What should I do if someone invitie for a program on Sunday church time?

Question: What should I do if someone invite for a program on Sunday at the time of my church service? Should I attend the church or go to the program? Is it a sin if I skip the church?

Answer:
The best solution is to attend both programs, if you can manage the time. If the church and program is at different location, try to attend a church which is near to the venue of program. If both are at the same time, try to find a church anywhere with a service at different timing than of the program or even in a different day.

According to my point of view, even thought Bible speaks about keeping Sabbath as a commandment, no where it really says to go to church on every Sunday. But Jesus Christ said on Matthew 5:40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

On behalf of these verses, I believe if someone invited for any program or event even on a Sunday or any other day in which we are engaged, we are responsible to accept the invitation and attend it with joy. If the invitation is for something that is against the bible or any commandment of Jesus Christ, we have to right to inform our unwillingness to come. Honestly if we do not accept the invitation without a valid reason, it is disobeying the commandment of Jesus Christ.

On the same time, to not attend the church is not a sin directly for it was not commaded to attend church as a commandment. But if we skip church often, it will affect our spiritual life and the relationship we have with God, that can lead us to sin and to fall shortly.

So when concluding, to attend church is also important and to attend a program someone invited us is also important. 

I have few extra pounds. I am FAT and I have obesity. Is that Okay? Is it a sin to be Fat?

I have few extra pounds. I am FAT and I have obesity. Is that Okay? Is it a sin to be Fat?

It is NOT OKAY to have some extra pounds unless you have a disease that caused it and cannot be treated or cured. It can be a sin too if it affects you and others physically or mentally.

There are people who will preach and teach it is okay to have few extra pounds and even comfort you by saying it is okay to have few extra pounds. I believe they are neither preaching, nor teaching the truth and destroying your life by advising you so. They claim God created you to be like that and it is a sin or wrong to not accept it. They push and promote people to satisfy in their few extra pounds. But it is completely wrong doctrine.

Obesity cannot be compared to your features with which you are born such as skin tone, hair color, eye color, height, shape and so on. You cannot choose to born in the features you like or wanted. Because of that I also agree that we should love ourselves how we are created naturally. Obesity is what we become by ourselves or with regards to how we are raised, after all of us are born more or less similar.

DESTROYING GOD'S TEMPLE: 1 Corinthians 2:16,17. "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

You are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. If any man(including yourselves) destroys the temple of God(including your temple), God will destroy him(you) for the temple of God is holy and that is what you are.

Some people consider this verse is only asking you to not kill others. Personally I believe this verse can be applied more to people destroying their own bodies than people murdering others because there are more people in which world who destroys themselves more than people who kill others.

We can understand easily how people destroy themselves(bodies) by using things like various drugs, alcohol, smoking, poison and so on. But the fact is that it is just a few things. There are many times more people who destroy their body by not taking care of it from gaining few extra pounds, not taking proper treatments, exercise. People who destroy their bodies by adventure, suicide, carelessness, not by taking warnings, dangerous sports, bad and unhygienic food and so on.

Honestly speaking, if you are careless about the food and amount of food you eat and if you are not doing proper exercise and measures to reduce gained weight, Definitely you are destroying your body and it is wrong in front of the eyes of God.

AFFECTS YOU AND OTHERS: If you have few extra pounds, it will not only affect you, but also others also. Understand how it can affect others and take it as a challenge to transform you for yourselves and others by not being selfish.

Obesity can affect you directly by having issues like heart diseases and stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers, gallbladder issues, osteoarthritis, Gout and Sleep Alena. But it not only affects you alone. It can make you down physically and mentally and destroys your confidence and capabilities. It can affect your relationships, social activities, family life, work life, sex life and so on.

If you become sick or die because of any diseases related to obesity which you could have controlled earlier. Your will make a lot of people so sad such as your family, relatives, friends and all other who loves you. If you have a life partner and if you are not able to give them a relationship they wanted which includes your health, active sex, playing with children, not being there for them can be cruel. It will be also cruel to show that life style to your kids as well. 

GOD DO NOT NEED YOU TO HAVE A BEACH / MODEL BODY: What God expect from you is that to be healthy all the time. He do not want anyone including you to be affected with your few extra pounds. It is not necessary to have a beach body or body like a model with ABS, perfect curves, muscles, biceps, chest and so on. You just have to understand the best shape of yours and can aim for that. It will be nice to have a number and calculation to analyze yourselves and to take care whenever you gain weight.

A simple equation you can use which I use is,

Ideal Weight: Weight in Kilo grams = Height in Cm's -(minus) 100

plus or minus 15% for women and 10% for men.

Example: I am 180 Cm's in height. So my ideal weight is 80 Kg. Plus of minus 10% for men(70-90 Kg)

NATURALLY OR BORN FAT(Reasons Out of Your Control): Basically there is nothing like naturally fat and most of all babies are born with almost equal. What makes them different is what they are fed after they are born and depends on if they are adopting a healthy or unhealthy food habits. So no matter how bad you were fed and how unhealthy your food habits are, you can still decide to change and get the best shape in your life. There are thousands of real stories all over Internet(including videos in YouTube) about people who transformed and use it to inspire you and if they can do that you can definitely do that.

DISEASE: There are certain diseases that can cause people to gain few extra pounds and keep on gaining extra pounds. If you have such a disease for which there is no treatment is available, then you have an excuse for your few extra pounds. One of the major reasons people gain few extra pounds is because of the thyroid issue and there are many treatments available now a days for that.

PERSONAL TESTIMONY: I also have a testimony about gaining few extra pounds. I will share it to help you. I was having an athletic structure naturally even though I was not into any active sports or anything. I love food so much and used to eat whatever and as much as I can eat. In 2012, I have bought a barbecue grill and I really like the taste of barbecued foods and it has became a part of my life. Within a month, my body, especially by belly became so thick with fat and I neglected and keep going. After 4 months, one day I had a situation to run for an emergency and in between I got so tired, my breathing stopped, eyes got blurry and felt sudden headache or heaviness in my head. It was an eye opening incident for me and I realized my mistake of not taking care of my body and how it has affected my health. That day I made by decision and stopped barbecued food and sold my grill within few days. Also searched for some good programs to reduce weight from Internet and found one(There were many. What I found and did was Beach body Insanity by Shaun T). It took me nearly 2 months of real hard work to get back to my early shape. And now I am always careful about my health and still do it occasionally when I realize I have gained few pounds.

GOD CAN HELP YOU: Maybe some of you are in a situation in which they think they cannot help it even though they understand what I have told and would like to do something. Don't worry. That is why we have a God for us. Just think about this. Do you know how many people in this world had achieved a complete body transformation from their obesity just by their will power and determination. How much more you can do if God can also help you and support you. Use their stories also to inspire you. If they can do it, Definitely you can do it. Philippians 4:13, I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Ask forgiveness for your mistake of unhealthy food habit, not taking treatment if you have a disease, not for doing exercise or activities to take care of your body. Pray to God to help you make a strong decision and to stand strong for that decision to control your unhealthy food life and to heal you from any diseases which is causing you to gain few extra pounds and to make exercise a part of your life. Pray for God to accompany you and help you with your mission to reduce weight. You will feel very tired and to give up especially up to losing 50% of your extra pounds. God can help you to not give up until you reach your perfect shape and weight. To give you strong determination and will power. And beyond all to start working out everyday until you reach your perfect shape in which God and everyone want to see you. 

Let me know your success stories. God Bless you.