Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Remember the Cross...

when you take sin lightly. This was something that Mitch preached about this Sunday, and as time has gone on I have realized that my thought process have not been tolerant to mine and others' sins. As a Christian body of Christ we have to look at sin as what took our Savior to the cross. As the world continues to take that for grated, we however cannot and should not. Why have we become immune to sin? Are we not reading the Gospel, and God inspired word?
One place that this has hit hard has been with entertainment. I come from parents that used to owe a video store, and I have seen almost any type of movie/show there is. Over time, I have eliminated horror flicks from my imagination (as I feel that if a movie can give me nightmares, then it no longer needs to be seen by me), lately I have noticed that many comedies are beginning to trouble me. One movie in particular "Knocked Up." I never in my wildest thought that the F-bomb could be used in all forms of grammar. However, it seems that I have steered clear from more shows than anything. "Family Guy" is a big one that Reson I watched every week, and later we eliminated all Seth McFarlene shows. The episode that got us turned off was when Bryan the dog convinced Meg to turn away from her new life as a Christian. There was some major insults flung, and Reson and I just couldn't do it. We had let this show make fun Jesus as a sinful man lusting over women, and we took it lightly. We kept watching after that, and it makes me sick to my stomach thinking back on that. However, by the grace of God, through His teachings from His word, we see things very differently. I am grateful for seeing things differently.
Now, comes the point when not only do my sins bother me, but those that I surround myself with that can effect my life. We must not take sin lightly, our Heavenly Father abhors it, and so must we. Remember the Cross! Remember that Christ shed his blood for the sins of the world, and we must not look upon things around us with tolerance. If we continue to live in sin there will come a point when He turns away. When you know the Gospel and hear it, and you still choose to live in sin with no repentance, Christ has no tolerance. Remember that the next time you take sin lightly. We have to use the armor of God to fight these battles. We cannot lean on our sinful earthly mind to handle the sin of world. We can only rely on the armor of God in the Word.

The Whole Armor of God
 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[c] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[d] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[e] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[f]
 19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.[g] 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.