Category: Choose Christ

Regarding Christmas…


Nativity-29Some people say that we shouldn’t celebrate at this time of year because this time of year is from a pagan celebration which the church used to bring the pagans into it. While that may be true, the birth of Jesus should be celebrated, even if He wasn’t born during this time of year. Why do I say that? Because, during this month it is too cold for shepherds to be sleeping in the field at night and traveling wouldn’t have been easy at this time of year either. Many scholars think that His birth was likely during September, who knows.

The point is that a person on the Trinity came to us as a baby, grew up in his time and played like all children do, learned His earthly father’s trade and learned from His Heavenly Father. He fulfilled prophecy and became the Messiah that He was sent to be and He sits on the right hand of God in Heaven until it is time for Him to come again.

Celebrate His first coming because without it, you and I would be lost in this world and the next. Celebrate His life and His mission because He followed His Father’s instructions and did everything that was necessary for our salvation, not just a few people but for all people. The story of His birth is joyous not because we give each other gifts, but because God gave us the most important and priceless gift that we don’t deserve just because He loves us!

We can’t give it back and we don’t truly deserve it, but it was given to all of mankind, so be thankful and glad that we are loved by our Creator enough for Him to give us a chance and the choice to be His children.

Amen

Are you in charge of your life?


We all like to think that we are in charge of our lives, that we direct our own paths and destinies but the truth is that God has had a plan for your life from the beginning. Whether you have given your heart to Him and begun the walk with Him or not is irrelevant, before you have ventured too far you will turn to Him. It may be at the end of your life if you are really stubborn about it or you may give your heart to Him early in your life. We don’t know what tomorrow holds for us, but He does. He has all of it planned and perfected but it is up to you whether you follow His leading and His script for your life or not. Have you ever considered it? Have you thought of what it will take to do this?

Some think that being a Christian is a life of compromise and giving up on the fun stuff. This is very far from the truth, although there are many who would like for you to believe it. Giving your heart and life to Jesus frees you from the sin and worry of this world because you can lean on Him for strength and give Him your worries so that you don’t have to handle them alone.
God is in charge

It is because He is in charge of the universe and everything in it, that everything works as well as it does. Your heart, your kidneys, your liver, all of these things did not evolve. God created you and me for a reason and He is the one Who put all of those things inside you to keep you alive and healthy. Just as our solar system is the only stable one which is friendly to life, our planet and all of the environment around it were created so that we could live and be His people, His creation.

Yes, you are in charge up to a point. You can choose to follow Jesus and give your heart and soul to Him or not. Life isn’t much different for those who don’t follow Jesus except that they don’t have His grace and mercy working in their lives to His glory. The biggest difference in their life isn’t in life, it is after they die. They will stand before God and they will have to answer for all of the sins that they have done in this life, no matter how insignificant they might be. The only sin which will send them to Hell is the one where they didn’t give their heart to Jesus and ask Him to come into their lives. If they made it through life without Him, then that is going to be their eternity, their punishment for not allowing Jesus to save them from their sins, even if that decision was made at the last moment He will still forgive you and save you. Please don’t push Him away, you may regret it for a very LONG time.

One breath away


onebreathaway

Every day each of us is only one breath away from meeting God personally. Why can’t people realize that their lives aren’t guaranteed? You are not granted 80 years on the day you were born. If you make it to the next day then you were under the grace of God and that grace continues until the day you take your last breath. It may be tomorrow or tonight, it may be next year or seventy years from now but there is a day and a date which God knows will be your last. Are you ready to meet Him? Have you given your heart to Jesus and secured your eternal home?

We live in a temporary world and it is on the fast track toward an ending. We don’t know the day or the hour when that ending will come and your life’s end may come sooner than you expect. Consider this before you head out the door for a trip in a car or plane. Think about what may happen should you die before coming back home. I know that these are not easy thoughts to have, but if you don’t consider it and you haven’t prepared for it…where will your eternity be spent?

God is closer than you think and He hears the prayers which are sincere in their petitions for repentance and salvation. Seek Him out while you can because there is never a better time than right now to give your life to Jesus.

Faith, belief, love…


All of these are great concepts which point toward our savior and the best of humanity but are they being shown in our daily lives? Does every religion have these in common? I am sure that most of them do since they claim to believe in these three doctrines for lack of a better word. Are they universal to all of the world’s religions? I don’t know.

Judaism believes in faith and love and their patriarch “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” so that is one of the world’s religions. Christians also have these three in common in their religion, that is two of the world’s religions. How many more have all of these in common?

I am not sure and I am not in the habit of speculation or guessing, so I am not going in that direction. I must admit that I don’t know much about the world’s religions outside of my own. I have read the Koran enough to know that their religion does have some admirable traits even though the ones which we see on the television are not the most flattering. I am not going to bash a religion based upon the actions of a few people.

In doing that all that we do is show how small we are and that is wrong. The media takes the actions of a few people who decide to shoot people and characterizes every person who owns a gun as a nutcase. Why? My guns have never been responsible for killing anyone and I don’t have any grudges to take out on anyone with a belief which is different from mine.

In this world, everyone has a different culture or belief in the God that they choose to worship or not. Nearly every person in America has an opinion on one thing or another which is different from what I believe. So, why should I get all bent out of shape because of it? Shooting people for having an opinion or a belief different from my own would just confirm that I am the crazy one. I don’t have enough ammunition to shoot that many people!

Jesus Christ told us to love one another, care for each other and to tell others of the good news of the Kingdom of God. So, why aren’t we doing this more? Why does the church, regardless of denomination, have services on Sunday morning and maybe that evening and again on Wednesday night or whatever night they choose and then everyone just goes home with nothing being done? What good is that doing?

Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep”, and that is what our services do but at some point a child needs to learn to feet itself! Spiritual milk is great for newborn Christians but until you put some action behind the words and some meat in the sermon this child, this babe in Christ will never mature! God loves us all, it is true, but Heaven is not for babies! We are not supposed to be “little children” until we die!

A calf or a kid will not grow on just milk alone. At some point a child, even one that is just a few months old, has to begin to eat solid food. It is the same with churches and the people in them, if they are not fed solid food from God’s Word then sooner or later the church itself will die.

Are you for real?!


Many times when we are honest about our faith with someone, this may be the response. But, Jesus told us that if we deny that we know Him here then He will deny us in Heaven. I don’t want that on my conscience and I would rather be true to my faith in Him than not. Am I a Jesus freak? Well, I am a pastor of a small church and I have a ministry on facebook and here too, so I would say that yes, I am a bit of a “Jesus freak”. That is just fine with me actually. Why? Because it is my job and my calling. Why do Christians think that we are not supposed to tell others when Jesus Himself told the disciples to go and tell everyone about the Gospel? We are part of that company if we have given our life and our hearts to Him!
Is Christianity real? The religion is but the commitment of the believers is questionable. Why? If you were told that you had a gift waiting for you, if you would claim it and tell others how to get the same gift, would you?

In today’s world, if that gift were a million dollars, some would claim it and then tell others how they could get it. Some would hoard the information and not tell anyone else, why? If you knew that there was a cure for cancer would you give it to just someone in your family or would you spread the news about this cure, particularly if it was a simple cure that anyone could have? Some would and some would keep this information to themselves. Why?

If you knew about the end of life result for someone that would result in their eternity being an endless torment and you knew that they needed Jesus in their heart…wouldn’t you tell them about Him? Wouldn’t you read the Bible to them and try to explain the salvation message to them? Some people would tell them, others would say that is someone else’s job, not mine. Everyone needs to know about the way to salvation whether they choose to act on that knowledge or not is their decision.

God is Great!


How can I say this? Because He is! God loves us, each one of us, even when we don’t show Him that we even believe in Him! Yet, He is the Creator and the only God of the Universe. So, why do people seem to hate many of those who believe in Him? Is it because of His exclusive nature? Because He doesn’t allow for any other so-called “gods” except Himself maybe? Or is the real reason because of the new covenant relationship that Christians have with God’s Son, Jesus?

There are many unknown reasons for the hatred that is being shown and expressed toward the Jewish people and Christians and I don’t know what many of them are. I don’t understand the reasons for such hate toward a religion and a culture which, for the most part, has been peaceful throughout most of history. True, in the Middle Ages in Europe there was much persecution of the followers of Islam, but the church which was behind this also persecuted the Jewish people and their faith as well. This is a matter of history, hundreds of years in the past. It should not be affecting our lives today, but it does.

God is great and He is good and thankfully patient with us, but His patience will not endure our disregard for Him and tolerate our hate and violence for long. There will be a day when He will make Himself known by His actions and it will be a day that no person on Earth is ready for. Even few in the church are ready for it, and yet we put up “false fronts” at our gatherings and our services. We make a great show of our piety but to outsiders it is hollow and shallow.

I don’t mean that this is happening at all churches, but the “christian” face which is shown to the world at large in America is one that doesn’t live up to or live out our claims about our faith. It is truly sad that Christmas is celebrated in Asian nations without shame and here people want to take you to court if you place a cross or nativity scene in a town square!

God is Great and He is the Creator and one day the whole world, including America, will see this and know it to be true. But, for many it will be too late. Seek Him out while there is still time. Learn about Him and the love that He expressed through the giving of His Son, Jesus, for our sins and the payment of the debt that all of us…each of us owes because of it. God loves you, can’t you express that love toward Him by giving your heart and life to Him too?

Life….


I have written a post with this name before, but not one that has the same message. “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4,5

Jesus is our Life, our eternity and the Life that takes us into it, so why are we ignoring and ridiculing each other and the message that is in the Bible? Because many people just don’t want to hear the message and the hope that is contained in it and in the message which Jesus brought to us. We need it…all of us, but there are many who think that there are too many rules or they look at our religion as one that has caused oppression, slavery, murder, and many other abominations toward life.

Religion has caused many of these evils in the past, and regardless of the religion that was involved many of the evils committed were laid at the feet of Christianity. Christianity is a religion and many people do practice it under the guise of different denominations but being a Christian is a LIFESTYLE in which you live and walk with Jesus DAILY, not just on Sunday or Wednesday. There is a huge difference between religion and those who practice it in all of its forms and a true Christian.

Just as there is a difference between people who practice Islam and those who actually live by the good teachings of it and those Islamists who practice and live by a form that their Prophet would not recognize were he here.

God, not Allah, is the answer to the world’s problems today but many people don’t want to hear that because they believe that they have the answer and their’s is the only answer regardless of your beliefs! You can become radical about anything…money, power, religion, or any of a dozen other things but being radical about it doesn’t make it the Truth of God!

Why am I saying this today? Because the world is quickly moving in a direction which will lead many people toward a destination which is not the one that they are hoping for. Many religions in our world today take you down a path that is easy to walk and with many things promised to you, if you will just give your life to the teachings of the prophet or the leader or the doctrine being taught. If those doctrines and wisdom don’t come from God and His Word…RUN! Get away from that “church” or “temple” because they are teaching Satanic wisdom and doctrine, and you will pay eternally for it!

Life only comes through the Creator of Life, Jesus the Creator. He is called the Door, the Way and the Life in Scripture and it is through Him that we have access to eternity. Not with our own abilities or our accomplishments, even though we are given those and the ability to accomplish them by Him. You and I cannot work our way into Heaven. It is gained by faith and belief in Jesus. Belief in Jesus comes to each of us by our faith and faith comes from hearing the Word of God, whether you read it yourself or you attend a church which teaches from the Bible!

Life is not just an existence and it is not a drudgery and terrible way of living, regardless of where you live or the system of beliefs that you live by. Life is truly what comes to you from knowing Jesus and His Love in your life, daily! Seek Him out in your life so when this life comes to an end, your Life in Him will truly begin!

The Preeminent Christ!


Have you ever heard a preacher call Jesus that? I don’t believe that I have and I have been going to church for about fifty years (although I don’t remember much of those first few years). Jesus was elevated to His position when He returned to Heaven and sat down on the right of His Father. Why doesn’t anyone preach this or tell about Him being in this position today? Because it is not in the Bible, I believe.

Yes, it does say that He occupies the right hand side of the throne but we never hear about what that includes. Why? Because it would be mostly speculation on our part. Jesus never explicitly told His disciples that He would be in control of all of creation, it is just assumed because He is the Creator along with God! It seems that nobody considered that He would be anymore than a man, even if He is the Son of God.

Consider this: He is already on the throne of David even though He is not on Earth yet. He is in control of all of creation because He is the Creator, the Living Word of God. He loves each of us with a love that goes far beyond anything that we can conceive or imagine, even if we haven’t accepted Him as Savior yet.

He is the I AM! He is part of the Trinity! He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords! He is Alive and He is RISEN. Our Savior and Lord, so why is it that His name and the church which began from His disciple’s going out to tell about Him causes so much strife and problems? The “church” from ages past, which sent Crusaders into Jerusalem and lands occupied by the followers of Islam, is not the church that I belong to. Though many people seem to associate Christians with it and lump us all together as one big group. We are so fractured and splintered into denominations and beliefs which don’t follow all of the teachings of Christ or have changed those teachings to reflect what each one wants to believe. How can we be so split up like this? The Bible is still the Word of God. It is still the same whether it is in a different language or translation. So what happened to the Christ and to Jesus and the message that He taught before He went to be at the right hand of the Father?

The scriptures and the words contained in them are still the Word of God, so why can’t the church act like a unified body of believers?

Because of our own beliefs and individual ideas about what should and should not be taught in church. It seems that church squabbles and divisions start because a few people don’t like the sermon which was preached last week or last month. Then, they go and stir up trouble by finding a few more people who agree with them. Pretty soon they have enough people that they can demand that the preacher leave or they can go start another church with another pastor. Who is behind all of this in-fighting and bickering? Satan.

When he was defeated at the cross, he purposed to tear the church apart by quarrels and in-fighting and he and his demons and principalities have done a very good job of it over the past two thousand years or so. The church has splintered into hundreds of denominations with different doctrines. Some which follow the teachings of Jesus and some which don’t recognize His deity at all. It is no wonder that there are so many people who are confused and have decided not to believe what our message says. All that can be done is to keep telling people about Jesus and His teachings and that He is the only way to salvation because that is His message. Don’t add to it and don’t take anything away from it and let the Spirit do its work in the world. That is the job that we have as His church.

No violence, no argument and no pushing “religion” on anyone, just tell people about His love and that He died for them so that they might live…forever.

In His Service.

What is happening?


The world is burning and many people are applauding the fact that it is, why? No, it isn’t literally burning yet, but the fires which fuel the hatred and violence which precedes the end times which are taught in the Bible and in the Koran are burning and getting hotter. Believe it or not, call me crazy if you wish, but the  problems that are in this world are here because of sin, period! There was an exchange of a BBC show about sin and other topics and I have given the link to it from theblaze.com. In essence the host of the show is calling the Truth in God’s Word bigoted and hateful. It hurts when you find the truth of scripture that applies to your life. It hurts when you realize that some of the sinful things that you condone and agree with are shown to be the sins which God abhors.

Preachers don’t teach bigotry, we teach and preach the Truth of the Living God! If you don’t like it, don’t come to church, don’t read God’s Word at all! But…if you are looking for the truth and the way to live your life by God’s laws and God’s ways, then by all means learn about Him! God loves those on Earth, each of us, but He doesn’t condone nor approve of our sinful lifestyles or the sins which we live in every day! I may be a preacher but I am a sinner too. I don’t claim to be pure or holy, the only righteousness that I have has been imputed to me through Jesus because it is His righteousness that I have in my heart!

No, I am not perfect in fact I am far from it. Not one person on Earth is righteous enough to get into Heaven on their own and whether you agree with me or not, you know this to be true! God provided us with a Savior through Jesus and all that we have to do to have His righteousness is to believe in Him and give our lives to Him through faith. No amount of works or actions on our part will ever help us get into Heaven because He did all of the work necessary and it is our responsibility to either accept it or not. God doesn’t send anyone to Hell, you do that by rejecting Him and His love for you.

Is it possible to commit an unpardonable sin?


The point of no return is the same as an unpardonable sin, when you die there is no return and if you have refused the grace of God all of your life there is no pardon available! You don’t get a second chance after death because you have had many opportunities in this life. What can you do? What will you do with your eternity now?

For many people, that decision has already been made and there is no changing it. For others there is still hope. If you still breathe and walk this earth you can change and seek out your Creator, today. Tomorrow is still ahead and yesterday is already gone, consider this before you go to sleep tonight. Like the farmer in the story who said, “I have enough. I will build more barns and take life easy. Eat, drink and be merry and take life as it comes. And God said, you fool, tonight your soul is required of thee.” Granted, this is a paraphrase of the scripture (Luke 12:19,20), but you get the idea.

Your life and mine are not guaranteed. We don’t have a certificate which says “you will have 58.5 years before you die” when we are born. Even in the Bible it says that man has appointed three score and ten or seventy years, anything beyond this is due to God’s grace alone. Yet, even that isn’t guaranteed. Consider that you live X number of years, after this there is eternity in one place or another. Which one will you live in during that time?

Consider this the next time you are in a close call on the highway. Why do I emphasize this today, now? It is truly because our lives are just a puff of smoke compared to eternity and whether you believe it or not, that is where you will spend most of your actual life. Seventy years is not a long time compared to even one million years, it is just a dot on a very long line. Even one million years is only a dot on a line that never ends! That is why I am speaking this way today because your eternal life will be either in the presence of God in Heaven or it will be with the demons and Satan and everyone else who refused God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

It is your choice. God doesn’t require it of you nor does He force you to serve Him, ever! You cannot force anyone to truly love you and if it is forced, it isn’t love at all. It is done out of fear and that kind of devotion is NOT what God seeks!! God is not Allah and Allah is not God! Radical thinking, huh? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not Allah, it is Yahweh Elohim! Seek Him out and learn of the One True God because beside Him there is no other!

Amen