After the Cross

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2

To continue with the theme of the recent articles, I wanted to discuss what’s next. We have walked the journey to the Cross and accepted Christ and have been baptized for our rebirth. Now what?

To start I want to reflect for a moment over Galatians 6 for a moment. Each of us have been caught up in a sin that we cannot seem to break free from. Paul talks about his affliction of the flesh and Peter tells us about the things that he wishes he would do he does not, but the things he desires not to do is what he ends up doing instead.

Galatians gives us some instruction on how to help our family with this cycle, but I think of a bigger thing with this verse. I mean this verse can go down to someone that has a habit of telling white lies to allowing his thoughts dwell on sinful desires a bit too much. Many times we are able to forgive the person that is having this issue and able to take up the advice in Galatians 6 and gently restore the person.

What if the sin they were caught up in was something “more” than lust driven thoughts? What if it were as extreme as Rape? What if it was Murder? What about Armed Robbery? Can you or I gently restore that person? Well Jesus calls to us to do the same thing in these cases as well. Sin is sin, it’s black and white. There are no varied degrees of sin, you have sinned or you have not sinned.

But we have a hard time not putting these sins on a scale. Cannibalism certainly seems a lot worse to the human mind and to me than telling your friend that you were at the mall instead of at your house when they called and you didn’t feel like talking. But lying is sin. Cannibalism would certainly be a sin, and well sin is sin.

This mindset that there are sins larger than others is a hard thing to get beyond. There are so many emotions that weigh into the process. As human beings the more fear that something puts into our hearts makes whatever it is worse than something that we don’t really fear. Stealing a bottle of water is a lot less scary than a home invasion.

It’s only human, but for us to start looking at what is next for us, we have to start realizing that sin is sin, and grace is grace. If we are saved by grace for the totality of our sin, why cannot someone else be reconciled by the same God that gave you forgiveness? If he sees all sin as sin, and has informed us of this fact, how can we not accept that?

If you have committed the least of these then you have committed the greater as well. All of us have committed rape, murder, and idolatry in God’s eyes based on this one passage. Is that taking the passage out of context a bit? Perhaps, but I don’t think I am taking it too far out of context there.

Jesus was proving a point with similar things. He was proving that we cannot be saved by the Law that only Grace could save us. We all fell short of the Law, and that’s why he came and died for us. We have already accepted that forgiveness and grace from him. We met him at the cross and were baptized in his blood that washed us clean.

What’s next? Allowing ourselves to forgive ourselves and begin our walk with Christ. Before we can love others as we love ourselves, we have to actually love ourselves. For some people that will be harder than others. Some of us love ourselves a little too much and that just means we have to love others a lot more in the process.

This was something that was particularly hard for me to do. Forgive myself for all the people that I had hurt and all that I had done against Christ and his people. All the lives that I had touched in a harmful way and being a tempter, making people question everything that they thought they knew to draw them into darkness.

As a Satanist it was my goal to build up a base of followers that was able to tear down the grip that God has on the souls of the world. Christianity is the number one religion in the world, and I wanted to tear it all down. During my time as a Satanist, many people that I had worked with had committed suicide or spent time in mental hospitals.

The fact that I blasphemed God’s name daily and God said it is forgotten, I love you anyway. That kind of love is amazing. God loves us to the point that no matter how far you have drifted from Christ he will open his arms and welcome you home. That love is what drove me back into his arms and drove me to make life changes to ensure that I did not find myself back in that dark place again.

But how can someone that now has morals forgive himself for that kind of harm. I cannot help but feel that I am responsible for the suicides of people that I was teaching. How do you get past that? How do you forgive yourself for that? One day at a time, embracing God’s love and his mercy. It is through his grace and his love that I have been resurrected.

The man that I once was is long dead, but the memories are still there. My body and soul is marred with scars, scars are wounds that have healed but have left a mark. Khalil Gibran says this about scars, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” Thomas would only believe that Christ had returned from the dead after he saw the scars on the wrists of Christ.

Remember that it is not the scars that are important; it is the fact that those wounds are healed. God is a God that heals our wounds. But not every wound heals to the point that there is no scar. Through these scars you have your story and testimony. An abusive relationship leaves scars on both people. We walk around with perfect masks hiding the numerous scars that we have on our hearts and souls.

If we focus too much on that and not the fact that they are forgiven, and work daily to allow ourselves to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and forgive ourselves, then what point do those scars have? They will just be a friendly reminder of the times that you have failed.  The greatest way we can use these reminders is going back to Galatians 6. Remember your scars and use them to help someone else with their restoration.

The deeper the scar the longer it hurts and the more tender it is. You remember the pain caused by that scar and you now have strength by coming through the other side of that wound. You survived and have power in your scars if you choose to use it. Allow these wounds to heal and become scars then use these scars to help others with similar wounds.

Helping others heal and showing love to others is fulfillment of Jesus’s new commandments to us. What’s next? Many of us have a lot of healing that we have to work through. Others of us have stories to tell of God’s grace and mercy. Others of us just need to love on people to make sure they know that Christ is not point at you with a hot poker to burn you for every wrong that you have done.

What you do with your scars is up to you. If you just want to use them as reminders of things not to do again if great. If you want to use them to help others, that is great. What Jack didn’t realize in Fight Club was that he already had scars. So what can you do with your scars?

“There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with.” Harry Crews

http://GodForgives.Us

Lord Cleanse Me, Again...

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12

Baptism is one of the acts that we go through in order to become a Christian. It is the recreation of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. It is the symbol of us being washed clean of all sins. We all agree on baptism being something of an important thing, and if you have gone through it, you have felt why it is so compelling.

Many times in life we wish for the slate to be washed clean, a fresh start. Sometimes we move across the country to start up again. Other times we change churches, spouses or hair color. Something that marks us as a different person than we were. We are trying to do something different to break a cycle that we feel we are stuck in. With the information age in full swing, this is becoming harder and harder to do.

There is one place we can always turn to get a fresh start and that is God. Bathed in his glory and his grace through the death of Jesus Christ, we are washed clean through him. We get a fresh start every time. We can screw up every day and ask for forgiveness and we get it every single time. That is fact, but this does not always carry over to the rest of the world.

The world says, “Hey I know you, how about another drink? No? Oh, come on for old time sake. That a boy, I knew you had it in you.“  The world knows the flesh, and all the weaknesses. That cute redhead that has your number; the buddy that has the hook up or that website that is just a click away, we all have our weakness or addiction. Sometimes it’s food. Sometimes it is something that happened years ago.

We have shown the world that we are not the same, but it doesn’t care. God does, and those that see you through the eyes of Christ will notice it. God forgives, the world forgets. The world even puts in little ways to help itself forget. Expunging your criminal record, if you can, is just like it never happened. That is why we were given Grace.

The Law holds record of all of our wrongs. Through grace our wrongs are forgotten. There are so many times when I was walking lost that a yard stick was put up to me and I was told how many ways I fell short from God’s Grace, which was a lie. No one falls short of God’s Grace, you simply have to allow yourself to receive the gift of forgiveness and Grace. The law condemns and grace redeems.

The sentiment of God Forgives and the World Forgets is this, God gives us grace and wishes us to be part of his family, but the world has built little boxes and containers for everyone to be in, and these boxes are exclusive. You have to be part of the club to be accepted. Look at country club membership. You have to pay a lot of money to just apply and even then most are invitation only. To be part of God’s Country Club you have to accept a gift given freely. Everyone can afford that, but not the country club.

“Oh I see here that in 1984 you had some domestic violence and a DUI in 1992. I think this might be a problem, we can’t let your kind in here.” Having a problem can get you put into boxes that the world easily puts people in. You are a criminal for getting caught for something that many people have done but not gotten caught. You had a girlfriend that was 2 years younger than you in high school. Daddy got mad when he caught you with his little girl, now you’re a sex offender.

Well now you and she are married, but you are still a sex offender and have to report it when you move to a new area. You can’t even pick your own kids up from school. But hey in 10 years you can petition to get it forgotten.  In the meantime you struggle to find work, face judgment around every turn, and even some churches ask you to find somewhere else to worship.  

You killed a couple when drinking and driving, and well that put you in a place that you had never thought you would be. You’ve got friends at the country club that can help you out, but still you killed two people. You are now a monster. You call your buddies at the country club and they have turned their back on you. Your perfect life just crumbled, but I’ve got good news. You want some help getting the vision of those two people lying dead while you were waiting for the police to arrive.

 You want to remember, but be forgiven. You remember to keep you from doing it again. But now that you know the cost of your problem, you want to be forgiven. God will forgive you, all you have to do is ask, he’s waiting on you. It is your choice. All you have to do is accept him and he will cover you. He will help carry your burden and help you make better choices.

Does that mean that those two counts of vehicular homicide go away? No the World wants to ensure that you are punished for that. What can you do with this now? How long will this follow you? Welcome to the bad box, criminal. But inside that box is where you go, murderer. But God tears those boxes apart with his forgiveness.

Those of you that are reading this that are not in those boxes. What can you do to help people that are? The world wants to keep these people in pain and suffering for as long as it can. The world has policies to protect the world through harming people that made a mistake in life, sometimes very large mistakes. Where is God’s grace in the earth? Through his people.

This is the message I have today. If you are in HR or a policy maker at a company, what can you do to give people a new chance? A bar fight can cost people for up to 8 years. Having sex before marriage at crucial ages can cost you 10 to 15 years. How did this world become like this? We must protect ourselves because everyone is trying to hurt us. We must save what is ours because the world is evil. If we give Bob another chance he’ll do the same thing, and we covered it up well this time, but twice… we can’t do that.

The world is an evil place, but that does not mean that grace is not there. That does not mean that Jesus is not here with us. No, it just means that we have to fight a little harder to get God’s light to shine through. Fear is a tool and a weapon that keeps us in darkness, but where God is darkness must flee. I want to call out to each and every Christian. Do what God has called us to do; let his light shine through in everything we do and everything we touch.

The world can change, but it takes people to fight for the change. And a fight does not have to be one of violence, in fact that way will assure that we will lose. Grace, mercy, peace, love, compassion, these are the tools that we must use to make the changes to make this world a world that knows the true voice of God.

How can you help? Before you hold up a ruler to the strange boy that decided to go to church today, try talking to him. Before you condemn the girl that you have seen walking down the roads and getting into cars with men she does not know, talk to her. How many weeks do you tithe time?

16 hours and 48 minutes is 10 percent of the time that we are given each week. That’s before sleep. That’s a lot of time right? How are you going to get that in? Well church probably takes care of 2 to 4 hours of it. So let’s put that down to 12 hours to get covered over 6 more days.

 So you mean that to tithe time you have to give 2 hours a day and almost 5 on Sunday? How long is your morning commute? Give it to God. Now you have one hour a day to give to God. 30 Minutes over lunch, hey you were going to McDonalds anyway, why not get that lady counting pennies some food and talk with her. You may be surprised at what kind of Good you can do for someone with just a couple dollar burgers and a little time.

You want to impact someone on a level that is massive? Write a few letters to people in jail offering them a chance to talk with someone that doesn’t know them. Some of these people are cut off from everyone as soon as they go behind bars; families turn on them, isolated. Be Christ for them. Offer them conversation and allow it to lead to more.  Instead of protesting an abortion clinic, how about spend time with a girl that is facing a hard decision. Find out why she would be willing to kill her unborn child. Why her life is so desperate that she feels that this is the only place she can turn.

We are not promised tomorrow. How can we not do something for God every day? God gave it to us, what can we do with it? Who can you take to the river and baptize? Who can you show the light of God? You know how good it felt to go under the water and become a new person. How can you not share that with someone who needs the Love of Jesus? What can you do? Write a letter. Take a homeless person out to dinner. Pray for an open heart and open eyes and God will give you a chance to serve.

John had no idea that Jesus would come to the river and bless him with the chance to take him under the water to be cleansed and freed from the sinful body that our perfect God was encased in. John was blessed that day, because John got to be the hands of God and baptize Jesus to set his feet upon the path to the cross for us. We all were blessed by the living water. So what’s next? You like it? Share it.

“If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” Zig Ziglar

Faith: A Journey by Grace

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift – not from works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

I had a wonderful conversation about God yesterday, during the conversation a question was asked to me. What would you say is the most important thing for people to know concerning with the Spiritual forces and demons? The answer was Faith, but it was not that short of an answer.

Faith is one of our greatest tools that we have as Christians. How do we know what we know? Well that philosophical question is a rabbit hole that goes very deep, but the answer for that to me is we put faith in what we believe we know. We put faith in what we believe. I don’t care what faith you have, your belief and the faith in that belief is where you will draw strength from it.

Jesus said that the faith the size of a mustard seed you can make a mountain jump into the sea. That alone should tell us just how powerful faith is. In the Armor of God, Paul states the Shield of Faith as the most important piece of that armor. Through our faith we do many things that we would not do.

Why is faith so important? Faith is the foundation of belief. We put faith in something and that develops into belief. Through our faith we are saved by Grace. Grace is something that we are given, and the only way we are able to measure up as it were. As we build our faith we draw closer to God and as we draw closer to God, we desire to do the things that God wishes us to do more.

This makes me think about the statement in James about Faith without works is dead. Why is faith without works dead? If your faith is alive and producing fruit, works is a byproduct. Works is part of what you are growing for the harvest. If you are going through a lull in your faith and striving to revive it, I’ve got a good idea for you. Go back to your Grey Door, that symbol that you have of the turning point in your life.

Once you are back at that Grey Door, pray for guidance and read the bible. Maybe you should read the Armor of God prayer for a few days. As you do these things you will begin to travel the spiritual path that you blazed before. Open your heart and allow your faith to build. As it builds you will find that there are opportunities to help out and do things that God wishes for us to do.

Some of us get tasks such as writing, or teaching. Others it may be a mission trip. It all depends on the spiritual gifts that you personally possess. Even more than that it could be something small and simple that does not seem to be your forte, but there is an opportunity there that will open the next door or show you the path that you missed or were not ready to travel down.

God has a plan and path for us, but it is only through our Faith that we can do these things. As your faith grows so does the desire to use the spiritual gifts that you have. Is your place warming a pew? No, it never is. There is always more for you to do.

Each of us has a story to tell and a walk to walk. Each of us is blessed with some kind of gift. What stops us from completing the tasks that we are given to complete? God provides us with all things that we need. If he has a purpose for us, he will provide us with the way to complete these tasks. It may be through the generosity of others, or it may be through some other process or procedure that he has in store for us.

These things cannot pan out if we do not have the faith that they will pan out. With that faith comes a calm peace that builds strength. We know that we have set our feet upon a firm foundation, we have taken refuge here in the storms, and we have the Faith in what we have seen and been told. We know that God does not let us go without things that we need. If God has a need for us to do something, this becomes a need for us. God does not let us go without what we need.

So how can you and I find our paths in all of this? This is the current struggle that I have. I do not see where my path is leading me, but I have Faith in the one that laid out the path before my feet. I know that the road will take me where I belong, because it always has. I have faith, and that faith has built the desire to do the works that God has called me to do.

I write because it is a gift that I have been given. What have you been given? How can you do the things that you have been called to do? Well that is part of the process. The opposition desires us to not complete these works that we have been called to do. They want us to be crippled by fear and depression. Perfect Love drives out fear, and that love is built on Faith.

You say that you don’t know what gifts you have. What are your strengths? How can you use them for God? Congratulations you have discovered one of your spiritual gifts. I say one of them because many of us have a lot of things that we are good at. Remember Jesus was a carpenter. I know a lot of people around that have things they need that would be a blessing if they were repaired.

So you are a mechanic and a Christian, good. How many times have you passed someone on the side of the road that was broken down? Maybe each of those times was a chance to be Jesus for someone in a desperate situation. It might be you that God is sending to be Jesus to not only save them from their physical problem, but also to tell them about God and share the Good news.

Maybe you are a lawyer. I’m sure there are plenty of desperate people that you can reach out to in bad situations to share with them what God has done for you and through you. Talk about being someone’s savior and then telling them that it wasn’t you that saved them, but It’s Jesus that can save them. A fisherman can feed people.  Maybe make a blanket forthe poor like St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Shrewsbury, PA.

The Starks say the truth, “Winter is Coming.” A warm blanket for someone in winter; talk about being Jesus for someone. What is your gift? What can you do for someone? How can you be Jesus for someone? Let me tell you from experience, writing a complete stranger that is locked away in Jail can bring that person hope. Hope can kindle a fire that can spur them to make life changes that they had not made before.

We are put here to Glorify God and how can we do that if we only spend our time around other Christians? How can we show others the glory of God and the power of Faith and Grace if we do not get out and do the things that God has asked us to do? Who knows, God might move you to the Caribbean to do his good work.

Through Faith and by the Grace that dwells within us, all is possible. What is keeping you where you are? What is stopping you from taking your next step for God? Why have you not taken that step that will lead you on such an adventure that you may have never dreamed possible?

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” Lao Tzu

Fear: Sin's Greatest Tool

There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. 1 John 4:18

One of my favorite movies of all time has a quote about the topic that we are looking at, “Fear will keep the local systems in line.”  This was spoken in Star Wars: A New Hope by Grand Moff Tarkin. Within the empire he was most likely the third most powerful man. This statement is one that has been quoted most commonly as “Fear will keep them in line.”

These words are words of control. How are they going to keep control with Fear. Why does this work? Charles Stanley says it this way:

“Fear stifles our thinking and actions. It creates indecisiveness that results in stagnation.”

Fear has been with us longer than nearly any other emotion that we have today. We look back to when Adam and Eve first sinned; they hid themselves because they were scared. As we have gone along humanity has learned how to use this as a tool for oppression and tyranny. If people are afraid then they need someone stronger than them to protect them.

Fear comes from many places, ignorance being one of the strongest of these places. Today we are crippled as a society in fear. We can look at the news and become terrified at how horrible our world has become. People live in gated communities to help them feel safe. People are so afraid of people that we will not extend a helping hand.

We are too afraid to answer the pleas of a woman that is escaping her rapist. We are too afraid to answer the door to a dying man and furthermore call the police and state that someone is trying to break in and hurt you. We do not answer to help anymore. We do not answer the calls of people in panic. Forget the parable of the Good Samaritan; we are so much worse than that now.  We are afraid that the man lying in the ditch is going to hurt us.

Do any of us remember what FDR was talking about when he said the quote, “The only thing wehave to fear is fear itself.”? It was 1933 we were at the end of the Great Depression. Unemployment was at 33% and things were looking very grim for the United States.  Fear is what was keeping us from coming out of it, or so FDR stated.

Fear is crippling to the spirit. It is only as strong as we allow it to be though.  Perfect love casts out fear. All through the Psalms we hear about how we have nothing to fear, well except God’s wrath if we anger him. The news has made their mark on the modern culture by scaring us into accepting what ever laws will protect us.

There is a long history of media being used by the leaders of countries to convey propaganda. It’s been happening for as long as media has been in existence. Fear has led to man-kinds greatest follies in my opinion. The Holy Inquisition, slaughters around the world. We fear our neighbors so we make war with them. You can see these themes in movies, books and in history. Well we were scared so we attacked or ran.

So I would like to focus on a couple of non-political things with this message and you can take it where you wish from there. In Charlotte there was a man who had ahorrible car accident, he was lucky to survive it. He goes to the nearest house that he could see pleading for help. The people in the house called the police and told the police that there was someone trying to break into their house. Police arrive on scene and the nearly dead man runs to them for help. The police officer panics and shoots the guy 10 out of 12 times.

Second, a rape victim escapes a car where she had been raped for a while. She runs nearly naked to a house to get help. As she pleads to the couple inside to help her saying that she had just been raped, they call 911 refusing to let her in because of fear. A representative of the police department had this to say, “unfortunately fear dictates the response anymore not knowing if you’re being set up for other criminal activity.”

The man in the first story lost his life. The woman in the second story was saved. But in both instances we were too afraid to help someone. Now let us look to God and ask if this is what he intended for us. It is not. We were supposed to be freed from the chains brought upon us by sin. Fear was introduced first with sin and with freedom of sin also comes freedom of fear.

So what else does Fear prevent us from doing? Jesus gave us two commandments which were rewrites of the original 10. Love God with all that we have and Love others as we love ourselves. If we are afraid of our neighbors we cannot love them, thus we cannot uphold the Lord’s commandments. Fear is keeping us right were Satan wants us. We are crippled in fear. Fear is an embodiment of darkness. Love is am amplification of light.

Darkness cannot exist where there is light. Fear cannot exists in a heart of pure love. We are still imperfect beings in bodies of sin, so we must tell our bodies no and stand against fear. We cannot become the people God wants us to be so long as we allow fear to dominate our lives, minds and cultures. We cannot destroy terror by weapons. Only through love will we conquer fear and terror. War is not the answer, it never has been. We cannot stand as one nation under god so long as we fight those that are different from us.

God is for Jew and Gentile alike. The love of God is for us all and we are given command to go into the world and spread the good news, not the bad news. Go into the world and love these neighbors near or far as you would love yourself. Today, if you do nothing else, say something positive or help someone just because. Love someone even if you have to start with yourself. Only then can you start shaking off fear.

If you are Christian, talk to someone that is not of your faith. Ask a Muslim to tell you of their faith ask them why they chose to walk that life. Who knows this may open a door for God to use to build a bridge in your life. If nothing else it will help you affirm your belief in God and show love to someone else who might need it. Or even more it may start changing a perception that Christians are war mongering hate machines. Funny, how many Christians would be taken back if they knew that’s what others see us as.

The thing that you fear the most, learn something about it. Do not let the voice of hell shape your worldview by creating misconceptions of what people really are. Just get up and get out… shake off the bondage of fear. So many of us are crippled and just as Jesus told many crippled and dead, “Get Up, Stand.” That’s all you have to do, stand and take a few steps for God. For all that God has done for you, how can you deny him the one thing. Spread his message and love someone. It’s not as hard as you think.

“Every adventure begins with the first step.” JRR Tolkien, the Hobbit.