Don't Be Good
My pastor spoke at my church on October 14 on Ephesians 3:14-21
He told us that GOOD people are not necessarily Godly people. Which is so true. Good people base what they do on what is considered "accepted" or the "norm." Godly people base what they do on the absolute truth of God or his word (Bible). If we live different from what we believe (or different from the absolute truth) we are saying that God's truth is optional. We judge or gossip about others which goes against God's law. If we don't love our brother then we do not love God.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35
In order to be Godly we must surrender our all to God. Everything! Our thoughts, our speech, our life, our body, our spirit, our heart...EVERYTHING!
Jesus replied, "Love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind; for this is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37-38
It’s all or nothing with God
What are you holding back from God?
Do not say things you do not mean
When people become Christians, they give their lives up to God. They tell God that He can interrupt their lives so He can do His work through you.
Christ died for us while we were still sinners
I have prayed this prayer for a couple of people, but I want every one of you to realize this.
I (Paul) Pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19
God spoke through my pastor on October 14 when he talked about confessing your failures to God, letting his arms hold you and then you realize how wide, long, high and deep the love of Christ is. That is what happened to me on October 13.
God is always working around you.
Which is apart of the 7 realities to Experiencing God (Henry Blackwell's book):
1.God is always at work around you
2.God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal
3.God invites you to become involved with Him and His work
4.God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, the church, and circumstances to reveal Himself, His purposes, and His ways.
5.God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action
6.You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing
7.You come to know God by experience as you obey Him, and He accomplishes His work through you
Be Humble! Do not keep the glory, give it to Him.
Remember do not be merely good, because there are a multitude of “good” people. Good is doing things of the norm. To be a faithful servant of God, to be Godly is completely different. When you are experiencing God all your encounters with Him will be God-sized, meaning that you cannot accomplish anything on your own. You must have faith and from faith comes your acts of servitude. Your acts of servitude reveal to others that you truly believe who God is and you are earnestly seeking after Him.
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6
Many people always tell me that the reason that atheists do not believe in God is because of christian people being hypocrites. Christians are not perfect, no one is, but I think it is time for christians to start acting and living what they believe instead of just being a "closet christian."
Jesus commands us to not merely listen to his word, but to do what it says. If people saw christians living out what they believe, then maybe non-believers would take our religion seriously.
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He told us that GOOD people are not necessarily Godly people. Which is so true. Good people base what they do on what is considered "accepted" or the "norm."
Umm... no. By that definition, Susan B Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and countless others would not be considered good, because what THEY did was way outside the norm. And certainly not acceptable during their time, especially by a number of people that considered themselves 'Godly'.
In my opinion, a good person is something that does something to help another human. An 'evil' person is someone that does something to harm another human. That can, in some ways, be extended to plants and animals, though the definitions get less clear (for example, I think killing an animal in a way that prevents pain and suffering is good, and something that tortures the animal before its death is bad, but killing it in and of itself is not 'evil').
~C
Check out the latest entry in the Between The Lines column!
A question which, alas, requires some preface:
I was raised Christian but was unable to attain that personal relationship through that doctrine. I have since found a more personalized relationship with God, but I no longer believe that the Bible, or any other religious text for that matter, is the Word of God.
But the relationship I've found allows me to find calm, to be content with my life, and to be secure in my purpose. It means more to me than being a church-going Christian ever did.
So I wanted to ask you: what do you think of me? I am not living by your "absolute truth". I suppose I'm one of those "good" people you spoke of. And at the same time, I live honestly, I help my community. I've found something that works for me.
The biggest problem I've always had with Christians (and others, but Christians seem to be the most likely to aggressively promote their religion) is not any hypocrisy. Rather, that you seem to think your way is the best, or only, way to have a relationship with God. Or any higher power. Most Christians seem unable to accept other faiths as merely a different version of their own.
Thank you, though. You seem quite sincere in your faith, and your words did not seem judgemental. It's kind of refreshing.
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There is no spoon.
No-one is good, no not one. -Romans 3:10.
So true. Thanks for posting this.
><>Brian
your very welcome, lol but I am only posting my beliefs. Apparently everyone else thinks that I am very judgemental though.