GOD IN 500 YARDS
In the last post I talked very theorectically about having faith and a relationship with God, and why faith in God is stronger than trust. It may suprise you, but I don't blame those who question, those who think, wonder and don't know God - the one whom I speak of. Just the other day one of my friends said that they get the blog but they simply don't get God and belief in him, 'I don't get how you can believe in something that you don't know is real or not'. A very good point indeed, and I empathise with him, because it doesn't make sense does it, where is the reasoning, where is the logic, where is the substance behind this seemingly random praise, worship, passion and dedication. Often sometimes I wonder in a sense whether we as Christians forget to mention this missing piece of the jigsaw that leads us to this God, we are so court up in his wonder we don't remind ourselves.
WHO IS GOD THEN, HOW DO I MEET HIM?
I know there is a God, but even I find it hard to miraculously jump from the duldrums of everyday life to this amazing thing in church sometimes, which is fine for some, but not for the learning, for the young, for the blind. What is the stepping stone, the missing piece of the puzzle. How on this measly earth do we find God?
THE MISSING LINK
Finding god is a two way thing, he meets us halfway, in the middle of us mere humans and God, is a human so much like God. God is so amazing, through Jesus we can truly relate to him in the fashion in which we do with anyone. Only through Jesus can we truly relate and have relationship with God through a format we can recognise. Through his words, his stories and his actions we truly meet or find God. He's the stepping stone, the missing link, without Jesus none of it makes sense. In Jesus we compare ourselves to him, to see how we should live, should be, and should act.
WHO, LOOK FOR YOURSELF..?
You might say well this sounds good but I don't know the first thing about Jesus in a real sense, fair enough, yet you criticise me for my faith but you haven't read the book, the very cornerstone on my faith. How can a film critic write his review when he hasn't seen the film, how can a food critic make a judgement when he's only looked at the food. How can a critic make judgement on what he's heard someone say or the general feeling towards something. I'm not claiming to have the read the whole bible, i do have some social life, but people read me the bible and get told from the bible, you'd never guess where, at church! Shock horror. It would astonish the amount of people who think they know everything there is too know, one issue with clever people is that they're told they're clever so often they assume something that they've never heard can't be true, if they've heard of it because they know everything. I would boldy say the majority of people don't know what they are actually not believing in, and diversely I think many Christians forget exactly what they actually believe in, the point is we remember why, how, through Jesus and ultimately he is the way. It's not all hard and an uphill struggle let people show you, because they will do if you let them, there's no leg work and it can be done together.
HOW DO YOU FIND GOD TODAY?
If you say to me Jesus is not on earth anymore though - fact, you're right but you're wrong. To further reiterate there are so many ways you can experience God, we just don't realise it. God works in mysterious ways, and God takes many unusual forms. Give me an example then, well, look no further than the bible for any examples. In the bible God is shown through Jesus, a human being, a real person, fact. People can show God through their actions, God is acting through them. God is so amazing we can't begin to even fully recognise him, we need people so that we can relate to God with something were familiar with and can format. This isn't just hot air, I can name many great people who have or are being very influential in the positive sense. To name currently involved with me is Gaz Simmonds, he shows God through his actions and for me his EP release, 'strength in love' , which has really helped me as a christian see God in a different form, maybe not through books but in music. He shows God, through his talents, and if you are a christian than use your talent to serve God. I think Gaz's work is a real good listen : http://www.gazsimmonds.com/ and http://www.resoundmedia.co.uk/artist/gaz_simmonds
Another example of where you see God in everyday life which I think is great to relate is the chronicles of Narnia. Now, honestly I think i could safely say that everyone respects the one the only Aslan in the books and ongoing series of films, in fact i saw the latest installment just two days ago. It's a very uplifting film and a great story line, what is so refreshing about it is that it has morals and standards and that's why everyone loves Aslan. I didn't know whether this was common knowledge but C.S.Lewis cleverly writes his novels and Aslan is actually God! and Jesus! And so on, there are many examples and metaphors for religious acts in the bible during the film and actually quite a christian message, and certainly a very powerful one. Some people don't believe me but it's true. When you say Christian to them, or the 'c' word as I often call it, they dismiss the novel, which they actually adore and have respect for. The story is a great metaphor for God's love and in the far away fairytale like setting which may seem unreal, in the book through this sub-reality the characters later in the series get to to know Aslan (God) in real life.
God gives us independence and free will so we have to find God every now and again, God knocks and knocks and knocks often you just can't hear it. I'm under no illusion it's easy by any means, if i hadn't been taken to church as a child would I be there now? If my parents weren't Christian would i be one now? If I had no Christian friends would i be one? The thing is, once you've have experienced God through the right people it is that which brings me back to God, we need more people who are maybe so full of God they overflow and flood other people lives.
WHAT AS CHRISTIANS SHOULD WE DO?
On a critical note I don't think we recognise this enough, in many churches, people don't realise sometimes, but when you ask why i am here, why i am Christian? It only makes sense with Jesus in the picture. Remind me please, remind the new, don't tell them the best thing yet not help them to see it. I imagine it being so hard for a first timer at church, we don't preach the gospel enough. Nothing makes sense without Jesus, and often we palm it off with worship and praise which other people never get or understand. The truth of the matter is, is that worship is a response. It is the responce to Jesus, on it's own it makes no sense. Worship is a responce to a sermon, a story and an action. We cannot ram God down people's throats without this original reasoning. Jesus didn't convert people with one song, in one day, it takes time and substance and for people to figure the picture out for themselves get the own picture of things, not believing in someone else picture already, I urge you paint your own picture. So we need to make sense for starters but also show God's overwhelming love, act in a different way which makes someone ask you why? Then you say why you are different, what makes you special, it's God acting through you.
To sum up, we love to praise God, and knowing God is the target and worshipping him, but it's right without what comes before. The pudding if you like is the best part, it's knowing God, but without the starter or the main course, the meaning the reason, it makes no sense. When we only eat the pudding in a meal it feels wrong, you haven't earned it, and if you eat with a new friend and only feed them pudding it won't make sense to them, it will taste good if not great but it will never fill them on just the pudding alone. Feeding us and them only pudding makes us forget about the main course the missing link, it makes us fat, unhealthy, and strange. Faith can be just like a 3 course meal, don't just take the prize, take the work and the training as well because none happen without the others.
Laurie xx
coming up : Doing it alone, Radical Faith, and Corrupting Power.
Footnote from the editor: There were so many spelling mistakes in this, it was unreal. I think i shot down most of the blighters, what ho. Eddie xx.
