christianity done gone stupidly

So my friend handed me a fake million dollar bill that someone at her work had been handed by a costumer. I turned it over and read this:

The million dollar question: will you go to heaven when you die? Here's a quick test. Have you ever told a lie, stolen anything, or used God's name in vain? Jesus said, "Whoever looks at a women to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Have you looked with lust? Will you be guilty on judgement day? If you have done those things, God sees you as a lying, thieving, blasphemous, adulterer at heart. The Bible warns that if you are guilty you will end up in hell. that's not God's will. He sent his son to suffer and die on the cross for you. You broke God's law, but Jesus paid your fine. That means He can legally dismiss your case. He can commute your death sentence. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then he rose from the dead and defeated death. Please, repent (turn away from sin) today and trust alone in Jesus, and God will grant you the gift of everlasting life, then read your Bible daily and obey it.

The ice cream employee had been handed an infamous tract, most likely by an extremely right-winged Christian who said something witty when he/she had handed it to the girl. Most likely to the affect of "Here's a million dollars to save your life" or maybe "Here, keep the tip. God bless you."

I read yesterday in the New York Times that archeologists found what was believed to be another chapter in the book of Matthew 2 years ago, and finally have been able to translate a few sentences of it:

And Jesus said unto them, "Don't you dare give people little pieces of paper that try to convince them to be saved by me. I mean...seriously. How stupid do you have to be to do that? Trying to explain Christianity in a little booklet is like trying to explain the biological functions of a bear in one sentence, or trying to explain how to make a MACBOOK PRO out of two sticks and a raccoon hat."

People that evangelize wonder why some people get so offended when they go out and tell people that "Jesus loves you and he died on the cross for your sins, did you know that?". I propose that asking someone that is like asking someone if they knew the sky was blue, or if they knew the story of "The 3 Little Pigs".

The I feel that the majority of people (I'm talking about in America) know the story of Christianity. In fact, they know a lot about different religions. A lot of people know that if you're Muslim you get 40 virgins if you go to paradise, if you're a Catholic you believe that the Virgin Mary is really important, if you're Jewish you aren't supposed to eat certain things, that there's Allah and God, and Mohammed and Jesus, etc.etc. The point is: a lot of people know the story of Christianity, just as they do with a lot of other religions. The tough part of religion is not knowing the stories of each one, but believing the concepts, stories, and teachings of them.

Pyschology 101

Question: Can you get someone (you don't even know) to add to/change/rearrange their belief system and their lifestyle based on any sort of paper handout?

Answer: Of course not you idiot, don't you have any sort of common sense?

If you give someone on the street a Harry Potter book, they might like the story, but they definitely won't believe in wizards based off the book.

If you give someone on the street a tract about Christianity, they might like the story, but they definitely won't believe the message based off the tract.

But if someone saw a wizard in action; making things fly, casting spells that make food appear, making potions that make you look like someone else, then they would be much more likely to believe in magic and wizards.

If someone saw a Christian in action; living selflessly, loving everyone without any sort of catch, trying to better themselves as a person before trying to "fix" other people, showing integrity, living concepts of Jesus Christ, being honest about their life--then they would be much more likely to believe that there is a God that loves them, a Christ that died for them, and salvation to be found.

To my brothers and sisters who are not Christian: I deeply and sincerely apologize for all the ignorant Christians that you have and will encounter that try to sell their religion to you as if it's something that can be marketed. These people are very far away from what (I believe) it means to be a Christian. But, they are stuck in their tradition, in their living life with the blinders on--refusing to think of the consequences of their actions by being so narrow minded and stupid.

To my brothers and sisters who are Christian: I deeply and sincerely ask you to stop handing out tracts to people. If you believe that your God, your Christ, your salvation...can be explained in anything short of a life lived, than you have not even begun to grasp your religion. People should know you by your good works, not by your loud and abrasive words and your small print booklets. You can't "win one over for God" (which by the way, is STILL, TOTALLY, and UTTERLY missing the point) through being door to door sales representatives. Be it at your school, your work, your campus, your friends... no one wants to be gently coerced into buying things. But when you actually talk with someone. Actually get to know someone, actually care (and NOT caring because you have intention of sharing your religion, but care because you truly appreciate them as a person), you would be surprised how open people are. But it takes genuinely caring about them first. This means caring about them without hiding the Bible behind your back, like on some sort of secret mission.

We all want to choose for ourselves, not be bullied or persuaded into being this that or the other. The sooner Christians can understand this, the better it will be.

Oh, be joyful.

what would your Jesus compromise?

Disclaimer: if you're not either an active or passive Christian please don't read this blog, because this is a message for Christians and I don't want to get nonChristians confused or offend as to what I'm talking about.

I'm not saying you're dumb!!!! I'm just saying that I don't want to offend you, in case you might not entirely understand what I'm trying to say.

"It's only one time getting drunk, I'm in college, I just want to have fun!"

"I just know that God brought us together, so I think we should sleep together tonight. It's seriously not a big deal, we're just sleeping- not having sex! But maybe we just shouldn't tell anyone regardless..."

"Swearing? Really? Who cares! People swear all the time, Christians included!"

"It's okay self, it's just porn. No one will even know. Seriously."

"Dude it's just hookah, Christian's know how to have fun too!"

"It's only a blow job...seriously, it's not even sex."

Tell me the point of bearing the name of Jesus Christ if all we do is compromise?

As Christians, we want people to look at us and see the Holy Spirit, not a mirror imagine of the onlooker. I am so tired of Christians trying to appear cool or relevant to their nonChristian friends by compromising Truth.

My friend Todd once told me and several other people that were arguing once that "As Christians, we are called to live above reproach"...meaning this: If people on the street heard that you were going over to "sleep with our bf/gf", what's the first thing that comes to their mind? Of course it's sex. And of course you could try and convince them that you weren't actually going to have sex, but I believe you'll be hard pressed to find someone that thinks you wouldn't be doing everything aside from "actual" sex then. Living above reproach means that you will try to not give people that foothold over you, and attempt to display Christ (ie, not your own desires) in all facets of your life.

Why do Christians decide to be the sheep that they're trying to shepherd? My new harp for this/perfect example is hookah smoking.

(those two articles, one link with each different word, are 2 of thousands that exists saying that hookah is just as bad, if not actually worse than ciggerates. god forbid that people actually take their time to do their own research before believing the "word on the street")

"Oh yeah, it's not nearly as bad as cigarettes. At ALL" I can not count on both hands how many Christians have told me that in attempt to justify their compromise. Do they even BOTHER to do the research though? Of course they don't. Of COURSE they don't. It seems that when Christians get in these compromising states, they tend to follow the loudest, most confident, and usually the dumbest sheep.

I knew a (Christian) girl once who told me how disgusting she thought hookah smoking was, and how it's just a lame excuse for other Christians to try and be relatable and cool.

Ironically enough though, this same girl, getting involved with a new group of Christians, now smokes hookah on a fairly regular basis (or at least, a lot more than not doing it at all).

Isn't it fantastic and terrible how much people change to blend in with their surroundings?

When people ask questions about myself, in regards to what religion I am, I generally respond with "active Christian". Because each day I am trying to get rid of my vices that hold me back from Jesus Christ, and that hold me back from showing Himself in my life.

And so hopefully, when people such as those who have accepted Christ but don't bother to challenge, better, or overall attempt to live a life of no compromise (according to the Bible) can respond with "passive Christian. I am saved, I love God, but I love pleasing myself and being accepted by others more".

....It only would make sense.

Now please don't be a five year old think just because I picked out hookah smoking; that I think it's the worst thing ever, and hate everyone who's associated with it. OF COURSE I DON'T. I used to do it when I was a senior in high school because I wanted to be cool, hip, and relatable too!

I am using hookah smoking as just one of hundreds of possible examples that we as Christians bend the moral bar ever so slightly so that we appear cooler, relatable, hip, fun, etcetc to people who are not Christians.

And if you think as I think "Man, Chad is calling out all these Christians in these blogs and not even talking about how messed up he is, and I bet he's got a big ol' plank in his eye" you honestly could not be further from the truth. The reason I notice these things about Christianity is because I have been there, and I still struggle with them. But you best believe though that I'm still going to try to light a fire under myself and every Christian who actually believes in living a life of no compromise. Not to mention the list I comprised above of typical Christian compromising (that I've encountered), is a list I (for the most part) pulled from my own life.

So now you have to ask yourself:

So what would your Jesus compromise to feel better about himself?

the bride of christ is starving to death because no one is feeding her

I was talking with my old youth pastor several weeks ago, and discussing how it's a struggle to be spiritually fed at the church I am working at.

"Dude, let me stop you there" he said

Long story short, he explained to me some church history, the reason church was started. So I ask you, why was the church started?

"To worship God" answers the average Christian.

To what?

"To worship God"

So what is church for?

"To be spiritually fed"

Wrong.

Church is not about getting "spiritually fed". Rather, it is the contrary. We need to go to church with a full plate. We need to go to church to worship God. Worship God in the hearing of His word, in communion, in offering, in singing. All of this is worship to God.

None of this has anything to do with being "spiritually fed". My generation is obsessed with that term. We have failed to see that, that is about as selfish as we can get in regards to church, the Bride of Christ. We want to make the wedding totally focused around our needs and wants.

We are called to come with a full plate of what the Spirit has done in our life that week, in order to communion with other members of the church. So many wonder why the church is so spiritually empty. The answer is obvious now. Because so many of its members come there in hopes of being fed, as opposed feeding the church, in worship to God.

So to my generation: stop church hopping.

Stop looking for a church where the messages are totally relevant to your life.

It is not about us.

It is about worshiping our creator.

It is not about getting spiritually fed.

Let us turn our focus from on ourselves, and back to God.