Praise be to God

Praise be to God
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, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  1Peter 1:3-5.
This is something anyone who truly believes in Christ Jesus can be thankful for. God through Jesus Christ has given us a “new birth” “a living hope” an “inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade”
No matter what the world may do to us. As believers in Christ Jesus we have the assurance of life everlasting with God when our life on this earth is over.
Do you have this assurance?
Please think about it.

Believe it or not

Believe it or not
The apostle Paul said,
“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he 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 17:30,31.
Here is a simple to the point statement the apostle Paul made to non-believing philosophers and other learned people in Athens. It is a statement that you either believe or you do not.
God will one day judge the world. The question is how will He judge you. 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.  
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.
Are you among those who believe in Christ Jesus or are you willing to take your chance that what the New Testament says about Jesus are not true?
Please think about it.

Are You?

Are You?
The apostle Peter writes,
“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" 1 Peter 2:9.
Here the apostle Peter makes it clear that we as believers in Christ Jesus are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, belonging to God. Who’s purpose is to declare the praises of God.
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.
This is the duty of everyone who believes in Jesus. To make disciples. It’s cut and dry. To teach those new disciples all the scriptures tell us about Jesus.
 There are no gray areas about what Christians are to do. We are to present the gospel of Christ to anyone who will listen to us.
If you consider yourself a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus are you truly declaring the praises of God to those around you?
Please think about it.

Types

Types
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.
In our world today especially here in North America there are two kinds of Christians, “true believers”.
True believers are those who love Gods word. Who do their best every day to follow Christ in word and in deed. Those who’s life is truly centred around living as Christ would have them live.
The other kind of Christians are “social Christians”. Social Christians are men and women who are Christians because it is the thing to do. They may have said the sinners prayer. They may go to church every Sunday and during the week. They may even be pastors, evangelist, and priest. But their life does not reflect that of Christ. They fail to show the love and mercy of God to those around them be they family, friends, or foe.
These are the men and women Christ is talking about in the scripture above. Thus the question becomes what kind of Christian are you?
Please think about i

Louder than words

Louder than words
The apostle John writes,
"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  
If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.1 John 3:16-18.
Deeds speak louder than words. As believers in Christ Jesus people should know we are a believer by our good works. Our deeds should tell the world that we are different. That we are truly the servant of God in this world.
So my question to anyone who considers themselves a believer in Christ Jesus is; Can the people around you tell you are a Christians by your deeds?
Please think about it.

Pursue

Pursue
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” 2 Timothy 2:22.
I think these are words even non-Christians can understand. The pursuit of righteousness, faith, love, and peace are noble pursuits. If more people pursued them the world would be a better place.
That being said it I don’t think you can truly be a Christian and not pursue these things.
Please think about it.

You're a Mist

You're a mist

     James the half brother of Christ wrote,
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." James 4:13,14
The above picture was taken in 1990 by the space probe voyager I. At the time it was over four billion miles away from earth. The furthest any space craft today had gone.
It shows if you think about it the potential insignificance of mankind in the vastness of space. Carl Sagan wrote,
"Consider that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, every human being who ever was lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religious, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there- on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam....” From Carl Sagan,(1934-1996) Pale Blue Dot A Vision of the Human Future in Space.
Mr. Sagan couldn't be more right. Further more in light of eternity James is right when he said “...you are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes” Jams 4:14b
Thus from a purely human secularists prospective, from the prospective of an Atheist, if the only reason we have for living is to perpetuate the species before we pass on to oblivion, then life has no meaning.
If on the other hand God and heaven exists we have something to look forward to beyond the grave.
Peter John Kreeft said,
“Atheism treats people cheaply. Also, it robs death of meaning, and if death has no meaning, how can life ultimately have meaning? 
And in the end, when the atheist dies and encounters God instead of nothingness he had predicted he’ll recognize that atheism was a cheap answer because it refused the only thing that’s not cheap the God of infinite value” Peter John Kreeft ph.d 
Deciding whether God exists or not is entirely up the each individual. All I would ask anyone who does not believe in God is to read the New Testament for yourself with an open mind. And even if you don’t believe in prayer, pray and ask God to show you that He truly exists.
Please think about it.

I Believe

I Believe
The apostle Peter wrote,
“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" 1 Peter 2:9.
For me as a Christian I see this advice from the apostle Peter as one of the cornerstones of my faith. 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.
It is the job of the Christian of believers in Christ Jesus to tell the world about Him and the saving grace that comes from belief in Christ Jesus.
We are not to force our beliefs or even our morals on others. We are to present the gospel message to anyone who will listen and let them make the decision about Jesus.
   The Apostles Creed while not written by one of Jesus’ apostles sums up what I and other believers in Christ Jesus believe. I present it here for you to consider.

1.I believe in God the Father the almighty maker of heaven and earth
2. I believe in Jesus Christ God's on and only Son, our Lord and Saviour.
3. I believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary
4. I believe Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate; That He was Crucified, died, was buried. That he descended in hell.
5. I believe He rose again on the third day from the dead.
6. I believe that he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
7. I believe Jesus will one day Judge the living and the dead.
8. I believe in the Holy Ghost
9. I believe in the Church which is the communion of the saints,
10. I believe in the forgiveness of sin.
11. I believe in the resurrection of the body.
12. I believe in life everlasting. 

Thus the question I would ask you is do you believe this?
Please think about it.

Not Blind

Not blind
The writer of Hebrews makes two simple statements,

"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.

I don’t think faith in anything is simple. I think that is why God asks us to have faith in Him even though we cannot see Him.
For many people having faith in something you cannot see is one of the hardest things in the world to do.
That being said God does not want us to have blind faith. God shows himself in many ways principally in the world around us. The psalmist writes,

"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

Greater minds than mine have pointed out that the world appears to be designed for life as we know it to exist.
  Stephen Hawking one of the greatest minds of our time wrote,
“The universe and the laws of physics seem to have been specifically designed for us” Stephen Hawking.
Dr. Arno Penzias 1978 Nobel Prize winner in Physics said,
“Astronomy leads us to a unique event, a universe which was created out of nothing, one with a very delicate balance needed to provide exactly the conditions required to permit life and one which has an underlying (one might say ‘supernatural’) plan.” Dr. Arno Penzias
William Philips Nobel prize winner in Physics stated,
“I believe in God more because of science than in spite of it"William Philips.
Werner Heisenberg father of Quantum Mechanics and 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.
The question however comes down to you the individual. Have you the faith to believe God exists?
Please think about it.

A sermon for the ages

A sermon for the Ages
The book of acts records a sermon of the apostle Paul given to the Greeks in the Areopagus. A place where ideas and beliefs were exchanged in Athens. He was invited there by Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The book of acts states,
"So he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.  
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?  
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean."  
(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.) 
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 
"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.' 
"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill.  
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he 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." 
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."  
At that, Paul left the Council.  
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others. Acts 17:17-34 
This talk of Paul’s could have been made quite easily at a “Ted Talk” on line today. Pauls Message is one for the ages. It is as relevant to day as it was then.
Even the outcome of what he said happens today when the gospel of Christ Jesus is presented. Some sneer. Others want to hear more. While others believe.
Where do you stand on Christ Jesus?
Please think about it.

It's easy... or is it?

It’s easy...or Is it?
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.
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.
According to Paul, Heaven is open to all who would believe in Christ Jesus. That if a person confesses with their mouth Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead, they will be saved.
That being said it is not easy believing what the apostle Paul is saying. Faith defined is

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for

 and certain of what we do not see."  

                                                             Hebrews 11:1

Many people cannot believe what they cannot see, or feel.
Thus the question is; do you dear reader believe in Christ Jesus?
Have you confessed with your mouth “Jesus is Lord”?
Do you believe in your heard God raised Him from the dead?
Please think about it.

Praise God!

Praise God
The Psalmist writes,

"I will extol the LORD at all times; 

his praise will always be on my lips. 

My soul will boast in the LORD;

 let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 

Glorify the LORD with me; 

let us exalt his name together." 

                                               Psalm 34:1-3.

As Christians I don’t think we praise the Lord enough. True we go to church and sing Gods praises there. But how often do we praise God when we are not in Church?
This morning as I was going shopping I was stopped at a stop light and I heard people praising God. They were sitting in a parking lot socially distancing and singing Gods praise.
      It surprised me but I got to thinking what a wonderful thing to do during this pandemic. They were not only praising God but witnessing to the people and cars that were passing by.
I think believers should do more of this. 
Why not take a few minutes right now to raise your voice and praise God right where you are?
          Please think about it.