The Irony about Living

What if the health of a person was directly proportional to their willingness to die? What if a church's health was directly proportional to its willingness to die? Here's what I think...I think both statements are true. The most alive people, the most spiritually alive persons are those who are willing to lay thier lives down for that which ultimately matters. Churches that are laying themselves down are the most vibrant communities on earth- feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, sharing the gospel, healing the hurting. Show me a sick, self-consumed (i want to be comfortable and happy), enemic, impotent church and I'll show you a church that has stoppped giving itself away. THey have shifted into survival mode. Here's what I think, I think we have been tricked. Tricked to believe thier really is a survival mode. But I don't really think there is a survival mode. Perhaps survival mode has really been mislabeled all along. Survival mode is more appropriately called burial mode. Here's the irony- be willing to die to yourself and live, or continuing living for yourself and you will surely die. Same for individuals, churches, communities, nations, ... Oh it's what Jesus said(ref. Matthew 16.25).

Bible 101: a sin ISN'T a sin

a sin is a sin, right? well no. this common quoted statement, "a sin is a sin" is false or at the very least misleading. i heard a woman say recently, doesn't the bible say that a "sin is a sin." to which the preacher's daughter to whom she was speaking speaking responded, 'yes.' hmmmm, where does it say that? i don't know of a single verse in the bible that says a sin is sin. people use this phrase as a way of saying there are no big sins and little sins. but i've got be honest, i totally disagree with that. while the BIBLE does teach that the RESULT of all sin is seperation (rom. 3.23 and 6.23) from God, i do not think it is true that a rolling stop at a country intersection is the same as premeditated murder. to say they are the same is an affront to common sense, and densies the obvious and differing scale of impact. i mean come on! all sin seperates us from God, true. but the folk religion that teaches that all sins are totally equal is misleading and perhaps even heretical. there isn't a single verse in the bible (i'm still looking) that says 'a sin is a sin.' it's just not there, maybe because the statement isn't true.
okay...i feel better now. you can tell me what you think...