I am a Believer

 I am a believer 

John’s gospel records Jesus speaking to Martha saying, 

"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.

I am a believer in Christ Jesus. A Christians. I am not an Anglican-Christian, a Catholic-Christian, a Lutheran-Christian,. I am not Evangelical-Christian, a Baptist-Christian, a Pentecostal-Christian  or any other hyphenated Christian. I am a Christian.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of Mankind, God incarnate. The way to heaven.

I believe Christians by default must be evangelical in nature. They must present, and I mean present, and not force on to anyone what they believe. 

It is the Christians job to show the world God's Love and Saving Grace that comes through Jesus Christ. 

I believe Christians must make disciples of all nations and teach those disciples. Jesus himself made that clear. Matthew's gospel recording, 

"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.

Now having said all that I firmly believe God gave every person a freewill. Included in that freedom, is the freedom to believe whether or not Jesus truly is the Son of God. The Saviour of all who will receive him into their hearts.

So who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.

Pursue Righteousness

  Pursue Righteousness

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” 2 Timothy 2:22.

I think these are words even non-Christians can understand. The pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace are noble pursuits. If more people pursued them the world would be a better place.

That being said it I don’t think you can truly be a Christian and not pursue these things.

Please think about it.

Shout for Joy to the Lord!

   Shout for Joy to the Lord!

The Psalmist writes,

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, 

and we are his; we are his people, 

the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

 give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

                                                                              Psalm 100.

If we truly believe in God. We are His. To be called a child of God. To be accepted by God as one of His own is a tremendous privilege. A privilege we should not take lightly. 

I firmly believe that throughout the day we should take time to shout for joy. We should take time to simply praise and thank God for all he has done for us.

 Please take time right now to thank God for all you have.

God is there

 God is there

The psalmist writes,

"Where can I go from your Spirit?  

Where can I flee from Your presence?  

If I go up to the heavens, You are there;

 if I make my bed in the depth, You are there. 

 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, 

if I settle on the far side of the sea, 

even there 

Your hand will guide me.  

Your right hand will hold me fast." 

                                            Psalm 139:7-10.

Here is something we as believers must always remember. No matter where we are God is there for us. God is there to guide us in the best of times and in the worst of times.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

Are these the fruit of your life?

  Are these the fruit in your life?

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6

In the book of Corinthians we read,

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"  2 Corinthians 5:17.

For anyone who has truly accepted Jesus Christ into their heart there is a change that takes place. That person goes on to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. The book of Galatians stating,

"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.

Are these the fruit in your life?

Please think about it. 

Believers are called to

 Believers are called to

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.

Here is what the believers in God are called to do.

Do justice,

Love Kindness,

Walk humbly with your God.

In the book of Proverbs we are called to.

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

 bind them around your neck, 

write them on the tablet of your heart. 

Then you will win favour and a good name

 in the sight of God and man."

                                                           Proverbs 3:3,4

The apostle Paul defines what Christian love is saying,

"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 13:4-8a,13

If you believe in God. If you believe in Christ Jesus are you doing what these scriptures a asking you to do?

Please think about it.

Maker of heaven earth and sea

  Maker of heaven earth and sea

In the book of Psalms we read,

“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.

Are you blessed? Do you truly believe in the Lord God maker of heaven earth, sea and everything in them?

The apostle Paul writes,

“Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." 2 Timothy 2:11-13 

Again I ask do you truly believe in the Lord God Almighty maker of heaven and earth?

Please think about it.

Who is Jesus?

 Who is Jesus  to the Christian?

In the Gospel of John we read,

“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 speaking to his disciples said,

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

These are two statements Christians make and ask the listener to believe by faith. The writer of 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.

God will never force himself on anyone. He leaves it in the listeners hands.

Many men over the centuries have tried to dispute who Jesus was all ultimately have failed.

Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, (361-363 A.D.)  an ancient adversary of Christianity. Said in his work against Christianity:

"Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany."

At the end of his life Julian was forced to say:

"Thou has conquered, O Galilean!"

  What do you think about Jesus? 

Please think about it.

The first thing to remember

  The first thing to remember

The apostle Peter writes,

"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.

The apostle Peter makes it clear here that we are aliens in this world. What that means is, we must obey the laws of the land we live in. As such we only have the rights and freedoms the government under which we are living gives us.

Only when mans laws violates our freedom to worship God  can we speak against the government.

We have no right to condemn or speak out against freedoms granted by the government to others no matter how vehemently we disagree with them.

At the same time we have no right to judge those outside the Church. The apostle Paul states,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. 

Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

Sadly all too many calling themselves Christians are judging anyone they disagree with inside and outside the church. While at the same time not expelling those who are not presenting the Word of God correctly. 

Please think about it.

I want you to know

  I Want you to know

"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.  

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 

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, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  

After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.  

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles," 1Corinthians 15:1-7.

When the apostle Paul wrote these words there were people within living memory who experienced seeing Jesus after his resurrection. 

The apostle Peter stated,

“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.” 2 Peter 1:19-18.

Jesus for those who believe in him is the Son of God the Saviour of all who would believe in him and the apostles truly believed this.

Thus the choice in yours. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the saviour of all who believe in him?

Please think about it. 

A to do list

 A to do list

The apostle Paul states,

“Let love for our brotherhood breed warmth of mutual affection.  

Give pride of place to one another in esteem.  

With unflagging energy, in ardour of spirit, serve the LORD. 

Let hope keep you joyful; 

in trouble stand firm; 

persist in prayer.  

Contribute to the needs of God’s people, and practice hospitality. 

Call down blessings on your persecutors–blessings, not curses.  

With the joyful be joyful, and mourn with the mourners.  

Care as much about each other as about yourselves.” 

                                                                                    Romans 12:10-16.

The above Scripture from the apostle Pauls letter to the Romans, tells us how to live as believers in Christ Jesus.

In the book of Galatians we read another set of attributes of a Christian,

"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.

When people see your life, do they see the attributes listed above in your life?

Please think about it.

Ponder this

 Ponder this

For the Christian it's all about faith in God. 

God does not force himself on us. He gave us a free will to do and believe as we wish.

Thus I put these portions of the New Testament for you to ponder. My question being do you agree with them or not 

The apostle Paul writes

                          "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 Paul tells us we cannot work our way to heaven. 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

Faith defined by the writer of Hebrews as,

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

 Hebrews 11:1

The same writer noting 

“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

Blaise Pascal noting,

“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. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind?

Where will you place your wager?

Please think about it.