A lot of people go to church looking for answers. Some are looking for God. Some are looking for a mate. Imagine looking for something less than God. Seriously. Imagine for a minute that you’re seeking answers and you don’t want God’s answers, but you want answers that keep you feeling okay with your sins and your brokenness. Yes, that’s many people out there who don’t realize their desperate need for God.
If we’re going to travel down this trail of tears, it had better be worth it. I know the pain. You know the pain. It’s not easy. Nothing is going to make it easy, but God can make it easy-er for anyone who seeks Him. God isn’t in the easy business, He’s in the saving business and He’s very, very good at what He does. I can testify.
God is everywhere, but it seems that He would climb any mountain, ford any sea, or cross any galaxy just to save one person from the Lake of Fire. He will, and did, just that when He left Heaven and came to Earth to save anyone who would choose Him back. God calls us to follow Him, but few choose Him back.
“Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Sometimes, we can get caught up in our feelings and our unworthiness and uncleanness, but it’s much more important that we believe just what Jesus says. And act upon those truths. How can we disagree with Jesus if His words are spirit and life?
“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.”
Only a doubting mind would deny Jesus His rightful place in one’s heart. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the Savior of the world - He is regardless if you believe or not (John 3:16-18). Jesus wants nothing less and nothing more than our heart. If we are weary and overburdened, He promises to give us peace. After becoming a Christian back in 2010, I have pursued God with all my being. I can assure you that He is worth any price we have to pay and His Kingdom is not of this Earth. You might have read this before …
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44-46)
Jesus makes it clear that His Kingdom is not of this Earth, but it can be found in things of the Earth from time to time. What would this life be unless God were to reveal Himself in ways that cause us to pursue Him? Neither God nor the devil come right out and reveal themselves to us. We have to pursue either of them, as they are invisible. The effects of both are tangible, though. We just need to be trained to discern who is who just as well as discovering why and how. As a kid, I often believed that we should be able to see God and the devil so we would not be so clueless about what is going on behind the closed doors, so to speak, of the spirit realm.
Photo credit: Johen Redman on Unsplash
Do you ever have intrusive thoughts? Have you ever decided to obey them? You probably found out that some are not yours. If you’ve ever had a gut feeling, did what you obeyed work out? How about when you had a sneaking suspicion or an inkling? These are moments when the spirit realm translate with the natural realm. These moments can shape our lives or they can send us into a tailspin. If we obey God, He will never, ever send us on a wild goose chase or a journey that winds up in defeat or destruction. We can know for certain that God’s every intention toward us is for good and not for evil. Satan, well, we know what he’s after.
Now back to what I was saying earlier. The title of this article reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw in California. “Welcome to California, now leave.” I have heard countless people complain about church life — as have I — that it’s a bunch of hypocrites. One has to wonder why this would be the case. It’s not the case with all Christians, but there are clearly enough hypocrites in churches that it remains a problem for many people who would like to at least attend a church and be a CEO (Christmas and Easter only). You see, when we attend a church, we are meant to be together and not simply congregate, but fellowship so iron can sharpen iron. If you know me, I’m a big fan of potlucks because they are the ultimate fellowship meeting where we break bread together and commune as one body - the Body of Christ. This might sound odd, but one of the best parts of the potluck is when we clean up.
One of the most underrated parts of being a Christian is acts of mercy. Servitude constitutes mercy to others. When we choose to serve one another, we complete little circles of love and peace and mercy that God delights in. How do I know? Jesus came to serve and not be served. He left Heaven and came to this sin infested planet and laid down His life for anyone who would like to come to life. As sinners, we are spiritually deceased. Dead. Spiritually. Physically, we get to a point in our lives when we stop growing and stop living. Depression is a lot like that. Depression is at times, a living death. If you are reading this and do not suffer from the terrible weight of depression, take a moment right now and thank God. For those who are reading this and do have depression, than God for getting you right here, right now. There is a prayer at the end that will definitely help you get some sort of breakthrough. How do I know when I haven’t even written the prayer? In trust in God, knowing that He is inspiring me to write this article and as I like to tell people, the article is just an excuse to get to the prayer. God is good all the time, even if we have no idea as to what in the world He’s doing. If you can get to the place where you can trust Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, you will live a very productive life. I guarantee it.
Back to church. Lots of people go to church out of compulsion or guilt or routine, but I go because I want to worship God with my fellow Believers. Plus, I like to help out others who have yet to walk the kind of walk I have with Jesus. It’s very rewarding to journey with Jesus, always expecting Him to reveal something to me throughout the day. You’ll never be disappointed in Jesus.
You see, countless people drift through life wondering why things are the way they are and they just kind of ‘go with the flow,’ never feeling like their life matters and they have little to show for their years on Planet Earth. God didn’t give us life at this point in history for nothing. He made each and every single one of us for - and with - a purpose and has great plans for us. If you’re not living a productive life for God, you’re not living the life He intended you to have. But we’re just not going to get there without a struggle. Satan wouldn’t have it any other way. He’s not just going to let you leave his goat pen, for Pete’s sake. Jesus is calling and we must go, but the devil is going to make things difficult for you every step of the way, if he can. He’ll even try to fool you into thinking God loves you just the way you are and you won’t have to change a thing. Wrong!
Photo credit: Anthony Tran
Come as you are, but you can’t stay that way. God loves us way too much to leave us suffering in our misery. Jesus died in our place on the cross on Golgotha. It took everything He had to defeat sin and death on our behalf. The least we can do is be willing to suffer for His Name’s sake. The devil opposed Jesus every step of the way; even trying to tempt Jesus to avoid the pain and misery of the cross with the ‘opportunity of worshiping him. He promised (Satan is a liar) Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, but never planned on fulfilling his promise if Jesus did worship him. If Jesus did falter, He would have lost the opportunity to save us because He would have sinned. Jesus didn’t come all the way to Earth from Heaven for anything less than a full sacrifice and to create the Messianic covenant so anyone who so chooses could be His covenant partner.
We can’t stay the way we came to the cross. We came broken, depressed, scared, drunk, sick - whatever condition - and Jesus accepted us right then and there. But we didn’t stay there, did we? We cannot stay at the foot of the cross just like we cannot stay on top of the mountain. We are not called to stay at the top of the mountain, but God can call us to the top of the mountain, but He will always send us back down to the foot of the mountain to guide others up the mountain so they can have their own mountain top experience with God. You see, that’s what church is supposed to be about - journey and transformation.
We can’t help others get oxygen unless we first put on the oxygen mask first. There are those who cannot help you because they’ve never climbed the mountain nor paid any price for their Christianity. Only when a Christian has paid a price for their relationship with Jesus will they know the true price of Heaven. When Jesus said, “Come, follow me,” He means it. If you stop following Him when the going gets tough, you will not receive the glory He died for. I guarantee you. You cannot shirk the call of God and receive the crown of life. You will not. You see, the hypocrites in church are those who portray Christ in their flesh, but have no foundation in Him; no mountain top experience and no sort of price was paid for knowing Him.
We don’t have to struggle to become who God made us to be. We just need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth and mend us and shape us as He knows best. Don’t resist the changes God wants to bring into your life because they are always for the best. God knows what He’s doing far more than we could ever think. He knows why He made us and how and where we will best serve others and Him. So, the expectation for every single Christian is this: come as you are, but don’t stay that way. Billions of people need Jesus and each one of us has a part to play in their salvation. If I don’t walk the walk, why would anyone listen to me talk?
PRAYER
Dear Heavenly Father, I have many concerns about my life. I am carrying too heavy of a burden and I need some help. Please help me. Transform me by the renewing of my mind. I’m tired of the emotional baggage and the weight of bearing up under it. Please guide me out of the mess I have made and show me my next step. Please guide me to a church that will not merely accept me in the condition I am right now, but one that will help me get where You want me to go. Please train me up in righteousness and make me a light even for others to see You by. I know You can do anything You set Your awesome mind to and I want to experience Your love in beautiful new ways. Help me to help others come to know You even as I struggle to make sense of life. I trust You. Help me trust You more and more as my faith grows and grows.
In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, amen!
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