Let's open our eyes!

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Peter 4:8

What I'm about to write is something that has bothered me for the longest time. A lingering thought the Lord put in my heart, that had to be made into words.
Whenever people hear the word church, they tend to frown or roll their eyes, but why? What is it that makes them reject God and His house? One of the things that most seem to stand out are the words "old-fashioned," "judgement," "criticism," "hypocrisy,"  among others...which characterize humans, not God.
What has slapped me on the face as a hard reality is that what pushes people away from God the most, tend to be christians themselves.
Picture the random guy at the streets with a sign on his hands that says REPENT SINNERS shouting to people that they'll go to hell if they don't...do people want to hear him? I don't think so.
Not even I would like to hear him.
        With great regret and embarrassment I realized that christians have not been known by the world for living in the love of God, loving one another unconditionally, being united, being  full of forgiveness, without judgement, willing to help the needy, defending and helping their brother when he falls, loving the lost soul... 
Why isn't  there more often a random guy in the streets with a sign that says JESUS LOVES YOU and shouting to passerbys messages of encouragement and hope?
      It seems that "christians" have been known through history by being outright religious than spiritual, critical than forgiving, more fervent and aggressive to defend their faith and their morals to the death than to defend the weak and fight for the hopeless, do things in the name of God only for their personal interest, divided into their own denominations and doctrines, and trying to "save" others by pointing out how wrong they are, how lost they are. We forget that we are all one body, and forget to do what God himself has commanded us:
Love one another...  "Loved them as I have Loved you"

Yes, I am talking to all christians out there.
Do not take offense and please read with your heart.

 If your son or daughter made a great mistake, people come and accuse them, and they're in great trouble...what would you do? Turn them in and agree for their punishment? Judge them coldly and kick them out of the house? Ridicule them in front of others by pointing out their mistake?  No..you would forgive them, do everything you could to defend  them and make things right, be willing to cross moral and ethical lines, and even put yourself in their place. But why?
Because they're your children. Because you love them. That simple. 
Love sees past the flaws of the beloved. Love forgives...
..But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Romans 5:8
If we want change, it needs to start in us, not in other people. If we want others to change to make things better, chances are who needs to change is us...and once we have been willing to allow God to change us, our change will touch their hearts, and bring a glorious destiny ahead.When we do things for the people of our church and our community, it must not be because we have to, because "is the christian way," or because is the right thing to do...

WE NEED TO DO IT OUT OF LOVE.

We need to Love the people, we need to love the lost, as Jesus loves them, as Jesus loves us. Oh how many of us have forgotten that! How many of us serves out of duty or out of self-righteousness! If we are supposed to be like Jesus, and become His light in the darkness, we must learn what Jesus did while He lived on this earth. He was never afraid of what people might say, he felt completely comfortable with the sinners, the outcasts, the lepers.
Jesus didn't reject them, He opened His arms to them. He didn't judge them, He loved them. He walked with them, without fear, full of love. 
      He rebuked the religious and the critic, however. Those who pressumed of justice and who claimed to be fair and followers of God when in reality led corrupt lives and did good only for show. In fact, His death was planned and executed by the religious and the critic...
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Romans 2:1
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Romans 2:12-13

Apostle Paul is a great example. He became a Jew for the Jews, Greek for the Greeks, a Gentile for the Gentiles, a Philistine for the Philistines...he endured being judged as one of them, but His actions of love from God reached the hearts of the people. How better to reach people than by becoming one of their own, but one who carries the light of Jesus in them?
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. Romans 3:27-31

What's the point of being a light where there's no darkness, and keep to ourselves? What's the point of being in the darkness and not shine our light? Why do we allow our light to go opaque by becoming a pointing finger of accusation to those in the darkness?
    By becoming the judge, and degrade the sinner, we become sinners ourselves...I would say lower than them if possible, because we're supposed to know better. And while we fight among us trying to determine who is right or wrong, the enemy gains ground to destroy our unity, and to destroy the souls of humanity.
No wonder why many who are completely away from God today were once christians or came out of strong religious backgrounds, take many celebrities for example. 
     Is not by preaching and lecturing that the lost gets saved, is strongly by our actions that they start to believe,  "you will know them by their fruit.."
God commands us to preach His gospel to all creatures, to love them. how then will they hear if we won't go to them? How will they believe if our actions are full of deceit? How will they run to God if we push them away from Him?

   As Christians we must be an example of His love, not an example of Human's dark nature.
Let's stop staining God's name and start making His real nature be known!
The time is running short, Jesus is coming sooner than we think.

Let's open our eyes!

Stop being a religion.

Start being His Love.

--Linda Angeles

Is this whole "Christian" thing about me? or God?

      I have recently noticed how much I live for me, how much the church lives for themselves, and how allot of peoples summary of "Christianity" is what God did for ME and how much he loves ME. I realized how much I love God's constant gift of grace to me, I look at the body of professing Christ followers (the church) today and see most emphasis on God's grace (and love) towards us. Your Probably asking well, whats wrong with that?

"We live in a culture that has the dangerous tendency to disconnect the grace of God from the Glory of God." Our hearts resonate with the idea of enjoying God's grace. We bask in sermons, conferences, books, and songs that exalt a grace centering on us. And why the wonder of this grace is worthy of our attention if that grace is disconnected from it's purpose the sad result is a self-centered Christianity that bypasses the HEART OF GOD."

I recently read this book (Radical) and helped me see that most church people if asked what was the basic concept of church today would say God loves me or God died for me and my sins. You see the subject is me, not God. You see now when we look for a church or a new church to go to we ask.. well what music best fits ME....What programs best cater to ME an MY family....what job would make ME most happy.....what car do I want....how can I grow MY church...what should I wear//ext.. This is the version of Christianity the church is quickly becoming. That is not at all what Christianity is according to the Bible.

Christianity according to the Bible is about excepting that non deserving grace so that we can make his name, ways, salvation and his glory known to every and all peoples.
It is very simple, you know if you are a true follower of Christ if your life would be completley different without time with him an his word. You know you are a true follower of Christ if you give him your FIRST and give him your absolute ALL. God says this over and over in his word seek him first and all things, his ways will be given to you.

All that to say, what I just realized recently is that if my life, isnt daily lived for the one purpose of bringing glory to his name, If I am not currently and do not plan on forever giving him my FIRST and my ALL, am I really a Christian? or am I "MY" own version of a christian that "I" created?

--Very few will find the path to him and his kingdom
--Many will find and are on the wide road to eternal destruction
--Many are and will be fooled
------------God says if he is not your FIRST and your ALL you are luke warm, and he will Spit you out, onto the wide road to destruction. Dont be fooled! live for his glory by his grace! not for you through his grace!

God bless you all!
Kyle

WORSHIP

love is not flowers, cards or gifts, these are things that can be used to express love or affection.

worship is  not songs, instruments,music, dancing or singing

these are only expressions of worship.

worship is an attitude of the heart; an attitude of thanksgiving , of respect , of recognition, of passion , of love.

it is not necessary to be an amazing musician or singer to be able to worship.

showing His love to people sounds sweeter in God's ears than the song of the best singer in the world. 

obedience, commitment and humbleness create together the perfect melody to honor God.

Surrender all to him and you will find yourself worshiping God in everything you do.

              Gaby.

Throw FAITH in the face of the enemy!

These days, many of us have stresses.  Work, mortgage, family, finances, etc.  All of these things can become exceedingly stressful and the stress of these things can overtake our lives.  We try to fix the situations on our own a lot of the time, knowingly or unknowingly.

During my quiet time yesterday morning I was reading through the book of Daniel.  In chapter 2 it talks about the nightmares that King Nebuchadnezzar has that keep him awake.  He goes on to seek the council of every wise man, magician, and scholar to try and interpret the dream.  He refuses to tell the dream to anyone of them and requires them to tell him what the dream is and what it means or be put to death (Daniel 2:4-13).  As I was reading this it made me think about my circumstances and situations.  Daniels LIFE was being threatened.  Not his job, or money, but his LIFE!  In verse 17 of chapter 2 Daniel goes back to the house to inform Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-nego) of the Kings decree.  They went before the Lord and He revealed the dream and meaning to them which then Daniel went to the king and told him what God had said.

After that they lifted praises to the Lord for His goodness.  This passage encouraged me to remember that God is so much bigger than any situation we face.  Daniel faced death several times as well as Shad., Mesh., and Aded.  Each time God kept them safe and showed His power because these people stood on the fact that God is God!

Let me encourage you today to speak to the things that seem larger than life!  Even though we may not understand or see what God is doing or how He will break through, speak His goodness and faithfulness over that situation. "Lean not on your own understanding, but acknowledge Me and I will direct your path." Such an amazing promise!  Seek His wisdom in your situation and declare that HE has the control over your situations, not the world!  OUR GOD HAS NO LIMITS AND IS NOT CONTROLLED BUT CONTROLS!

Be Blessed today!
Love you all!

- Josh Lambert, Altars Band