Putting Our Christianity To Work

Why are YOU living in where you are in 2012? Consider this:

“The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ” (Acts 17:24–26)

According to God, the reason you and I live where we do is because that’s the perfect time for us to seek (and help others seek) and find God. For those living in America, we are so blessed that the persecution Christians face is extremely light compared to our brethren in first century. How can we best use our situation for God’s glory? Here are some excellent thoughts on the matter at: http://alivewithchrist.com/christianitywithoutfear/

 

Can We Know God Exists?

How do we know anything in this world? How do we know whether a defendant in court is guilty or innocent if we didn’t see the crime with our own eyes? Well we simply compile the evidence, analyze it and make the proper judgment based on the evidence. We use reason, logic and scientific evidence to determine how we know anything in this life. The same is true with God. Many atheists mock the existence of God saying that since we can’t “test” Him with the scientific method, there’s no evidence of His existence. Are they right? The problem with their line of reasoning is that they never reason that way in other matters of life (e.g. court cases). We can, through logic, reason and the available scientific evidence know for certain that God exists. Here’s a very concise, simple explanation of this issue at http://alivewithchrist.com/proofgodexists/ we can also learn the answer to how can I get saved there as well.

Just Let Your Heart Be Your Guide

Consider some of the words of wisdom we hear often today whenever we’re at a major crossroads in life. What advice are we told every day? When we were children and watched The Land Before Time we might remember Little-Foot’s mother telling him how to find the “Great Valley” by saying, “Let your heart guide you.” If we watched Star Wars we can remember Yoda telling Obi-Wan “Use your feelings.” Or we might even remember Roxette’s 1989 # 1 hit “Listen to your Heart.” Clearly we are a society that values following the emotions of our heart in making major life decisions. What are God’s two cents on this matter? He says:

“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Have you ever made a decision because it felt right in your heart, but it turned out to be a horrible mistake? I have! According to God, our heart is about the worst thing we could listen to in making a decision. Do you think that God would know whether or not we should listen to our hearts? Well…He is the one you designed it, so that kind of makes Him the authority on the matter.

If we can’t trust our hearts, then what can we trust to govern our decisions? Jesus said:

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)

We don’t want to trust our hearts to be our sole guide in any matter of life because they can/will lie to us. When it comes to matters of our our soul will spend an eternity we DEFINITELY don’t want to “let our heart be our guide.” Only God’s word can guide us into real truth.

If you want to know more about this, come visit us at http://www.alivewithchrist.com to find out how God can guide you into truth.

Jesus’ Commentary On Christianity: Part 1

Have you ever glossed over the titles of books in a religious book store or a “self-help” section? Typically you find a picture of a very successful looking man or woman with a million-dollar smile sprawled across the front cover. Some of these titles suggest that Christianity is all about “Becoming a Better You.” This form of marketing appeals to a popular mentality that “God wants me to be happy, and to be the best me that I can be…” Apparently if Jesus ever wrote a book (and He did through inspiration), it wouldn’t exactly fit in with most books in the religious section. In fact,

I Just Need a Little More

It seems like the news is always reporting some story on corporate greed. Whether it involves insider trading on Wall Street, or CEO’s embezzling millions from their companies we are surrounded by tales of people who’ve become intoxicated with the love of  more “stuff.”

We often talk about how materialistic and “worldly” our society is becoming, and rightly so. But did you know that materialism was just as big of a temptation for Jesus as it is for us today? In fact

The Worst Lie We Can Tell Ourselves…

The salvation of sinful men and women throughout history has come through one avenue: the grace of God. Even the Jews, who served under the Law of Moses, were saved solely by God’s grace rather than their own works (c.f. Hebrews 9:15). However, some people embrace God’s gift of salvation in a rather smug manner. Their view of grace is that it allows them to continue to engage in their favorite sins; all the while they maintain their hope of heaven. They may say something like, “God knows I’ll never be perfect. I’m a sinner and His grace is there to cover it.” Did you know there was a time when God’s people viewed His grace in that very manner? He sent them the prophet Isaiah to

Unsung Heroes

We live in a world that glorifies the spotlight. It’s just our human nature. Who do we interview after a Super Bowl victory? It’s the quarterback. Who do we honor for a great military triumph? It’s the general. However history is replete with unsung heroes whose efforts go unrecognized. In the church, our tendency is to create a spotlight-effect on certain people as well. Week after week we see preachers, elders, teachers, and deacons serving as leaders to guide us in our effort to conform to Christ. Even though congregational leadership (as instituted by God) is essential for our spiritual growth, sometimes we can forget where the influence really comes from. It can discourage Christians who serve behind the scenes if we rank importance by the amount of time we spend in the spotlight. However, if we look at God’s pattern in Scripture, He does some of His most powerful work through humble, working-class people.

Take the prophet Amos for example. Amos wasn’t known for eloquent speeches or religious credentials; and he certainly wasn’t going to win any popularity contests! Amos was a true “country boy” with no interest in

We’re Not Fooling Anyone

Have you ever received a courtesy from someone who didn’t really mean it? Maybe someone complimented you on your appearance, when you knew you really looked like you just got out of bed. Perhaps someone told you they loved you, but it sounded more like a pre-programmed response than a genuine expression. How did that make you feel? Sometimes it hurts us more when someone pays us a phony gesture than if they hadn’t said anything at all. It’s definitely good to give compliments because it builds up a person’s spirit. However people can tell when we’re just going through the motions.

Did you know that God feels the same way?

A Happy Medium

As we gaze through the eyes of history, we find an interesting pattern. One generation strongly supports a certain set of values, and a later generation rebels by strongly supporting a polar-opposite system values. We can see this change in style of dress, choice in music, appreciation of art, political issues, etc… Neither generation is necessarily right or wrong; it’s just interesting to see the dramatic shift as the pendulum swings back and forth throughout the years.

Interestingly, we find this same pendulum swing over different biblical doctrines. For example,

Bloody Secret from the Bible Exposed

There was a time in our country when nearly everyone believed that the Bible was the inspired word of God, regardless of whether they lived by it or not. This is not the case today. Most people have been spoon-fed a steady diet of “naturalism” since they were toddlers. This is why they have no reason to believe the Bible isn’t simply a work of man without doing serious research. Sometimes we as Christians need to remind ourselves that we’re not “taking a blind leap of faith,” but that we’re simply following where the best evidence leads. The Bible is not a science book, but the science it contains ought to be correct if God wrote it. If the Bible is truly “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), then it should contain markings that cannot be explained as the work of mere men. For now, let’s look at just one example: God’s law on circumcision.