Every Deed

Every Deed
James the half brother of Jesus said,
"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
Christianity is at its core not only the way to heaven but it is very much concerned with well being of the individual. James in the above scripture issuing a warning to the wealthy who have not been honest. Men and women who have lived in luxury and self-indulgence at the expense of others.
Jesus also issued such a warning saying,
“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.
This is something anyone who has power be it political, religious, or a business owner employing people, needs to consider carefully. You might get away with mistreating those under you in this world but as the writer of 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." Ecclesiastes12:13,14. 
And Gods judgement is just, final, and eternal.
Please think about it.

Seek Him

Seek Him

"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, 

you will find him 

if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul."  

                                                                                            Deuteronomy 4:29.

I truly believe this. Anyone who has an open mind will find God. The reason many Atheist don’t believe in God in my opinion is that they have closed minds. They have made their decision that God does not exist and refuse to admit they just might be wrong.
Someone once said,
“Maybe the atheist cannot find God for the same reason a thief cannot find a policeman.” Author Unknown.
To say adamantly there is no God an individual would have to have been everywhere and know all things. Which is an attribute of God. Thus the Atheist would be God. Meaning God exists. Defeating their argument.
We as mere mortals cannot know all things. The universe and everything in it is too vast for us to comprehend.
Not only that to be absolutely sure God does not exist one would have to have gone beyond the gave and returned to tell us.
We know no one except Jesus has gone beyond the grave and He tells us God exists.
Ultimately belief in God comes down to the individual. Each individual must have faith that God exists.
The writer of Hebrews tells 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 however does not ask for blind faith as such. He shows Himself in the world around us. The Psalmist saying,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.” Psalm 19:1-3.
We only have to look at the world around us to see God’s handiwork. The earth and the Universe in perfect harmony from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest galaxy all in perfect harmony, to allow life as we know it to exist.
Still as I said belief in God is the choice of each individual. God in making the universe did not make robots. He made human beings giving each individual the freedom to choose what they believe.
So it is up to you, do you believe God exists or not?
Please think about.

I believe

I believe
The Psalmist writes,
“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 
My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:5,6.
I can truly relate to what the psalmist is saying here. I tend to be passionate about telling people about the Love of God and the Saving Grace that comes from Christ Jesus. I do my best to live my faith in front of others.
I at times get upset when I see someone be it in church or in the media that claim to be followers of Christ Jesus and are not acting in a way that He would approve. I get upset when I see men and women using the scriptures for their own personal material enrichment. Such people bring the name of Jesus into ill repute.
The same is true when those who claim to be Christians force their beliefs on others or Judge others. The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
Sadly many claiming to be Christians do not follow Pauls advice. Add that to the lack of accountability within the Christian community many charlatans pretend to be Christians.
The apostle Paul warned of such people saying,
“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.
I know that ultimately God will deal with such people. That my job in all of this is to tell those around me about the Saving Grace that comes from Jesus Christ. Which is what I try to do in these Blogs.
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 believe this to be a true statement. That the primary job of Jesus on this earth was to show each individual the way to heaven. A job that all who believe in Christ should continue doing.
I also believe that God at the same time issued a warning about not believing in Jesus when Jesus said,
“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 3:18.
If I am wrong I and those who think like me have nothing to fear for we in truly believing in what Jesus and the apostles taught will have lived a good life.
If on the other hand I am right then those who disagree with me and those like me have a lot at the very least to consider.
Thus the choice is with you.
Please think about it.

The Choice

The Choice
The apostle Paul wrote,
"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.
In my previous Blog post I noted that Jesus said,

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

 No one comes to the Father except through me." 

                                                                     John 14:6.

What the apostle Paul is saying here is this is the way to heaven.
“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.
It’s really that simple. Going to heaven is as simple as truly believing that “Jesus is Lord” and that God raised him from the dead.
Unfortunately having the faith to believe this, is a difficult for many people. Yet it is the foundation of Christian belief.
The writer of Hebrews stated,

"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.

So the question becomes; do you believe Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead?
Please think about it.

The Narrow Gate

The Narrow Gate
Jesus said,

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

 No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

                                                                     John 14:6

Christians those who believe in Christ Jesus are quite often scoffed at or not believed when they say Jesus is the only way to heaven. But what if it is true as we Christians believe?
Jesus noted,

"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.

We as believers in Christ Jesus believe there is a very narrow road to heaven. That road is through Jesus. We believe you only have two choices. Either you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Saviour of all who would believe in Him OR He is not.
C. S. 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.
Thus each and every individual who knows about Jesus must decide for him or her self if Jesus is of infinite importance or not.
Is Jesus the way to heaven or is he not?
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

There is no Grey Area

There is no grey area
The apostle John writes,
“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.
John makes it clear what he and other believers in Christ Jesus believe. That God created the heavens and the earth. Not only that he notes that Jesus whom he calls “The Word” is God and that “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
I truly believe that God created the heavens and the earth. How He made it or how long it took Him to make it means nothing to me. I simply believe that He created the universe and everything in it.
Albert Einstein stated,
“Human beings vegetables  or cosmic dust. We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.” Albert Einstein.
I believe he is right. I also believe that invisible player is God.
We only have to look into science to see how perfectly made the universe is. We live in the perfect spot not just in the solar system but in universe for life to exist. Everything is perfectly tuned that we may live.
William Philips a Nobel prize winner in Physics said,
"I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it"William Philips.
Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics also a Nobel prize winner in physics said,
"The first gulp from the glass of natural science will make you an atheist,
but at the bottom of the glass God is waiting for you" Werner Heisenberg.
Even Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds if not the greatest mind of the twentieth/twenty-first century made two interesting statements. He said,
“The universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us” Stephen Hawking.
He also noted,
“It would be very difficult to explain why the universe should have begun in just this way, except as the act of a God who intended to create beings like us,”
Ultimately the choice as to whether God exists or not is up to each individual. There is no grey area when it comes to God. You either believe God exists or you do not.
So what do you believe?
Please think about it.

An Act of Faith

An act of Faith
Isaiah the prophet said,
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tiered or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. Isaiah 40:28.
I like the last few words of this statement. Speaking of God Isaiah notes. “...and his understanding no one can fathom.”
It is impossible for a mere mortal to fully understand the mind of God. Or why He does things the way He does.
The apostle Paul writes,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.
Christians believe that God entered the world in the form of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. That He allowed Jesus to be beaten and crucified. Not only that we as Christians believe He did that for the sins of each individual on the earth.
And according to the apostle Paul,
"...all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  Romans 3:23,24
We believe that anyone who believes in Him shall be saved. The apostle Paul quoted as saying
"..Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." Acts 16:31a
Paul writing to the Romans states,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.
This kind of belief can I know seem ridiculous to non-Christians. But it is what we believe through faith.

It is faith that God requires of all who would come to know Him. The writer of Hebrews stating,

“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 

The writer defining faith as, 

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see."  

                                                                 Hebrews 11:1.

The way I see it anyone who has true faith in anything is the strongest of believers. That is what God wants. He wants men and women who are so faithful that they would go to the grave for Him.
Thus I would ask you. Do you believe in God and the saving Grace that comes through Christ Jesus? The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

Be Merciful

Be Merciful 

Jesus said,

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36.

So the question becomes, Are you merciful in the same way God is?

Just before Jesus says this Jesus states,

“Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners' love those who love them.  

And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners' do that.  

And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners' lend to ‘sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.  

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:31-35.

So if you claim to be a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus, do you show love and mercy to your enemies? Do you show love and mercy to those of different faiths? Do you show mercy and Love to those who’s lifestyles are different from your own?

When was the last time you sat down with non-Christians, those of different faiths and lifestyles?

Jesus sat with anyone. The Samaritan women, Tax collectors Romans, and others. As did the apostles. 

Not only that at no time does the New Testament say they pointed out the sins of those they sat with. They simply presented the gospel message. They showed the love and mercy of God.

So do you show the mercy and Love of God to those around you?

Please think about it.

For all those in Authority

For all those in authority

The apostle Paul wrote,
"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time."  1 Timothy 2:1-6.
Do you pray for those in government and authority? The apostle Paul says we should. That I would assume even for those in authority who persecute Christians. After all Paul wrote this letter to Timothy while living under the emperor Nero one of the worst persecutors of Christians ever. The man that would eventually put him and many other Christians to death.
I believe that we should pray for the salvation of all those in authority. That we should pray that our political leaders would at the very least be tolerant to our beliefs, allow us to evangelize and serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in peace.
We must always remember. As the apostle Paul put it,
"...there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men..." 1 Timothy 2:5,6b
We must remember that the only way people will hear that message is if we live in peace with all men. The apostle Paul tells us,

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, 

live at peace with everyone."

                                                                 Romans 12:18.

So if you consider yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus are you praying for those in power? Are you praying for political leaders that they will come into a personal relationship with Christ Jesus? That we as believers in Christ Jesus will be allowed to live in Peace?
Please think about it.

Not all are Christians

Not all are Christian
Jesus said,
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  
By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  
Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  
Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 
“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 7:15-23.
The apostle Peter warns,
“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 
Here both Jesus and Peter warn of false prophets and teachers entering the church. Peter telling us that many will follow their shameful ways.
This has been happening in the church since its earliest days and continue to this day. The difference between Peters time and now is we have a multi-media world that can spread false doctrine faster than ever before. Not only that we seldom have met or know the preacher in the media personally or know what his life is like.
It is therefor imperative that we as believers in Christ Jesus study the word of God for ourselves using a wide range of study aides. And not just study aids that agree with our point of view.
When we come across something others disagree with us on we need to ask ourselves why and look to see if what they say has merit.
They key however throughout all our studying should be to seek the truth found in the Bible. Not just what we want to hear.
St. Augustin said,
“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.
Thus my question to you. If you claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ Jesus are you following the advise the apostle Paul give Timothy when he 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.
Please think about it.

The Church

The Church
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?" James 2:14-20.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
"These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change." Tony Campolo.
Just recently someone sent me a Facebook post it was from the Bishop-elect of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Missouri, Deon K. Johnson in response to president Donald Trumps call to open the Churches immediately deeming them essential. In his reply to Trump Bishop Johnson gave an excellent description of what the church truly is. He said,
"The work of the church is essential.
The work of caring for the lonely, the marginalised, and the oppressed is essential.
The work of speaking truth to power and seeking justice is essential.
The work of being a loving, liberating, and life giving presence in the world is essential.
The work of welcoming the stranger, the refugee and the undocumented is essential.
The work of reconciliation and healing and caring is essential.
The church does not need to “open” because the church never “closed”. We who make up the Body of Christ, the church, love God and our neighbours and ourselves so much that we will stay away from our buildings until it is safe. We are the church." Bishop Deon K Johnson.
The church is not buildings. The church is made up of individuals world wide that love and believe with their whole heart and soul that Jesus is Lord and God. No virus or act of man can stop the church from it’s appointed task.
All adversity be it man made or a pandemic does, is make the church adjust and be creative in how it goes about doing God’s work.
Jesus said,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Luke 4:18,19.
It is this ministry the ministry that Jesus started that we as believers in Christ Jesus are called to carry on. Thus my question to you.
Are you preaching the good news of Christ Jesus? Are you doing all you can to show the Love of God to those around you and help them in any way you can no matter how small?
Please think about it.

That can never perish

That can never perish

The apostle Peter wrote,
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade kept in heaven for you” 1Peter 1:3-4.
The apostle Peter here make it clear what every believer in Christ Jesus believes. Through our belief in Christ Jesus we have a living hope an inheritance that can never perish spoil or fade.
It doesn’t matter what the world thinks about our belief in Christ. It doesn’t matter what they do to us. No one in this world can destroy the inheritance that we have though our belief in Christ.
A true believer knows this.
Thus my question to you. If you consider yourself a believer in Christ Jesus do you truly believe what the apostle Peter is saying here?
Please think about it.