Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus

The apostle Paul states,
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” 
                                                                                           Colossians 2:9
A lot of debate as to who Jesus really is has happened over the centuries the Bible however makes things very clear. As quoted above the apostle Paul says,
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” 
                                                                                            Colossians 2:9
The gospel of John records.
“Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.  
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.” 
                                  John 10:22-30 
In Chapter eleven of John he records this conversation between Martha and Jesus,
“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
Martha had to decide just who Jesus is. This is what people must decide today. Is Jesus the Son of God. The Christ who came into the world. OR is he a charlatan who pulled off the greatest lie in history?
C. S. Lewis said 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.
         Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it.

Lesson from a Blacksmith

Lesson from a blacksmiths

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,

And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;

Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor

Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

“How many anvils have you had,” said I,

“To wear and bater all these hammers so?”

“Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye,

The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”

And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,

For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;

Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed - and hammers gone.

                                                                                       Anonymous.
For centuries there have been people who have said Christianity, will disappear. It has not. From the days of it’s inception people have come against Christ.
They crucified Christ yet he arose from the grave walked the earth briefly and ascended to heaven.
The followers of Christ have taken the gospel to the ends of the world.
As you read this Christianity is still welcoming converts even in parts of the world where being a Christian can lead to jail or death.
Christianity is of God.
The book of Acts records an incident where two of Jesus’ apostles were preaching in his name after the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
The book states,
“We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 
Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!  
The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead—whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree.  
God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.  
We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 
When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death.  
But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  
Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  
Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” 
        Acts 5:28-39
Gamaliel was right. Christianity is of God and the message we Christians bring is true. The choice is however up to you.
Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, God incarnate, God in the flesh, the Saviour of mankind or not.
Please think about it.

A quick note

A quick note,

Here is what I believe is the most important message the world needs.

1/

 Jesus said

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

 I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 

                                                                                         John10:10

2

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

3

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

4

The Writer of Hebrews wrote,

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

                                5                                       

Jesus said to Martha

“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

The above are quotations from the bible that I believe everyone needs to consider irrespective of who they are.
Christianity to my knowledge is the only faith in the world that claims God the creator of the universe came into the world to show mankind the way to heaven.
I know to some this concept is hard to believe but it is at least something each individual needs to think about.
C. S. Lewis said,
“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 decision is yours.
Please think about it.

About Jesus

About Jesus

“They gave him a manger for a cradle, a carpenter's bench for a pulpit, thorns for a crown, and a cross for a throne.  He took them and made them the very glory of his career.” 
                                                                                                                        W.E. Orchard.
Napoleon Bonaparte said of Jesus,
"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”
                                                                                      Napoleon Bonaparte.
This is the choice as I see it when it comes to Jesus either you can accept him as Lord and Saviour. The one and only Son of God or you can reject Him. There is no middle ground. Jesus 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.
Jesus also gave us a choice 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.
C. S. Lewis put things this way,
“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.
So dear reader I leave the choice up to you.
Please think about it.

God knit you

God knit you.

“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, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
                                                                           Psalm 139:13-16.
A while ago I heard a group of so called Christians attacking the LGBT community. It frankly upset me. While these people may have been Christians by the slimmest of margins they were way off base in what they were saying.
As it seems usual with people like this they held homosexuality up as some “special sin”. It’s a lot of garbage. It proved to me these people lacked understanding. And they definitely were not following the teachings of Jesus to love God, your neighbour and even your enemy.
No one knows what goes on in the heart and mind of an individual. No one truly knows what makes a person who they are. Only God knows that. The Psalmist wrote,
“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, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
                                                                         Psalm 139:13-16.
When I hear any Christian attacking anyone it angers me. It reminds me of the story in the Gospel of John chapter eight of the women caught in adultery. These men were being hypercritical in bringing this woman before Jesus because they had sin in their life. Jesus said to them.
“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”  
                                                                                                                  John 8:7b.
The apostle Paul writing to Christians states,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  
 1 Corinthians 5:12.
Sadly many claiming to be Christians do judge those outside the church and as such turn them away from God.
The apostle Paul tells us Salvation is not through works but by the grace of God. 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.” 
                                                       Ephesians 2:8,9
Getting to heaven is believing Jesus is all he said he is when he said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                             John 14:6
It is about making the right choice. A choice Jesus gave us 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.
Salvation is an act of faith on the part of the individual. Believing Jesus is the one and only Son of God the saviour of mankind. It is a decision between the individual and God.
Do you believe this?
Please think about it.

Seeing God

Seeing God.

“He (God) shows much more of Himself to some people than to others-not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition.”
                                            C.S. Lewis.
Over the years I’ve met many Atheist and frankly most are closed minded. Most simply dismiss God out of hand. They say you can believe in Him that’s your choice, but I’m not.
If you have already made up your mind about God all the words in the world will not change most peoples minds.
God is always their waiting patiently for the individual to seek Him out, to acknowledge Him. Yet so many people miss out on what to me is the most important thing in my life. They miss out because they fail to acknowledge there is a God who loves them.
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“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 fact that the majority of people do believe there is an afterlife and God is to me evidence that God exists.
God gave man a freewill. This meant that he can believe what he wants. That still doesn’t change the fact that there is a God. That’s the definition of freewill, to believe what you want irrespective of the facts.
Each person must decide for themselves if there is a God.
Not only that but from a Christian perspective the individual must decide in his or her own mind just who Jesus is.
Jesus made it clear we have two clear cut choices 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.
The choice is yours. To quote C. S. Lewis one more time,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                      C. S. Lewis.
Please think about it

The choice

The Choice
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                       C. S. Lewis.
The gospel of 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.
God gives every person everywhere a choice. You can accept Jesus is who he claimed to be the Son of God, the saviour of mankind, the resurrection and the life, or you can reject his claim.
The choice is yours. God will not impose His will on you.
From the dawn of creation God has given man a choice believe in Him or reject Him. There is no in between.
Believing God exists and Jesus is God incarnate is an act of faith. The writer of Hebrews states,
“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.
The choice dear reader is yours.
Please think about it.

The Christian Message

The Christian Message

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” 
                                                                                                                                  Matthew 4:17.
“Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” this is the principle message of Jesus. This should be the principle message of each and every individual Christian. If it isn’t the message of anyone who claims to be Christian then I would doubt that they are Christian at all.
Both Jesus and the apostles made clear what Christians must do. Jesus said,
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 
                                                   Matthew 28:18-20.
That age is still going on and it is our duty as Christians to teach all that the scriptures teach.
We are to teach repentance of sins. The apostle Paul wrote,
“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
I find people get hung up on the word sin. Sin actually means falling short of God’s ideal for our lives be it in a big way or a small way. As humans we all fall short of God’s ideals and must confess our shortcomings, our sins to God.
The Apostle John saying,
“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.
A true Christian does believe and should offer those around them the option Christ offered the world. Jesus saying,
“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 a cut and dry scenario. Either you believe in Jesus, you believe Jesus is all he said he is or you do not.
To me also being a Christian is much more. It is showing your love to God and God’s love and your love to your neighbour and even your enemy. Jesus saying,
“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.”
Matthew 5:43-45
Jesus when asked,
 “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.
Jesus also said,
“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.
For me knowing all I know about Jesus I would want people to tell me what Jesus said 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.
Because if I am right and I believe I am each persons eternal resting place is determined by whether you believe in that statement or not.
Please think about it.

Your Choice

Your Choice
To my mind as a Christian there is no more important matter in life to consider than who you the individual thinks Jesus is.
The book of John records Jesus speaking to Martha,
“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,-27
The question is do you believe.
Below are a few quotes from the New Testament regarding Jesus. I put them here for you to consider.
The Apostle John records in his gospel,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  
He was with God in the beginning. 
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” 
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” 
                                                                                                     John 1:1-4,14
Jesus 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
The apostle John records while Jesus was at Solomon’s Colonnade,
“The Jews gathered around him,(Jesus) 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.”
                    John10: 34-30.
Jesus speaking to one of his disciples is recorded as saying,
....“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                                 John 14:6
The above quotes show three important claims Jesus and His disciples made.
One Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is God incarnate, God in the flesh.
Two, Jesus is God. He was in the beginning when the universe was made and the universe was made by Him.
Thirdly, Jesus is the way to heaven. He makes it clear that He is the resurrection and the life. That no one can come to the Father except through Him.
These claims for their day were radical. Claiming to be God or even the Son of God was under Jewish law at the time a crime punishable by death.
C. S. Lewis states,
“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.
Lewis also made the following statement I leave with you.
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                                 C. S. Lewis.
The decision is yours to make.
Please think about it.

Where will you end up?

Where will you end up?

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote,

Requiem

“Under the wide and starry sky

Dig the grave and let me lie.

Glad did I live and gladly die,

And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me:

Here he lies were he longed to be;

Home is the sailor, home from the sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.”

                                                                            By Robert Louis Stevenson
It’s a fact the day you’re born is the day you start dying. We will not get out of this life alive. The question is where will you spend eternity?
I have said many times I cannot believe that this life is all there is. That the spark that is you, your soul, has to live on forever. If it’s not so, then why live? There has to be more than this life.
The poet wrote,

Where are the people?

Where?

Are they but shadows in the mall?

Are they?

Are they shadows in time,

Shadows wandering looking for the latest trinkets, bobbles or beads.

What is life?

What?

Is life but a wisp of smoke carried in the air?

A wisp in the eternal aether 

Are people wisps of smoke?

What of man’s, or woman’s! accomplishments?

What of them?

Is the sum total of all ones life simply a pile of shinny tin, brass, and wood?

Is that life?

Is life simply a cacophony of sounds travelling through endless time?

Is it?

Or 

Is life.

Yours and mine, more?

Is it a divine opera?

An opera played out on a high mesa 

On a stage suspended between heaven and hell.

Are we as Shakespear said “simply actors”?

Actors who write our own script?

I think,

No,... I truly believe!

Life is an opera played out before God.

On a high mesa between heaven and hell.

We are actors in a play?

Actors who write our own script awaiting the final curtain call?

Are you ready for the final curtain call?

Are you?

What is the sum total of your life?

What?

What will “they” say about you as you pass on?

What will God say?

I firmly believe it is here and now that we determine where we will spend eternity. 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.
The choice is yours to make. If I am wrong you have nothing to fear if I am right you have a lot to fear and a serious choice to make.
Please think carefully about it.

A Christian Thing

A Christian thing

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways,  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.  
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.” In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” 
But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 
                                                                                   Hebrews 1:1-9.
Here is sound Christian belief. The writer of Hebrews telling us several important things about Jesus,
1/“but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”  
2/“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
3/ The writer notes that the Son (Jesus), provided purification for our sins.  
“After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
4/ Jesus is superior to the angels.
“So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”
5/The writer noting that God said, 
“I will be his Father, and he will be my Son” 
6/The writer saying,
“And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 
7/Then finally the writer says,
“...about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
In conclusion
Jesus is the Son of God, the creator of the universe, the Saviour of the world. The one who died for our sins. And His throne will last for ever and ever.
You cannot be a Christian if you do not believe this.
You cannot enter heaven if you do not believe in Jesus.
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
Please think about it

You and Eternity

You and Eternity
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  
                         Mark 8:34-37.
I as a Christian believe people are eternal beings. That which we call the soul the part of us that is our very being lives on beyond death. The thing is I believe the soul after death has only one of two places to go. Heaven or Hell.
The choice as to where we will spend eternity is taken in this life. We can either believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or we can reject him. Jesus said,
 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                                               John 14:6.
Jesus made it clear what our choices are 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.
Following Jesus is an act of faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“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.
Who do you think Jesus is?
Please think about it.

You and God

You and God
“God is more interested in your future and your relationships than you are.”
                                                                                                            Billy Graham.
Billy Graham is right.
I was with a group of very secular people not so long ago. I was the only person of any faith with them. We were having lunch when the topic of God was brought up by one of them who’d gone to a large church and seen a presentation there.
She was impressed with the professionalism of the presentation and the message. The others however said they didn’t think much about religion and sloughed faith off as insignificant.
Everyone knew where I stood and I pointed out that it was a sad thing that they thought so little about faith. Even just from a cultural stand point Christianity had contributed a great deal of positive things.
I think however the reaction of this group who were all well educated, all of whom had at least one degree from university, is not uncommon in our western society.
Sadly people don’t think beyond the here and now. Beyond this life. Yet we all know the ultimate statistic is death. We will all one day pass from this life into eternity.
That is why God sent His One and Only Son into this world because he cared for us. The most famous word in the Bible state,
“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.
The apostle Paul tells us,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8.
Before we realized our need for God Christ died for us.
As a Christian I believe it is important that everyone consider what Jesus taught. Consider who Jesus is. If for nothing else than the warning Jesus gave when he said,
“Whoever believes in him (Jesus) 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 3:18.
C. S. Lewis said,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                  C. S. Lewis.
The decision is up to the individual because in creating man with a free will God actually gave man the choice to believe in Him or not.
Please think about it.

A note from History

A note from History

Flavius Josephus,(37AD-100AD) a Jewish historian, became a Pharisee at 19, later commander, of the Jewish forces in Galilee. He was captured by Romans and attached to their headquarters.
Josephus wrote of Jesus,
“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first, did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.”
                                                 Flavius Josephus
That same tribe two thousand plus years later is still with us. I am one of them.
I believe the words of Jesus who said,
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’" 
                                                                                                                                            John 14:6.
I believe the report in the apostle Johns gospel that states,
“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 equated Himself with God a crime punishable by death at the time. No man in his right mind would have said something like that. Especially someone as educated as Jesus.
C.S. Lewis states,
“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.
Jesus to my mind can only be one thing the One and Only Son of God. The saviour of mankind.
Still each and every person must answer the following question for themselves, spoken by Jesus to Mary upon the death of her brother Lazarus
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;  and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 
                                                                                                               John 11:25,26
The other choice Jesus set before all of us is,
“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.
The choice is yours.
Please think about it.

A Personal God

A personal God

Genesis states,
“the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” 
                                                                            Genesis 2:7
When God made man, He created man that He could have a personal relationship with man. Not as one has with a pet or a robot. God gave man the ability to think logically. He also gave man a freewill. Man the right to choose between right and wrong.
Man chose wrong in disobeying God’s and thus was banished from the garden.
God however still wants to have a personal relationship with man. That’s why He chose the Abraham. Through Abraham all the world would be blessed.
That’s why God instituted the practice of sacrifices to cover the sins of man. That each and every man would realize they are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness.
Today Jews all over the world celebrate Yom Kippur the day of atonement.
Yom Kippur as I understand it was instituted as a time each year when each person confesses their sins to God asking His forgiveness.  It is as I understand a persons last appeal, a last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate their repentance and make amends.
As a Christian I believe God took things one step further.
God in the form of Jesus entered this world to show not just mankind in general how far he would go to have that personal relationship with him. But to show each and every person how far He would go to have a personal relationship with them.
The other reason I believe God in the form of Jesus had to enter the world was to prove he was a just God.
A God who is everything Christians and Jews believe, all powerful, all knowing omnipresent etc. I believe, realized that man could stand in front of him and quite rightly say, “you do not understand fully understand what it is to be human. Intellectually you may understand, but because you have only experienced absolute power you don’t fully understand.”
In coming to this world in the form of Jesus, God experienced from a human prospective what it is like to be human. He felt everything from the mundane things such as sun on His face to the rain. He experienced the joys of life, the love of devout parents and friends. At the same time he experienced what it was like to be rejected, persecuted, brutally beaten and put to death for a crime he didn’t commit. Put to death for simply political expediency.
And he did all this that we may be reconciled to God.
The Apostle Paul states,
“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
Jesus 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.”
        John 3:16,17.
Now I know those who are not Christians will disagree with what I have said. And I personally cannot change anyone’s mind. I as a believer in Jesus believe however have an obligation to say what I have said.
It is between God and the individual reading this to decide for themselves if what I have said is right or wrong.
C. S. Lewis said,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                      C. S. Lewis.
It is up to you the reader to decide for yourself the importance of Christianity. The importance of Jesus.
Please think about it.

Why we do it

Why we do it

Many non-Christians wonder quite often why we Christians are so firm in our beliefs? Why do we want to convert people?
Today Christianity is the largest religion in the world. It is also the most persecuted.
According to a report given to the British Parliament, one Christian dies for their faith every eleven minutes somewhere in the world. Never-the-less we Christians persist on taking our message to the world.
The reason we persist is simple we believe we have a great treasure.
 Jesus said,
“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.
Jesus also 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.  
John 3:16,17

We believe that God reached down to earth in love through His one and only Son Jesus Christ to reconcile us to himself.
I know to hear a lot of evangelist on television today one would think that God is a God that wheels a big stick ready to crack unbelievers over the head and toss them into  hell.
To hear some preachers in the Media everyone is a dirty sinner going to hell. Well the Apostle Paul writing to the Romans states,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
                                                                                  Romans 3:23
But that preacher spouting hell fire and brimstone is as guilty of sin as anyone else in the world.
In fact it could be worse for him or her, because they may be judging the world something Jesus tells us not to do.
The Apostle Paul also issuing a warning to Christians saying,
“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 
                                                                                                     1 Corinthians 5:12,13
You See it’s not the Christians job to judge people. It’s the Christians to go into all the world and present the love and mercy of God.
It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict man of sin. NOT A PREACHER. God may use the preachers words to convict men of sin. Still it is not the preachers job to convict people of sin.
We as Christians believe that we are on the right road. We believe the words 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
We believe that he died and rose again and lives forever. That He will one day judge the world.
He will judge it with justice for he, and only he knows what goes on in a mans heart  mind and soul.
The Psalmist wrote,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
                                                                                                                   Psalm 139:13.
God understands why we fall short of him and he offers us salvation as a free gift.
Paul writing to the Ephesians 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.
God knows there are many things in our lives that we cannot change by ourselves that is why He  sent Jesus into this world to pay the price for our falling short.
That’s why he didn’t ask us to do anything for our salvation except through faith believe in Him.
Do you believe in that Jesus is the Saviour of the world.
Think about it.