God was with us in an amazing way Sunday morning during our worship gathering at The Gate.  Our series on “If” has been about keeping the dream alive about the possibilities God has in mind for us.  God made the nation of Israel wander in the wilderness for 40 years as a punishment for not trusting him to deliver the Promised Land into their hands after they heard the report from the Israelite spies about how large the people of the land were.  They wandered because God saw their lack of faith as contempt for him since they had already seen miracles like the parting of the Red Sea and the plagues (Numbers 14:22-23).

“If” is the dream of what it is God wants our church to become for his purposes.  But, other “if’s” get in the way, otherwise known as “if only’s” (i.e. If only we had more money).  To combat the negative if’s, on Sunday we had an “If Happens” wall where people could write down some of the amazing things God has done for them.  It is a reminder of what God has done and an encouragement that he will do more if we just trust him to take us into the promise of the vision of a vibrant Christian community.  We’ll have it in the commons area for people to add to it anytime on Sunday mornings and, when it’s filled up, we’ll display it at our church office on Union Street.

Feel free to share your “if happens” here as well.

Radio stations on my car radio go in and out here in our little corner of Northeast Ohio.  Today I was flipping through channels on the way to work and came across the Imus In The Morning show.  A Catholic priest was sharing the differences between Christianity and other religions.

Imus had an open mind and asked some great questions, which the priest handled pretty well for the most part.  Imus pointed out that Tiger Woods is a Buddhist and that people have suggested that his path to salvation would be easier if he were a Christian. Then THE question came.  It’s the one question that’s like the perfect pitch in softball that’s chest level and over the middle of the plate – ripe for an evangelistic home run.  Imus asked: Is Christianity the easiest way to salvation?

The priest said that other religions are about rules, but Christianity is about a person – Jesus Christ.  He is certainly right, but he hit a triple when he could have hit a grand slam.  Every other religion is about earning your way to heaven.  Through Jesus Christ, salvation is absolutely free!  If Tiger would ask Jesus to forgive him of all his sins right now, he would be free from them right now.  No strings attached.  Nothing more to be done.

If you feel weighed down by your sins, just ask Jesus to forgive you and to save you from them.  It’s that easy.  If you want more info, just comment on this blog and ask me not to post it (if you wish).  I’d be honored to chat with you about him.