Tek7 (Legacy)
CGA & ToJ President
This past Sunday, Ember and I sat in on a terrific sermon at the church we're currently attending. The pastor spoke on the parable of the prodigal son. Rather than focusing on the younger brother who demands his inheritance prematurely and squanders it, he focused on the elder brother who angrily refused to welcome his brother home after his return. For the full story, read Luke 15:11-32.
The pastor stated that there are very few "younger brother" types in the modern church, but many "elder brother" types. Having attended church since I was 15, I would have to agree. Often, we as Christians push away those with rough edges because we assume that they have no interest in knowing God. But, as the pastor warned during his sermon, those who follow God's commandments for their own gain are also far from God.
The relativisitic outsider (the younger brother) often recognizes his or her own depravity before the moralistic insider (the older brother). Ultimately, our own "righteousnesses are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:5-7).
I can not teach the lesson of this parable as well as the pastor did, but I wanted to challenge everyone to read this story and honestly examine which brother you most resemble.
In the end, we should strive to emulate the father in this story, who graciously welcomed back the younger brother and pleaded with the elder brother to come join the celebration.
I also write this post to share my heart and my vision for the Christian Gamers Alliance. There are many people in the gaming community who are far from God in wild, immoral lifestyles. Instead of judging these people or slamming the rules down on their head when they slip up, we should seek to help them come to or return to God.
G.K. Chesterton said that "the only good argument against Christianity is Christians." It is my passion to see members of CGA living the Gospel. While we must maintain order, each of us should also be, as the Pharisees called Jesus, a "friend of sinners." If people are struggling against drug addictions, seeking answers to difficult questions about God and life, fighting to overcome depression, or working hard to stop using profanity, we should support them in their efforts. We should display love for them as Jesus displayed love for sinners in his own day.
There are many people who are far from God in wild, immoral lifestyles. But the story of the two sons presented in Luke 15 shows us that one can be far from God while living in His house and obeying His commandments. We must check our hearts and our motivation, then repent and earnestly seek to make God's desire our own.
I hope to establish various outreach programs over the course of the next few months. I can do very little on my own; we, as a community, must grasp the truth of this parable and love all people who visit our forums. This does not mean that we abandon order. It simply means that loving God and loving others takes precedence.
The pastor stated that there are very few "younger brother" types in the modern church, but many "elder brother" types. Having attended church since I was 15, I would have to agree. Often, we as Christians push away those with rough edges because we assume that they have no interest in knowing God. But, as the pastor warned during his sermon, those who follow God's commandments for their own gain are also far from God.
The relativisitic outsider (the younger brother) often recognizes his or her own depravity before the moralistic insider (the older brother). Ultimately, our own "righteousnesses are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:5-7).
I can not teach the lesson of this parable as well as the pastor did, but I wanted to challenge everyone to read this story and honestly examine which brother you most resemble.
In the end, we should strive to emulate the father in this story, who graciously welcomed back the younger brother and pleaded with the elder brother to come join the celebration.
I also write this post to share my heart and my vision for the Christian Gamers Alliance. There are many people in the gaming community who are far from God in wild, immoral lifestyles. Instead of judging these people or slamming the rules down on their head when they slip up, we should seek to help them come to or return to God.
G.K. Chesterton said that "the only good argument against Christianity is Christians." It is my passion to see members of CGA living the Gospel. While we must maintain order, each of us should also be, as the Pharisees called Jesus, a "friend of sinners." If people are struggling against drug addictions, seeking answers to difficult questions about God and life, fighting to overcome depression, or working hard to stop using profanity, we should support them in their efforts. We should display love for them as Jesus displayed love for sinners in his own day.
There are many people who are far from God in wild, immoral lifestyles. But the story of the two sons presented in Luke 15 shows us that one can be far from God while living in His house and obeying His commandments. We must check our hearts and our motivation, then repent and earnestly seek to make God's desire our own.
I hope to establish various outreach programs over the course of the next few months. I can do very little on my own; we, as a community, must grasp the truth of this parable and love all people who visit our forums. This does not mean that we abandon order. It simply means that loving God and loving others takes precedence.
![[toj.cc]WildBillKickoff](/forums/data/avatars/m/1/1206.jpg?1442680067){kind=avatar}
