An Instrument of Love

An Instrument of Love

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,”

                                                                                               Francis of Assisi
Are you an instrument of God’s Peace? Do you show love to all whom you meet daily?
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
As I reflect on what happened in Charleston South Carolina a short while ago. I seen a young man filled with hate. While at the same time I seen loving caring believers of God showing true love and forgiveness to this man.
Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver writing speaking on Decemeber 22nd 1940 during the dark days of world war two said,
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.
-Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, rabbinic leader, from a December 22, 1940 quoted in Therefore Choose Life: Selected Sermons, Addresses and Writings of Abba Hillel Silver, Volume One, edited by Herbert Wiesner (1997)
I was so impressed by the family members of the murdered victims of the Emanuel AME Church. They chose to forgive and love rather than curse and hate.
The people of Charleston of all races and faiths are also to be commended for their show of unity and understanding in the midst of an horrendous crime.
Be we Christians or not we should be doing our very best to show love. Martin Luther King Jr. Said,
We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.
We are in nature but we live above nature.
Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate.
Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us.
We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more  than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon thee.
Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.
Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in one common bond of humanity in the kingdom of our LORD and of our God, we pray.
Amen.
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Governments can enact all the laws they want with the intentions of trying to correct the immoral actions of those within their citizenry. It however will be to no avail if there isn’t a change in the heart and mind of individuals.
Hatred and evil intent have been around since the dawn of man. The only way to overcome such evil is with love.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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 12:18-21
Paul’s call is to the Christian, but his call to live at peace and show love even to your enemy is a universal message even non Christians can I believe understand.
Those Christians in the Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina show it is possible to live what that apostle Paul is saying.
Let them be an example to us all of us.
Let us offer to God the prayer of Francis of Assisi who wrote,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

                                                                                                         Francis of Assisi
Please think about it.

God Bless Emanuel A M E Church Charleston South Carolina

God Bless Emanuel AME Church

"Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times." 
                                                                                             Matthew 18:21-22

Last Wednesday June 17th 2015 a group of Christians gathered in the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston South Carolina. A young man fuelled with racial hate entered sat with them for an hour then rose and murdered almost everyone in the room.
Sadly it is not what that young man did that is surprising racially motivated crimes and gun violence seems to happen far to often in the United States.
The actions and words a few days later of the families of the victims is what stands out as shining examples of what it is to be Christian.
Despite their personal tragedy they stood in court and forgave the young man.
They forgave when from a strictly human standpoint they would have been forgiven if they cursed this man.
They to me are living what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans,
“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.
Francis of Assisi wrote,
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 
                                                                                                         Francis of Assisi.
By their words and deeds the family members of those murdered at the Emanuel AME Church sent a clear message to the world about what it is to be Christian.
To be a Christian is to Love God, our neighbour, and even our worst enemy.
May those Christians in Charleston be an inspiration to all people everywhere.
May God bless them and their families richly.

Counterfeit Christians

Counterfeit Christians

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.
I write this as a warning not just to Christians but to none-Christians also. There are many people in the world who claim to be Christians, but are Christians in name only.
They claim to be doing the work of God yet quite frankly in some cases they are simply lining their pockets.
Others are simply misguided or have been led away from the faith for various reasons. Some may not even realize they are not Christians.
The ones I worry about are the ones who have the potential for leading people astray. The ones making at times outrageous claims. Claims of the miraculous without allowing confirmation of the miraculous event by someone independent of the ministry.
I as a Christian believe in the miraculous such things happened in both the New Old and New Testaments. God worked through his prophets, through Jesus and the disciples of Christ to perform miracles and we Christians claim God is the same God yesterday today and forever. Therefore there has to be miracles happening today.
The thing is I don’t believe they are happening as often as some evangelist claim.
Those who claim the miraculous aside there are also those who would misguide people. They subtly by presenting the scriptures out of context, to support what they believe rather than teaching the truth.
They even when confronted refuse to correct their teaching and continue perverting the truth of God’s word.
Sadly because Christianity, especially the evangelical movement dose not have any real governing authority frauds and counterfeit Christians are everywhere.
In biblical times there was the council of Jerusalem that held the early believers to account no such body exists today.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
If you read the writings of the Apostle Paul you’ll see that he is very adamant about teaching solid biblical principles. He also comes against people of his day who were not following good Christian teaching.
In his letter to Timothy he writes,
“As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer  nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith.” 
1 Timothy 1:3,4.
As Christians we need to be on guard against false teaching. We need to be studying the scriptures and seeing what they say for ourselves. We need to be praying and asking for God’s guidance as to what is the truth when it comes to the scriptures.
We need to find a body of believer that study the bible. People who study the bible using a wide range of commentaries not just ones that tell them what they want to hear.
We need to make those we support be they at the local level of the church or pastors and evangelist in the media accountable.
We need to ask them to explain their beliefs and even hold them accountable for every penny they receive.
We need to hold them legally and morally accountable for everything that they do.
Think about it

Love

Love

“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

The above is a quote from the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. It to my mind is the purest definition of love ever written. It defines love perfectly.
I believe we as Christians need to look at this definition weekly if not daily. We need to write these words on our heart. Commit them to memory.
But above all we need to practice what they are saying.
Notice there is no conditions set on the love Paul writes about. No “buts”
When Jesus calls us to Love God, our neighbour and our enemy this is the kind of love he wishes us to have.
This is what being a Christian is all about. It’s not about “I have my rights!” or “you are wrong and I am right!”
It’s about humility and understanding.
Love is a door we open even to our enemy. It is the highest idea of Christianity spoken of by Jesus himself in John 3:16,17
“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.”
In Matthew Jesus is quotes as saying
“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,”  
                                                                     Matthew 5:43.44.
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 neighbour as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                              Matthew 22:37-40.
All too often we Christians fail to show love. We judge those we disagree with or say disparaging things without thinking. We fail to watch what we say. Fail to realize
that our words can hurt.
Long before I became a Christian I watched a movie called “Good by Mr. Chips.” the theme song for the musical version was called Fill the World with Love it had these words,

In the Morning of My Life

In the morning of my life

I will look to the Sunrise

At a moment in my life 

When the world is new.

And the Question

I shall ask only God can answer.

Will I be brave and strong and true,

Will I fill the world with love my whole life through?

Will I fill the world with love my whole life through?

In the evening of my life

I will look to the sunset

At a moment in my life 

When my life is through.

And the question I shall ask only I can answer 

Was I brave and strong and true.

Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

                                                                                         From the Musical Good by Mr Chips

  At the end of your life will people say of you that you filled the world with Love?
Will God?
Please think about it.

About Jesus

About Jesus
I believe God has given us a choice with respect to who we think Jesus is. Written below are thoughts on Jesus by various people throughout history. I place them their for you the reader to ponder.

Ernest Renan, French historian, religious scholar and linguist said,
“All history is incomprehensible without Christ.”
                                                                     Ernest Renan
C. S. Lewis said,
“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

Flavius Josephus (37AD-100AD) Jewish Roman historian, who became a Pharisee at 19 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
Napoleon Bonaparte
"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,

Julian the Apostate, Roman Emperor (361-363 A. D.) Considered one of the most gifted ancient adversaries to Christianity. In his work against Christianity said,
“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 he wrote, “Thou has conquered, O Galilean!”
                                                                         Julian the Apostate Emperor of Rome
Matthews Gospel records this conversation between Jesus and his disciples,
“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
The last words go to C. S. Lewis who 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.
Please think about it

Ripe for the harvest

Ripe for the harvest

Jesus said,
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  
Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.  
Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.  
Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.  
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” 
                                     John4:34-38
For the most part 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. As Christians we quite don’t believe it’s that way.
A true Christian believes all men and women no matter how good have the potential for evil. That no man or woman no matter how evil have the potential to repent of their wrong doings.
The story of the crucifixion illustrates what I am saying. Luke records,
“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.
The condemned man admitted he was a sinner, that he had done wrong. He believed Jesus to be who he said he was, The Son of God and asked Jesus to simply remember him when He entered his Kingdom.
This is the message we as Christians must take to the world. We must remember what
C. S. Lewis said,
“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.
Whether we are reaching out to thousands in an auditorium, in the media or to our neighbour next door it is our duty as Christians to present a clear message of salvation to them.
Jesus told us the fields are ready to harvest. Millions of brothers and sisters in Christ have taken the gospel message to the world throughout the centuries.
The Christian message is in every corner of the world. It is our job to reap the harvest of those who have gone before and plant seed for the next generation to harvest.
Question: are you doing your Christian duty?

The poet wrote

The poet wrote

Parking Lots

Parking lots are boring,

That’s what some people think,

My kids think mall lots,

Are most boring of all.

They see row on row,

Of cars and trucks and stuff,

Acres of Asphalt

Boring things like that.

Me

I think they’re alive!

A plethora of colour!

A sculpture in rubber, tin, and glass.

A

Symphony of noise,

Accompanying a commoners ballet,

On a stage of compact stone and oil.

A

Kaleideioscope.

An ever changing montage,

Of people, and things and stuff.

A 

Mission field,

Ripe for the harvest.

And that’s how I see parking lots.

Jesus said,
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.  
Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.  
Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.  
Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.  
I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” 
                                     John4:34-38
The harvest fields are all around us be they in parking lots, our neighbourhood or in far flung lands.
Are you doing what you can to bring in the lost?
Jesus said,
“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 28:19,20.
Think about it

January 14th

January 14th
Outside the air is a warm, seventeen centigrade, unseasonable for this time of year in this part of the world.
A soft, soaking rain is falling from the sky.  Cars made a swishing sound as they travel along the almost empty street.
All around there is the noise of the city, slowing, rising to a crescendo, then equally slowly dying to a momentary silence.
Before me, lays a picture of down town edge.  At the corner, stands a service station.  Its bright lights illuminate the white wall of the restaurant across the street from it.  The smell of gasoline mingling with the smell of grilling meat permeates the still air.
My watch reads 2:00 am.
Near the corner an old woman, her torn dress visible below the dirty, shabby, gray winter coat, stumbles along, holding the wall for balance.
Finally, losing her fight to remain upright, she leans her back against the wall and slowly slumps down to the ground, coming to rest over a hot air vent.  Alone, she sits motionless as the rain falls.
Who will tell her of God’s love?
Who will love her?
Who?

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.
Dear Christian,
When you stand before God will He be able to see your faith by your deeds?
Think about it.

A Priesthood

A Priesthood

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
1Peter 2:9,10
This scripture is directed at believers in Christ. Christians are people who have been called out of darkness into light. We have become a holy nation before God. A people belonging to God.
Our job is to declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his light.
As believers in Christ we are a light to the world. Jesus said,
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
           Matthew 5:14-16.
We are called to let our light shine in word and in deed before all mankind.
Francis of Assisi wrote,
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
                                                                                Francis of Assisi.
This is how we should be. People should know we are different by our lifestyle. We should live our lives in such a way as people will want to have what we have.
Our lives should reflect the gospel we believe in.
Francis of Assisi put it this way,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.” 

                                                                                    Francis of Assisi
Please think about it,

Abstain from sinful desires

Abstain from sinful desires

The apostle Peter writes,
“Dear friends, 
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 
                                                                              1 Peter 2:11,12.
Are you living good moral lives before people?
I hear many both inside and outside the media claiming to be Christians. Yet when you listen to what they say they come across as judgmental even bigoted in what they say. They even call on politicians to restrict the rights of groups they don’t agree with.  If we are truly Christians we shouldn’t be doing this.
I’ve heard Christians applauding the fact that some African nation is placing homosexuals in prison. This should not be so.
Here in North America homosexuality is a hot button issue among Christians. There are groups calling themselves Christians who would restrict the rights of homosexuals simply because they disagree with them. This should not be so. Simply because we live in a free and democratic secular society. A secular democracy that affords we Christians the right to worship as we see fit.
As such we Christians should support the rights of others to have the freedom to act and worship as they wish, even if we disagree with them.
There are a lot of things I’m sure the apostles seen in their travels around the Roman empire that they disagreed with. Yet they didn’t sign petitions and send them to the Emperor demanding the practices stop.
We in North America and the western countries of the world are blessed to live in free and democratic secular democracies. The freedoms those democracies gave us has enabled the Gospel message to travel around the world.
Sadly some Christian groups are using that freedom to curse others. We cannot use that freedom to curse others. To try and restrict the rights of others. The apostle Paul writes,
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse....  
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 12:14,17-21
Look at what Paul says,

“Bless and do not curse.”

“Do not repay evil for evil”

“Do what is right in the eyes of everyone”

“Live at peace with everyone”

“Do not take revenge.”

“Feed your enemy”

“Overcome evil with good.”

This is what a Christian should be doing not yelling at the top of their lungs “you are wrong and we are right” or “you’re going to hell”
We should not be trying to restrict the rights of those we disagree with. Quite the contrary we should be doing our best to promote the rights and freedoms of others. In doing so we are also promoting our own rights and freedoms. As well as building bridges between ourselves and those we disagree with.
The late reverend Martin Luther King jr. at the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960's in the United States said,
"We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.
We are in nature but we live above nature.
Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate.
Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us.
We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more  than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon thee.
Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.
Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in one common bond of humanity in the kingdom of our LORD and of our God, we pray.
Amen."
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
There is a teaching from the Jewish Talmud that I believe is perfectly in line with Christian teaching it says,
“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.
One day even Christians will be called before God to account for our actions on this earth.  I think the above question from the Talmud might well be one of the questions God asks.
So what will your answer be to the question,
“have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
Please think about it.

Of God

Of God

A couple of Jesus’ disciples shortly after his death who had been warned by the religious leadership not to preach about Jesus were caught doing so. They were brought before the leaders and the book of acts records what happened,
“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
I believe Gamaliel got it right. The message of Salvation through Jesus Christ has been around now for over two thousand years. It’s message of love for God, one’s fellow man and one’s enemies is still going strong.
It’s message that there is salvation in no one other than Jesus Christ is still as strong as ever.
An anonymous 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 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 - and hammers gone.

                                                                                                          Anonymous
Isaiah the prophet 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.
I believe the words of Jesus who 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
God gave man a choice. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of the World or not. The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

What to do

What to do

"Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you.  
For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.  
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.  
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  
All these are the beginning of birth pains. 
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” 
                   Matthew 24:4-9.
I don’t know when Jesus will return to this earth no one does. Anyone who says they do are deluding themselves.
I see in the media many preachers that are trying to predict when Christ will return.
They look at every minute bit of scripture and say it could be soon. Perhaps they are right perhaps not. I believe that Christ will one day return to this earth. When I haven’t a clue.
I look to the above quoted scripture Matthew 24:4-9 and can see these things happening now. Christians all over the world are being persecuted. We Christians are now the most persecuted group in the world.
Christians are being put to death for simply being Christians.
There are wars all over the place and there are people trying to deceive the individual Christian into believing wrong things.
Still a look back at history shows this kind of thing has been happening for centuries. It just seems that now in the twenty-first century it is happening globally on an industrial scale. But then it must have seemed like that to those living under the Nazis in Europe during world war two.
The question however still remains. If we are in the end times what should we as Christians be doing?
The answer comes from Matthew when he records Jesus as speaking to his disciples and saying,
“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.
Put as simply as it can be. If we are indeed in the end times we should be evangelizing and evangelizing with more fervour than ever before. We should be making disciples.
There is nothing we can do to change the inevitable Christ will return to judge the world that is a fact the Bible makes abundantly clear.
There is one thing we can do. That is lead those who do not know Christ, those who are heading to a Christless eternity, to Christ.
The purpose of the Church from the day it started is to the present day is as Jesus said,
“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 28:19, 20
Our job in the last days is not to try and pin point the exact hour Christ will return. Our job is to reach out to the lost with the Love of God. To make disciples and teach them all we know about Christ and God.
Please think about it.