Watch Out

Watch out
Jesus said,
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” Matthew 1:15.
Never has such a warning been necessary as in this century.
We live in a multimedia world. Where anyone with a smart phone can post there views on anything. This is especially true it seems when it comes to speaking about God. There are many people claiming to be Christians that are not.
They may seem to be. They may string a few scriptures together that makes them sound good but a closer look will see that they are not teaching the truth about Jesus.
The apostle Paul warned,
“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.”  2 Timothy 4:3,4
The apostle Peter warned,
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. 
Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1-3.
  Such teachers were around in the time of the apostles and are very much around today.
Now I know within the Christian world there are differences of opinion on minor things.
However in order to be a follower of Christ Jesus we must agree on the basics.
The apostle creed while not written by an apostle of Christ is the baseline as to what I believe you need to believe in order to be a follower of Christ Jesus. It reads,
1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth
2. I believe in Jesus Christ God’s on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.
3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary
4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.
5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.
6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost
9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,
10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.
11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.
12. I believe in life everlasting.
What do you believe?
Please think about it.

Jesus is God

Jesus is God

John’s gospel records this incident between Jesus and the Jewish leaders of his day,
“The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” 
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.  
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.  
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 
At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.  
Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.  
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.  
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 
“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”  
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”John 8:48-59. 
Here we have a what one pastor I know said was “a rather heated discussion between Jesus and the Jewish leadership.
The Jewish leadership here claims Jesus to be a Samaritan, a group of people whom the Jews believed to be heretics and would have nothing to do with. They also said Jesus was demon possessed. To which Jesus replies,
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me.  
I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge.  
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” John 8:49-51.
The Jews however took exception to what Jesus said. They didn’t understand what Jesus was saying. He didn’t say he would stop physical death. But rather that He is offering eternal life to all who would believe in Him.
They asked Jesus if he was greater than Abraham and the prophets who died a physical death. To which Jesus replied,
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.  
Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.  
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. John 8:54-56.
This it seems made the Jewish leadership more upset. Jesus had accused them of not knowing God and saying that He himself was the Son of God. Not only that Jesus went on to make one other important statement, The apostle John recording,
“You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” John 8:57-58.
Jesus uses the phrase “I am”
This statement goes back to the Septuagint, ( the Greek Old Testament) where it translates Exodus 3:6,14 in which God identifies Himself as “I AM WHO I AM” 
In using this phrase Jesus is saying He is God.
Upon hearing this John records,
“At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”John 8:59.
Here yet again is a place in the New Testament that shows both sides of the argument for Jesus. It also shows how dangerous it was for Jesus to claim he was the Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
As C. S. Lewis puts it in his book Mere Christianity,
“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 the choice is yours. Is Jesus demon possessed, a lunatic, or is He God incarnate, the Saviour of Mankind?
The Choice is yours.
Please think about it.

The Resurrection of Jesus and You

The Resurrection of Jesus and you
To day is Easter Monday. The day after what Christians consider the most important three day in human history.
Matthew’s gospel records,
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  
The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  
Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” 
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.  
Suddenly Jesus met them.“Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:1-10.
Here we have the account of the Resurrection of Jesus. The women coming to the tomb to find it empty and an angel telling them that Jesus is risen.
This as I noted is the most important moment in all of history as far as Christians are concerned. Jesus rose from the dead. It is because of this we have a way to heaven,
 The Apostle Paul writing to the Romans states,
“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 offer of Salvation is a free gift of God. The apostle Paul writing,

“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.
     All anyone needs to do to get to heaven is simply believe this and accept the Saving Grace God offers through Jesus.
 The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians also notes,
“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.  
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.  
More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.  
For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.  
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  
Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  
If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Put simply if Christians are wrong and Christ is not risen from the dead then our faith is to no avail. What we believe is useless.
The fact however is Jesus did rise from the dead. He did provide purification for our sins. He did provide a way for us to enter Heaven.
As a Christian I believe what John’s Gospel records Jesus as saying,
“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 believe Jesus is the Son of God.
C. S. Lewis once wrote,
“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.
My question to you the reader is do you believe this?
         Are you willing to risk where you will spend Eternity on what you believe?
Please think about it.

Who do you say I am?

Who do you say I am?
Matthew’s gospel records,
“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.
Here is a question for the ages. Just who is Jesus? It is a question Jesus asked of his disciples it is a question each individual in the world that hears about Jesus must answer.
The apostle Peter answered.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”
Today in 2016 people have varying opinions as to who Jesus is. Some atheist go as far as saying he is myth. Some say he is a good man. A great moral teacher. While his followers say he is the Christ. The Messiah. The Son of the living God. Saviour of mankind.
I believe if we truly want to know who Jesus is we must be sincerely looking for him. The reason many people fail to find who Jesus truly is, is because they are not truly looking for Him. Yet He is there waiting for us to reach out to him.
The Apostle Paul speaking to people who were searching for meaning in life stood in the Areopagus in Athens and said,
“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.” Acts 17:22-31.
Of those who listened to Paul that day. Some did not believe what he said, some wanted to hear more, while others believed.
The same thing happens today among people who hear about Jesus.
Some do not believe who he is.
Some want to know more about Him.
While some believe Jesus, is, “the Son of the living God”
In which group are you?
Please think about it.

About Jesus

About Jesus

Flavius Josephus,(37AD-100AD) a Jewish historian, who became a Pharisee at 19, later commander, of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Who was captured by Romans and attached to their headquarters. Wrote this about Jesus,
“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. 
He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first, did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.”
                                                                                                             Flavius Josephus
Josephus who was as far as we know not a Christian called Jesus, “a doer of wonderful works” “a teacher”. Someone who drew both Jew and Gentile to him.
Josephus also calls him the Christ who was condemned to the cross, but appeared to those who loved him three days after the crucifixion as foretold by the prophets.
He also attributes ten thousand other wonderful things to him.
Josephus obviously believed Jesus was who he said he was. The Messiah, the Christ.
Three centuries later Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor from 361-363 A.D. considered by some historians one of “the most gifted ancient adversaries of Christianity.” In his work against Christianity states:
“Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.”
Julian at the end of his life said,
  “Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”
Over the centuries many have said everything from Jesus is a myth to Jesus being simply a man. Many have predicted the end of Christianity. Yet it still continues to grow daily around the world.
The book of Acts records this incident in which two of the apostles after being told by the religious leadership of the Jews in Jerusalem to not to speak of Jesus, were caught doing so and brought to trial,
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!  
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  
God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.  
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.  
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  
Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.   Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 
                    Acts 5:28-39
Gamaliel I believe was right. Christ is the Son of God. The Message Jesus, the apostles,
and true Christians to day are preaching is directly from God.
The proof is in the fact that despite being the most persecuted faith in the world today it continues to grow.
The message of Christ is one of reconciliation of man to God. Christ message in a nutshell is expressed by Jesus himself.
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.  
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.
Every man and woman on this earth that knows about Jesus must make a decision as to who he is.
Jesus himself posed the question to a woman called Martha. The apostle John records,
“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.
What do you believe?
Please think about it.

Notes on Jesus

Notes on Jesus
From Flavius Josephus,
Flavius Josephus became a Pharisee at 19. He at one time was commander of the Jewish forces in Galilee. Captured by the Romans he was attached to their headquarters where he served as an historian. He lived from 37AD to 100AD.
Josephus wrote,
“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first, did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.”
                                                                                                  Flavius Josephus 
Here is proof of Jesus outside the Bible. Josephus even hints that he was the Christ, the Messiah. Attributing to him “ten thousand...wonderful things”
Now I know that there are many people out there who deny Jesus even existed and don’t believe the account of Josephus. That doesn’t bother me. The fact is people can believe anything they want about Jesus. It doesn’t mean they are right.
Julian the Apostate, Roman emperor from 361AD to 363AD one of the fiercest foes of Christianity in his a work against Christianity wrote,
“Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany.”
At the end of his life however Julian wrote,
“Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”
I believe firmly that Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of mankind. That He is the way to heaven. I am convinced because I have read the Bible with a critical eye, looking for truth about Jesus.
I have read reports outside the Bible about Jesus. These are reports, at times from opponents of Christianity. These reports that have strengthened by belief.
I like what Napoleon wrote about Jesus he said,
"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”
                                                                                   Napoleon Bonaparte,
C. S. Lewis made an important comment about Christianity when he said,
“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
The gospel of John records this interaction between Martha the sister of Lazarus 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.
This is the question every person confronted with the life of Jesus must make.
Thus the question to you the reader is do you believe Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind.
Please think about it.