Lunatic, poached egg, or God?

  Lunatic, poached egg, or God?

In John’s gospel John referring to Jesus as 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.  

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 the Thomas 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.

John also records this incident in the life of Jesus,

"I (Jesus) and the Father are one." 

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 

"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:30-33.

What John records here in his gospel makes it clear that Jesus claimed to be one with God. That he is God in the flesh. It is what Christians believe.

C. S. Lewis talking about Jesus states,

“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.” C.S.Lewis.

Thus my question to you; Who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it. 

You Decide

You Decide
The Gospel of Matthew states,
“As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.  
If anyone says anything to you, tell him that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 
This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 
“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ” 
The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.  
They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.  
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.  
The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” 
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 
“Hosanna in the highest!” 
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” 
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:1-11.
Here we have Jesus entering Jerusalem. Those who were following him praising him as he entered the city proclaiming him to be the Son of David. It made such a stir in the city that those in the city asked who Jesus was. To which came the reply “the prophet form Nazareth in Galilee”
In entering Jerusalem as he did Jesus fulfilled the prophesy of Zechariah,

“Say to the Daughter of Zion, 

‘See, your king comes to you,

 gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt,

 the foal of a donkey.’ ”.

Zechariah 9:9

But Jesus did not enter the city on a horse of war. He entered on a beast of burden. Something that would have more than likely been non-threatening to the Roman authorities.
However his entry did create a stir. Those who followed Jesus that day called out,

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” 

“Hosanna in the highest!” 

This is something the followers of Jesus are calling out to the world today. They are honouring Jesus with their praise.
To this day believers in Jesus believe what the writer of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
In doing so Christians are saying to the world you must decide just who Jesus is.
Is he the Son of God. God incarnate, Saviour of mankind or a fake?
There is no middle ground.
Please think about it.

Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus?
Christmas has just passed. A time when Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
There are however many in the world who do not believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of the world. Yet Jesus even when confronted with possible stoning to death never denied he was God. John’s gospel records,
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I and the Father are one.”
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?
“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”  John 10:24-33.
C. S. Lewis said of Jesus,
“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.
Thus I leave it to you the reader to decide for yourself who Jesus is?
Please think about it.

John's Testimony

John’s Testimony
John’s Gospel records,
“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.
Here is something that if not completely true means the writers of the New Testament were fooled or trying to fool the world around them. If they were trying to fool the world around them then it is perhaps the biggest hoax in human history.
John here make it clear that
1/ “the Word” (Jesus) was God.”
2/ “That through him all things were made; and without him nothing was made that has been made.”
3/ “That the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
What John is saying here is God the creator of the universe and everything in it, came into the world He created. God became man.
John makes it clear he has seen the glory of Jesus first hand.
John right from the start of his writings makes it clear that he believed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour of mankind.
Not only that he asks anyone who reads his gospel and his three other letters to believe this also.
So my Question to you on this Christmas eve do you believe this?
Please think about it.

Jesus is

Jesus is
The writer of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
Here the author make four statements about Jesus.
According to the writer of Hebrews Jesus is,
1/ The Son of God,
2/ The exact representation of his being.
3/ The one who sustains all things by his powerful word.
4/ The one who provides purification for our sins.
The author makes no apologies for what he believes. He simply puts them out there for the reader to believe or not to believe.
The choice therefore is yours.
Who do you believe Jesus to be?
Please think about it.

He Claims to be God

He Claims to be God
John’s gospel records this interaction between Jesus and a group of Jews in Solomon’s Colonnade. John states,
"Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.  
"The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 
Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.  
I and the Father are one." 
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" 
"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10:22-33.
If Jesus was a mere man why would he claim to be the Son of God? That could be at the very least blasphemes. Causing people to, as John notes, want to stone him.
Also looking at it through the lense of history Jesus in making such statements, may even be considered insane.
  Furthermore if Jesus was not the Son of God. If what he said was a lie. Why would anyone who supported Him write down his claim to be God?
It’s illogical that anyone wanting to promote Jesus as the Messiah, would put anything into writing that would damage the cause of the fledgling movement.
The writer of Hebrews make it clear what Christians in the early church believed stating,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3
The writer of Hebrews as do all true believers in Christ Jesus, past and present, believe Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh. We believe He created the universe and everything in it and He provided purification for our sins.
This is what the gospel writers ask you the reader to believe. Thus the question becomes. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, creator of the universe, the one who purifies us from sin?
Please think about it.

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

The apostle Paul writes,

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. 

                                                                           Colossians 2:9.

Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh. You either believe this statement or you do not. That being said if you do not believe Jesus is God you cannot be a true believer in Christ Jesus.
Matthews gospel records this conversation between Peter and Jesus,
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:,15,16.
In John’s gospel we are told of this conversation between Jesus and Martha.
“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 you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
The book of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
John’s gospel notes,
“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I and the Father are one.” 
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 
“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10 22-33.
Note here even when faced with stoning Jesus does not deny who he is.
Thus the question becomes. Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it.

Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus
Ever since Jesus started preaching questions have arisen as to who he is. Questions that persist to this day.
Presented here are passages from the New Testament that tell you who the early church believed Jesus to be.
In John’s gospel records,
“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.  
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I and the Father are one.” 
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 
“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10 22-33.
Here even when faced with stoning Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. God incarnate.
In Matthews gospel we read,
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.  Matthew 16:13-17.
The disciples who knew Jesus personally. These were men who had seen all that he did and certainly believed Jesus was the “the Christ the Son of the living God”.
In John’s gospel we read this conversation between Martha and Jesus.
“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 you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
In Luke’s gospel we read about an incident when Jesus was brought to the temple as a baby to be dedicated to the Lord. A man Simeon, a prophet said this about Jesus,
“Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:  “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” Luke 2:28-32
Simeon calls Jesus God’s salvation. A light for revelation to the Gentiles”
In the book of Hebrews, the writer sums up
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
The writer calls Jesus the Son of God. The radiance of God’s glory. The exact representation of his being. The one who provided purification for sins.
This is what the early church believed about Jesus this is what they and anyone who truly believes in Christ Jesus to this day asks you to believe.
Do you?
Please think about it.

About Jesus

About Jesus
The Apostle John who witnessed first hand the ministry of Jesus tells his readers here why he is writing. He sates,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  
The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  
We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  
We write this to make our joy complete.” 1 John 1:1-4
This echos back the opening words of John’s Gospel that 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.  
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.
John referrers to Jesus as the Word. He notes that “the Word” became flesh. God entered the world he created in the form of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh. He was their at the dawn of creation. He created all things.
John goes on to say,
“The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.”
Jesus is life. He offers to all who would believe in Him Eternal life.
John making things perfectly clear saying,
“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”
John in his gospel stating,
“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.” John 1:12,13.
What John states here are cornerstones of Christian belief.
1. Jesus is God incarnate, Creator of the Universe.
2. Jesus is the Saviour of mankind offering Eternal Life to all who would believe in Him.
3. By accepting Jesus Christ into our lives we become children of God. We have a personal relationship with God.
Like all things with Jesus however it is something you either believe or you do not. There is not middle ground.
So what do you believe.
Please think about it.   

Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus?
The Apostle Paul writes,
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
                                                                                          Colossians 2:9.
The apostle John writes,
“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 writer of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3 
In the above quoted scriptures from the New Testament we see the three basic things believers in Christ Jesus believe.
1. Jesus is God.
    ”in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
    “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” 
   “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”
Simply put Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh.
2. He made the world and everything in it.
   “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
Jesus is one with God the creator of the universe and everything in it.
3. He provided purification for sins and sits with God in Heaven.
  “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
To be a Christian, a true believer in Christ Jesus you must believe that Jesus is the one and Only Son of God. God incarnate. The one who provided purification for your sins.
What do you believe about Jesus?
Please think about it. 

Hope

Hope
The apostle John writes about Jesus saying,
“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  
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 1:10-14.
As a believer in Christ Jesus now over four decades, I am still amazed that God would in the form of Jesus Christ enter this world he created. Not only that, he did this to point each individual toward heaven.
C. S. Lewis put it this way,
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” C.S. Lewis. 
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.
In Jesus there is hope for the individual no matter who he or she is. All have the opportunity to go to heaven.
We Christians believe it is impossible to live a life good enough to stand before a Holy God. No matter how good we may be there is always some sin in our life, and sin keeps us from God. To quote C. S. Lewis again,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  C.S. Lewis.
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
It is by God’s grace we get to heaven. Through belief in His one and Only Son.
As the apostle John wrote,
“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.”
Through Jesus Christ we have hope of eternal life with God. The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:5-8 
Do you have hope in your life? If not consider accepting Jesus into your life as your Saviour and Lord.
Life can be hard but having. It is however my experience that having Jesus in your life makes the hard times easier to go through.
Why not take a few minutes and pray and ask Jesus into your life today. Take time to pray something like this,
Dear Heavenly Father
I believe in you. I believe that you sent Jesus into this world to point me to you and to save me from my sins.
Please forgive my sins and come into my life today. Direct and lead me from this day on.
       Amen.
I must emphasise that this pray is no magic bullet. However if you have prayed it in spirit and in truth. God will enter your life and direct you. He will show you how to live a life worthy of Him.
The other thing I would suggest is that you start to read the Bible. Start in the New Testament and read what the writers said about Jesus.
Then if it is possible for you. Find a good church congregation to become a part of. As these blogs are read all over the world it’s hard for me to give the name of any one church.
That being said, Baptist churches are generally good wherever you are in the world. They base their faith firmly in the Bible.
If you live in Canada I also recommend the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada churches who also are firmly anchored in the Bible teachings.
Either way pray and ask God to direct you to a congregation that you like. Remember even within denominations not all congregations are alike. If you find you don’t like the first one you go to look around. That’s the nice thing about God he recognized individuals vary. That’s why there are as one pastor said, “many different flavour of church congregations all worshipping the same God in spirit and truth.”
Even if you have not made a commitment to Jesus I would ask if you give Jesus a chance. Read the New Testament and see for yourself what believers in Christ Jesus truly believe.
Please think about it.

John's Witness

John’s Witness
As I write this Christmas is but a few days away. The gospels of Luke and Matthew tell of the birth of Jesus from two different angles. Luke a gentile (non-Jew), tells the story from Mary’s perspective. Matthew tells the story from a Jewish perspective using a genealogy to link Jesus with King David and showing Jewish readers how Jesus fulfills prophecy.
The Gospel of John however makes a definite statement in the first Chapter as to who Jesus is. John 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.  
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.
John and indeed all believers in Christ Jesus truly believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. That God actually entered into the world He created in order to point mankind to Himself.
Like everything concerning Jesus this seems to be an incredible belief. Yet it is what Christians believe and ask the world to believe.
John even records this conversation between Martha and Jesus,
“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 you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
  This is what Christians ask the world to believe.
Christians believe that God understood that man could not live a life good enough to stand before him that is why He in the form of Jesus reached down to mankind. The apostle Paul telling us,
“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.
Christians believe we cannot work our way to heaven. We get into heaven by the grace of God that comes through belief in Christ Jesus.
So my question to you the reader is do you believe this?
Please think about it. 

Odd but True

Odd but True

“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....
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 1:1-4, 11-14.
Here is a claim Christians make if not true makes no difference at all. The “Word”, Jesus became flesh, God in the form of Jesus came into this world. If true however it gives a lot of people something to think about.
I as a Christian believe that He came to experience what it is like to be human. So that no man or woman could stand before Him on judgement day and say “you do not understand what it is like to be human.”
In coming to the world Jesus knows everything it is to be human.
He grew up in an average family. Most likely religious, because his mothers cousin was the wife of a priest and gave birth to John the Baptist. It is also recorded when he was in his early teens he went up to the Jerusalem with his parents and was found sitting with the learned men of his day discussing scripture.
He would have experienced the day to day things of life at that time. Everything from the sun and rain on his face. He most likely helped his earthly father work at his carpenters shop.
We know he attended a wedding. We know as an enfant his parents had to take him to Egypt so that he wouldn’t be killed. That strictly speaking makes him a political refugee.
Then on top of all of this when he spoke the truth from the scriptures religious leaders of his day disagreed with him. They seen him as a threat to their authority had him arrested placed before what amounted to a kangaroo court. An illegally convened court. Turned over to the occupying  power Rome, where he was flogged. With the Roman governor ordering his execution for political expediency.
I believe in a just God and you can’t get any more just than the God who created heaven and earth entering his creation to experience what it is like to be human.
This God I worship is a God of Love who tells me why he came to earth. Why people should believe in Him and the consequences of unbelief when Jesus 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.  
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son." 
                                                                                                          John 3:16-18
Please think about it.

A question for the ages

A question for the ages

“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?” 
                                                                                                                               John 11:25,26
A question for the ages. Do you believe Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The writer of Hebrews did he wrote,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’” ? 
Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” ? 
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 
Hebrews 1:3-6.
I believe the most important question anyone anywhere in the world must ask themselves is, Who is Jesus?”
There are groups around claiming to be Christian yet deny the deity of Christ. They claim he is an angel or a prophet not the Son of God by whom the world was created.
John’s Gospel records,
“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, 12-14.
John makes it clear Jesus is God incarnate. That Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus said,
“I and the Father are one.”
                                   John 10:30.
This was an incredible statement for his time, because if he wasn’t one with the father why would he make such a statement. It was a claim that was punishable by death. Jesus would have had to be insane to make such a statement.
In order to be a true Christian by my way of believing you have to believe Jesus is the Son of God. That He is God incarnate. That he is the Saviour of the world.
You cannot believe less and be a Christian.
Please think about it.