You're a Christian Because You're From Galilee

And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” (Luke 22:59)

While I don't know that this is a common extrapolation from this text, it got me thinking about geographical location, and Christianity.

They knew Peter was out of place, noticing something about him that told them he was from Galilee, like Jesus.  "You're only a Christian", they will say, "because you grew up in a land mostly Christian, to a Christian family and Christian influences."

Why do you think Peter was a Christian?  It's an important question with an important answer that the world will scoff at.  Was he in Galilee because that's where God needed him to be when he would be a Christian when Jesus met Peter there, or was Peter a Christian because Peter just happened to be in the right place at the right time by mere luck when Jesus showed up on the scene?  Lucky Peter.  While those who accused him were correct that he was indeed a follower of Christ and from Galilee, the cause of his Christianity was not because of his location... and neither is anyone else's.

The world will try to tell you, "You're just a Christian, because you're from a Christian land, and you had Christian parents!  You could be Muslim or Buddhist if you were from somewhere else."

Wrong.  You greatly underestimate the power of this God.  If God wants me to be a Christian, He will put me in the exact place he needs me geographically, at the exact moment in time it is needed when He calls me.  In Peter's time, that place was Galilee.  Perhaps in your time, that place is America.  I suspect that is the case for most people reading this.

Your encounter with the Living God is not by luck.  He put you where He was, exactly when He needed you to be there, and then He called you.  It is not being a Galilean that will cause you to respond, and many from Galilee will not heed the call.  Those who know Jesus understand that Jesus was no mere Galilean.

Traditions Based on Truth: Why Have a Christmas Tree?

Why do you have a Christmas tree?  Why do you give presents on Christmas, and why do you put lights on your home?  Why do you put up a nativity scene?  Why do you hang stockings and fill it with goodies?  Why do you hang a mistletoe?  Why do you read from Luke Chapter 2 in the Bible?  Why do you sing certain songs, or drive around looking at neighborhood lights?  Why do you decorate cookies shaped like snowmen, candy canes, wreaths, and holly?  Why do you or don't you do any of these things?

Some may seem more obvious, while others you honestly can't really say.  Something I'm going to teach my children about traditions, is to think about them, and honestly ask "Why?".  Think about what they want to make their own, think about the ones they want to take with, think about others they want to leave behind, and in all their thinking to be honest about it before God and others.  After years of thinking about these things myself, I've come to a few conclusions and also find I am still settling on others.

1. It's okay to have traditions that don't have a direct Biblical origin, and can still be meaningful.

Some things are just fun and for pretty.  They bring back good memories shared with friends and family.  It's okay to have an annual bean bag toss because it's fun.  God has given us family, and friends, and all good things come from Him.  It's okay to remember the things He has given in our past, and to replicate them in a spirit of thankfulness.  While this can be droned, it doesn't have to be.  It's okay to bring pretty flowers in annually that are representative of the changing seasons.  All things God has made bring glory to God, because He is glorious and He does all things well.

While our traditions don't necessarily have to have a direct Scriptural reading explanation directly from the Bible, we should do all things with thanksgiving and give glory to God in them.  We should thank Him for the experiences and what He has given; may those things encourage us to do the really necessary work of sharing the Gospel with others, because we know that He is good and we should all delight in Him by His grace.  These things, while not having a direct command, should be wrapped up in the command to give God glory and thanksgiving for all the things we enjoy.  We should give Him glory for all the things we have, and also the things we don't have.  We know that the ultimate good and perfect gift was given to us in Jesus.  All of our experiences in this life, should be experienced through the knowledge of that grace.  To strive in tradition and enjoy the fruits of our labor apart from the knowledge of God, is vanity and chasing after the wind.

"There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecclesiastes 2:24-26)

"Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:16-18)"

Just as "all things work for the good of those who love Him...", all good gifts come from God, that we should be a kind of firstfruits.  Everything you have up to this moment, or will have, has been given as part of the story whereby God brought forth in you a faith that gave Him praise to call Jesus Lord and Savior.  For the unrepentant sinner all of their gathering is all vanity in the end, sadly.  However, for those who are born again, it isn't vanity at all for you but is reason to give God glory--namely and chiefly, for giving all good things that we would ultimately call upon His Name, and give Him glory for all things and thank Him in all things.  Our traditions of all kinds don't have to be in vain, because we know the One Who gives good gifts.  I'm thankful for the cookies I make yearly with the family God has given me, not just because of vanity, but because I know that God has saved me and is working all things for my good in the end (eternal life, in heaven).  In all that we do--including traditions we may make up or assume--we should be mindful of that.

2. Don't reverse-engineer spirituality into a tradition that you didn't originally start for that reason.

This will be my longest point, because I think it's one we are often guilty of, and because of its tricky nature it requires greater explanation.  While it's okay to have traditions that don't have direct Biblical origin, I think it is dishonest and a mistake to be pretentious about our reasons for keeping said tradition.  That is after a tradition is already set, later on reverse-engineering into that tradition as a root cause, some spiritual origin that wasn't really there in the beginning.  This gives an appearance of spirituality, but ultimately is insincere and false.  Sometimes we do this in order to feel better about doing something we were already doing anyways and want to have a "good spiritual reason" to keep doing it.  I believe a lot of this kind of spiritually-false behavior, results from an obligation to solve a problem that isn't there because we feel guilty for having traditions we can't necessarily point to the Bible on (my first point above).  However, that's just dishonest.  I would rather be honestly selfish than dishonestly pious.  The good news is, however, we don't have to be either.

For example, maybe you did a bean bag competition for years, but later on wanting to be more spiritual in your yearly tradition, you say that the hole represents our souls need for God; tossing the bags in is like trying to fill it with stuff and ultimately it will never be filled.  We need Jesus.  While that's an okay picture, it's still insincere.  You just like playing bean bag toss and you reverse engineered into it a spiritual cause that allows you to feel better about what you were already doing.  It's not necessary.  See point 1 above.  Enjoy what God has given you and give Him glory for the times you have shared with others.  Give Him glory in all things.  That is spiritually good behavior.  The attempt to spiritualize all of our behaviors we are already doing is just dishonest and we shouldn't do it.  Better to just eat cake, because cake is good, you like cake, and you're thankful to God who gave you the taste buds to enjoy it.  When we start trying to make our traditions into "spiritual" observations that didn't begin there, we are taking the path of the pharisee who starts to make his traditions equal to the commandment of God, and in a vain attempt to become more spiritual, we have become less.  We may impress others with our piety, but God sees the heart.  This is a very tricky thing, and we often deceive ourselves or are deceived in this way to reverse engineer spirituality into actions we were going to do anyways.  We shouldn't do that.

Another example is you might have grown up putting lights on a tree, or on your house and you don't really know why.  You know that it's fun and pretty, and you have good memories doing it with friends and family growing up.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Nobody ever really told you why you did it, and maybe they didn't even really know.  You never questioned it.  You just thought it was neat, you remember doing it, and you wanted to do it too when you were older.  Later on, however, we started to think about why we do what we do and we found out from someone that the lights are representative of Jesus being the light, and we are to be the light of the world, so you take that and run with it.  Assuming this is historical fact, now you say that this the reason you keep on doing it when really, there was no signs of stopping and it was being done long before this knowledge ever entered.  Can you see where the root of our tradition may be disingenuous when we tacitly apply a spiritual cause to the things we were already doing beforehand?

Okay, so what.  Maybe that *really is* where the tradition started, and you just didn't know about it.  Should you stop it and not talk about it because you didn't know?  I agree there is no sense stopping doing something because we didn't know the root cause really was spiritual to someone, at some point in the past. You could hold onto the tradition because of point one alone, which I expressed above.  Now knowing where it comes from, you have a special appreciation for it.  We can keep a tradition for a variety of reasons, but we should be honest about how it came to us, and how it became our tradition.  We should always be honest, and not pretentious.  Who can say where these things really started?  Do you really know?  I mean, really?  Did you read a book, or see it on the Internet?  How do we know?  History can be a very subjective thing.  Not all the time, but who can really know where this stuff came from?  Often times, all we can know for sure is why we do things today.  For the day has enough to worry about in itself.  Who has time to really confirm concretely what the true origins of some tradition is?  My point isn't to argue against sincere spirituality, but to encourage it with honesty before God and others; to think about it and to put out the false and pretentious kind.

Consider  Ananias and Sapphira who gave less sacrificially than they let on.  The origins or fruit of their sacrifice was disingenuous.  They pretended to give all that they had, of their own will, but really were holding back for themselves.  Their offering was tainted by a disingenuous spirit.  They are the ones who chose to give what they gave, but then made it appear spiritual by tacking that on at the end.  God calls them on the carpet, or the ground at least... as it were.  Give what you give, but really give what you say you give and don't make it seem more sacrificial than it really is.  Just be honest.  It seems like such a small thing to us, but at that time, God actually killed them for their dishonesty in it.  If we think it's such a small deal, consider their story.  It was recorded for us.

Maybe we realize we are guilty of "reverse-engineering" spirituality into many of our traditions.  That doesn't mean we have to stop those traditions, but I would at least recommend acknowledging how they truly began in our practice, and just be thankful for the good God has provided.  Thankfulness to God in the Name of Jesus, is spiritual.

"But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him (Acts 5:1-6)


3. It's okay to change or just remove traditions for the sake of doing something better--doing good.

Some traditions may need to go for the sake of spiritual growth.  It is easy to make traditions, and often hard to take them down.  It takes a very spiritual person, to take apart the meaningless securities that have provided familiarity for so long, but in which there is no substance.  It's possible that what was once good has been lost.  You find it hard to even be thankful for it.  You don't know why you do it, and to keep doing it just seems like a chore.  Cutting out traditions can make you seem like a real weirdo in your culture, and even spiritual family.  For example, dare you not get a Christmas tree?  We haven't gotten a Christmas tree for years, and it occasionally gets us a blank stare.  We must be careful that we do not take pride in confounding others with our peculiarities in traditions.  That is not the goal.  Nevertheless, it happens.

That's not to say we never will get a pine tree in our home and decorate it up all pretty, but it isn't something we currently put time and energy into.  For us, we were only able to arrive at that tradition by disingenuous leaps, and it just seems like a lot of work we didn't need.  I'm glad others do it though, because I like observing their Christmas trees and knowing I didn't have to do any of that work myself (haha)!  While a tree didn't hold any significant value to us in memory or wanting to make memories, maybe it does for you.  That's okay, so long as we are being honest about why it is we do what we do, there isn't blatant sin in it, and we give God thanks for what He has provided.  I like pretty things--pretty is fun.  In our personal attempt to make the holidays simpler and truly about Jesus, we saw the Christmas tree as a distraction for us that we weren't able to reconcile some spiritual call for.  Back to point 1 and 2, there doesn't need to be in my opinion, but there also weren't any memories so fond that we couldn't see replacing them with something simpler that was, us.  I do stress the, for us.  It doesn't have to be a distraction, and maybe there will come a day when we put one up.

Heartfelt obedience in loving God and loving others, must not be overthrown by our traditions, or our traditions are indeed in vain.  If they ever get in the way of obedience, they need to change--either our view of them, or the thing entirely.  Consider: is it possible the things we do because of tradition have actually become an inhibitor to obeying God?  Has all of this cleaning up for ceremonial traditions and celebrating just become business and caused us to grow deaf to the voice of God?  Are we too busy?  Have I over spiritualized things dishonestly, or have I just been going through the motions thanklessly?  Have our traditions actually become more important to us than sincere obedience to the Living God?  These are questions we must ask God, and nobody else can answer for us.  May our lips not honor God while our hearts are far from Him.


"Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:


“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;

in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:1-9)

4. Don't judge others if their traditions are different from yours--or completely absent.

This is an ironic point, you might think, given all of what you've read here.  This is of course assuming these "traditions" don't actually involve sin, because that is another matter.  We should realize that we are all trying to figure this stuff out.  We should seek to live with one another in an understanding way, and encourage one another to sincerely seek God, and walk circumspectly.  Nevertheless, it is before Him we rise or fall, and we can only be accountable for our own actions.  Traditions can be fun, but in tradition there can be a sense of "knowledge" of the past, and knowledge can puff up, while love builds up.  Do not be puffed up in the knowledge of your traditions, or the lack of your traditions!  Seek to love one another, be merciful to one another, and maybe we can figure this all out together.

Making new traditions and cutting out old ones can be hard for a number of reasons, and it poses a problem as we become "different" to others in some of the things we do.  Difference, however, does not have to be indifference.  We can become indifferent with others when we abstain from certain traditions they do not, or visa-verse.  We can become embittered towards those who do not abstain like us, or who don't do the same things we do.  While it is important to encourage others into thoughtful behavior that gives God glory (as I hope this blog will do), it is unfruitful to judge our brother ignorantly.  This too, is a sign of spiritual immaturity we will need to address as we cut out certain things from our own practice.

Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. (Romans 14:4-6)

Final thought...

It may be that whoever is reading this will find some contradictions in some of my thoughts, and that is very possible.  Sometimes in attempting to honestly navigate our own reasons for why we do what we do, we run into many conflicting feelings and thoughts for sure.  I have not finished making our traditions or making sense of the ones we already do.  As I honestly seek to form them in an understanding way to give God glory, and to be thankful to Him in them... I know that in the end, it is God and not my traditions that will save the day.

Is Your Glass Half Empty, Half Full, or Overflowing?

Seeing the glass as half empty or half full is a psychological dilemma people have poked and pondered for a very long time.  What does your view of the glass say about you?  Are you a half-full, or half-empty person?  Are you optimistic, or pessimistic?

We say those who view the glass as half full are generally optimistic, and others who view it half empty are pessimistic. What if either position is vain?

One solution to the dilemma might be to put it in a smaller glass that becomes full.  That would cause both to agree the glass is now full, but really just presents a new opportunity for envy knowing what they once had and has been taken away.  Maybe now both optimist and pessimist are saddened.

I suggest, however, either state of mind derived from a glass or its contents absent faith in the God who gives both drink and glass, is vanity.  Both have been deceived into thinking that their contentment should come from their glass or what is in it.

As the amount of liquid in their glass is the same, so can be the state of their eternal soul.  Optimist and pessimist will perish together, because they are equally lost and without true hope.  Both have found solace in vanity, and seek happiness in the drink that only their eyes perceive.  If both turn from their vain ways, however, and seek happiness in the One Who gives and takes away, both of their cups will overflow even if the cup that they see runs dry.
---
Matthew 6:25
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Psalm 23:5-6
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Christian Heroism, and Superheroes

"Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." -1 Timothy 4:7-8

The mentioned Scripture and accompanying picture may already be exceedingly offensive to many, but please hang with me for a bit.

If most of our children's superhero's and general fascinations are with fictional characters made up for entertainment purposes only (or indeed our own fascinations), it isn't for lack of available faithful patriarchs in Scripture or elsewhere in human history. It really just depends on what we are choosing to guide and expose them to in what is heroic.  From David, to Jesus, and many all around and in between, I sometimes wonder why with so many real truly heroic examples, we find ourselves perpetuating the myths we do to our children.  I wonder, "What do I believe?"  Because truth be told, it really comes down to what we personally find to be heroic. So we know and believe, so we teach. That is key. Who are our personal heroes? That may be the hardest part to swallow in all of this. Why am I doing what I do, and what am I truly cherishing? It's a hard thing to address, and our pride will oppose the conviction often at every turn. It's possible that we find godly truths too boring and a creating or craving an available substitute is more appealing or convenient.

I get a little fun in fantasy has a place, perhaps. Make believe has a place, just maybe, when it has a point. It can be hard to determine I know, and to get lost in it all. I don't know that I have a hard fast rule, but only words and thoughts to take under advisement. Consider if our children (and yes, we ourselves) have been given over to godless myths. Is it the driving force in our celebrations and free time? Where there are godless myths, we would do well to avoid that altogether. I'm not saying all fantasy is a godless myth... but godless myths are godless myths. We would do well to consider what the myths are we are absorbing and giving to our children to be absorbed, and make adjustments accordingly. If we are offended by the thought of this, we should consider whether that is because our pursuits of things for entertainment purposes only has just gone on for too long, or if we really are walking soberly because of our actual love of the truth.

It would be very naive to think that entertainment driven heroes will not result in entertainment driven pursuits.  At the end of the day, our Maker knows, and He desires us to know that He has been exceedingly heroic above all we could ever ask, hope, or think.  Pursue Godly heroics, and not godless myths... whatever those may be.

"God is love"

We need to be careful when summarizing Scripture into our own pithy bits of truth.  We must remember that every Word has a proper context, and that often times even the entire verse isn't enough to provide that context.  When I really think about it, I'm sure I have been guilty of this countless times.

Most people know that the chapters and verses in the Bible are not considered inspired but were added later for ease of reference.  So, just because a verse is "a verse", even that doesn't mean that the verse is necessarily "complete".  But, how many times do I just drop a verse and call it "done"?

Okay, so before I go further I will say many times knowing our audience may determine the length of context we should provide.  For example, if I'm in a small group of people who I am pretty certain know the context and the importance of context, and after discussing a topic at length I drop, "God is love" into the conversation, perhaps there is a place for that.  However, I think we often do abuse, or, misuse God's Word to say what we want to say rather than what God's Word actually says.  And, I have been guilty of this I am certain.

So, consider, "God is love."  That is true, isn't it?  Of course it is.  It says it.  That phrase, though, is stated in 1 John 4:8 and is surrounded by a lot of other things.  The entire verse says, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love."  Even that, though, is really not enough to say what kind of love we are talking about.  Is it, just a feeling?  Is it, just whatever we want it to be?  Is God in every single feeling of love that exists, no matter the context in which it is expressed, felt, or said to exist?  I say it is love, therefore, God is love and must be therefore approved by God.  See, it says "God is love", right there. See that verse?  "GOD IS LOVE".  If you are against our LOVE then you are against GOD.  Check mate.

Oy vey.

To simply say, "God is love", while being very true, often makes a poor point on its own because our own inefficiencies to know God.  Without context, it makes no point at all except for maybe the point that we ourselves are trying to make for our own agenda.  What we should want to do is get to the point God is trying to make.

All that is to say, before we go saying things like, "God is love", make sure we know the context at the very least.  I'm just going to quote the entire chapter where that phrase is found, and perhaps even then it may not be enough for the full context.  If so, then see the rest of the Bible. Because God is love, but not all "love" is God.  God defines love, but He is not defined by what we often perceive as love.  In fact, the very chapter that says "God is love", also instructs us to, "not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world."  With false prophets, comes false love.

"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” -1 Timothy 1:5

Know God, know love.  No God, No love. God is love, but we can love bad things, and our love may not be of God at all.

---

1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Going to Church--The Menial Task of Christian Fellowship (or so they say)

Do you see "going to church" as a menial task? Typically it is viewed as such, I think, for one of a few reasons among professing believers in God.

1. Probably the primary reason is because we do not see ourselves as in need of instruction--we got this thing all on our own, thanks.

2. We do not see how we are supposed to contribute to the instruction of others--who am I to judge another person anyways?

3. A person doesn't see church as a place of instruction and correction at all, but rather, as a less fun party house.  A place to organize potlucks, parties, and to make friends.  If this you, then you may already feel you have this pretty well covered on your weekends with your buddies at the country club, at the local bar, or back home at the man-cave, so who needs church?  Worse, if you do show up and find out you're a sinner, that seems terribly unfriendly.

All three are lies.  Are there other reasons?  I'm sure, but these I think are the big three.

Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ 
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

For this to make any sense, you must see yourself as a sinner.  You must realize your need for holy sharpening.  Not just abstractly a sinner, but a sinner indeed.  If you don't, then this will be lost on you.  You need to see your great need for a Great Savior.  You may have already stopped reading this because of one of the already mentioned reasons above are true for you.  If you don't see yourself as a sinner--personally depraved, with intentional and willful acts of aggression against God's holy commands--then you will not see any real need for Christian fellowship. You make good enough decisions.  You are reasonable, and collected.  You sin a little but not much and know that your sins fall within the context of God's love you have created in your own image, so you'll be fine. It's not like you are murdering people. Maybe then you should go to church (those people definitely should get to church, and have some people pray for them probably).  Not you, though.  You can take care of the checks and balances all on your own; and God's good with your little amount of sin.  Of course with God's distant and benevolent oversight, you'll be fine. Such thinking has a very weak and very wrong view of all sin in light of the holiness, and righteousness of God.

James 1:13 -- Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

You and I sin, and ultimately it is God's forbearance in allowing us to do so that should lead us to fellowship of constant reconciliation.  We don't often come to this conclusion on our own, or even from God alone, but through others who God uses.  Not the kind of holy and reverent kind of change that sets the bar high on God, anyways.  Perhaps  while neglecting fellowship in the body, we do see kinds of topical type from a bar set low on man's ideals.  However, it's this constant flow of reconciliation within the church that we need to truly grow as we are constantly learning, being challenged and corrected.  All of this should make us more grateful for His mercy and wisdom as we are being restored to the mind of Christ.  We who were once (many times) reconciled become the one who gets to help reconcile another, and visa-verse.  This special gift is found among the fellowship of believers, and unless you are making yourself a tangible part of it by joining in, then you'll have no part of it.  You might just be a vessel for dishonor.

2 Timothy 2:20-21
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.

Just to be clear, I am not saying we go to church so that we can sin, in order to contribute and benefit from this restoration and sanctification,  I'm saying we go to church because we are already sinning and it is within the church God has designed, where we truly begin to sin less in ways that count for eternity.  Chiefly our understanding and presentation of the Gospel, and be fit for every good work, to have real impact in the eternal lives of others.  That work and that salvation should matter a lot to us.

James 5:19-20 -- My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Do you need church?  Well, of course you do.  It's not really a matter of whether or not you need it, but whether or not you see and accept it.  If by God's grace you are not in a season of excelling in sin (so we may think), then humbly consider your position and calling to restore the one who is.  Realize you probably have some ill-conceived ideas about what church is supposed to be.  Recognize that this reconciliation doesn't sincerely happen on the shifting sands of philosophical volleyball, bouncing ideas around about the rights and wrongs of life over a pint of self-affirmation brews and atta-boys at the local pub.  It happens where those who stand on the Firm Foundation seek the truth, within the church.

Psalm 42:1-4
As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”

These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    a multitude keeping festival

Healthy Living (your body is a temple)

Do you want a healthy life?  What does the Bible say about health?  Did you know that the picture below actually has very little (or quite possibly nothing at all) to do with the text included with it?

Have you noticed that people are becoming more strictly meticulous about the food they consider wholesome to eat--how they eat it, how to cook it or not cook it, how it is grown or how it was raised? There are vegans (both raw and not), vegetarians or fruitarians, all of which may consume GMOs and non-GMOs, or organic.  There is much debate to consume all of your time.

There are many fine pragmatic reasons to do many of these things, which in themselves are not sinful to do.  Meanwhile, however, the trend continues to become looser with the view of the body on what is wholesome use for sex.  From what we gaze upon to what we wholly give ourselves to physically.  Suffice it to say then that you may notice the scope of what people allow into their bodies is narrowing, while the scope of what we allow ourselves to do sexually is broadening.

But... God commands a different way.

"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
1 Corinthians 6:13 ESV

You have heard it said that our bodies are a temple.  This is a Christian concept, and many non-Christians adhere to the same thought.  According to the Bible, however, you can know nothing of food--nothing at all--and you can still rightly represent God's gift, in expressing your bodies as that temple (contrary to what "Christian Today" would wrongly suggest in the image above).

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
1 Corinthians 6:13, 19-20 ESV

Become the fittest and leanest meanest vitamin-enriched shining example of natural living, and the spitting image of physical health, yet you may still be poorly conditioning yourself to be a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore if you want to live healthy in God's economy, you may need to start thinking much less about how your food was raised, and much more about what you do with your sexual arousal.