Patience is easy, until it is tested

There were some great lines in the movie Bruce Almighty and a great piece about prayer. It went something along the lines of, “When you pray for patience, does God give you patience or an opportunity to be patient?” This wasn’t the exact quote but this was the point of it. Prayer can just be words but sometimes it requires action. Paul spends the last chunk of scripture in 1 Thessalonians talking about how the church should be living with each other.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15…

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”

While this does focus for the church itself, it is practical for anyone in or outside the church. Now inside the church, I have been apart of some churches that do a great job with this and I have been apart of some church that have not. I love going to Maryland Community Church and feel like this is one of the best churches I have been apart of when it comes to living in community with one another. It’s something all Christians are called to do and not just as leaders. As attenders of a church ask yourself…

·      Are you warning those not accomplishing what they are supposed to do?

·      Who have you encouraged lately? When?

·      Who have you helped? When?

·      How and when have you shown patience in the church or with church attenders?

·      How have you kept peace in the church?

I mentioned “when” because we might have done this once, but it could have happened a while ago. If we are living in the church this needs to be a frequent occasion. Paul really hits the church hard with this because as believers in Jesus, we are called to live for him in our life. If you are outside the church, this is what the church is supposed to be about. If you have had a bad experience with a church, I am sorry, please give church a try again. Churches are full of sinners and are far from perfect. I hope you can find a church that is a good fit for you.

We are called to care for one another, how can you do that today?

Have a great day.

You think you’re better than me

Who rules? O’Doyle rules! O’Doyle rules! O’Doyle rules! If you have no idea what I am talking about…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsNgRmsx-14

A family thought they had it best, sadly their run came to a tragic end. You could say, that’s not me. I never did anything like that. While it’s just a movie, there is enough bullying you have experience in one of three ways, as the bully, the bullied or the stand by guy (Person who just watches but doesn’t do anything about it). Who is at fault more, the bully or the one who stands by and doesn’t nothing about it? Either way, it’s still wrong.

What makes one wrong better then another one? Paul talks a lot in chapter 3 of Romans about sin and how we all sin. I am not perfect. I am not Jesus, yet I live my life for him. Christians have a tendency to struggle with different sins and yet are completely judgmental against other sins. We pick and choose what is the deeper sin. Some might say…

·         I might smoke but I never watch rated R movies
·         I get drunk once every while but I have never done drugs
·         I look at porn but I didn’t have sex before marriage
·         I lie and gossip but I always encourage people when I see them face to face

Hypocrisy can look different in someone else’s eyes. This is a point Paul brings up in Romans 3:19ish-20 (The Message), “And it’s clear enough, isn’t it, that we’re sinners, every one of us, in the same sinking boat with everybody else? Our involvement with God’s revelation doesn’t put us right with God. What it does is force us to face our complicity in everyone else’s sin.”

Just because you claim God and Jesus doesn’t mean you are perfect. Christians should never come across as perfect. One of the sad stories you hear is when a couple with kids goes to get divorced or live in a sham of a marriage and nobody has a clue. People are shocked and have no clue. Why? With all of the Sunday School, small groups, life groups, c groups and whatever else groups Church’s come up with, if you’re not honest, it doesn’t create true community. People put on a show that they have it all together, I noticed the one’s that think they have it all together are usually the opposite when people aren’t around.

There is a book for parents with young kids Everyone Poops, there could be one titled Everyone Sins. Paul makes sure we understand this from the greatest to the least, everyone sins. If you think you are better than anyone else, you are wrong. If you’re a Christian you are still a sinner. Shoot, Christians are attacked more because you know some things you do are sins.

Just like a bully, you can be wrong for being a bully and wrong for not doing anything to stop a bully. Generally, no one sin in greater than any other. You are not a greater person then your neighbor. So get of the judgmental horse and have a huge piece of humble pie. Rather than being so quick to judge others, what are ways you can improve as a person? Maybe it’s time to be honest with someone, or to quit judging and focus on getting something that is wrong with you right. You can’t expect others to improve when you aren’t even willing to improve yourself. You are a sinner just like everyone else, so there are still things in life you can improve. Don’t judge, just focus on what you can improve in.

Have a great day.

Can Christians go to strip clubs?

Jesus was known for ticking people off.

He would go and meet people that nobody else would acknowledge, especially if you were a spiritual person you would not associate with the people Jesus did.

At that time you didn’t hang out with sinners and people who made huge mistakes or had huge issues going on.

It would have been an insult to your faith to go and meet with these people.

People complained to Jesus and were ticked at him for this.

Peter went through the same thing in Acts 10 just for going and eating with gentiles (Those without faith).

Believers came up to him and asked how could this happen?

They were not thrilled with this idea of him hanging out with these type of people.

He explained his vision and how God told him it was alright.

He goes in detail through this in verses 4-17 in Acts 11.

Acts 11:18…

“When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

God’s grace and forgiveness is for everyone.

Is it alright for Christians to go to strip clubs?

I think it would be okay for some Christians to go to strip clubs.

I myself could not do it.

Lust would be too prevalent and over take anything I could do to share the gospel and the love of Jesus.

But certain people and organizations make this their goal to reach these people where they are at.

Organizations like XXX Church and some of their counterparts will meet people who are in strip clubs, prostitution an d brothels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CW7fFc3SzE

XXX Church will go to the adult porn conventions and help people there as well.

They have been known for giving gift baskets to strippers and sharing the love of Christ.

If going into this place will make you greatly sin then I suggest not going into it.

Jesus, Peter (at this time) met people where they were at and became their friends.

Christians were not meant to hide in a building.

Love your neighbors as yourself.

I think if Jesus would be here today, he wouldn’t have a problem going into bars, strip clubs or any place.

Every person has places they could go and show the love of Jesus too and places they shouldn’t.

I would never send a drunk to a bar but if you can go there and not struggle with alcohol, go there.

I have a minister friend that once went to for a church interview and they asked if he drank alcohol.

He told them, I drink one beer at a time.

They were flabbergasted.

He said, “You wonder why I drink one beer at a time?”

Still shocked they replied, “YES.”

He replied, “Have you ever tried to drink two beers at one time (He motioned what it would look like)? It’s impossible.”

They were not happy with his joke and said, “What do you think it looks like for a Christian to drink alcohol?”

He replied, “That I can drink responsibly which is not a sin and I have no problem going to bars to meet people where they are at.”

They did not want him for the job, and he didn’t want to be there if they didn’t get his joke and who he was.

We are called to meet people where they are at.

I have no problems going into bars and such places like that.

As Christians, we create more activities to keep us outside of places to reach people for Christ then going out for people.

Rather than playing sports in a rec league where we create relationships, we have to create church leagues for everything.

Church league softball, basketball, shoot I even had a student ask me to start a Christian disc golf league (Which in a stern tone I said NO!!!!!!!!!!!)

We create so called leagues to reach out to non-Christians but instead just create activities for Christians to come together and act in non-Christian ways to other Christians (Craig Groeschel wrote about this in his book “It”) .

People in many different places need the love of Jesus and the gospel.

We just aren’t willing to go there.

If we are trying to be more like Jesus, this requires us to go outside our comfort zones and show the love of Christ.

What do you think?

Have a great day.