A deadly List,
Below is a list of some of the worst despots in world history.
Mao Ze-Dong (China, 1958-61 and 1966-69, Tibet 1949-50) 49-78,000,00 people murdered
Jozef Stalin (USSR 1932-39 only) 15,000,000 people murdered (not counting what happened after world war two)
Pol Pot (Cambodia, 1975-79) 1,700,000 people murdered
Kim II Sung (North Korea 1948-94) 1.6 million people murdered (his son continues the carnage)
Ho Chi Min (Vietnam 1953-56) 200,000 people murdered
Vladimir Ilich Lenin (USSR, 1917-20) 30,000 people murdered
Adolf Hitler (Germany 1939-1945) 12,000,000 plus people murdered in the death camps alone, (not counting war dead from the war he caused, at estimated at 60 million plus, civilian and military).
As my friend said, they were all equal opportunity murderers they not only killed Jews and Christians but anyone who got in their way.
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.
Abba Hillel Silver was right when you take God and the moral laws he has placed on the hearts of all men out of society you eventually get tyranny.
Take a look at the list above all were against not only Christianity and Judaism but God in general.
These men came to power by force and false promises.
Lenin and Hitler promised virtual Utopia on earth a better life but at what cost? The cost of the lives of those they disliked or stood up to them. It was the same for all on the above list.
I think history shows clearly from the pharaoh’s of Egypt on down to today. When men fail to recognize the one true God when men fail to fear God, people suffer.
No atheist has ever written a moral code equal to that of the ten commandments.
The Bible was written during a savage time in human history when nations were crushing nations. Yet it tells us to love our neighbour.
Even Jesus being put to death on the cross rather than curse the men who put him there called out “father forgive them for they no not what they do.”
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?
And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
Matthew 5:43-47
To pray for our enemies and persecutors seems to the human mind counter productive. Yet Christians are told to do so.
I know of no other group of people in society today anywhere in the world that is praying for people that are against them. Yet Christians are.
I know from talking to people through the years that each dictator listed at the beginning of this article has at one time been prayed for by Christians.
We do so because we believe it is only through Christ that lives can truly be changed for the better.
That a life based on true Christian love and understanding can truly change the world.
Those who would raise the sword of oppression against anyone. Those who would wish to conquer the world would be wise to listen to the words of Napoleon Bonaparte who did try to conquer the world. He wrote,
"You speak of Caesar, of Alexander, of their conquests and of the enthusiasm which they enkindled in the hearts of their soldiers; but can you conceive of a dead man making conquests, with an army faithful and entirely devoted to his memory? My armies have forgotten me even while living, as the Carthaginian army forgot Hannibal. Such is our power.”
“I know men and I tell you, Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creations of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded his empire upon love; and at this hour, millions would die for him.”
“I search in vain history to find similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel. Neither history nor humanity, nor ages, nor nature, offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or to explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.”
Napoleon Bonaparte,
Think about it.
Monday, 13 October 2014
Sunday, 12 October 2014
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.”
Psalm 136:1-3.
I know non-Christians and particularly Atheist cannot and do not particularly want to give thanks to God for anything. That is their choice.
However today October 12th 2014 here in Canada is thanksgiving Sunday and I’m sure all of us who live in Canada are thankful for something.
In all my blog posts it is my hope that people will come and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Experiencing Christ in the way I as a Christian do.
For knowing Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour has enriched my life in so many ways.
However I am under no delusion that many if not most who read this will not understand what it is to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Nor will some even what to know. That is their choice.
On this particular day however I think whoever you are should, just take a few minutes and ask yourself what you are thankful for living here in Canada or for that matter anywhere in the world. You don’t need to believe in a God or know Christ as your saviour for that.
Living in Canada I am very thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. Freedom of speech and worship. Freedom of association.
I’m thankful for the things we quite often don’t think about here in Canada like the health care system that is free to all.
I’m thankful for my family and friends many of whom will be sitting down to a wonderful thanksgiving dinner with us as you read this.
I’m even thankful for you dear reader that takes the time to read this blog whether you believe what I say in it or not.
Why not take a few minutes and think what you are thankful for especially here in Canada a country and is truly blessed.
Think about it.
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.”
Psalm 136:1-3.
I know non-Christians and particularly Atheist cannot and do not particularly want to give thanks to God for anything. That is their choice.
However today October 12th 2014 here in Canada is thanksgiving Sunday and I’m sure all of us who live in Canada are thankful for something.
In all my blog posts it is my hope that people will come and enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Experiencing Christ in the way I as a Christian do.
For knowing Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour has enriched my life in so many ways.
However I am under no delusion that many if not most who read this will not understand what it is to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Nor will some even what to know. That is their choice.
On this particular day however I think whoever you are should, just take a few minutes and ask yourself what you are thankful for living here in Canada or for that matter anywhere in the world. You don’t need to believe in a God or know Christ as your saviour for that.
Living in Canada I am very thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. Freedom of speech and worship. Freedom of association.
I’m thankful for the things we quite often don’t think about here in Canada like the health care system that is free to all.
I’m thankful for my family and friends many of whom will be sitting down to a wonderful thanksgiving dinner with us as you read this.
I’m even thankful for you dear reader that takes the time to read this blog whether you believe what I say in it or not.
Why not take a few minutes and think what you are thankful for especially here in Canada a country and is truly blessed.
Think about it.
Saturday, 11 October 2014
How to change the world
How to Change the World
T.H. White wrote,
“There was just such a man when I was young—an Austrian who invented a new way of life and convinced himself that he was the chap to make it work.
He tried to impose his reformation by the sword, and plunged the civilized world into misery and chaos.
But the thing which this fellow had overlooked, my friend, was that he had a predecessor in the reformation business, called Jesus Christ.
Perhaps we may assume that Jesus knew as much as the Austrian did about saving people.
But the odd thing is that Jesus did not turn the disciples into Strom troopers, burn down the Temple at Jerusalem, and fix the blame on Pontius Pilate.
On the contrary, he made it clear that the business of the philosopher was to make ideas available, and not to impose them on people.”
T.H. White.
T. H. White was obviously eluding to Hitler in the quote above. He however could have been talking about any dictator or tyrannical group in history.
Today as I write this extremist groups in the middle east are beheading people simply because they do not agree with them. They are waging war on innocent men women and children.
These tyrants are no different from Hitler or any other despot that has ever arisen. They believe they can change the world by force.
They have not learned that one cannot change the world by the edge of the sword. Every leader in human history that has tried to do so has eventually failed.
All I believe, if they all ready haven’t, will stand before a just God who will condemn them to hell for their actions.
There is but one way to change the world for the better through the Love of Jesus Christ.
Napoleon Bonaparte said,
“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.”
Napoleon was right today there are about 2.2billion Christians in the world. About one third of the worlds population. Yet through the centuries Christians have suffered persecution and death at the hands of those who disagree with us.
Even today in countries where Christianity is banned completely Christianity continues to grow.
This growth is not by force of arms but by the actions of love.
Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour 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 43-45.
Loving one’s enemies and praying for our persecutors is what has helped Christians reach a third of the worlds population. No tyrant or dictator in all of history has ever done such a thing.
The apostle Paul says of love,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13
This is the kind of love that can change the world, for it is a love that come from God and only God's love can change the world.
Think about it.
T.H. White wrote,
“There was just such a man when I was young—an Austrian who invented a new way of life and convinced himself that he was the chap to make it work.
He tried to impose his reformation by the sword, and plunged the civilized world into misery and chaos.
But the thing which this fellow had overlooked, my friend, was that he had a predecessor in the reformation business, called Jesus Christ.
Perhaps we may assume that Jesus knew as much as the Austrian did about saving people.
But the odd thing is that Jesus did not turn the disciples into Strom troopers, burn down the Temple at Jerusalem, and fix the blame on Pontius Pilate.
On the contrary, he made it clear that the business of the philosopher was to make ideas available, and not to impose them on people.”
T.H. White.
T. H. White was obviously eluding to Hitler in the quote above. He however could have been talking about any dictator or tyrannical group in history.
Today as I write this extremist groups in the middle east are beheading people simply because they do not agree with them. They are waging war on innocent men women and children.
These tyrants are no different from Hitler or any other despot that has ever arisen. They believe they can change the world by force.
They have not learned that one cannot change the world by the edge of the sword. Every leader in human history that has tried to do so has eventually failed.
All I believe, if they all ready haven’t, will stand before a just God who will condemn them to hell for their actions.
There is but one way to change the world for the better through the Love of Jesus Christ.
Napoleon Bonaparte said,
“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.”
Napoleon was right today there are about 2.2billion Christians in the world. About one third of the worlds population. Yet through the centuries Christians have suffered persecution and death at the hands of those who disagree with us.
Even today in countries where Christianity is banned completely Christianity continues to grow.
This growth is not by force of arms but by the actions of love.
Jesus said,
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour 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 43-45.
Loving one’s enemies and praying for our persecutors is what has helped Christians reach a third of the worlds population. No tyrant or dictator in all of history has ever done such a thing.
The apostle Paul says of love,
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails....
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a,13
This is the kind of love that can change the world, for it is a love that come from God and only God's love can change the world.
Think about it.
Friday, 10 October 2014
A Mist
A mist.
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James 4:13,14.
“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.
When I was in secondary school I had to memorize a poem I memorized this one by Carl Sandburg entitled grass
On the tomb of the unknown soldier is the inscription “known only to God”. How sad.
In terms of eternity we are simply a mist upon this world. But life does not end with death.
The Egyptians and all ancient cultures believed in an after life.
The Egyptian ruler even made monuments to illustrate their importance. They filled their pyramids with grave goods deemed essential to the after life.
While the ancient Britain’s didn’t build huge pyramids, throughout Britain many graves have been found filled with grave goods also deemed necessary for the after life.
The ancients truly believed in an after life.
As a Christian I do also. I believe also that it is there that we will truly meet God face to face.
It is there we will meet Jesus as our Lord and Saviour or our judge.
C.S. Lewis wrote of Jesus,
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”
C.S. Lewis
Tony Campolo wrote something interesting he said,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”
Tony Campolo
Do you know where you will spend eternity?
Are you certain you are right with God?
If you don’t believe in God and an afterlife are you truly sure you are right?
To quote C. S. Lewis once again, he 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
If we Christians are incorrect in our beliefs then there is nothing to fear.
On the other hand if we are right there is a lot to fear.
Think About it.
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James 4:13,14.
“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.
When I was in secondary school I had to memorize a poem I memorized this one by Carl Sandburg entitled grass
Grass
Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.
And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?
I am the grass.
Let me work.
I think it’s safe to say that most people in the world will at best be remembered fifty years after their death by no more than a few family members.On the tomb of the unknown soldier is the inscription “known only to God”. How sad.
In terms of eternity we are simply a mist upon this world. But life does not end with death.
The Egyptians and all ancient cultures believed in an after life.
The Egyptian ruler even made monuments to illustrate their importance. They filled their pyramids with grave goods deemed essential to the after life.
While the ancient Britain’s didn’t build huge pyramids, throughout Britain many graves have been found filled with grave goods also deemed necessary for the after life.
The ancients truly believed in an after life.
As a Christian I do also. I believe also that it is there that we will truly meet God face to face.
It is there we will meet Jesus as our Lord and Saviour or our judge.
C.S. Lewis wrote of Jesus,
“He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”
C.S. Lewis
Tony Campolo wrote something interesting he said,
“When you were born, you cried and everybody else was happy. The only question that matters is this - when you die, will you be happy when everybody else is crying?”
Tony Campolo
Do you know where you will spend eternity?
Are you certain you are right with God?
If you don’t believe in God and an afterlife are you truly sure you are right?
To quote C. S. Lewis once again, he 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
If we Christians are incorrect in our beliefs then there is nothing to fear.
On the other hand if we are right there is a lot to fear.
Think About it.
Thursday, 9 October 2014
A Christian Thing
A Christian Thing
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit....
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Psalm 32:1,2,5
Here is the central theme that rings through the entire Bible both New and Old Testaments.
The confession of sin and God’s forgiveness of our confessed sin.
The apostle John wrote,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1John 1:9-10
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans 5:6-9 explains:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Romans 5:6-9.
C.S. Lewis notes,
“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
Lewis also said,
“He(Jesus) died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”
C.S. Lewis
In accepting Christ as our Saviour, we are saved from the wrath of God. We as Christians are confident before we shed our mortal bodies that we will be with God.
John writing in his gospel,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:1-4,12,13
For those outside the Christian faith I know it is hard to believe but it is what we believe.
We believe one can have a personal relationship with God. That you can become a child God. All we must is accept that Jesus is the Son of God, admit we fall short of God’s ideal for our life, confess our sins to him and accept the Salvation He offers freely to every individual.
If we are wrong we as Christians have nothing to fear because at the very least correctly following a Christian lifestyle is a good upright and moral way to live.
However if we are right there is a lot to worry about.
Think about it.
“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit....
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
Psalm 32:1,2,5
Here is the central theme that rings through the entire Bible both New and Old Testaments.
The confession of sin and God’s forgiveness of our confessed sin.
The apostle John wrote,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1John 1:9-10
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans 5:6-9 explains:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”
Romans 5:6-9.
C.S. Lewis notes,
“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
Lewis also said,
“He(Jesus) died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.”
C.S. Lewis
In accepting Christ as our Saviour, we are saved from the wrath of God. We as Christians are confident before we shed our mortal bodies that we will be with God.
John writing in his gospel,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men....
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”
John 1:1-4,12,13
For those outside the Christian faith I know it is hard to believe but it is what we believe.
We believe one can have a personal relationship with God. That you can become a child God. All we must is accept that Jesus is the Son of God, admit we fall short of God’s ideal for our life, confess our sins to him and accept the Salvation He offers freely to every individual.
If we are wrong we as Christians have nothing to fear because at the very least correctly following a Christian lifestyle is a good upright and moral way to live.
However if we are right there is a lot to worry about.
Think about it.
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Christianophobia
Christianophobia
Here’s something for people to ponder.
According to the Washington based Pew Forum on Religion and Public life, Christianity is the largest and most widely spread faith in the world, with 2.2 billion followers or 32 percent of the world population.
According to Rupert Short Religion Editor of The Times Literary Supplement and a Visiting Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford In his latest book is Christianophobia: A Faith Under Attack (2012).
Across the world as a whole, some 200 million Christians (10 per cent of the total) are socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their beliefs.
Yet the secular media are not saying much about it. It is a hidden genocide going on at this minute.
To those critics of Christianity be they atheist or those who claim to be of other faiths, some of whom claim to believe the same God as we Christians I ask the question why is Christianity seen as such a threat?
If Jesus was not who he said he was the Son of God what have those who disagree with us to worry about.
C.S. Lewis a one time Atheist who converted to Christianity said,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
C. S. Lewis
A true Christian takes the words of the apostle Paul seriously,
“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.
True we as Christians are told to go and make disciples of all nations and we have been very successful at doing that.
Still Jesus made it clear we are not to force our beliefs on others. We are simply to present them and let the person make the decision.
I know many over the years have called themselves Christians and tried to impose their faith on others by the force and the sword. These people are not Christians. A Christian will not use force to convert anyone.
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.
The Bible tells the story of two of Christ’s disciples who were brought be for Jewish leaders for teaching in the name of Jesus. They were going to put them to death but a wise man stood up, giving them a brief history lesson, the book of Acts recording,
“But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.
Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.
Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:34-39.
I contend Christianity has proven it is from God. The proof is in the fact it now has reached over a third of the world.
The French emperor Napoleon 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.”
Sadly because people simply disagree with Christians, they are in parts of the world killing us. Something true men and women of God would not ever do.
Unfortunately the killing of Christians is something that has happened from the early days of Christianity starting with the stoning of Stephen by religious leaders of his day, on through various Roman emperors, to other groups, and even governments to this very day.
But as a Pharisee named Gamaliel said, “if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Which I know our enemies are.
Think about it.
Here’s something for people to ponder.
According to the Washington based Pew Forum on Religion and Public life, Christianity is the largest and most widely spread faith in the world, with 2.2 billion followers or 32 percent of the world population.
According to Rupert Short Religion Editor of The Times Literary Supplement and a Visiting Fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford In his latest book is Christianophobia: A Faith Under Attack (2012).
Across the world as a whole, some 200 million Christians (10 per cent of the total) are socially disadvantaged, harassed or actively oppressed for their beliefs.
Yet the secular media are not saying much about it. It is a hidden genocide going on at this minute.
To those critics of Christianity be they atheist or those who claim to be of other faiths, some of whom claim to believe the same God as we Christians I ask the question why is Christianity seen as such a threat?
If Jesus was not who he said he was the Son of God what have those who disagree with us to worry about.
C.S. Lewis a one time Atheist who converted to Christianity said,
“Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”
C. S. Lewis
A true Christian takes the words of the apostle Paul seriously,
“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.
True we as Christians are told to go and make disciples of all nations and we have been very successful at doing that.
Still Jesus made it clear we are not to force our beliefs on others. We are simply to present them and let the person make the decision.
I know many over the years have called themselves Christians and tried to impose their faith on others by the force and the sword. These people are not Christians. A Christian will not use force to convert anyone.
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.
The Bible tells the story of two of Christ’s disciples who were brought be for Jewish leaders for teaching in the name of Jesus. They were going to put them to death but a wise man stood up, giving them a brief history lesson, the book of Acts recording,
“But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.
Then he addressed them: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.
Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.
After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:34-39.
I contend Christianity has proven it is from God. The proof is in the fact it now has reached over a third of the world.
The French emperor Napoleon 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.”
Sadly because people simply disagree with Christians, they are in parts of the world killing us. Something true men and women of God would not ever do.
Unfortunately the killing of Christians is something that has happened from the early days of Christianity starting with the stoning of Stephen by religious leaders of his day, on through various Roman emperors, to other groups, and even governments to this very day.
But as a Pharisee named Gamaliel said, “if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Which I know our enemies are.
Think about it.
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
The Blacksmiths Hammer
The Blacksmiths Hammer
The poem above tells the truth about Christianity. It has been battered by many groups trying to destroy it. All have failed.
The book of Acts records the first group of men to try to stop the spread of the teaching of Christ were the Jewish religious leaders of Christs day.
Two of Christ’s disciples were brought before them on trial for preaching in the name of Jesus. They had thought of executing these men however a wise man called Gamaliel a Pharisee honoured by the people said,
“if it (the teaching of Christ) is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
I believe they were fighting against God.
Carnegie Simpson wrote,
“Jesus is not one of the group of world’s great. Talk about Alexander the Great and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will…Jesus is apart. He is not the Great – He is the only.”
Even Napoleon the French Emperor 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 is indeed extraordinary, he is the Son of God and His word will continue on no matter the circumstances.
The reason His word will continue on is that what Christians teach is directly from God. It is a gospel of love and forgiveness even to our enemies and persecutors.
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
Jesus told us to forgive saying,
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14,15.
When Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive he said,
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21,22
In other words we are to forgive time without number.
Mahatma Gandhi said,
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi was right that is why true Christians and Christianity will never be destroyed.
True Christians can forgive no matter the circumstances because they have the power of God to call upon. And if God is on our side, no one in this world can stop the advancement of our faith.
Think about it.
Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith’s door,
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.
“How many anvils have you had,” said I,
“To wear and batter all these hammers so?”
“Just one,” said he, and then, with twinkling eye,
The anvil wears the hammers out, you know.”
And so, thought I, the anvil of God’s Word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed - and hammers gone.
AnonymousThe poem above tells the truth about Christianity. It has been battered by many groups trying to destroy it. All have failed.
The book of Acts records the first group of men to try to stop the spread of the teaching of Christ were the Jewish religious leaders of Christs day.
Two of Christ’s disciples were brought before them on trial for preaching in the name of Jesus. They had thought of executing these men however a wise man called Gamaliel a Pharisee honoured by the people said,
“if it (the teaching of Christ) is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
I believe they were fighting against God.
Carnegie Simpson wrote,
“Jesus is not one of the group of world’s great. Talk about Alexander the Great and Charles the Great and Napoleon the Great if you will…Jesus is apart. He is not the Great – He is the only.”
Even Napoleon the French Emperor 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 is indeed extraordinary, he is the Son of God and His word will continue on no matter the circumstances.
The reason His word will continue on is that what Christians teach is directly from God. It is a gospel of love and forgiveness even to our enemies and persecutors.
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
Jesus told us to forgive saying,
“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14,15.
When Peter asked Jesus how many times we should forgive he said,
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21,22
In other words we are to forgive time without number.
Mahatma Gandhi said,
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
Mahatma Gandhi.
Gandhi was right that is why true Christians and Christianity will never be destroyed.
True Christians can forgive no matter the circumstances because they have the power of God to call upon. And if God is on our side, no one in this world can stop the advancement of our faith.
Think about it.
Monday, 6 October 2014
The Cross
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.
“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.
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.
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