2 Tim 2:15

Alright I read something that got my blood flowing today. I was minding my own business and I came accross a flyer that read "The End of False Religion is Near!" Being the cynic that I am, I figured I was in for something wack. The brochure contained an article that explains from the bible why we will see false religions torn down very soon. It then goes to say that true religion... practices love, trust's God's word, and strengthens families and upholds high moral standards. Does any religion meet these standards? Well some book states that if more ppl were jehova's witnesses there wouldn't have been a holocaust!

Now. I'm not even going to touch these comments. What I am going to say is that we need to KNOW the scriptures. We as Christians aren't the only ones that read the bible. There are several groups of people that misuse God's word (some blatantly, some ignorantly) and as I've heard it said many times - they know the book better than you do. It is SO important to have the Holy Spirit teaching you as you read the word. Do not let any teachings (whether they profess to be Christian or not) shape your thoughts, without studying the word in its context.

There's not much more to be said. I'm going to go do it, so should you (read God's Authoritative word - The Holy Bible).

What if...

Catch this, What if, while you were on stage preaching, or just "giving a word" as the cliche phrase goes, and Jesus walked into the auditorium and shouted, "You're wack!" and walked out?

Fan the Flame

Ok, good stuff, we've sparked something here... See the previous post and Dizzle's blog to know what I mean. This exactly what I wanted, I want to get people talking about these matters. My last post unfortunately wasn't as clear as I would have liked, but we're on our way to where I was going.

In my original post the question "How much should we?" got asked... I firmly believe that we MUST be involved in politics and law - read Diz's post please, he is much more knowledgeable on this and can break it down better than I could. However, my questions are what type of laws and restrictions is it RIGHT for us to impose on people that don't serve God and don't want to answer to Him. The law in the old testament is good as it points people to sin - it was created for the sinner to know just that that we're sinners. Without this law people wouldn't know that we are in need of the gracious hand of God, in order to live a holy life, in addition to needing His sacrifice to gain entrance into eternal life with the Father.

My question is... If we were to illegalize (it's probably a made up word, but eh...) abortion, murder, alcohol abuse, homosexuality and all the ideals that are fought for as Christians where does it end? Are we creating a world of law or the world of grace? Where will the grace be displayed? How much of this country ACTUALLY is serving God and is ready to be subjected to these laws?

What am I saying here? I'm not saying that these laws should be given up on or abolished at all! I'm attempting to point out the response that we will receive by the opposers. Even if they are willing to comply with the laws, the standard is not something we can adhere to without the assistance of The Holy Spirit - which we even ignore, as demonstrated by Haggart.

My point is that there's a lot that needs to be taken into account. Let's be on the same page and discuss these things - we aren't glorifying to God if we're not firing together. I have talked about the liberal friends I'm in contact with to reveal their thoughts, but it led me off topic. These people don't mean harm, they're just misinformed, ignorant or confused. I don't fault them for thinking the way they do - we can't let their poking provoke us to retaliate innappropriately. We must be ready for the opposition and retaliate in a firm and loving manner for their hearts to change - which is the ultimate goal anyway.

I don't disagree with the laws that are being proposed. I think that we're playing the game on their terf and they're winning (check the polls). I don't want to be cliche and try to make it seem like I'm set and know the way to win. Like I've said, I'm trying to stir the pot and get some discussion.

How Much Should We?

Alright, I have something on my mind and I know that Johnnie and Diz will have a lot to say about it, or I hope they will at least, cuz I need to solidify what God's heart is on the matter. My question is, what involvement should we have in politics? Before salvation, I was much more liberal than my current state. I believed that I shouldn't be the one to dictate how others must live, but I wouldn't myself participate in the acts that many liberals desired to legalize. The major one being abortion - I have always seen this as wrong: don't do what it takes to have a baby, if you don't want the baby, but who am I to require you to live that way also? <-- this is what I used to believe... As for now, I do firmly believe that it should be law - as it involves a life that isn't given a say in the matter.

So what am I talking about? I'm not really sure anymore. I don't think this is going to end up where I thought I was headed, but here we go... I have had a bunch of encounters now with people that laugh at me or try to to encourage me to "live" more because I don't get involved in the type of activities that they do. They perceive my lack of involvement to be out of fear... That I don't go out and drink because God will send me to hell. This is the impression we are giving and I was thinking that this issue was tied into the natural laws that are voted strongly supported by the Christian community. I don't think that is the only or even primary cause of the issue though.

Is it right for me to even try to rationalize what these people think or should I just shrug it off and say they have a demon? I think that's part of the problem - people are quick to accuse the enemy, when we've given these people legitimate reasons to believe that we're off our rockers! Living life in fear of God - a fear that paralyzes you into being a drone is not healthy. (this is not to be confused with a Reverential awe of God or fear that provokes us to righteousness - this topic can be a whole other blog as once again I'm rabbit trailin').

While these thoughts don't flow nicely, I'm using this blog thing as an outlet for my thoughts, so... if you got some light, let it reveal and diffuse the confusion please.