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Getting the bible excitement tips.

As time went along found myself buying books. The ministry I was under showed some of the best reference books to have.   I probably  owned 90% of them when all of a sudden came accross the free E-sword bible program for my computer.  There may be better ones out there but this one gave free book modules that were free.  They were the same as my paid for books.  In time I had a second and then third computer.  That is 3 free programs. Let's do some math here to see what I really got.    Pulpit commentary----cost me $79 dollar disc. It is probably a $1,000.00 for the books.  That would buy 2 laptops with money left over.  E-sword was free.  My knowledge of good and bad books show that the majority of books have errors that are big. so by having a good Theologian preacher who was dedicated to truth teach me helped know the best selection.  It is important that your best teacher is the Holy Spirit,  God uses men who have education but  they must be accurate.  Next time I will share the books and  why they are good.  God bless.

thecatholicsoul

844 54 years ago

An appeal to the rich and powerful of the world

To you…  the blindest

Powerful of the world,

Trading the destinies of God’s sons and daughters

For your own self destructive pleasures and interests,

Cherishing the things of the world that soon die

Thus loving the death that force its way in your eternal soul…

To you… the blindest

Players in the game of power and fortune,

Incessantly burying the voice of your godly conscience

While spreading the shadows of your suffocating dark will…

Enjoying your superficial humanity in close circles of friends and family

While contributing to the suffering and misery of countless true brothers …

To you… the blindest

Fragile believers in your own deity

Running from the awareness that your superficial game is one of utmost despair

That you’re not masters, but puppets that need to make less than puppets from others

In order to confirm you’re much worthy of breathing

To you… lost children of the same Father

A call to wake up and make peace with your conscience

To make peace with your unavoidable dependence

To understand that all that truly belongs to you was not obtained, but given

For you couldn’t make nor stop your body from appearing in the world

Nor build other path for it than the one ending in death…

A call to search in your heart if each of these brothers of yours lying in dust

Is or is not equal to you in the eyes of the creator

And if your heart doesn’t answer, to just force your clever mind to admit infinity

And see He can easily create and manage and love billions of creations

Which look like atoms before His infinity in all possible dimensions

While you cannot even conceive the numbers…

A call to search in your heart if infinite love can have limits in power and wisdom

Or limits in Its compassion for every created being

Or limits in Its capacity to sacrifice

For each one of these, including you

Poor sick soul, more dead than alive,

having no eyes and years and heart for It

because of the cold world of self-centered lies you indulge in…

A call to you, powerful of the world

Who by your own free choice

Made yourselves the poorest ones in His holy sight

But who still

By your own free choice

Can make yourselves good, so you can observe His goodness

Can make yourselves patient, so you can understand His patience

Can make yourselves free of the miserable self-love, so your heart can be embrace by His divine one

And give-up hell, to taste and enjoy His true life - the only eternal …

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maxnet

843 54 years ago

Just Because Faith is not Fact, does not make it Fiction (Pt. II)

Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

One of most mysterious questions in all of Christianity yet often misunderstood. Surprisingly, the author of the video “10 Things All Intelligent Christians Must Answer” skips over this question very quickly. Instead of backing it up with misguided information, the author merely poses the question, says “it makes no sense,” and then skips over to the next question

I’m going to take longer to answer this question because you deserve better

It’s a very fair and worthy question right? You may either be suffering now or have suffered dearly in the past. Now you want to get even with God and ask, “Why have I suffered so much?”

To get a better feel of this question, I encourage everyone to turn to their bible. I challenge you to look past Job, the king of suffering. Nearly every individual whose story is in the bible endured a long period of suffering. From Moses’ forty years in the desert, to David’s flee from King Saul, to Paul’s prison term in Rome - all great individuals in the bible often spent years in the lowest of lows.

Yet out of these great trials all of these men and women rose up to become stronger and better than ever.

While it seems unfair, there is a reason we suffer. Pain changes us like nothing else. If we are to be “the light and salt of this world,” we also must understand what’s it like in the darkness. Who goes and preaches to a group of people whom he or she knows nothing about?

People in this world hate nothing more than a fake or poser. Yet when you attempt to reach someone who is suffering, and you have not suffered, that person will automatically recognize you as someone who simply does not understand and shut down.

Jesus himself endured one of the greatest periods of suffering in the history of mankind. He was sentenced to death for no legitimate reason. He was tested through a long period of brutal punishment, however he did not waver in the garden of Gethsemane and took up his cross for the good of mankind.

At the heart of Christianity is Mark 8:34

Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. The verse is no hidden secret brothers and sisters. At the heart of the gospels Jesus tells his followers to “take up their cross” long before he was executed by the very same means. It appears Jesus already knew how he would die that way long before it happened and this statement was a foreshadow into the future of what every Christian must endure.

It’s a myth that once you become a Christian everything is fine and you have no worries or problems. A lot of things are fixed in your soul, but you must prepare for suffering and brace for pain. It’s just part of the walk.

Christianity is a sacrifice, and no sacrifice comes without pain.

Good people must suffer. No one wants the pain, but after every dark night we rise up to a warm, sunny day. After every long trek up a mountain, we reach the summit and a view like nothing we have ever seen before.

I encourage you all to read the 365-day devotional, “Streams in the Desert” by L.B. Cowman. It deals a lot with suffering and why we must suffer.

Lack of Evidence to Support Jesus’ Miracles

The video takes a bizarre turn with question eight. According to the author of the question, he wonders “Why didn’t Jesus leave behind any evidence of his miracles?”

Once again he quickly skips the question to the next.

I’m confused by what exact evidence the author is seeking. Perhaps he wanted Jesus to leave behind a note on a gigantic rock that reads, “Hello, this is Jesus, I took off but I’ll be back soon”? What about a photo of Jesus’ arm wrapped around the back of Peter while they stand on the water smiling? Perhaps he wanted to find a tomb with a body still in it?

Miracles, both past and present, rarely leave behind evidence for the long-term. For example, the recent emergency landing on the Hudson River. Some may say the pilot was very lucky while others may say the angels were there that day and it was actually a miraculous event. Sure lucky odds can describe anything, but when do they become so great that it’s hard to ignore a higher power?

Jesus, according to the bible, raised people from the dead, healed leprosy, removed demons, and cured other disorders to name a few of his many miracles. Unfortunately Lazarus is no longer around to tell us if the story is true or not.

The bread that fed thousands was ate centuries ago.

f you’re searching some hidden or lost clue that may prove or disprove Christianity, you’re a helpless idiot like Tom Hanks in ”The da Vinci Code.”

Has Jesus Appeared to You?

The author of the video claims that you should be able to pray to Jesus and he will magically appear to prove that he exists.

While this concept is once again very ideal, it really does not make any sense. Just like I stated yesterday with Jesus instantly answering prayers like a genie, anyone who expects instant answers - especially from God is really misguided on the whole idea.

If Jesus would appear to anyone who asked through prayer, than once again the doubt would no longer exist. Everyone would be a Christian and the whole challenge of it all (your faith), would no longer exist. I mean after all, if God appeared to me, I would have to be the stupidest person on earth not to follow his word.

Even the great men and the bible had rare encounters with God and Jesus was even more obsolete. The bible does say that Jesus obviously meant a lot of people while on earth and twelve men in particular followed him religiously. John also notes that Jesus appeared to many crucial members in the Gospels days and weeks after he was resurrected. Acts 9 says Paul (then Saul) had a direct encounter with “God” (King James), but it fails to mention whether or not it was Jesus or just God’s voice from heaven as described as “a light from heaven.”

Interesting enough, Acts makes known that anyone who chooses to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior is immediately filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost (as commonly referred in the bible) is the east understood of the trinity. While I could spend an entire day explaining The Holy Spirit and what it means - I’ll break it down in a nutshell.

The Holy Spirit is not an inanimate power or force, but rather a person

The Holy Spirit is one with God

The Holy Spirit has many responsibilities (to instruct, to counsel, to intercede, to comfort, and to convict to name a few)

(if anyone would like direct scriptural references, please email me info@five9productions.com)

The most direct verse relating to The Holy Spirit and how Jesus is always within you is John 14:16

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. If you understand anything about Christianity you will understand that Jesus by spirit is always in you. You do not need him to come to you.

Communion

The author continues to show his misunderstanding of Christianity and the bible when he ignorantly asks, “Why would Jesus want you to eat his body and drink his blood?”

According to the author, eating one’s body and drinking one’s blood is from another pagan tradition but apparently he missed that in all of the Gospels, the books describe Jesus’ spending the Passover feast to honor the Jewish tradition and symbolize his sacrifice for mankind. Even when the declaration is made, the disciples do not immediately begin chewing on his body and drinking his actual blood.

Jesus symbolized his blood through wine and his body through bread. How can you possibly misunderstand that?

Anyone who takes that verse literal is an idiot.

Both the blood and the body have deep symbolic meanings. The blood represents the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. At the time, the disciples were completely unaware of what Jesus meant by this but in due time they would understand. If you have a deep background in the Old Testament you will surely know that the original Passover involved Moses slaying a lamb and letting the blood drip on the altar to seal the covenant with the Lord. Some may find this act very unusual and even cruel, but the lamb’s slaying actually represented God’s pact with his people to free them from Egypt and to keep them safe.

When Jesus made this claim in the Gospels, he was directly stating the new covenant was between his blood and our sins. At the time the disciples were unaware of the impact this gesture meant and apparently some people are still unaware of it today.

Secondly, the body represented both Jesus as a human and his sacrifice. When the bread was broken, Jesus said, “This is my body which is given to you. This do in remembrance of me.”

Divorce in Christianity

The last question on the video is “Why do Christians get divorced at the same rate as Non-Believers?”

Apparently the author believes that once you become a Christian you are not allowed to make a mistake. Once again this is a really naive question and falls in succession with the past four or five questions.

Yes, a Christian marriage is a sacred celebration where family, friends, co-workers, etc join in union to witness the declaration and eternal commitment of two people. Unfortunately it does not always work out that way.

Does a man or woman become a Christian and never sin again? Of course not, so why would you expect all Christian marriages to last?

What is the downfall or cause of a divorce? Some may say two people no longer love each other anymore. Okay, that’s a fair assessment, but what makes them not love each other anymore? Is it lust, greed, or pride?

All three are valid explanations and all three are part of the seven deadly sins.

If you really expect all Christian marriages to succeed, you must say that a Christian will never sin again. We’re all human, so how can you expect that? I’m not defending Christian divorces but rather offering an explanation for why it happens.

Look at all the famous individuals of the bible once again. Show me an individual besides Jesus who did not sin and I’ll make you a rich man.

Hint - For those of you who do not get it, the answer is “You can’t.”

Everybody sins, everyone makes mistakes, and marriage is something that does not always work out for the parties involved.

raagavi

816 54 years ago

Saved By Grace

Saved By Grace What does it mean to be saved by Grace?   In Matt. 1:21 we are told that Jesus will "save his people from their sins." The word 'save' means to deliver, to protect, to keep safe or to rescue from, so Jesus did not come to save us IN our sins or WITH our sins but to rescue us FROM our sins. In Rom. 7:24-25 Paul said, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? [and then he continued on to answer his own question saying,] Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!" So, in the same way that Jesus rescued Paul from his sinful body of death, He wants to rescue you and I from our wickedness so that we can live a holy life because "without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).   Holy living comes through the Holy Spirit In our own strength, it's not possible for us to live a holy life. Rom. 8:7 tells us that "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." From this verse, we can see that it's not possible for us to keep God's laws so, without help, we will continue in sin. But God doesn't command us to do the impossible and then leave us helpless. He sends the Holy Spirit to live within us so that through the Spirit we have the power to resist sin and live righteously. Rom. 8:4 confirms this where it says, "the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." Note that this verse says that by living according to the Spirit we can FULLY meet God's righteous requirements. So, in His Grace, God gives us His Spirit to save us from our sins so that we can meet His command to "be holy, because I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16).   A new heart Before we were born again, we had hard hearts and did whatever we pleased. When our conscience convicted us of sin, we would often just ignore it and continue to sin to satisfy our lusts. But when we were born again, as well as giving us His Spirit, God gave us a new heart. In Ezek. 36:26-27 God says, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." So, in His Grace, God not only puts His Spirit in us, He also replaces our heart of stone with a heart of flesh which will respond to the Spirit's leading.   The battle within When the Holy Spirit enters our life, He strongly convicts us of sin by taking away our peace and making us feel very guilty (John 16:8). A spiritual battle begins between our sinful nature and the Spirit of God. Gal. 5:17 explains this where it says, "the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." This is a very real and often painful battle which God wants us to win, and we will win if we live by the Spirit and repent of our sin whenever convicted. Gal. 5:16 tells us, "live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." The Holy Spirit works within us to guide and empower us to overcome any sin. Php. 2:13 says, "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." The following two passages speak of the Holy Spirit's work within us:   2 Pet. 1:3-4 say, "His divine power [the Holy Spirit] has given us everything we need for life and godliness [so that] you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." Tit. 2:11-14 say, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."   From these verses, we see that through God's Grace we can escape the corruption of the world and say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions and be redeemed (freed) from all wickedness. So, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome our sinful nature and win the battle against sin.   Finally Eph. 2:8 tells us that we are saved by Grace, through our faith. Because of our faith, in His Grace God does the following. He - Sends His Spirit to live within us Continually wills us to act according to His good purpose Gives us a new, soft heart so that we will respond to His guidance Strengthens us so that we are able to obey Him   It's plain to see that apart from God's Grace no one can be saved from their sin. Without God guiding us, encouraging us, giving us a new heart and strengthening us to follow Him, we would all be lost. However, even though we are clearly saved by God's Grace, we are not totally free of responsibility. We have an obligation to live according to the Spirit as Rom. 8:12-14, 17 tell us:   "Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God."   Notice that in v.13 there are two ways in which we can live. We can live according to our sinful nature and die or we can live according to the Spirit and live. Next, v.14 tells us that those who are led by the Spirit are sons of God and "if we are children, then we are heirs" (v.17). It naturally follows that if we aren't led by the Spirit, but by our sinful nature, then we are not children of God and not heirs to eternal life.   Being led by the Spirit is simply responding to the Spirit's conviction and confessing/repenting whenever we are convicted. In His Grace, God has made it possible for us to obey His command to live a righteous life and 1 John 1:9 promises that if we confess our sins we will be forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness. 1 John 3:7 tells us, "He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous," so it is up to each of us to do what is right and follow the Holy Spirit's leading if we want to inherit eternal life.     This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html   It can be read online at http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/?p=954   Mick Alexander Email: leeandmick@gmail.com Website: www.ChristianIssues.biz

guardianangel

809 54 years ago

Voice for Jesus Children Ministry

smavaishono

805 54 years ago

After talking to a kind New Age believer...

Our challenges in these troubled End Times are greater than ever... Many people are increasingly eager for spirituality but usually just stick with the mixture of superstition and truth given by institutionalized religions or chose some good looking, but very dangerous New Age stuff. To get them out of their preconceptions in order to have at least a small glance to the overwhelming picture of the divine love given in the New Revelation, might require unusual patience and diplomacy.

To make them understand that behind the "contracts with God"offered by the priests or behind the compassionate communication of a "Galactic Federation representative", stands a very clever algorithm to develop the ego and block any true feeling of love for the true God, might be one very difficult enterprise. So, we might start to practice more often this art of gently guiding the souls toward the Lord using no other miracle but the greatest one, which, according to Himself, is exactly this direct word of His. Otherwise, there's no chance that we would ever master it and consequently, bring the expected good fruits ... Thus, this most incredible talent given to us as a pledge of great trust and responsibility will end up buried and thus, will once bring us not joy, but many tears.

"The reason why I am now giving out so much of the bread of heaven, as has never happened since the day I walked on earth, is that now indeed the time is approaching when the world reaches the culmination of its aberrations and deviation from My plan of creation." (Lord’ Sermons, 16)

“Whoever is destined for life on earth, shall be awakened to life through My word.”

(The Great Gospel of John IX 148:12)

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maxnet

798 54 years ago

Returning God's Love

Returning God's Love

Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching."

(John 14:23)

Rom 5:8 tells us, "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Through the cross, our heavenly Father clearly demonstrated His love for us. What does He require from us to return that love?

First, let's look at not loving God

In 1 John 3:1 we are told, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!" As believers, we are sons of God and the Progidal Son (Luke 15:11-32) is a good example of what a child of God should not do. This young man demanded his inheritance while his father was alive and then went off into a life of sin, showing no respect for God, the law of the land nor for his father and family. By taking what was not yet due to him, and living an ungodly life, he abused God's laws and showed a total lack of love for those close to him. In Jewish society, these actions were extremely shameful and punishable by death (Deu. 21:18-21). Fortunately, like our heavenly Father, his father was full of love and accepted him back when he repented. This young man is a good example of what we should not do.

What must we do to show God our love?

Jesus has not left us with any doubt about what it means to love God. In John 14:23, He said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." Jesus has made it very clear that to love Him is to obey Him and, in John 15:10, He tells us, "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." So, Jesus' love for us is not unconditional as many think; we will only remain in His love if we are obedient to His commands. If we fail to obey these commands then we will not remain in His love and will not inherit eternal life because, in John 15:6, He said, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."

So, exactly what is commanded of us?

Jesus said the greatest commandments were to love God and to love our neighbour (Matt. 22:37-40).

We show God our love when we put aside all idols and focus on Him and His kingdom. We express that love when we seek His presence and guidance, perform our duties to the best of our ability, attend church, evangelise, give, pray, study the Bible and generally try to honour Him in all we think, say and do.

Regarding loving our neighbour, James 2:8 tells us, "If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbor as yourself,' you are doing right." So, by loving our neighbour we keep the Royal Law of Love and are doing what is good and pleasing in God's sight. Rom. 13:8-10 explain what it means to love our neighbour: "… he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." So, in simple terms, to love our neighbour means to stop sinning against him because:

When we lie we are not loving our neighbour.

When we steal we are not loving our neighbour.

When we hate we are not loving our neighbour.

When we lust we are not loving our neighbour.

When we covet we are not loving our neighbour and

When we ignore the needy we are not loving our neighbour.

Loving is the greatest thing we can do as it is the fulfilment of the law. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." So, we can see that obeying Jesus' commands is loving God and loving our neighbour by not sinning against them.

Finally

Obedience is more than just something we 'should' do; it is essential for salvation. Jesus has shown His love towards us by dying FOR our sins and in return we show Him our love by dying TO our sins. 1 Pet. 1:2 tells us that we "have been chosen … for obedience to Jesus Christ" and 1 John 2:3-4 reveal the seriousness of obedience. These verses say, "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, 'I know him', but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." This is a very clear warning that if anyone claims to know Jesus but is not doing what He commands then he doesn't have the truth, and is in fact a liar. Make no mistake, these verses are speaking to Christians as John the apostle includes himself by saying "we". These are very fearful words because we know that all liars will end up in the lake of fire, just as it says in Rev. 21:8.

So, I want to encourage you. If, for any reason, you are not being obedient to the Lord then please show Him your love by turning to Him in repentance and calling on Him to cleanse you of all unrighteousness, just as it says in 1 John 1:9. By doing this you will come to know the peace and joy of walking with the Lord and be sure of receiving a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of heaven.

[Some comments on Rom. 8:35-39: From this article it can be seen that, if we want to remain in His love, we must remain obedient to Jesus' commands and keep from sin. Rom. 8:35-39 appear to be saying that sin will not separate us from God's love but this apparent contradiction disappears when we note that these verses have nothing to do with the separation caused by sin. What these verses are saying is that there is nothing in Creation that can separate us from God. That is, there is nothing that man, nature, demons or otherwise can do to us to separate us from God's love. Sin will always separate us from God but He will not allow any of Creation's hardships to cause us to fall away and be separated from His love. Paul suffered many, many hardships but nothing was able to separate him from God's love because God kept him through all his trials. Over the centuries, many martyrs have kept the faith despite unspeakable suffering – God kept them because they loved and obeyed Him!] Amen.

This article can be downloaded as a PDF or an MP3 from -

http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html

It can be read online at -

http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/2013/01/24/returning-gods-love/

Christian Issues' blog can be subscribed to at -

http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/feed/

Mick Alexander

Email: leeandmick@gmail.com

Website: www.ChristianIssues.biz

guardianangel

782 54 years ago

Denying Self

Denying Self "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23).   Jesus left heaven and humbly denied Himself all things to become God's greatest servant. In Luke 9:23, He said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" so if we want to follow Jesus then we also must deny self. The Bible tells us of many great men and women of faith who, like Jesus, denied themselves all things to serve God. These saints humbled themselves and turned their backs on worldly power, position and wealth to serve the living God whom they loved more than life. The following examples highlight the self-denial we are all called to.   Humbling ourself In Luke 14:7-11, Jesus tells us not to take the best seat at a gathering otherwise the host may ask us to move so that he can give the seat to a more honoured guest. We should take a less important seat and the host may honour us by moving us to a better place. Jesus said, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11). The first step to becoming a disciple is to be humble because "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (1 Pet. 5:5). Denying self starts with being humble.   Power and position Peter was the leader of the Jerusalem church and a powerful, miracle-working Apostle yet he referred to himself as just a fellow elder. He didn't lord it over his fellow workers but wrote, "To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder … be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers - not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock" (1 Pet. 5:1-4). Peter put serving others ahead of power, titles and money. Denying self includes treating others as equals and not lording it over anyone.   Probably our greatest example of humility and servant-hood is Moses. We are told in Num. 12:3 that he was "more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth." At forty years of age, he no longer wanted to be part of Pharaoh's family (Heb. 11:24-27). He chose to leave his great wealth and power in Egypt to become a simple shepherd in the desert for forty years. Then, when he was chosen to lead Israel out of Egypt, he resisted that powerful position but God commanded him to go. Moses was a very humble man who denied himself enormous power, authority and wealth in order to serve God. Denying self includes answering God's call at the expense of all things.   Wealth Many Christians seek wealth but, in 1 Tim. 6:8, Paul said, "if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." Paul had absolutely no interest in money or the things of this world. Writing from prison he said, "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ" (Phil. 3:8). The only thing Paul wanted was a greater knowledge of Jesus. Like all the great men of God, power, position and wealth were meaningless to him.   Money can cause terrible problems, even the loss of faith. We are told in 1 Tim. 6:10 that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." We need money for our basic needs but, other than that, the only thing money is good for is giving, either for the Gospel or to help those in need.   Regarding giving, in 2 Cor. 9:7, we are told that "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" and 2 Cor. 8:13 gives the reason for giving: "Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality." The generosity of our giving is not determined by the amount we give but by the amount we keep. Jesus praised the poor widow of Mark 12:42-44 because she gave her last two small copper coins, all she had to live on. He said that she had given more than all the others because she had given not out of her wealth but out of her poverty. If what we give doesn't affect our lifestyle then we really have nothing to boast about to anyone, least of all to the Lord. Denying self includes not clinging to our wealth.   Reputation Because of our pride, one of the most difficult things to give up is our reputation. We are easily offended by what others have to say but we must put our reputation firmly into God's hands, just as Jesus did. 1 Pet. 2:23 says, "When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." Jesus didn't allow His pride to rule His actions and, in Matt. 5:11-12, He said that there is a great reward for those who do the same: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Denying self includes putting our reputation into God's hands.   Finally Denying self is one of the greatest challenges in our Christian walk. We can't be a disciple of Jesus and love the things of this world at the same time; we must be willing to deny ourself worldly power, position, wealth and reputation; anything we put ahead of God is an idol. 1 John 2:15-16 tell us, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world." We only have a short time on earth in which we can honour and serve the Lord so let's fight our sinful nature and deny our cravings, lusts and boasting and humbly serve Him while we can.   This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html   It can be read online at http://www.christianissues.biz/blog/wordpress/?p=871   Mick Alexander Email: leeandmick@gmail.com Website: www.ChristianIssues.biz

guardianangel

782 54 years ago

Faith That Saves

Faith That Saves "Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb. 11:6).   What is faith? We often say, "I have faith" or "I'm saved by faith alone," but what do we mean when we say this? Are we living up to what faith really is? Hebrews 11 speaks of many men and women of faith; what was it about their lives that earned them the right to be known as people of great faith? It's important for us to understand what faith it is because Heb. 11:6 tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” So, if we want to please God, in fact if we want to be saved, then we must have faith that saves because it is through our faith that we are saved. Eph. 2:8 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith."   Heb. 11:1 tells us that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Faith is an inner conviction which overflows into the life of Christians and results in a lifestyle of holy living and good works for the Lord.   Faith and holy living It is through our faith that we believe in Jesus and are saved from our sins. Rom. 3:22 tells us that "righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." The word 'believe' means to commit to or to put trust in. When we commit our ways to Jesus, and put our trust in Him for the forgiveness of sins, we receive the Holy Spirit who empowers us to resist sin and to live a righteous life. In 1 Pet. 1:16, God commands us to live a righteous life where He says, "Be holy, because I am holy." It's very important that we follow this command because "without holiness no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).   Faith and works A Christian's lifestyle includes both holy living and good works. Good works don't save us but rather, they are the result of being saved. James 2:18 tells us that someone may say, "You have faith; I have deeds." James' reply to this is, "Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James is saying that faith is proven by its actions. The fact is, faith without good works (deeds) is a dead faith. James 2:26 says, "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." Good works, such as helping those in need, is a natural result of our salvation and part of a Christian's lifestyle. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress [that is, do good works] and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world [that is, keep oneself from sin]." So, a Christian lifestyle includes both good works and holy living.   Living out our faith When we sit on a chair, we have faith that the chair won't break. If we thought it would break then we wouldn't sit on it. This is like the story of a man who walked a tightrope over the Niagara falls, pushing a wheelbarrow. When he got to the other side he asked the people if they believed that he could go across again with someone in the barrow. They said “Yes” but when he asked for a volunteer to get in the barrow, no one would do it. The people believed that it could be done but no one had the faith to do it. The fact is, we can't have absolute faith in material things like chairs and we can't always fully trust people because people and the things of this world can fail us but thankfully God never does. In Num. 23:19 we are told, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" We can trust God fully because He faithfully fulfils every promise He makes.   Jesus is our greatest example of faith and we need to look to Him for strength. Heb. 12:2 says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus willingly went to the cross with the absolute faith that God would raise Him from the dead. He had perfect trust in God's promises and so can we. The Old Testament saints were commended for their faith because they believed against all odds. By faith Abraham believed God's promises and was even willing to sacrifice his son, believing that God would raise him from the dead (Heb. 11:8-19). Hebrews 11 is known as the Heroes Of The Faith chapter. It mentions many men and women who had a living, active faith which was proven by their actions. Even though they faced mockery, rejection, terrible persecution, huge enemy armies etc. they believed God and kept their faith and have gone on to their eternal rewards. They followed James' example where he said, "I will show you my faith by what I do" (James 2:18).   Finally Faith that saves is an ongoing, active faith which leads us to repent of our sins and commit ourself to living a holy lifestyle and to stand firm in the face of hardship and persecution. Our faith grows when we exercise it by believing God's promises and acting on them. Faith is like a muscle: exercise it and it grows stronger; do nothing and it becomes as weak as a baby. 2 Cor. 5:7 tells us that "We live by faith, not by sight" but faith is not blind. Even though we can't see what we believe in, there is no need for us to grope along like blind men as we have the Holy Spirit and the infallible Word of God to guide us in thought, word and deed. By faith we can believe every promise in the Bible and when we act on that faith God fulfils His promises to us and our faith grows. Amen.     This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html   Mick Alexander Email: leeandmick@gmail.com Website: www.ChristianIssues.biz

guardianangel

776 54 years ago

Sunday Christians

Sunday Christians

Many believers have very little to do with God outside of their time in church on Sunday morning. Very few churchgoers seem to have a good understanding of scripture and, in fact, not many even take their Bible to church so the preacher can tell them almost anything and they will nod their heads. After the service, it is often hard to find people who are interested in discussing biblical matters as their interests are more in sport or whatever else is going on in the world. They are not being very wise as, firstly, they are putting their eternal salvation in the hands of a preacher who could be misleading them and, secondly, they clearly show that they have put God in second place to the things of the world. James 4:4 speaks harshly against this where it says, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." Are you an adulterous enemy of God or a son of God?

Sons Of God

When we first put our trust in Jesus, we become sons of God; we are born again and adopted into the family of God. What sort of son limits the time he spends with his Father to one hour a week on Sunday? or even less if an 'important' event prevents him going to church. The fact is, many churchgoers give their friends and entertainment far, far more time than they give God. In Mal. 1:6 the Lord says, "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?" We greatly dishonour God when we allow the spirit of this world to control us and guide our thoughts to anything and everything other than the things of the Lord. Rom. 8:14 tells us that "those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." A son of God is led by the Holy Spirit and is focused on godly matters, not personal amusement and affairs of the world.

The World

The Holy Spirit never leads us to be friends with the world. That is the Devil's job. He is very good at it and never gets tired so we have to be alert at all times. If we are to be the son God wants us to be then we must be led by the Spirit and resist all temptation to follow the world. Rom 12:1-2 tell us, "I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God … Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." God's will for us is that we become like Jesus and live holy lives. We can only do that by turning away from our fleshy lusts for the things of the world which are temporary and bring sin and death to those who love them. The things of the world may bring short term pleasure but the result of pursuing them may well be eternal sorrow.

In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon spoke of his search for happiness through worldly activities. Even though he had enormous wealth, absolute power and great wisdom, nothing satisfied him. He tried everything he could think of to find happiness but found that what the world had to offer was meaningless. In Ecc. 12:13 he 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 judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." The fact is, worldly pleasures and possessions are here today and gone tomorrow. Many in the church unwisely seek worldly pleasures, wealth and power but Solomon showed that even his exceedingly great wealth, power and wisdom failed to bring lasting happiness. After all his efforts, he came to understand that contentment can only be found in God. 1 Pet. 1:24-25 tell us how temporary men and their glory are: "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever" and 1 John 2:17 tells us, "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

Finally

It's very unwise to expect God to welcome us with open arms if, most of the time, we have Him in second place while we are seeking to find satisfaction from the world. God takes no pleasure in part-time sons. In Rev. 3:16, Jesus warns casual believers, "because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth." 2 Cor. 13:5 urges us, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." If you are in the faith then you will be led by the Holy Spirit. If your focus is on what the world has to offer you then you are being led by the spirit of the world. In Hebrew, the word for faith and faithfulness are the same word so when Hab. 2:4 tells us that "the righteous will live by his faith" it also means that the "the righteous will live by his faithfulness." Does your faith have you faithful to the world and its lusts or faithful to the one who died for you? Are you in the faith or a Sunday Christian? I urge you to examine yourself and see if you are in the faith as Jesus said in Matt. 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" and 1 Thess. 4:3 tells us what God's will is: "It is God's will that you should be sanctified [that is, live a holy, separated life]."

This article can be downloaded under the heading Blog Articles at

http://www.christianissues.biz/downloads.html

Mick Alexander

Email: leeandmick@gmail.com

Website: www.ChristianIssues.biz

guardianangel

770 54 years ago

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