I've got a lot to share with everyone today, plus an announcement. But first, some scripture to shape my message.1.) What God's Word, through Apostle Paul, has to say about moving on and not staying stuck in the past:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.2.) What God's Word, through Apostle Paul, has to say about use of freedom, and more about the example we should follow:Paul’s Use of His Freedom19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.3.) What God's Word, through Apostle Paul, has to say about the need for self-discipline:
The Need for Self-Discipline24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
What I say about the above: like Paul, I cannot claim to have successfully apprehended these disciplines. In fact, the best I can claim is to have repeatedly failed at them. But what I can also claim is that I am trying, and moving toward obedience when the Spirit speaks. (That is, the Holy Spirit. Not any other kind of spirit. We must not listen to them or given them any attention. And in times like these, the other spirits speak much. So, tune them out.) Since 2005* I've enjoyed a particular kind of freedom that, while not intrinsically bad, can become destructive if it is given more power than it is meant to have. This winter and spring, my intent was to use this freedom to speak more, because the world needs Jesus. More specifically, the lost, the deceived, they all need Him. Sometimes the message of the cross, the resurrection, and of eternal life needs to be harsh. Other times, gentle. Nonetheless, I have tried.I have tried the best I knew how to get not only the message across: the love of Jesus, the realness of the resurrection, the Bible's inerrancy, the reality of heaven (and unfortunately, the reality of hell, also) ...but also the urgency of getting the message across. In a science-loving, loving-the-self corner of the world, it seems impossible. But it's not. Science has its place, and we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are in terms of discovering our own capabilities as a human race without it. And the God of the Bible does allow us freedoms to explore and make discoveries. But -- the reality is it's Jesus or hell when you die. When I die. When anyone dies. And one big mistake I know I have made in my walk with Jesus is the idea that we have all the time in the world and that "no one has to convert today." But, one thing this pandemic should have taught us, especially those who don't know where they're going when they die, is that we don't know when our time is up. End Times or no End Times, a lot of people have died in the last 15 months, possibly more so than any other period in history. The turning point, Jesus or hell, already came for them. If you're still alive, yes you still have time. But now is that time. Make the decision. Say "yes" to Jesus as your Lord and as your Savior.
This next part goes off the original topic of why I'm leaving Facebook. But it's still a topic near and dear to my heart, as it addresses my coming-to-faith story, and what I learned along the way. It also addresses a response I received -- on Facebook -- a year-and-a-half ago when I took the rare step of posting blog posts as Notes on Facebook. The response was basically that 73% of Americans are Christians. I couldn't respond at that time, because I didn't know how to research for it. Here is my response now:
I wish to address another thing: this idea ("statistic") that 73% of Americans are Christians. Wrong. 73% of Americans are church-goers. But as the saying goes: "merely going to church doesn't make you any more of a Christian than merely going to a garage makes you a car." Now, don't get me wrong: going to church is a good start. It's better than not going to church. ("not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25, NIV)But: I grew up Episcopalian. A Christian church, right? They have beautiful music. They do quote scripture regularly. We said/sang the Lord's Prayer. We confessed our sins, on our knees, on those kneelers. Got baptized as an infant. Got confirmed in 6th grade. I'm now "a Christian", right? In subsequent years, after leaving the Episcopal church, wandering from church to church to (occasionally) some kind of spiritual temple, I learned about salvation through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I thought: "that sounds nice. I'd like some of that." A few years later: "nah," and wandered some more. But nonetheless, I thought for sure now I was a Christian, simply on the merit of liking the idea of having Jesus as my Lord and Savior.When I first started attending the Vineyard church in Evanston, I remember hearing about there being a definitive point where one decides to follow Jesus. Thing is, I thought I was already a Christian when I first started going, by virtue of growing up Episcopalian, and if not that, then certainly by liking the idea of having Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Right, just like the other 73% of Americans. Episcopalian, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, you name it, "sure, that gets you into heaven."No. What nagged at me then was I couldn't pinpoint a specific point in time where I decided to say "yes" to following Christ. It nagged at me because that moment didn't exist. Not until a day in March 2013 when I read through Deuteronomy 32:26-27, which says: "I said I would scatter them and erase their name from human memory, but I dreaded the taunt of the enemy, lest the adversary misunderstand and say, ‘Our hand has triumphed; the Lord has not done all this.’” (NIV)I have my own personal reasons as to why that passage led me to give my life to Him which I will not divulge right now. But it was that passage that led me to say officially say, "OK God. I'm in. For real."As solid as that was, it missed something: I was by myself when I gave my life to Jesus. Thing is, we need witnesses. Others, who can also say, "yes, he gave his life to Jesus." Later that year, I said "yes" to co-leading a church small group. I then said "yes" to becoming an official member (and being expected to tithe, which I began doing). Then I got baptized, as an adult. In front of the church, a video recording played of me saying: "Jesus is Lord." Upwards of 1,000 people are witnesses to my declaration.Then the desert. Life didn't get easier for a while after I said "yes" to Jesus. In fact, it got harder. But that's part of saying "yes" to Jesus. Because doing so means Jesus changes you. Jesus changes you not only to be more like Him, but also so that your life conforms to the Word of God. (Which is really the same thing. The entire first chapter of the Gospel according to John says that Jesus is the Word. Literally.) I digress. Since 2013 when I first gave my life to Jesus, He has grown me and changed me in a way that myself a decade ago wouldn't recognize. And I'm grateful for it.Since I first gave my life to Jesus for real, He has grown and changed me beyond belief. Yes, therapy helped plenty. But it was the God of the Bible, it was Jesus, who made that possible. Therapy, while good, will only get you so far without saving faith in Jesus. And churches, while good, will only get you so far without the God of the Bible. If a church doesn't follow the Holy Spirit's leading, and especially if it goes against what is written in the Word of God, that church will no longer be a Christian church, and its members who swear by that church, no longer Christians. Because they're no longer following Jesus, no longer following the Holy Spirit, and no longer following the Bible. These things are musts, not just for one's salvation (remember: Jesus or hell), but also for whether a church is Christian, and whether its members are really Christians.So that "73% of Americans are Christians" figure is way bloated. Merely believing in God, or merely believing in Jesus, is not enough. James 2:19 states: "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." And no, the demons won't be making it in to heaven when they die.According to the Huffington Post in 2014: (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/americans-bible-word-of-god_n_5446979) Only 28% of Americans believe that the Bible is the Word of God. And that, to my understanding, is a source that's worldly and not Christian. So for those who are in the world and of the world, one of your own sources states that the percentage of Americans who are Christians is more like 28%.OK -- some people's angry reactions will lead to the question: "what defines a true Christian, then?" Here is my take:1.) true Christians have not only accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord (you can't have one without the other), but also accepted a personal relationship with Him.2.) true Christians believe that the Bible is the true, literal Word of God, infallible and inerrant. Not: "metaphorical", "allegorical", and the like.3.) true Christians not only believe the first two things, but also, in relationship with Jesus and the Bible, let Jesus and the Bible convict them of their sins and let God make personal changes in their lives, their hearts, their attitudes, their behaviors, and their minds.That third one is what I'm working on. Specifically, I'm working on letting God work on me. That requires trust, and it requires trusting Him to do what He wants in me. That's hard. It's not easy. And in my journey, even after saying "yes" to a personal relationship with Jesus, even after beginning therapy, I myself have had many, many moments, where I have resisted letting Him change me.The truth is, like many addicts and recovering addicts, I am addicted to the old way of doing life. Even now. And yet: I have gotten victory over masturbation*, pornography, and video games. But I have not gotten victory over YouTube. Or Facebook. Or wasting time. Or dwelling on the past. (Even though I have healed from the vast majority of my past.) A work in progress.But, the three points I listed above: that is what makes a Christian a Christian, and a Jesus-follower a Jesus-follower. Not merely going to church.
[* After careful prayer and consideration, I realized I have to put an asterisk there, for transparency's sake. I have made a whole ton of progress, entirely by God's grace, and it has been a battle of will. The truth is, over the last decade, I have whittled down the amount of times I still give in to this by at least tenfold. It's rare now, and has been rare for sure for about a year, that I give in.]
In my revised post series I was going to post before leaving, the below is where I would have picked up:
I myself am a work in progress. As such, I am grateful to God the Father, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit for rescuing me, healing me, growing me up, and for His continued grace and mercy to me. I still need it. (I still resist it!) I still need it. I'm even now living out some dreams, as well as dreams yet to come. It is great! Not perfect -- I'm still on earth here -- but great!BUT -- in terms of obedience to Jesus, the God of the Bible, I now cut to the chase:Philippians 3:14: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."And 1 Corinthians 9:24: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize."I alluded to things I still need to get victory over in my previous post. It has become clear that Facebook is one of those items. Since 2005* (*except for 2012, 2013, and a little of 2014) I have enjoyed using it to connect with people. But it has power that hinders my ability to continue growing. Last year, I took a six month hiatus and I found it to be a great decision. I came back (pre-planned) at the end of the year, thinking, "oh yeah, I've conquered this!"Nope. I have not. And while my wish this year was to use it to be a platform for Jesus, the Bible, and the Christian faith as really the only way to heaven, my need to develop true self-control outweighs it.
The last section below, in my shortened version for Facebook, I was going to crop parts of this out, particularly the parts that allude to the other large section I planned to crop out.
An epilogue: I shared a lot of big things, including my heart. I expect responses. Some of you will not like my comments about the 73% Americans. That's fine. And some may be surprised that I left the Episcopal church a long time ago. That's fine. And yet, others of you will really like the overall of what I have to say. As such, I will allow some time for people to process what I wrote, before I remove my profile.My contact info is in the "About Me" section of my profile page. Links to my music and blog pages are also on my profile page where my contact info is. I'm not taking those down anytime soon. But I am doing this for me.One potential thought process I went through was: "what about my music? People I've performed with have used Facebook to post videos of me performing music." But, as many Facebook posters I've seen have commented: "we musicians don't care about "exposure." We expect to get paid." I agree 100%. My music -- and specifically, the gifts God gave me -- speaks for itself. So I leave with no worry of losing opportunities for "exposure" as an artist.As for this idea of using Facebook to "shout the [urgency of the] Good News of Jesus Christ from the rooftops," well, I believe God will open a different door regarding that. The only other thing I could possibly say at this point is simply this: "give your life to Jesus Christ. Now. You don't know when you'll die until it happens. You do not want to find out the hard way that Jesus is who the Bible says He is."
I officially put in the request for my profile to be deleted on May 4th. Because of processing that Facebook apparently does, it'll still be up there until June 3rd. But as of now, I cannot officially log in unless I want to reverse the deletion process. I will not be doing that, which means I'm free.
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