Four Questions

Four Questions
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.
Billy Graham the American evangelist stated,
“Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do.”Billy Graham.
four questions for anyone who claims to be a Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus.
1/Are you a workman approved of God?
2/Is your commitment to Christ pure?
3/Have you let the false values and goals of this world enter your life and water down your commitment to Jesus?
4/Do you truly put Christ and His will first in everything you do?
Please if you believe you are true follower of Christ Jesus, Pray and ask God to show you if you truly are a workman approved by Him.
Please think about it.

Just like the Thief

Just like the Thief
Luke’s gospel records this conversation between the two criminals that were crucified with Jesus, and Jesus. Luke records,
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 
“But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” 
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:39-43
The American evangelist Billy Graham once said,

“I'm going to Heaven 

just like the thief on the cross

 who said in that last moment:

 'Lord, remember me.”

                            Billy Graham.

On the day Jesus was crucified we have before us the choice that every individual needs to make.
On that day one of the criminals insulted Jesus and made it clear he didn’t believe who Jesus was. He demanded proof saying, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’” 
On the other hand the other criminal said,
“Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
The second thief got to heaven.
The Bible makes it clear how we get to heaven,
The apostle John writes,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10.
Confession of our sin to God as the second criminal did is the one step in getting to heaven. However in order to do that one must first believe Jesus is who he says he is. The apostle Paul stating,
“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.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved Romans 10:9-13.
Thus the question comes down to who do you believe Jesus is?
Please think about it.

Be Still

Be Still
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. 

Someone said,

“Maybe the atheist cannot find God 

for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.” 

                                                                 Author Unknown

That may be true. Many people I know who do not believe in God have made up their mind and are not willing to change.
Believing in God takes faith and as Blaise Pascal wrote,

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

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

                                                           Blaise Pascal.

I think as well the reason many people today in our 24/7 society do not believe in God is that they are not looking for Him. They are distracted by the many things that our society has to offer. You just have to walk down the street in any city, go into a shop, walk in the park. Even sitting in a doctors office and you see people constantly on their electronic device.
We are so wired, so content with looking at what this world has to offer that we don’t see God. Yet as the Psalmist warns,

That God,“...will be exalted among the nations,” 

That God “will be exalted in the earth.” 

In the book of Ecclesiastes we read,
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”Ecclesiastes 1:14.
The writer goes on to say,
“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.
The Apostle Paul speaking in Athens states,
"For he (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:31.
Thus the decision is up to you. You can believe in God or you can choose not to. You can believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The Saviour of Mankind or you can choose not to.
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.  Romans 10: 9,10.
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

This is Love

This is Love
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians defined 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.

As a Christian. A believer in Christ Jesus we have no choice but to love. Jesus when asked,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘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 neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40.
Thus my question to you. Do you truly love?
Please think about it.

We are the Aliens

We are the Aliens
The writer of Hebrews states,
“All these people (...Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.” Hebrews 11:13.
The apostle Peter writing to believers in Christ states,
“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.
If you claim to be a believer in Christ you need to always remember you are an alien in the world. As such you must as far as possible live a good life.
We as believers in Christ Jesus must remember that it is through the lense of our words and deeds that people will see Jesus.
For me the best way to do this is to remember the words of Jesus who 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.

Please if you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus,
Think about it.

The Hardest

The Hardest
The writer of Hebrews states,
“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.  
By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.  
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:8-10.
I think of all the things we can ask anyone to do is to have faith in something especially if it is something they cannot see. Yet that is exactly what God asks of everyone.
The writer of Hebrews telling us,

“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.

God fully understands that anyone who has faith in any cause will quite literally go to the grave for their beliefs.
And when it comes to God you either have faith He exists or you do not. There is no middle ground.
Please think about it.

Consider this

Consider this
What if what Jesus is recorded as saying in the gospel of Matthew is true?
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13,14.
What if the words of Jesus recorded in the gospel of John are true?
“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 the words of Jesus are true who 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.  
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.
What if the words of the Apostle Paul are true when he said,
“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.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved
Romans 10:9-13.
Please think about it.

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

The apostle Paul writes,

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form. 

                                                                           Colossians 2:9.

Jesus is God incarnate. God in the flesh. You either believe this statement or you do not. That being said if you do not believe Jesus is God you cannot be a true believer in Christ Jesus.
Matthews gospel records this conversation between Peter and Jesus,
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:,15,16.
In John’s gospel we are told of this conversation between Jesus and Martha.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
The book of Hebrews states,
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3.
John’s gospel notes,
“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. 
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I and the Father are one.” 
Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” 
“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” John 10 22-33.
Note here even when faced with stoning Jesus does not deny who he is.
Thus the question becomes. Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it.

Do not Associate

Do not associate
The apostle Paul writing to the Corinthians states,
“I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.  
But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 1 Corinthians 5:9-11.
Think about what the apostle Paul is saying here. He makes it clear that we are allowed to associate with immoral, greedy, idolaters and greedy people who are not Christians. Who are not brothers in Christ.
The purpose of doing so would be to win souls for Christ. You cannot win souls for Christ if you don’t associate with sinners. Thus we must be willing to engage anyone who is not a Christian in conversation at the very least.
On the other hand Paul is clear we should not associate with anyone claiming to be a Christian, a brother in Christ, who is sexually immoral, greedy, an idolater, slanderer, drunkard, swindler.
I believe Paul said this because people that are acting like this are not Christians at all. That by associating with such people who claim to be Christians yet do not act as Christians they are brining the word of God into disrepute.
Paul makes it clear what the attributes of someone who truly knows God are when he 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.
So my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian a believer in Christ Jesus, who do you associate with.
Think of all the Christians and Christian ministries, pastors and evangelist, you associate with and support. Are they exhibiting the fruits of the spirit?
Are these people sexually immoral, greedy, idolaters, slanderers, drunkards, swindlers?
Please think about it.

Be Wise

Be wise
The apostle Paul writes,
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” Colossians 4:5,6.
I was in a church not so long ago. It was during the gay pride parade in Toronto. When someone said. We need to pray for “those people”. “They” are in need of God’s salvation”.
What the implication was, was that gay people by simply by being gay were sinners. What a lot of hogwash.
The fact of the matter is 100% of heterosexual men and women are sinners as is everyone that has ever been born. The apostle Paul states,
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23.
That all means all. No matter who the person is, their lifestyle or for that matter what they believe. “All have sinned”. Even people sitting in that church with me that morning were sinners according to the apostle Paul.
The person who spoke those words would never win a member of the LGBTQ community to Christ. Quite the contrary they may have pushed the person away.
They obviously had not taken to hart the words of the apostle Paul to the Colossians
“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” Colossians 4:5,6.
We must remember that Jesus told us,
“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.
If you are speaking out and judging anyone especially in a negative way they will judge you also. Not only that but if they perceive your judgment to be in error they will not listen to you.
The bottom line is we should not be judging anyone. We especially should not be centering out anyone person or any group.
Billy Graham the American evangelist rightly said,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God's job to judge

 and my job to love,” 

                             Billy Graham

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.
Please think about it.  

1 X 7= 8

1 X 7 = 8
The other day my pastor as part of his sermon wrote the following on a board,

1 X 7 = 8

 2 X 7 =14 

3 X 7 =21

 4 X 7 = 28

Immediately the congregation noted he had something wrong 1 X 7 does not equal 8. They saw and commented on the one equation that was wrong not the other three that were right.
Rightly he pointed out that is the way people see those claiming to be Christians.
The other day I found two interesting quotes,

“I believe in God; I just don't trust anyone who works for him.”

                                                                               Author Unknown

Lenny Bruce noting,

“Every day people are straying away from the church

 and going back to God.” 

                                        Lenny Bruce

Sadly for many people outside the church this is true. I have met many people who truly believe in God but are turned off by the people who supposedly serve Him.
It is a sad fact there are many particularly here in North America where I live claiming to be Christians who are not. This is particularly true of many, But NOT ALL, evangelist and pastors who are in the media here in North America. The trouble is many both outside and inside the church cannot tell the difference. To them someone claiming to be a Christian and quoting from the bible is a Christian whether they are or not.
Jesus said,
“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 7:22,23.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
The apostle Peter states,
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  
Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  
In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.”2 Peter 2:1-3.
While ultimately these false teachers will be judged by God. I believe we as Christians have an obligation to speak up against these false teachers. The apostle Paul states,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.
While it is true Christians should not judge anyone with respect as to where they will spend eternity. We have an obligation to expel false teachers from our midst.
I am however a realist. Here in North America there is no governing body that controls evangelist and pastors other. Added to that freedom of speech laws allow them to say what they wish.
The only control on a pastor or evangelist comes from the denomination they are part of. That being said if someone is expelled from their denomination they can set themselves up as independents as many have done, with no oversight whatsoever.
Thus it is incumbent on individual Christians to study the scriptures for themselves. By studying the scriptures I don’t mean following some lesson plan per say. As good as many may be.
I mean reading the Bible along with biblical history books and commentaries written by scholars of different stripes. Pray and ask God for wisdom and insight into the scriptures you are reading.
Always remember while there will be differences between believers in the minor things, there should never be differences on the major things.
The apostle Paul writing to Timothy and through him to us said,
“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.”  2 Timothy 2:15.
It is only by doing this that we will win souls for Christ.
Please think about it.

Answer to a Question

Answer to a Question
Someone recently asked me who can get to heaven. I gave him the simplest explanation I could think of from the Bible.
1/ 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.
2/ Jesus speaking to Martha said,
"Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
"Yes Lord" she told Him, "I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world," John 11:25,26,27.
3/ The Apostle Paul speaking to the Romans said,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”  Romans 10: 9,10 
Please think about it.