Jesus Freaks And Holy Rollers

It is an honor to suffer shame for the name of Christ-like it says in Hos. 9:7 when the inspired man is called demented, (not to be an offensive Christian though) and to be his ambassador proclaiming the good news; but holy rollers think they are "holier than thou" and refrain from so-called secular activity or worldly things, such as going to the movies or theater, watching TV, going to sports events or even concerts. The Amish tend to have this type of religiosity and think they are better by virtue of their separatist-type living and peculiar way of life-an insult to progress and technology.



My pastor seems to be proud to advertise himself as a Jesus freak, but he is an avid hockey fan and is not a holy roller also. These are not mutually exclusive terms and one can be both. Isaiah chapter 65 condemns those who think they are "holier than thou." 1 Pet. 1:16 says that because God is holy, we are holy ("You shall be holy, for I am holy," 1 Pet. 1:16) Because we are in Christ and have imputed or transferred holiness, which means consecration or being set apart for a use--otherness or "apartness." The only holiness we have is Christ's--not our own.

For instance, some believe in shotgun evangelism, in that you should tell literally everyone about Jesus, (which I call promiscuous and indiscriminate witnessing or canvassing) regardless of whether you have earned the right and have a testimony, and whether God has opened the door or not. The person who engages in this type of spreading the Word hasn't learned how God opens doors and even closes them. This apparently does more harm than good and puts a bad name of Christianity, because Jesus was not a freak or oddball, but a well-balanced and adjusted personality to be worshiped and adored. If these unbelievers actually met Christ they could find no fault in him just like Pilate didn't. I think this does more harm than good and is a waste of time--we are just being a stumbling block to the unsaved and not being productive.




You earn the right to speak up for Christ and don't ever be ashamed of your witness and testimony on Christ's behalf. Talk to God about the person before talking to the person about God! I believe the Great Commission was given to the church and not to individual believers who are to be witnesses (and we are, either good ones or bad ones). We should be in a church that is fulfilling the Great Commission and not just making converts but making disciples, teaching them to observe all that Jesus taught. But note well that follow-up is absolutely imperative!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Freak Or Flakey Brother

"Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach ... Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:2,7, ESV, emphasis added with italics).

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation..." (Isaiah 52:7, NLT).

"The best measure of a spiritual life," says Oswald Chambers, "is not the ecstasies, but the obedience." [Don't go by feelings, they are as variable as a weather vane in a whirlwind!]




By way of definition, I define a Jesus freak as one who has sold out lock, stock, and barrel and serves God with reckless abandon, loving God with his full heart, mind, and will.

Being a so-called "Jesus freak" (note that respectable people are usually not freaks by definition), and it isn't something you advertise, by wearing attire to that effect (don't tell me or announce it, show me and prove it--don't toot your own horn or brag, let another do it for you!): it's something you demonstrate by your daily witness and share with your testimony.

Jesus didn't go around advertising or promoting the fact that He was the Son of God or even Son of David (a Messianic reference), but He didn't deny it either. Nicodemus, for example, recognized that God was with Him! The prophet Daniel had the reputation of great integrity and piety in his faith, but he neither flaunted it nor privatized it. We are never called to show off our faith or to look for trouble, but to look for open doors and in the process never to privatize our faith or hide it from the public either. There comes a time to make a stand for Jesus and show our Christian colors, and there are times to keep it to yourself. According to Isaiah 52:7 (quoted above), even the feet are welcome of those who preach the gospel, and the key is that we are not to be offensive Christians, but only to bear the offense of the cross itself! I'm afraid they have a "zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (cf. Romans 10:2).

If you are really a Jesus freak, you shouldn't have to tell someone, they should be able to discern it by your life's witness, whether you're a hypocrite or not. It's not a good idea to put Christian lapels on and try to make airs that you're one of the few real Christians who aren't ashamed of Christ. We must be sensitive to the One who opens doors no one can shut, and not strive to force them open by ourselves. We don't shove our religion down people's throats or push our faith on others, whether they are willing to accept it or not. The divine order is to pray to God about a person's salvation, before talking to that person and salvation about God!


Christians aren't called to be "freaks" in the common meaning of the term, but to have a sound mind and witness, and life that cannot be reprimanded or frowned upon. One example I should bring up: Putting Christian-promoting bumper stickers on your vehicle, when you have bad driving habits, bringing disrepute to Christ's name, which is really taking His name in vain. Now, all I'm saying is that we don't just tell our neighbor we're "Jesus freaks," but we become "Jesus freaks." How would it sound if you went around saying, "Hi! I'm a genius!"

Real Jesus freaks don't need to advertise--it's plain to be seen--there's evidence! I hope by "freak" one doesn't mean eccentric or oddball, as this is never a good testimony (even though John the Baptist was), but just a fully-devoted, Spirit-filled follower of Christ! If we really are, God will open the door and the Holy Spirit will anoint you, and it won't be you speaking, but God in you. I've seen people trying to promote Christianity and have a glum or sullen countenance, and this is a poor advertisement for Christ and does more harm than good. "For the joy of the LORD is your strength" (cf. Neh. 8:10).

Scripture admonishes us not to practice our piety before men, to be seen by them and this means to let God open the door and trust Him for the opportunities and He'll make you a fisher of men! There are certain "sound barriers" in witnessing, and we must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading, and be filled with the Spirit (an example is the first mention of God, sin, salvation, faith, Christ, and finally the plan of salvation and the invitation as barriers to be broken down). Witnessing is to be natural, and not forced unto people when they're unwilling to hear the good news.

God absolutely must prepare a person's heart for the gospel to have any effect and it is only by His wooing that someone will come to Christ, not our persuasiveness or cleverness or gimmicks. In short, we must earn the right to witness and it must not belie our testimony and conversation in life or lifestyle--though there are exceptions to the rule, which only proves there is one.

In the strict sense of the word, all believers are freaks and this is not our home--our citizenship is in heaven (cf. Phil. 3:20)--for we are in the world, but not of it (cf. John 15:19). The spiritual man is appraised by no natural man: "The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment" (1 Cor. 2:15, NIV). The world is bound to even hate us (John 15:18, ESV, says, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you."). The world will reject you: "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12, NIV).

However, as we willingly and openly confess Christ, we don't wear our religion on our sleeves and display a sort of offensive religiosity or superstition--we aren't Jesus freaks by virtue of claiming to be one, we must walk the walk as well--and the world's observing!

Soli Deo Gloria!

What Kind Of Soil Are You?

In the parable of the sower, in Matthew 13, Christ depicts four types of individuals who hear the gospel and how they respond.  There is the soil along the path, the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil. It is important to evaluate the condition of our own soil because we can go through phases in life where it may vary--we are not always apparently good soil, even if we are saved.   We may identify with these kinds of soils at some time in our spiritual journey, but to enter the kingdom of God we have to be good soil--we may just backslide or revert to our old nature at seasons of our life though.  But it is erroneous to conclude that there is a whole new category of a believer called a believer with a thorny soil;  he must have been good soil at one time or he never would've been saved in the first place.

It has been shown that the average person rejects the gospel 7.6 times before accepting it--that is an average and one person may reject it 8 times and another 7 times, and so forth.  That is proof that we are not always receptive to the message of truth and aren't usually ready for it as given or sown the first time.  But God prepares our hearts over time and when we are prepared soil we do respond affirmatively. "Salvation is of the Lord," says Jonah 2:9 and we do not cooperate in it as Rome teaches but simply accepts it by faith with God doing all the work, even giving us faith as a gift--it is not something we conjure up by our efforts.   All of us can relate to once being thorny soil that had other things on our mind or even rocky soil that doesn't want to pay the price of persecution or tribulation and hasn't counted the cost--Jesus warned His followers to "count the cost."

In this parable, the sower is the same, the seed is the same, and the soil is the same; what is different is the condition of the soil and this is the responsibility of the recipient.  The sower sows wherever he has the opportunity or sees an open door.  Only in so-called  "good soil" does the seed germinate and take root to go on and bear fruit.  Why is fruit important?  John the Baptist said, "Bear fruits in keeping with repentance..." (Luke 3:8).   "By their fruits, you shall know them."  Jesus "appointed [us] that [we] should go and bear fruit and that [our] fruit should abide..." (John 15:16).  We should "bear much fruit and prove to be [His] disciples." (This fruit is the outcome of our lives for Christ, doing good deeds foreordained for us and not the fruit of the Spirit since the listeners of Jesus knew nothing of this and the Spirit was not yet given!)

I am of the persuasion that faith without works is dead and without fruit there is no faith--true faith produces fruit and this fruit is good works (though converts is a good work, it is not the only one); we are not saved by good works, but we are not saved without them either-without works our faith is suspect.  There may be Christians who don't amount to much and may end up with no reward according to 1 Cor. 3:15 where they are saved, as if by fire, but they do produce some fruit and end up losing or forfeiting their reward.   The condition of the soil is up to us and we are culpable for soil that is unresponsive to the gospel and has no place for the Word in our lives.

Lots of people are superficial and initially believe the Word of Christ, but don't have genuine saving faith, having good intentions, but poor follow-through.  The purpose of this parable is to show three types of recipients to the general call of the gospel when we preach or evangelize and why they don't accept our message.  It is meant to encourage us to sow a seed and that some will inevitably fall on good or tilled soil.   Hearing the Word is not sufficient, one must be obedient to the gospel and go on to follow the Lord as His disciple.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Jesus Freaks, Holy Rollers, Both, Or Neither?

It is an honor to suffer shame for the name of Christ-like it says in Hos. 9:7 when the inspired man is called demented, (not to be an offensive Christian though) and to be his ambassador proclaiming the good news; but holy rollers think they are "holier than thou" and refrain from so-called secular activity or worldly things, such as going to the movies or theater, watching TV, going to sports events or even concerts. The Amish tend to have this type of religiosity and think they are better by virtue of their separatist-type living and peculiar way of life-an insult to progress and technology.

My pastor seems to be proud to advertise himself as a Jesus freak, but he is an avid hockey fan and is not a holy roller also. These are not mutually exclusive terms and one can be both. Isaiah chapter 65 condemns those who think they are "holier than thou." 1 Pet. 1:16 says that because God is holy, we are holy ("You shall be holy, for I am holy," 1 Pet. 1:16) Because we are in Christ and have imputed or transferred holiness, which means consecration or being set apart for a use--otherness or "apartness." The only holiness we have is Christ's--not our own.

For instance, some believe in shotgun evangelism, in that you should tell literally everyone about Jesus, (which I call promiscuous and indiscriminate witnessing or canvassing) regardless of whether you have earned the right and have a testimony, and whether God has opened the door or not. The person who engages in this type of spreading the Word hasn't learned how God opens doors and even closes them. This apparently does more harm than good and puts a bad name of Christianity, because Jesus was not a freak or oddball, but a well-balanced and adjusted personality to be worshiped and adored. If these unbelievers actually met Christ they could find no fault in him just like Pilate didn't. I think this does more harm than good and is a waste of time--we are just being a stumbling block to the unsaved and not being productive.

You earn the right to speak up for Christ and don't ever be ashamed of your witness and testimony on Christ's behalf. Talk to God about the person before talking to the person about God! I believe the Great Commission was given to the church and not to individual believers who are to be witnesses (and we are, either good ones or bad ones). We should be in a church that is fulfilling the Great Commission and not just making converts but making disciples, teaching them to observe all that Jesus taught. But note well that follow-up is absolutely imperative!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Is Doctrine That Important?

Everyone has a doctrine, it is just a matter of how accurate it is. Jesus' doctrine was right but the Pharisees hated His doctrine, though they loved doctrine per se.  Doctrine separates Christians when they make it the end and not the means. The purpose of all doctrine is to lead us to a fuller understanding and relationship with God--not a reason to feel puffed up with knowledge. One can know very little doctrine and be very good at applying what he knows and be a very good Christian.

The disciples were "dedicated to the apostle's teaching [or doctrine]" (Acts 2:42). In other words, knowing doctrine is a means to an end, and not the objective itself (what we apply is more important than what we believe in theory). Some people like to divide Christians into two camps, for instance: Arminian vs. Calvinist. Both can be very fundamental, evangelical and conservative in their beliefs. In fact, there are some Arminians that know their God far better than some Calvinists.

It is not a good thing to get into the habit of labeling fellow believers, which can lead to judging. You can say, "I am a Calvinist!" But I can retort, "I am a Christian!" In summary, God isn't going to ask you what party you were a member of or how you interpreted the atonement--but of your love for and trust in Christ.   Soli Deo Gloria!