Hated by the world

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first...

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin...

If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.”
(John 15:18, 22, 24)

It is almost ironic that today many biblical passages are considered hate speech by the majority of our society. For example, many will be offended by the statement that homosexuality is something that is forbidden by God. The only thing our world hates is intolerance and those who display intolerance. It is not so much that the world (mainstream society) hates the Christian, but rather the one whom that Christian serves—Jesus.

You either ACCEPT or REJECT the Jesus of the Bible.

When you die, it is either HEAVEN or HELL.

Growing up I went to a Lutheran church. There were a lot of morally good people and friends, but the only thing I received there was a false sense of salvation. I thought I was a good person. I had been baptized as an infant. I had been through confirmation. But that was it, I was too busy trying to please everyone by being “perfect” that I thought I was good enough. I never once had been convicted of my sin and that payment for that sin was required.

God saved me my junior year of high school. I know that some people assumed that—because of what my family was going through—that I had just “turned to religion” and that it was a crutch, a way for me to handle life’s circumstances. Instead, I was truly born again and at that point became a follower of Christ. I also had the privilege of being baptized by my father-in-law at a church in Indiana.

There will be more to come on this topic, but John and I have decided to use ESL (English as a Second Language) as a means to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The tentative plan is to finish and sell the house, pay off all outstanding debts, and enroll John in a 4-week CELTA certification course. From there we are planning on accepting teaching positions in different areas of the world for a few years. If we truly think that this is what God would have for us we will then decide if we can best be used here or abroad. Personally, I would love to be used in some sort of ministry for international students at a good sized university. We’ll see what God has in store, but this is where we are for now.