I haven't made a new post here for awhile. It's not that I have nothing to say; it is more like there are a lot of things that I could say, but haven't yet figured out how to say them. I think I know what to say better now.

What is a Christian?

Where I live, the idea of a Christian is someone who follows a lot of rules, and the people who make the rules are quick to say you cannot be a Christian if you don't follow them.

Still other people talk a lot and seem very proud of being "saved" or "born-again"; but again, they act and think and obey a certain set of rules.

What did Jesus say?

I read the gospels, and I hear him tell Nicodemus that he must be born again; born of water and the spirit. I hear Jesus also tell him that his followers are like the wind; that you feel it's force, but cannot tell where it has come from and where it is going to.

When the Jewish rulers accused him of getting rid of the Law, he replied that he came to fullfill it instead. He later did this by offering himself as the only acceptable sacrifice on the cross; for ALL of mankind and ALL of our sin.

When the rich young ruler came to him to find out what he lacked, Jesus told him to sell everything that he had, take up his cross, and to "follow me". What did he mean by that?

When the disciples asked him about the signs that end was near, he told them that that many things would happen before that time. He also asked them a question; "When the son of man returns, will he find The Faith on the earth?" From the way it is written, the answer seems to be "No".

I also see Jesus draw the outcasts of society to him; while the religious rulers rejected his message.

So what does all of this mean to me?

When I accepted what Christ had for me, it transformed my life. I felt a peace and joy that I couldn't really express to anyone. Gradually, that faith dimmed as I learned what being a Christian was. It took God bringing me through a terrible time in my life to discover that when I thought he had abandoned me, he was really carrying me. He showed me then that what I was taught about being a Christian was wrong,and that those things were invented by man.

Later, I wandered again off into what was expected of me. I did this over and over; each time he brought me back; bringing me closer and closer to understanding.

I cannot see everything; yet I have learned that all of the rules, all of the rituals, all of the dogma that defines what a Christian is in society today is wrong. Only those things that Christ himself gives is real.

Because of this, I ask you to discard all of the social customs, trappings, living by law, and holier-than-thou nonsense and do just what Jesus asked; take up your cross and follow him. Don't try to "win" people; instead focus on seeking the mind of Christ and doing his will. After all, he said "Come unto me, all you who are heavily laden. I will rest you." He did NOT say to follow any political program, social custom, or what someone else tells you must do to be Christian. Wake up! Come into LIFE! Rest in Him!

Till next time,

Duane