Christians believe

  Christians believe

"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." 1John 1:9-10

For the most part I believe people believe in an after life. They believe in a heaven and a hell. Most people however believe that if you live a good life, a life where the good outweighs the bad you'll get to heaven. Christians don't believe it's quite  that way.

While Christians believe you must do as much good in this life as you can we are still not perfect enough to stand before a Holy God.

Christians acknowledge that man makes mistakes big ones, and little ones. That no man is completely good. That even the best people has the potential to do evil things. That even the most evil of men have the potential to repent of their wrong doing.

C. S. Lewis said,

"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

Lewis also said,

"He (Jesus) 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

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The reason for Christs coming

 The reason for Christs coming

The apostle Paul writes,

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  

‘ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”1 Timothy 1:15,16

Here Paul is simply stating why Jesus came. “to save sinners” 

Sinning meaning, falling short of Gods ideals for your life.

Paul makes it clear that all of us have sinned. When in Romans he states,

“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.

We are all sinners according to the Bible and all means all, from the Pope, to priests and pastors, to televangelist to the person sitting in the pews to the person on the street. All means all.

Sin separates us from the love of God that is why Jesus came to this world.

The apostle John noting there is hope for all of us stating,

“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.” 1John 1:9-10.

The apostle Paul writing to the Ephesians states,

“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

Paul writing to the Romans states,

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope.  

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 5:1-8

The Christian message is clear. Salvation and eternal life is a free gift paid for by Jesus Christ.

Please think about it. 

Why I believe

  Why I believe

Because,

“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

I will believe in God,

Because,

“...God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

  Because scripture tells 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.

Because

“...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

Because faith is defined as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

Because  

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

Because of all of this and what I read in the Bible I believe in God.

Do you?

Think about it.

Christian actions explained

  Christian actions explained 

Jesus said, 

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.

As Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus. We believe we have found the field with the hidden treasure. The pearl of great value. And it is our job to tell the world about this. 

Jesus telling us,

"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.

If we are wrong we have nothing to loose. Blaise Pascal stating,

“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.

A message of reconciliation

 A message of reconciliation

The apostle Paul writes,

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  

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 5:18-20

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  

And what is the message God wants Christians to tell the world,

The apostle John writing states,

"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 the book of Romans we read,

"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.

This is what we as Christians. As follower of Christ Jesus should be doing.

If you claim to be a Christian are you doing it?

Please think about it.

God Loves You

 God Loves You

The apostle John states,

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1John 1-4.

Sin is falling short of Gods ideal for our lives. Sin separates us from God. As such we need to confess our sin directly to God.

The apostle John writing,

"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." 1John 1:9-10

In John’s Gospel we read,

"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 John also writes,

“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, not of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12,13.

Do you consider yourself a child of God? A believer in Christ Jesus? 

Have you received Christ as your saviour? If not why not consider it now. There is not magic words to say. You simply have to pray something like this,

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know I am a sinner and sin separates me from you. Please forgive me and come into my life. 

Now if you sincerely accepted Christ into your life. I would suggest you get a copy of the Bible. If you read English I would suggest the New International Bible. It is generally recognised as one of the better translations and easy to read. 

I would also suggest that you pray and ask God to lead you to a good church. I recommend a Mennonite church, or Baptist church which are in most countries around the world. There is also some good Christian content on the internet. 

While my blogs are independent of the church I attend. The church streams its services live on line at 11:00am Eastern time. The church is North End Mennonite Brethren church here in Canada. You can find it at Northendchurch.ca.

All I would ask anyone searching for meaning and direction in life, is to pray and read the Bible and see what you think about God and the salvation that comes from His One and Only Son Christ Jesus.

Please think about it. 

Getting to heaven, A Christian belief

 Getting to heaven, A Christian belief.

The Bible also makes it clear how we get to heaven. It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,

Jesus speaking about 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 writing to the Romans said,

“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.

Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. And we all at some point in our lives fall short of what God wants for our life. Sin separates us from God.

Isaiah telling us, 

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6

There is however hope.

  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.

Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating, 

“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

Ultimately salvation is an act of faith on the individuals part. Hebrews stating,

“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

Faith defined as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

This is what true Christians believe and I leave it here for your consideration with these words from C. S. Lewis, who wrote,

“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.

I am a Believer

 I am a believer 

John’s gospel records Jesus speaking to Martha saying, 

"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.

I am a believer in Christ Jesus. A Christians. I am not an Anglican-Christian, a Catholic-Christian, a Lutheran-Christian,. I am not Evangelical-Christian, a Baptist-Christian, a Pentecostal-Christian  or any other hyphenated Christian. I am a Christian.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of Mankind, God incarnate. The way to heaven.

I believe Christians by default must be evangelical in nature. They must present, and I mean present, and not force on to anyone what they believe. 

It is the Christians job to show the world God's Love and Saving Grace that comes through Jesus Christ. 

I believe Christians must make disciples of all nations and teach those disciples. Jesus himself made that clear. Matthew's gospel recording, 

"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.

Now having said all that I firmly believe God gave every person a freewill. Included in that freedom, is the freedom to believe whether or not Jesus truly is the Son of God. The Saviour of all who will receive him into their hearts.

So who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.

Ponder this

 Ponder this

For the Christian it's all about faith in God. 

God does not force himself on us. He gave us a free will to do and believe as we wish.

Thus I put these portions of the New Testament for you to ponder. My question being do you agree with them or not 

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.

The apostle Paul tells us we cannot work our way to heaven. Stating,

“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

Blaise Pascal noting,

“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

Thus the question becomes. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind?

Where will you place your wager?

Please think about it.

What we are for

 What we are for

Jesus said,

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

The apostle Paul writes,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?" 1 Corinthians 5:12

I am someone who is not in favour of so called ‘hell fire and brimstone’ preachers. I say this because I don’t think yelling and screaming that someone is going to hell bothers non-believers because many times they don’t believe in hell.

In her book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee writes,

“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)....” Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Harper Lee is right. People calling themselves Christians have probably done as much if not more to turn people away from Christ than those who are not Christians.

In the name of Christ many try to take away the rights or restrict the rights of those they consider morally wrong or those they disagree with. You cannot legislate morality. Nor did Jesus and his disciples ever try to do this.

Jesus and his apostles lived in a society that was as least if not more diverse than our twenty-first century society. Yet they didn’t try to overthrow the Roman government.

Instead they sat down with those they disagreed with and presented the good news of Jesus Christ, much to the dismay it seems of the religious leaders of their day.

From my point of view I believe we as 21st century believers, especially those of us who live in the western democracies need to follow their example.

We need to stop yelling at those we disagree with. Stop telling and them they are on the way to hell and point them to heaven.

We need to be letting non-believers know what we are for, and not what we are against.

Jesus speaking of himself said why he came to this earth. John’s gospel recording,

"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.

This is what we a believers in Christ Jesus must always remember. Our job is to save souls for Christ. NOT try to restrict their rights, and especially not judge where they will spend eternity for only God knows that. 

Please think about it.

True Treasure

  True Treasure

Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.

Unfortunately people today are seeing true treasure in all the wrong places. They are quite literally seeking in fields and elsewhere hoping to find material wealth.

They are not looking for true wealth. Which is in heaven. 

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 16:19-21.

What kind of wealth are you seeking?

Please think about it.

Lunatic or Saviour?

Lunatic or Saviour?

John’s gospel records this interaction between Jesus and his disciples,

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  John 14:5-11.

This if you think about it is quite the extraordinary statement. Jesus makes two statements that if not true makes him a lunatic. He states,

1. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.”

2.  “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

What Jesus is saying is He is divine. He is God incarnate. The way to Heaven. 

 C. S. Lewis said it best in his book Mere Christianity when he wrote,

“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.

This is the choice the writers of the New Testament lay out before the whole world. Either Jesus is God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind, or he is not. The choice is yours.

Please think about it.

Not everyone will enter the kingdom

 Not everyone will enter the kingdom

Jesus 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.

The Church has been around a long time and like with any institution or group that has been around for millennia false teachers have entered the Church.

Unfortunately especially it seems when it comes to those who espouse to be in the evangelical church there is no policing. Preachers in North America in particular can say what they want to say. Which is a good thing in one respect. It's called freedom of speech. With such freedom  however comes a responsibility to teach the truth. And puts the onus on believers to police themselves.

The Apostle Paul writing to Timothy said,

"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.

For those calling themselves Christian but are not presenting sound doctrine. The apostle Paul tells the church,

"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.

That’s not to say we throw everyone out of the church that we disagree with. From time to time we will have disagreements among ourselves.

That being said however. We need to be vigilant and expel those who are not teaching sound doctrine.

The choice you have

The Choice you have

In the book of Joshua we read,

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped 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 choice we all have to make. Serve the gods of the world we live in, or serve the one true God, maker of heaven and earth.

The society in which we live in 2026 especially here in North America is a world of many gods. We may not call them gods but materialism, and the quest for luxury items are gods. Even Atheism is a god.

And the Lord God almighty. Maker of heaven and earth, gives us a choice to follow Him or them.

So the question becomes who do you worship?

Please think about it.

A sermon from Paul

  A sermon from Paul

For this post I’d like post the Apostle Paul’s sermon to the Athens. Paul states,

“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.   Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”  

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 

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. 

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  

At that, Paul left the Council.  

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others” Acts 17:17-34

So my question to you dear reader, in which of the three groups are you, those who sneered, those who wanted to hear more on the subject, or those who believed.

Please think about it.

Saved by Faith

  Saved by Faith.

In John’s gospel we read

"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.” John 1:10-13.

John makes it clear how we become a true follower of Christ Jesus.

We must believe in his name.

This means a complete heart felt belief. It is an act of faith. Not simply and intellectual belief there is a God.  

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 

In the book of Hebrews we read,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

Later in the book of Hebrews we read,

"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.

So do you believe in Christ Jesus?

Do you believe he is the Saviour of all who would believe in Him?

Please think about it.

A Child of God

  A Child of God

In John’s Gospel 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.

Today is Christmas day. The day when we Christians. We who believe in Christ Jesus celebrate his birth.

The time we believe, that God in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus, became flesh.    The one who made the universe and everything in it came into the world to save all who would believe in Him.

The apostle John writes,

"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.” John 1:10-13.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The Lord God

  The Lord God

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God" Luke 1:26-32.

Here is something I feel is so unbelievable that it has to be true. Mary the mother of Christ encounters an angel that tells her that the baby she is carrying will be called “the Son of the Most High. The Lord God.”

If this were not true why would Luke include it in his gospel, after all it seems outlandish. 

The fact is however, Mary was visited by an angel who told her told her the child she was carrying was the Son of the Most High. Then leaves it up to the reader to believe it or not.

Question: Do you believe Jesus is The Lord God?

Please think about it.

Have you confessed?

 Have you confessed?

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

Christmas is just a few days away. It is the day we as Christians, as followers of Christ Jesus celebrate the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus. The suffering Messiah who would give his life for our sins.

That being said we Christians tend to have a formula in order to get to heaven. “Say the sinner prayer.” “Confess your sins to God etc.”.

But in the above scripture one of the criminals didn’t follow a formula. He simply admitted he was deserving of his punishment, believed Jesus was who he said he was. To which Jesus said “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,

"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."  Romans 10:9-11.

So do you believe Jesus is the Saviour of all who believe in him. If so have you confessed your sins to Him. 

Please think about it.

Have you accepted?

  Have you accepted?

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.

This is the soul reason Jesus came to earth. He came to show each person the way to heaven. The Christian message is that simple.

Later in John chapter 6 we read,

“For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:40.

God wants everyone to turn to Him and accept the salvation that comes through Christ Jesus.

Have you accepted the salvation and eternal life that comes through Jesus?

Please think about it.