The Cross.
“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.”
1 Corinthians 1:18.
Think about this. If God is made up like some Atheist believe. If Jesus is a myth why would people make up such a person as Jesus?
Jesus is a suffering Messiah. For Christians it is all about Christ going to the cross to die not for anything he did but for us.
Surely people who would create a myth would pick something like the Roman and Greek gods? Superheros of a sort with mortal flaws.
Christians did not do that. They worship a real God that is benevolent. A God that went the distance in human terms to show how much He loved mankind.
Christians see a God that lays before them a moral code a system of ethics that can be followed.
Christians see a God that is concerned about the individual and meets the individual where they are at.
He realizes that man cannot live a perfect life. That he is flawed and needs help to stop from falling short of the ideals He, God, has laid down in the Bible.
A God that understands that he could not possible judge Man if he didn’t understand what it was to be a man with all the temptations and trials mankind has to go through.
Thus God chose to take a small portion of his infiniteness and enter the world he created.
Jesus experienced everything there was to be a human being. From growing up in a small village to being rejected by the religious leaders of his day, to being put to death for a crime he didn’t commit.
If you think about it this is not something any story writer would ever dream of writing.
While the Atheist may say God does not exist and Jesus is a Myth it is far from true.
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 Problem of Pain
Think about it.
Monday, 6 October 2014
Sunday, 5 October 2014
On Christians
Christians
“Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians - you are not like him.”
Mahatma Gandhi
I write this Blog to the secular audience and I a Christian would agree with Gandhi’s statement above when it comes to many who call themselves Christians.
Many in Gandhi’s day called themselves Christians simply because they came from a western nation, particularly Britain and the United States or they attended church.
As the saying goes “just because you stand in a fire station it doesn’t make you a fire truck” or perhaps in this situation Just because you’re standing in a fire station it doesn’t make you a fireman.”
Many who claim to be Christians are not.
Jesus said,
“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
Becoming a Christian is an act of faith. One must accept Jesus into their hearts and minds. Into their very lives and when they truly do this their lives change.
Here for you to think about are excerpts from the Bible that to me defines someone who has truly become a Christian.
Jesus 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
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
“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
The Apostle Paul writes,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13
Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
Matthew 5:43-46
James writes,
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James 2:8-13.
For me this is what makes a true Christian.
Paul reminds a Christian,
“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
A true Christian will not judge. And not all who say they are Christians are,
Jesus said,
“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
Think about it.
“Jesus is ideal and wonderful, but you Christians - you are not like him.”
Mahatma Gandhi
I write this Blog to the secular audience and I a Christian would agree with Gandhi’s statement above when it comes to many who call themselves Christians.
Many in Gandhi’s day called themselves Christians simply because they came from a western nation, particularly Britain and the United States or they attended church.
As the saying goes “just because you stand in a fire station it doesn’t make you a fire truck” or perhaps in this situation Just because you’re standing in a fire station it doesn’t make you a fireman.”
Many who claim to be Christians are not.
Jesus said,
“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
Becoming a Christian is an act of faith. One must accept Jesus into their hearts and minds. Into their very lives and when they truly do this their lives change.
Here for you to think about are excerpts from the Bible that to me defines someone who has truly become a Christian.
Jesus 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
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
“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
The Apostle Paul writes,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13
Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
Matthew 5:43-46
James writes,
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
James 2:8-13.
For me this is what makes a true Christian.
Paul reminds a Christian,
“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
A true Christian will not judge. And not all who say they are Christians are,
Jesus said,
“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
Think about it.
Saturday, 4 October 2014
By way of an Apology
By way of an apology
I feel the Christian community needs to apologize to the secular community in general and particularly the LBGT community for judging them.
Individual ministers, and evangelist both in the media and out of the media need to in all humility go to the secular community and say “I’m sorry for judging you.”
Tony Campolo an evangelist said,
“We (Christians) ought to get out of the judging business. We should leave it up to God to determine who belongs in one arena or another when it comes to eternity. What we are obligated to do is to tell people about Jesus, and that's what I do.”
Tony Campolo
It is the Christians duty to tell people what they believed.
The Apostle Paul did just that. In his travels he went to Athens. The book of Acts describes what happened. What he said is what I as a Christian truly believe.
“So he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
At that, Paul left the Council.
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Acts 17:17-34
I leave the above for those reading this blog to decide for themselves what Christ is to them.
I only ask that you think about it.
I feel the Christian community needs to apologize to the secular community in general and particularly the LBGT community for judging them.
Individual ministers, and evangelist both in the media and out of the media need to in all humility go to the secular community and say “I’m sorry for judging you.”
Tony Campolo an evangelist said,
“We (Christians) ought to get out of the judging business. We should leave it up to God to determine who belongs in one arena or another when it comes to eternity. What we are obligated to do is to tell people about Jesus, and that's what I do.”
Tony Campolo
It is the Christians duty to tell people what they believed.
The Apostle Paul did just that. In his travels he went to Athens. The book of Acts describes what happened. What he said is what I as a Christian truly believe.
“So he (Paul) reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
At that, Paul left the Council.
A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
Acts 17:17-34
I leave the above for those reading this blog to decide for themselves what Christ is to them.
I only ask that you think about it.
Friday, 3 October 2014
Of God
Of God
“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.”
Abba Hillel Silver
Abba Hillel Silver is right. No atheist group has ever come up with a moral code to match that of the Bible.
Atheist can claim there is no God that is their right in a free society but that does not mean there is no God.
C.S. Lewis in his book The Problem of Pain 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.”
It comes down to an act of faith either you believe or you do not.
The writer of Hebrews saying,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see....
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 11:1,6
For me if all there is, is this world then we are as a species to be pitied. I cannot believe this spark that we call the soul, this spark that is us simply vanishes upon death. there is far more than this mortal life. Martin Luther King jr. prayed,
“... help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.”
That is my prayer for anyone who does not believe there is a God.
Think about it.
“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.”
Abba Hillel Silver
Abba Hillel Silver is right. No atheist group has ever come up with a moral code to match that of the Bible.
Atheist can claim there is no God that is their right in a free society but that does not mean there is no God.
C.S. Lewis in his book The Problem of Pain 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.”
It comes down to an act of faith either you believe or you do not.
The writer of Hebrews saying,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see....
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 11:1,6
For me if all there is, is this world then we are as a species to be pitied. I cannot believe this spark that we call the soul, this spark that is us simply vanishes upon death. there is far more than this mortal life. Martin Luther King jr. prayed,
“... help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity.”
That is my prayer for anyone who does not believe there is a God.
Think about it.
Thursday, 2 October 2014
A Dance intoned by an Invisible Player
A Dance intoned by an invisible player
“Human beings vegetables or cosmic dust. We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.”
Albert Einstein.
I believe Einstein was right that, “We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.”
I believe that player is God. That he wants every man and woman on earth to turn to him.
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30.
To hear some evangelist and pastors today you would think only a select few can get to heaven. That is not true. There are things that everyone must do in order to get to heaven but anyone can do them.
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.
The way I read psalm 139:13-16 is that God knows the very genetic make up of everyone. He knows not only our hart but what makes us what we are. That’s why I think Jesus warns us not to judge. Simply because we don’t know what’s inside a person.
Someone told me a gay man cannot get to heaven. I’ve even known evangelist in the media who are saying that.
That is untrue. Anyone can get to heaven.
When the apostle Paul wrote,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:23.
He meant all.
God does not differentiate between a gay and strait man. “All have sinned” is what the apostle Paul says.
That preacher or evangelist that is judging someone because of their way of life or lifestyle is also guilty of sin perhaps even more so because the Bible tells him not 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
Sin is sin, to God. Sin separates us from God. Sin is “an equal opportunity employer”. There is no special sin. Sin is simply falling short of God’s ideals for our life.
The way to heaven is simple we must start by admitting to God we are a sinner. That we have flaws and faults that keep us from living a perfect life.
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.
God has made it clear to all Christians and non-Christians alike that we all are all sinners who must do our best to confess those sins we know we have.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. The apostle 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.
“Human beings vegetables or cosmic dust. We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.”
Albert Einstein.
I believe Einstein was right that, “We all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible player.”
I believe that player is God. That he wants every man and woman on earth to turn to him.
Jesus said,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30.
To hear some evangelist and pastors today you would think only a select few can get to heaven. That is not true. There are things that everyone must do in order to get to heaven but anyone can do them.
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.
The way I read psalm 139:13-16 is that God knows the very genetic make up of everyone. He knows not only our hart but what makes us what we are. That’s why I think Jesus warns us not to judge. Simply because we don’t know what’s inside a person.
Someone told me a gay man cannot get to heaven. I’ve even known evangelist in the media who are saying that.
That is untrue. Anyone can get to heaven.
When the apostle Paul wrote,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Romans 3:23.
He meant all.
God does not differentiate between a gay and strait man. “All have sinned” is what the apostle Paul says.
That preacher or evangelist that is judging someone because of their way of life or lifestyle is also guilty of sin perhaps even more so because the Bible tells him not 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
Sin is sin, to God. Sin separates us from God. Sin is “an equal opportunity employer”. There is no special sin. Sin is simply falling short of God’s ideals for our life.
The way to heaven is simple we must start by admitting to God we are a sinner. That we have flaws and faults that keep us from living a perfect life.
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.
God has made it clear to all Christians and non-Christians alike that we all are all sinners who must do our best to confess those sins we know we have.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. The apostle 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.
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
I have
I have
“I have not seen the robin but I know he is there because I heard him singing through my window from the tree-top outside.
I have not seen God. But I have looked at my child’s eyes, and have been overwhelmed by the miracle of unfolding life.
I have watched the trees bedeck themselves with new garbs of green in the spring, and have been stirred by the miracle of continual rebirth.
I have looked at the stars, and have been overcome by the miracle of the grandeur and majesty of the universe.
I know that God exists, because I have heard the song of His presence from all the tree-tops of creation.”
Ben Zion Bokser
The Psalmist wrote,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1.
I believe there is a God. I look at the world and say this is not by chance.
For me, I find it takes far more faith to believe that the world just evolved to be this way.
As I look around nature I see the how incredibly linked everything is from the subatomic level to the vastness of the galaxies.
I see all of this as being necessary for humans to live on this tiny speck amid the stars.
I firmly believe that given time, an open mind, and good science man will one day be able to say ‘yes God did create the universe and everything in it.”
Think about it.
“I have not seen the robin but I know he is there because I heard him singing through my window from the tree-top outside.
I have not seen God. But I have looked at my child’s eyes, and have been overwhelmed by the miracle of unfolding life.
I have watched the trees bedeck themselves with new garbs of green in the spring, and have been stirred by the miracle of continual rebirth.
I have looked at the stars, and have been overcome by the miracle of the grandeur and majesty of the universe.
I know that God exists, because I have heard the song of His presence from all the tree-tops of creation.”
Ben Zion Bokser
The Psalmist wrote,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1.
I believe there is a God. I look at the world and say this is not by chance.
For me, I find it takes far more faith to believe that the world just evolved to be this way.
As I look around nature I see the how incredibly linked everything is from the subatomic level to the vastness of the galaxies.
I see all of this as being necessary for humans to live on this tiny speck amid the stars.
I firmly believe that given time, an open mind, and good science man will one day be able to say ‘yes God did create the universe and everything in it.”
Think about it.
Tuesday, 30 September 2014
The Insignificance of Mankind
The insignificance of mankind
Take a look at the accompanying pictures of Earth taken at various distances from the space probes sent out by N.A.S.A.
From Saturn, Mercury, Mars, the Moon and the voyager space craft at the time 4 billion miles from earth.
It shows just how insignificant mankind is with respect to the universe.
So can you imagine a group of people saying,
“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.
We believe that God himself took one small part of his infiniteness and became flesh. To live on that insignificant mote of dust floating in the universe
That he experienced everything there was to be a man, died in a most hideous way for a crime he didn’t commit, rose again from the grave and ascended to heaven.
As outrageous as it seems we Christians believe it.
The question then is why would we created a God that did such a thing if it were not real.
It seems so outrageous and would be counter productive to our cause if it were not true.
C. S. Lewis a non-believer intellectual, who studied Christianity with an open mind and thus became a convert, states of Christianity,
“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
C.S. Lewis.
Christians believe that God convicts us of our sins, our short coming. It asks us to confess those sins directly to God and to do our best to live a life worthy of God with his help.
My favourite quote from C.S. Lewis is,
“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.
God exists I know he exists because all around me I see an ordered universe and ordered wold.
The Psalmist says,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1
I cannot believe the Universe and everything in it just evolved by chance.
As a Christian I also believes the words of Job who said,
Take a look at this image,
Job said,
“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
Job 26:7
Not bad for an iron age man who’d never gone into space.
Think about it.
Take a look at the accompanying pictures of Earth taken at various distances from the space probes sent out by N.A.S.A.From Saturn, Mercury, Mars, the Moon and the voyager space craft at the time 4 billion miles from earth.
It shows just how insignificant mankind is with respect to the universe.
So can you imagine a group of people saying,
“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.
We believe that God himself took one small part of his infiniteness and became flesh. To live on that insignificant mote of dust floating in the universe
That he experienced everything there was to be a man, died in a most hideous way for a crime he didn’t commit, rose again from the grave and ascended to heaven.
As outrageous as it seems we Christians believe it.
The question then is why would we created a God that did such a thing if it were not real.
It seems so outrageous and would be counter productive to our cause if it were not true.
C. S. Lewis a non-believer intellectual, who studied Christianity with an open mind and thus became a convert, states of Christianity,
“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
C.S. Lewis.
Christians believe that God convicts us of our sins, our short coming. It asks us to confess those sins directly to God and to do our best to live a life worthy of God with his help.
My favourite quote from C.S. Lewis is,
“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.
God exists I know he exists because all around me I see an ordered universe and ordered wold.
The Psalmist says,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
Psalm 19:1
I cannot believe the Universe and everything in it just evolved by chance.
As a Christian I also believes the words of Job who said,
Take a look at this image,
Job said,“He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
Job 26:7
Not bad for an iron age man who’d never gone into space.
Think about it.
Sunday, 28 September 2014
God
God
“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.”
John 1:1-4.
If there is one thing the Bible does not contest is whether there is a God or not. The Bible does not leave the existence of God up for debate.
Many today do not believe in God. That is their right in a free society. That is a right that God gave them.
But if God does not exist as the Atheist say then why are they offended by things like the ten commandments being in a court room. Is it not appropriate that the ten basic laws of humanity should be in a court room?
Other Atheist have asked and even gone to court in the United States to have scripture portions that have been on the walls of public schools for decades taken down because they find them offensive.
If there is no God are not the words of the Bible simply a good philosophy? One that cannot hurt?
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.”
If there is no God then Christianity is of no importance. Therefore why would an Atheist wish to restrict where Christians can display their words of hope.
If there is no God why are over 200,000 Christians being persecuted around the world today? Why is one Christian dying every 14 minutes for their faith?
It seem extreme to me to persecute people who believe in something that doesn’t exist, a faith that states,
“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
A faith that also states,
“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
If nothing else Christianity is ingrained in the very fabric of western culture. It has helped make western society better.
As for me I believe there is a God a God who has given everyone a choice to believe He exists or not.
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.
Christianity gives you an option to believe or not. Jesus as I quoted above lays belief and unbelief on the line.
If you believe Jesus does not exist and you are right then you have nothing to fear. But if you are wrong you have a lot to fear.
Think about it.
“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.”
John 1:1-4.
If there is one thing the Bible does not contest is whether there is a God or not. The Bible does not leave the existence of God up for debate.
Many today do not believe in God. That is their right in a free society. That is a right that God gave them.
But if God does not exist as the Atheist say then why are they offended by things like the ten commandments being in a court room. Is it not appropriate that the ten basic laws of humanity should be in a court room?
Other Atheist have asked and even gone to court in the United States to have scripture portions that have been on the walls of public schools for decades taken down because they find them offensive.
If there is no God are not the words of the Bible simply a good philosophy? One that cannot hurt?
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.”
If there is no God then Christianity is of no importance. Therefore why would an Atheist wish to restrict where Christians can display their words of hope.
If there is no God why are over 200,000 Christians being persecuted around the world today? Why is one Christian dying every 14 minutes for their faith?
It seem extreme to me to persecute people who believe in something that doesn’t exist, a faith that states,
“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
A faith that also states,
“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
If nothing else Christianity is ingrained in the very fabric of western culture. It has helped make western society better.
As for me I believe there is a God a God who has given everyone a choice to believe He exists or not.
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.
Christianity gives you an option to believe or not. Jesus as I quoted above lays belief and unbelief on the line.
If you believe Jesus does not exist and you are right then you have nothing to fear. But if you are wrong you have a lot to fear.
Think about it.
A Child of God or A Person Condemned
A child of God or A person Condemned
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
Are you prepared for eternity? Over the time I’ve been writing these blogs I’ve asked basically the same question. When you die will you stand before God as one of his children or as a criminal condemned?
John writes,
“Yet to all who received him(Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:12,13.
Jesus said as I have quoted above,
“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.”
John3:18
There is no middle ground with Jesus any honest Christian will tell you that. You either believe who Jesus and accept him into your life or you do not. It’s that simple.
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
If you accept Jesus is who he said he is then you must accept what he taught to be true. Ultimately the decision is yours.
Where do you stand with respect to Jesus?
Where will you spend eternity?
Think about it.
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
Are you prepared for eternity? Over the time I’ve been writing these blogs I’ve asked basically the same question. When you die will you stand before God as one of his children or as a criminal condemned?
John writes,
“Yet to all who received him(Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:12,13.
Jesus said as I have quoted above,
“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.”
John3:18
There is no middle ground with Jesus any honest Christian will tell you that. You either believe who Jesus and accept him into your life or you do not. It’s that simple.
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
If you accept Jesus is who he said he is then you must accept what he taught to be true. Ultimately the decision is yours.
Where do you stand with respect to Jesus?
Where will you spend eternity?
Think about it.
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Eternity
Eternity
“It's ironic that in our culture everyone's biggest complaint is about not having enough time; yet nothing terrifies us more than the thought of eternity.”
Dennis Miller American stand up comedian.
Our generation it seems fears death as have generations before us. Not knowing what is beyond the vale of death can be disturbing to say the least.
The Romans believed after death, souls would give an account of their lives standing before three judges. These judges would decide on where they would go in eternity, to the Fields of Asphodel, the Pit of Tartarus or if they were exceptionally good to the Elysium, the isles of the Blessed a place reserved for heros and gods.
They were ferried there over the river Styx by the demonic boatman Charon. A coin was place in the mouth of the deceased to pay the fare. It was believed the greater the value of the coin the smoother the ride.
Christians have no need to fear death or entering into eternity because we believe what the Bible says,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:12,13
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.
John 3:16,17
Peter Marshall wrote,
“No tabloid will ever print the startling news that the mummified body of Jesus of Nazareth has been discovered in old Jerusalem. Christians have no carefully embalmed body enclosed in a glass case to worship. Thank God, we have an empty tomb. The glorious fact that the empty tomb proclaims to us is that life for us does not stop when death comes. Death is not a wall, but a door.”
Peter Marshall.
Eternity is a door for the Christian the key to which is knowing Christ as your Lord and Saviour.
I remember laying on my hospital bed. Three weeks or so earlier I’d had a successful cancer operation in which a cancerous tumour had been removed from my leg and a lymph node removed from my groin.
Unfortunately three blood clots had formed one ended up in my groin the other two had gone to my lungs.
I was rushed to hospital were I lay in bed for eight days. During that time I knew I run the risk of dying.
I remember going to God in prayer and saying God I want to live and I know you can heal me or at the very least let the medication the doctors are giving me work.
Never the less if you wish to call me home I am ready.”
A few day’s ago at my son’s wedding I met a friend of mine who’d had cancer far worse than I did. He to I found out had said such a prayer.
We also noted that non-Christians we met in hospital didn’t have such a hope. Yet everyone can have it.
Jesus said,
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Revelations 3:20.
The key to knowing where one will spend eternity is simple.
It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16,17.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Paul writing to the Romans said,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
Isaiah 64:6
John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1 John 1:9,10.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8,9
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
What do you believe?
Think about it.
Friday, 26 September 2014
Eternity
Eternity
We are on a march to eternity whether we want to be or not. From the moment we are born we begin a march toward the grave and beyond.
One thing all philosophy’s, religions and even atheist agree on is that we will not get out of this world alive.
People fear death.
I don’t think it’s the death part they particularly fear it’s the not knowing what’s on the other side. It’s the finality. The fact they fear they will never see their relatives again.
In today’s society with all our knowledge those who don’t believe in Christ don’t know and fear what is beyond the grave.lit
I don’t think that fear has changed in thousands of years. For millennia societies have had elaborate death rituals. Placing things in graves that they felt their dear departed would need in the next world.
The Egyptian pyramids are the supreme example. Elaborate tombs build to show the grandeur of the person filled with gold, jewels and other item thought necessary for the after life.
Today in our so called enlightened society we still include mementos in the casket of the deceased.
What happens during the funeral and what is placed in the grave with the deceased is however unimportant.
I have known many people who have had a genuine fear of death. Others who couldn’t care less. People who have the philosophy eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
My brother and atheist truly believes life ends in oblivion. How sad.
On the topic of life after death we are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Two very wise people born centuries apart made these comments,
The Venerable Mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley (29 September 1778 – 11 November 1841) Irish nun, founder of the Sisters of Mercy in 1831, said,
“Each day is a step we make towards eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the last step, which will bring us into the presence of God.”
Billy Graham the famous American Evangelist said,
“My home is in Heaven. I'm just travelling through this world.”
Christians believe that if you believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God you will know for certain where you will spend eternity.
The Bible is God’s directions to heaven.
Billy Graham said,
I'm going to Heaven just like the thief on the cross who said in that last moment: 'Lord, remember me.'”
Billy Graham.
The book of Luke records,
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43.
It’s that simple to know where you will spend eternity.
You must as the criminal did confess your sins to God, believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and accept his saving grace.
Here is what I believe you must know to inherit eternal life with God.
It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16,17.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Paul writing to the Romans said,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
Isaiah 64:6
John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1 John 1:9,10.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8,9
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
What do you believe?
Think about it.
We are on a march to eternity whether we want to be or not. From the moment we are born we begin a march toward the grave and beyond.
One thing all philosophy’s, religions and even atheist agree on is that we will not get out of this world alive.
People fear death.
I don’t think it’s the death part they particularly fear it’s the not knowing what’s on the other side. It’s the finality. The fact they fear they will never see their relatives again.
In today’s society with all our knowledge those who don’t believe in Christ don’t know and fear what is beyond the grave.lit
I don’t think that fear has changed in thousands of years. For millennia societies have had elaborate death rituals. Placing things in graves that they felt their dear departed would need in the next world.
The Egyptian pyramids are the supreme example. Elaborate tombs build to show the grandeur of the person filled with gold, jewels and other item thought necessary for the after life.
Today in our so called enlightened society we still include mementos in the casket of the deceased.
What happens during the funeral and what is placed in the grave with the deceased is however unimportant.
I have known many people who have had a genuine fear of death. Others who couldn’t care less. People who have the philosophy eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.
My brother and atheist truly believes life ends in oblivion. How sad.
On the topic of life after death we are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Two very wise people born centuries apart made these comments,
The Venerable Mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley (29 September 1778 – 11 November 1841) Irish nun, founder of the Sisters of Mercy in 1831, said,
“Each day is a step we make towards eternity and we shall continue thus to step from day to day until we take the last step, which will bring us into the presence of God.”
Billy Graham the famous American Evangelist said,
“My home is in Heaven. I'm just travelling through this world.”
Christians believe that if you believe that Jesus is the one and only Son of God you will know for certain where you will spend eternity.
The Bible is God’s directions to heaven.
Billy Graham said,
I'm going to Heaven just like the thief on the cross who said in that last moment: 'Lord, remember me.'”
Billy Graham.
The book of Luke records,
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:39-43.
It’s that simple to know where you will spend eternity.
You must as the criminal did confess your sins to God, believe Jesus is the Son of God who died for your sins and accept his saving grace.
Here is what I believe you must know to inherit eternal life with God.
It come down to who you think Jesus is and what his purpose on this earth was for,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16,17.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
Paul writing to the Romans said,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23,24.
Sinning is falling short of what God wants for you life. Sin separates us from God.
Isaiah telling us,
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”
Isaiah 64:6
John noting,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1 John 1:9,10.
Paul make it clear salvation is not something we can work for. Paul writing to the Ephesians stating,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8,9
Ultimately salvation is an act of faith, Hebrews stating,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
What do you believe?
Think about it.
Thursday, 25 September 2014
A Bulwark
Faith
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.”
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.”
It is only when leaders and people in general forget or don’t believe they will one day stand before a God that will judge them that horrible things happen.
History is full of such events, the pogroms of Russia, the Spanish inquisition, the holocaust of world war two, the list goes on and on.
When man loses his fear of God it seems bad things happen. Abba Hillel Silver got it write when he wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society...”
The Bible is the foundation of our western civilization. No atheist group has ever come up with a more comprehensive philosophy for mankind that can rival the Bible.
The Bible is all about relationships and love,
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.”
John 3:16,17
John states,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:12,13.
Someone who is truly a Christian loves because Jesus commanded us to love 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.
James writes,
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
James 2:12,13
Remember all of the Bible was written to primitive man. A savage time when races and nations were trying to crush and enslave one another.
Yet it could have been written today. I read one statistic that said more have been killed due to conflict in the twentieth century than in all the centuries prior and fourteen years into the twenty-first the killing continues.
Mankind has lost his fear of God. And I believe only the love of God can save the human race.
In order to do so however we must as individuals turn to God and ask Him into our lives.
Think about it.
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.”
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.”
It is only when leaders and people in general forget or don’t believe they will one day stand before a God that will judge them that horrible things happen.
History is full of such events, the pogroms of Russia, the Spanish inquisition, the holocaust of world war two, the list goes on and on.
When man loses his fear of God it seems bad things happen. Abba Hillel Silver got it write when he wrote,
“Faith in God is the strongest bulwark of a free society...”
The Bible is the foundation of our western civilization. No atheist group has ever come up with a more comprehensive philosophy for mankind that can rival the Bible.
The Bible is all about relationships and love,
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.”
John 3:16,17
John states,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:12,13.
Someone who is truly a Christian loves because Jesus commanded us to love 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.
James writes,
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
James 2:12,13
Remember all of the Bible was written to primitive man. A savage time when races and nations were trying to crush and enslave one another.
Yet it could have been written today. I read one statistic that said more have been killed due to conflict in the twentieth century than in all the centuries prior and fourteen years into the twenty-first the killing continues.
Mankind has lost his fear of God. And I believe only the love of God can save the human race.
In order to do so however we must as individuals turn to God and ask Him into our lives.
Think about it.
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