The Worst Evangelistic Argument EVER (PG-13 for language)

It's a crisp autumn afternoon.  Two friends, bundled up in scarves, jackets, and hipster hats, are sitting on the patio of your local neighborhood Starbucks, sipping lattes.  They are deep in discussion.

BLAKE

I know what you are saying, man, but I'm just not buying your whole Jesus thing.  I pay enough taxes to the federal government, I don't need your "church" diggin' into my pocket too.

 

 

TODD

 

 

What does money have to do with it?  I didn't even mention...

 

 

BLAKE

 

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I've been around enough of you "christians" to know that you want me to change how I look, change how I act and then shake me down for everything in my bank account. 

 

 

I know you don't suck, too much, but you're the exception.

 

 

TODD

 

 

If you'd let me finish, I was going to say that Jesus doesn't want your money, man.  I know this sounds corny, but it's true, He wants your heart.  It's weird to say this out loud, but He's real.  He changed my life.  Even you can see that.

 

 

BLAKE

 

 

Yeah, you seem like you've gotten your shit... sorry, didn't mean to offend your revirginated ears, I mean stuff, together since you started your whole church gig.  I don't know, man, the whole thing just seems wrong to me.  I believe in a god, or something, I just don't know what that means for me.

 

 

(Blake's voice carries off a bit and he pauses.)

 

 

But, you do your thing, man!  Just keep doin' your thang.  Glad it works for you. 

 

 

TODD

 

 

It can work for you too.  Why is it such a stretch for you, if you say you believe in a god?  Why not believe in a God that loves you, a God that died for you.  If for no other reason than: what if you're wrong?  I mean, if I'm wrong, then I lose nothing, but if you're wrong?  Dude, I hate to say it, but you're going to hell.  If I were you, I'd check it out, just in case.

 

 

(end scene)

Photo from: www.freedigitalphotos.net 

 

 

Do you see what just happened there?  Two friends pouring their hearts out to one another and Todd pulls the "What if you're wrong?" evangelistic argument.  I mean, If I thought there was a chance that I might be wrong and that God might be a figure of my imagination, then sure, that would be a valid point. 

 

 

I just don't think that when Peter wrote that we should "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15)," he intended that we get people to try Jesus "just in case." 

 

 

I don't know.  Maybe he did and I'm just missing it.  

 

 

For me, though, Jesus is real.  He's good to me and I'm not going to go around pretending that He might not be real, that there's a chance He really didn't die on the cross for my sins, just to get people to say a prayer.  Paul made it pretty clear that saying the words only carry a portion of the full weight of salvation, you gotta believe the words too. 

 

 

We have got to stop scaring people into saying they believe in Jesus.  The greatest testimony of Jesus is YOU and it's ME; scare tactics just prove that maybe we're not being the testimony we're supposed to be. 

 

 

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

(Romans 10:8-10 ESV)

How Much Does God Weigh?

Hey guys!  I'm honored to be over at Sammy Adebiyi's page today.  Go check me out over there!!

Here's a quick excerpt:

"Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of years, I think we all have seen, or at least heard of, the show Hoarders.

It’s an intense show about people, many of whom you would never suspect, literally being held captive in homes filled to capacity with stuff.

They live in anxiety, fear, shame, and embarrassment, isolated from friends and loved ones."

Inherited Religion

I come from a long line of Christians.  In that lineage are Catholics and Non-Catholics, evangelists and prayer warriors, pastors and missionaries.  Ok.  The missionary thing came along with my younger brother, but as a lineage with bi-directional implications, a couple of missionaries are in there.

You get my point though, right?  It would seem that ministry work, or at least religion, might be something that is passed down from generation to generation.  Certainly, there's an implication of it in future generations.  Or is there?

In a world where Christianity has apparently become a political leaning/agenda and more of a cultural issue than anything, I wonder what that means for me as a Christian Mom.

Conservatives raise little conservatives, who may stray into the liberal camp during college and  occasionally retreat to their conservative upbringing.  Liberals often find unity in sticking it to the man, that man usually represented by a middle-aged, white, upper-class C(c?)hristian man.  Lines being drawn, erased, moved back and re-drawn, leaving everyone who lay in neither camp, somewhere in the ever increasing gap which used to be "the greater good".

But, this is not a political post.  It's really not, I promise.

I've just recently come to the realization that being a Christ following mother of 4 is somewhat complicated by the fact that Christ is no longer treated as a Person in this country (world?), but more as a box I'm relegated to when discussing social issues.  Though, for me, party lines are irrelevant as it pertains to my firmly held beliefs.  I have registered with a party, with which I share certain values I have deemed as imperative, but I refuse to choose a representative solely based upon an affiliation.

Ok.  For real, this is not a political post.

My point in all of this is this question, "If being a follower of Christ is found in a personal relationship with the Person of Christ and having a life that reflects that relationship, how does one raise children into Christianity?"  If it were simply religion, or a bunch of strictly held social beliefs, it would be easy.  I could simply say, "Do this, don't do that, say this, don't say that." and not care if it meant anything to them, so long as I had a little robot-clone.  However, for me, that could never be the case.

I deeply desire that my children would know what it is to sit in His presence; to pray and truly know that He's listening; to hear the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit speak to them as they navigate this life.  As much as that is my deepest desire for my children, it's something I cannot MAKE happen.  It's also something I would never WANT to make happen.  I don't want to be a fake and I certainly don't want my kids to be big fakes either.

So, the other night, when my son said he wanted to ask Jesus to be his Savior and to start the journey that would make my deepest desire for him come true, I had two thoughts: (1) Have I done something where he feels like he HAS to do this right now, to which I answered no; and (2) Have I done something wrong that he didn't do this sooner, to which I also answered no.  You see, I have a strict philosophy that I will not ask my children leading questions relative to Jesus.  I refuse to encourage them to please me by not being themselves.  I value authenticity in others, and I expect it of myself.

I don't have any great advice, or heartwarming anecdotes in this post.  I just have thoughts.  Thoughts that tell me that Christianity is not some political agenda or affiliation.  Thoughts that tell me following Christ is not about the box I check when I'm filling out hospital paperwork or finding continuity with my families historical penchant for ministry work.  It's about me and Jesus.  That's it.  Further, that's what it has to be for my kids too, and if they can't make that genuine commitment until they are 12 or 32, it must be theirs to make.  

My role is simply to paint such a detailed picture of Christ in (with) my life, that when they meet Him they recognize Him immediately and want Him for themselves.  But, they can't have my Jesus, they have their own picture to paint.    

Ironically, I did not actually paint this picture of Jesus.
I just thought it was cool.

What's It Worth To Ya?

I am a bargain hunter.  I love them.  I have told many a person that I am more impressed by someone getting a steal of deal than I am of someone paying big money for that same item.  Name brands don't impress me either, so saying you spent $120 on jeans will induce nothing but a face full of pity from me, no matter what name they may have printed on the back.

 

You know who else is a bargain hunter?  Satan.  (Wait, was that a satan juke?  Does such a thing exist?  Does the lack of alliteration take away from the effect?  Forget it.)  You know, the devil.  The fallen angel of light, Lucifer.  Now, I'm not saying that bargain hunting is evil, so before you light those coupons on fire and swear off Ross, hear me out. 

 

John 10:10 states that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.  That sounds bad and very noticeable, right? 

 

If you've been robbed, you would probably realize it at some point.  "Well, I had my cell phone when I was at Starbucks, then... Dang it, I think that dude stole my phone!  Crap."

If you or someone you loved was killed, you might just be a bit affected.  Unless you're an atheist or have no belief in an afterlife , in which case, if you were killed you might not notice that you ceased to exist.  But, surely SOMEONE would notice.  "Did ya hear?  Tom was killed!  Yeah, real sad and crazy deal." 

 

Should destruction come to your home, I would think you would take note. "Geez, Martha, there appears to be some type of hole in the living room wall." 

 

These terms: steal, kill and destroy, have incredibly violent overtones; "take notice" overtones.  But, what happens when he shows up in a disguise and wants to bargain?  Will we even realize it?

 

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

BUT I WAS SO HUNGRY

In Genesis 25, we read about fraternal twin brothers named Jacob and Esau.  As boys can typically be, their relationship was pretty competitive.  Having a crazy, manipulative mother probably didn't help matters, but that's a story for a different day.  So, if you haven't read about them, Esau was a hairy outdoors man, an excellent hunter and, technically, the oldest.  He was his fathers favorite.  Jacob, the youngest by mere seconds, however, hung out around the house and was favored by his mom.  A small portion of the long story short, Esau came home one day from working outside or hunting or some such other grunty man activity and was starving.  In that moment, he was easily convinced to trade his birthright (a BIG deal back then) for lunch.  Yep, lunch.  The writer of the book of Genesis goes on to explain that Esau despised his birthright and later when he changed his mind and wanted it back, it was too late.

 

Esau was an idiot.  Am I right?  A colossal imbecile.  He was so short sighted that he couldn't even think beyond his next meal.  It's shocking, really.  I mean, who would trade something with irreplaceable value that has generational implications for something so fleeting as a meal? 

 

Apparently, Esau, but I would too.  Even you would.  If I were being honest, which apparently I am, I have already done it and chances are, so have you.  You might be saying at this moment: "Wait.  What?"  We'll get to you and me in a minute, let's talk about Esau some more.  It'll make me feel better. 

 

Esau understood deep down what he was giving up, but he couldn't hear that voice over the clanging of his flesh.  If he did, he silenced it with excuses ("but I might DIE of hunger" - dramatic much?) or flat out lies ("this isn't final, I can always get it back" - Sorry, buddy, didn't need a written contract back then).  In the end, he would lose it all to Jacob; his birthright and eventually his inheritance.  But, this post isn't about devious Jacob or manipulative Rebekah, though they certainly had their parts to play, it's about Esau and us, and how we all fall victim to the seemingly innocuous bargains of the enemy. 

YOU HAVE A STEAK (PUN INTENDED) IN THIS TOO

 

Don't be fooled, this whole birthright and inheritance thing applies to us today, even if we don't fully understand it or catch the greater implications.  The Bible is full of promises God has made to each one of us regarding not just the next life, but this life we are living now.  Promises that we really should familiarize ourselves with so that we can avoid despising them simply for lack of understanding.  We also all have bodies we inhabit, sacks of flesh that try to boss us around; convince us that we need stuff NOW; persuade us NOT to do what we know we ought.  In addition to that, we have an enemy that is constantly looking for a foothold; ways to catch our attention; opportunities to gain access to our ear.

How often do we bargain our blessings away for dollar store merchandise?

The enemy can't steal your salvation, but he can make despising your birthright and inheritance as children of God seem palatable, even if just for a moment.

Church on Sunday?  Nah, I'm tired.  Fast on Monday?  But, I'll faint.  Read my Bible?  I have stuff to do.  Pray?  I'll do it later.  Lie?  It's only one slightly gray lie.  Sex with my girlfriend/boyfriend?  Man, that purity stuff is so old fashion, plus we're gonna get married anyhow.  Porn?  At least I'm not having sex.  Third dessert?  What difference does it make.  Forgive that person that abused me, abandoned me or offended me?  The pain runs deep, God will understand.  Give to my friend in need/the homeless guy/my church?  I barely have enough to pay for cable.  The list goes on and on and is crafted specifically for each of us.  So what bargaining chip catches your eye? 

IT'S OK, YOU DON'T HAFTA

The absolute truth is that none of the above or anything else on the long list of bargaining chips will keep you from heaven, but it may keep you from experiencing the best God has for you in this life.  Think this is OT and doesn't apply to us in the modern church?  Well, let me show you where this whole blog started for me. 

 

Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.  You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.  Hebrews 12:16-17 (NLT)

Esau never lost the relationship he had with his father... just the blessing his father so desired to bestow upon him.  So pause for a moment the next time when the right thing feels uncomfortable or requires a little effort or sacrifice and consider what you might be giving up when you satiate that bratty flesh of yours.

Don't worry, I'm just passing along a lesson that I am in the midst of learning myself.

P.S.  What in the world do you think that girl is selling up there?

TIme Keeps Slipping

Time is definitive.  It is measurable.  One second can be no longer than the next or vice versa.  There are a known number of seconds in a minute, minutes in an hour, hours in a day, days in a week, weeks in a year...  and months, don't even get me started on months.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Months represent birthdays and holidays and weather shifts and anniversaries and tax returns and paydays (not the candy bar) and vacations and a spike in gas prices.  They have become the mile markers of my year.  Reminders of what comes next.

4th of July heralds the end of Summer.  Back to School escorts in birthdays (4 in 8 weeks to be exact) and Halloween.  After which we do not pass Thanksgiving, do not break out our fall decor, go straight to Christmas.  New Years arrives with fireworks and champagne just in time for, you guessed it!  Valentine's Day!  There's a green blurb in there with dozens of little men and their gold, but Easter and Spring Break are there to guide us right into Summer.  

As a parent, all of these markers are pushing us toward grade school promotions or new schools.  It means double digits or driver's licenses; puberty and dating.  I think my perception of time changed with the great 40 week countdown, though there was a  6-8 week reprieve from the stress of keeping track, just as the last grain of gestational sand fell another clock started.  

When will he smile?  When will she roll over?  When will she say mama?  When will he crawl?  Walk?  Talk?  Eat on his own?  Give up the bottle?  Pacifier?  When will she be fully potty trained?  

Oh, wait, Kindergarden all ready?  No, I'm not ready for that, but by then I'd already set the pace.  Our lives constantly consuming weekends and months and milestones, until we'd created an insatiable monster, never satisfied with today, this moment.  Always focused on what lay ahead.  

So, here I am.  

My 5th grader starting middle school and water polo.  Us, the parents, contemplating additional responsibilities and watching as the pack (yes, 3 boys with 2 year gaps are a pack) splits up, spreads out.  Different schedules, different programs, different schools, the start of different lives.  

I've done 1st grade, in fact, not counting my own trek through the educational system, this is my 3rd time through.  I've done 3rd grade once, maybe I'll keep it together this second time through.  But 5th grade?  Middle school?  

Where has the time gone?  Does it push us or pull us or evaporate when it touches us?  More importantly, does it have an emergency break?

No?  It just slips by.  Intangible yet carrying the weight of all purpose and meaning in its wake.  

You can't get it back.  You can't borrow it from another.  You can sell it though and give it away freely, or simply waste it.  I've done all three.  

Fortunately, we can only live one day at a time, one moment at a time.  God, in His infinite grace and wisdom, must have known we would try to multi-task days and limited our access.  

All I can do is try my best to fight for today and make it count.  

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  Matt 6:34

Perhaps God has something there.

Christianity: Not Communicable/ Not Legislatable

Yeah, legislatable... it's not a word.  I don't care.

In any case, over the last few weeks I've had some stuff forcing its way out of me. Pushing its way into my thoughts, overflowing my heart into my consciousness.

Here's what it is in summary:

Salvation can no more be distributed to people through mandated morality than it can be transmitted throught the exchange of saliva.  If it could, then my husband could have become a Christian much more quickly, and we would be able to save over 300 billion people from an eternity apart from God through a single act of legislation.  

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But, that's not how God designed the system and God did design the system, not man.  (We won't discuss the system man designed in this post, because man did design his own system.)  

Free Will.  Sacrifice.  Free Will.  Sacrifice.  Free Will.  Sacrifice. 

Those two actions are rotated throughout all of History and they have brought us to this place, or perhaps, we have brought them to this place.  The fall of man was a choice of free will.  To mitigate its consequences, there was sacrifice upon sacrifice upon sacrifice until Jesus.  He freely chose to sacrifice Himself, so that we could freely choose Him and then sacrifice our lives for the lives of others, so they could freely choose Him, etc. 

Are you catching the trend?  The lives of those you are fighting for hinge on their free will to choose and Jesus' sacrifice and in many ways YOUR sacrifice, my sacrifice.  Our freedom and salvation have not been bought so that that we can sacrifice the salvation of others so that we can exercise our free will.  Confusing and somewhat circular?  Think about it, through Christ you are free, more free than you ever were under the bondage of sin, but sometimes we focus on our freedom so much that we fail to exercise wisdom and choose to sacrifice our comfort so that others can come to know Jesus.  Sometimes, we have to give up our freedom for the salvation of others.  

Isn't that the point?  People meeting Jesus?  People experiencing a grace and love unlike anything they've ever known?

I have yet to find the scripture that instructs Israelites, Jews or Christians to mandate that all those living in their geographic vicinity abide by their customs or laws outside of conversion.  If you know where that verse is, I'd love to read it.  Instead, I have noticed that the entirety of the Bible, from the Old Testament through the Gospels and into Revelation, speaks often and eagerly about self-examination, both as individuals and as a religious community.  (If, by chance, you struggle with the word religious because it's too religious, then you can either stop reading or get over it.  I'm using it!)  I believe we are to systematically correct our own known sinful behaviors, ask God to reveal those behaviors/beliefs that we have not yet identified as being sinful and correct them, and, in the order outlined in the Bible, bring to light sin in our Christian community around us and correct those.  Not find sin in the unsaved and demand that they get in-line with the Bible.

At some point, we have to admit the folly of mandating our Christian beliefs as the American belief system.  They are simply not one and the same at this point in history and we need to stop.  We have our roles as Americans and our roles as Christians and though one affects the other, we cannot confuse the two.  Jesus is not American, He is God.

Here's the thing, people need Jesus and we can't do that if we spend all of our time telling them HOW they need to live and fail miserably at bringing them into the presence of Jesus.  Living Gods way makes no sense outside of His presence.  Once they know Jesus, the Holy Spirit can start revealing behaviors and beliefs they need to change and if He uses us in revealing those issues, great, if not, great.

Regardless of how that unfolds, with ALL people we need to love always, forgive time and again, and  abound in grace.  Treating others not just how we would like to be treated, but in the same manner Jesus treated us. 

Let's choose to sacrifice our freedom so that others can find freedom in Jesus.  The American dream is great, but the dreams God has for us and those He loves are greater.

Hard?  Yes.  Possible?  Yes.  Required?  Absolutely!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

Try me, and know my anxieties;

And see if there is any wicked way in me,

And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

Don't Just Think About Doing. Do.

If salvation is truly the only prerequisite for Heaven, then why does life drag on so long after we obtain it?  Is God attempting to perfect us in this life, full knowing well that it can never be?  Is He crazy or is He just giving us pointless activities to keep us busy until we die? 

Or could the unaddressed sin in our lives be a time-sucking distraction from our intended purpose? 

Are you wasting time fighting a particular sin in your own power?  Is it taking up so much of your time and energy that it is literally keeping you from your intended purpose in life?  Our lives should not be some epic "Self-Help" course at our local adult school.  The absolute truth is that Christ has overcome it all!!  Why keep striving and  struggling on our own?  Pride?  Disobedience?  Aren't those really the same thing?   

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But I Don't Wanna!

I'm a parent.  When I issue a decree (yeah, I said decree) in my household there are not just perameters for what needs to be done, but how it needs to be done and in what timeframe.  Don't even get me started on the attitude with which it needs to be done.  For the record I'm not a tyranical ruler (for the most part), I just believe that it is my job to raise my children so that they are not self-absorbed, bratty, compromising loafs when they grow up.  That's just me. 

I have noticed that when my kids don't really want to do (or stop doing, for that matter) a particular thing, they respond in one of several ways: 

1) They argue the validity of the request. (Why?  I've never had to do that before now!)  
2) They argue the fairness of the request.  (But they didn't hafta!)
3) They pretend they don't hear my voice.  (chirp, chirp) 
4) They move r-e-a-l-l-y s-l-o-o-w.  (I was gonna do that after my show was over.) 
5) They argue that they are not able to perform the request.  (I don't know how to do that.)   

If I was honest with myself, something I'm not terribly fond of doing for reasons of pride, I would admit that my responses are quite similar when it comes to God's commands in my life.

Let's be Done with Mediocrity Already!

Aren't you "over" your issue yet?  I am.  I'm so over my issue(s).  I'm tired of them.  Sick of them, even!  When I wake up in the morning, they are there to stare back at me in the mirror.  As I'm trying to fall asleep, they roll around in my head as I face another day of failure.  There's a world out there that needs to know the love of an all powerful God.  Why do I expend so much of my energy fighting my own foolish pride?  At what point will I set aside that pride and say "It's Yours God!  All of it!  The good, the bad and the ugly!"  I'm not saying that I'll become perfect here on earth, but obedient.  Well, as much as an inherently rebellious filthy wretch can, anyway. 

To make this life effective, I must allow God to tell me what adjustments to make and then make them immediately.  I know, that's some earth shattering stuff right there.  If I ---->choose<---- to ignore God, I will spend the rest of my life fighting for this ideal life, where I get to do what I want to do, how I want to do it and God still blesses me, which is simply not possible.  Ultimately the end result will be missed opportunities to accomplish God's intended purpose in my life.  And guess what?  My life is not about me.  So, my disobedience will also affect the lives of others.  I hate to burst your bubble, but your life is not about you either.  It will always be about Him and the people He loves.

The Difference Between Thinking of Doing and Actually Doing 

I have wasted too much time trying to sort out the pros and cons of God's commands; generosity, forgiveness, grace, love, purity, discipline, operating in wisdom, faith and all of the other things that I expect from others and debate for myself.  God is pretty specific about all of these topics and many more.  Why debate with an all knowing God at the risk of living a wasted life? 

We tell ourselves and our friends, "I'm just working it out."  "I'm working on it, ok?"  "Look, I'm not perfect (and neither are you, by the way!), but I'm trying."  I know that I say those things.  But the truth is that in the areas I don't WANT to adjust, I'm constantly learning and never applying the truth.  I'm THINKING of DOING, but never actually doing.  Maybe that's just me.

This life is not a school where we study and learn and keep it all in our heads.  There won't be a graduation ceremony at the end where we get a diploma for all that we learned.  This is an internship.  The hours are long, we learn as we go, the job is tiring, but rewarding, it's never about us and we probably won't get the appreciation and acknowledgement we deserve.  Let's accept this and get to work!    

Don't let your pride keep you in a holding pattern.  Who cares if you have to forgive someone that has injured you?  Who cares if that means you have to be more generous (and that pedicure just isn't going to happen this month)?  What difference does it make if you spend more time helping other people instead of doing more entertainment based activities?  Wouldn't you rather quit smoking/ overeating/ watching TV like it were a part-time job/ reading shades of various bad, bad books/ staring at Facebook/ gossiping/ being stingy/ being lazy/ being rude/ being judgmental/ watching porn/ having an emotional affair with your co-worker/ being angry/ lying/ cheating/ wasting your life/ or any such other thing that you've been "struggling" with if it meant that you could live with fulfilled purpose?!  (note: It's not about the things we struggle with, it's how we handle them.  All sins are equal, so don't think your special if your able to hide your issue better than other people.)

Look, I'm not meaning to minimize your struggle.  I understand what it is to struggle in an area for years, I still do.  But again, it comes down to: are you thinking about doing something or are you doing something?  Even if you fall, at least you can get back up and keep moving.  Again, we're not shooting for perfection, we're shooting for obedience.  I can't say that I'll never say another bad word ever again, but I can say that in the moment when the jerk in the Mercedes cuts me off in traffic, I will ---->choose<---- not to freak out.  Maybe next time I will ---->choose<---- a colorful phrase, but, then again, maybe next time it will be easier to resist the temptation. 

Be obedient in this moment. 

Maybe that's not an area God is speaking to you about.  But maybe it is.  We won't really know until we surrender all.  As we surrender our lives to Him fully, God shows us what adjustments to make along the way (hello conviction of the Holy Spirit), but we must actually make them.

Notice I said along the way. 

What is this Purpose You Speak of?

Jesus never said stay in your homes and your small church huddles, talking about your personal issues and problems and then maybe, just maybe, people will see how hard you've worked to become a better person.  No, He said go out and make disciples of all nations, baptize them and teach them My commands.  Your "saved" life has not been preserved in the natural so you can work out your sin issues, you're "saved" life has been preserved so that you can tell people about Jesus, and along the way work out some of those sin issues so that you can become increasingly effective in your purpose. 

We need to remember that our lives after Salvation will always be about God and about other people.  Me becoming the person He created me to be is a result of my DOING what He's called me to do.  So stop arguing that you can keep the crap you already know you should get rid of, hoping that you can still live out your intended purpose.  It doesn't work that way, so far as I can tell anyway. 

Now that I've written it... I suppose I should start doing it!  Will you join me?

Has God already shown you an area where some adjustments need to be made?  How have you responded?