Christ

Hope In Christ

We’ve been through a lot in the past two years. The global pandemic has brought many challenges and interruptions to our lives that perhaps we never saw coming and weren’t prepared for. Heartache and loss have certainly been a large part of the struggles that we have encountered. On top of that, restrictions were put in place that interrupted our daily routines and what we considered to be normal life. A new reality took over. A reality that didn’t ask permission or allow for our opinions before taking hold. Change forced itself upon us all.

Change is inevitable in life. Everything we know, everything we see, everyone we love will change. We ourselves change, our interests, our desires, our physical bodies will change. With each change comes the necessity for us to adapt to that change and move forward. Some changes are relatively easy to adapt to and live with. Others bring us trouble, stress and grief. Adapting to those changes isn’t always so easy.

Working in healthcare, I see the effects of change on a daily basis. I see how different people react to the changes in their lives. Some seem to take the changes in stride, while others are quite down trodden, sad, and angry. I am alarmed at the increasing frequency which I see of younger and younger people attempting to end their lives. I see an increase of young individuals in need of psychiatric help. Life’s changes are bringing about troublesome times that some people just don’t know how to handle, or they’re seemingly incapable of accepting and adapting. They lose hope.

Hope in our modern language and hope in the Bible carry different definitions. When we speak of hope today, it is normally used in a way that whatever it is that we are hoping for is uncertain. “I hope we win the ball game.” “I hope I get that promotion at work.” When hope is spoken of in the Bible, there is no uncertainty to speak of. Instead it is a declaration of anticipation of what is certain. The inspired apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian church, “For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Galatians 5:3) So, there is the “hope of righteousness”, but what is righteousness? “My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.”  (Psa 119:172) God’s word is righteousness. God’s word gives us hope. It is in God’s word that we learn how we got here, why we exist, and the purpose for our lives. We learn how we should live and we learn of what is to come after this life. We read the promises of God to those who are obediently faithful to His word. We also learn of the punishment to come for those who reject God. We learn about Jesus, the Son of God, who bore our sins on the cross. We read His words and His commands. Everything we need to know in this life is revealed to us in the word of God.

God tells us that in an ever changing world, “”For I am the LORD, I do not change;…(Mal 3:6)

God is a God “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  (1Ti 2:4)

God’s word tells us how we can be saved.

Peace and hope are found in Jesus Christ. His promises are certain if we remain faithful until death. The world will continue to change, will continue to bring hardship. All we need to do to overcome is to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily, and follow Christ (Luk 9:23).

Are you feeling hopeless? Are you feeling alone? Are you seeking purpose in life? I encourage you to seek out the truth that is found in God’s word, to seek out the gospel of Christ, and to become a faithful child of God. Please reach out via email or on the Facebook page and I will be happy to help you in your search for truth.

God bless.

World So Cold…

We are living in increasingly dark times, it seems. America is struggling to hold on to freedoms and liberties that have been the pillar of what makes this country so great. What started out as a country based on laws and moral principles has turned into an anything goes society with a “rules for thee, but not for me” mentality. Truth is subjective, laws are immaterial, morals are based in humanism. These are cold and dark times, indeed, and can bring people to their brink with worry and stress and fear.

But….

For the Christian, there is no fear. Concern? Absolutely! But not fear, because fear cannot coexist with FAITH. They are incompatible. Christians know and place their faith in certain truths, that when realized, eliminate fears that may crop up. Let’s go over a few of them.

Nothing New

(Ecc 1:9) That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.

What is happening now in our time has already happened in past times. Sure, there may be differences in technology or circumstances, but basically the evil that exists today is the same evil that has existed in the past and can be overcome.

God Is In Control

(Heb 2:14) Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,

Jesus gave Himself to be crucified on the cross, was buried, and resurrected. He has conquered death and is sitting at the right hand of God today.

(Mat 28:18) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

It is Jesus who has all authority, granted to Him by God Almighty. Why then should we fear?

(Heb 13:6) So we may boldly say: “THE LORD IS MY HELPER; I WILL NOT FEAR. WHAT CAN MAN DO TO ME?”

Peace In Christ

(Rom 5:1-11)  Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (2)  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  (3)  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;  (4)  and perseverance, character; and character, hope.  (5)  Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  (6)  For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  (7)  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.  (8)  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  (9)  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.  (10)  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  (11)  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

This world is certain to bring us much tribulation. But if we are in Christ, we have the surety of knowing that He is with us every step of the way. Loving us, guiding us, helping us, forgiving us. When all is said and done and we are found to have been faithful until the end, we are promised a home with Him in heaven. Therefore, I ask again: What is there to fear?

Are you in Christ? Are you unsure? Do you need someone to assist you in studying the Bible? Please make it known by emailing info@toreachthelost.com, or reaching out on our Facebook page.

God bless you.

Think About It…

In the Gospel accounts (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43), we read about Jesus who is on His way to Jerusalem and He’s passing through Jericho. Jesus has a multitude of people travelling with Him. As they pass through, there are two blind beggars that hear this commotion of the multitude and they inquire of it. They are told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, so they begin to cry out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us!!”. Of course, they are beggars, the most lowly of citizens, so they are warned to keep quiet. They refuse and continue to keep shouting all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us!!” Jesus hears their cries and stands still. He asks them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They request that their eye sight be granted them. Jesus gives them their sight telling them that their faith has made them well. They then joined the multitude in following Jesus.

How does this apply to us today? We all have something that is plaguing us: SIN (Romans 3:23). Jesus has the power to remove that sin from us (Mark 16:16). What is it that’s keeping us from Jesus and what are we doing about it? For the two beggars it was the multitude of people that were between them and Jesus. What is it for us? It could be one thing, it could be a number of things. We need to identify whatever it is and we need to decide what we will do about it. The beggars shouted all the more! What will we do to overcome and access Jesus Christ? Think about it…

Victim Or Victor

Two movements of today are at odds with one another: Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. In several different places I’ve seen Black Lives Matter supporters hurl the argument that Blue Lives Matter isn’t an equal opposite to Black Lives Matter because being a police officer is a choice, whereas being born black is not a choice. While on the surface this statement is true, there’s a much deeper implication that you are automatically a victim because of the color of your skin. Is that true? I wonder, do all black people agree with this statement?

Have you ever considered Joseph? When he was a young man, his own brothers sought to kill him. Instead, they ended up selling him into slavery (Genesis 37:19-36). This was by no means Joseph’s choice and surely put him at a disadvantage. He was a victim of evil. What hostility and anger and hurt that must have produced within him. But he had a choice to make, didn’t he? He could choose what to do with his circumstances. He didn’t seek revenge and he didn’t play the victim. He became a trusted individual in the eyes of Pharaoh, and ended up saving the lives of many people from the famine in the land, including his brothers that sold him into slavery (Genesis 45:5).

We all are dealt certain circumstances in life, many of which we don’t choose for ourselves. We still have a choice to make in what we do under those circumstances. Do we lash out at others and place blame, burn down buildings, riot in the streets? Or do we seek the good that God has planned to come from our trials (Romans 8:28)?

What will you be when you are dealt unwanted circumstances? A victim? Or will you look to God, seek His righteousness, and be a victor?

He Shall Direct Thy Paths

Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

It isn’t always easy to trust in someone who isn’t ourselves. It’s even worse when said trusting may result in pain, suffering, or even death. This proverb teaches us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and put aside our own understanding. As is usually the case, we have some examples in scripture to look to regarding this truth.

Job lost everything. His own wife and even his friends instructed him to just curse God and die. End your own misery! Wisely, Job did not heed their instruction. Instead, he trusted in the Lord to see him through. Job 13:15  Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. Oh, he certainly questioned God, but he never cursed Him. Job surely knew that God could slay him, but be that as it may, he would still trust Him.

John 21:18-19  Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.”  (19)  This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Jesus is making known to Peter that he would one day suffer and die because of his faith. Yet even knowing this, Peter continued in the doctrine of Christ, trusting God to fulfill all of His promises.

We trust him unto death knowing His great and precious promises. 2Pe 1:4  by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Can you count the promises of God? Is there anything of more value to us than what God has promised us?

When you think you’ve got it all figured out and your understanding is complete, remember Job. Job 38:1-4;Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:  (2) “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?  (3) Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.  (4) “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.” Job had questioned God regarding his dealings with him and his afflictions. God is very direct with him and puts him in his rightful place as a mere man who is not even close to fathoming the knowledge and wisdom of God. Aren’t we sometimes like Job? Don’t we often think too highly of ourselves? Let’s also remember these scriptures:

Prov. 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Jer. 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

Jesus implores us to always acknowledge Him. Matt. 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  (30) For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” We must acknowledge Christ and his doctrine and abide in it if we are to succeed in our endeavor to have heaven as our eternal home.

By putting our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ, God will direct our paths. How? Through His divine word. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,  (17) that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Jude 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. God’s word is truth, it is all sufficient.  Hold on to it and do not compromise! It is truly the most valuable possession one could have in this life.

John 12:48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. So tell me again, why wouldn’t I let God’s word direct my path? His word is what will judge us in the end!

Let us be diligent in contending earnestly for the faith. Trusting in the Lord and never wavering.

Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 

1 Cor. 2:4-5 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,  (5) that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Who is it that leads you? Do you walk according to your own understanding? Do you follow some other doctrine thought up by man? Or, do you walk according to the pattern that God has laid out in His word? The choice is all yours to make. Choose wisely.

Is Your Heart Hardened?

In the book of Exodus we have the account of Moses and Aaron and their attempts to plead with Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of their bondage in Egypt. The bible records that Pharaoh’s heart was hardened and he would not let the people go. In other words, he did not believe in the God of the Israelites and thus saw no reason to obey His commands.

As a result of his hardened heart, God brought plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, proving Himself to be the God that He declared Himself to be. You can read of these plagues beginning in Exodus 7:14 and following.

Have you ever heard people say, “If God would show me a miracle or a wonder, then I would definitely believe in Him.”? Have you ever said that? Have you considered the number of times in scripture that God indeed showed miraculous wonders to people, and yet they still would not believe in and obey God? They, like Pharaoh, had a hardened heart.

If you are a non-believer and you are reading this, what is making your heart hardened against God? Certainly, He has granted mankind the free will to believe or not to believe. It is His desire that all would come to repentance and turn from their wicked ways (2 Peter 3:9). God has proven Himself to be a just and loving God. He sent His Son to die a most painful and agonizing death on the cross to pay for your sins. Will you crucify him over and over again by remaining in your sins?

Jesus is the cure to a hardened heart. Only the message of the Gospel can prick one’s heart to recognize that they are in servitude to sin and in need of the grace of God to forgive them.

Diagnosis: Hardened Heart

Prescription: Hear the Gospel (Romans 10:17), Believe the Gospel (Hebrews 11:6) , Repent of your sins (Acts 2:38), Confess Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:37), Be immersed in the waters of baptism (Mark 16:16), Arise and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).

It isn’t too late, but remember we are not promised tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation.

Jesus is #1
Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay

For any endeavor to succeed, we must set our priorities accordingly. When starting a new business, you must prioritize how you spend your time and your money in order to achieve success. In preparing for the big game, you must prioritize your time and training if you want to have the best chance at winning.

Setting your priorities is not only important for success in your physical life, but also for your spiritual life. Where would God have us place our priorities? Did Jesus teach us what our priorities should be?

Jesus taught in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (emphasis mine) We are to seek out God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness first. It should be our top priority in life. Do we have an example of what that looks like? Look at Hebrews 11:9, “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;”. The Hebrew writer is speaking about Abraham, who was instructed by God to gather his things and his family and leave his home to go to a place he was unaware of. He obeyed God without question and did as he was instructed. He was putting God first.

Have you ever considered this: Jesus refuses to occupy any other position in one’s life other than 1st place. And why would we put Jesus first?

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'”

Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Jesus is the only way to salvation. It cannot be had through any other person. He paid the heavy price for our sins so that we could have the hope of having Heaven as our eternal home. We must be in Christ and abiding in His doctrine if we want to have salvation. Therefore, Christ must be our priority.

How can we know if Jesus is our priority?

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (emphasis mine)

Do our actions reflect that we are following the word of God? Do others see the love of God in us? Are we striving to imitate Christ in all that we say and do? If not, we had better take a look at our priorities! God’s word is what will judge us in the end (John 12:48). We need to make it a priority to prepare for that judgment!

What condition is your soul in today? Are you lost? Or, are you saved? It is a matter of your priorities.

Do Not Love The World

In 1 John chapter 2 verses 15 through 17, God’s word reveals the following message:

1 John 2:15-17 NKJV
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. [17] And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

To gain a fuller understanding, we can correlate Galatians 5:19-21:

Galatians 5:19-21 NKJV
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

What is it that we are not to love? That which is of the world, namely the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. The lust of the flesh would certainly encompass all the works of the flesh that are condemned in the passage cited in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which I would point out is not an all inclusive list of sins that will keep us out of heaven.

Simply put, if we live our lives solely focusing on what our flesh desires, we will keep ourselves from the blessings of God and ultimately inherit eternal punishment once our earthly life is finished.

Sin takes many forms and we need to be able to recognize it in order to abstain from it. The Bible says:

Romans 12:21 NKJV
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

The works of the flesh should give way to the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

This world that we live in is evil. But if we abide in the doctrine of Christ, we can overcome and conquer death just as He has.

John 8:51 NKJV
Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

Do not love the world. Love the WORD!

The Bucket Religion

Man has devised for himself all manner of beliefs for as long as he has been in existence on this earth.  Among these beliefs is what has been termed the “bucket” religion.  Essentially, this is the belief that as long as your good outweighs your evil, you will gain entrance into heaven.  So, say you have two buckets, one carrying all of your good deeds and the other carrying all of your bad deeds.  The goal is to have your “good” bucket full and your “evil” bucket not as full as your “good” bucket.  As long as you’re a good person, as evidenced by your full “good” bucket, you will be admitted into the kingdom of heaven.  It sounds good in theory, right?  After all, God is good and wants all of his children to have heaven as their home, right?  Surely, if I’m a good person God will not send me to be punished for eternity.  There are problems with this belief and one could take a lot of time to address each one.  For the sake of this post, we will focus on perhaps the greatest illustration that we find in Scripture that argues the case against this belief.

In the book of Acts, we read of a man named Cornelius.  He is described as “a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.” (Acts 10:2)  Later in the chapter, he is further described as “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation” (Acts 10:22).  We can therefore gather from this text that Cornelius was indeed a “good” person in every sense of the word.  So was Cornelius destined to enter the kingdom of heaven on account of him being good?  The answer is no!  If you read the whole of chapter 10, Cornelius was instructed by an angel to send for the apostle Peter.  Peter, at the same time, was given a vision by God describing to him that salvation was not only meant for the Jews, but also the Gentiles, of which Cornelius was one.  Peter came to Cornelius’ house, where many had gathered, and he preached the gospel to them.  They heard the gospel, believed the gospel, and were baptized into Christ.  This wouldn’t have been necessary if the bucket religion were true.

The Bible instructs us to hear the Word, believe the Word, repent of our sins, confess Christ before men, and have our sins washed away in the waters of baptism.  This puts one into Christ, who is the only way to the Father (John 14:6).  We must be in Christ to inherit that upper kingdom promised to those who love Him.  It’s great if you’re a good person, I commend you.  But don’t stop there!!  We must be obedient as well.

I’ll Take The Spirit

You’re a newly converted Christian who is going through the process of making changes in your life in order to live according to the doctrine of Christ.  You go out to eat with some old friends and the waitress goes around the table taking orders for drinks.  “I’ll have a Bud Light”, “I’ll have a glass of Chardonnay”, “I’d like a glass of Merlot”.  She gets to you and you have to make a choice.  Everyone else at the table is indulging in an alcoholic beverage.  You remember from a recent Bible study class that in Ephesians 5:18, Paul instructed the church at Ephesus, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” Would ordering an alcoholic beverage be displeasing to God? Would it make the situation with my friends awkward and uncomfortable if I order something else when they’ve known me to drink with them in the past?

This is a very common struggle that Christians face today.  What is the Christian to do in this scenario?  The more people you ask that question, the wider the variety of answers you will get on the topic.  Even in some Bible commentaries, they say things such as, “Well, the Bible doesn’t condemn the use of wine, just the abuse of it.”  Is that true?  One thing we must remember is that as Christians, we are to look at the scriptures on the whole.  Earlier in the Ephesian letter, chapter 4 verse 27 states, “nor give place to the devil”.  The Christian should not provide an invitation for Satan to enter in and work.  So, if we decide to drink wine, even without the intent of becoming intoxicated, are we not inviting Satan in to work his deceit? There are various other scriptures that tell us to be sober and always aware.

Albert Barnes makes a very good point in his commentary: “All intoxication is prohibited in the Scriptures-no matter by what means it is produced.  There is, in fact, but one thing that produces intoxication.  It is “alcohol”- the poisonous substance produced by fermentation.  This substance is neither created nor changed, increased nor diminished, by distillation.  It exists in the cider, the beer, and the wine, after they are fermented, and the whole process of distillation consists in driving it off by heat, and collecting it in a concentrated form, and so that it may be preserved.  But distilling does not “make” it, nor change it.  Alcohol is precisely the same thing in the wine that it is in the brandy after it is distilled; in the cider or the beer that it is in the whisky or the rum; and why is it right to become intoxicated on it in one form rather than in another?  Since therefore there is danger of intoxication in the use of wine, as well as in the use of ardent spirits, why should we not abstain from one as well as the other?  How can a man prove that it is right for him to drink alcohol in the form of wine, and that it is wrong for me to drink it in the form of brandy or rum?”  It’s true, alcohol is alcohol no matter what form it is in, and it is best for the Christian to abstain from using it in any way.

And it’s not even just the use of it.  Christians are encouraged to walk worthy of our calling, so everything that we say or do reflects Christ.  If our neighbors see us in the liquor aisle at the grocery store, are they going to see Christ in us?  Sometimes we forget that people judge our character based on the places we go and the things we do.

The apostle Paul says that in being intoxicated there is dissipation.  In other translations, the ASV uses the word riot, the ESV uses debauchery, the KJV uses excess.  So what is the general idea that he’s getting at?  He’s stating the fact that all of this riotous, debauchery, abandonment of civility that gives way to sensuality and lust, all of this follows the use of alcohol.  It’s something that we’ve all witnessed.  I enjoy baseball, and if you attend a minor league or major league game, there’s a really good chance you will witness someone who has had a bit too much to drink during the game and making a fool of themselves.  Intoxication causes one to lose their inhibitions, and all of this wild and reckless behavior soon follows.  Paul likely had in mind the pagan worship of Bacchus while he was writing this to the Ephesians.  Bacchus was the “god of wine”, and during those orgies and festivals, men and women regarded it as an acceptable act of worship to become intoxicated, and with wild songs and cries to run through the streets, and fields, and vineyards.  You can imagine the chaos that ensued!

In stark contrast to such debauchery, Paul encourages those at Ephesus and us today, to be filled with the Spirit.  What does that mean?  It simply means submitting yourself to the will of God.  It’s putting away sinful pleasures of this world and continually renewing your mind, putting the word of God, given through the Holy Spirit, to work in your life.  Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit and should not be tarnished by intoxicating drink. No one ever became a better Christian by filling themselves with wine.  Submission to the Spirit should instead be the Christian’s desire!