Dear Salvation Army, The Walking Dead…

Are you disillusioned?
Are you worn out?
Have you found yourself hanging by a thread at the end of your rope?

Are you the walking dead?
I’m not talking about a television show about Zombies…I’m talking about real life…real people…real issues…real hurts…real burdens…real walking dead.

There are moments when we are not able to provide the salve of healing for others because we ourselves are in need of healing.

There are moments when we need the saving instead of us donning our uniforms and reaching out to save others.

There are moments when we must go back to the well of refreshing and allow the Holy Spirit to replenish our dry and empty reserves.

Are you there today?
Are you the walking dead?
Are you in need of that well?
Are you in need of that salve for a burdened, hurting heart?

Don’t feel guilty…this isn’t selfish…this is necessary for you to carry on.
We cannot be self-sufficient apart from Him.
We cannot rely on our own sources of strength and power to carry us through the pathways of ministry that we are called to. We need help. We need to recharge. We need to recognize that we were never meant to become super soldier in this Army of Salvation. We were called to be faithful…and in this faithfulness we must rely on His strength and His direction.

Is this easy? No!
Do we constantly want to go our own direction, take the reins back, fight tooth and nail on the pathway He has led us? Yes!

Dear Salvation Army Soldier,
If you are the walking dead today…be resurrected! The Almighty can restore your life and give you hope in the midst of even the most hopeless of situations. Do we trust Him with everything?

If you feel all alone on your pathway in ministry…be assured you are not alone!
His holy presence longs to fellowship with you every mile of the path. He desires your fellowship and your conversations…even the most mundane. We come from all walks of life and yet we are bound together by this cause which is to meet human needs in His name and to live and desire Christ’s likeness in our lives.

Dear Soldier,
If you are the walking dead today be encouraged! You can be restored, reconciled to Him and your strength renewed! I do not know the struggles that you are facing right now but rest assured the Lord does. That may sound like a simple answer but it is no less the truth! He can bring you back to life. He can restore your ministry when you feel that it has flat-lined. He can rescue your passion and sense of purpose once again. Walk close to the Savior. Seek Him out. Be prepared to move from a place of death and barrenness to a place of fertile fields and rushing waters of rejuvenation of ministry, love, compassion and joy.

Be encouraged dear walking dead, our lives will be restored if we seek His face and run to Him!

Just something more for our Army world to ponder today!

October 24, 2014 0

The Right To Die…

Brittany Maynard is 29 and she has a terminal brain tumor.
She wants to die on November 1st. Her story can be found on most news sites today: Brittany Maynard Story

It is a sad situation. I cannot even begin to image someone so young facing the certainty of death at this point in life. My heart aches at this story.

Questions that I ponder today:
Is there dignity in death?
Are there times when doctor assisted euthanasia is appropriate?
How does faith fit into to all of this?
Can we reconcile our faith with a due date for death?

I have no answers for these ponderings today.
I mourn at Brittany’s difficult decision…but I honestly can’t see where her decision is wrong. Perhaps you might disagree with me, and that’s fine. I’ve been in the hospital rooms of the dying and the recently deceased. I’ve watched and witnessed what cancer can do to a body as it wastes away. There are fewer and fewer moments of clarity…fewer and fewer moments of “last words” while there is a lingering, painful death watch for the family to endure. Usually all that the doctors and nurses can do is make someone comfortable with pain medication and other such drugs. I can understand why Brittany doesn’t want her husband and family to go through that. I don’t think it’s selfish for her to consider this means to an end. I don’t believe in giving up hope. I do believe in miracles, but when in the face of death is there are right and wrong in the way one will meet the Father at the hands of knowledgeable doctors?

If faced with this similar decision, would I choose differently? I don’t know.
Would I want my family to suffer through the last stages of a horrific battle? Probably not. Would I want to end it before I’m too far gone? Probably.

Morality and Ethics:
I know what it means to assist with another person’s end of life decision. I understand the preservation and sanctity of human life. Yet in this case and cases like it I have to believe in a God of grace and understanding far beyond our own comprehension. There are no clear cut black and white answers here. I have to believe that life wasn’t supposed to be this way for anyone. We do live in a fallen world. We do live in a world wrought with incurable diseases and at times, hopeless situations. I am not arguing theology here, nor do I wish to debate the right or wrong of euthanasia or assisted suicide…I just wish to ponder the ins and outs of this specific sad, sad situation for Brittany.

I may not have any adequate answers for this equally complicated end of life situation, but I can tell you what kind of answers I do have. It makes me want to hold my kids and my wife a little closer. It makes me truly appreciate the time that I have on this earth a little more…and to not take it for granted. It brings the choices I make and how I treat others in this life (including my friends and family) that much more important.

My prayers go out to her, to her husband and her family. I cannot even begin to imagine what she is going through, but I do believe there is a God who loves her very much and longs to end her suffering with an eternal healing. My thoughts and prayers are with Brittany and the family today.

October 8, 2014 0

Encouragement For A Soldier’s Heart…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Mama said there’ll be days like this
There’ll be days like this mama said” -(by Luther Dixon & Willie Denson)

Are you having one of THOSE days?

Our Troubles…
Our frustrations and troubles within this world look vastly different from the early church and that of Jesus’ disciples. Yet, this verse is for you and for me today. All too often we engage souls in these ministries that we are responsible for. All too often we hear other people’s problems and they become ours. It becomes a shared burden. We provide care, support and guidance to many within our flock. We feel the burden of these cares, and sometimes they weigh heavy on us.

Other times our troubles come by way of our calling. Sometimes the ministries we have been called to or placed in suddenly become a “dry and thirsty land” with very little by way of encouragement, support and hope. Sometimes instead of a passionate, flowing river of a numerically “successful” ministry we face a slim trickle of moderate or rare numeric success which makes us ponder the questions: “am I cut out for this?” and “what have I done wrong?“…and we face discouragement, disillusionment and even depression.

Still, on other occasions these troubles come by way of outward pressures in our communities or individualistic persecutions. Perhaps we face false teachers, or we must confront immorality within our church and when we do, we’re blasted as “judgmental” and shouted at with curses and graceless comments such as “how dare you, what gives you the right?” We question if we should have just let sleeping dogs lie but in our hearts we know it was the right thing to do and we did so with grace and love. Still…troubles from without and from within have left us wounded and discouraged.

About That Peace?…
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples after telling them of not only His pending death but also of their pending troubles in the world…but there was hope. There is always hope in the Father. There is always hope in the Son. There is always hope in the Holy Spirit who guides us on this path. Have you ever heard the phrase “keep the main thing the main thing?” It alludes to the need for keeping the principle of our mission at the forefront of our minds.

Our Principle: The message of Christ (Messiah), the message of the cross, the message of salvation, of resurrection, of hope, of reconciliation, of love, and victory over sin and death.

When we keep “the main thing the main thing”, we realign ourselves with God and turn away from the problems of this world. Not that the problems of this world aren’t important, but rather, The Author of life itself takes His proper place in our priorities. From this place of understanding we then can look around our world and truly see how things are and how they could be. This is when we begin to see the world through the eyes of Christ because we are striving to live for Him alone. This is holiness. This is surrendering ourselves at the foot of the cross and then picking up our own crosses to follow Him.

Peace? What Peace?
Carrying our crosses and following Him (Matthew 16:24) doesn’t sound “peaceful” does it? Pain still exists. Hurtful accusations, slander and suffering will still occur. How could THIS be peaceful? One might ask. Perhaps “peace” means something differently than what we initially thought it to mean. It is certainly not the absence of conflict in our lives; for there is still conflict. It is not the absence of adversity, discouragement or suffering either; for we still encounter these on our path as well. Then what is this peace that Christ provides to us if it is not the absence of conflict? It is an eternal peace. A peace that transcends this temporal, mortal existence. It is a peace that alleviates the burdens of our former self as we embrace the image of Christ. It is a peace that resides in our lives because His Holy presence brings us assurance and hope. It is a peace that still passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) yet conveys to us that we are not alone and we will overcome because He has overcome.

Dear Soldier…
Are you in need of that peace today in your life?
Are you facing discouragement, hopelessness and pain? You aren’t alone. You do not have to carry this burden by yourself. There is One who can provide you with this peace. Perhaps there is some realignment that must be done in your heart today. Perhaps we must go before the Father again with a penitent heart. Perhaps it is a simple yet constant prayer of “Lord use me and allow me to see evidence of You in my life.”

Be encouraged today! We are not alone. We are not abandoned. We are overcomers because Christ has overcome the world. Allow this peace to evident in your life today!

Something more to ponder today. To God be the Glory!

October 6, 2014 0

Devotional Pondering – “I have to sacrifice WHAT???”

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1

Just the idea alone of sacrificing or giving up something in our lives, at times, seems preposterous. Why would we ever want to sacrifice anything…it’s an honest confession, and a shared sentiment with many. Sacrifice can be a hard thing to do in our lives which often include more excess and over-excess rather than “less”. I’m sure you have heard the phrase “less is more” and in the case of the Holiness this certainly fits, at least in the practical physical sense.

Question: What are we willing to sacrifice in order to have a closer relationship with God?
Perhaps the idea of giving up something physical in your life bothers you. Perhaps knowing that the Lord requires this in order to help you grow seems hard even harsh. Let me ask you this – what consumes your day? Is it your job? Is it your pursuit of more stuff? Are you living beyond your current means? I don’t mean to pry but honestly mammon or the pursuit of stuff has ~~almost~~ become our worldly false god especially in the Western world. We see a new commercial on T.V. for the biggest and nicest car and we crave it. We go to a friend’s house and they show off their new 60′ television with all the new features and we covet it. Mammon – this pursuit of stuff has a way of choking our spiritual lives to death.

I’m not saying money or things are inherently evil, not at all. Some of these things are necessary items and can be used for good…but if it becomes our obsession, then perhaps we have placed things and “stuff” above God.

Sacrifice requires something from us. Sacrifice in the spiritual sense means we are willing to think more about our relationship with God and less about our own selfish wants and desires. Sacrifice is more than just a way of life it has to become a thought process and a lifestyle.

“he (Jesus) humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” -Philippians 2:8 (NLT)

If we are to become holy in our lifestyles, attitudes and actions, then we have to emulate the very attributes of Christ who became death, took death from us, and in so doing redeemed us. Humility, in the spiritual sense, goes hand in hand with becoming a living sacrifice for God and for the people around us (regardless if they are good or bad).

Prayer: Dear Lord, show me what a living sacrifice looks like. I have, at times, filled my life with pride, arrogance and things that attempted to replace you. Forgive me of this, help me to see the threat of mammon in my life and guide me in your truths…lead me Lord. I long to be like you, help me to see how I can become humble in spirit so that I may be your witness to the world around me. Help me to see others through your eyes and guide me in your truths. -Amen.

June 30, 2014 0

How Does Grace Work?

It is more than just saying a prayer at dinner time. It is more than being “gracious” on a sports field after a loss. Grace is something that can be offered to more than just a friend in need. Grace is something that can be profoundly life changing when offered to a complete stranger or even an enemy.

Grace is defined in the spiritual realms as “God’s unmerited favor”. This means that grace or God’s love and forgiveness is offered to those who don’t even deserve it. It’s like going to an execution of a known guilty convict, and just before they “flip the switch” the governor calls to say the guilty convict has been pardoned.

It just doesn’t seem to make sense. Shouldn’t that person pay for their crimes? That person certainly didn’t deserve anything but punishment, and yet grace was provided without merit.

God comes through to us in our wretched state. Jesus was sent to us despite ourselves, despite how undeserved we were. God knew that in our total depravity we were hopelessly lost and doomed to suffer our sinner’s fate…yet He still sent Christ. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of all mankind and they were nailed to the cross with Him. Knowing this brings John 14 into perspective:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus declares to His disciples and to us as well that grace has come into the world. He also reminds us of the way to the Father is through Him alone.

Receiving Grace:

We can receive this grace from God the moment we cry out to Him. We can not only be forgiven from our wretched sins and shame but we can be washed clean from them. God’s grace is like that. It is His desire that no one suffer death because of sin. Jesus has given us the way to receive His grace – declare Him to be God’s one and only Son! Ask Him to forgive your sins, and live this new life through Jesus! http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_crd_ss_EforESpec_ABCs-of-Salvation_pdf.pdf

To keep on “the way” and living within His grace perhaps begin by reading the words of the gospel of John, or another of the gospels. Spend time reading a chapter a day, pray for God to guide you as you read His truths, and ask God for direction. Lastly find a church to call home. Find a church family to get plugged into and to connect with. When you have roots such as these in the Christian faith you will grow!

Giving Grace:

Lastly, I want you consider something. Here it is: forgive those who have wronged you! I know, it’s hard to fathom ever forgiving THAT person, but when we forgive as Christ has forgiven us it not only frees other people but it frees us too. We no longer have to curry these grudges and hurts around with us. We no longer have to be burdened by pains that happened to us. Surrendering these hurts and grudges may be the hardest thing we ever do, but trust me, it is worth it.

God gave us unmerited grace. We didn’t deserve it, and yet it is offered to us. Can we learn to forgive as well? Can we truly learn to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44)? Grace is real, free, and available. Accept it and then offer it to others!

-Just something else to ponder today!

Prayer: Dear Lord help me to accept Your grace today! Guide me in Your truths, I want to serve you and love you with every fiber of my being. Forgive me of my sins. Help me to accept Your grace and in turn forgive those around me. Lord I need to be freed of these burdens. Grant me Your strength and wisdom to love my enemy. Show me practical way in which I can show love and forgiveness today. In Your name I pray all of these things. -Amen.

June 11, 2014 0

Perspectives Day 5.1 “Poetry” – Featuring Commissioner Harry Read “Heart-Talk”

Heart-Talk

If I but give myself to thee, O Lord,
Roll over on to thee my life and way,
Acknowledge heavenly truth within thy word,
Believe thy love is constant every day

Then will I know the peace that trusting brings,
The power that issues freely from thy hand,
The joy which rises from eternal springs,
The quality of life which thou hast planned.

O grant me, Lord, the wisdom to believe
That life is only life when lived in thee;
Grant me the faith to ask and then receive
The promised life which Christ would live in me.

Shine thou through me thy love and righteousness –
A glow of hope in this world’s hopelessness.

Psalm 37: 5.6
‘Trust in him…he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.’

By Harry Read.

May 30, 2014 1

The Salvation Army…A Holiness for Failures.

Okay, I admit my title is a little inflammatory…hang with me, I’ll get to the point. Here’s what I mean: The Salvation Army ministers to many who come from hard-living lifestyles. Admittedly many souls who come to us for help are victims of these lifestyles. How we minister to them begins with the old catch phrase/slogan “Soup, soap, salvation”. We long to fill their stomachs, clean them up and get their lives back on track before we can minister to their hearts. Perhaps it doesn’t have to be specifically in that chronological order either, our ministry opportunities could come simultaneously. But the core of our ministry stems upon a demographic of those who are marginalized, poor and/or destitute…and the failures – there I said it.

The “Failure” –
We live in a numbers oriented ministry driven world where, from an outside point of view only having 20 or 40 in a service on Sunday seems to indicate a dying church when compared to mega churches and large community churches that boast well over a 1,000 members. I’m not knocking these churches, nor am I jealous and want to become them…but there are quite a few who join the ranks of the army who look at these churches and then look at our corps attendance on Sundays and feel as if we’ve failed and/or are dying. It’s a failure of a different sort, a failure of perspective. This failure of perspective comes when we buy into the lie that numbers in the pews are the only source or indicator of a ministry’s effectiveness. Successful ministry begins and ends at personal relationships. Do we spend quality time one on one with those with whom we minister with and to? This is the true evidence of genuine discipleship. Not that it can’t happen in other ministries where you can possibly get lost in the crowd, but can you hide in a corps that boasts 40 members?

Are we caring for the complete person? Is there follow-up and attention to the real sources of crucial personal issues in their lives? The Salvation Army isn’t like other churches because it isn’t just a church, it’s a movement and a triage location to the lost, hurting, marginalized and the failures.

Operating within a Holiness For Failures:
Fellow spiritual freedom fighters we aren’t strictly in the business of merely facilitating “goods” to those in need. We have a broader, greater mission to fulfill. It may indeed begin with the services of goods in order to meet the physical needs, but it mustn’t end there! That is only the beginning. We must be ~~willing~~ able to help usher those we serve in our community into the very throne room of heaven in order for them to have the opportunity to meet and know Christ Jesus. Providing “goods” and services gets us in the door but if we are a mission of holiness for failures (myself included) then we must do more than a box of food, a place to sleep and a warm meal…we must display and convey Jesus!

Jesus came for the Failures and the Lost!

Jesus came for the whosoever, and those He picked to serve in His mission were not the best of the best. They were tough men and women. Many were from hard living lifestyles and many did not have the best of educations. If Jesus had operated within modern day success oriented means He would have gone to the synagogues and recruited the most educated. He would have filled the temples to the brim and He would have had an active prosperous ministry that would have afforded Himself many properties and riches…yet this wasn’t His mission. He came to the rejects, the prostitutes, the outcasts, the uneducated, the lame and the sick, the dead and all we failures. Not failures by occupational standards or in friendships (not all anyway) but by a salvation standard. “For all have sinned (failed) and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) He operated within a holiness for failures system. This isn’t to mean that Holiness is or was a failure, but rather He went to the sinner, He lived among to poor, He cared for the outcasts and brought the power of redemption to those who would hear and seek. Even selecting His disciples He showed evidence that He would use anyone who was willing to follow and willing to receive His holiness and success at the cost of even death.

From point ‘a’ to point ‘b’

How are we bringing people from point ‘a’ (a life of sin and shame) to point ‘b’ (a life of salvation, redemption and holiness)? What are we concerned with more? Numerical success or the success of holistic ministry and spiritual life altering opportunities? Are we looking over the fences at other ministries that do not embody what our movement is all about? We are many parts of the body of Christ and with that being said other ministries out there operate for different reasons. Jesus brought hope to a world of failures, how are we emulating Him in our Corps and in our various ministries in our communities?

Perhaps you’re hung up on the word “failure” today because of its negative connotations. Jesus came you and for me because we needed Him! Still today many are lost in their failures, blinded by habitual sins and shame…be a light to them not by your power but by His Holy Presence. Help to usher His holiness to those who need Him most! Perhaps we must stop looking over the fences, stop comparing ourselves and get back to work. The upside – when we allow Christ to work within us as well as those we minister to He will turn us from Failures into His Holy Success stories.

“Go for souls, and go for the worst!”

-Just another thought to Ponder.

May 23, 2014 0

My Rescue (a poem or sorts)

I cried out “my foot is slipping”
as I clung horrified to the rock.
Deep below my fall would kill
jagged and deadly…deep below.

In panic and pain strength, it waned
I knew I could not go on.
And just when it seemed I would fall
and my body, broken would fail
His hand reached me at last.

Within His grasp, my breath I gasped
My life had faced death’s cold stare
Yet there He stood, Jesus my Lord
and I knew that I was saved!

From death’s fearful grave
to life – rays of light warm my soul.
For He walks beside me all this way
and I know I have been gloriously saved!

May 13, 2014 0

My Tribute to Moms

We shouldn’t need a “special” day to thank Mom. Every day should be a “special” day. Moms have a way of knowing just when to call or tell you something that no one else has the guts to say to you. Moms have been with us through the good, the bad, and the ugly (sometimes there has been a lot of “ugly”).

Moms Get it

It is more than just Mother’s “intuition”, Moms seem to have a supernatural/extra-sensory connection with their children. I’m not some sort of crackpot here, it’s just that I’ve seen it in person and I know there is more to a Mother-child connection than meets the eye. Moms know what to say and sometimes more importantly what not to say but just to provide a hug or an expression of compassion, love and support.

Don’t Mess with Mama

As a kid I remember saying something I shouldn’t have. My mouth ran briskly while my brain was too slow to catch it. What happened next is still vivid in my mind. I nearly lost my nose, because the words I had said were directed at my mother. They were bad words. Words I should never have said. Hurtful, razor sharp daggers of lingo…and I was wrong. My mother slapped me on my face and I thought my nose was going to fly off. I deserved it – lesson learned.

But watch out world…

If you ever mess with Mama’s kids…you’re going to get a smack down like no other. Some say World War 3 will be caused by Superpowers and nuclear war. I beg to differ. If you mess with Mama’s kids, you might as well hang a sign around your neck that reads “I caused World War 3.”

Not only does Mom know what to say to help her kids and how to correct her kids, but she will defend her kids at all cost. You deserve to be warned should you pick a fight with her children…you might just have taken your life in your own hands.

To My Mom –

I love you and I am so proud of you! You have helped me through a lot of things. You have always been there (I know I’m lucky, some never had it as good as we did growing up). You sacrificed a lot for us kids. There were times that I know you and Dad went without things just to make sure Sherry and I didn’t. I can never repay that kind of love except to replicate that example in how I love my children and in how I love you.

As we all grow older I am learning how to cherish and treasure you as my Mother. I am so thankful to God for providing you to my life. The decisions I have made in this life were because I had the instruction of two godly people growing up – Mom and Dad. This is worth so much more than earthly treasures and riches. This, as I am slowly beginning to realize more and more, is what life is all about.

To my Wife – Shanais Strissel

My Mom and Shanais on our Wedding Day (September 12th, 1998)

I am the luckiest man alive! I married my best friend and life long companion. She is an amazing Mom, and she personifies Christ to our children! I consider myself blessed because She said “Yes” almost 16 years ago when I proposed. Since then, through the good, the bad and the ugly, She has been a rock and a light to me and these four crazy blessings we call kids. Wow…I still can’t find the words to express how much I love her and what she means to me. That being said, I plan on spending the rest of my life trying to collect those verbs, adjectives and everything in between to try and bring to light how important and loved she is to me.

For You, the Reader –

Hug your Moms. Cherish who they are. Life, this temporal thing, is short. Take time to appreciate all that your mother has taught you. Make sure you take the time to tell her how much she has done to shape you as a person.

Don’t lose any opportunity to appreciate your Mom. She deserves your respect and love…so show it.

-Just something more to ponder on this Mother’s day weekend.

May 10, 2014 0

Heaven is for real…and so are we! (Don’t be a blind label follower)

I wouldn’t attempt to criticize “Christian” movies coming out onto the silver screen. I think perhaps they have a message that might reach certain people. Take the most recent movie, for example – “Heaven is for real” based on the book and real life account of Colton Burpo:

I am certainly not in a place to judge the authenticity of his story, this isn’t my purpose for this blog entry. I recognize too that Heaven is for real. That when Jesus said that He was going there to prepare a place for us (starting with His original disciples) that He meant it. Life does not end at the final exhalation of breath, but continues…How or where that will be is still a mystery to us all. But here is where faith comes in.

Still…

I don’t draw my criticism of the content of this story nor the content of other such movies recently released that also have faith-based themes. Where my criticisms lie is in the cheap budgets and production content.

I understand the need to be relevant in the world…and I don’t necessarily go to see a movie just because it is labeled “Christian” just as I don’t necessarily patronize certain businesses because they also happen to be “Christian(s)”. Does that label make the product better in some way? Will their services far exceed the services of others who don’t label themselves as “Christians”?

Another thought that comes to mind within this realm of “Christian” labeling is: Do I solely live within a “Christian” bubble then?

Every where I go, everyone I see, the things I choose to buy are they all “Christian”? Is my worldview solely engaged in other Christians out there so much so that I have no contact…with “those“. “Other“. “People“. ????

Don’t get me wrong, I need to hear encouraging and challenging teachings about Christ and about faith too, but what happens next? What will I then do with those teachings if my entire ecosystem is “Christian”? How does that impact the lost? How can I reach out a compassionate hand of understanding…if I don’t understand?

I’m not knocking the movie “Heaven is for Real”…I think there is some serious merit in exploring Eternity and our destination there one day…but what I am knocking (for lack of a better word) are Blind Label Followers.

Ephesians 6:12 says – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

This is sandwiched right in between the verses about putting on the whole armor of God.
In one hand we put on our armor and gird ourselves against sin, temptation and the dark forces of evil. In the other hand we recognize that people around us who are lost (as we once were) are not the enemy! Sin is the enemy and we wage a spiritual war within this world.

If we only exist within the “Christian” label ecosystem how can we reach out to those who are completely blind to sin and its trappings?

Here’s what I am not saying:
I am not saying stop watching strictly “Christian” movies…there’s a time and place for them and at times an active evangelistic tool.
I am not saying don’t buy anything “Christian” either…that’s just plain dumb and we need edification and challenge through authentic Christ-following authors and teachers.

What I am saying:
Break the Christian bubble if you’re living in one.
Reach out into the world (don’t be conformed to it mind you) and love as Christ did to the whosoever.
Be wise and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in discerning how you should act and be instead of living through “group think”.
Live out-loud your faith but take the time to listen to the needs of the unsaved around you!

-Just a thought.

ATTENTION: Join me tomorrow as I explore what others have said about seeing Jesus face to face.

Just something else to ponder.

April 21, 2014 1

Tag: Hope