Forgiven Christians (Ephesians 2:8-9)

01/17/2010

Have you ever had someone tell you Heaven is going to be boring and they'd rather go to hell and have a great time with their friends? Do you ever feel that way yourself? What if there is no God and you've spent your whole life living a "Christian life" and then you die and find out you missed out on all the "fun"?

I'd like to suggest that people with those opinions may not actually be Christians.

First, Psalm 27:4 expresses King David's great desire -

"One thing I have asked of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple."

As we grow in the knowledge of the Lord and develop a more intimate relationship with Him, we will know there is no greater joy than walking with Him.

All the beer, sex, drugs, (rock and roll's okay) and carnal living we can fit into our lives will never come close to one moment of living in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

As far as Hell goes, I'm guessing the people who consider it a tavern with a dart board, pool table, big screen t.v. and all the drugs and sex you can handle may not have ever read what the Bible tells us about Hell.

I've never read anywhere in the Scriptures that Hell is anything better than eternal torment, wailing and gnashing of teeth. What God tells me of Hell probably is a whole lot more accurate than anything my friends think it is.

When we are truly Christian, what we do and how we live is the direct result of how deeply we believe the truth of the Bible and reflects our faith and trust in Christ. It is a display of our love relationship with the Holy Trinity.

When I get uncomfortable sharing the Gospel with my friends,  I imagine them suffering eternally in hell because I didn't want to offend them. There's lots of books and online ministries that help us become equipped to share the Gospel. Your Christian bookseller will be glad to help you find resources.

One more thing... Many Christian bookstores are suffering due to the competition of the internet and major booksellers. If you can support the "little guy" with your shopping, we'll all be better off.

God bless,

 Joe

01/23/10

I was listening to R.C Sproul online this morning; his lesson focused on how the Protestant Reformers put the Bible into the hands of the people for their own discernment. The Catholic Church had a serious concern that the "common man" would misinterpret the Bible and be led astray.

 As I look at the many denominations and independent ministries today all claiming to hold the truth of the Bible, as I "channel surf" the various media ministries, I can honestly see the reality of the Catholic Church's reluctance to make Scripture available to everyone.

Those Christians who do not adhere to the Catholic Church as being the "one true church"  need to be extraordinarily diligent in the interpretation of the Scriptures and test them in light of Scripture. Additionally, Catholics ought to study and understand the reasoning behind the Catholic Church's doctrines in addition to what is clear in the Scriptures.I have found it difficult to reconcile Catholic doctrine with Biblical principles, so Catholics may need to decide for themselves if they are following ture Biblical Christianity. All of us, Catholic and Protestant and seeker must be discerning as to who we are listening to, and whether we are being fed the Truth, or a variation that tickles our ears.

What works for me in studying the Bible is to have more than one Study Bible. One of my favorites is the MacArthur Study Bible (I know of few men more intensely devoted to finding the accuracy of Scripture) and I have a Catholic Study Bible (our roots are in the historic Catholic Church and it helps to compare their doctrine with the Reformation Bibles). I recently purchased the Adrian Rogers Legacy Bible and find his insight helpful, and have an Apologetics Study Bible that I refer to on occasion.

The point of all this is that we need to search the Scriptures as a miner who found a treasure of gold. The enthusiasm for the Word of God ought to make us dig deeper and verify that we are using our mental muscles to follow the veins with the most pure gold.

One other thing... I've listened to Preachers who have such a disdain for the Catholic Church that one gets the impression nothing of value can be learned from it. Personally, I've found the lives of certain "Saints" to be most inspiring, and the writings of others to be well worth reading. An example of this is the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. What made him so popular was his great desire to live according to the Gospels - in simplicity with total reliance on Divine Providence. He was a great Reformer within the Catholic Church and well worth learning more about.

So, all Christians have a sobering responsibility to study the Word of God and discern what is heard from the pulpit (or TV or radio or the internet). The testing of what we hear in light of Scripture and the teaching of Godly ministers will only bring us closer in our walk with Jesus.

God bless.

Joe

02/09/2010

A lot of times I get caught up in Apologetics, trying to decipher which denomination has the clearest teaching on the Scriptures, whether there is validity in the "Scripture and Tradition" teaching of the Catholic Church, how to witness effectively to Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses and stuff like that.

Then I look at heroes of the faith coming out of the various denominations (we all have our favorites) and what strikes me is their lives were and are centered around love of God and love of others.

So my point is - my focus on this website is sharing the love and forgiveness of God to as many as will receive Him, and to love my neighbor (whether they are Christian or Muslim or Martian) with such sincerity that when they think of me, they will get a glimpse of Jesus.

Anyone care to join me?

 02/28/2010

I have a handful of very dear friends that in spite of my best efforts have yet to give their lives to Christ. Considering the eternal consequences, my heart searches for yet another way to reach them. After putting myself through exhaustive efforts, the Good Lord gently reminds me that my job is to plant the seeds and be a faithful witness. He gets to grow the seed in their hearts.

As believers, this is a terrific illustration depicting all of us as the "Body of Christ." Working together we have a much stronger testimony to unbelievers of the joy of the Lord in our lives than we would as a "lone ranger" Christian. And God gets to use one of us to plant the seed, another to fertilize it, another to water it, and another to pull the weeds around it. In this way, no one of us can be pideful in bringing a friend or loved one to a Saving Faith, yet we can all rejoice in being used by God for His purposes.

So, my brothers and sisters, I'm asking you to nurture the seeds I plant in my friend's and family's lives, and I promise to do the same for those you introduce to Jesus.

We (and by this I mean "I") need to remember the unlimited power of prayer - not isolated to saving souls, but in every aspect of our lives. Yesterday an earthquake hit Chile hard, yet its impact carried throughout the Pacific Ocean to Japan and Russia in the form of a tsunami. Prayer is like that. From the quiet of our bedrooms we can pray to the Creator of heaven and earth and He can impact the lives of folks we don't even have a clue exist.

Please take seriously the gift of prayer our Father has provided for us. Pointing to Scripture, prayers were responsible for everything from healing to raising the dead. A word of caution - all our prayers should be offered with the intention that God's will is our primary desire, and that in all things He will be Glorified.

Despite what some T.V. preachers may tell you, God is more interested in transforming our hearts than our bank accounts.

God bless you today and always,

 Joe.

04/02/10 (Good Friday)

It's just past three in the morning, and I've been waking up often thinking where Jesus might have been at this time, Was He facing Pilate? Had He been taken to Herod? Were the Roman soldiers "making sport" of Him?

At what point during that very long night did Peter's eyes meet with the Savior's? Only hours before, Jesus had washed the Apostles' feet in a gesture of love and as an example of humility. Now Peter had denied the Master three times. I can only imagine the grief in Peter's heart as he realized how fragile his faith really was as he gazed at the bruised and battered, beaten and despised Jesus.

Did Jesus share one last supper alone with His mother the week before His Passion? Did He prepare her for the events about to happen? He warned his disciples of the future events, but they turned a deaf ear to Him. Perhaps Jesus explained to His mother the prophecy Simeon gave to her at His dedication in the temple that " a sword will pierce even your own heart" (cf. Luke 2:34.35) was about to be fulfilled. I imagine Jesus did indeed spend time alone consoling His mother prior to this long and torturous night and the following day when He would die for us.

As I let myself consider the events unfolding over two thousand years ago, I wonder at what point Jesus thought of me and washed my feet - cleansed me of my sins - during His Passion? I wonder how much pain was the restitution for my sins.

Whenever I feel unloved, alone, or rejected, I have only to look at the Cross to know, to absolutely be assured that I am loved beyond measure.

As wild as my imagination can get, there is no human way I can perceive the mind of Christ or the pain and suffering he endured for me during His arrest and crucifixion. I can't wrap my mind around the depth of His Passion, yet I believe it is an exercise to grasp as fully as possible in an effort to understand His infinite and intimate love for me.

God Bless,

Joe

06/15/10 Re: Father's Day 

I have a gripe. Father's Day is coming up this Sunday, and I fully expect my Pastor to remind the men in the congregation that we need to "step it up" and be better examples to our children, better husbands to our wives, and more involved in Christ's work.

Have you noticed on Mother's Day, we hear the Pastor thanking the moms in the audience for their love and support. Basically they are honored and given flowers. On Father's Day, we as dads are admonished to do more. It doesn't seem fair, especially when you consider that the men listening to the sermon are in the church with their families doing their best to be men of God. The folks who need to hear the "get it together" message aren't there to listen to it.

So, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you fathers who take parenting seriously. Thanks for the sacrifices, commitment, and effort you put in to raise children of character. As men, we often have a different emphasis depending on our background. My father grew up in the Great Depression, and his driving ambition was to make sure his family had financial stability. I missed out on a close personal relationship with my Dad, and therefore focused on "making memories" with my family and at the same time worked to provide financially for their needs. Certainly I haven't been the best with money,but I have a chestful of memories and my kids haven't gone to bed hungry.

The point is, wives and children (and Pastors) will all have their own expectations of what we as fathers are supposed to do and be. I'm sure you are doing your best to be the parent you think your children need. Thanks for being there and loving your children and bringing them closer to the love of God.

Joe

06/28/10 RE: Denominational Differences

Lately I've been studying Church history and the origins of the various denominations.What strikes me is the amount of blood shed in the name of Doctrine!

Both Catholics and Protestants have their martyrs, and I don't believe either can declare innocence in persecution. What strikes me is the animosity generated between the denominations over the Word of God. Jesus tells us "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." (Luke 10:27).

Throughout history, folks have been burned at the stake, beheaded, tortured, and murdered because they have worshiped Jesus in a manner offensive to others. Yes, Catholics have doctrinal differences with Protestants and Christians of all denominations have their unique emphasis on Scriptural truth. It seems to me that if we are truly followers of Christ, we will do what he says and "love your neighbor as yourself."

Jesus was pretty inclusive on who our neighbors are. He never shied away from the Samaritans, the Romans, even the Pharisees. He never picked up a rock against anyone. I'm currently hesitant to continue my page, "Regarding Catholicism" as I want this site to be an oasis of the Truth that God is madly in love with us regardless of our denominational differences.

So let's just love and support each other. Let's praise God that so many of us have found a way to get to know the Jesus of the Bible and worship Him. Let's reach out to non-believers with Christ's message of love and not spend so much time in academic jousting. Most of what we debate over will not be fully resolved this side of heaven, so let's concentrate on our joy in knowing Jesus has reserved a place for us there.

In Christ, in Love,

Joe

09/06/10 PRAISE FOR THE PRAYER FOUNDATION

It's been a while since I've posted anything on this website, primarily because I've been studying Catholic and Evangelical apologetics. I hope to provide a big ol' post on what I've come up with in the near future. The impotant thing to remember is this message will be my opinions only, based on research, the input I've received, and a lot of prayer.

In the meantime, whenever I visit the Prayer Foundation's website, I am constantly calmed by the depth of interdenominational Christian resources available and their commitment to stay focused on the essentials of the Christian faith. It's nearly impossible for me to "turn off" the analytical part of my mind and simply rest in God's love.

You can find the Prayer Foundation's link on my "other resources" page, and I invite you to take a leisurely stroll through their vast website. I think you will walk away a little more intimate with our God and Father.

God Bless,

Joe