Not blind faith

Read 1 Timothy 1
To Timothy, a true son in the faith;

"Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our LORD.

   As I urged you when I went into Macedonia–remain in Ephesus 

that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,

nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies,

 which cause disputes, 

rather than godly edification which is in faith.

Now the purpose of the commandment 

is love from a pure heart,

 from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

from which some having strayed, 

have turned aside to idle talk,

desiring to be teachers of the law,

 understanding neither what they say 

nor the things which they affirm."

                                                                                                    1 Timothy 1:2-7
Here Paul is basically telling Timothy to tell those who are teaching wrong doctrine to stop.  To stop teaching things that cause divisions in the church.
Paul as he states is doing it “out of  a pure heart,  from a good conscience, and from sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)  A faith he points out that some have strayed from.
It is so, so important that we know what we believe and why we believe it.  It is imperative that we study the Word of God and know what it says.  Many people have been led astray by wrong teaching.
I can remember Jones town.  A very dynamic, well spoken preacher by the name of Jim Jones, convinced a large number of people to follow him, to a place in South America.  Once there, he convinced them to commit mass suicide, as he himself did.  Hundreds of men, women and children died.
This is an extreme example, but there are those out there, in churches on television, and on radio, that are misleading people.
Some are out for money, others for other things.  Some are even doing it out of ignorance. But all lead to the same thing, separation from God.
We as Christians are asked to walk by faith, but not blind faith in a man or denomination.  We are told by the Scriptures “to study to show thyself approved.” (2 Timothy 3:15)
We need to know the Word of God.  We need to seek God daily.  To pray and ask God for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
We need to ask God to lead us to a solid Bible believing church congregation, that is following God.  One that teaches the truth.
Something to think about:
Most people take what a pastor, evangelist or what is preached in the media,  at face value and most of the time, there is not a problem.
Still, most people would never think of studying the Scriptures quoted by the preacher either for accuracy or to get greater insight in what he or she has said.
Do you ever take time when you’re at home to study the Scriptures spoken about from the pulpit?

A Challenge:
Take notes from your Pastor’s sermon or from the evangelist you hear on radio or television.  Then turn to the Scriptures given and see what else God has to say to you.
And never fear questioning a pastor or evangelist. Talk to them if you don’t understand no honest minister of God’s word will ever turn you away.

What Think Ye of Christ?

Read John Chapter 10

“I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

“But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees;

 and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.

“The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep,

 and am known by My own.

“As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; 

and I lay down My life for the sheep.

“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold;

 them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice;

 and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

“Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

“No one takes it from Me, 

but I lay it down of Myself, 

I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.

  This command I have received from My Father."

                                                                                                              John 10:11-18                          
Throughout John chapter ten, Jesus makes it clear who He is, but, the people don’t believe Him.  They even accuse Him of blasphemy and want to stone Him.  They have been asking Jesus, if He is the Messiah, yet, when He answers, they turn against Him.
Many people today, are like this, they refuse to accept the evidence put before them.  They accept that Jesus is a good man, that He is an important historical figure, but, refuse to accept that He is LORD and God.
Jesus states clearly that He has the power to lay down His life, and to take it up again, something that was seen when He died and rose from the grave.  No other religion in the world claims resurrection from the dead.
Jesus is LORD and God, He has the power of life and death.  He has the power to forgive sin.  These things are the cornerstone of our beliefs as Christians.
As Christians, we may disagree on many things but on these things we cannot:
* Jesus is LORD and God
* Jesus died for our sin
* Jesus rose again from the dead conquering sin and death
* Jesus has the power to forgive sins
* It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we are saved through grace not our good works.
Something to think about:

The first church I ever attended had a large banner over the pulpit that read,

“What think Ye of Christ”

Question: What do you think of Christ?

When I speak of Sin

I am very cautious when I speak about sin to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgenderd community because to many Christians have muddied the waters so to speak.
Specifically they have made homosexuality out to be a “special sin” nothing could be further from the truth.
As I see it we can safely say homosexuals are not sinning, unless they are committing the same sins any other person in the world are committing. The same holds true for the whole LGBT community.
Psalm 139:13-15 reads,

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. 

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,...” 

To me this means God knew before we were born our very genetic make up. He knew weather we would be gay or strait and he allowed us to be born.
God says to every man and woman that has ever been born, gay or strait,

“for 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. 

 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, 

through faith in his blood. 

He did this to demonstrate his justice,

 because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished

 he did it to demonstrate  his justice at the present time, 

so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

                                                                                                  Romans 3:23-26
Jesus said,

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

No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

                                                                                             John 14:7
I as a Christian believe John 14:7 they are the words of Jesus, and that statement compels me to reach out to all people everywhere offering them the Love Christ gave to me.

I believe the words of Paul to the Ephesians when he states,

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. 

For we are God's workmanship, 

created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

 which God prepared in advance for us to do.

                                                                                       Ephesians 2:8-10
We cannot work our way to heaven. We cannot be good enough to stand before God and say ‘I deserve to enter your heaven because I am a good person’.
We must confess our sins to Christ and accept His free gift of eternal life. We must believe the words of John when he writes,

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. 

                                                                                1 John 1:9,10
Jesus gives us a choice. Believe he is who he say’s he is, the one and only Son of God who came to die for our sins, or reject Him and accept the other option, that He and his followers have created the greatest lie in history.
The choice is yours.
All I am asking you, who ever you are, what ever your lifestyle, ethnicity, or your position in life is to consider what I have written above. Then if you believe it pray this prayer,
Dear Heavenly Father.
I believe that Jesus is your One and only Son. That he came to earth to die for my sins. 
Please forgive my sins today and come into my heart and life. 
Show me you will for my life from this point on.
                               In Jesus name I pray
                                       Amen.
If you’ve prayed this prayer in all sincerity, I urge you now to start reading the Bible and ask God to lead you to a Church where the Bible is preached in all its fullness.