| I have started a new blog. I still may post some on here, but mostly will be posting on that blog.
Here is the link:
http://alexswango.blogspot.com
enjoy.
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| I have been thinking a lot lately about being like Christ and what
that means. I think as Christians we need to look so much like Christ
and so different from the world. Too often we claim Christ, but look
just like the world which is opposite of Christ. If we are going to be
called his disciples, we must walk as he did. We must walk the strait
and narrow path that leads to life. We have the narrow gate part down,
but not that path. We say Christ is the only way to eternal life, but
we have forgotten that that path is also narrow. It is not about having
an encounter with Jesus and then living how we want to, it is about
having that encounter and then living as he did; different from the
world.
When was the last time you were persecuted for your faith? When
was the last time you were not loved by people because of your faith? I
am reminded of when Jesus said:
18"If the world hates you (Which it does), keep in mind that it hated me first(Which it did). 19If you belonged to the world (Which you don't), it would love you as its own (Which it doesn't). As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me (Which they did), they will persecute you also (Which they will). If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
I added some parenthetical expressions to help bring out the
point that Jesus is trying to make in this series of conditional
sentences. It is almost as if Jesus is saying, if the world loves you,
you are doing something wrong. If you are not being persecuted because
of Him, you are doing something wrong.
How willing are we to look like Christ? Looking like Christ is
walking the narrow path. If we do not walk that narrow path of looking
and acting like Him, we are walking down the path that leads to hell.
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| Here is a new thought for all you crazy cats out there. MOVE ON! It is sad that there are so many people who cannot move on from one thing to another. Take for instance, Youth Group. There are so many youth ministers whose only reason they are in the profession they are in is because their youth group was fun. It is sad when I ask the average youth ministry major on campus why they are going into ministry is because kids are so much fun. Let's be honest with ourselves, KIDS AREN'T FUN! At least not in the way these people like to think of them. Another good one I heard once was, "I can really relate to kids and they can relate to me really well." In which I respond, "You don't want to do it to serve God?" The response is almost uniformily the same, "Well yeah, of course that. That is obvious." THEN SAY IT. You didn't say it cause that isn't your real motivation. Out of the mouth flows what comes from the heart. If you want to be a minister cause you want to have fun with kids, DON'T. Ministry is about preparing hearts for God's service and while that is fun at times, it is not about having fun. Stop being so selfish. Here is another one along those lines. CHURCH CAMP. I love church camp and it's place in our young people's lives. It helped form me into the man I am today. I would not be walking down this path if it weren't for it. But please for those of you who are still at church camp emotionally, but have long since passed the age of going physically, STOP GOING. You say, I am a councelor now. No, you aren't. You are a camper that is several years older than the campers. Hear me. You are not doing anyone any good by continuing to show up. You weren't invited to be a councelor, don't pretend you are a part time councelor by showing up between work schedules. You are only causing harm. The days of camp are over for you, get used to it. Celebrate the place it had in your spiritual growth and move on to some other minstry. LET ME SUM UP: Quit trying to fill up your spiritual insecurities by returning to old things and not growing up. |
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| Do you know why the Seleucid king Antiochus IV is called "Epiphanes?"
Cause he has lots of good ideas
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| I went golfing today> it was brilliant. The weather couldn't have been better. I had fun. pictures on facebook. |
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