Showing posts with label blacksmith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blacksmith. Show all posts

Monday 25 May 2020

On The Church

On The Church
The book of Acts records,
A Pharisee named Gamaliel standing before the Sanhedrin as they were presiding over the trial of two of Christ’s apostles said,
“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 5:38,39
An unknown poet wrote,
“Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and bater all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye,
The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”

And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed - and hammers gone.”
                                                                       Anonymous.
Since the early days of the church there have been religious, political and other leaders that have tried to destroy the church. Yet it still survives. Not only that it is now the largest religion on the planet. Estimates range that between two point five billion and three point five billion people around the world believe in Christ Jesus. And that number continues to grow daily.
No matter how much persecution the church has been through throughout the centuries the church has survived. From my standpoint that at the very least means Christianity is from God.
As Gamaliel put it when those first Christians, two of Christ’ apostles, were put on trial,
“...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 5:38b,39.
The apostle Paul writes,
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" Romans 8:38,39
What Paul said is completely true. We as believers in Christ no matter what situation we are in can never be separated from “the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That being said each person when confronted with Jesus must decide for themselves if they will follow Him.
Please think about it.

Thursday 12 December 2019

You and God

You and God
The Prophet Isaiah wrote,
“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 
“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”Isaiah 40:6-8.
Over the years I’ve met people who have said Christianity will die out. That belief has been around for centuries. And yet here we are in the twenty-first century and people still believe in Christ Jesus. Not only that people are willing to lay down their life for what they believe.
There is a poem that goes,
“Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then looking in I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating of time

"How many anvils have you had said I, 
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one" said he, and then, with twinkling eye,
"the anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed- the hammers gone."
                                                              Anonymous.
Thus the question I have for you is. Do you believe in God? Do you believe in the salvation that comes through belief in Christ Jesus?
I ask it because as far as I am concerned believing in God, believing in Christ Jesus is the most important thing a person can do.
C. S. Lewis 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.
Belief in God is however is a very personal thing. Only you know what your relationship to God is.
So what is your relationship with God?
Please think about it.