Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Original Message

I am so absolutely sick of the endless sermons on behavior change. Talk about broken cisterns that hold no water!

Good grief, Charlie Brown.

When I read the epistles and it's encouragement for us to walk wisely and upright during this present time, I don't think Paul meant for us to give sermon after sermon on behavior.

Before I was a Christian, I would hear preachers and teachers speak all the time about behavior. Be good, do this, don't do that, and on and on. It gave me the impression (and a lasting one) that being a Christian is about changing my behavior. And I always flipped to another channel soon after. Probably in order to watch something that involved more cursing, killing and sex.

You people with radio stations and television programs ought to spend a LOT less time (if at all) speaking on behavior and a lot more time telling people about Jesus. You guys have a major opportunity to share the wonder of God's grace with millions of people! Don't you realize how many people flip through the channels and watch a few moments of your endless teachings on behavior? For goodness sake, give them the message of LIFE! Quit pounding endless principles into their heads, which have absolutely no power in restraining the indulgence of the flesh. Instead, why don't you reveal Jesus to them through all the Scriptures?

If I have seen one televised sermon on behavior, I have seen them all. Your's is no different.

Clean the world all you want, but it will still be nothing more than dead, rotting corpses, bound for eternal punishment in hell. Nothing more than white washed tombs.

"Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, for you travel land and sea to make a single proselyte and when he converts, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves."

Being a Christian is not about behavior! Sometimes, in order to prove that Christianity isn't about behavior to some of my friends and family, I would like to take up smoking again, start cursing again, and blare Children of Bodom, just so that they could understand that 'being good' has nothing to do with my being a Christian. I wasn't made a Christian by my changed behavior and I won't maintain it by changed behavior. Am I advocating cursing and smoking? Do I curse or smoke? Regardless of whether I do or not, it has nothing to do with my Christianity.

"All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial."

If you still think being Christian is about behavior, then you might not be one!

"For am I now seeking the approval of man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

5 comments:

Jamie said...

I belive our thoughts are running on parallel tracks, Boo-baby.

Whodah thunk it?? :D

Have you you called your Mama Cat lately, hmmmm?

Mattityahu said...

I called you twice last week and you didn't answer! :(

Shame on you. You know better. =P

Mattityahu said...

BTW,

You need to think about pre-ordering The Naked Gospel by Andrew Farley on Amazon.com

Been listening to a lot of his stuff lately and it's delicious!

I is so excited for it!

Jamie said...

Matt! I can't call you! I never know your schedule, silly!

It has been "crazy" lately though. :D

Mattityahu said...

I currently have no schedule. You can call tomorrow sometime.