In the grey...

So i've been thinking alot about Christianity and Christians in general. i've been living for God for about, i don't know, 4 or 5 years. Its not much compared to many other people but that is not the point. the point is this. my eyes have been open to the fact that many people who called themselves Christians are not going to heaven. I heard a preaching, read a chapter in a book and thought much on this bible verse and its quite powerful-

Revelation 3:15-16

"I know all the thing you do, that you  are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!"

can we honestly say that we are on fire for God? if our answer is no then we've got something serious to deal with. you see, everything with God is black and white. we either are for him or against him. there is no in between. yet there are so many people living in the "in between" or "in the grey." we have to sit back and ask ourselves "am i in the grey?" we cannot be content with a mediocre life that we think will get us to heaven. we cannot make God fit around our schedule. we must be genuinely in love with our Creator and seek him and forget about everything we want and give everything for him. its a sacrifice i know. but that is what God is asking for. he sacrificed his son, we must sacrifice our lives as well. we need to not be selfish with God. we know when our walk with God is slipping. we know when God is at a distance. we know. so we must ask ourselves "am i in the grey." because if we are, when we are standing before the throne of God, he will be disgusted with the life we lived and spit us out. scary thought i know. if were gonna serve God, do it with everything. if we are not going to, we should do it with everything too. but if we are lukewarm or in the grey, we need to make a decision to be hot or cold. the choice is ours to make, but its Gods to judge us.

Don't live a life that will get you spit out of heaven. I pray that we all be on fire and hot for God. Then we can spread the fire to the youth, the church, the city, the state, the country and even the world. Don't be luke warm.

living sacrifices..

Romans 12:1-8 NIV

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

i love this. the reason i love this is becuase this is like Christianity 101. this is what we are supposed to do as followers and disciples of Christ. we have to die completly to our selfish desires. forget about what WE want and live for what GOD wants. as singers and musicans, sometimes we play and wonder why nobody was touched by God. we ask God why he doesnt make people jump or scream or cry or raise thier hands. what we need to do as Christians is die to ourselves and be filled with God. we have to stop thinking "ok i know im more filled with God than you are so im better than you" or "i play in the band so i can do that".. that is called pride and that is not of God. that will tear us apart. we have to humble ourselves and understand that we suck at life and we sin and we are totally unworthy to do anything for God yet he still decides to put us on the stage to bring people into his presence. we have to understand grace. we have to stop judging people about how much cooler we look than others or how much better we play or sing and just be thankful that God has allowed us to even be saved. if it werent for the grace of God..we would go to hell. if God hadnt sent down Jesus to die for us..we would die a horrible death and spend eternity in hell. we have to meditate on that. the fact that we are totally unworthy to do anything for God and yet he still uses us. we screw up. but he forgives.
i also love this passage becuase it talks about us as a team. we are one body in Christ. if one person from the team decides to forget about spending time with God and just worry about playing the song perfect..God will not do anything will us. we are all different people with different personaltites and thoughts and talents etc. the only thing that unites us is God and the gifts he has blessed us with. if one of begins to get lost..the team gets lost..for we are one band in one body of one Christ.
i challenge us to stop judging people. quit comparing our walk with God to other people's walk with God. dont think we are any better than the prostitute on the corner. understand grace. for that is the only difference between us and the porn star. we have to empty ourselves of ourselves and just ask God to fill us with him.
that will reveal the will of God in our life..
living sacrifices..

why do we play?

Passage John 4:21-24: The Message

21 -23"Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you Samaritans will worship the Father neither here at this mountain nor there in Jerusalem. You worship guessing in the dark; we Jews worship in the clear light of day. God's way of salvation is made available through the Jews. But the time is coming—it has, in fact, come—when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter.
23 -24"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

wow..have u ever wondered why we worship? why we play? i know i have. many times we do it out of obligation. we do it because we have to for there is nobody else than can do it. other times we do it becuase we are the best singer or musician at our instrument. sometimes we do it to show everyone how good we are. but i tell you what..God will never manifest in anything we do until we do as this scripture says. Many versions of the Bible says "to worship in spirit and in truth". but i just loved how this version said it.."when what you're called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter". you see..it doesnt matter if you are the best singer in the world or the best muscian in the world..if you are not completly 100% using your talent to glorifythe King of Kings and for the glory of God..your talent is useless. it is a waste. nothing is going to come out of your playing. everytime before i play i ask God to take me and make me a hollow vessel filled with God so that it is not me playing but it is the Spirit of God and that every note or chord i play is not the work of my hands but is the work of God. how cool would it be if everytime you play people didnt say "man you sing awesome or wow the best drummer in the world" but rather "wow..i could really feel the Holy Spirit through your playing or singing". rather than glorify us as an awesome worship band (which we are) they glorify God.
you see..this scripture says "That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship". many times we try to act like someone we are not. we try to be "good christians" because people are watching. you know what..when it comes down to it..when we do that..we are hippacrites and God wont doing anything with us. we have to be simple and honest in our worship. God knows we are not perfect..so dont act like we are. be honest. seek the truth.
i want to finish with this. the scripture also says "it's who you are and the ways you live that count before God". you know what..if the only time we seek God is on that stage on Wednsday..we are playing for the people and not for God. for if we were playing for God we would seek God and worship him with our entire lives and not just when people are watching. a teacher of mine in college told our class this and i will never forget it:

Private actions have public effects.

From what i know..my teacher wasnt a christian..but this statement hit me hard. if we are not seeking God in the times when nobody is watching. in the times when we are all alone. in the times when only us and God knows what we are doing. why then would He show up when we call on His name in front of people? When are in the presence of God every moment of everyday and God knows our voice..that is when God will respond and move in our worship becuase He knows we are truly and honestly seeking Him.

Dont call on God so that people can see and hear you and they can do it too...call on God in the quiet and with the way you live your life.

Then God will already be in you and all you have to do is what God called you to do..

Worship.