I'm NOT ok!!!

My sister brought me a book that has rocked my world. Believe it or not I haven't actually read the book, just excerpts from the book, but its author has challenged me to the very core of my being. The book is Crazy Love by Francis Chan. The last time I went through something like this, I was searching for Christ & finding Him changed my world forever! This is similar. Because you see I have gotten caught up in the American Dream as well as the American Christianity. Somewhere along the line I went from a passion for Christ to keeping my Christian world safe & sound. That is NOT what God calls us to! And I realized that that is not what I signed up for either.

My sister began telling me about what was in the book which sounded intriguing to me so I checked this author out on Youtube. That is where I have been confronted by what I have fallen into believing. For quite awhile now I have been praying, crying out to God for the real truth, not what is so easily preached these days in the American churches even in my church. Francis Chan says that we take passages from scripture & we like to study them, talk about them, find the Greek meaning for them & then don't do anything about them. This soooo reminded me of the scripture passage the Lord showed me a few years back in Eze 33:30 - 32, "As for you, son of man, your countryman are talking together about you by the walls & at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, 'Come & hear the message that has come from the Lord.' My people come to you, as they usually do, & sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouth they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice & plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice." Somehow we think that by studying the Word of God & talking about it that we are ok. As long as we believe what the Word says we are fine. Where did we get that idea!!!

In his last sermon to his church (Francis was the founder & senior pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA), Francis said that when he had begun preaching out of Colossians one time, he just could not get past the introduction. "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God" (Col 1:1a) just jumped off the page. What struck him was that Paul was totally driven "by the will of God"! He just could not get past that. That has floated in my mind since I saw it. Are we? Are we totally driven by the will of God? Do we obey when He says to reach out to the lost? Do we obey when He says to give a cup of cold water in My name? (Mt 25) Do we take care of the widows & orphans? (Jms 1:27) Are we obedient even to the point of death? (Lk 14:26)

We have the Words of Life, why then don't we share it with people? Ours is a religion of love not hate. The world needs to hear it! We need to get off our 'blessed assurances' & share the Gospel to those in need, to be Jesus to a lost & dying world. I don't want to get to heaven & find that I haven't done all that I could for Christ.