nice people or new men (and women!)

[WolfVanZandt]

[Pete]

Yes, I agree with what you're saying. I think I just took hold of the word "striving" and was thinking along the lines of - striving to act like you have faith in God (etc). Where as striving in another sense, is a very real and necessary thing we need to do in obedience and in faith - as has already been noted. ;)

I guess it kinda shows it's silly to jump on one word (like I did), doesn't it?

[WolfVanZandt]

[*~Diamond in the Rough~*]

[Pete]

[WolfVanZandt]

One of the most effective ministry tools I've ever seen is for the world to see Christian lives. In a bike rally, worldly bikers are looking for something - often its an end to pain. So they're doing everything they can to feel good and nothing works and they look over and see a bunch of Christian bikers having a ball and even making others feel good and they come over to see what the difference is, and we get to tell the about Christ.

The world needs to see Christians suffer so that they can see that there is hope. They need to see the hope in Christians' lives when they go through bad times and they need to see how God brings them through.....

Because the only way the world can see God clearly is through the lenz of Christians' lives.

[StrawberryRose]

[chad]

I know this thread has not been going on in a while but I read it and just wanted to recommend a book. It's called "Inside Out" by Larry Crabb. It's a simple book, simply written, but it is a freeing reminder that heaven isn't here and now. He says that, simliarly as people preach 'health and wealth', there is also a spiritualized version of the same principle - if we could just grow more in our faith in Christ, just try to do more and serve more, then we would attain to a state of spiritual ease. Trials that come our way would be more like stepping stones for us to run across. He says that instead of relying on God for the strength to persevere through trials, we ask for the strength to get out of them. Life on this fallen planet will be a constant groan for completed redemption. If we stop groaning, he says, we've stopped being real and we can't say with honesty that we know what it is to hunger for heaven, because we've been trying to be 'happy' with making this life great. Reading this was so relieving to my constant underlying angst about my apparent lack of spiritual growth. It has also given me a new strength in facing temptation. Peter said 'fix your hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ'.

[Iris]