A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out.
A subjective person walked along and said, "I feel for you down there."
An objective person walked by and said, "It's logical that someone would fall down there."
A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into pits."
A mathematician calculated how he fell into the pit.
A news reporter wanted the exclusive story of the pit.
An IRS agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
A self-pitying person said, "You haven't seen anything until you've see my pit!"
A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, "You deserve your pit."
A psychologist noted, "You mother and father are to blame for you being in that pit."
A self-esteem therapist said, "Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit."
An optimist said, "Things could be worse."
A pessimist claimed, "Things will get worse."
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted the man out of the pit.
Showing posts with label fallen christian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fallen christian. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Christian Con Artists
I wrote this over three years ago on another blog. I recently found it again and felt that I should post it again on this blog as it's now my main...well...blog.
Christian Con Artists
The great deception
Is it possible that we are Christian con artists? How is this possible? How is it possible that we fall under the same category as a felon? I hate to reiterate, but many of us Christians are just as bad as someone who has committed murder. We fool ourselves if we think everything is always alright in our lives. But, everything isn’t alright. If it were, we would have no reason for repentance and forgiveness, and therefore no reason for a Saviour. Without a Saviour, how can we feel love and acceptance? How will we know right from wrong? And how will we know true freedom? How about others around us? Are we all acting like cons?
The definition of “CON” is adj. involving abuse of confidence and to swindle. To pursue by deception.
According to the above definition, confidence can be abused. If we don’t have the boldness to tell others about Christ, we are in fact betraying their trust, and signing their death warrant. Don’t you think that someone would want to know that here on Earth, there is life with true freedom, and when they die that the same is so? Of course they would. In that respect, we are also abusing our own confidence by not showing it. We need to ask God to give us that boldness to lead others to Him. We need to share His love with others.
Notice I used the word “need”? We need to do what God asks. We need His approval, love, and acceptance. Those who don’t know Christ also need Him. Are we not only con’s, but greedy con’s as well? We hoard all of Christ’s love for ourselves, when clearly is says in Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” This was a direct command from Jesus Himself, telling us that we must tell everyone about Him and His love and forgiveness and what wonderful things that love and forgiveness brings. Do we or anyone else have to put up with the enemy’s (Satan’s) abuse anymore? Being abused is not fun! If you see a dog that has been beaten, it cowers if you go to even pet it. Think of it this way, we have been beaten for far too long by Satan and his nasty thing called lack of confidence. It’s time to take back our boldness and courage and take it to our unsaved loved ones, neighbours, and who ever else we come in contact with day to day, or not even day to day but once in a while. It’s time to take back what Satan stole and tell him to get lost!
Looking back to the definition of “CON”, it says that con can swindle. If we look at our lives, how many times have we stolen or swindled an opportunity to be bold for Jesus? How many opportunities have we ignored or brushed off? So many opportunities, so little time! Where’s our courage? We’re robbing ourselves and others of Christ’s love and forgiveness. How will we all fair on the Day of Judgment when we’re facing our Lord? The One Who we denied, time and time again. The One Who died for us. The One we claim we love.
Deception is a big thing when it comes to being a con. You’ll do anything to get what you want and to make yourself feel good and/or better. When we don’t tell others about Christ, we are deceiving them to believe that everything will be okay if only they do good... or mostly good anyway. How foolish can we be? We’ve fallen for this same lie! The only difference is we know the Truth. We just refuse to not tell anyone. We’re deceiving others into believing that we are no different than anyone else, and at the same time, they don’t know that there is hope for them because we’re not living like there is. We are deceiving ourselves if we really believe we can get away with this.
I believe, and I know many other believe, that the biggest con job we as Christian’s have pulled is that we blend in with the world, it’s lies, deception, etc., rather than being apart from it (Romans 12:2). We look like everyone else, so what could be that harm, right? In actual fact, according to Matthew 5:13 we are to be the salt of the earth. Again, we are to be the salt, not the sugar. If we are just adding something like sugar to an already sugary recipe, someone’s going to get a cavity, and it might be us. With that in mind, we are not meant to sugar coat the gospel. We are to tell the truth. Remember this, adding salt to a cookie recipe makes the cookies sweater. In the same way, when we tell others about Christ, we are showing them how much better their lives can be with Him in it. Also remember though, too much salt will spoil the cookie dough. My meaning of this, we are not meant to “Bible bash” people into repentance, but to show Christ’s love. Be compassionate. Think of it this way, if we do “Bible bash” people, are we then in fact not being the salt, but perhaps pepper? Too much spice, and not enough TLC put into the recipe? We’re conning those we are trying to reach if we don’t reach them where they’re at. We’re not reaching them in the right way.
So what now? How do we reach people? In order to reach others in the right way, we need (there’s that word again) to quit being con artists and blending with the world. We need to search our hearts. Does it align with God’s? Or are we fooling ourselves into thinking it does? We need to draw near to God and ask Him to reveal to us what His heart is for us. Listen. What’s He saying? He knows us. He knows everything about us, scary as that may seem. Or can that be comforting for us? We need to ask God for boldness and courage to tell others about Him. We need to ask for forgiveness for not using that boldness or courage or possibly not asking for it before. We need to take back what Satan stole from us so we can show others how to do the same, and we need to do it now! Otherwise, how can we or others reform? We need to become reformed con’s now so others can see that we are indeed prisoners in Christ and not of this world. Others lives are at stake. Your family members and loved ones lives are at stake. Your neighbour’s lives are at stake. Those you see on the street, their lives are at stake. Stranger’s lives are at stake. Your enemy’s lives are at stake. Must we continue to be Christian con artists? Souls are a stake.
Cori-Beth
The definition of “CON” is adj. involving abuse of confidence and to swindle. To pursue by deception.
According to the above definition, confidence can be abused. If we don’t have the boldness to tell others about Christ, we are in fact betraying their trust, and signing their death warrant. Don’t you think that someone would want to know that here on Earth, there is life with true freedom, and when they die that the same is so? Of course they would. In that respect, we are also abusing our own confidence by not showing it. We need to ask God to give us that boldness to lead others to Him. We need to share His love with others.
Notice I used the word “need”? We need to do what God asks. We need His approval, love, and acceptance. Those who don’t know Christ also need Him. Are we not only con’s, but greedy con’s as well? We hoard all of Christ’s love for ourselves, when clearly is says in Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” This was a direct command from Jesus Himself, telling us that we must tell everyone about Him and His love and forgiveness and what wonderful things that love and forgiveness brings. Do we or anyone else have to put up with the enemy’s (Satan’s) abuse anymore? Being abused is not fun! If you see a dog that has been beaten, it cowers if you go to even pet it. Think of it this way, we have been beaten for far too long by Satan and his nasty thing called lack of confidence. It’s time to take back our boldness and courage and take it to our unsaved loved ones, neighbours, and who ever else we come in contact with day to day, or not even day to day but once in a while. It’s time to take back what Satan stole and tell him to get lost!
Looking back to the definition of “CON”, it says that con can swindle. If we look at our lives, how many times have we stolen or swindled an opportunity to be bold for Jesus? How many opportunities have we ignored or brushed off? So many opportunities, so little time! Where’s our courage? We’re robbing ourselves and others of Christ’s love and forgiveness. How will we all fair on the Day of Judgment when we’re facing our Lord? The One Who we denied, time and time again. The One Who died for us. The One we claim we love.
Deception is a big thing when it comes to being a con. You’ll do anything to get what you want and to make yourself feel good and/or better. When we don’t tell others about Christ, we are deceiving them to believe that everything will be okay if only they do good... or mostly good anyway. How foolish can we be? We’ve fallen for this same lie! The only difference is we know the Truth. We just refuse to not tell anyone. We’re deceiving others into believing that we are no different than anyone else, and at the same time, they don’t know that there is hope for them because we’re not living like there is. We are deceiving ourselves if we really believe we can get away with this.
I believe, and I know many other believe, that the biggest con job we as Christian’s have pulled is that we blend in with the world, it’s lies, deception, etc., rather than being apart from it (Romans 12:2). We look like everyone else, so what could be that harm, right? In actual fact, according to Matthew 5:13 we are to be the salt of the earth. Again, we are to be the salt, not the sugar. If we are just adding something like sugar to an already sugary recipe, someone’s going to get a cavity, and it might be us. With that in mind, we are not meant to sugar coat the gospel. We are to tell the truth. Remember this, adding salt to a cookie recipe makes the cookies sweater. In the same way, when we tell others about Christ, we are showing them how much better their lives can be with Him in it. Also remember though, too much salt will spoil the cookie dough. My meaning of this, we are not meant to “Bible bash” people into repentance, but to show Christ’s love. Be compassionate. Think of it this way, if we do “Bible bash” people, are we then in fact not being the salt, but perhaps pepper? Too much spice, and not enough TLC put into the recipe? We’re conning those we are trying to reach if we don’t reach them where they’re at. We’re not reaching them in the right way.
So what now? How do we reach people? In order to reach others in the right way, we need (there’s that word again) to quit being con artists and blending with the world. We need to search our hearts. Does it align with God’s? Or are we fooling ourselves into thinking it does? We need to draw near to God and ask Him to reveal to us what His heart is for us. Listen. What’s He saying? He knows us. He knows everything about us, scary as that may seem. Or can that be comforting for us? We need to ask God for boldness and courage to tell others about Him. We need to ask for forgiveness for not using that boldness or courage or possibly not asking for it before. We need to take back what Satan stole from us so we can show others how to do the same, and we need to do it now! Otherwise, how can we or others reform? We need to become reformed con’s now so others can see that we are indeed prisoners in Christ and not of this world. Others lives are at stake. Your family members and loved ones lives are at stake. Your neighbour’s lives are at stake. Those you see on the street, their lives are at stake. Stranger’s lives are at stake. Your enemy’s lives are at stake. Must we continue to be Christian con artists? Souls are a stake.
Cori-Beth
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Missing Person
When I think of a Christian who has fallen from grace, one who doesn't know why they believe what they believe or why they believed in the first place, I truly believe that they are starving. Starving for the Truth and starving for God to show that He really exists. They want Him to show Himself in a physical way and feel that if He doesn't reveal Himself in this way, that proves that He doesn't exist. They can't feel Him in a spiritual and/or a divine way either because they are trying so hard and over thinking so much to the point that they are pushing God right out of existence. If He doesn't answer immediately, or even in a month, a year or even five or ten years, well that's it, that proves that God doesn't exist.
When someone craves something, they search for something to fill their void. They can search an eternity. They can search until they believe that the thing that they are searching for didn't exist in the first place. The intangible is far beyond reach and therefore mustn't have been there to begin with.
I have been there, in fact, I don't know many Christian's who have not questioned the existence of God at one time or another - even those who have been Christian's for years! We begin to question if we believe what our parents believe or if we were going with the flow of things, singing the songs and saying the prayers that we felt was our "duty" while in church, Sunday School, and at home and gathered around the table at family get togethers.
I questioned my belief and if I was just hanging on to the "cocktails" of my parents belief. I asked for God to show His existence to me. I know that I had heard God's voice clear as day in the past, and that should have been evidence enough for me. I had even been healed by the hand of God. (I'll get in to that later) But, I was questioning it. I was questioning the voice of God! One that was comforting, One that scolded at times, One that was wonderful, One that was sarcastic and had a sense of humour, One that was loving and correcting, One that I had come to know as wonderful and beautiful.
It's okay to question. It's okay to have doubts and question something that you aren't sure of. It's okay to question why you believe what you believe or don't believe. The belief in the existence of something isn't tied up in a neat little bow. Question it and question why you are questioning in the first place. Starve for the questions and crave the answers. Hunger for the truth. Don't simply live off of the "cocktails" of your parents belief system. Seek the answers to the questions you have running through your head and your heart.
The voice of God may not come to you in a booming voice as so many people tend to believe. The hand of God may not touch you directly in a way that you are hoping and praying. The voice of God may come in a whisper, but are you listening? Are you really listening? I don't mean with human ears, I mean with your heart. Yes, sometimes God does answer in a loud booming voice. He has even struck people deaf and dumb! But, more often then not, He doesn't work that way. It's the whispers that we need to be listening for. The subtle ways that God tends to operate. That can be frustrating, can't it?! You don't hear a voice or the evidence that you were seeking or even not seeking, so God doesn't exist. You throw away your beliefs because, well, God didn't show Himself to you. Or maybe you didn't want Him to show the proof of His existence in the first place??? Or you didn't care.
This happens with so many Christians. Maybe they became a believer when they were a child. Maybe a sibling lead them to the Lord in the quiet of their bedroom. A simple prayer of asking Jesus into their hearts. A prayer that so many adults don't believe, yet a child believes without question. When that child becomes an adult, do they still believe? Do they carry on that simple belief, that yes, God does exist, Jesus does forgive, the Lord came into their life and forgave them of their sins? Do they crave the answers to the questions that they so believed without a doubt? Are they starving for the truth to be revealed to them? Or do they over analyze everything? One of the things that I can say to that is seek the answers and seek the truth that you believed so trustingly. Yes, trustingly, not blindly! That trusting faith won't leave you in the dark and bumping into disbelief.
I would question if we are the ones, Christian's as a whole who allow, yes I said allow, fellow believers to fall. Are we a bunch of hypocrites who do exactly what the world is doing? Does the non-believer "lifestyle" seem more appealing? Sure it does! But is it? Many would say yes. Non-believers seem just as happy as believers. The truth is, whether those non-believers know it or not, they are craving something else. But how are we to help fill that hunger when we are starving ourselves?! Are we the cause of our own disbelief? Are we the cause of others disbelief? Everyone has to seek out the truth on their own. That's the bottom line.
Something as simple as a yellow bird landing on your windowsill may proof enough of God's existence for you, but it may not be for someone else. Maybe that someone else will have to be struck deaf and dumb by God. At any rate, that fallen Christian or non-believer has to find the truth on their own. They have to crave it and starve for it. That void can only be filled on God's terms not theirs or even ours. Stubbornness on our part certainly gets in the way, but in the end, God will make His existence known...whether you believe in Him or not! Chew on that!
Another question in me
One for the powers that be
It's got me thrown and so
I put on my poker face
And try to figure it out
This undeniable doubt
A common occurrence
Feeling so out of place
Guarded and cynical now
Cant help but wondering how
My heart evolved into a
Rock beating inside of me
So I reel, such a stoic ordeal
Where's that feeling that I don't feel?
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
I've been searching for that missing person
Under a lavender moon
So many thoughts consume me
Who dimmed that glowing light
That once burned so bright in me
Is this a radical phase
A problematical age
That keeps me running
From all that I used to be
Is there a way to return
Is there a way to unlearn
That carnal knowledge
Thats chipping away at my soul
I've been gone too long
Will I ever find my way home?
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
I've been searching for that missing person
He used to want to try to walk the straight and narrow
He had a fire and he could feel it in the marrow
Its been a long time and I haven't seen him lately but
I've been searching for that missing person
-----
Michael W. Smith
Missing Person (I'll Lead You Home Album - 1995)
When someone craves something, they search for something to fill their void. They can search an eternity. They can search until they believe that the thing that they are searching for didn't exist in the first place. The intangible is far beyond reach and therefore mustn't have been there to begin with.
I have been there, in fact, I don't know many Christian's who have not questioned the existence of God at one time or another - even those who have been Christian's for years! We begin to question if we believe what our parents believe or if we were going with the flow of things, singing the songs and saying the prayers that we felt was our "duty" while in church, Sunday School, and at home and gathered around the table at family get togethers.
I questioned my belief and if I was just hanging on to the "cocktails" of my parents belief. I asked for God to show His existence to me. I know that I had heard God's voice clear as day in the past, and that should have been evidence enough for me. I had even been healed by the hand of God. (I'll get in to that later) But, I was questioning it. I was questioning the voice of God! One that was comforting, One that scolded at times, One that was wonderful, One that was sarcastic and had a sense of humour, One that was loving and correcting, One that I had come to know as wonderful and beautiful.
It's okay to question. It's okay to have doubts and question something that you aren't sure of. It's okay to question why you believe what you believe or don't believe. The belief in the existence of something isn't tied up in a neat little bow. Question it and question why you are questioning in the first place. Starve for the questions and crave the answers. Hunger for the truth. Don't simply live off of the "cocktails" of your parents belief system. Seek the answers to the questions you have running through your head and your heart.
The voice of God may not come to you in a booming voice as so many people tend to believe. The hand of God may not touch you directly in a way that you are hoping and praying. The voice of God may come in a whisper, but are you listening? Are you really listening? I don't mean with human ears, I mean with your heart. Yes, sometimes God does answer in a loud booming voice. He has even struck people deaf and dumb! But, more often then not, He doesn't work that way. It's the whispers that we need to be listening for. The subtle ways that God tends to operate. That can be frustrating, can't it?! You don't hear a voice or the evidence that you were seeking or even not seeking, so God doesn't exist. You throw away your beliefs because, well, God didn't show Himself to you. Or maybe you didn't want Him to show the proof of His existence in the first place??? Or you didn't care.
This happens with so many Christians. Maybe they became a believer when they were a child. Maybe a sibling lead them to the Lord in the quiet of their bedroom. A simple prayer of asking Jesus into their hearts. A prayer that so many adults don't believe, yet a child believes without question. When that child becomes an adult, do they still believe? Do they carry on that simple belief, that yes, God does exist, Jesus does forgive, the Lord came into their life and forgave them of their sins? Do they crave the answers to the questions that they so believed without a doubt? Are they starving for the truth to be revealed to them? Or do they over analyze everything? One of the things that I can say to that is seek the answers and seek the truth that you believed so trustingly. Yes, trustingly, not blindly! That trusting faith won't leave you in the dark and bumping into disbelief.
I would question if we are the ones, Christian's as a whole who allow, yes I said allow, fellow believers to fall. Are we a bunch of hypocrites who do exactly what the world is doing? Does the non-believer "lifestyle" seem more appealing? Sure it does! But is it? Many would say yes. Non-believers seem just as happy as believers. The truth is, whether those non-believers know it or not, they are craving something else. But how are we to help fill that hunger when we are starving ourselves?! Are we the cause of our own disbelief? Are we the cause of others disbelief? Everyone has to seek out the truth on their own. That's the bottom line.
Something as simple as a yellow bird landing on your windowsill may proof enough of God's existence for you, but it may not be for someone else. Maybe that someone else will have to be struck deaf and dumb by God. At any rate, that fallen Christian or non-believer has to find the truth on their own. They have to crave it and starve for it. That void can only be filled on God's terms not theirs or even ours. Stubbornness on our part certainly gets in the way, but in the end, God will make His existence known...whether you believe in Him or not! Chew on that!
Another question in me
One for the powers that be
It's got me thrown and so
I put on my poker face
And try to figure it out
This undeniable doubt
A common occurrence
Feeling so out of place
Guarded and cynical now
Cant help but wondering how
My heart evolved into a
Rock beating inside of me
So I reel, such a stoic ordeal
Where's that feeling that I don't feel?
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
I've been searching for that missing person
Under a lavender moon
So many thoughts consume me
Who dimmed that glowing light
That once burned so bright in me
Is this a radical phase
A problematical age
That keeps me running
From all that I used to be
Is there a way to return
Is there a way to unlearn
That carnal knowledge
Thats chipping away at my soul
I've been gone too long
Will I ever find my way home?
There was a boy who had the faith to move a mountain
And like a child he would believe without a reason
Without a trace he disappeared into the void and
I've been searching for that missing person
He used to want to try to walk the straight and narrow
He had a fire and he could feel it in the marrow
Its been a long time and I haven't seen him lately but
I've been searching for that missing person
-----
Michael W. Smith
Missing Person (I'll Lead You Home Album - 1995)
