People say they don’t want to offend anyone by mentioning Jesus’ name. I guess instead of hurting their feelings they would rather see them rot in hell! That sounds a little harsh but isn’t that basically true? When we don’t tell the whole truth about who Jesus is, what He did for us on the cross, and what needs to be done to get into heaven, isn’t that what we are doing? There is no two stepping around the Gospel. Jesus is the Son of God, He was sacrificed to atone for our sins, and as Paul simply put it in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” You can chant, meditate, pray to people, worship idols, burn incense, repeat other people’s prayers all you want, it won’t do you any good. Or you could do what God says to do. Don’t worry about offending anyone, worry about them spending eternity in 100 degree heat and 98% humidity! Be ready to be offensive. The Sword of the Spirit, the Bible, is an offensive weapon. You don’t need to be waving it around like a light saber, but don’t be afraid to use it to save a soul from hell! If it offends them, you tried, their choice.
The Apostle Paul was accused of many things, but when some Christian Jews accused him of watering down the Gospel, they were way off base. Because he didn’t require the Gentiles to follow the Law of Moses, the Jewish believers were upset.That didn’t fit with their culture, that wasn’t what God had originally told them to do. Jesus didn’t come to fit into any of man’s cultural standards. God knows the heart of man, knows that no one could ever uphold the law perfectly. He sent His Son to be the only worthy sacrifice for the sins of man and only by accepting and believing in His work on the cross, may we be forgiven. So many people think they can good work their way into heaven, pray their way in, or do fanatical acts to get into heaven. Do you think God would have allowed Jesus to do what He did if there was any other way? It doesn’t matter what the times or the culture says, there is only one way into heaven and that is to personally accept Jesus as Lord and Savior while you are alive! The world is constantly trying to water down the truth, but the truth doesn’t change. Start the new year strong in your faith and knowledge that Jesus is the (only) way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him! No matter how much water the enemy throws upon it, he can’t wash away the truth.
What defines being rich … large homes, cars, boats, piles of money in safety deposit boxes? Nothing wrong with being rich, but it is important what you do with it. Paul’s instruction to Timothy in his first letter about the “rich of this present age” was to help them from trusting the uncertainty of riches instead of God. Living in Naples we are surrounded by wealth and people that love to flaunt it, many of which, I fear, are far from the Lord. Wealth can come and go in a heartbeat, but treasures laid up in heaven are indestructible! Riches aren’t necessarily material things and generosity doesn’t come with a price tag. You can be generous with your money, sure, but being generous with your time and kindness are treasure builders too. That is something, whether rich or poor, that should define a Christian … to be overly generous with what you have. If you are able to help out financially, great, if not, kill them with kindness, offer your services to those that can use them, make yourself available! This new year, if you’re not already doing it, make a concerted effort to be generous with kindness, time, abilities, and if able, finances, and work at building up that heavenly treasure!
What would you do if, as a young girl engaged to be married, an angel appeared to you and said you were going to conceive a child by the Holy Spirit? What would you do if your future bride came and told you she was pregnant but not by a man? Joseph didn’t over react but pondered the situation until he got the message from God and then he obeyed it. Mary, knowing what she would have to endure socially, simply said, “Let it be done to me according to your word”, or simply put, Thy will, not mine, be done. Mary and Joseph should be included in Hebrews 11 the heroes of the faith chapter! This young teenage girl shines as an example of trust and obedience to God and His Word. How often do you end your prayers with Thy will, not mine, be done? When faced with a seemingly impossible situation, do you hand it over to God and trust in His deliverance from it? Mary questioned how could this be possible as we do the same. What was the angels reply? “For with God, nothing is impossible!” We have an awesome God who does impossible things. As the simple teenage girl totally trusted her life into the Lord’s hands, let us do the same. Have a Merry Christmas and keep trusting Him to do the impossible!
Isaiah prophesied, “The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light” and “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given … and His name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” That’s a mighty heavy string of titles for a baby wrapped in a manger, but He was and is all of that and more. His great light shone on the darkness and exposed it for what it was. How long the Hebrews waited for their Messiah to come, waited for their deliverance from political oppression. But Jesus didn’t come just for the Hebrews and He didn’t come to bring social change but spiritual change. He came to bring peace between man and God not man and man. It is so sad that our eyes are always on the finite and not the infinite. So many people missed out on being a part of Jesus’ ministry, missed out on being in close fellowship with the Son of God, all because He didn’t do what they thought He should, so they turned their backs on Him. So many people do the same today. He was and is the Prince of Peace, and one day, when He returns, He will bring the peace everyone longs for, everyone dreams about. “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb. The leopard shall lie down with the young goat … And the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.” Come soon dear Jesus, come soon!
Once you become a Christian, you are held to a much higher standard. Jesus is our example of how we are to live, and He set the bar pretty high. While we aren’t really expected to clear the bar on every attempt, we should be seriously trying to and our first priority is with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Whenever you see “one another” in the New Testament, that is who it is referring to. It goes without saying that we should be kind, tenderhearted, gentle,and patient, but also that we should help to bear one another’s burdens. If you see a brother or sister struggling, and you have the means to help them, do it! It may be only to listen, or to help with something physical, or financial, or maybe only to give words of encouragement. Everyone may not have the gift of encouragement but anyone can be an encourager. Then there’s the big one, forgiveness. Jesus gave His all that we may be forgiven, what could a brother or sister possibly have done that we cannot forgive them for? Do petty egos blind us to the command forgive others as I have forgiven you? As it has been said many times before, how can we attract the world if the world doesn’t see us as any different than itself? Priority number one, love and forgive your brothers and sisters in Christ and then go and show that love and forgiveness to the world!
People say they don’t want to offend anyone by mentioning Jesus’ name. I guess instead of hurting their feelings they would rather see them rot in hell! That sounds a little harsh but isn’t that basically true? When we don’t tell the whole truth about who Jesus is, what He did for us on the cross, and what needs to be done to get into heaven, isn’t that what we are doing? There is no two stepping around the Gospel. Jesus is the Son of God, He was sacrificed to atone for our sins, and as Paul simply put it in Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” You can chant, meditate, pray to people, worship idols, burn incense, repeat other people’s prayers all you want, it won’t do you any good. Or you could do what God says to do. Don’t worry about offending anyone, worry about them spending eternity in 100 degree heat and 98% humidity! Be ready to be offensive. The Sword of the Spirit, the Bible, is an offensive weapon. You don’t need to be waving it around like a light saber, but don’t be afraid to use it to save a soul from hell! If it offends them, you tried, their choice.
The Apostle Paul was accused of many things, but when some Christian Jews accused him of watering down the Gospel, they were way off base. Because he didn’t require the Gentiles to follow the Law of Moses, the Jewish believers were upset.That didn’t fit with their culture, that wasn’t what God had originally told them to do. Jesus didn’t come to fit into any of man’s cult
What defines being rich … large homes, cars, boats, piles of money in safety deposit boxes? Nothing wrong with being rich, but it is important what you do with it. Paul’s instruction to Timothy in his first letter about the “rich of this present age” was to help them from trusting the uncertainty of riches instead of God. Living in Naples we are surrounded by wealth and people that love to flaunt it, many of which, I fear, are far from the Lord. We
What would you do if, as a young girl engaged to be married, an angel appeared to you and said you were going to conceive a child by the Holy Spirit? What would you do if your future bride came and told you she was pregnant but not by a man? Joseph didn’t over react but pondered the situation until he got the message from God and then he obeyed it. Mary, knowing what she would have to endure socially, simply said, “Let it be done to me according to yo
Isaiah prophesied, “The people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light” and “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given … and His name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” That’s a mighty heavy string of titles for a baby wrapped in a manger, but He was and is all of that and more. His great light shone on the darkness and exposed it for what it was. How long the Hebrews waited for the
Once you become a Christian, you are held to a much higher standard. Jesus is our example of how we are to live, and He set the bar pretty high. While we aren’t really expected to clear the bar on every attempt, we should be seriously trying to and our first priority is with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Whenever you see “one another” in the New Testament, that is who it is referring to. It goes without saying that we should be kind, tenderhear