Who do you think He is?

 Who do you think He is?

John’s gospel records this incident in the life of Jesus. John writes,

“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.  

“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.” 

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 

“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10 22-33.

Jesus here admits he is the Son of God. Jesus was not stupid. He knew what the penalty for claiming to be God, yet he told those around him that he was Gods Son a violation of the law.

I like what C. S. Lewis says about Jesus,

“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.”

So who do you believe Jesus to be?

Please think about it.

Are you making

 Are you making

The writer of Hebrews states,

"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 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.

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.

I know we are all human, make mistakes and fall short of what God wants for our lives. That being said however, if we are truly followers of Christ Jesus we should be at least trying to make the above scriptures active in our daily lives.

Thus my questions to you. 

Are you trying to live at peace with all those around you? 

Are you trying to live a holy life? 

Are you doing your best to abstain from sinful desires? 

Are you living a good life?

Are you making every effort to treat those around you the way you would have others treat you?

Please think about it.

Responding to Divine Love

  Responding to divine love

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.” John 3:16,17.

I believe how we respond to Gods love in sending Jesus to this world determines where we will spend eternity. 

The choice is simple. You either believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The Saviour of mankind or you do not.

Please think about it.

"Does it matter?"

  Dose it matter?

The Bible tells me,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.

The Bible doesn’t debate the issue of Gods existence because it was written to believers. And anyone who believes in God needs no explanation.

One question I find that comes up quite often is did God make the heavens and the earth in six twenty-four hour days or did He take millenniums? My answer is always does it matter?

All that is important is God exists, and He created the universe as we know it. And yes God could have used the Big Bang to do so.

The thing that does matter however is do you believe in God?

Before you answer that question however I would ask that you at least read the New Testament and perhaps visit a church and talk to the pastor. It can’t hurt and it just may convince you that God exists and loves you.

Please think about it.

You have a choice

  You have a choice

In the book of Joshua we read,

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD.  

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24: 14,15.

It is a choice we in the twenty-first century also have because even in our day and age we have gods we worship. Those gods range everything from material possessions, money, political and religious leaders. Even atheist, while they may not admit it, worship their belief that God does not exist.

Thus every person in the world today has a choice as to who they will worship. And I firmly believe that what or who we worship determines where we will spend eternity.

So the question becomes who do you worship?

Please think about it.

We Must Remember

 We must Remember

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.

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.

Campolo is right. It is not our place to judge others especially non-Christians. 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.” 1Corinthians 5:12,13.

Living in North America I see that Christians here are quick to point out the evils of the world around them but slow to expel the wicked in their midst. This should not be so. This kind of behaviour turns non-Christians away from Christ.

We as believers in Christ Jesus have an obligation to present the word of God in the purest form possible. It is therefore I believe incumbent on us to remove from our midst those claiming to be Christians that are not teaching the true gospel message.

At the same time we must be careful not to judge the people around us, especially non-Christians. Billy Graham the late American evangelist said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                                    Billy Graham.

We must remember the words of Jesus who said,

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16.

  Please think about 

An Obligation

 An Obligation

The Psalmist writes,

“I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;

 I will tell of all your wonders. 

I will be glad and rejoice in you; 

I will sing praise to your name, 

O Most High.” 

                                Psalm 9:1,2.

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.

As a believer in Christ Jesus I firmly believe we have an obligation to follow the commandment of Jesus to go and make disciple of all nations. 

In order to do that we must tell of Gods love and greatness. We must tell of his wonders, rejoice in Him and praise His name.

I do not believe there is room for negativity when we are telling the world about God. 

All to many people claiming to be Christians over the centuries have made God out to be an old man carrying a big stick to hit us with when we do wrong. Quite the contrary God is a God of Love. Jesus 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.

Thus our obligation to God and to the people of the world is to proclaim Gods love to them.

Question; If you consider yourself a follower of Christ Jesus, are you proclaiming Gods love to the people around you?

Please think about it.

Proclaiming Gods Glory

 Proclaiming Gods Glory

The Psalmist writes,

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Psalm 19:1

Henrich Heine said,

“The grandeur of the Universe is always commensurate with the grandeur of the soul that surveys it.” Henrich Heine.

I have on my studio wall a picture of a young boy looking out over a large pond surrounded by trees (The picture above) contemplating the beauty around him.

When I look at the picture I am reminded that God created the heavens and the earth. And as the Psalmist states, 

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Psalm 19:1. 

I could go on writing pages on why I believe God created the heavens and the earth but suffice to say, that the way I see it, everything from the largest galaxy to the smallest subatomic particle works in harmony to create this earth on which we live. I as such I can’t believe that these things have come together by chance.

I believe that behind it all is a God who created it. 

Thus the question to you the reader is; do you believe this?

Please think about it.

What's to lose?

  What’s to lose?

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.

Just for the record I believe what the Apostles Creed. Although not written by one of Jesus’ apostles it sums up what I and most Christians believe. It states,

1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth

2. I believe in Jesus Christ God’s on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.

3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary

4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.

5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.

6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.

7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.

8. I believe in the Holy Ghost

9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,

10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.

11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.

12. I believe in life everlasting.

To some who do not believe in God the not only the Apostles Creed but everything the New Testament especially states looks like foolishness. 

Even if it is what’s to loose? Blaise Pascal wrote,

“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists. Blaise Pascal.

Please think about it.

Are they worth Christ dying for?

  Are they worth Christ dying for?

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.

Where are your priorities? What is the most important thing in your life?”

The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote,

"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.

 After examining life the writer of Ecclesiastes came to the conclusion that the things of this world are simply chasing after the wind. They are worth nothing.

So what is the most important thing in your life; your job? your possessions? What is the most important thing in your life?

The late evangelist Leonard Ravenhill asked the question,

"Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?" Leonard Ravenhill.

Thus my question to you dear reader is,

Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?

Please think about it. 

Believe in God

  Believe in God

"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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 

Jesus said,

"I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.  

But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him." Luke 12:4,5.

There is a simple truth here. You can either believe in God or not. If those who do not believe in God are correct then what is quoted above means nothing. On the other hand if it is true then we have a lot to fear.

I however do not believe God is a God of wrath. Quite the contrary God is a God of love, Jesus 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.

God in sending Christ to this world with the express purpose of saving not just mankind in general but individuals, shows how much in human terms He was willing to go to reconcile each person to himself. 

In entering the world as Jesus. God experienced first hand what it was to be a man. Everything from the mundane such as feeling the rain on his face, sitting with friends, and attending a wedding. To the horrific, a merciless beating and crucifixion. 

Thus when an individual stands before the judgement seat of God no one can say He dose not understand what it is to be human. 

And anyone who reads the Bible cannot say they have not been warned because from cover to cover the Bible points the way to eternal life with God. Jesus summing things up when he said,

 “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 3:18.

Please think about it.

For a better society

 For a better society

The Bible starts off with these words,

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

                                                                                      Genesis 1:1

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It was written to those who believe in God and believers need no explanation.

There is also another reason for believing in God. Abba Hillel Silver wrote,

"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 for one do not believe neanderthals, or any early humans sat down together and wrote a moral code all believed in. To believe such a thing is absurd. Yet there are at least three universal truths that all of mankind live by. That appear to be written on the hearts of all people. Truths expressed in the book of Exodus

"You shall not murder. 

"You shall not commit adultery. 

"You shall not steal. 

                                   Exodus 20:13-15.

And I believe if people are honest, that not just these three commandments are written on each persons heart. All of the ten commandments are.

1/You shall have no other gods before Me.

2/You shall make no idols.

3/You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

4/Keep the Sabbath day holy.

5/Honour your father and your mother.

6/You shall not murder.

7/You shall not commit adultery.

8/You shall not steal.

9/You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10/You shall not covet.

For believing and putting these ten commandments given to us by God into daily use, not only by individuals but by society in general we will have a far better society in which to live.

Please think about it.