Telling someone God loves them just as they are is telling the truth, but leaving it there is like telling a drowning person there is a beach where they can get out of the water and not giving them any ability to get to the beach...and then wondering why they died.
I have so many issues with the church's screaming, "Grace!" when it should be screaming, "New life!" Jesus doesn't save so we can stay the same marriage-killing, family-massacring, self-centered dark hole we've always been. Salvation isn't just so we can get out of hell or so we live for eternity. Salvation is so we can quit being the mess we've always been controlled by the same miserable mindsets right here and right now. Any pastor or church that does not teach the power of a life-changed and the responsibility to seek that and live it will be held accountable for the carnage wreaked by an enemy that was never confronted on a corporate or individual level. I keep seeing so many "faith" groups excusing flesh-living because "grace covers you". I don't see that in the Bible. What I see in the Bible is a call to holy living because Jesus' blood bought you.
And why is living like Christ seen as a burden we are afraid to impose on people? It's a promise we should be wildly excited to offer people! Think about it. He never felt anxious or overwhelmed. He wasn't controlled by extraneous schedules or demands. He walked in peace. He loved deeply. He had purpose. He didn't let haters change His feelings or life plan. He knew He was loved. He was a great leader. He made a difference. He knew when to rest. He was content, joyful, and loved. He never felt awkward with people but could talk to the "low" and "high" of society with equal ease. He knew whatever He needed would be there right when He needed it. He didn't take things personally. He was at complete ease being Himself.
Why in the world would we not want EVERYONE to have that even if it means telling them the lies they are clinging to now won't get it for them? Why in the world would we let someone drown because we are afraid of saying, "That 100 pound weight your carrying won't get you to the beach. You'll have to let it go in order to get in the lifeboat?"
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