Present the Gospel

 Present the Gospel

Jesus said,

“Judge not, that you be not Judged.   

For with the judgement you pronounce you will be judged with the measure you use it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1,2.

Jesus makes things clear here. We are not to judge others especially when it comes to where a person will spend eternity.

I firmly believe that Jesus said this because we do not know why a person is the way they are. Only God knows why a person is the way they are.

Also if we are heaping judgement on someone we will turn them away. And, they will judge us.

It is not our job as Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus to judge anyone. Jesus in giving the great commission 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.

We cannot fill this commission if we are judging people.

We must never judge another person unless it is for our personal safety or the safety of others. 

We must however present the Gospel of Christ in as pure a form as we know how to those around us. For that is the only way we will win souls for Christ.

Please think about it. 

An old Sermon

 An old sermon

The book of Acts tells of this incident in which the apostle Paul was invited to speak in the Areopagus by Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. It is if you will the first century example of what we to day would call a Ted Talk.

At the end of the talk we are told some sneered, some wanted to hear more while others believed what he said, 

I leave what Paul said here for you the reader to decide if you believe him or not. The book of acts reads,

"So he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.  

Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean."  

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 

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 17:17-34

Please think about it.

Seek and you will find

  Seek and you will find

The prophet Jeremiah quotes God as saying,

“You will seek me and find me 

when you seek me with all your heart.” 

                                                         Jeremiah 29:13.

I believe this statement to be true. If we truly seek God with all our hearts, putting aside any preconceived notions of what God is, we will find Him.

I firmly believe the Almighty God the God who created heaven and earth is to be found in the Bible.

I believe Jesus Christ is the one and Only Son of God who came into this world to point mankind to heaven.

All I would as of you the reader is to at least read the New Testament without any preconceived ideas and decide for yourself. If God does indeed exist.

Please think about it.

If people would

  If people would

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 neighbour as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36-40.

Francis of Assisi wrote this prayer,

"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.

Love is the key to ending all conflicts. If people would simply show unconditional love to family, friends and foe alike there would be no conflicts in this world.

Please think about it.

In front of Anyone

  In front of anyone

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.

Here is a simple request. Will you take time to Praise the Lord today? Will you sing Praises to Gods holy name?

I believe it is the duty of every Christian to tell the world about God. To sing the praises of God in front of anyone who will listen.

Please think about it.

The Path

  The Path

The Psalmist writes,

“Show me your ways, O LORD, 

teach me your paths;

 guide me in your truth and teach me, 

for you are God my Saviour, 

and my hope is in you all day long.” 

                                                   Psalm 25:4,5.

Question; Do you ask God to show you His ways? Do you read the scriptures to learn the ways of God? Do you read biblical history books to see what life was like in the time of Jesus?

Here in North America we are blessed with having access to uncensored books and libraries. We can go to Christian book stores and find books on the life and times of Christ. We can find commentaries from various points of view on the scriptures. Yet most who call themselves Christians don’t bother to read such books.

Even when some read commentaries on scriptures themselves, they tend to only read commentaries that support their own views.

I think it is important when you can to read the scriptures daily at least. And to find commentaries and history books that put what is said in the scriptures into context. 

I believe by doing this you will learn the path God wants you to follow.

Please think about it.

Do you do this?

  Do you do this?

Isaiah the prophet said,

"Fear not, for I am with you; 

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you,

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  

                                                                   Isaiah 41:10.

According to the YouVersion bible app the most looked up verse in 2020 was Isaiah 41:10. With all that’s gone on in 2020 I can understand why people would want assurance that God is there for them.

Sadly however many people, even people who attend church regularly only turn to God when bad times come.

Many people only turn to God when they think they can get something out of Him.

This should not be so. We need to turn to God everyday. Glorifying His name asking His guidance and protection as we go through the day.

Do you do this?

Please think about it

An approved workman

 An approved workman

The apostle Paul writing to Timothy states,

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." 2Timothy 4:3,4.

This is happening today. I live in North America perhaps the freest place in the world. Men and women calling themselves Christians are not listening to the apostle Paul and presenting the word of God correctly. Instead they are turning away and misinterpreting the scriptures in a way that suits their own beliefs. 

In doing so they are giving true Christians and God a bad name. 

Non-Christians are at best confused. They don’t distinguish between a person calling themselves a Christian who misuses the word of God and those who correctly handle the word of God.

Sadly here in North America those who would misinterpret and preach false doctrine use freedom of speech laws to hide their wrong doing. Many even when corrected refuse to change.

The apostle Peter stated,

"Live as free men, 

but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; 

live as servants of God.” 

                                         1 peter 2:16.

If ever there was a time at least here in North America, for revival of the church it is now. The church and all those who consider themselves true followers of Christ Jesus need to turn back to the scriptures and interpret them correctly. 

They need to heed the words of the apostle Paul who wrote,

"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

Are you and the evangelist, pastors and religious leaders you listen to doing what Paul here in 2Timothy 2:15.

Please think about it.

Bulwark of a free society

 Bulwark of a free society

In the book of Genesis we read,

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

                                                                                         Genesis 1:1

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It has no reason to. It was written to believers and believers in God do not dispute His existence.

To believers, it is God who wrote on each individuals heart what is right and wrong. It is belief in God that laid down universal moral values we all should live by. 

Abba Hillel Silver during the second world war in Britain 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.

The way I see things when God is left out of society bad things happen. We just have to look at Nazi Germany during the second world war to see what happens when men forget about or don’t believe in God. People end up in prison, tortured or are murdered for their beliefs. Life becomes cheap.

And the Nazis while perhaps the most extreme example in history, they don’t have a monopoly on the persecution of believers in God. It is happening around the world today.

It is believed that tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people are persecuted,, in prison or labour camps simply for believing in God believing in Christ Jesus. A God that quite often, those who are imprisoning believers in God, say does not exist.

I firmly believe that if society is to thrive we need to keep belief in God strong within our society. That we need to worship our loving God in spirit and in truth. We need to show the love of a God to all those around us no matter who they are, family, friend and foe alike.

I firmly believe that we who are free in the western democracies need to pray not just for those who are in prison for their beliefs. But for those who are imprisoning them. That they will see that God exists and that they will see that the word the writer of  Ecclesiastes is true when he wrote,

"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.

Please think about it.

Do you believe in God?

  Do you believe in God

The Prophet Isaiah writes,

"A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" 

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. 

Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall,

 but the word of our God stands forever." 

                                                                   Isaiah 40:6-8.

I over my nearly sixty plus years on this earth that some believe God is dead. That the Bible is irrelevant. Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Many years ago I read a poem that read,

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,

"To wear and bater all these hammers so?"

"Just one," said he, and then, with twinkling eye,

The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed - and hammers gone.

                                                                    Anonymous.

God has given each and every person on this earth the freedom to choose to believe and do as they wish. That includes believing whether or not God exists.

Thus the question becomes; Do you believe in God?

        Do you believe Jesus is the one and only Son of God, who  died for your sins?

Please think about it.

A message foolish?

A message foolish?

The apostle Paul wrote,

“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.” 1Corinthians 1:18.

I think people in general put God in a box. They think God should do things the way they imagine things should be done.

A good example of this is the soldiers who were at Christs crucifixion who said,

“...said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." Luke 23:37.

I’m sure there were many in the crowd that day that believed the same way. They wanted a conquering Messiah who would take them out from under the heal of the Roman boot. They expected the Messiah to come with conquering angels in power and glory.

Jesus was not what they expected. A person of low birth who preached repentance of sins and love for ones fellow man. Gods Son who died for the sins of all who believed in Him.

The same is true today. Many look an Jesus and fail to see what they expect. Thus they turn away. They see the message of the cross as foolishness. 

By contrast those of us who believe in Christ Jesus see Christs life and accept Him for who He is, The suffering Messiah who died for our sins. 

Jesus talking about himself saying,

“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.

Is this what you believe?

Please think about it. 

Wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked?

  Wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked?

In the book of Revelations we read,

"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.  

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.  

I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.  

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.  

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelations 3:14-21.

The Laodicean church was according to Jesus lukewarm. He tells them He wished that they were one or the other. You never really know what a lukewarm person truly believes.

The Laodiceans however think they are rich. When in fact they are poor. 

Jesus tells them to turn to Him and buy from him gold refined in the fire, white robes the symbol of holiness. He calls them to put salve on their eyes so they can truly see what is of God.

He calls them to repent. Telling them that he rebukes and disciplines those He loves.

He reminds them that He is knocking at the door of their heart. That if they will only hear Him and open that door He will come into their life.

Today we have many Churches, evangelist and pastors who think they are rich, and many in a material sense are rich but that is not what God wants. Because many who are rich in a material sense do not rely on God.

Matthew records Jesus as saying,

"Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." Matthew 19:24.

Additionally there is a false doctrine that is here in North America where I live that states if you are not materially rich you are doing something wrong. The so called prosperity doctrine. 

Such teaching is wrong. 

We as believers in the twenty-first century need to look at our life. We need to ask ourselves am I a lukewarm believer. Or am I on fire for God. 

Am I rich spiritually in Christ Jesus, or am I “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked”.

Where do you stand?

Please think about it.