A word of advice from Paul

  A word of advice from Paul

The apostle Paul writes,

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."  Colossians 3:15-17.

This advice from Paul couldn’t be more simple. We are to study the scriptures and take them to heart. Teach one another. Interact with one another, with the purpose of helping each other grow in Christ.

We are to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude to God for all he has done for us. For his amazing grace that comes through Christ Jesus.

Paul finishes by saying “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

If you consider yourself a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus. Do you do this?

Please think about it.

Be at Peace

 Be at peace 

The Apostle Paul wrote,

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  Romans 12:18.

Do you live at peace with those around you?

The only way we will ever win a soul for Christ is if we live at peace with those around us and show unconditional love toward them.

In the book of Hebrews takes this a step further saying,

“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 consider yourself a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus are you making every effort to live at peace and to be holy with those around you?

Please think about it.

Go and bear fruit

  Go and bear fruit

Jesus said,

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  

You are my friends if you do what I command.  

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last....”John 15:13-16a.

Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples telling them to go and bear fruit. He tells them clearly that he has given to them all that the God the Father has given to him.

Matthews gospel records Jesus as saying,

"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.

This is what God requires of us today to make disciple. To reach people around the world for Christ and teach them all that the Bible says about Christ.

Question. 

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing this?

Please think about it. 

It's not a new commandment

 It’s not a new commandment

The apostle John writes,

"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.  

And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.  

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 1:4-6.

We as believers in Christ Jesus are called to walk in truth, love and in obedience to God’s command. 

The definition of Christian love is defined by the apostle Paul when he writes,

"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. 

So is this the way you love?

Please think about it.

Are you truly light?

 Are you truly 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.

Here is something very simple. If you are a Christian. A true believer in Christ Jesus, “you are the light of the world.”

It is through your words and deeds that the people around you will see Jesus. Even if it’s just bowing your head in prayer in a restaurant or talking to your neighbour. 

So my question to those who claim to be Christians, true believers in Christ Jesus, what are you words and deeds saying about Jesus?

Please think about it. 

Helping the needy

 Helping the needy

In the book of Exodus we read,

“Do not oppress a foreigner; 

you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners.” 

                                                                             Exodus 23:9

In the book of Leviticus we read,

" ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  

Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God."  Leviticus 19: 9,10

The apostle Paul writes,

"Share with the Lord's people who are in need. 

Practice hospitality." 

                               Romans 12:13

In the book of James we read,

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 14-17

The apostle Paul also writes,

"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."Romans 12:20.

According to one source I read, 

“...there are over 2,000 verses of Scripture that deal with responding to the needs of the poor.” 

As Christians we have an obligation to help the poor anyway we can even if it’s just giving a few coins to someone who’s homeless and begging on the street.

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.

If you were without food, clothing, shelter, health care, money, would you not want people to help you?

So what are you doing?

Are you doing what you can to help those in need around you?

Please think about it

Our Duty to God

 Our duty to God

“Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth. 

Sing to the LORD, 

praise his name; 

proclaim his salvation day after day. 

Declare his glory among the nations, 

his marvellous deeds among all peoples.” 

                                                    Psalm 96:1-3

Jesus said,

"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.

Whether you are a follower of Christ Jesus or not. I feel it is important to know that followers of Christ Jesus have a duty before God to tell others about the saving grace that comes through Christ.

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 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.

This is the message God wants believers in Christ Jesus to hear and believe.

So the question becomes, Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of all who would believe in Him?

Please thin about it. 

For those who cannot speak

 For those who cannot speak

In the book of proverbs we read,

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8,9.

Here is a clear statement to all who love God. To all who call themselves Christians. We must speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

To my understanding there is about 2000 verses in the bible related to helping the poor.

In Deuteronomy we read,

Deuteronomy 15:11: "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11.

In Isaiah we read,

"If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday."Isaiah 58:10

In Proverbs we read,

"A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge." Proverbs 29:7.

Jesus said,

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give." Matthew 10:8.

Proverbs states,

"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done." Proverbs 19:17.

The lists goes on and on. Which shows that God wants us to care for the poor. So my question to you is,

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you helping the poor? Are you speaking out to those in authority to politicians and standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves?

Please think about it.

Why were we created

 Why were we created?

In the book of Genesis we read,

“So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.”

                                                  Genesis 1:27

So why were we created? The simplest explanation I’ve heard is that God created us so that we could have fellowship with Him.

That being said we were also created to interact with others.

The Talmud makes an interesting statement it states,

“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.” The Talmud.

In the book of Ephesians we read,

“For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing good works?

Please think about it. 

Fact Check

  Fact Check

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshipped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24: 14,15.

This is a message the church today needs to listen to. 

Over the years the church has sadly gained a lot of spiritual and material baggage God never intended it to have. As such we must take care and assess whether or not the Church congregation or denomination is truly teaching the word of God. We must ask the question whether or not the evangelist or pastor we support is truly teaching the word of God.

The apostle Paul writes,

"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.

We are in the time Paul is talking about. As such we need study not just read the Bible. We should never simply take the word of any man or woman who is teaching the word of God. We should be asking ourselves “are they teaching sound doctrine?”

If you claim to be a Christian, have you ever fact checked what the pastor or evangelist you listen to? If not why not?

Please think about it.

Do your best for God

  Do your best for God

The apostle Paul writes,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15.

Here is a simple question. 

If you consider yourself a true Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus.

Are you doing your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed? A person who correctly handles the word of truth?

Please think about it.

A Christian duty to love

A Christian duty to love

The apostle John writes,

"It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.  

And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.  

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love." 2 John 1:4-6 

We as believers in Christ Jesus are told to walk in love. Jesus said,

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." John 15:12.

That means loving unconditionally.

While we may not always agree with others as believers in Christ we are called to love even our enemies. Jesus said,

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you....  

Do to others as you would have them do to you.... 

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."Luke 6:27,28,31,36 

The late American civil rights leader Martin Luther King jr. once said,

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

                                                                                   Martin Luther King, Jr.

So my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian is, Do you truly Love?

Please think about it.

Make disciples of all nations,

 Make Disciples of all nations,

Jesus said, 

"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

This portion of scripture knows as the great commission is as much for the early church as it is for Christians today.

As Christians we have a duty to God to present the Gospel message to anyone who will listen to us.

If you profess to be a Christian, a true follower of Christ Jesus, are you doing this?

Please think about it.

A Christian is

  A Christian is

The apostle Paul writes,

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."  2 Corinthians 5:20.

The Oxford dictionary defines ambassador as “a diplomat sent by a state as its permanent representative in a foreign country.”

That is who the apostle Paul is calling us. We are Christ’s representatives on this earth.

St. Augustine wrote,

"A Christian is: a mind through which 

Christ thinks, a heart through which

Christ loves, a voice through which

Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps" 

                                                                             St. Augustine.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus, are you doing this?

Please think about it. 

Will you give praise?

  Will you give praise?

The Psalmist writes,

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all your wonders. 

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

 I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." 

                                                                         Psalm 9:1,2.

Today in the beginning of a new year. As believers in Christ Jesus, let us take time to praise God. 

In Psalm 150 we read,

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.

If you consider yourself a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus will you take time right now to give praises to the Lord God Almighty?

Please think about it.

Are you talking about Jesus?

  Are you talking about Jesus?

The Psalmist writes,

"Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity. 

"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it; 

"let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth." Psalm 96:10-13.

If you claim to be a Christian. A true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing what the Psalmist is telling us to do?

Are you saying to those around you “the LORD reigns” and that He will one day judge all people with equity?

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,

"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." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

As believers in Christ Jesus it is important that we tell the world about the saving grace that come from God through Christ Jesus. That they need to call on the name of Jesus. 

The apostle Paul writes,

"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.

So if you claim to be a Christian are you telling those around you about Jesus?

Please think about it.

In Word and deed

 In word and deed

    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 

This to me is saying clearly that God should be the centre of our lives. That it is our obligation to God to teach our faith to our Children.

The Talmud states,

Whoever teaches his son teaches not alone his son

 but also his son's son, and so on to the end of generations. 

                                                                                   The Talmud 

We should not only be telling our Children about our faith but we should be living our faith before them.

Our Children do see our every move therefor we have a duty to them to live our faith in word and in deed.

The apostle Paul writes,

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17.

Do your words and deeds reflect that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus?

Please think about it. 

Ambassadors for Christ

 Ambassadors for Christ.

The apostle Paul also wrote,

  “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians5:20.

I think that many Christians overlook this verse of scripture. They forget that we are Christ’s ambassadors. An ambassador is diplomatic. 

The Oxford dictionary defines an ambassador as, “a diplomat sent by a state as its permanent representative in a foreign country.”

An ambassador does not try and impose their will or the will of their country on another country. They simply present what their country believes. 

This is how we as Christians, as true believers in Christ Jesus need to be aware of. We are to present to the world around us what we believe. Leaving it to the people listening to them to decide for themselves if what is being said is true or false.

Question; If you consider yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus, are you a good ambassador for Him?

Please think about it.

Peacemaker

 Peacemaker

Jesus said,

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." 

                                                                                                           Matthew 5:9.

Are you a peace maker? And by that I don’t mean some diplomat that tries to bring peace to some war.

You can be a peace maker right in your own country, town or neighbourhood.

I find particularly in the current political climate here in North America. Christians, at least those calling themselves Christians, are looked at war mongers. While they may not be starting a physical war between nations. They by their actions are causing rifts between Christians and everyone else.

Sadly many calling themselves Christians are getting involved with politics. Something a Christian should never get involved with. Someone has said,

“Combining religion and politics is like combining water and gasoline. The water is undrinkable. The gasoline unusable. And the whole thing is explosive.”

Many Christians are using politics to try and stop anything they disagree with. They believe the lie that Canada and the United States are built on Christian values.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Canada and the United States are secular democracies. They are as culturally as diverse as the Roman empire.

I’m sure when the apostle Paul walked into Athens he could have yelled “you heathen God is going to send you to hell!” But he didn’t instead after being invited by the Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers to speak at the Areopagus he said,

"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." Acts 17:22,23.

Paul and all the other apostles never tried to restrict the rights of others. Paul even tells us to, 

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,  to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men." Titus 3:1,2.

Paul and the apostles knew that by trying to restrict the beliefs and lifestyles of those they disagree with could backfire and cause their faith to be restricted.

If we are to be true Christians in 2024 we need to live at peace with those around us. We need to extend the hand of friendship and present our beliefs not force our beliefs on others. 

      We need to listen to them. To treat them as equals. For it’s only in doing this will we win souls for Christ.

There is a phrase the late American evangelist Billy Graham said. He said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                                 Billy Graham

It is only by doing this we will be called Peacemakers and be called sons of God.

Please think about it.

Using your gifts

 Using your gifts

The apostle Peter wrote,

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10.

Do you use the gifts you have received for God? Do you believe you have any gifts God can use?

Sadly there are many within the church who don’t think they have any gifts God can use. Which is sad because if you are willing God will use you for the furtherance of His Kingdom.

I knew a young woman named Sharon who thought she had no gifts. She came from a poor background. People in the small town where she lived looked down on her and her family.

She wasn’t well educated. She certainly couldn’t preach from the pulpit. She didn’t communicate things well and she was “socially awkward”. Unsure how to act in certain circumstances. 

When I met her she was sweeping floors and cleaning tables at a Christian coffee shop outreach where I was performing.

Long story short. Within two years of my meeting her we were married and we were living along way away from here home town, where people didn’t know her.

Our marriage changed her life in many ways. We got involved with a good church, where she became a volunteer librarian. Additionally we hosted a bible study in our apartment.

During those early years we also moved around quite a bit before a series of events brought us to a small Canadian city where we settled down and joined a church.

Again Sharon volunteered as a librarian. At the same time she got involved with various Christian women’s groups both with our church and outside.

At the same time we opened our house particularly on holidays. We’d invite people who were going to spent the holidays alone to come. An event Sharon liked hosting.

Now Sharon never became a great preacher, teacher, or evangelist and her name will one day be lost to history. Still that doesn’t matter. She is known to God and she gave what she had for God to use and he did.

When she passed away after a long illness over a hundred people came to her funeral. All of whom had been touched by her life in one way or another.

Sharon had always called herself “ordinary”. With very little for God us use. Yet she gave what she had and blessed many by doing so.

So my point here is if God can use Sharon a poor girl from a small Canadian village. He can use you. You may not become a world renowned evangelist. But then very few who work for the Lord are.

The important thing is, as the apostle Peter wrote,

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, 

faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 

                                                                                                   1 Peter 4:10.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.