GC Squared...

I heard this phrase this weekend from Coach Rod Olson. This little equation has stuck in my head and I can't get it out. I wish I could get it out of my head and have it embedded in my heart. Oh...what is it? What does it mean? Something that I have heard in church a million times and, truthfully, said a million times. It means the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. GC squared.

I have a relatively easy time with the Great Commandment. You know, Matthew 22:37

I mean, it can sometimes be difficult for us to give God all of our heart, soul, and strength. Especially when we have made the schedules we try to keep...note it is the schedules we have made. Now, keeping the Great Commission is a whole different ballgame.

It can be hard to love our neighbors. One thing I remember from my fraternity days in college was this..."You have to be a brother to have a brother." Now, don't get me wrong with all this, I am just illustrating a point. If you want to have a neighbor, you must first be one. What does this mean? It means we need to care about people and share Christ with them just as someone cared about me and shared Christ with me. We need to learn to love people like Christ loved people.

Love covers a multitude of sins...GC squared...

Discussions on Salvation

Okay...so the last few days, I have had these discussions on "what it takes for someone to be saved..." You must first realize my spiritual background and that I grew up and am currently in a Pentecostal denomination. We constantly had altar calls, hands raised to signify we wanted to be saved, looked at our neighbor and asked the question, walked to the altar with our friends, had people lay hands on us and pray, the "repeat after me" prayer all in the name of becoming saved and experience the life changing salvation that knowing Christ brings.

With that said, I was asked, "What does the Bible say one must do to be saved?" Being highly trained, a graduate of a Christian College, an Ordained Minister and a student of the Bible...immediately my mind raced, in Sword Drill fashion, to Romans 10:9-10 where it says,

Romans 10:9 NIV - YouVersion.com: Online Bible: "9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

So, that posed the next question..."Do you have to go to an altar, repeat after me, raise your hand or really even pray a prayer of repentance?" Or is it more like saying the words, "I believe"? It has been an interesting few days to say the least. Now I am curious, what do you think?