Incomplete, Soiled, or Victorious?

Incomplete, Soiled or Victorious?
The book of Revelations records,
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: 
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.  
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.  
Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.  
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.  
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:1-6.
Here is a warning to a church that seems to be alive but is in fact dead. That have people calling themselves believers in Christ that have soiled their clothing.
It seems the church at Sardis was not continuing the work Jesus had called the church to do. The so called great commission given by Jesus to the disciples and through them to the church. Matthews gospel recording,
“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.
This is the primary purpose of the church all other things such as helping the poor, healing the sick, showing compassion, loving God, your neighbour  your enemy and so forth stems from this.
If we are not doing this we are failing Christ. The church at Sardis was apparently not doing it. They appeared to be doing so yet from the text we can see that their works for Christ were incomplete and some had soiled their clothing a symbol of sin in their life.
Christ’s call to this church is
“Wake up! Strengthen what remains...”.
To day there are many church congregations and denominations that seem alive and appear to be doing the work of God but are not. Church congregations and denominations who seem to be following the call of Jesus to take the salvation message to all the world, but are not. Their deeds are incomplete. They have become dead.
Many within these groups have “soiled their clothing” they have gone their own way.
The apostle Paul states,
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,  treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Jesus however offers hope for those finding themselves in the same position as the church at Sardis. He states,
“Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.  
He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.”
Even in congregations and denominations who have failed to follow God’s teachings correctly there are people who truly love the Lord. Who continue following correct teaching. To these people as with all who follow the teachings of God correctly will be given a robe of white. The symbol of purity. To those who have fallen into sin and repent they too will receive this reward.
These are people Jesus will acknowledge before God The Father.
Thus the question becomes, Are you one of those who seem to be alive in the Lord but are actually dead, or are you truly following the word of God in a manner that is pleasing to God?
Please think about it.

The Corrupt Church

The Corrupt Church
In the book of Revelations John records Jesus as sending messages to seven churches in Asia minor. Most scholars agree that there are churches like these seven in every generation. Thus we can learn from them and correct any errors we as modern day congregations and denominations are falling into.
The forth church Jesus speaks to is the church in Thyatira. John records,
“To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.  
I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 
Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.  
I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  
So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  
I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.  
Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): Only hold on to what you have until I come. 
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’— 
just as I have received authority from my Father.  
I will also give him the morning star.  
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  Revelations 2:18-29.
Here Jesus notes that the church in Thyatira is doing more than it had been doing. However he points out that they tolerate a woman called Jezebel. Whether this is her real name or a nickname likening her to queen Jezebel of old Testament fame in 1Kings 16, and 2 Kings 9. This woman is leading people in the church to commit sexual immorality.
Jesus states,
“I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.  
So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  
I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.”
The church cannot compromise its morality in any way, sexual or otherwise. God has given the Church a moral code which it must follow.
If individual Christians do not follow this code and like Jezebel fall into sexual sin they will suffer just like her. Jesus couldn’t make this clearer.
It seem harsh but in the case of this woman she obviously knew the ways of God. She knew what God expected of her yet she turned against God’s ways. Not only that she seemed to have turned others away.
It is one thing for a none-believer to teach Christians things that are not Christian they do not know any better.
It is quite another thing for someone who knows the teachings of Christ and deliberately teaches things that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus. Such people are held to a higher standard.
The apostle Peter warns of such people as this woman Jezebel. He states,
“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  
God gives all men and women the option to repent of their evil ways. To repent of their sins and turn back to God even men and women who claim to be teaching God’s word correctly but are not.
However God will not force anyone to do what they do not want to do. The individual has complete freedom of choice with respect to their words and deeds.
Jesus also make it clear what happens if you follow His commands he states,
“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations”
Those who trust in God and follow the ways of God will one day rule and reign with Him.
So the question becomes, If you are a Christian are you truly following the ways of God. Is there sin of any type in your life?
If so are you willing to go to go right now and repent of that sin?
Please think about it.

Warning from Pergamum

Warning from Pergamum
The Apostle John records,
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.  
I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 
Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.  
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.  
Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.” Revelations 2:12-17.
Here is what is commonly called the compromising church. Jesus states,
“I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.”
These people stayed true even when one of them Antipas was put to death. That being said this church let things go on that were not Christian. Jesus states,
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.  
Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”
Balaam tried to turn the hearts of the children of Israel away from God. The Nicolatians were heretics who were teaching false doctrine.
Apparently the church at Pergamum was allowing this. They were compromising.
As Christians we cannot allow anything to be taught in our churches that is not in line with the word of God as presented in the holy scriptures.
Jesus call any church who is compromising to repent Jesus saying,
“Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”
The way I read this is God himself will come against those who compromise. He will raise up men and women who will speak the truth about God. Loud and clear for all to hear. So that no one when judged by God can say they didn’t know the truth.  
For words are as sharp if not sharper than any two edged sword.
To those who do not compromise, to those who repent and overcome is given a prize. Jesus saying,
“To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.”
The hidden manna suggests intimacy with Jesus. The white stone would have been seen by those who were in the Greek culture at the time as the custom of giving to the victor a white stone symbolizing victory.
We in the twenty-first century church need to look carefully at what we believe. We need to speak out against those who would try to compromise our faith.
The apostle Paul warned,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 2Timothy 4:3,4
Paul also reminds Timothy and through him us,
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.
As believers in Christ we can do no less than do our best to handle the word of God correctly without compromise.
If we do so we will ultimately receive the victors prize from God himself.
Please think about it.  

The Christian Life, Smyrna's Example

The Christian Life Smyrna’s Example
John writing in the book of Revelations records these words of Jesus,
“To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
   I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  
Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelations 2:8-11.
The church at Smyrna apparently had it hard. Smyrna was major sea port. It was one of the places Roman imperial cult was present. That along with a large Jewish population who probably didn’t agree with believers in Christ made it hard for these Christians.
What is notable about the church of Smyrna is despite the persecution these early believers kept the faith,
Jesus does not say anything against them. He warns them that there will be what most commentators say is a short period of persecution. Then encourages them saying,
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
This is the way it is for true believers today. We may from time to time undergo persecution, and certainly there are many places in the world today where believers in Christ are being persecuted. However no matter what we go through if we keep the faith, Jesus promises us a crown of life.
There is something we should however note here. There are many in North America where I live who say they are being persecuted when they are not. They are simply breaking the law.
It’s one thing to be persecuted for what we believe in. If we suffer in such a way we will inherit a crown of life.
However if we deliberately break a law passed by a secular government that does not prevent us from practising our faith as we wish, or restrict our rights or rights of others then that I believe is sin.
We should not be protesting against anything that is lawful unless it brings harm to ourselves or others. Even then we should be doing so peacefully and with respect to those who disagree with us.
The apostle Peter tells us,
“Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.   For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 
Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.  1Peter 2:13-16
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men

 and to be holy; 

without holiness no one will see the Lord.” 

Hebrews 12:14

If we are doing as the writer of Hebrews is telling us to do, and are still being persecuted then we are doing things the way God intended us to do. And we will inherit a crown of life.
Please think about it.

The Ephesus Warning

The Ephesus Warning.
It is said each of the Seven churches spoken to in Revelations are kinds of church’s that are in every generation. It can also be said that these churches also are reflected in the lives of individuals.
The Apostle John writing in the book of Revelations records these words given by Jesus,
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:  
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  
You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.  
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Revelations 2:1-7
Here Jesus commends the church of Ephesus as having good works. That they have persevered. That they cannot tolerate wicked men and have even tested those who claim to be Christians but are not.
He then point out,
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.’
But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Ephesus had one thing going in their favour they hated the practice of the Nicolations who were a heretical group who were immoral and idolatrous.
Jesus points out however the church at Ephesus had lost it’s first love. Their first love being God, being Jesus. They seemed to have gone their own way leaving God out of their lives.
This is happening today. Men and women claiming to be Christians dislike heretical groups and idolatrous groups. Groups who say Jesus is not divine or other things untrue about Jesus.
However all too often many who claim to be Christians do not put Christ first in their life. They let the ways of the world take first place.
Many who say they love the Lord quite often will put a sporting event or concert or other things of the world ahead of God.
They, even though they don’t need the extra money, will work overtime and put their job before God. God it seems always takes second, third or even last place in their lives.
We as followers of Christ need to heed what is said to those in Ephesus. We need to look at our lives and ask ourselves if God truly takes first place in our lives.
Please think about it.
  

Use Caution, Show Love, Be Merciful

Use Caution, Show Love, Be Merciful
          Jude writes,
“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
Here again like the apostles, John, Peter and Paul, Jude calls believers in Christ that in the last days there will be scoffers who follow their own ungodly way. Men who will divide believers.
Jude calls on believers to “build yourself up in the most holy faith”.
I do not believe it is enough to simply believe in Jesus. To accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. While faith in Christ saves you. We need to do more. That more is to learn as much about Him as is possible. We need to study, study, study.
We need to do this so that we will know what is right in God’s sight, and what we as Christians should be doing.
At the same time as Jude points out we need to be there for Christians who doubt. Who are weak in the faith. We need to show love toward them. To open dialogue with them. Study the scriptures with them. Answer any questions they have honestly.
We also need to be presenting the salvation message of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen. In doing so we will snatch people from the fire that is hell.
Please think about it.

A Warning from Jude

A warning from Jude
Jude who is generally recognized as a half brother of Jesus states,
“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.  
For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
“These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.  
They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.” Jude 1:3,4,..12,13
Jude like the apostles Peter and Paul writes to warn believers in Christ that there are men and women who are claiming to be believers of Christ that are not. Jude notes,
“They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.”
Jude states,
“These men are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves.”
It can’t be emphasised enough that there are many who claim to be Christians, Men and women not only sitting in church pews but preaching from the pulpit that are not.
There are many evangelist, pastors and teachers who as Jude states are, “shepherds who feed only themselves”.
Outwardly these men and women look good. Inwardly they are nothing more than charlatans who claim to be of God but are not.
The apostle Paul states,
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” 2 Timothy 3:1-4.
As a believers in Christ we must heed Paul and Jude’s warning.
In our multimedia world all too often we cannot see what a given preacher or evangelist is truly like.
I would say most are good honest men and women who love God and are doing their best for him. However we still need to be cautious.
The terrible times Paul is speaking about is upon us. There are many evangelist and pastors out there in the world who are not speaking the truth.  They are as Jude stated, “shepherds who feed only themselves”.
Put bluntly they are in the “preaching game” to make money and enrich themselves nothing more. Thus we must be careful.
There are also others who claim to be preaching the world of God but are not. The apostle Peter warns,
“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.” 2 Peter 2:1.
As Christians we must read the Bible. We must read especially the New Testament to see exactly what those who knew Jesus personally said and believed. It is the only way we can truly know what right teaching is. Pauls advice to Timothy is as true to day as it was in the day he wrote it. He said,
 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15.
Please think about it.

On Hospitality

On Hospitality
The apostle John writing to a man named Gaius notes,
“To my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. 
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.  
It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth.  
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 
Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you.  
They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God.” 3John 1:1-6.
In John’s day Christian teachers and evangelist moved from city to city. They were usually put up by a fellow believer in the town they entered. Gaius appears to be one of those people who showed hospitality to such people even though they were strangers.
We know nothing of Gaius only that he had the means to show hospitality to the visiting brothers in Christ.
Gaius set the example for any Christian that has the means to be hospitable to other believers. John notes that the people he housed told the church about his love.
As Christians especially if we have the means to do so, we need to be hospitable. The book of Hebrews notes,
“Keep on loving each other as brothers.  
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews. 13:1,2. 
The book of Acts records,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  
All the believers were together and had everything in common.  
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,  praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47.
The early church showed hospitality to all. They seen that their fellow believers had their needs met. That no one was in want.
They showed by example what we in the church today need to be doing.
I know not everyone is able to put fellow believers up for the night or longer. However we can all do something.
My mother in law while alive was dirt poor. She lived on the minimum wage most of her life. Yet you could show up at her house anytime, even at meal time and you would never be turned away. There was always food or a cup of tea available to anyone who dropped in.
She didn’t care who you were, she simply did what she could and as a result blessed many people.
If we claim to be Christians this is how we should be.
Please think about it.

Jesus, God Incarnate

Jesus God Incarnate
The apostle John states,
“Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.  
Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.” 2 John 1:7,8.
Here is another theme John speaks about. He states,
“Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
There were many people in John’s day that preached false teaching.
One group known as Docetism taught that Christ did not actually come in the flesh. That Christ did not have a body but only seemed to have a body and to suffer and die on the cross.
     There is such teaching around today. This is untrue.
John knew Jesus personally. John was a witness to the teachings and life of Jesus. Thus he writes to make it clear teachings like Docetism and other teachings are wrong. John calls them deceivers and the antichrist.
We as Christians need to know what we believe. We need to respectfully, stand up against anyone who would say Jesus is less than divine.
What is known as the apostles creed while not written by an apostle of Jesus states in a nutshell what True Christians believe. It states,
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.
John in his gospel tells us,
“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.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14.
The writer of Hebrews tells us,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3  
Jesus is God incarnate God in the flesh. There is no middle ground here. Either Jesus is God incarnate or he is not. The choice is up to you.
Please think about it.

True Love

True Love
The apostle John writes,
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.  
And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.  
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 2 John 1:4-6.
The apostle John throughout his gospel and his letters constantly comes back to “walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us.”
He asks believers to Love one another. John states, “his (Christ’s) command is that you walk in love.”
Love is the key to being Christian. It goes back to the teachings of Jesus who 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 who 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,...” Matthew 5:43,44.
John in his gospel quotes Jesus as saying,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.
John thought the message of love so important to the spreading of the gospel that he spoke over and over again both in his gospel and in his letters about it.
The love John spoke about is unconditional love. It is a love everyone who claims to be Christian MUST understand and put into practice.
The apostle Paul defines Christian 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

This is unconditional love. God showed unconditional love by sending Jesus to die for us. The apostle Paul stating
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” Romans 5:6-11.
Think about it when we were sinners, enemies of God’s, He sent His son to die for our sins. This is unconditional love.
As Christians we must be willing to die to spread the message of Christ. Something many Christians around the world are doing.
However I look at Christians here in North America where I live and ask myself would many who claim to be Christians be willing to die for their enemy?
If you claim to be a Christian living in the United States or Canada would you be willing to die for an abortionist? Would you be willing to die for someone of a different lifestyle or faith?
Here is a question that was once posed to me. If you as a Christian were in a situation where you had to choose between whether you died or a non-Christian died, would you be willing to die so that, that non-Christian could live.
Think carefully, because that is the same choice Jesus had to make. And in making His decision Jesus showed us what true love is.
Please think about it.

In Recognition of Women

In Recognition of Women
Today is international women’s day. A time to celebrate women and their achievements. Sadly women the achievements of women are overlooked. And women are not praised enough for their work. However in the Bible women are celebrated and many times take a leadership role. Miriam the sister of Moses helped save Moses by being obedient to her mother. She also led the celebrations  after God delivered His people out of Egypt. There were women Judges in Israel. In the New Testament Mary a devout women of God was chosen to bring the Messiah into the world. Women were the first to bring the news of Christ’s resurrection.
Throughout church history women have played a prominent role in spreading of the gospel message and many women virtually from the inception of Christianity like men were martyred for the sake of the gospel. Something that is still happening today.
Sadly all too often women’s achievements do go unrecognized.
The final chapter of the book of Proverbs celebrates wives I simply put it hear for you to think about. It states,

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. 

She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. 

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. 

She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. 

She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food

 for her family and portions for her servant girls. 

She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. 

She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. 

She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. 

In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. 

She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. 

When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. 

She makes coverings for her bed; 

she is clothed in fine linen and purple. 

Her husband is respected at the city gate, 

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. 

She makes linen garments and sells them, 

and supplies the merchants with sashes. 

She is clothed with strength and dignity; 

she can laugh at the days to come. 

She speaks with wisdom,

 and faithful instruction is on her tongue. 

She watches over the affairs of her household 

and does not eat the bread of idleness. 

Her children arise and call her blessed; 

her husband also, and he praises her: 

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” 

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 

but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 

Give her the reward she has earned, 

and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. 

Proverbs 10-31

If you are a married man reading this why not take time to go to your wife and praise her for all she has done for you.
If you are an employer, especially if you are a Christian employer, why not go to your women employees and thank them for all they have done for your company.
Giving praise and encouragement to anyone never hurts.
Please think about it.

We Know

We Know
The Apostle John states,
“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” 1John 5:20,
John here in the concluding remarks of his first letter once again makes definite statements.
“We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true.”
When we believe Jesus is the Son of God. He gives us understanding so that we may know the one true God creator of heaven and earth.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh. Through him we can see God the Father.
John makes it clear,
“And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life”
This statement harkens to John’s statement in his gospel about those who believe in Jesus. John states,
“Yet to all who received him,(Jesus) to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
As radical and controversial as it may seem in some circles, we Christians do believe we are Children of God called to do his work.
It is something you the reader must consider. Is Jesus the Son of God, God incarnate or is he not?
Henry Ward Beecher stated,
“If Christ is not divine, every impulse of the Christian world falls to a lower octave, and light and love and hope decline.” Henry Ward Beecher
John in his gospel records this conversation between Jesus and his disciples. He records,
“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  
If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 
Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  
Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” John 14:5-10.
Here Jesus make it clear that he truly is one with God the Father.
Thus the question becomes, Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, Saviour of Mankind, God incarnate?
Please think about it.