Jesus' call

 Jesus' Call

The call of Jesus is

"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.

Jesus offers peace for one's soul. 

Christians believe there is a God who loves us and offers us eternal life with Him in heaven. Jesus speaking of himself said,

"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." 

                                                            John 3:16,17.

The Christian believes God reached down through Jesus Christ to mankind to show him the way to heaven. That it is by the grace of God we get to heaven. The apostle Paul stating,

"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

Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,

"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

Faith defined as,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see." 

                                                            Hebrews 11:1.

That being said the choice is always up to you. 

Do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

Saviour of all who believe in Him

  Saviour of all who believe in him

The gospel of John records this incident between Jesus and some people gathered in the temple,

“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.  

“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  

I and the Father are one.

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?

“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”  John 10:24-33

C. S. Lewis wrote,

“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

Those who were about to stone Jesus to death were doing so because they believed he was committing blasphemy. Something that carried the death penalty under the laws of the day. 

Jesus knew of these laws yet he chose to tell the truth. He was and is the Son of God. God incarnate, Saviour of all who believe in Him.

The choice those men had was to believe Jesus was God incarnate. Saviour of all who believed in him is the same choice we have today.

Blaise Pascal put it this way,

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.

In Peace

 In  peace

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 Savior, 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. 1Timothy 2:1-6

Here Paul tells Christians to pray make intercession and thanksgiving for everyone. Paul even notes we should pray for those in authority that we may live in peace. That such a thing pleases God.

Paul notes there is but one God and Mediator between God and men Christ Jesus. That Jesus that gave himself a ransom for all men.

C. S. Lewis notes,

“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.

Jesus died for all men. That is why Christians need to pray for our leaders. To pray that we can live in peace. For it is in times of peace that the gospel of Christ can spread the fastest. 

Christianity is not a faith that promotes conflict. Quite the opposite the early church founders all talked about living in peace with all people. The apostle Peter states,

“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.

To be a Christian we can do nothing less.

We are to pray for our leaders, both those inside and outside the church. We are to pray for our secular political leaders and for all those around us no matter who they are in the church or on the streets around us. 

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.

If you claim to be a Christian this is what you should be doing.

Please think about it.

Praise the Lord more often

 Praise the Lord more often

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.

I am a believer in Christ Jesus. I believe that He is God incarnate, God in the flesh. The saviour of all who believe in him. 

I also think (myself included) that those who believe in God don’t worship Him enough for all he has done for us.

Many Christians put on worship music in the car or in their house but they listen to it rather than use it to personally praise God. The only time they truly praise God is once a week in Church.

If you consider yourself a true believer in God, in Christ Jesus, why not take sometime right now to praise and worship God from your heart.

Please think about it.

A great Teacher

  A Great Teacher

In the Gospel of John, John referring to Jesus as the Word states,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14

Jesus said,

I and the Father are one." 

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 

"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:24-33.

Making yourself equal to God by saying “I and the Father are one”. Was in the Jewish faith of the day blasphemy and could get you stoned to death.

I like what C. S. Lewis said about Jesus

"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 about it.

About God

 About God

In the book of Genesis we read, 

“In the beginning God created 

the heavens and the Earth” 

Genesis 1:1. 

        Then essentially leaves the reader to decide for themselves.

Charles Spurgeon once said, 

       “The Bible does not need to be defended any more than a caged lion needs to be defended. All we need to do is let it out of its cage, and it will defend itself.” Charles Spurgeon 

What I find is most people who do not believe the Bible have not read it. Those who have read it and don’t believe it, all too often have read it with their minds already made up.

What I would suggest to anyone especially if you have not read the Bible is to read it for themselves. Then talk to people who believe in the Bible. To go to a Church and ask the pastor to explain what he believes and why. I always suggest going to a Mennonite Brethren or Baptist churches around the world as they are well rooted in their beliefs.

  There are also some excellent teachers that you can go to on the internet. William Lane Craig explains the existence of God very well. He has numerous videos on Youtube. As does Hugh Ross. Hugh Ross is a pastor and Astrophysicist. He is especially good at explaining the creation of the world and showing how it lines up with the Bible.

The key however here, is don’t go by what others say about the Bible. Take time to at least read the New Testament. Read what the first century Christians believed about Jesus. What Christians today believe about Jesus. Then decide for yourself.

Please think about it.

Are you the light?

  Are you the light?

          Jesus said,

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.

When people look at you do they see the light of God in your life?

Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and when necessary use words.”

                                                 Francis of Assisi

Are you reflecting the light of God to the world around you? Do they see the fruit of the spirit in your life. The fruit described in Galatians, 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22,23.

Please think about it.

A Little Foolishness

 A little foolishness 

The apostle John writes,

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1John 4:10.

In John’s Gospel we read,

"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.” John 3:16,17.

God loves all mankind. He loves us so much that he gave us a freewill to do as we please. That includes not believing in God.

That being said He loved us so much He sent Christ Jesus. His One and Only Son to die for our sins. To die for the sins of all who believe in Him.

I know for many this seems foolish. Even the apostle Paul said,

"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." 1Corinthians 1:18.

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.

Thus the question becomes where will you place your bet?

Think about it.

I will exalt you

  I will exalt you

The Psalmist writes,

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks; 

you are my God, and I will exalt you. 

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; 

his love endures forever.” 

                                                     Psalm 118:28,29

Here is something all Christians are called to do, give thanks and exalt God for His everlasting Love. 

That praise should in my mind not be incumbent on what God has done for us. We should do it simply because He is God Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.

 So do you do this?

Please think about it.

Christian think about this

 Christian think about this

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.

Think of it this way

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

If you are 

speaking out and trying to restrict the rights of others 

given to them by the lawfully elected government.

You are telling others 

they can try to restrict your rights.

If you are 

imposing your morals however good they may be on others.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, even if they are not as good as yours.

If you are 

trying to impose your faith on others rather than presenting your faith.

You are telling others 

they can impose their faith on you.

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

If you 

are telling the world you are a Christian

You should be telling the world 

I love you as God loves you,...

unconditionally.

Please think about it.

A pearl of Great Price

  A pearl of great  price

Jesus said,

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46

If you found something of great importance to mankind. Something that would change lives. Would you not want to share it?

That is what we as Christians, as true followers in Christ Jesus believe we have. We believe: 

Jesus is the Son of God

The Saviour of all who believe in Him.

We believe He gave his life for the sins we committed.

A Christian confession

  A Christian confession.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“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 apostle Paul make it very clear how we get to heaven, how we are saved from hell. By believing in Jesus, and confessing that He is Lord before men.

Paul makes it clear there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all. 

That “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

In order to believe such a thing you need faith because the writer 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

Do you believe Jesus is Lord and God the saviour of all who believe in Him?

Please think about it.