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| I recently visited a blog site on which the topic of discussion was the Jesus for Jews campaign with which those of you in New York may by now be familiar. There I found a good number of opinions about Christ and Christianity ranging from the introspective and uncertain to the intolerant and near prejudicial.
I was minded to post my own comments in defence of Christ, however, when I attempted to do so the site experienced an internal error of some sort and my comments could not be posted. Conveniently.
Still, I would like a good many of you to take a look at the unmitigated gall represented here on this site by the non-believers. I should be most extravagant in my protest if I did not but recall my own rebellion against the Saviour. Still, some of these comments served to rouse within me a sort of stern disagreement and even, dare I say it, anger.
The URL for the site:
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/07/07/jesus_and_the_j.php
I strongly urge anyone reading this, and anyone inclined in the least toward activism or active ministry, to stand with me for Christ and if possible, to post their own comments on this site. My attempts failed but yours may not. You may also cut and paste my comments, which I've posted below, and place them on the site as well.
Thank You.
ChristSealed:
Amazing. I find it utterly fascinating the vehemence exhibited by non-believers in regards to not only their strong disbelief of the Christian faith, but against Jesus Himself.
Jesus has been referred to as a "teddy bear", an offence against the state; his followers relegated to mere nuisances to be "kicked in the shins" whenever possible.
Sadly, this sentiment persists in what we of this age have come to term "the FREE world." Yet, if ever the collective conscience of humanity were held in contempt and awaiting judgement by some higher, it should scarcely find acquittal for its few listed virtues amongst the entries posted herein.
This lack of tolerance for Christians or even the message of Christianity shows how much this world is in need of a Saviour. The good news is we have one in the person of the risen Jesus Christ, and this truth is incontestable.
The bad news is that our conscience and will has so been turned against Him so as to make it nearly impossible to accept Him willingly and humbly into our lives.
We cannot accomplish it on our own steam. We must lean on His ability in even the endeavor of acceptance of Him. The bible states: Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
So when you see the workers of God preaching the Kingdom message, don't revile them. These messengers you so despise are actually gifting you with a great service. Gratitude is in order, not reprisal.
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One cannot be a Christian without first learning the art of forgiveness. Forgiveness is at the very essence of the Christian doctrine.
Out of Love, God sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to become a propitiation for our sins. This very act was one of extreme forgiveness.
Our sinful condition. Our lack of desire toward Him. Our repeated disobedience. All of these were factors separating us from Him.
For centuries He had been trying to reach the Jews through the works of power, yet they continued to be disobey. He walked with them in Fire and Cloud, and yet they moaned their disbelief.
For many of us, life was like that before conversion to Christ. We may have heard, seen, or even felt the power of God, and yet...we refused to believe. In many ways, we're lumped right in there with the Jews of antiquity.
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
And yet...
His act of love toward us was such that it required Him to look past all the centuries of hatred we showed Him, sending His word, the only begotten Son, sentencing Him to shame and death so that we could be born again.
Only Christ has ever made such a sacrifice.
The bible tells us that we should love each other as He has loved us.
And yet, so many of us forget the extreme shame Christ endured for us. The extreme hurt for a soul who had harmed no one.
Christ expects the same from us toward our brethren.
May we all learn from Christ's lesson what forgiveness really is. | | |
| Forgiveness is the firstfruit of love.
Come on, if you think about it, you'll actually agree with me.
In literal terms, God is love, right? And what is love? My definition of love is that it is the complete acceptance of what is, will and or could be in relation to the present reality or realities at hand. Love is freedom, love is openness to all of possibility. Which means that Love can go anywhere, be anywhere, knows all things, ventures in places where hatred, strife, anger, envy cant go. Love is acceptance, and these things cloud our ability to be accepting of the reality or realities we face. Love sets us free from these things, allows us to roam into uncharted territory. And where there is Love, there is the kingdom of heaven.
Our responsibility as humans is to learn how to love more perfectly, so that we can create a reality that mirrors that which is God's will. We are made in His image for this reason.
Man fell, 'tis true. Perhaps he saw the vastness of his charge and faltered in his faith that Love would guide him through. The serpent whispered subtly...a liar from the first.
But before man was created, before earth or heaven was created, God loved. His spirit, as you'll recall, moved upon the face of the waters, in total darkness. There was no light. Then, what did He say?
Come on, you know this, I'm sure...
That's right.
"Let there be light."
Interesting to note that he didn't say, "I will that there be light!" That much was obvious by the statement that was made. He didn't command light to appear. He allowed it.
I believe that He, having moved upon the waters, having dwelled in darkness and envisioning in His ultimate mind a "better" reality...
It's almost as though he made an agreement with the darkness. As though he had accepted and forgiven the darkness for the fact that it did not contain light, and then spoke the words that would cause the darkness to part from the light. Having forgiven darkness, he could not banish it, because that would go against the act of forgiveness. He could, however, make certain that light and darkness shared space, that one would chase the other, and one would flee, and that there would be a constant relationship between the two that would never depart until the end of this phase of creation.
God, being "good", could not use destruction to create, only allow it to modify at times for his own purposes the creation already made. One does not use fire to build a house. But a fire in a house will allow a builder to create a new house. This is why all things work to the good of those who love the Lord.
The thing to remember is that words are what God used to create the entire universe. We have the power of life and death in us. We use words daily. We throw them around like so much refuse, but life and death are imparted by the tongue.
Your words are powerful instruments. When someone breaks their word, isn't it painful? Especially if it's someone you trusted. Because reality is built on words.
Think about it.
Presentmoment -
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| First, the stone is hewn from the side of the mountain, taken from the place of its creation and seperated. So, while it may no longer be considered a part of the mountain, it has its own unique "identity" if you will, and in this sense, you might say the stone is "born."
Now, while it still retains many of the qualities of the mountain, it is no longer in the mountain, only of the mountain, and for a sculptor, this piece of stone would be considered a blank slate.
The master sculpture looks at this blank slate, considering what he wishes to create, and how best to bring out what his mind envisions. He knows that he must carefully chip away at the stone's edges, so as not to damage the all-too precious heart within.
One wonders...Does the stone feel pain? Does it wonder just exactly what the sculptor is doing? Obviously, stone does not feel or think or wonder. It is stone, and it bears silently the changes that occur on its face. It is only when the stone is cracked or broken that we ever hear its voice. Other than that, the only voice that is heard is that of the chisel, the tool guided by the hand of the sculptor.
Bear your trials with silence. Give no place to your complaints. Let the sculptor work on you, and what is within will be beautiful for all to behold.
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| God reigns supreme.
You know, for some reason, I can't help but be on fire for God. I know I'm still a new Christian, only about two years back in now. But GOD IS GOOD!
Everything about him is good. And I take comfort in knowing that even when things aren't going according to my plans, things are going HIS way. He is the author and finisher of my faith. He has the final say, is the final authority. He reigns supreme.
Like I said, everything about Him is good. I'm so used to saying things in parables, but now I feel the need to speak plainly. Will anyone take offense?
Even when people let you down, there is always something about God that you can find to bring life to your soul. Even if it's as simple as walking in the sunshine. God is there. His beauty, the beauty of His truth and holiness cannot be overshadowed by the darkness of illusion or untruth. God is real.
Take sunlight, for instance. Sunlight derives from a star 93 million miles distant from the earth. This star, the Sun, throws off the rays of heat and light generated from within its core, through and across the darkness of space and, penetrating Earth's atmosphere to provide us with what we perceive as sunlight.
I love sunlight. I walk in it every chance I get. Because in it is a reminder of God's love for us. He sent His son through the darkness of our separation from Him, penetrating our fears, hurts and sins, to be a light unto us for all generations, that we who trust and believe in Him may ever soak up the rays of His glory to be fed by his warmth.
There is no love like that of one who would lay down his life for his friends. You don't literally have to die in order to lay down your life. It can be something as simple as placing others' needs above your own that is an act of laying down your life, your desires, for the good of someone else.
Look through the apparent darkness and peer through the atmosphere of their fears and hurts, to see the land in need of light beneath.
You will never truly have loved someone until you have laid down your life for them in this manner. And may everyone who loves you do the same.
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