May

Sheila’s Story from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

 

Love God, love people.

 

At Cedar Creek Church we say that all the time.  It is a “Reader’s Digest” version of the answer that Jesus gave to the question, “which is the greatest commandment?” (Matthew 22:34-40).

 

It is our mission in a nutshell.

 

But, do we mean it?

 

To say, “love God, love people” is easy.  To live it out is an entirely different thing.

 

Could you love this woman?  Would you be willing to show the love of Jesus to her in simple, practical ways?

 

I pray that, like our friends at Cross Point Church, we would be a church known for HOW we love and WHO we love…especially, crackhead prostitutes.

May

 

So, I’m driving down the road in my truck when I hear this commercial.  It sounds great at first and the announcer’s voice is nice and his question seems harmless enough.  It maybe even sounds right.

 

But it is completely WRONG.

 

His question was this…”Wouldn’t you like to work around other believers who share your faith?”

 

And then he goes on to say “call www.I WANTTOWORKWITHCHRISTIANS.com”

 

Now, that’s not the real website.  I’m not interested in busting on the website, just the question and the answer as it may be for many people who profess to follow Jesus.  On it’s face it seems like something that would be a natural response for those who are trying to live their lives following Jesus and striving everyday to turn from the old ways of sin and despair and live a life that models what Jesus taught.  Wouldn’t then working around nothing but Christ followers all day make me a better person, helping me to not be tempted and drawn into the worldly things that exist “out there?”

 

The answer is no.  The mindset behind this commercial is wrong and is dangerous for us as followers of Jesus Christ.  To remove ourselves from the culture  and community where those who do not know Jesus live and work complicates our lives and limits our ability to live out and share the gospel with others.  This is a symptom of what is wrong with the Christian church at large today.

 

Studies will tell us that people, within six months of committing their lives to Christ, so alienate themselves from non-Christians  that the majority of their friends and social contacts are other Christ followers.  If we take this commercial at it’s urging and seek to gain employment at a business, company, group or agency that is filled with other Christians then we will soon lose any and all opportunities to live out our faith in the presence of those who need Jesus but may never know Him.

 

Closing our circle of friends and co-workers to those that we know follow Jesus is a dangerous temptation that simply isn’t biblical.  We need no more evidence than Jesus, Himself, constantly engaging the people of His day that others considered to be the “unfaithful.”  Tax collectors, prostitutes, people of other cultures and faiths.  Jesus spent a lot of time with those in his inner circle but also left the comfort of that circle to fulfill the mission given to Him by God the Father.

 

He left us with words that inspire us to “go and make disciples of all nations” Matthew 28:19-20.  That did not and does not mean that we should close ourselves off from the places in our world where people live and play who do not know Jesus.  In fact, it’s impossible to live out the Great Commission wrapped up in a safe, Christian bubble.

 

That leads me to thoughts on sending our kids to “private,” “Christian” schools where they never meet and interact with people of other cultures and faiths.  I would much rather see us raising our kids with a  Christ-centered world view and releasing them into the public schools where they can reach out with and live out Christ’s love for ALL people.  I better not get started down that road.  Next I’ll be ranting about church softball where Christians join with other Christians to act like non-Christians instead of playing in the local industrial softball league where they can meet non-Christians and be an example of how to live and play.

 

At Cedar Creek Church we have a saying that goes, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”  How will someone that doesn’t know Jesus ever know what you care about unless you are engaged in their life and responding to the opportunities that God gives us to model what we believe?

May

I have been a blog slacker.

For the past month I have taken an impromptu break from blogging. What can I say…? Baseball and soccer are both in full swing and life is flying by at breakneck speed. No excuses.

It ends today. I am back in the saddle and have been pondering much that God has been rocking my world with lately.

Get ready….it’s coming.