The size of the church, and the cost of following Christ

It doesn’t matter how big the church is.   It shouldn’t matter,  I shouldn’t care about the average attendance at your church, or my church,  it seem’s us, American Christians get so caught up in the things within the church,  and not the community of it.   It seems to me that we often times forget that Jesus was only followed by 12 men, and for three years.    Many of us here in America proclaim to be Christian, but how many are truly saved?    Don’t you ever wonder why there were only 12 men that followed Jesus.?    Only 12 men got to be his apostles.   Sometimes these men had to give up certain things in their lives to do this.       For example, in Luke‘s Gospel, it talk’s about the cost of following  Jesus.    As they were going along the road, someone said to him “I will follow you wherever you go”  And Jesus said to him “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Luke 9:57-58).       A few verses later,  Jesus explains that you must put him (Christ) first, even before your family.       God’s way’s aren’t always safe, no ever said he was, he never said he was safe.     That’s just it though, why do we want comfort and ease?   Shouldn’t we know better that God’s kingdom isn’t built on these things?     Shouldn’t we know that Jesus suffered the penalty that we should have suffered?    And no, it wasn’t just so we could say: “Wow, what an interesting life he lived”.     No, that’s not good enough.       We will face many challenges, issues, go through our share of tribulations, which even the Bible, itself point’s out,  and so if you want an everlasting relationship with Christ, wouldn’t you to suffer?      Remember, Jesus is always with you, and it doesn’t matter how big your church is, just spread his word, regardless of what other’s think or say, or do to you.  Matthew 10:28  Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.   It’s worth following Christ, you may not want to, but he’ll change your life, and only then you will be living.

The hole in religion itself, religion doesn’t save us

Religion will not save you alone, you know why it can’t?   Because religion is going to church, and doing whatever outside of the church, thus leading straight to Satan.     We can profess to be a very religious family, or a very religious person, but that’s not going to be enough to save ourselves, and that’s just it.   We can’t save ourselves, we can’t rely on ourselves because we are the flesh, and we don’t seek righteousness on our own, we have a heart that is more than easily miss-lead, that rebels against God.    This is why us (Christians) need to have faith in Christ, because Jesus saves alone,  when Jesus died on the cross, he died for all sins past, future, and present.   The problem with religion itself you see, is that there are several different one’s, and there is only one Jesus Christ.    And the Bible says, that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the father expect through him (John 14:6).    Let’s face it, Jesus lived the life that none of us could live, and he payed the penalty that we all should have payed.     The major difference here is that other religions have an example, but Jesus is much more than an example, he’s the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29).

Matthew 7:21-7:23 says I never knew you

I can go to the gates of the White House and claim that I know President Obama, but will any of that matter if  President Obama doesn’t know me?    No.    Matthew 7:23 says that the lord never knew you, which would bring up the subject of being saved in Christianity.    Are you saved?   Here’s how to tell:  Are you attracted to everything this world continuously promotes?   Do you want the next big thing?  Do you follow in the steps of everyone else?   Do you go to the Bible for every problem you have?   Do you trust men?

*Few will find it, fewer will keep it

* There are the people who study for the tests, and you have those who claim to have studied, your grade will determine not what you will achieve in life, rather who really studied, and this brings me to:  Saying you are saved by Christ, and telling people about HOW to be saved.

Everyone wants to talk about a prophet, but nobody wants to follow one –  Paul Washer.

“Radical” (book) (taking your faith back from the American dream) What it taught me.

Sometime last week, a good friend of mine gave me a book “Radical”  written by a Pastor (David Platt), who works at a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, The Church at Brook Hills.    Let me start of by saying that I’m not a Baptist, I’m a catholic, that however, didn’t stop the book from making me take a self-examination at myself, and my Christian faith.     Reading this book has given me a different outlook on my Christian faith, and not just my own, but every other Christian’s too,  mainly us American Christians, who according to Platt, haven’t been awaken yet, and are living a false Christian faith.   It opened my eyes to the fact that we, as  American Christians aren’t in most-ways, doing what we are called to do.

It told me that to TRULY follow Christ, you have to give up everything, including your  own family, because if  your faith in Christ is true, than your reward will be worth all of your sacrifices which lay ahead of all in the Kingdom of God.   “Radical” taught me that there are plenty of starving children, starving for the Gospel, which many haven’t heard yet, many haven’t heard about Jesus.  This frightens me, and it should you, because not knowing Christ, not ever hearing of him is the worst thing that could happen.       Platt taught me that even the things we take in from sermons, teachings, and lessons, we take for our own self-needs,  which it should be, as Platt put it, not just what we can take in for ourselves, but how can we use this to help others?

- – -  At the end of the book, Platt has a list of 5 things we can do to help strengthen our faith in Christ, but let me say not to think those 5 things alone will save you in your Christian faith, but it starts with us, and we are the one’s with knowledge and access to the Word of God,  we should spread it, to the nations, who are in dire-straights.

Overall, I’d say it had a Radical message in it, and Platt delivered in “Radical”.       It made me think about things, even as a Catholic, reading it written from a Baptist, it still made many valid-points, and overall, we need to wake up, and smell the coffee that Jesus has made,  and it starts with us,  do we truly have a true faith in Christ?
Email me: thesportsguy.brunt2@gmail.com,  follow for tweets of encouragement, and occasional sports-rants: @Thomas_B96

Scared about current situation with Korea? Don’t be.. (Mark 13:7)

For at least four decades, North Korea has held a grudge against the United States of  America, so it’s been an on going thing for a while.   A lot of people are reasonably scared, worried,  some are frantic about the threats that Korea has been saying to us,  I know I have been at times the past few weeks, and I’ve just had to just put it in God’s hands and ask him to take care of my fears with this, while the thoughts can crop back into my mind, it’s worked, it’s worked because I have continued to ask God to help me, to not be scared, to have faith in him that BOTH countries will be okay in this time of uncertainty.     Here’s a bible verse that I read and went over,  it was encouraging for me:   Mark 13:7:  “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet”.    Remember though, don’t lose your faith in either countries.

 

 

 

 

Saying Grace: Live it, don’t just say it before you eat a meal.

Don’t just say Grace before eating a Meal, but make it a way you live your life.     Don’t just pray  when your in trouble, but make it a way you communicate with our heavenly father.    Make time for God, spend time in prayer in the mornings, afternoons, evenings, and right before you go to sleep.    Make sure to thank God for all the blessings you have, and make sure none go unrecognized.    Make time for God, it matters.

Quick: Jesus Christ saves our satisfactions

It is human nature to think or feel that we may want something, or to think we may be satisfied 100% once we get something we may have been wanting to get.  Don’t miss-interrupt here and think I’m saying it’s not okay to have nice things, because that’s not what I’m saying, what I am trying to say is: don’t think, or don’t be surprised that it doesn’t fully satisfy, or that something doesn’t get old, and or boring, because no lasting of anything here on Earth, or this universe has a long-enough lasting effect on it that will satisfy us for all our human life on Earth.

No need to worry for the rest of your lives though, there is something that can and will save us for eternity.      Just invite Jesus Christ into your life and you’ll be better off.     If  you truly want to live for God though, you will only serve him only, not money, lust or drugs or fame.   Give it all up,  realize that you aren’t here to live for yourself, you are here to fulfill God’s plan.      I’m  still learning to be more godly.   I’m praying and asking God to teach me to live for him, because it’s worth it.     Jesus Christ alone can save you, and your satisfactions.