When I was around 14 years old (freshman year of high school), I woke up one morning and my mouth felt very tight. Despite my concerns my mother sent me onto school. The next day I, once again, argued with her about the tightness that my face was experiencing. Finally on the third day, the damage was done. My face was partially paralyzed and pulled to the side. We were frantic and panicked and terrified. After an entire weekend spent in and out of hospitals we finally reached a diagnosis. Bell's Palsy.  Bell's Palsy is characterized as partial facial paralysis, meaning half of the face becomes paralyzed. All feeling and use of the paralyzed side is completely gone. I couldn't blink or smile or make simple facial gestures. My mouth pulled to the side of my face and I grew into a deep depression that I had been dealing with for most of my life.  It felt like all hope had fled the earth. It felt like I was a prisoner in my own body. I was mortified with my reflection. I hated myself. I hated my face.  A few months later I was blessed and my face slowly became functional. There was minimal damage, and not many people could tell I even had such a strange disorder.  Now let's forward six years later. Six days before this post. I was shopping with some friends, having a great time. We went to church, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and life couldn't get any better. Then I felt a sharp pain on my right jaw. I immediately assumed that I must've grinded my teeth while sleeping. The next day I went to work, and the pain in my jaw had subsided. However, I developed what I thought was an ear ache. I never had an ear ache before, so I didn't know exactly how the pain for one felt like. I claimed it was an ear ache, but in my heart I knew it was something different.  Ignoring the continuous dull pain in my right ear, I went on with my normal life the next day. Throughout the day I slowly realized that I had lost most of my ability to taste. The only ability of taste that I could manage was on the left side of my tongue. My parents and I quickly dismissed it as a side effect of the ear ache. Our logic was the ear ache caused the jaw to hurt because of the drainage from the ear that runs past your jaw, and a I lost my ability to taste due to the drainage as well. It made perfect sense to me, but I decided I'd much rather go to church that night than the doctor. I would go to the doctor in the morning if the ear ache was still present. On my way to church, I realized that this wasn't just any ear ache. As I crooned along with Taylor Swift, I realized my mouth felt very tight. (If you scroll up and read the beginning of this post you'll notice I experienced my mouth tightening up before.) When I arrived at my friends' apartment, I had already knew that Bell's Palsy was returning. I ran into their home in a panic. I was shaking as I called my mom to alarm her about what was happening. We immediately rushed to the clinic. We got to the clinic, and walked up to the door. We tugged, but the door wouldn't budge. A sign was posted on the window next to it. "We are closed due to a condition beyond our control. We are sorry for any inconvenience. If you are experiencing an emergency, go to the nearest ER." My mom asked if I wanted to go to the ER, which is roughly half an hour away, and I declined. I already knew that the damage was done. I had Bell's Palsy again, and until I see a neurologist no one can help me besides Jesus. I got to church, and told my friends about the mishap at the clinic. We laughed a little, because this typical of me to experience. As I was laughing, I felt a slight pull to the left side of my mouth. And my friends and I began to discuss it, cracking jokes and laughing. I decided I was going to keep a positive attitude and put my faith into God. That same night my friends and I watched the inevitable happen. The right side of my face became fully paralyzed. All suspicions, if there were any at all, was cleared. I definitely got Bell's Palsy, and all I can do is pray for God's healing and uplifting. It's now been three days since my face has become paralyzed. I hid away the first time, but I will stand proud this second time. I am going to document my life with Bell's Palsy week-by-week and day-by-day. I'm taking pictures daily of the damage, and I'm writing weekly of my experiences. I'm doing so to show that if you experience something like this that everything will be okay. You don't have to be ashamed, and you don't need to worry. I know that God is putting me through this a second time for a bigger reason. I feel in my heart that something great is going to come after. This is one of those life-changing moments. This is one of the events that define who you are as a person. God does the most work midst your lowest points in life. So I know that God is working something out for me, and I'm going to learn something greater about Him and myself though this. Good Day and God Bless, CodyRaySpeaks 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.                                                                                                        Romans 5: 3-5 (NLT)

(Follow my personal blog for weekly updates of my bell's palsy)

I decided to post the notes that I took tonight at church. We are in a series entitled "Jesus Wore Sandals: Lies The Church Made Up." Tonight's topic was criticism. It really touched me, and thought I would share my thoughts on it with you.

You can download the service here. You can also learn about my church, Soul Harvest Church, here.

Feel free to listen, download, and share your thoughts with me! I'd love to hear your take.

Jesus Wore Sandals

 Lies The Church Made Up

"JESUS WAS CRITICAL"

Matthew 15:6 

Then he need not his father or mother. Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. -NKJV

People have come to make what they believe Jesus to be based on their opinion of the church. The church is a critical thing, and people confuse the church's criticisms with Jesus. Jesus wasn't critical to anyone. If he was critical to anyone, he would be critical to the Pharisees for being so critical with other people. The lost people of the world have this misconception that Jesus is angry and mad at the world for sinning. What they don't realize is that Jesus loves them, and wants to deliver them of their sins not condemn them like the church does. The church has replaced everything that Jesus has built and has done with their own thoughts and opinions.

The church often likes to say, "You can't wear that!" "You can't sing that!" "You can't read that." "You can't look at that." "You can't do this, and you can't do that."

And the church likes to question other peoples thoughts. They like to question what sinners believe. They question other denominations. They questions atheists. What the church hardly ever does is question their own thoughts. The church never takes a second to say, "What do I believe? And why do I believe that?" 

A lot of time they aren't sure why they believe a certain thing. They immediately right it off as what they need to believe because it's what they've always been told. The church doesn't take time to read the Gospel, and to learn why certain people feel a certain way, or what Jesus feels about a certain situation. I feel like the church likes to walk with their own beliefs and rathe than walk with Jesus.

I think the church needs to not only question their beliefs, but to question how they know Jesus. Do they know Jesus based on what others think? Or do they know Jesus from walking with him and reading the Gospel?

The church often criticizes and insults people and tear down their spirits about their sin. They condemn  them, and give hate to them for their sin. When Jesus would speak to sinners, he would speak with love and compassion. He would help deliver them from their sins, and tell them to repent. He would tell them how to repent, and help them turn from their wicked ways. I believe that if the church reached out to people with love and compassion and understanding and help educate them about Jesus and how to turn away from sin, that the world would become a Holier place. If the church would quit shouting damnation and start shouting love, then the world will change. People will come to Christ. People will seek Jesus, rather than turn away from him.

We should definitely stand for what is right. We shouldn't right off the sins as okay neither. We should stand up for what is right, but with the heart of Christ. We should approach the sin with love and compassion and understanding, and teach how to leave the sin behind. Show the lost people and the sinners how to leave their past behind, and to walk with Christ. To teach them that it is wrong, but it's okay because Jesus loves them, and will deliver them from it.

Often times after people begin serving Jesus, they begin to burden themselves. They think they must walk alone, and work out their own problems before they can be with Jesus. But Jesus doesn't want us to walk alone. He wants to walk with us, and to carry those burdens. He wants to relieve those burdens from us, so that we don't have to struggle. No one has to carry burden, that's what Jesus wants to relieve us from.

A lot of times it's hard to give the burdens over to Jesus. It can be a long process. It's not easy to decide one day to give everything over to Jesus. It takes time, but in time the burdens will be gone. The first step is the hardest. Admitting your problems with Jesus is the hardest part, but he will begin to work with you. He will begin resolving the problems. He will begin delivering you with blessings of peace and love. It can take a long time, but Jesus will break the chains that we have if we allow him too.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. -NKJV

The definition of liberty is independence, absence form internal restraints, and freedom of access. If the Lord is the Spirit, and if you have the Spirit of the Lord, then you are free. Nothing can hold you back with Jesus. Jesus can set you free. He can break any chain. He can wash away any sin. He can resolve any problem. There is no such thing as "impossible" with Jesus.

The church likes to claim freedom, but they bring in their own restraints. They begin to dictate who is welcome inside the church and inside God's kingdom. The church begins to lay down burdens and shame. They begin to make these rules that are not made by God. The church says that you can receive freedom with Christ, as long as you follow rules dictated by the church.

Jesus has no rules for you to follow him. Jesus wants you to be you. Jesus wants you to follow him as you are. He wants to deliver you of the sins of your past, and mold you into someone new. He wants you to use everything that you are to spread his love. Jesus doesn't say who can or cannot follow him. Everyone can follow him, no matter who they are or what they do. As long as they make a commitment to him, and repent and allow him to move in their lives, they can reach salvation. 

There are billions of people in the world, each of them are different. They can each reach other people in thousands of different ways with the gospel. You don't have to preach a certain way, or look a certain way to spread God's word. You can be yourself, and spread the word of Jesus. People learn and live and understand in different ways. It takes different people to reach out to others. You don't have to follow a certain standard to follow God, as long as you are following Him with everything that you have.

Jesus is critical? No, I believe that the church is critical. Jesus is love.

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A side note, if you decide to download the service there is about twenty minutes that have been cut from the end, so I decided to exclude that portion from my notes.

Please feel free to share all thoughts and opinions! I would love to hear them!

CodyRaySpeaks

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