Posts Tagged ‘Christian’
Does God Know You?
As we begin a new year the number one question that should be on your mind is this:
Does God Know You?
Silly question, you think, of course God knows me, He know’s everybody. That depends…
So, what am I getting at? In 2 Timothy 2:19 we read:
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
Another question is this. Do you name the name of Christ? Depending on how you answer this question will give an indication as to what your answer is to our main question. To help you out, let’s look at another scripture verse.
In John 14: 21 & 23 we read:
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
Here we see that if you love Jesus and are obedient to Him, then the Father will love you and He and Jesus will come and live with you. However, if you don’t believe in Jesus how can you say that you love Him? You can’t.
In fact, if you don’t love Jesus because you don’t believe in Him then God says this about you. In John 3: 36 we read:
He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
You see, if you do not love Jesus it is because you do not believe in Him, and if you do not believe in Jesus you already stand condemned and you have the wrath of God abiding on you. So, how can you say that God knows you?
Still are not sure? Well, here are some other verses. In Matthew 7: 21 – 23 we read:
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
And, in Luke 13: 23 – 27 we read:
Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”
And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
The one thing that ties all of this together, for you to be able to say that God knows you, is this. You must believe in Jesus, have submitted to Him as Lord of your life, and love Him enough to be obedient to Him. If you cannot say that you have done so, then the answer to the question “Does God Know You” is this.
No!
If you were to die right now, in this state, God will say to you “I tell you I do not know you. Depart from Me, you worker of iniquity.”
Is that what you want to here? I pray that this is not what you want. Remember what 2 Timothy 2: 19 says:
“The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
You must bow the knee to Jesus as Lord and proclaim Christ as your Savior. Having done so, God will tell you that He knows you and that you are His child. He will tell you that you have been forgiven for all of your sins and you will be able to live with Him for all eternity.
If you won’t you are doomed, and you will stand condemned to face the wrath of God. You must know that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of an angry God.
It is a new year and I pray that God will draw you to Him, forgive you of your sins and place within you a new heart. Having done so, you will know without a doubt that God does know you and when you are asked, “Does God know you?” You will be able to respond, in full assurance, with a resounding…
YES!
Why A Savior?
Even if you are not a Christian, I’m sure you are familiar with the Christmas story.
The Gospel of Luke has the best account of the birth of Jesus, and in the part which describes the encounter that some shepherds had with an angel we read, in part, the following:
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior…..”
Wait a minute. A Savior? Why do we need a Savior? I mean we’re all good, right? So, why do we need a Savior and from what do we need to be saved?
Good questions, all…
In Proverbs 6 beginning at verse 16 we read:
These six things the LORD hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
For a moment, think of these seven things. Have you ever done any of them? Odds are you have had at one time or another had a proud look about you, lied about something, devised a way to get back a someone, either hit someone or at least thought about hitting someone, told something about another person that wasn’t true, and even spread gossip to get someone in trouble.
Do you realize that just by doing any one of these has caused you to be separated from God. We all know about the Ten Commandments and we always say, “Well, I’ve tried my best to do them, and God knows I’m not perfect, but I am basically good.”
However, when you look, again, at those seven actions I’ve mentioned, just one of them will keep you out of Heaven. In 1 Corinthians 6:9 we read:
“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?”
Are you “unrighteous?” If you have done just one bad thing, even a simple little white lie, you are an unrighteous person. As it stands now, you are in danger of spending eternity in Hell, not Heaven.
You will have to pay the penalty for having done anything bad. You see God will not allow anyone who is unrighteous into Heaven. That would be like pouring a sewer system into pure drinking water. It has to be purified first, just like you. The problem is, spending eternity in Hell will not purify you.
However, God has provided a way for the unrighteous person to gain forgiveness for the wrongs they have committed and to be granted admittance into Heaven. He has provided a “Savior”.
This is what we read about in the Christmas story in Luke. God has provided a Savior and His name is Jesus, and to all who believe in Him, and who submit to Him as Lord, the bad things they have done will be forgiven and the righteousness of Jesus will be placed upon that person. Because of the righteousness of Jesus they will be granted admittance into Heaven.
The thing is, you must admit that you have done wrong. You must be willing to say that you know you cannot enter into Heaven because of anything you have done. You must realize that you can only be forgiven if someone pays the penalty that you deserve to pay, because of what you have done, and the only Person who can stand in your place, to be found guilty on your behalf, is Jesus. Only because of what Jesus has done in His obedience to the Father, in His dying for sins, and in His resurrection can you have any hope of salvation.
You see, from what you need to be saved, is from yourself, because you are an unrighteous person, and that unrighteousness has caused you to be condemned to spend eternity in Hell paying for the bad things you have done.
That is why you need a Savior and that Savior is Jesus.
Call upon God now. Confess that you have done wrong and submit to Jesus as Lord of your life and, if you can do that, Jesus will be your Savior. So that when you read, “For there is born to you this day….. a Savior…..”, you can join all of the others down through the ages who can say:
“It was for me that a Savior was provided, to save me from myself, and His name is Jesus.”
When this happens the Christmas story takes on a whole new meaning. We can see why a Savior was needed and for whom He came to save; to save us from ourselves.
You see, we cannot save ourselves. We cannot be good enough to earn admittance into Heaven. We cannot do anything to be forgiven for any of the bad things we have done. We need a champion, one who will stand in for us, we need a Savior. Only Jesus can be that Savior. If you deny Him you deny yourself the only chance there is to spend eternity in Heaven.
Can you admit your wrongs? Will you submit to Jesus as your Lord, to take over control of your life? Will you bow before Him as the only Savior who can provide you forgiveness for your sins?
If you can say yes to all of these, then this Christmas will be the most wonderful Christmas you will have ever had. You will receive the best and most precious gift ever, the gift of being given a Savior to save you from yourself. His name is Jesus.
May this be a most wonderful time for you, and I pray that you will have a more meaningful, peaceful and life changing time of the year so that it will truly be, for you, a very Merry Christmas…
Hiding Under A Basket
On Being The Light Of The World
In Matthew 5: 14-16 it is written, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Although this is primarily for the one who calls Himself a Pastor, this is also for anyone who calls themself a Christian.
As a Pastor, you are the light of your church. You bring the message of God, the way of Salvation through Jesus and you shepherd the flock that you have. However, is that light being hidden in the basket of your Church?
You stand behind the pulpit and week after week you bring, hopefully, the deep things of God. You bring the Word that opens hearts and causes people to see their sinfulness, to repent and to have a burning desire to come to Christ for forgiveness. You teach the things that are needed in order for your flock to grow as Christians, whether they are new, or the faithful and steadfast, Christians that look to you for direction in the Word.
Outside of the Church… what ARE you doing? Do you speak out in defense of your faith? Do you stand up at community meetings and remind people what the Word says about actions that could and will be taken in your town, neighborhood or street? Do you write Letters to the Editor about topics of interest in which the Church should be providing direction and guidance?
I would venture to say that you stay hidden behind those closed doors, hiding your light under the basket that is your Church. Why, what is it of which you are afraid? Most likely you worry that you don’t want to upset the apple-cart. You don’t want to offend anyone or you might lose parishioners and by doing so loose Church income. You might even be afraid of what others might say about you and you would feel an embarrassment when outsiders look at you in a funny way. So, you preach fuzzy feel good sermons designed to keep your flock happy. How horrible it would be if you were to make anyone squirm in their seats.
I sure am glad that Jesus didn’t feel that way.
You are the light. Each member of the flock in your Church is a light and by staying hidden under your Church basket you are also teaching your flock to do the same. They become Sunday morning Christians and the rest of the week live like the world. Is that what you want?
It is easy to become bold behind those Church doors, but it is something else to do the same outside of your building. When was the last time you stood up in defense of something that is un-biblical and openly said “It Is Written” and then explain what it is that the Word of God says?
It would seem that you are more afraid of being laughed at for your faith, for what it is that you believe, for in Whom you believe than you are in being the light that Lord has caused you to be and to stand up and be bold in the proclamation of what it is that God says.
In Matthew 10: 32, 33 it is written, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”
By staying quiet, by staying behind those closed doors and only speaking when you can hide behind your pulpit you are actually hiding your light under a basket, and by doing so you are denying Christ before men; they who are not in your flock who need to hear from you what is written in the Word.
Jesus is the Light of the world, but you the Pastor, and you the flock, are the torch bearers carrying that Light into the world. Bring the Light out from under your basket. Step out where the Light is needed and let it shine in a world that is dark and lost.
You have a choice. You can stay hidden under your basket and keep on denying Christ before men or, you can come out from under that basket and confess Christ before the world. You can throw off the shackles of being hidden under your Church basket and speak out on what is written in the Word and have Jesus confess you before the Father which is in Heaven.
Obey the command of Jesus and do as He says… “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Pastor, Christian, come out from under the basket. The world needs to see the Light of Christ and only you can do that. Only you have the Light of the world. Don’t keep it hidden under your Church basket. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine…
On Women Pastors
Is It Biblical?
In many Christian denominations they allow for the ordination of women to the position of Pastor. It is happening quite frequently. The question that must be asked, and answered Biblically, is this. Is it sound Biblical Doctrine for a woman to be a Pastor, or in any position of authority in the Church?
There is a chain of command in the world. In 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read:
But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
So, we see here that, in the world, the chain of command is God – Jesus – Man – Woman.
Having seen what the order, or chain of command, is for the World, the next place we should look is what does the Bible say about the qualifications of being a Pastor (Bishop, Overseer). Then we should look at the role of women, not only in the home but also in the Church. In all of this we seek answers from the Bible.
So, what are the qualifications of being a Pastor?
In 1 Timothy 3: 1 – 7 we read this:
This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
In Titus 1: 5 – 9 we read this:
For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you— if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.
As for the role of woman, let us look at what the Bible says about this.
In 1 Corinthians 14, speaking about the order in Church meetings, in verses 34 & 35 we read:
Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.
Then in 1 Timothy 2, in talking about men and women in the Church, we read in verses 11 & 12:
Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
Then, looking at the women’s role in the home we can read these verses.
In 1 Timothy 5: 14 we read:
I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
In Titus 2, in speaking of the qualities of a sound Church, we read about women in verses 3 – 6:
the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
Then in 1 Peter 3: 1 – 6 we read:
Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.
Now think of this. It is God who has given these commands and not man.
Basically we see that in the World, the Church and in the Home there is a chain of command. That chain is that God is first then Christ, then man, then woman.
Also, in the Church, as far as worship order goes and positions of authority, we see that man is to be in those positions of leadership. That includes being Pastors and Teachers. Women are to be silent and not be in any of those positions.
The same basically goes for the home. Yes, the woman is to manage the home but the man is the one in the position of being responsible for the household and the woman is to be submissive to him.
Now I know there are many verses where the woman worked alongside or assisted the man in teaching, evangelizing, etc. but there are no instances where the woman was the one in the postition of authority or leadership for any of this. Woman always works alongside the man and assists the work that he does. It is not where the man works alongside the woman and assists her. You won’t find that anywhere in the Bible.
So, who do you want to believe? If you believe that the Bible is the final authority then you would have to agree, from the verses that you just read, that for a woman to be in a position of leadership, a position of authority or a position of being a Pastor is not Biblical and is just plain wrong. They are in disobedience to the Word of God.
If you don’t want to believe the Bible, then where does your trust lye, in whose authority will you believe? To finish, then, is it Biblical for a woman to be a Pastor? If you believe what you just read then the answer you will have to give is an unequivocal NO!
It is not to man you must answer, but to God…
