The Exact Same Thing, But Different

Did you know that the word “Motel” was invented by a sign painter?  The sign board was not big enough for the typical “Motor Hotel” and still be read by motorists going by at 60mph. So he combined the two words into one and it became Motel.  That’s a challenge sign painters like myself face all the time.  We don’t need the whole menu, just the name and something simple to draw in the customers.  There is a saying, “Why use a $20 word when a $2 word will do?”

In the northeast part of the US, there are large communities of Amish, and their “cousins”, Mennonites.

In our area, Mennonites are the prominent group. They are not as strict as the Amish (they drive cars), but still, very religious.  They will not stray far from the King James Version (KJV), though they might enjoy the New King James.

There is this one Mennonite who puts out a sign in his front yard with a scripture or thought from scripture.  It is not one of those ugly signs some well meaning Christians scrawl on walls with a bad paint brush. 
This is done professionally, on a nice 12”x18” sign board (a professional guess), both sides, easily readable from the road.  As a professional sign painter, I’m impressed.  I’m also impressed with his consistency, every two months, a new saying or verse. Always up to date, always clean. Very Mennonite of him.

And also very typical “Christian Speak”.

Sayings like “Repent and be converted” or something like that.

What do they mean? How are the people driving by being affected?  Who gets the message?  And do they understand the Language of The Church?  Our “Inspeak”?

The most recent hot bible on the market that is gaining popularity, to the point where Bible Gateway (website) even has a copy of it, is The Message. To King James Version enthusiasts, The Message Bible is blasphemous.  But to modern young people, it’s a life line, an opportunity, a relief, a book they can finally understand.

I’ll admit, I am not a big fan of it myself, and probably because to me, it over simplified it or feel some usages are over done (I like the New International Version or The Living Bible). I may read a simple 8 word line in the KJV or NIV, and read a whole “blog” in that same verse in The Message. Without citing samples, I’ll just say, I’m not comfortable with it. That does not mean it is incorrect, but if I were to talk to a KJV enthusiast, I would probably not use it.

However, do we over use some Christian language when we talk to people, either verbally, on blogs like this or on a road side sign?  Are we getting the message across where they can understand it? What does “Repent” mean and “be converted” mean?  To engineers, mechanics and sign artists, conversion is part of their language. How would I convert from US standard to Metric? If I can’t find my half inch wrench, I’ll use a 12mm instead. But I learned that by experience and necessity. I get put off watching science shows that insist that we understand their language and units of measurement.  Maybe I’m lazy, but when they say its twenty five kilometers, I have no idea how far that is.  So I have to miss half the show figuring it out, or just ignore that comment and assume it’s a long way.  That is conversion. But is that what God is talking about? Is it “the exact same thing, but different”?

What about repent?  That’s a nice archaic word to mean turn around or change your direction or mind (in a simplistic way).

How about if we just say:
 

“We need to change the way we think about God and our relationship with him, and as a result, be changed into a whole new person”

That would help a lot more than just “repent and be converted”. And that is basically what it means.  Unfortunately, it’s also too wordy for a 12”x18” sign to be read by people driving by at 60mph.

Maybe we Christians are the ones who need to repent and convert our language.

Let Jesus Do It!

I got this interactive analogy I like to use on people.

I pull out a set of keys or a quarter and lay it on my hand and then tell them to try to take it out of my hand.

They are expecting me to close my hand, so they quickly grab it. Since I did not close my hand, they easily got it, then I would say, “No, try to take it out of my hand”

So again, they would reach for it, and again, I don’t close my hand, and they easily take it out of my hand.

Then I say “You don't understand. I want you to TRY to take it out of my hand!”

By this time, they are confused. How can you try to take something out of someones hand when they don’t make it difficult? All they are doing is just taking it out of my hand, when I told them to TRY to take it out.

Naturally, they are confused because they expected a struggle and hardship, but realizing that it’s more difficult to try to do something that should come easily to you. Like letting Jesus do the work and start celebrating our existence in Jesus reality. We work too hard trying to "get saved" or saving others as if Jesus needed us to do it.

I think it takes more faith to trust Jesus to do it than it is for us to try hard. Maybe that is why so many work so hard for their salvation, they lack faith in Jesus to take care of their salvation!

Do you really want more faith? Then quit trying so hard!

• “Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try” ~Yoda

 Boyd

Holy Spirit and the Brain

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Pinky: “What are we going to do today Brain?”

Brain: “The same thing we do every day Pinky, try to take over the world!”

Warner Brothers “Pinky and the Brain”

What do the human brain and the holy spirit (sent from heaven) have in common?

• We don’t use either one of them enough.
• God isn’t sending any more.

My wife likes to use this phrase when confronted with human idiocy. “Why don’t they use the brains God gave geese?” As you know, sometimes geese don’t seem to have enough brains as it is. (She often uses “common sense” as well). Yet sometimes we go through life not even using that much. Geniuses use 9, maybe 10 percent at best. Wile Coyote, a Super Genius uses 10.5% So we get on our knees and ask God for more brains.

A while back, I have been confronted with the idea that there is a "second phase" to the holy spirit gifts: The holy ghost. That is supposed to be the second power or special gift God gives to those that are holier than others, I think.  An example I was given was the apostles asking the people who among them were filled with the holy spirit (holy ghost in the KJV) to be raised as deacons to serve the widows in the church. (Book of Acts)

Personally, I just think these people are picked out, not because they were given a second gift or experienced a “holy ghost” thing.   Personally, I just simply think they are using the holy spirit in their lives, participating in the work God gave them to begin with. The people recognized their faith and life as being in line with God’s plan for them. The others are just receiving what they are serving already. Basically speaking, they were already doing the obvious work of deacons so they were called out and recognized for this purpose.

We sometimes find churches calling out for the holy spirit (holy ghost) to “come down” and expecting an “experience” of the holy ghost. As if, for some reason, the holy spirit was not at church at that moment! If the holy spirit has to be called down, then what is the Church up to this point? So far, I have not seen any examples of that happening in the bible except where the holy spirit was first sent to the disciples in the upper room where they waited as Christ asked them to. Then later in a gentile location, a church who have not heard of the holy spirit was given a sign of the power when given to the whole church at that location. In fact, nothing was “called down” nor was the holy spirit invoked. It was just simply given by God in a unique way.

We are given (not get) the holy spirit/ghost by God when Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father as promised. What are we expecting? An experience? He never promised that.

Jesus came to earth once. Jesus became human once. Jesus lived, suffered, died and was raised once. (He died once for ALL of humanity) Jesus ascended to heaven once. We are baptized once. And he sent the Holy Spirit once.

So what do we do now? Ask God to help us use what he has given already, to use the fruit of the holy spirit (see Gal. 5:22) in our lives now. Make ourselves open, vulnerable and naked before God to allow him to work with us where we are now. Faith is putting our trust (what little we have) in God to do what he wills in our lives. Let God open our brains (the other 90%) to recognize the holy spirit and all that it has at work in our lives already.

Pinky: "So how does one get more holy spirit?"
Brain: "The same way you get more brains, Pinky, you use what you got!"!

“If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains” – Jesus

The Kingdom of God Is Like a Bear In a Zoo

Once upon a time, there was a man who was given the task of running the zoo and caring for its animals. He was called The Zoo Keeper.

The Zoo Keeper walked the grounds of the zoo and observed the animals and their surroundings. He was not pleased with what he saw. He saw caged up animals that were not in their natural environments. He heard their cries and gnashing of teeth, and sometimes he heard nothing at all as they lay sleeping their lives away.

  One particular animal took his interest. It was a bear that slept in one corner of his cage, and when he was hungry, he would get up slowly, walk over to the opposite corner to eat the food that was given to him. He would then walk back to his corner and lay down to go back to sleep. He was unhappy and unhealthy.

So The Zoo Keeper decided to change things. He told his servants of a huge project which would involve acquiring new land, expanding the environment and building natural landscapes for the animals that would be similar to what they would enjoy in the wild. The elephants would live in an environment similar to what is found in Africa, and the monkeys would swing from real trees, and the polar bears would enjoy large cold water tanks and rocks. The servants rejoiced in hearing the Good News, and began the work. When they accomplished the renovations, the Zoo Keeper said, “It is good.”

They then took the cage with the bear in it and set it into his new environment along with the other bears. They opened his cage door and waited. The bear sniffed the air, looked around, then walked over to his food, ate it, and then went back to his corner and laid down to sleep.

So the Zoo Keeper said, “Take down the walls of the cage and carry them away from here. The bear does not realize that the door is opened to him, that he is free and has a new environment in which to live.” So they took down the walls of his old cage, carried them away leaving the bear sleeping. When the bear awoke, he looked around and noticed something different. But his hunger took over, he got up as usual and walked over to where his food is accustomed to be, ate his food and then went back to where is bed was, and laid down to sleep. Even though there were no walls to confine him, he did not move beyond the confines of his belief of where his walls once stood.

So the keeper said, “Take his food away from him. Give him better food, food that has strong smell that will attract a bear, and put it several feet away from his normal area, and let us wait.” So they took the food away and set out a feast that only a bear could truly appreciate, and they put it several feet away from his usual place, away from his usual confines. Eventually the bear woke up, walked over to where his food once sat, and did not find it. He sniffed the air, and smelled the strong food and flavors that would attract a bear, yet not seeing it, he turned back to his bed and laid there and slept, but this time, hungry.

Those with ears let them hear.

Notice that though the bear is in his new kingdom, a member of that kingdom, yet he denied his freedom and allowed the walls of his mind and beliefs to hold him to his old environment. He did not see nor cared that the other bears are free. All he knew was his old environment. Was the bear destroyed or punished for his lack of understanding? No, but he suffered needlessly because of his disbelief, continuing his crying and gnashing of teeth. But daily, the servants of the zoo came to patiently lead him away from his old confines until he eventually was able to enjoy his new environment.

It is written that those who live by the law will die by the law. The old law, like the cage, has been taken away. But if the bear believed that he is still confined to that area, he will live and eventually die within the area of his existence. But the Zoo Keeper was compassionate and loved the bear. Instead of letting the bear sleep his life away, he sent in his servants who encouraged the bear and showed what his freedom would bring to his life. He eventually found a new place to sleep and eat, but more importantly, he found enjoyment in his new environment along with bears of his kind.

Then the Zoo Keeper said, “It is very good”.

This is yet another Blog on Christianity! I hope this will be of some help to those who are still struggling with Church and folks that go there.

Often, we work way too hard to be Christians instead of letting Christ work in and through us. so many rules, so many expectations from people we know, and even more expectations from people we don't know, or worse, don't know us.

So feel free to comment on this blog.

Boyd