Tag: God

In theism, God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, while in deism, God is the creator, but not the sustainer, of the universe. In pantheism, God is the universe itself. In atheism, there is an absence of belief in God. In agnosticism, the existence of God is deemed unknown or unknowable.

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How to Win Your Friends and Family to Christ

How To Handle The Uncertainties of Life

We all have family members and friends who are not saved. While it is our calling to minister to them by giving them the Good News and living by the Word of GOD so that we may not appear as hypocrites, our most powerful weapon is to pray. Every Christian should have prayer as a daily part of their lives, but I have found that many of us lack the Scriptures to back up those prayers. When it comes to fighting for our loved ones, it is vital that we speak the Words of GOD.

There is power in the Word of GOD. Two Scriptures immediately come to mind when I think of this power: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with GOD, and the Word was GOD.”(John 1:1). John tells us here that the Word is Jesus. “For the word of GOD is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12).

The Word of GOD is a weapon, Family, and a weapon that we must use against the forces of darkness. If you want your prayer to be powerful and meaningful, you must use the Word of GOD. You need to understand that even the devil knows the Word of GOD very well, and he knows that as long as a Christian cannot understand the power in speaking GOD’S Word over their lives and the lives of their loved ones, then they will not be able to walk in the full power of the Holy Spirit. How do we expect Him to communicate with us when we do not learn His Word? Hosea 4:6 tells us that GOD’S people are destroyed for their lack of knowledge!

When I pray for my loved ones, there are specific Scriptures that I use. I basically am giving GOD His Words back to Him, telling Him that because He said it, then it must come to pass. This is my guarantee that He has heard my prayers and will answer my petitions! I can rest in the knowledge that GOD’S Word will not let me down because its Creator is Never-Changing, Faithful and Loving.

These following Scriptures are perfect to use when coming before the Father with your petitions concerning your loved ones:

“The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

GOD wants people to turn to Him, that is why He has not returned yet. He is giving the lost souls a chance to be saved. He wants your loved ones to be saved.

“…Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:4

Father wants ALL men to be saved- there is no favoritism. However, He has given us free will, so He will not force Himself on us, rather He wants us to accept Him and learn the truth.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we ask for.” 1 John 5:14-15

How wonderful is this? If we ask according to His will, He will hear us and He will grant us our petitions! And His will is that all men would be saved!

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6

We mock GOD when we doubt. We are essentially saying that we do not believe that He is powerful enough to do what His Word tells us He will do. Carefully examine your heart and remove all doubt.

GOD’S Word is not just another storybook, it is powerful and living. It renders the powers of darkness useless, it gives us the power to walk in faith because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of GOD (Romans 10:17). When we begin to walk in the truth of GOD’S Word, we will see changes in our lives. Now do not expect everything to be just peachy, because that would be setting yourself up for disaster. The devil will attack you in any way that he can. He will try to make you doubt GOD, doubt your faith, doubt your calling, turn loved ones against you, cause people to hate you, attack your self-esteem- he can do all this and more, but you need to keep standing on the Rock, Christ Jesus. Put on the armor of GOD given to us in Ephesians 6- ask for it in Jesus name,

“Therefore take up the whole armor of GOD, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13). After you have done all that you can do, you must stand.

Do not expect the devil to take your prayers and petitions lightly. He wants you to fail, but Jesus said that we have the victory! We need only stand. When persecution comes, you stand. When people ridicule you and call you all sorts of names, making accusations against you, you stand. When people reject you and seek to end your life, you stand. Nothing can separate us from the love of GOD- He will always be with us. And just as there are bad times, there are also good times, but we praise Him during both times. Always keep your eyes on Jesus, He will see you through.

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Wrestling with Doubt and Disbelief

Wrestling with Doubt and Disbelief

Life is not all made up of pleasant pastures and cooling streams. Trial and disappointment can overtake us at anytime; and if privation comes; we are sometimes brought into trying places.

Conscience-stricken, we reason that we must have walked far away from God, that if we had walked with Him, we should not have suffered so. Doubt and despondency crowd into our hearts, and we say, The Lord has failed us. But, God is still there despite any tragedy you may be experiencing.

But why does God allow us to suffer?

That “why” question is not a new one. The “problem of pain,” as Christian scholar, C.S. Lewis, once called it, is atheism’s most potent weapon against the Christian faith.

God cannot love us; if He did He would remove the difficulties from our path

Our human intellects and notions of fairness reject the apparent contradiction between a loving God and a world of pain. Therefore, the only way to reconcile this issue is to view the world from God’s perspective. But, the only way to even begin to understand God’s perspective is to read His Word, the Bible. Because God does not always bring us to pleasant places. If He did, in our self-sufficiency we would forget that He is our helper. He longs to manifest Himself to us, and to reveal the abundant supplies at our disposal, and He permits trial and disappointment to come to us that we may realize our helplessness, and learn to call upon Him for aid.

What should be our attitude toward suffering?

First, it should be one of worship. We ought to say,

“O God, I believe You are the great and mighty God. I don’t understand all the things that are happening in my life, but, O God, I trust in You.”

Remember God can cause cooling streams to flow from the flinty rock.

We shall never know until we are face to face with God, when we shall see as we are seen and know as we are known, how many burdens He has borne for us, and how many burdens He would have been glad to bear if with childlike faith we had brought them to Him.

God’s love is revealed in all His dealings with His people; and with clear, unclouded eyes, in adversity, in sickness, in disappointment, and in the trial we are to behold the light of His glory in the face of Christ and trust to His guiding hand. But too often we grieve His heart by our unbelief.

‘You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have’

God loves His children, and He longs to see them overcoming the discouragement with which Satan would overpower them. Do not give way to unbelief. Do not magnify your difficulties. May we be people who fight spiritual amnesia with God-given means of remembrance.

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus – Philippians 3:14

Suffering is a state of this fallen world. However, the complete message of the Bible is that God has His plan for redemption all worked out. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ have a hope of eternity with God in a place where there is no more suffering or evil.

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15 Mother Teresa Quotes about Living a Life of Purpose

Inspirational quotes are some of the most popular on Godinterest.com. A Nobel peace laureate, Mother Teresa (1910–1997) was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary.  For much of her life, Mother Teresa served the impoverished communities of Calcutta, caring for the sick and sharing the love of Christ and because of that, her very name  became a metaphor for selflessness and goodness during her lifetime.

No matter what your belief system, there is much to be learned and gained from someone so selfless and loving, so kind and considerate.

Today, we celebrate her legacy and look back on 25 quotes about God, culture, life and small acts of kindness which people still find inspiring nearly 19 years after her death.

  1. “Joy is strength.” – Mother Teresa
  2. “The person who gives with a smile is the best giver because God loves a cheerful giver.” – Mother Teresa
  3. “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Teresa
  4. “Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more.” – Mother Teresa
  5. “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream, precedes the goal.” – Mother Teresa
  6. “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.” – Mother Teresa
  7. “I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.” –  Mother Teresa
  8. “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” –  Mother Teresa
  9. “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” –  Mother Teresa
  10. “If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.”  –  Mother Teresa
  11. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”  ’- Mother Teresa
  12. “Loneliness is the most terrible poverty.”  ’-  Mother Teresa
  13. “We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”  ’- Mother Teresa
  14. “Peace begins with a smile.”  ’- Mother Teresa
  15. “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” ’- Mother Teresa
  16. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” ’- Mother Teresa
  17. “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things.” ’- Mother Teresa
  18. Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”  ’-  Mother Teresa
  19. “The Simple Path, Silence is Prayer, Prayer is Faith, Faith is Love, Love is Service, The Fruit of Service is Peace” ’- Mother Teresa
  20. Good works are links that form a chain of love.”  ’-  Mother Teresa
  21. “God made the world for the delight of human beings– if we could see His goodness everywhere, His concern for us, His awareness of our needs: the phone call we’ve waited for, the ride we are offered, the letter in the mail, just the little things He does for us throughout the day. As we remember and notice His love for us, we just begin to fall in love with Him because He is so busy with us — you just can’t resist Him. I believe there’s no such thing as luck in life, it’s God’s love, it’s His.” ’- Mother Teresa
  22. “Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.” ’- Mother Teresa
  23. “God doesn’t require us to succeed, he only requires that you try.” ’- Mother Teresa
  24. “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.” ’- Mother Teresa
  25. “Our life of poverty is as necessary as the work itself. Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.” ’- Mother Teresa
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Shocking Report reveals 1 in 12 Christians are persecuted around the world: Six women were raped every DAY and 3,000 were killed in 2017

Shocking Report reveals 1 in 12 Christians are persecuted around the world: Six women were raped every DAY and 3,000 were killed in 2017

A Shocking report revealed that 1 in 12 Christians worldwide is suffering persecution for their faith making them the target of vicious savage rape attacks.

The report by Open Doors USA stated that 215 million Christians live in regions with high degrees of persecution worldwide.

Open Doors USA is an organization that studies Christian persecution.

Open Doors USA documented that in statical terms over 3,000 Christians were killed, 1,252 were abducted; and approximately 800 churches were subjected to vandalism in 2017 within the reporting period for the 2018 list.

David Curry, the president, and CEO of Open Doors USA told Fox News. That ‘in maybe a way that he hasn’t seen before, the most disturbing findings suggest that Christian women are among the most violated in the entire world, ‘   David also stated that ‘We need to raise the flag as these are tactics that are being increasingly used by extremists.’

50 countries were identified across the world where following Christianity is most dangerous.

For the second year in a row, the list’s number one cause of Christian persecution is the spread of radical Islamic persecution in 35 of the 50 nations according to the report.

North Korea topped the list as it is an atheist state and public worship is illegal, also as Afghanistan has a conservative Muslim population and lacks a strong central government it wasn’t far behind.

Open Doors USA finds that there has been tremendous growth in underground Christianity in North Korea with over 300,000 Christians practicing their religion behind closed doors for fear of government persecution.

‘In a nation where the ruling regime demands total control over the general public, anything that challenges the government’s power is seen as a threat, including religion,’ Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, told Fox News. ‘As a result, the North Korean government does everything in its power to squash the spread of Christianity.’

Islamic militancy has also been on the rise in Somalia, where Christians if caught, are usually martyred. Christians in Egypt, India, Libya, and Kazakhstan also experienced increased persecution since last Open Doors report.

“The World Watch List matters. It matters because it is the most trusted measurement of religious persecution in the world today,” CEO David Curry said. “But even more important, the list matters because it’s a spiritual EKG showing the strength and vulnerability of the global Church.”

Open Doors is a non-denominational mission ministry launched in 1955 by the Dutch Brother Andrew, author of God’s Smuggler, which tells the stories of his secret missions to smuggle Bibles into hostile regions.

Open Doors has been monitoring worldwide Christian persecution since the 1970s.

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Album Review: Remedy Drive – The North Star

Remedy Drive

There’s a common misconception amongst non-believers that Christian music is all about praise, worship, and gospel songs; that it’s over sentimentalised, cheesy, and mentions God or Jesus in virtually every line, and therefore would have no appeal to anyone usually interested in secular rock or alternative. In this new music section of Godinterest, we hope to dispel some of those myths by exposing and reviewing some of the best rock, punk, hip-hop, urban and alternative albums, singles and EPs that fall under the Christian moniker.

These days, a growing number of bands and artists are moving away from Christian record labels and shirking the generic label of “Christian band”, opting for a more subtle and insidious approach, creating music and lyrics that appeals to a secular audience and sometimes perhaps, on the surface, pass as a regular songs. But dig a little deeper and the faith and purpose of these artists shines through, and by using their God-given creative talents to spread the Word for those who might not normally get to hear it (ie. not preaching to the choir), these unsung heroes of the Christian music world deserve a little bit of accolade for the good work they’re doing.

This week, pop rock trio Remedy Drive released their seventh studio album under that name, since changing it in 2006 from Remedy. The band are unashamedly Christian and their faith is clearly a big part of who they are, with plenty of little biblical references littering the lyrics here and there (the title being one of them – The North Star), but the album itself actually focuses on a specific and important issue the band wishes to expose and discuss. “We’re making a rock and roll album to shine a light on slavery and injustice” they stated on their Kickstarter page which was launched on September 27th, 2017. Within a month, they had astonishingly raised $37, 361 with the help of 515 backers. Remedy Drive might not be topping the charts, but they clearly have a dedicated and loyal fanbase willing to show that through their donations and continual support.

Lead vocalist and songwriter, David Zach, who was a founding member of the band way back in 1995 has spent the past four years out in Southeast Asia and Latin America, “finding evidence of sex trafficking, using covert gear to capture that evidence and then partnering with local authorities to make raids”¦Our goal was that the devastating reality of slavery and injustice would find its way onto this album. We need your help to get these songs out there. Songs that have been inspired by the courage of ordinary people in history and today that are fighting against injustice. Songs that I hope and believe will inspire ordinary humans to live like Martin Luther King Jr. said with a “dangerous unselfishness”.” Dangerous unselfishness seems like a familiar concept from the Bible, and of course, one that should be encouraged and worked into our lives as Christians if we are to fulfill God’s desire of living in his image and being as ‘Christlike’ as possible.

Remedy Drive
Remedy Drive – The North Star

This is actually the second album of theirs along the same theme, with the 2014 album Commodity also addressing the same issues. The North Star could perhaps be seen as a Part II to that, although it stands on its own as a great album with some memorable tracks.

Having quickly and easily achieved their monetary goal, the band recorded and released the album entirely independently, having split from their label, Centricity (a Christian label), back in 2013/14. Since then they’ve been doing just fine on their own and consistently putting out high-quality music in the alternative genre. These guys are pretty hard to classify in terms of styles. The beats are funky and up-tempo, with shimmery guitars, harmonious vocals, and some electronic elements but also heavier sections with screeching guitar solos and thundering bass.

“You don’t look a thing like Jesus Christ to me, you look like self-righteous apathy”¦” mocks Zach sarcastically on Warlike, a dirty half-rapped rocker criticising the capitalist, nationalist and consumer-driven societies we’re all currently a part of whether we like it or not, asking how we became this way, and why we put money and possessions before other people.  

One of the highlights and reoccurring themes of the record is the chorus of Sunlight On Her Face. It’s probably the most depressing of the various tracks, and details the story of a fifteen-year-old American girl trapped into a life of prostitution in a foreign country, praying and wondering if God will answer her. The chorus is catchy and stays with you, particularly as it’s repeated again in the final track, a sort of reprise of the song entitled Sunlight On Her Face (Cello).

Remedy Drive
Remedy Drive – The North Star
Remedy Drive

It’s not always an easy listen, but it’s not supposed to be. Although the music is often jaunty and happy sounding, with catchy choruses and beats, borrowing from different genres, even a touch of hip-hop with the occasional rapped lines (see You Got Fire, Warlike), but the lyrics are sometimes sad and dark, describing the pain and suffering of those trapped in sex trafficking. Despite the dreary subject matter, there is a definite message of hope, and that if we work together (and with God’s grace) we can overcome these situations and put a stop to what’s going on. The record is definitely designed to make people think, and it does that. Hopefully, it will encourage people to take action too – “give me action, not your words, one spark catches a fire, one voice becomes a choir”, as Zach sings in Brighter Than Apathy.

The North Star is also genuinely a really good pop/alternative album, but the best part about it”¦is the fact that it’s not just that. Remedy Drive has something to say. They’re delivering a positive message to the masses, and one that will surely make a difference to all that hear it. Keep up the good work, guys!

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Were they “bad girls of the Bible” or just misunderstood?

Part 1 of an interview with Sandra Glahn,  Editor of  Vindicating the Vixens

Bathsheba, Tamar, Rahab, Hagar, and the Samaritan woman at the well—were they really the “bad girls” of the Bible or simply women whose situations were greatly misunderstood? In Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible (Kregel Academic), sixteen writers, alongside general editor Sandra Glahn, take a closer look at the stories of these and other prominent women to help readers gain a better

understanding of these women’s God-given roles in the biblical narrative. The church has a long history of viewing notable women of the Bible through a skewed interpretive lens. For example, Eve is best known for causing the fall, Sarah is blamed for tensions in the Middle East, Ruth acted scandalously on the threshing floor, and Mary Magdalene is infamous for a life of prostitution. But do these common representations accurately reflect what Scripture says about these women of the Bible?

Part 1 of an interview with Sandra Glahn,  Editor of  Vindicating the Vixens

Bathsheba, Tamar, Rahab, Hagar, and the Samaritan woman at the well—were they really the “bad girls” of the Bible or simply women whose situations were greatly misunderstood? In Vindicating the Vixens: Revisiting Sexualized, Vilified, and Marginalized Women of the Bible  (Kregel Academic), sixteen writers, alongside general editor Sandra Glahn, take a closer look at the stories of these and other prominent women to help readers gain a better understanding of these women’s God-given roles in the biblical narrative.

The church has a long history of viewing notable women of the Bible through a skewed interpretive lens. For example, Eve is best known for causing the fall and Mary Magdalene is infamous for a life of prostitution. But do these common representations accurately reflect what Scripture says about these women of the Bible?

Q: Vindicating the Vixens is a collaboration written by an international team of scholars. How did the concept and execution of the book come together?

Vindicating the Vixens has been on my heart and mind for more than a decade. When I served as editor-in-chief of Dallas Theological Seminary’s magazine for seventeen years, I became acquainted with the writing and research of men and women from a cross-section of multiple societies who brought perspectives to some biblical stories that seemed truer to the original than what is typically taught in the West. Then, as I studied history and ancient cultural backgrounds at the doctoral level, I ended up revisiting some of our western-influenced interpretations such as marriage practices in the ancient Near East. The woman Jesus met at the well in Samaria would not have dumped five husbands. More likely, she had been widowed many times.

As I revisited some Bible stories such as this one and as I read the works of others who had done similar work, I wanted to bring all this research together in one place and include a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds.

Q: Some women in the Bible most certainly fall into the category of “bad girls.” How do those women differ from the ones discussed in the book?

Right! Our goal is not to vindicate women who did evil—such as Jezebel who lied and had someone killed over property or Potiphar’s wife who tried to seduce Joseph and left him stuck in jail. We are looking at women wrongly vilified. Take Bathsheba, for example. There is nothing in the text that even suggests she consented to physical contact with David and certainly not that they “had an affair,” as some claim. The text says she was washing herself—and that word “washing” could mean she was washing her hands. What we know about power differentials also suggests that when we consider a king’s authority over the wife of one of his soldiers, we need to stop making Bathsheba responsible. That is not how the author of the story tells it. The text says David saw her washing and sent for her—sent men, plural, for her.

What happens when we blame her instead of placing the responsibility where the author does? We can end up with the idea (prominent in many churches) that women are the temptresses; we can teach that it’s a woman’s job to keep a man from falling, that men are helpless and controlled by their passions so women must cover up, be hidden, and take responsibility for men’s actions. What an insult to men! We women are called to love our brothers, but we are not called to take responsibility for their actions.

Q: When discussing the genealogy of Jesus as outlined in Matthew 1, it’s not uncommon to point out the few women included and refer to their sordid pasts. Why do we have the tendency to focus on the negatives of their history, especially when the men in the bloodline had as many flaws as the women?

Jesus’s genealogy in Matthew is full of both male and female sinners, but the women’s sinfulness is not the point Matthew is making. Not all of the women in Jesus’s line had sordid pasts, and in making their sex lives our focus, we miss what the author is telling his Jewish readers. In the highly stylized genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel, every person is intentional, with Jesus’s ancestors arranged into three groups of fourteen generations. Matthew makes a break from the usual exclusion of women from genealogies, and he’s clearly up to something. In his Gospel, foreign  kings worship Jesus at his birth. Later a centurion—a Roman soldier—requests healing for his servant, and the text says this centurion “amazes” Jesus with his faith. Jesus grants the request and tells the disciples, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” Notice “not anyone in Israel.” Matthew salts his narrative with the faith of Gentiles. In the genealogies, Matthew is setting up his readers, the Jewish faithful, to accept cultural and racial outsiders into the community of faith through belief, not blood.

Judah married the Gentile Tamar. Bathsheba is the wife of a Hittite. Rahab is a Caananite. Ruth is a Moabite. These are outsiders who are women of faith in the Messianic line. Judah says of Tamar, “You’re the righteous one, not I.” Rahab says she believes in Yahweh Adonai as Elohim. Ruth says Naomi’s God will be her  God. Bathsheba suffers a great injustice but is grafted into the royal line. The idea of Gentiles being included would have blown the minds of Matthew’s readers, but that was the promise God had made to Abraham—that through him all nations would be blessed.

Q: Throughout the past couple of months, the news has reported story after story of women coming forward, sharing their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse from men in a position of power. What similarities might their stories have with someone such as Bathsheba?

Sarah Bowler, the person who wrote the chapter on Bathsheba, said of her that understanding her tale has ramifications for how Christians respond to a world saturated with sexual misconduct. She wrote, “As I researched, I found current examples in which Christian writers and editors failed to be empathetic toward victims as they reported stories. Even sadder, some spiritual leaders rape or sexually abuse young women, and many of the victims still receive partial blame in situations where a spiritual leader is fully at fault.

“It really hit home for me after a pastor’s kid I had discipled several years ago started reading [my writing] about Bathsheba. She got back in touch to say: ‘Thank you. I was raped two years ago Friday on a date in my home. I had three ministry leaders whom I held on a pedestal put full blame on me. . . . I can never thank you enough for not blaming the victim.’ How we interpret biblical narratives affects how we interpret events around us. When we say phrases such as ‘Bathsheba bathed naked on a roof,’ we overlook the fact that Bathsheba was an innocent victim. We may also forget the modern-day Bathshebas. I long for the day when believers eradicate the line of thinking in which the victim shares partial blame for a perpetrator’s sin. One step toward that end is sharing the true  Bathsheba story.”

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The Powers That Be Don’t Really Care. Do You?

The Powers That Be Don’t Really Care. Do You?

Did you ever have a “friend” in high school that loved causing fights? You know the kind. They act like your best friend but whisper bad things about others in your ear. Then they turn around and say nasty stuff about you to others. They strike a match, sit back and enjoy the flames.

This kind of person has no interest in right or wrong. Justice is a joke to them. All they want is blood.

The world today sees a similar attack, and many Christians fall for it. We don’t realize that powerful persons and entities seek to destabilize society by any means possible. They aren’t really interested in gender ideology or immigration. They just want to see the world fight about it to gain power from conflict. Satan manipulates our moral compass to do his dirty work.

What’s really going on here?

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have convictions. But it’s become so much more about taking sides and much less about people.

The best examples of how to rise above it all come from Scripture.

When the woman was caught in adultery, did Jesus take a side? Yes. He took the woman’s side. She was caught in the act. Adultery is wrong. According to Jewish law, it was punishable by death. Jesus didn’t condemn the woman though. He sidestepped the political argument and shot for the heart instead.

He condemned all sin. He elevated mercy above all things. Do we see current events from this heavenly point of view?

“Should we pay taxes to Caesar?” the Pharisee asked. They tried to set a trap for Jesus. It’s the same trap we fall into when we get tangled up in political debates. Beat your drum all you want, that’s fine. Do you really think you’ll change their minds? The religious powers of biblical times preached morality for generations — and it didn’t work. Stealing is bad, murder is wrong, corruption is evil”¦ we all know this, and all these things continue to thrive. How much more difficult will it be to convince someone of more ambiguous (secularly speaking) issues such as gay marriage?

We must mark the boundaries of morality, but this can never replace our testimony of the Risen Lord.

When people challenge me about the Christian position on homosexuality, what’s my reply? I present Jesus to everyone – gay, straight, whatever – since we’ve all sinned and we all need a Savior. I know the issues. I do my homework to understand the complexities. I can debate it until the cows come home. But I’m done trying to convince anyone. I only hope to inspire them to seek God instead.

How can you change a heart? How much are you praying for those on the other side of the political fence? Or are you too preoccupied with out-arguing them? Give unto God the things that are God’s.

Stop taking church teaching and weaponizing it politically. This only feeds the spirit of the Pharisee.

Our true mission

Take your eyes off the headlines and look to your community, to your family. Where is the need? Who is suffering? How can you help? Where can you share the Gospel? Don’t you trust in this method over any other? How much are you willing to love?

When we see injustice, it should be denounced. But like Jesus, condemn all sin — not just the other guys. Otherwise, it’s politics – and all politics cares about is winning. But the victory of our Lord has already been won. Believe this! Go all in and trust God’s plan. The political arena is not the essence of our faith. Instead, we are preoccupied with saving souls and helping those in need. This work is much harder, and our only hope for success is our complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Take up true arms

If we’re so afraid that we’ll lose the political fight, it appears to me that we’ve already surrendered the spiritual one.

Political arguments are easier since we can rely on intellect, knowledge, and wit. The spiritual war, however, requires other resources that we are afraid to trust.

It‘s paramount to understand and identify this ploy used by Satan himself to keep us off balance and distracted.

Return to the real fight. Our Captain calls us. Be not afraid.

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The Paradox of our Time

The Paradox of our Time

Look out your window. Isn’t it a beautiful day? But just in case you were feeling really good about yourself today, allow us to hit you with a dose of reality.

These are 25 facts about the world we live in:

  1. *We live in times when we see many humans, but not enough humanity;*
  2. *We live in times when the rich have more rooms than children and the poor have more children than rooms.*
  3. *We live in times when smartphones bring you closer to those who live aboard, but distance you from those who live in your own home;*
  4. *We live in times when we open Facebook, more than Holy Book;*
  5. *We live in times when a single mother can look after five children, but five children can’t look after a single mother;*
  6. *We live in times when the rich walk miles to digest food, while the poor walk miles to obtain food;*
  7. *We live in times when women are paid to be naked, while others are fined to be dressed;*
  8. *We live in times when our contact lists are massive, but our relationships are diabolical*
  9. We live in times when at least 10 times as many girls are now trafficked into brothels annually as African slaves were transported to the New World in the peak years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade;*
  10. *We live in times when our possessions are more, but our appreciation of life is less;*
  11. *We live in times when we can earn a good living, but somehow forget how to live;*
  12. *We live in times of commercialization of the gospel and if the broadcaster is not selling a book, it will be a CD, anointed water, or some seed sewing advert;*
  13. *We live in times when a typical cow in the European Union receives a government subsidy of about $2.20 a day, that about 1.2 billion more than the world’s poorest people;*
  14. *We live in times  when we value possessions and where there is no value for a human life.*
  15. *We live in times when many know the price of everything, but  the value of nothing;*
  16. *We live in times with nearly 210 million orphans, but nearly 15% of them will commit suicide before turning 18;*
  17. *We live in times when  the  United States now spends about $200 billion on the correctional system each year, a sum that exceeds the gross domestic product of twenty-five US states and 140 foreign countries;*
  18. *We live in times when  22,000 kids die every day because of poverty, but  in rich countries, a staggering 30-50% of all food produced rots away uneaten;*
  19. *We live in times when over 650 million adults were obese in 2016, but yet in 2016, 315,000 women died in childbirth because they were malnourished and lacked basic nutrients;*
  20. *We live in times with  the  largest population of refugees and asylum seekers in  human history.
  21. *We live in a times  of genocide and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest;*
  22. *We live in times where we are taught as kids to read and write big numbers, but we’re not taught to think about the reality beneath the surface of those numbers;*
  23. *We live in times of  false doctrine, where some pastors encourage the first wives to die to self and be able to allow their husbands to take in more wives if they wish to;*
  24. *We live in times of  false prophets:  where people would prefer to follow a Siberian traffic cop who proclaim to be Jesus Christa the Messiah, rather than believe in Real McCoy;*
  25. *We live in times when according to the United Nations, there are around 65.3 million people displaced from their homes worldwide, yet in the UK alone  the “housing surplus” nearly doubled from 800,000 spare homes in 1996 to 1.4 million homes at any one time in 2014;*

Think about that for a moment? Can you even imagine it? Like, really imagine it.  We’re not reacting, it’s just that  there are so many different problems of large scale that we need to be working harder to combat.

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How Can You Trust Christianity Is True When There Are So Many Unanswered Questions?

How Can You Trust Christianity Is True When There Are So Many Unanswered Questions?

“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.” –   Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet (1929)

I found this quote so helpful many years ago. I had left the high control and high demand religion in which I had grown up and was going with a friend to a Catholic Church. This brought many conflicting emotions, for though it was some years since I had left, for the best part of thirty-six years, I had been indoctrinated with the belief that all religions, apart from one, were part of “Babylon the Great”, “false religion” or not “The Truth” as they called it, and therefore, condemned to be destroyed at the final war against all wickedness, Armageddon.

The focus was on social justice issues, the church had a community agency attached which offered practical assistance to the homeless, refugees, those with addictions and ex-prisoners. A men’s shelter was located on the other side of the church and sometimes during the service on Sundays, an older inebriated male would cause a noisy distraction at one of the side doors, however, the person would be treated with gentleness and compassion.

Passages from the Bible were read before the homily, not the jumping backward and forwards all over the Bible to prove a particular point and taken out of context to which I’d been accustomed.

The rituals, the garb the priests wore, the hymns, the physical church itself were all alien and mysterious. However, somehow it felt nurturing to my hungering soul.

Fast forward several years and I am the other side of the world for work and to have the opportunity to travel. I am with several other social workers recruited from Australia to work in the UK and though I find their company helpful initially as we settle in, soon I am longing for belonging. And not just to a social group, but a faith community where there are people who live by Bible principles.

So I end up at the local Borough Church which is Anglican. I am greeted at the door by an elderly woman who is a Warden. The church is full of people of many different ages, some with learning or physical difficulties are assisted by carers and there has been a presentation by the children before the sermon. The new minister is dressed in a suit and open-neck shirt and preaches about a long passage in Matthew, bringing out several levels of insight and depth, making it relatable and relevant to life today; I feel as if I have “come home”.

When the service is finished, the minister comes directly to my seat to introduce himself and invite me to the new group he will be starting shortly called “Christianity Explored” which he says is going through the book of Mark. He emphasizes there will be no pressure and questions are welcome.

I go to the first of six meetings at the vicar’s family home. There are others also attending the group, however, my mind is on high alert, watchful for any number of dangerous outcomes and I am not “present” enough to absorb their existence.

The weeks pass, and though still wary, I am enjoying the simplicity of reading a portion of Mark followed by discussion and any questions. I even asked one or two myself, long-held questions on passages that are covered, but for which previous explanations had been unsatisfactory. As well, the minister holds a tension with the view and expectation that some answers will not become evident until we have the full picture at the end.

When this happens, and I have an understanding that is so true for me of my own imperfection and that God’s love and grace (translated “undeserved kindness” in the Bible used by my previous religion) have redeemed me and I can never do or not do anything that will lose them, I am able to invite Jesus into my life, as an adult. Whilst at 12 years of age, I had dedicated my life to the god of my childhood religion and been baptised in symbol of that, it held me to one interpretation – one that meant I would be shunned if I left, one that meant I could not think for myself, could not get a higher education, had to remain in an abusive marriage and had to only wear skirts or dresses at any church-related gatherings including going door to door to try to bring others into “The Truth”.

The Gospel came alive to me. The four years I remained in that church was some of the best in my life, how valuable is hindsight in appreciating those times. Yet they prepared me to some extent for the many challenges I would face on my return to Australia. That is another story, and I include the painting below by Janet Goodchild-Cuffley called “Ellen Meets Her Maker” depicting Ellen Kelly, mother of the notorious Australian bushranger Ned Kelly after a long life full of loss and difficulty. It aptly represents my position towards the many questions I still have for God. In the meantime, I will continue to draw on the comfort of Rilke’s famous quote at the beginning of the article.

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Is our Creator God still Creating Today?

Is Our Creator God Still Creating Today?

I was working on some paper works one day. As I rested my eyes for a bit, I got a view of my son outside through the window blinds. He was out there again, at his usual spot, working yet again on another craft project. My son just loves creating stuff with his hands. He is into building dioramas and other miniature stuff. He re-creates scenes from his favourite superhero or sci-fi films. He loves playing with his toy figures. He enjoys creating backgrounds and stage sets for toy photography and mere play. The thing about him is that he can’t stand taking a break after completing a project. You will see him appreciating and celebrating his finished product. But, within a day or two, everyone’s sure to observe this creative boy pouring his mind into deciding and planning what to build next.

I leaned back and felt a smile of amusement form on my face. Then, thoughts wandered towards God, our creator God. With an extremely creative mind, could He be that way as well? Could he be like my son who can’t stop imagining stuff to do and make? Could he be exactly like my son who gets excited about the prospects and the process of coming out with another finished product? Like my son, could he be so in love and passionate about creating? My heart believes Him to be so. My heart believes God is highly much more than how my son is as a creator.

Well, yes; Genesis 1 to 2:2 does give us an account of the creation of this world we live in. And, yes; the passage further tells us that God finished the work He had been doing and then rested. This may clue us that God has stopped creating in our part of the world. However, this doesn’t tell us that God is done with creating.

Just by looking at our side of the universe, we see how great and awesome God’s handiworks are. Nature gives us a glimpse of His power and capabilities. Job shared his thoughts and wonderings on that in Job 37.   We just need to behold all the natural landscapes and breathtaking wildlife and feel instinctively that God must still be creating today. His creative genius must not be bottled up. It is impossible for One of magnificent talent to just sit by and do nothing.

We can consider God’s astonishing work on our bodies. Much has been understood about how our body works and all that is inside of us. Yet all this time more remains to be discovered and understood.   In January 2017, scientists have just recognized and have given a name to one important organ in the body, the mesentery. It connects the intestine to our body and keeps it in place. The mesentery transports blood and lymphatic fluid between the intestine and the rest of our body. It is crucial to a right functioning of our “intestinal, vascular, endocrine, cardiovascular and immunological systems.”

We can also think about the humungous blue whale for a minute. The National Geographic confirms it to be the largest animal on earth. It grows up to 105 feet and weighs up to 200 tons.   A cool thing about these graceful swimmers is that they can communicate with each other up to 1,000 miles away. They have excellent hearing. With their voice, they sonar-navigate the deep and dark oceans. Search for testimonies of those who go whale watching. You’re sure to read accounts of people crying, breathless, and frozen in wonder at the sight of such a great creature.   Isn’t it highly unlikely that the creator of this blue whale remains unproductive, “wasting” his talent when He is at an unending prime of His life? Isaiah 40:28 tells us of an everlasting Creator God who never grows tired or weary. He is forever strong. He is forever able.

Believing that God is still creating today leaves me excited about an eternity to come. In ignorance, some people make comments on how boring it would be to spend eternity in heaven. This won’t be so for a child of God. The Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth that will be there for exploring. And with such a God as we have, there must be so much more out there for us to discover, explore, and enjoy. To fully grasp the wonderful nature of God; to behold all the wondrous works that an unlimited God can do; well, eternity may just not be enough!

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Why Truth Matters: Biblical Truth for Rising Generations

What is Truth?

This question has echoed through the ages since Pilate asked it of Jesus the Christ. This is a good question today for some who, sadly, are “ever learning, but never coming to a knowledge of the truth.” We can only hope that at some point their prejudices may give way before the truth. Those seeking truth in the spacious towers of moral relativism will search in vain, because truth abides forever and ever, not subject to popular opinion, not based on trendy fads. Truth is absolute.

Why Are We Here?

Without truth, many wonders, “What is the purpose of life?” These are the ones who sincerely seek the truth, only to be kept from it, for they do not know where to find it.

So How Do We Find the Truth?

One ancient prophet said of his Creator: “He is a God of truth, and cannot lie.” Therefore, a logical place to start looking for truth is in the word of God. Saint John said, “it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the Spirit [of Christ] is truth.”

So, if we ask what is true, with a sincere heart, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth to us, by the power of the Holy Spirit. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may know the truth of all things.

But Why Does Truth Matter?

Not too long ago, Sean McDowell, Ph.D.,  a professor of Christian Apologetics,   was speaking at a youth event. Afterwards, a student came up to him and said, “You talked about truth a lot. What’s the big deal?  Why is truth even important?”

Why Does Truth Matter?

Why does truth matter? I would suggest to this young man: “At some point in time, in some real crisis, not an imagined one, perhaps you will even be faced with death. In that defining moment, real truth will be important.”

Dr. Peter Marshall, a beloved chaplain in the United States Senate in the 1940s, was invited to speak at the Naval Academy. He was prepared to address his concern about the loose morals of the young people at that time. But the Spirit gave him a different message.  He felt strongly impressed to speak to them about death. He said:

“But what is death?   Is it to be blown out, like a candle in the wind?   Is it a shivering void in which there is nothing that lives?   Is is a cold space into which we are launched to be evaporated, or to disappear?   Are we to believe that a half-mad eternal humorist tossed the worlds aloft and left their destiny to chance?   That a man’s life is the development of a nameless vagrancy?   That a hole in the ground six feet deep is his final heritage?   There are a thousand insane things easier to believe than these!   How can we believe that human personality will not survive when One who went into the grave and beyond came back to say, “Whosoever believeth in me shalt not perish, but have eternal life.”

He also told them about a young boy with a fatal illness. The boy asked his mother what it was like to die.   She reminded him of those days when he had come in from play, so exhausted that he had fallen asleep on his mother’s bed, without even changing his clothes. When he awoke in the morning, he was in his own bed. Daddy had lovingly lifted him up in his strong arms and carried him to the comfort of his own bed, where he belonged.

That is what death is like, his mother continued. You fall asleep and when you wake up in the morning, you find that the Heavenly Father has lifted you up and brought you home to the comfort of His loving arms, where you belong because the Lord Jesus has loved us and the little boy no longer feared death.

So the Spirit prompted Dr. Marshall to tell the truth about death to hundreds of bright young sailors at the Naval Academy. Shortly thereafter, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and many of those sailors faced death in the devastating war that followed.

Yes, truth matters. We need it to give meaning to our lives.

Saint John reminds us that the Spirit “will guide you into all truth.” And Jesus Christ is that way, that truth, and life eternal. At the end of the day, through Him, we can return home, where we belong.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. ~ 3 John 1:4

Dr. Peter Marshall was Chaplain to the United States Senate from 1947, until his sudden death in 1949. He served as pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.   Born in Scotland, he traveled to New York in 1927 to follow his call to Christian ministry and attend Columbia Theological Seminary where he graduated with his doctorate in 1931.   He accepted an invitation to preach a morning sermon in the chapel of the United States Naval Academy, December 7, 1941.   Neither he, nor anyone in attendance at the chapel service that day was  aware that the Imperial Navy of Japan was attacking the U.S. military bases at Pearl Harbor.   Many of the young sailors in the chapel that morning were hearing their last sermon and would give their lives in defense of our nation in World War II.  

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2 Things to Remember About God’s Love

2 Things to Remember About God’s Love

The Bible talks a great deal about God’s love. And when Scriptures talk about God’s love, it’s mostly in superlatives. John 3:16 says God so loved that He sent His one and only Son to ensure man’s full redemption from the doom of hell. What no amount of human sacrifices can achieve, Christ secured for us once for all on the cross. By placing our full trust in Christ’s finished work, we all enter into this love relationship. Forever redeemed, forever experiencing the love of God. This is the best thing that can ever happen to a lost sinner.

God’s love is unlimiting.

Human love can be suffocating at times. It can be demanding or restricting. At times, we love someone so much, we begin to fear and worry. Overprotection sets in, we don’t want them getting hurt. Jealousy and insecurity may surface; we don’t want to lose them.

God’s love is unlimiting. It is in fact liberating. Those who don’t understand think Christianity is boring and rigid. They have the idea that in this “religion”, people don’t get to be and do a lot of things.   But the Bible shows us differently. In true Christianity is freedom. There is liberty. We become free and enabled to do right. We don’t need to be sinful all the time, we don’t have to do succumb to wrong pleasures each time temptation comes. Once, we had great tendencies for evil and wrongness. Now, as children of God we are empowered by the Holy Spirit for right and fruitful living.

God’s love is unlimiting. It unleashes the strength and grace of God in our lives. We find endurance to press on towards fulfilling our goals. We find wisdom in making right directions and pursuits. We learn to put our efforts into what is worthwhile and we get to experience satisfying joy, not just in achieving but in the journey itself.

God says His plans for us are for our welfare and not for evil, to give us a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) In love, He works all things for our good. (Romans 8:28) Sometimes, the present doesn’t seem to be turning out well but while the end remains hidden from sight, we can trust God’s love in the process.

God’s love is relentless.

While some debate the idea that we can call God’s love as reckless, there’s no doubt that His love is relentless. We understand the reckless love doesn’t consider the risks. It is not cautious. It is not deterred by danger or loss. Reckless love jumps right in no matter what. Indeed, God’s love may be somewhat like that. But on a whole, reckless love is a far term to describe God’s love. Reckless bears a primary usage and meaning of “heedless of danger or the consequences of one’s actions; rash or impetuous.”

God’s love is nothing like that. In eternity past, He has counted the cost. He has foreseen the danger and the consequence. He has deliberately and committedly set His love toward us. In Luke 22:39-46, we gain insight into how painful and agonizing it was for the triune God to face separation for the first time. The sin of the world was to be laid upon Christ and the Father had to look away as the full weight of our sin was placed upon Him. That was far from a reckless kind of love.

Relentless love is unceasingly intense. It is persistent and continuing. It is unstoppable.   It does not allow itself to be hindered. It is defiant in a sense that it will cross boundaries to provide what is beneficial for its object of love. It is unsparing in a sense that it will give whatever is necessary for the benefit of its object of love. Relentless love is thoughtful love. It is deliberate. It counts the cost and takes intelligent account of what is necessary to achieve the highest good for the object of its love.

God’s love is relentless.   It is non-stop. “One Thing” by Jesus Culture articulates it quite well. The message says, “Your love never fails. It never gives up. It never runs out on me.” The rest of the song lyrics say:

Higher than the mountains that I face

Stronger than the power of the grave

Constant through the trial and the change

One thing remains. This one thing remains

Your love never fails, and never gives up

It never runs out on me

Because on and on and on and on it goes

Before it overwhelms and satisfies my soul

And I never, ever, have to be afraid

One thing remains. This one thing remains.

Be encouraged with the truth of this song today.

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Best advice to find your spiritual gift

It breaks my heart that the spiritual gifts don’t seem to be taught or emphasized much throughout Christendom these days. Their utilization is critical for the Church to function properly in society.

Paul taught, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us… let [us] use [them] in proportion to [our] faith,” Romans 12:6.The spiritual gifts are found in three separate passages in the New Testament (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12—14; and Ephesians 4). The lists are not exactly identical. Some overlapping occurs. According to 1 Corinthians 12:6, God the Father pours in the power, Jesus the Son assigns the ministry, and God the Holy Spirit gives out the gifts as He deems necessary for the proper functioning of the church body.

The gifts may be organized in several ways. We will use the most common grouping.

Establishing Gifts (Ephesians 4:11 and 1 Corinthians 12:29): Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor-Teachers. These gifts are used primarily for planting and growing churches.

Supporting Gifts (Romans 12:6-8): Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Encouragement, Giving, Administration/Leadership, and Mercy. These gifts are used primarily to organize and administrate the church so that it may best carry out its responsibilities.

Ministry Gifts (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 27-31): Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Helps, Administration, Leadership, Distinguishing Spirits, Speaking in Tongues, and Interpreting Tongues. These are the tools that the Holy Spirit utilizes for the ongoing ministry of the church.

It goes without saying that congregations are spiritually impotent when the members do not freely and responsibly allow the Holy Spirit to manifest God’s ministry and power through the gifts He has given. Here are a few guidelines on how to identify and unwrap your spiritual gift(s).

#1 — “Can I lose a spiritual gift (such as by my sinning) once I have received it at the time of my salvation?”

There is simply no evidence that a spiritual gift is ever taken from a believer. It was a “grace gift”, and unless God takes His gifts back, then we will always have our gifts.  Now, the gift might not be used as a person is living sinfully and selfishly, but it remains our gifts. We are stewards of all that God has given us including our spiritual gifts, and, as with our money and opportunities, we will give an account as stewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ (see 1 Cor. 4:1-5).

#2 — “Can I asked God for other spiritual gifts, if I believe that I don’t have a particular gift?”

It is unlikely that we should ask for additional gifts.  Keep in mind that the all-knowing, sovereign Holy Spirit decided who would get what gifts.  The Spirit knew your life and where you would go and what believers you would be in contact with, and gave you those gifts to cover all those settings.  So unless He missed something (which is not going to happen), we should trust His choices.  Quite often    1 Corinthians 12:31 is appealed to as evidence that we are given permission to ask for additional gifts.  But if you read the context carefully (12:11-31), it will be seen that Paul is talking to the church and not to individuals when he says to seek the “better gifts”.  He is exhorting them, as they gather together as a church, to look for the gifts that are designed specifically to edify believers.  These gifts are the ones which are “better” for the spiritual maturing of believers and should dominate the public services.  Some of the sign gifts, such as tongues and miracles, do not directly edify believers and so should not play a significant role at the church gatherings. But people with such gifts as teaching or exhortation should be given a priority when the church comes together; they have the “better” gifts for the edifying of believers.

#3 — “Can unbelievers have spiritual gifts?”

The short answer is “no”.  While they might initially appear to have a certain gift, such as teaching, they do have that “version” of teaching that can edify the Body of Christ.  They could well have a natural ability which came to them at their physical birth, but they have not had a spiritual birth and so have not been anointed as a believer-priest by the Holy Spirit. What they have might resemble the spiritual gift, but usually a closer inspection allows us to see that what they have is not one of God’s spiritual abilities.

#4 — “What is the relationship, if any, between my spiritual gift and a natural ability that I might have?”

To the believer in Jesus, God has given both natural abilities as well as spiritual gifts.  We have been “packaged” by God to be able to serve Him and live for Him in a wonderful way.  We believe that He intends for these natural abilities and spiritual gifts to be wedded together.  For example, a person might have natural musical ability, and they might also have the spiritual gift of encouragement.  We can easily see how God might use this person to encourage and challenge fellow believers through their musical abilities.

#5 — “Must I wait for the Spirit’s “moving” on me to use my spiritual gift.”

No, the gift was given to you by the Spirit and it “belongs” to you.  It is now part of your stewardship responsibility and thus you are in charge of it.  As Paul put it, “the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets.”  In other words, you determine when and how you will use your gift.  And you are responsible for using it and will eventually give an account to the Giver for our use of it.  Of course, the Spirit can give us direction in using it, just like He can in using our/the Lord’s money in our giving to others.

#6 — “Can a believer be living in unconfessed sin and still use his/her spiritual gift in a way that shows results?”

Unfortunately, believers can use their gifts even when out of fellowship with the Lord.  It should not be this way, but sometimes it is.  For example, a pastor with the gift of pastor/teacher might effectively open the Word of God on Sunday mornings to his congregation with the result that many are built up by the Word. They are clearly benefitted with the pastor’s ability to make the Scriptures understandable.  And yet, he might at that very time in his life be involved in immorality, which could go on for some time. But usually in this life, as well as at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the matter will be dealt with. What we need to keep in mind is that the “fruit of Spirit” and the “gifts of the Spirit” are two different things.  The “fruit” shows where we are in our spiritual maturity and relationship with the Lord, while our gifts are simply those abilities (capacities) that have been given to us. They both should, of course, be part of our lives as believer-priests of Jesus Christ.

#7 — Are all spiritual gifts permanent and for today or are some of them temporary, really just for the first days of the church?

There does seem to be evidence that some spiritual gifts were designed to be temporary, being needed in the early days of the early church.  But to answer the question about any particular gift, there are two things that must be considered.  First, what is the gift; that is, how does the Bible define it. It is not what we say it is, it is what the Bible says it is. For example, the gift of “apostle” is seen as a foundational gift for the church (Eph. 2:20).  Apostle were ones “sent with authority” by Christ; that is, they had the ability to work miracles to validate their new message (see 2 Cor. 12:12).  So, unless someone can “on demand” work miracles then that one is not an apostle.  And while some claim to work miracles, the evidence does not support their claims. This points to the temporary, foundational nature of the gift of apostle.  But if “apostle” is defined loosely as “one who is sent”, such as a missionary, then you would argue for their presence in the church today. But this looser definition fails to include the all-important aspect of authority.  Second, what is the reason why God gave the gift. Its purpose must be understood.  Lack of clarity in seeing the purpose will always breed lack of clarity in answering the question, “was the gift temporary or permanent”?  For example, healings were done to authenticate God’s message and messenger (see Jesus’ point in John 5:36 about His miracles).  They were not done primarily to compassionately heal people (remember that everyone healed in the NT is now dead, so the healing didn’t last).  Once God’s message (the Scriptures were authenticated) the gift of healing/miracles was not needed.  (God can, of course, heal anytime He wishes, but that is different from a human being having the gift of healing/miracles).

This is a short answer, but the point is that the evidence is that some gifts are no longer needed today because the purpose for them is not in existence today.  (See the question on the gift of tongues in a separate discussion).

#8 — How do I find out what gift(s) I might have?

We must assume that God is not playing “hide and seek” with us.  He wants us to know, so it would be important to ask Him. So pray.  Second, when we have a gift it will soon be evidenced with “results” and a personal “passion” that we have when operating in the area of our gift.  So, seek ministry/service opportunities in your church, noting where you seem to be most effective.  Third, speak to believers that know you and that are spiritually mature and ask them what they see in you related to your spiritual gifts.  Often, they will agree on what is evidenced in your life of service.  But even if it does not become immediately clear what your gift(s) are, serve Christ.  Soon you will come to see what your gifts are.

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Sparkling Dews of Hope 2006 – 2018

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present. This small selection of poetry was written starting back as early as 2006 when I was first called to write for the LORD.

Later I would write Christian articles and prophetic utterances from Jesus. My love of poetry is spontaneous and has been chiefly inspired by the Psalms of David together with the emerging love and grace of Father God, now my heavenly daddy, through His beautiful son, Jesus. Truly Jesus is full of Grace and Truth.

I live in Cornwall, England and have done so for the last twenty-one years. I moved with my mother and daughter in 1997 from Nottingham. It is here in Cornwall God still continues to do His greatest healing in my life. I live in a small bedsit with my now elderly dog Cindy. I love to walk and my hobby is photographer and writer.

Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still, more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues. I hope you enjoy this small collection of poetry and pray you will be blessed by these words for Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.

May Jesus have all the glory for all that I am and do for His Kingdom.

 

 

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Is God There? Is He Here?

Is God There? Is He Here?

For the Child of God, sensing or perceiving God may not be instinctive nor constant. Surely, there are days (and there will be days!) when you don’t feel close to the Father. At times, it may seem that He is so far away. Where is He? Why don’t I feel Him? Is God there? Is He here?

God is Omnipresent

If it’s your first time to come across this word, it simply means that God is present everywhere and at all times. There can be no place in the whole universe right now where God is NOT. He is simply here, there, and everywhere; all at the same time. In Jeremiah 23:24, God Himself says that there can’t be a place where man can hide for: “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?”, declares the LORD. Job 34:21 says that “God’s eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees ALL his steps.” (NASB)

Psalm 139 is a song David composed during one of his mediations. This passage explains much about the omnipresence of God. In verses 7-10, he sings,

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.” (NIV)

To the believer who longs for intimacy with God, this passage brings great comfort and assurance. We know that God is here, with us, guiding us, sustaining us. To the wayward Christian however, that may be a different story. What might come are feelings of guilt, then resentment, then bitterness, then resistance, and then finally- denial; all these may step in.

Sin Separates

Sin will always bring separation. Isaiah 59:2 says,

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (NIV)

When man fell, sin separated him from God. Adam and Eve could no longer have free access and view of God because of the sinful nature they both possessed. Years later, by faith and acceptance in Christ’s finished work on the cross, the repentant sinner was gifted with salvation and reconciliation. Yet, as a child of God, saved by grace through faith, walking in the light and power of God’s transforming Word through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, man can still be separated from God. There can be spiritual estrangement for the man who harbors sin in his life. This is why a child of God must be careful to maintain a heart of surrender, cleansing himself of willful sins that hinder him from experiencing a vibrant relationship with the Father.

Ignorance is a Problem

The only way to feel close to someone is to know the person. You can never nourish intimacy without regularly staying in discovery of and communication with each other. The other person must be in your life and you must be in His. Acts 17:27-28 says,

“This was so that they would seek God if perhaps they might grasp for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. 28 For in Him we live and move and exist [that is, in Him, we actually have our being]. AMP

II Peter 3: 18 shares that we grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. One great blessing we have at this time and age is that we have ready access to the Holy Bible at all times. With advancements in technology, the prospects for growth in the reading and study of God’s Word are even more promising. The Christian will mature if he wants to. He will know God and be intimate with Him and His dealings if the Christian wants to.

Trials May Breed Doubt

Job was a man who loved God. He wouldn’t have been perfect but He sought God and longed to learn of Him through life experiences. He lived righteously and was careful to surrender to God any uncleanness he may have in his life and even in the life of his children. He experienced God’s presence. He knew from experience that God was always there. However, in a great time of difficulty and tragedy, His spiritual steadiness was shaken. He no longer felt God. He doubted God’s love and presence. Job 23 shares those moments of doubt and confusion.

In this broken world, there will be hardships, pains, failures, and all sorts of struggles. Jesus Himself prepared us for this truth when He said that we would face tribulation in this world. Humans as we are with our limited minds, we may begin to doubt God’s care and even His companionship. Yet, Christ assures us that there is no need to fear those times because He has overcome the world. From Philippians chapter 4 and verse 13 we know that, in Him and in His power, we will have the strength to face all things. He is always here.

So, yes, God is there, and even better, God is here. When you reach a point in your life like Job, remember these:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28,37-39 NIV

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44 Billy Graham Quotes That Still Ring True

William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.

A lot has been written about Billy Graham’s legacy.  Known for his combination of wit and wisdom, Billy Graham has been  one of the most influential spiritual voices across the globe for decades  reaching over 200 million people in more than 185 countries.

(Born November 7, 1918) Billy Graham is now 99 years of age, and while he is doing well, he does have the physical challenges that come with age.

He said;

“Over the years, I’ve had a number of illnesses and surgeries ”¦ Often they came just as we were about to embark on a Crusade or other project, and I could not help but wonder whether Satan was using them to attack our work in some way (and I suspect that was true). At the same time, though, God used them to teach me patience and to give me time that I might otherwise not have taken to read and contemplate.”

One fascinating part of Graham’s life is that he has personally met with 13  of the nation’s 45  presidents dating back to 1950.
Billy Graham still lives at his Montreat, North Carolina home.

It’s a good thing for the modern Church that Billy Graham was determined in his course as the truth he has preached for years still transcends all barriers of denominational differences, age, nationality, and culture,  pointing millions to Christ.

Here are a few of his most memorable quotes:

  1. “I feel sorry for the man who has never known the bracing thrill of taking a stand and sticking to it fearlessly. Moral courage has rewards that timidity can never imagine. Like a shot of adrenaline, it floods the spirit with vitality” ’- Billy Graham
  2. “Self-centered indulgence, pride and a lack of shame over sin are now emblems of the American lifestyle.” ’- Billy Graham
  3. “I’ve read the last page of the Bible, it’s all going to turn out all right.”’- Billy Graham
  4. “When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God.”’- Billy Graham
  5. “Jesus was not a white man; He was not a black man. He came from that part of the world that touches Africa and Asia and Europe. Christianity is not a white man’s religion and don’t let anybody ever tell you that it’s white or black. Christ belongs to all people; He belongs to the whole world”’- Billy Graham
  6. “Our society strives to avoid any possibility of offending anyone – except God.”’- Billy Graham
  7. “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”’- Billy Graham
  8. “The cross shows us the seriousness of our sin—but it also shows us the immeasurable love of God.”’- Billy Graham
  9. “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”’- Billy Graham
  10. “Without the resurrection, the cross is meaningless.”’- Billy Graham
  11. “Believers, look up – take courage. The angels are nearer than you think.”’- Billy Graham
  12. “Quit beating yourself up. We all live under grace and do the best we can.”’- Billy Graham
  13. “God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.”’- Billy Graham
  14. “If you know Christ, you don’t need to beg for the Holy Spirit to come into your life; He is already there— whether you “feel” His presence or not. Don’t confuse the Holy Spirit with an emotional feeling or a particular type of spiritual experience.”’- Billy Graham
  15. “We say to our children, ‘Act like grown-ups,’ but Jesus said to the grown-ups, ‘Be like children.”’- Billy Graham
  16.  “Comfort and prosperity have never enriched the world as much as adversity has.”’- Billy Graham
  17. “Sin is the second most powerful force in the universe, for it sent Jesus to the cross. Only one force is greater—the love of God.”’- Billy Graham
  18. “Knowing we will be with Christ forever far outweighs our burdens today! Keep your eyes on eternity!”’- Billy Graham

  19. “The will of God will not take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.”’- Billy Graham

  20. “Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened.”’- Billy Graham

  21. “We are the Bibles the world is reading; We are the creeds the world is needing; We are the sermons the world is heeding.”’- Billy Graham

  22. The test of a preacher is that his congregation goes away saying, not, `What a lovely sermon!` but `I will do something.”’- Billy Graham

  23. “Millions of angels are at God’s command. “’- Billy Graham

  24. “World events are moving very rapidly now. I pick up the Bible in one hand, and I pick up the newspaper in the other. And I read almost the same words in the newspaper as I read in the Bible. It’s being fulfilled every day round about us.”’- Billy Graham
  25. “My home is in Heaven. I’m just traveling through this world.”’- Billy Graham
  26. “God proved his love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.”’- Billy Graham
  27. “Suppose you could gain everything in the whole world and lost your soul. Was it worth it?”
  28. “There is nothing wrong with men possessing riches. The wrong comes when riches possess men.”’- Billy Graham
  29. “The only time my prayers are never answered is on the golf course.”’- Billy Graham
  30. “A real Christian is the one who can give his pet parrot to the town gossip.”’- Billy Graham
  31. “I have never known anyone to accept Christ’s redemption and later regret it.”’- Billy Graham
  32. “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”’- Billy Graham
  33. “God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”’- Billy Graham
  34. “Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.”’- Billy Graham
  35. “Joy cannot be pursued. It comes from within. It is a state of being. It does not depend on circumstances, but triumphs over circumstances. It produces a gentleness of spirit and a magnetic personality.”’- Billy Graham
  36. “Reading God’s Word and meditating on its truth will have a purifying effect upon your mind and heart, and will be demonstrated in your life. Let nothing take the place of this daily privilege.”’- Billy Graham
  37. “The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.”’- Billy Graham
  38. “Tears shed for self are tears of weakness, but tears shed for others are a sign of strength.”’- Billy Graham
  39. “The framers of our Constitution meant we were to have freedom of religion, not freedom from religion.”’- Billy Graham
  40. “Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.”’- Billy Graham
  41. “The message I preach hasn’t changed. Circumstances have changed. Problems have changed, but deep inside man has not changed, and the gospel hasn’t changed.”’- Billy Graham
  42. “The only hope for enduring peace is Jesus Christ.”’- Billy Graham
  43. “The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in heaven.”’- Billy Graham
  44. “Someone asked me recently if I didn’t think God was unfair, allowing me to have Parkinson’s and other medical problems when I have tried to serve him faithfully. I replied that I did not see it that way at all. Suffering is part of the human condition, and it comes to us all. The key is how we react to it, either turning away from God in anger and bitterness or growing closer to him in trust and confidence.”’- Billy Graham

The following is a photograph of Graham with each president.

#1. HARRY TRUMAN (1884–1972) | DEMOCRAT | 1945–1953

Graham later met Truman in 1967:

#2. DWIGHT EISENHOWER (1890–1969) | REPUBLICAN | 1953–1961

#3. JOHN F. KENNEDY (1917–1963) | DEMOCRAT | 1961–1963

#4. LYNDON JOHNSON (1908–1973) |  DEMOCRAT | 1963–1969

#5. RICHARD NIXON (1913–1994) | REPUBLICAN |  1969–1974

William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.
William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.

#6. GERALD FORD (1913–2006) | REPUBLICAN | 1974–1977

#7. JIMMY CARTER (1924– ) | DEMOCRAT | 1977–1981

#8. RONALD REAGAN (1911–2004) | REPUBLICAN | 1981–1989

#9. GEORGE H. W. BUSH (1924– ) | REPUBLICAN | 1989–1993

#10. BILL CLINTON (1946– ) | DEMOCRAT |  1993–2001

#11. GEORGE W. BUSH (1946– ) | REPUBLICAN | 2001–2009

William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.
William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (born November 7, 1918), known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, ordained as a Southern Baptist minister, who rose to celebrity status in 1949.

#12. BARACK OBAMA (1961– ) | DEMOCRAT | 2009–2017

#13. DONALD TRUMP (1946– ) | REPUBLICAN | 2017–

 

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