lay aside your religious pride

"I have been crucified with Christ 

and I no longer live, 

but Christ lives in me. 

The life I now live in the body, I live by faith 

in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

It was awhile ago now that I started this blog, 'Alive in You', almost 3 years ago I think. I have continually come back to say, 'how cheesy is that title - I should change it…' I've had plenty of ideas and thoughts in regard to a new look for my blog… but, I've never followed through with any of them. To be honest, blogging to me isn't about being trendy or being heard {although at times it is tempting to think this way}, rather it is about putting into words what God is teaching me… and of course I blog because I LOVE to write… you should see the amount of books and notes I have down here in our small apartment… ;) Anyways, the point is, today I was reminded as to why I chose that silly little title {which isn't really silly after all}. The whole point as to why I chose 'Alive in You' was because I wanted the over-all theme to be about laying down my life at HIS feet and picking up my cross for HIS purposes. It's a pretty central idea to the bible. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me…" this is a motto we as Christians need to continually adopt for our lives. 

Galations 2:20 reminded me of this.
End of side-trail.
Back to what I really wanted to write about today…

We as Christians are to be Ambassadors of Christ. "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God" | 2 Corinthians 5:20. So what is an ambassador? It is a person who represents his country in an alien land. A person who is given authority by their government to represent the best interests of their nation. An Ambassador exercises enormous power and influence, especially when they represent a powerful kingdom. If you claim to be a Christ-follower, then you are to be an ambassador of Christ. WE have been given the enormous responsibility of representing Christ in this dark world, and our citizenship is in Heaven… the most powerful kingdom. 

Whats the point of me saying this? Well, are we doing our duty? Are we doing our job? There is this quote that I just found today, the author is unknown but I'll share it anyways… "if self is on the throne, then Christ is on the cross. If Christ is on the throne, then self is on the cross." Christ DID his part. He DIED and he ROSE. He IS currently on the throne which means we should be on the cross. But if we place ourselves on the throne, that means we have not actually come to realize the true meaning of the cross, and therefore we leave Christ there - not embracing the authority and power given to us through his death and his giving us the holy Spirit. We leave Christ on the cross and say 'thanks for dying to give me this awesome gift of eternal life, I'll take my seat now on my throne'. Wake-up call, the gift of salvation IS amazing, no words can really do justice, but thats not the end of the story - we were given a task - a task that we should WANT to do well. We need to let Christ take his rightful place on His throne and we need to pick up our own cross and get to work.

The problem is, we don't seem to be placing our lives on the cross. KP Yohannan says, "the measure to which I will manifest the life of Christ is the same measure to which I am willing to put my self to death". Amen! We expect great things of God, but we aren't willing to make room for Him in our lives. The more we give up ourselves, the more of Christ we will see manifested in us… so why wouldn't we want to give all of ourselves up? Well, because our sinful appetites are too strong… and truthfully, it IS hard to change our appetites when our sinful nature is constantly battling our spiritual nature. When we are born again, our old nature doesn't just disappear {wouldn't that be nice!} rather a new nature is introduced and a minute by minute battle begins. Galations 5:17 "…for the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other…"
As ambassadors of Christ, we are supposed to change our appetites to reflect the appetite of Christ in order to better represent HIM to this world. Are we satisfying our own cravings or do we strive to hunger in a new way? It's not about just satisfying ourselves in 'good' ways, no its about completely changing your appetite. Every decision you make through-out your day {what you view, what you listen to, what you eat, what you drink, what you laugh at, what you talk about, what you wear, how you act, what you read etc.} needs to start with Christ. Its no longer about me, myself and I, its about what would HE have me do…

Sometimes as ambassadors however, we can get pretty caught up in ourselves, which is another sinful craving we satisfy without even knowing it because all the while, we think we are putting Christ first. Our religious pride {regarding knowledge, traditions and denominational identities} however will get in the way of Christ manifesting himself within us so we need to lay it aside. Whether you are fundamental, evangelical, spirit-filled etc. whatever your label is, it doesn't change the fact that the bible STILL says, "if you live after the flesh, you shall surely die!" - living outwardly the way your little group says to, but living inwardly after the flesh will still get you the same result… death. Do we really think that on judgement day, the Lord will ask us about our fundamentalist beliefs? Or whether or not our church can be traced back to the apostles? Or what manner we were baptized in? Do we really expect God to say, "you had it right because your denominational label was 'such and such'…. NO! The ONLY thing that will matter when we stand before God will be what is spoken of in Romans 8:13-14, "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God."

Some of the most knowledgable people I've ever known, who live 'good' lives doing 'good' things are so confused because they are living by code. Outwardly they are following all their traditions and rules but inwardly they are not changed, Christ is not manifesting himself in them and they are still sitting on their throne, leaving Christ on the cross. They put themselves first, they would never jeopardize their comfortable lifestyle or abundance of 'stuff'. They live in financial debt, or materialistic greed, all the while giving a bit to the church or to an organization to mask their inner sin. 

the point is… Christ IS on the throne, seated at the right hand of God our Father...and for us that means the cross is OURS to bear. We need to place ourselves on the cross, crucifying our old nature and letting Christ manifest in us to give us a new one.

a culture of spiritual babies

How can a 'Christian' culture, one that has SO much access to the gospel and supposedly 'knows so much truth', still fail to preform? Why is that we, who have endless services, studies, groups, meetings, programs, seminars, conferences, books, magazines, websites, broadcasting and MORE, are still so self-absorbed and as a result, unproductive…?

All too often, we're willing to be students of Christianity, rather than disciples of Christ. We're willing to take the title, but not the cross. We're willing to have the knowledge, but we keep in stored in our heads where it can't transform our hearts. So many Christians could quote the Great Commission to you, but their lives don't reflect the very words they speak. All too often we fall short. 

"We have shamefully hoarded Christian knowledge, preventing the rest of the world from finding out the truth - while not taking advantage of the knowledge it possesses." K.P. Yohannan

2 Timothy 3:1-8 speaks of Godlessness in the last days. "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness, but denying its power…they are the kind who are… always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth."

I think these verses speak so boldly to Christians in our North-American, Rich and self-absorbed culture. We live in a culture that is greatly obsessed with pleasure and comfort. "How can we get the most out of life in a way that is most pleasing to me?" We are lovers of self rather than lovers of God. We are called a 'Christian Nation', but we are FAR from such a thing. We are not a nation that worships and serves the one true God, no, we are a nation that worships and serves itself. There are so many that have this 'form of godliness' that Timothy speaks of, but even though they have the knowledge and the moral code of a Jesus-follower, they deny the power of the very thing they believe, or the very ONE whom they supposedly 'follow', {DENY} meaning their lives contradict it all. There is no action, no desperation to serve… rather there is empty words and empty conversations had by people who are more eager to debate over shallow religious preferences rather then pick up their cross and walk the narrow path. 

Seriously? We would rather sit around the coffee table and debate over baptism and church music styles rather than challenge ourselves to actually DO what the bible says?

The bible says, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. DO what it says…" {James 1:22-25}

How many have deceived themselves? How many have our cookie-cutter churches deceived? How many believe truly that they are saved because they walked the aisle to the alter and repeated 3 heartless sentences after the pastor? How many of us go day-by-day, week-by-week, year-by-year absorbing knowledge but seeing no transformation in our lives? How many of us can have an hour long conversation with a group of Christian friends, but when the conversation leads to 'So where does all of this play out in your life personally', we are silenced?

If you UNDERSTAND the Gospel, you will be GRIPPED by the Gospel and you will be CHANGED by the Gospel, all through the grace of our amazing God. We are called to be salt and light. We are called to be a lighthouse. The problem is we ARE a lighthouse, we have all that we need to be a strong, sturdy and powerful structure - and light is shining, just not outside of our own walls. What good is that? What a waste…

We cannot be selfish. We were not given this gift of salvation so that we could enjoy our selfish lives even more selfishly having no fear of death. NO, we were shown salvation for a purpose, for a mission. Don't waste your time, don't waste your opportunities, don't waste your life. 

Empathy at its deepest

Hebrews 13:3

"Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, 

and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering."

We are called to suffer WITH the persecuted church. To be an onlooker or a bystander is actually completely missing our calling. To send some money out to an organization without a heart of empathy is still missing the point. The dictionary definition of Empathy is the "Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings and motives." Empathy is the ability to actually put yourself in their shoes and feel what they're feeling. Romans 12:15 says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep." Be there WITH them, carry their pain, carry their joy. When it comes to the persecuted church, we are supposed to feel empathy at its deepest. The greatest amount of empathy comes from a heart of Christ-like love. Hebrews 13:1 tells us to "keep on loving each other"… without love, true empathy is not possible. 

Yet, often when we hear of those who are suffering, it doesn't even phase us. Or maybe it does - but only while it's popular in the media - eventually it fades and we forget. It takes no root in our hearts or in our souls… but it MUST! If we are lacking in TRUE empathy for the persecuted and the suffering - we are lacking in love {Christ-like Love}. The author of Hebrews tell us that we must be a fellow prisoner to those in chains. Maybe we aren't there with them physically, but we are connected to them spiritually. When they face persecution for the gospel, we carry their cross with them, through prayer, through encouragement, through support, through creating awareness. 

We are lucky in our north-american society to be free of the kinds of persecution that our brothers and sisters in Christ face around the world… for now anyways. We thank God for our freedom to worship, to meet together, to pray openly… have we forgotten though that Jesus tell us "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you; 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also." (John 15:18-20) We ARE persecuted. When a Christian somewhere in the middle-east is imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel, a part of us is imprisoned with them. Sooner or later, we will all feel the kinds of persecution that Christ  himself faced. We do NOT belong to the world, we will not be treated as one of their own. PRAISE GOD that he has called us apart. It is a cross to bear, but it is a gift to bear it. If we don't currently face persecution first-hand, that does not mean we should not feel the heaviness of the global church facing pain and tribulation. "Remember those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering…" This is DEEP empathy and we are called to feel it. 

How sad is it that so many people live their day-to-day lives completely unaware and unaffected by the persecution that is going on around the world. YES, we know that God is in control and that HE is working because HE is good! But does this mean that we don't cry out to God for freedom for those in the deepest waters? We should cry for them, mourn for them, but also thank God for their courage and their strength. Our churches don't mention the persecuted enough - and I think it's time that this changes. 

What can WE do? Pray. Give. Create Awareness. and that isn't an exhausted list. Do what you feel in your heart GOD calls you to do. But we are ALL called to pray - and pray often, because every day more and more of our brothers and sisters fall into persecution, persecution of every kind. 

Here are some quotes from fellow-sufferers for the gospel:

"You can help others in proportion to what you yourself have suffered. The greater the price, the more you can help others ... As you go through the fiery trials, the testing, the affliction, the persecution, the conflict ... life will flow out to others, even the life of Christ." 

--Watchman Nee

"We don't pray to be better Christians, but that we may be the only kind of Christians God means us to be; Christ-like Christians; that is, Christians who will bear willingly the cross for God's glory." 

--a note smuggled from the underground church in Communist Romania

"We are not praying that our borders be opened. We are praying that heaven be opened." 

--The prayer of a church under persecution in Vietnam

" A martyr is, he who has become the instrument of God, who has lost his will in the will of God, not lost it but found it, for he has found freedom in submission to God. The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom." 

--T.S. Elliot

"All past persecutors of the Church are now no more, but the Church still lives on. The same fate awaits modern persecutors; they, too, will pass on, but the Church of Jesus Christ will always remain, for God has pledged His Word to protect Her and be with Her forever, until the end of time."

--Don Bosco

China: 2013

There has been an aggressive crackdown on house churches. Believers are forced to call their gatherings 'patriotic' assemblies, or be sent to prison and possible torture. Government persecution of Christians rose 42% in 2012. China feels threatened by any movement that galvanizes a large sector of the population. Thank God for the bold witness of Shouwang Church in Beijing which continues to hold outdoor services as officials continue to deny them access to their building.

Pakistan: 2013 

The country's blasphemy laws are some of the strictest in the world, and the World Council of Churches has called them "a major source of victimization and persecution" of religious minorities (Christians comprise just 1.6% of the population). The mere accusation of blasphemy is enough to spur angry mobs to violence and in March 2013 some 3,000 Muslims stormed Christian churches, torched hundreds of homes and burned hundreds of Bibles in a Christian neighbourhood of Lahore.

Nigeria: 2010

On 7 March 2010 some 500 Christians were murdered in the night by rampaging Muslim gangs near the city of Jos.

Germany: 2013

In August 2013 a task force of 20 police, social workers and special agents raided the home of a Christian family in Darmstadt. The four children (7-14 years) were forcibly removed from devastated parents after a court claimed that the children had "adopted the parents' opinions".

Operation Christmas Child:

A group of secularists who are threatening to take legal actions against public schools who participate in Operation Christmas Child as it is an 'overtly christian program'. The mission state of Samaritans purse is "to follow the example of Christ by helping those in need and proclaiming the hope of the gospel." A handful of public schools across the USA have already agreed to stop supporting Operation Christmas Child so as to not face lawsuits.

the persecuted church: Saeed Abedini

Ephesians 3:20 

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

SO much goes on around this world that we aren't even aware of. So many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being beaten and persecuted and murdered… we don't spend time thinking about them or praying for them and we aren't willing to open our eyes to see the reality of this world. Things aren't so bad for us, not yet anyways, and because we tend to spend so much of our time forgetting that there is more to the battle of Jesus than what we see personally each day - we are completely ignorant. We spend our day {our lives} building for ourselves a comfortable life, a beautiful home, a better status and reputation. We want to advance ourselves in society to make things easier for ourselves. We forget that we are in a war - a spiritual battle. Events are taking place all over the world that we can't even fathom because in our american culture - everyone has rights to believe what they want… but we all know the end of that is coming soon. To hear of a fellow christian serving in a brutal prison is heartbreaking, but in some parts of the world - that is THEIR reality! That is their day-to-day threat.

Pastor Saeed Abedini.

A 33-year-old American Pastor who is serving an 8 year sentence in one of Iran's toughest prisons simply for sharing his Christian Faith. 

"On 28 July 2012, during a visit to Tehran to visit family and to finalize the board members for an orphanage he was building in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard detained Saeed, asserting that he must face criminal charges for his Christian faith. After intense interrogations, Saeed was placed under house arrest and told to wait for a court summons. On 26 September 2012, instead of receiving a summons telling him where to appear, five members of the Revolutionary Guard raided Saeed’s parents’ home in Tehran, confiscated many of Saeed’s belongings, and took him to an unknown location. After four days the Revolutionary Guard informed the family that Saeed was in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison. During solitary confinement, Saeed was only brought out of his small, dark cell to be subjected to abusive interrogations."

• "Saeed had been denied medical treatment for infections that resulted from beatings. The ward doctor and nurse refused to treat him because, as a Christian, he was considered “unclean” and an infidel. Saeed’s family in Tehran may visit Saeed on Mondays, but he is not permitted to make phone calls, cutting him off from his wife and two young children in the U.S."
• "In late February it became known that Saeed was suffering from internal bleeding, an injury from beatings he endured during interrogations. Doctors examined Saeed in early March and determined that his injuries warranted immediate attention, and, in their medical opinion, he needed to be treated in a non-prison hospital. For a month, the Iranian regime ignored this advice. In an attempt to appease international pressure, on 8 April 2013, the Saeed was taken to a private hospital. Before doing so, guards forced Saeed to change his prison uniform to that of a murderer. Saeed resisted, the guards beat him, and forced him to wear the uniform. When Saeed arrived at the hospital he was never admitted or treated because, according to the guards, the doctor on staff was not present. Saeed has reported that several cellmates, who appear to be connected to the Iranian intelligence police, have threatened to suffocate Saeed while he sleeps."
• "Recently, Saeed’s condition became even more serious. Having been denied medical attention, he was thrown into solitary confinement. Beforehand, Saeed complained of kidney pain. He and the several other prisoners wrote a letter to prison officials in peaceful protest of lack of access to medical attention. In response, Iranian officials placed ten prisoners under solitary confinement, Saeed among them. Last time he was in solitary confinement, his medical condition substantially worsened. There is no reason to believe this time will be different. Saeed is now cut off from any visitation."
• "A petition has been started in Saeed’s name, and it quickly received overwhelming media attention. Secretary of State John Kerry has called for his release, the White House has called for his release, and the House of Representatives held an emotional hearing that highlighted Pastor Saeed's plight. Multiple nations have called for Saeed's release, and ACLJ attorneys have argued his case before the United Nations. Saeed’s petition has over 610,000 signatures and a letter writing campaign to encourage Saeed has garnered over 50,000 letters. Artists such as Toby Mac, Michael W Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Mercy Me, Skillet, Relient K, and Audio Adrenaline have been involved, and lent their voices to raise awareness."
•  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
• Pastor Saeed has been in prison for now 414 days.
• Leaving 2506 days left to be served.
• All because He proclaimed the gospel in a dark world.
• Unfortunately, in a disturbing turn of events, Saeed has very recently been transferred to one of the deadliest prisons in the world: Rajai Shahr
• "Rajai Shahr is the place where political prisoners who are seen as a nuisance, are stowed away. Going to Karaj is a severe punishment. Once in there one stops to be a human being. One is put out of sight, even of human rights activists and the press. In Rajaï Shahr, political prisoners have to share cells with dangerous criminals like murderers, rapists and drug addicts who don’t hesitate to attack their cell mates. They have nothing to lose: many of them are condemned to death anyway. Murders or unexplained deaths are a regular occurrence."
• Rajai Shahr was built to house 5,000 inmates, but at present the prison holds roughly 22,000 inmates. Such overcrowding has led to deadly and inhuman conditions. There is no access to fresh air or proper nutrition. Diseases are widespread. This prison is a place where those who are 'hopeless' to be free are sent for their remaining life - which has been proven to decrease significantly due to the conditions. I was considering sharing a few pictures of this prison, but the brutality of the events which take place here keep me from doing so. Images are too graphic to even glance at. 

•  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

How much time do we spend praying for the persecuted church? It's time we start… It's time to start praying ceaselessly for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray for Pastor Saeed Abedini. Pray for his release, for his protection, for his courage. Pray for his family in the USA who have no communication with him at this point. Pray and Pray hard. 

Please share this with YOUR friends to help create awareness.

*listen to Pastor Saeeds Letter*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvTS-V0nxc0

*sign the petition and learn more*
http://beheardproject.com/saeed

the forgotten definition of marriage

God rightly compares marriage to a vine. You’ve got to invest a lot, and you’ve got to wait a long time. You’re going to need to be patient and tending to it if you want it to grow and be fruitful. Adultery is like a Weed eater that carelessly severs the vine’s base, killing it in an instant." Marc Driscoll

As a young married person (married at the age of 20) something that I've been learning a lot in my first year of marriage is just how against the grains marriage is in-itself, let alone getting married so young. My eyes have really been opened to how confused our culture and society is when it comes to the topic of marriage. The definition of marriage has taken a hit. Actually, no... the definition of marriage has been forgotten altogether, and in its absence, sinful humankind has created 'make-shift' definitions which acquire to their sinful and selfish ways. It's at the point where people in my generation don't even grasp what marriage was made for... marriage has become about 'me' 'myself' and 'I'. 

Let me marry who 'I' want.

Let me marry how 'I' want.

Let me marry as often as 'I' want.

Let me marry as many as 'I' want.

Let me do as 'I' please in my marriage.

As a result marriage is no longer sacred between a man and a woman. 

Marriage is no longer even necessary for those who choose to live common-law.

Statistics of divorce are mind-blowing.

Marriage isn't even necessarily between 2 people...

Marriage is about pleasing oneself and serving ones own desires.

Entering into marriage as a sexually pure individual is humorous in our society and almost un-heard of.

What is Marriage Anyways?

 1. Marriage is a COVENANT (Malachi 2:14)

 - our culture says that marriage is just a contract/written agreement between two people. WRONG. Marriage is a covenant between God and 2 people and therefor those two people to each other. To be in covenant with one another, we first must be in covenant with God. Which is why it doesn't work for a believer to try and come into the covenant of marriage with one who is not saved. 

2. Marriage is Consummation. Genesis 2:24 says "the two became one flesh"...

 - pretty much consummation is the big word that says marriage allows for two people to have sex. This is the part that society laughs at. How can you even think about waiting until marriage to have sex... well, because we understand the value and sacredness of MARRIAGE. The mindset that says, 'having sex with multiple people right now is preparing me for marriage. It is teaching me not only what I need and what I like, but also how I can make my future spouse happy.." 

... thats insanity. Completely STUPID.

"Fornication is simply an internship for Adultery."

Having sex with multiple people, or maybe just one person, before marriage is only teaching you ONE thing: how to be unfaithful. You are practicing to cheat. To Lust. To Crave. The pattern of the bible is chastity before marriage and fidelity in marriage. They go hand-in-hand. So does fornication + adultery.

 >>><<<

Our generation needs a wake-up call.

Unfortunately, I am convinced that all of this insanity is only going to get worse in my day.

Sinful humankind will continue to create their own definition of marriage in order to satisfy their cravings and sinful desires, in order to make life easier and more comfortable for them.

What can we do?

pray.

be an example.

start attacking adultery and idolatry. 

be the change. 

Stand firm.

stay true to the TRUE definition of marriage.