Yesterday I titled my message, “Faith not Fact.” Today I say, “Just because faith is not fact, it does not make it fiction.
Some may ask, “How in the world does this make any sense logically.”
It’s easy you see.
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines faith a : allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty
(1) : fidelity to one's promises
(2) : sincerity of intentions
•\tacted in good faith
(1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God
(2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
(1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof
•\tclinging to the faith that her missing son would one day return
(2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
How can you make something a fact when it’s not direct evidence? How can you make something fictional, when situations occur daily that are not easily understood or explained by science and/or the medical field? How can you explain that of physicians polled believed religion and spirituality (including prayer) have a positive influence on health and recovery . Aren’t doctors some of the supposed “most intelligent” people on the planet? How then, do they overwhelming admit that prayer and other spiritual factors may have an influence on healing?
Yet the author of the video, “10 Questions Every Intelligent Christian Must Answer” seeks to poke fun at the intelligence of a Christian. He basically states that a Christian believes in an imaginary friend. I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked anyone who believes in an imaginary friend past the age of six is considered a little slow.
How can we be intelligent if we have an imaginary friend?
One way a person with low self-esteem attempts to hide his or her insecurities is by bashing others for what they stand for or what they enjoy doing. Rather than spending time enjoying your own hobbies and chasing after your own passions, these people waste precious time and energy trying to scrutinize the passions of others.
They tend to mask behind their own insecurity with statements about how intelligent they are and how much more they know. Yet, a wise person is never boastful because it contradicts everything about wisdom. Sometimes it’s wise to walk away but other times you have to stand up for what’s right.
The author of “10 Questions Every Intelligent Christian Must Answer” is not right, and despite some interesting points he brings up, he just does not get it. I’ll now try to make up a “lousy excuse for God’s behalf.”
Prayer and Healing
Prayer is considered one of the most powerful tools (and even weapons) in Christianity. One very popular example is about a young girl who was traveling alone through an alley where a victim was subject to rape just the day before. The rapist was waiting in the same alley again that day for his next victim. When the girl noticed the suspicious looking man, she instantly felt something was not right. She said a quick prayer, asking God to protect her. She continued walking and passed by the suspicious individual without harm. Weeks later the suspect was arrested and confessed to everything. The girl who walked by that day became a vital witness in the case. When asked why he didn’t attack this particular girl, the man responded, “Are you crazy? She had two men walking on each side of her.”
The guardian angel story is one of many miracles that cannot really be explained. It just happens and the parties involved are never the same again.
In the video, the author poses two questions about prayer and healing. Why does God not heal amputee legs and why does God not provide food for the millions that are hungry in Asia, Africa, etc?
Two great questions with no easy answer. In the Gospels, it does say that God will answer any prayer. Unfortunately, we do not know when the answer will come. It’s important to remember that God works on his time and not ours. If it was our time, everything would happen right away. We need to pray but we also must do our part to help. Are you donating money and other goods to those who need it over in Third World countries? Is the author of this video?
While God will answer prayers, we cannot just ask anything and assume it will magically appear. If that was the case, we would know God did exist and everyone would be a Christian. God is not a genie who grants you three wishes. He answers prayers in a very mysterious way. In today’s world we all want the quick fix, but God’s timetable is just not so. We have to look in the mirror before we point the finger at God. We also must trust completely in God and surrender everything to him before we can believe that anything will really happen.
I do not turn to another individual and demand that he instantly solves this issue for me. God is different yet if he solved everything instantly, the room for doubt would no longer exist.
God works in mysterious ways and you just have to accept it as truth if you really want to believe that he will eventually make a difference. Even non-believers in America without prayer must admit that they are not doing their part financially to support world poverty and hunger despite being in a privileged circumstance to actually have the ability to help.
God’s Demand on Death
The author cites Exodus 35:2, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:13-21, and other verses in the Old Testament as examples of an unloving God who was quick to put people to death based on the old law. It’s important to remember that the Old Testament and New Testament are highly different and each represent a different covenant.
As I stated last week, it’s important that we retain some of the old law such as the Ten Commandments. However, it’s obviously that not everything in the Old Testament is correct and or relevant to today’s society. The old law, which the four examples cited above fall under, was broken when Jesus Christ arrived on earth and died for our sins. His death on the cross represents the new covenant between God and man, one that broke the old covenant in the Old Testament.
Remember, back in the Old Testament only certain priests and certain prophets were filled with the Holy Spirit and only those individuals had direct communication with God. The law was established under Moses to keep “God’s people” under check as they left Egypt during Exodus.
The people in Exodus constantly complained and gripped in the desert despite just months earlier being freed from bondage in Egypt. They wanted instant answers much like the author of the video. God continued to show up and make known his presence. The people would flea in fear and then return to bitching as soon as God left.
If you have studied Exodus like I have, I think it’s quite clear that God is actually very loving and forgiving. God had plenty of opportunities to ditch this earth, starting with the original sin, yet he never left.
Yes, the four scriptures cited in the video talk about putting individuals to death, but they were all very serious offenses at the time. What’s to say it’s any different from a death penalty (which is even no longer considered politically correct) that punishes murderers?
Some may argue that killing someone for not honoring the Sabbath is very extreme yet they do not understand the importance of the Sabbath on Jewish culture. Others may say that killing disobedient teenagers is rash, yet couldn’t we afford to punish our rebellious teenagers just a little more in today’s culture. I’m not saying we kill them, but we’re way too soft on the young generation.
Homosexuality and fornication are two issues that each individual must decide whether or not is just. At the time these laws were written, they were nearly as serious as murder. You have to understand the time period and that they no longer apply today because of the new covenant.
In fact, when Jesus appeared, he said “the greatest commandment was to love God and the second was to love your neighbor.”
He preached love, mercy, and passive aggressive behavior rather than the person the author of the video makes him out to be.
The ultimate battle in today’s society is the warfare between science and the warfare of religion. Many religious individuals instantly neglect anything that is scientific and write it off without checking the facts. Individuals in science on the other hand are too focused on just the facts and often judge anyone who actually believes in a higher power.
An individual with a world that revolves around science is afraid to take risks. For them, everything is centered on what they know and what they can prove. If faith is the belief in something you cannot prove, how can you acknowledge God and religion?
One of the biggest bashes against the Bible include references to passages that go against scientific theory. Obviously God creating the world in six days completely goes against “The Big Bang Theory” and what science understands about earth’s creation. The great flood that also wiped out the entire earth is heavily discouraged in science. The video also cites Jonah living inside a whale for three days and Adam being created from a handful of dust.
Sure, Elijah was carried up into heaven in a “fiery chariot” into heaven too. How can you possibly prove that someone can enter heaven before dying? How can you prove that Jesus walked on water?
You cannot. Some of these circumstances in the Bible completely go against physics and basic scientific reasoning but does that make them fairy tales? Of course not. If you really believe in God and Jesus Christ as supernatural being, than you agree that they can make the impossible possible. I know I cannot walk on water, but I do not know the same about Jesus.
Could I alone live in a whale’s stomach for three days? No way. But what about under the supervision and power of God? You bet.
How does someone just one day decide to wake up after being induced for years in a coma? Is it mere chance or a divine power? Science cannot prove everything either.
A good friend of mine constantly states that one of his beefs with the Bible is the fact that it says “slaves, obey your masters.”
Like the author of this video, for my friend, this just does not make any sense.
What kind of rational person would warrant slavery?
This question that haunts every believer, but once again you have to consider the time period. At the time these passages were written, slavery was very common and accepted as “status quo.” Obviously a time arrived in society when the majority of the world tossed out slavery as taboo.
The video says that any intelligent person cannot support slavery, yet many of the forefathers of this great nation owned slaves. Abraham Lincoln, great of a man as he was, made slavery illegal in part because of peer pressure as much as doing what he knew was right. Are we saying all of our forefathers were dumb? If so, this nation was built on a lie.
Don’t get me wrong. I completely oppose slavery, but you have to consider the times. Abortion for example, is becoming more and more accepted in society. Yet a “radical” could argue that abortion is genocide in disguise. If we fast forward six hundred years and abortion is no longer legal, would people in that generation automatically write off our generation as dumb and ignorant? Despite all our technological advances, would we be haunted by one major misconception?
<p>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.</p>
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<p>To you…  the blindest</p>
<p>Powerful of the world,</p>
<p>Trading the destinies of God’s sons and daughters</p>
<p>For your own self destructive pleasures and interests,</p>
<p>Cherishing the things of the world that soon die</p>
<p>Thus loving the death that force its way in your eternal soul…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To you… the blindest</p>
<p>Players in the game of power and fortune,</p>
<p>Incessantly burying the voice of your godly conscience</p>
<p>While spreading the shadows of your suffocating dark will…</p>
<p>Enjoying your superficial humanity in close circles of friends and family</p>
<p>While contributing to the suffering and misery of countless true brothers …</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To you… the blindest</p>
<p>Fragile believers in your own deity</p>
<p>Running from the awareness that your superficial game is one of utmost despair</p>
<p>That you’re not masters, but puppets that need to make less than puppets from others</p>
<p>In order to confirm you’re much worthy of breathing</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To you… lost children of the same Father</p>
<p>A call to wake up and make peace with your conscience</p>
<p>To make peace with your unavoidable dependence</p>
<p>To understand that all that truly belongs to you was not obtained, but given</p>
<p>For you couldn’t make nor stop your body from appearing in the world</p>
<p>Nor build other path for it than the one ending in death…</p>
<p>A call to search in your heart if each of these brothers of yours lying in dust</p>
<p>Is or is not equal to you in the eyes of the creator</p>
<p>And if your heart doesn’t answer, to just force your clever mind to admit infinity</p>
<p>And see He can easily create and manage and love billions of creations</p>
<p>Which look like atoms before His infinity in all possible dimensions</p>
<p>While you cannot even conceive the numbers…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A call to search in your heart if infinite love can have limits in power and wisdom</p>
<p>Or limits in Its compassion for every created being</p>
<p>Or limits in Its capacity to sacrifice</p>
<p>For each one of these, including you</p>
<p>Poor sick soul, more dead than alive,</p>
<p>having no eyes and years and heart for It</p>
<p>because of the cold world of self-centered lies you indulge in…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A call to you, powerful of the world</p>
<p>Who by your own free choice</p>
<p>Made yourselves the poorest ones in His holy sight</p>
<p>But who still</p>
<p>By your own free choice</p>
<p>Can make yourselves good, so you can observe His goodness</p>
<p>Can make yourselves patient, so you can understand His patience</p>
<p>Can make yourselves free of the miserable self-love, so your heart can be embrace by His divine one</p>
<p>And give-up hell, to taste and enjoy His true life - the only eternal …</p>
<p><a href="http://community.beliefnet.com/psimonel/go/gallery/item/142800471"><img width="194" height="145" src="http://fast1.onesite.com/community.beliefnet.com/user/psimonel/cdd3371346dcb952f4b8a3ef05709560.jpg?v=24300" alt="" /></a></p>
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<p>"29. And now, you blind scribe of this My new and living Word within you, as also within all of you, look at Adam what he was like in Paradise. He was a perfect man, with one exception, endowed with many abilities, a perfect lord of the earth. All his perfections were but a gift from Me and he kept them until the time when he just once forgot Me, after the angel had become invisible to his eyes.</p>
<p>30. And behold, all that which Adam possessed as a gift will I give all of you as a permanent gift and countless more and endlessly greater treasures, that is, Myself. And all that is Mine shall be yours too if you love Me, and nothing but love Me!</p>
<p>31. But where is your love for which I paid such a high price and which I would like to call Mine forever? Oh, there is not much of it left on earth! It is so easy and so gentle, but you do not want it and do not seek it where it is waiting for you and reject the high prize it holds." (The Householf of God, chp. 11)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Chapter 12 THE PROMISE OF THE LORD</p>
<p>"1. Oh, you children of Adam, why would you not rather become My children? How much effort and hard work it costs you to obtain the bread of Adam which drips from the sweat of your hands and is soiled by the drivel of serpents and soaked by the poison of adders and through which you in your immoderation eat yourselves into temporal and then also eternal death!</p>
<p>2. And My bread is spread with the honey of My love and soaked in the milk of the forever tree life out of Me. You could eat it with the greatest enjoyment and it would never harm you, but instead strengthen you and endow you with all the might and power out of Me for all eternity and already temporally, if you would only accept it. Behold, soon after My greatest act, which is the great work of salvation for you, the price for this My bread was still very high and people could buy it only in small quantities and that only through the sacrifice of their blood and physical life for Me. At that time this My bread tasted bitter in the mouths of the buyers and was not yet spread with the honey of love and soaked in the milk of free life already temporally, but both, the honey and the milk were given the grieving buyers in the right measure only in the realm of spirits. Nevertheless there were buyers in great numbers.</p>
<p>3. But now when I give it freely with honey and milk to everyone who wants it for the only very small reward of your love, now it is bitterly scorned and the great and kind Giver, who is surely and truly full of the greatest love for you, is rejected.</p>
<p>4. Know this: Now I have the gates of My heavens wide open. Whoever wishes to enter, let him do so, but let him come soon, let him come at once, for the Great Time of Grace has come and the New Jerusalem is descending to all of you upon the earth in order that all who love Me may take up residence where they will become satisfied with the honey and milk- soaked bread and shall drink their fill of the pure water of life which they shall draw in abundance from the eternal Jacob's well.</p>
<p>5. However, while the descent of My great city will be a boundless grace for all My children, it will on the oilier hand crush the blind and squash the deaf with its strong walls. For it will be large enough to cover the entire face of the earth. And whoever will not see it descending and will not perceive its rushing through the clear atmosphere of the earth, will no longer find a place on earth where to hide from it and escape being crushed.</p>
<p>6. For behold, the weight of its palaces will crush the mountains leveling them with the valleys, and I will place its houses over sloughs and bogs and all the scum existing therein shall be crushed completely by the foundations of the houses of the great city of God, your holy Father in heaven and on earth.</p>
<p>7. And the true Shepherd will call His sheep and they shall hear and recognize His voice to the ends of the earth. Then they will come and happily graze in the vast pastures of the Father, which are the great gardens of the new holy city of the Great King of all nations that were, are and will forever be.</p>
<p>8. These gardens will be the Paradise lost through Adam, which I, as the First, have found again and faithfully kept for them as an eternal mansion.</p>
<p>9. This is the reason why I have shown you in all detail My great household from eternity, have shown you My creation and how the first man came into existence. I will further show him to you to the end of his days and will show you the great whore and the destroyed Babylon, and then I will lead you into My great holy city and there give you a permanent home for all eternity, if you love Me above all, as I love you.</p>
<p>10. Behold the heavens and the earth! One day they will pass away physically and will exist only spiritually. But every one of My words, which are spoken to, you will remain as it has come from My mouth, both physically and spiritually, in all the might and power of holiness forever and ever. Amen."</p>
<p><a href="http://community.beliefnet.com/psimonel/go/gallery/item/142800439"><img width="180" src="http://fast1.onesite.com/community.beliefnet.com/user/psimonel/5dcf7a0b2bbc1c5731b6af067df9f60e.jpg?v=24300" alt="" /></a></p>
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<p><em>In the following prophecies we are able to observe what carefully from both natural and spiritual perspective what will happen immediately before and at the Lord Second Coming and the relation of these events with the New Revelation.</em></p>
<p>“[5] <strong>The day of My 2nd coming will be as a lightning that goes from the east to the west, high in the clouded sky, and will illuminate everything that is under the sky</strong>. <strong>Before that will happen - as I have told you already several times - the Son of Man must still suffer many things</strong> and be rejected entirely by this generation, namely by the Jews and the Pharisees, <strong><span>and in later times by those who will be called the new Jews and Pharisees</span></strong>.</p>
<p>[6] As it happened during the time of Noah so it will happen in the time of the 2nd coming of the Son of Man. They ate and drank very cheerfully, they married and let themselves be given to marriage until the day that Noah climbed into the ark and the flood came and they all drowned. And it will happen in the same manner as during the time of Lot: they ate and drank, they bought and sold, and they planted and constructed. But on the day - as I have explained to you more in detail on the Mount of Olives - that Lot went out of Sodom it was already raining fire and sulfur from the sky, and they all perished by it.</p>
<p>[7] Now look, this is how it also will be and happen during the time when the Son of Man will be revealed again. Whoever will be on that day on the roof and knows that his household goods are in the house, let him not come down from the roof to get his household goods - which has to be understood as follows: he who really understands those things should stay with that understanding and not leave that level out of fear that by that he might lose worldly advantages, because those things will be destroyed.</p>
<p>[8] So also still another image: whoever is in the field (the freedom of understanding) should not turn around to what is behind him (old deceiving teachings and their rules), but should remember the wife of Lot, and should continue to strive forwards in the truth.</p>
<p>[9] I will still tell you more: during that same time there will be 2 in a mill and do the same work. The one will be accepted and the other left behind, which means: the honest worker will be accepted and the dishonest and selfish one will be left behind, because he who will try to keep his soul[5] because of the world, will lose it, but he who will lose it for the sake of the world will keep his life and will help him towards true eternal life.</p>
<p>[10] And still further, I say to you: in one and the same night of the soul, 2 people will lie in one and the same bed. Also then, the one will be accepted and the other left behind, which means: 2 people will outwardly be in the sphere of one and the same confession of faith, but the one will be in the active living faith and will therefore be accepted in the living and lightful Kingdom of God, but the other will only adhere to the outer cult, which has no inner value for the life of the soul and the spirit, and will not be accepted in the living and lightful Kingdom of God, because his faith without the works of neighborly love is as it were dead.</p>
<p>[11] And further: there will be 2 people in the field of work. The one who will work without self-interest in the living faith out of love for God and out of love for his fellowman, will also be accepted in the true Kingdom of God. But the one who will work in the same field as the Pharisees without inner living faith out of pure self-interest, will obviously be left behind and will not be accepted in the living and lightful Kingdom of God.</p>
<p>[12] See, that is how it will be and happen during the 2nd coming the Son of Man, and this is how it will manifest itself. When in the future you will be permeated deeper with My Spirit, you will also clearly understand all that I have said now. At this moment however, I cannot explain it to you more clearly and more understandably."</p>
<p>[13] The disciples said: "Lord and Master, that is all right and we believe Your words, but where and when will it happen, counted according to earthly time? Surely, this You also can tell us."</p>
<p>(38.  The 2nd coming of the Lord - GGJ  Book 21)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>---------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"[2] At My second coming I will not be born somewhere as a child from a woman because this body will remain glorified in eternity - just as I in Spirit - and thus I do not ever need a 2nd body as you had in mind.</p>
<p>[3] First I will come invisibly in the clouds of the Heavens, which means: first I will come close to men by truthful seers, wise men and newly awakened prophets, and in that time also woman will prophecy and young men will have clear dreams by which they will announce My coming to the people, and many will listen to it and improve their life, but the world will call them daydreamers and will not believe them, as this was also the case with the prophets.</p>
<p>[4] <strong>So I also will awaken men from time to time to whom I will say by means of their heart to the pen, everything that now during My presence, is, happens and is being discussed. What will then be written once will in a short time of a few weeks and days be multiplied in many thousands of copies in a very artful manner which will be very well known by the people of that time, and so they can be conveyed to the people</strong>. And since the people of that time will almost generally know how to read and write, they also will be able to read and understand those new books themselves.</p>
<p>[5] <strong>In this way, the spreading of My teaching will then again <span>be given anew and pure from the Heavens to all men on the whole Earth</span>, much faster and effective than now by messengers in My name from mouth to mouth.</strong></p>
<p><strong>[6] Once My teaching will be brought in this manner among the people who are of good will and have a living faith, and when <span>at least </span></strong><strong><span>⅓</span></strong><strong><span> of the people will know about it</span></strong>, I will also personally, visibly and bodily, come to different places, to those who love Me most and have the greatest desire for My return, and who for that reason will also have full and living faith.</p>
<p>[7] <strong>And I Myself will form congregations out of them, against which no worldly power will be able to oppose or resist</strong>, <strong>for I will be their Commander-in-Chief and their eternal invincible Hero, and will administer justice to all dead and blind worldly people</strong>. And in this way I will cleanse the Earth of its old filth.</p>
<p>[8] However, during the time of those new seers and prophets <strong><span>there will be great misery and need among the people, as has never been before on this Earth</span></strong>, but for the sake of My chosen ones of that time it will only last for a short time, so that their development towards bliss will not be hindered.</p>
<p>[9] But in this land where I am now persecuted by the Jews of the temple as a criminal from one village to the other, and which is trampled down by dark heathens, I will personally not first act, teach and comfort the weak again. <strong>But in the lands of another continent that is now inhabited by heathens I will establish a new Kingdom, a Kingdom of peace, of unity, of love and of continuous living faith</strong>. Fear for the death of the body will no more exist among the people who walk in My light and who will always be in contact with the angels of Heaven and associate with them. Here you have now a real answer to your question."</p>
<p>[10] The scribe said: "Thus, Asia, the old cradle of mankind and of many blessings from God, will not be fortunate anymore to see and hear You when You will return to this Earth? This is truly not a happy news for this continent."</p>
<p>[11] I said: "The Earth belongs to Me everywhere, and I know in which place My return will be most beneficial for the whole Earth. <strong>At that time however, men will be able to contact each other from one end of the Earth to the other, and this as fast as the lightning that strikes from a cloud.</strong> And through the use of the spirits that are bound in the fire and the water they will, riding on iron roads, cover the greatest distances on Earth, faster than the heaviest storms that drive from one end of the Earth to the other. And the ships will, by means of these same powers, cross the big ocean in a much shorter time than now the Romans from Rome to Egypt. <strong><span>So then it will be possible to spread the message of My personal return in a very short time over the whole Earth, and thus also to Asia.</span></strong></p>
<p>[12] But then there is again the question: will the blind and deaf heathens of this continent also believe it?</p>
<p>[13] I think and say: this will hardly be possible before it will be purified by a great worldly judgment.</p>
<p>[14] There is a big country, far in the west that is surrounded on all sides by the great world oceans and which is, across the sea, nowhere in connection with the old world. <strong>From that country, first the people will come to know great things, and they will also come up in the west of Europe, and from that, there will be a bright shining and a shining in return. The lights of the Heavens will meat each other, recognize and support each other.</strong></p>
<p>[15] <strong><span>Out of these lights, the sun of life will develop - thus the new, perfect Jerusalem - and in that sun I will come back to this Earth.</span></strong> And now we have talked enough about what will happen in the future."  (62.  The return of the Lord - GGJ  Book 21)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>----------------------------------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>One possible simple understanding of the following revelations concerning the Second Coming is that once the earth will be purified by the fire of the poor that will change the social order worldwide, the spiritual enlighten of humanity will continue in preparation for Lord’s Second Coming. However, as we can read in the following excerpts this will involve the spreading of His new, pure teaching (NR) across the world, then the opposition and rejection of the new Jews (Christians) and Pharisees (Christian priests), the spiritual division caused by it between people inside of nations, groups and families and finally, when at least 1/3 of humanity will know about it the personal coming of the Lord to His people gathered in communities, who will become able to perceive Him spiritually and follow Him as their sole leader. </em></p>
<p><em>However we must not forget that we can never approach the true complexity of Lord’s teaching, which has infinite meanings and which is accessible to us only from a natural-spiritual perspective.</em></p>
<p><em>Still, it is obvious from these texts that the Second Coming is closely related to the destiny of the NR in these end times, fact which cannot surprise us, for the Lord says about it…</em></p>
<p><strong>"For the pure  word is a light and in itself the greatest sign of signs and the greatest miracle of all miracles.”  (Great Gospel of John VIII 154:4)</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><em>Let’s now remember why the Lord gave us the New Revelation…</em></p>
<p><strong>"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."</strong> (Lord’ Sermons, 16)</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Then, what it means not being able to recognize God’s direct word… </em></p>
<p><strong>“Everyone should strive above all to gain the highest possible knowledge of God. Whoever does not recognize God properly can never fully believe in Him, let alone love Him above all and, consequently, can never fully receive God’s spirit.” (The Great Gospel of John VI 227;18-19)</strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><em>Finally, when speaking of the New Revelation, any true believer can observe that there is much work to be done in this field, so… what are the seeders doing?</em></p>
<p>  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</p>
<p>  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        </p>
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.
<p> </p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b>Returning God's Love</b></font></font></p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Jesus said, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching."</span></i></font></font></p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">(John 14:23)</font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal" class="western"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">Rom 5:8 tells us, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal"> Through the cross, our heavenly Father clearly demonstrated His love for us. What does He require from us to return that love? </span></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b>First, let's look at not loving God</b></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">In 1 John 3:1 we are told, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!"</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> As believers, we are sons of God and t</span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">he Progidal Son (L</span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">uke 15:11-32)</span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal"> 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.</span></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal" class="western"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b>What must we do to show God our love?</b></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">Jesus has not left us with any doubt about what it means to love God. In John 14:23, He said, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">"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.</span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> Jesus has made it very clear that to love Him is to obey Him and, in </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">John 15:10, He tells us, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"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."</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> 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, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"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."</span></i></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b>So, exactly what is commanded of us?</b></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Jesus</span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> said the greatest commandments were to love God and to love our neighbour (Matt. 22:37-40). </span></span></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal" class="western"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3">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.</font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal" class="western"> </p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">Regarding loving our neighbour, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">James 2:8 tells us, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">'</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">Love your neighbor as yourself,</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">' you are doing right."</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> 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: </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"… </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,'</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal"> 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." </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">So, in simple terms, to love our neighbour means to stop sinning against him because:</span></span></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"> </p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">When we lie we are not loving our neighbour.</p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">When we steal we are not loving our neighbour.</p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">When we hate we are not loving our neighbour.</p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">When we lust we are not loving our neighbour.</p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">When we covet we are not loving our neighbour and</p>
<p align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western">When we ignore the needy we are not loving our neighbour.</p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">Loving is the greatest thing we can do as it is the fulfilment of the law. In John 13:34-35, Jesus said, </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"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." </span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">So, we can see that obeying Jesus' commands is loving God and loving our neighbour by not sinning against them.</span></span></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><b>Finally</b></font></font></p>
<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">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. </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">1 Pet. 1:2 tells us that we </span></span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">"have been chosen … for obedience to Jesus Christ</span></span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> and </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">1 John 2:3-4 reveal the seriousness of obedience. These verses say, </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"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."</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> 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 </span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">"</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal">we</span></span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><i><span style="font-weight: normal">".</span></i></font></font><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-style: normal"><span style="font-weight: normal"> 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. </span></span></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">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 </span></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">walking with the Lord and be sure of receiving a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of heaven. </span></font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">[</span></span></font></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: none"><b>Some comments on Rom. 8:35-39</b></span></font></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: none"><span style="font-weight: normal">: 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</span></span></font></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: none">. What these verses are saying is that there is nothing </span></font></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><u>in Creation</u></font></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="text-decoration: none"> 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!</span></font></font></font><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3"><span style="font-weight: normal">] Amen.</span></font></font></font></p>
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<p align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; font-weight: normal" class="western"><font color="#000000"><font face="Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">This article can be downloaded as a PDF or an MP3 from -</font></font></font></p>
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<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0cm" class="western"><font face="Times-Roman, Times New Roman, serif"><font size="3">Mick Alexander</font></font></p>
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