Beware

Beware
The apostle Paul warns,
"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.
The church as an institution has been around for centuries and like any institution that has been around that long, it has picked up a lot of baggage. Baggage the founding fathers of Christianity never intended to be there. That God never intended to be there.
Not only that there are many claiming to be Christians that are not.
The apostle Peter warns
"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping." 2 Peter 2:1-3.
As believers in Christ Jesus we must be careful when it comes to the pastors, evangelist and others claiming to be Christians.
We must pray, read and study the scriptures for ourselves in order to know if what the teacher is saying is correct and not taken out of context.
As believers in Christ Jesus we are called to follow Jesus, to follow God by faith NOT specific preachers, evangelist or others claiming to have the truth.
Our faith must never be in a man.
As the writer of Hebrews puts it,
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2.
Please think about it.

Rules that prove the fact

Rules that prove the fact
In brief the ten commandments read,

1/“You shall have no other gods before me.” 

2/“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;...” 

3/ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” 

4/ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”  

5/ “Honour your father and your mother,” 

6/“You shall not murder.” 

7/“You shall not commit adultery.” 

8/“You shall not steal.” 

9/“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” 

10/“You shall not covet “

                                                                                       From Exodus 20:2-17.
Here to me is something that proves God exists. Quoted above are the Ten Commandments. They were given to Moses by God thousands of years ago and are universally applicable to every man and woman on the planet. These are rules for living that I firmly believe are in the hearts of everyman.
Following these ten basic rules for living makes society a safe and loving place.
Such rules I do not believe simply evolved over the centuries. I cannot believe ancient man simply convened a conference of all the tribes of the earth and agreed on such rules. I believe God himself instilled them in our hearts and minds from the day we were conceived. I believe they are part of our DNA.
The ten commandments tell mankind first of all how God expect the individual to act with respect to God. The first three state,

1/“You shall have no other gods before me.” 

2/“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;...” 

3/ “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” 

There is only one God to be worshipped and that is the Lord God almighty. We are to have no other Gods. We are not to make and worship idols. We are not to misuse God’s name.
Number four states

4/ “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” 

We can work six days a week but on the seventh we are to rest and worship God. Having a day of rest is even accepted by health advocates as a good thing.
The fifth tells us,

5/ “Honour your father and your mother,” 

We are to honour our father and mother. Years ago there use to be a saying around the church that said, “Don’t let your parents down, they brought you up.”
The next commands are what is needed for an orderly society, they state,

6/“You shall not murder.” 

7/“You shall not commit adultery.” 

8/“You shall not steal.” 

9/“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” 

10/“You shall not covet “

As I said I do not believe ancient man could come up with such universally accepted law as the ten commandments. Laws that encompass both mans relationship to God and his relationship with his fellow man.
That being said I leave the decision with you the reader. Do you believe there is a God the creator of heaven and earth or not?
The choice is yours.
Please think about it. 

Whisky bottle and the Bible

Whisky bottle and the Bible
“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)....” Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.
What Harper Lee wrote is to me, a Christian true. Through out the centuries we have seen the bible misused and abused by those claiming to be Christian.
If the truth be known it is probably one of the most misused books in history. People have used it to justify the crusades, slavery, and antisemitism. They have used it to condemn, rock and roll music, even Elvis’s gyrating hips.
Those claiming to be Christians have used the bible to judge and condemn anything they disagree with. Yet within it are two clear statements,’
Jesus said,
“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.
The Apostle Paul writing,
“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.
We as Christians are not allowed to judge non-Christians. We are to keep their own house clean.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  Romans 12:18.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
We cannot live at peace with anyone if we are constantly judging them and condemning them. We must live at peace with all people, presenting the gospel of Christ in a respectful way as God gives us the opportunity.
Only by living holy lives, lives that are acceptable to God are we able to reach those around us for Christ.
God has given every person on this earth complete freedom. That freedom extends to them living a life and lifestyle they wish. It extends to what they wish to believe even if it is contrary to what God wants. It even extends to them not believing in God. Christians have an obligation to respect this God given right.
Here’s something to think about.
A man with a Whisky bottle may get drunk. He may even die because of overindulgence in the contents of the bottle. Never the less he is only disgracing and  injuring himself.
A man misusing the Bible brings disgrace not only on himself but on God, Christ, and other Christians.
Not only that his actions may turn people away from God and effect the eternal resting place of the non-Christians around him.
Please think about it.

Without Love Without God

Without Love Without God,
“The world is trying to get by without God and is doing a miserable job without Him.” Author unknown.
Abba Hillel Silver said,
“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.” Abba Hillel Silver.
As I look around society today. I see especially in the United States a society in crisis. In the America the spectre of racism has raised its head it seems higher than ever. Police harassing and killing innocent black men. Misguided individuals killing police. It all resembles the early years of the 1960's and the civil rights movement.
I don’t remember much about the civil rights movement in the United States. I wasn’t even a teenager and I didn’t live in America at the time. All I remember was my father praising Dr. Martin Luther King jr. for his non-violent stance in the face of such injustice.
Dr. King was a Christian who believed in Love.
Dr. King said two things that are as important today as they were then. He said,

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; 

only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; 

only love can do that.” 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr King made it clear,

“Love is the only force capable 

of transforming an enemy into friend.” 

Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The early civil rights movement attained what it did because they refused to let hate rule. To quote King again he prayed,

“We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.

We are in nature but we live above nature.

Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate.

Give us strength to love our enemies 

and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us.” 

Martin Luther King jr.

Leaders like Dr. King realized that hate begets hate. He realized the words of Jesus who when asked,
 “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 22:36-40.
Who also said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:43-45.
I admit I am a white man living in Canada and cannot fully understand what most people of colour in the United States have to put up with. Still I can understand what injustice is.
I also realize that unless people turn back to God society is in trouble.
I believe it is time for all churches. All who claim to be Christian to stand against injustice everywhere.
If ever there was a need for God in society it is now and not just in the United States but around the world.
Hate is everywhere in the world today and it is only through the love of God that we can truly overcome it.
Please think about it.