Summing up the Bible

A summing up of the Bible

“One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                         Matthew 22:35-40.

How can anyone argue with love being the most important thing in the law. Jesus is not alone in saying this.
A thirteenth century Jewish sage, Hillel, was asked to sum up the entire Torah (the Law) while standing on one leg. He responded with av’ahavta l’reacha komacha (you shall love you neighbour as yourself.
I believe however that the love spoken of has to be that from God.
Sadly we have to many ‘poor’ definitions of love. Definitions that put limits on love.
Paul writing to the Corinthians said this about love,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails”
                                                                                             1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
This is the love Jesus and Hillel meant when they were speaking. It is an unconditional love. One that sets no boundaries.
This is true love.
A love that if put into practice really could change the world.
Think about it.

Do not bear a grudge

Do not bear a grudge

“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” 
                      Leviticus 19:18.
For years I use to watch the conflict in Northern Ireland and the killing done in the name of religion.
My mothers family emigrated to England from Ireland in the mid eighteen hundreds. There reason was to get a better life which they eventually did get but apparently not without some people disliking the fact they were catholic.
The Northern Ireland conflict is very typical of men doing things supposedly in the name of God. When really they are doing it simply with a religious name.
Jesus was a man of peace he never preached insurrection against the dominating Romans. In fact he a Jew helped a Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13).
The disciples were the same way they showed the love of God to all men irrespective of who they were.
Those who were fighting in northern Ireland were not Christians they only happened to have the labels of Christian groups.
Over the years much has been done in the name of Christianity when really it was driven by prejudges. The classic example are the crusaders who went to war killing everyone who was supposedly not a Christian.
They and particularly their leaders lost track of the key thing in Christianity. Love your neighbour as yourself.
They missed the fact that Jesus said
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                                                                             Matthew 28:19,20 
Jesus never said convert people at the edge of a sword or by torture as happened at other times in history.
Christians are today according to what some watch groups are saying the most persecuted people in the world yet the words of the Bible are still there for Christians to obey when Leviticus states,
“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” 
                                       Leviticus 19:18.
Violence done in the name of Christ or a religious Christian group is not the “Christian” thing to do.
It was Jesus who told us to turn the other cheek.
True Christianity is reaching out to people in Love not bearing grudges or waging any kind of violence against ones fellow man.
Think about it.

The Way to Heaven

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                       Ephesians 2:8,9

This is the uniqueness of Christianity. Christians believe we are saved by the grace of God. Not by our works.
In Christianity it is God reaching down to man. Not man trying to reach up to God or trying to be as close to perfect as is possible.
Christians believe,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” 
                                                  John 3:16-18
We believe,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
            Romans 5:8
We believe,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and (those who believe Jesus) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
                                                                                                Romans 3:23,24
We believe,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
We believe...
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”  
                   1 Corinthians 15:3,4
We believe,
“Yet to all who received him,(Jesus) to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”
                          John 1:12
We believe that getting to heaven is as simple as saying a prayer like this,
Dear Heavenly Father
I believe that Jesus is your one and only Son. That he came and died for my sins.
I know that I am a sinner and I confess those sins to you now. 
Please forgive me of my sins and come into my heart and life from this day forward.
Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and truly believe what you prayed then you are assured of going to heaven.
What I would advise now is finding a bible believing church.
Pray and ask God to lead you such a church.
I always recommend a Baptist church simply because I’ve found their teachings to be consistent all over the world.
In Canada I also recommend a Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Church because I am familiar with their solid bible based teachings as are the Assemblies of God in the United States.
Wherever you decide to go make sure, they teach directly from the bible and that their teachings do not contradict the bible. You do this by reading the Bible yourself and asking God to show you the truths contained there in.
A in a good church the pastor will always be willing to answer your questions.
In the church I attend we expect people to ask questions.
At the start of our midweek bible study we encourage anyone who has a question on any topic to ask it and we will have an answer for them.
Now having said all of this I would encourage you even if you still don’t believe to go to a church and ask questions.
Think about it.

What do you gain?

What do you gain?

“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?  
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” 
                                                       Matthew 16:26,27

Do you believe you have a soul? What is it worth?
If you believe that all there is, is this life then the body at least is equal to the cost of the chemicals and water that make it up. Not very much.
But we are more than a complicated biochemical cocktail. Man has a soul. Man was created to live forever. And one day we will stand before God.
Think about what you are doing. Is it really worth while?
Man is an odd creature if you think about it.
He spends a lifetime collecting ‘things’ be they widgets or dollar bills only to forfeit them at the end of his life. To my mind counter productive.
Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being wealthy and acquiring wealth. There are many wealthy people in the church that are using their wealth for good. The church needs people like these.
Still what are you doing. Are you simply acquiring things for the sake of acquiring them?
Are you making payments with interest on money you borrowed for a car, when you could have been saving up and buying a good one with cash?
Where is your treasure?
Jesus said,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 
                                                                Matthew 6: 19-21
Where is your treasure. Will you leave it one day to someone else on this earth?
Or will your actions and deeds on this earth go before you to heaven as a wonderful witness of what you have done for Christ?
Think about it.

A Menmorial Holocaust

“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 
                            Genesis 12:1-3

To day January 27th 2014 is Holocaust remembrance day. A day when we remember the millions killed in the Nazi holocaust of world
war two.
I was born after the war and have only seen films of the concentration camps as a result I can only imagine the horrors.
My father was one of the liberators of Bergen Belsen. He told us very little about what he seen. Still I can remember on two occasions when he told me vividly about what he saw.
The first occasion was when the two of us were watching the news.
There was a some one who was on trial for hate literature, some one who denied the holocaust.
For a few moments he was silent, then he suddenly exploded. It was as if a dam had burst inside him and he told me what he had seen and experienced.
What he told me was beyond belief I can understand why he didn’t want to tell people. Were a writer to have written about such horrors no one would have believed him.
As I found out later from some aunts, he didn’t keep silent in the years after the war. He did tell people about what he saw. It was just that I was too young to remember.
The experience at Belsen did change his life.  
The facts speak  for themselves, over eleven million (11,000,000) people died in the holocaust. Six million (6,000,000) were jews. An estimated 1,500,000 children died. The numbers are staggering.
If my math is right that means one person was murdered every twenty seconds from the day war was declared in September of 1939 until it ended in Europe in May of 1945.
The other thing my father was bitter about was that his country, England refused to let them all go to Palestine because of politics.
 It’s interesting that the United Kingdoms fortunes started to go down after the war.
The scripture I have chosen for today is a blessing God gave to Abram the father of the Jewish nation it reads,
“The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. 
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 
I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 
                            Genesis 12:1-3.
I firmly believe that, that blessing to Abram is still in effect.
       Germany as a nation repented after the war paid reparations to Israel and has become an economic power house.
While the United Kingdom who placed harsh restrictions on the Jews in Palestine going even to the point of training and arming the enemies of the Jews, had their fortunes fall.
Here in Canada we have a government that is firmly behind Israel and I believe it has resulted in Canada’s prosperity even in these uncertain times.
But all of that aside. I believe it is incumbent on all Christians everywhere to pray for and bless Israel.
Many Christians died in the holocaust also. They died for simply trying to protect Jews.
We can never let such a thing happen again.
The Reverent Martin Niemoeler a pastor in the German Confessing Church who himself spent seven year in a concentration camp wrote,

First they came for the Communist

And I did not speak out-

Because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialist

And I did not speak out-

Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came fro the Labour Leaders

And I did not speak out-

Because I was not a Labour Leader.

Then they cam for the Jews

And I did not speak out-

Because I was not a Jew.

Then they cam for me

And there was no one left

To speak out for me.

If there is one place we should be politically active, it is in our support of Israel.
There are people in this world who do not want Israel to exist.
Think of it were they to win. Millions more Jews would die.
Not only Christians, but humanity as a whole cannot let that happen.
Please pray for the peace of Jerusalem and pray that God will bless Israel.

How Great is your Faith?

“Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.  
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.  
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,  
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?  
Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?  
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .” He said to the paralytic,  
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”“ 
                                                                                     Mark 2:3-12.
Here we have five men, a paralysed man and four men carrying him. They couldn’t get near Jesus so they went up to the roof, took the roof apart and lowered him down.
These men had faith that Jesus would and could heal the paralysed man.
Jesus is the great healer. He proved himself time after time by performing miracle after miracle.
He also proclaimed his authority to forgive sins, something that upset the teachers of the law. Who called it blaspheming as Jesus was essentially calling himself God.
If we believe that God is the same yesterday today and always then we must believe that Jesus heals today.
I know in my home church we have had confirmed healings. Our pastor who had terminal cancer, someone the doctors said wouldn’t live more than two years was miraculously healed. The doctors confirming the fact that he was.
The key to miracles today is that God must get the glory. That independent witnesses such as doctors need to admit that something extraordinary has happened. And, and I say this because I’ve seen it happen, the person needs to have had the illness.
I’ve known evangelist, preachers and people in the pews claiming to have cured or been cured of an illness the person never had. Such things only bring disrepute to God.
Scripture tells us Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                            Matthew 7:21-23 
Do you believe in miracles? Have you had a confirmed miracle in your life or the life of someone close to you. If so did God get the glory?
I firmly believe miracles happen today. The sad thing is however there are far too many evangelist, pastors and individuals for lack of a more polite word, faking it. Which taints the name of Jesus.
As Christians we need to be praying for the sick. And, we need to hold accountable all those who claim to have performed a miraculous deed accountable just as scripture tells us to do.
Think about it.

Of God and Man

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
           Genesis 1:26,27

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 
                                                                                      Hebrews 11:6

Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.”
We are God’s creations. It is God who has written on our hearts what is right and what is wrong.
To my knowledge no atheist group has ever come up with a universal set of morals. Yet there have been many who have caused great havoc on humanity. Some even in the name of religion.
Ecclesiastes states,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
         Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
The duty of man is fear God and keep his commandments because whether you believe him or not you will one day be called to judgement.
Think about it.

Blessed is the Man

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." 
                                                                                                                                                Psalm 1

Do you meditate on the word of the Lord? Do you delight in the law of the Lord? Do you see prosperity in your life?
I know of people that use this psalm to say that if we are following in the ways of the Lord we should be prospering materially. If we aren’t we aren’t saved. What garbage. Just because we are not prospering materially doesn’t mean we aren’t prospering or we aren’t saved.
Over the years I’ve met people who have had very little materially. Yet some by far are they are prospering the most.
Christians throughout the world are in jail, and in labour camps, yet as hard as their circumstances are they are prospering in the fact they are leading many to Christ. While at the same time drawing closer to the Lord.
They are bearing their fruit in season.
Here in Canada where I live can be hard to make ends meet especially if you’re earning less than the poverty line which stands around $24,000, harder still if you’re only making half that. Yet I know people who have a nice home and enough food to eat. They thanks to Canada’s universal health care have good medical care and because of an adequate welfare system they have access to medications and dental care.
Most of the people I know that are in this situation are not there by choice. Most that are in the situation  are in it because of health reasons or because of being layed off from their jobs.
And these people are thankful for what they are receiving. They are thankful that God has placed them in Canada. Additionally they are doing what they can for the Lord.
Some time ago a person asked me why does God allow Christians to be poor. After all isn’t he suppose to supply all their needs.
I came across the perfect answer in the Talmud. It perfectly agrees with Christian teaching. It says,
"Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 
                                                                                               John 13:34.
As Christians we are to show love to one another. To bless one another and the world around us.
Think about it.

Praise to God

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 
“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Romans 11:33-36
Here we see in a few short words Paul giving praise to God. Do you ever take time to praise God outside of Church.
Do you praise God even if it doesn’t seem like He gave you anything on any given day.
Paul went through a lot as he ministered God’s word around the world. Yet he could even find time to praise God in a prison cell. Could you have done so in such a situation?
Psalm 150 states,

“Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the Lord.”

Sadly all to many Christians don’t take time to praise God. They listen to Christian music but they themselves don’t utter a word of praise to God.
We here in North America are blessed with wonderful freedoms yet how many of us actually praise and thank God for those freedoms?
Why not take five or ten or fifteen minutes each day to praise God.
Think about it.

Christs Supremacy

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.  
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.  
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” 
                        Colossians 1:15-20 
Here beyond a shadow of a doubt Paul is saying Christ is supreme. That he is the first born of all creation. That he is the creator of heaven and earth. Things visible an invisible.
Paul goes one step further and give us our reason for being when he states, “all things were created by him and for him.”
Paul goes on to say that God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and that through him all things were reconciled to God, be they in heaven or on the earth.
And all of this was done through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross.
If you think about it this is an amazing claim for Christians to make that Jesus is God. Yet it is absolutely true.
Over the years I heard groups say that Jesus was an angel. But here according to Paul he is the creator of the universe something an angel could never be.
Jesus is God, there is no other explanation possible.
Time and time again throughout the New Testament Jesus is referred to as God. Something at the time the New Testament was written would have provoked the wrath of Jews.
If everything in the New Testament was not true why would anyone write such a thing. It was literally risking their life.
Even calling Jesus God among the gentiles would seem bazaar.
If it were not true such claims would be counter productive to the cause of Christianity.
Therefore logic states that it must be true. Jesus is indeed God the creator of the universe.
Think about it.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  
For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you.  
Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.  
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:3-8

Here’s a Challenge to Christians. If Paul were alive today could he say the words of 1 Corinthians 1:3-8 to you?
Does the grace of God live in you? Can people say you have been enriched in every way, in all your speaking and in all your knowledge.
Is the testimony about Christ confirmed in you?
Are you eagerly awaiting the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?
Are you confident that you will be strong and blameless when Christ returns.
Just how dedicated are you to Jesus?
Many who claim to be Christians simply attend church going through the motions in the service without really taking them to heart.
Jesus said,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                              Matthew 7:21-23.
Do you really know God? Is Jesus really your Lord and Saviour?
Just because you were born into a Christian family or were baptized as a child does not automatically make you a Christian.
Becoming a Christians is an act of ones will when we are old enough to understand what we are doing.
It’s praying accepting that Jesus died for our sins and accepting Him into our lives.
Have you?
Think about it.

Well done my good and faithful servant

Read Matthew 25:14-30 
“His master replied, ’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” 
                                                                                                           Matthew 25:21

When you meet our Lord and Saviour what will he say to you? Will he say “well done, good and faithful servant or will he be upset at you for not doing enough with what you have?
Will he commend you for your actions during your life here on earth or will he be upset.
The Talmud has an interesting way of putting things it states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgement, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
When I read Matthew 25:14-30 I sometimes wonder how many Christians will find themselves on the wrong side of God’s wrath.
Dear believer are you doing enough for Christ or are you burying your talents in the ground and not using them
Do you just take up space in a pew and listen to the pastors sermon every week. Perhaps you even manage to get out to a prayer meeting or bible study, but are you using your talents?
There is a great deal to do in any church, everything from being an usher, to greeting people, teaching Sunday School, ministering to the sick, even just doing a little cleaning. The list goes on and on.
So consider what you are doing for the Lord and see if you can do more.

Calling sinners

“ I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” 

                                                                                                                              Luke 5:32
Jesus has not come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance. Something I believe is lost on some believers.
In my more than forty years now as a Christian now have heard from many none-Christians that they feel that Christianity gives a negative message. That it in the words of one man “is a religion of exclusion not inclusion.” How sad.
Christianity if correctly practised is most certainly a faith of inclusion. It is only misguided men and women that make it seem like the opposite.
Jesus notes in Luke 5:32 that,

“Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” 

                                                                                                                             Luke 5:31,32
He didn’t come to call the righteous the, the believers. They didn’t need to be called. His purpose in coming was to point people to heaven.
That should be our purpose in life as believers.
We should be willing to sit down with non believers of any stripe and offer them the gift of salvation that only Christ can give.
We should never be screaming or even whispering from the pulpit or even our homes that people are filthy sinners.There should never be such things as 'special sins'
In doing so you are showing that you are the sinner because you are judging some one in violation of the command issued by Jesus in Matthew 7:1 not to judge anyone.
Calling a person a sinner is counter productive. Only the Holy Spirit can convict people of their sins.
The Talmud a Jewish book of wisdom notes,
“An aged man, whom Abraham hospitality invited to his tent, refused to join him in prayer to the one spiritual God.  Learning that he was a fire-worshipper.   Abraham drove him from his door.  That night God appeared to Abraham in a vision and said: ‘I have borne with that ignorant man for seventy years: could you not have patiently suffered him one night?”
We as Christians need to take note, especially when it comes to dealing with non-believers.
We need to bear with them and present the gospel of Jesus to them even if it is only in our actions. In doing so we may just lead that person to a new life in Christ.
Think about it.

Do not Judge

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
                                                                                                  Matthew 7:1,2
It is easy to slip into judgement. All it takes is for someone to do something we find wrong and we heap the judgement out.
Jesus realized that Christians would be in a world surrounded by things that they were morally opposed to. That’s why he said not to judge.
Judgement can lead to anger and other things. It definitely turns people away from the one who is judging and away from God.
If we judge others they most definitely will judge us. And we will not win souls that way.
I see Christians in the media slamming people who do not agree with us.
The big one when it come to Christians judging people at this writing, seems to be to judge the homosexual community.
How sad.
The Bible clearly tell us
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
                                                                                          Matthew 7:1,2.
I could care less as to whether homosexuality is a sin or not.
In the same way I could care less as to whether the person next to me in church is a sinner. Sin is between the individual and God.
I remember some years ago a pastor putting a sign in front of his church saying “this church for sinners only. All welcome.” How appropriate.
I can, I think, without fear of being wrong say that everyone who attends church has sinned at least once during the week.
We therefore being sinners have no right to judge another person.
It is God who convicts men of sin. It is not our job.
Christians have but one job in this world Jesus put it this way,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
    Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                                                             Matthew 28: 18-20
You cannot win souls to Christ by judging them.
We must approach all people be it inside church or outside the church walls with the same love and understanding and let God do any judging that needs to be done.
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17
Think about it.

Christian Responsibility

     A Christian has a deep responsibility to God and to the world around them. All to often however we forget that responsibility.
The Talmud gives us an example of Abraham
“An aged man, whom Abraham hospitality invited to his tent, refused to join him in prayer to the one spiritual God.  Learning that he was a fire-worshipper.   Abraham drove him from his door.  That night God appeared to Abraham in a vision and said: ‘I have borne with that ignorant man for seventy years: could you not have patiently suffered him one night?”
Abraham in his zeal to honour God forgot for just a moment and failed to show patients to a non-believer.
Love is patient and part of the essence of being a Christian.
The writer of Proverbs states,
“A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”                                                                                                                                              Proverbs 15:18
Paul Writing to the Ephesians states, “ As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:1,2.
As Christians patients is a necessity. We labour in a world that is to say the least very indifferent to us. A world that sometimes frustrates us with its apathy toward God. A world that is quick to judge us but slow to listen to what we have to say.
Christian brothers and sisters labour and witness for years sometimes with little tangible results. Still God calls us to be patient.
Peter in 2 Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
The essence to being a Christian is to be patient. Proverbs states
“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.”
                                                                                                                               Proverbs 14:29 
Proverbs 16:32 even states, “ Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”
A patient person is quite often a person who listens takes stock of the situation and uses wisdom in the situation he or she has been put in.
All to often we act like a warrior and charge into things not thinking that in doing so we turn people away.
We come across as rude and intolerant to those around us especially none believers.
This I find is especially true when people do things that to us are wrong, or governments pass laws that we as Christians find morally offensive.
Part of the essence of being a Christian is not to be rude.
We must be willing to accept what is going on around us even if we disagree with it.
Reinhold Niebuhr wrote a famous poem the first verse of which is,

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

We as Christians need to take heed of the truths spoken in that poem. We need to be at peace with God and the world, accepting the things we cannot change.
Asking God for the courage to change what we can. And above all the wisdom to know the difference.
All to many Christians have made the mistake of trying to change things they can’t change. And have lacked the courage to change things they can.
Think about it.

Good Citizens

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” 
                                                                                                                                 Romans 13:1.
As Christians we must remember that we are as it were, “landed emigrants”. We are citizens of Heaven yet live here on earth.
As such we must obey the law of the land in which we live except where it violates our beliefs.
We here in the west have all the rights of any citizen in a democracy. We can vote for whom we choose and express our opinion.
That freedom however does not extend to us screaming and making angry statements at the government simply because they pass a law we don’t like.
While we have freedom of speech. That freedom does not mean we can try and restrict the rights others have under the law. It doesn’t mean we have the rights to have a law repealed that benefits others simply because it offends our morals.
Like it or not secular civil governments are allowed to govern by God and they have the fee will to pass the laws they feel right for society.
We as Christians have no right to impose our morals on others through the law or other means any more than other groups have the right to do it to us.
The apostle Paul recognized that in order for the gospel to truly be spread around the world we had to obey the laws of the land.
He understood that we cannot legislate laws that would force people to come to know Christ.
Becoming a Christian is a personal choice and it is our job as Christians to present that choice to those around us in love.
Jesus when giving the great commission said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."Matthew 28:19-20
We are told as Christians to go and make disciple of all nations. We are not told to force them. We are simply to present people with the gospel of Christ. From there it is their decision.
Reaching out to a dying world with the love of God is one of the important parts of being a Christian.
We are to continue with Christ’s mission, the mission statement being stated in John 3:16,17,
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Everything a Christian does should be done in love. It should be done with the intentions of pointing people to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
This is the essence of being a Christian.
Think about it.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Blessed are the Peacemakers

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”

                                                                                                                            Matthew 5:9
A young girl by the name of Anne Frank hiding from the Nazi’s in occupied Europe during world war two wrote these words,
“Give of yourself, give as much as you can?  And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!  If everyone were to do this and not be as mean with a kindly word, then there would be much more justice and love in the world.  Give and you shall receive, much more than you would have ever thought possible.  Give, give again and again, don’t lose courage, keep it up and go on giving!  No one has ever become poor from giving!”
With all the hate that was swirling in the society around her, Anne Frank understood what love is.
She experienced it in the actions of those who hid her and her family at the peril of their lives should they get caught.
Anne’s sentiments were right. If we give, even if it is only kindness there would be more justice and love in the world.
          Love is a peace maker. We as Christians are to be peace makers.
We live in a world that has strayed far from what God wants. It is our job as Christians to present God’s plan for peace between Him and mankind.
Jesus in Matthew 5:9 states, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God”
Peace is an important factor in our Christian walk.
Sadly Anne Frank’s life was cut short by evil hate filled men who sent her to the death camps. Her only crime, being Jewish.
We as Christians must never to hate. We must be willing to go as far as necessary to show the love of God.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 noting

“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 

                                                                                                                     1 Corinthians 13:6,7
Certainly those who hid the Frank family during the Nazi occupation understood this.
Thus we as Christians should take heart and go as far as necessary to show the love of God to anyone who will listen.
In doing so we will not only make the world a better place but will help point people to the salvation that can only come from Christ, and give glory to God himself.
Think about it.

Love is not easily Angered

Again Paul in writing to the Romans,
 “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”                                                                                                                                                     Romans 12:17,18
No one could ever accuse Paul or Christ of not knowing what the world is like. They lived in the Roman Empire, arguably one of the most multicultural cultures the world has ever known.
There was a vast array of cultures and customs, many of which to Jewish eyes of the day would seem barbaric. Yet neither Christ or the apostles or Paul ever spoke against them.
These men lived in harmony with the secular world around them.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” states Paul in Romans 12:21.
Part of the essence of Christianity is overcoming evil with good. If we have the unconditional love of God at work in our lives we will over come evil.
We cannot scream threats against those who speak against us. We cannot even express even the slightest hint of hate toward our enemies, or those who disagree with us.
If we have Christ in our heart we must show love to even our worst enemy.
After all Love, is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs, Love does not delight in evil.
Think about it.

Be humble be Gentle

“Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”                                                                                                                                       Galatians 6:2
We need each other. There are time in all our lives that we stumble. When it is good to have a brother or sister in Christ to help us through the trouble. To hold us up in prayer and to if necessary council us in love.
Jesus in John 13:34,35 pointed his disciples to the most important factor in being Christian when he said,
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

If we esteem one another in love there can be no rivalry.
Love does not envy.
Within the Christian life there is no room for envy. All are equal.
A true Christian isn’t looking to be better than his brother and sister in the Lord. Conversely a brother or sister in Christ should not look at other Christians and say my work for the Lord is not important therefore I don’t want to be a part of things.
The apostle Paul put’s it this way,
“ Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
                                                                                                          1 Corinthians 12:14-20 
We are one body, and are there to help each other. Paul writing to the Ephesians makes this clear when he states,
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit-- just as you were called to one hope when you were called-- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
                                                                                                          Ephesians4:2-6
A true believer attempts as far as possible as far as it depends on him to live in harmony and peace with fellow believers and the world around them.
Do you?

Quintessence of being Christian

Quintessence:  “the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form.”

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
God Loved. To quote a rather flippant saying from my early days as a Christian, “the bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.”
It has been said that love is the predominant theme of the Bible. That God is love, therefore Love is the purest of emotions.
Perhaps the best definition of love comes from the apostle Paul when writing to the Church at Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 13 he writes,
“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.... 
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-8a,13
If we are truly Christians. If we believe the Bible is the inspired word of God then we must believe John 3:16, that God loved and that Love is everything Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians thirteen.
Jesus when asked what the most of important law was said,
“Jesus said to him, ‘you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it you shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’” Matthew 22:37-40.
Jesus spoke a lot about love. He told us to love our enemies to pray for our persecutors and those who spitefully use us.
His ministry was a ministry of Love.
All to many Christians remember John 3: 16 but they fail to see its ramifications.
Take a close look at that verse,
• For God so loved the world
• he gave His only Son
• that whoever believes in Him shall not perish
• but have eternal life.
God Loved us,
Paul writing to the Romans tells us in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God took the first step. He demonstrated his love for us while we were still sinners.
And he says to us all we have to do to inherit eternal life is believe in him.
God wants a relationship with us. He wants us to give our life to him to become part of his family,
John 3:17 states clearly, “
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
That is a key element in a Christians life. God reached down to mankind and said here am I. Come to me and I will give you rest.
The exact verse reads,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
If we are truly followers of Jesus, and take up Christ’s cause then we will have peace even in the darkest days of our life.
In accepting Christ into our lives we are making God our father. A father who is there for us at all times. Someone we can share our joys with as well as someone to hold our hand through the trying times of life.
Think about it.

Children of God

Children of God

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—   children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                                      John 1:12,13

“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God.”
What a promise. All we have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we have the right to become children of God.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”  John states in 1 John 3:1.
Our heavenly Father loved us so much that he allows us to be called children of God. What a privilege. What an honour. We are, “children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John also points out that, that is the reason the world does not know us or understand us at times because it does not know God.
We here in the west live in a world that is moving further and further from belief in any kind of God.
Consumerism and the philosophy of doing your own thing is the norm.
People are wrapped up in acquiring material things. They seek to find happiness in everything from sports, to the arts, to personal achievements. Non of which are bad in themselves.
These things however end with this life.
How many people today know who Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister was? How about Christiaan Neethling Barnard or John Logie Baird?
Bannister was the first person to run the mile in under four minutes, Barnard was a South African doctor who performed the first successful heart transplant and Baird was the inventor of the television.
All great achievements yet for the most part the names of these men are lost to history.
Our names however are not lost to God. Especially if we have received him as our Lord and Saviour.
Read John’s words again,“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God.”
We as Christians are God’s own children and thus will be without a doubt, with Him in heaven.
What a glorious thought. To be in heaven having a personal relationship with the very creator of the universe.
It is something we as believers should be praising God for every day of our lives.
Why not take a few minutes now and just thank God for the salvation He has given you so freely.

Our Earthly Tent, Our Heavenly Dwelling

Our Earthly Tent Our Heavenly Dwelling

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  
Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,  
because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.  
For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  
Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  
We live by faith, not by sight.  
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  
So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 
                                                                           2 Corinthians 5:1-10

Paul here contrasts our “earthly tent” to our “heavenly dwelling”. He tells us that we as believers know that if this body of ours is destroyed then we have an eternal house in heaven.
He points out that while we live in this tent we groan but it will end and “what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
Paul notes that believers are given a “the Spirit (the Holy Spirit) as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come”.
The Holy Spirit witnesses, guarantees, to the spirit of the believer that there is greater things to come when we pass from our mortal life to life eternal.
He reminds us to live by faith not by sight and to work for Christ to please God in all that we do. That we may receive what is due us.
He also notes that both Christians and non-Christians will appear before the judgement seat of Christ “that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”
Dear believer
Are you doing your best for the Lord or are you to wrapped up with the things of this world.
What is more important to you having the fancy house, the nice car, the best designer clothing or serving the Lord?
Perhaps it’s time to evaluate your life? Are things keeping you from doing more for God.
Are you working long hours to pay the mortgage on your house or to meet your car payments.
Can you perhaps down size. Get a smaller house with smaller mortgage and a good used car, or new one that you paid cash for?
There’s nothing wrong with having an expensive car and house. It’s when it take you away from the things of God that becomes the problem.
There’s an old saying that goes like this, “there is only one life, that will soon be past. Only what is done for Christ will last.”
Think about it.

Legalism

"At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them.  
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” 
He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?  
He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.  
Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent?  
I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.  
If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.  
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 
Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue,  and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?  
How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 
Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.  
But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus." 
                                                                                                  Matthew 12:1-14
Here we have an example of legalism. Jesus and his disciples are walking through the grain field. They are hungry so they pick some grains of wheat, probably roll them in their hands to remove the chaff and eat them.
The Pharisees instantly interpret what they are doing as work. In the eyes of the Pharisees they were harvesting and processing the wheat. Work not to be done on the Sabbath.
Further down in the scripture Jesus heals a man with a shrivelled hand again something the Pharisees regarded as work.
The Pharisees were too worried about breaking laws to see that God had, had compassion on the man with the shrivelled and healed him.
They should have been celebrating instead they plotted to kill Jesus.
Legalism happens in the church today.
We can get so hung up on our rituals within the church that quite often we miss the blessing of God.
We tend to put God in a box expecting Him to do things exactly the way our church traditions and rules dictate.
One denomination I know of only permits ordained ministers to perform the communion service. Nowhere in scripture does it say that we need ordained ministers to do this.
Another says we need to go through a priest to confess our sins. Scripture doesn’t say we have to.
Scripture tell us,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 
                               1 John 1:9   
We can confess our sins directly to God without a middle man.
Scripture tell us,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”
                            John 1:12
If we are God’s children it then stands to reason that we can go directly to God and talk to him.
Sadly Christianity in general over the centuries has picked up a lot of baggage that was never intended. All denominations and individual congregations have their own baggage and we need to be aware of it.
We need every now and then to look around at what we are doing and how we are doing it and question is this the way the God intended things to be done.
Do you have things at your church or do you yourself do things that are more tradition and ritual than from the scripture?
Think about it.