I wrote this a few months ago, and it's posted on my myspace blog, but i'd like to let others see it that don't read my myspace blog...so check it out along with my other blogs on myspace at http://blog.myspace.com/tynamite thanks!!!
The other day I had a very heartbreaking and frustrating conversation with a dude at school. The topic was evangelism. We both agreed that it was sad how just empty people are and how much they need the love of God in their lives. He went on telling me how he takes it upon himself to go around the cafeteria telling people about Jesus, which according to him is spreading the Gospel message. Now, my question is this: Is telling people ABOUT Jesus really the gospel message? Is it our duty to go around trying to make people, who don’t have a clue who we are and what we’re about, believe what we believe? Are they really oblvivious to the fact that Jesus died for the sins? To what end are we doing this? Many religious leaders would tell us, yes, this is spreading the gospel message. What is our intent in doing this? To make us feel good about ourselves because we’re telling people about Jesus? And isn't that only a piece of what the gospel is about? He went on telling me how I should come with him and watch him talk to people about Jesus and how he makes certain arguments (taken from evangelism instructional videos, which just makes me chuckle, but that’s a whole other issue) because “it’s fun”.
It’s fun?
Is that really what it’s all about? Is it like a game? How much are you really caring for people by telling them about Jesus, making sure they know they are sinners and they need God, then moving on to the next table to start all over again. That’s an illusion of love. You don’t really care about them, you are about your agenda, it makes you feel good because you’re told to do this and you think it’s fun. Love is investing time and effort into the lives of others. It’s about taking the time to understand them and sympathize with them, getting their perspective, discovering and learning about their experiences. THAT’s love. Love is sacrifice, giving up yourself, giving up your agenda, and letting them see Christ’s love in you. It’s not so much about knowing about Jesus, it’s about knowing Jesus…experiencing Jesus...
It’s not enough to just know about Jesus…
So we have to ask ourselves, who is Jesus? I believe he was ultimate reality. He was the written word of God in flesh. Everything that we are destined to become is in Jesus. Any questions about how we should live life here and now is found in Jesus. There is so much more…He was life. He was love. And, He was a FRIEND of sinners. Sinners being all of us…NONE are exlcluded. According to Scripture, He chilled with them, ate with them, drank with them, shared his life with them. SHARED HIS LIFE WITH THEM.
So I guess another question is this: Is it really worth telling everyone ABOUT Jesus and having a few get it (and prolly get it wrong) and annoying the rest and ruining any chance of a future encounter with Christ. Is that what Jesus instructs us to do? Is that ALL the Gospel is? Or do we share our lives with the few around us who we daily interact with and allow them to KNOW Jesus through our lifestyles and love in us. There is no way we can change the world on our own. But, we can change the world around us. You can change the world around you. Think about that…
I think the church has had this wrong for a long time. I need a God who’s now. I need a faith for today. If my job is to just get people to know about Jesus for the sake of a hope and future for something that just happens AFTER this life and then just feel good that we’re all going to this better place after we die, which I believe is true, isn’t enough. There has to be more! What about here and now? What is so exciting about a faith that is for a future? I think Jesus teaches us that our faith is about today, about now. It’s about daily changing the lives and the world and reality around us by getting people to know Him through our lives and experiencing love and joy and everything else that comes in a relationship with Him and with others. To me, THAT is the Gospel message that Jesus teaches.
“Always preach the Gospel, and when necessary use words”
-Saint Francis of Assisi
3.31.2006
A few thoughts...
All right so i've been thinking about a lot of stuff lately and there is so much i want to write, but i just don't have the time to sit and write it all out right now. but here are two things that really kind of hit me in the last week...
what if we ALL, all the followers of Christ, lived like there were no coincedences?!?!? i mean if you think of all the people we interact with on a regular basis: the gas attendant you always buy your gas from, the barista who always makes your drink, the guy who sits in the cubicle next to you, the people sitting around you in your classroom, the random people you are with in lines everyday at the mall, store, bathroom, etc. ANYTHING!! i mean do you really believe those are all coincendences?!!? you have something that they desperately need and WANT deep down. you have the TRUTH. i mean you ARE the truth because you are of Christ and Christ is of God (and the FULLNESSS of God dwells within Christ- Colossians 1:19) therefore everywhere you go, the fullness of God is right there with you and it's up to you to let it out so that people will see and know the truth. you HAVE it, ALWAYS. it's there in you. everyday. every minute. every interaction you have. the truth is there, and available to that person to have. are you going to live like it's just a coincidence OR are you going to realize that just maybe God has those people in you life for a reason. not just friends and family but EVERYONE you encounter in a day. we don't need to pray for opportunities, they are there, every minute. we need to pray that we ACT upon them as much as possible. i mean just what if!!??!! what if we ALL lived like that? it would be incredible...and it would bring heaven on earth! we need to pray and encourage each other to make this happen. we can't do it alone...we need each other!! so let's do all we can to remember this and remind each other always and give them encouragement!
Another thing i've been thinking about is in regards to the church. recently i've had some frustrations with the church on some particular issues that i think are absolutey wrong (i will eventually blog about them, but not now). but through all my conversations everyone and their mother have said, "well Ty, there is no perfect church, it's human, so we can't really do anything about it." talk about disheartening...so in essence people really believe that we just have to be content with things that we feel are wrong and just accept what they are doing because there is NO WAY it can change. i'm sorry, but didn't Christ say he was coming for the PERFECT bride? or rather the PERFECT church. doesn't that imply that the church, at some point, is going to be perfect? i mean it makes sense if you think about it...
if Christ is in us, aren't we continually being made more and more perfect?!?!?
check this out...
Hebrews 10:8-18 (read all of Hebrews 10 on your own!!)
"First he (Jesus) said, 'sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them.' (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, 'here I am, I have come to do your will.' He sets aside the first to establish the second. and by that will, WE HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices (sound familiar? sometimes i feel this way at church), which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice HE HAS MADE PERFECT FOREVER THOSE WHO ARE BEING MADE HOLY. "
Paul talks about this in Philippians 3:12
he says, "not that i've already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I PRESS ON TO TAKE HOLD OF THAT for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
We are made perfect because are are being made holy through Christ! the implications of this are HUGE. that means that although we are human, there is perfection in us because Christ is in us! so to say that the church will never be perfect is a LIE because Christ says that it will...otherwise he'd be a liar because he says he's coming for the perfect bride! to me that means he's coming for a church that is trying to be perfect...not in our humaness, but in our desire to be more and more holy!!
so, what do we do?!? i think we start by realizing that change IS possible and IS necessary. i think it just starts with us all recognizing there is a problem and we go from there. i don't know what to do now to be honest. i can't change anything on my own but together, AS THE BODY OF CHRIST-the church, we can change the world!! so more than anything, i guess i'm asking that you think about it. and think about what this means and if you even agree or not, and we go from there! let's not settle for anything less than what Christ tells us we are or what we will become!
i love you all! know that the TRUTH is in you, ALWAYS!! don't forget that!!
-ty
what if we ALL, all the followers of Christ, lived like there were no coincedences?!?!? i mean if you think of all the people we interact with on a regular basis: the gas attendant you always buy your gas from, the barista who always makes your drink, the guy who sits in the cubicle next to you, the people sitting around you in your classroom, the random people you are with in lines everyday at the mall, store, bathroom, etc. ANYTHING!! i mean do you really believe those are all coincendences?!!? you have something that they desperately need and WANT deep down. you have the TRUTH. i mean you ARE the truth because you are of Christ and Christ is of God (and the FULLNESSS of God dwells within Christ- Colossians 1:19) therefore everywhere you go, the fullness of God is right there with you and it's up to you to let it out so that people will see and know the truth. you HAVE it, ALWAYS. it's there in you. everyday. every minute. every interaction you have. the truth is there, and available to that person to have. are you going to live like it's just a coincidence OR are you going to realize that just maybe God has those people in you life for a reason. not just friends and family but EVERYONE you encounter in a day. we don't need to pray for opportunities, they are there, every minute. we need to pray that we ACT upon them as much as possible. i mean just what if!!??!! what if we ALL lived like that? it would be incredible...and it would bring heaven on earth! we need to pray and encourage each other to make this happen. we can't do it alone...we need each other!! so let's do all we can to remember this and remind each other always and give them encouragement!
Another thing i've been thinking about is in regards to the church. recently i've had some frustrations with the church on some particular issues that i think are absolutey wrong (i will eventually blog about them, but not now). but through all my conversations everyone and their mother have said, "well Ty, there is no perfect church, it's human, so we can't really do anything about it." talk about disheartening...so in essence people really believe that we just have to be content with things that we feel are wrong and just accept what they are doing because there is NO WAY it can change. i'm sorry, but didn't Christ say he was coming for the PERFECT bride? or rather the PERFECT church. doesn't that imply that the church, at some point, is going to be perfect? i mean it makes sense if you think about it...
if Christ is in us, aren't we continually being made more and more perfect?!?!?
check this out...
Hebrews 10:8-18 (read all of Hebrews 10 on your own!!)
"First he (Jesus) said, 'sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them.' (although the law required them to be made). Then he said, 'here I am, I have come to do your will.' He sets aside the first to establish the second. and by that will, WE HAVE BEEN MADE HOLY through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices (sound familiar? sometimes i feel this way at church), which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice HE HAS MADE PERFECT FOREVER THOSE WHO ARE BEING MADE HOLY. "
Paul talks about this in Philippians 3:12
he says, "not that i've already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I PRESS ON TO TAKE HOLD OF THAT for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
We are made perfect because are are being made holy through Christ! the implications of this are HUGE. that means that although we are human, there is perfection in us because Christ is in us! so to say that the church will never be perfect is a LIE because Christ says that it will...otherwise he'd be a liar because he says he's coming for the perfect bride! to me that means he's coming for a church that is trying to be perfect...not in our humaness, but in our desire to be more and more holy!!
so, what do we do?!? i think we start by realizing that change IS possible and IS necessary. i think it just starts with us all recognizing there is a problem and we go from there. i don't know what to do now to be honest. i can't change anything on my own but together, AS THE BODY OF CHRIST-the church, we can change the world!! so more than anything, i guess i'm asking that you think about it. and think about what this means and if you even agree or not, and we go from there! let's not settle for anything less than what Christ tells us we are or what we will become!
i love you all! know that the TRUTH is in you, ALWAYS!! don't forget that!!
-ty
3.14.2006
All things are yours
"All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death or the present or the future-ALL ARE YOURS, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." 1 Corinthians 3:21-23
All things are yours!
Hold on wait...say that again...
ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!!!
What does this mean? all things are ours. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, present, future...they are ours.
WHY?!?!?
Becasuse YOU are of Christ, and Christ is of God!
I don't know about you but this is mindblowing stuff. why haven't i been told this in the 20 years i've been going to church?!? i've been told that i need to read my Bible, that i can't run in church, i was even told once that i shouldn't be chewing gum in church, or heaven forbid i miss church on a sunday, or that i need to tithe 10% of my income....but i was never told "hey Ty, did you know that because you are of Christ that ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!!" i mean, if i heard that earlier and began to understand what that implies, i might have lived quite a bit different and might have thought that my journey in Christ wasn't quite as boring and burdensome as i thought it had to be.
i still don't fully know what this implies but let's look at the text here:
so Paul is writing to this Church in Corinth. Corinth is a happening city, full of parties, women, money, highly educated people talking about the latest ideas and philosphies. it was a port city and was probably very cultured. maybe much like LA or new orleans today. but Paul is writing to the Christians in this city who in this particular chapter are getting hung up on who to follow, who has the better "idea" or "style" of living...Paul? Apollos? or Cephas? he goes on to tell them they are pretty much foolish for trying to figure this out or even debate it by saying...
v. 20-21 "and again, "the Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. so then, no more boasting about human leaders! all things are yours"
earlier he stated that "the Lord has assigned to each his task...for we are God's CO-WORKERS, God's field, God's building"
v. 5+9
We all have our own tasks but we are together WORKING WITH God to advance His kingdom. So all this stuff about God not needing us...it's bogus. He probably could do it without us but He won't! He WANTS to use us!! We play a role in his plan to redeem this broken world! that's AMAZING!
But the fact that he finishes this whole thought in this chapter by saying "ALL THINGS ARE YOURS" pretty much imples that:
(paraphrased):
"ok guys, stop trying to figure out who is the better leader. those qualities that Paul has, they are yours. those qualities that Apollos and Cephas have, they are yours. Those qualities of the world/nature that are good (beauty, creativity, life, etc), they're yours. ALL the qualities of God, they are yours. Boldness, it's yours. Compassion, it's yours. Peace, it's yours. They are all in you because Christ is in you! We are in this together, so stop your foolish debating and realize that IT'S ALL YOURS!!"
Let it well up within you! You are nothing, I am nothing-BUT God says we are something. And since Christ is in us-THE TRUTH IS IN US and therefore we have a role to play. So play it; live it. WHOLEHEARTEDLY and PASSIONATELY!
Christ is in you! Let that fact change the way you live! Following Christ is not boring and mundane, it's life to the FULL!
AMEN!
All things are yours!
Hold on wait...say that again...
ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!!!
What does this mean? all things are ours. Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life, death, present, future...they are ours.
WHY?!?!?
Becasuse YOU are of Christ, and Christ is of God!
I don't know about you but this is mindblowing stuff. why haven't i been told this in the 20 years i've been going to church?!? i've been told that i need to read my Bible, that i can't run in church, i was even told once that i shouldn't be chewing gum in church, or heaven forbid i miss church on a sunday, or that i need to tithe 10% of my income....but i was never told "hey Ty, did you know that because you are of Christ that ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!!" i mean, if i heard that earlier and began to understand what that implies, i might have lived quite a bit different and might have thought that my journey in Christ wasn't quite as boring and burdensome as i thought it had to be.
i still don't fully know what this implies but let's look at the text here:
so Paul is writing to this Church in Corinth. Corinth is a happening city, full of parties, women, money, highly educated people talking about the latest ideas and philosphies. it was a port city and was probably very cultured. maybe much like LA or new orleans today. but Paul is writing to the Christians in this city who in this particular chapter are getting hung up on who to follow, who has the better "idea" or "style" of living...Paul? Apollos? or Cephas? he goes on to tell them they are pretty much foolish for trying to figure this out or even debate it by saying...
v. 20-21 "and again, "the Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile. so then, no more boasting about human leaders! all things are yours"
earlier he stated that "the Lord has assigned to each his task...for we are God's CO-WORKERS, God's field, God's building"
v. 5+9
We all have our own tasks but we are together WORKING WITH God to advance His kingdom. So all this stuff about God not needing us...it's bogus. He probably could do it without us but He won't! He WANTS to use us!! We play a role in his plan to redeem this broken world! that's AMAZING!
But the fact that he finishes this whole thought in this chapter by saying "ALL THINGS ARE YOURS" pretty much imples that:
(paraphrased):
"ok guys, stop trying to figure out who is the better leader. those qualities that Paul has, they are yours. those qualities that Apollos and Cephas have, they are yours. Those qualities of the world/nature that are good (beauty, creativity, life, etc), they're yours. ALL the qualities of God, they are yours. Boldness, it's yours. Compassion, it's yours. Peace, it's yours. They are all in you because Christ is in you! We are in this together, so stop your foolish debating and realize that IT'S ALL YOURS!!"
Let it well up within you! You are nothing, I am nothing-BUT God says we are something. And since Christ is in us-THE TRUTH IS IN US and therefore we have a role to play. So play it; live it. WHOLEHEARTEDLY and PASSIONATELY!
Christ is in you! Let that fact change the way you live! Following Christ is not boring and mundane, it's life to the FULL!
AMEN!
3.08.2006
"mind" blowing...
We have the mind of Christ.
John Bussone, a good friend and brother of Christ, spoke at Full Volume the other night. He talked about having Christ in you, in me, in everyone of us that follows Christ. He talked about truth...and how the Bible may be all true and contain maybe 20-30000 "truths" in it. But we, as followers of Christ, have the mind of Christ because He LIVES IN US.
Therefore, we have an infinite amount of truths in us, just wainting to be discovered and lived out. That's why we need each other, that's why Jesus stress's community so much. the more we are together, the more we will grow because of that truth coming out. BUT, you can only go as far as you will allow someone to explore the Christ in you, the truth IN YOU.
So let us explore one another...we NEED each other to grow! Dare i say we need each other more than the Bible? I think i would say that, Paul discusses it in Colassions and you never see the Bible point to itself as the reference of truth, it ALWAYS points to Jesus (thanks John)!!! let us embrace the Christ in one another, may we empty ourselves of us, who on our own are nothing! Let us discover the truth that Christ is in us and let that shape our lives!
For we are dead to sin, but ALIVE in Christ!
John Bussone, a good friend and brother of Christ, spoke at Full Volume the other night. He talked about having Christ in you, in me, in everyone of us that follows Christ. He talked about truth...and how the Bible may be all true and contain maybe 20-30000 "truths" in it. But we, as followers of Christ, have the mind of Christ because He LIVES IN US.
Therefore, we have an infinite amount of truths in us, just wainting to be discovered and lived out. That's why we need each other, that's why Jesus stress's community so much. the more we are together, the more we will grow because of that truth coming out. BUT, you can only go as far as you will allow someone to explore the Christ in you, the truth IN YOU.
So let us explore one another...we NEED each other to grow! Dare i say we need each other more than the Bible? I think i would say that, Paul discusses it in Colassions and you never see the Bible point to itself as the reference of truth, it ALWAYS points to Jesus (thanks John)!!! let us embrace the Christ in one another, may we empty ourselves of us, who on our own are nothing! Let us discover the truth that Christ is in us and let that shape our lives!
For we are dead to sin, but ALIVE in Christ!
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