Living Love without Speaking Truth

Change happens. Whether it is due to moving, going to college, getting a new job, or marriage, it is bound to happen. A lot of these changes are good, but as we all know, hard trials are bound to come too.

Some of the hard changes we encounter are unavoidable, such as the death of a loved one. Others are self-inflicted due to thinking that we "know what we're doing'', only to find out that we actually don't. And still others are done willfully, with the intention that we forsake what is easy for something better, such as starting an exercise regime.

With that being said, there is another category of change that I have noticed. That is, that a person knows what is good, true, and right, but chooses to change their whole persona to go in the wrong direction. In this instance, I am referring specifically to the lifestyle of homosexuality.

When I went to Worldview Academy as a student, I got to know a lot of people my age. Two people I knew, both claiming to be Christians, were an encouragement to me, as well as a lot of other students.  Both their testimonies and their apparent desire to serve God was admired and looked up to. When camp ended, I made it a point to stay in contact with them online through Facebook.

Then, over the next few years, I surprisingly began to notice a disturbing trend. Instead of focusing on what was godly and true, there began to be a noticeable leaning towards what God hates. Both of them embraced the homosexual movement through direct participation and denial of God. Ultimately, they showed their true fruit through denial of Christ Himself.

On seeing these changes occur, I was reminded of the verses from 1 John 2:15-19, where it says:

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrists have appeared; even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." 

I was listening to a great two-part sermon by John MacArthur while driving the other day (If interested, here are parts One and Two). In the series, John described Biblically how homosexuality goes against what God commands, but it something that you CAN be redeemed from. One of the verses that he pointed out was 1 Corinthians 6:9:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the Kingdom of God.  And such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

This leads me to my question: How are we as believers supposed to interact with people who purposely defy God with the lifestyle of homosexuality?

*Small note: Homosexuality is not the "cardinal sin" that isolates you from God. Otherwise, Paul wouldn't have also mentioned people like drunkards and thieves in the passage above. Sin is sin, and one separates us from God just as effectively as another. However, I am focusing on this topic specifically due to the fact that homosexuality is something Christians specifically struggle with confronting, as I will elaborate on below.

Live like They're Dying

Being a Christian is exciting! How else are you able to interact with your Creator in an intimate relationship that both fulfills you and grows you at the same time?! Through this growing process, I've really come to see how one certain mental aspect is now totally different than it was before I was saved.


(Before going any further, I'd like to preface what I have to say with this: salvation or conviction that results from any testimony and/or preaching of the gospel cannot be attributed to personal skills, talents, coincidence, or intelligence. Everything is a work of God. This is an important clarification since it acknowledges that God is the worker of salvation, not us)

"For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him from the Father." (John 6:65)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So, one of the things that God has been working on in my heart is the absolute need for evangelism. However, this isn't something new to believers. Everybody knows the verse from Mark 16:15 where Jesus says:

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned."

But unfortunately, this mandate is often not applied Biblically the way that it was intended to be. As an example, think of this common-phrase in the Christian community:

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and use words when necessary"

So, to start with, what is the Gospel?

Answer: It's the Good News!

Question: What is the Good News?

Answer: The story of hell-bound sinners being saved through no merit of their own. This is done through the act of a merciful God sending His Son Jesus Christ dying on a cross. (See Ephesians 2 and 2 Corinthians 4)

Question: How do you live out that message without using words?

Answer: You can't.........it's news.



What does this all mean? It means that you have to actually TALK to people about the Gospel in order to fulfill the Great Commission. In the last 2 months, this has personally meant sharing my testimony (and the Gospel) in front of large groups of people, as well as having numerous one-on-one conversations.

In fact, I recently ran across a former coworker of mine while walking out of Walmart. I knew "Jon" wasn't a Christian, but I also knew that his only interaction with me was when I was the "religious" kid he worked with several years back. As I was walking up to talk to him, two thoughts flashed through my mind:


1. Jon does not know what real Christianity is based on my life.

2. There could be a car accident tomorrow that takes Jon's life, and I would be filled with regret for not telling him what the real gospel is today (and by the way, this is where the whole "use words when necessary" phrase really falls apart)

It was with that in mind that I intentionally steered our conversation towards repentance and mankind's' need for a Savior. And, believe it or not, Jon was actually responsive to what I said and agreed to read the book of Romans on his own at home.


God has used that incident to make a lasting impression on me. For one thing, we shouldn't wait until we feel "comfortable" around people to preach the Gospel. Paul didn't stay in cities for years in order to get to know people before telling them about Jesus. Instead, he immediately preached the gospel, and was persecuted as a result (See Acts 9). 

1 Peter 3:13-17 says:

Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.

I now have the mindset of trying to look at every non-Christian as a person who is destined to die immediately after I talk to him/her. I have found that this drives me to try and share with every person I meet, not knowing if they will ever hear the Gospel again.

Sure, some people don't appreciate that. Some people get downright defensive. But, in the end, that's ok. Why? Because, like I shared in the verses at the beginning of this post, it is God who does the saving, not me.

All I can do is obey, and He will do the rest. I encourage you to do the same.

Is it Real?

Over the last 3 weeks of being a Christian, I have already noticed some things in my life changing. This has been encouraging to me, since this is evidence of what God does through people who have been saved (see Galations 2:20).

But, even as I've watched God work in me, I've been able to observe something. There are many people I know in the EXACT  boat that I was. They don't show the fruit of God in their life, but manage to hide this fact by blending in with the crowd of true believers they are surrounded by.

Oftentimes, I think that this results in a version of me before I was saved. Someone who unconsciously think they are saved by association, rather than personal salvation through the blood of Christ. As a result, they make every effort to be a part of these groups of people, even if that company consists of true Christians.

This is within the group that they find personal identity, not God.

What does this mean?

This means that unbelievers can be found playing important roles in churches, family gatherings, Christian colleges, children's ministry, etc... I know, because I was one of them.

This is what Matthew 7:15-23 was talking about:

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. 

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you;  DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.''

So all of this to ask a simple question (not to the unbeliever who rejects Christ outright, but to any person who professes to be a Child of God):


"Is your own salvation real?"


While I am just beginning to personally study and see how true salvation manifests itself in a believer's life, I do know that the Bible talks about what will be present in a true believer, and that is the recognition and repentance of sin in your life.

Acts 2:37-42 demonstrates this process. People who are truly saved will show the evidence through the rejection and sorrow for sin.

It's not about saying a prayer, going to church, hanging out with a Christian crowd, or doing good things to earn a free pass into heaven. This will never work, as anything good we do is considered worthless to God (Isaiah 64:6 and Romans 3). It's about the heart and whether or not that heart has been transformed by God (Romans 1:16)

In the end, you have to read the Bible for yourself to see if your life shows the evidence that true salvation brings. Paul said it best in 2 Corinthians 13:5-6 when he said:

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test."

If you are truly a believer, the evidence that Galations 5 talks about will be seen in your life.

But, if you are just putting on a good show on the outside, but hiding the evil inside, you are just like the Hell-Bound religious people that Jesus described in Matthew 23.

So, with all of that being said, I encourage you to examine yourself. Is your salvation real? If you believe so, what evidences in your life that match up with the Bible can you use to support your claim?

It is my hope that each of you will not fail the test.

A New Creation

Hey everybody, thanks for visiting my blog!

For starters, my name is Jaden, and I'm a 22 year old guy living in Northern Minnesota. I come from a large family (I'm the oldest of 12 kids to be exact), and have had many experiences throughout my growing up.

I've started this blog as a way for me to express various thoughts that I may have throughout the day, based on both experience from the past and learning in the present.

But honestly, the intention of my writing is going to be a lot more than just sharing random thoughts or stories as they come up. The intention of this blog is not just to write, but to document a journey along the way.

Now what do I mean by the word "journey"? It can refer to a lot of things, whether it's traveling to another country, or going through an entire recipe book (See the movie "Julie & Julia").

In this case, I am referring to the journey of being a New Creation.......but maybe I should back up a bit.

Like I said, I grew up in a large family, and a Christian one at that. I was taught fundamental aspects of the Christian faith such as:

• The Bible is the ultimate source of truth because it is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16)
• Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven (John 14:6)
• Heaven cannot be attained through good works (2 Timothy 1:8-10)
• Being a Christian means that you are repentant of your sin and show the presence of God in your life (Romans 12)

However, despite all of this, there was one HUGE problem: I wasn't a Christian myself.

Oh, I believed all of the things I had been taught. I could get into a discussion with just about anyone about our need for a Savior, or the reliability of the Bible. The problem was that it was all "head knowledge" and not truly from the heart.

In fact, I became so good at blending in, that even if you knew me really well, I could hide my daily rejection of Christ by being a "good" person on the outside.

But, during all of this time, I knew deep inside that I wasn't saved. I was daily turning my back on God, and showed none of the genuine repentance that a true believer would show.

Until July 26th, 2014 at 11:21 P.M.

I was reading my Bible and trying to figure out things such as:

• Understanding how salvation works (Ephesians 1)
• Trying to find out how and why God would ever choose to save me (John 15:15-16)

• Trying to comprehend God's infinite LOVE for me (John 3:16) while understanding His infinite HATE for sin (Romans 1:18)

All of that came to a culmination when God touched my heart and brought me to the realization that I am a sinner, and that everytime I sinned it was a direct slap in the face of Him....my own Creator.

And, at that moment, I felt the peace of God (Philippians 4) come into my life...and my life hasn't been the same since.

I am now a New Creation in Christ...and I hope to share some of the things that I learn as God begins work on "The Anderson Project".


2 Corinthians 5:16-21 

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. he made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.