Jesus is Legit

We changed things up a bit last night at Challenge. We set up tables with different topics. We rotated three times and got to choose which things we wanted to discuss with others. I had some pretty neat discussions with people about the work of God and Christianity.

"When all that Christian stuff is not enough."
"God does not need our offerings. What we offer to Him is dirty rags." Psalm 50:7-15 and Psalm 51:16-17 reveal God's heart towards outward acts of worship by themselves. We went on to each discuss something we are frustrated with God about. He hears our complaints. He already knows everything, even those things we're still too afraid to tell Him. We also talked about how we feel when Christian things like Bible study, discipleship, worship, and church leave us feeling more empty than we should. But most importantly, all of the discussion centered around Christ. He is the center of all relationships. "We must return to a love relationship with God. When it is not about God's love, we begin to fake it, which leads to burnout. Christian 'stuff' should be out of pure love and devotion to God." What would it look like to fully serve and love God again? Psalm 73:25-26 reads, "Whom have I in heaven but You? And Earth has nothing I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

"Why do bad things happen?"
"If you feel comfortable, share about a difficult experience in your life that caused you to struggle in your faith. What did you learn? Did it bring you closer to God or further away?"
We talked about having tendencies to blame God for evil and suffering. Because God is all-good and all-powerful, does He have an obligation to remove evil? Why or why not? We usually ask, "Why does God allow evil?" and "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But what makes people good or bad? If we look at how evil entered the world, we see "God did not create the world the way it is today; His creation was good and perfect. Evil came as a result of the selfishness and disobedience of man. God gave man free will and free choice. Free choice brought the possibility to choose evil. Man, by his own choice, disobeyed God and brought evil in the world. He chose his own way instead of God's way. Because of sin the entire created order is ruined! Man has been separated from God, there is conflict between people and cultures, and man does not live in harmony with nature." We asked, Would you be willing to give up your ability to voluntarily love God and others, your opportunity to know and experience God, to be "programmed" for good in order to eliminate evil and remove sin? NO! We do not! If God were to destroy all evil now, He would have to wipe out the entire human race because we ALL have sinned. No one is righteous. We then talked about the good that comes of suffering. "Some things in our character can only be brought about through suffering. Courage, endurance, sacrificial love can only be developed amidst pain and difficulty. We grow by facing difficult moral choices." Rather, we should be thankful that "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our sin. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear Him." Overall, we can find comfort in knowing God dealt with evil by sending Christ, His Son, to pay the penalty for sin. His death is the clearest proof of God's love for each and every one of us in a suffering world. He sent His Son to save us and then watched while His own Son was crucified. Because of that, God empathizes with us in our pain. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 34:18. "God is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." This is so true! What we suffer here on Earth is miniscule. It is also temporary. One day there will be no more pain, no more tears, and no more suffering. As we become followers of Christ, the consequence of evil is removed. We receive new life and power to choose what is right as the Holy Spirit guides us.

"Don't judge me."
What does it mean to be in the world but not of the world? This is crucial!
How are we supposed to relate to nonbelievers?
How do you maintain morals and values around those who are saying and doing things you do not agree with?
How is this accomplished in a loving manner free of judgment and accusation?
What questions could one ask to a nonbeliever to help them think differently about their actions?
Are we to relate differently to Christians in above situations than we would with nonbelievers?
What are we to do if we recognize another believer is clearly being disobedient to something that should be validated by God's Word?
What is the Christian stereotype in the world?
When people think of Christians, what comes to mind? If that is negative, what can we do about it?
Of course His Word says we will all suffer for being believers. We had better expect persecution. My second favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 12:10. It talks about being pleased in all types of struggles: persecutions, insults, weaknesses, and disappointments. It says, "But because of Christ I am strong in weakness." That is so beautiful!

So it was a great night. And we can all be confident knowing that God has given us these things to talk about among other people! That is the blessing! We are free to speak of the Word of God, even God Himself! What a miracle that is. We are constantly shielded and covered in His grace, and we don't even realize it. What a tragedy. When we see Jesus for who He really is, and accept His everlasting grace and mercy, only then can we truly enter into relationship with Him. Praise for His goodness! He is mighty to save.