Dying for Nothing???

Blog readers, I pray that all is well with you. You know there are times when things are on my mind and I must stop right then and there to write it down or otherwise it may go into the sea of Easterbaby forgetfulness. So what is so pressing that I stopped everything to give you another blog in the same month? Usually this happens when I have some spiritual enlightment that I feel inclined to share with you. As always not everyone will understand or receive this message but hey, that is the way it is sometimes. But I can't let that stop me...


So here's the deal, I am on the internet looking for a particular image on Google images and I came across a picture of Pat Tillman (not the one shown here). I believe we all know who he is but for the rock dwellers, he is the ex-football player for the Phoenix Cardinals turned soldier who was killed over in Iraq and then the military allegedy gave false information surrounding his death. So I saw this image and something made me click on it. It brought me to this blog of an athiest. This didn't surprise me because I had heard recently that Pat Tillman was an atheist. So maybe Pat was this blogger's atheist hero. Anyway, before I lose you, let me say this blog (mine) ain't about atheism per se. Nope, it is more for the monotheist. In the blog, the writer claimed that a statement was made by a military official to Pat's mom..."Pat Tillman died for nothing because he didn't believe in nothing." This statement got the little wheel in my head a'turning...

My first thought was how tragic to live life not believing in nothing, a life without God...Then my thoughts turned to wonder why he didn't believe...Then my thoughts turned to wonder why no one told him about the good news...Then I thought isn't that what the believers of Christ are suppose to be doing...then I thought so what are we as Christians really up to? So that is where I am in my thoughts.

In Matthew 28: 18 - 20 there is what is known as The Great Commission and it says :

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

So if we claim to be followerers of Jesus then shouldn't this be what we are about? Sometimes but not all the time, church gets me frustrated. Now before yall call my pastor, let me 'splain. See I am talking in general, not specifically. Believers gather on Sunday, in our segregated Sunday best and in the confines of the four church walls to worship, praise, and ooze loving kindness towards the Lord and often we send a little love to our church members. In those moments, most feel they are good Christians and believe that time spent in church (on Sunday) excuses them from doing what God asked (i.e. The Great Commission). People get happy, shout, and get saved that day and then sent out into the world. Some of them don't last long cause they don't understand what happened or what their salvation means. For instance, I had a friend get saved for about a week. A week??? Yep, a week. After that she said she couldn't do it. Not sure what it was she thought she had to do...cause salvation is a gift. All she had to do was receive it. Anyway, who was responsible for seeing her through this journey?


Ok, put the phone down. My pastor is too busy to listen to you talk about me and my blog. I am not against church, in fact I love attending church. It is a great place to fellowship with fellow believers and more importantly, get divine instructions from God's Word from His servant. My point is that I just think we sometimes get it wrong. We think we are okay if our prayers and needs are met and answered. All is well in our little world. But what did Jesus say about himself in Luke 4: 18 - 19:


18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

So why have the followers of Jesus changed the mission? Some of the business we are about is so far removed from what Jesus did while he was here. Some churches won't even let you be a member without completing an application. So how do the poor, imprisoned and oppressed fit into the picture at this type of church? But Sherry, we aren't Jesus. You got that right, far from it. But Jesus gave us the power He had so we could do what He did. Act 1:8 says:


8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Now when Jesus sent out the 72 disciples...What? Yeah I said 72. You think there were only 12? Now how do you suppose these other 60 disciples came to be? Here's a thought, they had seen or heard about Jesus, maybe at the big fish fry or maybe in the temple or maybe they witnessed Jesus performing miracles or maybe one of the 12 witnessed to them. Who knows? But what didn't happen is that they sat around waiting for the next Sabbath day to roll around to meet back up with Jesus at the temple. No, Jesus said "Okay yall got to get to work. What you know about me, everyone needs to know. Don't keep it to yourself. Get busy and if they reject you, don't sweat it, keep on moving!" (Sherry's paraphrase). And they were walking yall...Imagine if they had cars to drive. And when they got back they were excited. In fact, the bible uses the term "joy". Luke 10:17 -18

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." 18 He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

And their joy made Jesus very thankful. Luke 10:21 says...

21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.


So let me see, there is joy in doing God's work, and Jesus is grateful...so much so, He writes our names in heaven. WOW! So I say, why did Pat Tillman die for nothing? Why are so many others like him gonna die the same way? You see death can be overcome. But we gotta tell people. Not just the ones we see at church every Sunday but everybody. Why do you think God tests us? To give us a testimony. And what will a testimony do? Save a life! Yep! Sounds simple, huh? But hey I didn't come up with that. That is the Word! Revelations 12:11 says:


11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

I just know someone is out there going, "so Ms. Sherry, what are you doing? Telling us what we ain't doing..." To that I say, I am not doing nearly as much as God has for me to do. But in my defense, God gives us all certain abilites to do His work. Like the 72, they had two good feet and some pretty durable pairs of sandals, I imagine. As for me, He gave me a PC, a blog, and a way with words; thus I use what I got to get what HE wants. Oh I hear ya...you think this doesn't count as spreading the gospel. Perhaps it is and perhaps it ain't. But believe it or not, not everyone that reads my blog is a Christian.

In closing, the atheist blog had a little motto...it said "Hands that work are better than lips that pray." Hmmmmmmm...now don't get all indignant because even the bible says in James 2:20 - 26:

20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Imagine if we, the Believers with our power from on high, had praying lips AND working hands, what a difference that would make. Perhaps all Pat needed was to have someone share a testimony with him. Of course, he'd probably still be dead 'cause he got shot BUT he may not have died for nothing. That WORD may have lead him to Jesus and he would be living again with Him in glory.