What if?

What if?
The gospel of John records Jesus as saying,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
What if as I believe, this statement is true? That Jesus is the way to heaven?
In saying this, Jesus is saying, there is a very narrow entrance to Heaven.
In the gospel of Matthew we read Jesus as saying,
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13,14.
I hear non-Christians all the time say there are many ways to heaven. I as a Christian do not believe that. There is but one way to heaven. By accepting Gods saving Grace that comes through Jesus Christ.
I know that may turn people off. That many non-Christians don’t want to hear that or simply think Christians are wrong in believing this. Still it is what Christians believe.
I simply place this hear for you dear reader to consider. If I am wrong then you have nothing to worry about. If on the other hand I am right it potentially has eternal consequences for all who do not believe Jesus is the way to heaven.
Please think carefully about it.

Worship do you?

Worship do you?
Jesus said,

“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 4:23-24.

There are many in this day and age especially here in North America where I live who claim to be Christians. Who claim to worship God, and they do somewhat. They go to church, they participate in the worship portion of the service. Listen to the sermon. There heart however is not entirely in it.
Outside of the church they do nothing. They fail to worship God outside of Church. The things of the world it seems are more important to them.
The way I see it is Worship is made up of three things. Praise, prayer and thanksgiving.
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.

The apostle Paul tells us,
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone...” 1 Timothy 2:1.
The Psalmist telling us,

“Give thanks to the LORD, 

for he is good; his love endures forever. 

Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” 

Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” 

Let those who fear the LORD say: “His love endures forever.”

                                                                                 Psalm 1181-4

This, if you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus this is what you should be doing both inside and outside the church.
Please think about it.

The foolishness of the cross

The foolishness of the cross
The apostle Paul writes,
“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.
Sadly this is a very true statement. At first glance the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross can seem like foolishness. I think that is largely because people tend to want God to do things their way.
After all why not, if God wants people to believe in Him, why not come in all His glory and power?
Why enter the world in the form of a baby, grow up in the normal way? 
Why let evil men put you to death for a crime you didn’t commit?
Why not even after being placed on the cross, why not show your power by getting down and calling legions of angels to deal with the evil ones that put you there? This would show anyone that Jesus is God. So why not do this?
Answer God does not do things the way man thinks he should do things.
The very life of Jesus at times does not seem to be the actions of an all powerful God. Still this is the way God wanted it. I believe the reason He wanted it this was is simple. God want’s men and women of faith. God knows that men and women with faith in anything are the strongest of followers. Such people will give their lives in the cause they believe in.
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.
At first glance the story of Jesus may seem outrageous still it is what God wants people everywhere to believe.
The choice dear reader is yours.
The apostle Paul stating,
“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.
Please think about it.

Sinners All

Sinners All
The apostle Paul wrote,

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

                                                                         Romans 3:23.

According to Christian belief every man and woman who has ever been born has sinned and falls short of God’s glory.
C. S. Lewis stated what Christians believe when it comes to an individuals relationship to God when he said,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”  C.S. Lewis.
That being said, the apostle John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10
We as individuals must be honest with ourselves, and with God. Admitting to God that we are sinners. That we fall short of the ideal that he wants for our lives. That we make mistakes. That we sin.
Once we admit this we must ask God’s forgiveness. For when we do so John tells us, God,
“will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
The choice as to whether you as an individual believes this is entirely yours. God gives us all a freewill to do as we wish. He will not force himself on you.
Thus the choice dear reader is yours. Will you confess your sins and shortcomings to God today and accept God’s forgiveness or not?
The choice is yours.
Please think about it. 

Pray for everyone

Pray for everyone
The apostle Paul writing in the time of the emperor Nero wrote,
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  
This is good, and pleases God our Savior,  who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  1Timothy 2:1-4.
Paul living under Nero one of the worst persecutors of Christians actually asks his readers to pray for “kings and all those in authority”. 
Note however why he asks us to pray for those in authority. “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness”.
Paul unlike many who claim to be Christian today was under no delusion that he was living in a Christian nation. The Roman empire like all nations today was very secular.
Paul however understood that in order for the gospel message to be spread believers in Christ Jesus needed to live in peace with those around them.
He notes that living peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness pleases God. He fully understood that living at peace made it easier for the salvation message to be spread.
Today here in North America many Christians tend to bring politics into the mix. They say we should pray for our leaders because they say, they are Christian. To pray for our nation, because it is Christian.
I would imagine that few of our nations politicians even if they go to church, be they Canadian or American are truly Christian. (but that is between them and God). Politicians do not need to be Christian to be used by God.
God used a pagan, Caesar Augustus to get Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and fulfil the prophesy that Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem.
As for the nations of the world no nation on the face of the earth is Christian. There may be some nice sounding words in government documents and on government buildings that are words from the Bible. Additionally some laws are based on Christian principles. That however does not make a nation Christian.
My point here is the apostle Paul was not being political. He was a citizen of a multicultural pagan empire, telling followers of Christ to pray for and emperor and government officials that were far from Christian.
He was telling them to pray “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness”. Which is what we should be doing.
We shouldn’t care whether our political leaders are Christian, or not. Be they atheist, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or any other faith. Be they gay or strait. God can and does use them.
We should be praying for them. That they will make decisions that will help us as believers in Christ Jesus to live in peace that we may spread the good news of Gods salvation through Christ Jesus.
Please think about it.

Are You?

Are You?
The Psalmist writes,

“Blessed is the man who does 

not walk in the counsel of the wicked

 or stand in the way of sinners

 or sit in the seat of mockers. 

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

 and on his law he meditates day and night.” 

                                                           Psalm 1:1,2.

If you claim to be a Christian, do you meditate on God’s word?
Do you practice the teachings of Jesus?
Have you answered the question Jesus asked the Pharisees? When he said,
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:13.
Mercy is the key teaching of Christianity. The apostle Paul tells us,
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” Titus 3:4,5.
In order to understand the mercy of God through Christ Jesus, we need to meditate and study the scriptures daily. For it is only then will gain a fuller understanding of what God wishes for our lives.
The apostle Paul states,
“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.
Thus my questions to you the reader. I you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus.

Are you truly studying the word of God correctly? 

Are you doing your best to handle the word of God correctly? 

Are you?

Please think about it.

Judgement and the Christian

Judgement and the Christian
James the half brother of Jesus said,
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” James 2:12,13
How do you speak and act with other people?
Do you refuse to interact with those of different faiths or lifestyles?
Do you judge those with whom you disagree with?
Are you quick to point out whether or not a person is going to hell?
Jesus said,
“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 wrote,
“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
Christians have no right to judge other people. We can, I believe from what the apostle Paul states judge other Christians but only to see if they are teaching sound doctrine. We however have no right to judge anyone when it comes to where they will spend eternity.
The mandate of the church was given by Jesus when he 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.
Our job as individual Christians is to present the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus to those around us. We cannot do this if we are in any way judging those around us.
Please think about it.

Failing Christ.

Failing Christ
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18,19.
Many modern businesses have what they call mission statements. If Jesus ever had such a mission statement. The above quote would be it.
In today’s 24/7 society people are looking for precisely what Jesus is offering, something beyond the materialism and secularism western society offers. They may not know what it is but they know it is there somewhere.
I firmly believe that what they are looking for is the freedom Christ has to offer. They however through no fault of their own are missing that opportunity.
Sometime ago I came across a book entitled "Essentials in Christian Faith" by John B. Harrington, published in 1958, although it could have been written yesterday. It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
   "A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
  Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 
  Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... 
For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency courage."
If Paul Gallico is right and I believe he is, mankind is considerably nearer the bottom of that slope than he was in 1948. Moreover at the bottom of that slope is a very deep lake filled with brimstone.
   When I speak I can only truthfully speak of what I see first hand about Christians and the North American society in which I live.
The way I see it the Christian church has slowly let secularism politics and other things of the world into its doors.
So much so in many cases Christians have for lack of a better term “become religious”. They are known for what they are against and not for what they are for. 
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"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
All of these things the apostle Paul mentions have quietly slipped into the church today and church leaders are failing to correct the wrongs being done in the name of Jesus, in the name of God. Thus the church is failing in it’s mandate.
The church often talks of the need for revival and if ever there was a time for revival it is now. Revival however come with a price. It comes from within. Starting by going back to the basics. Going to God in prayer and asking Him to show where things have gone astray. At the same time there is a need to go back to the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to study the scriptures and put them into practice.
All of the great reformers of the church have done this. In doing so they caused great debate and conflict within the church. It at times has even resulted in the deaths of many servants of God. The result however was a return to the true teaching of the scriptures.
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18,19.
This is the mission statement of Jesus. This should be the mission statement of the church today in the twenty-first century. A statement we must take to heart. For if we do not we are failing Christ.
Please think about it.

Better

Better
The Solomon the writer of Ecclesiastes writes,
“Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2.
Here Solomon points out that entering a house of mourning a house grieving the loss of a loved one is better that entering a house that is celebrating.
The way I see it Solomon is right.
Not so long ago my wife’s younger brother died suddenly he was only in his early forties. Young by any standards. One of the common, for lack of a better expression phrases I noted from those who attended the funeral was “he was so young. It just goes to show you, you never know when death will happen.”
Solomon notes,
“The thoughts of the wise are in the house of mourning, but the thoughts of fools are in the house of pleasure. Ecclesiastes 7:4.
The way I see it is the death of someone should cause us to think about out mortality. Everyone knows that we will one day die. Yet it seems in our society especially here in the western nations we don’t plan for death. We live in “the house of pleasure”.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?” Tony Campolo.
Thus my question to you the reader. Upon your death will you be happy?
I as a believer in Christ Jesus believe you can know whether or not you will be happy upon your death. The apostle Paul writes,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:9-13.
Please think about it.

Note tot he 21st century church

A note to the 21st Century Church

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

live at peace with everyone.”  

                                      Romans 12:18.

Think about this...
Jesus and his disciples,
• Never Voted.
• Never Protested.
• Never judged anyone outside their own faith.
Yet they within a century they had spread the Good News of the Love of Jesus Christ throughout the known world.
They did so by,
• Presenting the Love of God to their neighbours and enemies alike.
• Showing Love and Mercy to all those they came in contact with.
• Living as far as possible at peace with those around them.
The disciples put into action 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.
And the words writer of the writer of Hebrews,
“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.
They followed the teaching of the Apostle Peter who 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.
If you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ are you doing this?
Please think about it.

Going to Heaven?

Going to Heaven?
Luke’s gospel records
“To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable:  
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  
The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  
I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14.
Do you go to church on Sunday? How about during the week? Do you go to church during the week? Are you active in the church? Do you fast? Do you tithe?
Do you know you can do all of the above and not go to heaven?
Sadly many people who go to church including those who are in places of responsibility in the church, Sunday school teachers, Bible study leaders, Pastors, Evangelist, may not be going to heaven.
O they’ve prayed the sinners prayer and do good work in the church, but just because they do this doesn’t mean they are going to Heaven. It does not mean they are justified before God.
The evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once said,

“The sinners prayer has sent more people to hell

 than all the bars in America.” 

                                                   Leonard Ravenhill

Sadly the sinners prayer has become a formula, at least here in North America. It can and does many times give a person a false sense of eternal security.
I believe you can go to heaven without saying the sinners prayer. All one must be willing to do is confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe God raised him from the dead you will be saved.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans explained it this way,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Romans 10:9-13.
So my question to you the reader is, Do you truly believe Jesus is Lord?
Your answer to that question can have eternal consequences.
Remember Jesus warned,
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23
Please think carefully about it.

On Abortion

On Abortion

The Psalmist writes,

“For you created my inmost being; 

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

                                                           Psalm 139:13

The other day I listened to my little granddaughter Faith’s heartbeat. It was on a microchip inside a stuffed elephant belonging to my grandson Faith’s two year old big brother. The reason Faith’s heartbeat is in the elephant is because it was recorded during an ultrasound. You see Faith is still in my daughter in laws womb.
Hearing Faith’s heartbeat reminded me of the words from Psalm 139 that states,

“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; 

                                                                  Psalm 139:13,14a

As I have said in previous blogs this portion of psalms tells us that God knew us from the inception of our lives. In our mothers womb. God knows why we are the way we are. He knows our DNA.
From this portion of scripture I also realize that we are alive in our mothers womb. We are a person in the same way we are outside the womb. Thus my belief abortion is wrong.
That being said I do believe a woman has the right to decide what she does with her own body.
At the same time a woman is also given a special responsibility by God to protect the child that is growing in her womb in the same way she would protect a child outside the womb.
There is almost no need for an unwanted pregnancy other than one caused by rape. Even then there is nothing wrong with bringing the pregnancy to full term and if the mother wishes having the child adopted. Allowing some good coming out of a traumatic experience. That good being a life that has unlimited potential.
That being said I believe the African proverb 

“It takes a village to raise a child”. 

     Which to my way of thinking means everyone especially our elected officials have an obligation to help both the child and his or her mother.
Governments can help by making birth control freely available.
One statistic I found, a US study, in 2012  of more than 9,000 women found that when women got no-cost birth control, the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions fell by between 62 and 78 percent.
Abstinence-only approaches, do not work.
I think especially if one claims to be a Christian a follower of Christ Jesus. We should bring our children up with our moral values of no sex before marriage. Which in a perfect world should be enough to ensure unwanted pregnancies. However we do not live in a perfect world.  There are children even in Christian homes that will engage in sexual behaviour.
That’s why I believe even in a Christian home we have a moral responsibility to speak openly with our children about sex. To tell our children that we would rather them abstain but if they do not, various forms of contraception are available.
Additionally we should not heap condemnation on our children, or for that matter anyone, for having sex or for that matter getting pregnant outside of marriage. All sins are forgivable.
We need to remember the words of James the half brother of Jesus who said,

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  

because judgment without mercy 

will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. 

Mercy triumphs over judgment!” 

                                                James 2:12,13.

At the same time we need to remember the words of Jesus who said,

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” 

                                                                              Matthew 5:7.

Which brings me to the picture at the top of this blog called “Memorial for Unborn Children”, by Martin Hudacek a sculpture from Slovakia. It depicts the anguish that some women can feel after having an abortion and the healing God can bring.
It to me illustrates that Christians should be there for any woman who has gone through with an abortion.
We should be there showing the Love of God remembering the words of Jesus who said,

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 

Please think about it.