WHO'S WILLING TO READ AND TAKE A STAND?

Since the beginning of time there have been certain individuals that have changed the course of History and impacted the world we live in.  People like Hitler, who hated the Jews and wanted to create a perfect race.  In the process he had millions of people killed. Ghandi taught us about non-violent protests and many people imitate his way of protesting. Madeline Maureen O’Hare started a movement by getting prayers taken out of the schools.  Bill Gates changed computing history.  We have the inventors of electricity, the telephone, the Atomic Bomb, and a host of others.  The list goes on and on.  Little did these people know of the great impact their lives would have on the rest of us.

There is one person that stands out above all the rest.  This man’s life has had the greatest impact on ALL of History and continues today.  That man is Jesus, the Christ.

Twenty centuries have come and gone and Jesus the Christ was the central figure of the human race.  In the past few decades unscrupulous men and women are trying to wipe His name out of History and out of the minds of our young people. 

Our calendar dates were known as ‘before Christ’ and ‘after the year of our Lord’.  Now they have changed that to ‘before and after the common Era’ hoping future generations will forget. 

They don’t want Him talked about in our schools or any references to Him or His Word in the textbooks.  His name is being removed from every Government Institution.  They are claiming separation of Church and State. 

They have pushed ‘political correctness’ to the point where people cannot even mention His name in public places without fear of retaliation or offending others.  People have lost their jobs because they dared to mention their belief in Him or because they offered prayer to a hurting soul while in their place of employment.  

Yet, His name is uttered profusely by those who love to use profanity and the ‘politically correct’ naysayer doesn’t seem to have a problem with that form of His name.  They themselves use it quite regularly.  We don’t hear these people desecrating the names of Mohammed, Buddha, Confucius or the many other so called gods out there. Why is that? 

They want to continue the celebration of Christmas but without His name being mentioned.  The saying of “Merry Christmas” might offend others of differing faith. After all, it has the name of The Christ in it.  Any references of His birth or name, whether it be in song, community or school plays, or any form of public display is prohibited.  

And yet, it seems perfectly reasonable to ridicule Him or His followers in the public arena. There are countless media hosts that make jokes that belittle and defame His character or that of His followers.  Certain ‘displays’ that make a total mockery of Jesus have been open to the pubic in the name of  so called ‘Art’.  It is like it is “Open Season” on Jesus and any of His followers. 

What did Jesus do that was so wrong?  Nothing! 

He was born about two thousand years ago in an obscure village, to a young peasant woman. Growing up, He worked as a carpenter and when He was thirty, He became an itinerant preacher. 

He never went to college, university or seminary yet He stumped those that did.  He was the wisest man that ever lived.  Thousands of colleges, hospitals, orphanages and other institutions have been founded in honour of Him. He never wrote a book, and yet more books have been written about Him than any other person in History. His words and life have inspired countless poems, songs and paintings throughout the centuries.   

He never held public office, owned a home or had a family and yet His words have been used to guide those in Governments, heal relationships and bring families closer together.  He never traveled any further than 200 miles from His birthplace and yet the whole world knows of Him. 

Even though He never did any of the things that usually accompany greatness, throngs of people followed Him. He had no credentials but Himself.  He was just a humble, quiet man who went around doing good and taught others to follow His example.

While He was still young, the tide of public opinion turned against Him. His followers ran away and His enemies sentenced Him to death on a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – the simple coat He had worn. His body was laid in a borrowed grave provided by a compassionate friend.

His enemies were jealous and couldn’t even find enough evidence to convict Him.  Pilate couldn’t find fault in Him and wanted nothing to do with His death.  His enemies hated Him because He spoke the truth.  They crucified Him because He claimed to be God.  But three days later this Man rose from the dead – proving that He was and is who He claimed to be - the prophesied Saviour whom God spoke about years earlier, the Incarnate Son of God.

All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the governments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned have not changed the course of history as much as this One Solitary Life.

So why does the world hate this man so?  What has He ever done to them?  Why do they feel it is o.k. to use His name in vain and make disparaging remarks about Him?

Personally I am SICK AND TIRED of it.  Yet, I think to myself “I am just one person.  What can I do? ” 

I can let my voice and disproval be heard.  I can STAND UP FOR WHAT I BELIEVE even if it is politically incorrect to do so.  The pen is mightier than the sword and I will speak my mind in writing. 

In 1517 Martin Luther changed the course of history when he nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. In those days, it was common practice to nail public documents to the church door for all to see. Today we have the internet.

I am not asking anyone to become a follower of His.  I am asking you to reconsider and maybe acknowledge that He was a great man that changed the course of History for the better.  If you disagree please tell me; in what way did this man do wrong?

I am asking you to please quit using His name as a curse word.  He was a great man and at least deserves some respect.  We don’t even use Hitler’s name as a curse word and he was evil. 
I am asking you to quit making crude jokes and displays of Him.  He never did you any wrong. 

I am asking you to let us honour this Man in the ways we feel are appropriate.  If we want to wish you a Merry Christmas, how is that harming you? That isn’t trying to push our beliefs on you.  We are just hoping you will be Merry during the time we choose to honour Him.  If you choose to be miserable that’s fine we me.  

Is there anyone else who is willing to stand up with me?  Will you pass this message on or maybe write your own version?  One person can change the world. It has to start somewhere. 

Why not here?  Why not NOW?

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON BIBLE VERSIONS

This is a repost of an earlier article under a different title.

These are some of my thoughts on the many versions of the Bible. I myself prefer the King James Version above all others. I figure that if it was good enough for the past 400 years of history, it is good enough for me.

• Not so long ago, people used to bring their Bibles to church and would follow along when the Pastor/teacher read scripture. They could verify for themselves if what the Pastor/teacher was saying was true or not. Today hardly anyone brings their Bible to church as the Pastor/teacher may chose to read out of a different version. How can we know if we are being led astray or if Scripture is being taken out of context? How can we know that what the Pastor/teacher is preaching is truth? With so many different versions it is really hard to tell sometimes.

• The memorization of Scripture was of the utmost importance for many years. Jesus knew the word of God and was able to drive away Satan when tempted. King David clearly saw that knowing the word of God was the key to purity. Paul says that the word is a sword in your amour against the devil's schemes. God's word in your heart keeps your feet from slipping. Yet today we see very little emphasis on memorizing the word of God. Why is that? Could it be that we have too many Bible versions to choose from and the word we try to memorize gets confusing?

• Have you tried to share a passage of Scripture with someone only to get the line “Well, that’s YOUR interpretation!”. Why is it we can no longer agree on the basic principles of what God’s word says? Why is a lot of it left up to the individual’s interpretation? Could it be because we have so many different translations out there and each one says something just a little bit different than the next? This has caused confusion in the Body of Christ and God is NOT the author of confusion - 1 Cor. 14:33.

• Why do all the newer versions compare themselves to the King James Version? Isn't it strange that the new versions never compare themselves to one another?

• When the KJV translators had to add certain words, largely due to idiom changes, they placed the added words in italics so we'd know the difference. Why don’t the new translations do this? If something is removed from the Bible, and placed in a footnote, is that good enough? Most certainly not! This causes one to doubt if God really said that thing and it takes the focus off God’s word, most of the time for the worse. Many time references in the footnotes say, "The oldest manuscripts don't include . . ." This causes one to cast a shadow of doubt upon what they are reading. Also many times footnotes are totally ignored which can drastically change the meaning of what is being read. Why can’t all these “scholars” agree?

• The modern day “scholars” tell us that there were mistakes in the KJV and the newer versions correct these mistakes. If they have better and more accurate versions today then why are there so many of them? Is each one more accurate and better than the other? Why can’t they find all the mistakes at once and put them into one perfect new version that we can all agree on?

• If the Holy Spirit leads us into “All” truth, why did He change His mind over the years? He gave us the KJV for the last 400 years and now there are mistakes to be corrected??? Is this really how the Holy Spirit works?

• There is one true God, yet many false gods. There is one true Church, consisting of true born-again believers in Christ, yet there are many false churches. So why do we have so many different versions of the Bible? Could it be that we have one true Bible, yet many false "bibles"?

• Isn't it true that God inspired His Holy words in the "original manuscripts." Many will tell us that what we have today is not the “inspired true word of God.” Is God that small that He couldn’t preserve a perfect Bible for today? Does this sound like the character of God who says “…one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”? (Matt. 5:18) Could it be that we have the True Inspired Word of God but people today do not want to accept it? They want things their own way?

• It is claimed that the newer Bibles are easier to read. Why was the Bible translated in the first place? So the normal regular every day person could read and interpret the scriptures for themselves without the need of clergy. Have men of education somehow "evolved" and are now more qualified to translate God's word today than in 1611? If the King James Version is so difficult to read and understand by people today and yet the people 400 years ago could understand it, what does that say about our intelligence? Were those people that much more intelligent than we are today – they had no problems understanding the King James Version?

• Many claim that the “thee’s and thous” of the KJ Bible make it too hard to read. These words were not part of the vocabulary in 1611 but were added for clarity of text. They serve an important purpose. The second person in English is rendered "you" in both the singular and the plural. Thus, when "you" is employed in a modern translation, one does not know if it is to be understood as singular or plural. However, "you", "ye", and "your" are always plural in the King James Bible whereas "thy", "thou", "thee" and "thine" always denote the singular - how easy. The King James Bible reads: Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you [plural! all of the apostles] ... 32 But I have prayed for thee [singular - Peter] ... Is man getting dumber or smarter? Hmmm, I wonder.

• Because of the many Bible versions, many people are lacking in true Bible discernment. If we don’t have one true Bible then objective and absolute truth does not exist. Everything becomes a matter of personal interpretation. Seeing there are multiple readers of multiple versions, then it is easy to see why there are multiple interpretations with the end result being no universally valid interpretation. Could the many translations be part of the reason we are having so much trouble reaching the lost for Christ? They use our “many translations” against us, telling us that we can’t even agree amongst ourselves about what the truth is. I think they have a valid point.

• Why are there copyrights on the newer versions of the Bible? The text of the KJV may be reproduced by anyone. There is no copyright forbidding it's duplication.

• The majority of modern Bible publishers - not Bible Societies - are neither religious organizations nor missionary societies. They operate in the cold hard world of business. They don’t care if their product is a faithful reading of the texts or not. They do not “care for our souls” and are not deserving of our unqualified trust. Their only concern is for profit. They are anxious and ready to meet the needs of the people mentioned in 2 Tim. 3:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

What are some of your thoughts?

THE ENEMY ATTACKED - GOD SAVED ME.

A woman named Gina wrote an article (Chats with an Old Lady) that inspired me to share this story of what happened to me.  Her article was titled ‘I am NOT a Grace filled Woman’. Her link is in my sidebar.

Recently I went through a spiritual battle.  Out of the blue, the enemy of my soul came at me firing both barrels at once.  I wasn’t prepared for an attack and he hit me full force.    

"How do your really know you are saved?  You've just been fooling yourself.  Jesus said that in the last days many would come to him and claim they did all kinds of things for him, and yet, he will tell them he never really knew them.  How do you know you are not one of them?  Those people believed they were saved just like you do but they were wrong. Your heart is more deceitful above everything.  The Bible says so.   

How can you be saved when you have such terrible thoughts about others?  You are always getting angry with others and you fuss and fume inside. That's not love.  How can God love you when you don't love your neighbour as yourself?  How could God love you when you don't love those around you?  Don't you know that the Bible says that if you don't love your neighbour who you do see, then you can’t love God who you don’t see?”

On and on he went and I listened to every word and agreed with everything he said.  When he was finished his tirade I took over for him and began to accuse myself of every rotten thing I had ever done or ever do.  It was all true. I am a horrible person.  I was crumbling under the accusations.  I felt helpless and hopeless.  I was fooling myself.  My life was all a lie.  I had thoughts of ending it all yet I knew that either way I would end up in hell.  What could I do?  How could I be saved?  I knew I could never live up to what I thought God wanted of me?

With uncontrollable sobs I cried out, “Oh God, Please, Please help me, I don’t know what to do.  If I have been deceiving myself, please forgive me.  Help me to be the person you want me to be. Please have pity on me because I can’t do this.  I really am a bad person and I need you to fix me.  I can’t do this on my own.”

As my tears were subsiding I began to hear that wee small voice of my master reminding me of what Christ’s coming was all about.

Grace! 

God’s Grace! 

God’s perfect Grace for a sinner such as I. 

That was the whole reason He came and died in the first place.  None of us are perfect and we never will be.  That’s why we need a Saviour.  If we were perfect, He wouldn't have had to take our place.  No matter what we do we will never measure up to God’s standard of Holiness. 

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

The enemy is real.  He is very subtle.  He knows our weak spots and he hits us when we are down. He is cunning and relentless. When we think we can stand on our own, that's when we become an easy target.  I've been a Christian for nearly 33 years and I thought I was standing but that's where I was deceiving myself. We can never do it on our own.  We need His help daily - moment by moment.  It is only in His strength that we are able to fight and win the battles. I didn’t have my spiritual armour on and nearly lost that battle.  God reached out and reminded me that it is only by His grace that I have been saved and nothing of myself.

Eph 6:11-18  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

I will end with this quote from Gina’s article.

“I am not a grace filled woman, but I serve a grace filled God and I desire that He work through me.  If you see any evidence of grace in my life it is only because of Him. He gets the glory.  And that is how it is meant to be.”

Random Thoughts on Christianity

• There was a time when the Church rejected the world's ways. Now she not only uses them; she abuses them. Of course we must use the world, because we need it; but let us not want it, let us not desire it.
• People wear suits to weddings or funerals yet dress casually in the Lord’s presence. I wonder why?
• Jesus did not say that we would know them by their great profession of faith, but that we would know them by their “FRUIT”.
• Faith takes your eyes off of yourself and everything this world has to offer and plants them firmly on Jesus Christ.
• If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be any evidence to condemn you?
• History is His – story!
• Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are you?  They had the name of Christ on their lips but they did not have the power of Christ in their hearts.
• If your life doesn’t line up to the gospel you are deceiving yourself
• True faith is more than what is in your mouth.  It is what is in your heart and what comes out of your mouth, proves what is in your heart.
• Jesus wasn’t politically correct and he hurt the feelings of many people.  But He told the TRUTH.
• John the Baptist spoke the truth till they cut his head off.  Are you willing to follow his example? 
• Political correctness is about not offending others.  Are you more concerned about pleasing others or about pleasing God?
• Christianity should always be a source or irritation to the world, then, equally the world should be a source of constant grief to the Church.
• In the past the Christians suffered open persecution for their faith but today Satan’s tactics are more subtle.  He tempts the believer with the things of the world and makes them sound reasonable and acceptable, especially to those who do not know the word of God like he does.  Oh yes, Satan knows the word of God better than most Christians do.
• Satan conceived and now controls the world order, and is prepared to use demonic power through the things of the world to lure us into it.
• Would God urge us to watch and pray if there weren’t spiritual forces to guard against?
• Christians should be perfectly willing to part with anything or anyone at any moment. It matters not whether I leave two thousand dollars or merely two. What matters is whether I can leave what ever I have without a twinge of regret.
• A hypocrite is someone who wears a mask, an actor, someone who is pretending to be someone when they are not really that person.  The best actors really know how to play their part. A really skilled hypocrite would be impossible to recognise.
• Christian hypocrisy is so ugly and embarrassing because while claiming to love and obey Jesus, they act as if He didn’t exist.
• Almost all of the parables of Jesus had to do with true and false profession;  the two builders, the sower and the soils, wheat and the tares, sheep and the goats, almost all.
• Jesus was the most genuine, real, non-fake person ever – someone who talked the talk and walked the walk. 
• If we measure ourselves by the world’s standards, or the standards of other people, most of us will end up thinking we are OK.  If we measure ourselves by God’s standards, it is a totally different story.
• Are we seeking the knowledge of God or are we seeking the knowledge of the world?  God’s desire is that we grow in the knowledge of Him. 
• We should be constantly growing.  Not growing stagnant.
• You are either a servant of God or a servant of the devil.  It is black or white.  There is no middle ground. 
• Are people who claim to be ambassadors for Christ, and then live like the world, really using God’s name in vain?
• True Christianity is a matter of the heart, it is more than words. 
• True biblical faith affects the whole life of a person.  It involves the emotions, the affections, the actions and the will.
• True conversion is two fold.  We flee from sin and rush to him.
• You are not your own.  You are bought with a price.  Therefore quit flirting with the world and playing the harlot. 
• If you are in love with someone, you want to be with them, spend time with them, get to know everything there is to know about them. How much do you love Jesus?
• In the world we are taught how to improve our self esteem whereas the whole aim of the Bible is to bring us to our knees in repentance knowing that we are nothing without Christ. 
• Most people know the names of top sports personalities or TV personalities but do we know the names of Jesus’ brothers?
• We seem to find time for TV, Movies, The Internet and especially friends but we just can’t seem to find any time for God.  Hummm… 
• Are you teaching your children to put God first or are they more interested in watching TV, Playing games, being on the internet or in their newest toy, etc.?
• He is ‘A God of Grace’ but He is also a ‘God of Wrath’.  A half gospel is a lie taught by the devil himself. 
• There are people sitting in temples of God every week but do they have the God of the temples in their hearts? 

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.