Our faith in action

 Our faith in action

In the book of James we read,

“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.  

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. 

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  James 1:19-22.

As followers of Christ we must put our faith into action. At the same time we need to look inside ourselves. We need to ask God where we fall short. To show us how we can live better lives for Him.

Billy Graham the American evangelist said,

“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” Billy Graham.

Billy Graham also said,

“Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do.” Billy Graham.

We as believers in Christ Jesus need to be careful as to who we listen to and what we do. It is very easy to let the ways of the world slip into our lives. It is very easy to mix secular values with Christian values. We must be aware of this.

To prevent mixing the worlds values with the values of our faith it is important that we pray daily and as often as we can. To spend time studying the Bible daily. 

It is imperative we learn as much about the teaching of Jesus and the apostles as possible. For it only in doing so that we will be able to represent Christ Jesus in the proper way.

Please think about it.

Of Faith and Deeds

Of Faith and Deeds
James the half brother of Jesus wrote,
“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?  
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  
If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?” James 2:14-20.
As I write this January 1st 2018 is upon us. As a result I thought it appropriate that I write a little about the Christian life.
To be a Christian means more than believing by faith in Jesus Christ. It means more than evangelizing.
Being a follower of Jesus Christ is a way of life. As a follower of Christ we should be putting our faith in action.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist said,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.” Tony Campolo.
There is a famous prayer by Francis of Assisi that reads,

“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.”

                                                                                                 Francis of Assisi.

If you consider yourself a follower of Christ Jesus are you an instrument of God’s Peace? Are you showing God’s Love?
Please think about it.

Devotion

Devotion
John’s Gospel records,
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  
Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.  
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” John 12:1-3.
Anointing a guests feet in the time of Jesus was a sign of devotion to the person. Mary however took this one step further. She took a pint of pure nard an expensive perfume that cost almost a years wages for the average person and anointed the feet of Jesus. That’s how much she loved Jesus.
Mary had shown in physical terms, in monetary terms, if you will, how much she loved Jesus.
I wonder how many who call themselves followers of Jesus especially in North America or in the western nations of the world are willing to give up a years wages to show their love of Jesus?
Many believers around the world today in areas that persecute believers in Christ put their life on the line for their faith. They risk not only going to jail for what they believe, but death.
Those of us who live in North America and the western democracies the so called free nations of the world have no such worries.
So the question becomes, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus Christ are you willing to give up your material possessions for your faith?
Matthew’s gospel records this incident between Jesus and a wealth man. Matthew records,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,  honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22.
True scripture tells us that we are saved by our faith. It is however only when we are willing to give up everything we have materially and for that matter even our life that we demonstrate true faith in Christ.
The disciples of Jesus showed this. All but one died for their faith. Faithful followers of Christ Jesus throughout the centuries since then have shown their willingness to die for their faith.
It is my hope that if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ that you will never be called upon to give up all you have materially, or to give up your life for the furtherance of the kingdom of God. That however being said, if you are a true follower of Jesus you must be willing to do so.
Please think about it.

Your Faith

Your Faith
            The Psalmist wrote,

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

 He leads me beside quiet waters, 

He restores my soul. 

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil, 

for you are with me; 

your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 

You anoint my head with oil; 

my cup overflows. 

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, 

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. 

                                                                            Psalm 23

Do you have complete faith in God?
The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

                                                        Hebrews 11:1

Martin Luther King jr. said,

“Faith is taking the first step 

even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

                                                 Martin Luther King, Jr.

Charles Spurgeon wrote,

“To trust God in the light is nothing, 

but to trust Him in the dark—

that is faith.” 

                                             Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

It can be very easy to confess being a Christian in the good times when life is easy and trouble free. However it is a different for many when life becomes difficult. When trouble and persecution come along.
God however requires faith in the bad times as well as the good times. The apostle Paul writing,
“Here is a trustworthy saying:

if we died with him, we will also live with him; 

if we endure, we will also reign with him.

If we disown him, he will also disown us; 

if we are faithless, 

he will remain faithful, 

for he cannot disown himself.

                                          2 Timothy 11-13

Thus the question is do you have complete faith in God?
The writer of Hebrews reminding us,

“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

Please think about it.

God, Jesus and you,

God, Jesus and you
The apostle Paul writes,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
                                                                               Romans 3:23.
Christians believe that everyone who has ever lived has sinned, and Sin separates us from God. Christians believe that we cannot live lives good enough to live with a holy God.
We also believe that God recognized this that is why He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins,
Paul immediately after saying “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” says,
“...and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
                                                                                                                                          Romans 3:24.
Still speaking to the Romans Paul explains,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.  
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”
                                                                                                                               Romans 10:9-13.
Speaking to the Ephesians Paul 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.”
                                                                 Ephesians 2:8,9.
We cannot work our way to heaven it is by the grace of God we get there though having faith in Christ. By truly believing that Jesus died for our sins that we may have eternal life with God.
Paul explains,
“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. 
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation”
                                           Romans 5:6-11.
Believing in and accepting God’s grace that comes through Jesus is the way to heaven. Jesus saying,
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 Writer of Hebrews states,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.  
So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. 
For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father’” ? 
Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” ? 
And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 
  Hebrews 1:3-6
Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh. No other faith in the world as far as this writer knows believes that the founder of their faith is God incarnate.
I as a Christian believe that God came into this world for several reasons. First and foremost he came to as Paul said reconcile man to Himself. To show man in human terms how far He would go.
Secondly ultimately God will judge every person on the earth. By His entering the world in the form of Jesus, He experienced all it was to be a man. We can never stand before God and say “You didn’t understand what it was to be a man, because you have never experienced what it is to be one. Someone all powerful cannot rightly judge someone as frail and full of flaws as a man.”
However when we stand before God that argument will not hold because he does understand. Jesus while on this earth never functioned more than a man.
He grew up in an average family for his day. He went to weddings. Wept at the death of a friend. Experienced the love of family and friends.
Experienced the hate of his enemies. He experienced a vicious beating at the hands of the Romans who’s governor had said he found nothing wrong with him worthy of death. Yet Jesus despite being beaten for a crime he did not commit was crucified.
Thus when we stand before Him and are judged, He can judge justly.
We today can however know the outcome of that judgement. Jesus while on the earth speaking of Himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. 
                                                                                                                              John 3:16-18.
As the apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
Are you willing to accept the Grace of God today?
Please think about it.

Someone asked

Someone asked

Someone once asked me, “What is the most important decision one can make in life?
To which I answered, “to follow Jesus” because Jesus can bring a peace into your life like nothing else can.
I have proven the truth of what Jesus said when he 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.
I do no see God as an old man with a long beared and big stick ready to bash anyone who does wrong. Quite the contrary I see God as loving his creation so much that,
1/ He gave each person the right to complete freedom of actions. Freedom so complete that the individual has the right to believe in God or not.
Freedom to live life the way God wanted them to live or to do the complete opposite.
2/ I see a God who loved each person in this world so much that when He seen the world turning away from Him, He entered the world He created, in the form of His one and Only Son Jesus Christ. To offer all men everywhere the opportunity, the choice to follow Him or reject Him.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. 
                                                                                                          John 3:16-18.
I believe in a God that wants only the best for us. That he offers us peace even in the worst of circumstances.
I believe in God who asks us to have faith in Him even though we cannot see Him, because He knows those who believe in such a way are true believers.
I also believe in what the apostle John wrote,
“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 
Now the questions I would ask you the reader is,
Do you believe in God?
Do you have peace in your heart?
Are you a child of God?
Please think about it.

The Way

The Way
“If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way.”
          Thomas Aquinas
No other person, no other faith in the world has made such a claim as Jesus and His followers.
Jesus said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  
  John 14:6.
Even when faced with the wrath of an angry crowd Jesus did not back down on His claim to be God John records.
“The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.  
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  
I 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?” 
                                                                                            John 10:24-32.
Jesus even after being beaten, hung on the cross and facing death never backed down. Luke’s Gospel records what happened on when Jesus hung on the cross with two criminals.
Luke tells us,
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?  
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’” 
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” 
                                                                                                                       Luke 23:39-43.
Notice Jesus did what only God could do. Promise the man he would be with Him in Paradise.
In John’s Gospel we are told this conversation between Martha and Jesus. John records,
“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?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” 
  John 11:25,26.
Jesus made all these statements knowing that to claim to be God or equal to God could have had him killed. In fact it was that very Jewish law that his enemies reminded the Roman governor of and used to have Jesus put to death.
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity, wrote of Jesus,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 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.
The apostle Paul Writing to the Romans said,
“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. 
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation”
                                          Romans 5:6-11.
Christians believe that through Jesus, God reached down to mankind and said to man I love you so much I am willing in earthly terms to show you how far I will go to offer you eternal life.
Christians do not believe man can be good enough to stand before Holy God. You cannot work your way to heaven. The Apostle Paul 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
C. S. Lewis points out,
“He 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.
The fact is, Jesus died for you the reader. Do you believe this?
Please think about it.