Lunatic, poached egg, or God?

  Lunatic, poached egg, or God?

In John’s gospel John referring to Jesus as the word states,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. " John 1:1-4,14.

Jesus speaking the Thomas said,

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6.

John also records this incident in the life of Jesus,

"I (Jesus) 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 10:30-33.

What John records here in his gospel makes it clear that Jesus claimed to be one with God. That he is God in the flesh. It is what Christians believe.

C. S. Lewis talking about Jesus states,

“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.” C.S.Lewis.

Thus my question to you; Who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it. 

Mortality

Mortality

In Ecclesiastes we read,

“Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.” Ecclesiastes 7:2

This at first glance seems odd. Why is it better to be in a house where someone has just died than in a house of celebration?

I think the answer is simple. When we are confronted with the death of someone it should give us pause to think about our mortality. After all 100% of all who have ever lived or are living today have or will die at some point.

Thus the question becomes; Where will you go after you die?

Jesus speaking to Martha asked the question we all must answer,

"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?"John 11:25,26.

Will you answer in with the same words Martha said,

"Yes Lord" she told Him, "I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world," John 11:27.

Please think about it.

God or...

 God or...

The Psalmist writes,

“Trust in the LORD and do good;

 dwell in the land 

and enjoy safe pasture.” 

                                                    Psalm 37:3.

Today I’m writing to those who claim to be Christians, followers of Christ Jesus in North America and also in the democracies of the west.

Here in North America we enjoy safe pasture. We have freedoms the world can only dream of. That being said I think at times those freedoms stop us from fully trusting in The Lord. 

When you are prospering and living in safety it is easy to ignore God. It’s easy to put your trust in other things rather than God.

Jesus told this parable,

"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." 

And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.  He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 

"Then he said, ‘This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  

And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 

"But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." Luke 12:15-21.

Now let me say being wealthy is not wrong. There are many wealthy Christians today who but their trust completely in God. 

The problem with wealth is the emphasis you put on your wealth. 

Thus my question to you; who do you trust more, God or your wealth?

Please think about it.

God or this world

  God or this world

The apostle Paul wrote,

"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.

Sadly here in North America where I live there is a movement called the “prosperity doctrine” or “name it claim it” doctrine. 

Those who believe this believe that if you have enough faith in God He will make you healthy and wealthy all the time. That if you give to God (usually meaning the ministry of a particular evangelist or church) you will prosper materially.

Sadly many people follow these false teachers and fall away from God when things don’t work out.

While being wealthy is not wrong. It is the value you place on your wealth, and for that matter your well being. That matters. If you put them ahead of God it is wrong. 

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....

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money Matthew 16:19-21,24. 

If we look at the example of the apostles we see that God came first. They were not wealthy men. They also were willing to be beaten, thrown in prison, and even die for what they believed. All but one died a martyrs death.

As believers in Christ Jesus, particularly here in North America and the western democracies we need to take a look at our life and see who our first love is, God or the things of this world. 

Please think about it.

When you stand

 When you stand

In Ecclesiastes we read,

“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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.

If you truly believe in God. You should take this warning to heart. “God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”

While Christians believe that we are saved through faith and that Christ died for our sins. which is true. We must remember we too will one day stand before God.

The question then is if you are a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus; What will God say to you on the day you stand before Him?

Please think about it.

In a mask

  In a mask

"You shall have no other gods before me."Exodus 20:3.

This is a serious commandment. The full quotation states,

"You shall have no other gods before me. 

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand  generations  of those who love me and keep my commandments. Exodus 20:3-6.

By my way of thinking anything you put before God is an idol. 

Here in North America we have many idols, money consumer goods, materialism in general are obvious ones. But there is one other that most don’t really think about and that is rights and freedoms.

As this covid crisis has shown, tens of thousands here in North America who disagree with their government on covid do so because they feel their rights and freedoms are being restricted. Many of those protesting call themselves Christian. Yet nowhere in the Bible does God guarantee our rights and freedoms.

We only have to look at the life of the apostle Paul to see that. He was put in prison, and stoned among other things. 

But Paul was not put in prison or stoned for protesting his rights and freedoms. For the most part Paul obeyed the laws of Rome. Paul was put in prison because of what he was preaching, the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Pauls focus was always on the job given to him by Christ, presenting the saving grace of God that comes through Christ Jesus. 

We as believers in Christ Jesus would do well to remember this. 

While our rights and freedoms are good to have, it is important to remember we should not put them ahead of God.

If we are to tell the world about Christ Jesus it is important we focus on what God would have us to do and if necessary do it in a mask, socially distanced. 

Please think about it.

Not rights obligations

 Not rights obligations

Jesus said,

"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  

bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  

If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.  

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  

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.  

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27-36.

Here in North America we have rights and freedoms many in the world can only dream of.

Sadly however many calling themselves Christians put their rights ahead of their beliefs. They emphasize “their rights” to the point of almost holding their rights up as a something to be worshipped. They fail to recognize the rights of those they disagree with. This should not be so.

Christians, believers in Christ Jesus, have an obligation to treat those around them in the  same way they would want to be treated.

Matthews gospel records Jesus as saying it this way,

"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.

If you claim to be a Christian, a believer in Christ Jesus, are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Your Fruit

 Your fruit

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But the fruit of the Spirit is 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 

faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Against such things there is no law.” 

                                                                        Galatians 5:22,23.

Take a moment to look at your life. Are you exhibiting the fruits of the spirit the apostle Paul mentions here?

The apostle Peter wrote,

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12.

If you are exhibiting the fruits of the spirit, then you will find yourself living a good life and those around you will see that.

Thus I ask you the question again; Are you exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit the apostle Paul is speaking about in Galatians 5:22,23?

Please think about it.

Righteousness, faith, love, peace.

  Righteousness, faith, love, peace.

To Timothy and therefore to us 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.

Here’s a simple question to anyone who claims to be a Christian. A follower of Christ Jesus. 

Are you pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace?

Are you calling on The Lord out of a pure heart?

Think about it.

Really think about it.

As far as it depends on you

  As far as it depends on you.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,

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

live at peace with everyone."

                                                                Romans 12:18

Here the apostle Paul simply asks us to do our best to live at peace with those around us. I think it can safely be said Paul knew that we wouldn’t always be able to live at peace with those around us. And not necessarily because of what we have done, but what others do to us.

No matter how hard you try sometimes those around you just don’t like you or what you have to say. This is especially true for Christians who are told to go and tell people about Jesus Christ and the saving grace that God offers through Him.

In many parts of the world Christians are persecuted, put in prison or even put to death for what they believe. But that is not because they have not made the effort to live in peace with those around them.

When it comes to North America where I live. Many who call themselves Christians are seen as trouble makers who want things all their own way. Frankly they abuse the freedoms they are given by the democratically elected government.

Many here in North America try to force their beliefs on others. They refuse to even listen to anything they don’t agree with. This is not how you live at peace with people.

It is possible to live at peace with those you disagree with without compromising your beliefs. I think Jesus proved this when he sat down with people the religious leaders labelled “tax collectors and sinners”.

In order for Jesus to sit down with people who didn’t share his views he had to at the very least to have shown respect for what they believed. 

Which is what we must do.

As I said living at peace with someone doesn’t mean you have to compromise your views it means respecting the views of others, then sitting down and having an open discussion.

We must remember that living in peace wins souls for Christ. Failure to live in peace with those around us has the potential to send someone into a Christless eternity.

Please think about it.

Christs Representatives

 Christs Representatives 

The apostle Paul wrote,

"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.

Paul also wrote,

"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."  2 Corinthians 5:20.

We are Christs ambassadors. An ambassador is a country, or kings representative in another country. It is through the lens of the ambassador that people see the king he or she represents.

Thus as Christs ambassador people see Jesus through the words and deeds for all who would call themselves Christians.

So what are your words and deeds telling the those around you about Jesus Christ? Are you correctly handling the word of God? Are you representing Jesus in the best way you know how?

If you call yourself a true follower of Christ Jesus, what will He say about your handling of the scriptures? What will Jesus say about the way you conducted yourself on behalf of Christ?

Please think about it.

Will your call be answered?

  Will your call be answered?

In the book of James we read,

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2:14-17

There are 2000 verses of scripture that deal with responding to the needs of the poor. A call to believers in Christ Jesus to help the poor. In the book of Proverbs we are given a warning,

"Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor 

will himself call out and not be answered." 

                                                                         Proverbs 21:13.

Two questions; 1/ in light of Proverbs 21:13, will the pastors, evangelist and politicians you support have their calls answered by God?

2/ Will you have your calls answered by God?

Please think about it.