Things the Grammy’s (& people’s posts) made me think about

So the Grammy’s aired a few days ago and while I didn’t watch the whole show I saw enough to make me have thoughts I couldn’t immediately articulate. I then thought about how the Christian community would respond. To ALL of it. Surprisingly it was fairly quiet on my timeline besides a few who were bold enough to share their stance. Quietly reading these posts led me to a series of not so random thoughts that I want to share. Ok, here they go:

Some things we have to remember...

The bible is about love don’t forget to display it!

The bible is not offensive we just take offense to it. Things that go against what we want to do will always sting us if we don’t want to hear it. That happens with biblical AND worldly matters.

The bible does not need to be defended. Stop fighting in comment sections on social networks! Speak the WORD. Stop masking your emotional opinions as scripture. That leaves room for contradictions that fall back on God! People know the Christian’s biblical viewpoint on hyper sexuality, dark themes and related material, homosexuality, etc. But they can't see God behind it because of how we share those viewpoints. Stating the truth is

one thing but some of the ruthless replies that follow after are another. Resorting to name calling and discussing peoples lack of grammatical skills does not help anyone’s case.

The bible is not a history or science book. We cannot treat it as such. 

The bible does not need you to fill in any of its "holes". What is there is what we need to see. Take the narrative for what it meant in its context and THEN what it means to us. Nothing needs to be added.

The bible is written in context for the people it needed to reach at that time. And of course for us! But sometimes the words were used and defined differently, do your research and figure out the context (Merriam and dictionary.com will NOT always help you here. Library time). Let me add, that doesn't mean that it's not applicable in today's world BUT it MUST be done correctly! With that being said…

The bible is not about a group of people born in the same 20year time span or in the same city and it’s not about one group of people who only share one belief. So yes things may look like contradictions but that's when we need to move beyond reading 1 verse or chapter at a time and read the book and whatever other book associates. Get the context of the people of the time and what and why they were being told or going through what they were going through. Figure out why God was speaking to them the way he was. (This means it will take longer than an hr on one morning. It could take months. That's ok)

The bible is truth although not everyone will accept that. You still have a responsibility to stand firm on what you believe. Just like anyone else. 

The bible CAN be studied and SHOULD be studied. That means more than reading the words and altering them to tell you what you want to hear. It could mean learning Hebrew and Greek. Finding lexicons to see what the meanings of words are in the context of THAT scripture. Ask your leaders. If you have no leaders get some. If your leader doesn't know, that doesn’t mean leave the church, give them time to research and pray, and maybe even ask them to start a study group or something. If they’re against anything where the people are learning the word you need to pray and see what God tells you to do.

Accountability shouldn't be a dead art form. We’re too scary and never want to offend. Pray first then approach in a loving manner when/if you get the green light. 

Some preachers are very adamant about sin because they are what Ezekiel would call watchmen. It's a serious call and it's why many people don't run to accept it. So when people ask them what does someone else's sin have to do with them, it can be answered as such: EVERYTHING!!! THEIR ETERNAL SALVATION DEPENDS ON SHARING WHAT THE WORD SAYS. Now if they don't read or believe in the bible then it's understood why they won't agree. Don't fight it. Let them know you stand on two different planes shake hands move on. Your duty is done. 

I don't claim to know all of the word. Because I don’t! But I do question what I don't understand and those who teach it to me. It's the main reason I'm back in school in a theology program. I’m not saying go back to school, but I am saying ask questions and find ways to get them answered. If it still doesn’t mesh well keep seeking.

You will never understand until you open your mind up to understanding. That involves getting in the word more, experiencing God for yourself, listening to opposing viewpoints not to look for ways to refute but for it to lead you to a greater understanding of truth. Allow your doubt to guide your study and trust God will give you understanding of what you need to know.

To the Christians, stand on your faith but to do that you have to learn about it. Spend time in silence and solitude and just be/listen. Study. Interact in love. Question your leaders not as an attack but so you learn.

If you read a blog, like mine, go see if I lied or not. If you think I did bring it back to me and let's have adult conversation about it. We may come to a new conclusion together. Or we may still disagree but at least it would be constructive.

We represent Christ and aren’t really doing a good job at it. As a whole, we have to do better. If you feel you are doing better, 1st know there is always room for improvement and 2nd help others do better. It’s real in the field people and we are NOT prepared for battle.