Death... A topic not many people feel comfortable talking about. But we all end up dying at some point unless we are lucky enough to still be here when Jesus returns. But were not discussing resurrecting we are discussing death what is believed about it in Christianity and in other religions too.
As Christians we believe that when we die we go to heaven to be with The Lord. But in other religions people believe in reincarnation. That's basically when you die you come back as something else. Sound kind of crazy huh?
Now atheists believe wen you die you die. Your dead your gone your "worm food" YUCK! But who would want to believe that? Wouldn't that be scary knowing when you die that's it?
Now I want to know what you think about death? I didn't write much but maybe you have some good insights you could share in the comments.
Monday, February 9, 2015
Monday, February 2, 2015
As a teenager it can be very hard to understand some things the bible says. I know I have many questions when it comes to 3 key topics.
12 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Sex the only word that can make a teenager flee faster than if they were being chased by a flesh eating monster. Obviously as you just read in the following passage from 1 Corinthians you should not be sexual immoral. But what exactly does that mean? What if I screw up? Will God still love me? But I have faith that as Christian children we have an advantage to knowing there's a greater love then that. A great person we can be one body with who will show us the truth and we can live with for eternity in heaven. The one who never stops loving us.
Now American culture is a whole other story. There are kids who are having sex at only 12 years old! People are saying it's normal to experiment with porn. If that's the case then why not experiment with drugs? Or hey here's a beer why don't you go ahead hop in the car go for a little drive while your at it!? Seriously culture is saying sex is ok. If you love each other you can have sex its ok. They also say being gay is ok. But as Christians we know that's not the case.
As Christians we believe it is fine to be single just as Paul says. But culture today says your weird if you don't date when your a teenager. They act like its taboo. I once walked up and was talking to a girl who looked around my age and when I told her I didn't have a boyfriend and I've never been on an actual date she looked at me like I had 2 heads but I didn't care I know that being single for now until I find the right person to try to date is fine.
Now as a closing I'd like to show how these three key topics are related....
Sex is something intimate that as Christian we wait to have when the time comes for Marriage.
Marriage is when we find the right person and will never be Single again.
- Sex *pausing for uncomfortable and nervous giggles*.
- Marriage
- Being single
12 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Sex the only word that can make a teenager flee faster than if they were being chased by a flesh eating monster. Obviously as you just read in the following passage from 1 Corinthians you should not be sexual immoral. But what exactly does that mean? What if I screw up? Will God still love me? But I have faith that as Christian children we have an advantage to knowing there's a greater love then that. A great person we can be one body with who will show us the truth and we can live with for eternity in heaven. The one who never stops loving us.
Now American culture is a whole other story. There are kids who are having sex at only 12 years old! People are saying it's normal to experiment with porn. If that's the case then why not experiment with drugs? Or hey here's a beer why don't you go ahead hop in the car go for a little drive while your at it!? Seriously culture is saying sex is ok. If you love each other you can have sex its ok. They also say being gay is ok. But as Christians we know that's not the case.
To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A
wife must not separate from her husband.
11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to
her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
The majority of things I have questions about has to deal with divorce. Obviously if a man was beating on his wife she could leave him. Right? You are supposed to work it out if you can. But what if they cheat on you again and again and again? What happens then?
As Christians we get divorced as a last resort. But in American culture we have people getting divorced with the claim that they "fell out of love" or that they "married the wrong person". Here is a very clear difference between Christians and non-Christians. But it is far from the only difference.
Sometimes I wish everyone were single like me—a simpler life in many ways! But celibacy is not for everyone any more than marriage is. God gives the gift of the single life to some, the gift of the married life to others.
8-9 I do, though, tell the unmarried and widows that singleness might well be the best thing for them, as it has been for me. But if they can’t manage their desires and emotions, they should by all means go ahead and get married. The difficulties of marriage are preferable by far to a sexually tortured life as a single.As Christians we believe it is fine to be single just as Paul says. But culture today says your weird if you don't date when your a teenager. They act like its taboo. I once walked up and was talking to a girl who looked around my age and when I told her I didn't have a boyfriend and I've never been on an actual date she looked at me like I had 2 heads but I didn't care I know that being single for now until I find the right person to try to date is fine.
Now as a closing I'd like to show how these three key topics are related....
Sex is something intimate that as Christian we wait to have when the time comes for Marriage.
Marriage is when we find the right person and will never be Single again.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
The Second Coming
In 2 Thessalonians Paul teaches about the 2nd coming. It's like he's talking about some sort of antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2 "Now, dear brothers and sisters,a let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. 2Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessnessb is revealed—the one who brings destruction.c 4He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.
5Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? 6And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. 7For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8Then the man of lawlessness will be revealed, but the Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by the splendor of his coming.
9This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles. 10He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them. 11So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies. 12Then they will be condemned for enjoying evil rather than believing the truth." Some people believe the antichrist has already been born and is living among us somewhere on earth.
But also a popular belief is what is portrayed in the left behind books and movies. Some think that when God calls us it will happen in the blink of an eye. Which Ironically is one of the movies I've seen where the rapture happens. It is believed that Christ will come and everyone will be taken to heaven straight away. In the movie a man is on a boat with some friends and the rapture happens then he cant find his wife.
Another modern day application to the rapture is the new left behind movie. A man is flying on an airplane when the rapture happens and all they find of the passengers who were taken (a lot of children) were their clothing.
Now my challenge to you is to read the Bible and make your own opinion of what you think it's saying will happen. Will it look like these movies? But most importantly....
Will YOU be ready?
Monday, January 19, 2015
In the book of Galatians Paul confronts peter. He does this because he is worried that the gospel that should be taught wasn't being taught but that the Jews were teaching a false gospel. This was shown by the fact that in Galatians they kept insisting that to be Christian you HAVE to be circumcised.
Gentiles were considered unclean because they were not. But Paul still associated with them and ministered to them. So did Peter, until people were around then he did not. Some people would take this and apply to hypocrisy. But I see something different from this book of the bible.
Some churches believe that if you want to be Christian you cannot have tattoos. Just like the Jews believed in order to be Christian you HAVE to be circumcised. To defend the tattoo controversy people use the passage 19:28 in Leviticus, " Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord." But in context this is referring to Pagan rituals. It is God preventing witch craft. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure most tattoos aren't used for witch craft. Our churches need to learn to focus on the real gospel. Not false rules that people make up based on a verse that's not even in context.
Gentiles were considered unclean because they were not. But Paul still associated with them and ministered to them. So did Peter, until people were around then he did not. Some people would take this and apply to hypocrisy. But I see something different from this book of the bible.
Some churches believe that if you want to be Christian you cannot have tattoos. Just like the Jews believed in order to be Christian you HAVE to be circumcised. To defend the tattoo controversy people use the passage 19:28 in Leviticus, " Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord." But in context this is referring to Pagan rituals. It is God preventing witch craft. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure most tattoos aren't used for witch craft. Our churches need to learn to focus on the real gospel. Not false rules that people make up based on a verse that's not even in context.
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| Cross Tattoo |
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| My Mom's Tattoo |
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| Prayer Tattoo |
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| Trace Adkin's Christian Country Artist |
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