Question

As a political science major, and a philosophy minor, I am faced on an almost daily basis with questions that aren't exactly easy to answer. One question that I have found to be particularly thought provoking is this: What degree of responsibility do Christians have for fighting evil in the world? When my instructor raised this question in class a couple weeks ago, I was at a loss for words. Why? I suppose I could have given a generic answer but I don't know that there is an easy answer to that question. On one hand, I could have said we have a responsibility to pray and help those in need. In fact, I was tempted to give that as an answer but the more I considered the question, the more difficult it became to give an answer. I started asking myself questions like: Should all Christians "go green"? How should Christians approach issues like abortion or gay rights? What should we as the Body of Christ do about issues like domestic violence and child abuse? Do we have a responsibility to get involved in government? This list of questions kept growing until I came to the following conclusion: I honestly do not know the answer to all of the questions but one thing is clear. We (The Body of Christ) have a responsibility that extends beyond time spent in prayer and the ability to quote scriptures.
Feedback anyone?

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 KJV


This verse of scripture is one of the first I ever learned and it is one that is familiar to many. Let's look at a breakdown of this verse. Those words in the parentheses are definitions from www.dictionary.com .

" For God (Yahweh; the one Supreme Being, the creator and ruler of the universe.) so loved (held in deep affection; cherished) the world that he gave (past tense of give which means: to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation) his only begotten (past participle of beget: to procreate or generate) Son, that whosoever believeth (believes: to have faith in the reliability, honesty, benevolence,etc., of) in him should not perish (to suffer destruction or ruin), but have everlasting (lasting forever; eternal) life."

What a MIGHTY God we serve. A God who looked at mankind in our fallen state and decided to provide us with a means of salvation if we would only believe.

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So many people on any given day find themselves caught up in an endless cycle of behaviors which serve to verify that the human race is more inclined to spectate than be proactive.We, the human race, are a global community of individuals who, by fitting into that category of human beings inherit a responsibility. This responsibility, put simply, is to behave proactively concerning rather than sitting up murmuring about issues affecting other members of the human population.

It is our responsibility to stand up and make an impact. Before you start hesitating and telling me what you lack, reach deep within yourself and consider this fact. Far too often we focus on what we need to make an impact are hidden in plain sight. 
This tendency toward apprehension is a primary reason why the comfortless are still crying, the hungry are still dying, and young people in our communities are still buying into the lie that the streets are their only option.
To those of you who are feeling what I'm saying I have one request. Please join me on this quest to do more than lift my voice to announce a problem. Join me as I work to link with others who will walk with me to try and do our part in finding solutions to problems impacting our global community.

John 3: 16-21

Hello Everyone! 

I would like to direct your attention to John 3: 16-21. Please take a moment to read this passage before reading the rest of this post.

In this passage of scripture we are reminded of how greatly God loves us! He loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die so that we can inherit eternal life. Following this reminder is a brief explanation of the purpose of Christ coming, He did not come to condemn the world, but rather, that the world might be saved through him. Christ, the light, came into the world but mankind loved darkness rather than light. The evidence? Their deeds were evil. The bible is very clear when it says that those who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, because doing so would reveal their evil deeds. Loving the light (Christ) is about more than a statement. When we love Christ we must seek his face and study scripture in an effort to live in such a way that is pleasing in his sight. If you're having trouble with this, no problem. You may either comment here, send me an email at sabrina_hassell@yahoo.com, or simply stay tuned to this blog and follow along as we search scripture to better understand living a Christian life.

This passage of scripture is the starting point for all future study that we will be doing from this point forward.

Until next time,

~Brina

Keep it Real!

Hello Everyone!

As I stated from the beginning, I am on a journey and today I want to take some time to be transparent about some things that have been on my mind.
I have found myself at a place of frustration because I look at the world around me and I see a lot of people ( I was once one of them) who spend a great deal of time telling people what they are supposed to do. They'll tell: "Don't have sex. Stop Drinking. Leave that weed alone. Don't be bitter. Stop getting angry." All of these things are often presented to people and then they are left to wonder how they are supposed to move forward. They want to stop but they have no idea how. This is a cause of concern for me because it has been my experience that the best way to reach people is to real with them. I've had my greatest impacts for Christ on the world around me, not when I was up addressing a congregation or teaching a bible story. Why? From my personal experience, it gets hard to grow spiritually when you have someone who is behaving as if they have always had it all together standing in front of you giving you a lecture on how you are supposed to behave. You are then in a position where you feel like you have a very long way to go and because that person has not taken the time to explain that deliverance is a journey, you get depressed because you didn't arrive at a place of perfection overnight. As a result, instead of feeling conviction about doing to wrong thing, you put yourself in a position to walk in self-condemnation.
I work on a daily basis to be there for my brothers and sisters who are struggling with understanding how to live for Christ. I've learned that walking up and spitting scriptures to them isn't effective. I suppose this should have been obvious. I wouldn't give a baby a steak, so it makes no sense to try to feed the word to a new believer forcefully.
I often say, "Every generation has a revolution. A movement toward positive change. I look around and I don't see a revolution happening in our generation. I believe it's because many people are sitting back waiting for someone else to start it. That's error. The day is TODAY. The Revolution starts with YOU."
Let's spend less time making people feel like they're playing bible dodge ball, and more time showing the love of Christ to the lost.
Question: What things can we do to move toward showing the love of Christ and speaking truth while not forgetting to be real with people?

Until next time.....

~Brina

Duty

Hello Ladies and Gents,

A recent exercise in the Ethics class I am taking sparked a lot of debate and and raise many questions so I thought it would be a good idea to share this with all of you and get some feedback.
 Three questions were asked to get us started:
1. Do we have a duty to others?
2. Do we have a duty to all people?
3. How do you prioritize when faced with a conflict of duty?

These question led me to think about Mathew 7:12 which reads." Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. This verse led me to my answers of
1. yes
2. yes
3. My duty is to God first and foremost because I believe that my loyalty to God and the teachings of Christ will allow me to live the most moral and ethical life possible. This duty will lead to me having a duty to others over having a duty to myself. Why? In my view, as long as I have my basic needs there is no reason for me to be stingy and refuse to help others who are in need. Now on the question of conflict of duty, I believe in helping whoever is most in need first. Those whose situations are not critical have needs that are less urgent and should, therefore, not be placed above the needs of those whose needs are more severe.
What are your thoughts?

Until next time,

~Brina

A Few Thoughts

Hello Ladies and Gents!

There are more posts coming soon that coincide with exploring what true Christianity really is. I apologize for the delay, I've just had a really busy few weeks. I will make every effort to update this blog on a weekly basis and respond to any comments or questions you may have in a timely fashion.

In the meantime, I invite you to feel free to connect with me on other social networking sites or send me an email with any subjects you may like to see covered here on the blog.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sabrina.hassell
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Bribridatzme
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/freespiritedone08
email: sabrina_hassell@yahoo.com

Thanks for stopping by and have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

~Brina

Introduction

Greetings!

When I started this blog a short time ago, I was anxious to spread the truth of the gospel and start the sort of conversation that would lead to that truth. If we examine the history of the church from the very beginning of time to today, we will find that the enemy of our souls has always been and is still busy. That's one of those things that most people are aware of. The thing that has caught my attention, however, is how mankind has remixed the Word of God. To be honest, I was taken aback by the extent to which human beings have gone to water down and muddy up the TRUTH.

Of course, my stance is not one of judgment because as a Christian I realize that I, too, have my part in the mess that has continued for all this time. Why? Because, to me, you are either a part of the solution or you are inactively contributing to the problem. So...... I've decided to do something that I probably should have started years ago when the questions in my mind began. I have decided to be honest about the fact that I have questions and to actively seek out the answers to those questions through further research. I'm past the point in my life where I can be content listening to what is slid across a podium at me on Sunday mornings on Wednesday nights and taking it to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Nope..... This salvation thing is eternal and I believe that as Proverbs 4:7 states,

 "Wisdom is the principal thing;

therefore get wisdom:                                               and with all thy getting get understanding."

 That's not to slight the men and women who stand before us and preach the Gospel. I am simply recognizing that, for me, there are questions that I must have the answers to. And yes, I realize that there are some things that God holds as secrets, but as a result of a little research I have realized that sometimes we are told that the answers to questions are secret or not to for us to know because the answer will mess with the twisted theology being sold.
I have also come to realize that not all things we have come to practice are founded in scripture. So, basically, since it is getting a little hard to tell when the hand prints of man end and the sacred Words of God and the practices ordained by God begin. I have resolved to embark on a personal journey to find TRUTH, because at the end of the day, I would rather be pleasing God and outside of mainstream theology, than stuck in a rut of blind sheep syndrome and never discover what is REAL.
For those of you who are concerned, let me ease your fears, I will ALWAYS believe that God (the father of Abraham), Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are REAL. That isn't going anywhere. My concern lies in the gray areas, or those areas in which the thinking and practices of this world have seeped into the church.
My assignment is to become enlightened and share what I learn by way of teaching to all of those who will hear it.
On today, April 19, 2011.... I begin this journey to shine light on truth. Will you join me?