am·bas·sa·dor (amˈbasədər)
Noun
1: an official envoy; especially : a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.
2: A person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.
-Lord forgive us for representing you so poorly.
-Lord forgive us for pursuing our own agendas instead of yours.
-Lord forgive us for getting taken in by the love of money.
-Lord give us your eyes, ears, and hearts for a sick and dying world.
"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us..." 2 Corinthians 5:20
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
"I See Dead People"
I have noticed a troubling phenomenon in the church lately that the famous line uttered by Haley Joel Osment in the movie The Sixth Sense* sums up beautifully. "I see dead people." The 21st century church seems to be experiencing a zombie apocalypse. It is filled with folks with lifeless eyes, and eery, waxed on smiles that say the right buzz phrases and appear to be in motion but, are not alive with the spirit of God. They, like zombies, seem suspended between two worlds, neither dead to the things of this world nor fully alive in Christ. The result is folks that are powerless, ineffective in the battle, and just plain old creepy.
2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and behold all things are new." Accepting Christ requires that one lay aside one's old behaviors and perspectives and allow oneself to be created anew. The eighth chapter of Romans describes in detail what life in the spirit consists of, Galatians 2:20 verifies that, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me", and Jesus himself told Nicodemus that, "unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) All of these passages make it clear that we are not to remain as we were when we came to Christ. We are to be transformed by the relationship. No zombies allowed.
Just for the record, the only zombie that I've ever loved was the delicious cheese zombie served in my high school cafeteria which consisted of the perfect marriage of thick bread and gooey cheddar cheese, made to be dunked in creamy tomato soup which accompanied it.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13
*(aside: I have never seen the movie, but the quote was just that popular)
2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. The old has passed away and behold all things are new." Accepting Christ requires that one lay aside one's old behaviors and perspectives and allow oneself to be created anew. The eighth chapter of Romans describes in detail what life in the spirit consists of, Galatians 2:20 verifies that, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ liveth in me", and Jesus himself told Nicodemus that, "unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) All of these passages make it clear that we are not to remain as we were when we came to Christ. We are to be transformed by the relationship. No zombies allowed.
Just for the record, the only zombie that I've ever loved was the delicious cheese zombie served in my high school cafeteria which consisted of the perfect marriage of thick bread and gooey cheddar cheese, made to be dunked in creamy tomato soup which accompanied it.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matthew 5:13
*(aside: I have never seen the movie, but the quote was just that popular)
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