Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
Acts 9:22

first off, i have nothing against the jews (i get e-mails everytime i say something, i figured i’d just get it out of the way now). with that said, why on earth would the jews get mad at saul? the next verse states that they even started to plan to kill him! but again, why?

well let’s go back and check out where saul came from.

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
Acts 9:1-2

the answer seems to be that he was one of them, and had changed his mind. people change their mind right? that is allowed correct? well, just mostly. now once again i’d like to reiterate that this is not how i feel most jews or any group of people are normaly. however, i do beleive that it’s a warning that even the greatest of people can do really stupid things.

the church itself does things like this, look at the split between the catholics and protestant churches. why would you want such a division between people that have views that are so close? i don’t know, but apparently it happens.

there’s another topic here, those who are “worthy” to be let into the church. anyone can come into the presence of the Lord, it’s their choice. there isn’t a set template that everything must follow all the time. saul, who would become one the most foremost shapers of the modern church, started as a killer of the church. so why can’t the pot smoker, the surfer, the alcoholic, the widow, the children, the elderly, or anyone else for that matter come to church? well, the trick is, they can, and they do, and we need to love them all in the same way that God has loved us. do we have to condone all that they do? no, if it makes them stumble and stray from the path of light then it’s bad (a topic for another time).

all in all, love everyone because you never know who they will be become.

They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.� These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
-Jude 1:18-19

lets be honest, there’s always people that follow their own desires. however, this is one of those verses that needs to be taken in context. the scoffers (in my understanding) are those that are in the church and claim to belive parts of the gospel, but are only in it for evil. they are the people that find witchcraft and pornography exceptable. they serve an evil master, not the good and perfect Lord that is Jesus Christ.

But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
-Jude 1:12-21

so what do we do about it? well, jude give us some inspired words here. we are not to tear down those that would try to divide us. instead, we are to built up those that are around us. i beleive that means even praying for and trying to help the scoffers that try to tear us down.

the church (as a world wide organization) is based on love. first on the love that God has for us, and then the love that we reflect from God onto each other. to quote the gook of 1John (again) “We love because he first loved us” (1John 4:19).

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.
-Jude 1:2

i was sitting in church this sunday and thinking about the subjects of mercy and grace and it was all good and fine. durring the day got to practice and that was all well and fine too. it’s easy for me to forgive others and be at peace about things. others. that becomes a problem, especially with me and this site because i’m so merciful to myself, and definately not always very loving. i’m my own worst crititc afterall.

however, after thinking about it a few things started to dawn on me. for one, it’s not all about me and what i can do, ti’s what i can allow God to do through. the peace that can be experiened by doing the will of God is a wonderful thing. the love that you can feel for others can actually help you to love yourself more, i’ve noticed this with myself on many occations. the idea of love they neighbor isn’t a new one (it goes back to the ten comandments afterall), however it’s the as theyself that gets me at times and it creates an intereting circle. love others, you can love yourself, love youself you can love others, it goes both ways.

for me it has come down to knowing the peace from being merciful to others and being able to love them and myself.