Bible Characters

Hello everyone!

Last night I couldn't sleep, and I started wondering what Bible Character I am like the most. I went through a bunch of the "main" people, and the arguments for and against. Then I went through the "not so main ones" and did the same. Here's what I got.

1. Jesus---I'm not kidding. We're all called to be like Jesus. But I've learned a lot from his words, and how he acted. Here's my argument. Jesus took the path of descent. He was a king, who's kingdom was completely different from this world. Instead of riding in on a horse like most kings would, he rode on a donkey...crying. I cry a lot. I hate horses, and if I had to choose, I'd choose a donkey. LOL. But for real, He served, He didn't fight, he loved. He ate with the social rejects and reached out to the marginalized. That's my heart. He hated what the "church" or the body of believers had become, and if you know me, I feel the exact same way. My argument against. I'm not Jesus.

2. Elisha--- Coolest story in the Scriptures is when Elisha was walking up the mountain and these kids, 42 to be exact, started making fun of him calling him bald. So instead of ignoring him like any other mature adult would, he sent to bears to kill them. WOW! That's my case. He was a prophet, and didn't take a lot of crap from anyone. He had a vision of what it was to follow God, and nothing stopped him.

3. Isaiah---I like Isaiah and his words. He was living with the Isralites in exile. Be had vision and hope. God showed him that something great was out there, for all humanity. It wasn't just about the exile of the Israelites, it's about the exile of all humanity. God was going to come in and save all of humanity. I feel like for me, there is something out their more than just us. It's not about America, it's about all of humanity. My neighbor is the African woman who can't feed her kids. My enemy, who I may despise, God loves them just as much as He loves me. And Jesus isn't coming for America, or the Assemblies of God, but he's coming for all of humanity. Something bigger is out there. I see it, I believe it. There was hope for Isaiah, I see that hope.

4. Moses---Bringing people out of Egypt. Prison, slavery, oppression. My heart is that I can help people who are crying out for something more. Moses saw God. I want see, hear, and listen like Moses did. But God taught Moses that He hears the cry of the oppressed. After understanding that, I prayed that I would see and hear. Honestly, hardest thing for me. I see it, I've always seen it. In high school, I always saw the kids being left out, the ones people picked on, and my heart went out to them. I see people at the mall, and I can tell their hurting. I want to be like Moses and free people from that oppression.

5. Hosea---One of the greatest guys in the Scriptures. He married a prostitute...not saying Stephany is one...but he loved her no matter what. I think he's the "ideal" husband. He would have done anything for her, and he loved her. I want to be the husband that loves my wife and family unconditionally. I think I'm getting there. I think it's something most men strive towards. But it makes sense that God, as the husband, and the church, his bride, loves us no matter what we do. Hosea got that. I'm getting it. God doesn't love me for what I do, or what I've done. He doesn't love me for the money I make, the TV I have, my car, my savings. God loves me...period. I woke up today, and God loved me for doing nothing. He accepts me, not for my accomplishments, but for being me, His creation.

There you have it. What do you think...

VM

Exodus

I absolutely love the book of Exodus. I have learned so much about God through this book. I would like to add a couple of comments...

1. I think we can all learn about being delivered and going through our own personal exodus'. If we look, the Israelites forget what God does...over, and over, and over. And Moses, and eventually the prophets, all continually say, "Remember..." Remember when God delivered you from Egypt. Remember when God was there and separated the water. Remember when God provided for you. And I think we, the church, and individually, forget sometimes that God has taken us out of our own Egypt and delivered us. I think we can hear the prophets words echo in our hearts..."Remember..." Remember when God provided the money. The food. The people. The resources.

2. I think it's very interesting to see God's nature on Mt. Sinai. God says, "You will be my priest...a holy nation." (NASB/Vince version). Priest? We, just people, full of sin, are to be priest. God was looking for a body. Looking for a group of people to dwell amongst. He says that he "hears the cry of the oppressed" and "he listens, and redeems them". God is looking for people, to be His body, his priest, to be "God on earth". And so as his body, we have to ask the question, "What are we supposed to do." And in my mind it's simple, we hear the cry of the oppressed. We hear, we listen, and we deliver...just as God delivered us. God says to Moses that we are to take care of the orphan and the widow. Take care of the oppressed. And if we don't, well...we're putting people back in Egypt. We're doing exactly what God doesn't want us to do. And to that, God says he will deliver those people, just like he delivered us. But at our own expense. So the question I pose is this, are we hearing the cry of the oppressed? Redeeming, freeing people? Or are we, in a way, Pharaoh, and putting people back into Egypt. Where they are crying, and broken, and needing deliverance. And if we are...then that puts God at an awkward juncture. We are supposed to people of God, priests. And if we aren't being what he's called, then what are we being? And how does God deal with that? The Israelites eventually became the biggest Empire around Solomon's reign. And they stopped listening to God, the stopped hearing the cries of the oppressed, and started getting things at others expenses. They had slaves, armies, money, ivory temples, and God doesn't like any of that (Isaiah 1 NASB). And he sends Amos to King Amaziah (a descendent of Solomon). He says that they must stop, or God will put destruction on him, his family, and the Israelites. Amos says, "I was neither a prophet, not the disciple of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me out from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'...Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword...And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land." (Amos 7.14-17) WOW! Exile...it's funny. At the height of power, Israel misused blessings, favortism and entitlement. They became indifferent to God, to the calling they had to bring liberation to others. Exile. When you still have the power and the wealth and the influence, and yet, you blow it. You forgot who you were in the first place. So I ask...have we forgotten? Are we in exile? Have we forgotton our story? Have we failed to convert our blessing into blessing for others? Exile...is when we find ourselves strangers to the purposes of God.

Just some things to think about this weekend. Where are we in God? Where are we in the world? Where are you...in St. Louis? Are we in exile? Do we hear the cry of the oppressed? Do we take care of the oppressed, the orphan, widow? (Isaiah 1.17 NASB) Do we free people...or put them back in exile...back in Egypt?

VM

A journey...

I'm currently reading "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne. It has wrecked me. Completely changed my views of religion, Jesus, God, life, and Christianity. I'm happy I'm reading it, yet at the same time I'm disturbed. In the fact that I'm having to change. And it's a hard change. I feel like I'm going against the grain...the grain that is set up by America. I personally think it's getting back to what Jesus meant. In the book he talks about what it really means to follow Christ, what it means to bring the Kingdom of God to Earth. I've begun to realize that I bring Hell to people's lives. I'm not being like Jesus. Oh sure, I'm being like the American Jesus, but not the real life, real person, in your face, tick you off Jesus. Yep, Jesus ticked people off. I'm realizing that Jesus didn't care for the "cool", "popular", "rich" people. And for that it got Him killed. But he liked the poor, lonely, hurting, diseased infected, drunks, homeless, and the hookers. I don't like any of those people. I've always had a burden for people who are hurting and sad and what not. I always thought it was the way God made me. And though I think that's true, I think that it's more God saying, "You care for them, cause it's what you're supposed to do. Go take care of them." Since reading this book, I've seen that as the church, the American church...we're missing it! Big time! And I'm tired of it. Americans get apathetic for church and the need for God. I recently was talking to a friend about miracles. He was asking why don't we see miracles in America. I said we do, but we don't have a need for them. Why do I need to be healed, when I can go to the doctor and he can cure me. I have health insurance that will take care of it. We (America) have become our own god. But the people in Africa, or India, they need a miracle, or they'll die. No HMO or anything. It's God, or death. Therefore, because America has what we need, we've become distant to the need of God. So in our churches, we've softened the gospel. In Revelation, God says that you should either hot, or cold. But if you're lukewarm, He'll spit you out of His mouth. Lukewarm also means, "cool". So if you're the "cool" one, the one who has everything and doesn't need God, or you keep to yourself, God's going to spit you out of his mouth. We've watered down the gospel of Jesus. Twisted His words around to make sense, and make it comfortable for us. We've created the American Christian. We've tried to make sense of sin. "It's ok to sleep with your boyfriend, but not someone's husband", "It's ok to smoke pot, but not to try heroin"(Shellie R. Warren). Sin is sin and the wages of sin is DEATH. We've become dysfunctional. We've got to get back to the Kingdom, and not the American dream. We've got make sure God's happy, and not our friends. Jesus even warns us that our friends and our family won't like us. I have a sad feeling that if Jesus were to walk by us, we'd ignore Him. If He'd come to our church, we'd tell him to leave or ignore Him. We pray that God would bless us, yet Jesus says "...blessed are the poor...". We pray that God blesses us with money, nice things, big cars, and toys. But that's completely contradictory with the Gospels. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.



I've come to a point in my life were as long as God is happy, then I'm happy. I don't think that God is happy with most Christians. We need to tell people that God loves them and has a plan for their lives. "All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance, just don't tiptoe." (Mother Teresa) "Many of us tiptoe through life, and our relationship with God. We want easy, small steps that will get us where we need to be. We want to get to Heaven as easy as possible, without the work. I say lets run to Heaven, lets run with God. Lets dance and skip with God. Jesus, the disciples, and many martyrs ran their way to Heaven. The Gospel of Jesus isn't boring. If we continue to lose kids to drugs, sex, alcohol, war and violence, it's because we don't dare them. Forget entertainment, we don't dare them to run or dance. It may not be cool. Easy, fast and tiptoeing is cool. And cool people will get spit out of God's mouth. I've made the gospel easy. Easy and cheap. And it's hard, difficult, and may cost you your life and friends. But Jesus says rejoice. They did it to him first. Rejoice because our reward is in Heaven. Following Christ goes against society. It's taking a stand against social-injustice, war, violence, and the American dream. We aren't upstanding, "good" people. We're followers of God, who don't submit to demonic forces, numbness, complacency, and comfort. We are to stir up something. Bringing the Kingdom of God to Earth may get you into trouble. You may catch crap for it, but remember, Jesus caught it first. " (Author Shane Claiborne)



Join with me on this journey.

VM

Social Injustice

I'm watching extreme home makeover. And they are doing a project in the ghetto of New Jersey. And they are trying to eliminate poverty and give this family of 6 (Dad + 5 boys) a new start. And I thought, what if the church where to do that? Really take a chance, just a shot at eliminating poverty? When we start a church, what if we really put a focus on social injustice? Poverty, taking care of the environment, youth under depression, AIDS in Africa, Saving Darfur. What if we really started to care about things that would make Jesus upset? We could change the world....with love. Not caring about being the "typical church"...but be the church that Jesus has called us to be. What if we got the rich were to help eliminate poverty? And the poor to teach the rich love and what it means to live life.

What if we had our own...Extreme Home Makeover? Build housing, give clothes, food, and toys for the poor. Completely free to them, all to show them that God loves them. All to show that the God in the Bible is real. And that the God in the bible, the God of the poor, and oppressed, and the broken hearted, is here to save, and comfort them.

VM