(AS I UPDATE TODAY- MARCH 11, 2011, ONE OF THE LARGEST EARTHQUAKES IN RECORDED HISTORY….JAPAN).
Look at our world today. Look at how people are trying to find their identity. The”gold, the glory, the girls” never satisfy. The bling and the one night fling. People are trying to find love and identity in every place. Still a deeper hunger lingers…. to be loved by true love, and to know the True Eternal God. This Gospel of Jesus Christ has every answer for the lonely soul. For the sinner. For the back-slidden Christian. For the drunkard. For the statesman. For the corrupt businessman. For the abused and the abuser. For Mr. Goody-two-shoes. For the perfectionist. For the achiever and the elite expert. The Gospel gives us what we can’t give ourselves- permanent identity, forgiveness, restoration with God. People mistakenly search for it in ‘church’ but churches fail because they are full of humans. God will never fail you, beloved reader. Look at our fragile world today= earthquakes, revolutions and the very things Jesus Christ told us about in Matthew 24. (compare with Daniel 12, Psalm 110, Psalm 2, Isaiah 60, Zechariah 12, The Book of Revelation). The Bible is true, the Gospel is true and Jesus Christ is the Truth. People are wasting their time in all the wrong things– and suddenly a 9.0 earthquake sweeps 1000′s of people into eternity. Where is all our strength, wisdom, technology ‘know-how’ now? Catastrophes are horrible- such things remind us that this world is not everything.
This life is so short and eternity is such a long time. Eternity is like a speeding truck barreling down the interstate. We can disagree with it all we want- yet this truck is destined to collide with all of us. Our human choice/dignity gives us the ability to choose how we want to interact with it. How will we be known to God for all of eternity. A friend of God like Abraham or David? A scoundrel like Ahab or Alexander? A butcher like Hitler or Amin? We choose in this life… and that choice follows us for all of eternity. There is a joke that “there are no atheists in foxholes.” When people face death, like the Japan earthquake today… even atheists begin to pray. Why not get right with Jesus Christ before we enter eternity? People in this world act like ‘its all good’ – drunken by the spirit of this age, as if this brief life is all there is. We think that a pleasurable experience in the Caribbean or Tahiti is the ultimate experience. We have no idea of the millions of years ahead of us= eternity. Which mountain will we meet eternity and God on? Things? Greed? Pride? Pride in degrees, intellectualism, or philosophy? In the end, we all get to meet God…..and none of our achievements, friends or family are there to defend us. In this life issues such as eternity and your relationship with Jesus Christ are of uttmost importance.
The gospel means ‘good news’- its what the angels declared at Christ’s birth saying “Peace on earth and goodwill toward men.- Glory to God in the Highest!” -Luke 2:14
Jesus said, “the Son of Man (Jesus Christ) has come to seek and to save that which was lost..” -Luke 19:10
This saying of Jesus is one of the best summaries of His life, death and resurrection.
While interviewing witness and victims from the Kenyan ethnic conflict this year (2008), I was told a gripping story about the Rwandan genocide of 1994. I was told that a woman watched her entire household slaughtered with machetes, while she was somehow allowed to escape. Later, she met the murderer in the court. When she was asked to speak, she did the most unusual thing. She said “All my family is gone now, its over- and you (the murderer) have no parents as well. Lets go now, I will take you and be a mother to you- I love you and forgive you, and this is justice for my situation” This is a vivid picture of the Gospel of Christ: new life, forgiveness and the power of a brand new relationship. The Lord Jesus literally offered His own life for us, so that we could know God and live with Him forever- John 3:16
THE GRACE OF GOD IS LIKE A PRECIOUS DIAMOND
Jesus loves you and I, period. He died to give us brand new life, vision, destiny and for us to live with Him forever. We don’t have to wait until we die, we can start by knowing Jesus today. Jesus is the answer for all of humanities problems, no matter how big or small. Heaven and hell are real- Heaven on earth has been God’s plan since the Garden of Eden. Hell was a place of punishment created for the devil and his angels. People allegorize it- yet it is a very real place, described in the Bible (hell under the earth- the underworld). Hell was/is never the original destiny of mankind. Death, sorrow, broken marriages, broken homes, betrayal and sickness (hell on earth) are not God’s will for us. Yet if you look at the world you will see people who inherit these things. Our own sins bring suffering and death, yet Jesus offers us a better solution. If we choose our own solutions or path, we have to be prepared to accept the outcome/consequences. We reach a point in our life that either we follow God’s solutions and God’s Words or men’s solutions and men’s words. Some people like setting up men as idols/gods- and these people are always disappointed, frustrated and tired. Some people are looking for satisfaction in other people (its the ultimate hypocrisy- none of us on earth can fulfill the wishes and desires of those who place them upon a pedestal.) They never learn the truth that “no man on earth has your answer and fulfillment- no relationship or amount of money.” So you will see cycles of repeat relationships. abuse, suffering and addiction in their lives. Repeat of habits, thoughts and words that lead to depression, confusion and self-centeredness. The day we are tired of our own futility, trying, frustration, hurts, pain and ways- then we are ready to completely follow the Lord Jesus Christ. Some people wait until the very bottom or wit’s end (the end of themselves). Some people wait until it is too late- either they pass into the next life with regrets or they look back at a wasted life (70years), wasted marriage, and relational chaos. None of us have to end up this way (hell on earth). All of have tried our own ways- drugs, immorality, drunken-ness, theft, hatred, revenge, pornography and much more. We tried ‘our own gospel’, our own ideas. Did an amount of money save us? Did job attainments secure love, relationship and health? Did positions and qualifications bring your life fully into peace, order and fulfillment? We (I) tried all these things. Its not about committing/not committing the deepest, darkest sins. If we are truly honest we will say “my success or solutions do not fulfill- something aches inside me, beyond everything I have tried or amounts of money, relationships and escapades. Jesus says we need to be saved. He told the religious people of their day that their religion was not enough to save them. We all must be saved from our selves, and gain a new life in Jesus Christ.
Its about who is the Solution. Are we the solution? The Gospel is we are not left to solutions of our own. He is Heaven and Earth’s Solution- every sin is forgiven through him. New life is attained along with new vision, purpose and fiery passion. It is this passion that people are seeking at raves, parties, bars, social networking, pornography etc. There is divine passion and purpose that, once you are linked with Him you will never recover. All the money in this world cannot purchase this precious love, power and passion. The worst sin we can commit is “unbelief” in the face of a smiling and generous God. The worst thing we can do is to run away from God- like Adam and Eve. God planned a Garden for you dear one- don’t run away just because you made a mistake, sinned or feel guilt and shame. Run to God- Jesus Christ who made Heaven and the Garden (Heaven on earth). God will walk with you, heal you, love you and restore more than what was lost.
YOU GIVE SOMEONE A GIFT- THEY REJECT IT. WHAT’S NEXT?
Some people accuse God in their hearts- they blame Him for all their problems. They curse God and curse God’s church or the people who share the Gospel of Life with them. Let me ask you a question- you hated God all your life and now you wanted to live with Him in Heaven – after you died, you realized Heaven and Hell are real. Why should God want to be with you in Heaven, if you rejected Jesus Christ every day on the earth? You rejected the Gospel and the messengers of the Gospel. Lets say you (the reader) have a friend who wants to be with you. Every day they reject being with you. They think now you will want to live forever with them- just because you are gone? The nature of love and giving carries with it the choice to accept or reject the gift. Do you (the reader) chase someone down and force them to be with you, when they hated and ran from you during their whole lifetime? The simple truth and answer is “No.”
People get divorced and reject one another in marriage covenant- people make choices to reject each other every day. Just like forced marriage or forced gifts never work, so also does forcing faith not work. If you don’t want God and you see Him as the source of your problems, He respects that. He won’t force you to be with Him from now unto eternity. My prayer is that no one would ever be motivated by fear to give their life to Christ. Have you ever considered how much God loves you today? Have you ever considered trading in all your goodness or things that you think ‘will qualify you to enter Heaven’, and trade them for Jesus Christ? When we pass from this life and stand before God- who will dare say that their life, deeds or activity was more holy than Jesus Christ? Jesus freely gave Himself for us, giving us a choice to receive or reject His Free Gift of Life. In Heaven, all of our goodness (things we think counter-balance or overpower our sins) will seem like stinky trash when we see how much Jesus loved us, died for us and lived the holy life with resurrection. Our own lifestyle cannot resurrect us- the one thing that matters is “did we receive Jesus Christ and then commit to love Him with our lifestyle?” That is the only thing that will matter to you, I or unbelievers after they die. Read Luke Chapter 16 and you will see that the people in Heaven and Hell have a similar conclusion, “Listen to God’s Words and Jesus whom God sent,” they say. In the end of life, no church or person can tell you who is saved. There might be indicators and ‘fruit’- but Jesus alone knows who loves Him and receives Him. He alone is worthy to judge all things, including our own hearts. The New Covenant declares “whoever believes Him with their heart and confess with their mouth shall be saved.” Romans 10 /Acts. People stumble over the simplicity of God’s requirement “believe and be saved, don’t believe and you will be condemned.”
Don’t make a hasty decision- don’t agree to a hasty marriage. Why do some people fall away or appear to be insincere? The reason is the same as how marriages end in divorce. People make decisions in the moment of emotional passion- when the feeling wears off they ‘fall out’ of love. Make your decision to follow Jesus as a weighty decision like the marriage covenant. Do it for your whole lifetime- not just for the honeymoon, or for a year, or for when things are going well. Then, you will see increasing fruit- love, joy and peace of God around your life and relationships.
Rejecting Jesus’ Gift of Grace means just that- you rejected a perfect gift. People have so much faith in themselves. They take credit for goodness, achievements and advancement while blaming God the Maker for problems, sickness and suffering. This is perverted thinking at its highest levels. Like Hitler and Nazi-ism, mankind can real the highest levels of depravity while ‘sipping tea and claiming civility and sophistication.’ Watch Schindler’s List someday. Men blame God for problems and take credit for solutions- not knowing that the breathe in their lungs in a gift, just like their heartbeat. We are by nature proud, arrogant and self centered- we need to drink deeply of God’s mercy and grace from the Rivers of Heaven and the waters of humility- then we get healed. If you look at other religion’s throughout the world you will see the same habits- the followers are unsure about salvation because their salvation is based on what they are doing. “Attending church”, burning incense, saying the right incantations/prayers, other forms of harsh denial/self discipline, and even cult-like doctrines ranging from drinking blood to suicide bombings. Every other religion is insecure because it is man centered- its all about what men can do to strive for their salvation. Jesus Christ sets us free from such vain strivings- He says “only believe” and you will be saved. Jesus Christ is a wonderful covenant (God keeps His Word)- and this is another stumbling block to humanity. “All men are liars” the Bible declares. Yet God has never broken His Word for a micro-second. He kept His Word with Adam, Abraham, Moses and John the Apostle. He keeps His Word to you and I. In this modern world of deception, trickery, divorce and cheap love- God’s Words endure forever. His Word is what saves us- but don’t expect a humanity who doesn’t value words or keeping their words to comprehend that. Lying and deception have become artforms- the idea of eternal covenant and unchanging words is a foreign language to most.
BLAME THE LAW OF GRAVITY OR PILOT ERROR?
The Law of Gravity works and is a very good law. It keeps this world working perfectly- airplanes flying and trains moving on the ground. When an airplane crashes due to pilot error or a train malfunctions, no one begins to curse the Law of Gravity. “Oh law of gravity, its your fault 265 people perished on this airplane.” No one ever does that. But the world continuously does that to Jesus Christ– every problem on earth is human related ‘pilot error’- not the laws or gifts that God placed to guide and serve us. This world is full to brim with hypocrisy- blaming God for all its problems while taking the credit for all its solutions. Its the world described in Paul’s Books of Romans Chapter One and 1 Timothy Chapter 3 “unloving, heartless, lovers of self, blinded, faultfinders, haters, unforgiving, immoral, wicked- worshipers of themselves and idol worshipers.” People are blaming the Laws or the Lawgiver, when in fact its pilot error every time (or mechanical error- another human related issue). The Law of Sowing and Reaping is a fruitful law. You put seeds into the ground and then harvest grains, wheat and barley. No one begins to blame the Law of Sowing during a drought or natural catastrophe. Yet men blame and accuse God for their own foolish and silly “pilot error” problems. As one minister said S.I.N. is “Self Inflicted Nonsense”.
EVERY HOUSE HAS A BUILDER, ARCHITECT-THIS WORLD WAS MADE BY GOD
Everyone was created to have fellowship with God. Our God is on a treasure hunt. He looks at people like Rahab the harlot or Mary Magdalene the prostitute and sees “This one was made for my Glory and Purpose.” God is the ultimate treasure hunter who never pegs us in our moments of sin or weaknesses. He looks at Saul of Tarsus, the Jewish jihadist who was killing Christians like Stephen, and says “Saul, I have called you to a greater purpose than the one which you thought. Come and follow me!” God sees the diamond-like purpose in our life- and that purpose doesn’t change with our seasons or difficulties. Many people in this world can’t see it, even in the church. Many people will label you by your problems and sins. But in Jesus Christ, transformation occurs in a second, and then continues from one level to the next level for our lifetime. Thank God for Jesus Christ, who saves and delivers all whom come to God through Him! Here is a sample prayer of faith below:
“Lord Jesus, you are the Savior and Lord. I see the frustration and fruitlessness of my own life- sin, selfishness and destruction. I repent from these patterns of sin and turn to You- Lord I ask for a new life, save me from my sin and make me born again. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, reveal to me your Word and show me the great pleasures and joy of serving You. I love you Lord- give me grace to love You with all my heart and strength forever- I love You Holy Spirit- the Bible calls you the Teacher and Helper. Holy Spirit, You are God, lead me closer to You and let me hear Your voice and obey Your will every day. I am excited to be apart of Your Family, forever! Thank you for sending Your Glorious Son Jesus-I love you so much!”
Once we know Jesus is the Savior and Lord then we must give Him our lives fully- and then our lives are filled with peace, joy and encouragement/power to help others.
FOLLOWING JESUS = HEAVEN ON EARTH
The true Christian life is the most exciting adventure and discovery we could ever make. It has the greatest challenges and misunderstanding on earth- its meant to teach us the depths of God’s glory with ever growing faith, hope and love. “Peace on earth and goodwill towards us!” is what the New Testament declares about life with Jesus Christ. Life with Jesus is the greatest reward on earth, more than any amount of silver, gold or 401k investments.
Our sincere prayer is that you would live to please Jesus and learn to fully enjoy Him. We recommend spending much time in prayer, worship and Bible reading. Seek the fellowship of other Christians who honor God’s Word and live wholehearted to please Jesus Christ. If you were once a Christian and are not currently, there is grace and forgiveness for you. Re-commit your life to Jesus by ordering your time, money and attention around Him. We are not talking about ‘being busy and frantic’ in church. There is a place for serving in church. Jesus deserves first place in all our lives. Rediscover His love for you and His plan for your life by spending minutes and even hours with Him- then, after being filled by Him, you actually will have a bit of heaven to share! Don’t worry about the next days, weeks, years or future plans- Live, love and enjoy Jesus day by day- there is no better life in the whole world, and in the world to come! Read the Gospels and the Book of Acts- ask God to show you how your calling/life is to be lived with the same revelation, passion and faith. This Christian life is the most glorious journey on the entire Earth!
For questions or prayer email us at:
shilohhousemission@gmail.com
(ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AND POINTS TO CONSIDER)
The Biblical Christian worldview is reasonable and logical. Through the centuries it has received the criticism and praise of intellectuals and atheists. Brilliant minds like Voltaire and Pascal the mathmetician have deduced differing viewpoints. Physicists such as Einstein stopped short of confessing God while admitted “the universe points to some Mystical force order- something beautiful originating, creating, ordering.”
We should respect the professionalism and science of brilliant minds. What strikes us sometimes is the lack of scientific approach to Biblical evidence, manuscript evidence and Biblical related archaeology. There is no archaeology from Rosetta Stone to Hammurabi’s Code that contradicts Bible authenticity. All of it confirms and affirms Biblical history. Historians and archaeologists (with an open mind) continually make discoveries and observations that affirm Biblical history.
There is a scoffing, anti- scientific approach towards the Bible and Christian faith. It’s evident that much of the world looks at us as ‘fools’ or foolish. Its not fair, scientific or reasonable. A recent atheist book against Mother Theresa is antagonistic, critical and unreasonable. Some work hard to point to flawed people or easy bait in Christianity- they don’t usually point to literary brilliants like CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien whose masterpieces still speak with authority today. Its not difficult to see that much of science is ‘un scientific’- they carry a predisposition against Jesus and archaeological discoveries that confirm His death, burial and resurrection. Its difficult to win with an arrogant person who puts all of his faith in his years of study, memorization, and theory. Our goal must never to be elite or intellectual bullies – we must carry a heart full of Christ’s love, gentleness and confidence. The church owes the world a true and living witness / representation of Jesus Christ. We mustn’t apologize, sidestep or hurt sincere seekers who desire to know the True God and follow Him. Our only enemies are spiritual- not people however misguided they may be.
I enjoy the question’s of atheist- they are valid and some are very sincere. Its only the attitude of antagonism and even anger against Christianity that is of itself un-scientific and unreasonable. They have decided that our faith is not scientific enough, yet they won’t examine (for example) the deathbed conversions of Nietze or Charles Darwin. Many famous atheists converted moments before they passed into eternity. When they were faced with reality, real questions, eternity, goodness and justice- all science began to point to the Creator and Savior. There nihilism and existentialism fell apart all around them- it became a swamp of depression and hopelessness that breeds alcoholism, drug addiction and one broken relationship after another. They examined their own scientific evidence and realized “there are no witnesses to confirm the evolution of man 75,000 years ago much less 2 million years ago.” No one knows Lucy or Lucy’s grandparents or grandchildren- yet evolution wants us to put 100 percent of our faith in its theories. Yet the Bible has a more precise history with exact knowledge. This exact knowledge is currently dictating the course of history- in the Middle East, in China, in USA, in Egypt and in every part of the world. From Genesis to Daniel to the Gospels and the Book of Revelation it fits together like the peices of an ancient Mosaic. There are many witnesses, viewpoints and its prophetic words keep getting confirmed. People mock and scoff at it because as the Book of Revelation declares “the have a predisposition against God- they shake their fist at God and blame God.” There is an obsession to blame God for every problem- this antagonistic viewpoint is common in nearly every public university and college.
And of course the weaknesses of the modern church which are abundant and easy to see. There is arrogance and cultism, even elitism. People point to this as reason ‘not to believe’ What we are presenting here CHRIST’S GOSPEL IS THE GOODNESS OF GOD we present confidently. We know that Jesus Christ ultimately makes the decision about “who followed Him and believed in His salvation”- we are not here to qualify you or disqualify you. Obviously there are are multitudes inside the church and outside that do not believe. Our one goal for this writing is to urge you to “inquire of Jesus Christ- inquire passionately, consistently, scientifically with an open heart and mind.” Be humble enough to look into it- many atheists (like Lee Strobel) tried to disprove Christ and became believers. Study great leaders and humanitarians throughout history. Read about great leaders and great minds in the 20th century- you will discover many of them from Alexander Solzenitzen to Victor Frankl deduced and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Read about the great philosophers- Rousseau, Locke and Hobbes. The Enlightenment Age of Europe turned many people to God (because the philosophers themselves had a Biblical/Christian worldview). Sir Francis Bacon, Copernicus, Michaelangelo, Davinci, Galileo, and Newton all carried interest in the Bible and Jesus Christ. Yet Modern intellectual arrogance tries to suggest to us that the faith of these brilliant ones is ‘archaic and irrelevent’. If you are going to be truly scientific, then you can’t ignore the spiritual fuel that rocketed John Adams, Sir Isaac Waats, John Milton, John Locke, Hobbes and many other statesman philosophers. If you are going to be truly scientific and objective, then don’t have a double standard, “Blaise Pascal was a great mathmatician…. but i will leave out his deep love and faith in Jesus Christ.” The most brilliant men give glory and honor to Jesus Christ, every time.
The Christ-follower follows exact knowledge about sin, fall, redemption and the human condition. Most of science is still theoretical knowledge- yet the Bible offers exact knowledge about sickness, suffering, healing and redemption. Precise prescriptions to countries ranging from Egypt, Israel, Iraq and remote islands. Its prophecies are stunningly accurate and some of them repeat as if in a cycle (mostly because humans make the same mistakes). Mockers and scoffers should take a humble moment and think “what if all of it is true? What is the ramifications for my life, family, nation and world?”
God is a wonderful father who deserves not to be blamed for all the world’s problems. On earth you can see a family with a father. There might be 4 children- one is a doctor, one a contractor, one a mayor and the last one a murderer. No one usually says “that murderer is just like his father”– often times parents are the most shocked and upset at how their children turn out. My point is that to blame God the Father is senseless and un-scientific. Its like blaming the father who raised a mayor, a doctor and a contractor that he failed because he nurtured his children to choose ‘free will” and make the best choices. Somehow a father’s goodness and free will teaching decision making has been turned into “God is the ultimate author of all the problems” which is lack of responsibility, and hypocrisy at the highest levels.
At the end of this discussion on faith, the Apostle Paul (brilliant mind and theologian of the New Testament) said “The Cross is foolishness- the Gospel has a foolish appearance to it. The Gospel doesn’t reach many noble, dignified, high society- God chose the foolish and weak things to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians chapters 1-2) This mirrors what Jesus Christ said “it is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy.” Its as if God made the door of salvation a humble door, humble like a manger- and all the self seeking, arrogant, proud minded would miss it without considering a deeper level of honesty. The Gospel and true Christian life are free gifts, yet they are not the easiest thing on earth. Sinfulness and convenience has a glitzy bling appeal– the attraction to get your needs met in your own ways and desires. The attraction of being your own god, without accountability and morality. Yet the Gospel of Jesus is True, and for sincere seekers they can discover a New Life where He is our Way, our Truth and our Life. He is worth the study, the discovery and the journey. You haven’t discovered the treasure of His purpose for you until you have believed and encountered Jesus Christ. We encourage you to seek Him and you will find Him!
FOR OTHER ANSWERS AND DISCUSSIONS TO THESE AND IMPORTANT QUESTIONS WE RECOMMEND VISITING THE WEBSITE BELOW
Thank The Living God for such insight during this time of fading wisdom as the time of the gentiles nears its end and The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed once more upon the Earth amongst men!
this is quite an insight of the Gospel of Jesus christ which centers on Christ coming as a lamb, dying on the Cross for our sake and rising again. He is the perfect example who ever was on earth and will ever be. Pointing men to Christ is the greatest mission as we wait upon the coming of Christ for He will not come again as a lamb to be slaughtered but as the KING OF KINGS, LORD OF LION, and The LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDA.