heaven / Judgement

Only His Work Counts

Acts 17.31 declares He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has imagesappointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.

The crucifixion marked the end of heaven being earned by good deeds. In the crucifixion of the Perfect One God made clear that all the good deeds of all people were insufficient for getting them to heaven.

All religions and all people from all time have always tried to measure themselves by their good deeds hoping those outweighed their bad deeds by just enough to get them to heaven. God says all of our good deeds are as menstrual cloths to Him, that no one is good not even one. (more…)

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April 6, 2015
Christian Living

Managing Conflict

Ephesians 6.12 reports our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
imagerealms.

Most Christians believe the Bible is absolutely true but few are able to apply its truth absolutely.

While our struggles should be against unseen forces in heavenly places most of us struggle with known forces in our faces! Lately I have been in conflict with some fellow Christians and it hasn’t been pretty. How should Christians disagree? (more…)

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March 26, 2015
Christian Living / faith / heaven

What Does it Mean to Believe?

John 6.29 describes the work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.
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One of the knocks on Christianity is it’s easy entry to heaven. Some believe going to heaven is as easy as believing in Jesus, after all, isn’t that what He just said? Its fair to say what He meant by belief and what we understand by belief are not the same.

If what we understand belief to mean, simply believe, then the devil and all the demons would go to heaven since they certainly believe. In the gospel it is only the evil spirits who consistently identify Jesus correctly as the Christ the Son of God. I don’t think they will live with God forever though they believe. (more…)

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March 16, 2015
heaven / Judgement / obedience

The Choice of Evil

Job 40.8 asks would you condemn Me to justify yourself?image

A few weeks ago the papers reported another atrocity of ISIS terrorists murdering children in the name of their god. The story I read, reported by a journalist from Great Britain, ended with his comments of disgust concerning religion and its abuse of people. Correctly, this man had a problem with religion that justifies the murder and maiming of children.

Below the surface was his disdain with the belief in god because if there is a god then he should be good and if he is good then he should stop the killing in his name. (more…)

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March 11, 2015
heaven / Judgement

What Happens When We Die?

Luke 20.38 declares He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.images

Every religion seeks to answer the question concerning what happens to humanity after we die. Why does this question plague us so?

The educational institutions from grade school through graduate school tell us there is no God. The media confirm this belief by their incessant promotion of atheism and all things antagonistic toward a God Who Created the universe and will hold His creation accountable to His will.

Yet we cant seem to shake the notion that there really is a God and someday we will see Him when we leave this life. All people from all time in all places of the globe have held this nagging question and have created various answers to it.

So why the question and what does happen when we die? (more…)

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March 6, 2015
heaven / Judgement

Judging Evil

Job 24.1 asks ‘why are times not appointed by the Almighty? Why do those who know him not see his imagesdays?’

Job wants God to judge him believing he will be found righteous. His friends are accusing him of being an evil doer which is their explanation for the tragedy that is occurring in his life.

Job argues his trouble is not a result of his wrongdoing but rather the result of some injustice being leveled against him by God. Job would like to see God hammer the evil and reward the righteous.

I think we all fall into this ‘prayer’ that God would smash those who do evil and bless those who please Him. (more…)

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February 24, 2015
Christian Living / obedience

Appeasing God

Matthew 22:36 asks which is the greatest commandment?image

No doubt every religious person from all time all over the planet has asked himself and his god what must I do to please you? Religion is the answer to that question.

Over time and in many places that answer has become quite burdensome to those who seek to please the god of their or others creation.

The One True God made a personal appearance as one of us in Jesus and so the question was asked of Him what must we do to appease You? The answer is simple and immensely difficult. (more…)

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January 22, 2015
heaven / Judgement / Theology

Why all Religions Can’t get us to Heaven

Matthew 7:14 warns small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.images

This generation finds offensive God’s instruction that He has only one way for entering heaven. It seems more fair, more loving, more gracious for all religions to be acceptable to God so that all people can get to heaven.

The problem with this thinking is that it ignores the love of God and the sacrifice God made for saving people. (more…)

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January 7, 2015
Christian Living

Proving we are Children of God

3 John 1:11 reminds us that those who do what is right prove that they are God’s children; and those who continue in evil prove imagethat they are far from God.

In Christianity, getting to heaven is easy, at least for us, but living as though we are residents of heaven is hard. God made getting to heaven easy by offering freely a pardon to us through His Son Who sacrificed Himself as payment for us.

It cost God His most precious possession to secure His most precious creation: His Son for you and me. For those of us who believe God, He has given us the right to be declared children of God; forever forgiven and forever sealed for spending eternity with Him in heaven and upon the new earth.

Christians don’t have to do anything because everything that was required for getting into heaven has been done by the Son and has been credited to those who humble themselves before God in submission to the Son of God Who is Jesus Christ the Lord. (more…)

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December 8, 2014
Christian Living

How to Know God

1 John 2.5 promises those who do what Christ tells them to will learn to love God more and more. That is the way to know imagewhether or not you are a Christian.

Imagine taking a test where any answer given is deemed correct. We would not think much of the test nor of the subject. Every teacher expects their students to give them the same answer on their test if they wish to pass the test.

Every team expects all of the players to know the plays and perform them the same way if they are going to be successful. Every company expects their employees to know their procedures and perform them the same way so that everyone can more effectively work together.

God has given to us the Bible so that we can know the correct answers to the questions Who is God and what does He require of us. (more…)

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December 3, 2014