The Christian Life

The Christian Life
Someone said to me a few days ago,
“I have a feeling the new decade 2020 will be a time of revival.” They are not the first. Such feelings happen a lot in Christian circles at the end of decades, centuries and millennia.
That being said I thought it only right to address the issue. So for my next few blogs I am writing about what I believe God expects of Christians, believers in Christ Jesus. At the same time I am taking a look at the various types of churches that exist today through the lense of the churches mentioned in the book of revelations.
In this blog however I would like to look at what the apostle Peter says Christians are and should be doing.
The apostle Peter states,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
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 2:9-12.
Do you do this?
Many years ago I was told by my first pastor to memorize the words of Jesus who 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.

He told me if you sincerely believe what Jesus is saying you will always remember to present the gospel of Christ in a respectful manner to all who will listen.
In following these words of Christ you will find yourself respecting those of different faiths, lifestyles, and positions in life.
Not only that you will find yourself being respected by others. And those who have the respect of others find it easier to present the gospel of Christ to non-believers.
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.

Please think about it.

The Christian Life

The Christian life
The apostle Paul writes,
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. 
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 
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.  
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:18-25.
If you are claiming to be a follower of Jesus Christ are you measuring up to what the apostle Paul is saying here?
As believers in Christ we are called to live to a higher standard.
If we are living up to the Christ’s standard we are obeying 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.
Jesus who told us to

“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.

If we are truly following the teachings of Christ we will exhibit the fruits of the spirit that the apostle Paul mentions.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control...”  Galatians  5: 22,23a
If we are truly followers of Jesus we will be acting like the apostle Peter states
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
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 2:9-12.
If we are truly following Christ we will obey the words of the writer of Hebrews who said,

“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

Thus the question becomes, are you truly honouring God by your words and deeds?
Please think about it.

The Christian Life

The Christian life
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 2:9-12.
If you claim to be Christian do you realize that you are an alien and a stranger here on earth? That you are called to abstain from “sinful desires”?
Do you realize that you are to “live such good lives among the people around you that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us”?
There are many Christians in the world today who are suffering for their faith. For simply believing in Jesus they are being put into prison, tortured, even put to death because of it. Yet still they stand up for Christ.
Sadly here in North America where I live many calling themselves Christians are looked on as being prejudice and even bigoted. People who would attempt to restrict the freedoms of those they disagree with. Who look down on those who have a different lifestyle or faith.
These are men and women calling themselves Christians that are not. They are not following the teaching of the apostle Peter who said,
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”James 2:12,13.
These are people who will one day hear the words of Jesus who 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.
If we claim to be Christians we must live a good and holy life. A life that reaches out to others in love. We must remember that Jesus sat down with people of all walks of life, tax collectors, Roman soldiers, Samaritans all people looked down on by the religious leaders of his day. Men and women who truly needed to know God.
We must follow Christ’s example.
We as Christians must heed the words of the writer of Hebrews who said,

“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.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                                                         Francis of Assisi
If you claim to be Christian what is your sermon telling the people around you about Jesus.
Please think about it.

The Christian Life, Smyrna's Example

The Christian Life Smyrna’s Example
John writing in the book of Revelations records these words of Jesus,
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
   I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelations 2:8-11.
The church at Smyrna apparently had it hard. Smyrna was major sea port. It was one of the places Roman imperial cult was present. That along with a large Jewish population who probably didn’t agree with believers in Christ made it hard for these Christians.
What is notable about the church of Smyrna is despite the persecution these early believers kept the faith,
Jesus does not say anything against them. He warns them that there will be what most commentators say is a short period of persecution. Then encourages them saying,
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
This is the way it is for true believers today. We may from time to time undergo persecution, and certainly there are many places in the world today where believers in Christ are being persecuted. However no matter what we go through if we keep the faith, Jesus promises us a crown of life.
There is something we should however note here. There are many in North America where I live who say they are being persecuted when they are not. They are simply breaking the law.
It’s one thing to be persecuted for what we believe in. If we suffer in such a way we will inherit a crown of life.
However if we deliberately break a law passed by a secular government that does not prevent us from practising our faith as we wish, or restrict our rights or rights of others then that I believe is sin.
We should not be protesting against anything that is lawful unless it brings harm to ourselves or others. Even then we should be doing so peacefully and with respect to those who disagree with us.
The apostle Peter tells us,
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.   For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  1Peter 2:13-16
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 we are doing as the writer of Hebrews is telling us to do, and are still being persecuted then we are doing things the way God intended us to do. And we will inherit a crown of life.
Please think about it.

The Christian Life

The Christian Life
The Psalmist writes,
“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 1:1-6.
 As Christians we must delight in the law of the Lord. We must trust in Him. We must live by God’s ethical and moral standards.
The apostle Peter tells us,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
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 2:9-12.
If you claim to be Christian are you doing this?
Please think about it.

The Christian LIfe

The Christian Life
The writer of Ecclesiastes said,

“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 judgment, 

including every hidden thing, 

whether it is good or evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 .

Christians think about this. Here in North America there are many who call themselves Christians who are not. They have fallen far from the teachings of Christ, who taught love for God, your neighbour and even your enemy. They have mixed politics and their faith and have become confrontational.
As someone once said, “mixing faith and politics is like mixing water and gasoline. The gasoline is unusable, the water undrinkable and the whole mixture explosive.”
To my mind this tells me that the words of Jesus is true when he said,
“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 7:22,23.
Unfortunately those outside Christianity see the negative actions of those who claim to be Christian and are not and paint all Christianity with the same brush.
We as Christians I believe must do our best to turn back to the fundamentals of our faith. The love of God, our neighbour and our enemy. We must refrain from judging those around us who are not Christian. The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
Tony Campolo once said,
“Let us preach Christ, let us be faithful to proclaiming the Gospel, but let's leave judgment in the hands of God.” Tony Campolo
I agree with him.
If you consider yourself a Christian then consider your actions. Do you truly love God, your neighbour and your enemy?
The apostle Paul defines love this way,

“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.

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.
We must remember what the writer of Ecclesiastes said,
“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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
God will judge everyone of us. Thus the question becomes will he find you living in peace with all man and living a life of holiness?
Please think about it.

The Christian Life

The Christian life
The writer of Hebrews states,
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12,13.
Here’s a note to anyone who claims to be Christian. If you claim to be Christian you will be judged as a Christian. You may say “I am a Christian. I have confessed my sins to God. I have accepted Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Therefore I am saved by grace” It is very easy to say those words but do you really mean it?
When you stand before God will you hear,
“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.
Or will you hear,
“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. Matthew 25:41.
True we are saved by grace but if we are truly saved we will want to become more Christ like.
Jesus told this parable,
“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 25:34-46. 
This is what it is to be Christian to minister to the material and spiritual needs of those around us. That includes family, friends, neighbours, and even our enemy.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.” Tony Campolo.
He is right. To be Christian is to show unconditional love to all people. To extend the hand of fellowship to all.
Our faith in Christ should result in action.
Francis of Assisi reminds us,
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” Francis of Assisi.
What are your deeds telling those around you about you,... about Christ?
Please think about it.

The Christian Life

The Christian Life
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.  
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. Ephesians 4:1-6.
Here is a reason we should read the Bible directly. Paul here tells Christians how to live.
1/ Live a life worthy of the calling of Jesus.
2/ Be humble and gentle,
3/ Be patient.
4/ Bear with ones fellow Christians in Love.
5/ Do your best to keep “the unity of the Spirit through the bond of Peace.
If we as Christians live such lives then the world will see what we have and want what we have. The apostle Peter said,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 
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 2:9-12.
If you claim to be a Christian,
please think about it.