"Sage"?

You are probably wondering who is this arrogant person calling himself "The Reformed Sage" Well, it all has to do with the Cage Stage and my personal struggle, sin, and reconciliation before God.

(If you do not know what the Cage Stage is, see this article here: https://www.ligonier.org/blog/cage-stage-calvinism ) As a newly minted Five Point Calvinist, I went though a bad Cage Stage and even lost friends and deeply offended family members.

I did not understand the practical implications of Calvinism. ( Also the title of a little good book which you can read for free here: https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/sdg/The%20Practical%20Implications%20of%20Calvinism.pdf ). I did not realize that I often lacked grace when explaining the Doctrines of Grace to other people. I was direct, brutal, and often used mockery. All sins which I deeply regret and have since sought reconciliation for.

Looking back at the time frame, it was towards the end of my time in the Cage Stage that I created a Facebook page called "The Reformed Cage" where I created a lot of memes and content that attacked anybody who did not hold to the five points of Calvinism. This went on maybe two months. I began to be convicted by verses like these: Mark 12:31 "The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." And 1 Corinthians 13:2: "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing."

After much reflection on those verses and prayer, I realized I was no longer in the Cage Stage, and then sought reconciliation with those I had sinned against. But.. what do I do with this Facebook page called "The Reformed Cage"? The page already gained a following, so I didn't want to just destroy everything. So I went about thinking what could I do to use the page in ways that would glorify Christ. I decided to make the page into a place where people who hold differing theological doctrines are welcome and allowed to speak and interact. I felt that having a page that provided a place where Christian brothers and sisters could sharpen each others iron, (Proverbs 27:17) in grace and love, while not neglecting, but rather encouraging Reformed Theology, would be a good thing.

I had seen many Reformed pages on Facebook, however many of them were only posting theological quotes, and not really providing a place for theological discussions to occur. That would be what my page would provide.

I needed a way to distinguish my page from all the other Cage Stage ran pages that litter social media, so I thought, well I could simply change the "C" on cage to and "S" to Sage. The idea being, although it's only a single letter change, and the connotations with Sage would be a sign to let people know that this page was not just another Cage Stage page that insults people all day and night. This page would be a page of grace that recognizes Psalm 111:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" As Christians we are called to fear the Lord, love our neighbors and serve the King. So the word Sage, is to daily remind me of my place as a creation of God, called to love my neighbor in grace and truth humbly while being wise as a serpent. 

The Reformed Sage was born.

Having learned from my sins, and better recognizing the grace and love of God for those who are not Calvinists or Reformed, I now seek to assist them to continue to grow into conformity to the image of Christ in grace and love! (Romans 8:29)

 

P.S. If you are still reading this... I created this store you are on because I did not like all the cheesey Christian merch on the market, and I personally have a passion for evangelism and apologetics. So I set out to create some awesome Reformed gear that I not only love to wear myself (Which my wife has told me that I have drug dealer tendencies because I keep buying my own stuff, she said "you need to stop getting high on your own supply")... but would also be effective conversation starters.

Wearing gear that has a solid biblical message and foundation is an excellent way to engage the kingdom of darkness when we leave our homes each day. May God grant us all grace to continue serve Him faithfully in these dark days as we joyfully await His return! 

1 Corinthians 1:3 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Reformed Sage