love
i have been a long supporter of jay bakker. he has always been one of those pastoral figures that inspire me. he has some theology that i don't agree with, but he inspires me to love. i've never met the guy. but i listen to his messages of love and grace. his actions of love and strength to endure inspire me. it started a while back when i found his ministry. i had heard about revolution through steve and then met matt, jay's x-co-pastor, at an underground conference. matt and jays words and actions of love cut through a lot of the anger and resentment i had with christians. then i read jay's book, son of a preacher man. i could feel his pain. his sorrow. i could relate to him giving up on love and deciding to run away with drugs and alcohol. and i could relate to the grace and true love he felt from Christ as soon as he gave up and finally held his hand out to grasp a hold of Jesus.
last night steve and i finally got our hands on his documentary, one punk under God. i feel as if he's constantly searching for love and acceptance. but he's also wanting others to know that same love and acceptance. Christ wanted to show people His love. it was Christ who loved the unloved, touched the untouchable. and it has long hurt me that it's the accepted christian way that instead of loving, we judge. i feel as if jay, is one of few, who have broken that mold. he's out there on the tight rope of faith, trying to balance. taking his faith to the edge while tyring desperately not to fall too far. i'm not sure if he always succeeds. i don't feel secure in all of his beliefs. but his love for all who come to him, is amazing. he loves the unloved. he touches the untouchable, just as Christ did. those who have been kicked out of church, those who have been treated like crap from christians, find hope and love in jay's message of Christs love.
today, brett spoke at riv. what an amazing speaker, he truly has the gift of teaching. he taught on love. loving the word. one of the many things that hit me, was when he was talking about some seattle pastor who, to paraphrase, stated that all people need Christ. homosexuals, heterosexuals, men, women, children, olders, youngers...everyone needs christ. and what hit me, as a christian, is how can i show people Christ, without showing them love first? how is a christian who asks a homosexual or rapist or child abuser or tax evader or a smelly hippie to leave their house of God, showing them Christ? Christ would have never done that. and if it's our mission to show people the love of Christ, if it's our mission to bring people to His thrown to lay down their burdens, how can we do that by hate and judgement?
listening to bretts message this morning and watching jay's documentary last night brought something i've always thought was important into even more focus for me.
1 corinthians 13:1
without love, we can not show people Christ. without love, we are nothing. so then the balance is, after we show people love through our words and more importantly through our actions, how then, if needed, do we confront their sin? and is it even our place to show them their sin? i tend to rely on feeling Christ lead me before i act, yet brett brought up a good point that we may be relying too much on 'feeling lead', especially if we're not sifting our convictions through the word first before acting.
bretts message has challenged me. i've only been a believer since the fall of 2003. i was 28 years old when i accepted Christ. i had already formed many of my beliefs outside of Christ. therefore i struggle quite a bit with some theology. yet my core intention is to only follow the word of Christ. i would never want to take Gods word out of context and end up leading myself and others down the wrong path. that is one thing that has really scared me since i came to the Cross. but the one thing that i can't screw up. the one thing that can see through all sin, all cultures and all people is love. i personally, think it is time to stop judging people on how the look, what they believe or how their living, and start loving them. it is through Christ and Christ alone that people will be shown their failings (and we all have them!) and then start taking the first steps in healing. it is not through what we say, yet rather how we act and the love and grace we show them that may open their eyes to the greatest love of all.
love on.
last night steve and i finally got our hands on his documentary, one punk under God. i feel as if he's constantly searching for love and acceptance. but he's also wanting others to know that same love and acceptance. Christ wanted to show people His love. it was Christ who loved the unloved, touched the untouchable. and it has long hurt me that it's the accepted christian way that instead of loving, we judge. i feel as if jay, is one of few, who have broken that mold. he's out there on the tight rope of faith, trying to balance. taking his faith to the edge while tyring desperately not to fall too far. i'm not sure if he always succeeds. i don't feel secure in all of his beliefs. but his love for all who come to him, is amazing. he loves the unloved. he touches the untouchable, just as Christ did. those who have been kicked out of church, those who have been treated like crap from christians, find hope and love in jay's message of Christs love.
today, brett spoke at riv. what an amazing speaker, he truly has the gift of teaching. he taught on love. loving the word. one of the many things that hit me, was when he was talking about some seattle pastor who, to paraphrase, stated that all people need Christ. homosexuals, heterosexuals, men, women, children, olders, youngers...everyone needs christ. and what hit me, as a christian, is how can i show people Christ, without showing them love first? how is a christian who asks a homosexual or rapist or child abuser or tax evader or a smelly hippie to leave their house of God, showing them Christ? Christ would have never done that. and if it's our mission to show people the love of Christ, if it's our mission to bring people to His thrown to lay down their burdens, how can we do that by hate and judgement?
listening to bretts message this morning and watching jay's documentary last night brought something i've always thought was important into even more focus for me.
1 corinthians 13:1
if I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. (the message)
if I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth but didn't love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. (new living)
without love, we can not show people Christ. without love, we are nothing. so then the balance is, after we show people love through our words and more importantly through our actions, how then, if needed, do we confront their sin? and is it even our place to show them their sin? i tend to rely on feeling Christ lead me before i act, yet brett brought up a good point that we may be relying too much on 'feeling lead', especially if we're not sifting our convictions through the word first before acting.
bretts message has challenged me. i've only been a believer since the fall of 2003. i was 28 years old when i accepted Christ. i had already formed many of my beliefs outside of Christ. therefore i struggle quite a bit with some theology. yet my core intention is to only follow the word of Christ. i would never want to take Gods word out of context and end up leading myself and others down the wrong path. that is one thing that has really scared me since i came to the Cross. but the one thing that i can't screw up. the one thing that can see through all sin, all cultures and all people is love. i personally, think it is time to stop judging people on how the look, what they believe or how their living, and start loving them. it is through Christ and Christ alone that people will be shown their failings (and we all have them!) and then start taking the first steps in healing. it is not through what we say, yet rather how we act and the love and grace we show them that may open their eyes to the greatest love of all.
love on.
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