On Being Christian

On Being Christian

C. C. Montefore said something  of Jews that can also be said of Christians,
“We Jews (Christians) have a more pressing responsibility for our lives and beliefs that perhaps any other religious community.
Don’t shelter yourself in any course of action by the idea that ‘it is my affair.’  It is your affair, but it is also mine and the community.  Nor can we neglect the world beyond.  A fierce light bears upon the Jew (the Christian).  It is a grave responsibility this—to be a Jew,(Christian) and you can’t escape from it, even if you choose to ignore it.  Ethically or religiously, we can be and do nothing light-heartedly."
Salvation comes from the Jews through Christ.
Christianity is not a religion it is a lifestyle we choose to follow. A lifestyle we should not choose lightly.
Christianity is not a Sunday morning go to church thing.
We do not become Christians simply because our parents and grandparents were Christians.
It is a personal choice we make when we are old enough to understand what we are doing.
It is a moment by moment way of living in word and in deed. Following in the footsteps of Christ.
And people are watching us.
Non-Christians that know us, know we go to church and claim to be Christians but do they see Christ in us. It is imperative that they see and hear, in both our words and our deeds the message we have for the world.
Jesus 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

“I am the way and the truth and the life. 

No one comes to the Father 

except through me.” 

                                                                      John 14:6
In Matthew 7:1 He says,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” 

He also states,

“....“ ‘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 22:37-40
These are the basic pillars of Christianity. These are the beliefs we are to take to the world.
Our God is an all inclusive God that has provided a way for all mankind to come to know him personally.
As Christians this must be what we want to do most of all. And it must beyond a shadow of a doubt be what we present to the world by our lifestyle.
Someone once said to me we should always be a witness for Christ no matter where we are even if we don’t use words.
                          Think about it.

Tribute to a Faithful man

“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

He said to them, 

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, 

but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 

                                                                                      Matthew 16:15,16
On October 19th 2013 a faithful man died. He never became a household name but I’m sure today heaven is rejoicing.
His name Konstantin Vladianu. He was born in Pinzaran Moldova in the former Soviet Union. He died in Hamilton Ontario Canada.
His obituary reads in part.
“Konstantin’s faith in God was the most central thing in his life. He was very involved in the secret underground church, and he was a gifted preacher, blessed with dreams and visions from God which directed his life. He led his family by example in sacrificial giving of his time and resources.”
Konstantin truly knew what it was to serve God. To go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation and he did it under pain of imprisonment. Something few people here in the western world have ever experienced.
He did this because his first love was God and he was obedient to God’s word.
As Christians particularly here in the west we need to from time to time evaluate what we are doing for God.
Are we truly going into all the world our world, be that world within our country, our city, town or simply to our neighbour.
Think about it will you as a Christian one day stand before God and hear him say well done thou good and faithful servant?

Christians Beware

Read Acts 25

“I have nothing certain to write to my lord concerning him.  

Therefore I have brought him out before you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, 

so that after the examination has taken place 

I may have something to write.

“For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner

 and not to specify the charges against him.”

                                                                                                                  Acts 25:26,27
Porcius Festus had a problem.  He couldn’t find anything that Paul had done wrong, and Paul had appealed to Caesar.  From what Festus says here he seemed like a fair man in an awkward spot.
That’s how all government officials should be, when people accuse a Christian of something.  We must not give those who are against us a chance to turn the civil authority against us.
We must expect to be taken before councils, judges and various civil authorities, Jesus said this in Matthew 10:17,18:
“But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.“You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
In the verse prior to that in Matthew 10:16 he states:
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves".
We must be wise, when talking to those who are to hold judgment over us.  We must chose our words carefully and listen for God’s leading.  We can’t go in there shouting and screaming, “I have Rights.”
There is a reason, we will be brought before governors and kings.  Listen to what Jesus said in verse 19 of Matthew 10:
“You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”
It is for Jesus’ sake, we will be brought before the civil authorities to give testimony.  If we give that testimony in a non judgmental, non threatening way then we have no complaint against us.
The men that brought Paul before the Roman Governor had a political agenda.  They seen him as a threat to what they believed, and wanted a civil court to settle their problem.

Something to think about
Sadly today I think there are many within the Christian community that have a political agenda. They are the ones that are in a fashion taking people before magistrates.
They are objecting to laws passed for one minority group or another that opposes what they see as their Christian rights.
They are imposing on a secular society Christian values that an unsaved person does not understand or feels they should have to obey.
They question the right of civil authorities to make laws that protect groups Christians morally oppose.
We as Christian are told to obey civil laws. (Romans 13:1-5) That the civil authorities are no threat to us. That they are put there by God.
We as Christian should remember that unless we find ourselves to be fighting God.

Forgivness

Read Matthew 18:21-35

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, 

as we forgive our debtors.

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, 

your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

                                                                                  Matthew 6:11,12,14
Then Peter came to Him and said,

“LORD, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  

Up to seven times?”

Jesus said to him,

 “I do not say to you, up to seven times,

 but up to seventy times seven.

                                                                                              Matthew 18:21,22
Do you forgive?  Do you truly forgive?  Do you practice forgiveness even to the one who has wronged you the most.
As Christians, we can’t afford not to forgive.  If as Christians, we truly believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light, that no one can come to the Father but by Him, then we can’t afford not to forgive.  The eternal resting place of those around us, depends on us.
If we have unforgiveness in our hearts, then it becomes very difficult to witness.  We might even become a stumbling block to those whom we don’t forgive.
To be a Christian is to be like Christ.  We must do as He did.  Although, He had the right to judge as God, He didn’t.
Jesus forgave the very people responsible for crucifying Him.  What more of an example can we have?
Our call is to love even our enemies, listen to the words of Jesus:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

“that you maybe sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise

 on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

“For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? 

 Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

“And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? 

 Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

"Therefore you shall be perfect just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

                                                                                            Matthew 5:43-48
In order to love someone, we must be able to forgive them.  Thus, Jesus said we must forgive and not keep track of how many times we forgive.
Paul states,

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand mysteries and all knowledge and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though Io give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Something to think about:
Love is the key to forgiving.
Do you love? Do you love even when you hurts.  Christ did, he went to the cross.

Give Thanks

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

 his faithfulness continues through all generations.” 

                                                                                          Psalm 100

As I write this it is thanksgiving morning in Canada. A time when we can reflect and give thanks to God for all we have.
I am not a Canadian I am simply a landed emigrant although I’ve spent most of my life here.
As a result I have been blessed richly by this country.
Thanks to the freedom of worship in this land I was introduced to my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I was through serving the Lord introduced to my wife whom I have been with for thirty-four years.
As a result we have two wonderful children both of whom are serving the Lord in various capacities.
While there have been difficulties from time to time life has still been good to me and my family.
We know God will not forsake us. We know he loves us and will take us safely through even the worst storm. Which he has.
My oldest son when he was eight was hit by a car and lay in a coma for a week. With the doctors telling us every day he was in the coma meant that he may not recover fully.
After much prayer, God answered us and he today is in his mid thirties perfectly normal and planning his wedding.
My younger son just recently fell twelve feet from a ladder in Kenya and broke both bones in his lower leg.
He just happened to be near one of the best hospitals in Africa and there just happened to be one of the best bone specialist from England available to fix his leg.
He did an excellent job according to the Canadian doctors my son went to upon returning to Canada.
That to me is God.
Over the last two years both my wife and I have had to have life saving surgery after being rushed to hospital.
Surgery we came through with out any problems.
Not only that thanks to the Canadian health care system we didn’t have any medical bills.
The God I serve is a great and mighty God and I for one am thankful for all he has done for me and my family.
Above all I am thankful that God sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins. That I upon accepting Him into my life am assured of my salvation and a place in heaven.
Dear reader do you have that assurance.
Do you know for certain that if you were to die to day that you would get to heaven?
Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. 
The apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he (Jesus) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.
All we have to do is pray a simple prayer and ask Jesus into our lives a prayer like this,
Dear Heavenly Father
I recognize that I am a sinner. That I have done things wrong in my life and fall short of what you want for my life.
I recognize that Jesus Christ is your one and only Son who came to this earth to die for my sins. To save me and show me the way to heaven.
I accept Him as my Lord and Saviour.
Please dear Jesus come into my life today. Cleanse me from my sins.
I give you permission to work within my life conforming my life to your ways.
Amen.
If you prayed that prayer and truly mean it then you can be assured of getting into heaven. It really is that easy.
Now I would urge you to get a Bible and read it. Also pray and ask God to lead you to a bible believing Church. One that believes you are saved by faith according to Ephesians which states, “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
And may God bless you.

How to Live

Read Romans 12

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies

 a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 

that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For I say, “through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of 

himself more highly that he ought do think, but to think soberly, 

as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."

                                                                                                         Romans 12:1-3
To quote a friend, this chapter has a lot to chew on.  In the New King James version, it is just 142 words long, but what a collection of words.  Those few words, tell us how we are to live as Christians.  A point form look at this chapter goes like this:
* vs. 5    in Christ each member belongs to all the others.
* vs. 6,7 we have different gifts and are to use them in proportion to our faith.
* vs. 9    our love must be sincere
* vs. 10  we are to be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
* vs. 11  we are to keep up our spiritual fervour, serving God.
* vs. 12  we are to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer
* vs. 13  share with God’s people, who are in need & practice hospitality
* vs. 14  bless our persecutors
* vs 15   rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn
* vs. 16 live in harmony with each other, don’t be proud, but willing to associate with those in low positions.
* vs. 17  don’t repay evil with evil & do right in the eyes of everyone
* vs. 18  as far as it depends on you live in peace with everyone
* vs. 19  do not take revenge
* vs. 20  if your enemy is hungry feed him, if thirsty give him a drink
* vs. 21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
What a list, a list we all fail to follow from time to time.
The reason, we fall short many times, is because we allow the secular world culture, around us to get into the church and into our lives.  A quick look around the church, today, shows us we have a “Christian version” of everything the world has.
Many in the church, hardly read the Bible.
These people rely on the words of pastors, preachers, and other evangelists, both in church and in the media.
All too often, as I have discussed a topic with other Sunday School teachers, I hear “this television evangelists said this” or “that radio preacher said that.”  When I question them, how those evangelists and preachers came to that conclusion, or why they themselves believe it, they can’t tell me.
They can’t tell me because they haven’t taken the time to read for themselves the Word of God.
Something to think about.
The only way to know how to be a Christian is to study God’s manual on how to be a Christian, the Bible!
No evangelist, preacher, Christian teacher, priest, bishop or pope has all the answers, simply because they are human with human frailties, like all of us.
The Bible has been called a living book, that speaks to the individual, who reads it.  Revealing to them the wonders of God, no matter who they are.

Something to do:
Pick up the Bible and read it slowly and deliberately.
So that God can show you personally, the boundless truths He has for you.

The individual first

Read John 9

Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him,

 He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

He answered and said to him,

 “Who is He, LORD, that I may believe in Him?”

And Jesus said to him,

 “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”

Then he said, “LORD, I believe!” 

 And he worshipped Him.

And Jesus said,

 “For judgment I have come into this world,

 that those who do not see may see, 

and that those who see maybe made blind.”

Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, 

“Are we blind also?”

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind; you would have no sin;  but now, you say, ‘We see.’

  Therefore your sin remains.

                                                                                             John 9:35-41
Here we have a man blind from birth healed by Jesus.  The scribes and the Pharisees question him and when he tells them the truth about what happened they reject it.
The scribes and Pharisees refused to accept who Jesus was.  They seen the evidence, it was irrefutable.  The man had been blind form birth, and now he could see.
       It was a clear miracle and God was getting the glory, yet, the religious leaders refused to acknowledge that the healing was from God.
These men seemed to have a preconceived idea of how God should work.  They knew the laws about working on the Sabbath, and this man was healed on the Sabbath.
     In their eyes, the healing shouldn’t have been done.  Their reasoning, it was the Sabbath and healing was work, therefore, it violated the law.  Therefore to them the logical conclusion was that Jesus was of the devil.
These men overlooked the fact that a good deed, a miracle, was done.  That only God could have healed the man.  Certainly, the man was not giving anyone else the praise, except God.
Something to think about
These religious leaders looked on the law as a ritual, almost as a superstition. If it wasn’t followed in a particular way their way, a person was sinning.
They seen Jesus as a sinner because he “worked” on the Sabbath and healed a blind man. Who gave God the glory on His day.
They failed to see that while the law was their to guide us to God. It was just a sign post. That God was interested in the heart of the individual not how strictly the individual followed the law.
An old Hasidic Folktale tells this story,
“A teamster sought the advice of the rabbi of Berditschev as to whether he should give up his occupation because it interfered with regular attendance at the synagogue.
“Do you carry poor travellers free of charge?” Asked the rabbi.
“Yes.” answered the teamster.
“Then you serve the LORD in your occupation just as faithfully as you would be frequenting the synagogue.”
All to frequently we in the church set up rules, regulations, and traditions that not only stop God from getting the glory but turn people from God.
We must alway, always remember it is the individual that God is interested in. While rules are necessary to point us to God it is our Faith that saves us. Ephesians 2:8,9 stating,
“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.” 

How precious is Jesus to you

Read Matthew 26:1-30

And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask 

of very costly fragrant oil,

 and she poured it on His head 

as He sat at the table.

But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, 

“why this waste?

“For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor”

But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them,

 “Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a good work for Me

“For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always

“For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial

“Assuredly, I say to you,

 wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world,

 what this woman has done will also be told 

as a memorial to her.”

                                                                                    Matthew 26:6-13
How precious is Jesus to you?  Would you take the most costly thing you have and give it to him?  That’s possibly what this woman did.
We need to evaluate what is most important in our lives.  All too often, going to church is just another thing we do.  We see it as serving our church, not God.  It shouldn’t be that way.
We must remember that while we are called to work within a given church congregation, it is God we are serving, not the institution.
Our service to God should be so important to us, that we get uncomfortable, if we can’t be doing the work He has called us to.
This woman loved Jesus so much, that she anointed Him with the most precious thing she had:

“...‘You shall love the LORD your God 

will all your heart, 

with all your soul, 

and with all your mind.’

                                                                         States Matthew 22:37
Something to think about:
Ask yourself these questions
* Am I serving the institution (church denomination, or congregation) I attend or am I serving God?
* Do I look on serving God in the same way I look at coaching a sports team or is there truly more to it?
* What priority is God in my life?
* Am I truly doing what God wants me to do?
* Am I honouring God?
In my work place?
Around my friends.
In my home?
Do I love the LORD my God with all my heart, soul, and mind?
                                   Think about it.

God in a Box

Read John 11

Then they took away the stone form the place where the dead man was lying. 

 And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”

“And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by

 I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes,

 and his face was wrapped with a cloth. 

 Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

Then many of the Jews, who had come to Mary, and had seen the things that Jesus did,

 believed in Him.

But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them  the things Jesus did.

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said,

 “What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.

“If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take 

away both our place and nation.”

                                                                                      John 11:41-48
A very intelligent and wise friend, once said to me, regarding business strategies, “it is the short time thinkers, the ones who play politics that ruin a business.  Look and think to the future and not to the past.”
This truth is true, even in Christianity. Take a look at what we can now see, as a very silly statement.
Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the grave.  Something, none of the Pharisees had done.  He had performed miracles, in front of them, and all they did was try to find a reason to kill Him.  Their reasoning stated in John 11:47,48:
"Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, “What shall we do?  For this Man works many signs.“If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, 
and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
They were truly worried about losing their position of political power and their nation.  Their logic didn’t extend to the fact that Jesus had just raised a man from the dead.  
  That this was not the thing an ordinary man could do. It was one more proof that Jesus was who He said He was the Son of God, the Messiah.
They didn’t clue into the fact that were they to believe and follow Jesus, they had no need to fear because God would be on their side. That the power of Rome could not stand against the power of God.
These men were short term thinkers who played politics.  They were looking out for their own needs. They worried about losing their political power, their prestigious position.
Something to think about
Many church congregations have withered away, because of this kind of thinking.
Within these church congregations and denominations those in a position of power have become to worried about losing that power if change occurs. They have put God in a box of their own making, set a series of rules and rituals by which they hope to keep the status quo.
They fail to hear the voice of God and see what God is doing around them.
Throughout history great movements of God such as were initiated by, Martin Luther, the Wesley’s, Calvin, and other reformers, have been condemned by the church. All because they didn’t conform to what was considered by those in power to be the norm.
The same is true today in the 21st century. There are many within the church that would put God in a very tight box.
We as Christians must be careful to watch that first we don’t put God in a box of our own making and that our leaders don’t keep the status quo simply because they wish to stay in power.
We must constantly pray and study the word of God asking God for his direction for both ourselves and our church leaders.

Unifying love

Read John 17

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me 

through their word;

“that they all may be one

 as You Father, are in Me,

 and I in You; 

that they also maybe one in Us,

 that the world may believe that

 You sent Me....

“I in them, and You I Me that they maybe made perfect in one, 

and that the world may know that You have sent Me, 

and have loved them as You have loved Me.

“And I have declared to them Your name,

 and will declare it,

 that the love with which You loved Me

 maybe in them,

 and I in them.”

                                                                       John 17:20, 21-23, 26
Here in Chapter 17 of John, Jesus prays for Himself, the disciples and in verse 20 to 26 for all believers.
He prays for their unity in love.  That the love of God, be in them, as it was in Christ.
We, as individual Christians, must first of all know what we believe and why we believe it.  That is why we must study the Word of God, and sit under a good teacher, we trust.
Then, it is absolutely, imperative, that we find a church congregation that believes as we do or as close as we can find.  A congregation where we feel God would have us work.  And we must submit ourselves to that group.
In order to do this, we must think, and pray.
A Bible School teacher once said to me, “most Christians think with their heart and forget God gave them a brain for that purpose.
They think their hands are only to use to pick things up with, not put together in prayer, and that their ears are the only thing they hear with.”
What he meant was, many Christians go to where they feel good, not necessarily, where God wants them.  That they never pray and seek God’s guidance about which church they should attend or what they should do.  They listen to others and what comes in through their ears, not what God is telling their heart.
Here Jesus talks about the unity of the believers, about them being one.  And He asks:
“that the love with which You loved Me  maybe in them,  and I in them.”
Something to think about:
I go back to the words of the Apostle Paul in 1Corinthinas 13:4-8a
“Love suffers long and is kind: love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
This is what Jesus prayed for, for all Christians. This is the kind of love we must show to both our brothers and sisters in Christ and the whole world.

What Really Matters

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

                                                                          Genesis 1:1

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...

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 1:1-3, 14

Perhaps one of the most controversial parts of the Bible is the Genesis chapter one, the creations chapter.
Non Christians point to it and say how could the world be made in six twenty-four hour days. They claim it took aeons.
Frankly I could care less. It doesn’t make any difference to my faith if the world was made in a hundred forty-four hours or a hundred forty-four billion years.
I believe the universe and everything in it was created by God. AND more importantly I believe that Jesus is God.
That he came to earth to live among His creation, to point mankind to heaven.
Jesus said of himself,

“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.  

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, 

but whoever does not believe stands condemned already 

because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. "

                                                                                                     John 3:16-18
God gives us a free will but he makes it clear that we have only two choices in this life.
To either accept Jesus for who he says he is. The very Son of God the Saviour of the world, or to reject him as a liar who has perpetuated the most monumental lie in human history.
The choice dear reader is yours.
Do you believe Jesus is Lord and God. The creator of the universe who came to earth to pay the price for your sins?
If you believe, then the question is, if you were to die tonight are you certain you would get to haven?
If not hear is a prayer you may want to pray.
Dear Heavenly Father
I know that I am a sinner. That I fall short of what you want for me in my life. 
I recognize that Jesus is your One and Only Son. That he came to die to take away my sins.
Please forgive me of my sins.
Please Lord Jesus come into my heart and life this day. Lead me and guide me from this day forward.
Amen

If you prayed this prayer and really meant it then Jesus will come into your life. I urge you to read the Bible. Start with the New Testament and read through the whole Bible.
Pray before you read each chapter that God will reveal Himself to you and that He will reveal what you are reading means to you personally.
The next thing is to pray and find a good church in your area.
I personally would recommend a good Baptist church as I have found their teachings to be very well balanced and in line with the word of God.
But above all of this Pray, Pray, Pray, that God would lead you to the right church or group of believers that can help you grow in Christ.
And remember always that with God in your life, if you let Him, He will change your life in a wonderful way.

Blessed is the Man

“Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.” 

                                                                                                    Matthew 11:6

John who is now in prison hears of Jesus ministry. He then sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if He is indeed the Christ.
Jesus in essence tells him to look at the signs. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the leper is cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised and the good news is preached to the poor.
Then Jesus adds “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”
It is so easy to fall away from Christ especially in our day and age. We are and have been waiting for Christ’s return for over two millennium.
It takes a lot to wait that long.
Jesus is the only founder of a religious group that said he will return. This is something we must hold onto as a true statement.
We are called to follow Jesus by faith.
We must have faith that the Bible is true. That the miracles spoken of in the Bible are true.
We must have faith in the words of the apostle Paul when he says in Ephesians that we are saved through our faith not our works.
Christianity is very much a walk of faith. We are presented the truth about Jesus in the Bible and are asked to make a decision as to wether we believe it or not. There is no middle ground.
Moreover we must live our faith openly before those around us.
We must not be ashamed of what the Bible tells us about Jesus no matter what those around us say.
Jesus performed miracles, something that in the twenty first century or for that matter in any century can seem far fetched. Yet the Bible asks us to believe them.
And through the ages the words Jesus said to John the Baptist calls out to us, “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”  

Something to think about.

Do you truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he did indeed perform all the miraculous things spoken of in the Bible?