Go and Sin No More

Jesus did, indeed, tell people to stop their sinful behavior. But, that's not the first thing he did when he met with someone. He showed them love first.

Don't push away His hands

Ok, so Joseph, Jesus' earthly dad, was a carpenter. I imagine he taught Jesus a thing or two about carpentry. In fact, a lot of people, including me, believe that carpentry is what Jesus did before the whole disaster aversion at a certain wedding. Now, imagine that you're his apprentice in carpentry. He's working on his magnum opus, and he wants your help with it, even though you've just started the job.

There Never Was A Better Plan

If you're like me, you've wondered why God decided to make us. If He knows everything that's going to happen, why go through with it at all? How could He, knowing all we would do, still create us? How could He put Himself through our continual and repetitive betrayal? How could he let Satan into the Garden, knowing that Eve would take the bait? Wouldn't it have been better just not to do it? To avoid it altogether, by not making us in the first place?

I don't know how to tell you this...but you're wrong.

Actually, I know exactly how to tell you; you're wrong. It doesn't matter if your facts are all correct, you have all the evidence in the world, and you've been able to shoot down every argument they have. You're still wrong. Why, you ask? Because you're missing the point. The point of life, and even less so the point of following Christ, is not to be able to prove that you're right.

God Loves Fags

First, I want to apologize for the use of "fags" in the title. I wanted to grab attention, and it was the best way I could think of. I know that a fag is a cigarette butt, and not a person.

Second, I want to repeat it. God loves people who are lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender. The operative word, there, is "people". They are still human beings, created in His image, and He still loves them. I know what the people over at Westboro and the like will say. "What about Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13? I won't get into an argument about whether people should still be stoned. I think Jesus covered that in John 8:7, don't you?

So, let's look at "detestable," or the King James' "abomination," according to Webster.

detestable, adj: arousing or meriting intense dislike

abomination, n: 1: something abominable 2: extreme disgust and hatred

For the sake of completeness, let's define abominable as well.

abominable, adj: worthy of or causing disgust or hatred

See? It says it right there, "hatred". Twice, even! But wait! Let's look at some pronouns...


In 18:22, it says "they have done what is detestable". It does say "they," which is a personal pronoun, referring to more than one person. But, "what" is an impersonal pronoun. It refers to a thing, not a person.  It does not say that the people who have done it are detestable, but the act of homosexual intercourse is detestable, or an abomination. It's what they have done that God hates, not the people themselves.

In fact, nowhere in the Bible, that I have found (correct me if I'm wrong), does it say that God hates a person or people. But, over and over, it says that He hates what they have DONE. In fact, a quick search of "lord hates" (with quotes) shows 4 results in the NIV, and NONE in the King James, to which many of these Pharisaical zealots hold. Of the four in the NIV, one is the people of Israel being rebellious, talking about how the Lord hates them and brought them into the wilderness to die in Deuteronomy 1:27, then Psalm 97:10 says "those who love the Lord hate evil." The other two, Deuteronomy 12:31 and Proverbs 6:16 talk about things that the Lord hates, not people. A similar search of "God hates" (again, with quotes) finds one in the NIV, and NONE again in the King James. Deuteronomy 16:22, says that the Lord hates "sacred stones," which are, again, things. I could go on with "lord despises" and "lord detests" and all the synonyms for "hate", but you get the picture. God doesn't hate people. He hates the things people do.

In closing, I want to toss something your direction that has struck me recently; it seems that the reason so many people don't like the church, and use that as an excuse not to get to know God, is not just that we're a bunch of hypocrites, for the most part (though that is a large reason). From spending time on the internet, it looks like the world's problem with us is that we're constantly trying to prove ourselves right. To defend our position. To "stand up for Jesus." Well, let me tell you something. First, Jesus doesn't need anyone to stand up for Him. He can take care of Himself. Second, get over yourself! Who cares if what an atheist or a gay person or a professor or another denomination or anybody says that offends you!? Life isn't all about you! Everything comes down to love, which puts others above yourself, and doesn't seek its own ends. Try it sometime?

P.S. I know that someone will point out that I've done exactly what I've said you shouldn't, proving myself right. In my defense, I submit this: I'm advocating love, not trying to prove myself right.

I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out. Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments! If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too. Twitter:@GetItReallyReal Please subscribe and/or share.

It's All About the Heart

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

We quote this often (Luke 6:37-38), praying for a great return on what we give so that we can get back more than we gave. And often, we give an absolute minimum (to the church, missions, church family members, etc) and expect many times the return on our "investment." I bet you can already tell where I'm going here: we're selfish.

The Kingdom of Heaven is AT HAND

"From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" - Matthew 4:17

The word for "repent," here, is "metanoeo." It means "to think differently afterward." It's not so much the "I was walking this way, now I've turned around and am walking the opposite direction," or changing the way you behave because you know it's wrong, as I've seen illustrated many times. It's more changing the WAY you think, which leads to turning around and behaving righteously.

What causes this thinking differently afterward is the fact that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Literally, it's within arms reach, ready to be grasped and utilized. It's here, where we are, all around us, available for us to live in. It's filled with righteousness, peace, and joy by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Bob Hamp at Gateway Church puts it something like this: Think about before God created the universe. When it was "In the beginning, God". Before there was anywhere or anything. "Place" isn't an accurate word, but we'll use it because as humans we can't understand it any other way. So, in this place, where there is only God, what's there? Well, the Bible says that God is love. So there's love. The love that has spent all time working on preparing us to be Christ's bride. He is also the God of all peace. So it's full of peace that's beyond understanding, because there has never been, nor will there ever be a threat to God. Period. He is also a righteous God. Every good and perfect thing comes from Him, and so there would be nothing not good in this place. The fruit of the Spirit. All the things that are true about God, are in this place.

While it's not explicitly stated in scripture, wouldn't this place -- where there is nothing but God -- be accurately called His kingdom?

This has helped me big time with the "in the world, not of it" way of life. As a citizen of heaven, I get to have these things at my disposal at any time. In this world, I can live rightly in peace and joy, regardless of the circumstances caused by the people and events that are outside this kingdom, because the Spirit and the kingdom are in me. Circular, I know, but it makes sense if you put some effort into thinking about it.


I may not have it all figured out, but I do say what I think. If you have any questions about faith in Jesus, don't hesitate to email me. It's my job to help you out.Have an idea for me? Let me know in the comments!If you see any spelling/grammatical errors, PLEASE let me know in a comment. I expect others to use correct English, so I should too.Twitter:@GetItReallyRealPlease subscribe and/or share.