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elister85
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Name: Elise
Gender: Female
Interests: I resolve to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
seriously.
Occupation: student
Message: message me
Member Since:
1/12/2005
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| in all seriousnessI don't understand the idea these days that numbers are an appropriate estimation for how much God is working in a ministry or church or whatever. I would rather be part of a ten person group of people who are totally sold out for Jesus, Spirit-filled and hungry for Him, than 100 people dubbed Christians who gather together to "enjoy" worship, a "good" sermon and then leave feeling like they've gotten their tally mark for the week while simultaneously living a lifestyle they've always been happy with and never changing into who God calls them to be. what is the mark of an authentic church? to me, it is a place where the Spirit of God is present. and if the Spirit of God is present, we need no fluff. we don't need dramatic presentations to reinforce the point, we don't need messages filled with thoughts other than God's (tons of quotes from philosophers or random "wise" people or even theologians). we don't need truisms (seemingly true ideas that are propogated in church or in Christian theology that don't actually have a Biblical basis). I'm not quite hitting the mark here, but anymore the thought of "having church" motivated by compulsory actions or a sense of obligation just makes me sick. it used to simply annoy me when I could tell that a show was being put on and that there was performance mentality behind what a church or an individual was doing. but if it is a show, then it is NOT of God. and if it is not of God, then I really think it might be of the devil. I'm serious. there are a lot of people running around in all kinds of denominations doing all kinds of things "for God" who probably aren't really listening very closely. and it's not just a bad habit. it's scary. I've been listening to a lot of Art Katz and Paul Washer lately and discussing it w/ my boyfriend, so if you think I'm totally off-base and want to hear someone talk coherently about what I'm saying, I recommend them. | | |
| critical thinking as a believer in Jesusgrowing up in church makes for a lot of interesting possibilities in terms of one's adult life. some people grow into adults and become disillusioned with the church and separate themselves from it as much as they know how. some just part from it not out of a lot of discontent, but maybe because they were forced to go as a child and never found any real, integral value in it. there's an impartial indifference there. still others have always eaten up what they were fed in church and stay wholeheartedly involved in churches their whole lives.
churchgoer retention is not necessarily the topic I want to delve into, but I was just thinking on this in relation to one's ability to think critically while listening for the voice of God. I find that there are few believers who I encounter who are really critical thinkers. in an academic setting, I've taken classes that encourage critical thinking based on the social movement that arose in the late 1930's. though this is not the time to fully expound on what sort of contexts critical theory can be applied to, the basic idea is that society as a whole can be changed, reshaped and redefined, and that tradition is not a basis for understanding society. critical theory also seeks to utilize all areas of science in order to understand society and change it if necessary.
in the same way, the church needs to wake up and start thinking critically - not using science, necessarily (though it might be a good idea in certain respects), but in terms of how it thinks about and relates to God. maybe it sounds like a weird idea, but I don't encounter enough people who are willing to say "I don't know" when it comes to questions about God or about His will or doctrine or Scripture interpretation or what have you. when doing deep thinking and having spiritual discussion with others, I too often hear trite answers being thrown around - answers that are based on popular thought, and not necessarily on Scripture. I'm also just generally sort of tired of how easy it is to get into a "niche" of the church. some will argue that it's good to have so many denominations and perspectives because we're all part of the body of Christ. I disagree. Paul talks in Corinthians about God appointing people to different positions within the church, but he never talks in any way that has made me think, "oh, they must have had denominations already forming in the early church." why would God want such separation that has caused so many arguments and divisons over the years since Jesus came to Earth?
the problem with denominations is that it is too easy for people to claim something as truth just because their denomination has told them so, or a pastor preached something in a sermon 15 years ago that they've inferred as being true, or they've read a book written by someone who interprets Scripture a certain way, blah de blah blah... when are we going to start hearing from God, or even wanting to hear from God? I am tired of hearing people's opinions instead of God's opinion. not a lot of people seem to care that much, even. sure, you can attach yourself to the name of Jesus, but how many people do you know who will say, "check out this Scripture, God totally spoke to me through it," and then hear something that isn't trite, isn't fake, and it nails you in the heart because it's obviously of God? let's be honest, it doesn't happen that often. there aren't that many critical thinkers in the church, or critical hearers, if you will. there are few people who will let their worlds be turned upside-down by a word from God, few people who will pull their Bibles out and ask for the world to come alive, instead of reading out of some sense of duty or obligation.
the era we live in comprises a church full of niches, whether it be denominational, or having some political slant, or emphasizing an area we should really be doing things better in (i.e. poverty or social justice). we have become a people who think we have things figured out and who know God because other people have told us how He operates. I personally have no desire to base my knowledge of God on what anyone else tells me, not even the important people in my life. I base my knowledge on His Word, whether I read it in the Bible or hear it or dream it for myself.
can I get an "amen"? or is what I've said too outlandish, because we're all rooted in the system of church instead of in what Jesus desperately wants us to know from Him and about Him?
1 John 4.16-17 And we know and believe the love that God has in us. God
is love, and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God dwells in
Him. In this the love is perfected within us, that we may have
confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this
world.
Psalm 65.4 Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts.
Psalm 139.23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know
my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting.
Luke 17.20-21 Once, having been asked by
the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The
kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." | | |
| call me crazy...but when it arrives, I have no desire for my wedding day to be a day where I pretend I'm a princess. prompted by the frenzy of weddings that always occur in summer months, I got on David's Bridal's website the other day just for kicks, and after looking at two pages of dresses I nearly barfed and couldn't keep looking. the same goes for ridiculous diamond engagement rings and pretty much all other wedding "staples," now that I think about it. since when did getting married become more about creating the picture-perfect fantastical dream wedding than having a functional marriage? you could have the nicest unity candle in the world, the most beautiful wedding cake and a great band to play at the reception, but it guarantees absolutely nothing. I want Jesus to be front and center, not just at my wedding but more importantly in my marriage. nothing else matters. here are my wedding aspirations: I'd like to get married. to a man. my family will probably be there, as well as his. I'll probably wear a dress, maybe even a $10 one hanging in my closet that seems rather appropriate. afterwards, we will live together as husband and wife. end of story. | | |
| "the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair."[I realize that this is pretty long, but once I started thinking on this topic I couldn't stop...]
the more I think I've grown in Christ, the more I realize how far I have to go. it's a scary thing to think about, but good, too; but still, really, really scary. and when I think on past years and look through old journals and such, the differences I see in how I was in the past compared with how I am now are embarrassing to me. I've considered burning my old journals because I hate that I have been so shallow and stupid, and that it has taken me far longer to progress in my relationship with God than I think it should have. but I probably won't burn them, even though reading them sometimes makes me cringe. though "who I am hates who I've been," as Relient K would say, I can't change who I have been; and it took being the person I used to be in order to become who I am today.
I really appreciate God's use of examples in the Word. it almost seems like it would have been easier to just straight-up give us the Law and the Gospel, written and listed out as concepts. but instead, He interweaved the stories of tons of different people to create this beautiful thing that teaches us and doesn't just instruct us, if you know what I mean. we're not just told the "do"s and "don't"s... we are shown what it practically looks like when someone follows God and when he/she doesn't. God wants to give us as clear a picture as He can without us losing the element of faith that a relationship with Him requires.
the older I get, the more I especially appreciate and relate to the Israelites. it's so easy to pick on the people in the Bible who don't do what they're supposed to, and so easy to gloss over our own flaws and inadequacies. the Israelites, especially the group who fled Egypt and wandered in the desert for an unnecessarily long time, get a horrible rap; they're probably one of the most ragged-on people groups of all time. but how different am I from the chosen people of God? what right do I have to judge or condemn them? the Pharisees of the New Testament were probably majorly embarrassed by the Israelites of old, even moreso than we are today, and even moreso than I am of my past actions and decisions. it makes a lot of sense to me that they might think that way, because their actions showed it, frankly. over the years the Pharisees obviously got really good at using the Law as a measuring stick instead of truly understanding its purpose. it probably even started out with good intentions, but, over time, just got warped. the Law began as a way for the Israelites to show God they loved Him, and was acknowledged as a way for God to teach and refine His people and draw them closer to Him; but eventually it was turned (by the people) into something that fostered pride, condemnation, and self-righteousness, among other things that Jesus pointed out to them and warned them about (and got righteously angry about too).
it's not how God wanted it. He shows that over and over throughout history. He didn't just want Israel to forget their mistakes, but He wanted them to remember their past so that glory would be given to God. when the Israelites crossed the Jordan into the promised land, they tooks stones from the river and memorialized the moment, to signify where God had brought them from and where He was taking them (Joshua 4). it wasn't just for history's sake, though; Joshua told the people that this act had been done "so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever" (v. 24). but they did forget, at different times and in different ways. and it's interesting to note this duality: that God's purposes are to reveal Himself to the entirety of His creation, and to enstill an awesome fear in us, because that will keep us close to Him, forever.
that fear and awe is what matters, not our comfort or happiness. I am uncomfortable with who I used to be, but it doesn't matter. growing with God is one big crazy paradox, and without continually checking ourselves, it's way too easy to fall into a trap of extremity on one end of the spectrum or the other. I can get mad at myself for who I've been and try to make up for it by trying to follow the Law to a ridiculously rigid degree. but if I do that, I'm really not allowing myself the grace that God gives me; and if I can't forgive myself for who I've been then I am no better than a Pharisee. if I start basing my relationship with God on what I've done, not what He has done, it becomes all about me and not at all about Him.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. [Rom. 3:27-28]
it's also very easy to have the same negative feelings about myself and go the opposite direction by believing the worst about myself, never giving myself the chance to grow because I don't think I'll ever get to where I want to be. self-fulfilling prophecy, baby. "why try when I'm just going to screw up again?" it's amazing how many people probably squirm their way out of a relationship with God this way. they say things like "I know I'm going to hell," and then laugh it off. not only is it detrimental to their eternal destiny, but it's incredibly lazy, when you think about it. and it's such a horrible and sad thing to witness: someone coming under the conviction of the Spirit, but not heeding that call and just deciding they'll never do anything right so they won't even try.
the sad thing is that I know that both of these responses are wrong, but if I'm not careful, I find myself there so quickly. if I'm not continually keeping the gospel and Jesus in perspective, I'm moving away from God's presence. that sounds extreme but it's the truth. when Jesus says in John 5 that we can't do anything apart from Him, it is profoundly true. I can get into a funk of not spending time in the intimate place with God and attribute it to me just sucking as a person and being a horrible sinner, but it doesn't mean I've backtracked and lost ground that I'd gained. all it means is that I've lost perspective on what grace and Jesus' love are all about. or I can do the opposite and read 60 chapters in one day because I feel like I'll prove myself to God that way, but God desires "mercy, not sacrifice," especially when the point of sacrifice is just to sacrifice, and my heart doesn't engage but my head feels better about what I've done.
the only way I can do anything for God, period, is by remaining in Jesus, recognizing the glory and power of the gospel. it's not just beauty, but it's truth. and it's not just a nice-sounding idea; it's life-changing. when I reduce it to a formula or just ignore it because it's hard, I'm going exactly against what Jesus tells me to do.
trying to pretend the past hasn't happened would be way too easy of an "out." it'd be nice to just toss my journals and memories in an oil barrel and watch them go up in flames and try to forget the things about myself that I'm ashamed of. it'd also be great if the things I did for God actually added up like tally marks and I could earn my way closer to Him. but I refuse to submit to either of those ideas because I know they won't do the job. I've heard people say that when you become a child of God, He can't love you any more or any less, ever, than how much He loves you right then. and I believe that to be true, even though my head and my heart want to argue the point all the time. the Spirit tells me the real truth; picking the voice I'll actually listen to is my continual choice. | | |
| so here's how it is, peeps:I am not who I used to be, or even who I think I am now. and I will not be defined by anyone else's perception of me than God's... not even my own. "the darkness is passing, and the true light is already shining..."
-- 1 John 2:8 [end transmission] | | |
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