Dictatorship of the Ordinary

So I have finally posted my testimony. The purpose of that post was to share my faith and coming to Christ. Now I shall discuss the next chapter of "Wild Goose Chase" which is the "Dictatorship of the Ordinary".

This chapter discusses the cage of routine. Typically Christians attend church every Sunday. With that, we often go to church and then that's really all that happens. We sing some songs, hear a message from a pastor, tithe some money, pray, and go home. This attendance might include a Sunday school class, a small group, etc. Other than Sunday, many don't take time to reflect on their relationship with Christ, assuming that they actually have a relationship with Christ (there are those who claim to be a Christian and those who truly have that relationship with Christ). This is an area that I found myself guilty. I would attend church and church functions and that was that. Now I realize that being a Christian involves more than simply attendance and involvement. 

In regards to the "cage of routine: we often find ourselves getting bored with church, bored with our faith, and ultimately bored with God. Routines are important, but they will typically end up losing their meaning. We get focused on the routine rather than the purpose of the routine. Now I believe routines are an important part of our lives. I highly recommend people go to church (and invite others) because it is important to praise God in fellowship with others. It gets problematic when attending church becomes more of a social event rather than a time for us to praise God. This is where I begin to view religion as an interesting entity.

I know that different religions have their routines, such as how many times to pray daily, how to pray, etc. These routines can lose their meaning unless there is some disruption in their activity. I think it is important to change these routines which can readjust our focus on God. Of course our focus should be on God rather than just saying a bunch of words. I could go on an on about prayer, but will not. 

Now it's time to take a weird turn....

I was watching a show on National Geographic channel that discussed holy places in Jerusalem. I am easily confused as to why these places are holy. Humans are in not holy, so nothing we construct can be holy. Only God is holy and those in heaven are holy. The only holiness on earth came, died, and was resurrected. Now God created the world, so there is holiness in His creation, but man cannot declare what is and what is not holy. During this show, I learned more about areas of Jerusalem that are viewed holy by different groups. People often go to these places to pray to God and simply by being in these places, they are closer to God. 

Here is my response to that: they are not holy places. A long time ago, a man by the name of Moses was out and about his usual day of work. Then God spoke to him via a burning bush. Now God asked Moses to remove his shoes because Moses was standing on holy ground. God declared that area to be holy. If you are in the presence of God, it's probably a holy place. Since the world was created by God, all places have the potential to be declared holy but can only be declared to be holy by God. Now if I were to visit these "holy places" I would observe the customs because I would not want to offend anyone, so I would remove my shoes, put on a hat, wash my hands, whatever. 

To summarize what I say: nothing is holy unless God declares it to be.  By accepting Christ into your heart, you are setting yourself to be holy through the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. 

Now Jesus came to being people closer to God (which is Jesus). He wanted people to realize that following the laws was important, but the relationship with God was more important. I want to leave this question: Are we repeating history by focusing on the tradition of going to church rather than our relationship with Jesus Christ?

God bless!

My Testimony

Honestly, I find it difficult to call this “my testimony” because when I reflected upon what I wanted to express, I stumbled upon these verses from 1 John 5:9,11-12 which states “We accept man’s testimony, but God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which He has given about His Son….And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life.” So when I read this verse, I want to let you know that I am simply telling my story of God’s testimony in my life.

Before I met Christ personally:
Before I truly accepted Christ in my life I was heavily involved with my church. I was a good kid who grew up in south Tulsa with a good family. We went to church every Sunday, well my sister eventually stopped going. When I was approaching the 5th grade, I went through the church’s confirmation class in which young kids learn about the foundations of the Christian faith and get “confirmed” into the church. During my confirmation my parents decided that it was a good time for me to be baptized, not knowing that I did not fully accept Christ into my heart. My baptism was no different from that of a baby, except that I wasn’t dressed up in a cute outfit and the congregation didn’t say, “Awww” after the minister sprinkled water over my head. But still, it was not a true baptism which should be the ceremony one goes through to celebrate his or her true acceptance of who Christ Jesus was and is.
During middle school I got more involved with the church’s youth program. The church just hired a new youth pastor who was great for the youth and for me in that he challenged my thinking and encouraged me to learn more. At a time in middle school, the church went through a major split in which around 50% of the members left, including my parents. I still enjoyed the church and did not want to leave. So from there on, I went to a different church from that of my parents. Usually one of my parents would drop me off and pick me up later, or I would hitch a ride home from someone else. As I grew up in the church, I noticed my dad being more involved with a new church and my mom not so much. They invited me to go to their church, but it was never much a relationship in which they shared their faith.
As I went into the senior high, I got heavily involved through mission trips, bible studies, and leadership roles in the junior and senior high youth groups. So throughout this whole time I simply went through the motions of going to church and just being somebody there. That’s all. I never really recall discussions about turning your life over to Christ. In fact, when I first started coming to Discovery, I noticed that they did not require new members to be baptized, and I thought, “Phew… I’ve already been baptized,” but I wasn’t truly baptized with the Spirit. Now I’ve had those “mountain-top” experiences where I felt close to God yet I was never close to God at all. I was just a Christian who wasn’t a true Christian.

How my need for Christ was made evident
My need for Christ came to me as I continued to come to Discovery. I started to pick up on this concept of “giving your life to Christ” and what it was like to fully accept Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior. At the same time I felt as if my wife was trying to push me as if she sort of knew the condition of my faith. I knew she was a true believer, and I told her that I was. Now I know that I was only lying to her and myself… and the others at the wedding, etc. So, I was going through the new beginner’s class at Discovery and Pastor Mike was discussing the church’s beliefs and what not. Around this time I started to really notice that I had not accepted Jesus into my heart, but I that I had only thought of my faith from a mental aspect. Yeah I knew parts of the Bible. I knew Christ is Lord, but I never accepted this with my whole heart. I had said, “Jesus is Lord,” but never believed it in my heart. Looking at Romans 10:9 which states, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” I was not saved. I simply went through the motions of saying, “Jesus is Lord,” which means nothing unless I say it while believing it with my whole heart. I had been going through this motion for my whole life. It was like the story with Nicodemus from the Gospel of John 3:12 in which Jesus tell Nicodemus, “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” During the month of September, I began to feel an inner struggle. I was on the fence on the whole acceptance issue. I wanted to jump right in, but was holding back.

How I committed my life to Christ
During the month of September, I almost fought myself over this issue. I was sitting on the fence thinking about what I wanted to do. I began to realize that it was not what I wanted to do but what God was calling me to do. So during the Church service on September 14th, I began to reflect upon my relationship with Christ and accepted Him as my Lord and Savior. I decided to open up myself and turn my life over to Him. At that moment, I felt the tension on my heart melt away. There was no burden for me to carry. No thoughts for me to struggle with. I all could do was take the big leap and let Christ in. That was the best feeling I’ve ever felt. I shared my story with Pastor Glenn the following week during a meeting with him and my wife as we became members of the Discovery. In fact, that was the first time I told my wife about my relationship with Christ. During the first service in the new sanctuary, Pastor Glenn briefly mentioned my story to the congregation, and I felt that same feeling once again. The gentleman sitting right next to me simply stated, “Amen” afterwards, not knowing that it was me who Glenn was talking about. Also during the first service in the new sanctuary, I felt reaffirmed by Pastor Dirk’s message about the story of Nicodemus and that gentleman sitting next to me and I greeted one another in a typical “greetings” fashion and he said, “I love how this church really challenges your faith.” Now I felt a great appreciation for the church for not only making me question my faith, which lead to me accepting Christ into my heart, but hearing a member in the congregation celebrate my acceptance. What a sense of support from this community! After that service, I went home and began a short Bible lesson from a study Bible I had used in high school, and one of the first stories was about Nicodemus. So I want to reflect on a few verses from the Bible: Ephesians 2:8 “It is by grace you are saved, through faith – it is a gift from God.” John 20:31 “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name.” And going back to 1 John and God’s testimony, v10-12 “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart…And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life…” So I confess with my mouth that “Jesus is Lord” and I believe this with my heart. Now I feel as if I am born again. It is a spiritual birth like in John 3:5 in which Jesus states, “No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit.” I am born again of the Spirit by accepting Christ as my Lord and Savior and of the water through a true baptism which are two steps in my recent spiritual birth.

The difference God has made in my life
Since I turned my life to Christ, I feel that my life has a bigger purpose. I feel that I the need to open myself up to my wife and daughter more. I do sense an even closer bond to my wife, and I thank her for her support in all that I do. She has served as a role model for me and has played a major role in my acceptance of Christ. I cannot thank her enough. I also feel the urge to sort of “go with it” and push myself to focus more on my relationship with Christ whether it be through a small group at the church or even starting to read the Bible on my own. Now I mentioned that I felt the tension sort of melt away as I accepted Jesus. I know that it was not easy to let go nor will my day-to-day life be even easier. I know that I will sin from time-to-time, but as long as I have Christ in my heart and ask for forgiveness, I will be with the Maker after this world. Although I am not perfect nor is any Christian perfect, we must remember that we will be forgiven. Colossians 1:22-23 states that “God has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm…” So I encourage all to begin to evaluate their relationship with Christ and open up your heart for the great adventure that awaits you.

Wild Goose Chase: Goose Bumps

It has been a while since I posted. With work getting busier, I might find it hard to take the time to post. I actually have the time, but I don't make the time. I want to continue to share my thoughts with the book "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson. This brings me to chapter 2: Goose Bumps.

Chapter 2 starts off with this concept of "irresponsible responsibility" and "responsible irresponsibility".  I am going to try and explain the difference between these similar terms and reveal that they are not at all the same. 

Irresponsible responsibility: the daily duties that keep us busy (work, bills, household chores, etc) These are important in that we must do these things to keep u our homes, feed our families, pay for gas, etc.

Responsible irresponsibility: the will of God; this would be those tasks that we can do to step outside of our  daily "box" and do something for God. 

That's as simple as I can put it. Now it seems quite simple to do something for God and to set aside our daily norm, but is it? Often we find ourselves too busy to do services for the Lord. I for one fall into this category. Work keeps me very busy, and then I come home to my wonderful family. Now I love my job and really love my family. I wouldn't take that time with my family and trade it for anything. Here's the problem:  I get so wrapped up in my daily "things" that I forget to make time for God. 

When I say "time for God" that includes time for prayer, reading the Bible, etc. These are the simple things that I should just do everyday. It's like the minimum requirements so to speak, even though the only requirement is really to accept Christ into your heart and follow Him. As I've mentioned before, once you've met that minimum requirement, you should take on bigger tasks. Now I pray every once in a while. I try to read my Bible. I go to church on Sundays. I attend a small group with my wife. I even attend a men's small group at 6am every Friday (that's devotion... especially when it's below freezing!). These things that I am doing are nice, but it's not like I'm really stepping outside of my comfort zone and pursuing the Holy Spirit. 

Going to church, praying, attending small groups... these things are nice, and I'm sure that God appreciates me doing these things, but I need to do more. Now we often hear of stories of people who serve God, and we think, "Wow, that's awesome, but I could never do that." For example, Mother Teresa went against the advice of her superiors and started orphanages in India. She made the statement, "Find your own Calcutta." This statement refers to you (and me) finding your passion, find what motivates you (makes you mad/sad/angry/happy), and do something in that area. Through that you can serve the Lord and hopefully bring others to know Him. Now you don't have to sell ll of your possessions and move to India. You could simply start a small group, serve in the church, attend mission trips, start mission trips, etc. Try to discover your Gd-given talents, step outside of your comfort zone, and do something. Pursue the Holy Spirit. (I am sharing my faith through this blog. Not much, but it's a start).

Another problem with serving is that we often feel like we don't have the skills or experience to perform certain tasks. Enter Nehemiah. Here was a guy who served as a cup-bearer for a king. He heard that the walls of Jerusalem were destroyed and the people were in danger. Nehemiah asked the king if he could go help rebuild the walls. With the job title of "cup bearer" I doubt he had the architectural experience to build walls that could be used as fortifications. What is important here is that you don't have to be the most experienced person in the world to do work in areas you are passionate about. I went on mission trips in high school and painted houses. I served as a leader for mission trips in college and directed youth in projects to pain houses. I don't think I could ever paint my own house or manage a company that painted houses. I worked with others and got the job done. I had a great time doing it. If you're driven to work in a certain area, the tools will be provided. 

I urge you to "Find your Calcutta," and really step outside of your comfort zone. Just go with it! God will be with you along the way. Whether you start a Bible study or start an organization that delivers food throughout Africa, just go with it...

God bless.

Wild Goose Chase: Chasing Angels

The pastor started a new series last week revolving around the book Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson. So I thought that I would post my thoughts that follow the sermons which follow chapters in the book. In the first chapter, the author introduces the concept of the Holy Spirit as a "wild goose" and how our faith should be like chasing this "wild goose." He goes on to discuss the concept of caged Christians who get wrapped up in the rituals of religion and how people become bored with their faith. This is why we must step outside of our comfort zones and truly pursue the Holy Spirit (or God or Jesus Christ).

I become worried with being "caged" and wonder exactly how many people who follow Christ are bored with their faith. More importantly, how many people go to church on Sundays but have not accepted Christ? I bring this up because that was me as you will learn when I post my testimony. I know that there are many people who say that they follow Christ but do not have Christ in their heart. Now that issue is between them and God. No human can ever know another human's true relationship with God. You can share your faith, but ultimately it is between you and God.

Now back to this "wild goose"....

The author mentions 6 cages that keep us from pursuing the Holy Spirit

1) Cage of responsibility: becoming wrapped up in my day-to-day activities (definitely me)
- I get wrapped up with work and often put my faith on the backburners
- I know I need to make time for God. Shoot, He died for me!

2) Cage of routine: sacred routines become empty rituals
- I would encourage people to try something new with their faith
- Go on that mission trip. Share your faith with those outside your church. Start a small group.
- If you get an idea of something you'd like to do, just do it (like this blog)

3) Cage of assumption: developing poor excuses: too young, old, under/overqualified
- This is kind of ridiculous. No matter what you claim to be, you are a child of God.

4) Cage of guilt: focusing on what you've done wrong
- This is very ridiculous. Christ died for your sins!
- Col 1:22-23: "21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

5) Cage of failure: feeling not good enough, like you can't do it alone
- Well, you can't.... I'm sorry.
- You can save a dog, save a whale, save the environment, but you will never be able to save yourself
6) Cage of fear: not stepping out of our comfort zone with our faith, living too safely
- This is something that I need to work on.
- I know in my heart that I am saved. I could simply dwell on that, live my life, and go to heaven, but I could serve God by sharing my faith with others and bringing them to Christ.

More importantly, I do not want to be like the rich, young man in Matthew 19:16-30

The Rich Young Man

16Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

18"Which ones?" the man inquired.

Jesus replied, " 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19honor your father and mother,'^[d] and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'^[e]"

20"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

21Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

22When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?"

26Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

27Peter answered him, "We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?"

28Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother^[f] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.

I say that I don't want to be like this rich, young man in that I don't want to turn away from the Holy Spirit if and when I am called. It is easy to say that I want to give everything to Christ but I truly don't know if I could do it. Am I weak in my faith? Maybe. Have I been asked to give all that I have and follow Him? No. I have given my life to Him. More importantly, why should I wait for the call? Why not pursue the Holy Spirit and discover my calling? Alone, that would be a hopeless quest, or a "wild goose chase." With Christ, well, that would be an amazing ride...

Beginning thoughts

So this is the first of many to come. I want to start off by saying that I believe in Jesus Christ, and that He is the Son of God (and is God), died on the cross, and was resurrected. Now it is time for me to try to explain what is unexplainable.

Here is the simple explanation: Jesus=God=Holy Spirit. God knows all. An issue that I have with this is the concept of free will. I don't believe that I have any specific fate. I was placed on this earth, and through my decisions, I am where I am today. My choices will leave me where I will be in my days to come. Here's where it gets interesting...

If God knows all, but I have free will, how can God know my final destination? I have had this explained to me in a simple way: Life is like a ride on a plane. There is a beginning and a final destination. Along that way the plane drifts off of the straight line but ultimately reaches that known final destination.

Now I do not believe God knows our final destination. I believe this because I ultimately think, "What would be the point?" If God knows who goes to heaven and hell, then why would He create a world in which people end up with eternal damnation? Well, I believe that God and His kingdom celebrate with each acceptance of Christ and mourn each head that turns away. This is where the concept of "faith without works is dead" comes into play.

As a Christian (one who has fully accepted Christ into his/her heart), I can try to do good things through works. One of the great works I can do, and what every Christian should do, is share Christ with others. Now I could go all over the world and preach the Gospel or simply share my testimony with a friend/stranger. If I bring one person to Christ, then I am satisfied. It's like writing this blog: one person could read it or a handful to hundreds of people could read it, but I really wouldn't care because this blog is simply me sharing some thoughts...

To get back on track: I believe that Christians should share Christ with others. That is the true form of works. Now we can simply share our faith with others or do this through acts of faith that glorify God. So where does this fit in with fate? Well, it's quite simple. Does fate really matter? Great minds could sit around and debate the concept of fate, but the concept is moot. I do know that I am human, and I can never come close to understanding God.

We are all human, so we can never understand God. We can never understand whether or not God knows our final destination. We will never know whether or not we control our own destiny. I believe what I believe and that's really all it is. Debate what you will, but here's the main point:

Jesus Christ is God. He came to earth and died for our sins.

I will post my testimony soon. I look forward to see what comes out of this blog. I will most likely post one per week unless something important comes to mind, and I feel that it is necessary to get my thoughts out. That is what this blog is about: sharing my thoughts. If you choose to read what I have to say, then I hope there is only one thing that you really pick up on and that is: Jesus Christ is God. He came to earth and died for our sins.

God bless!

Colossians 1:15-20 (New International Version)

The Supremacy of Christ

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.