As I have stated a few times already, when I started this journey, I
had no idea where it would lead. I was born by and raised by
Christians. I went to church 3 times a week most of my growing up
years. Although I never heard it said then, it was like if the church
doors were open, you went. I never resented my parents for taking me
to church. I actually thrived on it and loved church. Looking back, I
was a Vacation Bible School addict. I went to every one I was allowed
to go to. For those unfamiliar with Vacation Bible School, it is
usually a week in the summer where for 2 hours a day ,
young ones go to church and learn about God.
I am stating all this because most of my
life, I would never have believed a day would come when I would not want
to go to church. Sure I'm old enough to know better, but I do not
look forward to Sunday anymore. Last Sunday, I just could not make
myself go to church. This has caused me to look inside, and find out
why.
One of the main reasons that I have "church phobia" is that I
have become "cold" by going to church. This scares me because in the
book of Revelation, it is written "So because you are lukewarm, and
neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth!
(Revelation 3:16). Ugh!! I do not want to be vomited out of God's
mouth. No way can that be good. But even more is the fact that I love
God! I want to be pleasing. But to be pleasing, I must get past
lukewarm and get hot!
I
know you are wondering how I can connect my 'coldness' with the church. It isn't from a lack of reading or listening. I read a lot. I also listen to many podcasts during the week. Many times on Sunday, I watch several churches as they stream over the internet. I try to incorporate what I hear into my life. I do not want to be deceived as it says in the book of James. James talks of those who hear the word but do not do it.
I see the
same thing in the "church" all over the USA. We are becoming cookie
cutter Christians. If we can be called Christians. Christian means
"Christ-like". If we are lukewarm or cold are we "Christ-like"?
Here is what I see as "cookie cutter" churches:
Clockdown before the service begins
Dimmed lighting during worship and possibly the message.
A message from the pastor that is cute, maybe themed, but one that does not encourage maturity in Christ
People get "saved" by saying a prayer (usually the prayer is pretty much the same each Sunday)
Church goers are encouraged to go to a connect group (also called small group or cell groups)
No mention is made about "social causes", such as Christians being killed by Isis or their villages burnt in Niger, etc
Church goers bombarded with statistics to prove how good and wonderful the 'church' is
Those who have ideas outside of the 'box' get attacked
No negativism - never is anything said of things that could be construed as negative
Church leaders have titles like Lead Pastor, Senior Pastor, Worship Leader etc
Having a stage (used to be called a platform)
Those on stage look like the world
Focus on entertainment
Focus on bringing people into the 'church' as opposed to going out of the church to bring God to people.
I want to reiterate that I am not against churches. This is not about one church, it is about a trend I see in churches. I hear from people in various parts of the USA and the stories I hear have the similarities mentioned above.
Forgetting: The spirit of religion that creeps into the church and into my heart if I do not guard my heart.
Remembering: It is all about God. He didn't ask me to do all these things. He called me to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul and mind!
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Day 13: Gap? Part 2
Verse 2 of Genesis chapter 1: "And the earth was without form and void, darkness was upon the face of the deep.
Darkness is from the word choshek (Strongs 2821) meaning dark, darkness, figuratively misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, night, obscurity. This does not sound like something God would create. It does sound like something God could use to bring forth something beautiful.
Face is from paniym (Strongs Hebrew 6440), meaning surface, before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before or in front of, before,countenance, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of.
Deep (Strongs Hebrew 8415) - tehown-deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea, water making a noise, a great quantity of waters and wave.
Here we have a picture of chaos. This is a situation without God. An earth that has no form, it is chaos. It's dark, filled with misery, death and wickedness. There are a lot of waters, which are noisy. It goes to the deep places, all the way to the abyss.
This is a scenario begging for help from God. I find it interesting that this is how our lives can become. When we make decisions based on our own ideas, or the "advice" of others. When we do what we think is best in our own eyes, we may find ourselves in the deep darkness. When we call upon the name of the Lord, He can move on our behalf.
It's my opinion that something happened between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. I don't know what, but I think that what God creates is good. Something happened that took what was good and made it chaotic, wicked and full of death. The second half of the verse is full of good news.
Forgetting: The wilderness of my life in the past.
Remembering: God has so much planned for me.
Read Jeremiah 9
Darkness is from the word choshek (Strongs 2821) meaning dark, darkness, figuratively misery, destruction, death, ignorance, sorrow, wickedness, night, obscurity. This does not sound like something God would create. It does sound like something God could use to bring forth something beautiful.
Face is from paniym (Strongs Hebrew 6440), meaning surface, before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before or in front of, before,countenance, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of.
Deep (Strongs Hebrew 8415) - tehown-deep, depths, deep places, abyss, the deep, sea, water making a noise, a great quantity of waters and wave.
Here we have a picture of chaos. This is a situation without God. An earth that has no form, it is chaos. It's dark, filled with misery, death and wickedness. There are a lot of waters, which are noisy. It goes to the deep places, all the way to the abyss.
This is a scenario begging for help from God. I find it interesting that this is how our lives can become. When we make decisions based on our own ideas, or the "advice" of others. When we do what we think is best in our own eyes, we may find ourselves in the deep darkness. When we call upon the name of the Lord, He can move on our behalf.
It's my opinion that something happened between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. I don't know what, but I think that what God creates is good. Something happened that took what was good and made it chaotic, wicked and full of death. The second half of the verse is full of good news.
Forgetting: The wilderness of my life in the past.
Remembering: God has so much planned for me.
Read Jeremiah 9
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Day 12: Genesis 1:1-1:2 gap?
Is there a gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2? Many theologians believe that there is. In Genesis 1:1 God created the heavens and the earth. In verse 1:2, the earth is without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. The word for form is tohuw (Strongs hebrew 8414). It means lie waste, desolate, worthless. It can also mean vain, confusion, nothing or wilderness.
Void is from bohuw (Strongs 922). It means empty, a vacuity, empty or void.
This poses the question, did God create something so undesirable? Perhaps the question is could He create something that was worthless? God can do anything, so He could. But would He? I think the argument could be made that it is presented in an order. If this were the case verse 2 should come before verse 1. However, if that were the case then where did the formless and void place come from?
I believe that God is a God of order. So perhaps verse 1 is a statement of what happened and verse 2 begins the description of how it happened.
No matter which way you believe, you have to deal with something worthless being there.
If there is a gap, what happened during that time? How long was the gap? Why didn't God intervene? I do not believe we will ever know this side of eternity.
If there was a gap, it may help to bridge the distance between the age of the world, as seen by the world and the church view. It could be a day or millions of years.
As this is not something that I consider as a doctrinal issue, I mention it. I tend to subscribe to the gap theory. I think it is likely that the fall of satan and 1/3 of the angels happened during this time. When he was cast out of heaven, Isaiah states that lucifer did weaken the nations. (Isaiah 14:12) He was cast out into the earth (Revelation 12:9). Revelation 12:12 says 'woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knows he has a short time.'
Void is from bohuw (Strongs 922). It means empty, a vacuity, empty or void.
This poses the question, did God create something so undesirable? Perhaps the question is could He create something that was worthless? God can do anything, so He could. But would He? I think the argument could be made that it is presented in an order. If this were the case verse 2 should come before verse 1. However, if that were the case then where did the formless and void place come from?
I believe that God is a God of order. So perhaps verse 1 is a statement of what happened and verse 2 begins the description of how it happened.
No matter which way you believe, you have to deal with something worthless being there.
If there is a gap, what happened during that time? How long was the gap? Why didn't God intervene? I do not believe we will ever know this side of eternity.
If there was a gap, it may help to bridge the distance between the age of the world, as seen by the world and the church view. It could be a day or millions of years.
As this is not something that I consider as a doctrinal issue, I mention it. I tend to subscribe to the gap theory. I think it is likely that the fall of satan and 1/3 of the angels happened during this time. When he was cast out of heaven, Isaiah states that lucifer did weaken the nations. (Isaiah 14:12) He was cast out into the earth (Revelation 12:9). Revelation 12:12 says 'woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you having great wrath, because he knows he has a short time.'
Forgetting: That I think I know about God. That I think I know all His ways and wisdom.
Remembering: God's ways are higher than my ways, His thoughts are not my thoughts. He promises to give me all things pertaining to life and godliness.
Day 11: In The Beginning
Forgetting: Any thought that usurps the place of God on the throne of my heart.
Genesis 1:1 states: 'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.'
This is probably one of the first few verses I memorized at a young age. It is pretty self-explanatory. However, there are a few points I would like to make.
The Hebrew word for beginning is re'shiyth: the first, in place, time, order or rank. Strong's 7225.
So what was it the beginning of? I believe it was the beginning of time as we know it. This is just my belief, it is not something I can prove. Thus it is not something I hold as a truth. In Revelations 1:8, Jesus says: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, says the Almighty.‘
We know that creator God has always been. He has no beginning or end.
The second point is that God created the heavens. Note that it is plural. The heaven that we can see is what we call the Earth's atmosphere. Then there is what we consider space. Finally, there is heaven as in the dwelling place of God. We do not know precisely where God dwells. In John 14:2, Jesus said, 'In my Fathers house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' So we know there are places to dwell in heaven.
Finally, the word Earth (Strongs Hebrew 776) is from a root 'to be firm, common, country, earth, land, wilderness'. This is interesting as in a few verses the word firmament is used. I find it notable that earth is singular, not plural. When God created the Earth it was the beginning of time as the Earth and its inhabitants would know. I find it interesting that the word common is used. It may be that the Earth is only one of many places that God created. However, we do not have evidence of other inhabited planets.
This is probably one of the first few verses I memorized at a young age. It is pretty self-explanatory. However, there are a few points I would like to make.
The Hebrew word for beginning is re'shiyth: the first, in place, time, order or rank. Strong's 7225.
So what was it the beginning of? I believe it was the beginning of time as we know it. This is just my belief, it is not something I can prove. Thus it is not something I hold as a truth. In Revelations 1:8, Jesus says: ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, which is, and was, and which is to come, says the Almighty.‘
We know that creator God has always been. He has no beginning or end.
The second point is that God created the heavens. Note that it is plural. The heaven that we can see is what we call the Earth's atmosphere. Then there is what we consider space. Finally, there is heaven as in the dwelling place of God. We do not know precisely where God dwells. In John 14:2, Jesus said, 'In my Fathers house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.' So we know there are places to dwell in heaven.
Finally, the word Earth (Strongs Hebrew 776) is from a root 'to be firm, common, country, earth, land, wilderness'. This is interesting as in a few verses the word firmament is used. I find it notable that earth is singular, not plural. When God created the Earth it was the beginning of time as the Earth and its inhabitants would know. I find it interesting that the word common is used. It may be that the Earth is only one of many places that God created. However, we do not have evidence of other inhabited planets.
Remembering: God was there in the beginning. God was there before there was anything. He knows my end from the beginning. Psalm 139, His thoughts about me are many.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Day 10: Expectations of myself
Forgetting: The rigid, hard-liner ideas that I must do this or that.
Remembering: Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It is important to remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. In a conversation with someone recently, the following thought was expressed. It is totally possible that while I am kicking myself from thither to yon, God is in Heaven rejoicing over the progress He sees in my life. It is important to learn to look at myself through His eyes.
Update 11/11/17:
The above is true. God looks at me through the blood of Christ. And He knows my weaknesses, but loves me anyhow.
Remembering: Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It is important to remember this is a marathon and not a sprint. In a conversation with someone recently, the following thought was expressed. It is totally possible that while I am kicking myself from thither to yon, God is in Heaven rejoicing over the progress He sees in my life. It is important to learn to look at myself through His eyes.
Update 11/11/17:
The above is true. God looks at me through the blood of Christ. And He knows my weaknesses, but loves me anyhow.
Day 9: Goodness of God
Forgetting: unmet expectations
Remembering: Much of life is about perspective. Whose perspective will I use? My perspective from the "trenches"? Or will my perspective be from being "seated in heavenly places with Christ?"
When I expect people to meet my needs, my perspective is not correct. When I ask God for my daily needs, and trust Him, it frees my mind and spirit.
Regardless of what happens on this earth, God will always be with me.
Update 11/11/17:
I like writing 11/11/17 for some reason. Anyhow, I remain convinced that God is with me and always will be. We don't know what's around the next bend, but we can know that God is with us.
Remembering: Much of life is about perspective. Whose perspective will I use? My perspective from the "trenches"? Or will my perspective be from being "seated in heavenly places with Christ?"
When I expect people to meet my needs, my perspective is not correct. When I ask God for my daily needs, and trust Him, it frees my mind and spirit.
Regardless of what happens on this earth, God will always be with me.
Update 11/11/17:
I like writing 11/11/17 for some reason. Anyhow, I remain convinced that God is with me and always will be. We don't know what's around the next bend, but we can know that God is with us.
Day 8: It may look the same, but it's new
Forgetting: Sameness. Thinking that every day is the same, one after another. That life resembles a line of zombies monotonously plodding one behind another.
Remembering: Each morning brings new mercies from God the Father. Each day He releases the thing that I need to get through that day. Every day can be an adventure with God. My part is invite Him, and to follow where He leads, and do what I see Him do.
Update 11/11/17
In June of 2017, there were people painting rocks and leaving them places. A co-worker gave me a rock that said "And so the adventure begins" or something like that. Well, the adventure needs to end. Sameness is looking really good now. Everyday with God is an adventure to some degree. The joy is there if we choose to tap into it.
Remembering: Each morning brings new mercies from God the Father. Each day He releases the thing that I need to get through that day. Every day can be an adventure with God. My part is invite Him, and to follow where He leads, and do what I see Him do.
Update 11/11/17
In June of 2017, there were people painting rocks and leaving them places. A co-worker gave me a rock that said "And so the adventure begins" or something like that. Well, the adventure needs to end. Sameness is looking really good now. Everyday with God is an adventure to some degree. The joy is there if we choose to tap into it.
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