Martyrdom?

The ultimate cost of faith in Jesus!

There will not be many in western society who will die this season for their faith in God, but in the rest of the world this is a daily occurrence?

Many convert from Islam in the west do face being murdered by their families, but the media has been told not to report this since they want to portray Islam as a religion of peace and staying on good terms with Arab friends!

Stephen was the first Christian Martyr, he was a man who was killed by others who knew the truth but refused to believe or repent, since they were comfortable in their religion! This is the same today with the world they are blinded by fear and stupefied by what they think is enough?

Acts 6:5-7:59, 8:1, 11:19, 22:10, Romans 1:32, 2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 17:6.

Believers Baptism?

A tough area of Contention!

Should a Born-Again believer be baptised or not?

Is it important to be baptised and do we have too be?

These and many more complex questions have been debated in Ekklesia over the last two-thousand years, and even today there is no clear understanding that is acceptable to all sides!

Many of the early Churches from three-hundred Ad to the time of the German Reformation of Martin Luther went with child baptism, since it was easier and pleased most? The Church from that time kept an exclusiveness on the Scriptures, through the clergy and the common man had to take the word or control as it was distributed with local superstitions and curses?

The most tremendous fact about baptism is that of the thief on the cross who entered heaven, without being baptised! This perhaps is the best clarification on the matter that are faith is on Jesus and focussed on how we are lead by Him and will follow Him doing, loving, caring and showing concern, while witnessing His truth to the dying world around us!

Luke 23:43. Romans 5:21, 1 Timothy 1:15, Hebrews 7:25, Revelation 2:7.

Saved by faith ALONE?

German reformer Martin Luther!

Introduced the word alone to emphasise his idea of the doctrine of salvation, which caused the split from the Roman Catholic Church over 400 years ago! But on reflection with modern technology and the easy grasp of Biblical languages today we now know that this is not correct?

Because of two incidents in the New Testament, where people were saved in the moment of belief and no mention of this doctrine exists in the Greeks texts, apart from that of the King James Bible!

The Thief on the cross and the Ethiopian eunuch made no known confession of faith, but they just believe and were saved?

Today many Christians are not aware of many things and Salvation seems cheap when its a card signed or a short prayer, yet perhaps we should not be quick to Judge since the almighty can do whatever He pleases!

James 2:17, 24, Greek Kata Strong G2596, Luke 23:42-43, Acts 8:27-39.

Bearing the Name!

CHRISTIAN?

Are you afraid of the lions?

What a strange question to ask a believer in the death and resurrection of Jesus, who is our Lord and saviour?

Our redeemer and the one who is returning one day to gather us His Ekklesia to be taken up with Him!

Yesterday the media reported that two-hundred and fifty Christians are killed world wide each month, probably most of them are real believers over that of carrying the name tag that other religions have?

Today in our ever secular society believers are being attacked for believing the teachings of the Bible, which oppose many issues, moral, sexual and our integrity in business, leadership or management!

But many others in leadership are refusing to make a stand for the truth, because they fear these new lions!

Acts 5:41, 11:26, 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16.

Philip and the Ethiopian! Two.

Simple Faith, Sometimes?

There are many who claim that even a child can come to know God with simple faith, but this is not possible here because something is missing?

Bias is a terrible sin, we cannot know another’s heart that is the realm of the Almighty? But there are too many today who rush to pass judgement on others because they fail not in the same way as the Judges!

There is a place to test the believer to see if they are really walking with Jesus as they claim and if not it is our responsibility to help them?

We do need to examine ourselves in relation to both Anti-Semitism and racism in the Ekklesia, along with many other issues such as disability! We need also to be ready to encourage and help each other with our issues?

Matthew 7:1-6, Acts 8:37-39, James 2:1-13.

Prostitution! Part-Two.

Tears of Faith?

It is interesting how Jesus deals with the sad woman of sexual exploitation and vulnerability, it is not the way that we humans might deal with the situation because of all the stigma that we carry?

Jesus say the love for Him in her tears and the cost of her gift to Him! This was not cheap or tatty, it was her appreciation that God really cared about her!

Much like that of Jesus washing the feet of the Disciples, we need to take a leaf from the Bible and start serving God, rather than enjoying ministry on tax freedoms and living in our panelled homes?

John 12:3, 13:12.

Israel and Jerusalem!

Right to Exist?

If we are believers in the death, resurrection and return of Jesus, we cannot escape the facts about Israel and its Eternal capital Jerusalem? Despite the introduction and the long term acceptance of Replacement Theology in the Christian Church, we still find some passages about Jerusalem and Israel do not fit in to the Christian way?

This is because they are not for the blessings of believers but for Israel alone! God has a plan for His people Israel that is far different than that of the Church, this is a fact that must be recognised for us to really understand the bible!

If we persist with the ideas set out by Replacement Theology we will be lead astray into the many forms of false teaching and doctrines that are being introduced today! The capital of Israel is Jerusalem and when the Lord returns there will be a New Jerusalem for the believers by faith!

John 3:3, 15-17, 31-36, Romans 3:22-23, 6:22-24.

Identity!

‘Who am I?

Most people at some point in our lives stop to think this deep question, probably when we are going through a stressful period? It is a good question to both ask and ponder upon, because it makes us think that there must be much more to being alive and why are we here?

Creation, the universe and humanity are not complex flukes that science wants us to think, it was all by chance? The fallen nature of everything leads to an end or death, but the Holy Bible tells us a different version that is far more interesting than chance and flukes!

We were created by God before everything else was made that we see and understand! In some ways science has proved that we are made of materials that cannot be seen, such as atoms!

But our condition now is a fallen one, because of sin/failure entering in to spoil Gods order! This condition we have is a terminal illness, but healing can only be found by admitting our wrong, changing our attitudes and finding the forgiveness of God through the ‘Good works of Jesus death on the stake/tree and rising from the dead!

Deuteronomy 7:6-7, Psalm 90:2, John 17:24, 1 Corinthians 11:9, Ephesians 1:4, 2:10, 1 Peter 1:20.