Not too long ago a church some new equipment. The church needed some updated equipment for they had been using the same stuff for 20 years. Finally the day arrived and everything was installed. The church would be able to finally be able to give their best for the kingdom of God as soon as they learned how to use everything and the new pastor of the church was encouraged as he handed the manuals of the sound board and DVD player to the media director to take home. Most everything was the same but on the old DVD player the remote had “title” instead of “menu” for the main menu and had a simple “enter” instead of having also a “play” button on the remote. The sound board had 4 channels where you could double up 2 inputs for stereo therefore after channel 16 came channel 17/18 instead of just 17 and so on. No biggie the pastor thought since we were now after a year of slowly directing the congregation to reach out to the new generation. He got to church on Sunday to find a note from the media director that he came to get a feel for the new equipment before Sunday. The Pastor whose heart was ready for this grand opening and gateway to a new era for the old church to be a force in this struggling community with many lost people turning from God due to the religious people stuck in the past immediately had his heart fall past his stomach. The reason being the manuals, still in their packages unused, sat next to markers marking up the board with everything lined up the way the old board was. Sitting next to a DVD remote with play and menu blotched out with marker and the words enter and title written in beside them. You see we hold on to the way things always have been not realizing the instruction book had all the right answers all along. Like the manuals, we never break open the bible to realize that when we change how the gospel is presented but not the message we are doing nothing but killing the ministry the church was sent out to do.
This isn’t a post about the way we do things or what philosophy is right. This is a post to let us process our attitude and outlook on being God’s hand reaching out or doing what we have always have done because, at least to us, it has always worked.
6.10.10
Questions...some more
The question has been asked about piercings tattoos and what you should or should not do. That makes sense because the church has been great about making that list in the US. I am reminded of Paul’s words to a similar issue the church in Corinth, Greece had in 1 Corinthians 10:23
Pretty much the verse says that you can do anything you want but not everything helps you. You can do anything you want but only Jesus is master Lord, in control of your life, nothing else.
That raises the questions though of OT Law and OT, NT and historical culture and taboos concerning certain things. I remind the readers who attend our church that my parents and grandparents had to sign a form stating they would not go to movie theaters and agree to a list of other things that most of us have done or are doing that are reading this. I am not going to bring up the arguments or give evidence other than the fact that Paul wanted the Corinthian church and us to understand that we have free will and can do whatever we choose. That choice may be good or bad. For instance if you get a tattoo after your mom tells you not to you have disobeyed her and have sinned, missed God’s standard. You need to make it right by asking forgiveness from both her and God because you are wrong according to Ephesians 6. Yet you get a tattoo and use it effectively not to show off your body but to witness to someone else with tattoos and they see God’s love and come to Christ. I will say that I, without tattoos can do the same thing because tattoos or no tattoos, God’s love has no limits. But I will say that when it comes to relationship over religion instead of hearing someone’s opinion of what is on their “list” of do’s and don’ts you need to read scripture like 1 Corinthians 10 and make your own standards to not have anything but God be in control of your life. It all comes down to motive that most of the time is between you and God unless you make it known to others so that is why God is our master and not something on the list. Sometimes we want to rebel which is natural in our sinful nature. But as Paul also says we aren’t people of death and darkness but when we have a strong relationship with Christ we are people of light and truth getting rid of sinful nature including rebellion.
You can do anything you want but not everything helps you. You can do anything you want but only Jesus is master Lord, in control of your life, nothing else.
Pretty much the verse says that you can do anything you want but not everything helps you. You can do anything you want but only Jesus is master Lord, in control of your life, nothing else.
That raises the questions though of OT Law and OT, NT and historical culture and taboos concerning certain things. I remind the readers who attend our church that my parents and grandparents had to sign a form stating they would not go to movie theaters and agree to a list of other things that most of us have done or are doing that are reading this. I am not going to bring up the arguments or give evidence other than the fact that Paul wanted the Corinthian church and us to understand that we have free will and can do whatever we choose. That choice may be good or bad. For instance if you get a tattoo after your mom tells you not to you have disobeyed her and have sinned, missed God’s standard. You need to make it right by asking forgiveness from both her and God because you are wrong according to Ephesians 6. Yet you get a tattoo and use it effectively not to show off your body but to witness to someone else with tattoos and they see God’s love and come to Christ. I will say that I, without tattoos can do the same thing because tattoos or no tattoos, God’s love has no limits. But I will say that when it comes to relationship over religion instead of hearing someone’s opinion of what is on their “list” of do’s and don’ts you need to read scripture like 1 Corinthians 10 and make your own standards to not have anything but God be in control of your life. It all comes down to motive that most of the time is between you and God unless you make it known to others so that is why God is our master and not something on the list. Sometimes we want to rebel which is natural in our sinful nature. But as Paul also says we aren’t people of death and darkness but when we have a strong relationship with Christ we are people of light and truth getting rid of sinful nature including rebellion.
You can do anything you want but not everything helps you. You can do anything you want but only Jesus is master Lord, in control of your life, nothing else.
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