I'M STILL HERE!!!

I have not gone anywhere one follower in cyberland so DONT YOU FRET!!! :) I have simply been taking some time diving deeper into the Word and deeper into Crazy Love, trying to really make the most out of it and rise to the challenges I feel it is bringing into my life and into my faith.

Last blog I talked about being in Chapter 4 which I have finished now. Chapter 4 talks about Lukewarm Christians. This chapter is probably scarily relatable to many Christians (i.e. American church-goers). Since I am new in my faith having just been Saved a few months ago, I feel like I could read this chapter with the right amount of subjectivity and objectivity and I really feel like I got alot out of it. Becase the chapter had SOO much weight and information I am literally holding the book now and am just going to go through to parts I took notes on or underlined and talk about those (because CLEARLY they were important enough for me to break out the trusty green pen and mark in this wonderful piece of literature).

The first thing I underlined was God's "outrageous love" for us (it always makes my heart smile). Next it talks about how here in the United States people/churches try to draw in the biggest crowds, gauge success of the ministry by how many people come forward or answer the invitation. But Jesus questions the authenticity of record keeping like that. In the Bible it says that when Jesus would start to draw large crowds He would speak in parables so that those who werent genuinely listening to Him wouldn't get it. So often we think we "get it" and more often then not we dont, we are faking, or we are living the life of getting it but our hearts dont truly understand. The note I took from this was to LISTEN to God. He is constantly talking to us, telling us what He wants us to do, etc...and so often we let day to day activities get in the way of listening to Him. Then we blame Him for leaving us! I saw a billboard the other day that said "If you do not feel as close to me, who do you think moved?" or something along those lines-basically that God is always there for His children, and if you feel He isnt then its YOU that has strayed, not Him. Chan goes on to write that "Jesus is not interested in those who FAKE it"

Another point Chan states later so many of us feel "godly" especially when we compare our faith to other people. You say well Im not as good as ole Betty but Im definitely not as bad as Tom so Im good to go. People try to fit the mold of the majority (and this is aimed at the majority of other fellow church-goers) and find it hard to truly live scripturely. The best option here is to DO WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS. No matter what your church preaches, how the people in your church act, etc...The Bible, God's WORD to us is the ONLY Truth. And sometimes the "majority" can be misleading. Chan goes on to talk about "radicals" and this struck my as interesting because when I started blogging I stated how I wanted to be radical for Christ. The thing is, Jesus calls EVERYONE to be RADICAL-because the term RADICAL is simply His expectation of us already. Just SOOO many Christians arent living that way, that it is easy to divide the church-goers and the radicals. Church-goers (church every sunday, dont swear, dont drink, just darn good people) being viewed as just your "normal" Christians. Radicalists being viewed as those who go "overboard" or are "extreme" for God...but doesnt God WANT us to be "extreme" for Him?? ALL of us?

The book then gets into the characteristics of a Lukewarm Christian. Because there are so many I am going to just briefly state them and if you who are reading this disagree or have questions I strongly challenge you to do several things a.get the book and read it, b. strike up a discussion about this exact thing with a Bible group or a group of friends or anyone, c. open your Bible and read for yourself what God says about being Lukewarm (I promise you, it's in there ALOT). and d. PRAY...If you feel your faith or Christian life is Lukewarm or not as strong as you thought, or you had been lead to believe your whole life that this is how to do it then PRAY and ask God to break your heart and truly show you what it is like to be in LOVE with Him!!

Here it goes (Don't shoot the messenger)...
1. Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly because they feel that is what is expected of them.
2.Lukewarm people give money to church and charity as long as it stretch their financial way of living.
3. Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when faced with conflict
4. Lukewarm people dont really want to be saved from their sin, only from the PENALTY of their sin.
5.Lukewarm people are moved by stories about "radical" Christians but never act on it themselves.
6.Lukewarm people rarely shair their faith with their neighbors, family, co-workers, etc.
7.Lukwarm people gauge their "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world.
8. Lukewarm people have Jesus as a PART of their lives...(ooh yea think on that one)
9. Lukewarm people Love God, but they dont love Him HEART, SOUL, and STRENGTH (fully devoted to Him)
10. Lukewarm people love others, but not as much as they love themselves.
11. Lukewarm people put limits on how much the love others by limiting time, energy, money, etc
12. Lukewarm people think about life on eath much more than about where they spend eternity (um guilty for sure...OUCH)
13. Lukewarm people escape guilt by doing the bare minimum of goodness to get by
14.Lukewarm people PLAY IT SAFE...pray to the god of control (ouch again...yeah, when you dont relinquish control you are basically saying you dont think God is really big enough to handle your measly little human problems)

Wow....hard to read huh? Even harder when you read in depth what Chan means by each Lukewarm Person statement...and then the SCRIPTURE that backs it up. So, needless to say my absence from blogging is due to a number of things, one of which was getting through the chapter. There is a chapter in Revelation about God spitting the Lukewarm out of his mouth. I dont want to be spit out of my Saviors mouth, not when He is my one chance of spending eternity with my God...ya know?

I actually started chapter 5 in Crazy Love, but before I could finish it has issued a challenge of re-reading (or reading for the first time) the Gospels. And not as how we know them, how we've heard them, but truly with new eyes as if you were reading them for the first time. Or if you were a child trying to understand what it is saying. So that is where I am at now...I started with John because I was already in John in my individual nightly Bible study.

I have had a rockin week of worship and fellowship and God is TRULY doing some amazing things in my life right now. Have a blessed week
Meg