Seeker-Friendly
Shifting the focus from HOLY to INVITING
We are called OUT of the world, to be HOLY as our FATHER is HOLY...
SET APART FROM the world > for GOD'S purposes
Sacred?
HE calls us priests and ambassadors of CHRIST
Christians are tempted to continue on with the world because we have so much in common with them. I mean, we grew up in the same world they did, right? Many of us have committed all the same sins they're guilty of. But instead of becoming LESS like the world and MORE like our FATHER... we don't know that we are addicted to these things that we've grown up with in this world. We are called to war AGAINST our flesh and remove ourselves from being like the world and doing what the world does because WE GAVE OUR LIFE AWAY AND IT'S NOT OURS ANYMORE AND WE WANT TO BE LIKE JESUS AND DO WHAT JESUS DID!!
And it's true. We don't know what we don't know, so we should be gracious with each other in the same AMOUNT of grace as our FATHER gives us... which is limitless. That being said, pastors are held to a higher standard before the people and before THE LORD. None of us are perfect. GOD told us through Paul that he wasn't perfect. He was still sinning and he couldn't stop and he hated it and I think it was part of the reason he wanted out. He wanted to go Home and to be with JESUS and be done. I get it. I'm there. I identify with Paul. Oh wretched man that I am.
BUT THE CHURCH... the place we come together to worship our FATHER and our LORD and SAVIOR? No. Never. NEVER. We can all muster up enough self-control to keep that place clean for HIM. It's for HIM. It's not for the world. It's for praise to HIM. It's for worship to HIM. Not things that this world has to offer. It's for HIS WORD to rule and reign supreme in that place with all of us together. It should be SO GODLY that people DO NOT want to stay... unless THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MOVING IN THAT PERSON!!!
That space of worship where sons and daughters of GOD come together, like the children of Israel, to worship before their GOOD and HOLY GOD... should be led by HIM, by HIS SON, and by HIS HOLY SPIRIT. And what does darkness have to do with the light?
Seeker-Friendly Challenge
Prove you are not a seeker-friendly pastor, teacher, or church.
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None are good. No. Not one. Even I am wretched, like Paul.
If we reject JESUS as MASTER (stop saying LORD - no one knows what that means) and SAVIOR, we will be separated from GOD forever. That's Hell.
JESUS lived the perfect life we could never live
and died the death that we deserve to pay for our sins and our sentence to Hell. If we refuse to bow down to the SON OF GOD... if we love our life... if we won't give it up to HIM... like HE gave HIMSELF up even unto death... for us... then there is no hope.
JESUS said if we won't give up anything and everything for HIM (like HE would go on to do for us), we cannot be HIS disciple. HE said if we are UNWILLING to suffer persecution and trial for HIM (like HE would go on to do for us), we cannot be HIS disciple. And if we won't love HIM more than we love anyone or anything... even our own life (like HE would go on to do for us), we cannot be HIS disciple.
Acts 11:26
The disciples (of JESUS) were first called Christians in Antioch.
IF YOU ARE NOT A DISCIPLE OF JESUS,
YOU ARE NOT A CHRISTIAN
If we do not give HIM our life (MASTER/LORD), then HE is not our SAVIOR.
Don't peddle false salvation.
Do not lower the standard. Ever.
Proclaim all of these every single church service
