The Corner Stone of Christian belief

 The Corner stone of Christian belief

The apostle Paul writes,

"And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.  

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man." 1Corinthians 15:17-21.

The apostle Paul here notes the importance of Christ being raised from the dead. No other faith that I know of claims their founder raised from the dead. 

Christ raising from the dead after dying for our sins is the corner stone of the Christian faith. Without Christ rising from the dead our faith is meaningless. The hope we have in Christ for forgiveness of our sins is false hope.

The fact however as Paul noted is “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (died).”

When Paul preached about the resurrection from the dead in Athens the reaction I believe is typical of how it is received by people in general.

The book of acts states,

"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 17:32-34.

Thus the question becomes do you believe Christ died for our sins and rose again. Going on to ascend to heaven to be with God the Father?

Please think about it.

Do the work of an evangelist

 Do the work of an evangelist

The apostle Paul writes,

“Keep your head in all situations, 

endure hardship

 do the work of an evangelist.”

                                                        2 Timothy 4:5.

I was until my retirement a professional clown. One day I commented that an evangelist was someone who wears a red nose and tells people about Jesus. My point being anyone can do the job of an evangelist.

When I taught Sunday school. I use to tell ten year olds that they could be evangelist. I noted they may not know a lot of scripture but they could invite people to Sunday school or church, where others could tell those people about Jesus.

As believers in Christ Jesus we have an obligation to God to tell others of the saving grace that comes through Christ Jesus.

It may not always be easy. In some parts of the world when a person becomes a Christian their family rejects them. Some even have to move away from the villages or towns where they were born. Some are even put in prison or suffer physical abuse.

For those of us who live in the western democracies telling people about Jesus may be easier, but may also mean being rejected by family and friends.

Still we are called to do the work of an evangelist in word and in deed.

The apostle Paul tells us,

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship" Romans 12:1.

Do you do the work of an evangelist?

         Is your life a living sacrifice to God?

Please think about it.

More Blessed

 More blessed.

In the book of acts we read,

    “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35.

A young girl by the name of Anne Frank who was in hiding from the Nazi’s in the Netherlands during world war two wrote,

"Give of yourself, give as much as you can?  And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!  If everyone were to do this and not be as mean with a kindly word, then there would be much more justice and love in the world.  Give and you shall receive, much more than you would have ever thought possible.  Give, give again and again, don't lose courage, keep it up and go on giving!  No one has ever become poor from giving!" Anne Frank.

What Anne is saying here is so true. In giving of our time, even our money to helping others may not get us huge monetary rewards. But the emotional rewards we get are incredible.

Anne is right the world would be a better place if everyone would just say a kind word of encouragement the world would be a better place.

Giving is an important part of the Christian life. In the book of James we read,

"Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  

  If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? James 2:15-20.

The bottom line for a believer in Christ Jesus is that our faith should spur us to do good deeds to help others. To give to the extent that we can, of ourselves and our resources to help others.

Please think about it.

Committing your life to God

Committing your life to God.

The apostle Paul wrote,

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:1-2.

As Christians. As believers in Christ Jesus we are not to conform to the ways of this world. 

Instead our live should become a “living sacrifice”. Our commitment to God should be a complete commitment God. . Our lives should reflect the love of God in word and in deed. 

Christianity is not just a religion. It is a way of life. When you let Christ into your life. Your life begins to change. It may be a slow change at first. But the more we study the scriptures the more our life will change for the better.

The more we study the scriptures the more we can discern the will of God.

Question, have you presented your body as a living sacrifice to God?

Have you committed your whole life to God?

Please think about it.

God will Prevail

 God will prevail

The Psalmist writes,

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10.

We live in a 24/7 world. A world that seems to travel at a terrific pace. As we look around we see a world in turmoil. A world where evil seems to prevail. Wars, terrorism, corrupt politicians, dictators, and much more seem to abound. It’s easy to get discouraged. 

Still we have a hope. The writer of Ecclesiastes telling us,

"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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

God will ultimately prevail. The apostle Paul noting,

"It is written: " ‘As surely as I live,' says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' " Romans 14:11.

Please think about it.

Gentleness and Respect

 Gentleness and respect

The apostle Peter tells us,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." 1 Peter 3:15,16.

This is what Christians must do. We must be prepared to tell people why we believe in Christ Jesus, why we believe in God.

Not only that we must do so with gentleness and respect. We must never force our beliefs on anyone. We must respect the person even if we disagree with them. 

Presenting our hope in Christ Jesus in a gentle way with respect will most of the time win the respect of those we are talking to. Making it easier to present our hope in Christ Jesus.

When you talk to others about your faith, do you present it in a gentle way, respecting the person you are talking to?

Please think about it.

A call to be holy

A call to be holy

The apostle Peter writes,

“Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1Peter 1:13-16.

The apostle Peter here calls Christians, true believers in Christ to be holy.

In chapter two of first Peter, Peter notes,

"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.1Peter 2:9.

As a royal priesthood we are obligated to live a holy life. A life that attracts people to Christ without us even saying a word.

Francis of Assisi wrote,

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

                                                                                         Francis of Assisi.

We should not have to tell the people around us that we are true believers in Christ Jesus. The holy life we live should say that for us. Without us saying a word.

Please think about it.

I will Praise You

 I will Praise You

The Psalmist writes,

"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 52:9.

As Christians, as believers in Christ Jesus we quite often forget to praise God in our daily lives. By that I mean outside of a church service.

Quite often we get wrapped up in asking God to do things for us. That could include praying for everything from a healing, to putting food on our table, to wisdom and much more. All of which are good things to ask for.

Still I believe we should spend some time just praising God. 

The Psalmist says he will praise God for what He has done. That he will hope in God and that he will praise Gods in the presence of the saints.

All of this should be done on a daily basis.

Do you praise God each day?

Please think about it.

As the Deer

 As the deer

The Psalmist writes,

“As the deer pants for streams of water, 

so my soul pants for you, O God.”

                                                               Psalm 42:1

There is an old saying “you have to be looking for God to find God”. It’s true if you have the unwavering belief God dose not exist you will not find Him. You have to have faith that God exists.

The book of Hebrews tells us,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  

This is what the ancients were commended for. 

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible....

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 11:1-3,6.

God however does not expect blind faith. He simply asks us to look around at his handiwork.

The Psalmist telling us,

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

More and more we also see science pointing to a fine tuned universe. A universe so perfectly tuned for life as we know it to exist.

Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics states,

"Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural') plan." Dr. Arno Penzias.

The bottom line however is not what scientist my say or what Christians may say. The bottom line is do you believe in God?

Please think about it.

Without the fear of God

 Without the fear of God

The Psalmist writes,

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise." Psalm 111: 10.

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.

We only have to look at Nazi Germany during the 1930's and through world war two, to see what happens when men loose there fear of God. When men create their own morality.    Estimates range from 70 to 80 million or 3% of the worlds population at the time died.      Included in that were 17 million killed in the Holocaust. Men women and children murdered because of their ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, disability or sexual orientation.

As we look around the world today we see the same thing happening with millions of people persecuted and imprisoned for their religious beliefs and lifestyle. By people who do not fear God.

Justice however is not far away for those persecuted. 

The writer of Ecclesiastes states,

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

Those who persecute and murder others will one day pay for their crimes. If not in this world. Most certainly in the next.

In the mean time it is the job of Christians to go into the world and tell the world about Jesus Christ and the love, comfort and salvation, He offers to all who would believe in Him.

To point the world to the morality that can only come from belief in God.

Please think about it.

Is there a God?

Is there a God?

The Psalmist writes,

"The heavens declare the glory of God; 

the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech; 

night after night they display knowledge. 

There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard." 

                                                                                                 Psalm 19:1-3.

Voltaire wrote,

“I cannot imagine how the clockwork of the universe can exist without a clockmaker.” Voltaire.

We live in a perfect universe, at least when it comes to our existence. We are in what scientist call the goldilocks zone. The perfect place not just in the solar system but it in the universe in general. Scientist tell us that if the earth was just slightly closer to the sun or just slightly further away life as we know it would not exist. 

Even Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century admitted,

"It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us," Stephen Hawking.

Nobel prize winner John O’Keefe wrote,

"We are, by astronomical standards, a pampered, cosseted, cherished group of creatures... If the Universe had not been made with the most exacting precision we could never have come into existence. It is my view that these circumstances indicate the universe was created for man to live in." John O’Keefe.

That being dear reader. You must decide for yourself whether or not God exists.

Please think about it.

Follow my Logic

 Follow my Logic

The Psalmist bluntly states,

"The fool says in his heart, 

"There is no God." 

                                Psalm 14:1.

The way I see it if there is no God then by following the teachings of God in the Bible I have lost nothing. All I have done is lived a good life.

But to say there is no God is to my mind ridiculous. 

Think of it this way in order to truly know there is no God, the person would have to know all things and been everywhere. And since knowing all things and being everywhere are attributes of God. The person saying there is no God would in fact be god.

Further more to unequivocally know there is no God one would have to have gone beyond the grave the one place no one living has gone yet. The very place where we would expect to see God.

Voltaire wrote

“To believe in God is impossible, not to believe in Him is absurd.” Voltaire.

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.

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.

Please think about it.