A Faith Thing

A Faith Thing
The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
Faith that God exists is very much a faith thing. As the late evangelist Billy Graham said,

“I can't prove it scientifically, that there's a God,

 but I believe.” 

                  Billy Graham.

Here are a few quotes on God by famous men of the past.
Blaise Pascal said,

“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe

 and enough shadows to blind those who don't.” 

                                                             Blaise Pascal.

Voltaire made these two statements,

To believe in God is impossible 

not to believe in Him is absurd. 

                                             Voltaire

Faith consists in believing 

when it is beyond the power of reason to believe. 

                                                                   Voltaire

Thomas Aquinas said,

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. 

To one without faith, no explanation is possible. 

                                                        Thomas Aquinas.

Ultimately belief in God is taking a step in the dark. The American civil rights leader Martin Luther Kind jr. said,

Faith is taking the first step 

even when you don't see the whole staircase.

                                                 Martin Luther King, Jr.

For thousands of years now men and women of God have told of His existence. They have presented God to the world around them in every way possible. Yet there are still those who do not believe. Yet it costs them nothing.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
Salvation, eternal life with God is a free gift for all those who believe in God, in Christ Jesus.
Blaise Pascal made a good point when he 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.
Please think about it.

You and God

You and God
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 the Talmud is a Jewish book, and not a Christian one but a truth is a truth no matter where it’s found. I think in this case I could see such a scenario happens. The Talmud states,
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?” The Talmud
God does not have to ask any questions of anyone who stands before Him he already knows the answer.
Still I can see him asking an individual such a question to see if they feel they have dealt honourably with their fellow man. Or if they give some excuse for not dealing honourably with the people they come in contact with.
Jesus told this parable.
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day.  
At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  
In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ 
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.  
And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ 
“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house,  
for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 
“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ 
“ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 
“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31.
Sadly there are many people from every strata of society that do not treat those around them with respect. There are even some in churches calling themselves Christians who do not treat other people with respect. To them and indeed to all people, the writer of Ecclesiastes writes,
“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.
Please think about it.

A Need for God

A Need for 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

Rabbi 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
The Psalmist states,
“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1.
Someone once told me after quoting Psalm 14:1. “When enough fools get together society suffers.”
As I look throughout history I see when a society turns away from God bad things can happen. Nazi Germany is the prime example. In Nazi Germany men turned away from God’s truths and imposed their own misguided beliefs. The result Millions suffered and died.
As Rabbi Silver put it
“Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...” Abba Hillel Silver.
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.
Society and individuals need to know there is a God who will one day hold them accountable for all of their deeds good and evil.
For as Nazi Germany shows us dramatically, when individuals and society do not fear God and his judgment many suffer.
Please think about it.

Some What ifs?

Some What ifs?
Here are a few what ifs I place for you the reader to consider.
1. What if the apostle John is right when he states,
“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.
What if Jesus truly is God incarnate?
2. What if the apostle John is right when he states,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13.
What if believing in Jesus gives you the right to be called the children of God?
3. What if the words of Jesus are true when he said,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
What if Jesus truly is the way to Heaven?
And here’s one other thing to consider. It’s not from the New Testament but from a Christian commentator called C. S. Lewis. Lewis said,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.” C. S. Lewis.
What if Christianity is true?
Please think about it. 

Study

Study
The apostle Paul writes,
“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
I firmly believe we need to study the Bible for ourselves. We need to study it not just for a few minutes or even a few hours each day, but as often as we can.
We need to be praying and asking God to show us the truths that are in the scriptures.
At the same time we need to be cautious. Believers in Christ Jesus of all strips, be they evangelicals, Catholics, Baptist, Pentecostals, Anglicans or whatever denomination they may be. Tend to have a bad habit of listening only to those who think and act like they do. They live if you will, in an echo chamber.
St. Augustine warned,
“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” St Augustine
We as believers in Christ need to study the word of God and listen to those with different views than our own. We need to be questioning why others don’t believe as we do to see if what they believe is true or untrue.
We need to from time to time question what we believe and why we believe it.
I know of several denominations for example that would not ordain women ministers. It still happens in some Christian groups. They even quote scripture to back themselves up.
Over the centuries the Bible has been used to support slavery and segregation for example. That same Bible has been used to condemn slavery and segregation.
Many Christians simply follow what a specific preacher, church or denomination teaches without looking at the scriptures for themselves and deciding what is right or wrong.
This should not be.
It in my opinion is the duty of every person who believes in Christ Jesus to pray, ask God to guide them then study the Bible for themselves.
When we have questions we need to be going to our pastors and Christian educators and ask them to answer them. At the same time when we have questions we can go to several commentaries and see what they have to say. By reading different commentaries we get an over all view of what the correct interpretation should be. After reading several interpretations we can make an informed decision for our self about what the scripture portion means.
Remember, God wants us to live by faith but not necessarily blind faith. God wants believers in Christ Jesus to be informed. That is why the Bible was written.
As believers in Christ we must remember the warning from the Apostle Paul who said,
“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.
We can only know if someone is not following the word of God if we are well enough informed about what the word of God states.
Thus the question becomes. If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus do you study the Bible enough to know what is right and what is wrong when it comes to teachings from it?
Please think about it.

Are you right side up?

Are you right side up?
The apostle Peter writing to believers in Christ Jesus said,
“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.
In my previous blog post I noted the apostle Paul saying that if the Holy Spirit is truly working in a Christians life you will see its fruits. Those fruits being, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
I also noted that Pliny the Younger Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia minor was as I understand it was asked by the emperor Trajan to find something wrong about Christians. He could not.
The believers he investigated apparently were doing no wrong. They were living a peaceful loving life. They were not threat to the emperor or the Rome in general. Still there were consequences for being a Christian under the emperor Trajan
According to the surviving records there is no mention by either Trajan or Pliny of the crimes Christians committed. Their only crime was being Christian. 
Which goes to show sometimes no matter what you believe or how you act you just can’t win.
The key thing to remember here is, that the believers in Christ Jesus that Pliny and Trajan persecuted were living peaceful nonthreatening lives.
Which is the same kind of lives we should be living today.
If we as believers in Christ Jesus are to be persecuted in any way. Let it never be because we were doing something wrong.
The late American Evangelist Billy Graham said of the men who followed Christ,
“The men who followed Him, were unique in their generation. They turned the world upside down because their hearts had been turned right side up. The world has never been the same.” Billy Graham.
Think about it. The men who followed Jesus never voted in an election, never protested against the government or other people. They lived in harmony with those around them.
They knew that they had the most important message ever given to mankind the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they presented that message to all who would listen to them.
Is this what you are doing?
Please think about it.

Christian Traits

Christian traits,
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.
What the apostle Paul is saying here is if God’s spirit is truly working in a believers life then they should be exhibiting, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
He notes there is no law against these attributes. 
What that means as I read these words is believers in Christ Jesus should be tolerant and loving people. Living a life of peace.
The apostle Peter tells believers in Christ to,
“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 2:12.
The early church was known for it’s peaceful living,
Pliny the Younger Roman governor of Bithynia in Asia minor was as I understand it was asked by the emperor Trajan to find something wrong about Christians. After looking at believers in Christ he wrote to Trajan,
"They were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a solemn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordinary and innocent kind...” Pliny the younger.
Pliny could not find anything wrong with the believers in Christ he looked at. Certainly nothing worthy of putting them in prison or to death.
Now here’s a question for anyone reading this who claims to be a believer in Christ Jesus. If Pliny or his modern day equivalent was to look at you or the congregation you attend would he find your practices blameless? 
Would he see, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?”
Please think about it.

Not Everyone Will

Not Everyone will
Jesus said,
“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.
It has been said by many both inside and outside the church that if you want to find any kind of wrong doing all you have to do is look at the church.
I would agree. The church as an institution is an old and carries a lot of baggage. There has been many things done by the church that is wrong, everything from the crusades, to murder, to theft to child abuse.
Many calling themselves Christians have acted like hypocrites, bigots and worse.
While these people may say they are Christians, followers of Christ Jesus. They are not.
In the above scripture I quoted Jesus tells us “not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of Heaven.” many who call themselves Christians will find themselves cast into hell. It’s that plane and simple.
The Apostle Paul said,
“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 happened in the time of the Apostles it is still happening today.
That is one of the many reasons the New Testament was written. It was inspired by God to show believers in Christ Jesus what God expects of them. To tell believers in Christ what is right and wrong before God.
And the only way we can know what God expects of a believer in Christ Jesus is to study the bible as a whole and the New Testament in particular.
We also need to make sure we are studying the word of God in the context of how it was written. We should never “cherry pick”. Listening to only what we want to hear.
St. Augustine wrote,

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, 

and reject what you don’t like, 

it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” 

                                                     St Augustine.

If you claim to be a believer in Christ Jesus are you truly studying the whole of the Bible or just the parts you like?
Please think about it.

A Bulwark

A Bulwark
The Bible states,

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

                                                                        Genesis 1:1

The Bible does not debate the existence of God. It was written to believers therefor needs no debate.
That being said there are many in the world who do not believe in the existence of God. However it is my opinion that if God does not exist society could not function well.
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.
God has, I believe written on the very hearts of each individual what is right and what is wrong. God also went as far as in modern parlance, as to give mankind “a hard copy” of this.
The Book of Genesis recording.
And God spoke these words
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 
“You shall have no other gods before me. 
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand  generations  of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 
“Honour your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 
“You shall not murder. 
“You shall not commit adultery. 
“You shall not steal. 
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” Exodus 20:1-17
Commonly known as the ten commandments it tells mankind how God expects mankind to act with respect to God and ones fellow man.
No atheist group has ever come up with a more comprehensive rules to live by as is reflected in the Ten commandments.
They are rules, especially those governing our interaction with our fellow man that all people follow consciously or subconsciously .
When these rules are violated society suffers.
We only have to look to Nazi Germany to see that when a group of people or a society fail to follow the basics rules layed out in the ten commandments millions can suffer. 
Scripture tells 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.
It is only when God and his righteous judgement is no longer feared and man turns away from God’s principles, that horrible things start to happen to both individuals and society.
Please think about it.

Train up

Train ups
Matthews Gospel records,
“Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:13, 14.
It has been said Christianity is just one generation from extinction. People are not born Christian. Even if someone goes to church all their life dose not mean that they are Christian.
   Each individual when they are old enough and mature enough must decide for themselves if they wish to follow Christ.
That being said it is imperative that we as believers in Christ Jesus bring our children up to know God in a personal way.
Scripture tells us,

“Train a child in the way he should go, 

and when he is old he will not turn from it.” 

                                               Proverbs 22:6.

Notice scripture tells us to “train up a child in the way he should go” NOT force our faith on the Child. We must present our faith to our children not only in word but in deed also.
You cannot force your children or anyone into becoming a follower of Christ Jesus. Ultimately it is a decision of faith between the individual and God.
We can and must however live our faith as they say 24/7 in front of our children and those around us.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do may be the only sermon 

some persons will hear today” 

                                          Francis of Assisi.

We, whether we like it our not are preaching a sermon every minute of every day to our children. If our lives are not reflecting Christian values our children and those around us will see this and turn away from God.
Thus the questions become.
How are you living your life?
Is your life reflecting the love of God, the attributes of Christ Jesus?
Please think about it. 

Forgiving

Forgiving
Luke’s gospel records,

“Jesus said, 

“Father, forgive them, 

for they do not know what they are doing.” 

                                                 Luke 23:34a.

Here Jesus asks God to forgive those who are putting him to death because they are oblivious as to what they are actually doing. Jesus was big into forgiveness.
Matthew’s gospel records Jesus as saying this,

“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.
Matthew’s Gospel records the apostle Peter asking Jesus,
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21,22.
Jesus here did not actually mean to forgive people 490 times he meant to forgive people all the time.
C. S. Lewis said,
“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.” C.S. Lewis.
Unconditional forgiveness is the key to truly loving a person.
Thus I would ask you this question.
If you claim to be a true believer in Christ Jesus, Do you forgive those who sin against you?
Please think about it.

Showing favorites

Showing favorites
James the half brother of Jesus writes,
"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.  
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.  
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.  
For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,  because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!" James 2:8-13.
Do you or the congregation you attend show favourites? Think carefully about it.     
Here’s some scenario’s for you to think about.
1/ If a man, or woman, living on the street dressed in dirty clothing. Someone who may have not had a shower in a few days came into your church congregation how would he or she be greeted?
2/If a man, or woman impeccably dressed wearing expensive clothing entered your church congregation how would they be met?
3/If a man or woman dressed in blue jeans, tee shirt and flip flops entered your congregation how would they be greeted?
4/ If two gay men or women, entered your church holding hands how would they be greeted?
Now think of this. All these people are in need of the love of God. How you react to these people could very well determine where they may spend eternity.
Jesus never showed favouritism. He interacted with all people, Samaritans, Tax collectors, Roman soldiers, Jews, and Non-Jews.
Jesus said,
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Matthew 7:1,2.
Jesus who had the right to judge them never did. He realized his job on this earth was to save souls.
John’s gospel quotes Jesus speaking of himself as saying,
“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.” John 3:16,17.
Speaking to his disciples and through them to us today 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.
One of the things Jesus taught us was,
“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.
So think of things this way. If you were to enter a church congregation would you want to be judged for the way you looked or what you are?
Or would you want to hear the unadulterated word of God presented to you in a loving way? Showing you the way to heaven?
Please think about it.