ridiculous gospel tracts

ever pick up a gospel tract with pictures of hell and people walking into the mouth of a gigantic flaming skull? I have. How do I feel about that?

Well, I feel two things. First, I feel put off. Secondly, I feel sorry. I feel put off because the message of the tract seems to “revel in” rather than “revere” the wrath and Justice of God. Though I am an unapologetic about God’s wrath, that doesn’t mean I enjoy morbidly depicting hell for people.

I feel sorry, because many are getting a wrong image of who God is as well as the call of the Gospel (the good News). The call of the Gospel is one of compassion, deep sorrow, and the most powerful joy. It is one that confronts sinners and reveals their sin, but not with caricatures or words of ridicule. The reality of Sin is tragic and there are far too many misunderstanding of what it is. We don’t need more imaginitive portrayals of what it looks like.

I have a lot more to say but in order to make this post short, I’ll just say this. You don’t need to make the Gospel into a comic book and lay it as a trap for people to read it. Rather, you need more people who are willing to put their life on the line and possibly take the grief of rejection and ridicule. Comic books are for entertainment. Jesus is not a matter of entertainment.

For those who are wondering then, what IS the gospel?. Here, I don’t need a comic book to say this.

1. There is a God who made us. As His creation we were made to be with and enjoy Him through honoring Him and loving Him.
2. However the world chooses not honor God, we reject Him and His words. To be honest, we do more than reject…we ridicule and mock, even denying their existence. Therefore we are Sinners.
3. As sinners, we feel the shame and guilt and regret of our sin. Some of us, even feel like we deserve to be punished. Those feelings only prove that we have truly done something wrong. God is a God of Kindness and Love, but He is also a God of perfect Justice who, as the ultimate Standard and Judge of Right and Wrong, must punish sinners. So in the face of all our sin, we are therefore waiting for our punishment which may fall on us at any point in time, (since you don’t know when you die.)
4. This is where the good news comes in. Remember I said God was a God of love and kindness? I wasn’t kidding. He sent his only Son Jesus, to die the death of a criminal on a cross. On that cross he offered up a sacrifice… a payment, for sin by absorbing the full blow of God’s wrath upon his own body. Christ’s payment for sin was a gift. It is offered to all. If we are willing to accept it by faith, it is ours. Our sins are paid for. And if we are paid for, we are not our own, but Christ’s, whom we now live for.
5. That’s the Gospel.

note: Now, I know most of us think we’re not that bad. But let’s say you sinned only once a day (which is downright amazing), that’s 365 sins a year. Compound that with say..60 years of your life. 21,900 sins. That’s a lot of sin already. Increase it to two sins a year, and you get 43,800. Ouch. Nobody is as good as they think. But let’s not play the number game. Simply stated, all of us are habitual sinners, and none of us have the power to erase what we’ve done. Furthermore, you can do as much good as you want, but doing good doesn’t erase the past. For all that sin, somebody’s got to pay.

Not Satisfied with being loved by God

I wish I wrote this song, because it speaks directly from and to my heart. It is the song of one unsatisfied by God, and the brokenness that results from faithless harlotry and the final question, “God will you still accept me?”

If you could love me as a wife
and for my wedding gift, your life.
Should that be all I’d ever need
or is there more I’m looking for

and should I read between the lines
and look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want

I am a whore I do confess
but I put you on just like a wedding dress
and I run down the aisle
and I run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
but I put you on just like a ring of gold
and I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child
Though I don’t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side

I am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
a husband’s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

-Wedding Dress by Derek Webb

everlasting

One of the things that make joy joyful is joy promises joy in the future. I’m not trying to be redundant, I promise.

Drinking ice cold orange juice after working out is incredible at the very first sip because you know that in that moment, just for a few seconds more that feeling of “ahhh” is going to keep going. Thanksgiving day feels wonderful because when you wake up in the morning you know you have a full day of crazy fun in store and a big fat turkey waiting for you at the dinner table. Going to sleep on Christmas Eve is precious because when you put your head down on your pillow you know that tomorow you will wake up to a fresh smelling christmas tree, presents, and family. Soap operas are great because you know that no matter how good the episode ends, there’s always another episode full of wonderful sappiness just waiting to be watched. Dating is great because you know that no matter how happy you are when you’re with your significant other, she’ll still be there (or he’ll still be there) even after a minute is over.

The concept of “lasting beyond the present moment” is inherent in the experience of joy.
That’s why nothing on this ol’ earth fulfills our longing for ultimate joy. The greatest joy in the world lasts no more than 80 years tops, and that’s if you’re talking about the perfect marriage, and then it’s over.

But theoretically. Christians get a chance to experience ultimate joy in knowing God which from the moment of regeneration only increases with each day. We can always look forward to the certainty of seeing and savoring the glory of God in a deeper and more real way, therefore Christian joy today, is potentially everlasting.

so yes, I’m watching Chinese soaps. What’s it to you? it’s for language acquisition okay?

wallet found

it is barely an hour after my last post.  My wallet has been found. praise God.

But really, I am an idiot.

I got my wallet stolen yesterday

These are the sort of times when I look up to the sky and say, “God. why would you do this to me?”

and even though I don’t hear any audible responses. I get the feeling the answer is: “Because you are an idiot.”

well, at least I still have my phone, my keys, my computer and my passport.

sigh.

Coming to grips with what words can hide

The word “sin” has lost its punch. In Christian circles, to say “I’m a sinner,” is not much of a confession anymore. We can even sit in front of our brothers and sisters in the Lord, shrug our shoulders and say it..boldly. No big deal. We’ve forgotten to blush.

Here is how I remind myself of what it means when I say I’m a sinner.

I cannot count the times I have betrayed my God, my family and my closest friends. Behind sycophantic smiles of approval I have jealously coveted and cursed others happiness and wished to take it from them. In the hidden corner of my eye I have indulged in fantasies too shameful to speak of and then scrambled to cover my tracks. And in those hazy corridors of my heart I have killed and tortured with the blackest hatred, pulling triggers, thrusting knives, and smashing faces into concrete.

So when I look at myself in the mirror, what I see is this: a spineless traitor, a cowardly thief, a shameless adulterer, and a heartless serial murderer …  I am a murderer.

…good God

That’s what I really mean when I say “I’m sinner.”

Jesus, the Christ, knew Sin was nothing to shrug at.

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court … You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Let’s stop hiding behind the phrase “I’m a sinner,” and start coming to grips with the monsters that we are. It will make for humbler Christians and more genuine Testimonies.

My Family is leaving Today

tear tear.