What Type of Ground are you?

What type of ground are you?

Jesus told this Parable
"Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed.  
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  He who has ears, let him hear.....
"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:  
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  
The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  
But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.  
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.  
But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."Matthew 13:3-9,18-23. 
What Jesus is saying here is self explanatory. When it comes to people who go to church all fall into one of those three categories.
Thus the question becomes. In What category do you fall into?
Please think about it. 

A time now here

A time now here
Jesus said,
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24.
I have served the Lord in various capacities over the years. I like to think that while I have failed from time to time. I have for the most part served Him in spirit and in truth.
It is a sad state of affairs in the church today that many be it in the pulpit or in the pew are not truly serving God in spirit and in truth.
These people may seem like they are. The quite often serve in various capacities around the church. They attend all the services and show up at midweek events. But they lack a deep relationship with Jesus. They are simply doing the thing they do in Church, simply because they feel it is the thing they are expected to do.
How committed to God someone is, is hard to say. And really it is not our job to say how committed they are. That is between them and God.
What I take away from what Jesus is saying here is we need from time to time ask ourselves how committed am I to the cause of Christ.
We need to ask the question, am I truly worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth?
Please think about it.

If I have not Love

If I have not love
The apostle Paul writes,
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.  
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. 
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. 
But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.... 
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1Corinthians13:1-8,13.
Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, in a December 22nd 1940 sermon said,
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.”Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver.
Love is a fundamental universal emotion we can all understand, atheist or theist. When love is absent horrible things can happen. An extreme example of that was the Nazi party of Germany during world war two. Their hate filled agenda led to the killing of six million Jews alone in addition to millions more in the death camps.
Their hate cause the worst war in human history in which in excess of 56,000,000 people died. Men women and children, soldier and civilian.
Today in 2019 hatred still fills the earth and not just in terrorist groups. Hate is prevalent in numerous groups in the western democracies, and even among elected politicians.
We as Christians must not tolerate hate. It is our duty as believers in Christ Jesus to present the Love of God to all people. Friend, neighbour and enemy alike.
This is what God did in sending Jesus to this world.
This is what Jesus wants us to do.
Are you?
Please think about it.

The Biggest Idiot

The Biggest Idiot
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.” 2Peter2:1,2  
In my previous blog I quoted evangelist Charles H. Spurgeon as saying,
"A time will come when instead of the shepherds feeding the sheep. The church will have clowns entertaining the goats." Charles H. Spurgeon.
Strange as it seems I understand what Spurgeon is talking about. You see before I retired I was a professional clown and magician. I always said it was my job to make people believe I was the biggest idiot in the room. I use a carefully scripted combination of words and movement to make people think things came out of thin air.
Every sentence I used every move I made was there to fool my audience. Like any good magician I used just enough truth to make things plausible. The rest was pure deception.
Sadly it is the same with many pastors and evangelist. Particularly those in the media.
While there are some very honest men and women in the media. There are also a lot of charlatans. Their only purpose to build themselves up and line their pockets.
These are the people that the apostle Peter was talking about in 2 Peter 2:1.2.
Unfortunately as someone pointed out to me in church many of these false teachers have become the face of Christianity here in North America. They have done exactly what Peter said, brought “the way of truth into disrepute”.
As Christians. True believers in Christ Jesus, we must be on our guard. We must make sure not to support such ministries.
I feel if we support any ministry we have the right to ask questions. Especially financial questions. We need to ask where every penny is spent. Even to the point of asking the salary and benefits the pastor or evangelist gets.
I know the church I attend every year gives account to its membership where the money goes and that includes the pastors salary.
Finances aside we also should be asking basic questions as to what the doctrinal statement of the ministry is and examine what the pastor or evangelist is saying.
If things don’t add up or there is any doubt in your mind you shouldn’t be supporting them.
There are many good ministries out there who are speaking the truth. Who are financially responsible. Taking care to spend every penny prayerfully. Ensuring what is spoken from the pulpit is doctrinally correct. These are the ministries we need to support.
Please think about it. 

Clowns

Clowns
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
Evangelist Charles H. Spurgeon said,
“A time will come when instead of the shepherds feeding the sheep. The church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” Charles H. Spurgeon.
From what I see as a Christian a believer in Christ Jesus living in North America. I firmly believe that what the apostle Paul and Spurgeon said is coming true.
There are many churches who have turned away from sound doctrine.
Sadly many pastors and evangelist are gathering people around them that are yes men who tell them what they want to hear. Men and women who are not willing to correct the pastor or evangelist when they say or do something that is not doctrinally correct.
Likewise there are many pastors and Evangelist who are simply entertaining the church. Carefully constructing their church services to attract people with music and other things that make them feel good. Even catering their sermons to attract people. Choosing not to emphasize the reason Jesus came to this earth.
Some pastors even refusing to quote the apostle John who said,
“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.
Thus my question. What kind of church congregation are you in? It is a congregation that always agrees with the pastor. That even when they know he’s wrong will not tell him so?
Are you in a congregation that is simply entertaining. A congregation where the pastor is always preaching a “feel good” sermon?
Or are you in a congregation that truly does preach sound doctrine.
Please think about it.

Do you?

Do you?
The writer of Hebrews states,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.”   

                                                             Hebrews 11:1.

Having faith in someone or something is perhaps the hardest thing a person can do. Scientist do it all the time. They observe things then make an hypothesis. Quite often it is many years before that hypothesis is proven or disproved. Some of Einstein’s theories were not proven until after his death.
So it is with God. Whether you believe in God or not, no one can know for sure if God exists for certain until after their death. That being said you must make your decision about God in this life.
The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
So the question becomes. Do you believe in God.
Blaise Pascal said,
“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.

Poached Egg or Saviour?

Poached Egg, or Saviour?
John’s gospel records this incident of a friend of Jesus, Lazarus being raised from the dead. John states,
“When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  
“Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. 
Jesus wept. 
Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 
But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  
“Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” 
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:32-44

If this story and that of the other Miracles are false then it puts doubt on just how truthful the New Testament is.
Thus my question becomes. If it and the other miracles are untrue and easily disproved, why would those who believed in Christ, people who wanted to spread the gospel message put them in the Gospels? Such a thing would turn people away from Christ.
If on the other hand they are true, as I and other believers in Christ believe, then they would certainly add a measure of credibility to the claims that Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate.
Jesus said,
“So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  
I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.” John 11:41,42.
Here Jesus lays things on the line. He prays to God to raise Lazarus from the dead and Lazarus does.
Now for anyone to pray for a man dead for four days to be raised to life you either have to be insane or the Son of God.
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity said,
“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
Thus my question to you the reader. Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it.

3 quotes + 1

3 quotes + 1
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.
The late English evangelist Charles Spurgeon said,
"O Christian people, be holy, for Christ is holy. Do not pollute that holy Name wherewith you are named. Let your family life, your personal life, your business life, be as holy as Christ your Lord would have it to be."  Charles H. Spurgeon.
Francis of Assisi wrote,

“The deeds you do 

may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” 

                                                              Francis of Assisi.

Whether you like it or not if you claim to be Christian a follower of Christ Jesus. It is through the lense of your words and deeds that people will see Christ.
Thus the need for each individual to take a look at their life from time to time. To take a look at what they are doing and what the say. For what we say and do has the potential for eternal consequences.
Each believer in Christ Jesus is Christ’s representative on this earth. Thus the need for a holy life.
Living a holy life does not mean constantly preaching, or as one of my pastors said, “becoming so heavenly minded you are no earthly good.”
The world wants to see Christians who are real and genuine. Who are truly living out their faith.
Billy Graham once said,
"Those outside the church expect followers of Christ to live differently, yet today many in church are chasing after the world - not to win them, but to be like them."Billy Graham.
Sadly he’s right. Many calling themselves Christians outside of Church cannot be distinguished from those who are not Christians.
Thus my question to anyone reading this who claims to be a Christian. Is your words and deeds outside the Church reflecting the Love of God?
Please think about it.

Food for Thought

Food for thought
The Psalmist writes,

“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.

Here the Psalmist tells us
1/ to “Shout for joy to the Lord all the earth.”
2/ to “Know that the LORD is God”
3/ to know “It is He who made us,”
4/ that “we are His people”

We are called by the Psalmist to,
1/ to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise”
2/ to “give thanks to Him and Praise His name”

We are told by the Psalmist,
1/ “The LORD is good”
2/ “His love endures forever”
3/ “His faithfulness continues through all generations”

Do you believe this?
If you do, do you praise God?
Do you give thanks to God?

If you don’t believe this why?

Please think about it.

Guard against

Guard against
Jesus said,
"...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15
How important are your possessions? Many people strive to be rich. They spend their whole lives working long hours. Many even bring work home with them. Their family and friends take second place. They work so much that they don’t enjoy life.
Jesus said,
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” Matthew 8:36.
Like I have said in previous blogs there is nothing wrong with being rich. It’s what priority you put on it.
The apostle Paul writes,
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” 1 Timothy 6:10
The love of money can change people. Some people never have enough. They toil long hours to try and get enough yet their desire is never filled.
Sadly their lust for riches can pull them from their faith.
Jesus said,
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also...." Matthew 6:19-21.
Thus my question to you the reader.
Where is your treasure?
Please think about it.

Weep and Wail

Weep and wail
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.  Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes.  
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.  
Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.  
You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  
You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.” James 5:1-6.
Now there is nothing wrong with being rich and powerful. It is what you do with the wealth and power that you will be held accountable for.
James here makes a very clear point to the wealthy that if they misuse their wealth and power in this life “misery” is coming upon them.
There are many wealthy and powerful people in this world who are doing good. Sadly however there are many with wealth and power who are doing just the opposite. This is who James is warning.
In my previous blog I quoted Jesus telling 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.
Thus my question to anyone in authority in particular. How will God judge you? Will you be weeping and wailing or will you be rejoicing?
Where will you spend eternity?
Please think about it.

Before God

Before God
The writer of Hebrews states,
“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13.
There is a quote from the Talmud I can see as happening. It 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
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.
We all rich and poor will stand before God and be judged. You might get away doing wrong in this life but you will not when you stand before God.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”Tony Campolo.
Thus my question to you.
Will you be happy when you stand before God?
Please think about it.