Today’s sermon touched on a blog post I started some time ago, and I pretty much left it in draft format. With today’s sermon I figured I should finish up that blog.  Basically the post is on how we make things much more complicated when it comes to our faith and belief in God. I don’t think God intended things to be so complicated. Pastor Rays sermon touched on this today.

I was born in Indiana, my grandparents and our family didn’t live far from Nappanee Indiana where the Amish are all over the place.  My grandparents lived off the land and they raised their own livestock.  One of the many positives about living the way we did and the area is that my views of Christianity are still like they were then.  My views when it comes to my faith and belief in Christ is simple.

My grandma was a Sunday School Teacher at a Methodist Church. In our area besides Amish and Methodist, there were Pentecostals, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Mennonites and Baptist. At least those are the ones I was aware of. She would read from the Bible at night and that was it. There weren’t other books. The Bible was the Only book that mattered.

Now days, there are hundreds if not thousands of belief systems. I can imagine what my grandma would say about all of the nonsense going on these days. She would be rolling in her grave if she knew. She would be sure to tell us all what she thought and she wouldn’t care if someone got offended.

I’m not sure if the name on the building is as important as Who they believe in and that they believe in the whole Word of God, not just a part of it. To many people like to pick and choose what they like or not like. There are many churches and communities that say they are Christian, but are they really?  Churches and belief systems differ just as much as humans do.  Has Christianity become to complicated or is it us that complicates Christianity? Life is complicated, not God.

• I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13)

I can’t help by wonder how many people who goes to church really understands what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ. How many people sit in pews and goes through the motions of playing church? Is God real to everyone at church?  Or He this big spirit in the sky that is going to send lightening bolts down to earth? OK, I guess He could send lightening since God could if He wanted to.  I also wonder if everyone who goes to church have a hunger and longing for God?  I don’t think that everyone who goes to church is a Christian. I also don’t think that all Christians goes to church. The reason I can say I know this, is that I have friends, acquaintances and family that goes to church and they don’t get it. I also have friends who don’t go to church regularly and they have more faith in their pinky than some have in their whole body.

Anymore many are choosing their own paths when it comes to God.  It isn’t hard to realize this in this generation of technology.  Nevertheless It amazes me when I hear people talk about how as long as they believe in God, nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter if they believe in the same God as in the Bible.  As long as they believe in someone or something, it doesn’t matter.

A lady that I know says that she is a Christian. The reason she says that is that she “thinks” there is a higher power and that she is a good person. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone and does good, then she is all good in the “God” department. She told me that she use to go to church, but it was full of people who weren’t who they say they were. They had just as many issues and problems as she did and she wanted nothing to do with any churches or “God”. She also said that “she doesn’t need to have someone save her.” Let’s say, I was about to get a mallet out and hammer her with some truth.  But, I can’t make people believe unless they want to. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I have a hard time when people don’t use common sense, lol. Makes no sense to me, but I guess that’s why we have “free will.”

I knew I couldn’t hit them with a hammer, but it did get me thinking about what is it that keeps people from believing in the “One True God.” As a Christian, it broke my heart that she felt this way.  I then asked myself how is it that as a Christian, that I have somehow missed the golden opportunity to witness to my friend. Since I am a Christian, I want to please God and I want to share the Good News that Jesus paid the price and we can all live forever.

I gave my life to Him a long time ago and my faith is everything. The more I think on things and I do a lot of thinking,   I have come to the realization that we have many rules and regulations that doesn’t need to be there when it comes to our relationship with God. Maybe that’s because we live in a world full of rules and regulations.

Finding the right church isn’t easy. It can be quite complicated, which is what it seems Satan enjoys. Believing and trusting in God isn’t intended to be complicated like I said, we complicate things.  I think Satan is enjoying the smoke screen and wants us to believe that is difficult to be as perfect as we “think” we should be when it comes to being believers in Christ. Let me get this out of the way right now! There is NO WAY you are going to be perfect. God knows we can’t be perfect. He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins because only because of Christ can we live forever.

• The word “perfect,” in the Bible  mean “complete” or “finished.” Jesus was made “perfect” through suffering (Heb. 2:10; 5:8–9). He completed or fulfilled God’s plan for Him as our Savior by suffering for us.

We put God in a box and we want to throw in the things we like here and there. I wondered why there are so many churches and divisions. It makes it easier to justify what we feel comfortable with. Like my friend who said, she believes in a “higher power”. A higher power is in my  way of thinking a “do as you please” kind of mentality.  Everything is all good, no matter what. My friend once told me that while Christians want to believe in “this God”, they didn’t want anyone to rain on their parade. I don’t honestly get how people believe this way, if they do, why believe in anything at all?  That’s a whole other topic though.

When I think about my own faith in Christ, I have come to understand over many many years that faith is more than just going to church, my faith is a way of life. My faith in Christ is more of a personal relationship instead of being impersonal. When a person believes and puts ones faith in Jesus Christ we have assurance in our own salvation.

• I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24)

In closing I just want to say that for me, Christianity is simple. It is more than a religion it is a way of life that is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. When someone believes in Jesus Christ, lives are transformed. Good feelings and deeds aren’t needed to have eternal life. When you trust in Jesus Christ, admit you are a sinner and believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is all that is needed. It’s that simple.