Come On, My Generation

Yes!! I totally relate, Deborah. It’s like for some Christians, the truth is stuck in their heads (“I know Jesus died for my sins”. “I know He loves me.” “I know I am a new creation.”). But do they truly believe? Do they claim it as living, real, uncompromising? Has the truth moved from their head to their hearts and transformed their lives? For many I think the answer is no.

Romans 6 describes the incredible truth that in the life of a believer, a radical transformation has taken place. The “old man” was actually, literally crucified with Christ. We as Christians are not only saved by the blood of Jesus, but a marvelous exchange has taken place in the very core of our beings. We are no longer the “old man” dominated by sin and death. We have new identities. We are new creations, united to Christ Jesus. But are we living like it? Do realize this vital truth and claim it as real? Or do we just continue living as if nothing ever happened?

I’ve been reading about the Christian Protestants who were persecuted in Tudor England under Bloody Mary. They not only claimed the truth – they lived for it and even died for it. If we claim to own a faith that powerful, we should see some evidence of it in our lives.

Thanks so much for this article!!

Amen! Oh, to be a generation, to be a nation who knows Jesus, and doesn’t just know of Him… That would be a beautiful thing.

And: “ain’t nobody got time for that”–thanks for making me smile. 🙂

Thank you! You wrote something that I was too scared to write. I agree with everything.
In order to see the change, we need to be the change. We can’t say “I wish there were more real deal Christ followers” without being a real deal Christ follower. I struggled with this for a couple of years. I got so aggravated at the fact that people were blind to see what was right in front of them. I was angry that people believed that God existed, but didn’t care or think that effected how they act. Then I reluctantly realized that this was me. I wasn’t living like God had changed me.
A generation of people who worship and know Jesus’ would be an outstanding, beautiful, amazing thing. A radical change needs to take place for this to happen. As Christians, isn’t God asking us to lead this change? Us rebelutionaries are called to do hard things. That includes leading a nation to the One who saves us all.
This topic gets me so fired up. I could go on for hours.
“aint nobody got time for that”— thanks for the laugh 🙂

Romans 2:21-24

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAaaaaa…. *drops over dead*

Gotta love that actor. 😛

I’m so glad somebody wrote this! Jesus didn’t die to make us act better, He died to make us His and that’s what will change people. Thanks for posting.

Haha….thanks? Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing….:)

Oh, AND THEN I remember inconceivable from the movie, LOL. I was wondering where that word came from….

Good thing! 🙂 And “1 other person is typing” is not something you see every day….

I know, right? I’m always like, aaaahhhhh! I’m not the only one on here!

Thank you. That really helps.

I feel bad for whoever hasn’t seen that movie. It’s such a classic.

True, true.

…and that person would be me. Could you please enlighten the rest of us?

I’ve heard of it! Is it any good?

Aha gotcha.

Ha ha, that would be me :p

Deborah,
I appreciate your boldness and lack of fear in confronting this issue.

While this generation may seem to be worse than others, this lukewarm behavior has been going on from the beginning of time. “For narrow is the way that leads to righteousness and few find it.” I am an older woman, way beyond your years, and I have been crying your cry since I was first saved almost 40 years ago. I couldn’t understand why others who purported to know Christ showed no evidence in their lives that they either knew him or had come to know Him. I finally read John MacArthur’s book called “The Gospel According to Jesus.” It confirmed exactly what I believed in my heart, but having been raised in an always grace giving atmosphere for ungodly behavior, I was afraid that I was being wrongly judgmental. But we are told to “judge rightly,” when it comes to people claiming to be Christians. There is such a thing as a remnant. Some say it could be as little as 10%. Many will call Lord, Lord and he will reject them. Our responsibility is to stand strong in the faith, devour the Word, and pray that God might find those wanting Him as He knocks on the door of their hearts.

Things are going to get tougher for those who are committed to endure to the end.Hang in there. Your heart’s cry is the cry of Christ’s.

Blessings!
Jean

Wow! Thank you Deborah! I’ve been feeling this way for a while. We can’t just call ourselves Christians…we need to BE Christians. THERE IS POWER IN THE NAME OF JESUS! He should be flowing out of our lives! We need to be the generation that says, “I’m done with pretending. The mask is off… I live because HE LIVES!”

refusal to compromise truth, a hunger for the word, and an unshakeable love for Christ. You’ll also see them change over time.

I haven’t had much experience with this since (thankfully!) most of the kids I hang out with are pretty hardcore about their faith. But a few months ago I was reunited with one of my oldest friends that I hadn’t seen in years, and I was shocked at how lax she took her faith. Her family are Christians, and so we went to church together one day. During worship she was whispering and giggling with one of her other friends. After church she carelessly used God’s name in vain. She was disrespectful toward her dad, and I was stunned at how she acted. Is this what “normal” teens act like? I thought to myself. And don’t get me wrong, her life is hard. Her mom left when she was a baby. Her dad isn’t home a lot of the time, working. Her older sister has two kids, and isn’t married.

But still, all the more reason to stick to God, right? For most teens, I guess not. And who would want to, when church just isn’t worth it? The songs are made of fake smiles. The sermon is long and no one understands half of it anyway. Youth group is okay occasionally, if only to check out the cute “Christian” boys. That’s how I’ve heard some people describe it. That’s apparently how it is when you’re not fully invested in The Lord.

Who else is going to shine a light, if we won’t? We, as the generation everyone is looking at and dismissing as reckless human beings, need to make a comeback. We need proclaim the name of our Lord, and stand as tall and proud as we can!!!

Great job on the article!
I think that this mess is partly due to the modern watered down Gospel message, and people come to Jesus for selfish reasons. That makes a lot of false converts!

AMEN to every word of that, Deborah! I’m sick of it too. Spiritual apathy is a very real and serious problem in the church today. We young people really need to stand up and show everyone that there is so much more than the lifeless faith they profess. Jesus didn’t call us to say a prayer and go to church. He called us to be disciples and make disciples.

My friend once said: “True Christianity is never shown in popular culture. Because true Christianity is beautiful, but terrifying.” It’s not soft, it’s not sappy. It MUST be taken seriously. And this article SO shows that. More wonderful than I can say – bravo, Deborah!

Right. Unless they are a false convert, and have been taught a false gospel (example; Jesus loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. While that is true, God is NOT a genie.) like Dan Barker, who was a minister for 17 years before showing his true true colors. He was a false convert, and is now an avid atheist who hates the Lord.

Ha ha, i actually do get that one. lol 🙂

Yes, I understand what you’re saying. I made that first comment because lately I’ve been trying to DO so much, to be the Christian poster child. I’ve wondered how God could ever let me into heaven unless I do more good stuff. While that is important, your comment made me realize how his love can accept me, a sinner. His love will and has changed me, but I now have had an awesome reminder that I will never be good enough but he loves me anyway.

WOW!! Deborah that was something out of this world!!! You really presented that well and it didn’t come out harsh at all. I commend you for taking a stand against people who don’t practice what they preach! Cause we’re not supposed to just walk past those people we’re supposed to keep our brothers and sisters in Christ accountable. and if they say their Christians but don’t live the life then there’s something that needs to be said. and by golly Deborah you said it!! With confidence, dignity, and with persuasiveness!! That was trully amazing and i want to thank you for posting that!!
May God Bless You!!!

YES! Thank you, Deborah! I have been thinking this my whole life… And I don’t really know what to do about it except confront it and stand up about it like you did with this article. That’s not judgmental: it’s called speaking the truth in love. That’s exactly what Jesus did (ever read what He said to the Pharisees? Sometimes truth hurts.). I’m very, very sick of nominal Christianity, and it’s time we were real about it. I went to a concert last night and I loved what one of the artists (Jeremy Camp) said, “You can sit there and sing along to these worship songs and get hyped up about being in a crowd, but will you live your faith? People are dying every day for theirs. Are you willing to live for yours?” And that is exactly what I would ask every youth group in America: are you willing to really, really live for Christ? Not just in a church, not just at a concert, not just in front of your youth pastor, but completely and constantly?

That’s such an amazing thing to understand! He will never stop loving you, no matter what!

I’ll have To read it some time!

Wow! Totally agree! I mean I see kids ‘love God’ on Sunday, cuss God on Monday, pray to pass a test on Tuesday, then ‘love God’ at youth group on Wendsday!! Btw SUPER well written, I promise you did not come off as harsh at all!!

I’m just going to say that God is going to -and is already- using you to impact and bless the lives of others in incredible ways. Thank you for being brave enough to submit that article. It’s almost as if I was looking at a mirror into my own soul as you put into words the same burden that has been on my heart for some time now. I’m sick of being surrounded by apathetic, half-hearted, hypocritical, shallow people who have the audacity to advertise themselves as Christians, yet threaten their pastor with leaving the church because of something they don’t like, or harbor grudges and bitterness toward other believers. I want to be with people who are on fire for God and passionate about witnessing. In America especially, we have more religious freedom then any other country, but we don’t take advantage of it. Instead, we sit around complaining about the music or what have you while Christians in other countries are dying for the sake of their faith. A lady at a church we sang at recently actually told me they spent an hour or so during a church meeting arguing about what kind of chairs to have in the fellowship hall. What’s the point? When you could spend an hour studying the Bible, spending time with God, ministering to others, why argue over something as menial as chairs? Anyway, I’m done ranting. Thanks again, I really appreciate your article.

Hey Katherine! Haha I totally agree with your Sunday-Wednesday progression; I’ve seen that happening, too! Thanks for letting me know that I am not alone with this. It’s my prayer that we will have the courage to make a change and be people whose love for Jesus and passion for Him causes an explosion of service and love for others!

Aww, Madeleine, thank you so much for commenting! Amen to what you said about accountability, as well! That’s something that I feel is very often lacking. I mean, vulnerability can be hard sometimes (as well as other problems like stubborn independence and such) which can make people less likely to engage in accountability, but I think that not only challenging one another to step up but also just living life together is so important. When we are struggling, learning, searching, and growing right along next to each other, something powerful can often take place. Sometimes it just seems plain out hard to do this in American culture, though! Any ideas on how to make it work?

Wow, I love that! “…true Christianity is beautiful, but terrifying.” That is such a true and powerful statement, and I think that it can be said the same of God. I was watching Francis Chan’s “Basic” video series, and the first episode is on fearing God. Chan talked about how the striking fear of God is the place that we need to get to in order to better understand the rest (he did it through a really cool and powerful analogy with water). Our faith and our God sure is a marvelously beautiful reality, yet it is really a marvelously terrifying reality, too. I think that not losing sight of this healthy fear and the power of what we claim is so incredibly important!

That’s a really good point, Ethan! When we water down the Gospel, we are essentially watering down so much about Christianity and presenting a ‘religion’ that doesn’t seem to match up with the Book it claims to be from. It’s definitely true, too, that we can even present Jesus in a manner that mainly appeals to people’s selfishness. Then, at youth groups and such, that selfishness can keep being fed through just a general ‘me-centeredness.’ This definitely is not always the case, but it’s been a tendency that I’ve noticed. Thank you for pointing out that danger!

That quote by Wilberforce is seriously one of my favorites; thank you for sharing it! I hear you, though, sometimes throwing in the towel seems like a good (and much easier) option. It’s my prayer that we would have the courage to be the change and be bold!

Hey Jean! Thank you so much for sharing some of your experiences. That is very true that the way is narrow; things are going to be difficult, but, as you brought up, this is not necessarily a new struggle. All in all, we have hope, too, and that can keep us going when life is looking less than ideal and when the darkness seems to be all encompassing: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19).

I’ll pray that too! 😉

I’m glad to hear that similar discussions are going on!

I’ve typed this comment at least 4 times already and then deleted everything I’d typed. Deborah, all I can say is thank you for this article and I think I finally, finally get how you live by the power of Jesus Christ in you.

You ask, “Where is the place that there are genuine Christians live like Jesus is real?” I was asking, “How on earth do yo go about living that way?” I get it. I get it now! Not that I will always be a perfect person in that regard. I am going to fail and mess up. All I can say is, I understand Romans 6-8 like I never did before and your article (the second half of it anyway) goes so well with that.

Pardon my ramblings. So excited about this I feel like I’m going to burst but it’s not coming out the way I want it to in words. If I eventually collect the scattered pieces of my brain and get them to cooperate so I can explain better, I’ll come back and do so.
~AnnaGrace

I love that song! And yes, the lyrics are very relevant to these comments. Thanks!

I’ll just have to look those books up, then 🙂

Definitely! Claiming to be ‘Christian’ is actually a huge deal – the package that come with being a Christian is no small thing! It means Christ’s power in you – not something to be taken lightly!

AnnaGrace! Even though you may feel like the right words just weren’t coming (which is a place that I’ve been many, many times, too!), your comment is so encouraging! I’m so excited hearing about you getting excited! Those chapters in Romans are ones that have been particularly meaningful in a very intense way for me these past few years, too, and it is just so amazing when you see how God is working in your life and when you are coming to new (or greater) realizations! I will be praying for you!

That is a great passage! It is so true, even as I was writing the above post, I could see the ways in which I fail to live my faith and in which what I wrote could be said of me in some ways, too. It never ceases to amaze me what a faithful, holy, and gracious God we serve whose power is perfected in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). It is always so important to be examining our own lives, though, to be sure that our actions line up with what our words are (and to repent when needed!)

Yes! People treat God like a religion, but God isn’t the religion he is what inspires who we are. I am also tired of people being what I call “Halfway-Christians”, because they say and do the right things (in front of certain people), and then turn around and completely go against what they had just said. They go to church but that’s all the further they go,because through the week they would rather not talk about God or Jesus. This is more than people needing to stay true to their beliefs, this more than religion this is about a true relationship with the Lord. Way to go, Deborah! Loved this post! 🙂

Amen! We so need to be aware of not being hypocrites. Even when we do fail we can still ask for forgiveness from others and give a powerful testimony that way. What gets me is that in spite of all we’ve done against God that He still loves and forgives us! Amazing grace.

I am so with you! I was reading your comment and kept thinking “Amen to that!” We definitely need to lead the change by being the change as you put it, and living a life passionate about Christ and passionate to see others lock-in to Christ and reach the world is such a wonderful reality!

Yes, the struggle can be very real, Eva! The tendency to just want to be a part of the crowd and “to find your place” can be so intense, and it’s hard to combat that sometimes. Like you said, though, we are not to be of this world but are called ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor. 2:5-20); we can do all things through Him, too, (Phil. 4:13); it’s my prayer that we will live in His strength!

Yeah, welcome Zack! Good to have you here.

Welcome!

Hi Anna! Are you new on here? I don’t think I’ve “seen” you before. If so, welcome!!! 🙂

Oh and you should post some of your writing (fiction I’m assuming) on your blog. Would love to read it! 🙂
~AnnaGrace

Thank you, wow! Very encouraging. I needed that.

If you are new here… welcome!

You just read my mind….

Wow, everything you just said sounds like me. If I understand you correctly, you want to live without feeling guilty over past sins, even though you know God has forgiven them.
For me, and if you’re anything like me this will sound familiar, but I don’t want to assume anything, I knew I would have to keep asking forgiveness in the future for other sins, and I still felt guilty for having to continually go to Christ to seek forgiveness. “How do I ‘live my forgiveness’ not ‘I’m sorry'” sounds just like me.
Well, I asked this too. I wondered how I could live like I was a saint as God calls me, even though I sin. How can I feel “okay” with my forgiven sins when I knew that I would keep sinning? If that makes any sense. I don’t want to have to keep asking forgiveness, feeling so contrite, promising I’ll never do anything like it ever again, and then not long after….whoops. Sorry God, I did it again. Please forgive me…again.
So the question comes down to, how do I live like I am forgiven?
Is this what you were trying to get across? I just want to make sure before I go into something that is completely different than what you meant…:)

Yeah, I am new here. Thanks! 🙂

Welcome!

I don’t know what to say. I have heard this before, but it seems more touching the way you word it. Thank you. God gave you wisdom in how to respond. Will you please pray for me, and if anyone else wants to pray for me too… please do. Thank you. More importantly, thank the Lord for His grace and love, wisdom and guidance. My God is so good!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Deborah! This is exactly what I have inwardly yelled for years. Thank you so much for saying what needs to be said even through your fear!

Totally! And thanks for writing this article!

Deborah, may God bless you for being bold enough to declare what many of us are too tentative to even whisper.

You remind me of someone from the Early Church, who lived during the early 9th century–that is, St. Kassiani (http://orthodoxwiki.org/Kassia… She was a poet and hymnographer, who was said to speak her mind when no one else would, to declare the truth when others faltered. She is well-known for the phrase, “I hate silence when it is time to speak”–a line from a series of poetic statements called “gnomic verses” all beginning with the word “μισέω…” or “I hate…” which, in Greek semantics, means “I do not love this… in comparison to [insert virtuous quality].” In fact, during this Lenten season, Orthodox Christians chant one her most famous hymns, Hymn of the Fallen Woman.

It was so refreshing to hear your words, Deborah. Thank you.

Here are some of Kassiani’s gnomic verses:

I hate a murderer condemning the hot-tempered.

I hate the adulterer when he judges the fornicator.

I hate the leper who drives out the leprous….

I hate a rich man complaining as a poor man.

I hate the poor man boasting as in wealth.

I hate a debtor who sleeps unconcernedly….

I hate the verbose in an unsuitable time.

I hate silence when it is a time for speaking.

I hate the one who conforms to all ways….

I hate the one who does not encourage everyone with words.

I hate one who speaks before examining.

I hate the one who teaches knowing nothing….

@MyNameIsAnigoMontoya:disqus wow. Simply wow. I’m in a situation much like what you have described, and this helped me greatly. seriously. @disqus_v7zgvL3EXD:disqus thanks for asking these questions! God is so good to bring this across my computer screen right now. I’m totally in awe of His grace. Thanks a million times over!

Hey, Jay, I pray that God will guide you, and make His stunning grace known to you in ways you never thought possible. God bless you my friend!

That verse is definitely one of my favorites, too! (And aww, thank you; you are so sweet!)

Authors on the Rebelution are REALLY good doing that… 😛

I am so glad that it made sense! It’s my prayer that we will continue to open our lives to Jesus and then open our arms to the need around us.

Those are great verses and passages in Romans! Yes, they are so convicting, too; God’s Word is just so powerful it leaves me awe-struck. Thanks for sharing!

I know, right?

Amen and amen. You’ve successfully voiced all of my inner anger at “worldly Christians”. Thank you so much for writing! I know it can be hard to be bold, but sometimes it’s necessary. I hope this wakes those who are sleeping and keeps those who are awake from falling asleep. Great article!

Yes, Zack, I want that too…”Where the peace of Christ is the very air I breathe”. Wow, that’s beautiful. I want to be so filled with the His peace and His love that I’m constantly overflowing with the Spirit!

They are!!

Oddly I can’t seem to find the movie. Is it an older one?

Thank you for saying this Deborah. For a long, long time I struggled with this on a much more personal level. I was looking for that place of peace in Christ in my own self. I was at war with myself. One part loved the Lord and knew what was right, while the other part cared more than anything about My. Own. Self. And the selfish part almost always won. I longed for peace in my soul, and I could never figure out how to get it. It was a very dark time for me, I was frustrated and angry. But eventually I got it figured out (thanks to the Bible…). God doesn’t want us to love Him most of the time, He doesn’t want us to just make sure that the part that honors the Lord wins most of the time. He says that the selfish part actually has to DIE. It has to be dead, not “there, and mostly defeated by the love of Christ”, but completely defeated and GONE! I am no longer my own. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Now that I understand this truth, and I have indeed died to myself, I have peace in Christ in my entire soul and it is a glorious thing.
Wow, that was probably way longer than it needed to be. I was mostly rambling so if this makes zero sense to you, please let me know 🙂

Oh no! Not another Yoda! Just kidding. I think you talking like him is hilarious. ~AnnaGrace

Are you two related, or did I miss a conversation between you two?

Praying for you. If anyone else wants to pray for @alliehaylie:disqus, she would probably appreciate it.

Already been praying 🙂

No problem at all. I should pray for people more often then I do. Oh, and I changed my username to my real name. The J. in Josiah J. is my middle name, and it doesn’t stand for Jay.

@disqus_v7zgvL3EXD:disqus and @alliehaylie:disqus, I’m praying for both of you :). Praise that God, I know He’s at work.

Yeppers, I’ll be praying for you both 🙂

Thanks @everybody… You guys are fantastic! It means so much to me 🙂 God bless y’all (yeah, i just typed y’all).
Your sister in Christ,
Haylie

Well I guess she is my sister and yours too. Sister in Christ that is. 🙂

wow! Such kind hearted people here. Thanks I kind of knew I was slacking some in Bible reading, but I have been working on that exact point. Thanks again for the reminder. I have been reading through the Bible, and I have gotten a little past the life of Solomon.

Oh, I read other parts of the Bible too. I just think it is important to read the whole Bible. Even the genealogies are important. 😀

What you said is sooo true. Someone told me that when we die to ourselves we don’t even want sin anymore. I have found that I want the Lord more than anything, and He does completely satisfy, and completely make up for the little, short lasting pleasures of sin. They are nothing compared to His beauty and love.

Thats for sure! After all, all scripture is equally God-breathed! 😀

How’d you know I’m your sister in Christ?

thats pretty cool… “I’m so stinking sick of my generation saying they love God but never mentioning His name outside of Bible class or chapel (unless, of course, they need a convenient cuss word).” dead on. i did have a question about “I’m sick of people who believe we are supposed to be strangers and aliens in a world that’s not our home but who I can’t even pick out in a room of the secularized West.” is that based on looks? or how would you pick out a christian in a room of people who arent?

So Im not trying to be aurgumentive or anything, but never? how do we define never? and do we really know where God will show Himself? just a thought…

You know, I don’t even actually have a clear explanation for this question. I gave myself over to God, I said “Have YOUR way in me.” And I prayed that he would change me. That was when I felt the peace for the first time. I still sinned… I STILL SIN… a lot… But I am living for the Lord instead of for myself. Somehow that made the difference. I wish I had a better answer for you, I’m really sorry. Now I feel like researching this… 🙂

You are asking good questions, Josiah! You are making us all think… I’m praying for you still, but would you pray for me too? Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom and understanding, and that He would help us all find answers to these hard questions.

“I. Am. So. Sick. Of these people claiming to know my God while living like He means nothing.” Wow, I soo know what you feel like there! I know many Christians who are serious about Jesus and they encourage me so much, of course even the most dedicated Christians can fall and make mistakes too. But people who live like God is nothing to them but still want to slap on the Christian label is frustrating!

@jessjesse:disqus! You’re back! 😀

Godly Christians, I think, tend to stand out in their character . I strive to be this type of Christian, but unfortunately I have much work to be done in this area.

Hey @disqus_v7zgvL3EXD:disqus. Sorry, I don’t want you to have to listen to my rambling on again…:) But I wanted to add something to what Katie said.
This is also a hard question because no one wants the simple answer, “well, stop sinning”.
For me, even when I least feel like it, I say out loud, “I choose to believe that your promise to satisfy me is true.”
Psalm 145:16 says, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Just like love is not a feeling, but a decision, so is dying to self. It’s being able to live like God satisfies everything, because He does…even when it feels like the complete opposite. To me, dying to self is recognizing and living like that is true. Does that make any sense?

“Follow Me” and “Radical”, both by Platt, helped me to get serious about God too. I might have to look up “Not a Fan” then!

Good question! Yeah, similar to what Josiah mentioned, I don’t think that we necessarily can pick Christians out of a room just based on how they they look (as in how they are dressed or what not). When I was writing that sentence, I was thinking more of Christians’ actions; you can be in a room full of both believers and non-believers, yet I felt there was very little difference in actions and attitudes. I was looking for people who could be found serving others in what they were doing and not just sitting there on their phones and, thus, disengaged with other people around them. I was looking for people who, by the words they choose and what they talk about, show the reality of a living God. I was looking for people who (this one is a little more ambiguous) inspired me and encouraged me by the attitudes that I felt when they engaged in conversation with me and observed when they engaged with conversation with others. I hope that all makes sense; definitely let me know if you still have more questions. I agree with Josiah, again, too, that it can be hard to always be this type of Christian, and I’ve found there’s freedom when we just admit that, hey, we won’t always be this way because we are humans who sin. As Romans 8 (specifically 2-7 speaks of), we’ve been set free, and – oh my – there is serious power when we humble ourselves and let God work through our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

Hey Josiah! That’s a really good question, and I am so excited to see someone digging in to these concepts and seeking the truth for themselves. Seriously. Way to go. I’m going to echo what Katie and Eva have already been saying. I think that “dying to yourself” ultimately has to do with our hearts and who we are giving our lives to (or giving our allegiance to). It says in Matthew 6:24 that people just can’t serve two masters. In context, that was referring to God vs. money, but I think that it has further appellations in that we can 1) choose to hold on to our own “will” and desires and whatever else we choose (be it an urge for popularity, a seeking for acceptance, fame, etc.) -or- 2) surrender our “heart” (and essentially our entire lives) to God and die to our selfish desires, selfish pursuits, and the selfish lives that we’ve been living. It’s been my experience that it sort of means a letting go of everything that is contrary to God and the truth in His Word and letting God be what you look to in the decisions you make and even the attitudes that you have. It’s like the fundamental base that you then live your life from: your heart is the Lord’s and you are committed to living for Him. Like I’m pretty sure you’ve realized, a commitment doesn’t mean that the rest is easy; in fact, I’ve found that a daily “dying” is what I have to do each day when I’m faced with temptations, want to have a bad attitude, and just want to go my own way. All in all, it’s a committed choice of “Alright, God, here I am; I’m yours. You can have all of me, and I so need you each step of the way.” I hope that didn’t just add more confusion. Please let me know if I need to clarify or anything and know that I’m praying for you!

Yeah, dying to our selfish desires DAILY is where i struggle a lot… I have done the whole ‘dedication’ and ‘re-dedication’ thing over and over, but it never seems to last. That’s where Jesus comes in, and with Him, we can be truly surrendered. I’m learning that it’s more than a decision to surrender, it’s an attitude that we need to ask God for all the time. Thanks so much @deborahspooner:disqus !!!

Yayyyyyyy!!!! Welcome back!!

Haha this is funny I was just researching this tonight..yes God hates people – a LOT of people! 🙂 Check these out:

The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers. Psalm 5:5

The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. Psalm 11:5

Also check out Jeremiah 12:8, Hosea 9:15, Malachi 1:2-3, and Romans 9:13.

I can only imagine the look on the average unsaved person when you tell them that God hates most of the people in the world. 😛

Yes! I think one of the reasons is because so much of the church is lukewarm. They don’t love Him or hate Him.

Good job!

Welcome Zack!

Yeah, this kind of gets in to the predestination vs. free will thing AGAIN (I don’t know if you’ve seen it on the most recent discussion question but some of us have been debating that). The view I’ve gotten from reading and studying Scripture is that God loves all of the people He’s predestined to go to heaven and hates those who He’s predestined for the other place. 🙂

How God as the all-powerful Creator both hates and loves man at the same time is beyond me, He hates sinners but at the same time loves us so much, He bore His own wrath. Somehow they work together. As for humans hating, we don’t have the right to hate. Think about it, the reason God hates sinners is bc He is holy and must judge sin. But bc we are not holy and are in no place to judge, we do not have the ‘holy right’ to hate. We are not in a place to hate bc we are not the Judge. Hope that makes sense:)

Hi there, @disqus_6y8yrlUFKb:disqus! Welcome to the Rebelution 🙂

Yep, I will try to pray for you too. 🙂

Yes! I wish we didn’t claim to be Christians if we’re not. So many things about our superficial generation bug me, and this claim is at the top of the list! I almost wish there was a stigma associated with Christianity so only true followers claimed the name.

https://joyunchained.wordpress.com/2015/02/26/superficial/

Welcome!

“Do you know that the word hate does not necessarily mean not to love? Hate can mean to be hostile. Hated can mean to be an enemy. This does not necessarily mean the hated is unloved.”

Not sure where you’re getting that from, but the New Oxford American Dictionary definition says, “feel intense or passionate dislike for (someone), have a strong aversion to (something).” Also in the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus, “love” is listed as the antonym of “hate,” and “hatred” as the antonym for “love.” One who is hated cannot be loved, one who is loved cannot be hated; the two are mutually exclusive.

Interesting to note is that Matthew 5: 43-45 doesn’t actually say that God loves his enemies, while numerous other passages say that God hates those who do evil, love violence, etc. Also David, “a man after God’s own heart”, as well as other psalmists, hated those who were evil. (Psalm 26:5, Psalm 31:6, Psalm 119:113, and most importantly Psalm 139: 21-22)

“Christians are predestined to be sons of God through Christ. It doesn’t say Christians are predestined to be saved or that some people are predestined to go to Heaven and everyone else to the other place.

Being a son of God means you get saved, when we are saved, we become children of God. (Matthew 5:9 – the first way to be a peacemaker is to make peace with God by being saved, also Galatians 3:26). These two concepts are the same thing.

“Where are some people getting the idea that people are predestined to be saved or go to the other place?”

While I believe I have listed multiple verses that support predestination before, let’s focus on Revelation 13:8: “everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”

Key words there are “before the foundation of the world.” God clearly chose those he planned to save before the world was even created!

Hope this helps,

Josh 🙂

Hey there @disqus_6y8yrlUFKb:disqus , welcome =)

Welcome!

I understand where your coming from now.
However I hold to a different interpretation of those verses.

I looked up the original Hebrew word that is translated “hate” using my parent’s Bible software called Logos. The original Hebrew word does not necessarily mean the opposite of love. Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus depict the modern meaning of the English word for hate not the original Hebrew word that is currently translated hate.

My argument still stands.

“Being a son of God means you get saved, when we are saved, we become children of God.”

You have to get saved(repent and trust in Jesus as your savior) in order to be a son/child of God not the other way around.
I don’t see your view to be supported here.

“While I believe I have listed multiple verses that support
predestination before, let’s focus on Revelation 13:8: “everyone whose
name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book
of life of the Lamb who was slain.””

God has foreknowledge(He knows who will choose salvation). God knows everything. It says nothing about predestination here.

My view has not been refuted. Thanks for the discussion. It sure got me thinking. 🙂

It’s really good:)

Thank you Josiah 🙂

Oh my gosh Deborah!!!!! You pretty much nailed it. I was shaken to realize that, while I had a general idea of what that meant, I had no clear answer for him. So I did some reading and found some good stuff, but you have practically summed up everything I found. 🙂

Hey, @katietelling:disqus @MyNameIsAnigoMontoya:disqus and @disqus_v7zgvL3EXD:disqus I’m praying for all of you! Prayer is a wonderful gift, and i’m more than happy to remember you guys when i talk to Jesus 🙂

Whew, that’s a long first comment 🙂 I agree wholeheartedly. It’s so hard to work on myself and forget about how everyone else is behaving!
Welcome to the Rebelution, BTW 🙂 How’d you find us?

Welcome to the Reb!

I notice when people who were here when I joined disappear and then reappear, that’s all 🙂

Yeah, sure, go for it! 🙂

Right! If you undermine Genesis, then you are denying the authority of scripture. That’s dangerous!

Yep. 😉

Thanks Katie 🙂 It’s so cool to know that we all are praying for each other, even though we’ve never met!

Hi there! Welcome to the Rebelution!
How’d you find us?

Lol, yeah, better to steal from Sam S. then me 🙂 Maybe I should keep all my ideas to myself….

Right! No neutral gear.

Thanks for your patience, Jess jesse! I’m back to answer…. 🙂

Well, when taken in the context my friend uses it (the quote is taken from a blog post: http://thepenultimatefrontier.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/another-old-post-i-actually-had-some.html), he is making the point that what is labelled ‘Christianity’ in our culture is not ‘true Christianity.’ He’s pretty much saying the same thing as Deborah is in this post – being a ‘good person’ does not equal being a true Christian, no matter what our culture today says. What pop culture portrays as ‘Christianity’ is not really Christianity. Hence, “True Christianity is never shown in popular culture.” OK, maybe ‘never’ is a bit strong, but I think his point is valid. Very, very few times has Christianity been correctly portrayed in pop culture.
Also, you’re right – we don’t know where God will choose to reveal Himself. But I think ‘God revealing Himself’ is a bit different to ‘true Christianity’ being ‘shown in popular culture’ as I explained it above.

Does that all make sense? Thanks for asking, btw. 🙂

Hello! Welcome @nobodywithouthim:disqus !

Welcome!!

I love this website so much! There is always positive people on here who ever so kindly share their thoughts and their opinions. I just want to say keep on doing what you have been doing. 🙂
I very much understand what you mean in your article about feeling as if your generation is letting you down. I feel like that way too. And I have even been feeling that more often in the last couple of days. I get to a point where I feel like I need to move and do something other than do my daily routine but then I feel the students around me at school pulling away from what my heart is aching to do.
I myself, sadly, have gone through school sometimes without even once thinking of my best friend and savior. And after reading this article I feel really ashamed of myself and want to change that. Now I have been saying this for a very long time but I finally feel like the time has come to stand up and take action to make a difference in my school, church, and community! With the help of Jesus before, behind, to my left, to my right, and all around me, I will be able to make a difference!

Here is some of what I have found. A lot of it has to do with this question’s sister question: “Why do I keep sinning after I am dead to sin?” I really hope you get something out of all of this. I know I have 🙂
Matthew Henry says in “Matthew Henry’s concise commentary on the whole Bible”, in his section on Colossians 3:1-4: “As heaven and earth are contrary one to the other, both cannot be followed together; and affection to one will weaken and abate affection to the other. Those that are born again are dead to sin, because it’s dominion is broken, it’s power gradually subdued by the operation of grace, and it shall at length be extinguished by the perfection of glory. To be dead, then, means this, that those who have the Holy Spirit, mortifying within them the lusts of the flesh, are able to despise the earthly things, and to desire those that are heavenly.”
And on Colossians 3:5-11: “It is our duty to mortify our members which incline to the things of the world. Mortify them, kill them, suppress them, like weeds or vermin which spread and destroy all about them. Continual opposition must be made to all corrupt workings, and no provision made for carnal indulgences. Occasions of sin must be avoided: the lusts of the flesh, and the love of the world; and covetousness, which is idolatry; love of present good, and of outward enjoyments. It is necessary to mortify sins, because if we do not kill them, they will kill us.”
On Romans 6:3-10: “Baptism teaches the necessity of dying to sin, and being as it were buried from all ungodly and unholy pursuits, and of rising to walk with God in newness of life. Unholy professors may have had the outward sign of death unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness, but they never passed from the family of Satan to that of God. The corrupt nature, called the old man, because derived from our first father Adam, is crucified with Christ, in every true believer, by the grace derived from the cross. It is weakened and in a dying state, though it yet struggles for life, and even for victory. But the whole body of sin, whatever is not according to the holy law of God, must be done away, so that the believer may no more be the slave of sin, but live to God, and find happiness in his service.”
On Romans 6:11-15: ” Sin shall not have dominion. God’s promises to us are more powerful and effectual for mortifying sin, than our promises to God. Sin may struggle in a real believer, and create him a great deal of trouble, but it shall not have dominion; it may vex him, but it shall not rule over him.”
On Romans 6:16-20: ” The dominion of sin consists in being willingly slaves thereto, not in being harassed by it as a hated power, struggling for victory.”
J.C. Ryle says in his book “Holiness”: ” After all, I am convinced that the greatest proof of the extent and power of sin is the pertinacity with which it cleaves to a man even after he is converted and has become the subject of the Holy Ghost’s operations. To use the language of the Ninth Article “this infection of nature doth remain… even in them that are regenerate.” So deeply planted are the roots of human corruption, that even after we are born again, renewed, ‘washed, sanctified, justified,’ and made living members of Christ, these roots remain alive in the bottom of our hearts, and, like the leprosy in the walls of the house, we never get rid of them until the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved. Sin, no doubt, in the believer’s heart, has no longer dominion. It is checked, controlled, mortified, and crucified by the expulsive power of the new principle of grace.
The new life of a believer is a life of victory, and not of failure. But the very struggles which go on within his bosom, the fight that he finds it needful to fight daily, the watchful jealousy which he is obliged to exercise over his inner man, the contest between the flesh and the spirit, the inward ‘groanings’ which no one knows but he who has experienced them all -all testify to the same great truth, all show the enormous power and vitality of sin. Mighty indeed must that foe be who even when crucified is still alive! Happy is the believer who understands it, and while he rejoices in Christ Jesus, has no confidence in the flesh; and while he says “Thanks be unto God who giveth us the victory,” he never forgets to watch and pray lest he fall into temptation!”

Thank you so much for this post. You know that’s right! I think all true teenage Christians in the US. have been there. Where all the sudden you’re mindset changes from “wow so many Christians!” to “How many of these “Christians” are true “Christians”? How many of them are desciples or striving to become dessciples. In this genereation, it’s our job to find true Christian friends who are serious about being a Christian and then grow with them and make more of them. We deal with things like being in a “Christian” convention where the peer pressure is against saying amen and testifying. But we MUST be the true examples to those who are too weak. If we won’t stand up, who will? Just one is all it takes to makea a cameraderie in a Bible Study, convention, Church service etc. With God’s help I have become bold when I felt like “gowing with the flow.” We can become the creators of a new flow!!!! A good flow! Christ is being flushed out of our culture, yet we must remain strong when we are the only ones. -Me

I read your post two times; it’s that good! I’m really glad you wrote this because it’s something so common nowdays. I am also sooo sick of it. When will the name of Jesus be taken seriously and not jokingly. We definitely need to stay real if we are to be the salt and the light. I also found this very convicting in that I need to be consistent in my daily relationship with my Savior if I am to be His disciple.
Thanks again, God Bless

Thank you 🙂

Amen Isaiah. It’s always hardest going against the flow when it’s your “Christian” friends that are the ones that aren’t honoring the Lord. But you’re right, we need to make a new, God-honoring, flow. Thank you for the encouragement. 🙂

Thank you! :3

Thanks 🙂

Oh cool! I love that site, although I haven’t been on there a whole lot lately 🙁

I thought so too. 🙂

Me too!

Haha well I’m not gonna be like -Isaiah Rodriguez, because everybody already knows! And thanks. That took me like 5 minutes! Haha My typing skills…..well let’s just say they aren’t. 🙂

Wow. Thank you soooooo much. So, so true, and needed. I really can’t think of much else to say……

It is important, but God exists outside of time, so it doesn’t really matter exactly how long it took him to create the world. We can ask him when we get to heaven, but I don’t remember him telling us to clear-as-crystal clarify every single sentence in his Word while we’ve got limited time on earth. 🙂

Yeah…
I may have already asked you, but have you ever considered writing for the Reb?
You never bothered to learn how to learn how to type, or you never got fast at it?

I thought of the song “Sick Of It”, too! Skillet is pretty great. I just saw them perform a month ago at Winter Jam!

Let me just point out, not to offend, that your first sentence is a logical fallacy your condition ” God exists outside of time, “I think, is true, but your conclusion “so it doesn’t really matter exactly how long it took him to create the world.” doesn’t follow.

Let me give you an example: This grass is green. So, I need ignore abortion. It doesn’t logically follow. The premise may be true, but the conclusion doesn’t logically follow.

My response to your last sentence, it is never a waist of time to learn Biblical truth.

PS: I am not trying to sound harsh. I just want you to think about the implications of what your saying. 🙂

Thank you for this post. It’s a good wake-up call to realize that we need to be serious about our faith.

That is so true; it’s so easy to just fall back into the same old routine, but it is so wonderful when we learn to face life in Christ’s strength! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

That is a really important point; consistency in our daily relationship is so important when we are striving to have a real faith! It’s amazing how much we come to realize His faithfulness all the more when we commit to being faithful to Him.

Wow, those are some great quotes; I’d never heard the one by Willard before, but it’s great! Thank you so much for sharing those and those songs.

Wow, Abby! That was very insightful, and your thoughts really blessed me! I think you nailed so many important things in such a great way which are so important to not lose focus on. The reminder to go in God’s strength, to be a continual listener, and to live in the power of prayer is very timely for me. Thank you so much!

Anytime! It’s my pleasure. I have so many good quotes up my sleeve… I think i go around collecting them 😛

Your translation is correct as a literal and direct translation :p It’s an old Latin saying that used to be told to the Roman soldiers. Memento mori— “remember death” or “remember you will die.” Essentially reminding them that their lives are short and that they are not guaranteed tomorrow. It was keeping the soldiers humble by reminding them of their own fragile mortality. But coupled with that they had memento vivere— “remember life.” Or in this context, following memento mori, “and so remember to live.” Reminding the soldiers that *because* they are mortal and not guaranteed the next month, week, or even day or hour, they should remember to live— live every moment to the fullest.
So “remember you will die, and so remember to live” would be a more contextual, expanded translation. Where, I guess you could say, “carpe diem” is a concluding statement of the two.

What I love about it is that it wasn’t just for the Roman soldiers, it applies just as fully to us now. Even the Bible tells us that our life is but a shadow, a fleeting breath, a mist that is here and then gone. And we never are guaranteed tomorrow— anything could happen. That’s why seeing “Memento Mori. Memento Vivere.” daily is a helpful reminder to be fully alive. The fact that it’s on the end of my posts, emails, IG things, etc. is only in the hope that it might encourage others to think the same way. Encouraging people to be fully alive and kaleidoscope their life 🙂

There’s a beautiful quote by Lacey Sturm (former lead singer of Flyleaf. Which, incidentally, named the album that most of the songs I mentioned are on “Memento Mori”… Oh, and she appears in the Billy Graham: My Hope for America video on this website with her testimony) that goes…
“I knew that if I were going to die tomorrow, the short time on earth I had left before I got to eternity had to be spent saying yes to whatever God was calling me to.”

So that’s an unnecessarily expanded explanation of the embodiment of “Memento Mori. Memento Vivere.” and why I put it there. 😛 I hope it’s helpful!

How’d it go?

That is a really neat quote 🙂

It is fun! I’ve learned it from my younger siblings. 🙂

Yeah… 10-minute works of art don’t often do well in competition. Unfortunately.

This is the second time I have read this article and it still puts a fire under me! This is so true! Think about it, if ONE christian really decided to live for Christ wherever they were, they would be so different that people would WANT what they have! There is an incredible power inside of us that most of our generation is simply NOT USING! We were MADE to be bold! We were MADE to stand out! We ARE NOT supposed to be DEAD CHRISTIANS!

Dead Christians. That’s a good way to put it. Someone should do a counter article about How to Not be a Dead Christian. to quote the Newsboys, “My faith is dead, I need a ressurection, somehow.”

Exactly right!

It is funny that I found this article today. Yesterday, one of my teachers and a fellow student met in the hallway for almost an hour discussing many things that were bothering us, when my friend brings up how sick he was of the way people in church were acting. In short, it went along the lines of your concerns and longings. I had brought up the fact that I am repulsed by the “ABC’s” of becoming a Christian, simply due to how it belittles what Christ really done on the cross. His suffering, His brokenness, His pain. He, perfect and blameless, literally BECAME SIN so that we could receive salvation. And we condense it into three words that some people use as their only way to describe their faith. I agree completely with what you have said and found it very inspiring and yet scathing as I look into my own life and see where I have failed, where I was the dead Christian (to quote Madison Camp’s comment), living in the comfortable routine of my life. Our generation does need a wake-up call, but who needs it first? The lost or the Christian?

It really is! Yeah, I think we are failing, too, at least what I see. We’re more concerned with shoving the Gospel down their throats than actually befriending and relating to them (though this is not always the case). And in answer to your question, a couple of years ago I read Do Hard Things and followed the Rebelution for about a year, but this is the first time I have ever really voiced my thoughts. I hope your article goes well (assuming it has to be accepted before its published, I don’t really know how this all works still :P) I can’t wait to read it!!! Best of luck to you!

Thanks! And you’re right. I guess what I meant to say was that the way people present the message at times is overbearing and harsh. We can be persistent and, to people who aren’t of like faith, they are pushed further away instead of drawn closer. I apologize for not being as clear. I agree with you on how people want to present the gospel, beating around the bush on what being a Christian is really about. I see it all the time. From personal accounts, they seem to be just desensitized from constantly hearing that being Christian is nice and easy, that when the truth of the Gospel is presented, they don’t want to hear any more. I could be wrong about it, but this is the case for one of my closest friends.

Okay!

This is so true,People don’t like Christians because people have shoved religion down their throats. Not usually because they Love God.

Thank you for being bold.

Ok, so by most standards for this web site I am WAY old (38), but I wanted to let you know that it’s not just your generation that has this epidemic. I have a feeling that all the age groups face the same lack of “true” Christians. Thank you for overcoming your fear (which was just lies from Satan trying to prevent you from being a voice to others) and posting this article.

Thank you for this! I’ve read it a few times now but it still resonates with something deep inside of me. See, I am not one to judge I am often less than perfect and definitely not as Christ-like as I wish I was…but I am tired of “Christians” who use it as nothing more as a Bible verse in their instagram bio or to breathe an occasional prayer for their tests. I go to a Christian school and I am CONSTANTLY frustrated by the sheer lack of Christianity in the school- and especially in my grade. I’m sick of the people that make inappropriate jokes, complain constantly and gossip about their friends. Whether or not they even claim to be Christians, I’m not sure, but i’m growing tired of a Christian school with so little Christianity in it.

You all need the Acts 2:38 experience to become alive in Chist and His Spirit. That will change your lives.

I’m not sure how this will be received, but here goes…I have 3 nephews and a neice, part of the millennial generation, out preaching the word of God with power. They’ve volunteered to go, they leave family and friends behind, live a Spartan lifestyle, no tv, no phone calls home except Christmas and mother’s day and they are happy about it! One in Georgia, one in Brazil, one in the Baltic area, one on her way to the Adriatic sea area. How do I know they are happy? They write home letters of their witness as faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Their words are filled with love and joy. I served too. I never worked so hard but never felt so good.
There’s hope! I saw plenty of people on my mission, talked to many many Christians who didn’t know much about the bible and Jesus Christ. These people, I described above, young and old, go because they know and love Jesus. They are Mormons. I know sone Christians say we worship a different Jesus and all that, but my response is, come and see. Just like there is no liberty without justice, there is no faith without truth. I know I’ll get slammed for saying this in this circle, but, there is more truth, additional witnesses of Christ that heavenly father in his mercy and love has provided for our day. He knew the last days would be tough and he knew we would need clarity as well as abundant truth, so he told prophets to write their witness as hide it away so the hand of men wouldn’t tamper with it until he was ready to bring it forth. I think there are good people in all religions, but in order to have real, true faith you have to have truth in abundance. The book of Mormon is a gift from God. I feel this is why our country is suffering under the onslaught on humanism, we don’t read the bible anymore and many of my good hearted ChrIstian friends are rejecting a source of truth God has provided specifically for this generation. I think this is why we see the style of weak Christianity you describe here. But there is hope! My faith in Christ grows every time I read his word as found in the bible and the book of Mormon. Change is possible through our Savior. The stick of Judah, the bible, and the stick of Joseph, the book of Mormon, are powerful faith protectors. Satan is having his day, but his days are numbered. It’s up to us to strengthen our faith with all the truth available to us.