How He loves us.

Check your time.

In this crazy beautiful world we live in everything is changing. We as Christians have a constant, an anchor, God.

Today everything is seen as relative. Every person believe that what they think is right is right. The freedom of speech is a good thing. The freedom of thought is a very good thing.

Asking questions is the only way we develop as man. The problem comes in when we believe that more than one answer is the right answer.

We say that there is many ways to skin a cat. The thing is we ask questions like “What is a skinned cat?” We build a case that questions the meaning of the very words. We would question if there is really something like a cat. We will question and ask what it means when we say “skin the cat”. We ask ourselves so many questions even questioning the answers of the answers.

In the end we would say it is all relative, who says the cat, if it is a cat? Is not skinned already?

Today as every other age Christians should know what they believe and why they believe it. If we are to stand, if we are to grow in faith, if we are to answer the question posed to us, we cannot just pitch at church on Sunday and listen to the sermon and hope it is enough to face the tuff questions.

Our time is filled up with so many things, work, hobbies, school, family, friends, Facebook, blogs, net-browsing, movies, TV shows and all other kind of activities, we never dust the Bible cover off.

Our knees is bruised not because of praying but, because we bumped when we texted our friend as we are leaving his house.

The sense of community is fast being eroded by our technology. While we have the best communication networks today, nobody really knows anybody else.

In this vast disconnected world we find ourselves alone in a crowd.

We have access to the word of God but, we don’t know what we believe and how to explain why we believe it. We have access to a multitude of friends but, do we have any?

We say we are richer, but are we really?

The most precious thing we have is time, and we received it freely. The problem with time we never can get it back. How do we invest our time? Do we make wise choices when we decide how to spend it?

Is the time spending watching great movie worth more than a boring hour with the kids? Is a quick text to someone you hardly know worth more than eye contact with the person you speaking too.

Our frantic search for that illusive “Meaning of life”, our unquenched thirst for that deep satisfying relationship leads us to this over stretched life.

We compound as much things into the shortest, thinking maybe that will for fill my life maybe that will fill this void.

Christians also fall into this trap, chasing riches, cheap thrill that best life now. While quality goes out the window.

We have fallen victim to the “Fast Food” life.

Everything now, very fast and tasty (sort of) no matter what the results are.

That is not the Christian life. The pay-off is not now. This is time of investments, some fruits will follow now but, most will only be visible later.

Quality time is a “myth” there is no substitute for quantity.

If you don’t put in the time you won’t get a dime.

If you start off and start doing just a little each day you will over time accomplish a something big and it will last.

I wanted to learn a few things, my wife bought me a series of books and I have read about 12000 pages in that series. Some will say wow. Others will say so what I read that in a few months.

You see I never read much, I think I only read two or three of my prescribed books I had in high school.

How did I get through those books? By reading 20 pages a day.

Doing a little each day goes a long way and normal then it will be of better quality than the little quickly rushed things.

The most important thing in life is your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Set yourself a goal, set a schedule stick by it, cut time off all the other little thing you do, beg borrow steal but, make time.

     

   

Chrismas song.

The Gospel Message to Believers.

Most often the Gospel message when preach is preached and applied to the unbeliever. The Gospel is seen by most believers as Christianity 101, something we have to go through to get to the good stuff.

We even will go so far as to call it the milk and the debate about Revelation 20 as the meat, the 2 inch steak.

This is actually very sad and has led to so many bad things it’s hard to list them all. The biggest problem is we under appreciate the Gospel. We see it as the doorway while Paul said all he was about is Christ and He crucified.

So if the apostle who wrote the biggest part of the New Testament focused on the Gospel why is it not our centre of attention anymore?

Our arrogance towards the Gospel leads to the formation of a moral church. We evolve into a club of ‘stiff upper lippers” guys ignorant of our sin.

Most Christians will never claim that they are without sin; most of us know that is a lie. We choose to ignore our sins and not to think of them anymore. We think of our achievements, all the sins we do not commit anymore.

We look at the world and transform into the Pharisee that Christ talked about, self-righteous and convince of our own holiness.

The Gospel is not just our way to be saved and reconciled to God. The Gospel is in its very essence, Christ. Jesus Christ is the gospel, are we really going to call Him Christianity 101? Are we going to only see Him as a saving instrument, something to be used?

Christianity at its core is a relationship. Sin has defiled that relationship.

Sin in our lives right now defiles that relationship. We must always constantly be examing ourselves and our hearts. Open to Matthew 5, read the Sermon on the Mount. Consider God’s standards, are we anywhere near that?

We must preach the Gospel to ourselves daily, hourly. By understanding it by living it, by repenting of our sins, may it be visible or invisible. The Gospel is needed by all, the righteous and the unrighteous.

   

Becoming what you are.

Many believe they are saved. They remember a date which they converted. They believe that Jesus is the son of God, send to earth to pay for our penalty. They even believe that they have given their lives to him. A few can even explain a few more complex doctrines but, they are not saved.

Being saved comprises of more than just knowing some facts. The proof of saving faith is found in the deeds.

Our deeds do not save us but proclaims that which we know as our beliefs.

True repentance is a change of direction, our centre changes. Our heart is changed by God. We are quickened like the older church men used to say.

We are completely changed and our way of life changes. Let me try and summarize it in one sentence.

Sanctification is the proof of a work already completed.

Sanctification is the gradual change of a person’s deeds towards what honours God. Already if you truly have come to Christ and are saved you are given a new heart by God, a heart that longs for God and the things that pleases Him.

You die to self and to your worldly and selfish dreams and come into line with what God wants.

A person who claims he is a Christian but, does not lead a Christ-honouring life is a fraud. James 2:17, 26

Remember that frightful passages; Mathew 7:21.

Think of Nicodumos coming to Jesus in the dead of night asking Christ what he should do to be saved. John 3:2-3

Jesus then answers him look especially at John 3: 31-32. “If you continue in my word, then you are truly disciples of mine…”

A life that continually careens of the road set by Christ is the life of a false disciple.

We will not lead perfect lives but, our inclination will change we would desire neither good nor evil and we will fight the good fight. “It will not be perfect obedience and repentance, but good works will be present” J MacArthur.

Eph 2:8-10 “created in Christ Jesus for good works,”

Good work does not save us but, it shouts to the world that we are different and that we are saved.

The demons are most probably more orthodox in their believes than most believers but, they are not saved. You can know everything but, if your heart is not changed you are not saved.

By examining your works you will be able to determine if you faith is authentic. Remember that all of us will fall, sometimes even jump and swim with the pigs, but what you do after that is what counts.

Do not think in a moment that I’m saying “sin all the more so that grace can increase” oh, no if you say that, if we would think that for a instant it proofs our faith is dead and not a iota of love for Christ lives in us.

Sinning, is like walking past the Cross of Christ and spitting in His face, striking the nails with a hammer. Sinning is rebelling against our saviour and if we do it “all up in His face” you can be assured we are not saved.

What I’m saying, times of weakness come, situations present themselves and we resurrect the dead monster in ourselves and do what is not pleasing to our saviour.

In these times we forget what he has done for us and how much He cares for us. On the other side of such a horrendous detour Christ is waiting to reconcile with us but, if these detours are frequent and extended re-examine yourself, do not lie, are you a Christian, do you really love Him above all else?

Return quickly to Christ; do not give sin a foothold in your life, run, hide, and fight.

In times of severe sin (is there any other kind) your assurance of salvation will waiver, this sometimes becomes a vessel to extend the period away from Christ.

The best remedy is to not fall into sin but, we are not in heaven yet so we will sin. This dark cold fact must not be an excuse; it must be a call to arms, to knees, fight.

Sin mostly comes when we give our imagination free reign in our lives. Curb it. We only sin after we have played with that set sin in our minds, guard your eyes and ears. That temptations will come is a given, what we do with them we can determine.