Tag Archives: Christan

Christian, Entertainment, Music, news

What’s So Different?

You ever breathed a sigh of relief because people were able to “accept” you being a Christian?

If so, think about that for a second. You might be a tad too worldly. I’m talking to me too. I mean, really, when your concern becomes one of acceptance for being Christian or hoping to fit in as a Christian or hoping you integrate into a particular group or society… you’ve missed the point. That’s what the nonbelievers and the world seeks everyday! 

Acceptance. Right? People go through great lengths to fit in despite their differences of opinion or lifestyle. Or people just simply conform enough to fit it to some box. Sometimes they conform just to fit into their own skin. Acceptance drives society.

And in many cases, that’s okay. There are certain circumstances where you should conform and seek a level of acceptance… cases where it makes sense…

But a gospel believing Christian who has rendered obedience to God through Christ Jesus all but threw acceptance out of the window. Because following Jesus openly AND behind closed doors is a blessing, not only to the believer, but the nonbeliever. 

Our faith isn’t to be mingled with a desire for acceptance. In other words, no disrespect, but WE CARE LESS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT OUR BEING CHRISTIAN IS ACCEPTED. See, that’s the sharp contrast. Many groups and ideals and lifestyles fight for this very thing and force others to ACCEPT. 

But no. Acceptance isn’t the goal. That’s why Jesus took the beatings and the persecution and the cross. That’s why the martyrs and apostles took the persecution. That’s why many believers, even in the entertainment industry take the exclusion from limelight and mainstream venues. Because, to be honest,  being set apart is what makes the Chrsitian life MEAN SOMETHING.

And when it means something to us to the point conformity and acceptance is of no value, then it begins to mean something to the one who DOES NOT BELIEVE. I cannot seek to be a part of something that closely resembles where I am now. And that is where some of us have missed the point. This is why some people have felt more comfortable to try Jesus out and still remain as though they were not following him. 

There is no distinction!

And what then is Holy? If It is not set apart?

Being unapologetically holy highlights the true value that being a child of the living God HAS. There is no value in being so encumbered with acceptance that the line of distinction between believer and nonbeliever is blurred. 

You’re not doing yourself any favors and you not doing the nonbeliever any favors either.

Because ultimately in everybody’s mad desire to be accepted by everybody else, we will miss the goal to be acceptable to GOD.

So Christianity is different. It has to be. We should not seek acceptance. We should seek to be as different as living God’s word makes us. This makes us holy and acceptable to God. Nonbelievers, it is that distinction that makes being a Christian mean something, thus leading the nonbeliever  to repentance and then being holy and acceptable to God.

In Christ, don’t be accepted. Be Holy.

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Christian, Uncategorized

A Brief Thought… Christ and HIM Crucified

​Simplicity may very well be the best teacher… please understand I’m always talking to me FIRST.

“For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:2 KJV

My heart is heavy as I observe things around me from a spiritual standpoint. This is on top of the recent challenges life has handed me. But when I see elements of Godlessness and the way in which it manifests itself, I find myself helpless. I fear that many believers feel the same way. It causes us to forget that the reason we received and tasted of God’s mercy and grace and became believers. We recognized two very important things. We were dead in sin. Jesus can save us. 

Perhaps the Good News is what, in our panic and frustration, we forgot saves ALL. Paul kept it simple– Christ and Him crucified. Why? Because anybody who has attempted to match wits with someone about spiritual matters can become frustrated, then cold, then callous and lose the main reason we started talking…because we LOVE them. 

I’m not saying hell fire and brimstone aren’t at times necessary. I just feel we may want to first keep it MILK. Christ and HIM crucified. That is the good news that leads others to sorrow, repentance, obedience and joy. Because when you understand why Christ, why He was crucified, what happened after and what that means for you, it should hit them in a different way. A much different way than we do it. We trust our words and eloquent speech way too much. We like to put our own spin on it. 

Just leave God’s spin on it. Let us also not wrangle with those whose heart are not willing to receive the good news. For there is someone else who is and is waiting for YOU to spend time telling them…

My heart remains heavy and in prayer…yet my goal is clear. I just pray my feet are ready to run…

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Christian, Entertainment, Music, news

The Big Deal About Church

God designated the first day of the week for believers to gather and give Him the glory by encouraging each other, fellowshipping with each other, speaking to one another in psalms hymns and spiritual songs and studying His word. They also gather funds to put towards the work of the church. They also remember Jesus and His sacrifice by taking unleavened bread and fruit of the vine which to the believer is the blood of the covenant and Jesus’s body. The goal of this overall experience is to be strengthened having been with others who share that same faith and goal and to give God the glory and praise realizing that He is worthy. We are prepared and reenergized!

Not all people do this. Sundays will be days set for sleeping in or taking care of odds and ends like laundry other errands. The value of going to assemble with believers is either non-existent or barely there when it is a question of belief. If one isn’t a believer then there is no deisre to gather with other believers much less give praise to that which you don’t believe in.

But if you sorta believe or do believe, and the daily challenges of life are not what’s holding you back, what’s going on? Some people have gone with the view that “organized religion” is not the way. They find fault in that and decide to just do away with it. But let’s take the stance that Jesus established the church. Yes, it is NOT the building. It is the people. However if you are NOT assembling with the people, the other believers, how do you feel we can grow and be effective? How can you yourself be effective and how is that showing godly love? Furthermore collective worship is value you your faith and also shows that you care to give God the praise and worship He deserves. Bare in mind that once the Ethiopian eunich was baptized by Phillip his immediate desire would logically be to gather with those who share the same faith to work and worship. Strength in numbers. Consider any successful secular program or team sport. Basketball teams, Mary Kay meetings, Weight Watchers or any group with similar views values or goals GET TOGETHER. Because it’s necessary. Because no man is an island. Because God knew what He was doing.

If your concern is where to go, treat it same way a restaurateur does. You do the research, you check Yelp and the restaurant guides. Because a bad meal experience is a horrible thing! Well how much more important is deciding where to focus on worshipping God and learning how to get to heaven? Your YELP is God’s word. God’s word is not as cryptic as one may say. See if the local church assembly you consider is FOLLOWING GOD’S WORD. Consider the church of the new testament. Consider the early church in Acts. Consider the doctrine and compare and contrast. Read your bible. That will cause inconsistencies and red flags that can keep you in a lost relationship to stand out. Do your due diligence because this matters to you.

To the nonbeliever, I say you need not be convinced by me that there is an amazing and loving God. Look around. Heck, look in the mirror. Your intricate inner and outer workings— you are wonderfully made. Establish that spritual curiosity the same way you established your many wordly curiosities and go with it. Pick up a Bible and read it. It can’t hurt. It can only help. Because God has a name. I come to prcoclaim to you the unknown God. His name is His name. His Son came to save us…to save you. It’s so cliche but first you must understand that you need Him. You DO need Him. But you need to know why. He is the only one that can beat sin and death which is in the world right now. Sin is the God’s definition of wrong, all the bad things. God defines them clearer in His word. Death is the end of life here. But it’s not the end. Jesus died and came back. Death and sin are 2 major reasons you need Jesus because He is THE ONLY answer to both.

That’s a start… Yes chuch is the people who believe. The people who understood a need for Jesus. The people who obeyed the commands to accept Jesus as their Lord and removed chains of sin and death through spiritual burial in water baptisim and rose up out the water in fresh newness of life. Sin and death are all the devil really has and Jesus beat them both. Finally those believers get together to celebrate freedom, praise the One who broke the chains, teach each other to stay free and how to help others break thier chains.

So church on Sunday morning and any other time addionally that believers gather should be a moment of joy. To be with God and with fellow God-fearing brethren.

Truly a breath of fresh air.

Get yours…

Can’t forget the music. Here is one of my fave bangers by Blanca featuring Lecrae called Get Up

https://youtu.be/r0hyL0ZEuao

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Christian, Entertainment, Music, Uncategorized

The Real Gospel is Not Popular

I think when you really think about it, we all desire to be godly. Its in us. The Bible says we were created for His glory, to glorify the creator. We were made to love Him. So yes, we truly set out to do be good, God fearing people.

But as when the command was given to Adam and Eve to not eat of the forbidden tree, the tree looked all the more appetizing. More appetizing than serving their very own creator. The created outshined the Creator.

So it began…

This is the tug of war that Paul spoke of in his epistles. We want to do right yet the body says this feels better.

Because we were made to love Him, this tug of war causes us to strive for a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too situation. Let me get God’s blessings without doing a thing.

We misuse the concept of grace to this end, thinking grace absolved us from requirements, work or any kind of responsibility.

We ignore, conveniently, clear commands of what God considers sinful because those just don’t fit us. We tailor God to us rather than tailoring ourselves to God and in the end we have created our own God rather than following the One that already is.

So then we have popular versions of the gospel created to fit us. Ignoring commands that are mean or archaic. The church is packed with lost souls who accepted the nice gospel. The watered down gospel. The popular gospel.

But if we give them the unpopular, straight no chaser gospel, the “no, you cannot do that” gospel, it would be as though one had the rug pulled from under their feet…

However…that IS what we need.

Satan wants the popular gospel. He loves that church because contrary to what the world sees, he runs that church…

Please don’t be fooled by the popular gospel. The unpopular gospel is the good news. Jesus saved us when God, through His grace sent Him to die for our sins. But you must do. Yes you must do something to accept it. You must live what the word teaches. If God condemns it, don’t do it…even if the world changes its view because God has not.

Don’t take my word for it. Read the Bible and take His word for it.

Blessings in your Christian walk,

Christian Music Pusher

Enjoy this highly appropriate song by Jonathan McReynolds

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