Out Of Love

    I would say that the majority of the American population attends buildings on Sunday mornings. A coat and tie, a clean cut preacher with funny jokes. Someone who will keep you entertained for an hour, and when you leave you have a giant smile on your face because it was an uplifting service. If you pulled a non believer off the street, it would look no different than a sweet concert they just attended on Saturday night. Of course they will enjoy it. Finely manicured lawns. Giant stone buildings with fountains. Lights, fog machines, and great acoustics. Appealing videos, Coffee machines and playgrounds, tv's with lyrics on them. Comfy chairs and cool temperatures. 1 cross in a fancy design with cool colors to accompany it. The pastor says to turn on your phone or ipad to follow along. After the service, conversations are happening about the upcoming game that day. 

   My dear brothers and sisters, Is this what Jesus laid down His life for? This is the very Church that He died for? Is this what He has called us to do? Has He really called us to sit back and enjoy an entertainment service with a little God on top? Does God call us not to conform to the world, but be transformed by the word? Do Sunday mornings look any different that the first 6 days of the week? "Drew.. you seem so upset." Have not I reason to be? Millions of people are being deceived by crafty magicians to grow their kingdoms instead of God's and you ask me to just sit back and enjoy? Maybe I am a little upset because I was deceived for so long. I bought into the emotion driven building instead of the spirit led church.  I love people especially friends and family way too much to not speak up. I don't want anyone I dearly love to spend eternity in Hell because they have been wrongfully deceived. 

    If there is one thing that crushes my heart more than anything in the entire world is a preacher leading someone in the "Sinners Prayer." Please I beg, someone show me in scripture where to find that. I search nearly every day and have yet to find it. What do I find instead? I find Jesus telling us that it will cost our lives to follow Him. I find that we must obey His word and repent of our sins. I find that it is a lifelong journey of perseverance towards Him and His word. I find that there will be sacrifices. I find that if I lose my life, I actually gain it. I find that just verbally saying He is Lord is not enough to enter the Kingdom. I find that we will know people by their fruits. I find that we are called to make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In all of this, I have yet to read about a time where Jesus was preaching and He told everyone to bow their heads, close their eyes and repeat a little prayer. I have yet to find a time that He asks people to slip their hand in the air if they prayed the prayer. I have yet to find a time where Jesus asked for people to clap because someone prayed a prayer. I have yet to find a time in scripture where Jesus asks people to come up to the front after praying a prayer so He can get their information.  Please tell me where I can read this in scripture. "But Drew times have changed. We don't have to do exactly what the bible tells us." Dear friends the world has changed, but the word of God has not. Salvation, a beautiful  gift from the Heavenly Father, we Americans have found a way to Americanize it and water it down to a simple 1 minute prayer because we know that we don't want to lay down our entire life to follow Jesus. We have a job, family, school, sports to take care of. We have too much to do.

    Who are we to determine the eternal destination of someone? Is it not the work of the Holy spirit transforming a life? Does scripture not tell us that God who begins a good work will finish it? When did man gain the ability to play God and determine who enters His kingdom? I pray that people will open the scripture and determine for themselves what the gift of salvation is. I pray that people learn about the Holy, Righteous, Just God of the bible, not the fluffly powerless god that most buildings talk about. I pray that people have a head on collision with the Holy Spirit. I love people way too much for me not to open up about this. I was once blind, but now I see. Amazing Grace.