Some Quotes

Some Quotes

One Solitary Life

He was born in an obscure village 

The child of a peasant woman 

He grew up in another obscure village 

Where he worked in a carpenter shop 

Until he was thirty when public opinion turned against him

He never wrote a book 

He never held an office 

He never went to college 

He never visited a big city 

He never travelled more than two hundred miles 

From the place where he was born 

He did none of the things 

Usually associated with greatness 

He had no credentials but himself 

He was only thirty three 

His friends ran away 

One of them denied him 

He was turned over to his enemies 

And went through the mockery of a trial 

He was nailed to a cross between two thieves 

While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing 

The only property he had on earth 

When he was dead 

He was laid in a borrowed grave 

Through the pity of a friend 

Nineteen centuries have come and gone 

And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race 

And the leader of mankind's progress 

All the armies that have ever marched 

All the navies that have ever sailed 

All the parliaments that have ever sat 

All the kings that ever reigned put together 

Have not affected the life of mankind on earth 

As powerfully as that one solitary life 

                                                 Dr James Allan Francis © 1926.

Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France wrote,

"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.”
Jesus said,
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 calls to all men everywhere saying,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                           Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus makes it clear saying,
 “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”                                                                                                                                                    John 14:6.
These words are as relevant today as they were when they spoke them.
Think about it.

Be Prepared

Be Prepared,
“Anyone can stop a man’s life, but no one his death: a thousand doors open onto it.”
                                                                               Senica the Younger 65AD
Is there life after death, I am certain there is. I do not believe that what we Christians call the soul vanishes into oblivion after this mortal body expires.
Cultures from ancient times have believed in life after death. They have had elaborate rituals for the dead. The idea of an after life almost seems to be ingrained in our DNA.
The Bronze age ‘Beaker’ people would bury their dead in a crouched position accompanied with elaborate grave goods. These goods included food, drinking vessels, body ornaments. In richer burials gold sheet work was also placed. Women would have fine jewellery place with them.
All of these thought necessary for an afterlife that they seem to believe was similar to this life.
The ancient Romans believed after death the soul of the departed would have to give account to three judges. From there they would be sent to either the Fields of Asphodel, the pit of Tartarus or in exceptional cases to Elysium the Isle of the Blessed a place reserved for heros and gods.
En-route to Hades, one had to be ferried across the infernal River Styx by the demonic boatman Charon. To pay for the fair a coin was place in the mouth of the deceased.
The Egyptians built the pyramids. They believed ‘Ka” an entity associated with the physical body could eat drink smell and generally enjoy the afterlife.
‘Ba’ what they called the soul could not survive without the body. Ba could recognize its body and was able to return to it. Thus they persevered the body through mummification.
An inscription on a linen wrapping of on the mummy of Thothemes II 1493-1479BC read,
Hail to thee, O my father Osiris, I have come and I have embalmed this my flesh so that my body may not decay.
Sadly many for a myriad of reasons today deny there is life after death.
I believe as I said in an after life. I believe we must prepare in this life for it. Jesus told this parable,
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.  
The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.  
The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.  
The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 
“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 
“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.  
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ 
“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 
“Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ 
“But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’ 
 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” 
                                                                                  Matthew 25:1-13.
Simply put it is up to the individual to be prepared for not only Christ’s return but our death. The time when God will call us into His presence.
No one can prepare for us. We must do it alone.
For me preparation for my death has been simple.
I 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
I believe the words of the Apostle Paul who said,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8
“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
I believe the words of the writer of Hebrews who said,
"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
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." 
                                                                                                                Hebrews 11:1
And the words of Jesus who said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 
                                      Matthew 11:28-30.
Today as I write this it is June 10th 2014AD. Should I die my family are secure in the belief that I will pass into the arms of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
I have left a request that they celebrate and not mourn. Throw a party for I most certainly will be celebrating with my Saviour Jesus Christ.
Are you prepared to enter eternity?
Think about it.

Hell in a Handbarrow

Hell in a Handbarrow
        Yesterday I quoted part of an article written bu John B. Harrington quoting from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
Here is the expanded version,
"A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; 'We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’"
Harrington notes that Gallico makes no pretense of being "a religious man" noting that "...for him it is precisely religion in its organized forms which has in part caused the situation he deplores. He is careful to state that it is not "religion" for which he is looking. For in his opinion, religion throughout the history of our culture has advanced its control over human beings by the investment of bigotry and persecution. 
Yet, out of despair over the current human situation he says; ‘The voice for which my heavy spirit is yearning must reach us all... For if it is not heard, we are lost. Something beyond our material enrichment and lust for power and position, some rewards founded on good will, selflessness, and the innate dignity of the human spirit...honour, humility, decency        courage."
Another Paul writing to a member of the first century church wrote the following,
"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" 2 Timothy 3:1-4
I as a Christian can honestly say there are many in the world that are doing things in the name of Christ that are wrong. They are placing heavy burdens on the backs of honest people who’s only wish is to do what is right before God.
They are constantly asking for money to fill their own pockets. They are claiming to perform miraculous things in the name of God yet they are not. They are perverting the teachings of Christ for their own ends.
Paul writing to Timothy states,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 
2Timothy 4:3,4
Jesus said of these people,
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                            Matthew 7:22,23.
I believe Christianity is a lifestyle not a religion. I believe the words of Francis of Assisi who said,
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
For me Christianity is a faith of love understanding and reaching out to the world with God’s mercy.
We are not called to judge, Jesus said,
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  
For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 
                              Matthew 7:1,2.
I am however called to reach the world with the most incredible message of love I have ever known.
And if there was ever a time the world needed hope it is now, as Paul Gallico puts it,
“We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.”
And the way I see it there is no hope but in Jesus.
The apostle Paul once presented the Gospel of Christ at the Areopagus in Athens, at the end he gave this conclusion,
“For he (God) has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” 
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”  
  At that, Paul left the Council.”
                                     Acts 17:31-34  
I put to you that Jesus dear reader is the only hope for mankind. You may as those in the Areopagus in Athens did, sneer or you can read the Bible and in particular the New Testament yourself to see if Jesus truly is who he says he is.
For other readings out side of the Bible I recommend Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
For I really believe that our world is as Gallico puts it “Headed for Hell in a handbarrow.”
And I believe that only God can save us.
Think about it.

A warning

A warning
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  
Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  
Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  
But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Matthew 24:37-44
I believe Jesus will one day come again to this world. This time as a conquering king.
He will bring peace and justice to the world. I also believe the above scripture that he will come when we don’t expect him. That even Christians will be surprised.
Jesus make it clear that things will go on pretty much as they always do. That it will be like the times of Noah when. “people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,”
Now I do realize that to the non-Christian this is at the very least pure speculation at the most pure fantasy. So if I am wrong there is nothing to fear.
If on the other hand I and my Christian brethren are correct the world has a lot to fear.
This however is what I believe. I believe Jesus will return because if he doesn’t we as a race will go extinct.
Mankind is not a good steward of this world.
According to Milton Leitenberg writing in a paper Death in Wars and conflicts in the 20th Century, published by Cornell University Peace studies program 3rd edition August 2013, 231 million people died in conflicts in the 20th century alone.
Man is violent.
But man is also a terrible steward of the environment. Global warming is real and those who have political and economic power are reluctant to end the causes of global warming.
Profit, not being proper stewards of the earth are foremost in the minds of our businessmen and politicians. And as the apostle Paul puts it,
 “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
I do not think mankind can handle things themselves. It would take a massive change in the thinking for mankind. A monumental social shift.
  In a book entitled “Essentials in Christian Faith” by John B. Harrington, published  in 1958, there is a piece that could have been written today.
It opens with this quote from Paul Gallico in Esquire Magazine in 1948:
“A writer in a popular magazine has written the following words; ‘We are all, if you will pardon the expression, Headed for Hell in a handbarrow. If, ever the people of the world stood in need of a spiritual revival, it is now. We are beginning to poison the face of the earth with our miserable presence. The brakes are off. The cart of the world is sliding down the way greased with hatred, ambition, lies, self-seeking and avarice toward the pit.’”
I think Gallico is correct, and if so we are further down that slide than ever before. Moreover we are gaining speed and we will end in a catastrophic crash.
I believe Jesus will return before we crash and will judge the world justly. That he and only he can bring about the monumental social change that has to occur to save the world.
Think about it.

Hope

“Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 
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 that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” 
John 11;23-27.
For those of you who do not know this is part of the story of Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead. Something else that if not true would have been left out of the New Testament. The fact of the matter is it is true.
This evening at church I heard a sad story. A woman had died she was quite young as I understand it only in her late forties early fifties.
The husband had no kind of faith and was very bitter and distraught at her dying. They had a simple ceremony. They scattered her cremated ashes on the wind.
For the husband she was gone forever. That spark that we Christians call the soul had been extinguished forever and he would never see her again.
I have never been able to believe such a thing. I believe man was made to live on through eternity. I believe as Martha
 “Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 
Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 
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 that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.” 
John 11;23-27.
Jesus for me is the hope of all mankind.
I have an unshakeable faith that by accepting Jesus as my Lord and Saviour even though this mortal body of mine will die. I will live on through eternity. At peace with God.
What do you think?

Why we Christians do what we do

Why we Christians do what we do

“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.
I have been a Christian for over forty years now. I believe my becoming a Christian was the most important thing in my life.
I believe Jesus is the way the truth and the life and that we cannot get to heaven except through Him.
If I am wrong and there is many ways to heaven then I have nothing to fear. If I am right many people out there in the world have a lot to fear.
Paul writing to the Corinthians states,
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  
For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?  
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.  
Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,  but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,  but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” 
1 Corinthians 1:18-25.
I believe what Paul wrote.
Sadly I also see here in North America where I live evangelist and preachers who are far from God. These men and women muddy the waters for the none believer.
Paul makes mention of these men and women when writing to Timothy he writes,
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” 
                                                                                   2Timothy 4:3,4.
Jesus even says,
“Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  
Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” 
                                                                                                 Matthew 7:22,23.
For those who are truly looking for the right way to heaven I truly believe they will find that way despite the muddy water.
For me this is the way to heaven,
First we must 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 must admit we are sinners. Sin simply meaning we fall short of what God wants for us,
Paul wrote,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” 
                                                                            Romans 3:23
John states,
“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
Paul makes it clear we cannot work our way to heave writing,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
Ephesians 2:8,9
The writer of Hebrews saying,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
Hebrews 11:6
Faith being defined as
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
Hebrews 11:1
Becoming a Christian is ultimately an act of faith. You either believe Jesus is who he said he is or you do not.
If you believe he is who he says he is then you must ask Him into your life. It is as simple as a prayer like this.
Dear Heavenly Father.
I believe that Jesus is your One and Only Son. That He came to earth to die for my sins.
I recognize that I am a sinner and fall short of what you would have for my life. Please forgive me of my sins and come into my life today.
Make me into the person you want me to be. I pray
Amen.

Freedom

Freedom
“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. 
I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” 
                                                                                                                          Psalm 119:45-48
Today as I write this it is June 6th 2014 the 70th anniversary of Day. Here in Canada the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is putting on an all day special, commemorating the day a hundred and fifty thousand men rush ashore in Normandy France.
These men risked their life that we might have freedom.
My Father while not at Normandy fought in the British Army in North Africa, Italy, Belgium and Germany. He spoke little of his actual time in Battle he tended to dwell on the good times he had with his friends between the fighting.
One day however when I went to visit him at home. By this time he was in his eighties and he’d been watching television someone who was denying the holocaust every happened was being sentenced for hate crimes was in the news.
He suddenly started an angry tirade aimed largely at the television. He was very upset saying that he knew the death camps were real. That he was there.
His tirade lasted a few seconds then he settled down and told me for the first time his experience at the Bergen Belsen death camp. He’d been among the liberator of the camp. He’d seen the horror and it had left wounds that he’d never spoken about for decades.
He said that’s why they had fought the war, to end tyranny. That we should always remember those who fought and died to end it.
For me I believe the fear of God was forgotten in Germany during the 1930's and 1940's. That the people in part out of ignorance and in part out of fear followed an evil man. As a result it lead to the ultimate deaths of more than fifty-six million people.
The scripture I quoted above says a lot,
“I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. 
I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.” 
                                                                                                                        Psalm 119:45-48.
If we believe in God. If we truly walk in the precepts of God. If we love God and we ensure our leadership both political and religious, loves God then the horrors of world war two will not be repeated.
Abba Hillel Silver wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society.  Human freedom began when men became conscious that over and above society and nature there is a God who created them...who fashioned them in His likeness, and that they are, therefore, possessed of intrinsic and independent significance and are endowed, as individuals, with original and irrevocable rights and authority.”
It is only when mankind turns its back on God’s truths of Love and mercy that such a thing as world war two can happen.
The men that started world war two were far from God. Their hearts were filled with hate.
We can never let this happen again. We must stand up to hate and prejudges wherever it may be.
We must insist that our political and religious leaders exercise tolerance and show love to all irrespective of their race colour creed or their lifestyle.
Martin Luther King Jr. once prayed,
“We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man. We are in nature but we live above nature.
Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate.
Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us.
We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more
than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon thee.
Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.
Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God’s children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in one common bond of humanity in the kingdom  of our LORD and of our God, we pray. Amen.”
The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
 As Christians we need to fear God and keep his commandments, Jesus saying,
"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
If we are doing this and requiring our leaders both political and religious to do it also. Our world will be a much better place.
Remember,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails....” 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.
This is what it is to be Christian. These ideals are the ideals those men died for on June 6th 1944.
For us to do less than show love to our fellow man is not only to let those who died in world war two down but to fall short of what God wants us to do and to potentially sentence those we come in contact with to a Christless eternity.
Think about it.

Christian Accountability

 Christian Accountability

“You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. 
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.  
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. 
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.  
In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” 
Matthew 23:24-28
Another admonition of Jesus to the religious leaders of his day. He’s accusing them of looking good on the outside while inwardly they are a rotting mess.
Here is a good example of why we need to get to know our Christian leadership well.
I think anyone who has been a Christian in North America for any length of time knows at least one evangelist who has fallen from grace.
A so called man of God who on the outside looks good but on the inside was far from God.
We need to check out those we support carefully.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking the ministers we support be they our church leaders or evangelist in the media, what they are doing with the money we donate to them.
I think every Christian institution should publicly give a detailed list of how they spend the money donated.
The men and women who lead our churches or are representing God in the media need also to prove they are as clean on the inside as they are on the outside. The need to live exceptionally moral lives.
It’s a hard thing to do but I firmly believe that if there is even the hint of something wrong within a ministry those who head the ministry from the pastor, board members on down need to come clean about what they are doing publicly.
If it comes down to a matter of morals especially with regards to anyone in authority within a ministry it first needs to be dealt with in accordance to instructions give to us by Jesus in Matthew 18:15-17 which states,
“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.  
But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  
If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” 
I think it should go with the territory. If a religious leader such as an evangelist wishes to live in the media, in the public eye. Then they should be willing to be accountable in the public eye for things both financial and moral.
At our church we have a yearly meeting in which every penny is accounted for.
I have also been a part of another church a much larger one in which a pastor was dismissed because of a moral problem in his life.
To this day that church still holds its pastoral staff and board members to the highest possible moral standard.
It is only right that the Christian leadership be held to a high standard of accountability then they must be removed from their position of authority and if necessary cast out of the church.
Think about it.

Blind Guides

Blind Guide

 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’  
You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?  
You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’  
You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?  
Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.  
And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.  
And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it. 
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”  
Matthew 23:16-23
Her Jesus is criticizing the teachers for their practices. They are too busy teaching about the material things that come into the temple but forget the more important matters of Justice, mercy and faithfulness.
I see especially in the media televangelists constantly teaching on giving money into the Lords work.
The classic example is ‘seed faith’. Give to get is how many preachers who bring the topic up teach.
Some are going as far as saying be faithful with your pledge to keep this ministry going and God will bless you many times over.
On one occasion I was even shocked at a person saying if you don’t honour God with your tithes and offerings to their ministry God will not honour or bless you.
This is not what the Bible says.
It seems to be a common thing with such ministries that they also are spouting off about all the ills of the world.
They centre out groups, politicians, and individuals people of various lifestyles, whom they claim promote sinning. Usually people with whom they don’t see eye to eye.
In doing so the true lesson of Christ is missed one of Justice Mercy and Faithfulness.
 How sad, especially when the message of the gospel is one of the love and mercy of God.
God understands the heart and the position everyone is in. God meets people where they are at.
He does not care how much you give financially to His work. He cares about the spiritual condition of each person and wishes to come into a personal relationship with them.
This is the true message of the gospel.
As Christians we and our leaders need to examine what we are teaching and make sure that it is the true message of the Gospel of Christ. That justice  love and mercy are being preached both in our lives and in the church congregation we attend.
We need to seek out people who are espousing the doctrine of the Love and Mercy of God.
We in our own lives need to be showing to the world God’s Love and Mercy.
Think about it.  

Woe

Woe

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. 
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.” 
Matthew 23:13,14.
This I believe is an admonition for today. It is directed not only at the Pharisees and teachers of the law in the time of Jesus but at teacher of the scriptures today.
There are many churches out their that you must follow such and such a ritual in order to get to heaven.
There are many ministers, and evangelist who are laying down strict rules with respect on how a Christian is to act. Rules if not followed they say, will bar the convert from heaven.
There is a lot of legalism in the Christian world.
A big sticking point is the whole homosexual issue.
Sadly over the years I’ve heard many preachers both in and out of the media say homosexuals and transgendered people cannot get to heaven.
This kind of teaching has turned many away from Christ. The fact is homosexuals, Lesbians and the transgendered can get to heaven. They are no different than anyone else.
They do not have as many preachers would have you believe a special sin. Paul makes it clear
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
                                                                 Romans 3:23.
The bible makes it clear how we are to get to heaven.
The way to heaven is I believe simple and open to anyone, and I mean anyone to follow.
It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                     John 14:6
“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.
  To the word of Paul to the Romans,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” 
                                                                                             Isaiah 64:6
  John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 
       1 John 1:9,10.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  not by works, so that no one can boast.” 
                                                                  Ephesians 2:8,9
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
                                                                                                        Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                              Hebrews 11:1
What do you believe?
Think about it.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments.

And God spoke all these words: 
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 
“You shall have no other gods before me. 
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,  
but showing love to a thousand  generations  of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. 
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  
Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates.  
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 
“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 
“You shall not murder. 
“You shall not commit adultery. 
“You shall not steal. 
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. 
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 
                                                                                                          Exodus 20:1-17
The Ten Commandments.
To my knowledge no atheist group has ever come up with a moral code of conduct better than the ten commandments. It tells us what God requires of man with respect to Himself and to our fellow man.
It is a code of conduct written when the world was primitive in its thoughts and quite barbaric in ways. Yet it forms the basis of our laws today.
Jesus summed up these laws this way.
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.
Even if one refuses to recognize there is a God, which there is, one cannot fail to realize that the commandments governing our relationship with our fellow man make sense from a moral prospective.
It is only when man cast love for one’s fellow man and God aside that society has a problem.
The apostle Paul writes of Love,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 
Love never fails.” 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a
Love is giving of one’s self. I’m reminded of a quote from Anne Frank a young girl wise beyond her years who sadly died in a Nazi death camp. She wrote,
"Give of yourself, give as much as you can?  And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!  If everyone were to do this and not be as mean with a kindly word, then there would be much more justice and love in the world.  Give and you shall receive, much more than you would have ever thought possible.  Give, give again and again, don’t lose courage, keep it up and go on giving!  No one has ever become poor from giving!"
         Anne Frank
The ten commandments are not just a set of do’s and don’ts they are a template for love and respect of both God and one’s fellow man.
No civilized society can live without them.
Think about it.

Sound Teaching

Sound Teaching

"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,  
“What do you think about the Christ ? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied. 
He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’  
If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”  
No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions." 
Matthew 22:41-46.

The Pharisees considered themselves the successor to Moses when it came to teaching the law.
So Jesus answered them a question,
“What do you think about the Christ ? Whose son is he?” “The son of David,” they replied.”
Jesus then presented them with a problem,
 “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says, 
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ‘If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 
The Pharisees had no answer. Their theology was in error. David was referring to someone that was his Lord.  Therefor was greater than David and couldn’t be his son.
As they had no come back they stopped asking him questions.
It’s the same today. If our Christian doctrine is correct it will line up with the word of the Lord, the Bible. If it is in error it will not.
If you question someone, be it a preacher, evangelist or average Christian a question about their teaching and it doesn’t line up with the Bible, most of the time they will avoid speaking with you.
There are very good examples out there in the world today of Televangelist who are teaching wrong things.
When questioned they refuse to answer the question or they ignore all together the person asking the question.
We as Christians must be aware of these people.
For me I strongly believe a minister be they in the media or in the pulpit, must be accountable to some group in authority.
Independent evangelist or pastors give me cause to be very cautious simply because over the years I’ve found many of these people to surround themselves with yes men. Who don’t oppose them in any way even when they stray from correct teaching.
This should not be so.
We as Christians should be able to hold our spiritual leaders to account with respect to what they teach and how they act.
If they are not they can like the Pharisees of old go off the rails and start teaching things God never intended to be taught.
Thus to both Christian and Non-Christian reading this I would advise that when it comes to choosing a preacher or church congregation to listen to and attend, I would say go to one that is attached to a denomination that holds their ministers and teachers accountable.
Three examples I can think of are Baptist, The Assemblies of God in the United States and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. I have found have proven track records with respect to seeing that their ministers, teachers and missionaries in line with the teachings of the Bible.
Therefore I would encourage people to go to one of these churches and ask them what they believe and why.
Please think about it.