Philemon 1:4-7 I thank my God always making mention of you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake. For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
With the introduction of many different kinds of electric cars into the transportation system, it seems that the big argument now is gas or electric. Of course, these two sources are different in many ways, but the major difference I see is that gas is a source fuel and electric is a result fuel. A source fuel is one that is derived from a source that is natural and a part of the earth and it supplies many result fuels. Electric is made from source fuels like gas, wind, sun, etc. Electric cars are man's attempt to solve the emissions that come from the source fuel cars, or gas. Electricity has been around forever and man's attempt to harness it and create it are well documented and continuing as we seek the "perfect power source." Electricity will most likely always be a result fuel that is dependent on doing something to generate it and when 'the squirrel" stops running, it will stop as well. At this point it is not perpetual and it's dependance on fuel sources to "make it happen" is continuing.
Gas, on the other hand, is a fuel that is a pure source fuel that is found in the earth in the form of oil. It's kind of amazing that oil will lubricate a car engine and when refined will also power an engine in the form of gas. This source fuel has many different uses, (including powering electricity) and it enables many uses according to what you can figure out what you can use it for. In the area of transportation, the use of refined oil, or gas is a must and this source fuel is the life blood of our main transportation system. Our fear of too much bad air caused from the use of gas, is an ongoing argument in modern times and some people's desire to distance ourselves from this fuel source is a hot issue right now. Personally I like gas engines and do not desire to use an electric car in any form or fashion, but a great analogy for us as Christians can be discovered from the basic truth of these two fuels. One is a source fuel. One is a result fuel.
I think Christianity in America has become very "electric" in it's approach and over the last few years we have become more "green" in our thinking. Point in case, God's Word is referenced by many, but the inner truths aren't taught as life lessons. Our faith will look more result oriented, meaning it is a faith that is created from outside sources, but impure and lacking power from the true source, Jesus Christ. Like electricity it gets it's punch from media overkill, flash and dash worship, Christian books that reference The Bible (sometimes) and preaching. There is great power in those things when used in the right way, but they always have to be "charged up" again and again. Since they are not fueled by the true source, their power gets weak and if we don't get charged regularly, Christians will fall away from their church or even their faith after a while. Of course, we love electricity because it seems to have no residual affect on our Christian Environment, but that is also the problem. We have become followers of followers and the power we have may not even be power at all. Just pseudo power.
I believe that we need to get back to the source of our true power. Like gas, it just keeps on going as you put more and more fuel in it and the engine, if taken care of, will run and run. Here's where we as Christians lose our power source. We quit putting fuel in the engine!! Our fuel is God's Word. Not just read, but understood, and lived. Our engine is our faith in Christ and the assurance of our salvation. Our life is the car, pointed in the right direction (or as the Bible says about early Christians, The Way) and our spiritual GPS is tuned into God's Direction for my life and the fuel allows the car to move to that destination. By the way, remember the oil in the engine? The purest source of our faith, or the oil, keeps our lives in great working order and when we get ready to start the engine, it will run smoothly.
Gas vs Electric? I will choose gas every time, because it is a source fuel. God's Word vs Derived Faith? I will choose God's Word every time, because it is the source fuel for my faith.
You are probably thinking, "what about the environment?" The environment we live in is already polluted, but when we live our lives from the source of true power and strength, Jesus Christ, the exhaust of our lives will always be a sweet smelling fragrance that shows there are more and more Christians running their lives from the pure source of the Word. In John 15:18-19, Jesus says, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love it's own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Keep on getting your fuel from the pure source, not the result fuel source. No second hand faith. Jesus Christ died and defeated death so we could live as ambassadors of that pure faith. Now it is just up to us to keep the fuel in the engine. That kind of faith will power any other source and keep the power coming.
The Pilgrimage continues,
David Warren
