Battered

Today (actually Sunday, March 3rd), attending Christian Faith Center in Federal Way, soon to be hosting The Thorn: Easter Experience, which is described as "The Passion of the Christ meets Cirque du Soleil," I learned the importance of the attention and control of your life that God requires in a relationship with him. Not granting such to Him and including Him in every facet of your life could result in behavior that is unbecoming of Him, whom you have pledged your life and being to in gratitude for your unrepayable debt to Him for saving you from your faulty ways, without which, you would be helplessly suffering for eternity. Accepting His fellowship in exchange for His unyielding control of your thoughts, behaviors, and spending habits not only grants you His love and support, but guides you to carry yourself in ways that worthily represent him.

First and foremost, the most important thing in any person's life is to fulfill one's intended purpose of having a relationship with God. "Jesus doesn't want to be in one moment that changes the rest of your life, He wants to be in your every moment," Generations Pastor Caleb Treat explains. The pastor specifies, "He wants to have a say in every decision you're making," but that is only made possible by keeping constant company with Him through communion with the Holy Spirit.

Having fellowship with God enables Him to guide your decisions and establishes an accountable environment that avoids unnecessary probing. Immediately following the fall of man, when Adam and Eve committed the only possible atrocity against our Lord by eating the fruit which He had forbidden of them, God couldn't find Adam, so He asked where he was. In reply, Adam said that he was naked, so he hid when he heard God coming. Adam hadn't learned the idea of nakedness from God, who was concerned by where else Adam might be obtaining new information from. Before addressing whether or not Adam ate the forbidden fruit, God asks Adam "who told you that you were naked?" (Gen 3:9-11)

Pastor Treat points out to the congregation that the intent of God's inquiry was to find out whose company had influenced Adam to internalize information he hadn't previously received in God's presence and state offhandedly "your fellowship is not with me." Treat tells that when you don't regularly experience God's presence, answers to questions such as "Who were you with?", "Who have you been talking to?", "Why didn't you come to me?", and "Why aren't we closer?" are owed to God.

Many have relationships with God that are like a lot of long distance friendships, Treat points out. You talk and get back in touch and feel a new found commitment to each other, but gradually lose touch again after the chores and responsibilities of life start to get in the way. Similarly, he says, people come to a moving church service, causing them to find again their excitement for our Heavenly Father and be true to their commitment to Him by praying and attending church services regularly, buying the sermons on CD to hear again, buying books at the church's bookstore, and tithing, but lose track of their good habits when rest of their lives catch up to them. The only way to fulfill your obligation of the union between you and God without drifting away from his ever necessary grace is, again, to spend all of your moments in his presence and giving Him his deserved control over you that is evident through praying and attending church services regularly, buying the sermons on CD to hear again, buying books at the church's bookstore, and tithing, which is made exceedingly easy by the church, who leaves tithing envelopes that provide payment options of cash, check, VISA, Master Card, Discover, and American Express on all of the pews for you upon entry. To ensure you don't forget to accept God's companionship with your obedience, Christian Faith center ushers, bucket in hand, are conveniently located at the door on your way out of the sanctuary.

(Edit 3/4/13 ): There is another great way to walk in His company coming up on April 5th and 6th. Christian Faith Center will be hosting The Thorn: East Experience, a spiritual experience provided to His followers for a modest ticket price of $15-20.