I am a Christian #iamachristian

I want my words to bring life and encouragement.  To express love and bring others to Christ.  

I am a Christian.  I know that can bring a negative feeling to some people.  Whether they’ve been hurt by the church, or simply don’t believe in Jesus. 

Let me explain what I mean when I say I’m a Christian… 

I love Jesus and I follow him.  I follow Him by reading the Bible and praying.  I believe the Bible is the Word of God, written by men but inspired and preserved through the ages by the Holy Spirit.  While I don’t know if all the stories are meant to be literal (like, did Job really exist?) or are they meant to be parables.  I think the lessons are the same either way.  Prayer is a 2-way street, I talk to Him and He speaks to me.  Hardly ever audible, its more of a still quiet voice in my mind/heart.  I can know its Him when what He says agrees with His Word.  So I need to read the Word to know it’s Him speaking.  His ways are higher and different from the world’s ways too.

I believe.  I believe Jesus actually was born of a virgin and never sinned, although tempted.  I believe He literally died on a cross, was buried and was raised from the dead.  I believe this means He is the only way to Heaven.  I believe this means I owe Him my life.

How do I give Him my life?  By following His plan for me and not my own.  I’d rather travel for fun and not go to 3rd world countries.  But I’ve let His desires become my desires and I have a hard time imagining vacationing anywhere besides a little known African country, loving on the people who are poor.  I’d rather sleep in on Sundays, but I go to church.  I’d rather blog about senseless things and not bare my soul to an unseen audience, but I spill it all for the sake of someone being set free.

I’d rather date and have sex and not be waiting for my husband.  Instead I’m 15 years celibate and proud of it, although frustrated at times 😉

I am a Christian.  I love people.  I love them in their sin, but don’t want them to stay that way.  We all sin, we all fall short of God’s perfect will but that doesn’t make us unlovable.  Hate never changed anyone’s mind.  I know it’s cliché, and maybe not the best way to put it, but I love the person and hate the sin.  You are not your sin so I think that’s a viable statement.

I feel like I’m write some sort of manifesto or something.

I see people all around me hurt by the church.  This breaks my heart.  One because of the hurt people in power can do to people and two that it means people equate the church with God.  We are supposed to be His body, but we’re dysfunctional.  That pastor’s ego does NOT negate the love of God.

I mean I’m a Christian in the plain sense that I’m ‘a follower of Christ’.  I happen to belong to a Foursquare Church, but I’m a follower of Christ above all. 

The more I fall in love with God, the less I want to disappoint Him and the more I want others to know that love.  Not so you’ll go to church exactly, but so you can know freedom from sin and eternity in Heaven and not Hell.

Yes, I believe in a literal Heaven and Hell.  One is the everlasting presence with God and one is without.  And accepting Jesus’ sacrifice is the only way to the Father.

OK, I think I’m done.  I don’t know why I wrote all that, maybe it’ll speak to someone… or maybe I just needed to remind myself of what I believe