I love learning! I've spent most of my life chasing the truth. Here is a little bit about my background:
I grew up in a church that celebrated many of the Jewish feasts and holy days. We didn't eat any of the "unclean" foods listed in the Old Testament and we worshiped on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). Eventually, there was a split in the church and half of the congregation changed their belief system to adopt more modern "Christian" traditions. This left me, as a teenager, very confused about which way was right.
I eventually wound up in a Pentecostal church and a few years after that, I began working full time in the ministry. I was finally able to celebrate all of the things that I was taught not to as a child. I loved working in the ministry. I loved the insight that I gained. I loved the relationship I finally felt with the Lord, and above all, I loved feeling like everyone else. After years of being the strange kid in school that didn't believe in Santa, or the person who always had to ask if the meat in the meal was beef or pork... it felt nice to just enjoy life without pressure that I was constantly doing something wrong.
I worked full time in the ministry until 2011 and I suddenly reached a point of burn-out. I felt like God was telling me to find balance. I returned to a secular job and began focusing more on my personal walk. When you work in the ministry, you give so much of your time and energy towards loving, supporting and growing others that sometimes you forget to keep growing yourself. I got hungry for something more. I yearned to go deeper.
I began reading and listening to messages online. I couldn't get enough information. What I didn't realize was that the more I learned, the closer I came to the very thing that I had spent 16 years running from. All of a sudden, the principals that I was taught as a child were staring me in the face, forcing me re-evaluate the things I had grown to believe.
Isn't it just like God, in the moments that we feel like we've got it all figured out, He upsets our little apple cart and gently reminds us that there is a whole lot more to the story than we could ever imagine. It's time for us as believers to conduct a spiritual audit.. and that's what brings me here today.
I'm on a quest to find the truth.
There are things in this world that are in-explainable. In the same manner, there are things in our Christian faith that are incomprehensible. We live in a world that tries to rationalize scripture with modern vernacular without considering the history behind it. Therefore, half of the readers absolve it by proclaiming that "some things aren't meant to be understood", while the other half walk away and mock it as some ridiculously mysterious mound of puzzle pieces that don't fit. These are the ones who take it upon themselves to challenge our doctrine and ridicule our principles because they know that there is no rational explanation with which we can counter.
The truth of the matter is that God never intended his Word to be confusing. I believe that the key to unlocking scripture, lies in our history. The deeper into the history that you go, the clearer the Bible becomes but beware: it may radically shake the foundation of your principles.
“If you obey what I say, then you are really my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
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