Where will you

Where will you

Where are the people?

Where?

Are they but shadows in the mall?

Are they?

Are they shadows in time,

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

What is life?

What?

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

A wisp in the eternal aether ?

Are people wisps of smoke?

What of man’s....

 or woman’s! accomplishments?

What of them?

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

Is that life?

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

Are we simply the corporeal high end of the evolutionary scale?

Or 

Is a life.

Yours, mine more?

Is it a divine opera?

An opera played out on a high mesa 

A stage suspended between heaven and hell.

Are we as Shakespear said simply actors?

I think

Life is an opera played out before God.

On a high mesa between heaven and hell.

We Are  but actors in a play?

Actors awaiting the final curtain call sending us to eternity?

Are you ready for that final curtain call?

Are you?

What is the sum total of your life?

What?

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

What will God say to you?

The Prophet Isaiah said,
“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 
“All men are like grass,and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. 
Surely the people are grass. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” 
                                                                                                                   Isaiah 40:6-8
Where will you spend eternity.
Will you spend eternity with God?
Jesus said,
... “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
                                                                                                                  John 14:6
He also 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.
Jesus is waiting for you to ask him into your life. Will you consider it today.
Think about it.

An Obligation

Helping the poor

The Talmud tells these two stories
“When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
                                                                                      The Talmud.
“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
                                                                             The Talmud.
We here in the western nations live in societies that have great wealth. At the same time there is a lot of poverty and need.
Question: what have you done lately to help the less fortunate around you?
Everyone can do something even if it’s just a simple act.
The Judaism has a concept called Tzedakah. It is a concept that I believe all people can understand and practice be they Jewish, Christians or of any other faith.
The following is as good an explanation of Tzedakah. It comes from a Jewish website,
“Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for acts that we call charity in English: giving assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity. The word “charity suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and the powerful for the benefit of he poor and needy.
The word “tzedakah” is derived form the Hebrew root Tzadei-dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act, it is simply and act of righteousness, performance of a duty giving the poor their due.
The Obligation of Tzedakah
Giving to the poor is an obligation in Judaism, a duty that cannot be forsaken even by those who are themselves in need. Some sages have said that tzedakah is the highest of all commandments, equal to all of them combined, and that a person who does not perform tzedakah is equivalent to an idol worshipper. This is probably hyperbole, but it illustrates the importance of tzedakah in Jewish thought. Tzedakah is one of the three acts that gain us forgiveness from our sins. The High Holiday liturgy repeated states that G-d has inscribed a judgement against all who have sinned, but teshuvah (repentance) tefila (prayer) and tzedakah can alleviate the decree.
According to Jewish law, we are requiered to give one-tenth of our income to the poor. This generally interpreted as one-tenth of our net income after payment of taxes. Taxes themselves do not fulfil our obligation to give tzedakah even though a significant proportion of tax revenues in America and many other countries are used to provide for the poor and needy. Those who are dependent on public assistance or living on the edge of subsistence my give less but must still give to the extent they are able; however, no person should give so much that he would become a public burden.
The obligation to perform tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving money to the poor, to health care institutions, to Synagogues or educational institutions. It can also be fulfilled by supporting your children beyond the age when you are legally required to, or supporting your parents in their old age. The obligation includes giving both to Jews and gentiles; contrary to popular belief, Jew do not just care for our own. Quite the contrary a study of reported in the Jewish journal indicated that Jewish ‘mega-donors’ (who give more than $10 million a year to charity found that only 6% if their mega-dollars went to specifically Jewish causes.
Judaism acknowledges that many people who ask for charity have no genuine need. In fact, the Talmud suggest that this is a good thing: if all people who asked for charity have no were in genuine Need we would be subjected to punishment for G-d for refusing anyone who asked. The existence of frauds diminishes our liability for failing to give to all who ask. Because we have some legitimate basis for doubting a beggar’s sincerity. It is permissible to investigate the legitimacy of charity before donating to it.
We have an obligation to avoid becoming in need of Tzedakah. A person should take any work available, even if he thinks it is beneath his dignity to avoid become a public charge.
However, if a person is truly in need and has no way of obtaining money on his own he should not feel embarrassed to accept tzedakah. No person should feel to proud to take money from others. In fact it is considered a transgression to refuse tzedakah. One source says that to make yourself suffer by refusing to accept tzedakah is equivalent to shedding your own blood.
Levels of Tzedakah
Certain kinds of tzedakah are considered more meritorious than others. The Talmud describes these different levels of tzedakah, and Rambam organized them into a list. The levels of charity from the least meritorious to the most meritorious, are:

Giving begrudgingly

Giving less than you should, bu giving cheerfully,

Giving after being asked

Giving before being asked

Giving when you do not know the recipient’s identity, but the recipient knows yours

Giving when you know and the recipient’s identity, but the recipient doesn’t know yours.

Giving when neither party knows the other’s identity.

Enabling the recipient to become self-reliant. 

As Christians the above is something I know I can understand it lines up perfectly with Christian thought.
But even from a strictly human stand point tzedakah makes sense and I believe is something we should all be practising.
Please think about it.

About Jesus

About Jesus

Historian William Durant said of Jesus,
“Nations have used his words as the bedrock of their governments....The triumph of Christ was the beginning of democracy.”
“His Sermon on the Mount established a new paradigm in ethics and morals.”
                                                                                                                William Durant
Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan writes of him, 
“Regardless of what anyone may personally think or believe about him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in the history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries… It is from his birth that most of the human race dates its calendars, it is by his name that millions curse and in his name that millions pray.”
                                                    Jaroslav Pelikan
Jesus is indeed a controversial person. He has been since the time he walked the earth.
The religious leaders of his day denounced him as a heretic while his followers called him the Christ, the Messiah.
C. S. Lewis said of him,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 
                                                                                                        C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
The apostle Paul wrote of Jesus,
“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
                                                                                                                                           Romans 5:5-8.
Paul also wrote,
“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
If Christians are foolish in what we believe then we have lost nothing for in following the teachings of Christ we have lived good honest and moral lives.
If however we are right in our beliefs then the rest of the world has a lot to think about.
What do you think?

It's about Jesus

It’s about Jesus

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,(Jesus)  and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. 
Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour.  
But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation”  
Colossians 1:19-22
It is all about Jesus and the cross.
In order to become a Christian you must answer in your own mind one important question.
Who is Jesus.
Matthew records this conversation between Jesus and his disciples,
“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”  
                 Matthew 16:13-17.
Jesus himself 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
He also said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  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.
Every man and woman on this planet has to decide for themselves who Jesus is. If he is not who he claims to be then there is nothing to fear. If he is all he claimed to be there is a lot to consider.
The choice is yours. Like C. S. Lewis states,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                              C. S. Lewis.
Please think carefully about it

Love not Hate

Love not Hate

“There is one other fundamental difference between love and hate.  Love is always a refuge.  Hate is never a refuge.  Only a mentally sick person can find refuge in his hates.  But love is the enduring sanctuary of life.  Life may rob you of many things.  It often does.  But it can never bereave us of love itself.  That remains.”
-Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, rabbinic leader, from a December 22, 1940, sermon,    quoted in Therefore Choose Life: Selected Sermons, Addresses and Writings of    Abba Hillel Silver, Volume One, edited by Herbert Wiesner (1997)

Rabbi Silver was right on with what he said. Love is the key to all meaningful human relationships. Hate can never be a refuge. All those who have ever tried to rule the world by hate have eventually fallen.
Rabbi Silver wrote the words above when world war two was at it height. When millions of Jews and others were being murdered by the Nazis, men full of hate.
Today we have terrorist groups around the world who are trying to use hate and force to conquer lands in the middle east. They are doomed to failure because of the hate they sow.
The one true God is not a God of hate. He is a God of Love.
Napoleon Bonaparte a man who knew more than a little about trying to conquer the world said,
"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel.  Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”
                                                                          Napoleon Bonaparte.
Jesus set the standard for conquering the world. Today 2.2 billion people worship Jesus. His word of the love of God has reached every corner of the world.
Jesus has more people believing in him and his ways than all the terrorist groups in the world today could ever hope to have following them and Jesus did it with love.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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.
As people of the world be we Christians, or of other faiths we need to be showing more love to those around us.
Love in it’s simplest form is giving of one’s self.
Anne Frank a young Jewish girl who hid most of world war two from the Nazis and later died in a concentration camp 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
This is what we all should be doing be we Christians or not.
Please think about it.

It's about Life

It’s about life

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” 
John 10:10
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 
John 11:25,26

I’ve heard a lot of people over the years say they live far better lives than some Christians they know. That may be true because Christians like everyone else in this world are far from perfect. As someone has said “Christians are not perfect they are with God’s help, simply progressing.”
C. S. Lewis said,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” 
                                             C.S. Lewis.
When we accept Christ as our Saviour God begins a work in our lives. He if we let Him works to make us better each day.
That however is only half the story. By accepting Christ into our life we receive Eternal Life with God.
I as all Christians do, and the majority of people in the world today, I believe, life does not end with the grave.
If I am right which I believe I am, then the question becomes where will you spend eternity.
I have heard many people say “well if my good out weighs my bad then I’ll get to heaven.”
Christians don’t see it that way. We believe the words of Jesus, who said,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 
John 14:6
We believe the words of Paul to the Ephesians who said,
“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.
Salvation, eternal life with God is a free gift to all who will receive it.
Christians believe that God reached down to mankind by sending his one and only son Jesus Christ to this world to show how much he loved us.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 
Romans 5:8.
I know it sounds odd, even foolish that God would sent His one and only son to die for us but it is what we Christians believe.
Again to quote the apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church. Paul writes,
“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.
God does not always work in ways man would consider logical. God does things his way and asks man to have faith in Him.
That’s why I think some believe that Christians preaching Christ crucified dying and ascending to sit at the right hand of God is foolishness.
For the Christian this however is the pillar of our faith and God wants us to walk by faith.
The writer of Hebrews states,
‘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
Defining faith as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” 
                                                                                                                         Hebrews 11:1.
Eternal life with God is as simple as believing in Jesus. Believing that He is God’s One and Only Son. That He came into this world to die for your sins. Then asking Him into your heart and life.
A prayer as simple as this,
Dear Heavenly Father,
I believe in you. I believe that Jesus is your One and Only Son. That He came to earth to die for my sins.
Please forgive my sins and come into my heart and life today.
In Jesus name I pray.
                 Amen
Please think about it.

No Life

No life
“Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life.”
                                                                                                                        Buddha.
Buddha got it right man cannot live a full life without a spiritual life. I have met many men and women who have been successful in their fields of endeavour only to find their life still very empty.
Many people especially it seems in the entertainment industry that have reached the height of their profession only to turn to drugs and alcohol because they are empty in side.
The writer of Ecclesiastes wrote
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 1:14 
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labour. 
Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” 
                                                                     Ecclesiastes 2:10,11
What the writer is saying here is the material things of this earth are ultimately meaningless.
While there is nothing wrong with being rich and successful all our riches and success is ultimately meaningless in the light of eternity.
The writer of Ecclesiastes after examining all things finally said,
“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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
     Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 
The gospel of Matthew records a man asking Jesus this question,
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  
This is the first and greatest commandment.  
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” 
                                                                                    Matthew 22:37-40.
Speaking personally I have gone through it all in my sixty plus years on this earth. I have experienced extreme happiness and deep sorrow.
I have had some bleak dark days that have led me down paths I never wanted to go. Yet through it all, God through his Son Jesus Christ, has been with me holding my hand giving me hope.
Jesus can do it for you also.
Please consider accepting Jesus into your life today.

A message for the world

A message for the world

I have over several years done my best to express my faith. To express what I believe. Perhaps however the best sermon ever spoken by a Christian is recorded in the book of Acts to a gathering of Greek philosophers by the apostle Paul.
I present it here as recorded in the book of acts for you to think about.
“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.
Do you believe what Paul said?

I have not seen God

I have not seen God
Ben Zion Bokser wrote
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 declairs,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 
                                                                                                                                 Psalm 19:1
Billy Graham stated,
I can't prove it scientifically, that there's a God, but I believe.
                                                                                               Billy Graham.
It’s true we may not be able to prove God scientifically but that does not preclude his existence.
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
I know there are people who say God does not exist. That is their right. However I believe they are wrong.
I look around me and see a perfectly ordered universe from the biggest galaxies to the smallest sub atomic particle. To my mind such a universe cannot come together by chance.
There has to be a creator behind it all. I know that takes faith and having faith in someone you cannot see is perhaps the hardest thing a person can do.
The writer of Hebrews states,
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 
                                                                                            Hebrews 11:1
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him
                                                                 Hebrews 11:6  
God asks us to have faith in him. He however does not expect blind faith. He gives us clues of his existence that are all around us.
Like the Psalmist I quoted before,
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” 
                                                                                                                               Psalm 19:1.
He has given us the Bible and if we read it objectively with out any preconceived ideas we can see God within its pages. Along with his love for mankind.
The problem is however I believe is those who do not believe in God are bias in their thoughts. They have said in their minds God does not exist and no matter what the evidence or who presents it I will not believe.
H. G. Wells, British writer, (1866-1946)
“When asked which person left the most permanent impression on history, he replied that judging a person’s greatness by historical standards:
“By this test, Jesus stands first.”
“I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very centre of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history.”
“Christ is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.”
                                                                                                            H. G. Wells
Wells an admitted none believer put Jesus as the most important person in all of history. If so then the teachings of Jesus must be correct because over the past two thousand years they have changed the world.
C. S. Lewis wrote,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
                                                          C. S. Lewis.
The bottom line here is you either believe there is a God who sent His One and Only Son to the earth to point people to heaven or you do not believe.
The decision is yours.
Please think about it.

Hidden treasure for you

Hidden treasure for you
Jesus said,
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  
When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” 
                                                                                                        Matthew 13:44-46.
To those who are not Christians it’s hard to understand why we do what we do. Why do we tell people about Jesus. What is the motivating force behind us.
It’s simple. We Christians believe we have the most important thing a person can have in life. A certainty of going to heaven to be with God.
As Jesus said in the parable. We have found the treasure hidden in a field. The pearl of great price. The love of God.
That is why we want to tell the world.
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.
He also issued a warning,
“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 3:18 
So to the unbeliever if a Christian becomes a little over zealous please forgive them. We only want to present to you what we feel is of prime importance to all people.
The choice of whether you believe us or not is always yours.
Please think about it.

Christians

Christians
I intended to write this just to Christians but I thought it relevant to share with none Christians as this is what I feel a true Christian should be doing.
What I am writing I hope will make Christians and non-Christians alike think.
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.
We Christians preach a gospel of mercy and reconciliation to God. Yet there are many out there who are calling us bigots and I think from what I see and here coming out of the mouths of some Christian pastors and evangelist both in and out of the media they seem to be right.
I hear from many Christians the hate the sin but love the sinner. It’s been my experience however that non-Christians don’t see it that way.
They look at it that the Christian hates them not just the sin.
I believe it is not up to us as believers to say what is sin and what is not. 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.” 
                                                                                                                                    Matthew 7:1,2.
The apostle Paul wrote,
“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
Only God knows the heart of men. It is up to the Holy Spirit to convict a person of their sin, not us. Our job is made clear,
“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.
Sadly I hear of men and women claiming to be Christians here in North America calling out to restrict the rights of others particularly those in the homosexual community. And more recently such people have begun to attack the Muslim faith and the Qur’an.
I hear of countries in Africa making homosexuality a crime punishable by time in prison.
To make matters worse I have heard of church’s and so called Christian pastors in those countries applauding such laws.
There are even churches and pastors in North America applauding what is happening in Africa. How sad.
In my mind, to restrict the rights of even one person is an abomination against humanity. Something I believe God opposes.
Jesus made it clear when he 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.
Whether we like it or not God has given to mankind a free will. We have the right to choose the way our life is to go. We have the right to choose our lifestyle.
I firmly believe we have no right to interfere in the making of laws as long as those laws do not interfere with our rights and freedoms and the rights and freedoms of others.
Further more we should be upholding freedom of choice especially when it comes to the right to freedom of speech and to choose our lifestyle and religious preferences.
I believe that to restrict one persons freedom even if we disagreed with them is to potentially restrict the freedom of all people even our own.
Tony Campolo the American evangelist wrote,
“We 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
That is what we all should do.
Martin Niemoller a German cleric who knew about judging and oppression.
Niemoller was initially a national conservative and supporter of Adolf Hitler, became a man who vehemently appose Hitler. Who became along with Dietrich Bonhoffer a founder of the Confessional Churches in Germany.
For his opposition to Hitler and the Nazis oppression of not only Jews but others, Niemomller was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camp and narrowly escaped execution.
Later in his life he expressed the fact he did not do more for the victims of the Nazis. He wrote the following.

“When they came for the Communists, 

I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist. 

When they came for the Jews, 

I did not stand up, because I was not Jewish. 

When they came for the Catholics,

 I did not stand up, because I was not a Catholic. 

When they came for me, 

there was no one left to stand up.”

                                                                      Martin Niemoller
Tony Campolo also made one other statement he said,
“These issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change.”
       Tony Campolo.
The Talmud a Jewish book of thought states,
"When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, “Have you believed in God?”  Or “Have you prayed and observed the ritual?  “He is asked: “have you dealt honourably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellow men?”
                                                                                                                     The Talmud.
                Have you?
                 Please think about it.

Fear God

Fear God

Here is something I firmly believe everyone everywhere needs to know.
The writer of Ecclesiastes states,
“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 judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:13,14.
What I see the writer as saying here is, we need to have a healthy respect for God and what he expects of us as individuals.
I don’t believe in a God that has a big stick ready to whack us when we do wrong quite the contrary I believe in a God that loves and gives to his people. A God who forgives them when they make mistakes.
The best proof of this is in the words of Jesus who said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
John 3:16,17.
Sadly too many people today do not fear God. The Islamic State terrorist have a perverted idea of God. As a result they don’t fear God and the consequences of their actions.
In the western democracies we have men and women who do not fear God. Who do not believe in his existence or that they will be judged at the end of this life.
As a result we have those who commit crimes of every kind.  And these people are not just from poverty stricken neighbourhoods but from every strata of society.
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.”
               Abba Hillel Silver.
I am a firm believer that the further a society moves away from God the worse that society becomes. With no absolute values and no one to fear with respect to the final judgment our society will eventually destroy itself.
Please think about it.