So Connection #1: Sex and the Sabbath were both created by God in the Garden of Eden.

Now let’s go a little bit further into why. Why did God create sex? Sex was created for a two-fold purpose the first is for procreation and the second for intimacy. Gen. 1:28 says “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it” that is the procreation angle.

Have you ever wondered why God made sex pleasurable and not boring? “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (24 – 25). Sex is an integral part of marriage, God in his wisdom created body parts that mesh and fit so well that two become one and this isn’t just physically this verse hints at an emotional intimacy, an emotional connection.

Why did God create the Sabbath?
Does God get tired? No. He does not. So why does Gen 2: 1 -3 says that he rested from his work. Could it be that God rested on the Sabbath as a template for man? Here’s how I envision it, the Trinity is chilling up in heaven by the sea of glass and God the Father says let’s make man in our image and then after 5 days of speaking things into existence He forms man with His hand and puts a bowtie on creation by spending the 7^th day just chilling and bonding with man. Focusing on our relationship with Him, he does this all in an effort to foster intimacy between man and God. Check out Exodus 20: 8 – 12 and Isa. 58: 13 – 14, it’s about relationship pure and simple.

Connection #2: Sex and the Sabbath were created by God to enhance relationships.

Unfortunately for us, Eve ate the fruit, sin moved in and all that was pure became corrupted. Sex which was previously an expression of true love, used to enhance the relationship with a couple was distorted. Adultery, incest, masturbation, homosexuality are all distortions of this gift that predate our technological advances such as porn and are in scripture (Gen. 19:5, 36; Rom. 1: 26 – 27). The Sabbath a gift from God was forgotten and replaced to suit the needs of man. Its purpose watered down and diluted to the point that the Creator’s intention is obscured by the devil.

Connection #3: Both have been distorted and now are being used by the devil to destroy our earthly and heavenly relationships.

What blows my mind is that the church is now complicit in this deception. Our response to the devil’s misrepresentation is secrecy. In an attempt to appear pure and holy we lock sex in a box and feed our children cookie cutter answers. It’s sad that children are being born out of wedlock, teenagers are having sex in church basements, adults are engaged in affairs and all we do is cut off the leaves of tree by disfellowshipping the outwardly guilty without addressing the root cause. Some of our churches seem too scared to even mention the word SEX. Instead of being real with our children and friends about our experience with this gift, misrepresented by the world, we feed them absolute statements about AIDS, babies and guilt. We do this so well that our children rebel taste the forbidden fruit don’t get AIDS, babies or a boatload of guilt and so they continue to indulge in this sin that destroys the foundation of every healthy relationship.

We dress the Sabbath the same way; we throw out names like Constantine and dates like 324 A.D. without sharing with our friends and children the immense joy of just chilling with God for a full 24 hours. This gift from God we pound into their heads with a list of dos and don’ts, we legislate what can and can’t be done on the Sabbath instead of focusing on the relationship we are suppose to have with our Creator. Our kids don’t get it and have become masters of disguise, coming to church yet ever watching their clock, counting down the seconds till the sun sets. Our friends don’t get it because we either wear it as a badge of privilege reserved for the elect, or a burden or a item on our checklist to ensure we reach heaven.

We wear our abstinence and sabbath keeping like a badge of merit instead of a symbol of grace and Christ’s unending love.

Connection #4: Misrepresented by church

Sex done right is about honesty and freedom. Not backseats of cars, or dimly lit motel rooms. It is definitely not about broken condoms or morning after pills. It isn’t about seductive perfume or suggestive clothing. It is about being naked and unashamed with your spouse.

Sabbath done right is about honesty and freedom. Not two hour church services with frowns on our faces or looking over our shoulders when we stop to buy gas. It isn’t defined by the clothes we choose to wear to elicit a response from fellow believers about our status or class; it isn’t about the fake smiles on our faces plastered to portray a peace we don’t truly feel. It is about being spiritually naked and unashamed in front of God who loves us beyond what you can imagine.

Connection #5: It’s about honesty and freedom.

Sex done right isn’t a one night stand. It needs foreplay that begins when you wash the dishes in the sink and take out the trash. It starts with flowers when she least expects it and grows with 2 a.m. discussions about your fears. It’s about commitment.

Enjoying the Sabbath isn’t a one day stand either, it doesn’t begin when the sun sets on Friday. That’s just the cherry on the cake. A good Sabbath starts on Sunday during your personal devotions and continues all through the week as you make a choice to surrender to His will.

Connection #6: It’s about commitment

I think I’ll stop right here.

So yeah, it’s the Sabbath. Embrace it, not because it makes you part of a special group of Christians called the remnant but because it draws you closer to Him to the one who created you, a sexual being, in His image. Get lost in the loving Creator, be it in a secluded park, or in an empty church, or with a friend in a hospital or at home with a bed ridden parent. Get lost in Him and rediscover what it means to worship Him on this wonderful day.

‘Cuz He created everything beautiful including you.

Later y’all

For me at least, Romans 7 is the most difficult chapter in the book with regards to personal spirituality, but the chapter covered in this lesson, Romans 9, is the most difficult on doctrine. Many of my dear friends of the Reformed tradition will point to this chapter as evidence that God has predestined the eternal fate of every man and woman — some to eternal bliss, others eternal damnation — and that man has not the ability of his own power either to resist God’s grace or to accept it. Man’s free will, at least for the purposes of their relationship with God, was lost at the Fall, they say.

Admittedly, on first blush, this is what Romans 9:14–24 seem to imply. And I will not here try to tackle the enormous theological debate between Calvinists and Arminianists. But I will mention that not only must the passage be taken in context of the larger whole, but also in context of the rest of Scripture, which boldly declares that God desires (doubtlessly no less than Paul) that all men be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), that His grace is indeed extended to all men (Titus 2:11), and that we are responsible for making our calling sure and not falling away (2 Peter. 1:10) by believing in Jesus (John 3:16). God’s unalterable plan in our lives is important — part of me thinks that was the reason God had Aaron’s rod in the ark — but He does not elect into salvation those who don’t “believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). As Romans 9 itself ends, what matters is our pursuit of righteousness by faith (Romans 9:32).

Indeed that is the point of this chapter. What matters is not the flesh. Israel had a great heritage that gave them so much opportunity to fulfill God’s wonderful plan in their life. They had full knowledge of the perfect law of God. But what mattered more than that was faith in God, whereby some Gentiles attained the righteousness of God despite their lack of all the blessings Israel had. And on the same token, Israel fell short of this righteousness, trying to get it by their own works. (Romans 9:30-32).

Certainly are not many of us in the same boat as Israel? Many of you were probably raised in the best of Adventist Homes, with generations of witnesses coming before you — but that won’t make you right with God. Many are highly involved in your church, baptized as an early teen and haven’t missed a Sabbath worship yet — but that won’t make you right with God. As the adult quarterly posits on Sunday’s lesson, “You can be of the right blood, the right family, even of the right church, and yet be lost, still be outside the promise. It is faith, a faith that works by love, which reveals those who are ‘children of the promise.’” Praise God for the light that we have been given, but we also need a living and active faith, otherwise, frankly, everything else is a waste of time. And if you haven’t got that faith, you need to drop: drop everything else you do, drop to your knees, drop your reservations, and drop yourself into the arms of God.

Nwamiko Madden, His Image Ministries

I was a skeptic when I walked in…

I’ll admit it. I didn’t even stay at the hotel. I made the 45 minute drive across town to the Delta Mississauga each day of the event held August 19 - 22. I had not been to the Eastern Canada Youth Conference (ECYC) in 2009, but I heard it had been okay, so I decided to spare a vacation day for the cause this year.

Attendance at the opening plenary on the Thursday night was low, but the message from Eastern Canada Youth President, Valmy Karemera was not lacking any substance. He talked about what it means to be fully persuaded Christians. For one, it means having a precommittment to God - being ready to give whatever God requires before He even asks us to do it. It also means being willing to be separated from the crowd. Just as Abraham was willing to be separated from those around him for the sake of Christ, so we must be if we are to honestly call ourselves fully persuaded Christians.

At the end of Thursday I was a little less of a skeptic.

Friday morning brought the workshops and more people. There was too much quality and quantity for me to give you everything but here are the tidbits of the ones I managed to attend:

Reasons to believe: Persuading the Mind and the Heart was done by Pastor Richard Roschman of the Heritage Green Adventist church. He touched on controversial topics including doubt as part of the Christian experience and why having doubt doesn’t mean you’re a terrible Christian.

Former television actor, Nwamiko Madden of His Image Ministries took on the sexy topic of Movies, Music and Spirituality, the sum of which left a friend of mine quite upset when it was suggested that certain types of Christian music she enjoyed listening to might not be as virtuous as she thought. Names of people, artists and films have been withheld to protect the innocent, but I would pose the following question: Is there really any such thing as innocent entertainment? If it doesn’t turn us to God, then what does it do?

Dr. Ron Du Preez from the Michigan Conference led Persuasively Peculiar Among Pluralistic People. Don’t let the long name fool you though, this Christian Foundations workshop went deep into how properly interpreting and studying the Bible can help us be fully persuaded Christians. He also outlined a six step Biblical process for making good decisions in a secular society. My fingers grew tired from writing.

There was so much to this conference that space doesn’t allow me to mention: the evening devotionals by C.A.M.P.U.S’s Steven Conway; the morning devotionals by Pastor Jason Williams; the Sabbath message from Malcolm Douglas. But what moved me most was the commitment of the young people I met who were fully persuaded for Christ.

The 23 year old young woman who has spent the last couple months working in the Gimbie Adventist Hospital, Ethiopia; the team of ECYC youth who went on a Mission Trip to Zambia for several weeks this summer; those who stayed here and took part in a summer canvassing program; the ECYC executive and their teams who, though being scattered around different portions of Canada and being involved full-time in school or work, devoted themselves to the development of this growing movement; even the young people who went on outreach on Sabbath afternoon, knocking on doors and handing out literature despite the overcast sky and the slight rain.

My brother, who I dragged along for the Sabbath portion was impressed; I was impressed. And it led me to this one conclusion:

Fully persuaded young people create other fully persuaded young people. Our witness is by our testimony - our own personal testimony. This is how we will win others for Christ in this generation.

I came a skeptic. I left fully persuaded.

Romans 8:1 says that ‘there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ”

How proud we will be as children of God if we have freedom in Christ. I remember when I was in high school back in Kenya, our parents believed that boarding schools were and still are the best places for teenagers. We had no freedom, when I think about it now; all I have to say is ‘wow’. Did they have to be that mean? We never used to leave the gates of the school at least for all the four years I stayed there unless I was going home for an emergency or when we closed. To this date, it makes me not like boarding schools. It was like being put in a jail.

Some few boarding schools as bondage while others; it’s a place where students get to learn without interruption. We have different kinds of bondages, sins, and infidelity bondage for example; Jesus tells us that in him, we have the freedom. If we have this freedom we can be able to talk boldly about Jesus Christ. We are able to stand steadfast and defeat Satan.

In a world and a country where freedom means everything, how free are we really? As Christians, can we say we are free?

Just as the book of Romans says, there is no condemnation for to them that are in Christ. If we sin against him, he still loves and forgives us. And when he does forgive us, he makes us free. As a Christian and a child of God, if you live in Christ, you are considered innocent and judged not guilty.

As human beings, we tend to have so many baggage’s that come with us that living that life of freedom makes it very difficult for Jesus Christ to give us the freedom that we desire. The holy spirit in our life’s brings true life, energy, power and when it lives in us, Christ is also present, Romans 8:9

This week’s lesson is all about freedom in Christ and how we can lead that life that makes us feel free. As Christians, have we been challenged to try to live a life that is free of all this earthly trouble? I am 25 years old, and every day I face the challenge of trying to live a free life versus one that asks me to do things that I don’t feel comfortable with. For we all have sinned and fallen short of Glory of God but it is only those who seek God and ask for forgiveness that get that freedom to be called children of God.

Sin seeks to enslave us through fear and separation from God. As believers, we can receive the Holy Spirit and be drawn nearer to our God.

For us to achieve any goal, we ought to stay focused. And for us to live in freedom, we ought to stay even more focused. We will face challenges most of the time, but just like how something is important in our life and we do everything to achieve it, should this also be.

Romans 8:6 states that to have our minds and lives focused on physical things is death and to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Who doesn’t want peace? Those people who are in jail now are either being punished for something they committed against someone or society, that’s how the law makes them have peace in their mind. How about Christians, how do we achieve this same peace?

In conclusion, as Christians, freedom comes in many ways but the greatest of them all is freedom from sin and living in Christ. When we live in Christ, we have that peace of mind that everyone desires. As we finish this lesson, we should all try to give someone that freedom, whether is is freedom from domestic violence, drugs, religious intolerance or illiteracy. Let us all work together and make someone have that peace. And to top it all, explain not just to your fellow Christians but your fellow human being the difference between freedom in Christ and earthly freedom.

Happy Sabbath!

Dominion: originates from the latin word dominus which means supreme authority.

Sin, shall not have supreme authority over you.
What dictates your actions?
What governs your motives?

Do you go to church because you have to or because you want to deepen your relationship with Christ?
Do you help a brother in need because it is required or because you are eager to share the blessings bestowed upon you with another?
Do you refrain from drinking alcohol and coffee because the Bible warns against mood altering substances or because you would prefer to be in health so that your body prospers and is able to spread the good news of Christ’s love?

for you are not under law but under grace
If your answers are the latter it is because you are living under grace and not the law. Is the law still being kept?
Yes it is but your motives are different and so in each mistake you make, you realize it is part of a bigger picture and journey and not a checklist that determines your standing with God.

This is profound. Read the 6th chapter in Paul’s letter to the church in Rome and think about this.

Does this mean that we never sin?
Of course not.

As any baptized Christian knows, sin doesn’t just automatically disappear from our lives once we come up out of the water. Not being ruled by sin isn’t the same as not having to struggle with it. We have a daily, moment-by-moment battle to keep reckoning ourselves dead to sin and alive unto Christ. Though the promises of victory are there, we must claim them—by faith. We always must remember, too, that God’s grace abounds, even when we sin.
(Quote from the lesson)

So how does one have victory over sin
1. Make a choice: Romans 6:12
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. KJV

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. NIV

That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life.  Message Translation

It’s a decision.
It’s a matter of the will.
It’s a conscious choice made daily not just at the time of baptism.
The message translation says don’t even run sin little errands

How often do you find yourself opening the door just a little bit to sin?

Don’t you realize that service to one master is betrayal to the other?
(You might as well spit in the guy’s face, kill his children and set his house on fire)
Seriously, that is what your choice signifies in the context of the Great Controversy.

2. Acknowledge your choice and it’s consequences: Romans 6: 16

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? NIV

You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. Message Translation

I can go on and on and quote verse 23 which goes into the wages of sin but i think y’all get it at this point.

Victory over sin is only possible through a relationship with Christ. Each day we have to choose Christ and choose to surrender to His will and even when we fall, His grace is made perfect in our weakness. We do not measure our relationship with Him through the letters of the law by checking off a checklist of the things we have done or not done. Instead we put our trust and faith in the one who promised that the work He began He will bring it to completion in our lives.

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

Romans 12:11

Some time ago, I watched an interesting movie about terrorists in Saudi Arabia. When the movie was done, there were a few questions that kept recurring in my mind. The questions were, “Why do they do this? What drives them to kill people and themselves no matter what? Why do they not seem to have any fear?” They are so committed to their cause that they will do what it takes to accomplish their goal no matter the cost. Although I denounce their actions and all they stand for, there is one thing I do admire about them as odd as that may sound. I admire their passion, their commitment, and their zeal.

I wondered. What if Christians had that commitment and zeal for God? We wouldn’t be scared about what people thought about us, we’d do what it took to accomplish the work of God, and sacrifice our time and lives for sake of God’s purpose and will for our lives. Would not the work of God have been done much more quickly? Would not our own lives be different with the presence of God? Proverbs 19:2 tells us that we should have zeal that is based on knowledge not just a fanatic feeling.

I think that is where we stumble. I think our lack of zeal is because of our lack of knowledge. Allow me to explain. The one thing that should drive us to be zealous for God is the fact that we were sentenced to die but now we have a chance for eternal life. We have been justified by his one Man’s blood. He took our place on death row. However, we do not seem to really understand what that means. We do not understand the enormity of sin and the great separation it creates between God and us. We do not understand or appreciate the enormity of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and what that means for the future of our lives! Without Him we wouldn’t even have a future. We do not understand the cosmic battle between good and evil that is going on right now. God is vying for our lives while Satan seeks to destroy it.

The reason I entitled this “Zeal OF God” instead of “Zeal FOR God” is because understanding the zeal of God will produce a zeal for God. Friend, think about this. God knew that you would sin against Him. He knew humans would reject Him. Still, still He chose to create us. He created us even though He knew His creation would one day reject Him, mock Him, beat Him, spit on Him, and crucify Him. Why? Because He loves us that much. He loves us so much that He did not care that He would have to go through hell to win us back. Would you make something you knew would one day do all of that to you?! That is the Mighty and Loving God we serve! God is on a mission to save His fallen creation.

He says in Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” But that is only if we choose. That is the battle that is going on. If we do not choose Him, we will be destroyed. It’s that simple. But friend, this should not be scary. Instead it should be mind-boggling. How can we not choose HIM?! After all that He has done for us that I’ve explained, how can we be so stupid not to choose Him? Does that even make any sense? That is why Mrs. White says that God does not destroy man. Man destroys man. If we don’t gain life, it is no one’s mistake but our own. We have the knowledge of all that God has done and if we would just understand the enormity of it, our zeal would be unmatched.

God abhors sin yet He came down into sin. God abhors evil yet He came and lived in the midst of evil. God adores you and that is why He came down to us. That is the zeal, the love of our God. Friend, I think it is time to get on fire for God. I think it is time to be a zealot based on the knowledge we have received. A Christian with zeal means no fear just faith. A Christian with zeal means no indolence just diligence. A Christian with zeal means no questions just commitment. Will you be zealot of God? Be a zealot. Read your Bible. Pray earnestly. Seek His face vigorously. Live in His presence daily. Tell others about the zeal of God fearlessly! It’s time. It’s time to stop playing games and start living for God. It is time to have the zeal of God for God! Amen.

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

- Romans 3:31

In Romans 4, we get a fantastic look at what it means to be justified by faith. Paul takes it all the way back to Abraham and, step by step, shows how it was Abraham’s faith, not his national identity or his merits, that justified him and made him righteous. This is key, because as we recall, Paul was talking to a mixed audience, one comprised of Jews and Gentiles - two groups who were at odds with each other. Nothing has changed. In the church today, we have split ourselves into factions that aren’t necessarily cultural. When one group compares itself to another and tries to outdo it, the easiest way to show dominance is to rely on merit. After all, adding up points on a scoreboard is a whole lot easier than getting to know the heart of another person.

“The sinner must come in faith to Christ, take hold of His merits, lay his sins upon the Sin Bearer, and receive His pardon. It was for this cause that Christ came into the world. Thus the righteousness of Christ is imputed to the repenting, believing sinner. He becomes a member of the royal family.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 215.

In Romans 4:9, Paul explains “that salvation by faith was not only for the Jews but for the Gentiles, as well (Rom. 4:9–12). In fact, if you want to get technical about it, Abraham wasn’t Jewish; he came from a pagan ancestry (Josh. 24:2). The Gentile-Jewish distinction didn’t exist in his time. When Abraham was justified (Gen. 15:6), he was not even circumcised. Thus, Abraham became the father of both the uncircumcised and the circumcised, as well as a great example for Paul to use in order to make his point about the universality of salvation. Christ’s death was for everyone, regardless of race or nationality (Heb. 2:9).” *

A few hundred years ago, Irish writer Jonathan Swift wrote: “But will any man say that if the words drinking, cheating, lying, stealing were by Act of Parliament ejected out of the English tongue and dictionaries, we should all awake next morning temperate, honest and just, and lovers of truth? Is this a fair consequence?”—Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal and Other Satires, (New York: Prometheus Books, 1995), p. 205. *

In the same way, if God’s law has been abolished, then why are lying, murder, and stealing still sinful or wrong? If God’s law has been changed, then the definition of sin must be changed, too. Or if God’s law was done away with, then sin must be, as well, and who believes that? (See also 1 John 1:7–10; James 1:14, 15.) *

“In that age of caste, when the rights of men were often unrecognized, Paul set forth the great truth of human brotherhood, declaring that God ‘hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.’ In the sight of God all are on an equality.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 238. *

“If Satan can succeed in leading man to place value upon his own works as works of merit and righteousness, he knows that he can overcome him by his temptations, and make him his victim and prey. . . . Strike the door-posts with the blood of Calvary’s Lamb, and you are safe.”—Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, Sept. 3, 1889. *

Here are a few questions * to consider in light of justification by faith:

1. Considering the universality of the Cross, considering what the Cross tells us about the worth of every human being, why is racial or ethnic or national prejudice such a horrible thing? Why is it that so often Christians, who have the Cross before them, seem to forget this important truth and can be guilty of racial or ethnic or even national prejudice? How can we learn to recognize the existence of prejudice in ourselves and through God’s grace purge it from our minds?

2. Why is it so important to understand salvation by faith alone without the deeds of law? What kind of errors can that knowledge protect us from? What dangers await those who lose sight of this crucial biblical teaching?

3. What other reasons can you give for the continued validity of God’s law, even when we understand that the law and obedience to it are not what saves us?

* Passages, quotes, texts, and questions are excerpts from the Adult Sabbath School Quarterly for this week.

My dear friends, I would like to start humbly by reminding everyone including myself that, this topic is more than just being a concept that needs to be broken down and understood, I personally believe that it is not about the complexity of how it relates to us in our lives, but rather who does it relate us to and the way our lives are transformed and never remain the same again.

Let’s use the word of God directly to understand this topic in an old fashioned way – Going through the verses one at a time.

Fact 1: Law of God – A guide to sin (Romans 3:19, 20)

The law of God (Commandments of God) is a clear baseline established to reveal our sinful nature. It is like a mirror that shows our flaws and faults and that is the sole purpose of the law. It represents God’s character which is without blemish, thus helping us understand as to the kind of life we need to be living. So one of the common mistakes as Christians we tend to do is try and do our best to follow the law carefully with the assumption that we will be saved by doing so. It is by the law, that we humans gain the knowledge of sin and its consequences.But in no way is redemption from sin.

Fact 2: God’s righteousness is different from our own righteousness (Romans 3:21)

The law of God requires us to be righteous, but the righteousness (making ourselves right with God) that we earn by keeping the law is unfortunately not up to the standards of God, not because we are not doing our best, but because we are sinners by birth and it doesn’t match up to God’s expected righteousness. Hence we can come to a conclusion that, we need God’s righteousness and only place we get that is from God Himself. That’s where Jesus Christ comes into picture.

Fact 3: God’s righteousness – An unmerited favor, justified by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22, 23, 24, 25, 26)

Jesus Christ gives us that righteousness, which we cannot claim using our deeds and the only way we can claim it is by faith in Him, for He gave us His righteous blood on the cross. Jesus Christ gives it to us as an expression of His grace (A worthy favor towards an unworthy soul) towards, not because we deserve it for doing some good deeds, but because He loves us and He wants us to be saved. Jesus knows that the only way we can be saved and be presented before His father without blemish is by using His robe of righteousness. For the bible says – “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6

Fact 4: Now that we have God’s righteousness, Can we break the law? (Romans 3:28)

It is a blessing that by God’s amazing grace and through our faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified and redeemed from sin. This also means that we claim ourselves to be the sons & daughters of Jesus Christ. In that context alone, we are meant to reflect Christ’s character for we have claimed Him to be our redeemer. So, because of the love we have for Him and the price He paid for us, we are called to be Chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9) to live a life without sin and thus persevering to keep the law of God, for the bible says..”If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Praise God for we are justified by the faith we have in Jesus Christ and not our deeds.

Lunch time found me traipsing down shady downtown streets with my co-worker in pursuit of a somewhat healthy lunch. The heat rose from the sidewalk and seemed to hover at waist height. We took our time, chatting about projects and upcoming vacations. In the near distance, I saw two young women in matching blue t-shirts. My first impulse was to cross the street to the other side to avoid confrontation. But I was with my colleague and she didn’t seem to be holding back a “fight of flight” impulse. So, I continued on. As soon as we came into the girls’ focus, the one in front stepped out of the shade and waved at us.

“Hey! How are you? Come talk to me - I’m awesome!”

No, this wasn’t a typical scraggly hipster-type asking me if I’d registered to vote while weakly holding out a tattered clipboard. This girl looked like she was on her way to track practice - around the perfume counters at Saks Fifth Avenue. Her hair was in a cute ponytail on top of her head and mascara perfectly accentuated each and every eyelash. Her friend’s stylish fedora framed her large smile and cast a shadow on the giant diamond studs sparkling on her earlobes. As we came closer, they sensed that we were slowing down and they moved in for the kill. How does one turn down the invitation to talk to the “popular girl” when she says, “I’m awesome…and I want to talk to you!”??

Within five seconds, it was clear that they were on a mission to get us signed up as card-carrying Greenpeace members. Of course, I’d heard of the organization, so I really didn’t need the speech. But Girl #1 kept right on going. Upon learning that my co-worker  was already a member, she gave her a high five and proceeded to tell us what Greenpeace was doing about the massive oil spill in the Gulf. There was nowhere to go and we didn’t want to seem rude. So, we listened. And, you know what? They were actually interesting to listen to. Personable, upbeat, engaging, humorous…they reeled us in. Before I knew it, I was agreeing to send Greenpeace $15 a month and signing on a dotted line. Afterwards, Girl #2 gave me a hug, saying that all new members got one (Girl #1 gave my co-worker a hug too since, apparently, old members get them as well). We walked away and waved at them like they were old friends. As we continued on to lunch, I could feel the conflict beginning to boil inside. How had I allowed myself to sign up for something like that - on the spot? How had they done it?

Then, naturally, my thoughts changed to how the work that the girls were doing was vastly different, yet the same, as the work that we, as witnesses of the gospel, should be doing. Was it possible, I thought, for a couple of church-going youth to stand on a street corner and engage passers-by in the same way that these two young ladies had? Seemingly, four key factors made their pitch successful:

Approachability: Even before we were within ear shot, we were able to read the body language of the Greenpeace Girls. They appeared to be having a light-hearted conversation and their postures were relaxed and fluid. They didn’t seem rigid, frightened, or prepared to dart into the bushes at a moment’s notice. They had the air of two friends chatting in the commons after class. Unassuming and “normal”, they didn’t attract unnecessary attention (besides the giant “Greenpeace” emblazoned on their shirts).

Confidence: I’ll repeat Girl #1’s line, as it keeps ringing in my head. “Come talk to me - I’m awesome!” Now, I don’t know if, exasperated after a long morning of rejection, she had just thrown caution to the wind and was now blurting anything that came to mind. Whatever the case, she exuded confidence. Her invitation told us that she was comfortable being out in the Texas heat and she was comfortable about her message. She had something to share and if we wanted to listen to it, great. If not, she was secure enough to know that someone else would walk up who would want to hear it. The line was so unusual that it caught me off guard…and made me want to hear how she would proceed. As they talked to us about Greenpeace’s mission and work, they looked us straight in the eye and smiled. It was as if we were having a conversation…and I didn’t even know them. I found myself listening intently, and instead of looking for an escape, I just wanted to hear them out.

Friendliness: The high-fives, the hugs, the little jokes and banter between the girls…all that made the entire exchange a friendly and upbeat one. There was no guilt-tripping, passive aggressiveness, or index finger wagging in admonition. As soon as Girl #1 found out that my colleague was Canadian, she grasped a hold of this detail and didn’t let go. She made an immediate connection with her, listing friends that she had in Vancouver (my co-worker’s hometown) and extolling the virtues of our Northern Neighbors. We were completely at ease now. I could have walked away, saying “No thanks,” but instead, I thought, “Why not?”

Conviction: Girl #1 gave us her best “sincere look”, complete with one arched eyebrow. “Listen,” she confided in us, “Greenpeace doesn’t pay me enough to stand out here in this heat. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t really believe in the organization and the work they’re doing!” Now, I’m sure all the volunteers or staff are trained in their pitches, so I took this in stride. However, she seemed so sincere as she spoke - we could feel her genuine passion radiating through her words. As she continued, I could tell that she knew her stuff. I was impressed as she rattled off numbers and statistics and told of her experience protesting in front of the capitol building. The tempo of her words increased and the pitch in her voice elevated as she explained, from the heart, about how “the people” can fight corporations that do things to hurt the environment. When she was finished, I almost believed that my one little signature and 15 bucks a month could actually do something. Her conviction was contagious.

All things considered, I could just be the biggest sucker on the planet. That’s not the point. The point here is that this experience made me think about our work as Christians. When we witness - on a street corner, in a dorm room, or in the hallways at work - are we as effective as the Greenpeace Girls? In the way that we deliver the gospel, are we approachable, disarming, and open or do we repel people? Are we confident of our purpose and our calling or are we “still trying to figure that one out”? Do we open up our hearts and our arms in genuine friendship, or are we lurking about with a thinly veiled agenda? Do our actions stem from a deep-rooted conviction in our beliefs (intelligently reasoned, I might add), or do we just do things “because we’ve been told”?

While I still might have a hard time thinking of myself standing on a sidewalk and engaging people with the story of Christ the way these young ladies gushed about Greenpeace, I certainly think that we have a lot to learn from others in this department. May the day come quickly when we can draw people in with a starting line like, “Hey! Glad to meet you! Come talk to me - Jesus is awesome!”

That’s right. All. That includes your pastor, your neighbor, Mother Theresa, Barack Obama, you and most definitely me. We have all sinned. It’s a tough pill to swallow and as we get closer to Christ our understanding of this will go through different stages. Here are a few:

DENIAL
We all have heard the denial of this fact in one form or another. It comes in the shape of the “humanity is inherently good” theories. The lesson points out however, that when we understand what true goodness is, and when we measure ourselves against God, the only good one, we find that we all are flawed.

DECEPTION
The lesson talks about a number of misconceptions the world may have about sin and evil. One is that humanity has and will continue to improve and that morality is increasing. But is this really true? There are arguments on how many days of peace the world has had since World War 2, and although no one has settled on a number, most people’s estimates are alarmingly low. Our turn away from God and into sin has meant increasingly violent times across the world.

On a much smaller scale however is the self-deception that leads us to think ourselves better than others because we see our sin as less extreme than that of others. Another self-deception is to think that we can fix our own sin problem through our own effort. But we would be wrong on both counts.

ACCEPTANCE
It can be depressing to realize our true state. But what a relief to know that through Jesus we can find redemption and salvation. When we accept our sinfulness and turn to Him, we can find righteousness through faith in Him. It means we can be truly without sin before the father, because we become covered in Jesus’ righteousness.

REPENTANCE
There is no other way to Salvation. Once we realize our sin, we’ve got to admit it, and give it up. And no one can do this for us - we must do this voluntarily on our own. When we do, however, we receive the power from God to overcome the temptations that come our way in the future.

RECREATION
We all come before God sinful, but we do not need to stay this way. God’s love created for us the opportunity to be cleansed and to have new life in Him. We are no longer the sinful beings we were, but we are recreated into sons of daughters of Christ.

In Romans, Paul tells us that all of have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. But later in 2 Corinthians 5:7 he reminds us that “… if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

That’s a final stage worth striving for.