My Shepherd in the words of others

My Shepherd in the words of others

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

he restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

 your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

 and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

                                                                                                                                 Psalm 23
The above is a Psalm of David. It tells how God comforts and protects him and of his choice to be faithful to him.
Over the years I’ve come across several interesting Psalms inspired by the twenty-third psalm. I put them here for you to think about.

Psalm of Tranquility

                                                                                  by Joan Stephen

Everything that’s needed

Is given us each day;

Reflected in still waters

and grasses by the way.

Our souls are guided daily

By an unseen welcome hand,

Leading ever onward

To some sweet peaceful land.

There is no fear of evil

Or death or shades of gloom.

Constant is our comfort 

Even beyond the tomb.

Goodness will always follow;

Forever and a day

So all may live in paradise

With no need to repay.

                     Joan Stephen

The Nun’s Twenty-Third Psalm

The Lord is my pace-setter, I shall not rush.

He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals;

He provides me with images of stillness, 

which restore my serenity.

He leads me in ways of efficiency 

through calmness of mind.

And His guidance is peace.

Even though I have a great many things to

accomplish each day,

I will not fret, for His presence is here.

His timelessness, His all importance will keep me in

balance.

He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of

my activity

By anointing my mind with His oils of tranquillity.

                                                                                                     All Saints convent
                                                                                                     Cantonville, Maryland
                                                   
                                                My Shepherd is the living Lord,
                                                                              by Isaac Watts

My shepherd is the living Lord,

Now shall my wants be well supplied,

His providence and holy word

Becomes my Safety and my guide.

In pastures where salvation grows,

He makes me food - he makes me rest -

There living water gently flows,

And all the food divinely blessed...

Through I walk through the gloomy vale,

Where death and all its terrors are,

My heart and hope shall never fail;

For God, my Shepherd’s with me there.

                                                                                                          Isaac Watts
Is the Lord Jesus Christ truly the Shepherd of your Life?
Please think about it.

Man needs Absolutes

Man needs absolutes

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
                                                                       Genesis 1:1
The Bible makes no assumptions about God. It does not leave the subject of God’s existence up for debate. From the very first verse it states, “in the beginning God created...”
    That one line says it all.
    1/ There is a God above all things.
    2/ A God that created all things.
    In the new testament the gospel of John essentially reiterates the statement of Genesis 1:1 when it 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.” 
                        John 1:1-3.
The gospel of John however goes one step further stating that “He (Jesus)  was with God in the beginning.”
    John makes it clear “Through Him(Jesus) all things were made.”
Jesus is God incarnate. He came to show man how much he loved him. He demonstrated in very real terms His love for his created.
Man needs God. He may not realize it but he does.
The Greeks like every other civilization that has ever existed recognized there was more to life than just the physical. They worshipped many god’s, even erecting a temple “to an unknown god”. It was this temple to an unknown god that the apostle Paul picked up on while speaking to the Stoics and Epicureans at the Areopagus.
    Paul said,
    “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. 
                                             Acts 17:24-27
A favourite quote of mine is from Abba Hillel Silver who 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.”
Man needs absolutes in his life. Without absolute values in life our society will slip rapidly into anarchy. There is no such thing as one set of moral values for one person and a completely different set of values for someone else.
God has given men an absolute value system it starts with love. Deuteronomy states,
“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:5
    Jesus states,
“ ...‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. 
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                         Matthew 22:37-40
Ultimately if we put God first in our lives and love as he loved the world would be a far better place.
 All morality ultimately comes down to love. God himself showed that love to us. He gave us a moral code that distilled to it’s simplest form is the ten commandments.
Within the Decalogue we are told by God how He expects us to live with respect to Himself and our fellow man.
God however did not stop there to quote Paul,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” 
Romans 5:8 
    Jesus was sent by God to demonstrate His love.
    God realized that mankind was and still is slipping away from the absolute value system He has given us.
Simply put we are sinning and sin separates us from God.
In sending Jesus, God is pointing out to anyone who will listen the way back to fellowship with Him.
Someone has said “we, all mankind, are sailing on a ship to eternity. What we do on board that ship will decide where we spend that eternity.”
The decision is ours. God has given us a free will and a choice. Either accept Him and the salvation Jesus Christ offers or reject Him.
It’s that cut and dry. The decision dear reader is up to you.
Where will you spend eternity?
       Think about it?

For Christians to think about

For Christian Thought

Shakespeare wrote,
“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.”
                                                  William Shakespeare
Mahatma Gandhi wrote,
“Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians - you are not like him.”
                                                                                           Mahatma Gandhi.
I think the two statements above should be words of caution for Christians.
The first one reminds us that the devil can indeed quote scripture. He did so when Jesus was being tempted.
It should also be a reminder that there are many in our churches and in the media that are claiming to be Christians that are not. And I don’t mean just so called small fish. There are some big name ministers and evangelist that are not correctly presenting the word of God.
Remember  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 Second statement by Mahatma Gandhi, “Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians - you are not like him.” makes it clear there are many calling themselves Christians that are not acting Christ like at least in the eyes of none Christians. The apostle James points this out writing,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?"
                                                                                                           James 2:14-20
  James goes on to note what being a Christian is all about, saying, 
“Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.  
You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
                                                                                     James 2:14-26
The Apostle Paul writing to the Romans saying,
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.  
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 
                                                                                Romans 12:9-21

Please think about it.

About God

About God

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 
                                              1 Corinthians 1:18.
Can I prove God? Of course I can one just has to look around at the ordered universe. The Psalmist states,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 
                                                                                                     Psalm 19:1.
The world and the universe in general is in perfect order to sustain life here on earth.
I believe that eventually through good science we will prove that there is one mathematical formula that links the universe together, proving it is created.
Atheism says there is no God I cannot buy into such a concept. If there is no God and a life after this one this life has no meaning.
The writer of Ecclesiastes after examining life makes the following statements
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun”
Ecclesiastes 1:9
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 1:14
If there is no God then the previous statements are true. However the writer after much contemplation writes,
“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.” 
Ecclesiastes12:13,14
For me to simply be born to procreate live a handful of years and die, seems senseless and a waste of that spark that makes us human, the human soul.
I have over the years examined Atheism among other things and find Atheism to be an empty abyss.
I also find the concept of atheism doesn’t hold up to logical thinking. Perhaps one of the best arguments I’ve read about Atheism was written by Wayne Jackson.  Writing in the Christian courier he says this of Atheism,
“Atheism adamantly argues that there is no God. No atheist, though, can consistently affirm emphatically that there is no God, unless he asserts both his omniscience and his omnipresence. Once he concedes that he does not know everything, he opens the door for the possibility that what he does not know may be the evidence for God’s existence. And if the atheist is not everywhere present, it logically must follow that where he is not might be the very place where proof of Deity is to be found! Thus, it is not reasonable to declare: “I know that God does not exist.” Atheism is merely a crude, irrational faith-system. There is — from the principle of cause and effect, universe design, the awareness of morality, the Scriptures, etc. — more than adequate evidence, for the thinking person, that God exists.”
                                                                  Wayne Jackson
Think about it.

Something to think about

Something to Think About

“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
                                                                                                       The Talmud
It’s interesting to me when I look at the Americans fighting over universal health care and other things that affect the middle and lower income families.
Many of their politicians predominantly it seems republicans are under the false impression that you give tax breaks to the rich and create less government regulations things will trickle down to the poor and build them up. Sadly history has proven this not to be so.
Companies have had to be forced by legislation to make  cars safer by putting seat belts and other safety devices in them. They’ve had to be forced to pay their workers at least a minimum wage that is still woefully inadequate.
Universal health care is still a hot topic at least in the United States. With many politicians not realizing it is the right and moral thing to do to see that everyone has access to good health care without fear of going bankrupt.
In Canada we have a federal government that is also reluctant it seems to help the poor. With an election looming they are rolling out programs to help war vets which is needed and long past due. They are also rolling out programs that help the wealthy.
Yet they have not commented on a universal drug plan that all the research seems to point to saving Canadians billions and ensuring people can afford the medications they need.
Canada is the only country in the world with universal health care that does not have a universal drug plan.
Many government leaders remind me of the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day. Jesus said of them,
“The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
“Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’” 
Matthew 23:2-7.
I heard one U. S. politician say “health care is too costly the government can’t afford it.” think of the logic of that statement. If the government can’t afford it how can the individual?
The government has at least more money than the individual and the power to regulate and make health care affordable.
Those who serve in government both here in Canada and in the United States have far better drug, healthcare benefits and pension plans than the average citizen. Why can’t the average citizen have the same benefits as their politicians, are not all men equal?
Tony Campolo an American evangelist said,
“The reason why I buy into the Democratic Party more than the Republican Party is because there are over 2,000 verses of Scripture that deal with responding to the needs of the poor.”
Tony Campolo
He also said,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.”
Tony Campolo
When Jesus walked this earth he healed the sick took care of the poor. We as Christians should be doing all we can to help our fellow man whoever they are.
The Talmud states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
                                                                                                                The Talmud.
What will you answer? What do you think our politicians will answer?
Please think about it.

Where is your heart

Where is your heart

     “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 6:19-21
Where is your heart in the treasures you have around you or in heaven? I have met many men and women over the years who’ve worked hard and got the nice house with all the nice toys, along with all the bobbles, bangles and beads. At the end of their life however all they have amassed means nothing.
Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being rich. The apostle Paul writing to Timothy states,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 
                                                                             1 Timothy 6:10.
It’s the love of money that can turn us from God and cause us grief.
There is evidence in church history that wealthy men helped fund the young church. They used their wealth in God’s service.
The key when it comes to your treasures is that you don’t put them ahead of God or the Lords service.
I have met many men that say they are Christians but have put in endless hours of overtime that they admitted they didn’t need. They did it so they could buy an up scale car or boat.
In the process of making that extra money, money they didn’t need, they skipped church and any kind of fellowship with God’s people. It proved to me that their heart was in the things of this world.
God and his service should be first in our lives.
I know there are many Christians around the world and even here in North America that need extra money. It’s a sad fact that some companies don’t pay their employees a living wage and that those employees need to work extra hours or a second job to make ends meet.
Still as someone who has been in that situation, I believe we should still put God first. There’s nothing wrong with skipping church occasionally if necessary but it should not become a habit.
God should come first in our lives. We should want to go to church and have fellowship with other believers. When we miss church we should feel at least mildly upset.
I know when I’ve had to miss church I turn to the media, be it television, radio, or internet. I even listened to short wave radio in years past to hear a sermon and worship God.
The media however shouldn’t be replacing going to church and being with other believers. There’s a whole different dynamic happens when we interact in with other believers in church or at a bible study. One that can’t be duplicated by watching things in the media.
So the question becomes, where is your heart?
Please think about it.

Life and Hope

Life and Hope

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                          Matthew 11:28-30.
I once gave a talk on mental illness to a group at a Church where I was quite well known. I live with Bi-polar disorder (Manic Depression).
Bipolar is an illness that causes your moods to swing from very high highs (the manic phase) to deep lows, (depression). For most that means people with the illness cycle between the highs and lows eight or ten times a year.
In my case I rapid cycle and can go between highs and lows several times a day. Still through a regiment of medications I live with it.
Never-the-less I do at time go through some very hard times. Time that are the equivalent of having a severe mental tooth ache that just wont go away. Depression that makes you think you can’t take it any more.
It’s during these times in particular that I turn to God for my strength to continue on.
During the question period at this particular group I happened to note that Bipolar was worse than cancer.
I noted that I am a cancer survivor and that as a Christian with cancer you either pass on to be in the arms of your Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are thus cancer free. Or you are cured by the doctors and can continue to serve the Lord in this life.
After the talk a person came up to me and said. You must be careful giving the analogy between cancer and Bipolar when you talk to secular groups. They will not understand.
For many in the secular world death is the end and cancer a death sentence.
The person was right. I’d never thought of it that way. Christians see eternity in a different light.
I remember the death of my sister in law. She was only in her mid fifties and her death was very sudden. She knew the Lord as her Saviour.
As I looked at people during the visitation and the funeral there were basically two groups. The non-believers who were grieving deeply. Those who couldn’t comprehend she was in the arms of her Lord.
Then there was the believers those who knew she was in the arms of Jesus whom she served much of her life. While these people were grieving they had hope. They knew for certain she was in a far better place.
Billy Graham said,
“The Bible says that as Christians we don't grieve the same way people do who have no hope of eternity and of Heaven - but we still grieve.”
                                                                  Billy Graham.
We all grieved for my sister in law on the day she died but those of us who are Christians had hope.
My sister in law in this world had, had at times a rough life. She’d lived in what can only be called abject poverty for part of her life. She overcome alcoholism and a lot of other health problem.
Still through it all she’d found Jesus and made him Lord of her live. While she never became a great evangelist or preacher, she did serve her Lord in her church congregation and on brief mission trips overseas.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist wrote,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”
                                                                                             Tony Campolo
I’m certain my sister-in-law is happy because she knew Jesus as her saviour.
I’m certain as she passed into eternity she proved the words of Jesus are true when he said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                   Matthew 11:28-30.
  Do you know Christ as your Lord and Saviour?
What will be your answer to Tony Campolo’s question
“The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”
You can have hope.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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, 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
Jesus 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
“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 Message for today

A message for today

Two thousand years ago give or take a few years, the Apostle Paul was invited by the Stoic and Epicurean philosophers of Athens to speak to them about Christ. The book of Acts records the incident.
The message he gave is as relevant for today’s audience as it was back then. I put it hear for you to think about.

“While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.  
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 17:16-34

A Fragrance

A Fragrance

“For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.  
To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task?”
2 Corinthians 2:15,16
There are two kinds of people that hear the message of Christ those who smell the sweet aroma of life everlasting through accepting Christ Jesus as their saviour and those who see it as the smell of death, those who reject Christ.
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians in a previous letter wrote,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
                               1 Corinthians 1:18.
  Christians are entrusted with a sacred duty to present the two options all people have to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour of their lives or to reject Him. 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.
Christian teaching is black and white. Either you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and go to heaven or you do not. There is no in between.
C. S. Lewis 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
The choice however is up to the reader.
I would urge anyone who is truly seeking the truth about God to pray and ask Him to show you the truth.
I would ask you read the New Testament read carefully the first four books, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and see what Jesus and others said about him. Then make up your own mind.
Please think about it.

The Essence of Christianity

The Essence of Christianity
The apostle Paul writes,

“Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

 it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, 

always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

                                                                                   1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13.
This is true love. This is the love God has. This is the love Jesus meant when he 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.
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                                          Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus also said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?”  
      Matthew 5:43-46
The apostle Paul reminds us,
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.  
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” 
                                                                                    Romans 12:9-18
The Apostle James wrote,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” 
                                                                                                       James 2:14-20
Tony Campolo the American evangelist wrote,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.”
Tony Campolo
For me this is the kind of love a Christian should be showing.
This is Christian love
think about it.

The Church

The Church

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
Matthew 11:28-30
One question I get asked when I teach bible studies is, can in their words “a homosexual get to heaven” I always answer a resounding yes.
Mark Hughes founding pastor of Church of the Rock in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada, writing in the Promise keepers magazine Seven, November-December 2014 tells of meeting an old friend who had been living in Winnipeg’s homosexual community for years the friend made the statement, “I guess your church would never welcome someone like me?” he replied “Of course we would, your homosexual sin is no worse than my heterosexual sin. The day you are not welcome, is the day no one is welcome.”
Sadly all to many people be they from the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trangendered, community) don’t feel comfortable going, especially to an Evangelical church. How sad.
Our churches should be open to everyone. They should be welcoming places.
My first pastor way back in the 1970's once put a sign outside our church it read,
“This church for sinners only. All welcome” 
Several members of the church were upset but he preached a sermon based on Roman’s 3:23. “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
        He made it clear in his sermon that all meant all no exceptions.
This was a man that used all kinds of things to witness to people, at a time when the evangelical church in North America at least was ultra conservative.
So conservative that I went to church in blue jeans once and was told not to do it again as a youth leader I needed to show up in dress pants at least. Thankfully the church today is a come as you are church. The way it was meant to be.
The primary job of the church has always been go and make disciples. Jesus saying,
"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.
We are called to love God our neighbour and enemy alike (Matthew22, Matthew 5). It is something we cannot do if we are spewing fire, brimstone and damnation on people. Our job is not to judge.
Like I mentioned in a previous blog post, the apostle Paul calls us to police ourselves and leave the judging of people to God. Paul writing,
“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.
We are to welcome people into our church congregations.
We as Christians have been given the most important task in the history of mankind. That of pointing people to heaven.
A mighty light is shining on us and the eternal resting place of those we come in contact with is at stake. We cannot afford to judge anyone.
We must love all whom we come in contact with the apostle Paul defining love as,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  
                                                                                               1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13
There is a very appropriate story from the Talmud about Abraham it goes like this,
“An aged man, whom Abraham hospitality invited to his tent, refused to join him in prayer to the one spiritual God.  Learning that he was a fire-worshipper.   Abraham drove him from his door.  That night God appeared to Abraham in a vision and said: ‘I have borne with that ignorant man for seventy years: could you not have patiently suffered him one night?”
                                                                                                                  The Talmud.
Think about it

Woe

Woe

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me.  
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 
“Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!  
If your hand or your foot causes you to sin cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.  
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” 
Matthew 18:5-9
Here is a warning from Jesus we need to be careful how we treat people and what we teach.
A friend of my daughter in law has a child about eight. She is visibly disabled.
The child grew up in church and heard much about a specific preacher. She wanted her mother to take her to this man to be healed.
They got there and were told to sit a the back. During the alter call, a call for those in need of a healing touch, the child asked her mother to take her forward.
To the horror of the mother they were intercepted on their way down to the front and asked to go to their seat.
It totally devastated the child, and the two went away disillusioned.
The mother also noticed at the time that there were no people at the front with visible or extreme disabilities.
Here is an example of how someone can cause someone’s faith to be questioned. To cause someone to sin.
Fortunately as I understand it the little girls faith rebounded because it was in Jesus not in the preacher.
Not all such encounters have such a happy ending.
The warning Jesus give in this passage is not only a warning about making children sin, but about making all people sin. Turning people from the saving grace of Christ.
Back in the nineties a high profile televangelist said God was going to kill all the homosexuals in North America within a few years. What garbage! And how wrong he was. The LGBT community has more rights today that ever before in North America.
Were that man to make such a prediction in old Testament times and found to be wrong he’d have been stoned.
Now I am not a gay man, but I cringe when I hear the gay community coming under attack by preachers and individual Christians as if they have some special sin.
Those who call themselves Christians and are attacking the LGBT community or any community be it Islam, Hindu’s Buddhist or any other group are guilty of making them stumble.
The people who are being attacked see the attack especially if it’s on their faith or lifestyle as a personal attack. Thus it gets their guard up and shuts down all dialogue.
   In doing so these so called Christians are becoming a stumbling block to those people.
When Paul wrote, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”Romans 3:23 he meant all. That includes televangelist, pastors, Christian teachers, the Christian sitting in the pew and all those outside of the church walls, in fact everyone that has ever lived or is living today.
The apostle Paul make it clear what we in the church must do.
“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.
Tony Campolo and American evangelist wrote,
“Let us preach Christ, let us be faithful to proclaiming the Gospel, but let's leave judgment in the hands of God.”
                 Tony Campolo
Jesus gave the Church it’s prime directive when he said,
“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.
The scriptures also give a warning, Jesus saying,
“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.
To the Christian reading this be on guard that you are not a stumbling block to those around you.
Do everything in love. Remember the words of the Apostle James,
“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  
If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?...
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”  
     James 2:1-4, 9,10
Think about it