Continuing...

It's been sometime since I've started blogging. I started a few years ago, but never really had anything worth saying as I read back over all my old posts (which still exist on xanga). Growing up has been quite the experience for me, and for anyone who has done it, and I find that it's good to sometimes look back on the past, and look for the ways that God has moved in your life, lessons you have learned, friends you made, friendships that are still very much in contact even though they may have moved away. Once you hit 23, you actually have a bit of time under your belt. I personally feel old at times when I am able to tell someone, "Oh, I read that book series when I was 15....).

God has done more amazing things in my life then I could write on here for sure. But the No. 1 things He did within the last two years was to save me. Save me from myself, from sin. A lot of you who grew up watching me might be kinda shocked to hear that, but that's ok. I'm a living example of someone who grew up in the church, was know as the "good kid", but in actuality, inside was a nasty sinner. And getting me to a point where I came to realize that took awhile. I had been brought up in a legalistic church, where the exterior was the deciding factor of weather or not you were a "christian", weather or not you were "holy".

If there is one word that could define my life, and way our church functioned on many different levels, if would be this. Hypocrite.

My church has changed drastically for the better since that time, and I love my church! But growing up the a church that didn't really care that much about the heart had it's impact on a lot of the young people at my church, including myself. And one of those things was growing up, without ever hearing the whole gospel preached. All I heard growing up was this. Confession + belief = forgiveness and salvation from hell. At face value that doesn't seem bad. Look at it though through scripture, and you see that salvation is this. Confession + repentance + belief = forgiveness and salvation from sin.

I grew up hearing preaching that scared me into wanting to accepting Christ because of hell. It was a nasty horrible place that I didn't want to go, and so I asked Jesus into my heart so that I would be safe. But that's all it was. Then just before I was about to turn 21, I heard Paul Washer preach a sermon. He brought to life the reality that it wasn't hell that Jesus came to save us from primarily, but He came to save us from our sin, and ourselves. Sin resided in our flesh, and sin rules our lives. We love it, and want it, and will do anything to keep it. But when you hear the true gospel preached in light of what you really are, and how gross your sin is, the Holy Spirit moves, opens your eyes, and you see yourself as nothing, and Jesus as everything. Jesus become the only hope you have, because He is the only hope you have.

Realizing this, I repented from my sin, and received the gift that God had granted to me, salvation. And I'll tell you, it was night and day for this guy. Seriously, everything was viewed in a new light, Jesus was precious, wanted and completely needed in my life every moment of every day, and it is still that way. When I fall yo sin, I know I am saved, because He will not let me rest until it is dealt with. When the hardest things in life happen, such my parents divorce this last year, He is there guarding, guiding, giving life, comforting, giving purpose and reason in the middle of chaos, bringing peace to otherwise out of control emotions.

I look back on the two years of truly walking with Jesus. I know I am a young Christian, but God is moving in such ways and empowering me to do things I never thought I'd be doing. Being in charge of the Uprising Youth Group at my church is something I never thought I would be doing. But I am, and I'll always admit that it's by God's grace alone, and not myself. I know this man, and on his own only evil would come out. It is the Spirit of God working in me to will and to do His good pleasure, and I praise Him so much for it!

Think about it everyone. Do you really know Christ, more importantly, does He know you?

Find Him if you don't know Him, He is the only life that actually gives life, and that is worth pursuing.

Mike