My Daily Life and Thoughts while in San Diego |
List of Best Posts
This blog is where I express myself to the world or at least to those who might stop by to read what I post 
. Maybe God will use what I post (I am a Christian and this blog will have a most decidedly Christian bent to it) to good effect in the lives of my readers.
I may turn some of my posts into a book. I may cease blogging here altogether. Who knows. But for now..I am content to post away in this, my own little corner of the world.
Rather than reading through my now lengthy list of posts you may wish to read what I consider to be my very best posts or you can just read the posts that deal with a single subject category that might interest you.
Please know that I am open to any input on any topic I write about. If you have something to say about anything you see written here please....feel free to speak up in the form of leaving a comment or sending me a PM (private message).
And if you are in San Diego and wish to meet the one and only Carlos (that's me)...drop me a private message. I always enjoy meeting one of my readers!
Thanks.
Carlos
PS. If you want to follow my blog such that you will get an email when I write new posts you can subscribe to my blog.
. Maybe God will use what I post (I am a Christian and this blog will have a most decidedly Christian bent to it) to good effect in the lives of my readers. I may turn some of my posts into a book. I may cease blogging here altogether. Who knows. But for now..I am content to post away in this, my own little corner of the world.
Rather than reading through my now lengthy list of posts you may wish to read what I consider to be my very best posts or you can just read the posts that deal with a single subject category that might interest you.
Please know that I am open to any input on any topic I write about. If you have something to say about anything you see written here please....feel free to speak up in the form of leaving a comment or sending me a PM (private message).
And if you are in San Diego and wish to meet the one and only Carlos (that's me
)...drop me a private message. I always enjoy meeting one of my readers!Thanks.
Carlos
PS. If you want to follow my blog such that you will get an email when I write new posts you can subscribe to my blog.
Be a Christian publicly...no matter what!
Posted 08-14-2009 at 02:00 PM by carlos123
This morning, during my usual morning routine of reading some news, checking this blog, and otherwise...I read of two school officials in Florida who are facing charges for praying at a public gathering.
The case is a bit involved in that the criminal charge is contempt of court based on a violation of a previously agreed upon agreement between the ACLU and the School District in question which itself revolved around the complaints of some students at how prayers were being done at various school functions.
While I am all for standing up for religious liberty in the public square and working our way through the court system to allow Christians greater freedom of expression...the fact is that Christians are not going to be able to get a secular world system to agree to their having the freedom to express all that God might want them to express at all times and in whatever way God might want them to do it.
There is a fundamental need on the part of those calling themselves Christians to decide once and for all that they are going to do and say what the Lord might want them to do and say, wherever God might them them to do it, and in whatever way God might want them to do things, no matter what!
Is our life so dear that we will allow ourselves to abide by policies that would shut the mouth of Christians from ever praying in public, sharing the Gospel in public, or otherwise doing things that are acceptable and pleasing to our God?
Is a Christian public school teacher or Administrator supposed to shut their mouth and not utter a prayer, a perfectly acceptable form of communication with our God, simply because the courts of the land decide that such a thing should not be allowed under the notion that expressions of heartfelt praise or prayer to God should disappear from the public square?
God is the ultimate authority. Not the government or the courts of the land!
And if before God, praying to Him is a perfectly acceptable thing to do then by George (King George that is) or in this case more appropriately, by God...we ought to be about our Father's business and...well...pray!
And if that means we, as Christians, can no longer hold on to jobs where the government says we can't be about our Father's business...then so be it!
Either we yield to anti-God government decree and keep our job or we yield to God and lose our job if the job is such that we must shut our mouth and not do what is perfectly acceptable to do by God.
New Testament Christians were respectful of government authority. They submitted to government authority in all cases where they could do so...with one single exception. They did not submit to government or other authority when that authority told them to keep their mouths shut and to otherwise shut up about Jesus Christ!
And they suffered as a result.
Are we, at least those of us who call ourselves Christians, willing to suffer the same? If not, why not?
Have our jobs become so dear to us that we will abide by court decisions that tell us to shut our mouth when God would have us speak?
God does not guarantee us our jobs, our homes, our cars, our bank accounts, or anything else we might naturally hold dear to ourselves in this life. He guarantees us Himself. And He calls all Christians to stand on his truth and do and say those things that are pleasing to Him and needful to say while living in the midst of a corrupt, immoral, and otherwise wicked generation that does not know God.
Christians are called to carry their crosses, deny self, and live for God. Not for themselves.
It's high time Christians started acting like Christians in the public square no matter what the government says otherwise.
If persecution and loss of jobs and even imprisonment comes...so be it!
It's time to decide whether we are going to save our life or lose it in the cause of Christ. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot save your life and hold on to all you hold dear in this life and live for Christ at the same time. Not if you are going to live all out for God.
If you are not willing to live all out for God you are not a Christian! Plain and simple.
Why do you call me Lord, Lord and don't do what I say...Jesus said! If they persecuted Him they will persecute us. If they called Him a nutcase they will do the same to us! If they misunderstood and condemned Him they will do the same to us!
What makes any of us who call ourselves Christians think that we can escape the consequences of being a Christian if Jesus Christ and the New Testament Christians did not escape those consequences?
If a person who professes to be a Christian wants to play church and go sit in a pew Sunday after Sunday without taking to heart what the bible says and following in the footsteps of Jesus themselves, out in the real world, that's one thing. There are lots of religious folks assembling all over the place to suit the fancy of anyone who wants to play church while living for themselves.
But if a person is really a Christian and wants to truly follow in the way of Jesus Christ it's going to cost them. For some it will cost big time. For some not so much. But cost it will for every single one of us who calls themselves by His name!
Friendship with the world system is to be an enemy of God and following after God with all our hearts and minds will make us an enemy of the world. That's just the way it is and those of us who say we love the Lord need to put our lives where our mouths are and start living in line with what we say we believe.
No matter what happens to us in doing so!
That's what the New Testament Christians did! They turned their world upside down and filled it with the message of the Gospel. We must go and do likewise! In the public square! Out where the people are!
I am not talking about being belligerent, rebellious, stupid, or foolish. If the world system persecutes us for such that's on our own heads.
But if the world system persecutes us for doing what is perfectly acceptable to do by God then we should praise God for having been counted worthy of suffering for His name's sake in the footsteps of Jesus and the New Testament Christians!
We shouldn't go out of our way to look for persecution but if it comes...so be it! Let the persecution begin!
Carlos
PS. Here's a link to the report I referred to in my post -> School prayer charges stir protests - Washington Times
The case is a bit involved in that the criminal charge is contempt of court based on a violation of a previously agreed upon agreement between the ACLU and the School District in question which itself revolved around the complaints of some students at how prayers were being done at various school functions.
While I am all for standing up for religious liberty in the public square and working our way through the court system to allow Christians greater freedom of expression...the fact is that Christians are not going to be able to get a secular world system to agree to their having the freedom to express all that God might want them to express at all times and in whatever way God might want them to do it.
There is a fundamental need on the part of those calling themselves Christians to decide once and for all that they are going to do and say what the Lord might want them to do and say, wherever God might them them to do it, and in whatever way God might want them to do things, no matter what!
Is our life so dear that we will allow ourselves to abide by policies that would shut the mouth of Christians from ever praying in public, sharing the Gospel in public, or otherwise doing things that are acceptable and pleasing to our God?
Is a Christian public school teacher or Administrator supposed to shut their mouth and not utter a prayer, a perfectly acceptable form of communication with our God, simply because the courts of the land decide that such a thing should not be allowed under the notion that expressions of heartfelt praise or prayer to God should disappear from the public square?
God is the ultimate authority. Not the government or the courts of the land!
And if before God, praying to Him is a perfectly acceptable thing to do then by George (King George that is) or in this case more appropriately, by God...we ought to be about our Father's business and...well...pray!
And if that means we, as Christians, can no longer hold on to jobs where the government says we can't be about our Father's business...then so be it!
Either we yield to anti-God government decree and keep our job or we yield to God and lose our job if the job is such that we must shut our mouth and not do what is perfectly acceptable to do by God.
New Testament Christians were respectful of government authority. They submitted to government authority in all cases where they could do so...with one single exception. They did not submit to government or other authority when that authority told them to keep their mouths shut and to otherwise shut up about Jesus Christ!
And they suffered as a result.
Are we, at least those of us who call ourselves Christians, willing to suffer the same? If not, why not?
Have our jobs become so dear to us that we will abide by court decisions that tell us to shut our mouth when God would have us speak?
God does not guarantee us our jobs, our homes, our cars, our bank accounts, or anything else we might naturally hold dear to ourselves in this life. He guarantees us Himself. And He calls all Christians to stand on his truth and do and say those things that are pleasing to Him and needful to say while living in the midst of a corrupt, immoral, and otherwise wicked generation that does not know God.
Christians are called to carry their crosses, deny self, and live for God. Not for themselves.
It's high time Christians started acting like Christians in the public square no matter what the government says otherwise.
If persecution and loss of jobs and even imprisonment comes...so be it!
It's time to decide whether we are going to save our life or lose it in the cause of Christ. You cannot have it both ways. You cannot save your life and hold on to all you hold dear in this life and live for Christ at the same time. Not if you are going to live all out for God.
If you are not willing to live all out for God you are not a Christian! Plain and simple.
Why do you call me Lord, Lord and don't do what I say...Jesus said! If they persecuted Him they will persecute us. If they called Him a nutcase they will do the same to us! If they misunderstood and condemned Him they will do the same to us!
What makes any of us who call ourselves Christians think that we can escape the consequences of being a Christian if Jesus Christ and the New Testament Christians did not escape those consequences?
If a person who professes to be a Christian wants to play church and go sit in a pew Sunday after Sunday without taking to heart what the bible says and following in the footsteps of Jesus themselves, out in the real world, that's one thing. There are lots of religious folks assembling all over the place to suit the fancy of anyone who wants to play church while living for themselves.
But if a person is really a Christian and wants to truly follow in the way of Jesus Christ it's going to cost them. For some it will cost big time. For some not so much. But cost it will for every single one of us who calls themselves by His name!
Friendship with the world system is to be an enemy of God and following after God with all our hearts and minds will make us an enemy of the world. That's just the way it is and those of us who say we love the Lord need to put our lives where our mouths are and start living in line with what we say we believe.
No matter what happens to us in doing so!
That's what the New Testament Christians did! They turned their world upside down and filled it with the message of the Gospel. We must go and do likewise! In the public square! Out where the people are!
I am not talking about being belligerent, rebellious, stupid, or foolish. If the world system persecutes us for such that's on our own heads.
But if the world system persecutes us for doing what is perfectly acceptable to do by God then we should praise God for having been counted worthy of suffering for His name's sake in the footsteps of Jesus and the New Testament Christians!
We shouldn't go out of our way to look for persecution but if it comes...so be it! Let the persecution begin!
Carlos
PS. Here's a link to the report I referred to in my post -> School prayer charges stir protests - Washington Times
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