An Unchanging Lens

As I write this post, I struggle with the challenge of communicating my thoughts on some subjects that are already saturated with ideas and comments from millions of people around the world.

You would think that after all this input, a general consensus would have been reached on a lot of these topics. However, time seems to show that division rather than unity is more often the result...even within the CHURCH!

Think of these hot topics right now for instance:

• Hillary, Trump, or neither...

• Gun control...

• Islamic Terrorism...

• Gay Rights...

• The Church's role in society....

And then you have the most recent event in Orlando that somehow managed to lump ALL of these topics into one observable scenario.

Which leads to the question: How are we as Christians supposed to respond?

I've read a lot of opinions by people that offer various answers. These include cliches that are easily stated, but are often less easy to apply consistently. 

For example:

• "Jesus loved people, so we as Christians should be known by our love during this time in our nation's history"

• "This is a perfect opportunity for the Church to come alongside others by loving on them and helping them in their time of need"

Ok that's true, but what does that mean? Is simply "loving on people" the only response we as Christians have to offer a grieving and shocked world? How is that principle to be applied?

Rejecting Christ with Nothing to Lose

"I see so many people come in here who hear the gospel, and yet continue to reject the truth. At times, I fear that they have hardened their hearts to the point where God has given them over permanently to their sin."

These words, told to me by an evangelist at Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, resonated deeply. The Mission, which has been serving the Chicago area since 1877, has a unique vision that is rarely seen in ministries that care for the poor and destitute.

• To reach the lost with the Gospel of Christ
• Help others through any season of life to become fully functioning followers of Christ
• To provide a peaceful, clean and safe environment to the homeless
• To provide life's necessities physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

(Source: PGM Website)

I, along with three other guys, had gone to the Mission in order to volunteer and serve them in whatever need that presented itself. Although I had personally visited "PGM" in the past, it had never been for an extended period of time as a true believer. As a result, I saw the purpose of the whole organization in an entirely new light than before.

Every day I was there, I saw hundreds of non-christian men and women from various backgrounds pass through the doors into the Mission. Their needs ranged from needing food and shelter to seeking help for a drug/alcohol addiction. All were welcomed and each was given the opportunity and resources to get back on their feet. However, while the humanitarian aspect of the Mission is obviously beneficial, one thing that stuck out to me was the recognition of where true peace and stability comes from:

"...Homelessness is resolved by the transforming power of Jesus Christ (Source: PGM Website)"

A well known policy of PGM is that everyone who stays there is required to listen to a gospel message presented by an evangelist. As a result of this gospel-focus that permeates the entire organization, all of the individuals that PGM helps are also given the truth about Christ and the forgiveness for our sins.

This was refreshing for me to see as a believer, given how often the gospel is dumbed down for the sake of being more appealing. But despite this Christ-centered atmosphere, I began to realize something key.

Everyday, a myriad of "overnight guests" (as the Mission likes to call them) would pass by me in the halls. They would hear a gospel message 2-3 times a day, be cared for by Christian individuals in a safe environment, and see firsthand in others how Christ can change people's lives............and yet despite all this most of these people continued to reject the gospel.

The simple transforming message of the gospel, to repent, believe, and follow Christ, was preached to them every day. And yet, these individuals with nothing to lose continued to choose and go back to the self-destructive lifestyles that were killing them, both spiritually and physically. They would hear the saving message of the gospel, and then spit in Christ's face as they returned to their drugs, alcohol, crime, and whatever else consumed their desires.

As I watched this spectacle unfold everyday that I was in Chicago, it reminded me of the passage from John 3:18-21

"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God."

The realization that everyone is personally responsible for their sin, no matter their social status or cultural upbringing, was clearly shown. After all, sin wasn't only something they just did, but rather something they wanted to do. It wasn't a matter of passive ignorance, but rather one that was willful and intentional in nature.

And yet, despite all of this, there is still hope. My testimony, along with other Christians who work at PGM, shows that no one is beyond God's reach.

"1 Corinthians 6:9-11: 

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will 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, will inherit the kingdom of God. 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."

Our responsibility as Christians is to continue to preach the gospel, despite all the feelings of complacency and disinterest that we will encounter. Any persuasive argument that we give should be rooted in Scripture, as this is the most powerful tool that we can wield (Hebrews 4:12)

"1 Corinthians 3:7-9:

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters in anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

Romans 10:14: 

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!'" 

Saying Goodbye to Calvinism

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that you all are continuing to grow in Christ as He molds us into who He wants us to be.

The subject of this post comes after a lot of discussion with others, as well as research on my own in both the Bible and various books from both perspectives. It stems from realizing the contentiousness of the subject, but also the need to address and stay true to what the Bible teaches about God's sovereignty and man's free will.

As a new believer, I was a "Calvinist" and proud of it. I could walk you through TULIP, show verses to back my case, and give lengthy discourses that discussed how illogical any opposing viewpoint was. However over time it became evident that this strategy not only alienated friendships, but served to be more divisive than edifying in discussions with other believers. Some people refer to this as the "Cage Stage". :)

This attitude continued throughout paramedic school. I proudly advocated my position to my Christian classmates. In fact, I would bring up the subject whenever possible, just for the sake of using my proven techniques that had worked so "effectively" in the past. In the end though, God showed me that I was not showing the humility talked about in Philippians 1:1-11. Instead of building others up, my pride was causing a hindrance in my ability to "encourage one another and build up one another" like 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells Christians to do.

The Lord used this entire experience during medic school to teach that lesson to me. At the very end, while reflecting on the discourses I'd had with others, I realized that I had never truly listened to their arguments. I had read books for the sake of disproving them instead of truly seeing if they were Scripturally based. I approached it from the "This is wrong and here's why" standpoint instead of "Does Scripture teach this?" My motivation was for personal vindication rather than personal growth.

Having been humbled and realizing this fact, I began to reread opposing viewpoints from my new perspective. While reading these, I came to a startling realization that my pride had blinded from me before:

A lot of their arguments were soundly based, if the foundation they were using was accurate. 

Please don't misunderstand me here. I'm not saying that I agreed with their conclusions. Rather, I was left realizing that their conclusions were entirely logical if their foundational arguments were to be trusted.

For instance, an author named Austin Fischer dedicated a large portion of his book "Young, Restless, and No longer Reformed" to disproving the "Calvinist" premise that God makes people sin in order to damn them.

"In summary, then, the reprobate are all those humans who will experience a fate dreadful beyond comprehension (hell) as they are eternally punished by God for sins he ordained they would commit before they existed-they were created so they could be damned. If you don't cringe a little, you don't have a pulse" (page 22)

Dave Hunt offers a similar statement when responding to James White in the book, "Debating Calvinism"

"There is no escaping Calvinism's teaching that by 'God's eternal decree' He caused the evil in the brethren's hearts and caused them to execute their evil deeds" (Page 52)

Did Calvinism really teach that? If so, then I was forced to compare that premise to Scripture. 

James 1 addresses this very topic in verses 13-18.

"Let no one say when he is tempted, 
'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 
Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. 
In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures."

As another example, Hunt also brought up the man from whom Calvinism gets its name, John Calvin. Calvin, while a man who knew and studied Scripture, still believed and taught the unbiblical doctrine of salvation through infant baptism.

"God takes his own methods of regenerating...to consecrate infants to himself, and initiate them by a sacred symbol....Circumcision was common to infants before they received understanding" (Calvin, Institutes, IV:xvi, 31)

This teaching also goes against the Biblical doctrine that we are saved by grace, through FAITH (Ephesians 2).

Trusting in the Lord

Hey all!

So since I haven't written a post since last October, I figured it was about time that I started being a little more consistent. The last few months have been a whirlwind for me. I'm a paramedic student, so I end up doing a lot of traveling. This has resulted in a lot of different learning opportunities spiritually for me that I would have never known before. Here are just a couple of the highlights:

1. Preaching the gospel can be spoken in truth and love: Too often, I would err on the side of being honest, without showing the compassion and love that Christ showed to everyone while He was on earth. I was listening to this sermon series on Mark 8 the other day while traveling, and I was really convicted (especially in parts 3&4) in how I sometimes don't show compassion to the people I see on the ambulance everyday. The demonstration of Christ's love, patience, and compassion for everyone He interacted with is the greatest example of how we as Christians are supposed to act.

2. We can end up loving a doctrine about Christ more than we love Christ Himself: When I was emailing friends or talking with them in a restaurant, I realized something: Too often, I was more concerned about my need to be right, rather than my need to be Christ-like. 

Obviously, doctrine is crucial to our understanding of Scripture and to how we follow Christ (1 Timothy 6:3-10). However, there is also the need to be loving and understanding to those in different areas of their spiritual walk (1 Corinthians 8). This doesn't mean that you don't stand up for the truth shown in the Bible, but it does mean that you do so in love like Ephesians 4 tells us to do.

3.The need to understand that God is in charge: One of my biggest struggles that I've had is the realization that I can't control everything. My mindset before, although not a conscious one, was that I could "make things happen" if I tried hard enough or said the right things. Whether this meant convincing somebody of my opinion or trying to make things go my way, I found that this was a constant problem in my life.

Then, as I was struggling with this, I remembered a sermon I had listened to as a new believer last year called "Making the Hard Decisions Easy." The synopsis of the sermon was this: The key to any decision, choice, or situation is to simply seek God, to know His will, and to grow closer to Him. In doing so, you will find that the choices you make start to automatically align with what God wants for your life. It's all about applying the attitude that Christ had in the Garden of Gethsemane, of "not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42) to our relationship with God.

That's it.

I was reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6, which says

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight"

Since this realization, I've now developed a whole new appreciation for things like prayer. Who knows any situation better than God Himself? No matter what the situation is, whether it's losing your car keys or making major life decisions...God should be the one whom we turn to. In the end, our lives are totally owed to Christ and His death on the Cross, so having them reflect that should be our number one priority.

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.