A change can happen ~ it starts with you!!
The sad truth of todays culture?
We are dead.
Dead to ourselves.
Dead to our sin.
Dead to our addictions.
Dead to our compulsive patterns.
We are a shell of what we COULD be.
Because we are so bogged down with the harsh realities of the world.
So tempted, so stuck in our ways, fighting what seems to be a losing battle.
We are struggling to overcome darkness and we are falling short.
So what can we do to change that?
Heal.
You need to not let your baggage hold you back any longer.
You need to embrace God, let Him cleanse you & heal your heart.
Build fruitful relationships that will push you onward and fight the good fight with you.
We can't do it alone, so breathe, and understand that it's okay to ask for help.
Let God in your life and feel His forgiveness wash over you.
For the sins of yesterday,today, and always.
He is all powerful, all merciful, and all forgiving.
Knock, Ask, Seek.
(And you WILL be answered.)
What I have been noticing... as I have attended a new church, is that SO MANY CHURCHES (including my hometown church) have lost their fire. Their luster. Their desire to really worship and praise God with every fiber in their being.
We have lost our love for one another. We have put up walls. We have judged before we've gotten to know a person. We have not outstretched our arms in love. Or helped heal a broken person or family. We have gotten so stuck in a rut, we've lost any kind of unity. And if you have no family, no one to turn to, the CHURCH is suppose to be that family. And so many churches have fallen short of being that.
But this church I go to now? I joined at the right time. A time of REVOLUTION. A time where they see that all theological differences aside - OUR CULTURE IS SO FAR FROM GOD. That we are struggling to keep our heads above water. That we are on a very DANGEROUS ROAD. That we need to take drastic measures to save our youth, to save our generation. Because if you think the world is bad now?? What do you think it'll be like 10 years from now with no urgent effort to try and save the world? TEN TIMES WORSE. People, WAKE UP, it is up to YOU to plant the seeds. It is up to YOU to embrace a lost soul and show them the love and peace they are missing in their life. It is up to YOU to be a light and show them the difference. It is up to YOU to light that fire, get them interested, get them hooked. Make them see what they are missing. Make them see there is PEACE, SATISFACTION, and ULTIMATE LOVE&JOY to be had.
Together, we can CHANGE the world. Together we can light fires all over. Together we can stand united, not shoving a certain belief down ones throat, but getting them EXCITED to be a Christian. Not focusing on being a certain way, perfectly by the book, but getting people to walk into church and praise GOD with every fiber in them!
I have experienced all this and so much more in my weeks here. I count down the days until Sunday. Because I know I will get that rejuvenation I so desperatly need after a long week. Because I know I will get to spend time with my amazing Creator. Get to lift my hands and worship Him for everything He's done & given me. It's just me and Him in that sanctuary, and it's the MOST amazing thing. We have a new young adults pastor who has recently come to pastor.... and let me tell you, his ENERGY and how ALIVE and PASSIONATE he is, is so addicting. So catchy. You feel so motivated to go out there and start a revolution. And thats WHAT WE NEED. So badly. We need to be excited again. Remember the "Jesus Freak" days of DC Talk? We all wanted to just go out there and tell everyone we know about this happiness we found.
Well today, now more than ever, our generation needs that. Needs people to minister to them in a way they understand. Needs people who won't judge them by their physical appearance, but the way they dress, or their past transgressions. But who EXCEPTS them and WELCOMES them and shows them the way the truth and the life!
We need unity. We need to be a family. We need to rise up and spread God's word and his love. Its up to us to share. If we sit around praying for a revolution, thats only doing so much, and the changes won't be so evident. But if we get up and go out and be a disciple of His word -- think of how strongly God can use you. Don't be dead to them, to those who NEED you. Need you to start the revolution, to plant the seed.
If I help one person see that they can find complete happiness and peace in their lives, mission accomplished. Let God use you to spread the fire, and let Him open up eyes all over the world.
A change can happen. It starts with you.
-Rebekah
We are dead.
Dead to ourselves.
Dead to our sin.
Dead to our addictions.
Dead to our compulsive patterns.
We are a shell of what we COULD be.
Because we are so bogged down with the harsh realities of the world.
So tempted, so stuck in our ways, fighting what seems to be a losing battle.
We are struggling to overcome darkness and we are falling short.
So what can we do to change that?
Heal.
You need to not let your baggage hold you back any longer.
You need to embrace God, let Him cleanse you & heal your heart.
Build fruitful relationships that will push you onward and fight the good fight with you.
We can't do it alone, so breathe, and understand that it's okay to ask for help.
Let God in your life and feel His forgiveness wash over you.
For the sins of yesterday,today, and always.
He is all powerful, all merciful, and all forgiving.
Knock, Ask, Seek.
(And you WILL be answered.)
What I have been noticing... as I have attended a new church, is that SO MANY CHURCHES (including my hometown church) have lost their fire. Their luster. Their desire to really worship and praise God with every fiber in their being.
We have lost our love for one another. We have put up walls. We have judged before we've gotten to know a person. We have not outstretched our arms in love. Or helped heal a broken person or family. We have gotten so stuck in a rut, we've lost any kind of unity. And if you have no family, no one to turn to, the CHURCH is suppose to be that family. And so many churches have fallen short of being that.
But this church I go to now? I joined at the right time. A time of REVOLUTION. A time where they see that all theological differences aside - OUR CULTURE IS SO FAR FROM GOD. That we are struggling to keep our heads above water. That we are on a very DANGEROUS ROAD. That we need to take drastic measures to save our youth, to save our generation. Because if you think the world is bad now?? What do you think it'll be like 10 years from now with no urgent effort to try and save the world? TEN TIMES WORSE. People, WAKE UP, it is up to YOU to plant the seeds. It is up to YOU to embrace a lost soul and show them the love and peace they are missing in their life. It is up to YOU to be a light and show them the difference. It is up to YOU to light that fire, get them interested, get them hooked. Make them see what they are missing. Make them see there is PEACE, SATISFACTION, and ULTIMATE LOVE&JOY to be had.
Together, we can CHANGE the world. Together we can light fires all over. Together we can stand united, not shoving a certain belief down ones throat, but getting them EXCITED to be a Christian. Not focusing on being a certain way, perfectly by the book, but getting people to walk into church and praise GOD with every fiber in them!
I have experienced all this and so much more in my weeks here. I count down the days until Sunday. Because I know I will get that rejuvenation I so desperatly need after a long week. Because I know I will get to spend time with my amazing Creator. Get to lift my hands and worship Him for everything He's done & given me. It's just me and Him in that sanctuary, and it's the MOST amazing thing. We have a new young adults pastor who has recently come to pastor.... and let me tell you, his ENERGY and how ALIVE and PASSIONATE he is, is so addicting. So catchy. You feel so motivated to go out there and start a revolution. And thats WHAT WE NEED. So badly. We need to be excited again. Remember the "Jesus Freak" days of DC Talk? We all wanted to just go out there and tell everyone we know about this happiness we found.
Well today, now more than ever, our generation needs that. Needs people to minister to them in a way they understand. Needs people who won't judge them by their physical appearance, but the way they dress, or their past transgressions. But who EXCEPTS them and WELCOMES them and shows them the way the truth and the life!
We need unity. We need to be a family. We need to rise up and spread God's word and his love. Its up to us to share. If we sit around praying for a revolution, thats only doing so much, and the changes won't be so evident. But if we get up and go out and be a disciple of His word -- think of how strongly God can use you. Don't be dead to them, to those who NEED you. Need you to start the revolution, to plant the seed.
If I help one person see that they can find complete happiness and peace in their lives, mission accomplished. Let God use you to spread the fire, and let Him open up eyes all over the world.
A change can happen. It starts with you.
-Rebekah