I understand why so many un-churched people have a negative opinion about church: chances are that they've met church people who represent their faith as little more than a long list of
YOU CAN'Ts.
Wonder why church folks who tend toward legalism aren't more concerned with sharing the Joy of knowing Christ ... instead of being killjoys?
This sounds harsh, but I think there's just one explanation.
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Sin isn't the same thing as fun.
It wasn't God's idea to hate fun or to make everything that's "fun" a sin: it was man's idea that sinning is fun. God commanded us to avoid sin because he HATES sin.
Sin separates us from following God's will and from receiving the blessings he promised.
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Why am I always having money problems? Because we don't put God in control of our finances.
Why is my marriage falling apart? Because Christ isn't at its center.
Why does something always go wrong with my relationships? Because you're always putting your priorities instead of Christ's.
Why do I feel so empty inside? Because you're living your life for yourself, and keeping Christ on the outside.
See, sinning isn't as much fun as it sounded like.
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Sin traps us, and keeps us held in the snare of believing that what we're doing, and the way we're living, is
FUN. Sin isn't fun at all: sin is a chokehold that dulls and slowly strangles us from within.
"A
Chokehold is a
grappling hold that
strangles the opponent, and may lead to
unconsciousness or even
death. "
-
wikipedia
