Christian you are

  Christian you are

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.

Question. 

If you claim to be a Christian. 

A true follower of Christ Jesus.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Which Characteristics

  Which characteristics  

The apostle Paul wrote,

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.  

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:19-25  

Here the apostle Paul shows how you can tell a true believer in Christ Jesus from one who is only giving lip service. He notes sinful acts are obvious

“sexual immorality, 

impurity and debauchery; 

idolatry and witchcraft; 

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, 

selfish ambition, 

dissensions, factions and envy; 

drunkenness, orgies, 

and the like.”  

Then he points to the fruit of the spirit. 

love, joy, 

peace, 

patience, kindness, 

goodness, faithfulness,  

gentleness and self-control.

Which of these characteristics are evident in your life? 

Which of these characteristics are evident in the religious or secular leaders you choose to follow?

As believers in Christ we need to pray and ask God to show us how we can experience more of the fruit of the spirit in our life.

At the same time we need to ask God to show us what Characteristics are being shown in the life of the leaders we follow be they religious leaders or political leaders.

Please think about it.

On that day

  On that day

"Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  

"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 7:21-23.

Will you hear these words? Will the pastor, evangelist, or teacher you listen to and follow hear these words?

Jesus is saying here there will be many who stand before Him on judgement day who claim to have performed miracles. Who claim to have prophesied. Men and women who at first glance by the average person may have seemed to do many things for God but are not Christians.

Such people can, I believe, mislead people. Leading them away from God. The apostle Paul writing,

"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. That is why all who claim to be Christians. All who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus need to study the scriptures for themselves. Need to pray and seek God guidance. Then as someone has said, “Put legs on their prayers and start working for God and helping those around them to the extent that they are able.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it

Doing Gods Work

  Doing Gods Work

Jesus said,

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” Matthew 25:44-45.

Here’s a warning to Christians and to all who have the ability to help the poor. Jesus makes it clear helping the poor is part of serving God.

It has always been my belief that if you are a true Christian you cannot turn away from the needs of the poor.

Our faith in Christ Jesus compels us to help anyone we can.

        So if you claim to be a true follower of Christ Jesus are you doing what you can to help the poor?

Please think about it.

As Aliens

 As Aliens 

The apostle Paul writes,

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time.  1 Timothy 2:1-6.

Here the apostle Paul tells us to make requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving for everyone. For kings and those in authority.

Note here Paul dose not say pray and expect the governments agree with us. Remember we live in a largely non-Christian world. The governments of this world are for the most part secular or have as their base other faiths. There are no Christian governments in the world today.

The best I believe Christians can hope for is to live at peace with them. To live quiet lives of godliness and holiness so that we can present our beliefs to others.

The apostle Peter tells us,

“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.

Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

You are the light of the world

 You are the light of the world

Jesus said,

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.

Notice here Jesus says “you are the light of the world”. It is the Christian, the true believer in Christ Jesus that is the light of the world. It is the individual believer who is responsible for taking the light of the gospel to the world. Francis of Assisi wrote,

"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

Are you a true instrument of God?

Please think about it.

Love for our brothers and sisters

 Love for our brothers and sisters

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."John 13:34,35.

Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus? Do you love them by God’s standard. The apostle Paul wrote the definition of Christian love when he wrote,

"Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, 

it is not easily angered, 

it keeps no record of wrongs. 

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain: 

faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."  

                                                                    1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13,

So do you love in the way God wants you to love?

Please think about it.

What is your sermon saying?

  What is your Sermon saying?

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”  Galatians 5:22,23.

If you claim to be a Christian, a true follower of Christ Jesus are the above fruit of the Spirit showing in your life?

When those around you look at your life are they seeing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

If not they should be, because it is only by showing these qualities that we will attract people to Christ. 

Perhaps one of my favourite quotes from outside the Bible come from Francis of Assisi who said,

"The deeds you do

 may be the only sermon some persons will hear today" 

                                                                                Francis of Assisi

What is your sermon telling others?

Please think about it.

Our Duty to God

 Our duty to God

“Sing to the LORD a new song; 

sing to the LORD, all the earth. 

Sing to the LORD, 

praise his name; 

proclaim his salvation day after day. 

Declare his glory among the nations, 

his marvellous deeds among all peoples.” 

                                                    Psalm 96:1-3

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.

Whether you are a follower of Christ Jesus or not. I feel it is important to know that followers of Christ Jesus have a duty before God to tell others about the saving grace that comes through Christ.

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.

The apostle Paul writes,

"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.

This is the message God wants believers in Christ Jesus to hear and believe.

So the question becomes, Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of all who would believe in Him?

Please thin about it. 

His Praise

  His Praise

The Psalmist writes,

"I will extol the LORD at all times; 

his praise will always be on my lips. 

My soul will boast in the LORD; 

let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 

Glorify the LORD with me; 

let us exalt his name together." 

                                        Psalm 34:1-3.

If nothing else the New Testament shows Jesus and his apostles experienced all that it is to be human. They attended weddings. The followed the rules set down in the Torah. They interacted with people of all walks of life.

They were also beaten, thrown in prison all but one dying for their faith. Yet through all of this they praised God. They praised him not only in the good times, but after they’d been beaten and while they were in prison.

They praised God because they knew that even in their darkest hour God was with them. 

How about you; do you praise God in the good times and in the bad?

Please think about it.

Why Faith?

  Why Faith

In the book of Ephesians we read,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9.

So what constitutes faith. Hebrews defines faith this way,

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  Hebrews 11:1

"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 11:6.

 Why does God want us to live by faith?

I think it’s because it’s so hard to have faith in anything we cannot see. 

Even though we have the Bible that tells us about God and Jesus. The Bible to many people is simply words written centuries ago.

The apostle Paul writes,

"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.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  Romans 10:9-11.

I also firmly believe that people who have faith in anything will be willing to go to their graves for what they believe. 

The apostles proved this. All but one was martyred for their faith. And around the world today there are multitudes of men and women who are suffering imprisonment, persecution for what they believe.

So the question becomes,

Do you have complete faith in Jesus?

Please think about it. 

Madman or God Incarnate

  Madman or God Incarnate?

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

                                                                                   Genesis 1:1.

The Bible doesn’t debate the existence of God. It was written to believers and believers in God accept the fact that God does exist.

In the New Testament the apostle John tells us,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. " John 1:1-4,14.

Here John refers to Jesus as “the word”. 

        He tells us that “...the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 

that,...“He was with God in the beginning.” 

That “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

 That, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

And lastly and most importantly, “We (John the other disciples and believers)  have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John truly believed, Jesus is God incarnate.

I like what C. S. Lewis in the book Mere Christianity 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. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

So who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.