.....::::: Can You Translate Your "Christianese" Please? :::::.....

"Christianese" is a communicable language within the Christian subculture with words and phrases created, redefined, and / or patened that applies only to the Christian sphere of influence. In other words, it's an invented word used to express the use of Christian theology terms that may seem like bibberish to those that have no idea what the speaker is talking about.

How often do we do this though? How often do we talk to people about Jesus, but we use terms and words that they have an easier time understanding Chinese or Sign Language rather than understanding us? Jesus used metaphors, similies, and analogies to portray and demonstrate God's goodness, message and invitation to Life. Why is it that we must show how spiritually intellectual we are by using big words or words that seem to make no sense or are even frightening to our listeners?

My sister and I moved to Canada in 2004, after the death of our parents. We understood little to no french at all. The only thing that truly helped us was the fact that we are Haitian American. Haitian Creole is some what close to French. Anyway, if a Montreal Canadian had come up to us (which happened quite often in our first two years) to announce, in French, something like how we were being offered a chance to live in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's house or even better; a chance to live at the White House with President Barack Obama and reap the benefits of living there, that would've been AWESOME! But at that point in time, if someone didn't translate everything that person would've said to us from French to English, my sister and I would've missed out on such a ONCE IN A LIFETIME, GOLDEN opportunity. Why? Just because French was such a foreign language at the time.

In the same way, God's message and invitation to Life must be translated into language people can UNDERSTAND. Using words like KINGDOM, REPENTANCE, and SAVED sound scary and uncommon to most people. It is as if we are speaking a language that is foreign when we use terms like being "justified," "sanctified," or "redeemed." Please, don't get me wrong, these terms are important, but we must first understand the truth of God's message enough to translate them into a language or vocabulary that ordinary people (those who have yet to know these things) can understand.

Why though? Why would someone turn from what they are used to, what they have grown to know and love, from the only semblance of life, love, and security they have ever known (apart from God) and turn to God if they don't believe that He is good or has good intentions towards them? That is where Jesus steps in. He used creatuve language and many analogies to paint and demonstrate an accurate picture of the Father's goodness in terms people would and could understand:

"He runs to the prodigal son with open arms (Luke 15:11-32)" and "He values you more than many sparrows (Matthew 6:25-34)."

Yes, Jesus did speak in parables (moral stories) to provoke people's hearts that were on the verge of being responsive or those that were hardened, but He also gave life to a linguistic picture so others may understand and see God's goodness.

We should do the same! Sometimes, it is not that people don't want to believe in Jesus. It is just that they don't have a clue what we are saying. We try to seem high and mighty by using terms that we believe will spike their curiousity but in reality, all we do is cause even more confusion. In order for people to turn and trust God with their whole lives (repent and believe), we must stop speaking "Christianese" and just be us. Use words that they will comprehend and most importantly, just be yourself. It is important that we listen to their needs and invite them to Life.

Have a blessed day and don’t forget to spread for Christ!

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DO YOU KNOW HOW TO LOVE? :::::.....

Hey everyone!!! Hope all is well with you! A couple of months ago, we at Spread4Christ posted a blog entry called: “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” It explaining what love is as written in 1 Corinthians 13 and why it is important. The crazy thing is that we sometimes treat love as if it was this new thing that just randomly showed up. But it was always here! What we aim to do in this post is show you “how” to channel this love and how if demonstrated properly, it can change someone’s day and even their life.

Being a avid social networker, it allows me to truly see what people think sometimes. If you haven’t noticed, there are those certain people that post everything they are going through on social media. (I am guilty of it…sometimes…okay…often). Where am I going with this? I have had the chance to see many posts about love; from tumblrs, tweets, statuses on Facebook and even Instagram pictures. Some people, because they have been hurt or betrayed or disappointed by love, they bad-mouth it. You know those posts that I am talking about. The ones that say “I’m doing me” or even the anti-love posts. But there is something wrong with that. How can love be bad if God is love? What the person probably experienced was “immature love”. Not that it was bad but it just wasn’t the right time. A friend of mine once used this parable to explain mature love.

“Have you ever eaten a fruit that isn’t ripe? Love is the same way. Anyone can say, “I love you”, but if the love isn’t mature, it doesn’t taste good. For a fruit to be ripe, it has to spend time in the sun. For our love to be mature, it has to spend time in The Son.”

Deep right? Well in 1 Corinthians 13, it clearly states what love is supposed to be. But what if the person isn’t receptive to that kind of love? What if you are doing it wrong? What if the way the world loves is not the way we should ACTUALLY be loving one another? But how do we love one another though? Love is more than a simple warm feeling. It is a call to action. It is an attitude that reveals itself in action. But how can we REALLY love others as Jesus loves us? Well, have you ever tried to show someone love and they were completely unreceptive? Jesus loves us regardless. Nothing we do can make Him love us less (do not take it for granted) so since He forgives all and loves all, we should do the same. Loving another the way Jesus loves us is to let bygones be bygones and move forward together in peace and love.

Loving someone the way that Jesus loves us is;

...helping someone when it is not convenient. There may be that one person that no matter how many times you see them, they may annoy you or even make you uncomfortable but if that person needs you or even if they don’t come out and say that they do, love and help them anyway!

…giving when it hurts. Yeah…this one right? It is easier to say than do, right? But that still does not make it any less important. Above, I spoke about when the person you are helping or showing love to is not receptive, do not take your love away. Nor should you suffocate them with love. I know a few people who have gone through relationships where all the other person did was take, take and take but never gave. And eventually the other person ended up cheating or leaving. I know it sounds crazy and I know it may sound like something impossible, but trust me, loving someone that does not necessarily love you back is one of the best feelings in the world. Why? Well, Jesus goes through it everyday with us in my opinion. In the Bible it says that if we love God, we will obey. No one is perfect and we mess up sometimes so obey on a 24 hour basis is hard. But Jesus still loves us even if we do the things that hurt Him. What fun is it to love the ones that everyone else already loves? You accomplish so much more by loving the people that love you back and even the ones that don’t.

…by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than your own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. Basically, when showing love, you must forget yourself and put others before you. This kind of loving is extremely hard to do but it is not impossible.

What makes loving like Jesus so amazing is that when you do it, people do notice. People never understood why and how Jesus was able to love and approach the people He did even today. How come? Because, to love others the way Christ loved other was and still is revolutionary! Love keeps believers in Christ strong and united in this world that is hostile to God. And you never know how you can impact and change someone’s life with love. Let’s change the world! Reach out and love someone today!

John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: CAN YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE? :::::.....

Ever look at yourself in the mirror and think, "wow, I have changed?" Have you ever realized the changes your body goes through over the years? Amazing right? It's even more amazing when others can tell the difference as well! The same thing goes for your walk with Christ. Have you ever worried about whether or not you really are a Christian, if you have changed or are you in the same place you were before you experiemented Him?

But what is a Christian though? A Christian is anyone who has the Spirit of God living in him or her. Some people believe that to be Christian, one must be perfect. But that is far from the truth.

No one is born perfect. Whether you are a believer in Jesus Christ or not, no one comes close to perfection but Christ himself. But how do you differentiate your lifestyle to that of those who are not Christians? What makes your walk any different than others?

In the Bible, in Ephesians 5 verse 8, we are called to live as children of the light. The Apostle Paul told the Ephesians to leave behind their sinful ways and their old life of sin. Yeah...I know it's hard, especially when everyone else around you is doing the cool and seemingly fun things but at what cost?

Living the Christian life is a process. It's an everyday thing. Yes, we do fall short of God's glory everyday but that shouldn't be the reason one decides to give up and do what he or she wants while screaming, "yolo" to the sky. Being a Christian means that our new nature and identity are found in Jesus Christ. Although we have a new nature, we don't automatically think all good thoughts and express all right attitudes right away. But that is the beauty of it! If we keep listening to God, the beautiful change is bound to happen with help from the Holy Spirit.

Looking towards the future, you can't help but feel positive and optimistic! Why? Because our old way of living life before we believed in Christ and His mission on Earth, death on the cross and His resurrection, is COMPLETELY in the past! Like clothes that have become too small for us, we should outgrow our old sinful lives and find peace and tranquility in Jesus. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, He was the replacement for your old life! Our "old self," our sinful nature, died once and for all, so we are freed from our past. We need no longer live under sin's power. For us to return tk the things we used to do in the past is basically making Christ's actions on the cross be for nothing. God does not take us out of the world or make us robots and we may even sin but our sin does not define us! The difference is that before we were saved we were slaves to our sinful nature, but now we can choose to live for Jesus Christ.

To conclude, we need to seek the One who can help us change. The way the world we live in functions, it does the exact opposite of what God recommends that we do. Instead of loving, society often discriminates. Instead of finding joy in God, it tells us to find joy in almost everything but Him. Instead of being at peace, patient, kind, good, faithful and gentle, the world demonstrates the opposite. And when it comes to self-control, it tells us that we "only live once". Think about a time before your walk with Christ and look at yourself now. Do you see the changes? And if so, how are you helping others seek that change too? Even if you can't see the changes now, hope is not lost. Let God speak to you today. Have a blessed day and stay in faith!

Ephesians 4:17-24 "So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed. That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

.....::::: WHY SETTLE FOR LESS? :::::.....

We humans are a very incredible and perplex creation. From us being able to take action and even the emotions we are able to feel; everything is just so amazing! God really did an amazing job! But the choices we make don’t always reflect God’s character though. It often leads me to ask this question: “When your standards are fulfilled, why settle for less?” 

What does settle mean exactly? To settle is to accept or agree to something that one considers to be less than satisfactory. In this post I will give you 5 examples of how NOT to settle for less. Crazy thing is that the 5 examples are actually true stories. Haven’t you noticed that when you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for? Pay attention.

First, I have a friend named Bray. He dated this girl named Sandy for almost 3 years. Bray loved Sandy. He did anything and everything for her. He would work a part time job and most of his paychecks were either put into providing for her (even though she had a job already) or to spend time with her. He put so much energy into their relationship that he even began to lose friends until she was the only friend that he had left. Of course, like every couple, they had their differences but their differences were always resolved because Bray looked at the bigger picture; his love for her. At that point in time, neither Bray nor Sandy’s faith in Jesus Christ was solid. So then came a very crucial moment in Bray’s life. Bray decided to enroll himself into University. What this meant for Sandy was that she would spend less time with Bray. So what did Sandy do? She settled for less. After almost 3 years of love, regardless of the hardships, she cheated. She cheated on Bray because she would see him less than usual (even though Bray made the effort to still see her as much as he did before getting into University). She had everything she could ever ask for in a man but wanted more, regardless of who she hurt in the process. Hmmm can some of you relate? Moving on…

The second example is actually that of Adam and Eve. We all may know the story but there is so much more to it than what we may know. Adam was the first human being on Earth. Fortunately, God didn’t let Adam be alone for too long before presenting him with an ideal companion and mate, Eve. They were complete, innocent, one and without a hint of shame. One of Adam’s first conversations with his delightful new companion must have been about the rules of the garden of Eden. Even before God made Eve, He gave Adam complete freedom in the garden, with the responsibility to tend and care for it. But one tree was off limits, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam would have told Eve about this, so when Satan approached her, she would send him running. Wrong! Even though she knew, even though she had everything she could ever ask for, she did what? She settled for less. Wait…how is this “less”, you might be asking. What is one single fruit compared to a whole garden? Does that answer your question? Eve ate the fruit and then offered some to Adam. At that moment, the fate of creation was on the line. Adam then ate the fruit as well. Man was separated from God by his own desire to act on his own. Hmmm…

Then there was David! David was a shepherd, poet, giant-killer, king, ancestor of Jesus - in short, David was one of the greatest men in the Old Testament of the Bible. He is remembered and respected for his heart for God. God even referred to David as “a man after my own heart” (Acts 13:22). But do not be fooled, David was a man. He made mistakes as well; enter Bathsheba. Bathsheba was the wife of a man named Uriah the Hittite. But how is she linked to David? She later became David’s wife. She is most known for having committed adultery with David (king at the time). Like I stated before, we tend to make crazy choices. David, a man after God’s heart, ancestor of Jesus, greatest king of Israel, settled for less! He could have had anyone he wanted, but he chose another man’s wife. He settled.

Like they say, “the apple never falls far from the tree…”. What this means in this context is “like father, like son”. David had a son; his name was Solomon. Solomon is our 4th example. He would go on and ask God for wisdom. But choice after choice, one could really ask if Solomon put into action what he asked for. Before David died, he told Solomon to obey God’s laws and to “walk in His ways”. Just because Solomon had this wisdom, it did not make him immune to making mistakes. He had been given great possibilities as the king of God’s chosen people, but with them came great responsibilities; unfortunately, he tended to make mistakes and neglect his responsibilities. How? He made many agreements with foreign leaders by marrying women that did not worship God but idols. He even allowed his wives to affect his loyalty to God. Solomon, one of the wisest of them all, settled.

And last but not least…"you and I". If you have read the Bible or not, it is filled with promises of the things God has in store for us. All He asks is that we stay obedient and have faith. But when those two things don’t really sound fun anymore, especially when others are doing the opposite, we settle. For example, God asks us not to have sex before marriage. Sex is an act reserved for those who are married right? But as time goes by, you get impatient. You are tired of waiting for the person God is reserving for you, and since all your friends are doing it, why not?! Well…let me tell you…you just settled! All that does is “open doors” that should never have been opened! Especially if you don’t see yourself getting married with that person. God is more than happy to give you what you NEED in His timing but we tend to settle for the “right now” instead. 

So basically what this post was intended to show you was that regardless of the situation, either in love, at work, promises that were made etc, do not settle! God has a plan for you. Be patient and have faith. If you already received, believe you received or have received confirmation that “something” or “someone” is God’s will for your life, why would you go after something less? Why choose the number 3 at McDonald’s when you’re on the road, when God is saving a juicy steak for you when you get home? Think about it! Stay blessed and in faith!

.....::::: DO YOU REMEMBER THE TIME? :::::.....

Do you remember the time when you fell in love with Jesus Christ? Do you remember the time when you first met Him? Do you remember the time when you were kind to God, or were you only expecting God to be kind to you? Do you remember when everything you did in your life was to please Him, or did you constantly complain because things didn't go your way? We love it when a friend keeps his or her commitments but we are disappointed when they fail to keep their promise. Do you remember the time you first fell in love with God? Are you as filled with overwhelming love for Jesus Christ as you were in the beginning? That time where you went out of your way to prove your devotion to Him? Sin distances us from Him but how bad do you want to return to that place and time where it was just you and Him? Think about your original commitment to obey God, and ask yourself if you are remaining truly devoted.

Jeremiah 2:2 - "Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: “This is what the Lord says: “ ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me through the wilderness, through a land not sown."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: ARE YOU HIDING YOUR TRUE MOTIVES FROM JESUS? :::::.....

I was reading the book of Matthew (when Jesus taught about serving others) and it hit me...we tend to come to Jesus with requests only when we need something. What do I mean? We come to Him a certain way but we hide our true motives. For example, if I say I will serve Him but in the back of my mind it is only to receive a certain position or something from Him. Same went for James and John's mother in the Bible. She came and kneeled down and, asked Jesus a favor. She asked Him to ensure that her sons would sit by His side when His kingdom came. WHAT A REQUEST!! She did give Jesus worship, but her real motive was to get something from Him. Get it? Too often this happens in our churches and in our lives. We play religious games, and we actually expect God to give us something in return. True worship means adoring and praising Christ for who He is and for what He has done. My prayer for you today is to be transparent with Jesus. He knows your motives beforehand. He is not a fool. Serve Him in truth and in spirit. Then will you see that everything else you need, and not want, will fall into place. Have a blessed day!!!

Matthew 20:20 - "Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of Him."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)

.....::::: DO YOU FORGIVE ME? :::::.....

To forgive is to give up resentment of or claim to requital for. Forgiveness is one of the core messages preached by Jesus. In Matthew 6:14-15, He says that if we refuse to forgive others, God will also refuse to forgive us. Why though? Because when we don't forgive others, we are denying our common ground as sinners in need of God's forgiveness. We should forgive others because we know what it is to be forgiven. If it is easier to ask God for forgiveness, but difficult to forgive others, something must be done. Have you forgiven the people who have wronged you? Forgive me for asking...

Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

(Devotions/ Devotionals)