What do you think of my intro video clip I found online? It's a simple clip showing how weird Christians can be. Last night I was attending my weekly Encounter meeting. We live in weird city with some very unique folks in Portland. Pastor Rod led us into a discussion on what makes Christians weird, the good kind, and what ties us all together. Even all of us Christians came from different backgrounds, struggles, pain, hardships and finding the courage to accept Jesus in one's heart. However, we do have one thing in common and that is the joy we have in Jesus. Our peace is found in God.
A Testimony of a Weird Pastor
We watched a fifteen minute clip listening to a Pastor's testimony from a church in America. This Pastor was a hardcore partying frat boy who went all out and follow the norms of his community. He made a lot of wrong choices. It was only when he has gotten in trouble by the college authorities that he had to change his ways. Well, he figured he will do some fake changes so the authorities would get off his back. He called up his partying friends and started a Bible Studies group in the den of his frat house.
At first, he and his friends didn't take it seriously. They would pray, "Dear God, please protect us tonight when we go out and party." Hahaha!!!!! After awhile, the more they got into the Bible, God spoke to him. He started to see the way he was living wasn't healthy and the ways of the world can be so dissatisfying. This young man accepted Jesus into his heart and he started following Jesus. By this action, people started to question this new change. They said, "Is this for real? Has he really changed? Before you know, he'll be banging another girl. He'll go back to partying." When his behavior didn't go back to his old ways, people started to say, "You're so weird. What a Jesus freak!" Some time later, God lead him to a young woman who became his wife and over two decades of marriage, they have six kids and along the way he became a Pastor.
A Testimony of a Weird Pastor
We watched a fifteen minute clip listening to a Pastor's testimony from a church in America. This Pastor was a hardcore partying frat boy who went all out and follow the norms of his community. He made a lot of wrong choices. It was only when he has gotten in trouble by the college authorities that he had to change his ways. Well, he figured he will do some fake changes so the authorities would get off his back. He called up his partying friends and started a Bible Studies group in the den of his frat house.
At first, he and his friends didn't take it seriously. They would pray, "Dear God, please protect us tonight when we go out and party." Hahaha!!!!! After awhile, the more they got into the Bible, God spoke to him. He started to see the way he was living wasn't healthy and the ways of the world can be so dissatisfying. This young man accepted Jesus into his heart and he started following Jesus. By this action, people started to question this new change. They said, "Is this for real? Has he really changed? Before you know, he'll be banging another girl. He'll go back to partying." When his behavior didn't go back to his old ways, people started to say, "You're so weird. What a Jesus freak!" Some time later, God lead him to a young woman who became his wife and over two decades of marriage, they have six kids and along the way he became a Pastor.
Why are Christians so weird?
The man in the video is half-right. In the Christian faith, we are encouraged to love our neighbors as ourselves. It means that many times we would sacrifice our wants to meet other people's needs and wants. We are happiest when we bless others.
However, Christians shouldn't put others above all else. God calls us to put him first. In Matthew 6:33 (Common English version), it is written: "Instead, desire first and foremost God's kingdom and God's righteousness, all all these things will be given to you as well." Basically, by placing God as our first priority, we are able to accomplish many things and fulfill many good desires that our Lord placed in us first. By following God's will in your life, he will bless you more abundantly. Even if you are struggling and aren't able to put him first, he still loves you.
What do I mean about embracing my weirdness? I can only think of a couple people who ever called me weird. I known that I have been weird since I was a little girl. I was a young child when I accepted Jesus into my heart. There are so many times I struggled with the norms of my communities. When I hit adolescence, I did really want to be "normal" and fit in. However, I had these convictions that challenged "those choices" to fit in. I stayed true to my convictions. In my experience, I felt invisible at times especially in school. I couldn't understand many of my peers and those I called friends. I was blessed to have a few faithful youth group leaders. They helped me grow in the Lord and actually understand what my convictions are and why I believe them. One of them was so faithful that she continued to help me even when I went off to college.
Anyway, I'm only human and I have made mistakes. I struggled with wanting to please people so I had compromised a bit on a couple of my convictions. In spite of those failings, I still had a loving God. The Holy Spirit living in me provide the peace, wisdom and many other things to help me live this life. My walk with God right now isn't even perfect. There are times when I don't want to read the Bible or actually spend quality time with Jesus. The truth is that God isn't going to guilt me on that. He knows my intentions and my desires for him. He is forgiving and always helping me to be closer to him. All I have to do is obey. Particularly, he also created a need for community. As Christians, we need each other to encourage and support each other on our walks with God. I'm thankful for my communities through Encounter, Calvary family and good Christian friends.
In conclusion, I find that embracing my weirdness, I feel good about myself. I'm not cutting a part of me anymore. It's liberating. Embracing your weirdness as a Christian may be hard for you now. Why do you want people rejecting you? They aren't. They are rejecting Jesus. God has already given you people to love and support you. However, the best unconditional love you get will always come from God. May these verses remind you the truth about rejection and acceptance:
However, Christians shouldn't put others above all else. God calls us to put him first. In Matthew 6:33 (Common English version), it is written: "Instead, desire first and foremost God's kingdom and God's righteousness, all all these things will be given to you as well." Basically, by placing God as our first priority, we are able to accomplish many things and fulfill many good desires that our Lord placed in us first. By following God's will in your life, he will bless you more abundantly. Even if you are struggling and aren't able to put him first, he still loves you.
What do I mean about embracing my weirdness? I can only think of a couple people who ever called me weird. I known that I have been weird since I was a little girl. I was a young child when I accepted Jesus into my heart. There are so many times I struggled with the norms of my communities. When I hit adolescence, I did really want to be "normal" and fit in. However, I had these convictions that challenged "those choices" to fit in. I stayed true to my convictions. In my experience, I felt invisible at times especially in school. I couldn't understand many of my peers and those I called friends. I was blessed to have a few faithful youth group leaders. They helped me grow in the Lord and actually understand what my convictions are and why I believe them. One of them was so faithful that she continued to help me even when I went off to college.
Anyway, I'm only human and I have made mistakes. I struggled with wanting to please people so I had compromised a bit on a couple of my convictions. In spite of those failings, I still had a loving God. The Holy Spirit living in me provide the peace, wisdom and many other things to help me live this life. My walk with God right now isn't even perfect. There are times when I don't want to read the Bible or actually spend quality time with Jesus. The truth is that God isn't going to guilt me on that. He knows my intentions and my desires for him. He is forgiving and always helping me to be closer to him. All I have to do is obey. Particularly, he also created a need for community. As Christians, we need each other to encourage and support each other on our walks with God. I'm thankful for my communities through Encounter, Calvary family and good Christian friends.
In conclusion, I find that embracing my weirdness, I feel good about myself. I'm not cutting a part of me anymore. It's liberating. Embracing your weirdness as a Christian may be hard for you now. Why do you want people rejecting you? They aren't. They are rejecting Jesus. God has already given you people to love and support you. However, the best unconditional love you get will always come from God. May these verses remind you the truth about rejection and acceptance:
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
~John 18:19-20 NIV
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
~Ephesians 1:5-6 NLT