Without the fear of God

 Without the fear of God

The Psalmist writes,

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." Psalm 111: 10.

Abba Hillel Silver wrote,

"Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority." Abba Hillel Silver.

We only have to look at Nazi Germany during the 1930's and through world war two, to see what happens when men loose there fear of God. When men create their own morality.    Estimates range from 70 to 80 million or 3% of the worlds population at the time died.      Included in that were 17 million killed in the Holocaust. Men women and children murdered because of their ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, disability or sexual orientation.

As we look around the world today we see the same thing happening with millions of people persecuted and imprisoned for their religious beliefs and lifestyle. By people who do not fear God.

Justice however is not far away for those persecuted. 

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."Ecclesiastes 12:13,14. 

Those who persecute and murder others will one day pay for their crimes. If not in this world. Most certainly in the next.

In the mean time it is the job of Christians to go into the world and tell the world about Jesus Christ and the love, comfort and salvation, He offers to all who would believe in Him.

To point the world to the morality that can only come from belief in God.

Please think about it.

Do to others

Do to others

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.

As Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus we are called to follow this rule. Think of it this way,

In the year 2022 this means;

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 on others

however good they may be.

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 Jesus loves you,...

unconditionally.

Please think about it

Only Turn

  Only Turn

The Psalmist writes,

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, 

the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

 give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations. 

                                                                                Psalm 100

The Bible is written to believers. It therefor does not debate the existence of God. Believers know that God exists. Believers also recognize that there is a need for God within our society.

Abba Hillel Silver at the height of world war two wrote,

"Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.

Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority." Abba Hillel Silver.

History has shown us that when people turn from the basic principles God has laid down for mankind, society suffers. We only have to look at world war two to see this. Hitler and his henchmen had no fear of God. They turned away from God and lived by their own rules. The result was world war two, the worst conflict in human history with upwards of 60,000,000 men, women, and children killed senselessly.

The same thing is happening today. There are many terrorist groups around the world that are murdering people. Some even having the audacity to say they are doing it in the name of God.

That being said it is not only terrorist groups doing the killing. On the streets of our cities there are men and women murdering others daily. 

The murdering aside. There are many more things happening that are against God’s laws.

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—”2 Timothy 3:1-4.

This is happening today and our society knows it. And society is looking for solutions to it’s problems. Thus I feel if our society would only turn to God, and worships only Him things will truly change for the better.

Please think about it.

On Immorality

On Immorality
Here in the book of Revelations we read a letter to the church at Thyatira
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.  
I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  
So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  
I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.  
Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. 
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— 
just as I have received authority from my Father.  
I will also give him the morning star.  
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelations 2:18-29
The churches in the book of Revelations as I have said in previous blogs can be taken as relating to individual church congregations and denominations today and throughout history.
The church at Thyatira is commended for their love, faith, service and perseverance in the faith. That they were even doing more that when they first believed in Christ.
That being said, Jesus states,
“...I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality...” 
This church is tolerating a woman named Jezebel. Some say that may be a real name or a nickname equating her to Jezebel in first and second Kings in the Old Testament. Either way it doesn’t matter what this person is doing is teaching leading people into sexual immorality.
As believers in Christ Jesus we cannot tolerate sexual morality in any form.
Sadly for many years churches and denominations have covered up sexual immorality in their ranks. This should not be so.
Our church congregations, denominations, our pastors, evangelist and teachers should as far as is humanly possible be examples of good moral behavior.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“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. 2Timothy 2:15.
The apostle Paul also makes it clear,
“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.
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” James 1:21.
The reward for following the moral path and keeping our faith strongly rooted in Christ Jesus is that we will rule with him. Jesus saying the Church at Thyatira
 “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations” Revelations 2:26.
Thus I would ask this question.
Do you tolerate immorality in any form?
Please think about it.

Unclean?

Unclean?

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.  
What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’ ”.... 
“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?  
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’  
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  
These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’ ” Matthew 15: 10,11, 17-20.
Here Jesus had just criticized the Pharisees for missing the spirit of the law. He noted that they are in essence very legalistic. Interpreting the laws in a very strict manner that takes away from the spirit of the law.
In this situation the religious leaders had criticized Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands before they eat.
Jesus noted that this is a minor thing. It’s not the physical things. The things that go into a mans body that make the him unclean as a person. It is what is in a persons heart.
As citizens of the twenty-first century we are bombarded with millions of bits of information both good bad and neutral. It is up to us as individuals to decide what is good or bad.
    As Christians we have a moral code laid down by God himself by which we must judge that information. That moral code in it’s simplest form being the ten commandments.
The apostle Peter however tells Christians,
“His (Christ’s) divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Peter 1:3-8.
Please think about it.

Response to a Comment

Response to a comment

I got the following response to one of my postings that argued for God and against atheism. The person is right in part. He said,
“Well death's the actual end for an atheist, so our lives are worth more than you theists who flood the market with "immortality".?
Before I go on however let me preface things with this note. I am a Christian and therefore can only comment on what I see from a Christian perspective.
So that being said, if death is an end then I have nothing to fear. So if  I’m wrong about God then so be it. But he states theist flood the world with immorality.
The first thing that came to my mind was who sets the rule with regards to immorality. I believe God does. I cannot believe early man suddenly put together a universal moral code.
If science is to be believed, and I firmly believe it is, there were various early tribes all over the world. Scattered in such a way as it would be difficult, if not impossible for them to communicate directly with each other.
Even at the time the ten commandments were given there were groups around the world that couldn’t possibly communicate with each other that had to have had at least a very similar moral code, such as do not kill, do not steal, etc. otherwise society in those early civilizations would be in a state of anarchy at best.
It would be survival of the fittest. Violence would prevail if violence became the norm early man would potentially drive himself to extinction.
Thus I believe on the heart of every man and woman that has ever lived God has written His moral code.
I would however agree that it seems like theist flood the market with immorality.
I as a Christian can probably list pages of names of men and women who called themselves Christians or the world seen as Christians that were immoral. Everything from Popes, to evangelist to pastors to various individuals sitting in the pew of every church in the world.
How do I know these people are immoral because God set a standard and these people have fallen short quite often in a very public way.
Mahatma Gandhi said,
“Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians - you are not like him.”
                                                                                               Mahatma Gandhi
 Gandhi has a point but Gandhi I believe only seen those who called themselves Christians.
Jesus 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 church has been around along time and many people with their own agenda’s have entered it. Many people who are immoral who are in it to make a fast buck have set themselves up as Christians. These people I believe will, as Jesus said be turned away from heaven.
One thing I am certain of however is that at true Christian will not force his morality on anyone outside the church the Apostle Paul said,
“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.
The church unfortunately is a trusting organization by nature thus it doesn’t do a very good job of policing itself. Then that can be said of every organization in the world. Everything from the government to corporations big and small have had people within them who were immoral.
I do not believe the church “floods the market with immorality”
If it seems that way, perhaps its because people within the church are being caught in immorality, because of the high standards the true church and for that matter society outside the church demand Christians to live by.
In world war two German U-boats use to see ships silhouetted against the lights of American cities. The lights caused the ships to stand out thus making them targets.
If it seems like Christians produce more than it’s fare share of immoral people, perhaps, just perhaps it’s because they are standing in the light of God that shows their immorality and other sins.
The writer of Ecclesiastes said,
“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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” 
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 
If there is no God then those who commit any kind of immoral act on this earth have nothing to fear but if there is they indeed have a lot to fear be they Christians or not.
Think about it.