The Capstone

  The Capstone

The apostle Peter referring to Jesus said,

"He is " ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'  

        Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:11,12.

Here is Christian belief in a nutshell. Jesus is the way to heaven.

In answering Thomas one of His disciples Jesus said,

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

No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

                                                                          John 14:6.

This was a radical statement at the time Jesus said it. It is even more radical today. Christians believe Jesus is the only way to heaven. As He put it “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

The way I see it you can believe what Jesus and Peter states here or you can not. The choice is yours. You must decide.

The only thing I would ask the reader before you make a decision, is to at least read the new testament and see what Jesus and the writers of the New Testament believed about Him.

Please think about it.

What will God say to you?

 What will God say to you?

In the book of 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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

I think this is self explanatory. God will one day judge the world.

What will He say about you?

Will God say to you ,

"Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  

I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Matthew 25:34-36.

OR will you hear,

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:41-46

Please think about it. 

Be Prepared

 Be Prepared

Jesus told this parable,

"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  

Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  

The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  

The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.  

The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 

"At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' 

"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  

The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' 

" ‘No,' they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.' 

"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 

"Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!' they said. ‘Open the door for us!' 

"But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' 

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." Matthew 25:1-13.

Think about this. If what Jesus is saying here is just a story with no meaning with respect to His return. It doesn’t mean anything.

On the other hand if it is a reference to Christ’s return, which I believe it is, we have a lot to think about.

So are you prepared for the return of Jesus Christ?

Please think about it.

What we do know

  What we do know.

The apostle Peter writes,

“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.

 If you are a true believer in Christ Jesus you can be certain that you have a living hope through Jesus Christ. That you have an inheritance that can never fade kept for you in heaven.

That being said in the book of Thessalonians we read,

"Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:1,2.

In other words Christ shall return to this world when we least expect it.

Will you be prepared?

Please think about it.

By Grace Through Faith

  By Grace through faith

The apostle Paul writes,

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9.

Christians believe we cannot work our way to heaven. We cannot live lives good enough to get to heaven.

The Prophet Isaiah noted,

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” Isaiah 64:6.

No matter how good we may think we are we always fall short of Gods ideal for our life. We all sin. That’s why the apostle Paul tells us,

"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 

Jesus speaking of Himself said this,

"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.

Scripture is clear. It is by the Grace of God we are saved. Through belief in Christ Jesus.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

People of Faith

  People of Faith

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for.” Hebrews 11:1,2.

Faith in 2023 seems to be in short supply. Few people seem to have faith in anything. 

We are bombarded by hundreds of things in the media one piece of information seemingly contradicting another piece of information.

I think its perhaps been this way throughout the centuries. It’s just that today we have a multimedia world that highlights contradictions quicker than ever before. 

It takes a lot of faith to believe anything these days.

That I think also applies to belief in God. It takes a lot of faith to believe in someone or something we cannot see, feel or touch. 

I think that is why God asks of faith. I think that is why in the book of Hebrews we read,

"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.

People who have faith in anything are the strongest of follower. People who believe in something with their whole heart and soul are willing to die for what they believe in.

Jesus speaking about 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.” John 3:16.

Do you believe this?  

The Message is power

  The Message is Power

The apostle Paul wrote,

“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

  I believe a person has two choices in life. Either you believe in God or you do not. The choice is yours.

  Blaise Pascal wrote,

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.

Are you living like this?

 Are you living like this?

Writing to the Galatians Paul states,

“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

  This is what it is to be a Christian. They are signs of a true Christian. If we are truly following Christ people will see these things in our life and be drawn to God.

  The apostle Peter said,

  “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.  

  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

  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 2:9-12.

  The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“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

 

  If you claim to be a Christian are you doing this?

  Please think about it.

No club only Love

  No club only Love

The apostle Paul writes,

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23

I don’t believe for one minute God is a big old guy standing with a big club ready to hit us if we don’t do what He says.

Quite the contrary I believe what Jesus said of himself as recorded in John’s Gospel,

“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.

God loves us and only wants the best for us. That is why He has set before us some rules to live by. Basic rules that will point us to heaven.

Additionally God knew that we are far from perfect and will fail at some point in our life not to be all God wants us to be. Simply put “we sin”. The apostle Paul telling us,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

The apostle John tells us,

"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” 1John 1:8-10.

Sinning is falling short of what God’s ideals are. 

Thus God knowing that we humans with all our frailties will fall short of His ideas. Knowing that we are powerless to save our self. God showed us how much he loved us by sending His one and Only Son to die for our sins.

The apostle Paul explaining,

“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.

Do you believe Christ died for your sins?

Have you accepted Christ’s offer of forgiveness?

Please think about it. 

Where does you help come from?

  Where does your help come from?

The Psalmist writes,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills— 

where does my help come from? 

My help comes from the LORD, 

the Maker of heaven and earth." 

                                                     Psalm 121:1,2.

So where does your help come from. Your wealth, or God?

The Psalmist wrote,

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God" 

                                                                          Psalm 20:7.

Can you honestly say this?

Please think about it.

Who may ascend?

  Who may ascend?

The apostle Paul writes,

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.  

  If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,  his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.  

If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.  

If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.

When I read this portion of scripture I think of the prosperity preachers. Men and women who say “give to God (quite often meaning their ministry) and he’ll give you back ten fold or a hundred fold” such talk is garbage.

The apostle Paul wrote,

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” 2 Timothy 3:1-4.

Those rich preachers will one day stand before God and be judged by what they did in this world. If they truly believed in Christ Jesus they will be saved, but as Paul said, 

“he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” 

While being rich in not a sin. If we put more of an emphasis on our wealth than on God is a problem. 

Further more if someone is are knowingly taking money from others in God’s name with the intentions of making our self rich, especially if those people are poor, this is morally wrong and I believe God will punish them.

The Psalmist writes,

"Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? 

Who may stand in his holy place? 

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, 

who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 

He will receive blessing from the LORD 

and vindication from God his Saviour. 

Such is the generation of those who seek him, 

who seek your face, O God of Jacob."

                                                            Psalm 24:3-6.

Please think about it.

Of wealth and God

  Of wealth and God

The Apostle Peter wrote,

"And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" Acts 2:21

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.  Romans 10: 9,10.

Alfred North Whitehead wrote,

“Apart from God every activity is merely a passing whiff of insignificance.” Alfred North Whitehead.

Think about it. No matter how successful you are in life. No matter how much money and possessions you gain in this life. The moment you pass from this life they don’t mean a thing. 

The richest men that have ever lived may have had a magnificent funeral with an expensive casket costing thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. Yet in the end they stand before God in the same way as the poorest person that ever lived does. 

The deciding factor as to where you will spend eternity comes down to whom you sincerely believe in while alive.

Jesus said,

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate theone and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money" Matthew 6:24.

Now there is nothing wrong with being rich. It is the emphasis you put on your wealth that is the important thing. Do you rely on your wealth more than you do on God. Do you trust your wealth more than you do God?

Who do you believe in?

Please think about it.