Christian Evangelism

Hello all. :)

This is an evangelistic article I wrote. Any corrections (grammar, spelling, anything!) or suggestions will be most helpful and appreciated!!

So, you call yourself a Christian?

I grew up calling myself a Christian, but there were some things that had always confused me about my religion. I've found out that I was not alone in these problems. But recently, I've also found some very good answers.

Have you ever met Christians who are just so... intense... about their faith? Maybe they're really emotional in church, maybe they bring up religious things at inopportune times, maybe they're willing to give or witness or just do things that you'd never do; they're just intense, they're just radical. And you wonder if you're supposed to feel guilty because you're not like that. These are the Extreme Christians. You can't understand how they can take all this so seriously, even to the point of hurting themselves.

If you're anything like me, you've always done everything you can to live as a good Christian. You make an effort to walk upright. You want to be a good person. I was the perfect Christian teen: ultra-conservative, Bible-toting, and hyped about apologetics and evangelism.

But even then, there were some parts of my religion that confounded me. They were just weird; I didn't get them. Not only did they confound me, these ideas went against everything that I was. I hated them.

What was I to do? I hated parts of the religion I claimed. I liked being a Christian, but some of these things just seemed wrong to me. So I declared war against these things that were contaminating my chosen faith. To my peers, I would call it "liberalism leaking into the church", "emotional manipulation", or “extremism.”

I told myself my hatred was OK because, according to my beliefs and my contemporaries, liberalism, manipulation, and extremism WAS wrong. And it's still wrong. But I used those words as a label to express my disgust at certain parts of my religion.

But then there were these PEOPLE who stood in my way. Extreme Christians who followed these terrible things as if they were the only important thing; no, as if they were the CORE of Christianity. I believed them to be soft, squishy, over-emotional fools led by crazy extremists and manipulators to adopt a self-depreciating, watered-down version of religion that could accept terrible things.

I felt like these idiotic and insane Christians were ruining EVERYTHING. I tried SO HARD to be a good Christian, and these guys just made me look bad. I knew that they had to be fakes. I knew they had be, at best, stupid and gullible, or at worst, liars and manipulators.

I was wrong.

It turns out that this “emotionalism” was the true emotional response of repentance towards Jesus Christ, our Savior.

And these “emotional manipulators” were men radically floored and changed by the mercies of God through Christ.

Their “softness” was the love they now had because Christ first loved them, though they were unlovable.

They “watered down religion” by only speaking of the character of Jesus Christ.

This “depreciation” was when our Lord washed the feet of His disciples.

And the “acceptance of terrible things” was the fact that our Lord came to save SINNERS.

Now, manipulation, liberalism, etc. really are bad things. But I had been giving out these labels wrongly. If only I could have somehow realized the things I hated were the CORE of my claimed religion, its heartbeat.

I missed the heart of my faith COMPLETELY; and the religion I ended up with was entirely based on works. And if I had been right in my belief that only way to gain a right standing with God is to work, to “be good,” then of course all those things were wrong. If “works” is the way, then I am someone to be praised, and washing another's feet is below me. And if I am a good person, the saving of what I consider a wretched man is an abomination.

The only problem is that men are SINNERS. YOU CANNOT BE SAVED by good works; you cannot be saved by your life alone.

Of course, you've heard language like that before. And you might ask me, “didn't you know we are saved by faith alone??” Of course I did! I took classes on theology and everything. I knew what distinguished Christianity from other religions. I probably knew way more than most people.

But THIS is the issue. It wasn't a reality in my life. Though I emphatically claimed to believe it, my life proved I truly did not believe it at all. I did not live out my life and behave as if it were TRUE. I did not truly believe because I never acted on my supposed "belief." My life proved me to be a liar.

When people spoke of such things as grace, mercy, or the love of God in Jesus Christ, I had no emotion, no response. I could not understand. It was part of my supposed chosen religion, so I held my tongue. I understood on a superficial level, but to me it was just a story. And in my pride, I told myself that I was right. It is just a story, just part of my doctrine that I don't have to worry about.

But LISTEN: If I had died then I would have gone to hell- and it would have been perfectly just.

JESUS CHRIST HAS COME TO SAVE SINNERS. So familiar to read, but has this ever confused you? Does it stand out in contrast against your experience of Christianity? Where your proximity to God depends solely on your personal “Christian-ness”?

See Jesus Christ- the friend of sinners and tax-collectors and all the wretched, truly vile, sinful and DISGUSTING PEOPLE OF THE WORD. This confused and insulted me to no end.

I heard that Jesus Christ came into the world to seek and to save that which was lost. He came to save the SINNER. He is the one who gives GRACE to the humble and brokenhearted! But I, I would not look at them, as I was FAR MORE HOLY THAN THEY. I tried hard to serve Jesus; WHY do these terrible sinners get to come to Him? I tried so hard, I always followed His laws- why do they get ANYTHING??

But I was trying to impress God by my ability to earn His forgiveness by being the best Christian I could. It was self-righteousness, and it was a damning sin.

Yes, God has laws, yes, God has dictates, YES God loves those who are upright in their walk. But PLEASE DO NOT FALL INTO THE TRAP THAT I DID- The laws and the things that are spoken of as RIGHT in the Bible are NOT there primarily to show you what to do- but HOW YOU WILL NEVER ADD UP.

YOU WILL NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH. YOU WILL NEVER LIVE RIGHTLY BEFORE GOD!

All those verses about all the rewards of the godly- that's not YOU. I read the Bible thinking, "Oh, I am a good person! All this is supposed to happen to me. God is going to do all this great stuff for me because I'm so holy"- no, not only is that a wrong way to interpret the Bible, but also I WAS NOT THAT GOOD PERSON.

THAT WASN'T ME.

Look at the Ten Commandments. Have you ever lied, cheated, or stole? Always obeyed your parents? What's your thought-life like? Where does your browser go when no one else is in the room? Could you say that God is first in your life, even for one moment?

Look at the beatitudes. Can you honestly say that you have been pure in your heart? Are you meek? Are you poor in spirit, have you ever been BROKEN over your sins??? Do you thirst for righteousness like the righteousness of Christ?

We have not been peacemakers, but troublemakers. We are not pure in heart, we are impure and vile. We are haughty, proud, and arrogant. We are quick to declare our own righteousness above other men.

Discover your dire plight and desperate need.

You are NOT the good man, YOU ARE THE HATER OF GOD. YOU DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED. YOU ARE THE WRETCH, YOU ARE THE ADULTERER, YOU ARE THE SINNER IN THE HANDS OF THE ANGRY GOD.

My pride lead me to believe that I was not. I thought to myself: “Oh- I must be in the right, everyone else is so much more evil than I am!”

But listen- I was wrong.

I was wrong. Every time I felt convicted, I said to myself, "Oh, that can't be me, because I'm a good person and I want to go to heaven." Don't let your pride blind you; it is not worth it! I'll say it again, don't let your PRIDE blind you! What WILL it profit you to gain the WHOLE WORLD- but lose your soul?

God is righteous, He cannot accept Your SIN.

You might say, “Yes, but IF YOU CONFESS THAT CHRIST IS LORD...”

The only problem is that YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE LORD.

Please listen to me.

The point of the Christian life is not to live as morally as possible so that you might get into Heaven. It is NOT ENOUGH to live as morally as possible. This is NOT what the Bible TEACHES. This is one of the reasons I hate it SO MUCH when people say, "The Bible is just a nice book of morals”- NO.

Jesus said that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Pharisees are not just the ugly-looking meanies we think of the on the Bible cartoons. Let's evaluate this properly. They believed in the inspiration of the Torah, the supernatural, the resurrection (unlike the Sadducees), and the necessity of blood atonement as God had said. They were orthodox, fundamental in their theology; they were evangelistic, converting people to Judaism from paganism; they hoped for the Messiah; they fasted two days every week; they were devout; they prayed; they tithed properly.

Devotion, tithing, correct theology, praying- does your righteousness consist in anything of these things..?? Not that they are bad things, but they are not going to save you from hell!

He's saying that even the best of the BEST of religion is NOT ENOUGH TO SAVE YOU. Even if you were to live perfectly from this moment on, the debt of you sin would remain. YOU NEED TO BE BORN AGAIN. YOU NEED TO BE WASHED CLEAN. YOU NEED THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST CREDITED TO YOUR ACCOUNT INSTEAD.

The point of being a Christian is that YOU are known by your Lord, Master, and OWNER, Jesus Christ.

He is your LORD, because without His purchasing you with His blood and making you a part of his house- THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOU.

If you are not a part of His household, you will be destroyed. Not just because you are not a part of His household, (people don't go to hell because they've never met Jesus), but BECAUSE YOU ARE A REBEL, TRAITOR, AND CRIMINAL AGAINST GOD. And unless you are SOMEHOW seen by the King as justified, THERE IS NO HOPE FOR YOU.

YOU WILL BE CRUSHED UNDER THE JUST WRATH OF A MIGHTY GOD- AND IT WILL UTTERLY DESTROY YOU!!!!

EVEN if you claim to be a Christian. Even if you try your best to live good.

This may sound unfair, but hear me out for a second. You have not offended some king of some far away country. You have not offended some old man who lives in the clouds. You have not offended a good-looking man with long brown hair who wears a white robe with a blue sash. No, forget all about that for a second, because we both know that none of those images are anything to be afraid of.

You have offended a God, an infinite being who is intelligent enough to have written the laws of gravity; the engineer who designed the DNA in every cell of every living thing on the planet; the writer of the laws of physics; the designer of the human eye; the programmer of all life. He hung the vast amount of stars in the cosmos and HE STARTED all the ENERGY and POWER of the UNIVERSE. HE is the most intelligent and powerful being that there is- and HE has lavished on you every good thing- HE has given you eyes, taste buds, and food; He created the people you love and placed you near to them; HE created you a BRAIN to think and create with; IT IS HE. He is eternal. He is a God who will stand sovereign and immense, eternal and unchanging, even when the last electron in the universe fizzles out and winds down into darkness.

HE IS POWERFUL, HE IS INTELLIGENT, AND HE HAS BLESSED YOU SO GREATLY- CAN YOU SEE HOW YOUR OFFENSE MIGHT BE GREAT AGAINST HIM? He is an infinite and Holy GOD- He gave you EVERYTHING.

How will you stand before Him on Judgment Day?

The question is NOT, “Have you asked Jesus into your heart?” but, "Is Christ your LORD?" Does HE KNOW YOU? Will He know your face when you stand before Him on Judgment Day?? If not- what hope do you have? Jesus is all you have.

Have you seen yourself as the traitor God declares you are?? Have you seen yourself as a rebel?? Have you seen yourself an anarchist? You willingly choose your own way; you set yourself up as an enemy of God, despite His absolute benevolence towards you all the days of your life.

Have you seen yourself a criminal- always seeking your own will and your own pleasure?

Then repent.

Even though I have railed against Him my whole life- He saved me. He is merciful and mighty to saved.

Why will you DIE?

Being a 'good Christian' won't save you. Doctrine won't save you. Come to Him.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?

Story Time

Once upon a time there was a little giant princess who though he was really beautiful but everyone thought he was a little ugly but not that ugly. So anyway, one day she was walking down the street thinking something like “oh, look at me everyone because I think I'm so beautiful, like a chicken” Everyone laughed at her and she didn't even know why because she knew that people thought she was a little ugly but not that ugly so I think I should guess that it didn't matter that much if people thought she looked like a chicken or not like a chicken because even if they thought she looked like a chicken or not like a chicken it wouldn't change what she though about herself because she knew in her own mind that she was a chicken. She also had a pet chicken.

-By Nathaniel 6 and Timmy 14

Sunny days.

Mission Adventure

On Monday, Mommy, Timmy, Joshua, and I visited the Mission San Luis Rey. The mission's lofty, yet calming, white walls stood tall and grand, contrasting sharply with the blue sky. On top of this building, a stately figure—presumably the mission's namesake, King Louis—oversaw the mission, closely monitoring whoever entered. To the Indians who gathered here over 200 years ago, it must have seemed like heaven itself. We, however, were too distracted to notice these things. The moment we arrived, we sprang out of the car and raced to the entrance. We had arrived at 3:45; the mission closed in only fifteen minutes. Thankfully, however, we were allowed in.

Reed-weaved pots, acorns and grinding stones, grass skirts—the pre-mission Indian exhibit, the one we saw first, was, admittedly, kind of boring. (Perhaps I've just seen too many Indian exhibitions over the years [or the Indians didn't really do much].) We passed quickly through this exhibit.

Entering the next room, I felt like I had just been sucked into the past: the bed, a wooden case strung together merely with ropes, was positioned to one side; a lantern hung just above the bed, ready in case of an emergency during the night; a prayer kneeler (which looked rather like a desk with its back and side panels removed) bowed before a crucifix placed directly above it. The room seemed ready and eagerly waiting for its master's return; unfortunately for the poor room, it didn't seem like any masters were planning on arriving any time soon. We decided to leave the room to its vain dreaming.

The following two rooms I honestly found rather dull. The first had what the priests would make (candles and yarn from the livestock in the area) and the next, what they ate (the livestock). Because the remaining rooms of the main building were still unfinished, we went by them quickly and headed toward the exit.

Exiting the main building, we were ushered into a quaint little garden. The garden, beautiful and full of life, was a relief from the musty indoors. Two fountains steadily gurgled, reminiscing with each other about the days when the friar and his priest would come and sit by them. A time-worn staircase ran up a side of the building, urging us to climb; unfortunately, a "staff only" sign compelled us to refrain. Nearby hung a well-rung bell (it was crumbling apart), which Mommy couldn't resist testing its condition (yup, still working). The garden was delightful; I was sorry when we had to leave.

Pulling open a door on one of the walls enclosing the garden, Mommy led us into the next room: the chapel. We went directly to a side room. Images of Mary adorned all three walls (the fourth was the door, obviously) with candles and more prayer kneelers standing reverently before each one. In between each altar was a reconciliation room—actually, more like a prison chamber—where a guilt-ridden sinner would confess his many offenses before a listening priest. And yet, even indoors with candles burning throughout the building, the adobe chapel was much colder than the garden had been; there was a perpetual breeze throughout the chapel. Leaving this chilling chamber behind, we exited by a door adjacent to the Mary altars.

The chapel led straight to the graveyard. Hundreds of tombs lined up before us. The some of the more recent graves were decorated with cheery flowers in remembrance of loved ones; others were not so well cared for; even their tombstones—which were to be as a testimony of the deceased—were decaying. A deathly-cold statue stood with her arms spread out, becoming us to join those sleeping underneath us. This ode to death was, to be certain, rather unsettling; we raced out the graveyard (being careful, of course, to avoid stepping on the graves and being grossed out for the rest of the day).

Having left the graveyard, we proceeded down a lush, grassy hill to the lavanderia. The lavanderia was rather like the public sink where the Indians and missionaries could wash their clothes, bathe, draw out water for drinking, and, in general, socialize. Today, however, the lavanderia didn't seem quite as suitable for such things; indeed, it was dry except for a small, mosquito-infected puddle on one side. Several of the mosquitoes—angry at us for invading their property (humans these days!) —bit Joshua on the leg. Needless to say, Joshua got rather irritated as well and began swatting back at those fiends. The mission had been wonderful and calming; needless to say, Joshua—as well as the rest of us—were tired and happy when we went home.

The USS Midway and the San Diego Maritime Museum

On Thursday, Mommy, Timmy, Joshua, and I went down to San Diego to visit a retired aircraft carrier-turned-museum—the USS Midway. The inside of this massive vessel closely resembled a maze; tight corridors branched out in infinite directions, bound to make any unsuspecting visitor completely lost. I wouldn't be surprised if, somewhere deep in that labyrinth of a ship, a marine—who hadn't been informed the carrier was out of commission—was still working. Another thing about these corridors was the staircases. In an attempt to cram as much stuff in the ship as possible (not to mention increase the chances of slipping and dieing a horrible death), the stairs were all about five inches wide and declining at a sharp angle. Not very well thought out. And yet, despite the uncomfortableness of the ship, the marines had had some pleasures. A store sold goodies and rented movies to interested sailors. Each group of marines had its own room for viewing the movies they rented, sitting on the chairs while eating their goodies, re-viewing the movies, or just hanging out (all the rooms only had one screen with a bunch of chairs in-front of it). At the end of the trip, I was left feeling a greater appreciation for all American soldiers everywhere.



We next visited the Star of India, a beautifully-carved, 19th century cargo ship. Unlike the Midway, the designers of this vessel seemed to have actually cared about the ship's appearance: the doors displayed gently-curving designs, the walls furnished with daring paintings, and the white sails fluttered in the wind, eager for the next voyage. This splendor, however, ended as soon as we reached the hull. Thick ropes slung all along the walls, boards rotting with age, smells of rotting food wafting throughout—these were the things which greeted us as we walked down. Down below was a small, outhouse-like bathroom which seemed too small to adequately serve its purpose. Although the Star of India had been skillfully made, the effects of age had eroded away its glory. I was glad when we left that vessel.



Adjacent to the Star of India floated the HMS Surprise. From the outside, it resembled the previous ship; from the inside, it was completely different. Being a warship, the Surprise was supplied with four or five canons, aimed and ready to fire at some unseen enemies. The vessel itself was used as a movie set a couple of years ago; hence, the wheel near the bow was fake, while the real one was hidden away below the deck. This arrangement allowed a real captain to steer the boat while letting the actor does whatever stupid things he wanted to do. There wasn't much to see on this ship.



Unlike the previous two ships, the next vessels we went on—the B-29 and the USS Dolphin—were not ships but submarines. In all honesty, the first vessel, the B-29, seemed more like the inside of a toaster than something for transporting people. Lining the walls and roof were exposed tubes and wires; I needed to watch where I stepped to avoid hitting one. In addition, the entrances, barely big enough for even one person to pass through, were frighteningly small. As if this weren't enough, the designers lit the rooms with an eerie, yellow glow, perhaps in an attempt to constantly terrify the sailors and therefore keep them active at their posts. Near the end of the boat were the sailors' bunks—or, at least, what seemed to be the bunks. Each bunk consisted of a cold, metal rim interwoven with a lattice of springs (I can see why all crew members on a submarine cut off all their hair). And then, on top of these death traps was spread out a single blanket made from something like gray felt. I was glad to leave the B-29; I'm sure all the crew members had felt the same.



Compared to the B-29, the USS Dolphin, our next stop, was like a luxury liner: the couches and bunks had thick, cozy cushions (for the record, the Russian submarine didn't have a single couch [those Russians!]); the walls were wide and allowed an easier passage; the lighting, bright and natural, made the whole boat seem comfortable and livable. There was even a small kitchen, which gave the whole vessel a relaxed, homely feeling. Also, happily for Timmy, the periscope, even though out of commission, was in working shape (we were able to look out on the San Diego harbor and see people walking by). We passed through this vessel very quickly because Mommy was getting tired and wanted to speed on through. All in all, I was very pleased with the USS Dolphin—especially after being in that Russian sub!

The Puppet Song

Sometime last November, I wanted to write something to commemorate what had happened to me in those last few months.

I wanted it to be a poem or a song; but I'm not a poet, and this isn't any kind of poem or song with rhyme or rhythm or anything like that.

I call it "The Puppet Song". I know, I know, it's a bit strange.
But it means two things:

1. Submission. To allow oneself to be like a puppet is to renounce any claim or control over self. A giving up of self and self will. In this case, it is a very, very happy thing. Because the one I am submitting to is a good Master.

2. I am being made different. God is changing me to be more like Him (though sometimes it is scary), and it's strange and wonderful to be different. I want to do right, I want to make Him happy, I want to know Him. This is totally different than it was before.

Dance, dance, dance
I am a puppet on Your strings
Dance, dance, dance

At one time I lived for myself
and I worked for my father the Devil

I would try to break off my own arms
and I would throw myself into fire

I was blindfolded
and would run around in the dark
I wanted death to come
I tried to end my life any chance I got

At that time I lived for myself
and I worked for my father the Devil

But now You have captured me
and have caused me to see You

And now I dance
I dance for you
I am the puppet on Your strings

I belong to You now
And I do what You want me to
even when I am not aware

You are holding the strings

And You are the one who makes me dance

I want to dance forever
because You are the one holding my strings
I want to dance forever

Dance, dance, dance,
I am a puppet on Your strings
Dance, dance, dance

The things You make me do
are not part of who I used to be
I had never known these things before
They are things You make me do

And they make me want to dance for You

You are a better Master
so much of a better Master

It is better that You hold my strings
than when I did
I am a fool
And You are a Master

And it is better that I work for You
When I worked for the Devil all was dark
and I was dead

But You have made me alive
and I want to dance for You!!!

All I want is to dance for You
For the good You have done for me!!

I want to dance forever for You!
because You are the one holding my strings!
I want to dance forever for You!!
because You will never let me go!!

Dance, dance, dance,
I am a puppet on Your strings
Dance, dance, dance

Aquarium

Comic: A very blustery tract day

Weather, whether you like it or not!

(For a dyslexic, that title is very impressive.)

We've been having some SERIOUS WEATHER over here. Like, RAIN! And CLOUDS! And WIND!!
IT'S EXCITING.


On Monday we had some pretty epic rainbows:

(check it out, it's just a mini-spit of a rainbow!)

(hey look, a rainbow on the ground!! How'd that get there?)

(YAY RAINBOWS)

Yup.

We also had some very nice clouds. Some people think they're are kinda boring, but, I'm fond of clouds; so you're gonna have to tolerate them.

And it RAINED! And our HOUSE GOT WET.

Shocking, I know.

Nathaniel also got wet, but was moving far too fast for me to take a good picture.

What is it about getting kids wet that makes them go insane?


But that was nothing compared to TUESDAY. On Tuesday there was WIND!! REAL WIND. And it blew a TREE over!! A WHOLE TREE!! Can you even imagine?

(hey Bullfrog, do you have any pictures or vids of the rain to add? Please do! Our epic weather adventures of Tuesday are sorely lacking!)

Comic: Not fast enough

I'd done the dishes the night before, I swear!!

PS: that's a spider

Comic: Rockstar

Nathaniel you kidder

Santa slug

this is the Santa slug
by Joshua.

Stucco:: Bug

I decided to practicing using Depth of Field (things get blurred as the move away from the camera) and video editing. This video serves only practicing purposes, there is no "point" to this footage.

Winter Cold

Welp! It's winter again. And it seem this time we have a special surprise awaiting us, a bacteria. Yes, you would think because they're small they wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, they kill flies, and people to. Though hopefully it wouldn't have to come to that.

Comic: Rachel Pearsey visits

Horizon Living Nativity

Comic: mud house

Comic: the middle of the sea

True story.

Comic: Nathaniel

unmapping

More information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UV_Mapping