Deeper Bible Studies Blog

You’ve heard the phrase. You may have even seen it on a billboard: WWJD – “What Would Jesus Do”.

It’s a great way of saying, “I don’t know what I should do in this situation…but no matter, I should do what Jesus would do…so WWJD.”

So, we see a car stranded. Or we see a person in need. Or we have a conflict with a friend or family member. And we ask WWJD.

It’s great advice. Jesus is our role model…and it IS HE that we should emulate.

How many of us acknowledge what Jesus would do…but then don’t do it? It’s a BIG reason why non-Christians look at Christians and label us hypocrites.

We must not SAY one thing (talk the talk) and then NOT do it (not walking the walk).

So, I propose a NEW catch phrase: WIDWJWD – “Will I Do What Jesus Would Do?”

1 John 3:18 says “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

To be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, we must take action. Until we do this consistently, outsiders will continue to look at us as all talk, and no action.

So in the coming weeks, start asking yourself: WIDWJWD! And let me know how it works out.

To learn more about how you can LIVE your faith and walk the walk, visit this site.

Filed under: 1 John, Changing the Face of Christianity, General | No Comments »

I like to visit the “other” side from time to time and read comments from non-believers on various sites.

One thing I keep seeing is situations where the person (the non-believer) finally tells their parents or friends…and BAM…rejection. Parents and friends stop talking to them (presumably because they are so hurt)..they are shunned.

It leaves me scratching my head in disbelief. I know it happens, but WHY?

God calls us to love each other. God calls us to take care of one another.

How do you think non-believers feel when us Christians, who are supposed to show unconditional love, about face and walk away from the relationship?

From reading the comments, it’s clear that it’s incredibly damaging…not just to the person who’s at a very vulnerable time (spiritual low you might say)…but also damaging to Christianity.

Our reputation should be one of loving people THROUGH a hard time in their life…not walking away. People should know us as the people who didn’t judge, didn’t condemn, didn’t shun.

So, I’ll ask the pink elephant in the room question here: Is there anyone in your family that you have severed relations with because they fell away from the church? Ask yourself…is that what God wants, or is this just my imperfect human way of dealing with difficult situations?

Reach out in love and rebuild the relationship. Don’t try to drag them to church, don’t have your pastor chat with them, don’t try to fix them…just love them and spend time with them. Show them God’s unconditional love and mercy by how you treat them.

Who knows…LIVING the Christian faith may be just the witness they need to someday return to the faith.

To learn more about how you can help reverse negative Christian stereotypes, visit http://www.changingthefaceofchristianity.com. When you get there, JOIN the cause.

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Josh Tollison wrote a song called “Always” that brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it. My words here don’t do it justice… so definitely visit his site and listen to the song.

Because Josh’s song affects me so much, I thought I’d share some of the lyrics and WHY they are so meaningful to me.

“Can you hear me when I’m calling out your name? I guess sometimes I get the feeling, that I’m all alone, that I’m doing this whole thing on my own…but then,

…you were right there when I need you the most, in the darkness when my hope is lost. I know, I know, that you hear me when I call.”

…and you tell me everything is gonna be OK, you’re right there, you’re right there, you’re right here…always!”

I think this song is so profound because I think of all the years I ran away from God…but He was right there ALWAYS. I had spent so much time running and denying Him that I was in darkness and couldn’t see. When I finally decided to seek Him it’s like the light switch was turned on and there He was…waiting for me.

God is like a loving Father who must be patient as he sees his child rejecting his help and trying to do it “all on my own”. He waits for us to swallow our pride and humbly ask for help. And then, instead of criticizing our pride or stubbornness, he embraces us in unconditional love.

Just like in Josh’s song, when I finally called out to God…He heard me and He forgave me. And now I have Him to walk with and talk with ALWAYS.

Do you ever feel like you are all alone, struggling to get through life all by yourself? Remember, God IS always there. He wants you to love Him just as much as He loves you. But because of His gift of Free Will, it’s a choice you have to make.

Even if you are a life-long Christian, I encourage you to seek Him with ALL of your heart…daily. When you feel like all hope is lost because of growing debt, a job loss, marital problems, or just life’s pressures…turn to God and He will be there.

If you’ve never heard Josh’s music, visit his page on myspace.

Thanks Josh for using your God given talents to bring Joy to my heart. God Bless.

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Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt like Mr. Cellophane from the musical Chicago? I have felt this way more often than I care to admit. In other cultures, it might be the norm, but in America, not looking someone in the eye sends a message: ”You aren’t very important to me”. Forget about trying to remember someone’s name; the eyes come first.

God commands us to love one another (1 John 3:23). Love can be communicated in many different ways… by listening, by helping, through words of encouragement and hope, and through acts of selfless service. But love always starts with ”hello”. When you first meet someone, do you give them undivided attention, or are you looking for the next person to meet?

I can count on one hand the times in my life when I have witnessed someone giving consistent focused attention to a group of new people; treating each person as uniquely important. How about you?

We meet new people at the grocery store, at the pharmacy, standing in line for tickets to a show, waiting for a table at a restaurant, at a power-lunch or networking event, and even at church. How do you make people feel when you first meet them? My suggestion is to first make them feel important to you with your eyes. There are other suggestions, but this is a good first step.

In my church, there is a small time set aside at the beginning of service to ”go shake some hands”. This is where I have most often felt invisible to those new people I’m meeting. For some visualization, imagine you are in a dense fog and all you see coming at you is a hand. So, you start to extend your hand to meet theirs. Now, if you are like me, the next thing you do is look up and see whose hand it is.

This is the moment of truth. Will the person be looking at you as they shake your hand, or will they be looking left, right, or past you for the next hand? The goal is not to ‘’shake as many hands in the next 30 seconds as possible” and the winner gets a prize. It’s about connecting briefly with another human being.

I’m calling you to be the type of person who looks the other person in the eye. When they look up, they should see you looking at them and only them. While you say hello, continue to look at them. In that brief moment, make them feel important with your eyes.

Jesus Christ was quoted as saying ”If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) The practical application today is this: How can you love others if you aren’t even willing to give them your brief undivided attention? If it’s tough to do this in church with fellow believers, how are you possibly going to make non-believers feel important when you meet them?

When it comes to evangelism and connecting with non-believers, I won’t suggest I have it all figured out. But I do know this: true evangelism starts with a loving relationship where the other person feels as important to you as they are to our heavenly Father. The first and possibly only chance you will get to develop such a relationship depends on your eyes. Where are they focused?

My plea is that you let the whole world turn into a thick fog where the only thing you see is the other person’s eyes. In that moment, choose to love them as our Father has commanded, through focused attention. Who knows? The next time you meet them they might actually remember your name and you might remember theirs.

Filed under: 1 John, Changing the Face of Christianity, General | No Comments »

Imagine living a life where you are always in a hurry, stressed out, and never able to relax. Imagine going on a vacation and not knowing how to be still and do nothing. Visualizing this might not be too difficult for you. In fact, it may be hitting so close to home that you secretly wonder if I’ve been spying on you and talking to your friends. If you can relate to this, then you may be suffering from addiction to “busyness”.

• The illusion of getting ahead
• The sense of being important or known as “highly productive”
• The feeling of being in control of your future

If you actually got “ahead”, would you pause and rest a little…or just keep pressing forward to get even more “ahead”? Most of the people I know that are running around busy all the time, trying to be in control, actually appear the most out of control. Instead of having a balanced life, one thing usually dominates their life and everything else suffers.
It’s time to start living a new, joyful life. But first, let’s talk about what busyness really costs you.

• Busyness robs you of a deep connection and relationship with God. If you are too busy for your spouse, your kids, your extended family and friends, where will God end up on your priority list? How can you be sensitive to God’s voice if you are always on the go?
• Busyness robs you of quality time with friends and family. Busyness usually revolves around jobs, projects, tasks, or activities…not around the important people in your life. (Read Luke 10:38-42)
• Busyness robs you of time for reading the Bible and quiet times of contemplation and prayer. Even if you do make time for such things, you likely feel rushed to get through them…which diminishes the value and purpose behind them.

So, to achieve a close relationship with God, your family, and important friends, start living a new life. Here are three timeless principles for eliminating busyness in your life:

• Establish your priorities
• Learn to say NO!
• Lower the bar

Remember, what’s at stake here is your joy, and a deeper connection with God, and the important people in your life. Establish your priorities, learn to say No!, and lower the bar. Give this a try for 30 days and let me know what a difference it makes in your life. It’s guaranteed!

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Have you ever heard someone say, “There are NO coincidences or there are no accidents“? You might hear this in reference to someone you sat next to at a bible study who later becomes an instrumental part of your life. Or it might be the person who “happened” to check you out at the grocery store, that you felt moved to say a kind word to and later find that it kept her from taking her own life like she had planned. It might take the form of something like “The person you married was no coincidence” or “that person who happened to be driving by…and stopped when you crashed your car…and ended up saving your life”…was no coincidence.

We all here these comments from time to time. The question is “Do you believe it?“  Are people just wishful thinkers, or is God really so intimately involved in our daily lives that he orchestrate events on our behalf?

In John Ortberg’s book “The Life You Always Wanted”, he posed a similar question that resonated with me: Why are people ok about praying TO God for everything…but seem skeptical and call people crazy when they suggest that He talked back?…as if God only hears and never speaks! Or in our case…why are they surprised when He responds through another person or event in our life?

I’m hear to tell you that God does speak to us, and I firmly believe that there are no coincidences. We don’t always recognize them at the time, but hindsight has a way of revealing them to us. I believe God CAN speak to us audibly (although it’s arguably more rare…and apparently not His preferred communication style). More often than not He speaks to us through other people, animals, events (coincidences), His Bible, a sunrise, the look  on the face of a small child, an innocent and unknowing question that strikes deep into our heart to address an issue we were struggling with, etc…

I have many stories of how God orchestrates “coincidences” to share over the coming months. However, I also want to hear your stories. If you have a story to share, please email it to brad AT deeperbiblestudies DOT com.

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As a former Atheist, I can appreciate the attempt to logically explain everything. However, where Christians excel is in our ability to look at something very simple and come to the logical conclusion… “That’s GOD!”

Many people come to such an epiphany when camping out in nature… and experiencing God’s creation outside of the man-made cities we all live in. They look at the moon, and stars and heavens and just stare in awe of God’s majesty.

So, here is a simple argument for the existence of God…that even an Atheist would have difficulty explaining with a non-God answer:

1) Look around you for a moment. Can you identify anything that is man-made…something that obviously God didn’t make? Take that house for example. Did God build it? No…an architect and a construction crew did right? How about that car? The good folks at Ford or Chevy built it right? Ok…here’s a tough one…how about those sneakers you are wearing? Did God make them, or did Nike make them? OK…it’s pretty easy to identify things that are man made right? We just KNOW by looking at them, and from our experiences during our lives we just KNOW that man made them.

2) Now, look down at the ground. Did man make the dirt? No. Now look at the sky. Did man make the sun, the moon, and the stars? No. Why do we just KNOW that man didn’t make them? Why do we not need a scientific method to prove that man did NOT make those things? Maybe it’s the good old common sense and experience that helped us know that our car was made by man. It’s just plain as day…man did NOT make the heavens and the earth.

Now, if we didn’t know for a fact that man made the house, the car, and the sneakers…we would probably start looking for a creator and eventually find someone who could be caught in the act of creating them. But we don’t need to….we just know.

Well, the same is true for the heavens and the earth. Man is simply not big enough, powerful enough, or resourceful enough to create ANY of it. But if man didn’t create them…then who/what did? Where did it all come from?

Now, some might say that the Big Bang created it all. Let’s assume the Big Bang theory is true. Did man create the Big Bang? I know that’s a tough one…but again, NO. So who/what did? What caused the Big Bang? Just keep going back far enough in time, and guess what? Man still didn’t have a finger in creating it. It’s 100% God. God did it…all of it. And then God created us humans and absurdly some of us say… “there is no God.” How laughable.

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We’ve written several articles on Godly leadership because we feel our churches really need spiritually mature leaders.

We invite you to visit and subscribe to the “Transformational Leadership Blog/E-Newsletter”. It’s completely focused on leadership tips, leadership resources, and leadership advice. Check it out at http://www.ileadu.com/leadership-blog. Don’t forget to subscribe when you get there.

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Philippians 2:7 (NIV) 
^“…but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness”

This verse frames servant leadership perfectly. It’s a model we can follow at work, at home, and in ministry.

A true leader is not the one calling the shots, making the demands, and extracting sacrifices from others…all so the LEADER can benefit.

A true leader is the servant who thinks of others first, encourages, motivates, inspires, and helps people achieve great results…for THEIR benefit.

Jesus Christ was GOD in the flesh. Who else would be justified in coming to earth and expecting to be served? But what did Jesus do? He came to serve…not to be served. He humbled himself and became like a slave.

So, whether you a leading a business, a ministry, or your family unit… Lead like Jesus Christ. Give up, sacrifice, and serve humbly…so that others may rise up, grow, and benefit.

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I recently read the story again about Joseph (Genesis 37-47), and how he grew from an immature teen into the leader that was handed the keys of authority in Egypt and who saved the entire Israelite population from starvation during a seven year famine. You are surely familiar with Joseph (the coat of many colors, dream interpreter, thrown into a well by his brothers, sold into slavery, etc…)

What can we learn about Godly leadership through the life story of Joseph?

1. Leaders are developed…not born. As a teen, he created division in his family with his over confidence and untactful attitude. He didn’t have natural abilities.
2. Developing as a leader takes time. His journey started at the age of 17. He was 30 before he was given a true leadership position. It was another 14 years before he had truly arrived as a leader.
3. Even during difficult trials, he never cursed God. He remained faithful and allowed God to use him. His character and integrity were never sacrificed.
4. He didn’t take revenge when his position would have allowed him to do so. Instead he forgave his brothers, and gave Glory to God for His hand in his life. He used his leadership position to serve, not to be served.

There are many more lessons to be learned from this story, but here are a few thoughts to make this personal.

God’s timing is long term…not short term. Are you asking God to do something in your life NOW!? What if God has a bigger long term plan for your life. It’s better to be in GOD’s will, than attempt to get God in line with YOUR will.

Do you sometimes feel like you just aren’t as effective or influencial as you want to be? Do you sometimes feel like your gifts and abilities are just not being used to their fullest? Remember that leadership takes time and is developed daily. Look at your daily habits and start taking intentional daily steps at growing in a particular area. Be open to new opportunities (big or small), and seek out opportunities to serve.

Who knows, over time, God might just use you for GREAT things you never saw coming.

Filed under: Genesis, Godly Leadership | 1 Comment »

Why is it so hard to put God first? Is it just pure selfishness? Is it forgetfulness? Does it just boil down to the fact of our sinful nature? Honestly, I believe it’s all of the above.

When I have a decision to make, such as something I want to buy, or maybe changing careers, or maybe choosing between working and spending time with family…it always seems to be difficult. Selfishly, I find that I want to buy something…well just because “I” want it. Or I’m thinking about what career would be best for “ME”. Or I know that my family is very forgiving and maybe they won’t mind me putting in another 5 hours of work this weekend.

Forgetfully, I sometimes just don’t think to ask God what He thinks. And sometimes, I don’t ask because I already know the answer and I don’t want to admit it; the 50 inch plasma flat screen just says “buy me…you deserve it”…or something like that.

God says in His word that if we put Him first: His will, His desires, His purposes for our life… He will bless us abundantly. Read Matthew 6:25-33, with special emphasis on verse 33. The passage is specifically about worrying about tomorrow and the food you will eat and the clothes you will wear… but the principle is the same. Instead of thinking about ourselves and what WE want and what WE need… leave that up to God to provide.

The more I remember verse 33: “Seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be given to you as well”, the more peace comes over me. Instead of worrying and trying to focus on myself, I just need to stay focused on God and what He wants for my life. God will take care of the rest.

Make this a focus in the coming week and see if it provides you with a greater level of peace…and let me know how it goes.

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“Joseph labored in obscurity for a season of his life…” before he finally arrived at his God given purpose of saving the Egyption and Israelite peoples from 7 years of famine (Read Genesis 37-41 for the full story). I read the first part of that quote recently in John Maxwell’s book “The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leaders Day”.  My first thought was how many of us struggle through life feeling the same way…like we are toiling in obscruity, not sure of our God given purpose. Often, we’re not sure if we are making a difference.

Have you ever felt that way? I know I have. We can learn several lessons from the story of Joseph.  1) God expects us to live faithfully and obey His commands… even if we don’t know where and how He’s using us. 2) God’s timing is MUCH different than ours… God works in decades and lifetimes… not days and weeks like we want. 3) Our toiling in obscurity is preparation for the day when God will use us to accomplish His purpose for our lives.

When we live in God’s will, and God’s timing, using our God given talents… our eventual greatness will bring glory to the One who deserves it… God.

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Sometimes, I don’t feel like being loving. People aren’t being nice to me, I’m feeling unappreciated, and no one seems to notice me in a positive way. Ever feel like that?

I felt that way last night with my family. Then I was reminded by God that It’s in these times that we are called to Love anyway.

We can change the face of Christianity by loving others…ESPECIALLY when we aren’t feeling loved ourselves. Give it a try, and let me know about your experience.

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I was recently interviewed on a nationally syndicated morning radio show about my faith story (FamilyNet/Sirius 161, Mornings with Lorri and Larry).

I was an atheist for 13 years, and through a miracle, started believing in God and eventually put my faith in Jesus Christ. Hear about my transformation and also learn a few tips on influencing Atheists.

Click here to hear the radio interview (26 Minutes). Also, let me know if you have any comments.

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I was recently on the radio sharing my faith story from Atheist to Christian. During the interview, the host asked a question I wasn’t completely prepared for. She said “Given that you were an atheist, how do you suggest Christians should approach an atheist”?

Now, I knew how NOT too…but how to? I thought for a second and answered… you simply much SHOW God’s love to them. You can’t quote scripture (they don’t believe in the Book), you can’t say “I’ll pray for you” because that’s like telling an Atheist you are from Mars and your name is Shraaaak-neebo-alkkksitar”. It just doesn’t resonate with them. So, the only way to truly win them over is to show them genuine Christianity. The kind where you actually DO love your neighbor in words and actions. The kind where you don’t look and act like every other person in the world.

In my words, you show them the true FACE of christianity….the kind they can’t resist.

So, a quick topic to discuss as a group. What REAL, practical, do-able, genuine acts of Christian Love are you doing for Christians and non-christians alike? Share your best tips!!!

Filed under: Changing the Face of Christianity, General | 1 Comment »

I recently read a blog article about Holy Ostracism. It was asking the question if we should isolate ourselves…or otherwise refuse fellowship with homosexuals. There are biblical references to not fellowshipping with “sinners” that people rely on to support this view. However, here is my response.

I think we Christians, to our discredit, place much too much importance on the issue of homesexual sin. Outsiders view us a haters, high and mighty, pompous, etc…  Is homosexuality a sin? yes. But remember that ANY sin is just as sinful as homosexuality to God. God teaches us to take the plank out of our own eye before we look to take the speck out of another person’s eye.

Should we practice holy ostracism because someone is homosexual? absolutely not. That only feeds the negative perception…that “we won’t associate with those sinners”..and that we are somehow better than them.

The fact is that we are NOT better than them. Even if we are Christian, and they are not…we are still NOT better than them. God is better…and it is Him who redeems us.

Would you ostracize someone who drank excessively? How about someone who was prideful. How about someone who lusts after someone who is not our spouse? How about someone who (insert any other sin you’ve ever heard of)?

Unless you are going to ostracise everyone (for all sins), I wouldn’t recommend ostracizing anyone for simply being homosexual.

Instead, associate with them. Share your love with them. Engage with them and let your life influence them positively. Let them know that even though God considers their behavior a sin…that we ALL sin, and God still loves us. Then encourage them to seek God and ask him into their life. Homosexuals don’t need to be “fixed”…they need to be loved. God will take it from there.

By the way, I’m very passionate about this negative perception of Christianity. I’ve started a movement to counter those negative perceptions…but it starts with YOU..and how you interface with the world. If you are interested, join our facebook group called “Chaning the Face of Christianity“:

Filed under: Changing the Face of Christianity, General | 1 Comment »

My wife and I spent the weekend out of town and visited the church of our in-laws. It was interesting to note how different their church was. In fact, without close inspection it would be easy to ONLY see the differences. The music was different. Songs we sing…they sing differently. Their communion was different. The sermon style was different. The bulletin was different. In other words, it was a completely different experience. OK…then what was so profound that I should write about it?

It was the same! Christians devoted to Christ, praising and worshiping him. The people loved God although they expressed it differently than I was used to.

In this life, it’s so easy to look at how we are different than other people. It’s harder, but so much more meaningful, to focus on how we are the same. We are all in need of a savior. We are all imperfect. We all have hurts and doubts, but our God covers them all. We all have a God who loves us and makes us complete. We all have a God who deserves our worship and praise. How you and your church congregation expresses that is up to you.

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When did you accept Christ into your life? That was a significant, eternal life event that likely happened many moons ago.

However, do you live your life today as if you JUST made that choice…full of passion and eagerness to please God?

Remember that we must take up our cross DAILY (Luke 9:23). Choose Christ daily and see how God blesses your life and uses you to bless others.

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Just before Jesus was crucified on the cross, he was brought before the Roman governor in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilot. After a series of questions by Pilot, Jesus said “for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” Pilot responded with “What is Truth?” My thoughts on this are below. But for your convenience, here are the verses:

John 18:37-38 (NIV)
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

So, what is truth? There are too many references in the New Testament where Jesus says “I tell you the truth…” or “Truly, Truly, I say to you…” to mention here, but take some time and look them up. You’ll be amazed.

Here’s my feeble attempt at an answer.

Throughout the Bible, we read about people coming to God, then falling away. Worshiping God, then starting to worship other gods and idols of this world. People serving God, then choosing to serve themselves. This pattern is repeated several hundred times!

God says I AM the only God. We should worship and serve ONLY HIM!

But if truth is relative, and everyone’s religion and spirituality is just as good as anyone else’s, then what’s the harm in worshiping money, our jobs, our hobbies, other “gods”, ourselves? The answer? We are harming our relationship with the One True God.

I believe Jesus was saying that truth ISN’T relative. God IS real. Jesus’s teachings, and His redeeming sacrifice on the Cross is real. His resurrection is real. We can have eternal life with the father by accepting Jesus’s sacrifice…that is the truth!

So, what is truth? Even though we all sin and don’t deserve it, God loves you and wants an intimate relationship with you. Jesus was God in the flesh and came to earth to die for your sins, so that you can have eternal life and fellowship with the One Truth God. All we have to do is accept this precious gift. Amen!

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John 14:6 (NIV)
⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
I hear it all the time: “I can’t believe in Christianity…or in a God that would exclude so many people from enjoying a relationship and eternal life with Him”.

With so many religions out there, how pompous is it of Christianity to think it’s the only true religion, and be SO exlusive…right?

I’ll save the topic of what makes Christianity different and special for a later post. I will say in summary…NOT all religions are true. Not all of them can be right at the same time. People who haven’t really studied the various religions look at that debate and say “look at all of the things these religions have in common; golden rule, the flood story, virgin birth, blah blah blah”. But its’ the differences that you have to look at when trying to compare them. If one religion says there is no heaven, and one religion says that there is…then one of them is wrong…end of story. I’ll talk more on that later. But for now, let’s talk about our exclusive little club shall we?

So, is Christianity exlusive and pompous? Hardly. Read on…

Let’s tear this argument apart, piece by piece.

1. Did Jesus die for just Christians (who didn’t exist at the time he walked the earth) or Jews? No. He died for EVERYONE, so that ALL could have eternal life with God.
2. Did Jesus put any restrictions on who could accept him…or difficult barriers between you and Him? Did he load you up with burdens that you must carry in order to be on His team? No.

   He said in Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
   ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
   ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
   ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

3. If Christianity was a country club…what would you have to do to be a member? Answer: walk up and say “I accept your membership, that has already been paid for me by the owner…Jesus Christ”.

So, how can you call something exlusionary and intollerant…if all you have to do is ASK for it? Again, just say “Jesus, I accept your free gift. Instead of rejecting you…I accept you. Instead of putting up exuses and walking away from you…I want a relationship with you.”

The next time you hear someone say “Christianity is intollerant and exlusionary”…ask them to explain what is keeping them from accepting his free gift? Ask them to explain, specifically, what Christians are doing to keep them out of the club. The fact is that Christianity is the most open, tollerant, non-exlusive club on earth. ANYONE can join, ANYTIME in their life…and they will be accepted.

So what’s it going to be? Want in? All you have to do is ask. .

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