehand 1.) for the ability to control
myself so as not to go against my own convictions imparted to me by the Holy
Spirit and 2.) the opportunity to witness His words of Love as they have
changed my own personal life- to the person who really needs to hear it…i’ll
say...every time i’ve
prayed that prayer, i’ve never been disappointed by the
opportunities and open doors He’s provided! i’ve been able to listen to the
stories of complete strangers and even cry at times…in the middle of a bar.
many of us have been
given the impression that God is so serious and so strict, and angry with us; that over a
bar, we should be spending 100% of our time in church and prayer gatherings and
that our ‘conduct’ must be found ‘godly’ at all times…but who determines
these things? if God set the standard then we should look to Him and the Bible.
if the Bible tells me [which it does] that i am made in the likeness of Him, then shouldn’t
i believe that every side of me; the serious and the outrageously silly just might be in His likeness? and
that each side of me needs its proper place of expression. if my heart and
prayers are in line with His calling on my life then my soul is at peace, so
where should anyone find the right to condemn or judge my life and my choices?
the truth is…which took me some time to discover years ago, i am not the
problem…my pitty falls on the one judging. it is he/she who will be judged
accordingly in the end. not by me but God alone.
Matthew
7:5 “Hypocrite!
First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal
with the speck in your friend's eye.”
Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you will not
be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be
forgiven”
as long as i find peace
in my ways, and as long as i obey God’s Word in the areas that universally
matter to my spiritual growth [i.e. spending time in prayer and His Word]
than the legalistics of ‘Christianity’ as ‘others’ perceive them, have no place in my
life. we are made to be peacemakers of the earth and representatives of
Christ’s love for this world, not His judgment.
if we find ourselves
getting so caught up with the ‘mistakes’ and ‘wrongdoings’ of others as we see them, then let these words burn our
hearts. it is time to turn our fingers back around and point them where
they belong…at ourselves. when we are right with God, love conquers, and in that
purity of love and honest intention we may then express concern for those
closest to us in a private manner and in a non-judgmental way; a way that helps
them see and feel the light and love of you, and God in you, not the judgment and condemnation.
i’ve been guilty of
‘gossip’ myself, a bitter form of judgment…yes, i shamefully
admit it. where i have been hurt by the judgment of others, i too have been
found guilty and have needed forgiveness for it. i think many of us have
been…but there is promise in His forgiveness, if only we
ask, and there is hope for our souls as we strive to do
better and to love harder,
without condemnation, boundaries, or conditions.
if this is striking a
chord, then you are likely thinking about the ways in which you have also been judged and have been made to feel guilty for being who you are, or have been
guilty of passing judgment yourself. but JESUS loves us, accepts us, and welcomes us as we are… who you
are is more precious to him than anything and as you search for Him, and
discover His truth, His and only His holy and loving conviction should
guide you and lead you to change the areas of your life
as He sees fit for you… if
only for the betterment of your spiritual soul by His standards and His alone. but your
fundamental personality is who you are as wonderfully and uniquely created by Him. so own it! be proud of it! as i continue to grow in my
love and understanding of Jesus, i discover so much more about Him,
including His sense of humor. sometimes it happens in the most random moments
and i’ll laugh out loud knowing that He is speaking straight to my soul’s
personality…
and as i continue to
place my heart and desires in His hands, i am sure of His faithfulness to
deliver! Amen, Hallelujah to my Father who loves me inside and out, thank you
Jesus!
Be Blessed,
in His Love
in His Forgiveness
in His Compassion
in His Grace
