Sign over and Alter
“WHAT THINK YE OF CHRIST”
The first church I ever attended back in the 1970's had been built in the 1940's it could only hold a hundred or so people. But when you entered the church the first thing you seen was the sign over the Alter asking the question, What think ye of Christ.
I’m sure many people over the years have read that sign both saints and sinners. It was there to make you think.
So dear reader What think Ye of Christ?
C.S. Lewis an oxford intellectual and friend of R.R. Tolkin of Lord of the Rings fame, wrote these three statements about Christianity.
“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.
“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 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
Throughout the centuries men have declared God is dead or Christianity is of no effect.
Yet over the centuries some governments and extremists groups have feared it so much that they’ve felt a need to repress it. To throw it’s followers into prison or put them to death.
As you read this every eleven minutes a Christian dies for their faith. That tells you how much some groups fear the truth about Christianity.
Yet true Christians believe the words of the apostle Paul who wrote,
“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.
Neither Jesus or his followers ever called for any kind of revolution. They never spoke against anyone outside their faith. Quite the contrary, Jesus said,
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
Matthew 22:21a
The apostle Paul writing,
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”
Romans 13:1.
Christians believe that as long as we have the right to worship and follow the precepts of our faith we should submit to the governing authorities.
Many people over the centuries have predicted the end of Christianity yet it hasn’t happened nor will it.
The book of acts recalls a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, speaking at the trial of two of the apostles saying,
“But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:39.
The Christian faith is founded on the solid Rock of Christ the one and only Son of God. And no person of government is ever going to destroy it.
Napoleon said of Christ,
"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,
Think about it.
Showing posts with label Life the Universe and everything. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life the Universe and everything. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 March 2015
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Something Important
Something Important
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Matthew 16:26,27.
There is only one reason a true Christian presents the gospel to the world and that is because we believe that we have the single most important message all mankind needs to know.
There are many out there that deny there is a God. There are many that say there are many roads to heaven. If these views are true then the Christian has little to fear because he or she is most certainly on one of those roads.
However if the words of Jesus are true 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.
Then there are a lot of people who need to rethink what they believe.
I know people who want all the toys this life has to offer and there is nothing wrong with that, if it’s in proper perspective.
Things, our toys, our possessions and even our desire to excel in life shouldn’t take us away from the important things in life, our family, friends and above all God.
I truly believe that one day all men will stand before God and see He is real. I believe that we all will be held to account for our lives.
That God will reward us according to our works, and what we believe.
I believe 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
Ultimately however it comes down to an act of faith. Do you believe who Jesus is or not.
C. S. Lewis pointed out,
“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
Think about it.
“What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Matthew 16:26,27.
There is only one reason a true Christian presents the gospel to the world and that is because we believe that we have the single most important message all mankind needs to know.
There are many out there that deny there is a God. There are many that say there are many roads to heaven. If these views are true then the Christian has little to fear because he or she is most certainly on one of those roads.
However if the words of Jesus are true 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.
Then there are a lot of people who need to rethink what they believe.
I know people who want all the toys this life has to offer and there is nothing wrong with that, if it’s in proper perspective.
Things, our toys, our possessions and even our desire to excel in life shouldn’t take us away from the important things in life, our family, friends and above all God.
I truly believe that one day all men will stand before God and see He is real. I believe that we all will be held to account for our lives.
That God will reward us according to our works, and what we believe.
I believe 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
Ultimately however it comes down to an act of faith. Do you believe who Jesus is or not.
C. S. Lewis pointed out,
“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
Think about it.
Tuesday, 9 December 2014
Creation
Creation
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
A Nebula taken from Hubble space telescope
A day old human embryo
The surface of Mars a planet too far from the sun it has no life as we know it.
Earth our home. Just the
right distance from the sun for life to exist.
With all the elements necessary for life.
The book of Job states,
“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
Job 26:7
Not a bad description for a man who had never seen an image from space. Who had only seen the world around him.
The more I look into the heavens or through a microscope the more I see the hand of God. Everything is in balance. Everything we need to sustain life as we know it is there. Contrast earth to Mars. Earth has everything necessary for life Mars has as far as we know has some water and little else.
We are a divine creation. Created by God to have fellowship with Him. God did not want robots. Quite the contrary he wanted people who could think. Thus he gave us the ability to choose knowing full well that we may choose to turn away from him, as many people have done.
Never the less he has seen fit to show us the way back to him. He did so by sending his one and only son into the world.
Jesus came into the world I believe to experience everything a man could possibly experience.
Jesus as far as we know grew up in a devout family and had a relatively normal childhood. He did however have to become a political refugee while still an infant. He and his parents escaping to Egypt to avoid the wrath of a despot who wished to kill him.
Jesus also studied the scriptures. His parents finding him in his early teens talking with the scholars of his day, who marveled at his knowledge.
Throughout his ministry he spoke to the average person about God and the way to heaven.
He made things clear about himself saying,
... “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
After a three year ministry he suffered the indignity of an illegal trial, was flogged and put to death in a most hideous way.
In between all of this he lived an exemplary life and understood all was to be human. Everything from the rain against his face. To the heat of the sun, to the pleasing scent of a flower.
He even understood what it was like to be tempted and go his own way, away from God. That is why when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ we can never say to Him you don’t understand what it is to be human.
Over the years many ideas about God have arisen. Many ideas about how we get to heaven but non have made the claims Christians make.
The apostle Paul while speaking to the Athenians said of Christ,
“‘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.”
Acts 17:28-31.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus will one day judge mankind. The question is will you meet him as your Judge or you Saviour?
The apostle John in his Gospel writes,
“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.”
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 1:1-4,12,13.
Think about it
a
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1
A day old human embryo
Earth our home. Just the
right distance from the sun for life to exist.
With all the elements necessary for life.
The book of Job states,
“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
Job 26:7
Not a bad description for a man who had never seen an image from space. Who had only seen the world around him.
The more I look into the heavens or through a microscope the more I see the hand of God. Everything is in balance. Everything we need to sustain life as we know it is there. Contrast earth to Mars. Earth has everything necessary for life Mars has as far as we know has some water and little else.
We are a divine creation. Created by God to have fellowship with Him. God did not want robots. Quite the contrary he wanted people who could think. Thus he gave us the ability to choose knowing full well that we may choose to turn away from him, as many people have done.
Never the less he has seen fit to show us the way back to him. He did so by sending his one and only son into the world.
Jesus came into the world I believe to experience everything a man could possibly experience.
Jesus as far as we know grew up in a devout family and had a relatively normal childhood. He did however have to become a political refugee while still an infant. He and his parents escaping to Egypt to avoid the wrath of a despot who wished to kill him.
Jesus also studied the scriptures. His parents finding him in his early teens talking with the scholars of his day, who marveled at his knowledge.
Throughout his ministry he spoke to the average person about God and the way to heaven.
He made things clear about himself saying,
... “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
After a three year ministry he suffered the indignity of an illegal trial, was flogged and put to death in a most hideous way.
In between all of this he lived an exemplary life and understood all was to be human. Everything from the rain against his face. To the heat of the sun, to the pleasing scent of a flower.
He even understood what it was like to be tempted and go his own way, away from God. That is why when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ we can never say to Him you don’t understand what it is to be human.
Over the years many ideas about God have arisen. Many ideas about how we get to heaven but non have made the claims Christians make.
The apostle Paul while speaking to the Athenians said of Christ,
“‘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.”
Acts 17:28-31.
There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus will one day judge mankind. The question is will you meet him as your Judge or you Saviour?
The apostle John in his Gospel writes,
“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.”
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 1:1-4,12,13.
Think about it
a
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