What in the World is Holiness??

What in the world is holiness? Is it how we dress? How we look? How we act?

Sitting in a sermon not too long ago it was frankly stated that our perceived concept of "holiness" would be the magical Golden Willy Wonka ticket into heaven.

I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, pull what remaining hair I had, strip my clothes and garner the "sack-cloth and ashes" attire.

How arrogant and ignorant of us!!! For so long we have operated under the auspices of man conceived "holiness" with the sprinkling of convenient scripture that hermeneutically are wrong and quoted out of context.

I fear that we have idolized standards and transposed it into a physically self appointed holiness. We throw scripture around recklessly to support our ill-conceived notions of what we think God wants, how He wants it, and what He is pleased with.

God clearly states that we should have no other idols before us. Isn't it ironic that we place standards aka holiness equal with God and judge the merit of one's salvific relationship with God based on that? Isn't that idolatry??

Now before anyone has an heart attack and questions where I stand on standards: I would say I believe in standards, understand their purpose, and believe its conducive to a Christian walk with Jesus Christ. I love modesty in ALL things as the by-product of relationship with the product, Jesus Christ. But I have problem not with the requirement of it but with the priority of where we place it.

Holiness is not the physical manifestation of what or how one dresses or even possesses in ones house. Lets cut the spiritual facade folks!!...those are standards. Holiness is taking on the spirit of God. His character, his ways, etc. Becoming like Him not through dress but through a deepened spirituality.

It pains me. It frustrates me. It causes me angst. When I see people touting the banner of holiness based off of dress, standards, etc as the way or path to heaven with Jesus Christ and His infinite mercy treated as an accessory....Holiness is not a lifestyle or dress code BUT IT IS AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD!!! It is a deepened and heightened awareness and cloaking of ones spirituality with the nature and wholeness of God better yet a saturation of the spirit of God that then influences and dictates ones life.

The problem that belies many Pentecostals and/or Christians is that your identity is wrapped in your dress. Your validation and spiritual DNA is coded not through Jesus Christ but yet by your "holiness."

Therefore, we are shallow as Christians. We are immature and yet still babes in Christ! We don't desire more of Christ other than the intiality of our conversion. We cannot get over outer-court living and surface level teachings because it is our baby blanket of identity.

Because going deeper in God lends wisdom and knowledge which will require sacrifice, a challenge to our notion of spirituality, and thorough knowledge of God. Accompanying all that is a responsibility and fidelity to anewed action....thru Christ...and we dont want that....we like surface level teachings, the reaffirmation of our identity...and our baby blanket of comfort.

Thus we are reduced to glorifying the regurgitation of holiness and whoop and holler about our identity through dress instead of the beautiful nature of Christ.

The million dollar question presented is that if stripped of your clothing or your "holiness"...not that so you were naked but we stripped you of your "identity" wrapped in dress/holiness....

Would you look discernably different than the world? Because if dress...oh I meant your "holiness" is the only thing that separates you from the world...then my friend you are lost, blind, and confused.

The crux is stated here...that the mark of a Christian is not looking different.....but it is the innate nature of your soul and spirit that is changed thus markedly changing ones appearance...and that's true holiness folks....the taking on of Jesus Christ and the fulness Him!

My Neighbour's Garage: Too much Junk in da Trunk

Someone recently told me that I am a little to confrontational in my postings and the message tends to be a little harsh which I promptly told her that Jesus and his message was harsh yet true but I digress.....I shall write with a little more tenderness....where was I? Oh yes my neighbour's garage.....

The Lord speaks to me in weird ways...sometimes its through deep thought, sola scriptura, or real life examples that become a spiritual metaphor with a deep meaning or spiritual inclination and this was one of those instances:

As I was cleaning the yard with my dad which involve me throwing sticks and branches into a pile (I thought of them as spears lol) like King Leonidas from 300 without all the muscles of course but I happen to glance next door at all the junk in their garage and disgustedly thought, "Clean your yard and garage up, you degenerates!" If I could paint a picture, their garage was filled with junk but like a piece of carved wood there was a carved niche of space in all their junk and crap that barely fit their car. Not to mention their house is painted a weird light neon/avocado green....but..

Immediately the Lord spoke and said, "That is how some people are. Their lives are messy, transparent, and one can see how screwed up their life very plainly. On the other hand, there are many people that portray a clean house, a precised and edged yard, and depict a good picture but if I were to walk down the corridors and hallways of their "house" I would find dust, cluttered closets, packed basements, and stuff shoved hidden out of sight under their bed."

Then He impressed me with this thought. "I desire the messy, dirty, and screwed up people much more than the seasoned saint who deceives themself with their coverings. The messed up people are easier to work with and not inherently deceitful nor live under the guise of false pretenses or under the self assuring illusions of perceived salvation."

Wow...talk about getting whammed! Immediately, my life needed a reality check and I prayed Lord forgive me! I told my dad and he had no interest because his basement is rather cluttered....so he muttered something that sounded between a grunt and "yeahh thats good" and continued on his way.

But I was left standing with the thought that I don't want to serve God under false pretenses or with illusions of holiness....because while I may look holy, clean, or pure...in reality I am wicked, deceitful, and my heart faileth me.....the heart is deceitful...who can know it? the scripture says.... and also judging people from my perch is really easy to do. God purge me from judging others and their life...but let me help them and serve them.

So while this isn't an excuse for you to live like a pig but it is a call for us as Christians to check our self. To make sure the corridors and hallways of our hearts are pure and match the outside appearance of our neat and clean "house" aka body.

For if the body and outside is pure and exudes "holiness" but the heart is wicked then what does a man profit? I say nothing.....for he is deceiving his own self into destruction,......

Racist and Christian...How does that work?

Across the evangelical landscape and still prevalent within Pentecostal circles is a stigma that blankets minorities as undesirable, unwanted, and its just really not acceptable. How do I know? Because I am one and trust me, I don't have a minority chip on my shoulder either. The only chip present is the one placed there by scripture which you and I have to wrestle with.

It totally baffles me how people profess Christ and even better yet wave the Holy Ghost banner so freely and boldly yet their mouths, actions, and words tell the truth of the content and character of their heart. From racial jokes to witty quips and the free usage of terms deemed unfit for even the secular world but yet we somehow have become numb and insensitive to Christ and His message of love.

I am reckoned and forced to confront any hatred for anyone in my heart for any reason and not only confront but extinguish it because scripture specifically 1 John 4:20 bluntly paints me a liar if I hate my brother yet proclaim a love for God.

Therefore the question that confronts everyone of every race is how can we profess Jesus Christ and yet expect Jesus Christ to co-habitat with our racism? How does Christianity coincide with our blatant disregard, unconcern, and bigotry for people that don't fit the bill or right skin pigment?

Well, surprise surprise...the answer is that it doesn't!!! Your profession of Christ and even the speaking in tongues until your tongue is blistered does nothing but call you a liar if you can't love your brother: and yes that is of every race, color, and creed.

If you can't handle that.....I'd tell you to quit misrepresenting Jesus Christ and shed the label you so proudly wear as a "Christian" because you resemble nothing of Him except His pests so aptly known as the Pharisees.

If this world is going to be saved...its going to require that we love with unconditioned love that stretches past stigmas, traditions, and hatred. It requires that you see people through the eyes of Jesus Christ.

Until then......you are a liar.....harsh...I know...I had to confront myself. Now go and do likewise!