Doers of the Word

Doers of the Word
James the Half brother of Jesus wrote,
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,  for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”  James 1:19-22.
Someone has said that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ it is through the lense of your life non-believers will see Jesus. As Francis of Assisi put it,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                    Francis of Assisi.

The apostle Paul said,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22,23.
If you claim to be a believer in Jesus Christ are these the attributes people see in you.
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
If you claim to be a Christian do you show true unconditional love to all you come in contact with?
Love as defined by the apostle Paul 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.

When people see you life are they seeing the unconditional Love of God?
Please think about it.

Your Heart

Your heart
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position.  
But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower.  
For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business. 
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”James 1:9-12 
Notice James reverses things when comparing the rich man to the poor man. In our secular society the one who is rich is quite often considered to have a high position. While the poor man has a low one. Not so with God.
A person of humble means needs to rely on God every day. They are drawn toward God to help them meet their daily needs. Not necessarily so with someone who is rich. They can rely on their riches. As a result they may not turn to God in the way a poor person does.
The apostle Paul warns,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10.
Notice Paul here states it is “the Love of money that is a root of all kinds of evil”. Having a lot of money is not sinful. It’s what we do to get that money, and how we use that money that can be sinful.
Money if we use it wrongly can pull us away from God.
Matthew’s gospel tells this story of a wealthy man that came to Jesus,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22
In this case the rich man did not have complete faith in God. His riches it appears were more important than God.
The key here goes back to what 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.” Matthew 6:19-21
Thus the question is. Where is your heart?
Please think about it.

You and God

You and God
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;  but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  
Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 
Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. 
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:13-17.
By nature God is good. He does not tempt us to do bad things.
God however has given us a free will. When God created man He did not create a robot. He gave each individual a freewill do to as he wished.
God set in the hearts of man and through his written law what God expected of each individual. We see this in a nutshell in the Ten commandments.
The ten commandments lay out for man, how God expects him to act with respect to God and his fellow man.
If man chooses not to do so he is sinning. Sinning is falling short of what God expects of the individual. And there is a penalty to be paid for disobedience of God’s laws. The apostle Paul noting,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
Paul however notes there is hope for those who sin when he writes,
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 
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.” Romans 5:5-8.
The apostle John quoting Jesus speaking of himself 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.
Thus you the reader and indeed every individual hearing about Jesus has a choice to make. Believe in God and believe that Jesus Christ is His one and Only Son the Saviour of mankind or not.
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

Remembering the Prisoner

Remember the Prisoner
The writer of Hebrews tells us
“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”Hebrews 13:3 
Around the world today men and women are facing persecution for their belief in Jesus Christ.
In fact as I write this a Canadian Korean pastor has just been released from over two years in a North Korean prison. His crime believing in Jesus. Many who believe in Christ Jesus however are still in prison for their faith.
Quite often they are forgotten men and women.
In December of 2013 the United Kingdom parliament heard that one Christian is killed every eleven minutes for their faith.
MP Jim Shannon said the persecution of Christians is “the biggest story in the world that has never been told”
He said that although the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, there are many countries in which these rights are not given.
Shannon alleged that 200 million Christians will be persecuted for their faith this year,(2013) while he said 500 million live in dangerous neighbourhoods.”
In early November, 2013 German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that Christianity is "the most persecuted religion in the world."
As Christians we need to be conscious of our fellow believers in Christ who are suffering for their faith.
We need to at the very least be praying for them. We who live in the western democracies need to be informing our politicians about the persecuted church. We need to be asking our politicians to do what they can to help the persecuted.
Prayer and petition to governments does work.
The Canadian pastor I mentioned at the start of this article was released because of prayer and the intervention of the Canadian government, who incidentally has no diplomatic presence in North Korea.
We in the west with all of our freedoms need also to remember that it is our sacred duty to tell the world about Jesus in word, in deed and in love. We need to be remembered for what we believe in not what we are against.
As the apostle Peter wrote,
“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
This pastor that has just been released is an excellent example of that. He was taking humanitarian aid to North Korea, nothing more. His only crime was being a Christian.
Please think about it. 

Your Faith

Your Faith
            The Psalmist wrote,

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

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

 He leads me beside quiet waters, 

He restores my soul. 

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

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

I will fear no evil, 

for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

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

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

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

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

                                                                            Psalm 23

Do you have complete faith in God?
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

                                                        Hebrews 11:1

Martin Luther King jr. said,

“Faith is taking the first step 

even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

                                                 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Charles Spurgeon wrote,

“To trust God in the light is nothing, 

but to trust Him in the dark—

that is faith.” 

                                             Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

It can be very easy to confess being a Christian in the good times when life is easy and trouble free. However it is a different for many when life becomes difficult. When trouble and persecution come along.
God however requires faith in the bad times as well as the good times. The apostle Paul writing,
“Here is a trustworthy saying:

if we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, 

he will remain faithful, 

for he cannot disown himself.

                                          2 Timothy 11-13

Thus the question is do you have complete faith in God?
The writer of Hebrews reminding us,

“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

Please think about it.

Do not Judge

Do not Judge
Matthew’s gospel records Jesus as saying,
“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.
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
Someone said Christians are not allowed to Judge people period. That is not entirely true. We Christians have the right to judge those within our own faith, but only to tell whether or not the person is teaching the scriptures correctly.
We may also judge someone to ensure our safety and the safety of others.
We however have no right to judge a person and say where they will spend eternity.
Tony Campolo the American Evangelist said,
"We ought to get out of the judging business. We should leave it up to God to determine who belongs in one arena or another when it comes to eternity. What we are obligated to do is to tell people about Jesus, and that's what I do.” Tony Campolo.
 Billy Graham the great American evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love,” 

                           Billy Graham.

Question: Do you love as Jesus Loved?
Please think about it

Put it this way

Put it this way
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

Put this way in the A. D. 2017 this means,

If you are

demonstrating against anyone. 

You are telling them 

they can demonstrate against you.

If you are 

speaking out and trying to restrict the rights of others 

given to them by the lawfully elected government.

You are telling others 

they can try to restrict your rights.

If you are 

imposing your morals however good they may be on others.

You are telling them 

they can impose their morals on you, 

even if they are not as good as yours.

If you are 

trying to impose your faith on others rather than presenting your faith.

You are telling others 

they can impose their faith on you.

If you are

judging others.

You are telling others 

they can judge you in the same way.

If you 

are telling the world you are a Christian

You should be telling the world 

I love you as Jesus loves you,...

unconditionally. 

Please think about it

Fruits of the Spirit

Fruits of the Spirit
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22.23.
These are the attributes of all who truly believe in Christ Jesus. If we are truly following Christ we should be known as exhibiting these attributes.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans, states,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”Romans 12:18.
Paul writing to Titus said,
“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.”Titus 3:1,2.
Living at peace with all men is a Christian attribute. Christianity is not a confrontational faith. 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.
Jesus did not say to force anyone to become a Christian. He never said to argue with anyone, judge them or condemn them in any way.
 The job of the Christian is to present the gospel message to those around them, then let them decide for themselves if they believe or not.
The apostle Peter writes,
“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. 
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 2:9-12.
Is your life truly reflecting the fruits of the Spirit?
Please think about it.

Jesus is

Jesus is
The apostle John states,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
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 apostle Paul writes,
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Colossians 2:9
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.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
The apostle John quotes Jesus as saying of himself,
“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.
These are the bedrock beliefs of all Christians. You cannot be a believer in Jesus Christ and not believe these things. They are not left to interpretation they are fact.
Simply put,
Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh.
Jesus is the creator of the universe and everything in it.
Jesus came to earth to show in human terms how far God was willing to go to point man to heaven. To pay the price for our sins.
Jesus gives us a Choice believe in Him or not.
Those who believe are not condemned. However those who do not believe are condemned “for they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
Do you believe this?
Please think about it.

A Need to Study

A Need to Study
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.” 2Timothy 3:1-5.
Paul’s warning to Timothy is especially true today. Today as never before there are many in the church who have a form of godliness but are not true believers in Christ. They are not following the scriptures correctly.
These are people within our church congregations and denominations. They are evangelist pastors and people in the pews. Men and women we need to be cautious of.
I believe the best Christian is an educated Christian. Someone who not only studies the Bible but also studies church history from the time of Creation to the present.
Believers in Christ should at the very least know what they believe and why they believe it. Sadly all too many Christians do not know why they believe what they believe. They simply go on the word of a pastor or evangelist.
The thing is, as good as pastors, evangelist and Christian teachers are they are fallible and from time to time even the best teacher and preachers make mistakes. That is why we need to study the scriptures.
The advice of the apostle Paul told Timothy applies to us all,
“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.”  2 Timothy 2:15.
Do you study the Bible on your own? Do you take time to study the history surrounding the scriptures?
Please think about it. 

If you Love Jesus

If you Love Jesus
Matthew’s Gospel records,
“Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”  John 14:23
Do you love Christ?
If so, are you following the teachings of Jesus?
Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
The apostle Paul defines what true Christian love is 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.

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 are you following these teachings of Jesus?
Please think about it.

Where are you?

Where Are You?
Matthews gospel records this parable spoken by Jesus,
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.  
Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  
Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 
  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  
He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:1-9
         Jesus interpreted his parables this way,
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.  
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.  
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:18-23.
What Jesus is saying is very typical of what happens in our churches today. There are those who hears the message but fails to fully understand it and quickly falls away without trying to look deeper.
There are others who receive the word but the moment persecution or hard spiritual times come, they fall away.
Then there are those who receive the word but have a lot of earthly baggage. They fall pray to the worries of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth. their worries in this world taking precedent over their faith in God.
Then there are those who truly believe who go forth and take the gospel to those around them producing more believers.
Where are you in this spectrum of hearers of the word?
Think about it.