"The Mighty Pulpit"

I have this fear. Well, several fears. But we will connect the dots in a second.

I have been considering the church, and what is often glorified in the church. And I may be wrong, but I believe that often times, we glorify the Lecrae's, Piper's, and Chan's. We glorify the platform. As if becoming a pastor or preacher is to have "made it" in the Christian world. Is this not true?
We praise the pulpit, and the sermon, and especially the messenger. Don't mistake me, I love all three men mentioned before. They have impacted me more than you will ever know. And I am grateful for them and their work. But we glorify the positions they hold far too often. We aspire to reach those platforms not because we want to build up believers, or that we are called, rather we chase after it out of ego.
We envy them. This is not good.

I heard a quote, and I don't remember who by, but it said something along the lines of "It is an interesting thing to find that, Christ taught more about servant-hood then He did leadership."
Read the gospels, read His teachings. The constant call to decrease, as God increases. To serve. To consider ourselves less important than everyone around us. The example Christ gave when He washed the disciples feet.
But, we don't like to do those things. And when we glorify the pulpit, and we make it a position to "acquire", we breed pride and hurt our churches. This causes the older and "more mature" believers to become puffed up in their knowledge and position. It also causes the newer believers to want that same position, so overtime they begin to think they have outgrown discipleship and discipline. Which grows more pride.

In Matthew 23 Christ warns the pharisees because they "travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are."

When we make these positions glorious, and we esteem them, we are perverting our converts. We are leaving an example of pride and self establishment, and not a pattern of service.

I see it again in missions. We glorify young people going to World Changers, and other good mission trips. Beyond that, we celebrate and cheer on when someone wants to be a foreign missionary. And we scream and shout when people want to go to a city like ATL, LA, NYC, the Chi, to become "church planters." We glorify those mission fields. But we often neglect the local area. The small towns.

Don't get me wrong, it is not a bad thing to be a pastor. Or to wish to teach. Or to desire to go over seas, or to a city for missions. But we have got to stop glorifying the pulpit, and start encouraging the kitchen sink.

Thanks for reading,

John Mark,

Are You Worth Being Pitied?

In 1st Corinthians 15:12-19, Paul says something which I love. It's very thought provoking. He is writing to the Church in Corinth about the resurrection of Christ. Some people are claiming that Christ was not raised from the dead. Which would mean that we also would not be raised from the dead.
Paul explains that first off, if Jesus didn't come back to life. We are all doomed. Literally.

But then Paul makes another statement. He says that if the gospel is not true, then Christians should be most pitied among men. Why? Well look at Paul's life. The dude was beat up pretty much on a daily basis. People hated him. He was nearly killed several times. He gave up a prestigious title for that type of life. He could have literally had the world.
According to the gospel, if it is true, then in losing everything we gain everything. But if it is not true, then in losing everything... we lose everything.

Paul later in verses 30-32 adds on to this saying that he "dies daily" and that his (and the other believers) "lives are in danger every day."
But in verse 32 he says "What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with the beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, "let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"

Now, I don't believe Paul was saying YOLO. But let's say he was; if the gospel is not true, we literally have no hope at all, so live it up while you can, right??

I believe he was saying, essentially, "If the gospel is not true, then we might as well chase 'the american dream.' "
John Piper was preaching on this passage, and he said that he believed when Paul wrote that; the lifestyle he was describing was one more like our modern day american dream. Live your life. Enjoy it. Make the most of it. Progress yourself as far as possible. Get what you can, just be happy. Live, love laugh. This is the only life you have, so make it last.
That is what I believe Paul meant.
Here's the crazy thing, and John Piper pointed this out in his sermon. Paul said that if the gospel was not true, then this is the best alternative. But modern day Christians are living that EXACT lifestyle, and they are calling it Christianity! How does that make any sense?

I don't understand American Christianity, or "cute Christianity," or (my personal favorite) Evangellyfish Churchianity. It does not make sense. Jesus said that we are to forsake this world and what is has to offer in order to follow Him. He promised that if we follow Him, the possibility of being homeless is great. That we would endure much suffering. That we would have to be selfless. There are a lot of things which Jesus Christ said to describe following Him, that not only is there a lack of that in American Churches, it is often rebuked.
Francis Chan told a story once, of how he explained American Christianity to a group of persecuted Chinese Christians, and upon hearing our religion, they bursted in to laughter asking "how did you get that from the Bible?"

Paul said, that if the gospel is not true, then he was to be pitied most among men. But for Christians, if it is not true, it seems like it's no big deal. Really think about it. There's not much of a difference between us and the world. We are aren't radical (no matter how much we like to claim it). We are complacent. We neglect the clear teachings of Jesus, saying that we must interpret it correct. Which is an absurd claim, because His commands are, for the most part, crystal clear.

Jesus made several promises about the costs, and the rewards of following Him. It's high time we believed Him.

Is your life one worth pitying? As of right now, mine is not. I hope and pray that it will become one.

Thanks for reading,

John Mark,

Dry Season:

I'll be honest. I don't really always like life. I have some days that I am just sick of it all. Although, it usually lasts longer than a day... more like weeks at a time. And, this is one of those times. Why do I hate these times? Cause I feel dry. Distant from God. Like the bridge between us is broken. Or as if He just gave up on me.

I hate this. I feel numb. I don't feel sad. I'm not depressed. But I don't feel happy. I long for that time when I feel God's presence again. When I read my Bible, and new things are jumping out at me on every page. But now, I don't feel that, at all.
I do my best to get into my Bible every day, not because it is some routine, but because I am hoping that, one day I will open it and be back at that place where I am reading and it is jumping out to me like it did before. I want that so bad. I thrive on that. I love and live for the presence of God. And right now. I don't feel it.

Who knows. Maybe it makes me a terrible Christian. Feeling entirely uninspired to do, or write anything Biblical. I love learning from that beautiful book. I love teaching about that beautiful book.

I really can not wait, until the day when Christ returns in a glorious show unlike my puny mind could imagine. When pain is no more and only comfort remains as we stand beholding His beauty and glowing in light of Him. Being entirely sustained by His self-sustaining power. Every pain, every tear, all will fall away. And all the good things that we enjoy will be brought back to their original perfect form before they were broken by depravity. And we shall be happy, and joyful, forever. I would rather be there then here.

But while I'm not. I will continue, even though I hate the lack of progress. I will continue on. I will keep seeking after God. Because tasting that sweet intimacy with Christ, is worth the dragging on life that I feel without it. God is faithful. He won't leave me like this forever. I know my Savior, and He will return. I eagerly await that day.

Confession: The Path to Healing.

So, it has been a day since I posted "From the hands of a failure." And I feel as though I need to write a follow up. I want to give you all some clairty in the why of my posting such a raw post. It all falls back on my heavy conviction of confession.

I gave you all the gruesome details of my struggle, and my fall, and I kinda left it at that. I am a strong believer in healing--healing that stems from grace alone. But I also believer that in order for healing there is a process that we have to take on. And that process is both confession, and repentence. And I don't believe you can repent without confessing. So let me try to explain my stance of confession.

I believe that confession--true confession--requires no pride. In fact it plays a great deal in destroying pride.
There are two types of confession. One is prideful, and one is not.
A prideful confession is one that seeks out pity. You confess so that people will feel bad for you.
The other kind, is for healing. Where you come humbly, realizing the filth of your actions.

Let's get into this. Whenever I fall--I sin--one of the passages that I first go to is Psalm 51. And if you are struggling with sin, I strongly suggest that you study this chapter. It was written by King David after he committed adultery with Bathsheeba, and killed her husband Uraiah. Wow. Haha, David messed up.
Well, writing was an outlet for David. He released pain, joy, heartache, guilt, anger, everything, through hebrew poetry and songs, many of which are recorded in what we call The Psalms.
And in this Psalm he writes down what he is going through, after this sin of his. And honestly, it describes exactly how I feel when I have fallen into sexual sin.
Since I am covering confession, I will try to stay on Psalm 51 very briefly, cause I have a lot to cover concerning this. My focal point in that Psalm is verse 17:

"The sacrifices of God area broken spirit,
A broken heart,
O God, you will not despise."

This is the heart of true confession. And where we need to start in our confessions. In confession, we first need to realize our filth, what we have done. We need to let conviction--the healthy form of guilt--sink in. We need to be heartbroken over our sins. We need to feel broken over our crime against God. Pride has no place before God. And I fear for the man who thinks so much of himself as to stand pridefully before God.

Why should we confess? Several reasons. The primary purpose of confession is healing. Jeremiah 3 records God talking to Israel about there sins, and concerning them He says in verses 12-13:

“‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer,
    for I am faithful,’ declares the Lord,
    ‘I will not be angry forever.
    Only acknowledge your guilt—
    you have rebelled against the Lord your God,
    you have scattered your favors to foreign gods
    under every spreading tree,
    and have not obeyed me,’”
    declares the Lord.

All that God requires of us is that we realize and admitt our wrong, and He will forgive us. And as time goes on, He will heal us. This is what God requires. Why? Because God gives grace to the humble, but He brings low those who are prideful. (James 4:6, and all throughout the proverbs). He requires no act on our parts, but merely us to humble ourselves, and turn to Him. This is the beauty of God and His grace. 2 Chronicles 7:14 would back me up on this too.
God is full of grace, but first requires humility.

True confession has no pride. Because it is confession that seeks out nothing for itself except healing. It is humble enought to admit that it is wrong, that it needs help.

Confession is a sign of conviction. John 3:


19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Confession is coming to the light. If you refuse to come into the light, it is because you hate the light, because the light will expose you. But the exposure of our sins shouldn't be an issue. It clearly states in the last verse that God sees our sins plainly, even though they are done in the dark. So, therefore, confession is a sign of conviction, coming into the light, confessiong to God and man what God already knows.

For me personally, I would much rather come out and expose my own sins then to have God expose me before all men (Matthew 10:26). Or far worse, that I would have to take on the punishment for my deeds that I kept hidden (Hebrews 10:31).

And then there is confession before men. I normally refer back to James 5:14-16 when on this subject, where it specifically says to confess in order to be healed. And that you will be healed.

Now am I saying that in order for healing that you must write a blog and post it on the interwebs for all to see? No. I wish I hadn't. I did so only under conviction. And in doing so, Christ is using that to humble me. That my filth is known.

Let me give you what I did personally. During the entire time that I was in this sin, I was constantly praying for help. I hated my sin. I still hate it. The weekend came around, and I started to struggle, slightly less. But still struggling a lot. I constantly came before God acknowledging my guilt and my crimes. And I believe, according to what the Bible says, that forgiveness was given, and healing began. But in order for healing to be complete, the process must continue. So, Sunday night, I grabbed two of the guys from my youth group, two that I trust immensely and that have helped me grow in my faith tremendously. And I told them everything. I asked them to pray for me (which they did immediately, I praise God for them), and I asked them to hold me accountable. And I had them take measures to keep me from falling.

And then I wrote the blog. I wrote it as a personal note. I get that confession is hard. Especially after you confess once, and then you sin right after, so you have to confess again. It's embarressing, it's humiliating. I know. But it is worth it, if we come to a place of healing. This is the way God has given for us to be healed. One that requires humility.

So, if you are struggling with sin, I beg of you, humble yourself before God. Confess to Him the deeds that He already knows. And also confess to Christians around you who keep you strong. God is a Lover, and a Healer. He is faithful. Seek Him.

He is greater than i

I really can't stand

Going to "church'.
Go ahead, throw your stones if you will. But I'm just gonna be honest with you, as always.

I seriously walk into this building I attend, and each time, I feel empty. I am made extremely uncomfortable. Because it's so fake. Seriously, if my church is a perfect picture of Christianity, I want out.
It literally looks more like a Pagan religious ritual then it does brotherly fellowship that is described in the book of Acts. The Worship is a Doldrum, Missions are nearly absent. Discipleship is pretty much unheard of. And hardly anyone knows anything of what they believe. Some of them believe so basic, it's not even basic, it's John 3:16 without the rest of the chapter, much less the rest of the book.

I walk in, I see people who look more like the same pharisees that hated Jesus then the broken rejects that would cling to Him.
I walk in with shorts and a T, and people look at me like I'm insane... can I get really "Biblical" and wear a Fisherman's garb, girding up my loins? Or be a true Baptist, covered in the dirt of the deserts and clothes of camel hair?
If someone walked into my church, with tatts and piercings, I would bet money that they would feel judged, not loved.
Going to that brick building makes me sick.

We are so caught up in that building. It's more of a club membership then the Church. Ya know? Go there a coupla times a week, participate in the standard events, and then just hang with friends? You got those people near the fence whispering, and you can't help but look over your shoulder wondering what they are saying about you. It's twisted.
We call that building, "the church". We are so wrapped up in it.
Seriously look at your church, and honestly ask yourself, how hindered the worship and ministry would be if the building burned down. Messed up.

I walk in, and I feel empty. I look around baffled, asking "this is it? this is what people have died for? this is why people have been tortured, burned, and brutally, mercilessly murdered? this, is why my Jesus died? this, this can't be it.

Don't get me wrong, I have experienced true church before. Quite often actually. I have a friend in my youth group, and we get together frequently and discuss the Bible. It's amazing. I love it. We are cracking issues that have long baffled me. I am forever grateful for him. I praise God for the time we get together, it has helped me grow so much. In fact, our time studying has led to all this conviction about the church.

You see, the beautiful thing about Christianity is that it fits all cultures. You don't have to go to a culture and change it, because Christianity fits all of them perfectly. But in America, at least as far as I have seen it, our churches have our own culture, and anyone who walks in has to conform to it.
We have to "dress our best for God" rather than come as we are.
Don't get me wrong, if you feel convicted and it is a way that you worship, then so be it! But if I choose to walk in with jeans, a hoodie and a snapback, leave me be, cause I worship by coming as I am.

Our church needs so badly to get seeking the lost. Get into the broken communities. We have so many programs, but we never go and serve like Christ did, and like the Church is supposed to.
It's heartbreaking. It's sickening.

I want to ask you to join me. Join a movement with me, and many others. To break barriers in the culture. To change our churches. Start, by just being you when you worship! Whether you are dressy, or you are messy. Be you! Don't put a mask on, be who you are.
Then, find a way to hit the culture with the gospel, introducing the broken to good news, and not a new culture. Live for God. Don't live a Pagan ritual.

Hope you get something out of this. Thanks for reading.

John Mark,

If I were perfectly honest:

Porn is attractive. If I were to be perfectly open and honest with you. Satan is no fool, he's not going to make something so incredibly destructive that isn't really, really good looking. There are a couple things I am going to go into on this subject, and I hope you take something from it.

Porn isn't limited to just looking up undressed women online, it's more. Porn can be the images of nearly undressed women on a magazine, a scene in a movie or TV show, a sexually explicit song, or joke. Anything and everything that causes a man's thoughts to become wrapped up with sex. What ever causes a man to fantasize that idea, is porn. It's destructive. It's deadly. And it's attractive. Porn is most accurately described as anything that causes a man to lust. And Christ said that lusting after a girl is the same as having sex with her, so in reality, lust is rape. Yeah, it's extremely sick. That being said, I struggle with porn. I struggle walking in a store, to keep my eyes off of a magazine. To stay away from media that preaches these things to me. I struggle, like crazy. And it kills me. I hate it.

Porn, lust, is deadly. The Proverbs talks about adultery leading to death, all the time. From both, my experience, and study of this, I have noticed several affects of these two.

Anger. It makes a man so hateful, so angry. They will lash out due to the smallest thing. In rage, without mercy, and it's crazy. In this relationships are destroyed. Trust is lost. People are hurt, afraid, and want nothing to do with the person.

It degrades a man's view of women. They no longer are a treasure, they are an object, a possession to be used for pleasure. They are tools for a man's lust. The sacredness that men should view women in is destroyed. For someone addicted (not necessarily a simple struggle, but a straight up addiction) all they think about is sex when they see a girl. Sex controls their thoughts. Thoughts become words, and thus comes sexual jokes.

Porn/Lust goes so much deeper than all this, in ways that I praise God I don't know, and that I pray I never do. It kills in a marriage.

I say all of this for a couple reasons.

1: I am tired of being a goody-two-shoes. I mean, no, I'm not going to just sin all I want. What I mean is, I am tired of looking so good on the outside when I struggle. I want to be open, I want to be transparent. Why? Honesty heals. I want people to see my struggles and realize that I do not at all, have everything under control. I want to teach them what I am learning as I fight through these struggles. I want them to realize that I will not judge them for their faults, because I have my own.

2: I want to show guys, young or old, why they need to destroy this sin that they struggle with. I want them to realize how dangerous it is. Because with each glance, every fantasy, they are discriminating women, and destroying the value that they will hold for their wife. She will become just another object of lust, and not a treasure. Trust will break, and the marriage will fail. The husband will most likely become very angry and abusive. Why? The girl was nothing but a tool for the guy's lust. Lust, porn, it's so deadly.

3: I want to in a way, show why I don't do stuff that other people do. The reason why I don't listen to certain music, and watch certain things. It's not because I am some great Christian, it's actually the exact opposite. It is because I am weak that I refuse to watch and listen to these things. Because they make me fall in my Lust. I don't do these things in order to protect my mind. It's a defense. Because I don't want to pursue a girl and have all of my thoughts focusing on her body rather than her heart. I want to treasure her, not use her. I want to desire only my wife, and not other women. I don't want my desire of my wife to be just a simple replacement of a desire of other women. I want to keep my mind, and motives pure, before and during marriage. And habits don't just die when you get married. What you struggle with before marriage, will catch you after. So I am fighting to kill these things now.

4: I want to try and help other guys defeat this sin, by showing how I have had success in this. No, I'm not perfect, and in my own strength, I am helpless. But I have Christ, and He helps me here.
You have to be intentional when fighting sin. You can't just think you're gonna pray and stop. You gotta fight. This is a fierce battle that we fight. Don't think you will win this battle without fighting. That being said, guard yourself. If there is anything that you participate with that causes you to fall, lust, and dwell on thoughts of sex, then get rid of it. If it tempts you to look up inappropriate images, then kill it, get rid of it.
Pray, but don't just pray. Spend some real time with God. In this battle, the Bible is our Sword, and the Spirit is our Champion Who is ready and willing to fight in our stead. Master your weapon. Like a trained soldier knows his weapon, so we should know how to use our sword. And know when to give it to God.
Rebuke Satan. Literally command him in the name, and by the Power of Jesus Christ--Who has set us free--to flee from you.

I hope this helps those who are struggling. Remember. God is forgiving, but don't take advantage of His Grace. Accept it. But don't abuse it.

Thanks for reading,

John Mark,

Kony2012

You have, or may not have seen the video that is trending World Wide, Kony2012. If not, you need to google it and get informed. It is a great documentary on a serious issue, Joseph Kony, and his war crimes. The video is a well filmed, and professionally put together. It lasts about thirty minutes long, and drives home a strong point.

If you are anything like me, the video immediately made you want to join the movement, order the kit, wear the bracelet proudly, and litter society with the posters.
If you are anything like me, you wanted to get a gun and fight Kony yourself.

If you are anything like me, you crave for a movement.

You see, I have been noticing lately, how much teenagers, and college students want a movement. How much they want something bigger than themselves to fight for. Why do you think the military is so compelling? There has been many times I have been ready to enlist.

You know, I wish Christianity was like this. I mean, yeah, we are a movement, but... we're not... moving...
I mean, do you ever see Youth so caught up in telling people about Jesus? Not too much. Teenagers need people to pour into their lives, tell them that they can make a difference, change the world, and revolutionize history. After that, they just need direction. I mean, watch the video! That's the entirety of the message!
I strongly encourage you, if you are an adult, to pour into the lives of the Youth Group at your local fellowship. And direct them in how to change lives. Give them the opportunity, tell them how they can!
If you are a Teenager or College Student, you can! Even if you only change the eternity of one life, it is worth it! I challenge you, go! Change lives! Have people stand against you! Hate you! Some will love you! Change the world, be, Great!

If you are anything like me, you also wanted Kony dead... and then you thought about it and regretted that thought. This is only happening because the lack of the Gospel in this region. I ask you to do whatever it takes to reach these people with the Gospel. This should be our heart and burden, to reach an unreached people. Go. Please.

Thanks for reading,

Sincerely,

A Desperate, burdened, Heart.

The Gift Of A Father:

Recently I have been thinking much on the topic of Fatherhood, and Manhood.
I am around people all the time that come from backgrounds that, unlike mine, the Father is in one way or another, absent in their life. And then I see the flip side, where people do have a Father; and they treat him like dirt. Are you kidding me?

From my Background, I live without a Mother, so the Preciousness of a Parent is well known to me. And I also see the impact of the Lack of a Father figure in someone's life.

All this to say, if you do have a Father that Loves you, and has got your back. Be thankful. I don't care if you are upset. Be incredibly thankful.

Just some thoughts,

John Mark,

When walking, Our Feet get dirty.

Something I have struggled with in my life is sin. (no duh).
But I mean sin a bit differently. I struggle with the sins I've already committed. The memory. The guilt. I know good and well that I am forgiven. But it goes beyond that. It goes to thinking about everything God has called us to be and the realization that I don't live up to that. This is my struggle.

Not many people know this, but several months ago I nearly walked away from Christianity because of this. Not that I didn't believe I was saved. I wholeheartedly believed that. It was that I refused to be fake in my life. I want to be real. Especially with God. And looking at my life, I wasn't. And that tore me apart.
So I sat in my room and I prayed, asking God to help me. Because I didn't want to just stop. I love Christianity. I love Christ.

After awhile I began to think about how I would live my life without Christ, because my whole life revolved around Him. And I decided that even if I did walk away I would still hold to my convictions. Because I still believed they were what's right.

And then it hit me. 1st John 2:5 it says, by this we know that we live Him, if we keep His commands. You see, in that moment God showed me that, all we need is the willingness to obey. And He will take it from there.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 13; Jesus goes to wash the Disciples feet. But Peter objects! He tells Christ not to. But when Jesus tells Him that in order to get into the Kingdom he must be cleansed. Peter then tells Jesus, to wash him entirely. But look at Jesus'; you are already cleansed, you need only to wash your feet.

What Jesus said can be taken two ways. That one, yes, we will mess up in this life, but that doesn't mean we are worthless to Christ. We just need to let Him wash our "feet" so to speak.
Second is that, as messengers in this world, our feet will get dirty if we are walking around as we should. But we still need to let Christ wash our feet.

Either way. We need to make sure that we spend time with Christ every day. He will clean our feet, and get us ready to go again. Don't give up. He's got your back.

Thanks for reading,

John Mark,

Ephesians 5:1-14;

In verse 1 it says to be imitators of God as dear children. He says "as dear children" because a child will act like the people around them him or her until it molds who they are. So to imitate God is to take on His attributes until we are transformed into His image.

And walk in Love. Love is our greatest command from Christ. (See Matt 22:35-39.)
And to love as Christ loved us is to love to the point of dying because you love them so much.

Foolish talking. We talk so much, especially me. And we say things that are foolish, we say coarse jokes. And I'll even admit, about a year ago, I would, with no guilt at all, say sexual jokes and think they were hilarious. But they are wrong, literally, taking what God made sacred and making it a joke. But instead of these things, we should be giving thanks. And praising God with our words.

And know this; that no person who is a fornicator, unclean person,nor a covetous man, who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom God.

And  don't be decieved, because people who claim Christianity will try to justify themselves. And God's wrath is coming.  So do not be partakers with them.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as Children of light-finding out what is acceptable to God. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful to even speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But the things that are exposed are made manufest by the light ffor whatever makes manifest is light. Therefor He says.

Awake you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light,

We need to be careful how we act and speak, we are the church. We need to represent Christ, and do that well.


Thanks for reading,

John Mark,

Are we missing the point?

In reply to a comment on my last post, I made this statement; “Sometimes I think that people miss the point of Christianity.”

But as I have begun to contemplate that statement, I am beginning to understand how truthful that statement is. Also realizing that it was not my own, it could not have been. I had gotten it from somewhere, and that is what I am going to talk about.

Monday night, I lay awake staring at the bunk bed above me, about 12 at night. I can’t explain to you why exactly, but I could not go to sleep, my dad and I believe that my sister accidentally spiked our hot chocolate with some form of caffeine. But as I lay there, my mind began to wonder, as I often let it do. As I contemplated subject after subject, somehow or another I came to the subject of Matthew 7, verses 22 and 23 in particular. I played these words in my mind over and over again giving a commentary to myself;

“And in that day many shall say to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ some will even say ‘We have cast out demons in Your name, and done many great things.’ But I shall say to them; ‘depart from Me you who practice lawlessness, I never knew you.’ ”

Then something clicked in me, what it was I cannot accredit it to anything or anyone except God, even if I wanted to take credit for this one, it would not be practical as I look back at it. Read over that, these guys had done some AMAZING things, cast out demons for crying out loud!! And Jesus says; “I never knew you.” This is one of the scariest verses for me, not the scariest, but one of the scariest; because as I read it I realize a lot about me. You who are reading this may not know this, but never in my life have I ever cast out a demon, the greatest cure I have found is for hiccups. Imagine this scene, I walk to the throne of God and say;

“Lord, Lord! Have I not cast out hiccups in Your name??” I am laughing as I type that. These guys were something else, now, if they truly did cast out demons I do not know. My point is, not in fact what they said to God, but one single word that Jesus replies; KNEW.

I never knew you. I want you to point some personal questions at yourself, and answer them absolutely honestly to yourself.

Do you know God?

Or do you only know about God?

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 13:5;

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

I claim all the time that Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship with Christ: Because the actual definition of Religion is; Man trying through works to bind themselves to God.

I honestly believe that, so, let us examine relationship then, if Christianity is truly that.

You see, I can say, that I know someone that I met at a summer camp or a leader at my church. But the reality is that when I compare knowing them to my family, I only know about them, whereas I know my family. See the difference? With a leader at my church, I may speak to him on Wednesdays and Sundays, but other than that I don’t spend time with him. With my family, I spend all the time with them; sometimes it is just me and them. I know them, I know their character, I know their personality; I know them.

So, by that we see that a relationship with anyone requires time spent with them, for a deeper relationship you need time with each other alone. Just there, together. Do you ever spend time with God? Not because you have to, but because you want to?

Some people—including myself—have referred to the Bible as “God’s love letter to us.” Why? Well, because the relationship between a married man and woman is supposed to reflect the relationship of Christ with His church, His bride. And is the church the building?? No! The church is the people, we are Christ’ temple. So, let us go over this, though I have never been married (It’s true.) nor am I old enough to consider that at this point.

I will claim that many relationships, marital or otherwise, crumble because of a lack communication. Would that be a fair statement? I believe so, now consider this;

“If you spoke to your wife/boyfriend/girlfriend/best friend/husband, as much as you speak to God, would your relationship with them be as good as it is now?”

What about with how much time you spend with that person?? No, of course not. If Christianity is a relationship it is time that we start treating it like that. I mean, do you ever take advantage of your good friends? You shouldn’t, I don’t suspect that you do.

But a lot of people take advantage of God. They say; “I prayed my prayer, I made my profession, and yes I do believe. I’m done.”

Jesus says that we are to be His servants. In that day and age servants were not like slaves, where as slaves had no choice, most times in that culture slavery was a punishment. Servants served by choice. Either to marry the daughter of their employer, or in some other service. In fact, if someone was a slave, when his ‘term’ was up, he could choose to continue serving as a servant. Servants were friends of their master, who talked to them about things a slave would not hear. And obeyed out of loyalty, not out of ‘I have to do this or else I die’ attitude.

Do you know God? Or about Him?

If the Bible is our love letter, than why don’t we study it like we would the words of a lover? Why don’t we yearn with our souls to be with Him, to talk to Him, like we do a lover?

God deserves better, far better.

I know that some of you may be thinking;

“You are saying that if I don’t spend time with God, then I will go to hell?”

I am not saying yes or no, I am saying that it is something to consider.

I believe it was C.S. Lewis who said; “I would rather live my life, and believe that there is a God, die and find I was wrong, then to live my life denying a God, and find out that it is true, that there is a God.”

Let me change that a bit; “I would rather live my life believing that I absolutely have to spend time with God, and get to know God, in order to be saved, and find out I was wrong, that I was ‘overly radical.’ Then to live my life as so many American Christians do, with God on Sundays and Wednesdays, believing that it is fine that way, than to die and learn; Jesus never knew me. And I never knew Him.”

I am not suggesting that you can lose your salvation, not at all. Once you are saved, you are saved. I just want you to consider, you entire life judged against how Jesus said His followers would live, and I want you to know, by all accounts, that you know God, and that you are truly saved in the  first place.

God knows of you, but He wants a personal relationship with you. So much that He is willing to send His Son to die if that is what it takes… Oh wait, He did do that.

I am NOT, what so ever, proposing a ‘do’ theology, I know that is grace through faith that we are saved. (Ephesians 2:8-9.)

But Jesus said that if you to be His disciple, you would have to love Him so much that in comparison you would have to hate your family. (Luke 14:26.)

But how can you love someone you do not know?! You may say to me, that Jesus said that we are to love everyone as ourselves, and that is how we love someone we don’t know. You don’t understand then, we are to love humans despite whom they are or have been. We are to love Jesus because of Who He IS. Tell me, can you love someone you do not know? If you look at a man on the street, lo according to the words of Christ you are to love him, though in your heart you may care about him, no, you do not love him. You have never met him! How then can you claim to love Christ if you do not know Him when we love Him because of who He IS?

Don’t think that I am asking these questions to everyone but me, believe me, I have been firing these bullets at myself all week, and as I write this. It is not an easy thing to imagine that our Salvation which we believed we had we never had because the definition of what we claimed to believe we never accepted. Do you KNOW God?

Even if KNOWING God is not a requirement, why wouldn’t you want to??

And if you are unsure about it, why risk it?

Spend time with God because you want to, not because you have to.

Thanks for reading,

John Mark,