How many kinds of Christians are there in the world?

My husband and I were discussing this earlier, and I thought it would make a good post, so here we go...

HOW MANY KINDS OF CHRISTIANS ARE THERE IN THE WORLD?

If you research this on the internet, you will come up with a list of many different articles and posts informing you that there are 7 kinds, or 2, or 4, etc... There is also information saying that there are over 40,000 different denominations of Christianity in the world, so you might go with that number. Many people believe that there are no kinds, but that all people who confess the name of Jesus and believe in God are Christians.

I'm here to tell you that they're all wrong.

There is only one kind of Christian.

Don't believe me? Check this out:

Not every one saying to me; "Lord lord," will enter in the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my father in the heavens.
Many will say to me in that day, "Lord Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many might works?"
And then I will confess to them that "I never knew you; depart from me ones who work lawlessness."

Matthew 7:21-23 

This is Jesus speaking near the end of the Sermon on the Mount. He's talked about loving your enemies, being a light to the world, and many other things. He will close with the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders, but right here in the three verses before the end he teaches this sobering message. What can we learn from his words?

1. It's not enough for people to call Jesus "Lord" in order to enter heaven.
2. In order to enter heaven we must DO the father's will.
3. People can do good things and still be unacceptable to God
4. Even if you do amazing MIRACULOUS things, Jesus may not even know who you are!

So...

There are not 40,000 kinds of Christians. There are not even 2! There is only one kind of Christian, one who is truly an obedient follower of Christ.

Is it about the name of your denomination? Whether you're able to do miracles? Whether you call Jesus your Lord?

Not every one saying to me; "Lord lord," will enter in the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my father in the heavens.

It's about what you DO. If you obey God and do all his will, you are a Christian. If you don't obey God, you are not. It is as simple as that. 

What kind of Christian are you? ;)

A challenge to myself (and to any others who "blog")

Howdy everyone!

As you can probably see, I don't get on to blog very often. I have decided that I need to change that, and so I'm going to challenge myself and any other people who "blog" (as opposed to actually blogging on a regular schedule). I am going to try to post something twice a month, at least. I'm not sure what I'm gonna write about, but I WILL find something to blog about.

I challenge you all to do the same! Let's fill the world with BLOGS!!! Or love, if you don't want to blog :)

Ciao!

Does God delight in the death of the wicked?

We often hear people rejoicing when evil men are put to death, but I wonder how many stop to think about what is happening. Is it right to be happy when men (or women) who do wrong are killed for their crimes? Years ago, in the Old Testament times, God often had the Israelites kill people for him, or he struck them down himself. Does it please God when wicked people die? This is an issue that God and many of the prophets discuss in depth. There is one book that really illustrates this, however, and that is the story of Jonah.

The story of Jonah is not long, but it has a good lesson. Jonah is told to go to Ninevah to prophesy against the sin of the city. Jonah decides he does not want to go, so he runs away and tries to go to a place in Spain called Tarshish. God (of course) knows what Jonah has done and causes a great storm to come upon the boat, and Jonah knows it is because of his sin. Jonah is cast of the boat (at his request) and is swallowed by a great fish in whom he stays for three days and nights, praying and repenting. Jonah actually GOES to Ninevah and preaches against the city, of which the people are repentant and return to God. God decides to forgive Ninevah and decides not to destroy the city. That's what brings us to chapter 4. Go and read it now.

Jonah is mad because the Lord forgives the city. He says that for that very reason he did not want to go to Ninevah to preach, because he knew that the Lord is a forgiving God. Evidently Jonah believed that God should have just destroyed this city of people. Jonah even goes so far as to ask the Lord to kill HIM!

God uses an object lesson to teach him. Jonah went out of the city a distance and waited to see what would happen (presumably whether or not the Lord would destroy the people). Of course, God had already decided to forgive the people, so he causes a gourd plant to grow overnight into a shade for Jonah as he sits outside the city. The next day, however, God sent a worm to eat the plant and cause it to die. God also caused a hot wind to blow on Jonah, and again he wants to die. God then scolds Jonah. He compares the plant to the city. The plant had grown up and died within 24 hours, and Jonah was very torn up about it, but this city held more than 120,000 people! God asks Jonah whether those people are important too? The book abruptly ends there, and it makes me wonder what Jonah's response was. Perhaps, considering he probably wrote this book, he learned the lesson the Lord wanted to teach him.

CONCLUSION

What lesson should WE learn from these verses? God doesn't want everyone to die and go to eternal punishment! We can see that fact from how he made the Scheme of Redemption and send HIS ONLY SON to die for the sins of the world! God isn't happy when evil people die! God wants all people to turn to him and to obey him. My mind goes to the story of the Parable of the Lost Sheep. At the end of the parable, Jesus says that there is greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 people who need not repent. The story of the Prodigal Son also shows this! What was the father (who represents God) doing when his son returned? He was watching and waiting hoping to see his son walking down the path to their home! God is eager for people to return to him and do what is right!

We should never rejoice at the death of wicked men, but rather pray for more opportunities to shine our light into the world and help turn some of the darkness into light. The only joy we can truly feel at a death is when we know that the person who has died was a faithful believer in the Lord, and we know that his destiny is certain in the Kingdom of our great father in heaven.

Some other verses for consideration:

Isaiah 55:7 - Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Lamentations 3:31-33 - For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.

Ezekiel 18:23 - Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked," declares the Lord GOD, "rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

Ezekiel 18:32 - For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Ezekiel 33:11 - Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?'

Joel 2:12-13 - "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

John 3:17 - For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 - This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

2 Timothy 2:25 - Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,

2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Washing clothes... by hand

I mentioned in my previous blog that my sister got married last year. Part the process of her moving out was dividing the belongings we had purchased together and shared the cost of during our time living together. It felt like we were getting a divorce! "This is mine and that is yours..."

Moving on... One of the things we decided that she would take was the washer and dryer set we had purchased together from our parents. When we first moved out we had a single tub washer and spinner which worked really well, but during rainy season it is hard to get clothes dry. It is fabulous to have fluffy towels :)

Anywho... My sister got the washer and dryer, but when they moved they found that they couldn't fit them into their house. I got to keep them for a while, but a few months ago she found her way around the problem and TOOK MY BABIES AWAY!!! 

Since that fateful day I have had to find an alternative way of getting clean laundry. My parents (who live one street away) and my other sister (who lives across the street) have graciously offered to let me wash clothes at their house, but it is a bit of a hassle to have to bring them to another house, wash them, then bring them back. (By the way, I don't mean to be ungrateful. I am SO blessed that my family is so kind to me! I love you guys :) I have found, though, that I CAN wash by hand!

Having grown up in a household with a washer and dryer in the Philippines, I took clean clothes for granted. Even though I was taught how to use the washer and dryer, most times it was like a magical fairy came and did my laundry and deposited the clean, warm, fluffy clothing on my bed. When I moved out, I had a machine still, so it wasn't so difficult. But HAND WASHING, y'all? Well, I had never had to do that. My experience with hand washing was limited and bad. Dry hands, pain, soaking wet clothes after the fact... all not good things. I am happy to report to you, however, that my hand washing skills have improved thanks to a few different things I have learned and am now going to share with you.

1. Use a wash board. 

You know those cute wooden wash boards you see on walls as decoration in some homes, which kind of look like window shutters? Yeah, those are awesome. I have a plastic one which is not likely to give me splinters, and it works wonderfully! Before washboards? My hands would always hurt after washing clothes. After washboards? They don't bother me anymore :)

2. You need the right formula of detergent.

If you have too much detergent your clothes will be hard. If you have too little they will still stink and be DIRTY. Sometimes you can get a bag of detergent with a measuring cup. USE IT!

3. Softener.

Need I say more? You must use softener or it will look like you starched your jeans. "They can stand all on their own!"

4. Rinsing is a skill worth honing.

It will take a lot of water at first, but you can work at it and save the environment by using less water. It's hard not to get soaked completely through in the process.

5. Wring it out...

If you don't wring enough water out, it doesn't matter how much softener you use, your clothes will still be hard and rough.

6. Wash at the best time and with enough space.

Whatever time your clothesline is in the sun is the best time to wash. If it is dry season, it doesn't really matter when you hang your clothes up; they will dry.You will also need enough space to hang. Those clothes need to be able to breathe.

7. You will begin to ration clothing.

"Have I worn this before? Does it smell bad? What if I use perfume...?" Yeah... ew... But these thoughts do cross your mind. You are more likely to think about what you wear, not because you are concerned about fashion, but because you want to limit the amount of laundry you will have to do.

8. You have to schedule laundry time.

Before I could put a load of laundry in the washer and at night then change it to the dryer in the morning. Now I have to have about 30 minutes for a single load of laundry. It takes a little time, but it's worth it.

9. You feel more accomplished after washing laundry by hand.

Your bed sheets, clothes, and towels are all clean and smell fantastic, and these two hands of yours did that (with a little help from Downy and Ariel)! Somehow it feels like a huge accomplishment when you have no dirty laundry in the house.

All in all, I have learned a lot. I have a lot of respect for the women who make their living going house to house and washing clothes; it takes a lot of hard work. I also realize how much I took for granted as a child, and it has been a good learning experience for me.

I am also saving up to buy a washer :)

The perks (?) of living alone

It has been a while since I have posted and I thought that I might share something that I have learned recently and give a family update while I'm at it.

My younger sister abandoned me got married in August last year, and I have learned a lot of things since she moved out. Below is my "short" list of the nuggets of truth I have learned.

1. Living alone can be lonely
Even if you are an introvert, it is nice to know that someone else is in the house. Maybe you and your siblings don't talk, but sometimes just being present is enough. When you live alone you might begin to talk to the cats. They LOOK intelligent, and sometimes they meow back at you, but they have no input on what you should cook for dinner. Except that they think you should cook something with tuna. ALWAYS tuna.

2. I forget things.
When my sister and I lived together I used her as my "to do" list, my lost items tracker, and just a reminder (forget that I had a cellphone I could use for that!). Now that we no longer live together I have to use the amazing brain that God gave me to remember EVERYTHING. Such a bother... Ok, not really, but having a second brain around to help you remember to get the drinking water bottles refilled is extremely helpful, especially when it is 2AM and you would really like a glass of water and all that is in your house is tap.

3. I have to clean everything on your own.
I used to complain about how lazy my sister was and how she didn't help clean. Boy was I wrong! Even if she didn't do everything, she still helped clean. One thing she did especially well was clean the bathroom, and guess who has to do it now? Even if the cleaning wasn't split 50/50 she did help out.

4. Expenses are all paid by... you guessed it! Me!
It costs a lot to live alone. When you share lodgings you split everything. When you live alone, you split nothing. (When you host people in your house and they help pay for your expenses that is another story, but if you are ALONE, this does not happen) Water, rent, electricity, new appliances, everything is paid by your's truly. This means that penny pinching is done, and that new washer you want to buy? It can wait another month or six. (See my next post about what I've learned about hand washing!)

5. I'm still happy for her.
Even though life has been a bit trying since my sister abandoned me got married, I'm happy that she's happy, and I wouldn't change a thing! :) It has been an adventure living on my own, but I'm up for the challenge, even if I have to get rid of mice on my own (GULP!). Just kidding! I am totally calling my father :)

Do not worry...

As my family and friends will tell you, I love to worry.

Due to my love of worrying, I plan. I make lists. I think everything through and do my best to make sure that I can make everything work out. 

This does not always go as one plans. To paraphrase what a friend of mine once said, "We plan and God laughs." 

The pinnacle of my worrying career occurred this last summer during my furlough to the US. For the first time, my sister and I were going without our parents. We were going to travel to the other side of the planet, then around that side of the planet, for almost three months WITHOUT MY PARENTS! I was a nervous wreck. Because I was worried I planned:

Tickets: check! Packed backs: check! Chewing gum for the flight: check! (Where's my passport?!? Oh, there it is...)

Our plane ride across to the US went very smoothly. Then came the most challenging part of our trip, traveling around and raising support. My sister and I lost a considerable amount of support after this tour so we had a considerable amount to raise. We also had a sponsor to find. Cue planning mode. 

Acquire vehicle: check! Email supporters: check! Plan trip: check!

From then on it was smooth sailing. People took such good care of us! We stayed with wonderful people, ate at their houses or ate out with them at restaurants, people took us sightseeing, and they just loved us. We are so blessed! We got to go so many places and see so many things!

While traveling we were also raising money. Everyone we met was so encouraging and helped tremendously, even if it wasn't financially. 

When we got to about a month before we were scheduled to leave things started to feel different and I began to worry again. At that point we only had about half of our monthly support committed and no sponsor. That's when I really started to freak out. 

What are we to do if we don't get a sponsor? Can we still go back?

I pleaded with the Lord to show me his plan, and it seemed like all I got back was silence. What was I to do?!?

It was around this time that in the deep dark recesses of my heart I began to doubt that I was supposed to return to Cebu. I couldn't see how things could bounce back from this depressing state. Despite all the encouragement we had from our brethren, I felt uncertain.

This was when my lesson in trust really began. The week before we left we were invited to share about our work to a couple congregations. People began to make financial commitments. After a presentation on Sunday night one of the elders at my grandparents' congregation came up to me and said that they would take up sponsorship. A couple days later another congregation said that they would pick up the remaining support we lacked. We were all set!!!

After all of this you would think that I would have learned, but even preparations for our actual flight back to the field had me worried. 

Are our bags too heavy? Did we get everything we need? What do I do about all this stuff? 

Do you know what happened when we checked in? Every single bag was underweight. We had a lot of weight in carry-on luggage so guess what? They let us check another bag for free. We had a long layover in LA, we got free passes to the Business Class Lounge. They even upgraded our tickets for the last leg of our trip! When we arrived in Cebu all our bags arrived with us!

It's embarrassing, isn't it?

The Lord has always had the situation under control, no matter what happened. Even when I didn't think so, he was there trying to show me that he's the boss. If it wasn't for me being such a wool-headed goose then perhaps he wouldn't have had to go to such lengths. 

A passage came to my mind when I sat back and thought about all that has happened:

"25 On account of this I say to you; "Do not be anxious for your soul what you might eat [or what you might drink], neither for your body what you might wear. Is not the soul more (important) than food and the body than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of heaven that they do not sow nor reap nor do they gather together into storehouses, and your heavenly father feeds them; Are you not better (worth more) than them? 27 And who of you while worrying is able to add one cubit to his height?  28 And why are you worrying concerning clothing? You observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor spin;  29 But I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed as one of these.  30 But if God clothes the grass of the field in this way which is here today and tomorrow is cast into (the) furnace, (will he) not much more (clothe) you, oh you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious saying, "What might we eat?" or; "What might we drink?" or; "What might we wear?" 32 For the nations seek after all these things; for your heavenly father knows that you need all these (things). 33 But you seek first the kingdom [of God] and his justice, and all these things will be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry into tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself; The trouble of (tomorrow) is sufficient for the day." Matthew 6:25-34 (SAM)

For some reason I'm important to the Lord. He looks down and this ridiculous speck of a person and loves me. A lot. I think I've learned my lesson. As a result of all of this, I don't think I'm ever going to worry again. 

And if I do? Shame on me :).

Which seed are YOU?

April is almost over and I haven't posted anything this month. Gak! I could rant about how busy I am, but then that might bore you. Instead I think I'll go over a parable that I've been thinking about...

I know that practically EVERYONE is familiar with the Parable of the Sower. It's an amazing story Jesus told to teach everyone that it is not enough for us to just listen to what he says, but we also need to obey him. In the parable he talks about a sower (someone who plants seeds in a field, NOT a tailor :) ) who sows seeds on four different types of soil. These soils represent the different kinds of people who will hear the message and the way they will respond to it. One thing that's really neat about this parable is that we do not have to try and figure out what Jesus meant by this parable, for he explains it to us. The following is my translation of the parable.

Matthew 13:1 In that day after going Jesus went out of the house he sat beside the sea; 2 And many people gathered together to him, so after getting into a boat he sat. 3 And he spoke to them many things in parables saying; "Behold the sower came out to sow. 4 And while he sowed on the one hand (seeds) fell along the road, and after coming the birds ate them. 5 Yet they fell upon the rocky (ground) where they did not have much earth, and immediately they sprung up because they did not have depth of soil; 6 But after the sun rose they burned up and dried up because they did not have root. 7 Yet they fell upon the thorny (ground), and the thorns went up and choked them. 8 Yet they fell upon the good earth and they gave fruit, on the one hand one hundred, and on the other hand sixty, and on the other hand thirty. 9 Let the one having ears hear.
(Note: my translations are usually pretty rough. I like to stay as close to the original as possible.)

Jesus' apostles come to him and ask him why he speaks in parables, so he explains the prophecy of Isaiah to them. He then explains the meaning of the parable.

18 Therefore you hear the parable of sower. 19 The evil one comes and seizes the (seed) which has been sown in the heart of every one hearing the word of the kingdom and not understanding, this is the one (seed) which was sown alongside the road. 20 And the one which was sown upon the rocky soil, this is the one hearing the word and receiving it immediately with joy, 21 But he does not have root in himself but is passing, and after tribulation or persecution comes on account of the word immediately he is caused to stumble. 22 And the one which was sown into the thorns, this is the one hearing the word, and the worry of the age and the deceit of riches chokes the word and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one which was sown upon the good earth, this is the one hearing the word and understanding, who indeed is bearing fruit and makes one the one hand one hundred, and on the other hand sixty, and on the other hand thirty.

One thing that didn't register in my brain until recently is the similarities between these types of soil. The first one is really the easiest to spot, because they never grow and the seed never has a chance to take root in the soil. The other three, however, start out the same! The seed on the rocky ground sprang up and grew for a while, but then died because they had no root. The seed which fell on the thorny ground grew for a while, but then were choked by the thorns. Then, the seed which fell on the good soil grew up, and because it was on the good ground it grew and produced an amazing amount of fruit!

These are all referring to people, right? This is the part that scares me. Just because you have the seed in you and are growing now does NOT mean that you will continue. Are you rocky soil, on which God's word has been planted and been growing but will soon give up because of trials. Are you thorny soil, who is currently thriving but will give in to the cares of the world? Are you good soil, which will produce fruit in excess? When do you know what kind of fruit you are?

You could become any of these kinds of fruit at any time!!! 

Just because you are strong now does not mean that you will be forever. At any moment the evil one could throw something at you which could cause you to forget your responsibility and give up to either difficulties or the cares of the world.

I find this thought rather scary. I could, at any moment, be discovered to be any one of these three kinds of soil! I wonder if this isn't a parable about receiving the gospel but more a warning to those of us who already have received it. Life in this world isn't easy, and my father likes to joke that we can rest when we're dead. Every day of our life is a battle for our Christianity. While some people may have more difficult struggles than others, we have the promise of 1 Corinthians 10:13. God knows each and every person's capabilities, which means that we can survive anything that is thrown at us.

If this parable teaches us nothing else, it shows us that nothing is permanent. Each of the three soils (rocky, thorny, and good) GREW! Just because they started good doesn't mean that they finished good. I encourage you to keep fighting your battle and strive to produce 30, 60, or even 100 times for the harvest. Only then will our master say "Well done good and faithful servant..."