Hey everyone thanks for coming tonight to The Wire. It was great and we had some awesome music, a good message (if I don't say so myself), and a great time. I was really excited that I was able to preach to you God's Message. I'm thankful you guys didn't boo me offstage and stuff.
I was glad to meet some of the new people we had tonight. Thanks Tom and everybody else that came tonight. I thought it ironic that one of our guests for our Jesus and Myspace series' name was Tom. I thought Tom was supposed to be our first friend. But it was great to meet all of you and I hope that God blesses you with oppourtunity to tell people about his love and grace and redemption. I pray that your faith and love will increase and that we have more snow days.
Love You Guys,
Adam
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4 comments:
ya know, the question about what jesus would say to 21st century America (and the rest of the world) has been a tough one to wrestle with. First, I thought that he would just say "WAKE UP! See, everything you've been learing about in church about a guy who loved and died for you is true. Get up and go preach to the world. Every always says 'Hey Jesus, if you're real, then show yourself to me', so here I am. Now believe and spread the news!"
However, the more I think about how "true" that would be, the more I realize that Jesus wouldn't say that at all. Think of it. Jesus said that he was going to prepare a room for us; for all who believe and are saved. We know through the book of Revelation and other books that the next time Jesus returns to Earth, it won't be a pretty sight. We, who believe, know that TERRIBLE things are going to happen for seven years. In all honesty, I don't think that Jesus would say anything like he did back in biblical days; no parables, no stories, no analogies, no "follow me"'s. God/Jesus has said all that he/they want and need to say. That's why we have the Bible, and that's why we need to wake up and spreed the news now. We don't have any more chances cause the next time Jesus comes back, it's going to be to harvest this earth for the glory of God and within seven years ALL will bow and proclaim him as God. So, in answer to the question "What would Jesus say to 21st Century America?", I think that all he has left to say is something along the lines of "I told ya so...". Now, I realize that this may sound mean and down right cold hearted, but think of it: we have the Bible, we've all heard stories of how God directly answered prayer in a loud way making himself known, Jesus DID personally come to Earth and walk and speak with us yet we still denied him for who he was. God/Jesus has said all he needs to.
Maybe this isn't the anwser you were looking for, but it's the only logical conclusion that I can draw from such a question. Yesterday, we were called to be honest with ourselves and with God, so I think that if we're being honest with ourselves, then we have to realize that God already is talking to 21st century America in a huge way. However, the only reason to say that God isn't talking to 21st Century America is because WE aren't talking about him enough. God uses us as his tools, so it's now our responsibility to spread the word.
-David Hentz-
I think Christ would tell 21st century America to stop worrying so much about ourselves as individuals and start loving each other. Our generation knows pain. Kids grow up without parents or with parents that hate each other. School isn't a place to learn but a place to survive. We look on each other as inferior. Christ loved us so much that He died for us. How many of us would die for another person let alone the people of the world? We can not truly love the Lord until we can whole-heartedly love each other. There is nothing like our God and there is nothing like His love. His unquestionable and unconditional love is the cure for our Society.
I think that love is the most important aspect of being a Christian. In America, where's the love? I'm not saying that America is a terrible place, but we live in a society that is so focused on individuality that we forget why we were placed on this earth. A society whose dream is to further advance positions in the social ladder. Make lots of money. Get a big house and have kids who grow up to be baseball stars.
I don't mean that we shouldn't want good things for our future. We want to be blessed with a means to survive, and we want our future kids to be successful. But at what cost? Do we want to be so rich that we put money on a pedestal and make that our purpose in life? No. We all want to be successful in life but success isn't equated to money.
When we die, God won't care if we made a million dollars or a quarter. Instead He'll look at our impact in other people's lives. He'll wonder if we loved those around us. He'll wonder if we loved our enemies. Did we reach out to the people around us or did we live our secluded individualistic lives? Jesus would tell to love because He is love and everything He did was for love. "All for love a savior prayed."
-Taken from Dan Fernandez's blog
I am not writing this comment to win a competition but tonight I felt compelled to share my thoughts. If a person turns on his radio, television, or even his computer, he will be likely to come across something that refers to sex. In our current 21st Century society, people seem to be consumed by the topic of sex. As I sit in a classroom, fellow students make sexual innuendos and make ribald jokes. Hip hop music that is very popular among teenagers is filled with sexual references and vulgar language. It is not only teenagers though. Many rated R movies intended for adults are entirely devoted to explaining relationships that are based solely on sex and lies. People do not seem to understand the importance of monogamy. They flippantly cheat on their boyfriend/girlfriend or have affairs while they are married. I watch shows on Dateline about grown men talking to “15 year old girls or guys” and make plans to have sex with them. These men even know about the show, but are still willing to risk their integrity. I believe that Jesus would tell our current society that we are way too focuses on sex. He would say that there is more to life than the temporary pleasure of sexual relations. We should be filling our minds with pure, holy thoughts of righteous deeds instead of deceitful sexual fantasies. Sex is meant to be a beautiful connection of two married people, but our society makes sex into just another activity. I do not know if it is because they lack the knowledge of the important relationship between marriage and sex or if they just choose to ignore it. I am sure Jesus would have many things to say to our current society and I have not even begun to scratch the surface of our troubled world.
“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world…” John 15:19
-From Melissa Ferrer
How could any of us guess what Jesus would say to us now? How could he believe that any of us would listen? At least that’s what I thought when you first posed the question...but then again I guess it shows how limited we 21st century Christians are...so blinded by what we think that we don’t believe what we know.
So what would Jesus say is...the same thing he’s been whispering to our hearts since the dawn of man...desire me...know me...love me. When I think about those words as I think about my savior, they drip of my lips as refreshing as water is my exhausted pounding soul.
And we know this...we see it in the heart of everyone who suffers loneliness and looks for just something, something that’s real, that they can hold onto…which most of the time is what we see in the mirror. I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve already heard what Jesus has to say and it makes me sick that I have to die to myself daily to answer him, to tell him that he truly is what I desire, above a close friend, a boyfriend who shows affection, a mother that approves of me…its what I desire when I hide my sins away, ignore them and even let them destroy me to the point where I start to destroy the world around me.
Our loss of innocence blocks our Lord out…our LORD…man that means so much…someone who totally loves us is here to rule us in a loving way but we beat ourselves up and let ourselves be torn by a ruler who hates us, who despises us and who does everything in his power (which is limited by the one who truly desires us) to make us feel that same hate and hopelessness that he lives in. WHY. It’s the only question I have that’s backed by righteous anger, truly it is. Because I imagine myself in this perfect relationship with my Lord…as tangible on earth as it will be in heaven with colors and scents unexplainable everywhere but my wonderful, sweet imagination…but yet I run away, I bleed, I rip apart every blessing he has given me to fight when it hurts so bad and when its so pointless and I’m brought back to my knees again and again and again to the point where the flesh is raw and my arms cant hold me up in his presence.
So in this I know Jesus, in all of his glory, might, power, strength and total perfection would see his blood on my face and hold me and whisper, “I love you. I always have. I always will. And it breaks my heart when you destroy this love. So stop. Come back. Love me and life is yours to live.”
I want that. Love is the only thing that lasts. Everything else is fleeting. So slow down, ignore what’s hurting you and search for him with all your heart. It’s what he would tell you.
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Unfinished Praise
I know the truth
so why Lord am I turning from you
Ive read the word, so why do I keep breaking my own heart
take a step back, dont want to hate, what I see
only You can fix this, only You can save me
Chorus:
I wanna fall, fall in love with You again
I wanna break, break away from my sin,
I wanna love, love like I used to,
I wanna change, be humbled and just praise,
I wanna change, be humbled and just praise You Lord
I know whats right, so why do I do wrong
I wanna live for you so why do I just fight
I hurt, I know theres something better
why do I turn, why do I turn away when all that I have, is everything to gain
-From Steph Houser
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