trev's concerns

[poptart]

- Christians are hypocrites

Yes, in many instances this is so.
The "I'm a GOOD Christian because I don't drink, smoke, curse, gamble... or whatever."

No, you sure don't - you just cheat on your taxes, view internet porn, cheat on your wife behind her back... etc.

Hypocrite.

But all of that is legalism, and it has NOTHING at all to do with the Gospel.
It has NOTHING to do with salvation.

When Jesus hung up on the cross, at the moment of death, He didn't say, "Ok, people, I've taken it this far. Now y'all just sack up and take this thing the rest of the way."

No, what He said is, "It is finished." John 19:30.

And it is.

Nothing we do accomplishes our salvation.
All we need to do is believe in the One who God sent.

If I see a Christian acting hypocritical - I just laff at it.
It doesn't matter.


- I hate religion

Me, too.

Religion is what man has made ---> in an effort to meet God.
It is about what ... I ... can do, or what... I ... am doing.

The Gospel was given by God and it is what God did.
Yes, because he knows that we can't do it.

It is all by God's grace.


Growing up, my parents dragged me to church.
They were not "pious" people at all, but they were, like, every-other-Sunday church goers.
And they thought it was good for us kids to go.
My parents went until they started to not like the paster - and they quit going.

Lutheran Church.

I HATED it.
HATED.

Worst day of the week.

Stay home and play ball with my friends on Sunday - or go sit in a mothball-smelling Lutheran Church and listen to boring bullshit that doesn't mean anything to me all day?

Yeah, tough choice.

So my sincere prayer every Saturday night was, "Dear God, PLEASE... make tomorrow a no church day, PLEASE!!"

There was no Gospel there and there was nothing there to give me any meaning or answer for life.

It was dead.

And places like that are why the Church is in such terrible shape in America.

Religious people trapped in legalism of their own making.
Modern day Pharisees.


Even today, Church is generally not a place that matches all that well with me.
I'm not some kind of Holy Roller at all.

I'm just a guy who has had a taste of God's grace and a taste of the reality of it.

I have no choice but to relay it, and there is NO way I could ever deny it.

Taste it and you'll see that it is great.


One day I'll tell you how I came to believe in Jesus Christ - and what went on after that time.
Might not be what you'd expect.

[trev]

I'd like to hear it, pop. Sounds intriging. Do tell how you came to believe.

I just don't debate the bible. I just don't partake. I respect those who believe in it.
It's an individual choice. If it helps you in your life and makes your joyful, who am I
to bash it. I believe in evolution though.

[poptart]

A person can recognize that Jesus is the Christ and still believe in evolution.

I'd like to hear it, pop. Sounds intriging. Do tell how you came to believe.

Sometime I will.

[Van]

No, you sure don't - you just cheat on your taxes, view internet porn, cheat on your wife behind her back... etc.

Why do you hate electricity?

[mvscal]

I respect those who believe in it.

Unless his name is Tim Tebow.

[Van]

Or Islamic militants. Hate those fuckers.

[trev]

I don't even know Tim Tebow. I dislike him because of how he plays. He's not hurting anyone.

I should clarify, I respect their right to beliefs....as long as they aren't hurting others. Jesus.