Tuesday 25 January 2011

We need to be real by Elaine Waterfield


Facebook on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 at 21:53
Today I went to Crewkerne to Joey Daniels ( who I think is awesome honest and on fire for God) Transformed event and it was awesome to hear Nigel from HTBC talk about 12 step programme . It wasn't what he said about the course but rather about people being real very real. He talked about how many people in the church including pastors were addicted to sex either hooked on porn, down loaded child porn some Christians struggled being transvestites whilst other Christians were addicted to food, booze, drugs and gambling.. its needs being dealt with at the cross as Jesus is the only one who can set us free.



Today most of us become Christians and live in our own world not God's, as we pretend that everybody is good in the hood and all hellos and wonderful and politeness when deep down we can be feeling terrible bogged downed with shame addictions and fears and the only place where I find freedom is with real people and thats been in places like prisons where I helped YO offenders especially in the freedom in Christ course where we had two bits of paper one with who we were and then another for who we are now. They were being totally honest and I found I could be too which made the other easy as God is an awesome God and its he who changes our lives and listening to ex addicts and prostitutes at Transformed ministries and other places. When we acknowledge out sins and let Jesus deal with them we can be so free. I am not condoning addictions but the point is when we are addicted to things and haven't got a great life then when we open up to each other its when we can be real we find a freedom and the truth sets you free then you can deal with them. Dougie March was there too and he spoke about how ex offenders come out of prison and where do they go when they come out? most end up on the streets with no where to live go to church and expect love and concern but many don't want to know as not all Christians know how to relate to ex offenders yet Jesus came for the lost the poor and the needy the broken and the smashed and he came for me and you. Jesus went out and spoke about the Gospel and healed people and cast out demons which is what he asked us to do to love our our neighbours as ourselves.But do we mostly we find it hard we need Gods grace and love and peace. The church needs to be real and act real I have learned that we cant go out and be Jesus on the streets if we see it as good works and a project but see these people as our equals and in fact we learn more from them than they ever learn from us.Why because they are real.Its our responsibility as the children of God to be radical and look after the lost the poor the broken and the smashed and do something about all this need, accept people as they are and love them in the church else they only go back to crime. WE are all ex offenders and offenders before God only through the cross are we made righteous as Jesus paid out penalty for sin and IT IS FINISHED

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

spot on