If My People

II Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

The boy walked along the ocean shore... trying not to stray. He looked up to his Father saying " Dad I want to play." His Father looked upon him, with love showing in his eyes. "Do what you want to, my son... but do not leave my side."

"I would never leave you daddy, I love you way too much." But the boy took a step away, out of his fathers range of touch. He walked through the surf, The waves tickling one toe. "If I take one more step in... " he thought "Father will never know."

His father called out to him, "Son, to me remain true." The boy thought with glee... At the moment I don't need you." His Father felt a sadness, But he held his tongue. Sometimes lessons need to be learned... even when so young.

The boy stepped out a little further... the water covering his waist. His Father spoke with urgency... his father spoke with haste. "My Son come Back to me," he said " The day is almost done." Not yet, Dad," the boy yelled, " I'm having too much fun!"

But the Boy did not have his fathers sight... So he could not tell... The Tide was coming in fast... There would be no time to yell. "Father!" he tried to scream As the water covered his head. "I need you now daddy!" was what the boy had said.

And in a single instant his father was by his side. "I thought you left me daddy... I thought you went to hide." The Father looked upon his son... a tear streaming down his cheek. The Boy looked upon his father. and cried the sobs of the meek.

"I would never leave you son... For I love you just the same. " "I was only waiting... for you to call upon my name."

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Adapted.

Why I know God is there

This is one of the best explanations of why God allows pain and suffering that I have seen...

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.
When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists." "Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!" "No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! That's what happens when people do not come to me." "Exactly!" affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!
That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help.
That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Most people think of the word Ego and think that it means your "arrogant" or you think that you are "better than others". Is that truly the definition of Ego? Is that the only example of Ego?

Absolutely not. Ego is an invisible shield planted around yourself to protect yourself from the outside world. Ego shows up in all sorts of ways.

Ego is being "shy" and not wanting to talk to people. Ego is fear of what others might think of you. Ego is self critical and refuses to accept compliments. Ego is a lack of trust for people because your trust has been violated. Ego is living inside of a comfort zone, because you are afraid of failing. Ego is thinking that everything you do is perfect or striving for perfection. Ego is taking the credit when it doesn't belong to you or not liking it when someone else gets credit. Ego is giving up on the persistence God implanted in you. Ego is being closed minded. Ego is not allowing yourself to learn and grow for fear of the responsibility that comes with that. Ego is not forgiving because you feel justified in your anger. Ego chooses to take offense to what others say or do. Ego is self righteous and critical. Ego is false humility. Ego is oppression and not wanting to move past the past. Ego is having to be in control of everything. Ego is thinking nobody can do it better than you. Ego is an inability to admit you need help. The Ego needs to "keep up with the Jones". Ego needs to appear like everything is perfect when it isn't. Ego is a victim. Ego is pride.

This is only a few examples of Ego. We all comfortably wear our Ego. We just need to make the choice daily to take the invisible shield off and be the true person God intended for us to be. He is in control, he knows our path, he is ready to take on ALL road bumps in our path. If we hand over complete control to God and not try to live it alone, our Ego will safely be left outside the doorway of our life.
In short, Ego is Edging God Out.

Adapted

Tested faith

Dr. Werner Gitt relates the following story. He says: "Since my childhood, I am particularly fond of Sunflowers. One year, after planting sunflower seeds in several places in our garden, a kind of parable occurred to me about the growing plants. Some grew quite near the house, under a roof, protected from the wind. These grew very rapidly and reached a height of 3 meters but had thin stalks. Others stood in the open, where they were soon "attacked" by the wind and developed an appropriately strong stem and roots.

One day a storm came and broke or knocked over the stems of the well protected sunflowers near the house, while the sunflowers standing in the open easily survived the storm, because they were accustomed to challenge. In the same way", Werner says, "tested faith will stand fast against tribulations and temptations".

Some Christians think that they're called to wrap themselves up in an "Insulated Christian Environment" - distanced totally from the world - almost in a Christianese Communal Cocoon." But this is NOT what God has in mind for His people. Jesus said: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world".

We're not called to hide away from the world but to Go Into It! - knowing we're covered by God's Grace. To live IN the world, but not LIKE the world. We're called to be Overcomers - last time I looked, you could only Overcome something by actually facing it, you can't do that by sticking your head in the sand.

Faith is tested and strengthened only by facing and resisting the adverse winds - not by hiding from them.

To swim against the flow, we must first step out of our "protected", "comfortable", and "safe" little fish bowl, and into the big pond where a world headed for the great waterfall of destruction, desperately needs to hear what we have to say.

Adapted.

Why God became man!

There was once a man who didn’t believe in God, and he didn’t hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays. His wife, however, did believe, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.
One snowy Eve, his wife was taking their children to service in the farm community in which they lived.
They were to talk about Jesus’ birth. She asked him to come, but he refused.
“That story is nonsense!” he said. “Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man?
That’s ridiculous!”
So she and the children left, and he stayed home.
A while later, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As the man looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump.
Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn’t see more than a few feet.
When the snow let up a little, he ventured outside to see what could have been beating on his window.
In the field near his house he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn’t go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings and flew around the field in low circles, blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them had flown into his window, it seemed.
The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought.It’s warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm.
So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn’t seem to notice the barn or realize that it could mean for them.
The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away.
He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn’t catch on.

Now he was getting frustrated. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but they only got more scared and scattered in every direction except toward the barn.

Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe.

“Why don’t they follow me?!” he exclaimed.

“Can’t they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?”

He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn’t follow a human “If only I were a goose, then I could save them,” he said out loud.

Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese.

He then released it. His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn -and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety.

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: “If only I were a goose, then I could save them!” Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. “Why would God want to be like us? That’s ridiculous!”

Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like the geese-blind, lost, perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us.

As the winds and blinding snow died down, his soul became quiet and pondered this wonderful thought. Suddenly he understood why Christ had come.

Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm. He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer:

“Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm!”

Adapted.

Rest in the Lord

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: - Psalms 37:7

Recently, a large freighter was reported driven aground during a fierce storm. When the gale winds subsided, rescuers went to the stranded vessel's aid and tried to free it. First, they tried to push the ship off the sandbar. When that didn't work, they attempted to pull it off. Finally, they removed some of its cargo, hoping that by lightening the load, the ship would float free. Nothing worked.

"There's only one thing left to do," said one of the shiphands. "Wait for the tide to come in." They did and the natural action of the sea freed the ship from its bondage.

Sometimes we become bound by uncomfortable circumstances such as sickness, financial difficulty or job complications, and we long for quick release, instant release. We try all sorts of freeing maneuvers in hopes of lightening our load. We implore God to intervene, but time is often the healer. His answer--difficult though it may be to accept--seems to be "wait."

When we accept His timetable, however, a natural action takes place. Like the tide which freed the great ship, a life force that has been operating from the beginning goes to work and in due time our problem is solved. The wise among us accept God's timing as perfect--never too late, never too early, but always on schedule.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Source: Unknown

The Compass

An old sailor repeatedly got lost at sea, so his friends gave him a compass and urged him to use it. The next time he went out in his boat, he followed their advice and took the compass with him. But as usual he became hopelessly confused and was unable to find land. Finally he was rescued by his friends.

Disgusted and impatient with him, they asked, "Why didn't you use that compass we gave you? You could have saved us a lot of trouble!"

The sailor responded, "I didn't dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast."

That old sailor was so certain he knew which way was north that he stubbornly tried to force his own personal persuasion on his com- pass. Unable to do so, he tossed it aside as worthless and failed to benefit from the guidance it offered.

Perhaps you, like I, have spent some time in a sailboat. Relying on the boat to keep us afloat we slide across the water propelled by a gentle breeze. Yet within the confines of the shores, I had the opportunity and responsibility of guiding the rudder to determine the direction of travel.

Is that not similar to living within the will of God? As Christians we must rest upon God to sustain us, and upon the breath of his Spirit to empower us. Yet within his moral boundaries, we each have the opportunity and responsibility to determine our course.

But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. - Jeremiah 7:23

Source: Unknown

The Dowry Deception

Written from an Indian perspective.

Dowry is one of those social evils that is now being widely accepted if not encouraged in the Indian church. First, I would like to emphasize that this ain't a men vs women issue. There are men who oppose it and women who support it. In this post I would like to look at dowry from a biblical perspective.

I Corinthians 6:9-10 (emphasis added)

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Its too obvious to escape one's notice, that dowry is all three - thievery, covetousness and extortion. Forcing the bride's family to pay-up is nothing short of robbery - whether taken in as dowry or as marriage expenses. Dowry in itself is covetousness - an ungodly lust for someone else' wealth. This is one of those sins that has been severely condemned in the Bible. Finally, as inferred from real-life cases dowry is usually an extortion that continues to extend even after marriage.

Apart from its social implications, this passage from the first epistle to the Corinthians makes it explicit that dowry has eternal consequences too. For those who had already fallen into this trap, there is only one solution - pay it back! Well that's what Zacchaeus did. And that's what's called as genuine repentance.

Its only highly unfortunate that several pastors actually encourage this practice and some even demand tithe out of it!!! O Church of India awaken!!!

Are we idolizing the Bible?

No, we don't. I phrased the question to attract readers. I often face arguments by certain religious people that I over-emphasize the Bible - almost elevating it to a status next of God. I'm afraid that's what I do. Because the Word says of itself, (emphasis added)

John 1:1,14

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 15:3

Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

II Timothy 3:16

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Of course, the Book containing the verses is certainly nothing more than any other book. But the words in that blessed Book, is certainly nothing short of divine!

Fraternity

Two brothers worked together on the family farm. One was married and had a large family. The other was single. At the day's end, the brothers shared everything equally, produce and profit.

Then one day the single brother said to himself, "It's not right that we should share equally the produce and the profit. I'm alone and my needs are simple." So each night he took a sack of grain from his bin and crept across the field between their houses, dumping it into his brother's bin.

Meanwhile, the married brother said to himself, "It's not right that we should share the produce and the profit equally. After all, I'm married and I have my wife and my children to look after me in years to come. My brother has no one, and no one to take care of his future." So each night he took a sack of grain and dumped it into his single brother's bin.

Both men were puzzled for years because their supply of grain never dwindled. Then one dark night the two brothers bumped into each other. Slowly it dawned on them what was happening. They dropped their sacks and embraced one another.

Source: Unknown

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1

A Classic Example of Grace

One night in a church service a young woman felt the tug of God at her heart. She responded to God's call and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The young woman had a very rough past, involving alcohol, drugs, and prostitution. But, the change in her was evident. As time went on she became a faithful member of the church. She eventually became involved in the ministry, teaching young children.

It was not very long until this faithful young woman had caught the eye and heart of the pastor's son. The relationship grew and they began to make wedding plans. This is when the problems began. You see, about one half of the church did not think that a woman with a past such as hers was suitable for a pastor's son. The church began to argue and fight about the matter. So they decided to have a meeting.

As the people made their arguments and tensions increased, the meeting was getting completely out of hand.

The young woman became very upset about all the things being brought up about her past. As she began to cry the pastor's son stood to speak. He could not bear the pain it was causing his wife to be. He began to speak and his statement was this: " My fiancé past is not what is on trial here. What you are questioning is the ability of the blood of Jesus to wash away sin. Today you have put the blood of Jesus on trial. So, does it wash away sin or not?" The whole church began to weep as they realized that they had been slandering the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Too often, even as Christians, we bring up the past and use it as a weapon against our brothers and sisters. Forgiveness is a very foundational part of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. If the blood of Jesus does not cleanse the other person completely then it cannot cleanse us completely. If that is the case, then we are all in a lot of trouble. What can wash away my sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus....end of case!!!

Source: Unknown

A must read poem

You are who you are for a reason.

You're part of an intricate plan.

You're a precious and perfect unique design,

Called God's special woman or man.

You look like you look for a reason.

Our God made no mistake.

He knit you together within the womb.

You're just what He wanted to make.

The parents you had were the ones He chose,

And no matter how you may feel,

They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind,

And they bear the Master's seal.

No, that trauma you faced was not easy.

And God wept that it hurt you so;

But it was allowed to shape your heart

So that into His likeness you'd grow.

You are who you are for a reason,

You've been formed by the Master's rod.

You are who you are, beloved,

Because there is a God!

- Russell Kelfer

Organizations serving missionaries and the persecuted church

Organizations serving the persecuted church:

• Barnabas Fund
• Christian Freedom International
  
• Christian Solidarity Worldwide
  
• Christians In Crisis
  
• Compassion Radio
  
• Dr. Jobs Mission
  
• Global Council of Indian Christians
  
• Fishhook International
  
• Greater Calling
  
• International Christian Concern
  
• Iranian Christians
  
• International Jubilee Campaign
  
• Open Doors
  
• Persecution Project Foundation
  
• The Voice of the Martyrs
  
• The Last Harvest
  

Organizations sponsoring missionary activity:

• Assemblies Of God World Missions
  
• Baptist Missionary Society
  
• Blessing Youth Mission
  
• Child Evangelical Fellowship
  
• India Evangelical Mission
  
• India Village Care Ministries
  
• Indian Evangelical Mission
  
• Indian Missionary Society
  
• Indian Tribal Mission
  
• Mission India
  
• The Gideons International
  
• Gospel Echoing Missionary Society
  
• Salvation Army
  
• World Missionary Press
  

This list will be updated with time.

Jesus of the Bible

Jesus of the Bible

There are many false versions of Jesus in the world today just as Jesus Himself had predicted. He says in the Olivet discourse:

Matthew 24:
   ⁵For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
 ²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Hence it is important for Christians to know the real Jesus - the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus of
the Bible is:

• the Creator
• fully human
• fully God
• the One born of a virgin
• the One who lived a sinless life
• the One who was crucified on the cross for our sin
• the One who was risen again bodily on the third day after His death
• coming back again (yet future)

The Creator
By Him were all things created and all things are contained in Him.
John 1:
 ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
 ²The same was in the beginning with God.
  ³All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
  ⁴In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Colossians 1:
 ¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
 ¹⁷And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Fully human
He was made flesh and lived a perfectly human life.
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
I Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Fully God
He is eternally co-existent with the Father and is God for all eternity.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Hebrews 1:8
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Born of a virgin
He was conceived by the Holy Ghost and Joseph had no intimate physical relationship with her till His birth.
Matthew 1
 ¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was
espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
 ¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her away privily.
 ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared
unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
 ²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he
shall save his people from their sins.
 ²²Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the
Lord by the prophet, saying,
 ²³Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they
shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
 ²⁴Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden
him, and took unto him his wife:
 ²⁵And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called
his name JESUS.

Sinless
He committed no sin and in Him was no sin.
I Peter 1:19
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot:
I Peter 2:
 ²¹For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
 ²²Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
John 3:5
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is
no sin.
Matthew 27:
 ³Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
 ⁴Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
II Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 4:15
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 7:26
For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God.

Crucified on the cross
He was crucified on the cross for our sins.
Acts 2:
 ²²Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
 ²³Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
Acts 2:36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the
same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Matthew 27:
 ³²And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
 ³³And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
 ³⁴They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
 ³⁵And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
John 19:
 ¹⁷And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
 ¹⁸Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
 ¹⁹And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Resurrected on the third day
He rose again bodily on the third day after His death.
Matthew 20:19
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third shall rise.
I Corinthians 15:
 ³For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
 ⁴And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures:
 ⁵And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
Luke 24:
 ¹Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto
the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
 ²And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
 ³And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
 ⁴And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
 ⁵And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
 ⁶He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 
 ⁷Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be
crucified, and the third day rise again.

Coming again bodily (Second Coming)
He's coming back bodily to this earth at a time, yet future.
Acts 1:
 ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
 ¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
I Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Matthew 16:27 
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Philippians 3:
 ²⁰For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
 ²¹Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious
body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Revelation 22:12
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

The Jesus of the Bible IS NOT

• The Jesus who suffered in hell for our sins.
• The Jesus who took on the nature of Satan on the cross.
• The Jesus who already came back in the first century.
• The Jesus who is going to come back spiritually.
• The Jesus who was an angel pre-Incarnation.
• The Jesus who is a created being.

Don't tell them Jesus loves them...

Don't tell them Jesus loves them

...till you're ready to love them too.

Recently I heard a song that touched me so much. I'm just putting the chorus here:

Don’t tell them Jesus loves them till you’re ready to love them too

Till your heart breaks from the sorrow and the pain they’re going through

With a life full of compassion may we do what we must do

Don’t tell them Jesus loves them till you’re ready to love them too

- Don't tell them Jesus loves them by Steve Camp

Exactly. People need more than our prayers. They need our material, physical and emotional help too. Doesn't the Bible itself teach that? Claiming to be part of the Body of Christ, Christians are supposed to pass the love of Jesus to this world. Evangelism would never be fruitful if Christians are stingy and selfish. Here's a chorus from another beautiful song:

If we are the body

Why aren't His arms reaching?

Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?

And if we are the body

Why aren't His feet going?

Why is His love not showing them there is a way?


- If we are the Body by Casting Crowns

Concluding, our actions should speak louder than our words. I remember a famous one-liner:

"Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words" - St. Francis of Assisi

Bible contradictions??

Bible contradictions!?

Skeptics have often come with so-called contradictions in the Bible.
Most of these contradictions have been well answered. I'm listing a few
links here.

• Tektoniks
• Rational Christianity
• Debate website
• Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry

Note: I may not endorse everything on those websites.

Baptism

It has been a faulty understanding of certain scriptures that has led people to believe that baptism saves a person. Baptism cannot save anyone - for biblical reasons. If it does then a person should never leave the baptistery, because the person may commit sin after baptism and die before being baptized again.

Scriptures that seem to imply salvation through baptism:

• Matthew 28:19
  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
  Water baptism is a command instituted by God. But not a requirement for salvation. Its repentance and faith in the shed blood of Christ for the remission of sins that results in salvation


• Mark 16:16
  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
  This is a catchy verse. Out of four possible combinations, only three are addressed: a baptized believer, an un-baptized believer, a baptized unbeliever and an un-baptized unbeliever. The verse only talks about the damnation of the unbelievers. It doesn't say a word about an un-baptized believer. However in the light of other scriptures we can safely
  conclude that an un-baptized believer is saved.


• John 3:5
  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
  Verse 6 talks of being born of the flesh and being born of the spirit. Contextually interpreting verse 5, it is clear that Jesus was talking of the water involved in physical birth and not baptism.


• Acts 2:38
  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  The word 'for' here can be taken as implying the 'cause' or the 'result'. Taking it in the
  'cause' sense, nobody's forgiven till they are baptized. And in the 'result' sense, people are baptized, because they are forgiven.


• Acts 22:16
  And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
  Washing away of sins is connected with repentance and faith, and calling on the name of
  the Lord, not baptism.


• I Peter 3:21
  The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
  
  The verse is actually clear: its the good conscience toward God - a life hidden in Christ that saves us and not baptism. Also the context of the passage shows that in Noah's time, those who were saved were those who didn't come in contact with water. Those who
  got wet, also drowned.

Should a Christian be baptized?

Very much, yes. Jesus Himself obeyed God in baptism. But not as to fulfill a requirement for salvation but rather out of love toward God and His Word. Remember the thief on the cross went to paradise in spite of the fact that he was never baptized. John 3:5 was stated long before
Jesus met the thief! Sprinkling or immersion? Though it is highly debated, immersion baptism is what pictured in the Bible.

Is tithing for today's church?

Tithing was indeed a law under the old covenant, but close scrutiny of the Bible reveals that it doesn't hold for today's church. I'm not trying to imply that one shouldn't give to Christian missions but rather that one should give out of freewill and not of fear! St. Paul says give according as God as blessesed (I Cor 16:2), for God loves a cheerful giver (II Cor 9:7).

Abraham tithed - of what??

Christians are often reminded that Abraham tithed a tenth to the then High Priest, King of Salem, Melchizedek. 

Genesis 14:

 ¹⁸And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. ¹⁹And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: ²⁰And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.

But a closer look to the preceding verses show that he wasn't tithing from anything his! He was tithing the spoils of war - the property of the people of Sodom, etc.

Mosaic law

It is true that God institued the tithe several years later under Moses. But that was with a specific purpose - it was to provide for the preists and Levites who had no inheritance. It was also to conduct the temple rituals and feasts. Finally, to provide for widows, orphans and strangers. It was not instituted to provide fradulent so-called evangelists with chartered jets and million-dollar homes. 

Malachi 3:8,9?

These verses were written in an old testament context. Tithing was to be given to priests who were Levites. But preachers today would rather have us believe that the Mosaic law and the Aaronic priesthood was done away with the cross. How then can tithing alone continue? Here's where prosperity doctrine comes into picture. Prosperity preachers use Malachi 3:10-12 to make people think that they can use God like an ATM machine - put in tithe and draw out blessing. Here's a good quote: "He that serves God for money will serve the Devil for better wages" - Roger L'eStrange

Closing thoughts

If a child of God is in severe financial strait he shouldn't feel obligated to tithe but rather the church should reach out to help him in his need. Give out of love not out of fear.

II Corinthians 9:7

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.