|
| Could it be Christ who defines what a Christian is? I'm pretty sure that's what it is. If a Christain is someone who's like that Christ guy, then wouldn't Jesus decide what it is to be like Him? I'm pretty sure that when asked what the greatest command was, He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength." This is what it is to be like Christ. Keith Green said, "A lot of people think that a Christian is someone who goes to church a lot, but going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than gonig to McDonalds makes you a hamburger. And praying doesn't make you a Christian, people in every religion pray. I got a good definition of what a Christian is, someone who's banannas for Jesus." And I think he's saying, someone who loves the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. I'm sure those who know Jesus will do what He said and judge eachothers fruits to check were we're at. To check if someone's a Christian or not. To try and tell by their life and the things they do and say if they know Jesus. And that's cool, we're supposed to do that. I do that. So what things do we look for in their life? I usually look for word choice, movie/tv choices, music choice, drink choice (alchohol), smoke?, environment choice. So for me and as far as I know and can see, for others also, if you fit these criteria then you're in. If not then you're not. I heard of a person who sometimes drinks too much, but the life of God is all over this person and all the people that this person knows. Are they out? I know of someone who watches horror movies, has tattoos and piercings, and listens to secular music, but when I hear from them I can feel God's love and presence truely. Are they out? Could we possibly be judging wrongly? Not by heart and love for Christ but by rules and regulations that we've created. What do we see in their hearts? Do they love Jesus with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength? The scripture says that God is able to make someone who is His stand by His strength. Could these people be loving God and He is making them stand? Now here's another thought that ties into this one. "You saw no form of any kind the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air." Deuteronomy 4:15-17. This is what happened when Aaron was told to make a god for the Isrealites. "He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." " Exodus 32:4. We're told over and over that God is uncontainable. Not even the heavens can contain Him. That He don't even have a shape or form He's so huge. Was God mad at them because they reduced Him to a calf made of gold? Did Israel make another God? It doesn't sound like it. He says, "THIS is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." Not here's someone different, but this is Him. We could never figure Him out. Someone said when Moses was asking God what His name was, it was kinda like God was saying, "If you're trying to figure Me out by My name, it won't happen." God responded to Moses by saying, "Tell them I AM sent you." WHAT THE HECK DOES THAT MEAN!? That gives no insight on who You are God! That's prolly the point. So have we reduced the uncontainable God of Israel into rules and regulations? Have we said, "THIS is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt." Or is He bigger than all of this? Jesus came to show us what God looks like in a way we could understand. He didn't bring a piece of paper with a list of rules on it that says what God looks like. We already got one of those and we couldn't follow it. We're told to not conform to the ways of the world. What is the world? Word choice, movie/tv choices, music choice, drink choice (alchohol), smoke?, environment choice? That's it right? At least that's what we think or say. We're told be holy for I am holy. God wants us to be holy or "different" because He's holy or "different". How was Jesus holy or "different"? Was it because of His word choice, movie/tv choices, music choice, drink choice (alchohol), smoke?, environment choice? Or was it because He loved everyone He saw? He had only one pair of clothes, no home, no money, He walked with His Father? He helped everyone He could in what ways He was able. So is the world all the choices or is it not being like Jesus and walking with your Father? I believe with all my heart that Jesus loves me and you also. I just think that all these rules we make impede our God. Stifle our relationship with Him. Why don't we let Him give us rules. To throw out the rules and just let Him talk to us, isn't that what He really wants? I've found for myself that as I do this I HAVE to focus on Him and work hard at my relationship with Him because I don't have a comfortable little list of things to follow. I have to let Him direct me. And He DOES!!! He's shown me so many things. And I'm only expecting more. So I asked a very special wise person what the world is and they responded that the world is in our hearts. That we try to make ourselves have hearts toward God on our own but we can't. Our heart toward God HAS to be given to us, and we have to ask for it. God bless you all and may He strengthen you with His love. May you fall more and more in love with Him. May He show you the path He has laid out for you. May you truely know what it means to walk with Him. I love you all, Matt | | |
| My thoughts....... I still am and have been thinking about Jesus and my relationship to Him and truth and opinions. I wonder if God is as concerned or impressed by the "beliefs" we have. I wonder if some of the things we think are so important, if God wants us to really focus harder on something else. I'm trying to communicate my brain so bear with me. Jesus is the word. In greek the word "word" is logos. Logos is where we get our word "logic" or "truth" from. So Jesus IS the truth. So wherever we find truth we find Jesus. So is it possible to find truth in places that we would deem as "not Christian" places? For example different religions, secular music, horror movies, places and things of the like that we would most commonly think Jesus would not be there. But if you remember Jesus was all the time going and doing things that the leaders of the day would have considered "not Christ-like". He went to parties, ate with sinners, let prostitutes bathe His feet with her tears, healed on the sabbath. Is it possible that we don't all have God pin pointed down 100% and that we're all contributing to a zillion year long discussion? We have to continue to discuss and work out and find new things. Gods word is the authority and starting point. Sometimes I would make statements that sound like I know everything that I believe to be the 100% truth. So why then do some other Christians disagree with me? Could I have gotten it wrong. Or could it lead us to another subject, "convictions". Or otherwise known to people who don't speak Christianese, some things that are right/ok for you aren't right/ok for me. These don't go against the bible but are things not clearly spoken about. Because of the person I am and because of how young in the Lord I am, I usually will get the opinions of my elders, test it with scripture, and go with it. I think I'm just now getting to the age when I'm trying to figure out me. I love Jesus and want to better serve Him and follow Him, but I want to do it as myself with my own convictions, and not as me with other peoples convictions or opinions. Please don't take offense or misunderstand me. I love asking people what they think. I like knowing. I want us all to contribute to the discussion, which is why I do it so much. I just want to be free to be me. If that means that I like tattoos, piercings, loud rock music, scary movies, is that ok? Does that disqualify me as a Christian? Will I still be loved as I go on this journey? I believe the answer is yes, but there's a part of me that's scared. But I will continue to trust in my God who helps me. And please don't feel like you (anyone) can't come to me and talk, ESP. if you think I'm going off the deep end or you see something wrong. I want people to be open enough to talk to me about it. I want you to have that freedom. My brothers and sisters you all bless me. And I love you all. Very much. I'm just on a journey for truth right now. Will you all accompany me? The following are some song lyrics that help express some of my feelings in here. "But all that we eat brings us little relief we don't know quite what else to do, and we have all our beliefs, but we don't want our beliefs, God of peace, we want You." -mewithoutYou "The world is full of ones like me who need to see the truth, but the truth is never truth indeed, the truth is only You." -Showbread "We're all the sisters and the brothers, until we find we don't believe the same." -emery "Why pluck one string - What good is just one note?
Oh, one string sounds fine i guess....We were once 'One Notes',
We were once lonely wheat quietly ground into grain
(What light and momentary pain!)
So why this safe distance, this curious look?
Why tear out single pages when you can throw away the book?
Why pluck one string when you can strum the guitar?
Strum the guitar!
strum the guitar!
strum the guitar!
With no beginning, with no end
Take down a guitar and strum the guitar
strum the the guitar if you're afraid,
And I'm afraid and everyone's afraid
And everyone knows it but we don't have to be afraid anymore" -mewithoutYou I'm not trying to start some sort of revolution or trying to overthrow the church with "radical" ideas. I just want to find truth. I want Jesus. I love you all very much and may the God of Shalom hold us all together like we're supposed to be,
Matt | | |
| There are a few things I'm thining and praying on. Nothing too huge just some questions that came to my mind last night. I want to pray more about them to make sure they don't come out wrong. But I shall let you know my doges. But on another note I've been reading the Psalms...they're awesome. Psalm 139 is great. I really like it a lot. It's completely focused on how awesome God is. Psalm 118 is really great too! You should take time and read them. I'm also listening to Pigeon John's CD "Pigeon John Sings The Blues". It's really good. I really like his style. So I'm pretty sure that I'm gonna check out some more of him when i can. I like it. God is so AWESOME and WONDERFUL. I thank Him for His grace and wonderful love. He NEVER gives up on me, though He should and could with all right merit. He doesn't though, and that's beautiful to me. Life's weird sometimes. Some of my friends and family are having a wonderful time, or even myself. Some are hurting so bad it's not funny. Some are just in the middle. All in all God is everything. He is the only One meaningful enough to pay attention to, which is oddly enough so hard for me to remember. I want to be able to say, honestly, "blind as I've become I used to wonder whereYou are, these days I can't find where You're not." -mewithoutYou. Or like when Jacob had his dream of the ladder. He was all, "dang, God was here the whole time but I didn't notice." (matt paraphrase) I want that revelation that He's here all the time. I want to feel my God so strongly I can't stand! However things work out, He is wonderful and worthy of attention, devotion, praise, and adoration. May God touch you today and let you know He's there,
Matt | | |
| Tons of things are new. I'm not gonna go into them all. But I'm having an awesome time with life. Kendra and a crew are coming down on Fri. I'm psyched! It's about my fourth week or so running the radio show on my own like a big boy. I get a new co-host this week. Her name is Chloe. She seems cool. I can't wait to actually get to talk with her on-air. God is moving like a rock biter, rumbling around and tearing it up on His huge rock bike. Chichard can't say "MY Dawg". I'm learning so much in school, it's not even funny. hehe. (I guess it is). Seems like Scott is never coming home and my singing voice is getting rusty. Scott if you're reading this, I have that Underoath song memorized. I'm waiting to do it with you when you get back, FIRST THING. The new (or rather re-release) CD from emery is AWESOME! The vids and acoustic tracks are great. I'm so blessed to have friends who love me with more love than I could ever dream. More than anything I've ever searched for. You all are a HUGE wonderful blessing to me. Cody's getting married and I still haven't thought of any plans for the bachelor party yet. Jesus continues to show me something new about Himself every day. Ministry IS people. Being late to work two days in a row doesn't go over well with your manager. And it's really scary when his hobby is cage fighting. It takes eons to do laundry. I hate it. I have an interview next Tues. with Kevin from Disciple for their new cd. I'm pretty stoked about that. I not only have somewhere to go for Christmas this year, but I have TWO places to go. Same for Thanksgiving. I'm blessed. I don't deserve it but I am. The thing God is really speaking into my life right now is best said from a song. Matthias Replaces Judas by Showbread "the weak and the down trodden fall on broken legs,
as i walk past a smile i cast, fervor in my stead,
but my bones like plastic, do buckle backward now,
i lay in this field by Judas' bowels and anticipate the plow,
i can not be forgiven; my wages will be paid,
for those more lovely and admirable is least among the saved,
and where would i fit Jesus?
what place is left for me?
the price of atonement is more than i've found to offer up as my plea,
Jesus my heart is all i have to give to you, so weak and so unworthy,
this simply will not do, no alabaster jar, no diamond in the rough,
for your body that was broken, how can this be enough?
by me you were abandoned, by me you were betrayed,
yet in your arms and in your heart forever i have stayed
Your glory illuminates my life, and no darkness will descend,
for you have loved me forever, and your love will never end Lord help me to give You my heart. It's so hard sometimes. But I love You,
Matt | |
Lord help me to give You my heart. It's so hard sometimes. But I love you,
Matt | |
| | |
| God is so good to us all. Yes, even in the hard "bad" times. I would dare venture to say that He's "better" in the hard times. Or maybe not that but that we notice His awesome goodness more then. He's so loving and wonderful. Thank You Jesus for Your love and grace. I need You so much. All my peeps, I pray you would get a new and fresh filling of His Spirit. He will touch you and everything will change. God bless you all,
Matt | |
| | |
|
