My Shepherd

My Shepherd

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, a

nd I will dwell in the house of the LORD

 forever. 

                                                  Psalm 23.

Trusting in the Lord can at times be hard. It takes faith and faith can be the hardest thing to do.
Lets face it you cannot see God. Yet God, through the Bible asks you to believe he exists simply by what you see around you and what you read in the Bible. God asks you to have complete trust in Him.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
The writer goes on to say,
“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.
I believe God asks us to have faith because he realizes those with true faith are true believers.
Scientist exercise faith all the time. They postulate a theory then do their best to prove it. Many like Albert Einstein had faith that their theories were correct even though they died before they were proven.
So it is with God. He asks that we believe in him through faith. A faith that we would be willing to die for and interestingly enough will be proven to be true upon our death.
Jesus asked this question of Martha
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26.
Do you believe as Martha did?
Is Jesus truly the Shepherd of your life?
Please think about it.

You and God

You and God

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1,2.
Where do you stand. Do you stand with God or not. You can’t have it both ways.
The book of Joshua records this statement,
“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15.
How committed are you to your God?
Over the years I’ve met many people who say they are committed Christians but a quick look at their actions brings that into question. I’ve known many people who have decided to skip a morning church service to go golfing or to a sports event or other secular event.
Many who go to church think nothing of skipping church to do other things when there is no need and many times you can do both.
I’ve met many who in the work place hide their faith for fear of being ostracized. Some even hide their faith from their neighbours.
Many fail to take a stand even on the most basic of Christian principle.
When given a choice between a midweek bible study many choose other things.
The bottom line here comes down to how strong is your commitment to Christ?
Jesus said,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.  But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Matthew 6:19-24.
Who do you serve?
The writer of proverbs tells us,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”Proverbs 3:5,6.
Is God and Christ center of your life?
Please think about it.

Your Legacy

Your legacy
The writer of Proverbs states,
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 
Proverbs 22:6.
Billy Graham said,
“The greatest legacy one can pass on to one's children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one's life, but rather a legacy of character and faith.” 
What will your legacy be to your children. A hand full of pocket change? Some nice trinkets? Stocks and bonds? A mansion? A mud hut?
When my father and mother died they left me a few thousand in insurance money, some furnishings, pictures and other odds and ends.
They also however left me with my faith although they may not have thought they did.
My parents were lower middle class emigrants to Canada. They like all emigrants had their struggles but they gave me and my siblings a good childhood.
They also left us with the ability to think for ourselves. To question things. As soon as we were old enough to talk we were encouraged to think for ourselves and form our own opinion.
I can remember in my early teens discussing politics and religion with my parents. We’d discuss things we seen on the news, in the paper or on radio.
There were many times I disagreed with them especially on religion. Still my parents respected my beliefs even though at times they’d do their best to change my opinion.
It lead to some lively debates and I believe it moulded me into what I am today.
        Because those discussions with my parents, that were at times very lively. I have come to believe that Jesus is indeed the Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
It is this I have passed on to my own children. I like my parents before me encouraged my children to have an opinion on things. I encouraged them to search out the truths I presented them from the bible. To see for themselves if what I told them was right or wrong.
I never stopped them from looking at things contrary to what I believed. Which they did. The result for me has been a good one. Both my children are Christians and serve the Lord in various ways, both here at home in Canada and around the world.
Joshua Loth Liebman wrote,
“Give your children unconditional love, a love that is not dependent on report cards, clean hands, or popularity.  Give your children a sense of your whole-hearted acceptance, acceptance of their human frailties as well as their abilities and virtues.  Give your children your permission to grow up to make their own lives independent of you.  Give them a sense of truth; make them aware of themselves as citizens of a universe in which there are many obstacles as well as fulfilment’s.  Bestow upon your child the blessings of your faith.  These are the laws of honouring your son and your daughter.  Out of these laws will be built the Declaration of Independence for the coming generation, a spiritual and emotional independence that, in turn, will make the world free, democratic, safe, creative.”
What Liebman said, to me is saying what the writer of Proverbs wrote,
“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”
Proverbs 22:6.
For me my faith, God, and my family, are the most important things in my life. As a Christian I can conceive of no greater blessing, no greater legacy, that I can bestow on my family than that of my faith. It gives them hope both in this world and the world to come.
What legacy will you leave for your family?
Please think about it.

To be Christian

To be Christian
        T. H. Huxley wrote,
“Throughout the history of the Western world the Scriptures have been the great instigators of revolt against the worst forms of clerical and political despotism.  The Bible has been the Magna Charts of the poor and of the oppressed; down to modern times no State has had a constitution in which the interests of the people are so largely taken into accounts, in which the duties so much more than the privileges of rulers are insisted upon, as that drawn up for Israel in Deuteronomy and in Leviticus; nowhere is the fundamental truth that the welfare of the State, in the long run, depends on the uprightness of the citizen so strongly laid down....The Bible is the most democratic book in the  world.” T. H. Huxley.
The Bible is a book that deals with the welfare of the individual. There are over 2,000 scriptures that deal with responding to the needs of the poor. Jesus said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
If you claim to be a Christian you should be treating others in the same way you would like to be treated. We should even be demanding of our religious leaders and our political leaders that they do the same.
Someone once put it this way to me.

If you love your freedoms, 

you should want that for others. 

If you like to be loved 

you should love others unconditionally. 

If you have a good education 

you should wish that for others. 

If you have good health care, 

you should wish that for others. 

In short as Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
James writes,
“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.
I like to point to health care. It to me is a basic human right. Everyone should have the right to the best possible health care. Yet millions not just in the third world but in the United States don’t have access to health care at all. And there are politicians who would make health care harder to get.
Even in Canada where I live, as good as the health care is, there is things lacking.
Today as I write this and as you read this people are dying of starvation in a world that has enough food to feed all it’s inhabitants. Even in the western nations people go hungry because they have to chose between putting a roof over their head and food.
There are many living on the street simply because they can’t find affordable housing. How sad.
Christian organizations do help. But we as individual Christians need to be calling on our leaders both religious and political to do more to help the poor.
It is what Jesus would have us do.
Please think about it.

The Christians job

The Christians job

I believe truth is truth no matter where you find it. On truth Christians should think about comes from the Talmud. It states,
“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.
I can relate to Abraham at times. My siblings and I have a good relationship. However they  don’t know Christ. When the topic comes up they ignore it or make various excuses why they shouldn’t follow him. At times I wonder if I should bother even telling them.
At times I think like Abraham I’d like to drive them away. However I know I should never do that.
As Christians we should be ever so careful to keep a dialogue open between ourselves and non-believer.
Jesus tells Christians,
“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.
Note Jesus said go an make disciples of all nations. He didn’t say to force them into becoming disciples. We are to present the gospel of Christ to all people and let them decide.
We should show love and extend the hand of friendship to all those around us whoever they are. We should never drive them away because we disagree with their religion, lifestyle or actions.
The only way we can reach people is as I said by having a open dialogue and an exchange of ideas.
We should be willing to listen to others as much as we want them to listen to us. We should present Christ in a none threatening way. With language they can understand.
As good as the old King James bible is few people today use thee’s and thou’s when they speak. Some terms in the old King James have different meanings today. The classic example is the word Charity. Today it means giving to the poor. In the old King James it means love.
Reaching people for Christ means talking to them in language they understand. If that means using the Good News Bible, the New International, or what ever other translation works we need to be doing it.
Remember king James English was not the language of Jesus and the apostles and it is not the language of most of the world today.
As I see it from my perspective. The perspective of a teacher of the Bible for over forty years now, there are several things Christians need to do to win souls for Christ in the twenty-first century.
1. Pray that God will show you the best way to reach people.
2. Reach out in love to those around you without being pushy or aggressive.
3. Be respectful to those you are witnessing to. They have their beliefs and you must respect them whether you like them or not.
4. Do not judge them, be it because of what they believe, their life, or their lifestyle. The apostle Paul tell us, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”1 Corinthians 5:12.
5. Persevere, again without being pushy or aggressive. Remember your job is to present the message of Christ to people not force them to make a decision. Let God through the Holy Spirit show them the truth.
As Christians, we can at times, be like Abraham and get frustrated that they are not followers of the one true God despite all we have told them.
Remember Salvation is a personal thing between the person and God. It is up to the individual to decide who they will serve.
Finally and I can’t emphasise this enough in all that you do Pray, Pray, Pray.
And that should not need thinking about. 

The Christian Call

The Christian call
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.
The way I see this is the writer is telling us God knows the individual completely right down to their genetic code.
I believe only God and the person truly knows what makes a person who they are. No one else can possibly know.
I believe that is one of the reasons Jesus told Christians,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1,2.
Judging someone without all the facts is wrong.
The apostle Paul told Christians,
“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.
Thus Christians should not judge especially those outside the Church who do not believe as we do. They are to keep their own house clean so to speak.
Sadly there are many claiming to be Christians that are out there heaping condemnation on people and judging them quite often unfairly.
But Jesus anticipating this would happen, warned against such people. He said,
“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 7:22,23.
The call of the Christian is to tell people about the love of God.
Jesus 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.
Francis of Assisi said,
“We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.” Francis of Assisi.
This is what the Christian is to do. Reach out to the world around them and bring the lost home to God.
Please think about it.

What the world needs

What the world needs
Jesus said,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” Matthew 7:12.
You can’t have a more complete statement than that when it comes to Christian living. Christians should be doing to other people what they would want them to be doing to them.
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 22:36-40.
Jesus however did not stop there he 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.” Matthew 5:43-45
These are clear statements of Jesus to Christians. To be a Christian you can do no less than love.
The apostle Paul said of 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
There is a wonderful prayer attributed to Francis of Assisi that states,

“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 

A life truly dedicated to Christ is one of love and selflessness. Of reaching out to others with the Love of Jesus no matter who they are, their lifestyle, or their position in life.
A life truly dedicated to Christ is giving of ones self in the name of Jesus.
Are you living such a life?
Please think about it.

A Prayer for Christians

A Prayer for Christians

Pray for the Brethren. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

 Who today are in prison for what they believe.

Pray for the Brethren,

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Who are living under persecution,

Pray for the Brethren

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Who are suffering for their faith.

Pray 

for those who Persecute us

That they may see 

“The Light”,

Pray for the Brethren

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Who are living in the western nations blessed with freedom,

Pray for the Brethren

Brothers and sisters in Christ.

Who are being led away by those who claim to be of Christ, 

but are not.

Jude wrote,

“But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 

“They said to you, 

“In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.”  

These are the men who divide you, 

who follow mere natural instincts 

and do not have the Spirit. 

But you, dear friends, 

build yourselves up in your most holy faith

 and pray in the Holy Spirit.  

Keep yourselves in God’s love

 as you wait

 for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ 

to bring you to eternal life. 

Be merciful to those who doubt; 

 snatch others from the fire and save them; 

to others show mercy, mixed with fear—

hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

Jude 1:17-23

Please pray.

Meaningless?

Meaningless?

“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.
The other day I was thinking about my mother she died young of cancer in her fifties.
My grandmother, her mother lived until her late nineties. Out living my mother by some twenty almost thirty years.
When I think of them I realize their lives were but a mist in time.
They were ordinary people. They didn’t accomplish great things but they had a good full life with family and friends around them. And that is all most people can expect.
Throughout the years I’ve read about and heard of talented musicians in particular, that have died by their own hand or of drug overdoses. For all their success they found it seems little meaning in life.
I know of people from various strata of society that simply find life meaningless. Sadly I know many who have attempted suicide.
Some can identify with the words of  William Wordsworth who wrote,

“We poets in our youth begin in gladness;      

but therefore came in the end to despondency and madness.’

Even the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote,
“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.
And from a strictly human prospective its easy to think life has no meaning.
As someone who lives with Bipolar disorder (Manic depression)I understand what it is to look around and find everything meaningless. When I’m in deep depression everything seems meaningless.
However I know there is a God who loves me. A God who is there for me in my darkest hour. A God whom I believe has connected me with the right doctors, Psychiatrist and others who have helped me through some of the darkest days of my life.
Without God in my life my life would be meaningless.
However I know that no matter how deep the valley or how high the mountain top, my God is with me. That there is always hope.
Sadly all too many people in this world do not have that hope. They to paraphrase Wordsworth in their youth begin in gladness but their life ends in despondency and madness.
This should not be so because the voice of Jesus echos through the centuries saying,
“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.” Matthew 11:28,29.
I have found these words of Jesus to be true. He does give those who truly believe in Him rest for their souls no matter how dark the valley they may be going through.
Please think about it?
Post Script.
I mentioned I have a mental health issue. I am not alone it is estimated here in Canada and the United States one in five people have mental health issues.
Mental health issues are as real as any physical ailment. If you or someone you know is going through periods of deep depression for long periods at a time, hearing voices, hallucinating, or acting strangely, contact your family doctor and get help.
Sadly most people with a mental health issue will suffer in silence and not get help.
In Canada all provincial health plans cover treatment for mental health problems. If you need help in Canada you can also contact the Canadian Mental Health Association who will help you get help.
Other western countries have similar organizations.
Don’t wait to get help. The sooner you get help the better things will be.
Note to Christians
It has also been, sadly, my personal experience that Christians are least likely to get professional help. Something that should not be so. God put doctors and psychiatrist on this earth for a purpose. If you need one don’t be ashamed to use one. It will not lessen your faith.

What god do you serve?

What god do you serve?
“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  
But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15.
If you are a Christian which god are you following?
Many claiming to be Christians say they love God but fail to put God first in their lives. I’ve known many who skip church to go golfing or to a sporting event. I’ve known many who work excess overtime that they don’t really need instead of going to church.
There are many who skip a mid week bible study or service and do other things that are not of God.
Where do you stand?
How important is God in your life?
Are you truly willing to serve God and put Him first in your life?
Please think about it.

Who do you follow?

Who do you follow?
The writer of Proverbs tells us,
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6.
A question for Christians:
Who do you follow?
I live in a town were there seems to be a church on every corner. In many ways it’s good. It’s good, because anyone living in this town can never say “I couldn’t find a church congregation that I liked.”
We have every denomination from Pentecostals with lively contemporary services, to conservative old order Mennonites, to Roman Catholic, Anglican, to independent churches and everything in between.
It however doesn’t really matter what church you attend as long as you are following God, as long as your trust is in Jesus.
All too often however too many Christians put their trust in the preacher not and not Christ.
In our town there was one prominent minister he had a big church, big being eight hundred plus. He was a dynamic speaker who introduced many to Christ and did build people up in the Lord. However the man was caught in adultery and fathered a child to younger woman who was not his wife.
The man said he was sorry but he refused to step down as pastor of “his” church even temporarily. The way he seen things was he had built that church and he would remain the senior pastor.
There was a lot of objections to him and eventually he left but not before he, for lack of a better term, “cleaned out the church”.
The way he had set up the church was that he owned everything from the sound equipment to the computers and almost everything except the building itself.
While he moved on to another place, the congregation eventually dissolved and is no more.
Some of the congregation moved to other churches but a lot didn’t. Those who didn’t were disillusioned with what had happened. The way many seen it was this pastor, supposedly a Christian was no better than a heathen.
I believe the one’s who were disillusioned by this pastor were following the man and not Christ.
It’s easy to follow a man especially if the person has the right kind of personality. People like a good speaker who tells them what they want to hear. Who makes them feel good.
All too often throughout the years I’ve spent in the Church when I’ve asked a person about something in the Bible or of importance in Christian teaching, I’ve heard people say “such and such a preacher said”. They go by what the evangelist or pastor says. They have not checked things out themselves.
In extreme cases following a preacher has led to mass suicide as happened in the late seventies. At that time a dynamic American pastor by the name of Jim Jones, led a group of people down to South America when he had them commit mass suicide.
Such a thing was tragic but following a the wrong pastor, or evangelist can have eternal consequences.
We need to check out what we are being taught. We need to study the Bible, to pray and ask God to show us what is right.
Above all our trust MUST be in Jesus Not a man.
Men make mistakes. Men can mislead people. 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 apostle Peter said,
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” 2 Peter 2:1-3.
It is imperative that all Christians follow the teachings of Jesus not the interpretations of an given pastor or evangelist. In order to do this we need to study the scriptures.
Studying the Bible is something I cannot emphasize enough.
There will be differences of opinions over minor things in the bible, however we should never, never compromise on the basics.
For me the best expression of basic Christian belief is in the apostles creed. It was not written by the apostles but it expresses what true foundations of the Christian faith is. It reads,
1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth
2. I believe in Jesus Christ God’s on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.
3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary
4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.
5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.
6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost
9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,
10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.
11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.
12. I believe in life everlasting.
The key however to a good Christian life is to follow Christ and not a man. To serve God and not an particular Pastor or Evangelist blindly.
Question: Who are you following?
          Please think about it.

Christian Love

Christian Love
The Apostle John wrote,
“This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.  
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.  
Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.  
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  
Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”  1 John 3:11-18.
The result of true Christian faith is love. Love for God, our neighbour and even our enemy.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.” Romans 12:20a.
Someone once said “Love goes the distance”. Certainly Christ’s love for us did. He died for our sins.
As Christians we cannot refuse to love. Love and compassion for others is the result of our faith.
James states,
“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.
If we claim to be Christians we must love.
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians defined love when he 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.
We as Christians should use Jesus an no one else as our example. Jesus showed us how far our love for one another should extend by dying for us on the cross.
Are you willing to go the distance for Love?
Please think about it.