Friday, April 04, 2008

• SOME THINGS I HOPE YOU'LL THINK ABOUT...

  As You Consider My Last Post;

  "A One Note Symphony"

  (click on title to view post)

   

  Why is it that I hammer so at those who "fudge" science to maybe "help" people feel better about themselves?   I mean Religious Righters aren't really being honest when they violate Jesus command' not to condemn people.   And by the way, that is a valid argument against conservative Christians.   As I said in my recent "RANDOM" post, a young man said, "I know my feelings tell me something true".     

  The young man's latest response reminded me of something I saw a youth pastor do with his youth group. 

  Youth Pastor Gone Wild!!

   

  I saw an exercise a youth pastor did with his youth department.   He called for volunteers, and had them come to the front.   Then he had everyone, including the volunteers put on blindfolds.   He then handed the volunteers baggies full of what he said were "good things to eat."   In fact he handed them things which were not good to eat at all.   I remember one ziploc bag he used full of cigarette butts and ashes.   He told the young man the bag, full of cigarettes, was actually a bag of "cheetos".   The young man sensing maybe this was a trick asked if he could smell what was in his bag.   The youth pastor said, "Sure, just let me help you by opening it, so you don't spill it."  The youth pastor simply switched the bags, and when the young man smelled the cheetos, he was satisfied.   The youth pastor took the bag again, to "make sure it got completely closed", but he was really giving him back the bag of butts.    Of course his point was that when we are lost and in darkness it is easy for Satan to drip nice sounding lies into our minds and feelings.   

  Once he had everyone pretty much convinced, the youth pastor had his volunteers go around the room and tell the children in the audience that they "Have come to know Christ, and could remove their blindfolds."   As soon as they did you should have seen their faces upon seeing what the 4 still blindfolded youth were REALLY holding!!    Finally all of the youth in the audience could see the old smelly cigarette butts.    The youth pastor pulled a cigarette butt from another bag he had in his pocket.   He was about to feed it to the young man in the blindfold, when the boy's girlfriend shouted from the audience, "Don't do it, he's lying it's not a cheetos it's cigarette butts!"     The blindfolds all came off right then and there!

  The young man had felt the "cheetos" in his bag.   He had even smelled cheetos, but until he was able to see he did not know that what his feelings were telling him was a lie.  His feelings did feel, but since his mind was deceived his feelings interpreted what he thought rather than what he was actually feeling.  

  Let me tell you folks, I don't care what gay people believe, "gay" science teaches, or what everyone outside the body of Christ believes.   It's really no skin off my nose.   But those of us who claim the name of Christ need to know the truth.   We can't sit back like everyone else with blinders on while the world, and the god of this world do as they like.   Jesus died on a cross for the blind, lost, and condemned.   And when He takes our blinders off we need to ask that Jesus give us His pure love that has the courage to shout, "It's a lie, don't do that, don't eat that, don't drink that;  It's a LIE!!!!"  

  And it isn't enough to sit back shouting at people, from the "peanut gallery", we aren't invested in relationship with, and and have no intention of having relationship with,  saying, "You're gonna burn in Hell!"   People may never listen to us, but at least if people know we honestly love them, they're more likely to hear what we have to say.   If we allow Jesus to really give us His love for His enemies then, we will say as Jesus did, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do."  

  So we Christians are the ones who need to wake up, quit listening to "junk"  science, so we can see clearly with eyes of love.   From that love we'll call out to those in darkness, and maybe, just maybe, when they hear the warning of a someone who treats them like a beloved friend they won't take another bite of the garbage they've been deceived into blindly believing is "good for food."   And you know why I believe this is the way Christians should reach a lost world for Jesus???   It's the way Jesus reached me.

  When I was growing up I did terrible things to a person who should have been dear to me.  Instead I hated this person who should have been beloved.   It wasn't anything this person did to me.  All the hatred and evil I did came completely from ME, MYSELF AND I!!!.   After many years had passed I was having a conversation with this "should have been beloved" person.  I was confronted with my behavior, in graphic, horrible detail.   I had no choice but to acknowledge what I'd done, and that it was absolutely 100% my fault.   I knew this person would never be able to forgive me, and I said, "I don't ever expect you to forgive me, because I know if someone did to me what I did to you there is no way I could ever forgive them."

  The day my little sister called me and said, "I've become a Christian, and I need you to know something....."   "I forgive you".   I could understand her hatred and unforgiveness, but not "I forgive you".   I am telling you there is no way she could forgive me.   I had to entertain the possibility that God existed; That Christ had given her forgiveness to give, since she couldn't possibly have any of her own to give.   It wasn't easy for my sister, but she laid down her right to give me the hate and condemnation I deserve.   She who was hated without reason became God's messenger of love to her abuser.   Jesus destroyed His and my sister's enemy when He made me His friend.

   

  Lonnie 

   

   

                       

  • 12:40 AM
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