Ambassador for Christ

 Ambassador for Christ

The apostle Paul states,

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."  2 Corinthians 5:20.

The apostle Paul make it clear here. If you are a believer in Christ Jesus you are an ambassador for Christ.

An ambassador is a representative of a country or a king. The ambassador according to the Oxford dictionary is also “a representative or promoter of an activity”. 

In the case of a Christian we represent the King of kings and Lord of lords. The activity we promote is that of salvation through Christ Jesus.

We are no ones judge. Jesus specifically saying we are not to judge.

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.

Jesus speaking of Himself made it clear,

“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. 

This is what every Christian is called to do. To present the unconditional Love of God through Christ Jesus to anyone who will listen to us.

Are you?

Please think about it.

As Humanly Possible

  As humanly possible

“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 7:22,23.

I read an interesting statement from Lenny Bruce that read,

"Every day people are straying away from the church

 and going back to God. Really." 

                                                                       Lenny Bruce, "Religions Inc."

Another one by an unknown author read,

I believe in God; 

I just don't trust anyone who works for him.”

                                                                               Author Unknown.

Sadly these statements are true. They are showing that the words of the apostle Peter are coming true when he said,

"But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  

Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  

In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping."2 Peter 2:1-3.

Many of those false teachers here in North America hide under the freedom of speech laws. They say they have the right to say what they believe. Which according to law they do.

That being said I don’t feel the church is doing enough to denounce false teaching. The apostle Paul clearly stated,

"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.

Thus my question to you. When you hear things you don’t feel are right, being said by a leader in your church or an evangelist do you (politely) question them about the false teaching?

Do you bring your questions to those in authority within your church congregation or denomination?

I firmly believe that we as believers in Christ Jesus have an obligation to preach and see that the gospel of Christ is preached in as pure a form as is humanly possible. For if it is not, it could have eternal consequences. 

What do you think?

Please think about it.

In Everything

  In Everything

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? Above all are you obeying the words of Jesus who said,

"So in everything, do to others 

what you would have them do to you, 

for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" 

                                                          Matthew 7:12.

Please think about it.

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.