<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>
Unless you've had divine providence, most of us don't know exactly where we fit in Ministry. You may feel called to preach, but to whom and where? Do you feel called to work with children or the elderly? Do you feel called to work in a church or in a mission-type ministry? Maybe to be a Chaplain is your call? These are questions I have been asking myself for years, but am still struggling with. There's only one real way to find out, DO IT! Begin with working with children in different age groups, work with the elderly in your church, or volunteer in another area. That's the only way to see if you fit in somewhere. I volunteer in the media department of my church operating a camera to put our services on the internet. I enjoy it, but I feel I need to do more. I'm looking to start working with children in the different age groups to see if that may be where I can be useful and teach the Gospel. If that doesn't work, then I'll try something else. I'm also taking classes in Ministry from a Seminary and have a plan, (as of now), to find a Pastor position somewhere. I would love to be a Pastor at my church, but it doesn't look like any openings are going to be coming up soon. I would love to find an Associate Pastor position at a church so I could do the work and learn under the Senior Pastor at the same time. I don't know where all to look, but I'm looking everywhere.
Enough about me, just try different areas of Ministry to find your place, children, facility maintenance, visitation of nursing homes, driving people to church services, etc. There is a place for everyone. Don't be afraid to try or say, "That's not me". That is the Devil talking to you. He doesn't want to have you on the side of the Lord. He wants you to back away. You only fail if you don't try. If you don't fit, then you know its not your place and continue looking. Its that easy. I've been looking for a long time now and I think I know where I am supposed to be, so I'm going for it. You should too!!
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.
There is a TV commercial that comes on like it is a news flash… a news bulletin.In fact there are several now. I’m even told there is one that comes on like it is coming from the President. But anyway, it comes on like it is interrupting the scheduled program, and it actually says, “This is an important message regarding your current home mortgage. And it does this because it wants you to stop whatever it is you are doing and pay attention.  And one of the commercials goes on to state that the government has issued some new rates in mortgages that you need to take advantage of right now. And all this time this woman is sitting behind a desk looking the part of an actual news broadcaster and she is talking about getting a mortgage. And in another of the commercials they pan over to a man as if he is on ‘location’ somewhere and he goes on to talk about mortgage rates. And he tells you that you must call this number on the bottom of your screen right now in order to benefit. And from the first time I saw these commercials they bothered me, because they actually made me stop and look, only to realize that it was some sort of trick, some advertising gimmick. Now these commercials have actually been coming on for over a year now.And I shared this with my church, as the Holy Ghost began to reveal something to me.What these commercials are doing, in the name of selling mortgage mind you, is peddling fear.What this particular advertiser is doing is taking what the “media” is talking about, what people have been concerned with, and they are selling it.But the “it” that they are selling, is fear. They may actually have a good mortgage loan system, but what they are basing it on, more so, is the fear that people have that they won’t be able to pay their mortgages.Anyway, you know what, I’m not interested and I’m not buying it. Neither should you.We have to know this, that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.So when fear comes, we need to reject it. Worry comes, we need to reject it. Doubt, anxiety, all these things that stem from fear, we need to send them back. Think about it for a moment, when you fear, you cannot believe. You cannot have faith. And you cannot please God because the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. I am sure we have heard many times, fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is unbelief.  But it yet works the same way as faith. Whatever it is you will attract, good or bad.Job said the thing I feared the most has come upon me. In this time, what the media is saying so much is that we are in a recession. (I’m not confessing that, because the kingdom of God is not in a recession). And since the media is saying that, people are fearing not having any money. And if you fear that, you are not believing God to be your Provider. You are not believing His promise that He is your Source. That like the psalmist said, I have NEVER seen the righteous forsaken or His seed begging for bread. You find yourself doubting everything the Word says.So you have to rebuke the fear. Advertisers are taking what the media is talking about and using it to their advantage, based on fear. There is a letter that we received some time ago and stamped on the outside of the envelope was “info about your stimulus check, enclosed.” (I don’t know anyone who has actually received a stimulus check, but that’s another story). But anyway, I opened and inside, you know what it was they were selling, fear. It said that I had to fill out this form (some type of questionnaire) and send it in, in order to receive my stimulus check.Fear.I’m not buying it and I’m not interested.  Then from time to time, we received notices from the gas company. And printed boldly on the envelope it says, “Worrying about your heater going out?” Uh, no, I am not worried. Whatever you are selling I don’t want it. I am not buying it.Worry is fear. And I’m not interested. We’ve received notices from the water sewage company saying, “Did you know that you are responsible if your pipes break in the street in front of your house?” But I know the devil is a liar. Fear.I’m not interested in buying that one either. You know, just today I struggled myself with believing what God said to me. I had a dream and I was to share it with someone. And because I feared that what God said would not happen for this person, I did not want to share it.But, God! Once He showed me that fear was involved, I was able to move on and to do what I was told. Sometime we allow fear to paralyze us from being obedient to what WE KNOW God told us to do. And I almost bought into the fear, which I have done too many times to count.Thank God, He opened my eyes to it today, (the fear) and I returned it to its “advertiser”, before the purchase went through. No fear here! I don’t want it and I am not buying it. We must be careful to see the fear in whatever form it comes and we must not receive it.Fear of believing God at His Word can cause us not to receive His promise.And that is whatever He has spoken to you, whatever you know His Word says you can have. So many things in this world are peddling fear. Trying to sell it to you. The advertisers pounce (who else pounces but the enemy), but they pounce on whatever is going on at the moment, the hot topic, hyped up by the media of course, and they put it in a little package and they market it. To you. But if you look real closely, the package says fear. And you need to reject it. If you don’t want it then don’t buy it! God is good and He’s real. A servant of the Lord,
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
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<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</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><strong>“Whoever is destined for life on earth, shall be awakened to life through My word.”</strong></p>
<p>(The Great Gospel of John IX 148:12)</p>
<p><a href="http://community.beliefnet.com/psimonel/go/gallery/item/142800423"><img width="400" src="http://fast1.onesite.com/community.beliefnet.com/user/psimonel/b9228ffff6957ec1b2f3c82de1091633.jpg?v=174600" alt="" /></a></p>
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<p>  God's Wrath   Today, much is said about the love of God but very little is heard about His righteousness and justice. No one doubts the great love God has shown us through Jesus nor the love He pours into our lives each day but so little is said about the fact that, at the Judgement, God is going to pour out His wrath on all who continued in sin. For this reason, we need to be careful to "worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28-29). This is not a popular subject but the awful truth is that most people are going to face God's righteous judgment and go to their eternal destruction in the lake of fire. Jesus left no doubt about this when He said, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it" (Matt. 7:13-14). We all need to be sure that we are on the narrow road.   The aim of this article is to draw attention to God's righteous wrath and to encourage everyone to "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (2 Cor. 13:5). In 2 Pet. 3:9 we are told that God "is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish" but there is a limit to His patience so we need to examine ourself and be sure that we are not among the many sinners who will face the “raging fire that will consume the enemies of God" (Heb. 10:27). None of us can afford to be casual about our relationship with Jesus. We only get one chance to get things right with God as after death we face judgment. When we die, we will be eternally rewarded or eternally condemned. In John 15:10, Jesus tells us, "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love" and in John 15:6 He warns that "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." From these verses we can see that Jesus' love for us is not unconditional. The verses clearly say that we will remain in His love only if we obey His commands otherwise we will be cut out and burned in the fire.   The Old Testament gives us many examples where God put disobedient people to death; people like Uzzah, Nadab & Abihu, Korah and his followers etc. In the New Testament, Ananias and Sapphira were struck down for lying. Let's not take these examples lightly as though “God isn't like that anymore” because God does not change. We can be sure that He will destroy all who stand before Him in disobedience so we need to examine our faith carefully. Paul told Timothy that both his life and his doctrine played a part in his salvation. In 1 Tim. 4:16 he said, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." So, not only do we need to examine our life, we need to examine our doctrine as well.   Watching Our Life Isa. 59:2 says, "your iniquities have separated you from your God" and that truth has not changed since the time of Adam. When Adam sinned, he was removed from the garden and separated from God. It is exactly the same today. Sin always separates man from God and the wages of sin is always death so we need to carefully examine ourselves and repent of any sin we may be allowing in our life. God is a righteous Judge so don't make the terrible mistake of continuing in sin and telling yourself, "Jesus is love. He understands. He won't send ME to hell." God would not be righteous and just if He punished others for a sin but let you or I go unpunished. Rom. 2:11 tells us that "God does not show favouritism" so, if you are in sin, repent while you still have time.   As well as examining our own life, we need to watch our brothers and sisters. As hard as it may be to do, it is important that we gently come alongside a brother or sister who is sinning and encourage them to get right with God. In Gal. 6:1 we are told, "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently," and James 5:19-20 tell us, "My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins." So, if you see a brother or sister wandering from the truth, look for an opening to bring them back to God and save them from His wrath.   Watching Our Doctrine Many people say, "Doctrine is not important because we all love the same Jesus." "Loving Jesus is all that matters," they say. However, as already mentioned, Paul told Timothy that his salvation depended on both his life and his doctrine. Teaching false doctrine can destroy a church and false teaches will face their own destruction as 1 Cor. 3:17 says, "If anyone destroys God's temple [the church], God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."   The Devil's purpose with all false doctrine is to mislead and guide us to hell so we need to study the Bible to be sure of what we believe. We need a solid understanding not only for our own benefit but so that we can warn and guide others to the truth as well. In 1 Tim. 1:3-5 Paul told Timothy, "command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer … The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." It is because of our love for others that we need to speak against false doctrine so that people can know the truth and separate from error. Rom 16:17 tells us: "I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them." So, examine your doctrine and separate from error.   Finally There is never a need to question Jesus' love but overlooking His righteous judgment is going to bring terrible results for many. Those who believe that Jesus' love can be used as an excuse to remain in sin or error will be horribly mistaken when they stand before Him. This is made very clear in Rom. 2:6-8 which says, "God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." So I encourage you to check your life and doctrine; "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves" (2 Cor. 13:5)   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>  Israel's Saturday Sabbath-Keeping And The Christian Sabbath-Rest   Keeping the Saturday Sabbath was part of the Law of Moses. It was a day of rest for the people of Israel; a day in which they worshipped God and did no work. In Col. 2:13-17, we are told that the written regulations of the Law were nailed to the cross and therefore we are not to let anyone judge us regarding food, drink, festivals, Sabbaths etc as they were mere shadows of what was to come – Jesus is now the reality. He is the real thing, not just a shadow so, in Christ, a person is free from the Laws relating to food, drink, feasts, Sabbath-keeping etc.   The following passage in Hebrews tells us that today the people of God (Christians) have their Sabbath-rest in Jesus. Heb. 3:7-19 and Heb. 4:1-13 tell us that God did not allow the Jews to enter Canaan, the earthly land of rest, because of unbelief (Heb. 3:16-19). Heb. 4:6-7 tell how people can enter God’s rest today if they hear His voice (through the gospel) and do not harden their hearts. Heb. 4:9-10 calls this rest “a Sabbath-rest for the people of God” and says that “anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work.” To be saved today, we do not have to do the works of the Law, such as Sabbath-keeping, we simply have to believe in Jesus. In John 6:28-29 the Jews asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” and Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” Through Jesus, the works of the Law of Moses have been set aside.   Jesus tells us about the Sabbath-rest in Matt. 11:28-30 where He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” The rest that we find in Jesus is not an earthly one like the Saturday Sabbath but a spiritual rest through believing in Him. He becomes our eternal Sabbath-rest because He takes our burden of sin and releases us from all the works we may have been doing to please God.   So, today the people of God have a Sabbath-rest in Jesus and those who enter that rest can rest from their own work. We do not have to keep the Saturday Sabbath. All we have to do to be right with God is believe in Jesus, as He said in John 6:28-29. Saturday Sabbath-keeping was just a shadow of the reality of the eternal Sabbath-rest found in Jesus.   This article can be downloaded from http://www.christianissues.biz/pdf-bin/sda/thesabbathrest.pdf   Mick Alexander leeandmick@gmail.com My website: http://www.christianissues.biz/      </p>
Global Recordings has free Gospel recordings available in most languages. Simply go to their website, click on downloads and look up the language by name or by country. The recordings can be downloaded to MP3 players and to blank CDs for free. They are great witnessing tools for those who don't speak English. If you are interested, go to the following Global Recordings website link: http://globalrecordings.net
