Spiritual Johns and NSA Christianity

NSA Christianity is killing the church. NSA is an acronym that means No Strings Attached.  People use it when they want sleep to around.  It's creating a church full of Spiritual Johns---not the John the Baptist kind of John. A John is someone who pays a prostitute for intimacy. They give money, and they get intimacy. They have no commitment. They get their rush and  leave. Real intimacy is costly. It requires commitment and time. It only exists in true relationship.

Spiritual Johns thrive in NSA (No Strings Attached) Christianity, and by thrive I mean die. They go from church to church, meeting to meeting, and event to event looking for an intimate experience with God without relationship. They never find it so they are always seeking. They never become conformed to His image because they never live in community.  God is Trinity. He exists in community. If you don’t exist in community you are not like Him. In the Trinity, there is no “me”. There is only “us.” He says, "Let us create man in our image". The Trinity is not narcissistic, it looks outward. For God so loved the world, is at the heart of His essence.

Saul

Saul was a Spiritual John. He practiced NSA religion. He would encounter God’s Spirit, but he never had relationship. He never fully submitted himself to other Godly people.  In 1 Samuel 19 we read that he wanted to kill David. He was full of jealousy, envy, and hate. In verses 23-24 the Spirit of God comes  and he prophesied. He is so “moved” he even laid all day and night before the Lord. Spiritual Johns would rather get laid out than have their lives changed.. If he lived in relation with Samuel and even David, he may have been restored. But, that would have been humbling. It would have been costly.

He had no commitment to the Lord or Samuel. If he did, he may not have had the Kingdom taken from him. Saul was only committed to Himself. When it served his needs, he came into God’s presence. But, he never let that presence into him. He never re-committed himself to Samuel. He was an island to himself.

It’s easier to lay down on a church floor than it is to be committed. Saul's story has all the makings of a great testimony without the life change. It would have been a great service. Videos would be posted online, revival would be proclaimed, and everybody would think God was pleased. Still, NO LIFE CHANGE HAPPENED. Saul was “spiritual” as long as he was in God’s presence. As soon as he left, he was the regular murderous and envious Saul.

Intimacy has Strings

Spiritual Johns are at the center of their own spirituality. It’s not a spirituality focused on Jesus or others. It’s a pseudo spirituality focused on “me”. Many Charismatic/Pentecostal Christians refuse commitment and treat church like a prostitute. They come and seek God for their own happiness and fulfillment. They give to get. They sow seeds because they want some magic for their finances, not because they care for others. Spiritual Johns lack true anointing because anointing in birthed in intimacy. Intimacy is nurtured in commitment.  

Spiritual Johns are destroying our church. Lack of community is producing ungodly people. When you live in community, you can’t hide your ugliness. You can’t fake it with people who know you.  Intimacy is built on trust and honesty. There are no secrets in the Trinity. There is openness and honesty. There is self sacrifice and love. There is no self-seeking. Many of today’s ministries are built on the sand of self satisfaction.

Attach strings to your spiritual walk.

George Wahsington Carver's Keys to Greatness

George Washington Carver was awesome. Here are some of his keys to success.

Be clean both inside and out.

Neither look up to the rich nor down on the poor.

Lose, if need be, without squealing.

Win without bragging.

Always be considerate of women, children, and older people.

Be too brave to lie.

Be too generous to cheat.

Take your share of the world and let others take theirs.

Thoughts on Homosexuals

After speaking with some people who struggle with this subject, I figured I’d weigh in. I will let the generals and legislators decide the Don't Ask Don't Tell issue, but, I figure that if we are going to make sinlessness a prerequisite for serving in the military, it’s going to be a small Army.

I was born this way

I have to apologize to all of my Christian friends. I am going against the flow and saying, “Yes, some people are born gay." Many of you won’t agree. In fact, some will be extremely upset. Being born gay makes sense to me. I have never struggled with homosexuality, but I have met Christians who do. It’s a real battle they face, and not all of them caught it through an act of molestation

I was born with the desire to have things my way. Since I was little, I wanted to play the games I liked with my rules. I didn’t like to share my toys. No one taught me that. It came naturally. I was born with the desire to lie when threatened. It’s not a learned behavior. It comes easily to me.  I didn’t learn this. It comes from the inside, but that doesn’t make it right.

With all due respect, just because you were born with same-sex attraction doesn’t make it acceptable. Were people born that way? Sure. Is it ok? No. I want to be more than my natural desires. I want to rise above this lifeless existence and experience the beauty, truth and grace that are in Jesus Christ. 

Animals are gay so I can be gay too

People say that since there are homosexual tendencies in the animal world,  we should accept them in ours. They even note dolphins who have blow-hole intercourse.  My dog is fond of a stuffed lion, and she poops in the closet. I don’t poop there, and I am not friendly with the lion. Animals do a lot of stupid things that we should avoid.

Sodom was destroyed for homosexuality

Read your bible. I might have been just because of homosexuality, but I read in Ezekiel that it was much more than that. They were destroyed for being arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned with the poor and needy.

"Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me." Ezekiel 16:49-50

When was the last time the Christian right protested arrogance and selfishness? We get bent out of shape over gays in the military, but we are OK with people starving and freezing to death. We won’t picket the arrogant or selfish. We’re never seen standing outside a mall on Black Friday protesting the greed and selfishness that is destroying society. We don’t line up in front of The Golden Corral and blast the countless overweight Americans gorging themselves while others starve in the streets. But God forbid, a homosexual grab a riffle. Are we arrogant, overfed, pride, and unconcerned for the poor? When was the last time you head that preached?

No Offense

If you’re gay. I don’t mean to offend you. I don’t think it’s an acceptable lifestyle, but I don’t blame you. I won’t reject you. It’s a personal issue you will have to work out with Him. For me, it's like other life choices. You don't have to agree with my religion for me to love you, and you don't have to be like me for me to like you.

Homosexuality is not the worst thing in the world, by any means. Selfishness, arrogance, and ignoring the poor are far worse. I don’t have to agree with your choices, and you don’t have to agree with mine. You may think believing in Jesus is a moral travesty. I've been told that. And if you would like help dealing with some issues, let me know. I can get you in touch with some very confidential people who know what it's like. Let’s focus less on arguing and more on helping those in need. God likes that.

Yes, Offense

If you hate gay people. I'd like to offend you. You are probably more wrong than they are. Stop being an idiot and love people. I mean to offend you only to the point where you will look at your hate and change. I mean to challenge you to love people more than you hate them.