"If it happens in Jerusalem...

...It's impossible for it to stay in Jerusalem."

The line is from a Rob Bell book I'm reading called "Jesus Wants to Save Christians." I'm not done the book yet so I'm not going to talk about how great it is, but this line stuck out to me.

It is referring to the beginning of Acts. Jesus has gone back into Heaven and had commanded his disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea and to the ends of the earth...that's the basic jist of it. (I like the word jist. But my spell check is telling me it doesn't exist.)

When I see that line, I don't think of biblical Jerusalem. I think of myself. To me, the line is saying that if Jesus is really REALLY in me, it will be impossible for Him to simply stay hidden in me. If its real, it will show.

The gospel message is transforming. If I am not being transformed, how am I possibly showing my faith to others?

Sometimes I don't feel like I'm transforming at all. So am I really a Christian?

I'm often wrong.

I think God is trying to tell me lately that I may KNOW the Gospel and I may BELIEVE the Gospel, but it is time that I start learning to LIVE the Gospel. And thats where I am. He loves me where I'm at but He doesn't leave me where I'm at, and for that I am so thankful.

So where do I even begin? I look at so many aspects of my life that I feel are written off...I had my chance to be a light to various people, and I chose to live of the world instead. I'm supposed to be in the world but not of the world, and I continually mess that up.

Regardless. God works in ways I can't understand. God brings people closer to Him even when I am being a huge turd. I think He just enjoys when I get on board, but He is going to work even if I just ignore it. But my life is more full when I join in.

So here is what I am working on.

I want to make sure that I believe in a way that makes people notice. I have far too many people in my life that are surprised that I go to church and that I call myself a Christian. That friggin sucks.

I don't think I am the most judgmental person ever, but I know I still struggle with it. I don't like the line "Love the sinner, hate the sin." Because I think in hating the other person's sin, we end up hating the person who sins as well. So I prefer to think about how we ought to love the sinner and hate our own sin. Focusing on that has helped me love people through decisions I don't necessarily agree with.

I want to love people like Jesus loves people. I don't just want to love people at a distance, (like North American society tends to do with starving African children) but up close. This means getting involved with stuff that I say I care about. It is easy to send money overseas and say something nice to someone who is having a rough day, but I want more than that. I am learning to walk through people's struggles with them and it sucks. Of course it's "rewarding" but lets get serious, being burdened by other people's lives can suck. I think really loving people means asking God for a lot of strength and peace and grace to get through the tough stuff with them.

Real love is love that continues to grow, and the greatest love is the kind that lays down its life for a friend. That's the goal.

The effect (affect? I'm never sure which to use) of love in a person's life is tremendous. Being loved sets a person free to do what they were born to do, and if we/I love on people like Jesus loved on people, the world WILL change.

My faith has stayed pretty hidden in my life in some aspects. Not in all parts of my life, but enough to make me know that God is calling me to do better. Thankfully, God is more interested in my future than in my past, so I know I'm not a complete write off.

God speaks to me through Jeremiah 5:14 which says "Because they have spoken this Word, I am now making my words in your mouth a fire, and this people wood, and the fire will devour them."

It's time to step out of the Christian bubble and meet people where they are at, love them like Jesus and move forward. The one who has love, courage and wisdom moves the world.

Because as I mentioned earlier, if it happens in Jerusalem, it's impossible for it to stay in Jerusalem.

Make sense? okay. Good.