Tag Archives: Jesus

The Compassion of Christ

Posted on by under Love of God

Jesus Heals Leper     Many of us cannot imagine what it would be like to have to live as a leper in ancient times.  Just take a moment to consider what our mental and emotional state would be if we knew we had a disease that could not be cured and that mandated that we be isolated.  Lepers could not live among their loved ones, due to the disease being contagious.  They had to live in separate colonies.  They had to pass by people on the other side of the street and yell out “unclean,” so no one would come near them.  Certainly, no one would ever touch a leper.

     Now notice what Matthew records for us with regards to one who was a leper in ancient times. “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:2-3, NKJV).  In this event Jesus is shown to have power that mortal men do not have.  Leprosy was an incurable disease, but Jesus had the power to heal this man.  We might also notice that the miracle Jesus performed did not take time to become effective, but that the cure to this man’s leprosy was immediate.  Therefore, there can be no doubt as to how the man was healed.

     There is another aspect of this occasion, however, that is often overlooked.  That is the compassion of Christ.  As previously noted, lepers could not have any physical contact with others, but look at what Jesus did.  The Bible says that Jesus reached out His hand and touched this man.  It can be seen in other miracles that Jesus performed that the touching of this man was unnecessary in order to heal him.  Indeed, Jesus later healed the Centurion’s servant from a distance.  So why did Jesus reach out and touch him?  I believe that Jesus touched him to show His compassion on this man.  Christ has compassion for His children.

     Perhaps you have something in your life that no one else can help you with, and you need compassion too.  Maybe you need that comfort that only God can afford.  We invite you to come and see the compassion of the Christ, to learn more about Him, and to become a child of God by being born again (John 1:12-13; 3:3-7).

A Day’s Journey Without Jesus

Posted on by under Christian Living

journey     Once upon a time there was a little girl who was left behind at the church building where she grew up.  Both of her parents had driven to the worship service that morning, since her father had a meeting to attend early that morning.  When they left, both assumed that the other had the child with them.  Perhaps something like this has happened to you, and if so, you are in good company.

     Joseph and Mary had traveled to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover when Jesus was just twelve years old (Luke 2:41-42).  When they left, both of them made the assumption that Jesus was with their relatives in the caravan leading back home.  However, after traveling for a day’s journey, they realized that Jesus was not with the company (Luke 2:43-45).  They quickly backtracked and found Jesus three days later in the temple, where He was amazing the learned men with His questions and answers (Luke 2:46).

     We can just imagine the horror of realizing that our child is missing.  Searching high and low for a missing child causes us much anguish and worry for their safety, especially in our day and age.  Both Mary and Joseph were concerned about being without Jesus, even for a day’s journey. “So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously’” (Luke 2:48, NKJV).

     How many of us will journey for a day, or several days, or perhaps even months at a time without Jesus being with us?  Do we become concerned?  Are we anxious because we are not with Him?  God has said that He will never abandon us or leave us, but we have the free will to travel away from Him (Hebrews 13:5; 2:1).  All of the spiritual blessings that God has to offer are to be found in Christ/with Jesus (Ephesians 1:3).  Are we with Him, or are we journeying without Jesus?  If we are going through this life without Him, we need to come back and find Him.  Come and see, and let us help you find Jesus!

Jesus Is Better

Posted on by under Christian Living, Doctrine

Jesus Footprints     In a good news article the four ‘W’s are usually brought out in the first paragraph.  At least that’s what I remember from my very brief education on journalism from a long ago English course.  Writers want to let the reader know who, did what, when, and where.  In looking at the beginning of the book of Hebrews, we might call the writer a good journalist. “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2, NKJV).

     Notice with me some of what is in these two little verses of scripture.  First, in verse one, God is the who.  Spoke is what He did.  The when is in times past, and the where was to the fathers.  The verse also tells us how God did that.  It was at various times and in various ways and through the mouth of the prophets that God spoke to mankind in times past.  Second, in verse two, God is still the one speaking, so the who and the what are the same.  However, now that speaking has been done in these last days, and it has been spoken to us by His Son, Jesus Christ.

     There are many lessons that we can learn from the old law and the Old Testament (Romans 15:4).  However, now we are told to hear God’s Son and pay the more earnest heed to His words (Matthew 17:5; Hebrews 2:1-4).  Indeed the message that comes from the entire book of Hebrews is that Christ is better.  He is better than the angels.  He is better than Moses.  He is better than the human high priests.  He mediates a better covenant, established on better promises, with a better hope (Hebrews 7:19; 8:6).

     It is Jesus Christ, the one and only unique Son of God, who has brought salvation to mankind.  We need to hear what He has to say.  We need to obey His commands.  Otherwise, how shall we escape the punishment for our sins that we deserve? “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him” (Hebrews 2:3).

Ask, Seek, and Knock

Posted on by under Christian Living

knocker-164072_640     Imagine that you have a friend who comes knocking on your door at midnight tonight looking for three loaves of bread in order to feed his guests.  How would you react?  Would you direct them to the nearest Walmart?  Jesus said, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?” (Luke 11:5b-7 NKJV).  Even though the two people are friends, Jesus points out that the one will not get out of bed to help the other because of their friendship, but because of persistence (Luke 11:8).

     In looking at the context of the passage, it is quickly observed that Jesus is teaching them about prayer (Luke 11:1-4; 9-10).  Therefore, when we look at the story of persistence, what we should get out of that is our need to be persistent in our prayers to God.  Oftentimes we may feel that we are bothering God, or that we have already prayed about a certain issue and so we do not persist.  But if we are praying for God’s will to be done, we should persist.

     Notice that Jesus tells His disciples, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).  Did you notice the first letter in each of the three things Jesus told them to do?  They are to ask (A), seek (S), and knock (K).  In other words, they are to continue to ASK God for what they need.  As followers of Jesus, we are to be persistent in our prayer life and keep asking, seeking, and knocking!  If you are seeking God, we would be happy to help.  Come and see what God has done for us!

The Truth is Black and White

Posted on by under Culture, Doctrine

Picture1     Rachel Dolezal is not black.  She was born to two white parents, but later bronzed her skin and changed her hairstyle.  After claiming to be black, she was made a local leader in the NAACP.  Recently, her parents have spoken out to say that Rachel is not black.  Rachel responded by saying, “Nothing about being white describes who I am. So, you know, what’s the word for it? The closest thing that I can come to is if you’re black or white, I’m black. . . I’m more black than white. On a level of values, lived experience currently. In this moment, that’s the answer. That’s the accurate answer from my truth” (http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/rachel-dolezal-says-theres-no-biological-proof-of-who-her-parents-are/ar-AAbI12V?ocid=ansnewsap11).

     Notice that she says “in this moment” she is black, as if we are able to change our heritage over the course of time.  I can get a suntan, grow dreadlocks, and start to speak with an accent (Hey, mon, don’t ya know it), but that will not make me Jamaican.  The truth is not something that is subject to change over time.  Jesus prayed that God would sanctify or set His people apart by the truth, which is God’s word (John 17:17).  The Bible tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 NKJV).  We are not to add to or take from God’s word (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32).  Jesus said His words would endure forever (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31).

     Rachel believes that her answers are according to “her truth,” but truth is not relative.  I cannot have one truth that is different from your truth.  I can have an opinion that is different than yours, but there is only one truth.  If I were to say that the lights are on and you were to say that the lights are off, both of those statements cannot be true at the same time.  The truth does not depend on our environment or our situation in life.  Water is wet.  Jesus is Lord.  There is just one God.  These things are true whether we believe and accept them or not.  The truth is not gray.  The truth is black and white.

     “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth” (Psalm 119:142). “You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth” (Psalm 119:151). “The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm 119:160).  God’s word could not be clearer on this subject.  Yet, there are those who will still ask the question that was on Pilate’s lips as Jesus stood before him, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).  If you want to know more about the truth, read God’s word.  If you want to find eternal life, you must believe it to be true (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:6).  If we can help you on your journey, come and see what the Lord has done for us!

God’s Path to Salvation – Step Five – Be Baptized

Posted on by under Doctrine

baptism     After hearing and believing the Word, if we are willing to submit to God by confessing our allegiance to Christ and repent of the things we are doing that are wrong, we can become a child of God by being baptized for the remission of our sins.  This step in God’s path to salvation seems to be the most misunderstood and most debated of all of what God requires of us.  Yet, it is a simple step, which the pages of scripture call us to do.  Jesus commands baptism.  The apostles commanded baptism.  Paul was instructed to be baptized.  All of those who converted to Christianity that we can read about in the book of Acts were baptized as part of their conversion.  If you do not believe me, see what God’s Word says about the subject!

     As Jesus was bidding His disciples farewell just before ascending into heaven, He gave them His final instructions.  “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned’” (Mark 16:15-16NKJV).  Notice here that Jesus states that the one who is a believer and has been baptized will be saved.  It is the same as saying, he who has a ticket and gets into line will be admitted to the game.  We have to have the ticket first in order to get into the game.  If we do not have a ticket, there is no sense in getting into line.  Thus, we have to believe before we are baptized.  If we do not believe, then baptism alone will not affect us.  Additionally, it does us absolutely no good to have a ticket for the game, but to never get into line to enter the building.  Just buying our ticket does not grant us admittance.  Likewise, in order to be saved one must believe and be baptized.

     In Matthew’s recording of the great commission, he writes that Jesus told them to make disciples from all of the nations (Matthew 28:19).  How is it that they were to make disciples?  Jesus tells them how.  He said that they were to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all of Christ’s commandments (Matthew 28:19-20).  That is how disciples are made.  If you have not been baptized, you are not a disciple (follower) of Jesus Christ.

     It is the act of baptism that washes away our sins.  God did His part in sending His one and only unique Son to die on our behalf, so that our sins might be covered.  Jesus died so that we could be cleansed, sanctified, made holy, and set apart (Romans 5:6-11).  But we also have to do our part in accepting that grace of God.  It is not enough for us to receive a great prize notification, and say that we are rich.  We must claim that prize in order for it to have the intended effect.  It is the act of baptism that puts us in contact with the blood of Christ.  The water has no magical properties, but the act of obedience to what the Lord commanded means that His blood cleanses us from sin.  Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “. . . do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4).  Being buried with Him in the likeness of His death signifies how we come in contact with the blood He shed, so that our sins can be covered.  Being compared to a burial also tells us of the method of baptism.  It is an immersion, a complete covering.  Otherwise, it is not a burial.

     Peter said that baptism was the act that removes our sins when he preached to the crowd on the day of Pentecost.  On that day the doors of the church were opened for the first time.  Peter explained that those Jews in Jerusalem had been responsible for rejecting Christ and having Him crucified.  They were responsible for His death.  Imagine how they must have felt when Peter showed them that they had put the one and only Son of God to death!  This news pricked them in their hearts.  They were convicted by the word.  They were convinced that they had done wrong.  They wanted to know what they could do to get out of such a terrible predicament (Acts 2:22-37).  “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38).  Notice what Peter did not tell them to do.  He did not say to just accept Jesus in your heart and all would be well.  He did not say to repeat a “sinners prayer,” which is not found in Scripture, in order to be saved.  He told them to repent and be baptized.  One is no good without the other.  They were to be baptized for the remission of sins.  Since baptism is the way to remit our sins, if we are not baptized our sins are not remitted.  Later Peter would write that baptism now saves us (1 Peter 3:21).

     One last example to consider is the conversion of Paul.  Paul was a persecutor of the church.  He did not believe in Jesus.  As he was on the way to Damascus to round up more Christians for trial and execution, he saw a bright light and heard the voice of Christ.  Surely that would be enough to save Paul, right?  Notice what Paul was told to do by Jesus.  “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:6b).  So Paul went into Damascus.  There he was told what he must do in order to be saved.  When Ananias came to him, Paul had been praying and fasting for three days (Acts 9:9).  Ananias said to Paul, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).

     Notice that Paul was not saved by seeing Jesus.  He was not saved by speaking to Jesus.  He was not saved by praying and fasting for three days.  If he had been, then why would Ananias have to tell him to be baptized to wash away his sins?  If he had already been saved prior to baptism, there would be no sins that still needed to be washed away.  Notice also that Ananias tells Paul how to call upon the name of the Lord.  You may recall from step one of God’s path to salvation that in Paul’s writing to the Romans in chapter 10 of that letter, Paul told them that those who are saved are those who call upon the name of the Lord.  How do we call upon the name of the Lord?  We do so by obeying Him.  Ananias told Paul that baptism is how we wash away our sins, and how we call upon the name of the Lord.

     The Bible tells us that all of our spiritual blessings are to be found in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3).  Those who are in Christ are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1).  Those who are in Christ are new creatures, having been born again (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Salvation is only to be found in Christ (2 Timothy 2:10).  In Christ, we can have eternal life (1 John 5:11).  So how do we get in Christ in order to receive all of these blessings?  We get in Christ by being baptized into Christ.  “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27, emphasis added).  We must be in Christ to receive the blessings.  We get in Christ by obeying what He has told us to do.  For that, He commanded us to be baptized.

God’s Path to Salvation – Step Three – Confess

Posted on by under Doctrine

IMG_20140614_134736708_HDR     Once we have heard God’s word and have come to believe it to be true, we have to be willing to make a good confession of what we believe.  Just as Paul instructed Timothy to, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1 Timothy 6:12 NKJV), we too are to make a public confession of our faith in Jesus Christ.

     In this confession we are letting others know of our choice to follow Jesus and be obedient to His will.  So then, in our confession, we are stating our belief, but we are also pledging allegiance to God.  There is much more to it than just stating our allegiance, as well.  If all our confession was about just saying that we believe in the existence of God and Jesus as His Son, then all we have done is pay lip service to God.  Satan and the demons know that there is one God, and they know that Jesus Christ is His one and only unique Son.  This is demonstrated in Jesus’ casting out of the demons in Matthew 8.  They called Him by name.  They knew who He was.  They recognized His authority.  Yet they are not among the saved, because they refuse to submit to God.  James wrote, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!  But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:19-20).

     Therefore, when we confess that we believe in Christ, we are also confessing that we will do all that we can to be faithful and loyal to Him.  It means that we are confessing that we will show by our lives that we are followers of Him.  It means that we are pledging ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice, not being conformed to the world, but trying our best to walk in step with our Savior (Romans 12:1-2).  This style of confession is necessary for us to receive the gift of salvation.  God offers His grace to us, and that grace is free.  There is nothing we can do to pay for it or to earn it somehow, so that God owes it to us.  But we must be willing to lay hold of that salvation that He provides for us.  Confessing Him is part of that.

     Jesus said that whoever would confess Him before men, He would confess before the Heavenly Father (Matthew 10:32).  That is a great deal!  We ought to take hold of that quick, fast, and in a hurry.  You will not find a better deal this side of eternity!  Paul wrote to the Romans, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

     Our belief needs to move us to action.  Mental acquiescence of God’s existence only puts us on a level with the demons.  We must act in submission to His will and do what He says to do in order to have salvation.  God says to confess Christ with our mouths, by our actions, and through our lives.  If we do so, we are well on our way to heaven!

The Choice is Ours

Posted on by under Article

Fork-in-The-Road     Every day we get to make choices.  We make choices about what we eat, where we go, what we see, and what we do.  Many of the choices we make seem to only be for that moment, and then they are gone.  Others affect us for the rest of our lives.

     Consider the choice that was put before the Israelites just before they were to go into the Promised Land.  God through Moses told the people that they had a choice before them.  They could choose life and good, or they could choose death and evil (Deuteronomy 30:15).  God was not going to force them to be good or to choose the right path.  The choice was theirs.

     If they chose to do what was right, “. . . to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments . . .” (Deuteronomy 30:16 NKJV), then they could stay in the land that was promised to their fathers forever.  However, if they chose to do that which was against God’s commands, and decided to worship other gods, then they would not be allowed to remain in that land (Deuteronomy 30:17-18).  Ultimately we know what choice they made.  They constantly went after other gods, and their idolatry led to them being taken away in the Babylonian captivity.  Thus, although a remnant returned to that land, they broke their part of the covenant relationship with God and lost the Promised Land.

     We equally have a choice before us.  Will we choose to follow God and make it to the Promised Land of heaven, or will we go our own way and lose out?  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).  In order to go to God, we must go through Jesus.  The choice is ours.  Our choices have consequences.  Let us therefore choose wisely!

A Religion of Peace?

Posted on by under Article

niger-church-protest-hebdo     This week in the West African country of Niger, there has been an uprising of Muslims against churches of other faiths.  In the uprising, it has been reported that 45 church buildings have been set afire and many people have been injured or killed as a result of the activity.  All of this was brought on by a French cartoon published by Charlie Hebdo.  It is amazing that all of this violence could be brought about by a cartoon in another country.

     Just what is to be accomplished in attacking those who have no connection to Charlie Hebdo and burning their buildings?  How could anyone call this a normal reaction to a cartoon depicting Mohammed?  Some of those who are calling for calmer heads to prevail are saying that this response does not fit with Islam, since it is a religion of peace.  Is that so?

      According to the beliefs of Islam, the world is divided into two camps.  Those who are in submission to Islam are Dar-al-Salaam (the House of Peace).  Those who are not in submission are Dar-al-Harb (the House of War).  Those who will not submit to Islam are subject to jihad, or holy war, to either convert them at the point of a sword, or to kill them (Sura 2:191; 8:39; 9:123; 47:4).  This hardly sounds like a religion of peace.

     By contrast, the God of the Bible calls on His followers to live at peace with all of mankind.  “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14 NKJV, emphasis added).  Over and over again we are reminded that God is a God of peace (Romans 14:17; 15:33; 16:20; 1 Cor. 14:33).  Paul wrote to the Corinthians that “God has called us to peace” (1 Cor. 7:15b) and that they should, “Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you” (2 Cor. 13:11).  In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that the peacemakers were blessed, because they shall be called the sons of God.

     We should strive to call things as they truly are, and not as we would wish them to be.  We may want for Islam to be a religion of peace.  We may wish for the fundamentalist adherents to the writings of Muhammed to want to live at peace with the rest of mankind and to show tolerance to others.  However, that is not the reality of the situation.  It is our wish that all men would come to God, recognize their sinful nature, realize their lost condition, see the need for Christ, and obey the Gospel and live at peace with all of mankind.  Then, and only then, will we have a peace that transcends all human creeds.  Then, and only then, can we have peace with God.

Don’t I Know You?

Posted on by under Article

who-am-iMaybe this has never happened to you, or maybe it has.  You walk into a store and you see someone who looks familiar to you.  You know that you know them from somewhere, but you cannot recall their name or where you know them from.  Perhaps you walk up to them and say, “Don’t I know you?”

While it is often easy for us to remember faces, remembering names or where we may have seen someone before can sometimes be difficult.  Many times it does not matter that we cannot remember every passing acquaintance in our lives, because most likely they do not remember us either.

 However, if this is a person that we have an intimate relationship with, we had better remember their name and where we know them from!  This leads to the question of whether or not we know God, and if He knows us.  The importance of knowing God, really knowing Him, is seen in Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians.  Paul writes, “and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 1:7-8).  Since Jesus will take vengeance on those who do not know God, it is imperative that we know Him.

 It is also important that God knows who we are.  Towards the end of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declares that those who call Him Lord, but fail to do the will of the Father will be like those He does not know.  They will be told to depart from Him for eternity (Matthew 7:21-23).  We need to know God.  We need for God to know us.  Do you know Him today?