JESUS AND HIS FOLLOWERS MUST SEEK AFTER THOSE WHO ARE SICK AND IN NEED OF HEALING

Some of the scribes who saw Jesus heal a man sick of the palsy and also forgave the man of his sins accused Jesus of blaspheming within their hearts. Jesus knew their thoughts and asked why think this evil of him in their hearts? Jesus told the scribes it is just as easy to forgive the sins of man as it is to heal because the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins and to heal the sick. The man who was sick of palsy arose and went into his house. There were multitudes of other people who marveled and glorified God, who had given such power as this to men. As Jesus walked away from this group of people he saw a man named Matthew and told him to follow after him. Matthew arose and followed him. As Jesus sat down to eat in the house, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him along with his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and asked the disciples why does your Master sit and eat with publicans and sinners? Jesus overheard their question and said people who are whole do not need a physician, however, people who are sick do need the help of a physician. Jesus said at this time he had not come to call the righteous. In other words, his mission was not to only sit, eat and drink with the righteous of the land as he was, but his mission was to call sinners to repentance, therefore, he must mingle and dwell within the presence of those sinners. In these words of Jesus we learn that he feels sinners and publicans are people who are actually "sick," and need the help of a physician. Their sickness is their unrighteousness. Jesus was sent especially to "Heal" this type of sickness. So why would he hide himself from the very people who were in need of him? How many times have you seen a sect or "click" of people who call themselves "righteous," and Gods elect, but stick together and will not allow anyone outside their little congregation or click of people to actually become a part of them. Their services surround each other. They beg and cry more for healing of their own physical ailments than the healing of people's sins. It is my opinion not much in accomplished in these crowds of people that is truly in the name of Jesus. They seem to think if they go where the "sick" sinner people are, they might get themselves into trouble, and they are just better off to hide themselves away to worship God and wait for his coming. They actually want little or nothing at all to do with sinner people. Many of them have no mission or plan to bring into their circle of friends those who are in sin, and will openly criticize anyone who strays out of their group, saying such things just as the Pharisees said to Jesus: "Now why would you have fellowship with an old drug addict or alcoholic?" I feel like these types of people are just as much in sin as those they are afraid to have contact with. They are "white collar" Christians. Jesus was sent into the prisons to speak to the evil spirits there. Many "white collar" Christians of today, who call themselves the true elect of God, will not go pass their own little click of church goers, much less, go into the prisons seeking out those who need to hear the gospel. Jesus goes on to speak riddles concerning people who put a new piece of cloth onto an old garment. He says this just does not look right, because the older parts of the garment will just take away from the look of new piece added. And he said it is not appropriate to put new wine into old bottles. The bottles will probably break and the wine will just run out. New wine must be put into new bottles so they both are preserved. I think the above sayings refer to people who try to cover up an "unclean" heart with a new, clean outer garment. The look achieved is still something just not right and unprofitable. People who try to put old wine into new bottles are the same as those still trying to be something on the outside to others that they are truly not on the inside. They try to put more and more on of the look of righteousness without the true clean heart inside. There will come a time when who they really are will come bursting through and expose the "old person still inside" that they are trying to hide. It is better to just not wear a hypocrite shoe, be clean on the inside, so you can continue to grow spiritually, otherwise, there will always be something about your bottle that is just not right, just waiting to be exposed, just waiting to burst through and break proving it was not a new bottle after all. This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. © 2007 Connie Limon. All Rights Reserved About the author: Connie Limon Visit us at The Spiritual Guide, http://www.thespiritualguide.info for spiritual teachings and guidance. Visit Camelot Articles at http://www.camelotarticles.com for a variety of FREE reprint articles for your websites, newsletters or blog.

BORN TO DIE

You may want to give this a moment's thought: everyone is born to live but only Jesus Christ was born to die. It was God's will for Him. And that was because of you and me. 'We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all....Yet it was the Lord's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.' - Isaiah 53:6 and 10(NIV). 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.' - John 3:16(NIV).

I tell people that what made God leave his throne, become man to die on the cross, and channel the best of resources in heaven and earth, using every possible means available and creating more, to further the good news of salvation for mankind must be very serious and should never be taken lightly. That's the reason we celebrate Christmas. Christ birth was not just another birth of another human being. It was the day God brought into the world His son through whose death He would put an end to sin and its consequences over mankind, 'For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' - Romans 6:23(NIV). Whatever can be called death in your life Christ has paid for that you may truly live a victorious life, having victory over sin, sickness, poverty, failure, destruction and any thing that stands contrary to eternal life which God purposed for you from the very beginning. He wants the best for you. That was why he gave His best (Jesus Christ) to die in your place so that you are not eternally lost. And assuming He paid the price of His life for the all mankind and it remained just you He is willing to go through the same ordeal again just for you. That's the extent of His love for you.

Also the birth of Jesus is the day God brought into the world His Son through whose resurrection from the dead the rest of mankind could have eternal life if they would just truly believe and behave accordingly. Now is the time to believe because this is the hour of salvation. The time is coming when it will be too late and nobody can do anything about it, not even God Himself because it will be the hour of judgment. God has done all He can do for you and is doing what remains in this hour of salvation for you to be saved. Do not turn down this so great a salvation for you would be the one losing, for what shall it profit a man to lose his soul. Remember He is a righteous judge.

If you want to take advantage of this hour of salvation and be saved from sin and destruction pray this prayer of salvation: Lord Jesus I come to You this day. I thank You for bringing Your word my way this day. I acknowledge and confess my sins to You. I recognize that God raised You from the dead that I might have life. Have mercy on me. Lord Jesus I welcome you into my life today. I confess You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You for having mercy on me. Thank You for saving me today from sin, from destruction and from all works of Satan. I am now a child of God. Thank You Lord.

LOVE NOTE

If you have prayed that prayer from the bottom of your heart, believing that God raised Jesus from the dead you are now a child of God. And now that you are saved there are few things you must do to grow in God.

1. You must read your bible and pray to God every day in the name of Jesus. The book Joshua 1:8 says not to let the word of God depart out of our mouth but to meditate on it always so that we may carefully do all God requires of us to be successful and prosperous 2. You must worship with other believers in a bible believing church or assembly. Hebrews 10:25 says 'Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the day approaching.'- (NIV), and 3. As the opportunity comes on share the good news of this new life with someone and as they are willing lead them to Christ.

Enjoy your life in Christ now that you are a new creation in Him - 2 Corinthians 5:17.
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● Onyekachukwu Ukeje is an itinerant preacher based in Enugu, Nigeria. For more articles and ebook(s) by this writer please visit http://www.faithwriters.com, http://www.faithreaders.com and http://www.onyekachukwuukeje.com/home/ebook.htm.

GOD OF CREATION

Has the God of creation finished working, or has His work never stopped and who truly is our God of Creation? There does not seem to have been a period of history where mankind was without belief in the supernatural as governor of the universe. Our Christian way of life believes, and has the understanding that there is a supernatural power governing the universe and that supernatural power is our God, Creator of heaven and earth and all things in them.

The fact of the existence of God is proved by the order, power and complexity of creation, and through His dealings with His people throughout history. The true God is infinite and beyond the mind of man fully to fathom. A creature could never hope to become equal to its Creator or understand all the workings of His mind. Rom 11:34 says (For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?" )

God always acts within His own righteous arrangements, doing all things on a legal basis. Rom 3:4 says ( Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: That You may be justified in Your works, and may overcome when You are judge.") For this reason all people can have complete confidence in Him, knowing that He always abides by the principles He establishes. He does not change and there is no "variation" with Him in the application of His principles. Mal 3:6 says ( For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consume, O sons of Jacob.)

God's power and knowledge extend everywhere, reaching every part of the universe. Amos 9:3 says ( Though they dig into hell, From there My hand shall take them; Though they climb up to heaven, From there I will bring them down; ) God is spirit, not flesh, though He sometimes likens His attributes of sight, power, and so forth, to human faculties. Thus, He speaks figuratively of His "arm" His "eyes" and "ears" and points out that, being the Creator of human eyes and ears, He certainly can see and hear. Ps 94:9 says ( He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see? )

The God of creation, the Creator of the heavenly bodies, has glory and brilliance beyond the ability of fleshly sight to endure, for "no man can see God and yet live." Ex 33:20 says ( But He said, "You can not see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.") Only the angels, spirit creatures, have vision that can behold his face in a literal sense. Matt 18:10 says ( Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.)

Nevertheless, he does not expose men to such an experience as to lose ones life. In loving- kindness he enables men to see his fine qualities through his Word, including the revelation of Himself by means of his Son, Christ Jesus. John 14:9 says ( Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, "show us the Father'?)

Our Creator has a purpose that He will work out and there is nothing that will prevent His purpose from being successful. Isa 55:11 says ( So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And I shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.) His purpose, as expressed at ( Ephesians 1:10) is to establish "an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, namely, to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth."

Having great love for us, Our Creator provides ample opportunity for us to know Him and His purposes. Heb 1:1-2 says ( God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world;) His written Word is his communication to us, enabling us to be completely equipped as his servants and ministers, and directing us on the way to life. 2 Tim 3:16-17 says ( All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work.)

Our God of creation works, He has not stopped. After the sixth day of creation God ceased from earthly creative work. Gen 2:2 says ( And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.) But that does not mean that God's activity having to do with the invisible realm came to an end, for Jesus said: John 5:12 ("My Father has kept working until now, and I keep working.") During His rest day, God has worked in spiritual ways, as indicated by Paul's words: 2 Cor 5:17 ( Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Before speaking of a new creation," the apostle mentioned the dissolving of "our earthly house," pointed out that anointed Christians would have 2 Cor 5:1 (a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.) Those resurrected to heavenly life have a resurrected body that differs from the fleshly body planted in death. Each one of them, already called a "new creation" in union with Christ, is resurrected as a new creation with a spirit body in the heavenly realm. (1 Cor 15:35-57)

Great blessings from our Creator under Kingdom rule are assured to obedient mankind due to God's promise: Isa 65: says (for behold, I am creating a new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.) In that system of things promised and created by God "righteousness is to dwell." 2 Pet 3:13 says ( Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells.) The certainty of its establishment is emphasized by John's apocalyptic vision and his statement "I saw a new heaven and a new earth." ( Rev:21:1-5)

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ONLY JESUS CLAIMS TO BE GOD

Jesus was not confused about His own identity; He unabashedly claimed to be God. But He also supported it by facts. Jesus performed many miracles; 35 are recorded in the gospels, including various nature miracles. These miracles show His divine powers beyond any laws of nature. Their results are immediate and lasting. One of the most impressive, the feeding of the five thousand, is attested to in all four gospels. And Jesus fulfilled each of the hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah from the Old Testament with remarkable accuracy, all but a few outside his own control, and well beyond any statistical probability of chance. These prophecies were written hundreds of years before He was born and predicted His family line, His birth and birthplace, His ministry and in much detail His suffering and crucifixion. When it seemed that Jesus was defeated, that evil had won by crucifying and killing the Messiah, God revealed His greatest miracle of all: The resurrection of Christ. The greatest moment of victory for the Evil One turned out to be the moment of his complete defeat. By the crucifixion, with His blood, Jesus purchased salvation for man. By His resurrection He proclaimed in a most glorious way possible that He was the Son of God beyond the grip of death. The resurrection is one of the best proved in event in mans history: the Bible testifies to it including a creed of as early as a few years after the resurrection and there are multiple confirmations from dramatically changed lives from the disciples, Paul and James (His brother). The explosive growth of the early Christian movement can only be explained by a conviction based on personal observation (not hearsay) that Jesus died on the cross and was alive again thee day later on the first Easter. Hinduism had no founder, so there are no claims of deity. Gandhi was a humble man of integrity and had great care for other people. Yet he never claimed to be God. Siddhartha Gautama (Lord Buddha) did not claim to be God, nor are there serious claims that he performed miracles during his lifetime or that there was a resurrection. "The original accounts of Buddha never ascribe to him any such thing as a resurrection; in fact, in the earliest accounts of his death, namely, the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, we read that when Buddha died it was ‘with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind." The prophet Mohammed expressly claimed merely to be the prophet of Allah. Mohammed, also, fulfilled no prophecies nor is there even a single credible account of a miracle he performed. Many Muslims protest that the writing of the Quran is the greatest miracle of all. Others argue for some miraculous accounts about Mohammed deeply rooted in tradition, but these are not supported by history or reliable scriptures. But even if this was evidence for Mohammeds divine inspiration these claims look pale next to the miracles and prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. Mohammed died June 8, 632 AD at the age of 61 in Medina, where his tomb is annually visited by thousands of devout Muslims. Later legends claim that he did not die but ascended to heaven in Jerusalem (at the location of the modern day Dome of the Rock). However, no credible evidence for this claim has been presented. Whatever Mohammeds destiny, nobody has ever claimed he rose from the dead. Christ alone claimed to be God. Christ alone provided evidence to support His claims! About the author: Rob VandeWeghe is a skeptic turned Christian. More articles like this by Rob are available at www.WindmillMinistries.org. Enjoy and research hundreds of pages of figures, facts, finds and features.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE APPOSTLES IN THE BIBLE?

For anyone who holds that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was a man-made hoax conspired by a group of disciples should check out what happened to them. It verifies the truth of the Bible. For 11 of the 12 apostles, and many thousands of other early Christians, died for believing this story. This is dramatic, since they all witnessed the events of Jesus and still went to their deaths defending their faith. Why is this dramatic, when many throughout history have died martyred deaths for a religious belief? Because people dont die for a lie. Look at human nature throughout history. No conspiracy can be maintained when life or liberty is at stake. Dying for a belief is one thing, but numerous eyewitnesses dying for a known lie is quite another. Here is an account of early Christian persecution, as compiled from numerous sources outside the Bible, the most famous of which is Foxes Christian Martyrs of the World: Around 34 A.D., one year after the crucifixion of Jesus, Stephen was thrown out of Jerusalem and stoned to death. Approximately 2,000 Christians suffered martyrdom in Jerusalem during this period. About 10 years later, James , the son of Zebedee and the elder brother of John, was killed when Herod Agrippa arrived as governor of Judea. Agrippa detested the Christian sect of Jews, and many more were martyred under his rule. Around 54 A.D., Philip , an early disciple from Galilee, was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified. About six years later, Matthew , the tax-collector from Nazareth who wrote his gospel, was preaching in Ethiopia when he suffered martyrdom by the sword. James , the brother of Jesus, whose burial box was recently discovered, became the leader of the early church in Jerusalem and was the author of an Epistle by his name. At age 94, he was beat and stoned, and finally had his brains bashed out with a club. Matthias was the apostle who took the place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded. Andrew was the brother of Peter who preached the gospel throughout Asia. He was crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed in an X-Shape in the ground (this is where we get the term, St. Andrew's Cross). Mark was converted to Christianity by Peter, and then transcribed Peters account of Jesus in his Gospel, was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria Egypt in front of Serapis, their pagan idol. Peter was crucified at Rome... upside down, at his own request, because he said he was unworthy to be crucified in the same manner as his Lord. Paul suffered in the first persecution under Nero. Pauls faith was so dramatic in the face of martyrdom, that the authorities removed him to a private place where he was beheaded with a sword. In about 72 A.D., Jude , the brother of James who was commonly called Thaddeus, was crucified at Edessa. Bartholomew preached in several countries and translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India. He was savagely beaten and then crucified there. Thomas , called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where he was thrust through with a spear. Luke the physician and the author of the Gospel under his name and traveled with Paul through various countries... was hung on an olive tree in Greece. John , the "beloved disciple," was the brother of James. From Ephesus he was ordered to Rome, where he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. The Romans banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death. What is so amazing, and why I went into so much detail here, is because Christian persecution didnt slow the growth of the Christian faith during the first few centuries after Christ. Even as its early leaders died horrible deaths, Christianity flourished throughout the Roman Empire. How can this historical record of martyrdom be viewed as anything but dramatic evidence for the absolute truth of the Christian faith - a faith, unlike any other, that is founded on historical events and eye-witness testimony? This historical record, I submit... tells us the Real Story of Jesus and further demonstrates the truth of the Bible. About the author: The author is publisher of the Online Christian Shopper (http://www.onlinechristianshopper.com), which specializes in lifestyle evangelism tools like Christian T-Shirts. He also publishes The Faithful Christian (http://www.faithfulchristian.com).

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN

There has been considerable discussion about the separation of Church and State. A fine line has been drawn between the education options open to parents who want their children to be trained under the guidelines set by the locally recognized school system qualifications but allow the students to be educated in a church school environment instead of the over-crowded conditions found in the public school system. The curriculum offered in the Christian education programs for children that attend private schools is very similar to that offered in the public school system. There are many additions though, that make attending school in a Christian environment very appealing to parents. Students are afforded an education that is more personable and complete. Christian school teachers find the time to cover a broad spectrum of courses and some of those courses are not available through the public schools. The Bible is a standard textbook at a private school operated by Christian church organizations. The basic teachings of the Bible are included in the day to day operations at the school and teachers rarely worry about drugs or guns being present in the classroom or on the school campus. Children learn in classrooms that are cool and comfortable in the summer months and warm in the winter. Private schools can operate on a religious program that is not endorsed by State law. The bare mention of God is prohibited in the public school system and the Ten Commandments have been removed from Government buildings. Children are free to discuss religion and learn about the history of the world through the teachings that are written in the Bible. A Christian school education offers children the opportunity to participate in sports programs that are very competitive and many students earn scholarships for college through the excellence of their participation in these sports. The children receive a well-rounded education that includes academics, cultural and arts programs in the curriculum that is offered. A Christian education path allows students to join bands and participate in band competitions. There are also opportunities for children to take piano classes from teachers who are at the top of their field in the musical world. The Christian choral groups learn to raise their voices high to promote and praise God for the glory of being alive and loved. Parents place their trust in the Christian school programs and they are never let down in any way. About the author: James Brown writes about eCampus.com online coupons, Belford High School discounts and Monster Learning deals