Fishwrap

Sporting the message...

2008-11-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

I've heard both opinions about the idea of wearing Christian apparel, haveing bold Christian art in your home or business, or witnessing through your stuff in general. Obviously, as a designer of many of these products, I side with those who favor the use of these tools. Plenty of people out there are Christians that are in the world (and it's stuff) but still provide a good witness for both our Creator and Christians as a whole. There are just as many, wearing a Metallica shirt or hanging a Picasso print in their houses, that claim they are providing a good witness to unbelievers, yet are not. Believe me, I have nothing against you if you are the one rocking the Metallica shirt, but I do hope you are balancing that with sometning (wearable or not) that lets people know that you serve God above being a Metallica fan. On the other hand, many Christians drive around with their bumper stickers and walk around the mall with their Christian t-shirts and offer no witness worth speaking of. My hope is that the Christian community will embrace these fine toos of witness, be educated about the message portrayed, and be proactive in sharing it with an unbelieving world. Yeah, it's a little harder to give someone the bird, from your car, while displaying a bumper sticker that says 'Don't get burned by Hell'. Sure, you have to watch your anger if someone runs into you at the mall and you're sporting the WWJD shirt you got for Christms five years ago, but that is the beauty of being bold enough to carry a visual snippet of the message every place you go. It is not only for the possibility of opening up a stranger to the message of Jesus, but it might help in your self-discipline and motivate and encourage you at the same time. So, if you're looking for some great stuff to help get the word out, visit us at www.atfis1.com, and don't hesitate to check out our links for more stuff from our 'competitors'. Buying from us or someone else makes little difference, as long as someone has a chance to learn of God's love. God bless you all!
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God bless!-Jellybean Gumbo

Christians drop your stones...

2008-09-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

A common misconception among both believers and non-believers, is that once saved we have the ability to live a sinless life. Sorry folks, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. He came because we do not have the ability to do that. Some of you have the hair on you neck standing up and are bristling at what I am telling you. The problem is, we seem to forget that our judgement is after we pass away and our salvation truly begins at that point. The Bible shows us too many examples of people, way more Holy and righteous than ourselves, dealing with sin even after Jesus. Peter not only denied that he knew Jesus three times, but he even had the nerve to get attitude when Jesus came back and asked if he really loved Him. Paul tells us about his struggles with sin when he discusses his race against himself. Moses repeatedly got attitude with God. David even killed someone in order to continue in adultery. Believe me, I am not telling you that sinning is all good. That's the difference between a true Christian and one manipulated by the devil. We are to continually work towards a life of no sin, to strive for perfection. We should definitely see our sin affect our spirit more than it did before we were saved. We should also see our lives changing from unrighteous to righteous. We've all heard the verses that told someone to turn from sin and be on their way, but keep in mind that those statements were referring to a certain individual sin, not sin in general. The two things I want people to realize the most are 1.) Jesus came and bore all the sins of the world so that we may be blameless in heaven. Here on earth however, we are completely to blame and thus, we should not hold ourselves in high regard compared to others. This act will keep us humble before God and will also stop us from judging others. 2.) Realize, and live accordingly, that our sin does not need to stop our love for God and our passion in seeking Him or witnessing to others. Many non-believers, and Christians alike, are turned off towards God simply because of how the fallible human Christians act toward what they call 'sinners'. Wake up! You are a sinner too. You were yesterday, you are today, and you will be tomorrow. Only on the day of judgement, when you are acquitted through the blood, will you become pure and blameless.

Wake up thou slumbering Christians

2008-07-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to wonder about Christians in general. The perception among non-believers, is that Christians are hypocritical snobs. They see us proclaiming our faith while in sin. They watch as we tell them to fill their lives with things that are of God, yet we fill our lives with things that are of this world. We tell them secular music has negative messages and will affect their mind, yet we listen to the same. Christian artists claim their art contains Christian messages, but even other Christians can't see that message. We are extremely defensive of ourselves, yet we don't defend the Almighty when we fail. We preach that 'sinners' and backsliders need to get right with God while we don't truly know Him. We tell others that we are to love our enemies, yet we get bent on revenge. We know that there is a thin line between loving someone as God loves us and not only accepting their sin, but going as far as condoning it as well.

Memo to Christians:
The Bible is pretty clear if you take time to actually read it instead of relying on the opinion of others. We see the crucifixion of Christ as our salvation, and that is correct. We miss, however, that fact that it is much more than that. It is a new covenant, yes. It does not take away the spiritual significance of the Old Testament. Even Jesus himself said He did not come to change the law, so how can Christians claim that he simply made the Old Testament a history book?

His sacrifice is also a way to show us that God is in control and we, as humans, are not the authority. Prior to Jesus' resurrection we had to go to a priest or participate in some ritual sacrifice. His blood erases only that need for intervention between God and ourselves. He stated that the only way to the Father is through the Son, not the Pope, not the latest Christian author, not Buddha or Shiva or Mohamed. It is through your communication and the sacrifice of the Son of God, not 'religion' or a ritual sacrifice or works. His death was the death of all that and His resurrection was the resurrection of our relationship with God and the purity which we tore apart with the thought of power and control.

If you read the Bible on your own, it gives God the chance to make it relevant to your life through the Holy Spirit. You will find that only one lived a sinless life and He still bore all the sins of the world. The stories of disciples questioning God's ways and committing acts of sin such as cutting off a man's ear, doubting that Jesus was real after the resurrection, and denying that they knew Him should be enough to know that we cannot live a sinless life. Paul told us that he failed and that the toughest race was that against himself. Moses threw down the ten commandments and broke them. He struck a rock out of anger and God still brought water out of that rock. Gideon thought so highly of God that he told God to pick someone else to go into battle with. Jesus rebuked many, including His disciples, for their sin. For all his greatness, David committed adultery. Are you starting to see a pattern? Let me pose another question. If we could simply believe that Jesus is who He is, confess with our mouth and become perfect, living a sinless life, what would be the point of the sacrifice? His blood washes away our sin when our personal judgement day comes and we stand before God. That blood is not meant for this world. Next time you hear an unbeliever or backslider complain about Christians and their hypocrisy, think about it. Their words are merited in truth. Does this mean God condones sin? Should we? NO! Should we judge others based on their sin? NO! Love the person, hate the sin. Showing love for the sin or hate for the person is wrong.

A perfect example is that of homosexuality. In general, Christians show either hate towards the gay community because of their frustration, or we show love for the sin by actually condoning their lifestyle and preaching that it is OK. Neither is correct. We should be loving them and inviting them to our Father, yet standing firm, without anger, on the Word of God that show clearly that it is unacceptable. Both the Old and New Testaments clearly state that it is an abomination, not just a little off, but an abomination. The New Testament even tells us that God left them because of this and other sins that are very prevalent and widely accepted in our society.

Christians are a funny group. Everywhere you look, different ethnic and lifestyle oriented groups stick with each other. You see black buying from black owned businesses, gay from gay, Jewish from Jewish, tree-huggers from organic and green. Why do Christians decide to wear a Metallica t-shirt instead of one that promotes God? Why do we listen to Eminem instead of someone who gives God glory through their music (and there is a Christian artist for every style of music you could think of). Why do we hang art in our houses that pay tribute to drugs or movies or individuals instead of something that is obviously sending a strong Godly message? There are Godly choices in every form of entertainment. Sometimes it is more expensive and harder to acquire, but it is only that way because Christians don't support them. Next time you buy a Christian book, buy it at your local Christian bookstore instead of Wal Mart. I believe most Christians do these things out of fear of being called out for being a hypocrite. Maybe if we lived our life differently, preached the truth instead of preaching that we are above or better that others, more people would come to know the Christ and we might even feel better about ourselves.

-Grimm

Welcoming myself to the world of Blogsville...

2008-06-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm growing up now that I have a blog. Either that or I'm getting in touch with my inner child. All that aside, the purpose for this blog is, like everyone else, to get things off my chest. Sometimes it will be helpful to others. Sometimes it will offend. Every time it is read however, it will include my look into the world around me grounded in my Christian beliefs. Not all will agree with what I say, but that is expected. If I can get one soul to know my King through my gumflappin' then all will be worth the effort. I hope some readers will rethink their relationships with Christ and realize what is trivial and what is true. That said, I bid you farewell until the next relevant post appears.

-Grimm