faith

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.

Truth Came Once

In the book of Jude, verse 3, Jude exhorts his readers, namely fellow believers in Christ, by writing: “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.”

There are three things we can derive from this exhortation.

First, the faith of which he is writing was delivered. God delivered the faith through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, who then taught it and wrote it down. The scriptures reveal that God is the source of the faith. It did not originate with man. We are told in Ephesians 4:5 that there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.”

Second, this one faith was delivered “once for all”. God delivered it only one time for all people in all generations in all the earth. This secures for us that what was delivered by God the one time He delivered it, is the only revelation we should be expecting! There are no further revelations, there are no changes being made, there are no additions or subtractions. What was delivered will remain unchanged for all of time. All we need is the Bible to teach us and guide us in the faith that we find in its pages. No other creed or additional “revelations” from man are necessary, and in fact, they work against our salvation.

Lastly, God is not subject to our culture. No matter the hot topics of the day, no matter the social agendas making the most noise…….what God delivered once still stands.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16,17

May His Word enlighten you, teach you, guide you, and comfort you this day.

I’m Not _________ Enough

Often times when we reflect back on prominent individuals in the Bible we stand in awe of what they were able to accomplish. We compare ourselves to them and that often ends with us wishing we were as smart, or as brave, or as wise as they were. It is sometimes easy to gloss over the fact that they faced the same self doubts that we do which they had to overcome. Let’s consider, for instance, Moses.

In Exodus chapter 3 we have the account of Moses and the burning bush. God had heard the cry of the Israelite people who were suffering in bondage in Egypt. God had compassion for them and remembered his promise to Abraham and so was moved to deliver the people out of their bondage. He chose Moses to lead this effort and appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush to inform him of what he must do. If God were to appear to you today and give you direct instructions on how to accomplish a seemingly insurmountable task, would you trust Him and obey without question?

Moses hesitated. In verse 11 we find Moses struggling with the concept proposed to him by God. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” Moses seems shaken by what God has asked him to do. God responds, promising that He would be with him. But Moses continues to question God and would seem to doubt his own abilities. What do I say to the people of Israel? What if they don’t believe me?

God gave Moses miraculous signs to prove himself to Pharaoh and the Israelite people, but still Moses questioned. In chapter 4 verse 10, Moses states, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” This same logic and reasoning hinders a lot of Christians today from carrying out the work of the Lord. How many use the excuse, “I am not smart enough”, or “I am not good enough” to teach the Gospel of Christ to others?

Further on in the account, we read that God becomes angry at Moses. But it was God’s will that Moses be the individual to accomplish His work, so He worked with Moses and provided him the means by which he would eventually accomplish his task.

We are human. It is understandable that we would doubt ourselves and our abilities to do difficult things. Being a Christian is a difficult thing. The work of the church, God’s kingdom, is important work indeed. It will often be uncomfortable, forcing us to step out of our comfort zones to do His will. But just as God provided for Moses, He will provide for us as well. We CAN understand the Bible. We CAN know the truth. We CAN teach it to others.

John 8:32 NKJV
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

What is hindering you from serving the Lord?

What Christianity Is Not

What comes to your mind when someone tells you that they are a Christian?  How deep is your thinking when that claim is made?  Do you recognize that that person is living their life as Christ would, or is it more shallow than that?  Perhaps you just make a mental note to watch what you say around that person, or watch how you act.  Maybe you don’t invite them to gatherings because they might be “boring” or make the situation awkward.  The label of “Christian” seems to have a wide variety of meanings in our society today.  I know of people in my own life who call themselves Christian, but you wouldn’t know it if you observe how they are living their lives and the things that they indulge in.  False teachings abound on the matter of what it is to be a Christian, so to help correct those teachings, we will focus on what Christianity is NOT.

First, Christianity is NOT a denomination.  In other words, Christ is not divided.  There are many denominations in our world today, each claiming to be the one true church.  The Bible is clear on this.  Beginning with the truth stated in Ephesians 4 beginning in verse 4: “There is ONE body(church) and ONE Spirit, just as you were called in ONE hope of your calling; 5 ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism; 6 ONE God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Emphasis on each “ONE” mine) If there be only one of each of these things listed, how is it then that we have so many different sects of Christianity?  The answer is because of false teaching.  Jesus himself stated in Mark 3:24, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”  Scripture teaches that the church is the body of Christ, and Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “…..on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”  Paul asked the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:13, “Is Christ divided?…”  They were labeling themselves according to who taught them, or who baptized them instead of recognizing that they were a part of the ONE church of whom Christ is the head.  Christians are to be united in Christ, not separated according to false doctrines promoted by man.

Christianity is NOT the “sinner’s prayer”.  Have you ever looked in scripture to find where the sinner’s prayer is recorded?  I’ll save you the time and let you know that this prayer is not recorded in scripture.  The sinner’s prayer is a false doctrine that has led many people astray from the truth.  If your place of worship promotes the sinner’s prayer as a means of salvation, I warn you that your soul is in grave danger.  Looking through scripture at each instance of conversion recorded, you will not find any reference to the sinner’s prayer being recited.  Instead, the convert is admonished to believe on the Lord, repent and be immersed for the forgiveness of their sins, and walk in newness of life in service to the Lord.  Simply reciting the sinner’s prayer will not save you from condemnation.  On the day of judgement, many will call out to the Lord and expect to be saved, but will be rejected instead.  Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.  Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’  Saying the sinner’s prayer is not sufficient for salvation.

Christianity is NOT warming a pew.  There are those who call themselves Christians, but are not found attending worship services when they are held.  Some only go on special occasions, such as Easter or Mother’s Day.  What’s the problem with that?  Well, we can’t claim ourselves to be in the ONE body of Christ and never be found among the brethren.  How do we foster relationships with our fellow Christians if we are never there?  Furthermore, how do we live according to Christ if we don’t ever hear the teachings of His word at worship services?  Should we not do as the early Christians did?  Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”  Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”  Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”  

There’s a lot more to be said on this topic, and maybe we will revisit it and add to it in future posts.  For now, I hope that you will reflect on these things and study the scriptures to make sure that if you are identifying yourself as a Christian, that you truly understand what it means to be a Christian and are making every effort to live up to that title.  God bless.