Faith.

I've been told I need to have faith. What is this faith that this person was speaking of?
You see, I was sick - a cough that lasted two weeks. This person said to me, "Have you commanded it away?"
"I have tried. But it didn't work."
"You just don't have faith," then she stopped, realised she was talking to one of her pastors and said, "Well, you're a pastor, of course you have faith."
I just nodded and gave an affirming, "Yeah..."
She then proceeded to tell me that if I tell it long enough to be gone, it will go away. I wanted to respond with some snide remark about white blood cells doing their job, but kept it to myself.
Arrogance is not faith. Many church leaders shout things about 'taking authority'. But these leaders fail to remember that all authority is God given. And if they don't necessarily assume they can take authority over God and tell him what to do, some think they can take authority over creation. These folks forget that we were given dominion over creation in terms of being stewards, not gods. Creation submits to Christ over us any day. Those who assume authority over anything God has authority over himself do not understand the Lordship of Christ. We are his servants, even if we are the keepers of the garden... It's still His garden, after all.

To believe that someone who is sick just doesn't have faith is pure foolishness. Maybe the reason they are sick is because they don't have faith for food to eat. Maybe they're sick because they don't have faith for proper education  ... Or tooth brushes... Or even a proper bed. Those of little faith...
Or maybe those who have 'great faith' aren't actually great givers... But, I don't know. I can't judge them like they do others.
I will judge the rubbish that they spew out, though. 
Faith is far different than thinking you're God. Faith is trusting God to deliver you from or through whatever you're dealing with.
I trust the God I serve with my life. He knows what he wants to accomplish in, through, and around me. If that requires healings, great. But the greatest healing - the greatest miracle - is that of the relationship between God and anyone. And because I've read my Bible, I know he wants to do that in, through, and around me. In the end everyone who serves Jesus will be healed. So, let's be sure to keep our priorities straight: not everyone will go to heaven, but of all the ones who do, they will be healed. So let's see people get saved!

End of the Road

Death. The one thing that threatens us all. However, it will affect us all in one is two ways: be with Jesus in eternity or be under his wrath in eternity.
Most people from what I have gathered have no idea their present course towards eternity.
The answer is simple though for those of you who are questioning this. It's an unpopular answer that you will probably feel as though it is wrong because your answer is 'moral' and my answer is bigoted and narrow. Jesus tells us that wide is the gate that leads to destruction and narrow the gate that leads to eternal life. People didn't (and still don't, for that matter) like Jesus' view on things.
Without further ado, here's the answer :Jesus said the only way to the father is through him. He is the narrow gate. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Nobody gets to heaven except through Jesus. Fortunately, the apostle Paul explains what this looks like: if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord (that is to declare an absolute and sole allegiance to Jesus Christ, with no one else as equal to or above in authority in your life) and to believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.
That's it. That's the answer. No person can spend eternity with Jesus who didn't spend their life with him on this earth.
Don't be that person who fears death and God in your death bed,  attempting a last such effort towards salvation because your scared of Hell. God knows your heart. He knows whether or not you're turning to him because you love him or fear him. He won't save you just because your scared. Fear doesn't atone for the life of rebellion.
So,  carefully consider these words. God loves you and wants to spend eternity with you. Choose to live and serve him. Make him the one you love for, not yourself.
Jesus lived the life you should have lived.  Died the death you should have died and then rose from death so that you can have true life.
The Word of God says that "while we were yet still sinners, God first loved us. " Accept his love, and have the assurance that you will spend eternity with Jesus and not under his wrath.

Calvinism vs. Armenianism: Part 2

When it comes to an individual who comes to church and then leaves the church even if at some point the individual professed Christ as Lord,  everyone has differing opinions on it.  The Calvinist would suggest that Joe is like Judas and he claimed to be one of God's people but never really was one of them and then left. 
The Armenian would suggest that Joe did accept Christ and was saved but has now rejected God's free gift. 
The problem with both those views is they both come from different passages of the bible.  In a nut she'll,  you can't escape either one,  thus there is a never ending argument in theological circles,  as I stated in part one. 
So here's the thing with the die hards in either category.  They get all hung up on why that guy left but not the fact that they need to get Joe back in the church. 
So here's my plea.  Don't neglect those who don't know Jesus by arguing about them.  Create a safe place for them to come to know Jesus in a very real way.
God warns us a few times about quarreling about things that don't ultimately matter but rather commands to make disciples and teach them all he has commanded us.

Sides: Calvinism vs. Armenianism

When this secondary issue arises amongst Christians you often have two ill informed parties going at it trying to disprove the other one.  If some one asked me,  "Steve,  are you a Calvinist or an Armenian?" I would have to say "yes."
Here's why...  The Armenian says you can reject God and turn from God after knowing him and serving him faithfully or unfaithfully and loose your salvation.  In the Bible we see this many different times. Like when the apostle Paul makes comments in his letters that the people are turning from the God who saved them.
Then there's the Calvinist who says once you have had a true conversion and God saves you,  you can't loose your salvation because you aren't going to walk away from him. Their examples would be Judas the betrayer of Jesus but also verses that call us elect.
There's obviously a whole lot more to both sides. But keep this in mind: I have yet to see a debate where you have two equally equipped theologians hash it out to see the results.
Here's the thing.  Don't make Calvinism or Armenianism a hill to die on.  Strong biblical evidence can be found for both sides....  If one argument was stronger than the other there would be no argument.
Then there's the group that argue about the guy who's been in the church but ain't now a part of it....  PART 2