It's pretty much a standard for young people in mainstream Christian culture these days, having been through the all consuming, fire and brimstone, tears and laughter filled mountaintop experience.
But what happens after you descend down the rocky mountain side and begin your new life as a follower of Christ?
A friend of mine had this, but once he began attending church regularly after giving his life to Christ he became conflicted, his beliefs of his previous life fighting for control with the new ones which were being spoken to him from the Bible.
Some stuck, most did not. As a fellow Christian, I begin to question my own newer beliefs which have become a part of my heart as much as my love for Christ.
Jesus Christ died for our sins, but only if we accept Him into our lives as our Saviour we are given a new life free of sin.
But what happens when the new morals and beliefs of our new life with Christ conflict with those that we've held onto for so long, or when society tells us that what He is saying is wrong?
My friend says that he doesn't hate God, he hates 'religion' because it tells him what to believe. To a degree, I both agree and disagree with this. I agree that some institutions of religion can be misleading and it is up to us (with the help of God) to recognize these misconceptions about life as a follower of Christ (Matthew 7:15).
But I also disagree with my friend. The Bible is the Word of God and teaches us many things. More than anything the church is for fellowship, but along with that fellowship comes guidance and a community in which one should be able to find not only protection and love but also friends who will call someone out if they aren't living the way they're supposed to (1 Timothy 5:20). Society as a whole may not agree with what the Bible says, some of your old beliefs may not coincide with what the minister was talking about in church last sunday, but if we are to have a true relationship with Jesus than we need to jump into our new life with both feet and leave behind our old selves.
You can't just dip your toe in to test the temperature, God wants you to full on cannonball into His love.
