The Necessary Tribulations of Discipleship - Acts 14:21-22

It is all too often in 21st Century America that Christians feel the rising tide of intolerance lapping at our doorsteps. I didn’t say “religious intolerance” because we all know that other religions seem to get a pass as opposed to Christianity. There doesn’t seem to be a week go by without some group or individual challenging the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their affronts are routinely vicious and condescending at the same time. From celebrities to educators to scientists to politicians to the media, they crawl out of their holes, their stingers poised to attack anyone and anything they see as “Christian.”
    Many believers feel the weight of “culture-pressure,” and it can often lead to feelings of disconnect with the rest of the world. Let me say - that is good news. Consider the words of our Lord and Savior in Matthew 10:38, “take his cross;” Mark 8:34, “take up his cross;” and Luke 9:23, “take up his cross daily.” Jesus told us from the beginning that following Him would not be easy. Following our Lord would be tantamount to bearing one’s own cross just as He bore His own cross . . . for us!
    Tribulations and persecution were always part of following Jesus Christ. It has never been any other way. It has never been an easy road to follow.
    Perhaps one of the main reasons Christians, real Christians, are persecuted so often is because we have an exclusive faith. It is exclusive because our belief (Holy Scripture) tells us that the unregenerate will not and cannot be saved; that those who refuse to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior . . . cannot be saved! There is no magic formula for behavior that will open heaven’s gates for us. We acknowledge that good works will never be our key to eternal salvation and glorification. And so we are seen as and perceived by the unregenerate as exclusivists. And we are. But it is our willingness to “take up our crosses” that sets us apart and makes us holy.
    Part of our path to discipleship has always been and will always be “mined’ by those who hate us for being Christians. No true Christian could ever miss the pitfalls, the accusations, and the traps set for us by the unregenerate for they are truly sons of the devil.
            Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”
- John 8:42-47
    This is where our persecution comes from. But this is where our strength comes from -
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 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.  Romans 5:1-5
    Yes, as Christians we will face many tribulations, just as the early Christians did. And also, just as the early Christians did, we will persevere in spite of our tribulations.
    May God grace be with you always.

Hell - It’s Real! - Matt 13:49-50

    According to the Westminster Catechism, “It is wrong to pick and choose among the teachings of the Bible. We must accept all that the Bible teaches, or else reject the Bible as a whole and take the consequences. If we accept what the Bible teaches about God’s love, we must also accept what it teaches about God’s justice and His wrath against sin. Romans 1:18 W.C. 89/12
    You’ve heard the talking points before - “God is all love and mercy and would never sentence ‘good people’ to an eternity in hell.” Let’s hope that you’re not one who has ever made such a mistaken point.
    I’ll cut to the chase: what did Jesus, Himself, say about the existence of hell? He revealed to us that hell is a real place. It is not an analogy, a metaphor or hyperbole. It exists in time and place!
    “So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” - Matt 13:49-50
    Christ says that the evil will be separated from the good and there will be a place reserved just for them - hell. In addition to Christ’s assurance that such a place exists He also assures us it will be a place of eternal and excruciating pain and suffering. See Luke 16:19-31
    Now, to question or doubt these revelations from Holy Scripture is to question and doubt Jesus Christ. That’s the bottom line. I’m sorry to smash the delusion of those who believe that God is simply too merciful to send anyone to hell. He can and He will. Romans 3:23 specifically states that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So exactly who are all these ‘good people’ you were talking about?
    Secondly, and more importantly - if hell doesn’t exist or if God would refuse to send anyone there then what was the point of Christ’s death? If there’s no hell and no real threat of eternal damnation then we never needed saving to begin with and Christ’s horrific suffering and death was without purpose! And if hell does exist but being a ‘good person’ is enough to get us into heaven . . . we still didn’t need saving and again it negates the redemption bought for us by the shedding of Christ’s blood. No, for all you confused ‘modern Christians’ there is indeed a place of eternal torture called hell and “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 That name is Jesus Christ. And that is the good news about hell. It exists so that we can find salvation in the self-sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
    No matter how good one is they can never earn what only Christ could give to us by the grace of God. May that heavenly grace be always with you.

On Human Dignity - John 1:1,14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 14

If there is no God then we are merely animals imbued with moral choices and cognitive decisions - contradictions in the animal kingdom. If there is no God then the only difference between ourselves and amoebae is our ability to think and make choices. We would merely be another link in the chain of life. But except for the most deluded of secular thinkers even the atheists admit that man is a being of a higher order. From where then does mankind’s higher order, his difference, come? First, in Genesis 1:26, "Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’"
Clearly God had a specific plan for the human species. Having made us in His own image and likeness, God gave us cognitive minds, rather than animal instinct. He gave us an inbuilt moral compass so that even the uneducated heathen would "know" the difference between right and wrong. He gave us the ability to feel and show compassion for one another and for all his creatures. These three characteristics of the human species make us different from all other life on earth. These three characteristics are also part of God’s very being and the foremost reason He created us in His likeness. God is cognition; He is morality; He is compassion.
Genesis 1:27 reads - "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Three times in one verse scripture emphasizes that God created
man and woman in His own image. God made no other creature in His own image . . . none! If this fact were not enough Christ went so far as to become human. . .incarnate. He did not come as a horse or an eagle or a fish - He came as man. He came to offer the free gift of salvation to any who would accept it. Thus His very incarnation as a man brings dignity to our species. The dignity that each man is born with can never be taken from him. He may give it away or throw it away by his words and/or actions, but human dignity can never be stolen. Even death cannot rob a man of his dignity.
"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed -" 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 May the Word of God be always with you.

Worshiping the Creature - Romans 1:25

" . . .who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever." Romans 1:25
For many, animal and plant life seem to supercede human life. The notion that an animal or a tree deserves more life respect than a human is not merely erroneous; it is satanic by its very nature. The concept routinely leads to ‘earth worship’, ‘wicca,’ ‘gaia’ and a host of other ridiculous earth religions often culminating in what is perhaps the most egregious lack of respect for humanity - abortion. Of course the progressives don’t see abortion as murder; they simply see it as a means to prevent over-population, thus taking better care of the planet. The idea that preserving a certain rare butterfly or orchid is somehow more noble than preserving a human life is simply, in no uncertain terms, the work of the devil.
Early on, in scripture, we are instructed by God, Himself to - "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on earth." - Genesis 1:28
The above reference speaks to us of our direct order to subdue (conquer) and have dominion (rule) over all of God’s earthly creation. But Genesis 1:26 explains to us why
we must subdue and dominate God’s creation - "Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to Our likeness; let then have dominion . . .over all the earth . . . .’ In other words, we - humanity, not the animals or the plants - were created in God’s image and likeness. Not only are we to maintain dominion over God’s creation, we are to use it according to God’s word - "Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs." - Genesis 9:3 When people say they "love" their pets I tend to think that the term "love" is a bit extreme. Love is an emotion reserved for God and . . . humans! We love our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends. We may ‘care deeply’ for our pets, the environment, or an endangered species . . . but we cannot ‘love’ beyond God and our human brothers and sisters. In fact, in the New Testament, ‘love of God and one another’ is second only to Christ’s saving act of redemption, and that atonement is superceded by God’s love for us. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16
Yes, we want to take good care of and properly provide for our pets, and all animals in general, but never at the expense of a single human life! The only exception being granted is to service animals such as police and military K-9 units, as these animals are used to protect and prevent the loss of human life.
Many feel mankind has abused its power in subjugating the planet. In many instances we have, as a species, failed in our God-given responsibility to be good stewards. But we must never fail to draw the distinction between mankind and God’s creations. Neither plant nor animal proves worth more than a human being and no amount of post-modernist thinking must ever obscure that fact! Proper scriptural understanding always keeps this distinction in its proper perspective.
May God always shower you with His blessings.

Your Salvation Now - John 6:47

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. - John 6:47
I often ask people where their concepts and ideas of who Christ is come from. The reason I ask is because of the myriad of fallacious ideas they describe. From prophet to sage to philosopher to just an all around good man, they seem to cover every base except for the truth - Jesus Christ is God incarnate.
When I ask where they get these inaccurate descriptions of Christ , in nearly every instance they say, "The bible." Strange; as much as I have read and continue to read the bible I have simply failed to locate those descriptions of Christ. I may have possibly failed to get that e-mail.
In addition to these misleading notions about who Jesus is these same folks, oddly enough, are also sadly mistaken about the workings of salvation. I know I have treated this subject before in previous posts but it is of such utter importance that I don’t think anyone could ever cover the subject enough.
These folks all suffer from the faulty idea that by merely being ‘good people’ their salvation is assured without giving themselves over to belief in the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
- John 14:6 The Apostle John cannot seem to declare this definitive truth about Christ enough -
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life
; and I will raise him up on the last day." - John 6:40 Once more - "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God
."- John 3:18 This is the true concept of Jesus Christ: He is the Son of God and God in His own right as member of the Holy Trinity. He’s not a philosopher and He certainly wasn’t just
a good man. He is God! And as He stated in John 14:6 - no one can come to the Father except through Him. In other words, your salvation right now and tomorrow and forever is through belief in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. No other way is available and it doesn’t matter a lick how good a person you are. If your belief is not in Christ as God you are already condemned . . . period! Your belief is required; your continued good works are merely evidence of your belief. You good works without faith mean absolutely nothing. They are worthless.
Belief in Christ is the only way; it is the only road. May the grace of God be always with you.

Christ: Our Only Advocate - 1 Timothy 2:5

"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus," - 1 Timothy 2:5
"When we pray . . . ."
Those opening words should make many of us pale for lack of correct Christology. So many individuals, even entire churches, have a clearly anti-scriptural idea about Christ’s role as our advocate.
I know many who are quick to say a prayer and carelessly throw the name of Jesus into it for good measure despite their lack of true saving faith. They use the holy name of Jesus as though it were some magical incantation. Their highest intellectual understanding of Jesus is that "he was a really good man." Still, others petition the blessings of God through a third agent such as a ‘saint.’ In both cases the prayerful individual is wrong.
You see, proper prayer doesn’t involve a third party. It is between you and the savior Jesus Christ. A proper and reverent prayer goes directly through Christ to the Father. How do I know? 1 Timothy 2:5 tells me so. Were Paul’s admonition not enough, Christ Himself tells us - " . . . Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you." - John 16:23. Of course, the corollary here is that you pray for God’s will to be done. If God’s will is not the focus of the prayer there is little doubt; the prayer will not be answered.
Many often say prayers to a saint of their liking - the Virgin Mary, St. Jude. St. John, St. Francis of Assisi, et al., despite the fact that this clearly anti-scriptural method of praying is forbidden. Believe in the veracity of the bible - there is no such thing as ‘trickle-down providence.’ The bible clearly states that these prayers will go unheard. It all goes back to 1 Tim. 2:5.
If Christ is our "one mediator" to God then what possible excuse could anyone have for praying to St. (fill in the blank)? It all comes down to Christ’s role for us. He is described in different verses as being our mediator, our advocate, and ultimately our intercessor.(1 John 2:1, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 12:24, among many others).
Prayer to or through anyone else will not be heard by God. Prayers to or through anyone else are blasphemous as per Exodus 20:3-5. And if Christ is our mediator-advocate, then why would we pray ‘through’ anyone else in the first place. It would be like running around to the back of the house to climb in through the window when the front door is already open.
Our supplications are to be brought directly to God through Christ. And even if we don’t add, "through Jesus’s holy name,"at the end of our prayers it is imperative that we understand it is He who we pray through for our thanks and blessings. May God’s blessing be always upon you.

A 'Like' Is Not A Prayer - James 5:16

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. - James 5:16

I’m addressing this issue since it has become a virus on the social networking sites. All too often our pages are inundated with hideously shocking photos of human beings and animals who have been brutally treated or have fallen victim to some exotic or deforming diseases. The photos are always accompanied by this erroneous line - "A ‘Like’ = a prayer." In simple terms: NO . . . IT DOES NOT!
To actually pray, one would need to know the components of what a prayer is and what a prayer requires to actually be a ‘prayer!’ Obviously, the people who post these disgusting photos have no clue as to either of these components. So allow me first to define what a prayer actually is -
"A prayer is a humble acknowledgment of thanks or a reverent supplication to God."
Now, I’m sure there are people who pray to Shiva, Allah, Buddha, and Satan. But for the sake of our exposition we are referring to the one true Christian God. I know that it sounds a bit arrogant to declare that the Christian God is the only true God, but if you’re a Christian you should have learned that in Christianity 101. Enough bantering now.
As to the components of a prayer there are basically two: faith in God and sincerity. If you have no faith in God then exactly who do you hope will answer your prayer? If I have to explain sincerity to you, being ignorant of the components of prayer isn’t your biggest problem.
So let us examine James 5:16. James describes a "fervent prayer." The Greek for ‘fervent’ is ‘zelos,’ or zealous, i.e., enthusiastic or passionate. Zealous is also defined as industrious. There is a constancy implied in the word; a continuousness of motivation. That is what fervent means, not the flippancy of a cavalier tap of the ‘Like’ button.
James also describes the prayer as being that of "a righteous man." Yes! I’m aware that in Romans 3:10 Paul says- " . . . There is none righteous, no, not one
: . . ." But the righteousness James is referring to is that of a man’s heart, and we know from Proverbs 21:2 that, "Every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart." Seriously, do you believe that by simply clicking on a ‘Like’ button you have sent a sincere, faithful and fervent supplication to God Almighty? As unbelievers, most people on the social network sites won’t give a hoot as to the legitimacy of fervent prayer or its make-up. But as Christians you have a duty to watch that you are not snared by contemporary culture’s allure. And that allure includes the minimalization of reverence toward God.
May Christ always guide you and keep you.