Noble Words

Noble words

“You shall not covet your neighbour’s house;

 you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife,

 nor his male servant,

 nor his female servant, 

nor his ox, nor his donkey, 

nor anything that is your neighbour’s.

Exodus 20:17

The above words from Exodus I think is an ideal that even those who do not believe in God can agree with are noble.
The Oxford dictionary defines Covet as: “yearning to possess something that belongs to someone else.”
We live today in what at times is a very self centred society. It’s a society that tells us what we need. We need the latest designer clothing, the most up to date smart phone, fancy cars complete with the latest gadgets to help us drive them.
Both children and adults are told by the media that if we don’t have all these gadgets we’re out of step.
In our “must have” society where day after day, we are told by advertisers that we “must have this” “we can’t do without this” it’s easy to see how someone can covet things of their neighbours.
Temptation is always there.  The world doesn’t make it easy not to covet things of our neighbours.  Especially for our kids and youth.
Our youth see the latest brand name thing, and it becomes a status thing for them.  One teacher told me one of the biggest problems they were having in her school was with clothing.
Kids were looked down on, if they didn’t have “the right clothes.”  Translation the right designer label.
Teens have been beaten by other teens, so they could take their two hundred dollar running shoes.
When it comes to anything in this day and age, society doesn’t make life easy, be it for teen or adult.
Materialism especially since the end of the second world war has slowly crept into our society. It has become a virtual god.
Particularly with the rise of the world wide web materialism has slowly become more evasive in our lives.
I click on a search engine and advertisements appear suggesting that I might like such and such an item.
Do we really need five hundred dollar smart phones that can do so much that most people don’t use half of what they can do?
While I know quality does matter when it comes to clothing do we really need to pay hundreds of dollars for designer running shoes or designer clothing?
Our society already has bowed down to the god of materialism and has in many ways, whether we are willing to admit it or not, paying the price in the form of crime.
Materialism is a harsh god. Sadly a god far to many people in the twenty-first century are following.
There is however an alternative. The one true and living God. The God who took it upon himself to sent his Son Christ Jesus call all men to him.
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                   Matthew 11:28-30
Think about it.

Man's Way

Man’s way

I would recommend that we straighten out a few things before we contemplate any interplanetary transportation system.  Suppose a man from Mars should suddenly appear on Earth?  I think it would be terribly embarrassing if he learned that a second-rate singer in a night club makes four thousand dollars a week, and a high-school teacher makes three thousand eight hundred and ninety dollars a year.  This and many other things should be straightened out first if we intend to maintain our dignity when planet folks start visiting us.
                                                                                                    Harry Golden
I came across the above quote and realized just how profound those words are. Our priorities as a society are royally messed up.
Take for example the Ebola epidemic in Africa. One of the reasons it can’t be contained is because very little priority was given to finding a vaccine for it. Someone noted to me the big pharmaceutical companies couldn’t make a lot of money on developing it so it took a back seat to other research.
The same is true when it comes to looking for cures particularly for rare illnesses. People are dying due to rare illnesses daily, illnesses that a cure could be found for if only there was the financial resources available.
Look at world hunger. There is enough food in the world to feed the world but politics, war and money symbols of man’s selfishness, stop the food from getting to where it’s needed.
The group calling itself the Islamic State (ISIS) has become a major threat to the world, why? Because of political inaction. It was the problem of someone else.
Young men and women are becoming radicalized by ISIS and other groups because society particularly in the west doesn’t seem to have anything to offer them.
Over the centuries the western world in particular has fallen away from the Christian faith and for that matter faith of any kind to be replaced with Atheism and materialism
Materialism and Atheism offers little in way of true fulfilment except a few theories and platitudes.
 In the middle east with the exception of Israel, Christianity has been restricted, banned out right, and even persecuted.  At the same time society in those countries in which Christianity has fallen out of favour, seems to have become a harsher place to live.
What is needed is a firm foundation based on the love of one’s fellow man whoever he may be.
The book of Matthew records Jesus answering the following question,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                       Matthew 22:37-40.
It is this ethic that is needed in society today.
In his book, "Essentials in Christian Faith" published in 1958 John B. Harrington, quotes from Paul Gallico writing in Esquire magazine in 1948. It something that could have been written today.
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that    "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 
   Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency  courage."
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"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
I would agree with Gallico, religion in all it’s organized forms has in part caused the situation in the world today. The members of ISIS may be religious but they are not men of true faith.
No one has to fear a man of true faith be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim or any other faith in the world today. Men of faith may differ in their beliefs but they will always be open to discuss their differences without fear.
I as a Christian believe the teachings of Christ are truly the answer to what this world needs. The teachings of love for God and for our neighbour whoever they may be.
It is the lack of love and a sense of belonging that are driving these young people to ISIS and groups like them. We need to change all that.
For me as a Christian the answer lies in Christ who said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                             Matthew 11:28-30
Think about it

Rethink

Rethink

As I write this it is October 28th 2014. Sadly I watched the funeral of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo the soldier murdered while guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
This man was proud to be a Canadian and serve his country. Our prayers go out to his family.
The man that killed him was nothing more than a hate filled misguided evil man.
What causes a man to do such a thing?
Chedly Belkhodja, principal of Concordia University’s School of Community and Public Affairs states,
“Radical Islamic groups can appeal both to lonely lost souls and Muslims in Western countries who feel excluded and marginalised,... A lot of young people can be an easy prey,” 
Studies by John Horgan seems to agree.
John Horgan, is a psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Centre for Terrorism and Security Studies.
He notes foreign fighters are drawn to join ISIS by the need to “belong to something special.”
They want to find something meaningful for their life,” he said. “Some are thrill seeking, some are seeking redemption.”
Max Abrahms, also an expert on terrorism, from Northeastern University notes that from most of the terrorism research available,  those who join terrorist groups like ISIS are the most "ignorant people with respect to religion and they are generally the newest members to the religion.... They would probably fail the most basic test on Islam,"
Sadly a lot of negative things have been done in the name of religion. I remember the IRA and UDA in Northern Ireland. They called themselves Catholics and Protestants even calling themselves Christians, but by any stretch of the imagination these people were not Christian. They simply used the name. These people were in reality people who wished to stay united with England and those who wished to separate.
Their fight was fuelled by prejudges and hate built up over centuries.
Were they truly Christian they would not have been fighting. They would have obeyed the words of Christ,
Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous...”
                                Matthew5: 43-45 
They would have followed the teachings of the Apostle Paul who wrote,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone....
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”   
                                                   Romans 12:18,20,21.
Whether you believe there is a God or not you cannot deny that such ideals as are expressed by Jesus and the Apostle Paul are good ideals.
Precepts that if followed would make the world a better place.
Sadly society particularly in the west is slipping away from God yet they have no substitute. Atheism and Materialism do not fill the void that many people have inside of them.
In today’s society it seems that if you do not fit into a box society has built, if you are different in any way like many of those who turn to groups like ISIS are, then you are rejected quite often by those around you. You become an outsider.
So is it any wonder when some group comes along offering inclusion and purpose  that seems good, young men and women head for it.
I am old enough to remember James Jones and the Jones town mass suicide of the late seventies.
A young charismatic man claiming to be Christian convinced a very large number of people to follow him down to the jungles of South America where they committed mass suicide.
This man like ISIS offered his followers a sense of belonging and purpose only to lead them to their deaths.
Our society is failing. Tough new laws can help protect people. Perhaps even preempt a terrorist strike but laws cannot change thoughts.
Only a social rethink can do that.
I as a Christian know Christ can change lives. Can offer a sense of belonging to the disenfranchised.
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                                Matthew 11:28-30.
Jesus is truly the answer to changing lives. I know because he changed mine and those of my friends and family.
He can change yours.
Think about it.

The Walk

The walk.

Someone has said, “from the moment we are born we are walking to eternity. The problem is not everyone prepares for it.”
Tony Campolo wrote,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”
                                                                                                      Tony Campolo
I do not believe nor can I believe we simply are born into this world to procreate then slip into oblivion. To me it would be such a waste of potential.
Every man woman and Child has potential and skills. To be able us use them for a few decades or a few years over a century seems pointless.
That’s one of the reasons I believe there is an eternity we will one day enter and a God we will one day stand before.
You can choose to believe it or not.
I believe there is a God who created the universe and all that is in it.
I believe he sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to point mankind to God. To point mankind who has fallen far short of God’s ideals to him. To make away for each and every man.
C. S. Lewis wrote of Jesus,
“He(Jesus) died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” 
                             C.S. Lewis   
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.  
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
Jesus made it clear,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                 John 14:6   
The apostle Paul points out that it is our faith in Christ that saves us,
“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.
The writer of Hebrews making it clear,
“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.
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 question is do you believe what I have just said?
Think about it.

The story of a Man

The story of a Man.

Many years ago, perhaps thirty-five or so now I was doing what we call street witnessing with a friend on the streets of big city.
We’d do a three or four kilometre lap along a major street. People and the police were use to us doing it.
We got our regulars some who simply wanted someone to talk, or argue with along with the drunks coming out of the bars and some new people.
On this particular occasion around midnight on a very cold February night, a very agitated man in his mid twenties came up to us. At first we though he might have a mental illness but that wasn’t the case.
He was very rational he just didn’t agree with anything we said. He had a lot of preconceived ideas that just didn’t add up.
He eventually told us he was a devil worshipper.
Over the space of an hour we tried to tell him about Christ although it was difficult because he didn’t want to listen. All he wanted to do was tell us what he believed.
Finally we were able to him what we believed, the words of Jesus.
“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.
He told us quite bluntly he didn’t believe. That we were wrong and he was right then left us.
A short time later the man was hit by a car and critically injured. We were unable to find out whether or not he survived his injuries but it gave us pause to think.
Were we the last chance he had to receive Jesus into his life. Did he enter a Christless eternity?
I know for non-Christians it’s hard to understand why we as followers of Christ feel it is of paramount importance that we give everyone the opportunity to accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
If Christians are wrong in our belief. Then following the teachings of Christ means you have lived a good, moral and rewarding life.
If we are right then not following Christ has eternal consequences.
Think about it.

A Sermon for the Ages

A sermon for the ages

Many contemporary pastors and evangelist have said many things about Jesus. Here however is what the apostle Paul said about Jesus. He was speaking to the learned men of his day in Athens. Never the less his message is a message for the ages and thus a message for we who live in the twenty-first century.
The men were philosophers who had beliefs of their own. Unlike many today however they were open to new teachings. They were men that had open minds who truly wanted to learn.
Men who wanted to know the truth.
The book of Acts records the following
“So he 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
Think about it.

Logic

Some Logic

The Atheist argues there is no God. However no atheist that I know, even if he may be a genius, he is not omniscient. Therefor because he is not all knowing, there exists the fact that the information he lacks contains proof there is a God.
Sadly atheism is poor faith system with no basis in fact.
Most atheist I’ve known tend to pick and choose the facts they choose to believe. They say there is no such thing as divine creation even though there are many facts to prove it correct.
Take a look at the world around you. The world is in perfect balance to sustain life. The movement of the stars and galaxies beyond the earth can be calculated mathematically as can things of a subatomic level and everything in between. This is proof of a creator of the universe.
It takes far more faith to believe in evolution than divine creation.
Many Atheist I have met don’t believe Jesus existed, yet within 150 years of Christ’s death there were the same number of secular writers who mention both Tiberius and Jesus.
One statistic I read stated that considering Christian and non-Christian sources together there are forty-two mentions of Christ and only ten mentions of Tiberius
Historian Will Durant notes that no Jew or Gentile from the first-century ever denied the existence of Jesus.
A full thirty-six thousand complete and partial writings about Jesus have been discovered from the first century.
These are works from outside the bible, but from them you can reconstruct almost the entire new testament.
The fact that these were written so close to the time of Jesus, within living memory of many people shows Jesus did exist.
Noted archaeologist Sir William Ramsey who initially rejected the writings of Luke went on later to say,
“Luke is a historian of the first rank.… This author should be placed along with the very greatest historians.… Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness.”
Despite the evidence we have. Evidence that keeps mounting many atheist refuse to believe in Jesus and accept Him as their saviour.
They however will I am certain come to see the reality that he is indeed real. I only pray that it will be in this life before they stand before him to be judged.
What do you believe?
think about it.

Evacuate

Evacuate?

The other day I watched a documentary called Evacuate Earth. It was a fascinating film that presented what could possibly be done if the earth was threatened by an object from outer space.
The premise was simply that we’d be searching the stars for an earthlike planet that we could go to should we find earth was in danger of being destroyed.
In fact the search for earth like planets is happening today.
Should such a cataclysmic even appear to be imminent. The powers to be would carefully select people from all over the world using genetic selection and other means, to go onto a large space craft for a journey that would at the minimum take a generation or more to that new earth.
I realized that the people making the movie were not Christians.
For me the premise that the human race would die out due to some cataclysm perhaps in theory is more than possible. After all our existence on this planet is defined by razor thin margins.
Still I do not believe for one second the human race would die out. Human beings while here on earth are have bodies of flesh and bone but that is not what makes up a man. Men and women were crated by God as eternal beings.  Let me quote loosely from Martin Luther King Jr who said,
“We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man.We are in nature but we live above nature....
Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity...”
King recognized the one thing all Christians and other faith groups know. First of all man is not just a corporeal being, but a spiritual being who is destined to live on through eternity.
A comet, asteroid, neutron star, nuclear holocaust, or for that matter a mass murderer, cannot sent people into oblivion.
To me the thought that all there is, is this life is very sad.
Every man, woman and child has so much potential. For it to be limited to a few years or decades or even just over a century seems such a waste.
I do believe the words of Martin Luther King when he said, mankind was created to live on like the stars through eternity.
I know to the unbeliever that may seem silly even stupid, it is never the less what I believe.
I have read the Bible with an open mind and truly believe what it says. The apostle Paul writing to Timothy wrote,
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 
                            1Timothy 1:15,16 
Eternal life to a Christian is a gift from God. C. S. Lewis said,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
                                           C.S. Lewis.
The Apostle Paul wrote,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
        Romans 5:8.
Writing to the Ephesians Paul said, 
“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
When all is said and done however what will happen to mankind and each individual on this earth comes down to a matter of where you put your faith, in Science or in God.
The writer of Hebrews noting,
“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
Think about it

October 22nd 2014 Ottawa

October 22nd 2014 Ottawa

As I write this Canada’s capital has just been shocked by a radicalized individual who shot and killed a soldier on duty at the national war memorial in Ottawa then tried to get to others inside the parliament buildings.
Fortunately the man doing the shooting was shot and killed by the sergeant at arms before he could kill others.
This is the second attack on Canadian military personal in less than a week. A few days earlier a man deliberately attacked two soldiers in Quebec killing one of them.   The attacker in this incident was also killed.
My condolences and prayers go out to the families of those soldiers who have died.
Such attacks are done by men who are far from God. Men who harbour hate within their heart. Men who know nothing of honour. Men devoid of love.
Rabbi Abba Hill Silver during the dark days of world war two said,
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.”
-Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, rabbinic leader, from a December 22, 1940, sermon,  
The men that killed those soldiers were no better than Adolf Hitlers, Gestapo.  The leaders of IS who inspired them, nothing more than modern day Nazis who murder innocent men women and children. Such men are far from God.
These murders deserve to be brought to trial and convicted of the crimes they are so guilty of committing and inspiring.
We however as civilized people should not stoop to their level. We should never hate.
Martin Luther King Jr. knew what it was to experience hate, yet he was able to say.
“We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man. We are in nature but we live above nature. Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate.
Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us...
Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in one common bond of humanity in the kingdom  of our LORD and of our God, we pray.
                         Amen.
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Let us never hate. Let us hold the banners of Freedom, Justice, and Democracy high never for one minute letting them be tarnished by hate.
We need to pray for our brave men and women in the military as well as the first responders who risk their lives to keep us safe and free.
Pray for the protection of those who are fighting against the evil that IS and other terrorist groups around the world.
Pray for our political leaders that God will give them protection. That He will grant them wisdom in all their decisions.
Pray for peace.

What if

What if.

What if you found something that could transform your life and the life of other people, wouldn’t you want it? Wouldn’t you want to share it?
That is what we Christians believe we have.
Jesus tells this parable,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.”                                                                                                                                       Matthew 13:44-46. 
Now we can’t buy or way into heaven. Salvation is a free gift from God one each and every individual must choose to accept or reject themselves.
However Jesus here is giving an example of how precious salvation is to the believer in Christ. It is so valuable that the believer if they could they would sell everything they had and buy it.
If we Christians think Salvation through Christ is so valuable is it any wonder we would not want to share it with all whom we come in contact with?
We Christians I know from time to time come across as aggressive, even fanatical but most of the time it’s done out of a belief that we truly have the path to eternal life with God.
We believe the worlds of Jesus who 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
Matthew 16:13-16 records,
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
                                                                                     Matthew 16:13-16 .
We also believe the words of Jesus when he 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.
It is because we believe all of the above that we feel it is the most important thing we can present to the world.
If you had such an important message wouldn’t you wish to tell people about it?
Think about it.

The Jesus Question

The Jesus Question

Here’s a question for those who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate.
Why would a man knowing claim to be the Son of God when he knew the penalty by law for saying such a thing meant death?
Jesus knew the law and still claimed to be the Son of God.
The Gospel of Matthew records,
“Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?”  
But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 
“Yes, it is as you say,”Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.  
What do you think?” “He is worthy of death,” they answered.” 
                                                                     Matthew 26:62-66
The Gospel of John records,
“As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!” But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 
The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 
                               John 19:6,7.
Let’s face it, someone trying to start a new religious or a social movement of any kind would be a lunatic to say something that would get him put to death.
C. S. Lewis an Oxford University intellectual, initially an atheist studied the Bible and Jesus. He came to this conclusion about Jesus,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him(Jesus): I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. 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. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 
           C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Needless to say Lewis became a follower of Jesus.
To my mind Jesus is everything he said he was, the Son of God.
His call to each and every individual is to get rid of any preconceived ideas you might have or someone has place in your mind and read what the New Testament has to say about Jesus with an open mind. Make your own decision as to who he is.
It is my belief that if you do study the Bible with an open mind you will see Jesus for what He is the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind.
Think about it.

True Christians

True Christians
Over the centuries many have called themselves Christians that are not.
Simply because someone calls themselves a Christian does not make themselves a Christian any more than someone dressed as a fireman makes them a real fireman.
There are many people out there, some even preaching from the pulpit or in the media that call themselves Christians but are by no means Christian Christians.
Here’s something to think about concerning true Christians,
A true Christian will obey the words of Jesus,
they will  not judge,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,

 and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Matthew 7:1,2

They will not judge others for any reason. I like what Tony Campolo said about this. He said,
“We ought to get out of the judging business. We should leave it up to God to determine who belongs in one arena or another when it comes to eternity. What we are obligated to do is to tell people about Jesus, and that's what I do.”
                                                      Tony Campolo
A True Christian will do to others as you would have others do to you.
Jesus saying,

“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

A true Christian will love,
Love both God and His neighbour,

Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul 

and with all your mind.’  

This is the first and greatest commandment.  

And the second is like it:

 ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 

Matthew 22:37-40

Will, Love their enemy and pray for their persecutors,

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’  

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  

that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. 

He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good,

 and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?

 Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  

Matthew 5:43-46

A true Christian will recognize that true love is as the  Apostle Paul wrote,

“Love is patient, love is kind.

 It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

 it is not easily angered,

 it keeps no record of wrongs.

 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

Love never fails....

And now these three remain:

 faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.”  

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13

A true Christian will even take into account the prayer of St Francis of Assisi making it the prayer of their heart.

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; 

to be understood as to understand; 

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

                                                                                     The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
Think about it.

Love

Love
“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.”
-Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, rabbinic leader, from a December 22, 1940, sermon,    quoted in Therefore Choose Life: Selected Sermons, Addresses and Writings of    Abba Hillel Silver, Volume One, edited by Herbert Wiesner (1997)
Do you love? I don’t care who you are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist. If unconditional love is absent hate will abound.
The Nazis during world war two promoted hate, limited their love to a selected few, and it resulted in the greatest genocide in world history. Twelve million plus murdered in death camps in excess of 60,000,000, civilian and military dead in the world war that ensued.
To day as I write this IS militants, men without honour or love in their hearts are killing innocent men, women and children.
While IS is extreme I look around at society today and see at times love lacking.
I am a Christian and I look at some who call themselves Christian ministers and evangelist in the media slamming various groups for their lifestyle and I ask myself where is the love.
I see non-Christian groups Atheist in particular demanding certain religious symbols be taken out of public spaces because they are offended and have rights, and I ask where is the love.
I watched the news and hear of young people killing young people over nothing of importance.
Gang violence is becoming prevalent in all our major cities. Gangs hate. They limit their love to their own. They hate others to the point of being willing to kill.
Love is slowly it seems drifting away from segments of our society and there seems to be no solution.
I do believe however there is.
It seems to be as society here in the west has drifted away from the basic Judao-Christian teachings of loving others as you would love yourself, society has started to decline.
I look at Christians particularly in the Bible belt of the United States and some Churches here in Canada and see them becoming confrontational. While at the same time failing to meet the needs of people youth and others of the twenty-first century.
The churches that I see as succeeding, are those who realize that the message of the Bible is for today and are framing it in a relevant and meaningful way.
They are showing love to all. They are not imposing their faith on anyone but rather inviting people of all ways of life to come and see what Christ has for them.
They are presenting the gospel of Christ and saying this is what Jesus said, this is what we believe and giving them the opportunity to accept or reject that message.  
I believe that the principles of love for one’s fellow man stated within the Bible is the solution to many of man’s problems in the twenty-first century.
The Apostle Paul wrote many profound things. Writing to the Corinthians he said,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13
Writing to the Romans he said,
“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.  
On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 
                                                                      Romans 12:18-21.
If even just these two principles were followed by all people in the world to day, our society would be a much better place.
Think about it.

Not because we are Good

Not because we are Good
C. S. Lewis said,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
                                          C.S. Lewis.
Christians believe we cannot be good enough or do enough good works to stand before a just and holy God.
The apostle Paul reminds us,
“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.”
                                                                       Romans 3:23,24
He writes to the Ephesians,
“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.
This is quite different to many other faiths in the world. Christianity makes it simple to get into heaven. We must simply believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he paid the price for our sins on the cross.
John tells us,
“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.” 
1John 1:9-10.
John tells us in his gospel,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” 
                                       John 1:12,13
It could not be more simple.
Think about it.

On Christianity

On Christianity

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  
‘But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
1 Timothy 1:15,16
The apostle Paul didn’t start of as a Christian. He was not among the first to follow. Quite the contrary the book of acts records how he set off to try and destroy the church. He was even at the stoning of the Stephen the churches first martyr and getting permission from the religious authorities to go after and imprison Christians.
Paul however became a convert and took the gospel throughout the known world at the time.
Not only that, this man who started out as an enemy of Christ wrote after his conversion, much of the New Testament.
Throughout history many have tried to destroy the church some have become Christians others have died before repenting and thus stand before the judgement seat of Christ.
When it comes to those who persecute Christianity there is nothing new under the sun. Nero used the Christians as human torches. Other emperors of Rome killed them in various ways.
Hitler sent Christians who spoke out against him to death camps. (Then Hitler like most dictators killed anyone who spoke out against them).
Pol Pot dictator of Cambodia 1975-79 crucified Christians.  Kim II Sung (North Korea 1948-94) murdered 1.6 million people. His son continues the killing.
North Korea is number one on the list of countries that persecute Christians today and has been for decades.
Jozef Stalin dictator of the USSR from 1932-39 only, murdered 15,000,000.
An interesting note about Stalin. He let the churches be opened during world war two then after victory over Hitler’s Germany had them closed again and persecuted Christians.
The question I like to ask to anyone who is against Christianity is why are they so offended?
If God does not exist He can’t hurt you. Christians if they are following the teaching of Jesus correctly are living a moral life. What’s wrong with living a moral life.
Yes we try to make converts that’s one of the teachings of Christ but are we not converting them to a moral way of living?
Again I ask what is wrong with living a moral life?
To Quote C. S. Lewis,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance...”
Think about it.

The Way

The Way
The following is what I as a Christian believe one needs to do to become a Christian and enter heaven.
The way to heaven is I believe simple and open to anyone, and I mean anyone to follow.
It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,
“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.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                     John 14:6
   Paul writing to the Romans said,
“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.” Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“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
  John noting,
“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.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“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
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, 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
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                              Hebrews 11:1
What do you believe?
When one becomes a Christian their life begins to change.

A true Christian will practice the following.
They will  not judge,
Jesus said,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Matthew 7:1,2
They will do what Jesus says. Jesus saying,
“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
Love both God and His neighbour,
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
Matthew 22:37-40
They will, Love their enemy and pray for their persecutors. Jesus telling them,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  
Matthew 5:43-46
A true Christian will even take into account the prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, 

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; 

to be understood as to understand; 

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive; 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; 

     and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

                                                                                           The Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

There is a God

There is a God

Over the past year I’ve written a lot to those who do not believe in God. Now I’m not a great scholar but I think I’m intelligent enough to know make honest rational decisions when it comes to believing there is a God or not.
I believe the words of C. S. Lewis,
“A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell.” 
                                                                         C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain.
I believe most Atheist at least the one’s I’ve met, have a preconceived idea that God does not exist and simply look for facts that support their theory. That at the very least is bad science.
Many of these people look to figures in history that call themselves Christians, usually depots and murderers everyone from the crusaders to Adolf Hitler, men who are not by any stretch of the imagination Christian.
They look at what they call discrepancies between the Bible and science and say God cannot exist. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The Bible is a book of Faith first not a science book. It points people to the world around them and asks them to look at how perfectly the world is designed a design that could never come by chance and therefor had to have a creator.  
Whether the world was made in six days or six billion years has no bearing on whether God exists or not.
The fact is there is a God. A creator of the universe who made everything to work in harmony.
The Psalmist states,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 
                                                                                                             Psalm 19:1.
We only have to look around from the subatomic level to the universe beyond our planet to find everything in a order. This to me tells me there is a God.
More and more as good science is done I believe we will find evidence that God exists.
Even from a philosophical level one can determine that the Bible is true. The truths there in can apply to any situation man gets himself into.
The moral code the Bible has laid down for man is second to non. It is a moral code that transcends the ages.
The proof for God is all around. The key to finding God is to forget about preconceived ideas and open one’s mind to the fact that there just may be a God who sent his one and only Son Jesus Christ into his creation to save mankind.
Either that or 2,200,000,000 people, a third of the earths population is deluded?
Think about it.

On Jesus

On Jesus

Kenneth Scott Latourette, former President of American Historic Society
In A History of Christianity, wrote,
“It is evidence of His importance, of the effect that He has had upon history and presumably, of the baffling mystery of His being that no other life ever lived on this planet has evoked so huge a volume of literature among so many people and languages, and that, far from ebbing, the flood continues to mount.”
“As the centuries pass by, the evidence is accumulating that measured by its effect on history, Jesus is the most influential life ever lived on this planet. The influence appears to be mounting.”
“No other life lived on this planet has so widely and deeply affected mankind.”
I am not a great scholar by any means. I am a simple follower of Christ.
I know there are many people out there who deny there is a God and claim Jesus is a myth.
Still no credible historian today denies that Jesus walked the earth. Quite the contrary more and more archeology is slowly starting to prove more and more how accurate the gospels are.
Sir William Ramsay one of the greatest Archaeologist of the first half of the twentieth century was a liberal who tried to refute to validity of the gospel of Luke. Ramsay however became persuaded that Luke was a scholar of the first order.
He was so convinced that he became an evangelist making arguments for the teachings of Christ based on his readings of the Gospel and his archaeological findings.
Another reputable archaeologist Stephen Neil notes the point that Luke get's all of the titles correct in Acts, all the minor officials in every little localities, even titles which were thought previously to have been wrong archaeology has proven Luke right.
Those who deny that Christ existed are not objective. They are not looking at the evidence that is slowly accumulating from outside the bible by reputable historians and archaeologist both Christian and non-Christian.
Those same people who deny that Jesus existed would not deny Alexander the great existed yet the first records we have for Alexander was 300 years after he died.
It wasn’t until 1961 that archaeologist discovered Pontius Pilate’s name inscribed on block referring to him as prefect of Judea.
In 1990 that an ossuary (bone box) was discovered and has been authenticated with the name of Caiphas the name of the high priest was discovered.
World historian Will Durant notes that no Jew or Gentile from the first-century ever denied the existence of Jesus.
Here’s another statistic,
Within 150 years of Christ’s death there were the same number of secular writers who mention both Tiberius and Jesus.
 Thirty-six thousand complete and partial writings about Jesus have been discovered from the first century.
These are works from outside the bible, but from them you can reconstruct almost the entire new testament.
Such works are within living memory of Jesus which shows he existed.
Throughout history however there have be doubters the difference today is that those doubters have a high tech soap box to stand on.
There is one thing I am certain of in all of this. If I am right, which I am convinced I am, and Jesus and God truly exist, then I have no fears. For I will one day stand before Christ and meet him as my Lord and Saviour. If I am wrong I have lived a good moral and happy life.
To those who would doubt the existence of God and Jesus I would say if you are right you have nothing to fear.
But if you are wrong you have a big surprise coming and will one day prove right the words of Jesus who 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
Think about it.