true freedom and violent life, part II

i just changed the subtitle above, and i meant to say "insights" not "incites." But ya know? i kinda like it better that way! And for now i'm going to keep it!

violent life

Most Christians hold a pro-life stance. And when Jesus talks about life we have to, we must understand what He implies by life. It is not simply being born.

In John 10:10 (ESV) Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." I looked up the Greek for the word "abundantly" here are three of the meanings that were expected: superabundant, superior, and excessive. These alone should force us to look in the mirror. "Does my life with Christ look like i have life and life superabundantly?" "Excessively?" "A life superior to others?"

It gets better, or worse depending on your view. The Greek also means "violently."

Does the life of the Holy Spirit have such great influence in you that your love tackles others? What about joy that strangles others? Can you shoot someone right in the chest... with hope? How about a swift kick to the... the face with compassion? The question is simple. Does life come out of you violently?

You see, the reason why so many people do not affirm the choice of life is because we do not, as Christians, give them a reason to. Our lives look just like theirs in so many ways.

"Among young outsiders, 84 percent say they personally know at least one committed Christian. Yet just 15 percent thought the lifestyles of those Christ followers were significantly different from the norm. This gap speaks volumes." (p.48, unChristian, Kinnaman)

We accept the life of Christ, and are impregnated by His Spirit. But before the life of His Spirit matures in us, changing us from the inside-out, we cut Him off. We choose to abort His life in us! (i must admit, i originally read this in a Rick Joyner writing but can not find it to properly credit him.)

So if you are a Christian, and you are pro-life, do not sneer at people who have a pro-choice stance or have had an abortion. Poke them in the eye with compassion, trip them up with comfort, and assault them (peaceably, of course) with a hope that there is reason well beyond birthing a child that you are "pro-life."

Be pro-life by constantly pursuing a life that violently comes forth from you.

true freedom and violent life, part I

true freedom

(I know i'm tackling a big one hear on just my second post, but i ask that you read through this one and my next post which will come as soon as i can get it posted. Reading both will give you the full picture. Thank you new and hopefully faithful reader!)

I spoke tonight at a service called "Remembering the Unborn" on campus. I was requested to speak a message meeting the goal of an "Affirmation of Life," of which i am grateful for such an opportunity. I was very excited to be able to publicly, and for the first time, support a pro-life organziation by speaking at "Remembering the Unborn."

I decided to address two camps in my speech. The one camp: those that were in the audience that were pro-choice or wanted to convey truth to friends that were not pro-life. The other camp: the pro-life camp that i chose to assume was mostly Christian.

Many of the arguments that come from the pro-choice crowd are about their right to freedom. In most of the testimonies that i've heard or read from people who have aborted their babies, i see nothing but bondage - the exact opposite of freedom. These chains of bondage come in the form of shame, guilt, resentment and a life filled with secrets, and all are the results of going through with an abortion. To me, that sounds like nothing but enslavement. Nothing but bondage. True freedom does not, and never will come from doing whatever you please. Nor will it come from doing what is best for you.

I liken freedom to a train.

If you were to see a train engine in your front yard, how far do you think it would make it? Not being on its tracks and all, how far would that train get? Not very far at all, right? It would run into something and crash. It would go down a curb and not be able to get back up. It would encounter a hill and fall over. Mud? Bogged.

You see, the train is designed to be free, but only when it is on its tracks. Because the train is designed with wheels that match its tracks perfectly, it requires those tracks so that it can function, and function fully! And when a train is on its tracks, it's truly such an amazing sight to see that i am pretty sure we all take it for granted way too easily! When you consider the tons and tons of materials that are toted at such incredible velocities, the train is free. Free to truly be a train.

Humans are the same way, and hopefully you see that even if you do not believe in God - that humans and freedom both have an ultimate-ness about them.

"We are free to choose, but our choices don't always free us," my wife Lindsay stated in response to my speech.

If i ran around blindfolded, scissors in one hand, a knife in the other, i might be doing whatever i want, but i am not free. I am dangerous, wild, and placing myself and others in harm's way. True freedom frees one's self and frees others all in one free swoop. When taking the freedom to abort a baby's life, another's freedom is permanently stripped, and at the cost of your own freedom as well. Why? Because freedom does not taste like guilt. It never smells like angst. Is never clothed in regret. Yet, these are all what an abortion causes. That endless wonder of "my child would be __ years old today," does not ever go away.

But "it is for freedom Christ sets us free," says Galatians 5:1. Doesn't this sound repetitive? "It's for pancake's sake i give you pancakes." I think God, through the apostle Paul, is really trying to drive home an important point here. He is being repetitive not so Paul can feel good about sharing such a message. Not to be cutesy wootsy. And, not even for the express purpose for God to get the glory (which i believe He still does get the glory but...). But for you and i to be free, and for freedom's sake! Free because free is what you were designed to be. Freely free. Freed.

So i recognize your quest for freedom and i believe you are onto something. But please pursue the truest, realest freedom you can find! And if the freedom you are pursuing doesn't taste like true freedom, or smell like freedom to everyone else, i would challenge your thinking on what freedom really is. And please, i would love to be in that conversation with you on what real freedom is. Please contact me.

And the greatest part is, if you are suffering these chains from having had an abortion, Christ wants to set you free as well. He doesn't scoff at your decision or hold it against you. "It is for freedom He sets you free." You just need to trust in His ability to do so.

Freedom: It's free. It sets you free. Your freedom spawns freedom in others.

That, is true freedom. And it only comes from Christ.

+++++++++++ +++++++++++

Part II, violent life coming soon: how Jesus promotes a "violent" life (you'll just have to read to find out!), and why i believe that we as Christians are mainly at fault for the abortion pandemic.