Establish a Strong Faith

In today’s world, a Christian must have a strong, sustainable faith. The faith I’m referring to is not the kind that we talk about having or wish we had, but a faith that is honed and sharpened from one situation to the next. It is clear from God’s Word that faith is vital to the life of a Christian. Without exercising our faith, we are no different from anyone else. So how does one establish a strong faith?

Of all the disciples Peter was the most impulsive, short-tempered, controlling, and adventurous. The most devastating blow to his faith, I believe, happened the night when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, a fellow disciple of Peter’s. Peter had every intention of standing by Christ during the His ordeal that night—after all he did step out of the boat and walk on water toward Christ, and we, too, have stepped out of our comfort zone by faith occasionally. Peter denied Christ that night, not once or twice, but three separate and deliberate times. Peter had a crisis of faith. He was afraid for his life, lied about being a follower of Christ, and tried to disappear into the crowd. We would never do such a thing—would we? We have all experienced a failure to identify with Christ at some point in our life. Okay, if I’m judging you then lets say 99.9% of us have.

In (2 Peter 1:1-12), Peter’s second general letter to the church at large, he gives a systematic method on how to establish a strong faith,

“(1) Simon Peter, a slave and an apostle of Jesus Christ: To those who have obtained a faith of equal privilege with ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. (2) May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (3) His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. (4) By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. (5) For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, (6) knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness, (7) godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (8) For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9) The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins. (10) Therefore, brothers, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things you will never stumble. (11) For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you. (12) Therefore, I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you have.”

I am confident that as a Christian you want a strong faith–a faith that can sustain you in the bad times and help you celebrate in the good times. The place to start is with your relationship with Christ. Do you know Him and have you made a definitive decision to accept Him as your Savior? Is your mind and your motivation focused on godly things? Recognizing true faith can be an elusive thing, but you will know when you have it. Peter learned the hard way about how to establish a strong faith. So, how are you doing? Follow the progression Peter mentions in the passage above and see what God does to help you strengthen your faith. I pray God will bless you in your journey.

Conduct Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

“Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,” Philippians 1:27 (NKJV)

There is one thing that seems to be a constant throughout our life and that is our conduct. From an early age, we are taught how to conduct ourselves in private, but most certainly in public. I remember my report cards having a place for me to be graded for my conduct. I wasn’t worried too much about the study part, but I was a little concerned about the conduct grade.

In the passage above, the apostle Paul declares that the good news of Christ in our life carries with it an expectation of good conduct. When He speaks to the church, He implies that their conduct is measured by how they stand fast in one spirit as they strive together for the faith of the gospel. A church is expected to be unified as it lives out its faith before the world.

As a Christian, when we declare our faith to the world, we immediately place ourselves under a new standard of conduct. We are expected to conduct ourselves in a godly manner and above all express love to others. The Christian life is different from any so called religion in this world. The purpose of the church is to live out the gospel before a lost world. We do that through our unified, steadfast, cooperative work for the Lord.

Is your conduct worthy of the gospel, and does your conduct follow the example Jesus demanded of us? I’m not perfect, but I have concerns about the conduct of people who declare to the world that they identify as a Christian, but they engage in language, ideas, decisions, and lifestyles that are hypocritical, or two-faced, and obviously unchristian. Christian brothers and sisters, it is high time that we repent from ungodliness in our thoughts and intentions, and give ourselves as a living sacrifice for Christ. We must die to our self and our desires and be the light that shines in a dark world.

Am I judging? Yes, and I am asking each of you, myself included, as publicly declared Christians to judge your thoughts, intentions, and actions by the standards of holy and righteous living that Jesus demands from each of us. So, rethink your thoughts. If what you do and say does not glorify God, give a good testimony of your faith, or show people what a true Christian is really like, then stop calling yourself a Christian until you can do so. Otherwise, you are only letting the world of people who know you that you are no different than an unbeliever, and you have a greater desire to fit in with the anti-christian worldview instead of a Biblical, Christian world view. We as Christians and the church have work to do…so get on with it.

How to Become a Christian

The Bible has made it clear that we all have sinned; we are held accountable to God for our sin; God sent His Son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin that we cannot pay; that we must believe in our heart that Jesus is alive; and confess our sinfulness to God. When the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and we confess, the next step is to pray to God and receive His gift of salvation. There is no other way to become a follower of Christ.

In Romans 10:13 the Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Also, Acts 4:12 says, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” When the Bible talks about the “Name of the Lord” it is referring to the person and character of Christ. Think about it like this, your name is more than the words or the spelling. Your name identifies who you are. When you sign your name on a document or call someone by name to get their attention, you are identifying the person whom the name represents. In the same way, when you call upon the Name of the Lord, it is an act of prayer where you believe He is real; you want to tell Him something; and you believe He will respond. One thing is sure–the day will come when everyone will admit that Jesus is Lord. You need to call on Him now to be your Savior instead of admitting it at judgment when it is too late. The Bible says in Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Why don’t you call on the Name of the Lord right now and ask the Lord to be your Savior. “Savior from what,” you may ask? He will save you from the judgment of hell, from sin and its hold on your life, and from hopelessness and fear. Pray and believe in this prayer as a guide to receiving Christ, “Father, I come before you in the name of Jesus. I confess that I am a sinner and ask you to forgive me and cleanse me from my sins. I receive Jesus as my Savior and ask Him to come into my heart. I confess that Jesus is Lord and that You raised Him from the dead. I ask You to please help me to live as You want me to live. I thank You for the gift of Your Son Jesus and Your free gift of salvation. In Jesus Name. Amen.”

Is God Real?

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Hebrews 11:3

Delusional, weak, ignorant, emotionally unstable, evil, deceived, and intolerant. What do these words have in common? I have run across these words from time-to-time as they describe a person who calls themselves a Christian. You can easily do a search on the internet and find websites dedicated to attempts at abolishing the reality of God. It is amazing to me that people will spend so much time, money and energy trying to cast doubt in the minds of believers that God is real. Why do some people get so angry at a God whom they do not believe exists?

So, is God real or am I (and maybe you) a delusional, ignorant, sad person who needs be convinced that the God we worship is not a reality? I want to share some of the reasons why a person needs to accept the fact that God is a reality. After all, all believers were once unbelievers.

I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was about 17 years old. Prior to that time, I did not read the Bible and had no knowledge about how I was “supposed to act” as a Christian. My friends at the church where I attended prayed for me and I remember realizing that if I died without accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior, I would be forever lost and separated from God. It was my choice to believe or not. The evidence at that time was overwhelming to me. I had never sensed that much guilt for wrong doing in my life and I haven’t sensed it like that since because once I was “saved” I am always saved and forgiven by God through my relationship with Jesus. I remember praying and asking God to forgive me for what I realized was sin (offenses against the will of God) in my life. When I made my choice, I experienced forgiveness and a relief of the guilt I had experience before. In that moment, I realized God is real and that’s when my adventure of a lifetime began.

Do you know Christ as your Lord? When you are ready to accept Christ, His love and offer of peace will compel you to let Him into your life.

Next Monday I will explain how you can become a Christian. You can know that God is real.

The Believer’s Hope

There is a worldview suggesting that a Christian is a person who is weak-minded and in need of a belief system to help them deal with life. Many of those who adopt this view are atheists who are hostile to any suggestion that God is real. There are also people who say they are a believer, but live as if there is no God. God created us in His image and a part of that image involves our search for Him. One criticism of the unbeliever is that there are so many different religions and belief systems that either all of them are true, or none of them is. As a Christian we rightly believe that the Bible is the final authority on God. Every other religion has their own false source of inspiration and authority, but none can stand up to scrutiny as the Bible can. The basis of our faith is the hope we have because of what Christ has done in us through salvation. The Bible says in Titus 2:11-15 (NKJV) “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, (12) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, (13) looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, (14) who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. (15) Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.”

The hope this world needs is found in Christ. 1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV) says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” At the end of life is death, and life is short. Many people take no thought about whether they will spend eternity in heaven with God, or in hell, which is the judgment and consequence of rejecting Christ. A believer is a sinner saved by the grace of God who lives with the promise of eternity every day in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” (Ephesians 1:13, NKJV).

Are you faced with situations in your life that seem overwhelming and rob you of joy? There is hope. Are you unsure where you will spend eternity? There is hope. When it comes to dealing with sin, disappointments, temptations, and uncertainty, I am weak-minded and in need of a Savior. I thank God that like the children song says, “I am weak, but He is strong.”

Patience…Now!

I don’t know about you, but there are times when I wish things or people would just hurry up.  We live in an exciting time in history where many things we want or need are at our finger tips.  Don’t you just hate it though, when your computer doesn’t load a page within a couple of seconds?  When we call someone, we want them to pick up right then.  And don’t get me started on this cell phone text-messaging thing.  I could go on and on about ways our society has conditioned us to be impatient.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit for a reason.  God wants us to be able to put up with the inconveniences this world places on us and grow as a Christian during the process.  Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint”. Yes, having patience gives God, and us, an opportunity to have not just a relationship, but also an experience with Him and the abundant life.

Let me ask you a question, what one thing causes you to become impatient?  Many times it involves other people.  We don’t like to wait on anything, much less anyone.  That’s why we sometimes drive faster, talk faster, push, and prod people into submitting to our will, and why we don’t pray and think about some matters before we take action.  The Bible is filled with examples where God chose to be patient as a matter of extending His grace or to stimulate our Christian growth.  Some of the phrases and words in the Bible related to God’s patience are; longsuffering, fullness of time, wait upon the Lord, promise, and trust.  For some people patience is for someone else.  There are times when we must take action now, but there are other times when we need to delay an action or decision until the time is right.

There are practical things that you can do to develop patience that will crossover into your spiritual life.  Take up a hobby; take a course of study; help someone; build or grow something.  For me, learning to play a complicated song on my guitar helps me develop patience.  During the journey to completing the song, I learn that mistakes are made, but can be corrected; it’s hard to do, but I can do it; and with God’s help I can do something I had never done before.  And when I look back over all the practice, I realize that the lessons learned make the journey worth it.

This week, look for an opportunity to exercise the fruit of patience when you normally wouldn’t.  As you wait for the computer to load, that car in front of you to move a little faster, or the person with whom you are talking to get to the point, remember that God is always in the moment.
If you are not sure you can be patient about anything, keep in mind that you took the time to read this article all the way through.  You and God can do it.

God Created

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)

This verse is probably the most controversial verse in the Bible when it comes to understanding “how it all began.” It’s not controversial to a Christian who believes the Bible is the infallible Word of God. It is true that there are many allegories, sayings, and parables in the Bible. Skeptics will assert that Genesis 1:1 is simply a statement that was not meant to be taken literally. They do not accept the reality that God is real and the creator of all. Their reasoning suggests that everything that was made was done so by a combination of time and chance. Carl Sagan, a noted astronomer once said that “with enough time anything is possible.” His statement was in reply to the Biblical concept of creation which he rejected.

Common sense indicates that matter, energy, space, and time had to have a beginning by a creator who is outside the dimension of the creation. A house does not build itself and neither did the universe create itself.  The “big bang” theory asserts that the whole universe was brought into existence by an explosion of compacted energy. If that were so, what created the initial energy? Our Christian view of creation as explained in Genesis is ridiculed and rejected by the scientific community; however, when you compare creation by God with creation by chance and time, the Biblical version is the most credible.

The belief that God created the heavens and the earth is based on more than faith.

“Romans 1:20-21 (HCSB) For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. (21) For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.”

I will explain the Biblical truth about creation in more detail in future postings.  Make sure to subscribe to this blog so you will get new articles as they are published.

How to Be Accused of Being a Christian

In a church several years ago where I was pastor, I would give a five-minute children’s story during the morning service. I used visual aids the children could connect with as I was explaining a biblical truth. On one such occasion, I took an empty two-liter cola bottle and filled it with water. I gave small cups to each child and showed them the bottle with the label facing them. I began pouring the “cola” into their cup and as I did I asked, “Would you like some Coca Cola?” I took a sip and commented on how good the cola was. One boy said, “Preacher, this isn’t coke, its water?” “Sure it is,” I explained. “It says Coca Cola on the label so what’s inside must be cola.”

You and I know that sometimes what’s on the inside is not necessarily what it is labeled to be on the outside. The same thing is true about us in regard to spiritual matters. Romans 10:9-11 says, “(9) 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.  (10)  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (11)  For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.'”
These verses make it plain that to become a Christian there must be confession with your mouth and belief in your heart. Confession means that you agree with God’s truth about you being a sinner, and are willing to say it in words and deeds. Do you believe that Jesus is Lord and that He is your Savior? Then say it with your heart, mouth, and life, in that order. Believing means that you accept something is real and true—no matter what others think. Do you believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead by His own power? You must believe this to be true; otherwise, you remain dead in your sin. It’s not enough to declare to the church, your family, or your friends that Jesus is Savior and Lord; you must believe it and show that you believe it by living it. Don’t misunderstand me, the Bible teaches that works done in His name will NOT save you and make you a Christian.  When the Holy Spirit convinces you of this truth and you believe it, you will act on it by accepting Christ as your Savior, telling others, and living the life of a believer. Righteousness is what a Christian does because Christ lives in his or her heart.

I explained to the children that just like they recognized the contents of the cola bottle as being a lie, God knows our heart, mind, and soul and sees us just as we are—sinful. You may have labeled yourself as a Christian, a believer, or a righteous person. The question is how does God see your heart?

Accountability to God

It is safe to assume that everyone is accountable to someone. When we enter a relationship, such as a job, marriage or friendship, we put ourselves in a position of accountability. There are also those times when we are accountable to someone by default, i.e., a child being accountable to the authority of parents, and the mutual accountability of people to each other. With accountability comes responsibility and it is in our nature to know that we do answer for what we do. Accountability means that we are responsible for our actions because we are held to a standard higher than ourselves. Admit it—if you or I set our own moral and ethical standards we will be highly tempted to set those standards low. In the same way, we are all held to a spiritual standard which is much higher than. God sets the standards of righteousness for all mankind and we fall short in meeting those standards. That’s where we have a problem and it’s called sin.

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The literal meaning of sin is to miss the mark. The mark is righteousness by God’s standard. Because we miss the mark, we cannot share in the prize of everlasting life with God by our own merit. Sin also involves an offense. We do not define what sin is—God does. Since you and I have sinned willfully, it is an offense to God and a penalty must be paid. It is not God’s fault that you and I are not righteous by His standards—it is our fault, and once we have sinned (and we all have done so) we are held accountable. You can reason within yourself that you are a good person, and you may be, but not according to God’s standard (Romans 3:10; see also, Psalms 14:1-3). There is hope.

Do you want to have the penalty for your sin removed? If so, the Holy Spirit has convinced you that you need forgiveness by God that only comes by accepting Christ as your Savior, which will remove the penalty and establish your standing before God as righteous by His standard. Accepting Christ as your Savior is the only way you can be forgiven for your sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Ask Christ to be your Savior today.  Contact me if you desire to have someone pray with you as you make your decision.

The Quest for Spiritual Fulfillment

“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.'”  (John 6:35 NKJV)

 Somewhere, somebody is searching for meaning in life.  The search began with a feeling that things are not quite right—that everything seems a little…off.  This person could be a teenager or young adult faced with the making decisions about what they will do the rest of their life.  Or it could be an adult who is restless in their marriage, job, or retirement.  The thing they all have in common is a feeling of emptiness, loneliness, and uncertainty about the future.  For a Christian, this can lead to a spiritual emptiness that causes the person to question their salvation, faith, and even trust in God.  The verse above shows that Jesus anticipated this discouraging possibility.

When Jesus says He is the Bread of Life, He is indicating that He is the solution to the problem of experiencing a life without direction.  Jesus said that when we come to Him we will never hunger for fulfillment or thirst for that which will satisfy our spiritual stamina.  Coming to Jesus means admitting we are a sinner, turning away from sin, and looking for and following His will for your life.  If we believe in Him we will never thirst.  You will find fulfillment and satisfaction in life only by doing what is right by God’s standard.

As you search for meaning in your life, there are some things you can do to find fulfillment.  First, make sure you are right with God by His standards, not yours.  Second, pray for God’s wisdom as you make decisions about things you have control over.  Third, trust that God is working behind the scenes to resolve the things you cannot control.  Forth, be obedient to God by attending church; developing positive Christian relationships, and cultivating a strong personal relationship with Christ.

If you are uncertain about your current situation, your plans for the future, your relationship with God, or if you just feel empty, remember that you can fill the void by coming to Jesus and believing in Him.

Love—A Fruit of the Spirit

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

I love fruit. I remember several years ago someone making the statement, “fruit is nature’s candy.” They may have been right about that. God created some wonderful, tasteful, juicy, fruit that He meant for us to enjoy. I think Paul may have looked at his favorite fruit tree and thought about how God produces a work in him that people need and can enjoy. The Holy Spirit indwells us and bears fruit through us in such a way that people will recognize that God is real

The Spiritual fruit, love, is more than an emotion. The love Paul is talking about is action on our part that makes the object of our love-people-better. When we experience salvation we have received the greatest love of all—the Love of God. When we live before others with unconditional love, we are planting a seed of God’s love in them. I Corinthians 13 indicates that compared to faith and hope, love is the greatest. The fruit of love has slices that could be described as acts of forgiveness, sacrifice, selflessness, compassion, mercy, honesty, and humility.

How is your love-life? Have you shown unconditional love toward someone? Do you love your friends, family, or coworkers enough to share God’s Love through Christ with them? The fruits of the Spirit that God has so richly blessed us with are to be shared. How can you share and demonstrate acts of love today?