Expect Persecution it is on the Way

“Behold, I (Jesus Christ) send YOU (Believers) out as Sheep, in the midst of wolves (Unbelievers). Therefore, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of Men (Unbelievers), for they (Unbelievers) will deliver YOU (Believers) up to Councils and Scourge YOU (Believers) in their Synagogues. YOU (Believers) will be brought before Governors and Kings, for My (Jesus Christ’s) Sake, as a Testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they (Unbelievers) deliver YOU (Believers) up, do NOT worry about how or what YOU (Believers) should speak. For it will be given to YOU (Believers), in that Hour, what YOU (Believers) should speak; for it is NOT YOU (Believers), Who Speak, but The Spirit (The Holy Spirit) of Your Father (God Almighty) Who Speaks in YOU (Believers). “Now, brother (Unbelievers) will deliver up Brother (Believers) to death, and a father (Unbelievers), his Child (Believers); and children (Unbelievers) will rise up against Parents (Believers) and cause Them (Believers) to be put to death. And YOU (Believers) will be hated by All, for My (Jesus Christ’s) Name’s Sake. But he (Believers) who endures to The End, will be Saved. When they (Unbelievers) Persecute YOU (Believers) in this City, flee to another. For assuredly, I (Jesus Christ) say to YOU (Believers), YOU (Believers) will NOT have gone through The Cities of Israel, before The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) Comes.”

Who shall separate Us (Believers), from The Love of Christ (Jesus Christ)? Shall Tribulation, or Distress, or Persecution, or Famine, or Nakedness, or Peril, or Sword? As it is written: “For Your (Jesus Christ’s) Sake, We (Believers) are killed All day long; We (Believers) are accounted, as Sheep for the slaughter.” Yet, in All these things, We (Believers) are more than Conquerors, through Him (Jesus Christ), who Loved Us. For I (Saul/Paul) am persuaded that neither death nor Life, nor Angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate Us (Believers), from The Love of God (God Almighty), which is in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Therefore, I (Saul/Paul) take pleasure in Infirmities, in Reproaches, in Needs, in Persecutions, in Distresses, for Christ’s (Jesus Christ’s) Sake. For when I (Saul/Paul) am weak, then I (Saul/Paul) am strong.

We (Jesus’ Disciples) are bound to thank God (God Almighty) always for YOU (Believers), Brethren, as it is fitting, because Your (Believers) Faith grows exceedingly, and The Love of Every One of YOU (Believers), All abounds toward each other, so that We (Jesus’ Disciples), Ourselves, boast of YOU (Believers) among The Churches of God (God Almighty), for Your (Believers) Patience and Faith, in All Your (Believers) Persecutions and Tribulations, that YOU (Believers) endure, which is Manifest Evidence of The Righteous Judgment of God (God Almighty), that YOU (Believers) may be Counted Worthy of The Kingdom of God (God Almighty), for which YOU (Believers) also suffer; since it is a Righteous Thing with God (God Almighty), to repay with Tribulation, those (Unbelievers) who trouble YOU (Believers), and to give YOU (Believers) who are troubled, rest with Us (Jesus’ Disciples), when The Lord Jesus is Revealed from Heaven with His Mighty Angels, in Flaming Fire taking Vengeance on those (Unbelievers), who do NOT know God (God Almighty), and on those (Unbelievers) who do NOT obey The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ. These (Unbelievers) shall be punished with everlasting destruction, from The Presence of The Lord (Jesus Christ) and from The Glory of His (Jesus Christ’s) Power, when He (Jesus Christ) Comes, in that Day, to be Glorified in His (Jesus Christ’s) Saints and to be admired, among All those who Believe (Believers), because Our (Jesus’ Disciples) Testimony among YOU (Believers) was Believed. Therefore, We (Jesus’ Disciples) also pray always for YOU (Believers), that Our God (God Almighty), would Count YOU (Believers), Worthy of this Calling, and Fulfill All The Good Pleasure of His (God Almighty’s) Goodness and The Work of Faith with Power, that The Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, may be Glorified in YOU (Believers), and YOU (Believers) in Him, according to The Grace of Our God (God Almighty) and The Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, and All (Believers) who desire to live Godly, in Christ Jesus, will suffer Persecution. But YOU (Believers) MUST continue, in the things which YOU (Believers) have learned and been assured of, knowing from Whom (Jesus Christ), YOU (Believers) have learned them, and that from childhood, YOU (Believers) have known The Holy Scriptures (The Holy Bible), which are able to make YOU (Believers) wise, for Salvation through Faith, which is in Christ Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus Christ gives Us (Believers) these encouraging words, “When they (Unbelievers) deliver YOU (Believers) up, do NOT worry about how or what YOU (Believers) should speak. For it will be given to YOU (Believers), in that Hour, what YOU (Believers) should speak; for it is NOT YOU (Believers), Who Speak, but The Spirit (The Holy Spirit) of Your Father (God Almighty) Who Speaks in YOU (Believers).”

Fellow Believers, Stand with God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, Always, and They will Always, Stand with YOU!

Let's Preach the Gospel of Jesus

Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless one is Born Again, he cannot see The Kingdom of God.” Jesus continued, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless one is Born of Water and The Spirit, he cannot enter The Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is Born of The Spirit is Spirit.” And Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, We speak what We know and Testify what We have seen, and YOU do NOT receive Our Witness. If I have told YOU Earthly Things and YOU do NOT Believe, how will YOU Believe, if I tell YOU Heavenly Things? No one has Ascended to Heaven, but He (Jesus Christ) who came down from Heaven, that is, The Son of Man (Jesus Christ), who is in Heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) be Lifted Up that Whoever Believes in Him (Jesus Christ) should NOT perish but have Eternal Life. For God (God Almighty) so Loved the World that He gave His ONLY Begotten Son (Jesus Christ), that Whoever Believes in Him (Jesus Christ) should NOT perish but have Everlasting Life. For God did NOT send His Son (Jesus Christ) into the World to condemn the World, but that the World, through Him, might be Saved. He (Believers) who Believes in Him (Jesus Christ) is NOT condemned; but he (Unbelievers) who does NOT Believe is Condemned already, because he (Unbelievers) has NOT Believed in The Name of The ONLY Begotten Son of God (Jesus Christ). And this is the condemnation, that The Light (Jesus Christ) has come into the World, and Men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates The Light and does NOT come to The Light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he (Believers) who does The Truth comes to The Light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God (God Almighty).”

Jesus said, “Do YOU NOT say, ‘There are still four months and then comes The Harvest’? Behold, I say to YOU, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for Harvest! And he (Believers) who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for Eternal Life, that both he (Believers) who sows and he (Believers) who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I (Jesus Christ) sent YOU (Believers) to reap, that for which YOU (Believers) have NOT Labored; Others (Believers) have Labored, and YOU (Believers) have entered into Their Labors.” “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, he (Believers) who hears My Word and Believes in Him (God Almighty) who sent Me (Jesus Christ), has Everlasting Life, and shall NOT come into Judgment, but has passed from death into Life.

Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU (Believers), do NOT labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to Everlasting Life, which The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) will give YOU, because God (God Almighty), The Father, has set His Seal on Him (Jesus Christ). This is The Work of God (God Almighty), that YOU Believe in Him (Jesus Christ) whom He sent.” Then Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, Moses did NOT give YOU The Bread from Heaven, but My Father (God Almighty) gives YOU The True Bread from Heaven. For The Bread of God is He (Jesus Christ) who comes down from Heaven and gives Life to the World.” And Jesus said, “I AM The Bread of Life. He (Believers) who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he (Believers) who Believes in Me shall never thirst. All (Believers) that The Father (God Almighty) gives Me (Jesus Christ) will come to Me, and the one (Believers) who comes to Me, I will by no means cast out. For I (Jesus Christ) have come down from Heaven, NOT to do My Own Will, but The Will of Him (God Almighty) who sent Me (Jesus Christ). This is the Will of The Father (God Almighty) who sent Me, that of all (Believers) He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at The Last Day. And this is The Will of Him (God Almighty) who sent Me, that everyone (Believers), who sees The Son (Jesus Christ) and Believes in Him, may have Everlasting Life; and I will raise him (Believers) up at The Last Day.”

Jesus answered, “NO ONE can come to Me, unless The Father (God Almighty) who sent Me, Draws him (Believers); and I will raise him up at The Last Day. It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone (Believers), who has heard and learned from The Father (God Almighty) comes to Me. Not that anyone has seen The Father, except He who is from God; He has seen The Father. Most assuredly, I say to YOU, he (Believers) who Believes in Me, has Everlasting Life. I AM The Bread of Life. This is The Bread which comes down from Heaven that one may eat of it and NOT die. I AM The Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If anyone (Believers) eats of this Bread, he will live Forever; and The Bread that I shall give is My Flesh, which I shall give for the Life of the World.” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to YOU, unless YOU eat The Flesh of The Son of Man and drink His Blood, YOU have no life in YOU. Whoever (Believers) eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has Eternal Life, and I will raise him up at The Last Day. For My Flesh is food indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He (Believers) who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him. As The Living Father (God Almighty) sent Me, and I live because of The Father, so he (Believers) who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is The Bread, which came down from Heaven, he (Believers) who eats this Bread, will live Forever.”

Then Jesus said, to those who Believed Him, “If YOU abide in My Word, YOU are My Disciples indeed. And YOU shall know The Truth, and The Truth shall make YOU free.”

Jesus answered, “My Sheep (Believers) hear My Voice, and I know them, and they Follow Me. And I give them Eternal Life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand. My Father (God Almighty), who has given them to Me, is Greater than All; and NO ONE is able to snatch them out of My Father’s Hand. I and My Father, are One.” Jesus said, “I AM The Resurrection and The Life. He (Believers) who Believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and Believes in Me, shall never die. Do YOU Believe this?”

Then Jesus cried out and said, “He (Believers) who Believes in Me, Believes NOT in Me, but in Him (God Almighty) who sent Me. And he, who sees Me, sees Him (God Almighty) who sent Me. I have come, as a Light into the World that Whoever Believes in Me should NOT abide in darkness. And if anyone (Unbelievers) hears My Words and does NOT Believe, I do NOT judge him; for I did NOT come to judge the World, but to Save the World. He (Unbelievers) who rejects Me, and does NOT receive My Words, has that which judges him, The Word, that I have Spoken will judge him, in The Last Day. For I have NOT spoken on My Own Authority; but The Father (God Almighty) who sent Me, gave Me a Command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His Command is Everlasting Life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as The Father (God Almighty) has Told Me, so I speak.”

Jesus said, “Now, The Son of Man (Jesus Christ) is Glorified, and God (God Almighty) is Glorified in Him (Jesus Christ). If God (God Almighty) is Glorified in Him (Jesus Christ), God (God Almighty) will also Glorify Him (Jesus Christ) in Himself (God Almighty), and Glorify Him (Jesus Christ), immediately.”

“Let NOT your heart be troubled; YOU Believe in God, Believe also in Me. In My Father’s House are many Mansions; if it were NOT so, I would have told YOU. I go to prepare a place for YOU. And if I go and prepare a place for YOU, I will come again and receive YOU to Myself; that where I am, there YOU may be also. I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life. NO ONE comes to The Father except through Me.”

“If YOU (Believers) Love Me (Jesus Christ), keep My Commandments. And I (Jesus Christ) will pray to The Father (God Almighty), and He (God Almighty) will give YOU another Helper (The Holy Spirit), that He (The Holy Spirit) may abide with YOU Forever, The Spirit of Truth (The Holy Spirit), whom the World cannot receive, because it neither sees Him (The Holy Spirit) nor knows Him (The Holy Spirit); but YOU know Him (The Holy Spirit), for He (The Holy Spirit) dwells with YOU and will be in YOU. I (Jesus Christ) will NOT leave YOU orphans; I will come to YOU.”

“These things I (Jesus Christ) have spoken to YOU (Believers), that My Joy may remain in YOU, and that your joy may be full. This is My Commandment, that YOU Love one another as I have Loved YOU. Greater Love has NO ONE than this, than to lay down One’s Life, for his friends. YOU are My Friends if YOU do whatever I Command YOU. No longer do I call YOU servants, for a servant does NOT know what his master is doing; but I have called YOU friends, for all things that I heard from My Father (God Almighty), I (Jesus Christ) have made known to YOU. YOU did NOT choose Me, but I (Jesus Christ) Chose YOU and Appointed YOU that YOU should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever YOU ask The Father (God Almighty), in My Name, He may give YOU. These things I command YOU, that YOU Love one another.”

“If the World hates YOU (Believers), YOU know that it hated Me (Jesus Christ) before it hated YOU. If YOU were of the World, the World would love its own. Yet because YOU are NOT of the World, but I (Jesus Christ) Chose YOU out of the World, therefore the World hates YOU. Remember, The Word that I said to YOU, ‘A servant is NOT greater than his master.’ If they (Unbelievers) Persecuted Me (Jesus Christ), they (Unbelievers) will also Persecute YOU. But all these things they (Unbelievers) will do to YOU, for My Name’s Sake, because they (Unbelievers) do NOT know Him (God Almighty) who sent Me. If I had NOT come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He (Unbelievers) who hates Me, hates My Father (God Almighty) also. If I had NOT done among them, The Works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that The Word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They (Unbelievers) hated Me, without a cause.’

“But when The Helper (The Holy Spirit) comes, whom I (Jesus Christ) shall send to YOU (Believers), from The Father (God Almighty), The Spirit of Truth (The Holy Spirit), who proceeds from The Father (God Almighty), He (The Holy Spirit) will Testify of Me (Jesus Christ). And YOU (Believers) also will bear Witness.”

[What more can I say, that Our Lord Jesus Christ, did NOT already say, in His Own Words.]

These days are testing days for every one who claims to be a believer

These days “news” is shared, almost instantly, especially over the Internet. Each of Us, can learn about things from virtually anywhere, in the World. We can literally, see the World pulling away from God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit. We can literally, see the World erasing God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, out of anything and everything. Which suits Satan’s Plans nicely. We can literally, see Satan (with the help of Men and Women) attempting to twist, recreate, and destroy, what God Almighty Created, through Jesus Christ. One of the most heinous acts, transgenderism, is destroying Our Children, and again, it’s happening with the help of Men and Women. Children are called “children” for a reason. They (Children) are NOT yet ready (mentally or emotionally) to make long term decisions, which will affect their (Children) lives. Yes, I know, transgenderism affects Adult lives, too. Another heinous act, Abortion, claims hundreds of thousands, if NOT millions of young lives (just as they begin), with no apparent end in sight.

We are witnessing the persecution of Christians, i.e. Christians literally being put to death, simply because They are Christians, while the World turns a “blind eye!” These are NOT Soldiers being killed on a battlefield, but defenseless Christian Civilians, who are being, gutlessly tortured and put to death. Christian Women and little girls, who are being raped, tortured, and sold as Sex Slaves, by cowardly people, who choose defenseless girls and Women, simply because they can, while the World turns a “blind eye!” We are watching helplessly by, while the World is covered in turmoil and blood. The World is seeing pestilence, famine, drought, earthquakes, floods, crop destruction, Genocide, Homicide, Civil Wars, other Wars, etc. The Middle East, for what seems like, Forever in turmoil, is still a hotly contested area and War involving Israel, appears imminent. On yet another front, Christians are being forced to go against Their Beliefs (and against God Almighty, Himself), from Their Businesses to Their jobs, to hold to Man’s Law, instead of God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes. Satan (with the help of Men and Women) is getting his way, as God Almighty, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes, The Holy Bible, and the freedom to pray, are All being attacked, and for the most part, being removed and erased, from anything and everything!

Christians are literally being forced to bow down to Man’s Law, and The Worldly View, from “Civil Unions” (or “Gay Marriages”), to forcing businesses to go against the Owner’s Beliefs, to keeping the freedom of prayer, out of anything and everything (including Schools, School Activities, and School Events). Christians are being told, by The Worldly View, to keep Our Christian Beliefs to Ourselves, and to pray behind closed doors (i.e. in Our Churches and Our Homes), and to keep Our praying to God Almighty and Jesus Christ, out of the Public View (Worldly View). Most importantly, Christians are being asked (NOT demanded, well, NOT yet) to stop Preaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ. But Christians are being demanded to STOP asking the World (Worldly View), to listen to God Almighty, to obey God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes, to live The Way, God Almighty, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, and The Holy Bible Commands, We All should live.

Then Peter, filled with The Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and Elders of Israel: If We (Jesus’ Disciples) this day are judged for a good deed, done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all The People of Israel, that by The Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God Raised from the dead, by Him (Jesus Christ), this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘Stone which was Rejected by you builders, which has become The Chief Cornerstone.’ Nor is there Salvation in any other, for there is No Other Name under Heaven, given among Men, by which We MUST be Saved.”

So they called Them (Peter and John) and commanded Them (Peter and John) NOT to Speak at all nor Teach, in The Name of Jesus (Jesus Christ). But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in The Sight of God (God Almighty), to listen to you, more than to God (God Almighty), you judge.”

But Peter and the other Apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God (God Almighty), rather than Men. The God of Our Fathers, Raised Up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him (Jesus Christ), God (God Almighty) has Exalted to His (God Almighty’s) Right Hand to be Prince and Savior, to give Repentance to Israel and Forgiveness of sins. And We (Jesus’ Disciples) are His (Jesus Christ’s) Witnesses to these things, and so also is The Holy Spirit, whom God (God Almighty) has given, to those (Believers) who obey Him (God Almighty).”

And We (Jesus’ Disciples) know that all things work together for good, to Those (Believers) who Love God (God Almighty), to Those (Believers) who are The Called according to His (God Almighty’s) Purpose. For whom He (God Almighty) Foreknew, He (God Almighty) also Predestined to be Conformed to The Image of His Son (Jesus Christ), that He (Jesus Christ) might be The Firstborn among many Brethren. Moreover whom He (God Almighty) Predestined, These He (God Almighty) also Called; whom (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) Called, These (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) also Justified; and whom (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) Justified, These (Believers) He (Jesus Christ) also Glorified. What then shall We (Jesus’ Disciples) say to these things? If God (God Almighty) is for Us (Believers), who can be against Us (Believers)?

“Whatever I (Jesus Christ) tell YOU (Believers) in the dark, Speak in the light; and what YOU (Believers) hear in the ear, Preach on the housetops. And do NOT fear, those (Unbelievers) who kill the body, but cannot kill the Soul. But rather fear Him (God Almighty) who is able to destroy both Soul and body, in Hell.” “And I (Jesus Christ) say to YOU (Believers), My Friends, do NOT be afraid of those (Unbelievers) who kill the body, and after that have no more that they (Unbelievers) can do. But I (Jesus Christ) will show YOU (Believers) whom YOU (Believers) should fear: Fear Him (God Almighty) who, after He (God Almighty) has killed, has Power to cast into Hell; yes, I (Jesus Christ) say to YOU (Believers), fear Him (God Almighty)!”

Fellow Believers, Stand with God Almighty, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Spirit, Always, and They will Always Stand with YOU! Preach The Gospel of Jesus Christ without fear! Stand strong, holding to God Almighty’s Commandments and Statutes, and Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Commandments and Statutes, with The Holy Spirit, guiding and counseling YOU. We (Fellow Believers) are Jesus Christ’s Light upon the World, may the World see Him (Jesus Christ), instead of Us (Believers)! Children of God Almighty, Stand Strong!

Why is it Important to Share the Gospel?

Why is it important to share The Gospel, with your family and friends? Have YOU ever thought about this question? Well, I’m going to try to give YOU a few reasons why, it’s extremely important.

1 The Great Commission
Jesus Christ said, “Go therefore, into All the World and Preach The Gospel, make Disciples of all the nations, Baptizing them in The Name of The Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe All things that I have commanded YOU. He who Believes and is Baptized will be Saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

2 Did YOU know, that over 90% of Church Members believe it’s their Pastor’s job, to lead people to Christ, meaning they believe, it’s not their job. It’s not only your Pastor’s job to lead people to Christ, it’s your Pastor’s job to teach his congregation, to lead people to Christ, meaning each and every one of YOU!

3 We All have friends and family, and We want All of them to go to Heaven. Well, if Our Pastor never meets any of them, whose going to talk to them, and lead them to Christ? If We don’t tell them, who will?

4 I always think of "Lazarus and the rich man", how the rich man could look across The Great Gulf and see Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, asking Father Abraham to send Lazarus to his brothers, so they don't receive the same fate. Well, imagine if the people YOU encounter, could see across The Great Gulf, and see YOU in Abraham's bosom, and yell across it, asking why YOU didn't tell them? I don't want anyone to be able to ask this of me.

As Believers, in God Almighty and The Lord Jesus Christ, We take upon Ourselves the mantle, The Cross, the obligation, of sharing The Gospel of Jesus Christ, with everyone. Which includes: family, friends, Church family, neighbors, and strangers, basically, every person We encounter. We are Jesus’ Light upon the World, and as His Disciples, We are called upon to go and make Disciples of All the Nations of the World. This is a privilege, We should eagerly look forward to this opportunity, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, that everyone has been given a Great Gift, the chance for Eternal Life, in God’s Immediate Presence, with The Lord Jesus Christ, for Eternity. My prayer for YOU, is that YOU look at sharing The Gospel, with great enthusiasm, something that will truly chance someone’s Life, for Eternity. Amen.

Go and Make disciples (It is a Command and not a request) (Mt:28:19)

I have always thought that being Christian was sufficient to please God and reserve eternal life. It actually is more than that.

The Bible says that Man’s life is numbered to 70 or 80 years at the most. If those years could be multiplied into days it would be only 25,550 days (“The length of our days is seventy years–or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” Psalms 90:10). Our time on the earth is shorter and the longer or eternally we want to live then we have to believe in Jesus and do what he says.

Ask a question to yourself… What have I done for the sake of God in the last few years I have lived beside going to Church, giving tithe and participating in few programs….

And the answer is not so much. My dear friend God wants you to walk and live with him daily. You are created only to fulfill the purpose of the creator that is our Lord Jesus Christ.

God is in the business of working through his people to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. God often shapes people with personality, characteristics, experiences, and training that prepare them for his purpose, and people usually have no idea what God has in store for them. God prepared and Positioned Nehemiah to accomplish one of the Bible’s “Impossible” tasks. So was Moses when God called him to lead a bunch of disobedient people. Moses had to accept the challenge and handle because it was God’s mission and God promised to be with him.

Nehemiah was a common man in a unique position. He was secure and successful as a cupbearer to the Persian king Artaxerxes. Nehemiah had little power, but had great influence. He was trusted by the king. He was also a man of God, concerned about the fate of Jerusalem.

Seventy years earlier, Zerubbabel had managed to rebuild God’s temple. Thirteen years had passed since Ezra had returned to Jerusalem and helped the people with their spiritual needs. Now Nehemiah was needed. Jerusalem’s wall was still in ruins and the news broke his heart. As he talked to God, a plan began to take form in Nehemiah’s mind about his own role in the rebuilding of the city walls.  He willingly left the security of his home and job in Persia to follow God on an “impossible” mission.  And the rest is history.

From beginning to end, Nehemiah prayed God’s help.  He never hesitated to ask God to remember him, closing his autobiography with these words:  “Remember me with favor, O my God”.  Throughout the “impossible” task, Nehemiah displayed unusual leadership.  The wall around Jerusalem was rebuilt in record time, despite resistance.  Even Israel’s enemies grudgingly and fearfully admitted that God was with these builders.  Not only that, but God worked through Nehemiah to bring about a spiritual awakening among the people of Judah.

You may not have Nehemiah’s unique abilities or feel that you are in a position where you can do anything great for God, but there are two ways you can become useful to God.  First, be a person who talks to God.  Welcome him into your thoughts and share yourself with him – your concerns, feelings, and dreams.  Second, be a person who walks with God.  Put what you learn from his Word into action.  God may have an “impossible” mission that he wants to do through you. It may be a simple mission or a very difficult mission. Are you ready for God’s leading?????

The missing link in our testimonies

"Non-believer. Met Jesus. Now going to heaven." What's been left out?

I love hearing about how God has worked in people's lives. Whether it's someone giving a testimony in church, an article someone's written on Fervr, or just an informal conversation, it's always encouraging to hear personal stories of people coming to faith.

However, I think there's often something missing. Have you noticed when we tell or write our testimonies, they follow a formula that goes something like this:

1. I was lost in sin
2. I became a Christian and have been saved by Christ
3. I will go to heaven to be with him

That sounds about right ... doesn't it?

What's missing?

Of course, the above three points are true and important to tell people about! But what I think is missing is the bit between becoming a Christian (point 2) and ultimately going to heaven (point 3). In other words, we should talk about what's happening right now as we live in anticipation of Christ's return. 

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul says:

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

Paul was writing this letter to the church at Colossae about 1,950 years ago. He was reminding the people that being a Christian wasn’t simply deciding to follow Jesus; they had to continue to know Jesus more and more. And it's exactly the same for us. 

Grow like a mango tree

Say I plant a mango seed in my garden, I give it some water and sunlight and a little shoot comes out of the ground. That's nice, isn't it? But it's not going to grow juicy mangoes as a little tiny shoot. It has to grow up into a big, strong tree and continue to grow before it can bear fruit. The tree also has to have good strong roots so that it will stand fast against the wind and the rain.

We're a bit like that imaginary mango tree. We've been planted as a seed. Then we decide to follow Jesus and a little shoot pops out of the ground. If we leave it as that, it remains very fragile. But if we grow in our faith, if we make deep strong roots in the ground, we will bear fruit and stay strong. 

There's going to be tough times in our lives. Life isn’t easy being a Christian. The rain, the wind and the hail might come, but if we have strong roots in God’s word, and continue to grow in the knowledge of him, we can stand strong.

How do we grow stronger in Christ?

Earlier in his letter, Paul tells the Colossians:

"...we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might..." Colossians 1:10-11a (NIV)

Again, the image of the tree comes through, and Paul highlights three key things - we need to be bearing fruit (living a Godly life), growing in our knowledge of God and being strengthened by him. So how do we do that?

Just like we can't earn our salvation, we can't grow in Christ on our own either. We need to ask God to help us to grow in our knowledge of him. That means to begin with, it's important we pray regularly to him.

Just as important is reading the Bible - studying God's word for ourselves as well as hearing it explained by others, because the Bible is the primary way God has chosen to speak to his people.  

I think we should do both of these things individually and with other Christians. It's important to encourage each other in our faith and knowledge of Christ, but also for each of us to spend time alone with God.

Ready to tell your testimony again?

Next time you're ask to tell your story of coming to faith in Jesus, be sure to explain not only how you became a Christian, but how you're continuing to live in him: to bear fruit, to be strengthened and to grow in your knowledge of God. 

My prayer for all of us is that just as we received Christ Jesus as Lord, we continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith we were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Did Jesus really exist?

What proof do we have that Jesus was a real person who lived on earth?

In recent years some people have questioned the actual existence of Jesus. Some claim that the idea of a Savior was manufactured by certain people and it ended up becoming a religion.

The problem with this thinking is that there are simply too many biblical and extra biblical writings that attest to the real person we know as Jesus Christ, who lived and died in the first century.

A misguided idea

First, it is absurd to believe that in the first century thousands of people would devote themselves to a person who never existed. By AD 100, about 65 years after Jesus had been on earth, there were some 25,000 people who called themselves Christians—named after Christ who they believed in. Many of these Christ-followers were persecuted not just by governments but by family and friends. Some even gave up their lives as martyrs for this person. Would so many people do this for a person who had never lived? And within 200 years (AD 300) the faithful band of Jesus-followers grew to over 20 million.   It is inconceivable that such a large following would have lasted had it been based on a phantom Christ.

The evidence of the New Testament

Of course we also have the reliable evidence of the New Testament, which records the life and teachings of Jesus. Peter, one of his disciples, wrote a letter in the early 60s just before his martyrdom under the Emperor Nero in AD 64 or 65. He writes,

We were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. (2 Peter 1:16-17).

Peter was referring to the time he was present at the Mount of Transfiguration, when Jesus was visited by Moses and Elijah. He was attesting to the reality of Jesus as an eyewitness of his existence. We have 13 letters of Paul, 4 Gospels, the book of Acts, and other New Testament books that attest to the historicity of Jesus. Many of the writers of the New Testament wrote within a generation of Jesus’ life and were either eyewitnesses to or familiar with eyewitness accounts of Jesus.

Evidence from other sources

But beyond the New Testament accounts there are those of “secular” writers—writings that verify that Jesus the Christ did in fact live. For example, the historian Josephus wrote The Antiquities of the Jews in AD 93. In book 18, chapter 3, paragraph 3, he writes,

About the time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man…He was the Messiah. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing amongst us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him.

Josephus also referred to “James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ.”

Pliny the Younger was one of the world’s great letter-writers. Ten volumes of his correspondence have survived to the present. He wrote to the Emperor Trajan concerning the Christians of his province in AD 112, revealing how a non-Christian viewed Christianity. He writes about Christ-followers that “they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alternate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god.”

Cornelius Tacitus, born about AD 56, became a Roman senator and is considered the most reliable of ancient historians. In his Annals of AD 116 he makes statements about the death of Christ as a historical fact.

And many others, like Suetonius, another Roman historian (AD 120); Lucian of Samosata, a Greek satirist (AD 170); and Mara Bar-Serapion, a Stoic philosopher (AD 70) confirmed in written history that Jesus of Nazareth lived and died.

The trouble with two minute Christians

When we say 'yes' to following Jesus, do we really know what we're committing to?

Becoming a Christian the way you make two minute noodles can ultimately lead to becoming a two minute Christian.

I like things that are quick and simple. For that reason I like camera phones. In the old days, if you wanted to take a photo you had to buy a camera, a roll of film, take 24 photos, take your film to a camera shop, wait an hour, collect your photos and then manually put them into your photo album. You’ll find Instagram is much quicker. 

How many of us want to make our own pasta from scratch? You’d need eggs, flour, a whisk, a rolling pin, hands to knead dough and a time machine to go back to 1957, the year before someone invented instant noodles. I prefer two minute noodles because they take precisely two minutes. Because I like things that are quick and simple, I like microwaves over ovens, elevators over stairs and liking a Facebook status instead of having to write out a comment. 

Paul in Romans 10 is describing how to be saved. It too seems quick and simple:"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved". Later he says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Easy!

'Raise your hand to be saved'

Growing up, I saw many young people put their hand up and go forward at evangelistic meetings to be saved. I was so excited to know my high school friends were now walking with Jesus. The only problem was many of them didn’t walk with Jesus at all. After they went forward to be saved, their lives didn’t seem to change. They didn’t get involved in church community or any form of discipleship and the decisions they made didn’t appear to reflect that Jesus was now King of their lives. I read these verses in Romans and thought they must be saved because they’d confessed with their mouth that Jesus was Lord. At least they’d confessed something with their mouth even if it didn’t seem to make any difference to their lives.

What were these teens really inviting Jesus to do? Were they inviting Jesus to be their King or were they just asking him to give them a free ride to heaven? Many of these teens were looking to be saved the way you make two minute noodles. They were looking for the quickest, easiest and most convenient way to be saved without making Jesus Lord. Unfortunately becoming a Christian the way you make two minute noodles ultimately leads to becoming a two minute Christian.

The Christian road is long

It's been a number of years since then and I'm not completely sure where all of those young people are today or what their walk with God is like now. It's not for me to decide which of these young people were saved or not. But what I would like to see is people deciding to follow Jesus for the right reason - because they want Jesus to be the Lord and the leader of their lives.

We should think carefully about the words 'Jesus is Lord'. Lord means supreme master, leader or king. Sure you want to go to heaven, but do you want Jesus to be the leader of your life? Do you want to make his mission your mission? Do you want him to be in charge of all the areas of your life? Becoming a Christian isn’t as simple as raising your hand, saying a prayer and adding boiling water. Becoming a Christian is about following Christ, inviting him to be the leader of your life and making his cause your cause. 

Rescuing the shipwrecked

Why God wants us to reach out and help the lost.

Imagine you're in a shipwreck. The raging torrents of the sea have smashed your ship and now just pieces of floating debris remain. The rain hammers down on you and the waves toss you over and over.

You reach out for something - anything that will help you stay afloat, to stop you being swept down to your death. Your hand grabs something firm. You pull yourself closer to it. It's a lifeboat.

You climb up and into the little boat and let out a huge sigh of relief. The rain is still pouring down, and the waves are still rocky, but are so much safer and better than when you were out there on your own.

But you weren't the only one on the ship. There were hundreds, thousands on board - now they're helplessly gasping for breath. It's only a matter of time before their bodies give up, before they drown.

You have a choice: do you paddle on and try and make your way to dry land, or do you call out to those drowning around you, and help them get onto the lifeboat so that they, like you, can be saved?

A life or death situation

The situation I've described is an illustration of what things are like for us Christians. Of course, like any analogy it does fall down in some respects, but I think the main idea is true. All humans are in a shipwreck - ever since humankind fell at the garden of Eden we've all been dying, drowning because of our sin. But some of us have been rescued and are on that lifeboat - God has shown mercy and love and has rescued us from our drowning. We're not back on dry land yet - we still experience hardships, but we can find comfort in the fact that we are safe in the arms of Christ and will one day be taken to be with him forever.

But there's others around us who are still drowning. They're desperately trying to survive on their own but they know, deep down, that death is inevitable. Some of them see the lifeboat, they see what Christ offers and they come onboard. Some see in your face that something has happened to help you find comfort in the storm, but they can't see the lifeboat, they can't see Christ. Others don't even seem to notice you're there at all, and  are instead intent on saving themselves, or even more bizarrely, pointlessly chasing after money and other treasures from the ship as they slowly come closer and closer to death.

It's an eternal life or death situation, and you have the chance to tell these people of how they can be saved. Will you?

Will you reach out to help?

I don't know about you, but I find this whole illustration really confronting because it makes me realize that telling others about the salvation I've found in Jesus is not a big enough priority in my life. All too often I shy away from sharing my faith - even mentioning it - with non-Christian friends because I'm afraid of awkwardness or ridicule or rejection. People seem to be getting on fine on their own. I forget that they are drowning. I forget that unless they experience God's saving grace they will spend eternity in hell.

The book of Acts follows some men and women who did share their faith in Christ, who saw those who hadn’t come to faith as drowning in their sin and in need of the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

• Peter and John were on trial in Jerusalem, but boldly told everyone listening of Jesus the Saviour: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12, NIV).
• Stephen, was being stoned to death for proclaiming Christ, but still felt compassion for his killers , crying out: "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." (Acts 7:60, NIV).
• Paul and Silas, were in jail and saw that the jailer earnestly wanted to be saved from sin, and told him: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved - you and your household." (Acts 16:31).

We need to be more like these early Christians and see that people without Christ are drowning and need to be told of the salvation that can be found in Jesus Christ our Lord.

It's an eternal life or death situation. So are you going to get out there and tell people the gospel?

Why are Christians persecuted?

Why are so many believers put in prison, beaten, or worse?

A church leader in Vietnam is taken to the police station to be beaten and interrogated. A young girl in Pakistan, falsely accused of ripping pages from the Koran, is arrested as a mob shouts “Kill her!”. A widow in Colombia grieves the murder of her husband, assassinated by rebel guerrillas because of his bold gospel activity. And in the news right now, Christians are being attacked in Iraq, Nigeria and many other parts of the world.

Christians face persecution for their faith in Jesus every day. But why? The answer is different depending on what country you’re talking about, but most countries fit into one of the following three categories:

Communist politics

Basically, communism is a political system based on control. Communist governments seek to control everything, including the church. They are fearful of the Christian church, because the gospel is the power of God to transform lives. And so they put restrictions in place for the church, seeking to control the people and intimidate pastors through imprisonment and beatings. But this cannot stand in the way of the Spirit of God, and so the movement of the gospel in communist countries faces further opposition from government authorities because they cannot control or stop the spread of the gospel.

Other Religions 

According to the more radical streams of Islam, apostasy (rejecting your religion) is a crime that demands the death penalty. When a Muslim converts from Islam to Christianity, they are seen to be bringing shame on their family, and abandoning their heritage, their very identity. For to be an Iranian, or an Egyptian or from any other Islamic country is to be Muslim. Conversion to Christianity is a massive insult in Islam, and so believers with a Muslim background face incredible opposition not only from the government and the Sharia law courts, but also from their family and friends.

Wars and conflict

In some countries, there are civil wars or other conflicts that result in Christians facing opposition for their faith. These are countries where the governments attempt to provide protection for Christians, but a rebel army is hostile to the gospel.

Christians have always been persecuted

If we want the real reason for persecution, however, we need to look at what Jesus says: “if the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first…if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:18,20).

As a follower of Jesus, I look at the persecuted church and at Jesus’ call to costly faith and I ask myself “Am I willing to live this out at any cost? Is Jesus really worth living and dying for?”

The apostle Paul thought so. He said “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Paul lost everything for Jesus. He was persecuted, abandoned, insulted and yet he could still hold to the hope of the gospel and declare that “I consider that these present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

The gospel calls us to lay it all down at the cross, to forsake life itself so that we might gain Christ and be found in him. This is such a challenging message for us because we hold on to our life so tightly. So are we willing to let go? Will we join our persecuted brothers and sisters by being willing to suffer for the gospel in Australia?

“Do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel” 2 Timothy 1:8.

Am i Too sinful to be saved?

Is it possible someone could be out of reach of God?

Are you ever tempted to think that some people you know will never become Christians?

Maybe it's because they swear all the time, tell crude jokes, get drunk, are obsessed with greed, follow another religion or are just really anti-Christian. Maybe they’re your schoolmates, friends or even family members.

Sometimes, it just seems like they're so far away from the truth of the gospel and the way God wants us to live that it would be impossible for them to even turn up one week at Youth Group, let alone accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking this way. But the Bible clearly shows us that there is no one too lost for Christ to save.

In Chapter Five of Luke’s gospel, Jesus called Levi (Matthew) the tax collector to become his disciple. Tax collectors worked for the Romans and also frequently committed fraud against their own people for personal gain. And yet Jesus called him. When Jesus met with other tax collectors at Levi's house, the local teachers of the law asked him"Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus' reply was"It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Jesus didn't think the tax collectors were too sinful to be saved. That's why he was hanging out with them, so that they, like Levi, might repent of their sin and follow him.  

In God's eyes, all of us have sinned against him. We're all just as bad as each other, having rejected his authority and perfect plan for us. We need to remember that we are no better than the other sinners around us - the only difference is we have repented and experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

The Bible is full of stories about the most sinful, lost and unlikely people turning to God. People like King Nebuchadnezzar, who was forcing people to worship him but ultimately admitted his sinfulness and praised the God Most High. People like the thief on the cross, who after living as a criminal accepted Jesus' lordship just moments before death. People like the apostle Paul, who was actively persecuting Jesus' followers and ended up becoming one himself, and leading many more people to him.

If you're reading this and you think you're not good enough for God, hear this: it's not about what you've done. All of us are sinful and are only made pure through the death of Jesus Christ.

And as you interact with the people in your life, remember that no one is too lost for Christ to rescue them. Everyone is a potential child of God. We are saved by God’s grace alone.