Wheat and Weeds

  Wheat and Weeds

The apostle Paul writing to Timothy states,

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4.

We especially those of us who live in the western democracies where freedom of speech is a right, are living in the times the apostle Paul is talking about. True freedom of speech allows for people to say anything they wish provided it doesn’t hurt anyone.

Thus when it comes to the interpretation of Scripture we have people who deliberately misinterpret it. Usually for personal gain. 

Jesus speaks of these people in this parable.

In the gospel of Matthew we read,

"Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  

But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  

When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 

"The owner's servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 

" ‘An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 

" ‘No,' he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.  

Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' Matthew 13:24-30.

Thus it will be for those preachers, evangelist, teachers and anyone that deliberately mislead people. They will be burned up.

This should be a chilling thought for anyone who would wish to deliberately misinterpret the word of God and lead people astray.

Please think about it.

A duty to Pray

 A duty to pray

Jesus said,

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11,12.

I don’t know why God allows those who believe in Him to be persecuted but they are.

That being said I believe it is the duty of all Christians, especially those of us who live in countries where we have the freedom to worship the way we wish, to pray for the persecuted and imprisoned Christians around the world.

Do you pray for brothers and sisters in Christ that are persecuted?

If you want to know more about the persecuted church around the world look up Open doors ministries. An organization that helps the persecuted church around the world.

And please remember to pray each day for those Christians. Those followers of Christ Jesus who do not have the freedom to worship God the way they wish.

Please don’t just think about it. Do it. 

Where, why and how

  Where, why and how

The Psalmist writes,

Praise the LORD. 

Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power; 

praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

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. 

                                 Psalm 150.

The above Psalm tells believers where and why we must praise God.

Where do we praise Him?

In His sanctuary.

In the heavens.

Why do we Praise God?

For his acts of power.

For his surpassing greatness.

How do we praise God?

With trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, dancing. 

With stringed instruments, flute, cymbals.

With every breath we have.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Tell God you love Him

  Tell God you love Him. 

The Psalmist writes,

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonders. 

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

 I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." 

                                                                                   Psalm 9:1,2.

Part of being a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus is praising God. Sadly many Christians don’t do this outside of Church. They may listen to worship music but they don’t worship. They simply listen.

Why not take some time right now to worship God? Why not tell God you love Him?

Please think about it.

Is your life an instrument?

 Is your life an instrument?

The Psalmist writes,

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise.” Psalm 138:1.

I live in Canada a country with incredible freedoms. It is also like most countries full of “gods”. We in the twenty-first century may not call them gods but they are. 

The way I see it a god can be anything we put our unwavering trust in. 

In Luke’s Gospel we read,

"And he (Jesus) told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  

He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 

"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  

And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:16-21.

This man in the parable made his possessions his god. He was relying on them to provide for him in the years ahead. They however proved to be an empty god.

On the day he passed from this life all that he had in this world was worthless. 

I believe it is important as a believer in Christ Jesus to openly worship God. That doesn’t mean we should go yelling His name from the roof tops, as good an idea as it might be. Instead however we should be worshipping God in word and deeds.

Francis of Assisi wrote,

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." 

                                                                              Francis of Assisi

So is your life an instrument of Gods Love?

Please think about it.

Of note

Of Note

Jesus said,

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” Matthew 25:44-45.

Here’s a warning to Christians but in general to all who have the ability to help the poor. Jesus makes it clear helping the poor is part of serving God.

It has always been my belief that if you are a true Christian you cannot turn away from the needs of the poor.

Our faith in Christ Jesus compels us to help anyone we can.

Please think about it.

Lending to The Lord

 Lending to The Lord

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 19:17.

I think individuals have to be careful here. I’ve heard people say “well I’m giving to the poor so God will bless me two, four, ten times what I give. Nothing could be further from the truth.

When we give we should remember the words of Jesus who said,

"Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4.

We must give secretly first of all. Not only that I firmly believe we must give with a good conscience not expecting any return on what we give. We must give because we want to, because we believe it is the right thing. With no expectation of reward.

So, why do you give?

Please think about it. 

A righteous man knows

  A righteous man knows

In the book of proverbs we read,

"A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge." Proverbs 29:7.

I don’t think you can be a true Christian if you don’t know the rights of the poor. 

All to often I’ve heard both from outside and inside the church people who call the poor lazy. This is not the case. There are a lot of reasons someone is poor. These range from mental health issues, to lack of education, drug addiction, to poor choices in life. The list of why a person is poor is seemingly endless. 

Never-the-less the poor have rights. Even someone who is not a Christian has to agree that everyone on the planet has basic human rights. The right to enough food. The right to fresh water. The right to a safe home. The right to good medical care.

I believe that people who deny these basic human rights will one day answer to God for their actions, especially those with political power who have the ability to provide these things.

I think it is therefor imperative that we as Christians. We as believers in Christ Jesus, do all we can to help the poor.

If you consider yourself a Christian are you doing what you can to help the poor?

When was the last time you seen a homeless person on the street and at least slipped them some of your spare change?

Please think about it.

The poor and you

 The poor and you

In the book of Leviticus we read,

“If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.” Leviticus 25:35.

Simply put. God cares for the poor and wants to use us to help those who are “Poor and cannot maintain himself...”

In Deuteronomy we read, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.” Deuteronomy 15:11.

We are to support the poor if we are able. That’s not to say the poor should not do anything to help themselves. They should. That being said people are poor for a myriad of reasons. Mental health problems, lack of education, poor paying jobs, addiction problems the list goes on and on.

As individuals we may not be able to help a great deal but we can all give to food banks and agencies that support the poor.

Also helping the poor doesn't just end with the individual. As Christians we should be contacting our government leaders. Telling them to help the poor by raising the minimum wage, building affordable housing, offering educational opportunities. 

Please think about it.

In a gentle and respectful manner

 In a gentle and respectful manner

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." 1 Peter 3:15,16.

I am against the fire and brimstone preachers. I am against those who would as someone has said “scare them out of hell and into heaven”.

I say this because many non-Christians first of all do not believe in Hell. Secondly most non-Christians would tell you that they are a good person and therefore believe they are going to heaven.

That’s why we should at any given time be prepared to tell people what we believe and why we believe it. While at the same time respecting what they believe.

God gave each and every person a free will to do and believe what they wish. That freedom extends to not believing what Christians believe. Each individual has the right to even believe God does not exist.

The bottom line however for a Christian is that when asked about our faith we be ready and willing to tell people about it in a gentle and respectful manner.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

That they my glorify God

 "That they may glorify God

The apostle Paul writes,

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.  1 Timothy 2:1-6.

Here the apostle Paul tells us to make requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for everyone. For kings and those in authority.

Note here Paul dose not say pray and expect the governments agree with us. Remember we live in a largely non-Christian world. The governments of this world are for the most part secular or have as their base other faiths. There are no Christian governments in the world today.

The best I believe Christians can hope for is to live at peace with them. To live quiet lives of godliness and holiness so that we can present our beliefs to others.

The apostle Peter tells us,

“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:11,12.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

doing your best

doing your best

The apostle Paul writes,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.

So the question is are you doing your best to present the word of God correctly?

Do you question the preachers, evangelist, or teachers you listen to?

Do you take their word that what they are saying is correct, inerrant? 

I firmly believe that there is only one way to know if what we are presenting as Gods word is correct and that is by prayer, bible study, and having a multitude of council.

We need not only to listen to those we agree with us but to listen to those we disagree with. When someone disagrees with what we believe we need to ask ourselves “why to they believe that way” “am I right in my beliefs or are they?”

We need also to gather around us study bibles. We also need study books that agree and disagree with what we believe. Again asking the question, is what I believe right or wrong?

But above all we need to realize the only true source of all Christian knowledge comes from the Bible and anyone who dose not agree with it is not a Christian.

So are you studying the Bible? 

Are you doing your best to correctly handle the word of God?

Please think about it.

Did we not?

 Did we not?

"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.

Will you hear these words? Will the pastor, evangelist, or teacher you listen to and follow hear these words?

Jesus is saying here there will be many who stand before Him on judgement day who claim to have performed miracles. Who claim to have prophesied. Men and women who at first glance by the average person may have seemed to do many things for God but are not Christians.

Such people can I believe mislead people. Leading them away from God. The apostle Paul writing,

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4.

This is happening today. That is why all who claim to be Christians. All who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus need to study the scriptures for themselves. Need to pray and seek God guiding. Asking God to reveal truth to them.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

To be taken to heart

  To be taken to heart.

The apostle Paul Wrote

"Love must be sincere. 

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. 

Honour one another above yourselves.  

Never be lacking in zeal, 

but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  

Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  

Live in harmony with one another. 

Do not be proud, 

but be willing to associate with people of low position. 

Do not be conceited. 

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 12:9-18.

This to me is self explanatory. Something every one who calls themselves a Christian needs to take to heart.

Please think about it. 

Acceptable

  Acceptable.

The Psalmist writes,

"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14.

We need to be concerned about what God thinks about our comments. We need to remember,

"Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body,

 but it makes great boasts. 

Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark."  

                                                                                         James 3:5.

Our words can hurt and I believe God is listening carefully to what we say. Words can raise a person up. At the same time however they can destroy a person. Many people have been pushed to suicide by hurtful words.

That is why we need to be careful about what we say. 

We need to remember what Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others 

what you would have them do to you, 

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." 

                                                                      Matthew 7:12.

This is especially true when we speak. We need to be aware of the fact that our words can hurt quite often more than a physical injury.

Take a moment to think about the words you said to others. Do they build up or tear down?

Ask yourself are my words and the meditations of my heart acceptable to God?

Please think about it.

Nothing can separate us

  Nothing can separate us

The apostle Paul writes,

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 8:38,39

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus. Do you agree with this statement. You should, because it’s true.

No matter where we go or what happens to us be it good or bad the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus is with us.

Many despots and evil governments have tried to separate God from His followers but to no avail.

In the book of acts we read of Pharisee named Gamaliel a teacher of the Law an honoured man, standing before the Sanhedrin as they were presiding over the trial of two of Christ’s apostles. Gamaliel said,

“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  

But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:38,39.

Since the day Gamaliel spoke those words two thousand years have passed and the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus has spread around the world. Today in excess of three billion people believe in Christ and are willing to die for Him.

I think this proves that the apostle Paul is right. Nothing can separate a true believer in Christ Jesus from the Love of God.

Please think about it.

In what or in who is your faith in?

 In what or in whom is your faith in

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1.

"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.

Where is your faith? What do you truly have faith in?

When push comes to shove and you enter into bad times, and we all go through bad times, is the object you have faith in going to help you during those bad times?

One of the worst times in my life was when my wife called me at work to tell me our house had just burned to the ground. 

We were young at the time and had let the insurance laps. Now here we were with nothing to our name.

The only hope we had was in God. 

Now I’m not saying I’m super spiritual, I’m not. But I learned early in life that trusting in God was a good thing. Thus during the two hour drive home I prayed. First thanking Him that my young family were safe. Then asking for His provision.

My faith did not go unrewarded. The fire happened on the Friday morning by Monday morning we were calling people thanking them for all they’d done and asking them to stop giving to us as we had all we needed to start over. The only losses that couldn’t be replaced was some family photos and mementos.

While it was a distressing time. We can look back on it and see that the words of the apostle Paul were true,

"And we know all things work together for good to those who love God to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28.

The result of all that happened was we moved close to where I worked and were able to get involved in a lay ministry at an excellent Church. A church that offered a great deal of opportunity for my young children to grow in The Lord and to serve Him. A Church were my children now in there late thirties, early forties are still serving.

To me all this proved that my trust in God was not unfounded. 

Thus my question to you is where is your faith? Should you go through hard times, would what you put your trust in sustain you during those hard times?

Please think about it.

The Christ

 The Christ

John’s gospel records Jesus speaking to Martha,

"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes Lord" she told Him, "I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world," John 11:25,26,27.

Martha knew Jesus personally. Thus she was one of those people who truly knew who Jesus was and she said,

 "I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world," 

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

Is it foolishness?

Is it foolishness?

The apostle Paul writes,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.     Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!  

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" Romans 5:6-11.

Christians believe that we cannot live a good enough life to get to heaven. God understood this after all God set the standard. 

That being said Jesus told us,

“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.” John 3:16,17.

Jesus came into this world to show in human terms how far God would go to reconcile man to himself. Jesus paid the price for all that we have ever done wrong by dying on the cross.

I know it sounds like foolishness even the apostle Paul noted,

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18.

That being said; If the message of the cross. The message of Jesus’ death and resurrection is foolishness then those who hear of Jesus have nothing to fear. On the other hand however if it is true... those who do not believe in Jesus need to the think very carefully about what they believe.

Please think about it.

Hope and Peace

  Hope and Peace

The apostle Paul writes,

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  

  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5.

God dose not promise us a life without problems, but He dose offer us hope in all situations. As someone has said “Hope is not that everything will work out well but that God has everything under control.”

As believers in Christ Jesus we have peace knowing that Christ is with us in our journey through this life no matter how easy of tough that journey may be. 

At the same time should we for whatever reason die we have peace in the knowledge that we will pass from this life into the arms of God.

Thus the question remain; 

Is your hope in Christ Jesus? 

Do you have peace in your heart?

Please think about it.

If you were the only one

  If we were the only one

The apostle Paul writes,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

C. S. Lewis noted,

“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” C.S. Lewis.

That, if C. S. Lewis is correct, and I believe he is, means Jesus would have died for you if you were the only person in need of forgiveness of sin.

Thus my question to you is, do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, Saviour of all who believe in Him. 

The apostle Paul states,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24

The apostle John states,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”1John 1:9.

Sinning is falling short of God’s ideal for your life. It’s doing things contrary to God’s commands. We all sin and sin separates us from God. The good news is Christ came to this world to show in human terms how far God would go to bring us back into a right relationship with him.

The apostle Paul stating,

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8.

Later in that same letter to the Romans and through them to us the apostle Paul notes,

"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.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13.

If you have never called on the name of the Lord and confessed you sins directly to Him, will you take some time now to do so?

The choice is yours. God will never impose Himself on you.

So Please at least think about giving your life to God today because even if you were the only person in the world ever to sin, (and you are not) Christ would have died for your sins.

Please think about it.

A question for the ages

  A question for the ages.

In John’s gospel we read,

"Pilate asked him, ‘So you are a king?' Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.' Pilate asked him, ‘What is truth?'" John 18:37-38.

Jesus never denied who He was even when faced with death. Prompting the Roman governor to ask a question that has continued through the ages “What is truth?”.

Is Jesus the Son of God, the Saviour of all who would believe in Him? Through the ages Jesus has been called everything from a good man to myth. 

Today no credible historian would call Jesus a myth. That being said many today simply regard Him as a good man.

When it comes to Jesus C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity said it best when he wrote,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

So who do you think Jesus is?

Please think carefully about it.

Why do you believe what you believe?

  Why do you believe what you believe?

The apostle Paul writing to Timothy said,

“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4.

I was once told “listen not only to those who agree with you but to those who disagree with you.”

When it comes to being a Christian we need to know what we believe and why we believe it. Not only that we should not dismiss out of hand those claim to be Christians and disagree with us. We should be asking the question why do those with whom we disagree believe what they do.

Is it their misinterpretation of scripture? Or, Are we misinterpreting Scripture?

Are they being mislead by the pastors, evangelist and teachers they listen too. Or, are we?

Here in North America where I live, we have laws that protect freedom of speech. Thus everyone has the right to express their own opinion provided it does not hurt someone else.

In such an environment it is easy for someone to be turned away from the true faith. As a result we as true believers in Christ Jesus need to study the Bible carefully both by ourselves and under the tutorage of a good pastor and teacher. While at the same time questioning what we are being taught. Asking questions of those who are teaching us.

Always remember a good and honest teacher, or preacher will give you direct answers to your questions.

So, my question to you is. Why do you believe what you believe?

Please think about it.

The Poor and the Christian

  The Poor and the Christian

In the book of James we read,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?...  

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead"James 2:14-20, 26.

The Jews have a concept known as “Tzedakah”. It is something I believe Christians need to at least consider. 

I got the following definition of Tzedakah from a Jewish website it states, 

"Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word "charity suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.

The word "tzedakah" is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due."

According to Jewish scholars there are various levels of Tzedakah,

Giving begrudgingly

Giving less than you should, but giving cheerfully,

Giving after being asked

Giving before being asked

Giving when you do not know the recipient's identity, but the recipient knows yours

Giving when you know and the recipient's identity, but the recipient doesn't know yours.

Giving when neither party knows the other's identity.

Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant. 

Another Jewish website, My Jewish learning 101 states,

Biblical prophets castigated the Israelites for neglecting and even exploiting the poor, insisting that God has particular concern for those in need. The rabbis of classical Judaism praised tzedakah, calling it, for example, "equal in value to all the other mitzvot [commandments] combined." They also praised those who practice it, saying that they attain the level of holiness of someone who brought sacrifices in the ancient Temple. The Rosh Hashanah liturgy lists tzedakah alongside repentance and prayer as a human act capable of averting a negative divine decree.

Jesus said,

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 

"The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 

"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,     I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 

"They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 

"He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:34-36.

Please think about it.

A way of life

  A way of life.

"Here, O Israel: The Lord our God is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give to you today are to be upon your hearts.

Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down and when you get up.

Tie them as a symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.

Write them on the doorframes of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

The way I read this those who believe in God are to make Him a part of their lifestyle. We are to love God and honour God in all that we do. We are to impart our beliefs in God to our Children in word and in deed.

If you consider yourself a believer in God, a believer in Christ Jesus, God’s one and only Son are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Are you blessed?

  Are you blessed?

The Psalmist writes,

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

 whose hope is in the LORD his God, 

the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.” 

                                                                   Psalm 146:5,6.

Do you believe in the God of Jacob. The Lord God who made the heavens, the earth and the seas and everything in them?

Do you believe in the LORD who remains faithful forever?

Are you blessed?

Please think about it.

Confession of faith

  Confession of Faith

The apostle Paul writes,

“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.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" Romans 10:9-13.

The writer of the book of Hebrews states,

“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.

You cannot call yourself a Christian unless you truly believe in and have absolute faith God.

Simply believing God exists is not enough. God calls each individual to have faith in Him.

Do you have such faith?

Please think about it.

something controversial

 Something controversia.

Jesus said,

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36.

Here is a controversial statement that Jesus made and Christians believe. If this statement is true the world has a lot to think about.

That being said God has prepared a way for us to get to heaven. The apostle Paul stating,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24.

Will you accept the Salvation that comes through Christ Jesus today?

Please think about it.

To the Perishing

 To the Perishing

The apostle Paul wrote,

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.

Simply put this is the unapologetic view of Christians. We believe the words of Jesus as quoted in John’s gospel. 

“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6.

If we as Christians are wrong then no one has anything to fear. If we are right then the rest of the world has at the very least something very important to think about.

Please think about it.

Who's the fool

 Who’s the fool?

The Psalmist writes,

"The fool says in his heart, 

"There is no God." 

                                 Psalm 14:1.

The question comes down to who’s truly the fool? Those who believe in God or those who do not believe in God.

Blaise Pascal wrote,

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.

Please think about it.