WE ARE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
This was a real legitimate question by a young lady on Yahoo’s Question and Answers!
Here are some of the answers given as suggestions of hope. It is not surprising that the last thing anyone wants to hear about is religion. All want to use the carnal human approach to help the person. Each one uses their own understanding of the world around them and their experiences to try to encourage the person. Some literally shocked me with their comments. Here are some of the things they told the young lady.
1 “you have already received many wonderful answers and some not so good ones too. I agree that, if you are without hope, you may have a psychological or medical imbalance and it is important to rule that out by seeing a professional. When hope is gone, a person needs something to ‘believe’ in. Search your soul for a positive thought and let it flow further – into a belief. It could be as simple as looking at the stars and moon and realizing that many people are looking at the same stars and moon as you are.”
2 “Well, there are two choices. You either end your miserable life, or you take a step in the right direction and reach out to others in need. Doing something nice for someone else, even when you feel you have nothing to give, is always rewarding, and you would be surprised at how much hope it will give you.”
3 “Oh, please… do we have to throw God at the girl and make it sound like that’s the answer?
As if God is going to come down and throw his arms around her and make everything better… ’cause gee, that’s what he does, right? That’s why everything is so perfect in this world and why everyone that believes in him so much is such a perfect person, right? Here’s a better answer.
Take a good long look in the mirror at yourself and realize that there is hope. And there’s hope because YOU won’t allow yourself to think any more that there’s not.
Trust in yourself… and trust in your best friends to be there for you.”
4 “Count your blessings – reformat your thoughts and think of good things that have happened to you. Do something stupid (but harmless) that you haven’t done since you were a kid”
5 “ACCEPTANCE is the only answer to such a predicament. 99.9% of emotional problems (unless you have a recognized mental condition), stem from not wanting/wishing to accept reality.”
If I was hurting as this person seemed to be, the suggestions above would have been like being hit in the stomach with a sledge hammer. They don’t give good answers because they themselves don’t have hope! Since they don’t want God in their lives they only follow the worldly course of; eat, drink, and be merry because when they die they believe it is all over. They don’t believe in life after death and frantically try to do all they can in this life while they can.
But God does say there is hope for those who are willing to let Him into their lives but there is no hope for those who do not. Job 11:18,20 “Then you would trust, because there is hope; And you would look around and rest securely. But the eyes of the wicked will fail, And there will be no escape for them; And their hope is to breathe their last.”
Hope takes on a whole new meaning when God explains in Colossians: 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, 27 which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
That glory is something very special! God performs a miracle in your life to the effect that God says in 1 Timothy 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
God wants to emphasize your hope more succinctly as He states again in Hebrews 6:19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
This hope cleanses you from all the pressures, stresses, and problems of this world freeing you from the bondage that the world heaps upon you refreshing your soul.
1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
God Bless You!
Do you know what is in store for you in the Kingdom of God? God gives us some happy, encouraging bits and pieces of insight to that future. It is good to go over them from time to time to be nudged if you will to remember how important the resurrection really is in context to the Kingdom of God. Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew that we will not marry in the resurrection but will be as the angels of God in heaven. He explains rules for outgoing love toward others as in Luke 14:12-14 “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”
There have been many Christians slaughtered for their beliefs around the world recently and they will be in the better resurrection.
The early Church in the times of the Apostles must have had a deeper understanding of their reward in heaven because there are records of their powerful faith. One such is in Hebrews 11:35 Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. They did not hesitate to give their lives for Christ.
Not too long ago, twenty one men were beheaded by Muslim extremists because they would not renounce their Christian faith and become Muslims.
Revelations 20:4,6 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Did you know that not everyone will have the same positions in heaven? There will be ranks! Some will be greater than others.
Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 11:11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 18:3-4 “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Here are some sayings of Christ to ponder. These verses give a lot of insight to what the Kingdom of God in heaven is like, how we should seek it and how to increase our reward.
Matthew 13:24 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
31 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
33 “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”
44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,
Does the resurrection to the kingdom of heaven have a great draw on your heart?
Matthew 11:6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.”
There was a young man filled with faith preaching about Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit in every public place he could find. People found his wisdom and the spirit of which he spoke irresistible.
John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
But some people couldn’t stand what he was preaching because what he was saying convicted their conscience and made them mad.
Romans 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
They got so carried away that they mobbed him and took him before the court, they produced witnesses who lied about him and accused him of making terrorist threats such as saying their religious temple would be torn down.
Mark 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
As they looked at him he didn’t appear to be worried at all. If anything, he looked more confident and filled with faith more than ever. He begin to preach to them and point out their sinful ways showing them how much they could be blessed if they would only turn to God and obey Him.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
But when they heard what he had to say they were cut to the heart and their faces became terrible to look at as hate poured out of them.
Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
And he said:” Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God”. The mob started screaming at the top of their lungs to shut him out. The mob had had enough and took Stephen and killed him.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder.
This is happening over and over again in China, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and India today! This ugly hatred is slowly growing in the United States. It is now a hate crime to preach the truth on some subjects of the Holy Bible, the foundation of Christianity.
We need to rally behind the martyr Stephen and preach the gospel in the face of adversity. Be filled with the spirit of faith!
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Give God the glory! AMEN!
Who am I? Really, who am I? I was born in iniquity and conceived in sin! (Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.) When I grew up and experienced the world I was saturated with its unholy, immoral, and materialistic system. Believing this to be the norm I immersed myself in its carnal ways. (Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.) Mistakenly I thought the ultimate joy was having all the immoral and carnal things of this world. (2 Timothy 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy) After some time I found myself miserable and unhappy, unable to attain the freedom to do as I wanted in the world. I looked at my beautiful wife and wondered why I treated her the way I did. I looked at my baby son and wondered what kind of life waited for him. I suddenly felt like the lowest of the lowest of men. I was sick of everything I knew. Something inside me caused me to do something I had never done before. I grabbed my wife’s hand and knelt beside our bed and said: “God, there has got to be something better than this. Please show us what it is.” My heart was hurting! (1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.)
After a short time my wife and I became associated with a church and God took complete charge of our lives from that time to the present. We went through a transitional period from an old way to a new way and looked down upon by some who knew us. (1 Peter 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you) But now we have a loving family of Godly friends in great abundance. (Ephesians 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God)
Someone might read this and decide to find out for themselves how to be released from the world as we have and be filled with a joy immeasurable by letting Jesus take the weight of the world’s sin off of their shoulders and putting it all on His shoulders. (John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!) Just follow the message in the Apostle Peter’s first sermon: (Acts 2: 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.) By the grace of God you will be raised up a new creation and walk in newness of life, no longer of this world, but your citizenship will be in heaven from that time forward with a residence in heaven waiting for you to occupy.
Who am I? Who are you? We are all the children of God!
Praise the Lord God and give Him all the glory! Amen!
We just celebrated the 4th of July as a memorial to the beginning of this great nation. It is truly awe inspiring to realize what it really means. Sadly, many of our newer generation of children do not know what the 4th of July is about. It is a subject that is not emphasized as much in our children’s education as it was when I attended school over a half century ago. Certain things begin to get vague over time and their importance is watered down, becoming passive in our minds.
The Christian Church has existed before this nation was formed and still stands today.
My question is this. Is the Christian faith, understanding, belief, and especially spirituality becoming vague, passive and weak. Is it as important today as it was in the days of the Apostles?
I watched the Spurs and Heat play for the world championship and the fans were extremely fanatical about their teams. Why are we not more so about Jesus Christ? It is certainly more important for people’s salvation.
Are we fulfilling our calling now, today? Are we worthy?
Jesus has something to say about that in 2 Thessalonians 1:11 Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,
We have a purpose, we are spiritual and we are citizens of heaven filled with power. That power lives in us and that power is Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
I pray that we will stop trying to use Christ and let Him use us!
There are many things happening in this world that indicate that Jesus Christ may come soon. We are to watch for these signs. Matthew 24: 32-33 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near — at the doors!
Watch and pray!
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.
When what we are doing is not working we need to stop what we are doing and go in a different direction. We need to let Jesus light our path for us and then and only then will we be going the right way.
Let’s be as excited as our brothers in Christ were in the days of the Apostles. Be as zealous as the fans were at the Spurs and Heat games. Do it for our Lord and Savior. 1 Corinthians 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
Revelation 3: Therefore be zealous and repent.
God help us to change and not become lukewarm. Amen!
To grow tomatoes you must first plant a seed and then proceed to nurture the tomato plant by fertilizing and watering it. The plant begins to grow and develop strong roots and stalk so it can hold up the heavy tomato. After the plant is thoroughly nourished and receives a lot of sunlight, it produces beautiful flowers. The flowers begin to change and become little green tomatoes. This is the fruit of the tomato plant and it must grow and grow until it reaches its full growth and then the tomato begins to mature into a beautiful finished creation suitable for the masters table.
A Christian must first have the seed of the Word of God. Luke 8:11 “The seed is the word of God. We received the Word by someone sharing Christ, evangelizing, preaching and many other ways that God may use.
We must be born again and when we are baptized we are raised from a watery grave a new creature. John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. We continue to be taught the word nurtured and discipled in the Church. 1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
We begin to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and He becomes the main root of our lives and we are the branches. Jesus is the light of men and His light is bright as the sun. Our faces shine and become like beautiful flowers to God. As we begin to grow we become full of the maturity of the Spirit and await our Lords coming when we will burst into a new creation suitable for the Masters table. Revelation 19:9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’
Hallelujah praise God!
Mark 16:15 Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
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