Who do you think Jesus is?

Who do you think Jesus is?
Matthews gospel records this conversation between Jesus and the apostle Peter. He notes,
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16
John’s gospel records a conversation between Jesus and Martha
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
John’s gospel also records this incident,
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:24-30.
In each of the quotes above the gospel writers makes it clear that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. They even quote Jesus as saying he is one with God. God incarnate.
The New Testament does not shy away from saying who Jesus is. The writer of Hebrews not only says who Jesus is but tells us why he came to this earth. He writes,
“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.
Note the writer tells us that Jesus is the exact representation of God. That he provided purification of sins.
True believers in Christ Jesus believe this. The question however becomes do you believe this?
What I would ask of you is to please before you decide who Jesus is, take sometime to read the New Testament and find out what the early followers of Jesus, men who witnessed his life first hand had to say about him?
Please think about it.

Attributes of a Believer

Attributes of a Believer
The apostle Paul 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.
Over the years I’ve been asked how to spot a true believer in Christ Jesus. After all it’s easy to go to church and say you are a Christian and not be one. Additionally Christians are human, at times they get frustrated with people and even lose their temper.
Still that being said I believe true Christians will without saying anything be noted for their life and lifestyle.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                                     Francis of Assisi.

A Christians life will be as the apostle Paul said filled with the fruits of the Spirit,

“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control...”

A true believer in Christ Jesus will do their best to live up to the words obey the words of the apostle Paul who wrote,

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, 

live at peace with everyone.”

                                           Romans 12:18

Believers in Christ will follow obey the words written by the apostle Peter,
“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.
A believer in Christ Jesus will believe and act on the words of the writer of Hebrews who said,
“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.
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians made an important point. He said,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; 

the old has gone, the new has come!”  

                                                               2 Corinthians 5:17.

I firmly believe if someone truly accepts Christ into their lives. Their lives will start to change for the better and people around them will notice this without them saying a word.
Please think about it.

Meaning

Meaning
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”Ecclesiastes 1:14
Over the years I have met many men and women who are looking for meaning in life. They have looked for that meaning in wealth, in science, in the arts, even in drugs and alcohol.     Some people even go off to join extremists and terrorist groups all in the hopes of finding meaning for their lives.
Sadly many unable to find meaning in the things of this world and what our secular society has to offer have committed suicide.
They concluded that what the writer of Ecclesiastes stated was right when he said,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
Looking at this life from man’s prospective. From a secular prospective where all there is, is this life, I can see how someone would think that way. Life quite often dose not seem to have any meaning.
After all what good is it if we acquire vast wealth, and possessions only to loose it all on the day we die?
Atheist tell us there is no God or an after life to which I think Peter John Kreeft answers wisely saying,
“Atheism treats people cheaply. Also, it robs death of meaning, and if death has no meaning, how can life ultimately have meaning?....
...in the end, when the atheist dies and encounters God instead of nothingness he had predicted he’ll recognize that atheism was a cheap answer because it refused the only thing that’s not cheap the God of infinite value” Peter John Kreeft ph.d.
The writer of Ecclesiastes after examining life from a human prospective comes to this conclusion,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
The key I believe to finding meaning and peace in this life is belief in God.
C. S. Lewis said,
“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”  C.S. Lewis
 Rick Warren said,

“You were made by God and for God, 

and until you understand that, 

life will never make sense.” 

                                             Rick Warren.

Rick Warren is right until you understand that you were made by God and for God life will never make sense.
It is when we realize that life does not end in death. That man is an eternal being who was created by God to live on through eternity that we can truly find meaning in life.
Thomas Aquinas said,
“If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way.” Thomas Aquinas
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.
Jesus offers to all who will believe in him peace. A peace that reaches to a persons soul. A peace the world cannot take away.
It is a peace that anyone can have if they would simply turn to Jesus in prayer and truly ask Him into their life.
Are you willing to ask Jesus into your life today?
Please think about it.

Receivers of the Word

Receivers of the Word
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. As well as those who hear the word of God but are not part of the church.
 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.
This latter group I believe also has a responsibility to reach out to the other tree groups. To what they can to bring to a personal relationship with Christ Jesus.
In the book of Jude we read,
“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 1:20-23.
Please think about it,

F. A. I. T. H.

F.A.I.T.H.
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

For some Christians the word FAITH means,

Forsaking 

All

I 

Take 

Him.

Faith is a very personal thing. You cannot force people to have faith in anyone or anything they must make that decision for themselves.
For a true follower of Christ, faith in Christ means we will follow him to our grave. No matter what the circumstances.
A true believer in Christ understands the words of the Apostle Paul who wrote,
“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.
Please think about it.

Let Love

Let Love
The writer of Proverbs states,

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

 bind them around your neck, 

write them on the tablet of your heart. 

Then you will win favor and a good name

 in the sight of God and man.”

                                          Proverbs 3:3,4.

Martin Luther King jr. the great American civil rights leader said,

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

                                                                                 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver in a December 1942 sermon said,
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.” Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver.
As believers in Christ Jesus we are called to love. 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
Jesus also 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.
According to the apostle Paul,

“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.

Love opens a multitude of doors. Without Love for God, our neighbour and even our enemy we cannot effectively present the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the world. For Jesus 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.” John 3:16,17.
Please think about it. 

Make Known

Make Known
The writer of Chronicles states,
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1Chronicles 16:8.
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.
It is I believe the job of every believer in Christ Jesus to tell the world about God and the Saving Grace that comes through His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.
If you are truly a believer in Christ Jesus then your faith in Christ should be the most valuable thing you have. You should want to tell people about your faith.
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.’  1Peter 2:9.
Thus the question becomes, If you claim to be a true believer in Christ Jesus is your faith so precious to you that you want to share it with anyone who will listen?
Please think about it.

The Fear of God

The Fear of God
The Psalmist states,

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; 

all who follow his precepts have good understanding.

 To him belongs eternal praise.” 

                                             Psalm 111: 10

Abba Hellel Silver said
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.” Abba Hillel Silver.
I firmly believe that an orderly society could not have evolved if there was no God. God I believe has if you will engraved on the harts and in the minds of each individual what is right and what is wrong.
He has expressed in basic form how he expects individuals to act with respect to God and to ones fellow man when he gave the ten commandments.
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 
“You shall have no other gods before me. 
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,  but showing love to a thousand  generations  of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 
“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 
“You shall not murder. 
“You shall not commit adultery. 
“You shall not steal. 
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 
Exodus 20:2-17.
It is when mankind fails to recognize these basic principles laid down by God that society starts to fall apart and human life becomes cheap.
 It is when man fails to recognize there is a God who will one day judge him that people feel free to do as they wish.
We only have to look at Nazi Germany during world war two to see how true this is. Hitler and his henchmen turned from God and embraced evil, not fearing God’s wrath. As a result tens of millions suffered and died in what was the worst conflict in human history.
This is true of every dictator that has ever risen. When they do not recognize or fear God individuals suffer.
It is therefor I believe important that individuals and society as a whole recognize God and at the very least obey the ten commandments to ensure a civilized society.
Please think about it.

I Believe

I Believe
The Psalmist writes,

“I wait for the LORD, 

my soul waits,

 and in his word I put my hope.” 

                                          Psalm 130:5.

In my previous blog I quoted Voltaire as saying

To believe in God is impossible 

not to believe in Him is absurd.” 

                                             Voltaire.  

I do believe this. I believe God exists and that Jesus Christ is his one and only Son.
I believe the apostle John who wrote,
“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.
I believe Jesus was their when the Universe and everything in it was created.
For me it is a purely faith thing. Although not a blind faith thing. You see the Psalmist tells us,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech;

 night after night they display knowledge. 

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” 

                                                                     Psalm 19:1-3.

As I look at it science done properly will point people to God the Creator of all things.
Science shows us there is an orderly universe. Every thing from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies are in perfect harmony to let life exist as we know it here on earth.
I cannot believe this came into being randomly.
For me God exists and no one can change my mind. I know it’s a faith thing but even if God does not exist having faith in Him does not hurt.
What is dangerous and can hurt is not believing God exists only to find when you pass into eternity God exists and you have not had the faith to believe in Him.
The writer of Hebrews tells 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.

Thoughts on God

Thoughts on God
The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
The writer defining faith as,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope  for 

and 

certain of what we do not see.”  

                                       Hebrews 11:1

Voltaire said,

“To believe in God is impossible 

not to believe in Him is absurd.” 

                                             Voltaire.

Blaise Pascal said,

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe

 and enough shadows to blind those who don't. 

                                                         Blaise Pascal.

C. S. Lewis states,
“He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition.”  C. S. Lewis.
You have to truly be looking for God in order to find Him.
In my life I have found when it comes to faith in God there are extremes. At on end of the spectrum there are those who truly believe in God, no matter what the situation. While at the other end there are those who no matter what you say to them, or show them, they do not believe God exists.
Thomas Aquinas put it this way,
“To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” Thomas Aquinas.
As a believer in Christ Jesus I believe God exists and nothing can convince me otherwise.
    At the same time I support the right of those who do not believe God exists to have their opinion. For I firmly believe God has given everyone a freewill to believe and do as they wish. That includes not believing God exists.
What I would ask of those who do not believe in God is, are you absolutely sure you are correct?
I as a believer in God, as a believer in Christ Jesus, have nothing to fear if God does not exist.
On the other hand if you do not believe in God and He does exist there is at the very least something to think about, if not fear.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10,11.
Having said that and more the writer comes to this conclusion,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
Please think about it.

Invisible Lost

Invisible Lost
The Gospel of John records this conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. John notes,
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.  
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 
Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  
You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.  
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth John 4:19-24.
Here Jesus points out that a time was about to come when believers in God would no longer worship on Mount Gerizim where the Samaritans worshipped or in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped.
That time came not long after the crucifixion of Jesus. When the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and the Jews dispersed throughout the world.
Jesus goes on to point out that,
“...a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
God wants true worship.
Within churches today there are many, many people who attend church because it is the social thing to do. They attend because their parents and grandparents attended. They go because it’s a feel good thing. They even go because they feel obligated to go. They do not go because they want to worship God in spirit and in truth. They may not even understand what worshipping God in spirit and in truth means. Someone has called them the “invisible lost”.
The “invisible lost” generally know all the ritual of the church. They know the set prayers. They know when to say amen and halleluiah. They know the hymns and other music by hart.
Sadly however they do not have that personal relationship with Christ Jesus, and sadly these people are being overlooked by believers in Christ Jesus.
Believers in Christ Jesus are quiet good at looking outside of church congregations for those who are lost. For those who do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Sadly however they are missing the lost within their own congregations.
It to my way of thinking is the job of the true believer in Christ Jesus to reach out to not only those outside the church but to those inside. To ensure no soul is ever lost.
Please think about it.

Christians Claim

Christians Claim
The apostle Paul wrote,

“For in Christ

 all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

                                                        Colossians 2:9.

The writer of the book 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.
Here we read about three important things believers in Christ Jesus believe.
1/ Christ is divine. He is the exact representation of God’s being.
2/ That is was through Christ the universe was made.
3/ Christ provides purification for sins. 
Put simply Jesus is God part of what Christians refer to as the God Head, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
If this is not true then those of us who believe in Christ Jesus are sadly misled as are billions of believers today and throughout the centuries.
Henry Ward Beecher said,
“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.
Please think about it.