Do you question?

 Do you question?

"Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you.  

"For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." Matthew 24:4,5.

The apostle Paul stated,

"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 Gospel of Christ has been around in excess of two thousand years. In that time it’s truths have been twisted by charlatans for their own purpose.

These men and women were around when Paul and the apostles were around and they warned against them.

These men and women are around today. That is why we must be carful. That is why we must read the Bible for ourselves and know what we believe and why we believe it. So that no one will call us to fall away from Christ.

I firmly believe we as individual Christians have the right to question any teaching that we may suspect as wrong. Going as far as asking the pastor, teacher or evangelist why they teach what they teach. To prove that what they are teaching is true. 

Do you ever question what is being spoken from the pulpit or by men and women claiming to be teachers of Gods word in the media?

Perhaps you should.

Please think about it.

Itching ears

  Itching ears.

The apostle Paul wrote,

“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.

Standing on my perch here in North America, I am amazed what men and women calling themselves Christians are saying from the pulpit. They are mixing false statements with just enough Bible facts to make what they are saying sound good and thus leading people away from what the Bible truly states.

The famous evangelist Charles H. Spurgeon once said,

"A time will come when instead of the shepherds feeding the sheep. The church will have clowns entertaining the goats." Charles H. Spurgeon.

I have a unique perspective when it comes to clowns. For a large part of my life I was a clown/magician. I stood in front of crowds and in word and deed made everyone in that room think I was the biggest idiot in the room. Someone who could produce things out of thin air.

 It was a fun time in my life. One that taught me that people were easily fooled. 

People believed what they wanted to believe. All it took was fancy words and a little bit of misdirection. 

Thus it is within Christian circles today. With men and women claiming to be of God using fancy language and misleading actions to move people away from God.

Thus we as believers in Christ Jesus must be on our guard to see that we are not directed away from Gods truths.

Why not take time right now to evaluate the pastors and evangelist you listen to. Are they truly preaching the word of God?

Please think about it.

On God

On God
In the book of Genesis we read,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

                                                                                                Genesis 1:1.

The Bible was written to believers in God and believers need no convincing that God exists. Thus no explanation is given.
In the Gospel of John referring to Jesus as the word 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.
Again the Gospel of John and indeed the whole of the New Testament was written to Christians, to believers in Christ Jesus and to such believers no explanation is necessary. Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh.
The question thus becomes to non-believers;
Do you believe what the Bible states?
Is there an almighty God?
Did this God in the form of His One and Only Son, Christ Jesus enter the world He created to show each mankind the way to heaven?
These questions to my mind are crucial questions everyone on earth when confronted with the Bible must answer. For as C. S. Lewis stated,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C. S. Lewis.
Please think about it.

God Exists

God exists
In the book of Genesis we read,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

                                                                                    Genesis 1:1.

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It was written to believers and believers need no convincing when it comes to the existence of God.
The Bible does however say,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge. 

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." 

                                                                                         Psalm 19:1-3

Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century is quoted as saying,
"It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us,"Stephen Hawking.
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." Dr. Arno Penzias.
Louis Pasteur said,
"A bit of science distances one from God, but much science nears one to Him... The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed by the work of the Creator" Louis Pasteur. 
All of that being said belief in God is an act of faith. The writer of Hebrews telling us,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see." 

                                                   Hebrews 11:1

"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.

Having faith in anything is very hard for many people. Yet scientist do it all the time. They look into the universe and theorise that something exists or is happening that they at that moment can’t really see. Then go on to believe what they have theorised until it is proved or disproved by scientific observation. Many scientist like Albert Einstein never lived to see their theories proved yet they believed in them.
So it is with those of us who believe in God. We have read the Bible, and looked around us and are sure God exists and if He doesn’t we have lost nothing. As 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. 

Why include Miracles?

Why Include Miracles?

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  
Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.  
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. 
“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  
But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” 
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 
“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”... 
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  
“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:17-27, 38-44
Here is the abbreviated story of Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus. It is one of many miracles Jesus did.
Critics of Jesus and the Bible say such things didn’t happen. My question to them would be. Then why if these incidents are untrue would the gospel writers include them?
Keep in mind the gospels were written within living memory of the events.
Keep in mind also that the gospel writers were looking to make disciples and to lie or make something up that is so fantastic that it couldn’t possibly be true would hurt their cause.
No, the accounts of the miracles of Jesus are true as are the accounts of miracles in the Old Testament.
Through these accounts God shows His power and love to mankind.
The apostle Paul noted,
“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  1Corinthians 1:22-24.
Throughout the Bible we see through the miracles proof of God’s power.
We also see the Bible is written logically with a purpose.
It contains wisdom for man to live by. Promoting a lifestyle of Love for God, Love for one’s neighbours and even for one’s enemies.
If followed correctly the lifestyle Jesus promoted, shows mankind how to live in harmony with one’s fellow man.
Please think about it.

You, Jesus & God

You, Jesus & God
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.
If you think about it we who believe in Christ Jesus are asking the world at first glance to believe in foolishness.
The apostle John wrote,
“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.... 
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 
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 1:1-3,11-14
We Christians believe Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh. That He came to earth to show mankind the way to heaven.
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.

Christians believe that no one can live a life good enough to stand before a Holy God. That we sin. Sin is failing to do what God wants us to do consciously or otherwise. The apostle Paul tells us,

“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 John noting,

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins 

and purify us from all unrighteousness.  

If we claim we have not sinned, 

we make him out to be a liar

 and his word has no place in our lives.” 

                                                              1 John 1:9,10.

The apostle Paul tells us,
It is by faith we get to heaven, by the grace of God. We cannot work our way to heaven.,

“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

C. S. Lewis said of Christianity,

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." C. S. Lewis.

Thus the question becomes, How important is Jesus to you?
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind?
Please think about it.

Not all

Not All

“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  
So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. 
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” 
Acts 20:29-32

Beware of the wolves!
Paul knowing it is the last time, he will see the believers in Ephesus leaves
them with a warning to watch for those who would come as wolves.  Those who would even rise up among the believers and pull them away from the faith.
Most people are easily swayed.  I think sometimes, that is why they are called sheep.
When I grew up in England, there were a large number of sheep.  Quite often, you would hear the shepherd whistling directions to his sheep dog.  That dog would easily keep the sheep under control, and direct them to where the shepherd wanted them.
As kids, on the way to the beach, we, frequently, passed flocks of sheep in the meadows, grazing.  Being kids, we’d run into the flocks yelling, they’d immediately scatter.  We also found, even as ten year olds, that we could easily get them to go wherever we wanted to.
A farmer one day, seeing us do this called out to us, to chase them his way.  We did and he even paid us a shilling each for doing it, a king’s ransom for ten year olds in the early 1960's.  We found out, later, they were on their way to the slaughter house.
It’s the same with many in the church, today. They are easily rounded up and led to the slaughter so to speak.
Many within the church, do not read the Bible. If they do, they don’t read it enough. They hardly ever pray, and they are so busy, that they don’t stop long enough to hear the voice of God.
Anyone will tell you no church congregation is perfect.  Still, it is important for us as believers to get involved with a congregation that preaches the Word of God.
We need to read the Scriptures, and pray asking God to lead us to a church that will meet our spiritual needs and not just make us feel good.
If you’re a leader within your church congregation be it pastor, board member, deacon, teacher, or whatever.  You have a duty to watch out for those within the congregation that God has put you over.
You have a duty to read the Word of God, to pray, and take time to listen for the
voice of God. To look and listen for ways to help those in the flock. So that the wolves do not come in and steal the flock.

As individual Christians we need to be mindful of the words of Jesus who 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
The people Jesus was talking about are with us today in our churches, and in the media. They look good they sound good but they are not from God. That’s why Paul wrote these words to the Ephesians and through them to us. Saying,
“I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
“Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” 
                                                                 Acts 20:29-32

Think about it.