Christian Principles to live by #2 deeds

 Christian Principles to live by #2 Deeds

James the half brother of Jesus states,

“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. 

But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20.

There are many Christians who will tell you, you are saved by faith. That is true. However James here make it clear our faith needs to be accompanied by works. Good deeds.    If we indeed have true faith in Jesus, it well spur us on to good deeds. Simply believing in God should never be enough for the believer in Christ Jesus. We need to put our faith into action.

Jesus made this clear when he said,

“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.

If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus are you putting your faith into action?

Please think about it.

Respect

 Respect

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"1 Peter 3:15.

Are you ready to present the gospel of Christ to anyone who might ask you. Equally importantly is when you tell people about Christ are you respectful to those with whom your are speaking?

Sadly one of the things I have found here in North America is that those who are not Christians many time feel Christians do not respect them, their way of life or their faith.

They violate the command 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.

We can disagree with people and still respect them. Furthermore they will respect and listen to us if we do as Jesus commanded. 

"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.

Thus my question to you. Do you show respect to those you disagree with, be they family, friend or foe?

Please think about it.

Remember them

Remember them
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”Hebrews 13:3.
If you claim to be a Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus. Do you pray for those fellow Christians who are in prison?
Today there are thousands of Christians in prison for their faith around the world. It is said that a Christian dies for their faith every seven minutes somewhere in the world.
Lately we are hearing a lot about the persecution of various groups. Yet it seems to me we hear very little about the persecution of Christians.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that Christianity is "the most persecuted religion in the world." 
Today as you read this Christians in North Korea must meet in secret. To be caught worshipping God is at the very least a prison sentence doing hard labour. And while North Korea is considered the worst place to be a Christian, there are many other countries around the world where being a Christian can get you thrown in prison, attacked, even murdered.
Thus we Christians in the western democracies with all the freedoms we have, must remember to pray for and support those around the world who are suffering for the sake of Christ.
 Thus I would ask anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian, please pray for those brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith in Christ Jesus.
Please Pray.

Purity of Faith

Purity of Faith
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.
The above scripture is a warning for all who would call themselves believers in Christ Jesus.
As I said in my previous blog post, the Bible is written to believers. It tells believers in God, believers in Christ Jesus how they should act both with God and their fellow man.
I as a believer in Christ Jesus firmly believe that all believers must live their lives in accordance with God’s teaching. That those teachings must not be watered down or changed in any way. They must not be mixed with politics, anything secular or other beliefs, for God will hold all who claim to believe in him accountable for their actions.
Proverbs tells us,

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, 

and he examines all his paths.”  

                                 Proverbs 5:21

The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“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 4:13.

The apostle Paul’s admonition to Timothy is very clear,
“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.
People claiming to be Christian have for centuries turned from the truth and believed myths. It is however I believe more prevalent in the twenty-first century in which we live because of our multimedia world.
Sadly too many people believe what they see and hear in the media without checking the facts for themselves. This should not be so.
As believers in Christ Jesus we should be praying and reading the Bible for ourselves. Asking God to give us insights into the truths contained in the scriptures. Asking God to steer us away from false teaching and leading us to the truth. For Jesus has 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
Please think about it.