The Waters

Over the centuries life has been compared to the sea.  The waters are all of life's events and we are ships navigating the waters.  The waters get rough and toss us to and fro.  In the rough times we must do the unthinkable.  There is only one thing to do.  In the hard times, when the storms toss us up against the shores the only thing we can do is step off the ship.

Each one of us must do as Peter did.  When Christ bids us to come to Him we must step off the ship and walk on the waves (see Matthew 14:22-32).  As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus we can walk on the waves without fear.  Being a fallen people as we are, we doubt and see the fierceness of the waves taking our eyes off Jesus.  When we take our eyes from the Lord we will sink as Peter did on the sea.  Peter instantly does what it takes years of sink for many of us to do.  Peter called out to Christ to save him.  It is not a salvation of just water, the come, believe then do whatever you want brand, when Christ saves Peter from drowning.  Saves him bodily.  Salvation is not only a spiritual act, it is a physical act as well.  Peter enters into the water and is drawn out by a hand that is nailed to the cross.  Salvation is not water, but is also blood.  It must be both.  Without the cross and resurrection, the real historical act, baptism is meaningless.  If there is no  cross and Easter Sunday in history, then everything that is believed by Christians is a fantasy.  It is merely moral principles.  We are saved by entering into the waters and participating in Christ's death and resurrection  each and everyday.  Each day water and blood is given forth for us.  We must choose to be washed in it each day.  At the end of our days when we come before judgement; we will be judged according to how we lived in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Faith will be expressed in our actions, just coming to Church on Sunday is meaningless if it is not reflected in everyday life.  If we do not live the faith each day then we have sunk into the sea not asking the Pierced One to reach down to pull us back up.  When we do ask Him everything changes, we will falter and stumble, He stumbled under the weight of the cross as He carried it.  We are asked to carry a cross too.  Not on a chain around our necks or as a tattoo on our body.  We are asked to carry the same cross Christ carried.  Are we up for the challenge?  Christ thought so.

Christ centered education, formation for life.

In the life of a Christian there comes a time that we must learn that people have agendas of their own. People form agendas to get their own way and beliefs to be promoted. This is not learning or education, it is manipulation of people through finding data to fit conclusions that are already made. Education is a presentation of evidence and allowing people to come to conclusions that follow from the evidence. In any education people must be willing to say to others that they are wrong, presenting them with evidence and showing how the argument fails to follow from the evidence.

The biggest problem with arguments is in the meaning of words. The only reason this problem ever came into existence is because people started to forget that words have meanings and those meanings are important. The only reason that words are important is that words have in them the power to create, destroy and change. They are not simply arbitrary letters given a meaning through societal conventions. Words have a meaning for one reason and one reason alone. The reason is simply, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not" (Jn. 1:1-5). The Word was spoken in the darkness and all things came into being. What's a word? It's a name. A name for an idea, a thing, a place, etc. All words are really names of a sort. But what's in a name that gives it power? Moses asked that question and was answered. I AM.

When we realize that it is I AM (YHWH) gives all things being, than we realize that we must submit to One who is greater. The One who gives us being. In the Gospel of Luke (5:1-11) Jesus comes to the shores of a lake and is being followed by a great crowd of people. He got into the boat belonging to Simon and cast off from the shore alittle to teach the crowds. After He was finished teaching, Jesus told Peter to cast out into deeper water and cast the nets over the side of the boat. By doing as Christ commanded Peter caught a great catch, so great that he could not bring it in on his own. So is it with us, when we follow Christ and push out into the deep waters of life. Not staying in the safe shoals of what we want and personal agendas, but going into the depths of faith guided by Christ.