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.

Loving Gods way

  Loving Gods way

The apostle Paul defines Christian 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.

This is how God loves, unconditionally. This is what we are called to do to those around us. Love them unconditionally.

So my question to you is do you love the way God loves?

Please think about it.

They knew Jesus

  They Knew Jesus

The Apostle Peter wrote,

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.

Peter who was with Jesus throughout his earthly ministry, witnessed the miraculous things that happened. And he told anyone who would listen about Jesus. 

He makes it clear “we did not follow cleverly invented stories” 

From my perspective why would Peter and the other Apostles make up stories. Most of the new testament was made within living memory. And such stories could have been called out as fake.

Even today Christians all over the world believe what is in the Bible. And in the new testament in particular telling lies would be counterintuitive to the building up Christianity. 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.

So the question come down to. Do you believe what is said in the Bible? Do you believe Jesus is God incarnate the Saviour of mankind?

Please think about it. 

God made flesh

 God made flesh

“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.

The above quotation from the book of John is a fundamental belief of Christians. At first glance is seems outrageous but it is true.

If it were not true why would early Christians include it in the very documents they were writing to prove their faith.

The fact that the early Christians claimed that Jesus was God incarnate, God in the flesh means, at least to me, they have committed a lie so outrageous that it has fooled millions. If not billions of people through out history and in modern times. 

C. S. Lewis 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.

Please think about it.

Jesus is the way

  Jesus is the way

Jesus 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.

Here is what Christians believe about Jesus. He is the way to God Almighty. No one comes to the Father except through him.

This is a fundamental belief of all Christians. A belief Christians present to all people. We don’t force our faith on anyone. We simply say this is what we believe. Then leave it up to the individual to decide for themselves if they believe it or not.

Thus I leave the choice to you. Do you believe Jesus is the way to God or not?

Please think about it.

How to get to heaven, the Christian belief

  How to get to heaven, the Christian belief

In the book of Ephesians we read,

"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.

This is what Christians believe. It is by the grace of God, by having faith in Him that we get to heaven. 

In the book of Hebrews we read the definition of faith it states,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see."  

                                                                 Hebrews 11:1

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say.

"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.

Ultimately it is up to the individual whether they believe what is said.

But consider what 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.

We Trust

  We Trust

“Do not put your trust in princes, 

in mortal men, who cannot save. 

When their spirit departs, 

they return to the ground; 

on that very day their plans come to nothing.” 

                                                                 Psalm 146:3,4.

Over the years I’ve seen many preachers and evangelist go off the rails, fall away from Christ. Some of these men and women attracted thousands even tens of thousands of followers. 

   Sadly too many of those followers were following the preacher and not God. Not only that many of these preachers are not presenting the true gospel they are doing what the apostle Paul said would happen,

"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

Ultimately when the gospel message is changed or diluted with other things it leaves many with an emptiness that only the gospel of Christ can fill. Thus people leave the church. 

I’ve heard some estimates that tens of thousands of people are leaving the mega churches and prosperity doctrine churches in the United States.

As believers in Christ Jesus we need to put our faith firmly in God. Not a pastor or evangelist. 

Thus my question to you the reader; Is your faith firmly in God or in a pastor or evangelist?

Can you with the Psalmist say,

“Some trust in chariots 

and some in horses, 

but we trust 

in the name of the LORD our God." 

                                                                     Psalm 20:7.

Please think about it.

You and the Sower?

 You and the Sower?

“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  

Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  

As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  

Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  

He who has ears, let him hear.”  Matthew 13:1-9.

Jesus seldom interpreted his parables but he does this one and as he does it better than me thus I give you his interpretation,

“Listen then to what the parable of the Sower means:  

When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  

But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.  

The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.  

But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23.

This interpretation is very typical of what happens in our churches today. There are those who hears the message but fails to fully understand it and quickly falls away without trying to look deeper.

There are others who receive the word out of the emotion of the moment only to fall away when the emotion dies off.

Then there are those who receive the word but have a lot of earthly baggage. They fall pray to the worries of the world. And fall away as their worries in this world take precedent over the word of God.

Then there are those who truly believe who go forth and take the gospel to those around them producing more believers.

Where are you in this spectrum of hearers of the word?

Think about it. 

Let love and faithfulness

 Let love and faithfulness

In the book of Proverbs we read,

"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.

Do you Love God? Are you faithful to Him? Does your love extend to those around you, family friend and foe alike?

In Galatians we read,

“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.

The apostle Paul defined what Christian love is when he wrote,

"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." 1Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.

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

So Do you follow the teachings of Jesus and the apostles? 

Are you showing the fruit of the Spirit and attributes of Love as the apostle Paul laid out? Are you obeying the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 7:12

Please think about it.

Eyes fixed on Jesus

 Eyes Fixed on Jesus

The writer of Hebrews said,

"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.

Here is a simple admonition from the writer of the book of Hebrews to all who believe in Christ Jesus. 

We are to keep our eyes on Jesus.

That to me means following His teachings and example. That at times may mean we will have to endure abuse and hardships.

Ultimately however at the end of our life we will be able to say as the apostle Paul wrote,

"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.  

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

Paul from the day of his conversion until the day he died, no matter what circumstance he was in good or bad, in prison or free, kept his eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.

If you truly believe in Christ Jesus, can you say that also?

Please think about it.

Dedicated to the Lord

   Dedicated to the Lord

In the book of Deuteronomy we read,

"Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk to them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up

You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

How dedicated to God are you? 

Do you,

“...love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

  Is your faith so much a part of your life that even without saying anything people who see you know you are a believer in Christ Jesus?

Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times 

and when necessary use words.”

                                                Francis of Assisi.

Is this what you are doing?

Please think about it.

Live by faith

  Live by Faith

In the gospel of Luke we read,

"A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone.  

You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.''" 

"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said. 

When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Luke 18:18-22.

Here is what Jesus is saying here. Live by faith. Do not rely on your earthly wealth. Live by faith expecting God to supply you needs.

In the book of Philippians we read,

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19.

Do you believe this. Do you rely on God to supply your needs?

Do you think the pastors and evangelist you support believe this?

Please think about it.

The Bible and Gods existence

 The Bible and Gods existence 

In the gospel of John, John calling Jesus “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." John 1-3.

The Bible doesn’t defend the existence of God and the fact he created the universe. It was written to believers and believers do not need explanation.

That being said there are many men of science who defend the existence of God through science.

William Kelvin wrote,

“If you study Science deep enough and long enough, it will force you to believe in God” Lord William Kelvin Noted for his theoretical work in thermodynamics

Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics

"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan."

Werner Heisenberg states,

“The first gulp from the glass of natural science will make you an atheist,

but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you" Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics Nobel prize in physics

What amazes me is not only did God create the heavens and the earth. But that God though His son Christ Jesus entered the word he created. John stating, 

“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 1:14

And Jesus tells us the reason he came,

"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 

Do you believe in God? If so have you asked him into your life?

Please think about it.

  Faith, Belief in God

The Bible opens with the statement,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.

It does not open the existence of God for debate it simply states there is a God who created the heavens and the earth.

The way I see things is we can either believe in God or not believe in God. There is no middle ground.

Admittedly to believe in God takes an act of faith because we cannot see God. But believe we must. The writer of the book of Hebrews telling us,

“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.

The way I see it God asks us to have faith that He exists because having faith in anything particularly something or someone you cannot see is very hard for most people.

It is doubly hard I think for people to believe in a God who “seemingly” has been silent for several millennium. 

That being said the true believer longs to see God. As the psalmist puts it,

 “I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

 and in his word I put my hope.”

                                                        Psalm 130:5  

Do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

In Which group are you?

  In which group are you?

“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  

    A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.   Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”  

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  

At that, Paul left the Council.  

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others” Acts 17:17-34.

What Paul said here is what he and the apostles believed. Who was asked by the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. Not Christians to speak about his beliefs. Spoke of Jesus crucified and risen from the dead. Which caused some to ask to hear more. Some to sneer at what he said, and some to believe.

It is the same today. Some believe the gospel message. Some don’t believe and sneer at the thought of it. While others want to hear more on the topic.

Thus the question becomes, in which group are you? 

Please think about it

Look at it this way

 Look at it this way

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.