To the point of death

  To the point of death

To the Church in Smyrna

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.  I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelations 2:8-11.

The church at Smyrna is not rebuked by Christ.

Here Jesus states He knows what is happening to them and tells them that their persecution time will be brief.

He states asks the church to be faithful to death and they will be given a crown of life.

There are many Christians today who are undergoing persecution. The estimates are in the hundreds of thousands. Yet despite it all they keep their faith in Jesus.

You may never suffer persecution for your belief in Christ Jesus. But ask yourself this question,

“If I were to be persecuted for what I believe. Would I be faithful to the point of death?

Please think about it.

Return

  Return

In the book of Revelations we read,

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:  

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.  

You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  

Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.  

But you have this in your favour: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." Revelations 2:1-7 

I was taught that the churches mentioned in Revelations can apply to not only a church congregation but to individuals as well.

Here we see that the church at Ephesus has persevered. 

That they cannot tolerate wicked men, 

That they have tested those who claim to be apostles who are not.

That they have endured hardship for the sake of Christ and not grown weary.

Yet it is pointed out that they have forsaken their first love.

This means they have forsaken Christ who should always be our first love.

There are many reasons Christians forsake their first love. They become lured by the ways of the world, money, possessions even the mixing of non-Christian philosophes.

Combining with Christian teaching, when this was never meant to be.

As believers in Christ Jesus we must look at what we believe and why we believe it. We must ask God to show us the error of our ways. Then repent and turn back to God.

Do you know what you believe and why you believe it?

Are you mixing other things with your Christian faith, things that are not of God?

Please think about it.

Pursue what promotes peace

 Pursue what promotes peace

The apostle Paul writes,

"So then, let us pursue what promotes peace

 and what builds up one another "

                                                                  Romans 14:19

As believers we are called to pursue the way of peace. The apostle Peter writing,

The apostle Peter writes,

"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.  

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

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 2:9-12.

We as believers in Christ Jesus are called to live so good even the pagans will one day see our good deeds and glorify God.

Question...

When people see your life. Do they see a life pursuing peace?

By His Mercy

  By His Mercy

The apostle Paul writes,

“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.

Here is a Christian distinctive. Christians do not believe we can be good enough to enter Gods heaven. And God knew this was true. Therefore God reached down from heaven in the form of His one and Only Son Christ Jesus.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans states,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24.

Paul also wrote,

"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. Romans 10:9,10.

Question have you done this?

Please think about it.

Can never perish spoil or fade

  Can never perish spoil or fade

The apostle Peter wrote,

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”  1Peter 1:3-5.

This is the hope all who believe in Christ Jesus have. So the question becomes;

1/ do you truly have this hope that only comes from Christ Jesus?

2/ If you have this hope are your sharing it with those around you?

Please think about it

Are you doing it?

  Are you doing it?

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.

Here are two key verses in Scripture that we a believers in Christ Jesus need to follow. 

1/ God loves the mankind. Not just mankind in general but each individual.

2/ God sent Jesus Christ into the world to save individuals.

And it is these two points that we as believers in Christ Jesus must be telling the world around us.

It is not up to us to judge and condemn the world. It is our job to present the love of Christ to all those around us.

If you consider yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing this?

Please think about it.

A Model prayer

  A model prayer

Jesus taught this to his disciples,

"This, then, is how you should pray: 

" ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 

Give us today our daily bread. 

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'  

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:9-15.

The prayer is simple.

First, we honour God.

Second, we ask that His kingdom come

Third, we ask that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Forth, We ask that He supply our daily needs.

Fifth, We ask that He forgives our debts (Sins) as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.

Sixth, We ask that God lead us away from temptation 

Seventh, That God delivers us from the evil one.

Then Jesus adds this warning saying,

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” 

So is this the way you pray?

How do you pray

How do you pray?

Jesus said,

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:5-8.

Prayer is an act of faith. And by what Jesus said here it is nothing we should be calling attention to. We should be praying for the most part in private.

Additionally our prayers need not be “wordy”. We should try to be concise when we pray. We need not say a lot. We should not be constantly repeating ourselves over and over again.

Above all however our prayers should be spoken in faith. Knowing that God will in His way and in His time answer them.

So how do you pray?

Please think about it.

Acts of Righteousness

  Acts of Righteousness. 

In Matthews Gospel we read of Jesus saying,

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:1-4.

Here Jesus makes it clear we are to do our righteous acts quietly and without fanfare. 

Sadly this is a message lost on many Christians especially here in North America. 

As believers in Christ Jesus we need to reassess our motives for giving. Are you giving to the poor because you think it’s the right thing to do? Or... Are you giving to the poor because you want to be seen as righteous in the eyes of men?

Why not take a few minutes and pray. Ask God to show you your true motives for doing acts of righteousness.

Please think about it.

Are you humble?

  Are you Humble?

In the book of James we read,

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, 

and He will lift you up.” 

                                              James 4:10 

The Psalmist notes,

“He guides the humble in what is right

 and teaches them his way.” 

                                                                     Psalm 25:9

In Psalm 149 the Psalmist states

“For the LORD takes delight in his people; 

He crowns the humble with salvation.” 

                                                           Psalm 149:4

In the book of Philippians we get this advice,

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:5-8.

So are you a proud or humble person?

If you claim to be a follower of Christ Jesus. When you present the gospel message do you present it in humility. Allowing the person you present it to, to decide for themselves whether or not to believe what you say?

Please think about it.

To teaching and fellowship

 To teaching and fellowship

In the book of Acts we read,

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2:42.

The early believers in Christ Jesus followed the teachings of the apostles. The men that had sat under the teaching of Jesus. The men, that knew Him best.

This is how we should be today.

We as believers in Christ Jesus should be reading the scriptures and putting what they say ahead of any other teaching about God and Christ.

While there is room and indeed need for Christian study books where men and women of God expound what they have learned about God from the scriptures. These teachings should never supersede the teaching of the Bible.

The Bible is the inspired word of God. Thus it should always be the primary source of our knowledge of God.

Men make mistakes. Some people even twist the scriptures to suit their own way of thinking. Some even twist the scriptures to as someone has said “fleece the flock”, take advantage of people for their own personal gain.

That is why all believers in Christ Jesus should be praying and reading the Bible for themselves asking God to reveal Himself and His ways to them.

Question... Are you listening exclusively to preachers, teachers and evangelist to get your knowledge about God, or are you praying and reading what the Bible for yourself to see what is truly from God?

Please think about it.

Christian are you committed?

Christian are you committed?

The Psalmist states,

“But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God's unfailing love for ever and ever. 

I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints. Psalm 52:8,9.

The Psalmist here states that he trusts in God’‘s unfailing love and that as a result of it he has hope and will praise God in the presence of God’s people.

If you claim to be a true believer in Christ Jesus do you truly praise God when you are at church. OR has church become a social club where you meet friends and acquaintances. Is church a place you attend simply because your friends and family have always gone?

How committed are you to God?

Please think about it.