What would you do?

What would you do?
From time to time I like to poke believers in Christ Jesus with a pointy stick. To make them think about things that are hot button issues in some church congregations. This is one of those days.
The Psalmist writes,
“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 scenario I present for your consideration is this story,
“That morning, Margaret Elizabeth got up extra early, readying herself for the day.  She would get only one chance to make an impression.  To that end, she applied her makeup with extra care.  Chose the black ankle length wraparound skirt, white turtle neck top and black jacket, her children had given her as a gift, while in hospital.  She limited her jewelry to a simple pair of diamond studied earrings, that had been her grandmother’s and small bracelet given to her by her daughter-in-law.
That done she took the ten minute drive to the modest size church she attended. Meeting with the pastor in the office.
For a few minutes they talked and prayed. Then seeing the time she proceeded to the pulpit.
Leaving that office, to walk to the pulpit was the hardest steps, she ever had to make.  Her heart pounded and by the time, she stood behind the pulpit she was visibly shaking.
“Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Margaret Elizabeth Doran and just before Christmas, I underwent Sexual Reassignment Surgery.” she said relief surging through her body, as silence engulfed the assembly.  
I know that many of you, maybe uncomfortable with that.  That is why I have asked to speak to you, to give you my testimony and then allow you to ask questions.
I have felt like a woman trapped in a man’s body for my entire life.  I was married for over thirty years to a wonderful and accepting woman, who died several years prior to my coming to this assembly.  I have a wonderful family, all of whom support me and are here today.
Believe me, I did not choose this course of action lightly.  I did so after much personal anguish and a great deal of prayer.
For a little over two years prior to my complete transition, I have lived my life as a woman: I was doing so when I came to this church and I think I did it well enough that no one knew.  If they did no one commented.
I have no apologies to give for what I did, or who I am, because I do not believe I did anything wrong.
I accepted Jesus as my Saviour over thirty-five years ago, and asked Him to remove from me what at times, has been a difficult burden.  He has chosen not to and thus, I have accepted that I am what I am.  A child of God, who knew me according to the Psalms in my mother’s womb.
I have no intentions of preaching a sermon here today, only to ask you to accept me as I am.  In fact, the only reason I stand before you today, is because I was asked to come onto the staff of this church and wish to be completely honest with you.
Now, I will open the door to all questions and endeavor to answer them to the best of my ability.  After which, I will ask for a vote and abide by your decision.”
There were many questions answered. Then finally the pastor came to the front.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time to take a vote.”  He said.  “If you wish Margaret Elizabeth to become a part of our pastoral staff, please rise to your feet.”
Question,
If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus how would you vote?
How do you think the congregation you belong to would react?
The position she was seeking aside. Would this person be accepted in the congregation you attend?
Please think about it.

Do you believe?

Do you believe?
The Apostle John writing about Jesus said,
“Yet to all who received him, 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.
The Apostle Paul writing to believers in Christ Jesus said,
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26-28.
It is the core of Christian belief that through belief in Christ Jesus you become children of God. That you receive eternal life.
Jesus said,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6.
The apostle Paul writes,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1Timothy 1:15,16.
What the apostle Paul is saying here through belief in Christ Jesus we receive eternal life.
Thus the question becomes. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate who died for your sins, That you may have eternal life in heaven with God?
Please think about it.

Faith and Works

Faith and Works.
The James the half brother of Jesus 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 have often heard over the years by Christians that you are saved by faith in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus. That is true. The apostle Paul tells us,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
That being said our faith in Christ Jesus should spur us on to do good works. That is what James is speaking about in the above scripture. Christianity is very much a faith of deeds.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.” Tony Campolo.
He’s right in caring for the sick, feeding the hungry and standing up for the oppressed we as believers in Christ Jesus are building bridges. Bridges that can help lead a person to life eternal in Christ Jesus.
I like what Francis of Assisi wrote. He said,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                 Francis of Assisi

Thus the question becomes. If you are a true believer in Christ Jesus what are your words and deeds telling those around you about God?
Please think about it.

A Christian Life

A Christian Life
The Apostle Paul writing to believers in Christ about the Christian life states,
“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.
Sadly many outside the church here in North America where I live don’t see these fruits. They see people calling themselves Christians demonstrating against things. They see people who claim to be Christians but who’s actions show them to be hypocrites, and bigots. They fail to see Love.
When I was much younger my pastor at the time told me that if I only remembered one verse from scripture it should be. The words of Jesus who 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.
He told me that as you grow correctly as a believer in Christ Jesus the fruits of the Spirit the apostle Paul talks about should grow and show in your life.
If you are a believer in Christ Jesus look at the fruits Paul is speaking about. Are they showing in your life? The apostle Paul noted,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is

love, 

joy, 

peace, 

patience, 

kindness, 

goodness, 

faithfulness,  

gentleness

 and self-control.” 

Paul then notes, “Against such things there is no law.”
If we are true followers of Christ Jesus people should see these attributes without us saying a single word. They should see it in our lifestyle.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

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

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

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

                                                   Francis of Assisi

Francis also noted,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                        Francis of Assisi

Please think about it.

The Love of Money

The Love of Money
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5.
Let me make one thing clear here. Having a lot of money is not in itself sinful. There are many wealthy people within the church who use their wealth to further the kingdom of God.
The problem comes when you put money ahead of your faith in God. God should always come first.
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.
It’s nice having a lot of money. Money that allows you to do as you wish. However if you are spending all your time trying to earn more and more money to the point where you can’t serve God that is wrong.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
Thus the question becomes. If you are a believer in Christ Jesus do you truly put God first?
Please think about it.

About Jesus

About Jesus
Jesus speaking to Martha said,
“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 11:25,26,27.
In my previous blog I noted that in order to be a true believer in Christ Jesus you must believe that Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh. You must believe that Jesus paid the price for our sins.
If Jesus is not all he claimed to be then Christianity is meaningless. C. S. Lewis writing about Jesus said,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Thus the Choice is yours. Do you believe Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh, The Saviour of mankind?
Please think about it.

Who is Jesus

Who is Jesus?
The Apostle Paul writes,
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
                                                                                          Colossians 2:9.
The apostle John writes,
“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 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 
In the above quoted scriptures from the New Testament we see the three basic things believers in Christ Jesus believe.
1. Jesus is God.
    ”in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
    “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” 
   “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”
Simply put Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh.
2. He made the world and everything in it.
   “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
Jesus is one with God the creator of the universe and everything in it.
3. He provided purification for sins and sits with God in Heaven.
  “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
To be a Christian, a true believer in Christ Jesus you must believe that Jesus is the one and Only Son of God. God incarnate. The one who provided purification for your sins.
What do you believe about Jesus?
Please think about it. 

The Real War

The real war
The apostle Paul writes,

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. 

On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” 

                                                                               2 Corinthians 10:3,4

As I write this North Korea has nuclear missiles that experts say can reach the United States. This is not a new thing. While North Korea is late in coming to the nuclear table. Nuclear weapons have been around since world war two.
As someone who lived in England during the “Cold War” a nuclear threat means little. Back then it was said it took seven minutes for and intercontinental ballistic missile to reach the United Kingdom from the Soviet Union. Not much time to seek shelter. My father always joked “why seek shelter. It will do little good. If one is launched. Lets go and watch the blast.”
My father was essentially right. An all out nuclear war would leave little standing and put man on the brink of extinction, at least in this world.
Someone once said,
“Some people are waiting for a final apocalyptic war. When in reality the final war is not fought with guns, bombs and ICBM’s on earthly battlefields. 
The real war is fought in and for the human heart. The out come of that battle will determine where a person will spend eternity.”
Martin Luther King jr. said,

“We need not join the mad rush to purchase an earthly fallout shelter. 

God is our eternal fallout shelter.” 

                                       Martin Luther King, Jr., 

The question is, is God your eternal fallout shelter? If you were to die to day would you be spending eternity with God?
The Psalmist states,

“The fool says in his heart,

 “There is no God.”

                             Psalm 14:1

The apostle Paul states,

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, 

but to us who are being saved 

it is the power of God.” 

                                    1 Corinthians 1:18.

Do you believe in God? Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God. The Saviour of Mankind?
John’s gospel 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....  
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  
Yet to all who received him, 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. 
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 1:1-4,11-14
C. S. Lewis makes this point,

“Christianity, if false, is of no importance,

 and if true, of infinite importance. 

The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

                                                                         C. S. Lewis.

Lewis speaking of Jesus also states,

“He died not for men, 

but for each man. 

If each man had been the only man made, 

He would have done no less.” 

                                      C.S. Lewis.

It all comes down to where your faith lies. As Billy Graham the American evangelist put it,

“I can't prove it scientifically, 

that there's a God, 

but I believe.” 

                 Billy Graham.

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

“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.

Thus the choice is yours.
Do you believe in God?
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of mankind?
Please think about it.

Praise God?

Praise God?
The apostle Peter writing to believers in Christ Jesus said,

“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.” 

                                                                            1 Peter 2:9.

So the question is if you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus in 2018 do you praise God?
You can praise God in many ways. The Psalmist tells us,
Praise the LORD.

“Praise God in his sanctuary; 

praise him in his mighty heavens. 

Praise him for his acts of power;

 praise him for his surpassing greatness. 

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, 

praise him with the harp and lyre, 

praise him with tambourine and dancing, 

praise him with the strings and flute, 

praise him with the clash of cymbals, 

praise him with resounding cymbals. 

Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. 

Praise the LORD.” 

                              Psalm 150.

Notice the Psalmist tells us to Praise God
With the trumpet,
With the harp and the lyre.
With the tambourine.
With dance.
With strings and flute.
With the clash of cymbals.
With resounding cymbals.
When I was much younger in the 1970's I performed with a gospel group. We combined music and dance into our repertoire.
We had an amazing time. We always said our performances blessed us more than the audience because when we performed we were preforming for God not the audience.
We always stressed to those we performed in front of that they can do what we do. You don’t necessarily need a perfectly choreographed dance routine. You just need to put on some praise music and move to the flow of the music.
If you can’t dance then sing and it doesn’t have to be in tune. All God asks is that we praise him. That being said if you are self conscious about singing simply speak words of praise to God. It is something you can do anywhere.
The other way you can praise God is to tell others about Him. Giving praise to God in your words and your deeds.
As the apostle Peter said,

“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.” 

                                                                            1 Peter 2:9.

Please think about it.

The Eleven O Clock Prayer

The Eleven O Clock Prayer
It’s eleven o clock. Inside the court house a judge is about to make his ruling. A community, a nation waits. 
Will the new law be legal? 
Outside the court house men and women with placards chant. 
On one side of the street stand a group of gay men and women. All in favour of the new law.
On the other side of the street separated by a line of police stand radical evangelicals, denouncing the new law.
One man among them screams angrily . “HOMOSEXUALS ARE GOING TO BURN IN HELL!!!”
Approached by the media he says it again, “homosexuals are sinners going to hell.” 
From my office window I watch asking myself the question, ‘is this man an Christian?”
Wasn’t it Christ who told us not only to love our neighbour but our enemy also?
Wasn’t it Christ who told us not to judge, lest we be judged likewise?
Wasn’t it Christ who said go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation?
Is this man showing love?
Is this man judging another? 
Can this man be effective in reaching the whole world of which a percentage are homosexual?
Is this man even a Christian?
A question keeps rolling through my mind for which I know the answer, “Can we truly know what is in someone else’s head?
Do we really know why a person is like they are?”
For a moment I stare down at the crowd. All the time asking myself who is on the way to Hell this day, and how can I reach them for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
Turning away from my window I kneel down and pray, “Lord guide me this day. Let me make the right decision on this law.”

A comment
Jesus never said a gay man or woman couldn’t get to heaven. He didn’t specifically say a strait man or woman could not get to heaven either.
The Bible makes it clear that sin separates us from God. The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”  Romans 3:23,24
John’s gospel telling us,
“Yet to all who received him, 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.
No individual can tell another individual whether they are saved or not. Salvation is between God and the individual. We have no right to judge our fellow man with respect to 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
Another American evangelist, Billy Graham said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love, 

                             Billy Graham

Please think about it.

Are you on the Left or on the Right?

Are you on the Left or the Right?
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
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?...  
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead”James 2:14-20, 26
Matthew’s gospel records Jesus as saying,
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 
I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ 
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 
“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:34-46
There are those today who look on the poor and call them lazy. For the most part nothing could be further from the truth. Many poor people are working at minimum wage jobs. Many are holding down multiple jobs and still living below the poverty line.
Here where I live in Ontario Canada the provincial government raised the minimum wage considerably. The cry from many in the business sector was it was going up too fast. Some even said to high.
I would challenge people particularly those calling themselves Christians, who say’s the minimum wage is too high or being raised too fast to look at those living below the poverty line. To look them in the eye and tell them they must wait to put food on the table for their families.
The Jews have a concept called “Tzedakah”. It is something Christians need to think about. something we all need to think about.  One Jewish web site defines Tzedakah as,
"Tzedakah" is the Hebrew word for the acts that we call "charity" in English: giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However, the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word "charity" suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy. The word "tzedakah" is derived from the Hebrew rootTzadei-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due.”
Tzadakah is to me what Jesus and James were talking about. Giving the poor their due. Their basic human rights if you will, food, clothing, housing, a living wage.
so the question is, when you stand before God will you be with those who stand on the left or on the right?
Please think about it.

A Sermon

A Sermon from Athens
Sometimes I believe pastors teachers and evangelist need to simply sit back and let the Bible speak. This is one of those times. Below is one of the first sermons ever recorded. It was spoken by the Apostle Paul at the Areopagus in Athens. What it says is as relevant today as it was on the day Paul spoke it. Paul states,
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill. 
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.
At that, Paul left the Council.  
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.” Acts 17:22-34
Thus the question for you the twenty-first century reader of Paul’s sermon is what do you think? In Paul’s it is recorded that some sneered at the thought of the resurrection. Others said they wanted to know more. While yet others believed.
So where do you stand with respect to Jesus?
Please think about it.