Sideline Christianity

Yesterday I was working out, and before the final set I prayed that God would help me to do the whole thing without giving up, this was my thought process:

me: God please help me to do this
voice in my head: You only talk to him when you need help
me: thats true, I cant think about this while working out
voice in my head: why are you working out when you have to think about this

I shut out the voice and kept working out, but it left me thinking- how much of an add on is christianity in my life. Its a sideling thing that carries huge influence on my actions, or at least it would if I didnt completely shut out the voice that would tell me what to do. Todays culture cators to shuting out that voice: tv, laptop, music- tons of things to drown out that tiny voice. It's easier to shut out that voice because the religion christianity claims to be that voice: I think, “screw christianity, a sect of people who pretend to be better, I dont have to listen to them”.

But in reality that voice is Jesus, a man who loves me- whos crying when I ignore him. A lamb that while being spat on by me, gives his life for me. Like an abusive boyfriend I leave Jesus ignored, cheated on, and alone. In the garden the choice was just that, a choice: choose to love God and be faithful to him or choose the fruit. Nowadays the choice is less of a choice and more of a fight, to follow after Jesus one must constantly be chasing after him and blocking out the distractions.

How many of the disciples literally left everything to follow Jesus? Peter, Andrew, James and John left their nets, their profession, on a beach. Levi, left his profession- his tax collector booth in the street. Saul left his position and the mission he was half way through, to follow Jesus. God didnt ask us to give him our thoughts every once and awhile, God asked us to give our lives. when a man becomes a christian he shouldnt just start to go to church, he should change every aspect of his life to bring glory to God. Does God demand less of us now because these are different times, does he only want half or less of our attention now? 1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I'm not saying that every christian should work in “a ministry” but they should be in ministry, a builder who charges the right price and who isnt greedy is a ministry. A post deliverer who is friendly and loving is a ministry, often times christians encourage everyone to “spiritulize” everything.
To me, a heart neckless is just as “christian” as a cross neckless. We christians in an attempt to christianise/ spiritulize everythng have made our own music, our own games, we even have our own guitar hero. We seem to have forgotten that Jesus made this world and everyone/ everything in it- we dont need to go making our own little world of christian things.

Often at church were encouraged to go people hunting, recently the turn or burn mentlity has come back with a new target, the christitians. The message is “if you dont convert everyone you know youv pretty much killed them” so it encourages us to get our picket boards and go out parading. There are programs offered on how to bring someone to christ. Like christian hunters we aquire a target and then try to bring them down, take them over to the “good side”. But we arnt called to be christian hunters, were called to be “fishers of men” fishers offer bait, and wait to be approached. They dont aquire targets, they just display themselves and if someone likes what they have, they come to inquire. there's no need to try to sneak Jesus into a conversation somewhere or invite them to church. show them what you have- not for the purpose of converting them, just live- loving everyone and God.

Love God, and love everyone.

Dont be a believer, be a follower

Conformed/Ritualistic World

These Kids were raiseds in the Westboro Baptist Cult. They believe in God but the culture they’ve been raised in has told them that our God is not a loving one. 2 of these signs start with “God hates” in the book I read God hates 7 things, America and homosexuals aren’t on that list. This picture reminds me of Hitler’s Youth. If everyone around you says that Jews are bad and deserve to die, and you’re raised in that culture- I believe that you would grow up never doubting that Jews are bad.
I think that it is very easy to fall into a pattern of just accepting things the way they are:
There once was a lady who would only ever cook half a ham because that was how her mother did it, and her mother only cooked half a ham because that was how her mother did it. That lady’s mother only ever cooked half a ham because the oven was too small for a whole one.

I think that the culture we are raised in as children becomes so imbedded into our minds that we will never question the way certain things are, the rituals that we do every day are so natural to us that even if one tries they may not be able to realise everything they do without thinking about it. If one generation goes off track a little bit, then that will become their children’s default for being “on track”. If that generation continues to go off track then the preceding generation will be “very off track” by default, maybe that’s how cults are created.

Habits are so easy to form, and when a similar habit is acquired by many people, the habit becomes a culture. An easy way for a habit to become acquired by a lot of people is through a group where all the people are presented with the same information, from the same viewpoint. We need to have many different sources of information. Some people go to church but don’t read their bibles, so nothing counters/ challenges what the pastor says. The pastor tries to point you in the right direction but your compass has to always always be the bible.

The bible is our foundation; we must always bring ourselves back to the bible. Often times we look to the bible to support an idea “I want a tattoo so I’ll check if that’s okay” or “War is bad”. We should not be approaching the bible to support the way we want to think. It should be the “default reset” to our brain.

We are being conformed. It’s easy to be conformed. Be vigilant

Conformed Worship

I just got back from FEB’s “Sno Camp” it’s a Weekend youth retreat that happens every February in Muskoka. There’s always a lot of excitement the first night when the band comes on stage- fireworks, smoke, and light.

Followed by some real worship.

But not always, I think we often get confused between “Christian music” and worship. And I think “Christian music” whatever that stuff is, is possibly detrimental to our already brutally distorted Christian image. Worship music to me is just that, worship- praise, praising God. Not singing about ourselves. The only line from this band’s self-written songs that I remember is “let’s illuminate the world”. It made me want to break into the singer’s cabin at 3 am, and blind him with my flashlight; because that’s the only illuminating that man can do, Annoying and artificial. All of their songs were like that; they mentioned the key words that were required to make them “Christian” but it was not worship.

There were the yuppies singing and jumping at the front, closest thing to a mosh pit that these kids will ever see, and when the band would walk by they’d ask for autographs. It was exactly as if they weren’t a worship band- but it’s made “Christian” because they mentioned Jesus sometimes in their songs. (Getting close to a line here) but Jesus is a word, a five letter word, 2 vowels. Just a word, I think we need a wider classification system for “Christian music” then a couple keywords.

There was one point when the band introduced themselves, “Mr. Whoever on the drums” then he’d do a solo. I nearly threw up. Because really, the band is just an aid, as essential as the chairs we were sitting on. They were there to help us bring glory to God. I don’t care who they are. There’s a girl I know who writes amazing songs; one in particular that is a real glory-to- God worship song, the deepest and most emotional one I’ve heard. I had been trying to convince her to put it on her YouTube channel, and just this weekend to play it for the talent show- she kept telling me that it wouldn’t be right, that it’s not meant for a talent show where it’d bring glory to her. It makes me think that often times we glorify the earthly builder, instead of the creator- (builder because they assemble what’s already created)

Why is the band in church always at the front? we don’t need to see them

Why do the worship leaders talk? It’s not a presentation, no need for a presenter

I think there are a number of rituals that go unnoticed, that need to be noticed and corrected into a way that brings glory to God.