Monthly Archives: May 2010

Would You Stay in Your Church If…

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I grew up catholic and lived the “good and moral catholic life.”  However, I never had peace in my heart.  I did not feel “close” to God at all – no matter how many rosaries I said or masses I attended.  I can remember attending mass every day during Lent thinking that this would help absolve me.  But I never received any peace in the end.

When my dearest friend told me about salvation according to the Scriptures, the veil was removed from my eyes and they were opened!  I understood the Scriptures and immediately realized that I was a sinner deserving of Hell!  I knew about Jesus Christ’s death and suffering because that is taught in the catholic church.  However, I was also taught that salvation came from the church.  The catholic catechism stated this:

“The Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism explains: ‘For it is through Christ’s Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained.’” Pg. 215, #816

Even the 1994 catechism leaves no doubt that the Catholic church is necessary for salvation:

“…all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation…” Pg. 224, #846

Once I was born again, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was saved from eternal damnation and was on my way to Heaven.  This is not something that a catholic can know.  The catholic can only have a “hope so assurance” that he will get to Heaven.  So if the catholic church was wrong about salvation, what else was I taught that was not according to Scripture?  Over the next several posts, I will be dealing with some “doctrines” or “dogmas” where I will compare with what the Scriptures say.

If you found out that your church was preaching a doctrine that was not supported by the Scriptures, would you continue to stay? I think the biggest “doctrine” that separates catholicism from any other “Christian label” is the topic of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Why is that?  I want my readers to know that I am not catholic bashing here.  I just want to get people to think on their own instead of having someone else think for them.  So again I ask, why is that?  Why is such an important “doctrine” as Mary (according to catholicism) not even considered – not even a smidgen – in other Christian circles?  Yes, she is mentioned, but the Bible does not make her an object of worship or holy recognition.  Luke 1:41 states that she is blessed among women.  However, Proverbs 31:10-31 says that any virtuous woman can be called blessed.  Someone in Luke 11:27 tried to say that Mary was blessed and Jesus responded in verse 28 “blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”  I find that ironic, don’t you? Rather than epitomize Mary, Christ said God’s Word was what should be epitomized.

Furthermore, the Book of Acts speaks of the Bereans (Acts 17:11) who tested everything they heard by comparing it to the Scriptures.  The Apostle Paul told Timothy that all Scripture was to be studied for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).  When I was first saved, I spent countless hours reading God’s Word and was very studious – a virtual sponge thirsting after knowledge!  This is necessary for growth and understanding what God has to say to His creation.  He does not want us ignorant, my friend!

All I am trying to say here today is that if God wanted Mary to play such an important role in the church today, why is she not mentioned one bit in the Book of Acts when the church was being formed?  Why is her role as intercessor not mentioned along with Jesus in 1 Timothy?  Why is her assumption not mentioned when that of Enoch and Elijah were?  They do not play any part in church doctrine yet their ascension was documented in Scriptures.  If Mary is to have a part in church doctrine, her ascension would have been mentioned like Christ’s, wouldn’t you think?  That’s just me speculating here.

But let’s take a look at this list of the years that certain dogma came into the catholic church.  These are all very important to a doctrine, don’t you think?  Why are none of these found in Scripture?  The death, burial and resurrection of Christ is doctrine and is totally found in Scripture.  His ascension, His Holy Spirit given, the offices of leadership, the instructions on how to run the church can all be found in the Scriptures. Yet not one of those mentioned here can be verified in the Bible:

Circa 120 AD – Mary remained a virgin (perpetual virginity)

431 – Mary Worship began

600 – prayers directed to Mary (Ave Maria added in 1508)

995 – canonization of saints

1854 – immaculate conception of Mary (her sinlessness)

1950 – assumption of Mary (she never died)

1954 – Mary proclaimed Queen of Heaven

1965 – Mary proclaimed Mother of the Church

1980 – Mary proclaimed Spouse of the Holy Spirit

Today’s post will deal with the perpetual virginity of Mary taught by the catholic church. It’s not an exhaustive study – nor is it one that will have historical documents from anyone. I will simply be using God’s Word and let His Word do the convicting as it did for me.

The catholic church teaches that Joseph was a widower with children from his former marriage. God’s Word has nothing to say about Joseph being a widower. Just a thought on my part, if Joseph did have children from a former marriage, why did he not take them with him when he took the pregnant Mary for the census in Bethlehem? The whole family had to be counted. If the children stayed behind due to the exhausting trip, how the much more would Mary have needed to stay behind when she was about ready to deliver a baby! The Bible does speak of the siblings of Jesus. Matthew 13:55 states Christ’s brothers as: James, Joses, Simon, and Judas. Mark 6:3 also mentions Jesus’ sisters. Luke, the doctor, makes a distinction in 16:6 between Judas, the brother of Jesus, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.

Furthermore, Matthew 27:56 clearly says that Mary is also the mother of James and Joses. This is the same Mary as Jesus’ mother! Mark 15:40 and Mark 16:1 also confirm this fact. Mary could not have remained a virgin if she had other children. The catholic church is adamant in stating that these children were “the brethren” in general and not actual blood brothers and sisters. However, read the Scriptures and study it out as the Bereans did. Ask God about these matters. He is faithful and wants to help you understand.

~James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

If you have even one iota of doubt and you question whether you’ve just accepted what you’ve been told through the years, then please ask God for wisdom. Start reading the Gospel of John and read it through three times. Then come post a comment here and let me know what you’ve discovered.

If You Were to Chose Between a Book or a Lake…

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~Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Picture two doors in your mind.  Behind Door #1 is a book.  Behind Door #2 is a lake.  You have a choice between the two.  It’s really a simple choice – the one presented to you today. If you had a choice between a book or a lake, which would it be? Most would chose a lake – probably because of it’s real estate value, or peaceful scenery, or visions of building a vacation home on it.

However, if I were to qualify those two choices with a look toward eternity, your answer may take on a different light. The Bible says that when you die, you can be found named among those names written down by God in the Book of Life. But if your name is not written down in that book, you will be cast into the lake of fire.

I find it interesting that the phrase Lake of Fire is mentioned four times in the Scriptures. The number four symbolizes God’s creation (four seasons, four corners of the earth, four elements, four divisions of the day, four variations of lunar phases, etc.).

~Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

~Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

~Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

~Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The Word of God states that all those who do not accept Christ as Saviour will spend eternity there along with the devil and his angels. Jesus spoke about the time to come where He would pass judgment on those who did not accept Him in Matthew 25:31-46. Notice what Christ said here:

~Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Is this really where you would want to spend eternity? The Lake of Fire is a place that God created, just as He created Heaven and earth, for those who would rebel against Him. All those who do so will not be found in the Book of Life. Only the names of those who are born again will be found in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  We do not have to wait to find out once we die. Our name can appear in the Book of Life while we are yet living – at the moment of salvation!  Jesus said that He is the only way to Heaven.  Therefore, if you do not believe in Jesus Christ, your name will not appear in His Book of Life.

~John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As I researched the verses about the Book of Life, I discovered that the phrase the book of Life appears eight times in Scriptures. The number eight is the number specially associated with resurrection and regeneration, and the beginning of a new era or order.  Christ’s death, burial and resurrection represent a new covenant with mankind, giving the Gentiles an opportunity for salvation! One who is born again (John 3:3) accepts Christ’s perfect work on the cross as payment for their penalty of sin. His shed blood is our remission of sins – while the blood of lambs and goats from the first covenant with the Jews merely covered their sin awaiting Christ’s perfect sacrifice – the old covenant could not bring remission and forgiveness! There is no other way to be found in the book of life unless it is through Christ, Jesus!  The born-again believer is no longer dead to sin but has been regenerated by the blood of Jesus Christ and is given a new life, resurrected from spiritual death and his name is then placed in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

~Philippians 4:3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.

~Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

~Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

~Revelation 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

~Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

~Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

~Revelation 21:27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

~Revelation 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

God spoke twice as much about the “book of life” than He did about the “Lake of Fire”! It’s important information, don’t you think?  God gives us double opportunity to choose eternal life with Him!  Oh what mercy!!

Don’t let the sun go down today before you have made certain that your name is found in the Lamb’s Book of Life! Eternity is too long and Hell’s fire too hot to push this matter aside!

So what door will you pick? Will you chose the book or the lake?

Won’t You Please Be Reasonable?

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~Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

As believers, our goal should be to become more Christ like in our words and deeds. This is a daily effort on our part and requires a great deal of training. We must train our minds and bodies to stop living like we did before we were born again! This is what Paul is speaking of when he says in verse 1 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Each day, we take those sinful ways and eliminate them from our lives as though they are dead. They are put to death daily so we can transform ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit to be more Christ like!

~1 Peter 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

~1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

~2 Peter 3:11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

Our manner and our conversation should sound like God. The only way we can do this is by striving to eliminate sin from our lives. We will always struggle with sin until we reach Heaven. However, we should be sinning less and less as we grow and grow in Christ!

I absolutely love the end of verse 1. Paul tells us that striving to live a holy life is our reasonable service! I love how David Cloud described this reasonable service:

“This is a reasonable decision. It is reasonable because knowing and serving God is the purpose of life (Ecclesiastes 12:13). It is reasonable because life apart from God’s will is vanity. That is the theme of the book of Ecclesiastes. It is also reasonable to dedicate my life to Christ because God’s will brings great reward (Heb. 11:24-27). A missionary once said, ‘A man is not unwise to give up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.’”

It is our reasonable service to give ourselves daily to the Lord – asking His guidance and assistance in living our lives in a holy and acceptable way to Him. When we strive to live holy on a daily basis, our Holy God will help us for He is Holy. It pleases Him to see His children walking after Him!

Are You Hard of Hearing?

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~John 8:47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

The most wonderful event that happened to me when I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour was when I opened my Bible and I could actually understand what I was reading! What a thrill it was to have God’s very words breathed on me! I didn’t feel lost or didn’t wonder what in the world I was reading! This is how it was before I was born again. The bible was dry reading and hard to understand. This was no longer true and my salvation blessed me with a fresh message from God every time I opened the pages of my Bible.

Are you able to understand what you read? Granted there are passages that are difficult to understand. There are even times when you can read verses in Psalms that are beautiful but they don’t really apply to your life at the moment of reading. However, when you read those same verses while you’re experience a trial, the words jump off the page as if they were written just for you! The born-again believer is so blessed! We do not need to Scriptures interpreted for us because God has given us His Holy Spirit to reside within at the moment we became His! Today’s text proves it out for us. Once we are God’s, we hear His words. We take what we read, His Spirit interprets the reading to us, and we hear what God has to say for us at that moment!

But today’s text also says that if you don’t hear His Word and you cannot understand His Word, then it is because you are not His. Think about this when you call yourself Christian. Is your “faith” in title only? It should be in your heart!

Whose Wisdom?

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~James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Each day of a Christian’s life starts with a choice. We choose to walk in Christ’s footsteps or we choose to walk in our own footsteps. When I think about my life prior to salvation, I can actually remember my thoughts and I assure you they were not good ones. After salvation, my desire was to follow Christ and to please Him.

I remember questioning God and asking Him for direction in many areas of my life! At times I felt that I must be such a bother to Him. The lady who led me to the Lord always pointed me to His Word for answers. She led me to James 1:5 as defense for her recommendation:

~James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Our wisdom comes from God, friend! He alone can give you exactly what you need, WHEN you need it. It will always be the right wisdom.  It will always lead you down the right path.  It will always have the right outcome!  Why?  According to today’s text, His wisdom is:

  • Pure
  • Peaceable
  • Gentle
  • Easy to be intreated (good for persuasion)
  • Full of mercy and good fruits
  • Without partiality
  • Without hypocrisy

Wow! A Christian who seeks after the wisdom that God gives is a Christian who will be set apart from the world. Do you know someone who displays all these traits? I dare say there aren’t too many. But you will recognize him straight away! When one follows after the wisdom of the world, one will receive the antithesis of what James 3:17 speaks of:

  • Impure
  • At emnity
  • Harsh
  • Stubborn
  • Without mercy and full of bad fruits
  • Partial
  • hypocritical

God’s wisdom needs to be sought by Christians today – more so now as the world is in such turmoil!  God wants to give us wisdom – as much as we want! He does not withhold anything that is good from His children. So ask Him! What are you waiting for?

~Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Suicide!

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Whether or not you are thinking about ending your life and committing suicide, I want you to know that every human being does. Some readers may say that they have never thought about killing themselves. However, I am here to say that they have.

A person may not be thinking of ending their physical life but they most certainly are thinking, or have thought about, what will happen with their eternal life. Some may think:

  • once they die, that’s it – nothing more. The Bible says:

    ~Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

  • they’ve been “good enough” in this life – they haven’t murdered anyone, etc. They think their good deeds will outweigh the bad. But the Bible says:

    ~James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

  • the fact that they are a member of the world’s biggest church will get them into Heaven. The Bible says about Jesus:

    ~Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Salvation does not come from a church or by good deeds. Salvation comes by Jesus Christ and believing in Him through faith. Once faith sets in, believing that He is God come to earth in human form to take our punishment for our sin because we could not ever be good enough to enter Heaven. Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He awaits to come reign on earth. Accepting Jesus’ perfect gift on the cross as payment for your sins will decide where you will spend eternity!

So which is it? Are you going to go ahead and commit spiritual suicide? Or will you decide today what you will do with eternity? What will you do with Jesus Christ?  Which door will you go through?  The door of ignorance or the door to eternal life with Jesus Christ in Heaven!  If you want to remain in ignorance now, just know that you will have to meet Him one day but it will be too late to make a decision then.  As Hebrews 9:27 points out, once you die it’s judgment time.  Please do not delay!  Please do not commit spiritual suicide!!

Planning a Trip?

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When I plan a vacation, I have a specific “To Do” list that helps me prepare.

  1. Schedule my dates way ahead of time so I can reap the cost savings.
  2. Learn all about the place I’m going to be visiting.
  3. Get my house in order so I don’t have a messy house when I return.
  4. Pack my bags according to the climate and length of my trip.
  5. Make arrangements with family members or friends to take care of mail, etc.

After all my details have been handled, I can’t stop thinking about my upcoming trip! Excitement sets in and concentration is very difficult :-) I have already begun my vacation, mentally :-)

Shouldn’t we be preparing for our eternal trip with the same fervor and anticipation? My “To Do” list for my eternal trip can still be used to prepare:

1. Schedule my dates way ahead of time so I can reap the cost savings. The first thing a person must do to prepare for his eternal trip is to be sure of where he is going to spend eternity. The Bible speaks much on eternal life and how to go to Heaven:

~Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

~John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him (Jesus Christ) should not perish, but have eternal life. (parenthesis add author’s words)

~John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

~John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

~John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

~John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

~Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

~Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

~Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

~1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

~1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

~1 John 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

~1 John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

~1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

If you are not already born-again, you cannot enter Heaven.

~John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

~John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

~Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then your eternal home is Heaven! Congratulations! Now let’s plan the rest of your trip!

2. Learn all about the place I’m going to be visiting.

There are 238 verses in the New Testament alone that mention the word Heaven. Why not start preparing for your trip by reading up on them.

Do a word search for Heaven in your New Testament Bible software. You can do this online as well or even look up the word in your Strong’s Concordance. You will most certainly be blessed as you read all that God’s Word has to tell us about our eternal home!

3. Get my house in order so I don’t have a messy house when I return. Are you quenching the Holy Spirit in your life as He tries to mold you into the image of Christ?

~1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

~Colossians 3:9b-10 … that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Are you working for those crowns which you can cast at Jesus’ feet at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 4:4)?

~1 Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

~1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

~2 Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

~James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

~1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

There are five possible crowns that a believer can earn. These crowns, again, will be cast at Christ’s feet in Rev. 4:4.

4. Pack my bags according to the climate and length of my trip. What can you put in your spiritual bags to prepare for your trip? What about souls that you’ve been personally responsible for leading to Christ! What about fruit of the Spirit? You are currently being molded into the image of Christ by the Holy Spirit if you are yielded to Him. All that you become during your pilgrim’s walk on this earth will be what you take with you, nothing more!

~2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

5. Make arrangements with family members or friends to take care of mail, etc. Don’t stop telling your friends and family about Christ and His precious salvation while you are yet here!

~Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Are you ready for your upcoming eternal trip? This should be THE most important trip of your life since it will involve eternity! You will not be coming back so think carefully as to where you will be spending eternity. Where will it be? Heaven or Hell?

How’s Your Bumper Sticker Working Out For You?

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~1 Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Christian, do you have a bumper sticker on your car that tells others you are a born-again Christian? If so, how is your driving? How is your attitude behind the wheel? I commute over 100 miles per day to and from work. I can’t begin to tell you how my heart is grieved when I see aggressive drivers who have Christian bumper stickers on their vehicle. Drivers who ride my bumper (and I’m not a slow driver but follow the speed limit) or weave in and out of traffic to get a mere two or three cars ahead of me.

I wouldn’t mind so much if they didn’t have a bumper sticker advertising their faith! What is absurd is that they do advertise their faith but do not live it! How sad is that? Do you think God does not see the way they are acting?  If you are one of these Christians, do you think the unbelieving world does not get a horrible impression of Christians?

Your testimony goes beyond what comes out of your mouth, my friend. People are watching – even when you don’t think they are. If you cannot control your lack of patience and meekness, then please remove your bumper stickers so you don’t give the rest of us Christians a bad reputation. The devil is already hard at work causing Christians to be persecuted. He should not be getting your help to achieve his goals.

Salvation – How Hard Can It Be?

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~Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

I see three points in this beautiful verse spoken by Jesus.  Jesus said,

1. “Except ye be converted,” – Converted from what TO what?

~2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Hence:

~John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

2. “become as little children,” – Childlike faith – ahh, what innocence!  You can tell a child anything and he will believe you! Jesus wanted people to believe Him without dwelling on or pulling from their religious upbringing. Jesus wanted the people to take His words through faith instead of relying on what they had heard from others.

~Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

~Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

God’s Heaven is filled with people who have trusted their salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Like a child, these people have discarded self-righteous religion to trusting in Christ’s righteousness and His alone! The Holy Spirit wanted to emphasize the point so much so that He reiterated the words from Matthew 19:14 in Mark and Luke as well.

3. “shall not enter into … heaven.” – Jesus did not mince words – He didn’t say they might not enter … He said they shall not enter into heaven.

You can’t argue with God! If He says no, He means no!

Salvation is not difficult at all – Christ told us that we must become as children in order to receive it. It is when people begin to add religious caveats to an already simplified act that things get complicated and twisted into a myriad of rules and restrictions. Christ’s salvation is so simple, a child can understand it. In fact, a child’s innocence accepts this simplicity without question. Christ is God – He left Heaven to come to earth to take on the form of man – He led a sinless life and died so that He could take on our penalty for sin – He arose from the dead three days later – He ascended into Heaven where He awaits His return to reign as King.

Since Adam and Eve, man has had the desire to worship God and get to Heaven by his own merit. However, it is not about anything WE do.

~Hebrews 10:4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

It is ALL about everything Christ did.

~Hebrews 10:10 By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Allow the Holy Spirit of God to work in your heart and renew that childlike innocence so you can see how uncomplicated the plan of salvation truly is.

Remember, if Jesus said little children could understand, then just how complicated can it be?

How Far Are You from the Kingdom of God?

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~Mark 12:32-34 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.

Attorneys have not changed much through the years. The Scribes of Bible times were men of learning, skilled in the law and good writers. As we see in Mark 12, they also liked to put on appearances and were the chief hypocrites of the Jewish religion. The church today is filled with the same type of hypocrites, isn’t it? The problem today is that sometimes it’s hard to know which hypocrites are born again (quenchers of the Holy Spirit) and those who are not saved. How sad this is. What a poor testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ!

Let’s look at today’s verses and learn about this scribe! He was definitely a well-learned man. He knew the Scriptures and was able to recognize whether or not this Jesus of Nazareth was preaching truth or lies. In fact, this scribe called Jesus, Master! Furthermore, the scribe told Jesus that not only was He saying truths but the scribe even detailed each truth Christ spoke. Just like an attorney to repeat things back to Jesus! :-)

But something was different about this scribe. Jesus noticed that this scribe actually knew the words that Christ was speaking but not because He was the Messiah but because he was a scribe and it was his job to know. Jesus told the scribe that he was “not far from the kingdom of God.” This scribe was just a step away from being saved. Was he convinced that Jesus was the Messiah that his people were awaiting? The Scriptures do not state whether or not this scribe got saved.

Where are you in this same scenario? Do you know with your head that Jesus is the Son of God? The scribe believed that there was one God. You probably believe that as well. But the Word says devils believe but that does not make the devils saved, does it:

~James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Today’s verses are good ones for the unbeliever to use as a moral inventory. Can you truly say that you believe and stand by these verses? Do you actually live by these verses? Be honest with yourself.  One who loves his neighbor more than himself does not lie, cheat, steal, covet or do anything to his neighbor that would be sin.  If you cannot live by these words then your eternal future is no better than the devils that James speaks about. You can be doing good deeds and be active in your church, but unless you have the righteousness of God (not your own), you are not saved.

~Romans 10:2-3 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

When one is submitted to the righteousness of God, they acknowledge Jesus Christ as His Son and believe that there is no other way that they can get into Heaven.  Jesus’ Holy Spirit comes to reside within and it is THIS righteousness that the Father sees, not our own.

~John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

This was a difficult thing to hear in Jesus’ time. The Pharisees and Scribes did not want to hear about a Messiah that was poor. They were looking for a King. They weren’t looking for their Messiah to be the Son of God, God Himself. Jesus had told them that He and His Father were one (John 10:30). This infuriated the Jews so much they wanted to stone Christ.

Today’s scribe had the head knowledge. We do not know whether or not that knowledge made its way to his heart later on so that he could be saved. But it’s not too late for you. If you are depending on your own works, it won’t work. Christ is the only way. If your works could get you into Heaven, then why would Christ have to die? What a cruel thing to do to Him if your own works were enough. If this is what you have been taught all your life by your spiritual leaders, they are leading you down the wrong path.  It is best to see what God’s Word has to say rather than man.

~Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Don’t stay on the wrong path. You have everything to lose if you remain on your religious path like the Pharisees and Scribes. But you have everything to gain if you fall to your knees and acknowledge Christ, the Son of God, to be your Saviour. It is His shed blood on that cross that covers our filthy sins, not our own works. Listen to Jesus as He reveals to us just Who He is:

~John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

~John 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

~John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

~John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

~John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

~John 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

~John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

~John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

~John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

~John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

~John 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

~John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

~John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

~John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

~Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

~Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.