If there's one thing I really get tired of hearing it's the phrase "that's just how he/she is." Another example is the idea of coming to church "just as you are." I totally agree that you don't wait until you're sanctified to start going to church, and church is a place for sinners and saints alike. However, I beg you to come as you are, but don't leave the same. Come broken and tired, but leave closer to Jesus than before. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul talks about a man who is immoral and the church who is boasting about their acceptance. Acceptance is good, but tolerance won't cut it. Paul is essentially saying that that man knows better and has done nothing to change. Paul's conclusion is that that brother must be left to destruction, so that maybe he will be saved. That's kind of a tough love concept.
Back to the first statement though. "That's just John man..." If you're a Christian, that phrase is a total load. I probably harp on tough love more than is necessary, but bear with me in this. I don't understand the Biblical basis for that phrase. When did Jesus ever challenge a crowd to do something radical and say, "Except you, Ned, I know how you are...You...you just do your best." Not once. He calls all men everywhere to account. I dare you to stand before the thrown on the final day and say, "You gotta understand, Jesus. You know how I was raised. My parents were out of the picture, and..." God won't look at you and agree to let you slide by.
Don't get me wrong, there is a time when upbringing issues are relevant. They are relevant as a baby Christian, and they are relevant as explanations but never excuses. Your behavior can be explained by a poor upbringing, but never excused by a poor upbringing. Jesus understands, but he also calls us to new life.
When you truly give your life to Christ, your past becomes irrelevant. It's not where you come from, but where you are. There are many examples of the old you being gone (Gal 2:20, 5:24; Rom 6; Eph 2:1-3). If you are truly in Christ the old you is dead. That person never existed as far as Christ is concerned. That's crazy hard for us to grasp. But we need to grasp it and start living a redeemed life, not a redeeming one. So when someone says, "Well that's just the way I am," they are discrediting the work of the cross. That is why the excuse doesn't stand. You are being renewed!
If anybody could use their upbringing as an excuse, it would be Paul. He was considered beyond righteous for his persecution of the heretical Christians. He made it to middle-adulthood with the same mindset. He was set in his ways, and ignorant to the truth. Yet, he never once excused himself on the grounds of ignorance or upbringing. He took responsibility for his actions and changed so radically. If we were Paul, we could throw excuses out for every mistake we made. Romans is testimony against our excuses.
We have lost our right to excuses. Take responsibility for your actions. Shoot, let's admit when we are wrong! The challenge for all of us is to root out all the excuses in our lives. That may mean going back in the past to admit wrongs and own up for our mistakes. This isn't easy, but that's the cross. Responsibility is a part of our new life in Christ. Romans 12:2. I love you guys, thank you for reading!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 13, 2012
Why I Hate Word Games, but Love Jesus
Everybody and their mom has seen the video Why I Hate Religion, but Love Jesus. It has got quite an incredible amount of views, attention, and flak. I watched it and loved it, but when I looked at some of the reactions to the video I had to change position. This isn't cause I think he is wrong, but the word games he plays are harmful. I don't think people can see past the wordage to see the heart of the message. So let me try to explain the heart of Jeff's message and tell you why the message may not have been done the best way.
I think we have to consider Acts 17 when Paul is in Athens when we talk about religious people. Paul tells the men of Athens that "in every way you are very religious." Of course they believed in false gods, but he calls them very religious. From the way the Athenians lived their lives you probably wouldn't have been able to tell that they had any sense of morality. So although they are very religious, they're lives didn't reflect it. I think this is the kind of thing Jeff was trying to address. So to avoid the horrific word games, and debate over terms, I would like to rephrase his point. Why I hate being churchy, but love being the church.
I understand the desire to play these word games, but they are easy to see through and leave the point behind. Religion has gotten a black eye, and that's why all of us get uneasy when mentioning "religion." Religion has brought pain, bigotry, elitism, ignorance, violence, hatred, factions, war, crusades, 9/11, and on-and-on. So many horrible things have been done in the name of religion. I understand all that, but all that stuff is a result of corruption. Because of religion's poor track record, we feel the need to protect ourselves by disassociation. I understand completely, but word games are not the best solution.
I think we can all admit (it is obvious in my life) that we are a highly cynical bunch. We live in a time where criticism is all we offer- vague compliments and specific criticisms. It is a cardinal rule of the Christian walk that if you have a criticism, you offer a solution. So let's solve the problem.
If we are defining terms, and being real about it, Jesus was a religious figure. I think Jeff would never argue against that. Strictly speaking Jesus is religious. However, he brought forth such a different kind of religion. He broke the status-quot of religion by initiating in a relationship with man. The whole "it's not a religion, it's a relationship" idea is what I think Jeff is going for. I don't like cheesy little sayings like that, but Jesus was really a game changer. The religious people of Jesus' day were his biggest problem. The sinners acting like sinners is understandable, but the religious? There lies the heart of the issue. Jesus doesn't require us to be religious, per-say, but he does require us to live by a set of moral standards (which is part of a religion). Religion is seen nowadays as something much different than a lifestyle; rather something that you can put down and pick back up when convenient. That doesn't mean we have to throw away the term religion, but we do have to redeem it.
I think the biggest thing people are worried about is the church. A lot of criticism towards Jeff comes from people who think he is anti-church. It is obvious from his other videos and sermons that he is not against the church. We are all anti-mediocrity. Churches have been fairly underwhelming, but again that is something to be redeemed. Accountability to the church is not debatable whatsoever. The rogue Christians like Bono are an alarming reflection upon the corruption of churches. However, such churches that leave seekers jaded are likely becoming just a cultural tradition (like most Islamic and Hebrew traditions) and can hardly be considered a church in the first place. Or perhaps people just don't like the authority of the church, in which case it's a sin issue. The church is God's plan A and I find it very humbling to be a part of that. Thank God for the redeeming agency called the church.
I think there is great encouragement to be found in this new video. Firstly, the fact that this video has so many views so fast. Secondly, that although there is so much criticism, there is a lot of critical thinking happening as a result. People obviously care about this issue! Check out what he has to say for himself on Facebook. There is just a lot of emotion and mess involved when word games get involved. It can really betray the heart of your issue. That is why I hate word games, but love Jesus. Grace and peace to you all.
I think we have to consider Acts 17 when Paul is in Athens when we talk about religious people. Paul tells the men of Athens that "in every way you are very religious." Of course they believed in false gods, but he calls them very religious. From the way the Athenians lived their lives you probably wouldn't have been able to tell that they had any sense of morality. So although they are very religious, they're lives didn't reflect it. I think this is the kind of thing Jeff was trying to address. So to avoid the horrific word games, and debate over terms, I would like to rephrase his point. Why I hate being churchy, but love being the church.
I understand the desire to play these word games, but they are easy to see through and leave the point behind. Religion has gotten a black eye, and that's why all of us get uneasy when mentioning "religion." Religion has brought pain, bigotry, elitism, ignorance, violence, hatred, factions, war, crusades, 9/11, and on-and-on. So many horrible things have been done in the name of religion. I understand all that, but all that stuff is a result of corruption. Because of religion's poor track record, we feel the need to protect ourselves by disassociation. I understand completely, but word games are not the best solution.
I think we can all admit (it is obvious in my life) that we are a highly cynical bunch. We live in a time where criticism is all we offer- vague compliments and specific criticisms. It is a cardinal rule of the Christian walk that if you have a criticism, you offer a solution. So let's solve the problem.
If we are defining terms, and being real about it, Jesus was a religious figure. I think Jeff would never argue against that. Strictly speaking Jesus is religious. However, he brought forth such a different kind of religion. He broke the status-quot of religion by initiating in a relationship with man. The whole "it's not a religion, it's a relationship" idea is what I think Jeff is going for. I don't like cheesy little sayings like that, but Jesus was really a game changer. The religious people of Jesus' day were his biggest problem. The sinners acting like sinners is understandable, but the religious? There lies the heart of the issue. Jesus doesn't require us to be religious, per-say, but he does require us to live by a set of moral standards (which is part of a religion). Religion is seen nowadays as something much different than a lifestyle; rather something that you can put down and pick back up when convenient. That doesn't mean we have to throw away the term religion, but we do have to redeem it.
I think the biggest thing people are worried about is the church. A lot of criticism towards Jeff comes from people who think he is anti-church. It is obvious from his other videos and sermons that he is not against the church. We are all anti-mediocrity. Churches have been fairly underwhelming, but again that is something to be redeemed. Accountability to the church is not debatable whatsoever. The rogue Christians like Bono are an alarming reflection upon the corruption of churches. However, such churches that leave seekers jaded are likely becoming just a cultural tradition (like most Islamic and Hebrew traditions) and can hardly be considered a church in the first place. Or perhaps people just don't like the authority of the church, in which case it's a sin issue. The church is God's plan A and I find it very humbling to be a part of that. Thank God for the redeeming agency called the church.
I think there is great encouragement to be found in this new video. Firstly, the fact that this video has so many views so fast. Secondly, that although there is so much criticism, there is a lot of critical thinking happening as a result. People obviously care about this issue! Check out what he has to say for himself on Facebook. There is just a lot of emotion and mess involved when word games get involved. It can really betray the heart of your issue. That is why I hate word games, but love Jesus. Grace and peace to you all.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Capture the Flag
Hey everybody, I would like to thank you again for reading and supporting me. You are very encouraging to me. I have had a TON going on in my mind lately, and you can expect to read about it eventually ha. But for now I have a short thought that I want to share with you all.
Life is like capture the flag...Yep. More specifically, church is like home base to us. That isn't a bad thing in itself, but what happens when you are so afraid of being tagged that you never leave home base? What if you leave you faith at home base (Sunday Christian). You will never win if you are on base!
So we go out into the world cautiously, after leaving home base, and what do we do when someone catches off base? They ask us if we are playing and we say, "No! I called timeout!" I work with elementary school kids and they lie like that all the time. In reality they are playing, just afraid to be caught. Stop hiding your faith!
Oh, and definitely don't get caught puppy-guarding...That is staying too close to home base. If so, the other team has the right to call you out.We gotta go outside the church. That's where the lost are. That takes a risk. I would argue that church in a building only is no church at all. Look at Jesus' ministry if you don't believe me.
So stop the puppy-guarding, get off base from time-to-time, and take risks! As always, pray for humility and wisdom in everything. Get out there, we're on mission.
Life is like capture the flag...Yep. More specifically, church is like home base to us. That isn't a bad thing in itself, but what happens when you are so afraid of being tagged that you never leave home base? What if you leave you faith at home base (Sunday Christian). You will never win if you are on base!
So we go out into the world cautiously, after leaving home base, and what do we do when someone catches off base? They ask us if we are playing and we say, "No! I called timeout!" I work with elementary school kids and they lie like that all the time. In reality they are playing, just afraid to be caught. Stop hiding your faith!
Oh, and definitely don't get caught puppy-guarding...That is staying too close to home base. If so, the other team has the right to call you out.We gotta go outside the church. That's where the lost are. That takes a risk. I would argue that church in a building only is no church at all. Look at Jesus' ministry if you don't believe me.
So stop the puppy-guarding, get off base from time-to-time, and take risks! As always, pray for humility and wisdom in everything. Get out there, we're on mission.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
By the Sweat of Our Brows
Perhaps I should be embarrassed to admit this, but I learned something about myself fairly recently. This is no small concept, but perhaps one that seems hard to have gone unnoticed for so long. I'm talking about righteousness, and salvation, and striving. I have begun to realize how independent I am. I sometimes think I'm doing just fine. There is something very subtle in a lot of peoples' mind, I think, that is a leviathan of a sin. Let's get right to it.
Who is keeping me from the brink of destruction? Who walks me along that fine line; that narrow path between salvation and death? If I'm honest with myself, and cut through the Sunday school answer, it's me. I have lived according to my goodness for a long time now. I think to myself sometimes that, "I had a decent sense of morals even before I was a Christian." Bravo.
If I am honest with myself I would do okay without Christ in my life. I would probably be a fine husband, father, worker, etc. I would live. I have even been able to manage my sins for long seasons at a time. Bravo. I don't know that I have ever been in need. Therefore, I don't know that I have ever had to actually rely on Jesus. But God has revealed something to me. Every season of sinlessness in my name was an utter failure. Even if I could live a sinless life, that would mean nothing if done in my name. That's what I've done. I've lived as my own savior. I have made myself the mediator.
Lecrae (one of my favorite theologians) said in a song "I can't see clear, but it ain't tears in my eyes- it's sweat pouring down from all the years that I tried to be my own savior. Said I'd never fail, but never had the righteousness it took to save myself." Listen Here. As elementary as that sounds, I really have been living by the sweat of my brow and work of my hands. I have more faith in my bank account than in the provision of my God who has never left me lacking what I needed. And my sin? I tried to kick it like a smoker. I actually made a tally of everyday I went without different sins. I've never laid down my struggle.
In another really convicting, highly recommended song by the 116 Pastor Leonce Crump II says, "[Manning up] is not simply managing our sin. That's not what it means to be a man, because you can try harder, and you can do better, and you can hang on longer. That's not manning up! Manning up is our ability to lay down all of our effort, and all of our trying, and all of our strength and say, 'I trust in Jesus! I trust in his perfection, I trust in his power, and I trust in his resurrection. Because He's the only one that can get me through this, and He's the only one that can make me free!'" And the end of Lecrae's earlier line says "So this is where I turn, confess, believe that Jesus is the only savior I will ever need. I repent tonight!"
That's the truth. You and I need to lay it down. I think if you are honest with yourself, you might find this chaos in your life as well. We keep trying to save ourselves and that will lead us right to the grave. We cannot earn his grace no matter what. That is probably the most difficult thing for us to truly grasp about grace, it is absolutely unattainable by our works. We cannot even meet him half way.
Now I could do okay without Christ in this life, but I will die and stand before the throne and have to take account for my pride, and I would then be judged by the deeds that I desired to save me. I would condemn myself even in my good deeds. Instead I live my life with higher quality than money could ever buy. I am on a mission. Keep praying with me and for me. We need to lay down our effort to save ourselves, and pick up the Word. Let's dive into his will for our lives.
I am ready to give up. I think in doing so I will do greater things for the kingdom's sake. In his name, by the blood, sweat, and tears of Jesus.
Who is keeping me from the brink of destruction? Who walks me along that fine line; that narrow path between salvation and death? If I'm honest with myself, and cut through the Sunday school answer, it's me. I have lived according to my goodness for a long time now. I think to myself sometimes that, "I had a decent sense of morals even before I was a Christian." Bravo.
If I am honest with myself I would do okay without Christ in my life. I would probably be a fine husband, father, worker, etc. I would live. I have even been able to manage my sins for long seasons at a time. Bravo. I don't know that I have ever been in need. Therefore, I don't know that I have ever had to actually rely on Jesus. But God has revealed something to me. Every season of sinlessness in my name was an utter failure. Even if I could live a sinless life, that would mean nothing if done in my name. That's what I've done. I've lived as my own savior. I have made myself the mediator.
Lecrae (one of my favorite theologians) said in a song "I can't see clear, but it ain't tears in my eyes- it's sweat pouring down from all the years that I tried to be my own savior. Said I'd never fail, but never had the righteousness it took to save myself." Listen Here. As elementary as that sounds, I really have been living by the sweat of my brow and work of my hands. I have more faith in my bank account than in the provision of my God who has never left me lacking what I needed. And my sin? I tried to kick it like a smoker. I actually made a tally of everyday I went without different sins. I've never laid down my struggle.
In another really convicting, highly recommended song by the 116 Pastor Leonce Crump II says, "[Manning up] is not simply managing our sin. That's not what it means to be a man, because you can try harder, and you can do better, and you can hang on longer. That's not manning up! Manning up is our ability to lay down all of our effort, and all of our trying, and all of our strength and say, 'I trust in Jesus! I trust in his perfection, I trust in his power, and I trust in his resurrection. Because He's the only one that can get me through this, and He's the only one that can make me free!'" And the end of Lecrae's earlier line says "So this is where I turn, confess, believe that Jesus is the only savior I will ever need. I repent tonight!"
That's the truth. You and I need to lay it down. I think if you are honest with yourself, you might find this chaos in your life as well. We keep trying to save ourselves and that will lead us right to the grave. We cannot earn his grace no matter what. That is probably the most difficult thing for us to truly grasp about grace, it is absolutely unattainable by our works. We cannot even meet him half way.
Now I could do okay without Christ in this life, but I will die and stand before the throne and have to take account for my pride, and I would then be judged by the deeds that I desired to save me. I would condemn myself even in my good deeds. Instead I live my life with higher quality than money could ever buy. I am on a mission. Keep praying with me and for me. We need to lay down our effort to save ourselves, and pick up the Word. Let's dive into his will for our lives.
I am ready to give up. I think in doing so I will do greater things for the kingdom's sake. In his name, by the blood, sweat, and tears of Jesus.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
I Now Pronounce You Crazy
I'm back with another post that probably could be expanded into a book! Matter fact, it has many times. I am specifically talk about marriage in light of what I just recently said about dating. So let's work from there and ignore all the things I have to leave out. Another assumption I have to write with is that you understand the "legit Christians" are those who are obviously pursuing Christ-likeness. There you go, enough of that!
I have seen legit Christians marry non-Christians before, and even improve the morality of their non-Christian partner. But oh my goodness, how can someone sold out to Jesus be really effective when they have to use plenty of energy to even get their spouse to church? And how do they raise kids with two different philosophies? If the woman is the legit one, the husband usually is apathetic and annoyed by his wife's energy. If the man is the legit one, the woman will drive her husband out of ministry 9 times out of 10 (once again, no statistical backup). It is career suicide. So let's talk about the ministry dynamic of marriage.
This is my absolute favorite quality in my fiancee, Amy. She is ministry-minded. She is beautiful, funny, and smart enough to attract my attention, but what hooked me was knowing her missionary heart. Now that's hot! Amy and I both agree that if one of us decides against vocational ministry, then we are done. Our ministries will work together and strengthen each other, not hinder them. She won't be a minister's wife, but a minister in her own right. You should only be dating people who have the same passion for ministry as you, and marry someone like that. A lot of ministers find themselves out there with pretty little ladies who really aren't that interested in ministry. And pretty little ladies get what they want. If they're out, you won't last long. When you fall out of ministry because of your spouse's apathy, in comes the bitterness. If you don't think so, you're crazy. You may miss your calling in ministry because you missed your calling in dating
Ask about each others' philosophy on things like raising children, handling conflict, doctrine, etc. Ask as many questions as necessary! More important than that is openness. I have seen several relationships end for a lack of openness and honesty. If you can't talk about things that may cause conflict you may have a pride problem or shyness problem. Either way, you are doomed to anger and bitterness if you can't be open. Amy and I started asking the question, "what're you thinking?" and as simple and accidental as that is, it has created opportunities to either lie or be open. Ask questions!
Lastly, the physical issues. A friend of mine said that perhaps we need to "prepare for sexual healing, rather than abstinence in our youth ministries." That may sound pessimistic, but that reality is upon us (insert the well-known stats here). Everyone I know is having to ask the question, "what all have you...done...physically?" to the girl/guy they're "talking" to. It's a very appropriate and necessary question now. [just realized this is more of a dating thing...that's ok, greatly affects marriage anyways] You have to proceed with caution when sexual sin is in the mix. I don't discount grace, second virginity, or the incredible renewal of the mind through recreation, but you have to be honest to your future spouse about what you've done. That way you both can begin to heal those scars together.
This was a tough post to write because 1. I'm not married yet, and 2. the purity issue is sensitive. My advice is that if you have stained your purity, find a partner who will heal you and help restore you through Jesus Christ. No one else can restore you, not a healthy relationship with a "great guy" or his love. Christ's love makes us whole again.
The point here is that dating has such an obvious effect on your marriage. Bad dating relationships are a sign that you will be a failure of a spouse if something doesn't change in your heart. Christ's supremacy is where it all begins (hmm, common theme of life perhaps?). When you are satisfied in Christ, then a lot of things clear up. Your marriage covenant is to reflect Christ's love for the church. That's a high calling.
Be praying now for your spouse; your children's spouses. Continue to pray for wisdom and humility. Find your spouse in God's Word before you ever see the person. I love you all, and I feel for all you out there struggling to find a real man/woman. Seek Proverbs 31 women and Ephesians 5 spouses.
I have seen legit Christians marry non-Christians before, and even improve the morality of their non-Christian partner. But oh my goodness, how can someone sold out to Jesus be really effective when they have to use plenty of energy to even get their spouse to church? And how do they raise kids with two different philosophies? If the woman is the legit one, the husband usually is apathetic and annoyed by his wife's energy. If the man is the legit one, the woman will drive her husband out of ministry 9 times out of 10 (once again, no statistical backup). It is career suicide. So let's talk about the ministry dynamic of marriage.
This is my absolute favorite quality in my fiancee, Amy. She is ministry-minded. She is beautiful, funny, and smart enough to attract my attention, but what hooked me was knowing her missionary heart. Now that's hot! Amy and I both agree that if one of us decides against vocational ministry, then we are done. Our ministries will work together and strengthen each other, not hinder them. She won't be a minister's wife, but a minister in her own right. You should only be dating people who have the same passion for ministry as you, and marry someone like that. A lot of ministers find themselves out there with pretty little ladies who really aren't that interested in ministry. And pretty little ladies get what they want. If they're out, you won't last long. When you fall out of ministry because of your spouse's apathy, in comes the bitterness. If you don't think so, you're crazy. You may miss your calling in ministry because you missed your calling in dating
Ask about each others' philosophy on things like raising children, handling conflict, doctrine, etc. Ask as many questions as necessary! More important than that is openness. I have seen several relationships end for a lack of openness and honesty. If you can't talk about things that may cause conflict you may have a pride problem or shyness problem. Either way, you are doomed to anger and bitterness if you can't be open. Amy and I started asking the question, "what're you thinking?" and as simple and accidental as that is, it has created opportunities to either lie or be open. Ask questions!
Lastly, the physical issues. A friend of mine said that perhaps we need to "prepare for sexual healing, rather than abstinence in our youth ministries." That may sound pessimistic, but that reality is upon us (insert the well-known stats here). Everyone I know is having to ask the question, "what all have you...done...physically?" to the girl/guy they're "talking" to. It's a very appropriate and necessary question now. [just realized this is more of a dating thing...that's ok, greatly affects marriage anyways] You have to proceed with caution when sexual sin is in the mix. I don't discount grace, second virginity, or the incredible renewal of the mind through recreation, but you have to be honest to your future spouse about what you've done. That way you both can begin to heal those scars together.
This was a tough post to write because 1. I'm not married yet, and 2. the purity issue is sensitive. My advice is that if you have stained your purity, find a partner who will heal you and help restore you through Jesus Christ. No one else can restore you, not a healthy relationship with a "great guy" or his love. Christ's love makes us whole again.
The point here is that dating has such an obvious effect on your marriage. Bad dating relationships are a sign that you will be a failure of a spouse if something doesn't change in your heart. Christ's supremacy is where it all begins (hmm, common theme of life perhaps?). When you are satisfied in Christ, then a lot of things clear up. Your marriage covenant is to reflect Christ's love for the church. That's a high calling.
Be praying now for your spouse; your children's spouses. Continue to pray for wisdom and humility. Find your spouse in God's Word before you ever see the person. I love you all, and I feel for all you out there struggling to find a real man/woman. Seek Proverbs 31 women and Ephesians 5 spouses.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Cord of Three Strands
Being at Ozark, dating is kind of seen as a calamity. It is talked about way too much for the wrong reasons, and is a big deal in some of the wrong ways. Dating is a big deal, but it's getting really confusing, I think. Realize that I am not the authority on dating, but I have read the authority (the Bible- nice right?) and I think there are some things to reconsider about dating. So, here goes...
Firstly, dating is a really big deal...Some people disagree and say, "it's just a time for you to look around and see what you like in a wife." With all due respect to moms and dads everywhere, that's bull. You know what you like in a woman/man, and if you don't you need to be in the Word searching for him/her. Also if you don't know what you want, you better not be dating...Common sense, I would hope. Dating is way too dangerous to be considered anything less than it is. Sexual sin is absolutely rampant, because of the pathetic worldview we've adopted from Stephenie Meyer and Hugh Hefner, and careless dating is a part of that. I'm not talking about pagan hedonists either, I'm talking about Christians. Too many of us are naive to the fact that dating at a young and insecure age leads to sexual temptation, no matter how prestigious of a preacher your dad is.
Dating is for two people who can honestly see themselves getting married. That doesn't mean, "Yeah, she's hot...and Christian." Again, bull. Imagine this with me-- you can be friends first. Shoot, I know that is crazy with the imminent doom of the "friend zone" lurking. Ladies, stop the very real friend zone crap, and perhaps chivalry will rise from the ashes. All the good men aren't gone, they are your friends. Anyways, I don't see my proposal as controversial. Don't date someone when you know it isn't going anywhere. That is purely a physical, lustful attraction at heart and is sinful in ambition.
Don't date non-Christians...This is not debatable in the least. It's not because they are dirty or lesser than you and I, but they are relationally incomplete. Know my heart in this, non-Christians deserve to know love from us, but not a dating/marriage relationship. In the Old Testament God warns his people over-and-over again not to marry outside of their culture. This isn't ethnocentrism, but a concern for their spiritual well-being. Because God knew their hearts (imagine that) would easily be lead astray by men/women from other cultures. The downfall of Solomon is attributed to his love for women of other religions. Your intimate relationships are rooted deeply in you brain, and those people can manipulate you to even leave your faith. Sounds stupid, but I've seen it happen. A vast majority of the time it is easier for the good morality to crumble, rather than the good. And don't be stupid, dating is not an effective missionary tool for converting someone who you really want to be with.
So what DO you do? (I tend to be fairly negative and always talk about the do nots, my bad.) Well, don't date...you can chill out. Dating has become such a strong desire and necessity to feel whole. It hurts me to see that burning desire for wholeness through partnership. This is from immaturity in faith. When you are truly satisfied with your relationship with Christ, that is when you are ready to date. My friends saw a common occurrence when they got to this point--they didn't care about dating. Strangely enough (no sarcasm), all of us found a wonderful partner soon afterwards. You are NOT ready to date until you are comfortable with yourself, and your greatest love- God.
So take some time and grow. Mature first. I can tell you first-hand that girlfriends do no bring fulfillment. If you haven't had one, they aren't that great to have just because you wanted one. Girls/guys are not life's purpose for you. Some are blessed with singleness, and not in the cheesy sense. Paul agrees, and is a testament to, the effectiveness of singles in missions. Be content with God and no one less. Please be patient, or it could really do some harm. At the same time, it would be best if some of us at Ozark would stop stressing the dating scene so much.
Well I have more that should probably be said, and I will come back to talk about marriage next time. God bless the humble, and I love you all. Thanks for all your encouragement!
Firstly, dating is a really big deal...Some people disagree and say, "it's just a time for you to look around and see what you like in a wife." With all due respect to moms and dads everywhere, that's bull. You know what you like in a woman/man, and if you don't you need to be in the Word searching for him/her. Also if you don't know what you want, you better not be dating...Common sense, I would hope. Dating is way too dangerous to be considered anything less than it is. Sexual sin is absolutely rampant, because of the pathetic worldview we've adopted from Stephenie Meyer and Hugh Hefner, and careless dating is a part of that. I'm not talking about pagan hedonists either, I'm talking about Christians. Too many of us are naive to the fact that dating at a young and insecure age leads to sexual temptation, no matter how prestigious of a preacher your dad is.
Dating is for two people who can honestly see themselves getting married. That doesn't mean, "Yeah, she's hot...and Christian." Again, bull. Imagine this with me-- you can be friends first. Shoot, I know that is crazy with the imminent doom of the "friend zone" lurking. Ladies, stop the very real friend zone crap, and perhaps chivalry will rise from the ashes. All the good men aren't gone, they are your friends. Anyways, I don't see my proposal as controversial. Don't date someone when you know it isn't going anywhere. That is purely a physical, lustful attraction at heart and is sinful in ambition.
Don't date non-Christians...This is not debatable in the least. It's not because they are dirty or lesser than you and I, but they are relationally incomplete. Know my heart in this, non-Christians deserve to know love from us, but not a dating/marriage relationship. In the Old Testament God warns his people over-and-over again not to marry outside of their culture. This isn't ethnocentrism, but a concern for their spiritual well-being. Because God knew their hearts (imagine that) would easily be lead astray by men/women from other cultures. The downfall of Solomon is attributed to his love for women of other religions. Your intimate relationships are rooted deeply in you brain, and those people can manipulate you to even leave your faith. Sounds stupid, but I've seen it happen. A vast majority of the time it is easier for the good morality to crumble, rather than the good. And don't be stupid, dating is not an effective missionary tool for converting someone who you really want to be with.
So what DO you do? (I tend to be fairly negative and always talk about the do nots, my bad.) Well, don't date...you can chill out. Dating has become such a strong desire and necessity to feel whole. It hurts me to see that burning desire for wholeness through partnership. This is from immaturity in faith. When you are truly satisfied with your relationship with Christ, that is when you are ready to date. My friends saw a common occurrence when they got to this point--they didn't care about dating. Strangely enough (no sarcasm), all of us found a wonderful partner soon afterwards. You are NOT ready to date until you are comfortable with yourself, and your greatest love- God.
So take some time and grow. Mature first. I can tell you first-hand that girlfriends do no bring fulfillment. If you haven't had one, they aren't that great to have just because you wanted one. Girls/guys are not life's purpose for you. Some are blessed with singleness, and not in the cheesy sense. Paul agrees, and is a testament to, the effectiveness of singles in missions. Be content with God and no one less. Please be patient, or it could really do some harm. At the same time, it would be best if some of us at Ozark would stop stressing the dating scene so much.
Well I have more that should probably be said, and I will come back to talk about marriage next time. God bless the humble, and I love you all. Thanks for all your encouragement!
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