Tuesday, September 20, 2005

September 20, 2005


"So what iz you sayin?”



(smiling) Already!



Don’t start with that Southside ebonic stuff, I was asking you a question, what does that title mean?



Slim Thug has a song out called “I know you heard of that’ and he’s got Bun B on the track. And on Bun B’s part to the song, he says, “If you ain’t yelling ‘free Pimp C’..then what iz you sayin??”



Who’s Slim Thug, Bun B and Pimp C?



They're all rappers that operate out of Texas. Slim Thug is from the Northside of Houston, Bun-B and Pimp C came up representing Port Arthur, Texas ("Short Texas mf, that's where I stay..") they're the rapping dynamic duo known as UGK. Bun B is still in the free world grinding and doing his thang, and that lyric I quoted is a shout out to his podna on lock, cuz Pimp C is in jail right now.



Oh. So what does all that have to do with you being a 3rd string Sunday School teacher??



The point of ‘So What Iz You Sayin’, was for people to reflect on their own personal intentions and motivations in life. A lot of folks are just walking around here aimlessly like a bobblhead doll, with no focus or purpose in life. Other’s are just caught up in a whole bunch of bullsh’t that isn’t productive or helpful to anyone, they’re the ‘Being Bobby Brown’ 24-hours a day type folks.



“Being Bobby Brown’ type folks?? What is that supposed to mean??



Have you ever seen that show?



Yeah! We watch it EVRA week!



And when you watch that show, how does it help improve your life?



It makes me feel better about myself, seeing rich and famous folks like Bobby and Whitney act like crack heads! (laughing)



So that helps you?



Maybe not helps, but it is entertaining to watch.



Well, at some point you’ve got to put that junk food down and eat you some real Soul Food. Some real nourishment that will feed your spirit.





Yeah, but everybody didn’t have that training in the Bible and stuff like you, you can’t expect everybody to be on your page.



I don’t ask or expect anyone to be on my page, if anything I’m trying to make other’s begin to think about what it really means to be on God’s page.



There you go again. You know D..I never realized that you were so religious.



Religious? You think I’m religious?



Yeah! I mean, look at the stuff you write..seems like everything I read from you lately is telling folks about Jesus or why they should go to church and all that kinda stuff. Isn’t that being religious?



I guess it depends on what you consider ‘religion’ to be. In my mind, I have a ways to go toward being more religious, if anything, I’m just becoming more obedient.



Obedient? Obedient to who??



Obedient to God’s Word. When you read the Bible, you’ll see that it has instructions for us to follow.



Yeah yeah, I know about all the ‘Thou shalt not’s’ and all that stuff!



I’m not talking about the things we’re NOT supposed to do, I’m talking about the things that Jesus WANTS us to do. One of the undeniable strengths of the Bible are the instructions for living this life that it has for all people who consider themselves children of God. Do you consider yourself a child of God?



Of course! We’re ALL God’s children.



Well, if you’re part of the family, then you need to be out serving. Everybody in this family has to work, your life was not meant to be a free ride



Serving what?



Serving the Word, the explicit instructions in the Great Commissioin that Jesus left before His ascension was very clear; “Go ye therefore and teach all nations. – Matthew 28:19a”



Oh yeah, I remember that part. But I thought that was just for His disciples to do?



If you have been blessed to come into the knowledge of Christ, then that makes you a disciple too.



So this whole Christianity thing is like some pyramid scheme?



No it’s not. Pyramid schemes limit you to what people below and above you are doing. When you come into the knowledge of the LORD, there are no limitations. You don’t have to go through another person, we all have access to the Father through the Son.



But doesn’t it bother you that so many people don’t have the Bible training and exposure like you? I mean, some people are completely ignorant to what the Bible says, and they might not even know who Jesus is!! So why would they be sent to hell for something that they never even heard about??



I think about that ALL the time..that’s one of the main reasons why you see me out here serving now. People who read D.E. Washington won’t be able to say that nobody ever told them.



Yeah, but don’t you think that some people won’t read it, because they REALLY don’t want to know??



Sure, everybody knows that ‘ignorance is bliss’. But you can play the stupid role only for so long..God’s going to hold every soul accountable. Not just the one’s who ignored the Word, but also the one’s who were blessed with the knowledge, but yet they did nothing with it. ‘To whom much is given, of him shall be much required’ (Lk 12:47-48)



Whoa. Now you’re trying to tell me that once you believe in Christ, you’re OBLIGATED to start preaching?



You’re obligated into doing whatever you can to let other’s know about the Saviour. Jesus taught about this very thing in Matthew 25:14-30, called the Parable of the Talents. A wealthy man was going out of town and he left his servants with different measure of talents. He gave one 5 talents, he gave another 2 and another just 1.



Talents? You mean like being able to sing or dance?



No, in this instance, a talent was actually a measure of weight. So after he gave out the talents, he left. When he came back, he found that the dude who got 5 talents had doubled his to 10, and the dude that had 2 talents doubled his to 4. But the dude who had 1 talent didn’t get out and ‘work’ it, instead he just buried it in a hole and when the master came back, all he had was that 1 talent.



What’s wrong with that? At least he didn’t blow it off!



The problem with that, is that those talents represent the gifts that God bestows upon all of us. When you have the joy of Christ in your heart, it’s not enough to just go to church and go home, keeping it all to yourself, ‘burying it in a hole’ so to speak. You’re supposed to get out there and ‘flip it’ for the kingdom or else you’ll be labeled a lazy and unprofitable servant and you know what happens to the unprofitable servant right?



No..what?



“And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 25:30



Oh. That sounds kinda…scary.



Hmph! Scary ain’t even the word!! It motivates ME to make sure that I’m not THAT n’ga!



But what if you don’t know what your talents are??



Then you should pray to the LORD to guide you toward your purpose. Go to Him in prayer and ask what more can you do to uplift His kingdom here on earth.



Hmmm…I don’t know if I’m ready to hear that answer.



That’s the problem a lot of people have, that’s why they keep their faith hidden from the world or to only a select group, because they don’t want to deal with the responsibility that comes along with being a publicly confessed Christian in an unbelieving world. It’s easy believing inside of a church, but once you get out into the world, that’s where your light is needed the most.



“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven” – Matthew 5:16



Oh. So that’s what you’re sayin then huh?



Already.