Reducing God??

I've learnt a few things coming up to Dauphin about God, myself and marriage. I've noticed that I have a very selfish side, that there is a very strong, sometimes successfull evil spiritual realm. I will not say that this realm will defeat God because it never will but do not under estimate Satan's power. I've also come to realize that I never saw marriage for what it was before. Yes everyone said it was tough and yes I've heard all those common stories. Yes some are true and some are not even remotely close the the truth. I've learnt that there has to be sacrafice in marriage, but there is also a time where you have to stand your ground. I've come to also realize that there are times where even if it makes my wife cry or hurt badly I can't always base my decisions on that just to make her smile and jump with joy. Man many times I've made decisions that have hurt her, I've made decisions where I wished I could take it back and take the easy road but it's not what God wanted. I think some of these things some christians over look and don't realize that this life has pain, and it's impossible to make everyone happy. The right decisions in many instances do hurt people, maybe not physically but it challenges our human nature to step it up. It challenges us to the point where we go AHHHHH NOOOO!!! The flesh SCREAMS for the easy way out and does not want discipline or sacrafice. I've also learnt that God has never told us that his promise for us was a brand spanking new cadillac with all the bells and whistles. I've also learnt that I could never justify myself to wear a 5000 dollar suit just to attract people to God. Then these people show up going oh my goodness God wants me to be rich, yet when they are called to Africa to serve as missionaries to kids who are thankful for a rusty, crooked framed bike these people FLEE from God. Now I am not saying that every person is called to Africa but come on lets get a reality check going. It makes me sick to think that I have to dress in a 5000 dollar suit to attract someone to God, when in reality God says integrity and honesty is more important. In reality it's the suit and materials attracting people, the things God is very much against. He's not against material items, such as money or cars, but when you USE those items then I believe it's idolatry. You should be attracting people like Jesus did, or like John the Baptist did. John wasn't even close to the best dressed man, and Peter just spoke God's word to the lame to make them walk. I don't remember anywhere in that story about people being attracted because of the finest linnens, they were attracted because their needs were met. Their diseases were healed, the lame walked, lepers healed, Jesus loving on them even on the so called evil tax collectors. People were attracted because Jesus broke the barriers no one else dared to do. Oh I am sure many people back in those days wanted to break those barriers. I am sure many wanted to accept the lepers and show compassion, but if that happened all hell would break loose. Everyone who had shown compassion would be horribly mocked and may be put to death? Now talk about peer pressure sheesh!! Jesus broke the barriers and he gave all he had, no where does it say from what I had read many times that Jesus gave the best Charriots to the people. Imagine this ok? Imagine a the Cadillac of Chariots back then, it had the best horses money could buy. It had all the bells and whistles, what ever the person wanted for the chariot he got it. Did Jesus give these items? NO!!! Over and over again you see your faith has made you well. Jesus said this after every healing basically, and told people because of your faith it has made you well. It's diseases and unconditional love and acceptance by a most holy God that is such an awesome gift. Now I am not against nice cars, lots of money, and i am no where near perfect. How insulting is it though to say a suit of that expense or a car of such expense is the only way to bring people to God?? Then you are degrading God to such a selfish humanistic level it would make him vomitt. You are reducing God to a material item made by man. Reducing the creator of all things to an expense, and you by pass all his miracles? You know why great miracles don't happen in churches at times? Because the holy spirit is no where to be found. The holy Spirit rather attend a church of 5 people who are on fire for God than a church filled with 20,000 people singing contemporary worship songs who feel great from the rush. You will see far greater miracles in a church of 3 people on fire for God than the 20,000 who are raising their hands to heaven, yet are far from him. They raise their hands in worship, have that tingly rush and WOW GOD IS HERE!! WOWY!!! AWESOME GOD HE REIGNS!!!! Gimme a break! Yes he is awesome but I cannot reduce him to a material item. I've seen some pretty cool things happen at First Baptist here in Dauphin that I have never seen anywhere else. Now I am not saying God is not present in other churches, but why all of a sudden can I now hear angels singing? I'm saddened, but at the same time mad at the way some churches are degrading our God. How some have to have the next best technology to bring the harvest in, yet that's not what brought the people in in the Bible. I am saddened that some of the churches now a days have lost touch of who God is. What God can actually do in life, and have also lost the realization of the spiritual realm. Some stuff I hear now I am appalled at about what some preachers say you need to do in order to reach out to people. Let me give you some advice and I'll list them right now:

1. Admitt you are a human and you make mistakes

2. Show integrity and honesty, yet tell people you are not perfect

3. Show compassion and mercy

4. Sacrafice things for others, and put their needs ahead of yours if possible.
We can't always give everything we have, but sometimes God does call us to do so, but we definately need to have wisdom in this area. Sometimes sacrafice just means letting another person jump ahead of you in line and that means you wait another 10 minutes while that person may only have to wait one or two minutes.

5. Don't pretend to be someone you're not, never ever ever ever ever ever pull up in a Caddy to impress and draw in people to God just because a tape or a well known pastor told you so. If you prefer an old 50's pick up and people don't like it that's fine. If people fun from God because of it, it's not your fault. Just take a look at John 6:60 and so on where people actually left Jesus because they did not like the hard teaching. Some people will stick with you some will not, and eventually your phoniness will leak out, people will notice and leave, and you'll be the one cleaning up the mess

Well I am not sure what else to write here, but basically it's all about mercy, compassion and sacrafice, and once you get this going it literally changes your life, and you become a new person. God comes in and changes your thinking, but do not think this life will be easy just because you are now on God's side, and he is on yours.