Christianity
Would it be easier if Christainity was more rule based?Seriously now...
Instead of it being a mystery of finding everything in the bible...and searching for it..right at the beginning of each book it says..
To be a Christian you have to...
And then it lists all the things you have or should not do.
Then there wouldn't be controversial topics...nor would there be Christians disagreeing with each other, or fighting over stupid things..because the arguement would be "See, it's right here to be a christian you have to (insert word here)" and then it would be over.
Today I entered a discussion about drinking, and it really got me thinking (cause I do that a lot since I'm alone) am I against it?
I was talking to my dad, and I had to repent because I was judging people hardcore. I love how my dad thinks that all he has to do is be a good person and he's going to heaven and he keeps me in-line spiritually. I basically told my dad that he would judge my friends because they were suppose to be Christians and they were drinking in front of him. Like saying that my dad would be the judgemental one (when actually it was me). That's when dad told me that he's not against a drink once and awhile...and he thinks that there are people that can hold their liquor and those that can't...and the ones that can't shouldn't drink. Is that what I believe? ......That's where my mind draws a blank...
I don't drink..I will not drink again that's easy enough to say.
But am I against drinking? Because I've watched my parents drink (quite heavily at times..but they're not alcoholics by any means) and I haven't said anything...if anything I've offered to be DD. Is that wrong? Is it wrong to support it in that fashion? Because if I wouldn't have offered one less person would have been getting drunk..was that wrong?
My favourite Chapter in the bible is Romans 14. (This is the message version)
"1Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with--even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.
2For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. 3But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. 4Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.
6What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. 7None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. 8It's God we are answerable to--all the way from life to death and everything in between--not each other. 9That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.
10So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I'd say it leaves you looking pretty silly--or worse. Eventually, we're all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren't going to improve your position there one bit. 11Read it for yourself in Scripture:
"As I live and breathe," God says,
"every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
that I and only I am God."
12So tend to your knitting. You've got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.
13Forget about deciding what's right for each other. Here's what you need to be concerned about: that you don't get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is. 14I'm convinced--Jesus convinced me!-that everything as it is in itself is holy. We, of course, by the way we treat it or talk about it, can contaminate it.
15If you confuse others by making a big issue over what they eat or don't eat, you're no longer a companion with them in love, are you? These, remember, are persons for whom Christ died. Would you risk sending them to hell over an item in their diet? 16Don't you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning!
17God's kingdom isn't a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness' sake. It's what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. 18Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you'll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.
19So let's agree to use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with encouraging words; 20don't drag them down by finding fault. You're certainly not going to permit an argument over what is served or not served at supper to wreck God's work among you, are you? I said it before and I'll say it again: All food is good, but it can turn bad if you use it badly, if you use it to trip others up and send them sprawling. 21When you sit down to a meal, your primary concern should not be to feed your own face but to share the life of Jesus. So be sensitive and courteous to the others who are eating. Don't eat or say or do things that might interfere with the free exchange of love.
22Cultivate your own relationship with God, but don't impose it on others. You're fortunate if your behavior and your belief are coherent. 23But if you're not sure, if you notice that you are acting in ways inconsistent with what you believe--some days trying to impose your opinions on others, other days just trying to please them--then you know that you're out of line. If the way you live isn't consistent with what you believe, then it's wrong."
To me that screams, let me deal with those that drink. Be uplifting, live your life to glorify me. I don't need you to make a case for me, I'll do it myself! Don't be my lawyer..be my witness.
With that, I'm off to bed, living my life...not someone elses.
posted by Krystle @ 1:15 a.m.
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