Good tidings to you

May the peace that surpasses all understanding find you this holiday season. A life with Christ is the greatest adventure available to any man (or woman). It doesn't matter if you are the wisest of men or a lowly shepherd, you matter to God. Merry Christmas!

Grace Persists

"Forgive each other, just as Christ has forgiven you." Eph. 4:32

Forgiveness is one of the most essential beliefs underlying all of Christianity. Our own reconciliation with God hinges on the forgiveness of sin that is found in Christ. It is through this forgiveness that we find peace with God and then are able to delight in the full love of God.

This principle is brought up later in the New Testament as a critical principle between believers. In order to have healthy relationships with others, forgiveness and grace must exist and persist. But more than that, it must overflow every nook and cranny of the relationship.

Often after hearing a well-preached sermon about grace, forgiveness, and letting go of resentment we identify people that are "triggers" for us. We may pray for God to help us find some resolution. We may pray for God to help us let go of the hurt, to help us to forgive. We pray for God to help us redeem the relationship, to mend what was broken. We have a desperate faith -- hope beyond hope -- that the parent, child, friend, or spouse will become an intimate part of our lives again. We are ready to shower them with grace.

That feeling fades. That hope and faith begin to wither. We try to call them up...we might even drop by to try and "make things right." But they don't seem to be as full of grace as us, so eventually we give up. 

But grace must persist. Imagine what would have happened if God abandoned His pursuit of you at the first sign of difficulty. Or the second. Or the five hundredth. But He didn't. He kept pursuing you, full of love and grace. That's what love does. Against all odds and obstacles, grace persists.

Why I won't invite you to church

I am a Christian. I believe in Heaven and I believe in Hell. I believe that Heaven is an incredible place...a place where there is no sorrow, no tears, and no pain. I believe Hell is a place of torment and isolation, forever separated from joy, love, and God. I also believe that there is one path to Heaven...by accepting the gift of life that Jesus Christ, the son of God, died to give us.

But I'm not going to invite you to church.

It isn't that I hate you and want you to go to hell. It isn't that my church has something wrong with it. I'm not embarrassed about my faith or my church.

I believe that you matter to God. If you matter to God, you matter to me. God sent His only son to redeem humanity, to reconcile this lost world back to Him. But just because you matter to God doesn't mean you go to Heaven. The all mighty and all powerfull God has chosen to give us all free will. He allows us to chose where we spend eternity. We don't all get in.

So if I don't hate you, but I actually love you deeply and want to see you in heaven, why don't I invite you to church? Simple. Because church can't save you. You can attend church every day of your life, attend seminary, and even pastor a church and still not make it. Only Jesus can save you. That's all, nothing else. I don't want to invite you to church, I want to introduce you to Jesus.