R U Making Time For Others?

R U MAKING TIME FOR OTHERS?

It is written that when a person has faith, there must always be works; works always follow faith; "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26)  What I want to expound on today is that in order to do these works, they involve interaction with other people, typically someone insufficent in some way or some thing.  In order to perform a work of any kind, we must subtract time out of our personal wants and needs and add it to other people.  We must make time for others.  When we make time for others, we make our actions benefit others.  "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Eph. 4:32)  It is easy to say "I forgive you", the hard part may be meaning it; but as we want the Father to forgive us, so we must forgive all from the heart.  It feels good to be on the receiving end of someone's forgiveness!  Ever wrong someone and look for them to forgive you?  Give them this love, it is a tenderheartedness!  It is one of many ways to be kind to others!  "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matt. 6:14 - 15)  "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:25 - 26)  "To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;" (2 Cor. 2:10)  As you can see, forgiveness is a big thing to make time for amongst our neighbors.

Be longsuffering of other people's indiscretions; some have to train themselves out of a sinful habit.  Be merciful and think humbly; these are Christian characteristics that please God.  "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye." (Col. 3:12 - 13)  The bible has so much about forgiving everybody, it must have been just as common not to then as it is today!  "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." (Eph. 4:1 - 3)  See here how Paul calls for unity of the church through godly living; that just doesn't happen because we're Christians.  We have to make time to work at it!  Bonding in unity as Christians means we take time out to knit together, as spouses do in a marriage.  Just as making time in a marital relationship bears fruit, so does expending time to be brothers and sisters in Christ.

"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again." (2 Cor. 5:14 - 15)  Real short: be considerate!  Christ was so very considerate of us in our sinful state, condemned to hell, that He came as a lowly child to a poor carpenter and his wife, and fulfilled His mission from the Father to die for all our sins, that we who believe on Him might be free of them, thus being saved for heaven from the boughs of hell.  He made time out of this small section of eternity to consider us and our fate, and resolved it in His years on earth until His death on the cross!  He made time out for us undeserving sinners, that we might live in His kingdom!  So too, we should make time out to unite with our like minded brothers and sisters and children in Christ.

When we became saved, we became a work in progress, not for destruction as we were the old man/woman, but as a new creature, we for the rest of our lives must now make time to be holy to others, for we are ambassadors of Christ now, not only for the sake of the unsaved, but also for the sake of edifying our fellow Christians.  One of the hardest things for anyone to put behind themselves is lying; telling untruths.  If any among us has practiced lying in the past, they must make time to consistently practice telling the truth, that this may be proven to be of the old nature.  That, too, takes time that we have to make.  "And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another." (Eph. 4:23 - 25)  "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:" (2 Pet. 1:10)

"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." (1 Thess. 1:3 - 4)  To remember without ceasing takes all our time, don't you think?  Paul writes to the Thessalonians of remembering our election of God.  That means a lot of things!  God's choosing us is sovereign, pretemporal, and for salvation!  As Paul has put it here, indeed, for any Christian, this should be a labor of love!  We are God's ambassador every day!  Act with grace toward others!  "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." (1 Pet. 1:2)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another," (Gal. 5:22 - 26)  As Christians, we are expected to demonstrate possession of the fruits of the Spirit.  We don't just be loving, joyous, peaceable, longsuffering, etc. in church, but every day of our lives.  Christians no longer practice behavior of worldly affections and lusts of carnal and material things.  We make time to war with those things and the old nature and subdue them in order that we may walk in the Spirit, and not according to the flesh.  I do not seek a title like "Prophet" or "Apostle" or "Pastor" that I might call attention to myself as a holy person of God.  If someone earn such titles in their denominations, well for them.  For me, it is vain glory; just call me Rich, there's no glory in that; I'm being meek that way.  I once stopped calling a priest "Father" when I first got saved, and I left that church soon after, but I mention it because it only took 2 weeks for him to stop calling me by my name!  He was proud of his title, offended that I didn't call him "Father"!  When we make time to practice the fruits of the Spirit amongst our neighbors, then our brothers and sisters and children in Christ know us by our behavior!  "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." (James 3:17)  "(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) (Eph. 5:9)  "Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." (John 15:2)  Be fruitful, my family in Christ; be fruitful!

I want to say at this juncture that misunderstandings hurt more Christians among one another than most any other thing, because the misunderstandings are able to permanently or temporarily separate those meant to be family in Christ, and we must make time to clear things up!  One time I gave what I thought was a sister in Christ a few genuine, innocent compliments, and she de-friended me on a social website.  I mentioned it to a brother in Christ, and he brought up that she probably got dirty minded and thought I was less than innocent in my compliments!  But since I am no longer able to contact her, I cannot clear up the misunderstanding, so you see, she failed to make time to give me a chance to vindicate myself.  Many come to Christians for the expected consolation and comfort they need when losing loved ones, physical abilities, or because of some other loss.  Then we kick in that love, and make time for our neighbor, and they enjoy our fruit of the Spirit!  "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." (Phil. 2:1 - 2)

"But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." (1 John 3:17 - 18)  As Christians we must make time to demonstrate that we practice what we preach.  Just talking doesn't show our concern for others, we must take the time to get involved with others, that they may know our words match our deeds!  If I tell someone I have a bunch of clothes just their size, but I don't give it to them, and their clothes are patched and worn, it certainly doesn't tell them I'm a Christian.  If I take the time to bring them the clothes I have in their size, so they can get rid of their old clothes, THEN I have demonstrated in their eyes that I am a Christian not just by word, but by DEED!  "If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth." (Deut. 15:7 - 8)  "He answereth and saith unto them, 'He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.'" (Luke 3:11)  "And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." (Ezek. 33:31)  See here how Ezekiel words it; if you don't give, the needy see you as covetous!  "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, 'Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled'; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" (James 2:15 - 16)

If our love be given to our neighbor(s), let it show to them as being genuine, not a labor, chore, or as not from the heart; "Let love be without dissimulation.  Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;" (Rom. 12:9 - 10)  If a child can discern whether you care about them, or love them, how much more can an adult readily discern it!  "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" (1 Pet. 1:22)  Showing love takes time; make that time, that they may know you truly do love them!

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.  Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." (1 Cor. 3:6 - 9)  Make time to cooperate with one another, particularly in the winning of souls to Christ. Paul planted and moved on, expecting God to make the increase.  Apollos edified, and if he was there or not when the increase happened, it didn't matter.  What mattered was that Paul and Apollos worked together for the Lord's harvest of lost souls.  Those souls were no longer lost, because Paul and Apollos made the time to cooperate toward the goal of the increase.  "We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." (2 Cor. 6:1)  Let us make time to cooperate now that every soul we contact may have opportunity to be saved, for the day of grace is now and every day a soul is saved.  We cooperate as a united body of Christ to win souls into His grace!

When we make time for others, we need be mindful to be Christ-like all the while doing so; after all, we call ourselves Christians!  It means we're are attempting to follow Him, His way, to be like Him. He said, "I am the way".  We must take time to focus on being like Him.  "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." (Eph. 5:2)

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.  Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.  For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.  But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.  For every man shall bear his own burden." (Gal. 6:1 - 5)  Living under grace is not license, but rather a life of love and service, not just to one another, but to Christ.  We need daily to make time to watch for our family in Christ, if they make a mistake, and we catch them red-handed, so to speak, that we lovingly correct them and restore them, knowing humbly that we too, are sinners.  It is harder to make time for an unsaved sinner, because they are easily offended, and take longsuffering and prayer to be led to Christ and salvation.  Let us make time to be Christ-like toward others in love, as He has called us to be. God loves a cheerful giver, even of our time...

Are You Being Robbed?

R U BEING ROBBED?

One of the worst things that can happen to anyone is to be robbed; not just of your material things, though, but your spiritual things!  Seasoned Christians know right away who the crook is, too!  Satan is a thief of the worst kind.  He wants to steal whatever he can from you, because he has nothing himself that is permanent, except for the lake of fire!  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Rev. 20:14)  As you can see, the reason I didn't say hell is because even it will be cast into the lake of fire!  So what all does he want to deprive you of?

1. Your kingdom is at stake!  He wants you to fall into apostacy.  "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thess. 2:3-4)  Apostacy is a state of having given up your faith.  "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father'.  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Rom. 8:15-17)  So here is the promise that we have a kingdom to inherit.  I don't want to be robbed of THAT!  Do you?

2. You could lose crowns!  "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 Cor. 9:25)  "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?" (1 Thess. 2:19)  "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." (2 Tim. 4:8)  "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." (James 1:12)  "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." (1 Pet. 5:4)  "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." (Rev. 2:10)  An incorruptible crown, another of rejoicing, another of righteousness, and another of glory...but remember, the devil wants to rob you of these!

3. Your comfort and joy for all eternity is also up for the taking!  "But as it is written, 'Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.'" (1 Cor. 2:9)  The devil wants to steal these from you, and know what he wants you to have in return?  "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." (Luke 16:23)

4. All your other untold treasures are available for the taking.  "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" (Matt. 6:20)  If you have any treasures saved up for you in heaven, the devil wants to take them away however he can while you're here on earth!

So how does the devil steal all your eternal possessions?  He wants to mislead you off the Way!  "Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.'" (John 14:6)  So how does he mislead you away from Jesus?  He gives you another Jesus!  "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Cor. 11:3-4)  Now this passage bears the need for further explanation.  Door knocking is as common to false teachers as it is to true teachers, and the false teachers do the work of the devil to mislead; see, the devil doesn't always do his dirty work his own self.  "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Cor. 11:3-4)  Mark this well; the hallmark of a false church is one that needs another book in addition to the bible.  This additional book will not agree with everything that is in the bible.  Speaking of the bible, one false teaching church even wrote their own version of the bible, because they were tired of taking a whopping with REAL bibles that didn't match their lies!  There are a number of counterfeit bibles in print today, the worst being the NWT and NIV.  The best bibles you could have are the NKJV and the KJV; the older version, the better!

Believe in an insufficient Jesus where you need to go to purgatory?  Uh-uh!  The REAL Jesus paid it ALL at the cross!  An ineffective Jesus, because there's no hell?  News flash!  If there's a devil, where do they think he resides; the Hilton?  If there was no hell, Jesus died for naught, didn't He?  Believe in an imperfect Jesus because He didn't have an immaculate conception - what a lie!  That would disqualify Him as a perfect sacrifice for our sins!  The list goes on, but you can understand from this why broad is the highway that leads to destruction and hell!  There are all kinds of churches out there that believe in doorknocking for all the wrong reasons - don't be a victim!  The devil wants you to believe he doesn't exist, hell doesn't exist - he wants you confused and mixed up so that you fall down the wrong path!

So how do we protect ourselves from being robbed of our eternal treasures and kngdom?  The devil is wily and has lived a whole lot longer than you or me.

Put on the whole armor of God!  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" (Eph. 6:10 - 18)

Let's break down this passage so we understand it well, that we may use this spiritual armor effectively.

1. The girdle of truth - The truth holds everything together.  When you have on the girdle of truth, your integrity stays intact, just like when Job was under attack!  The devil wanted Job to curse God to His face; even used Job's wife's mouth to tempt him, but he kept his integrity.

2. The breastplate of righteousness - The believer's chest and heart are protected from the devil by practiced righteousness.  Take Saul for an example, Israel's first king; when he began to practice unrighteousness, he ended up taking his own life miserably, falling on his own sword.

3. Shoes made of the preparation of the gospel of peace - Ever wear shoes that didn't fit right, or weren't built right, so they failed to give you support or stability?  The gospel of peace gives our lives support and stability.  When we walk as the gospel tells us to do, so then our lives have support and stability from our obedience.

4. The shield of faith - Oh, how this piece of our armor is important!  "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." (Heb. 11:6)  If there are holes in your faith, there are holes in your shield!  What is faith?  Blind trust!  If we trust in God with our whole heart, then we have a whole shield!

5. The helmet of salvation - Guarding your hope in salvation through Christ Jesus is wearing this helmet.  "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him." (1 Thess. 5:8 - 10)

6. The sword of the Spirit - The word of God is the most wonderful sword you can possess: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.  Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." (Heb. 4:12 - 13)  For this reason God wanted Joshua to always study the law; "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." (Josh. 1:8)  Anyone who is wise reads their bible daily!  "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Tim. 3:15)

7. Praying always for all the saints and ourselves - How many of you missed THAT one?  Most people don't recognize this as a piece of the armor, but it is!  We are all targets of Satan, nobody is immune!  Therefore, pray one for another, as it is written, persistently, in the power of the Spirit, and for all believers, because fervent prayer avails much!

So we have here that eternal treasure is ours for the taking, but there is a thief who wants it.  Even worse, he wants us to have the same problem he has - a terminal lack of salvation.  He wants to rob us of all our blessings.  But God has given us a way to protect it all while we're here on earth; we have the armor of God!  Are you going to let the devil rob us?  I thought not!  Armor up, Christian!

Can I Get A Witness?

CAN I GET A WITNESS?

Do you suppose if Jesus came here now and asked this question, how many could He count on to answer the call?  We are the minority who believe in Him, and we don't always feel capable of answering the call, because there are situations in this world where we would lose our jobs, and there are some in other countries who would lose their life!  Some would surely get beaten up in the wrong place witnessing of Him, and do you know what He said about that?  "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matt. 5:10 - 12)

David had no problem being a witness; "Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what He hath done for my soul.  I cried unto Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue." (Psa. 66:16 - 17)  As a matter of fact, his wife who loved him for the first part of their lives together, despised the manner in which he made witness of the true God as he danced and played in public, and as she reproved her husband the king for being witness of his good God, he dealt with her in this way; "And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.  And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.  And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.  And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.  So all the people departed every one to his house.  Then David returned to bless his household.  And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, 'How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!'  And David said unto Michal, 'It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.  And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.'  Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death." (2 Sam. 6:16 - 23)  This is not always so that the Christian has the upper hand between himself and in this case, a rebellious wife!

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." (Prov. 11:30)  "The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God.'  They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." (Psa. 14:1)  I have put these two together to show that the fool is not righteous with the latter Psalm, and that the witness is wise who can win souls from among them.  The fool here is described as to his belief and behavior; he is morally perverse.  His or her atheism is not theoretical, but rather practical in nature.

We who are a witness for God, we are as a bright shining light.  Not as a light that requires luminescence, mind you, but rather a spiritual light, one which the unsaved do not have.  The saved have such a light, and like many sticks in a bonfire, our light edifies the light of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  How do we shine?  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:16)  That's right!  Our good works, the fruit of the Spirit that is in us, by this people will see our witness that we are children of God, the family of Christ Jesus!  If we preach our faith, but do no works, our witness is an odd flame, a spark at best, and if our actions do not back up our witness, we are seen as faith without works, and faith without works does not save.  "Yea, a man may say, 'Thou hast faith, and I have works': shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:18 - 20)  So have faith AND works, and your two-part ticket to heaven is punched by Christ Jesus!

When we are sent by Christ to be a witness, how great a witness for Him we shall be, being so that He Himself sends us?  "And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him.  Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, 'Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.'  And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel." (Mark 5:18 - 20)  What a terrific story of the man possessed with the many demons called Legion!  Once a very lost soul, saved by Jesus, he went to Decapolis to be the great witness Jesus instructed him to be!

After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus wanted His disciples to witness specific things of Him.  But what is true today is as it was after His resurrection, is that each generation need be preached to the same things He told His disciples to preach; "And said unto them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  And ye are witnesses of these things.  And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.'" (Luke 24:46 - 49)  Just as it was preached salvation in Christ's resurrection by these disciples, so it need be done today!  "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

Now of all those who are believers as I am, if you have been His witness for some length of time, you know you will get the unbelievers talking about you.  They'll call you "Jesus freak", "nut case", "whack job", "crazy for God"; and those are the GOOD things they'll say of you!  Because they are unbelievers loving the darkness, oh, they will say worse of you, and want you shut up.  Foreknowing these things, yet, be not ashamed.  Christians have been so spoken of long before this generation who can read bible studies on a computer!  "So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:15 - 16)  Think not that you have to go to Greece or Israel to preach; Paul means here that Jew and Gentile (that's you and me who are not Jewish) alike are invited to salvation in Christ!  And here Paul instructs us that we should not be ashamed for being a witness, for you who witness, if you be ashamed, it will tell on you in your inflections of speech and in your behavior.  You will act anxious and nervous, and your speech may have a stammer or even a waiver in the tone.  New Christians may experience this, but seasoned Christians will orate as your pastor, minister, elder, or a priest does in churches.

Know now that as we witness of Christ and the salvation He offers all who would believe on Him, we must walk the walk as well as talk the talk; in short, we are now ambassadors for Christ!  People will be judging your "new man" or "new woman", and so we must always be on our guard, so that we don't ruin our witness!  I have had a sister in Christ "de-friend" me on Facebook because she obviously misinterpreted something I wrote to her.  I paid her a couple genuine compliments in total innocence, and in her mind the old nature apparently made its presence and her thoughts went the wrong way.  I actually had to have another Christian associate explain to me how she probably thought that way about me after the compliments.  So you see, we are even ambassadors to one another, and we tend to do poorly, because we don't know who among us is a sheep or wolf.  We don't always give each other enough time to test our fruits!  "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." (2 Cor. 5:18-20)

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ." (1 Pet. 3:15 - 16)  Now some might ask, "Exactly what does this mean?"  Set aside the Lord Jesus in your hearts.  Have an answer for those ready when they will ask you what makes your religion and beliefs right among all the others who believe so much other stuff.  For there are all kinds of religions and theologies of false gods, let alone false doctrines of the true God, and then there are the atheists and heathens!  Many times I have debated against false doctrines and religions, always citing chapter and verse of Scripture, and none could win against me, they simply refused to accept the bible as it is written, and so they incur from God whatever He deems for rejecting what is written.

When we speak, and the topic is of a religious nature, and we witness of God, in any or all forms of the Trinity, let us first be sure we have it right!  Let us read, read, and read some more, all of God's word, from cover to cover, and what we memorize, preach that.  The more we remember, the better our witness, but be sure; if we misspeak what Scripture has written, it ruins our witness.  But if we speak surely, our confidence edifies our family in Christ who hear it, and unbelievers may take interest, because even they can tell we believe what we say.  As we grow in our faith and prayers to God, and get many reading hours under our belts, God grants us ability.  Even the mute and deaf may demonstrate witness of God, because when we watch our brothers and sisters and children in Christ doing Scripitural works, we understand they are living what Scripture dictates we are to do amongst our neighbors.  "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (1 Pet. 4:11)

Let us be not a witness only today, but every day.  When we get up every morning and pray, let us ask Him to open our eyes to every opportunity to witness for Christ, that we might successfullly witness of Him to every neighbor, whether for edification or unto the salvation of the unsaved, let us give Him a witness in me and you!

Make Sure To Double-Punch Your Ticket!

MAKE SURE TO DOUBLE-PUNCH YOUR TICKET!

Someone very dear to me once told me that nobody really knows for sure that they're going to heaven.  Really?  If we don't believe this, then are we unbelievers?  If we are like this, then we should be as the father of the child whom Jesus healed; "And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.'" (Mark 9:24)  Likewise, what about people of other religions; though they have good works that they do all their lives, will they earn heaven for their good works, without belief in Christ Jesus, and acceptance of Him as their Savior?  Let's start with the first half, as James did in his epistle. "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works?  Can faith save him?" (James 2:14)

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, 'Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled'; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." (James 2:15 - 17)  Unlike the thief on the cross who displayed faith on the cross, but was unable to do a work, save rebuke the other transgressor, we, while free, DO have opportunities to do works!  "For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Rom. 9:15)  We can donate clothes to many charity outlets, and things like bedding and toiletries to gospel missions.  We can visit prisons, although that's very difficult nowadays, and we can go to hospitals and make donations there as well.  Baby clothes to a poor family, for example.  My wife and I did many things for a sweet couple out on a limb not too long ago whose baby was in the hospital for a month.  We have many works that we have done, but we don't stop, and we don't list them all for anyone, because, of course, we don't want them to be straw and burned in the bemus (believer's) judgment.  Nevertheless, works is another part of a two-part ticket one need to punch in order to be sure of going to heaven!  If one has faith with no works, their workless faith is a worthless faith!

One might say, "And how do we know what type of works qualify as works worthy of going to heaven?"  Fair question, and Jesus answered that question with some works He qualified as worthy of kingdom entrance; "Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, 'Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me.'  Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when saw we Thee an hungred, and fed Thee?  Or thirsty, and gave Thee drink?  Saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in?  Or naked, and clothed Thee?  Saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee?'  And the King shall answer and say unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.'" (Matt. 25:34 - 40)  Surely Jesus has put here examples for good works that qualify for the half of the ticket we need to get to heaven.  But surely there are also more.  These are works of compassion, and He gave examples here, but let the days be many and in abundance where we may come upon opportunities of all kinds where we can demonstrate compassion to our fellow human beings!  Now I mean not in any way to misconstrue the idea that anyone can be saved by works, but rather, that works are demonstrations of faith and a way of gathering treasures in heaven.  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. 2:8 - 9)

Now many say, "I can't believe our God would send to hell a man or woman of many good works who belongs to another religion, just because his religion didn't have Christ as their Savior"  So what then?  Do they doubt the bible where it is written, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16 - 18)  Everyone is quickly taught John 3:16, but few are ready to take it to John 3:18 to finish the concept!  Is it any wonder why Jesus so excellently said, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." (Matt. 7:13 - 14)?  As it is so written, so believe.  This is why the gate to heaven is narrow; because the instructions to find it are here, but so few want to follow ALL of them!

"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.  But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?  And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (James 2:18 - 23)  So by this point with all I've written, we may draw that faith in Christ Jesus and good works is both parts of the ticket into heaven.  Punch both parts, and you have your ticket!  But don't stop experiencing either part of the ticket, particularly faith, because that would be apostasy, and that's in the bible, too!  "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thess. 2:1 - 4)  So don't lose the faith part of your ticket, as is explained here.  The bible already has told you there will be an apostasy, a falling away from faith in Christ, a turn in rebellion, and we don't want to be one of them!  "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:24)  Here it is plainly; works justify our faith in Christ and the two parts of the ticket are punched hereby!

So what about a pagan, or Gentile, unbeliever, who changes their mind?  What if a prostitute finds faith in Jesus the Son of God and does works worthy of salvation?  It's been done before, and by a harlot, no less!  "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:25 - 26)

If we find a fellow Christian who has not yet realized this biblical precept, let us explain it to them while the opportunity exists, and for the seeker, who has not committed to Christ, let us explain this, that they might accept Christ's invitation to His light yoke and gain their opportunity for salvation in Him!

IN GOD WE TRUST

IN GOD WE TRUST

Do you know what it seems to me is one of the greatest draws of men and women to God?  Times of trouble.  It seems this is the most significant reason we turn to Him and start to trust Him, is when we are in such deep manure, that it seems to a soul the only way to be extricated from the mire we find ourselves engulfed in.  "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer." (Psa. 4:1)  As David called and trusted He would answer, so should we do in times of distress.  Only let us not only call on Him when we are in trouble, let us pray to Him at all times!  "Pray without ceasing." (1 Thess. 5:17)

In this age, we have a habit of labeling people; you know, we have a name for the type of behavior you can typically expect out of certain ones.  For example, some are frowned upon and given the label, "users".  Just like you don't appreciate people who use you, do you expect God to appreciate those who use Him?  "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD." (Psa. 4:5)  When you pay your respects to God during both good times and bad times, at that time can you trust He will be willing to move to your needs.  Believers normally do this, so it is quite natural they trust Him to help when they call.

When you trust in the Lord, doing good, obeying His commandments and statutes, as you dwell where you are, you can literally feed on His faithfulness in your daily walk.  "Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." (Psa. 37:3)

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)" (Heb. 10:23)  We who believe in God and the bible trust all His promises will be kept.  Those of us who have obeyed His commandments and statutes and believed in Christ Jesus that He died for all our sins look forward to that day when we stand with Him in the heavenly places.  We trust that by His grace we are saved.  But let us not believe that His grace gives us license to sin, as some seem to allude to, claiming they are no longer under the burden of the law, as if it is now okay to transgress; it is a life of love and service!  "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another." (Gal. 5:6, 13)

Let me not mislead.  We no longer sacrifice animals, because we trust in Christ for His grace.  "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." (Rom. 10:4)  So we trust in Christ for sufficient grace to enter His kingdom, but we still obey His commandments and statutes; "What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid.  How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom. 6:1 - 2)  Indeed, we strive to be like Christ, who is forever sinless, knowing that we can't be, but we strive for that mark.  What sins we commit after accepting Him as Savior we trust Him to wash away in the power of His precious blood.  This is the concept of grace.  Not that there was not grace in the Old Testament, for Noah and others found it, too. "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD." (Gen. 6:8)  I was compelled to correct a gal recently who stated we "were in the age of grace, and no longer under the weight of the law", and I had to give her chapter and verse that Jesus didn't come to destroy the law, nor was grace from God absent in the Old Testament, as she was alluding to.  There was nothing wrong with the law, the problem was with the people!

Trust that He will give us rest.  Believe that all His promises are true, and not one word will fail.  So many people I have witnessed to have said they don't believe in the bible.  These same people have claimed to be Irish Catholics and protestants of varying denominations, and of course, there are the atheists and heathens who think they are being smarter than I working for money instead of God, like an Asian woman I witnessed to in a donut shop.  Folly runs rampant in every country, doesn't it?  "Blessed be the LORD, that hath given rest unto His people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant." (1 Kings 8:56)  No believer disagrees with me here that this was wise of Solomon to say when he said it then, and so does it apply today.

Trust that the Lord will answer the call of believers, but be careful what you ask for, you might just get it!  "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jer. 33:3)  I used to ask for Him to greatly increase my faith, and to give me great faith, and He allowed it to come to pass that I was answered in a way far beyond my expectations, and it continued for a year and a half, and while I'm sure it was what I needed in His eyes, I certainly didn't want it in that manner!  I learned a time after it had started that in order to demonstrate great faith, your faith has to be greatly tested!

Those who trust in Him can believe He will deliver them.  Though the devil attack you for a year and a half, God will deliver you who believe on Him!  "Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known My name.  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him." (Psa. 91:14 - 15)  No matter what manure I must wade through for however long, I will trust Him to change me and make me white as snow in the end.  We who believe can trust our deliverance from death.  Trust God through all trials; "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." (Isa. 43:2)  I'll give you an example; remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?  "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, 'Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?'  They answered and said unto the king, 'True, O king.'  He answered and said, 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.'" (Dan. 3:23 - 25)  What an amazing passage of Scripture this is, because it tells of men who trusted God, and God was even physically with them while they were in the fiery furnace, in no pain nor of any harm from the fire.  For their trust was truly great!

There are, unfortunately, a people who cannot trust God; no, they will wallow in trouble all the days they do not soften their hearts and give them to God.  These are the wicked, and their lot is such as this; "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.  'There is no peace', saith my God, 'to the wicked.'" (Isa. 57:20 - 21)  I know someone suffering this now, and his language is so foul, no sentence comes out of him that has no cursing; his language is so limited.  He goes unemployed, for he understands not that his language keeps him from earning a wage.  "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Prov. 18:20 - 21)  He looks forward to donating blood to buy his beer and chew tobacco, and I feel compelled to pray that the Spirit of God open his eyes, that he might trust Christ to change his life for the better and his salvation.

Is there trouble between you and a brother or sister?  Forgive, and trust God for peace on that issue; "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil." (Eph. 4:26 - 27)  If you let unforgiveness hold onto your heart, expect your heart to be troubled for it until you do forgive.

"Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.  Selah." (Psa. 62:8)  When you are in great distress, call out to Him.  His reward for your trust is that He will bring you through whatever the tribulation.

At some time in your life, is there ever a time you can recall that you didn't sleep well at night, because of some great fear for your safety, or maybe that something was going to happen because of some matter earlier in the day?  Did you ever realize later that was a lack of trust in the Lord to keep you safe?  "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." (Psa. 4:8)  Easier said than done, true, because we don't physically see our Lord protecting us, but we must prove we have faith in the invisible God!  "I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me." (Psa. 3:5)

Zophar counseled Job to repent that he might receive invulnerability once more of God from all his calamities.  In knowing the story, Zophar's ill thoughts of Job are unfounded, yet, his advice is correct; trust God for protection from destruction.  "And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.  Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, many shall make suit unto thee." (Job 11:18 - 19)  The believer can trust in the hedge God puts between us and the evil of the devil and his demons.

No matter how great the enemy, trust God to blot them out of your way and cause them to be but a bad memory for you.  For if they are not your brother or sister, how could they be a believer in our great God?  "Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were come forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.  Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it." (Deut. 25:17 - 19)  As God smote the most savage enemy of Moses and the Israelites, so trust Him to do the same for you, because you believe on Him!  "The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." (Psa. 18:2)

Is there one reading this who is barren, and has no children to count on in their old age?  Trusting in God, we have children in Christ, because those younger than us are our sons and daughters in Christ, just as Paul called Timothy his son, though he was not so, biologically speaking!  "And again, I will put my trust in Him.  And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me." (Heb. 2:13)  Though my wife and I are barren, yet, we have daughters and sons in Christ for our old age!

Now what of the law?  So many fear the law, as though it were a schoolmaster, and Paul indeed thought it a schoolmaster; to teach us to trust in Christ to justify us by faith in Him!  "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Gal. 3:24)  And what more shall I say of the law?  As I said in the fifth paragraph of this study, Jesus came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it!  "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:17 - 19)  So trust in God.  Yea, trust in Christ Jesus to fulfill the law; "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.  He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because He hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:16 - 18)

Let us trust explicitly in the Lord, for "They that trust in the LORD shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.  As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from henceforth even for ever." (Psa. 125:1 - 2)

A HISTORY OF JESUS

A HISTORY OF JESUS

I found it rather interesting one day that someone struggling to pastor a church in a predominately Hindu country asked me this question, but perhaps as he goes doorknocking this is a common question among the Hindus.  It also made me ponder that maybe even other Christians would not be able to easily answer this question, as many of us would immediately blurt out that He always was, always is, and always will be, but as the thought processes of people from other countries are on a different wavelength than those in my country, I thought perhaps it would be easier for Hindus and people of other religions to come to Christ if it were explained more fully from Scripture, so while we know Christ always was, therefore had no beginning, let's go to the beginning of the bible and explain it as I did to our brother in Christ.

The first line of Scripture I gave as evidence Jesus existed before the first man was this one: "And God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'" (Gen. 1:26)  Note that God said "Us" and "Our".  This is strong evidence that the Trinity existed at the very beginning, consistent with our doctrine that God always was. I wanted to further exemplify that Jesus didn't just hang out in heaven while man was working his way through time, so I used this passage in Genesis that would be even stronger evidence that Jesus was busy on earth, and that man knew it was Him from the Father and the Holy Spirit; "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." (Gen. 48:16)  Jesus is often referred to as God's Angel in the Old Testament, and the way you can know that Jesus is being referred to here specifically is that it is written the Angel REDEEMED him from all evil, and Jesus is known in the New Testament as our Redeemer, so here we have it He is known at work in the Old Testament.  Time to visit Him in the New Testament!

Another good explanation of His history prior and up to His birth can be found in the gospel of John at its beginning; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.  In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.  There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.  That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.  He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.  He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.  But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-14)

His earthly history was heralded by an angel just before He came to earth; "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." (Luke 2:10 - 12)  And then He was born, indeed!  "And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." (Luke 2:16)  He lived somewhat of an invisible childhood between the ages of 12 and 30, until He started His ministry..."And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and His disciples, to the marriage.  And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him, 'They have no wine.'  Jesus saith unto her, 'Woman, what have I to do with thee?  Mine hour is not yet come.'  His mother saith unto the servants, 'Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.'  And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.  Jesus saith unto them, 'Fill the waterpots with water.'  And they filled them up to the brim.  And He saith unto them, 'Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast.'  And they bare it. the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, 'Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.'  This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth His glory; and His disciples believed on Him." (John 2:1 - 11)

After 3 years of ministry, His mission to fulfill from the Father was at hand, so He was crucified and died for our sins as the perfect sacrifice, that all who will believe in Christ Jesus will be saved and have eternal life in heaven.  "They crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, 'They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots.'" (Matt. 27:35)  But Jesus did not STAY DEAD!  He rose again on the third day, according to the prophecies of the scriptures!  "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.  And the angel answered and said unto the women, 'Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.  Come, see the place where the Lord lay." (Matt. 28:2 - 6)

Now after His resurrection from the dead, He appeared several times to His disciples.  Then, in the witness of over 500 disciples, He went into heaven, with the promise He will return!  "And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, 'Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?  This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.'" (Acts 1:9 - 11)

Now since Jesus left to go to heaven, we are given all this time to demonstrate that we havae faith in Him, and believe in Him, that we might go to heaven because we believe.  And when the end of time has come for the earth, Jesus will sit on a great white throne, and He will judge the living and the dead, the good and the evil.  "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  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.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11 - 15)  Jesus it is who will give us the right to the tree of life, because we believed in Him, and did His commandments!  "And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Rev. 22:12 - 14)  And so I told my brother in Christ that he had not only herein the history of Jesus, which is without beginning in reality, but also the future of Jesus, which also is without end!

Biblical Discrimination

BIBLICAL DISCRIMINATION

Think not that there was not discrimination during the time that Jesus walked the earth, because I tell you, there was.  Those whom the Jews discriminated against, those whom they would not have any dealings with, these people did Jesus lift up on a number of occasions in His speech, and even in a visitation with them.  These people were...the Samaritans!  Let's see how the bible brings them through history into an era of discrimination, and how Jesus used them as a tool in His ministry to fight discrimination of them.

The first use of the word Samaria comes in 1 Kings 13:32; "For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass."  This entire area that would later become the capital of the 10 northern tribes is the same place where an old prophet tricked a man of God by a lie into disobeying God, for which he was slain by a lion.  This is also the place bought by Omri who reigned in Israel, the most wicked king of his time, and the place became the center of idol worship in that day.  "And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.  But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the LORD, and did worse than all that were before him." (1 Kings 16:24 - 25)  Already one can see why Samaria was a bad place to be from; it was of such bad reputation for idolatry!  This place that Omri built, he was also buried there.

Now you think Omri was a wicked king doing his idolatry thing to provoke the Lord to anger; huh!  He was a piker next to Ahab!  "And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD above all that were before him.  And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.  And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.  And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him." (1 Kings 16:29 - 33)  We're really getting a good picture of why Samaritans were considered the scum of the earth, here; they apparently enjoyed invoking the wrath of God whoring after false gods!  This was also, by the way, the land where Jezebel lived, renowned as a prophet-killer, she was!  "For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)" (1 Kings 18:4)

The third king in lineage, Ahaziah was another no good king of Israel. "Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.  And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father, and in the way of his mother, and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done." (1 Kings 22:51 - 53)  So this place is getting quite a name for evil kings and the home of false god worship!

This is becoming a long line of evil kings; the fourth generation now reigns, and still nothing good is able to be spoken of Samaria, except that Elisha had been there.  "Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years.  And he wrought evil in the sight of the LORD; but not like his father, and like his mother: for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.  Nevertheless he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which made Israel to sin; he departed not therefrom." (2 Kings 3:1 - 3)

Now here is one small trivial point in Samaria's history where something good happened, but not for anyone from Samaria, but rather to the captain of the Syrian host, Naaman; he bathed in the Jordan there seven times, and was cured of his leprosy!  "So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.  And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, 'Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.'" (2 Kings 5:9 - 10)

This is the place where a second great famine had taken hold of the people, so bad, that an unclean animal, an ass's head, sold for 80 pieces of silver!  "And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.  And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver." (2 Kings 6:24 - 25)  In this famine, even the women ate their children!  "And the king said unto her, 'What aileth thee?'  And she answered, 'This woman said unto me, "Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow."  So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, "Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son."" (2 Kings 6:28 - 29)  So this Samaria has become a place of great evil and horrible happenstances...and shall we find more?

Samaria is the place wherein the people slew all 70 of king Ahab's sons (2 Kings 10) at the bidding of Jehu, who afterward slew everyone else who belonged to Ahab.  It is the place where Jehoahaz also caused Israel to sin the sins of Jeroboam, that the Lord delivered them into the hands of the king of Syria (2 Kings 13).  And Jehoash did the same after Jehoahaz his father, as did also Jeroboam (2 Kings 14), As did Zachariah, the last of Jehu's descendants (2 Kings 15); and Shallum killed him, and reigned, and Menahem killed him, and reigned, and even he followed the sins of Jeroboam!  Pekahiah followed him after Jeroboam's sins, and Pekah slew him, but did the same sins; Hoshea reigned after him (2 Kings 17), and also sinned the sins of Jeroboam, and the king of Assyria beseiged and took them away, and allowed Israel to be a melting pot of religions.  So I think this is sufficient to lend great credibility at this point that so much of Samaria's history reeked of wickedness, that to be from there and admit it immediately gave you a bad reputation, and thus people discriminated against anyone from Samaria, or that claimed to be Samaritan.

It was common to discriminate or say prejudicial things of towns and cities with bad reputations.  Take Jesus, for instance.  When Nathanael first heard of where Jesus was from when he heard of Jesus from Philip for the first time, he said this; "Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, 'We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'  And Nathanael said unto him, 'Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?'  Philip saith unto him, 'Come and see.'" (John 1:45 - 46)  So you see how Nathanael spoke negative of Jesus, since where He came from had a negative reputation?  From a worldly aspect, it is considered that leopards cannot change their spots, and so nothing good can come out of an ill-reputed city or country.  But from Philip's speaking, we understand that he already believed on Jesus, but Nathanael needed to learn of Jesus' Messiahship first hand, unbelieving, at first.

Jesus used people's prejudice and discrimination to teach them a couple times within His ministry using Samaria.  "But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?'  And Jesus answering said, 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.  And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.'  Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?'  And he said, 'He that shewed mercy on him.'  Then said Jesus unto him, 'Go, and do thou likewise.'" (Luke 10:29 - 37)

Let us examine the Scripture above, here.  Jesus uses two examples of what are supposed to be respectable Jews and shows them to be uncommpassionate toward a man who desparately needs compassion.  These do not treat that certain man as would be expected, being a priest, one, and a Levite, the other.  But then comes a Samaritan, one who is despised by reputation of where he is from, and it is HE who does the right thing and is compassionate toward that certain man who was robbed and nearly killed.  And see how the lawyer referred to the Samaritan in the end?  Even after Jesus exalted the man in the parable from that despised place, Samaria, the lawyer couldn't bring himself to say, "the Samaritan", he forced himself to say, rather, "He that shewed mercy upon him.".

This is not the only instance of the Gospels where Jesus finds the Samaritans more worthy than the rest of the Jews.  Consider the story of the 10 lepers; "And it came to pass, as He went to Jerusalem, that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  And as He entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, 'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.'  And when He saw them, He said unto them, 'Go shew yourselves unto the priests.'  And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.  And Jesus answering said, 'Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.'  And He said unto him, 'Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.'" (Luke 17:11 - 19)  Here was not a parable, but a real life story proving that just because someone comes from a place of ill repute, doesn't make everyone from there of ill repute, as well.

The Pharisees accused Jesus of being a Samaritan, even though He never said He was from there, and on top of that, they accused Him of having a devil, and this was an unforgivable sin!  "Then answered the Jews, and said unto Him, 'Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?'" (John 8:48)  They wanted to paint Him a great heretic, and what better place to accuse Him of being from, than from a city long reknowned for heresy and false religions of all sorts.

There is one more prejudice/discrimination to address in the bible; personal discrimination.  The worldly view, as I used once previously here, is that leopards cannot change their spots; but this is not true with Jesus.  Consider Saul, later Paul. "And Saul was consenting unto his death.  And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.  And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.  As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.  Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word." (Acts 8:1 - 4)  Here was a guy who was a Christian terrorist!  This Pharisee made sure no Christian breathed easy in his presence!  Yet, this leopard, as we know, DID change his spots!  "And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?'  And he said, 'Who art thou, Lord?'  And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.'  And he trembling and astonished said, 'Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?'  And the Lord said unto him, 'Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.'  And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.  And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus." (Acts 9:3 - 8)  So here is Saul, who is converted by Christ Himself, and he has to go through a process of becoming unblinded, and thereafter, he himself is preaching the very things that he exerted much venom against!  As we know from the New Testament, Paul was initially feared by Peter and Jesus' other disciples, but was accepted once they learned of his conversion.  "And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.  But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.  And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.  And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him.  Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus." (Acts 9:26 - 30)  Now this is understandably a hard discrimination to overcome; if someone is known for wanting to kill you, you don't make friends with them just on their say so that they have changed; that could be fatal!  Yet, here again is another example how God can cause a leopard to indeed change his spots!  With God, all is possible.

So what does Scripture have for us to learn from all this?  "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 perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. 3:16 - 17)  Is instruction in righteousness to be found in this?  Jesus seemed to be teaching that good people can come out of places of ill repute, and, according to Nathanael's reference to Nazareth, Jesus Himself came out of a place with a bad reputation.  And how unique was Saul, later Paul, that for the Christians of his day, he should come out of his own fearful reputation to become one of the most Scripture-writing apostles for the reading pleasure of Christians everywhere today.  Would it seem that Christ was trying to give us that we should not judge anyone because they came from "the wrong side of the tracks", a place of bad repute?  And here He was, a Nazarene, yet Nathanael discovered that his Messiah came from that place where he once held that nothing good could come from.  And Paul; is he not an example for us that even the most wicked of people can be changed by God into a bondservant of Christ?  It seems we can learn from this not to judge someone for where they came from, or who they once were, but rather observe the content of their character, and know them by who they are NOW.  If they be evil for a season, pray for them, and observe if they "change their spots"!