Jesus - The Only Answer?

Members of the congregation I serve recently posed two questions. The first question: "Is it necessary to believe in the unique, singular divinity of Jesus to be a Christian? Divinity means specifically that Jesus was the Son of God, not a daughter or son of God like any typical human would be. Depending on the answer to question above, what does Christian mean? The second question: if Jesus is the only way to heaven, what happens (happened) to the over 90% of humans in history who did not follow/know him - also the billions following other religions?
Let me take the liberty to translate these excellent and challenging questions into four essential questions. Who was Jesus? Who is Jesus? What does it mean to follow Jesus? Is Jesus the only way to heaven?
Who was Jesus? Was he the unique Son of God, different from the rest of us? Who was Jesus? He was a person from the region of Galilee who lived during the first three decades of the common era. He was a teacher, healer, and social activist in the tradition of the Old Testament prophets. He gathered around him a small group of disciples. Some claimed that he was the Messiah. He was crucified around the year 30CE at Jerusalem after which his followers made a unique claim - resurrection. Most Jews believed in resurrection, a return to life of all people at the end of time for judgment. But Jesus' followers claimed that resurrection happened to Jesus alone -- during time instead of at the end of time. The expectation was that Jesus would be coming back to finish a Messiah's work.
For much of Christian history, we have tended to focus much more on the divinity of Jesus and have often lost sight that, first and foremost, he was a flesh and blood person who lived and died. Jesus was a man, but he was also much more.
Who is Jesus? Is he God, the only Son of God? Is he divine or not? Is Jesus God? The claim of divinity, equality with God, was not made explicitly until the fourth century in the Nicene Creed. The Apostle's creed, not written by the apostles themselves, but dating from the second century, calls Jesus "the only Son of God, our Lord."
The understanding of Jesus as Son of God and then God the Son evolved slowly during the first four centuries of the Christian era. The title Son of God was not claimed by Jesus in the Gospels. He preferred Son of man which simply meant a human being. Son of God was a title ascribed to Jesus for the purpose of comparing the kingdom of God with the kingdom of Caesar who also claimed the title Son of God.
Diverse schools of thought developed regarding the nature of Jesus in the early years of Christianity. These included the extreme views on the one hand that Jesus was only human or, on the other hand that Jesus was God pretending to be human. The compromise view was adopted that Jesus was both human and divine. His mystical, dual nature, was designed to avoid the extreme views.
The fourth century was a time of significant change with Emperor Constantine making Christianity the state religion of Rome. Constantine considered doctrinal clarity essential to determine who was in and who was out, and to distinguish friends from enemies. His guidance led to the church's adoption of the Nicene Creed in 325CE. For the next 1000 years, the church sought and held political power based on the idea that allegiance to the church's doctrinal statements equated to loyalty to the church.
Who Jesus is as God or Son of God is a matter of mystery and faith. What we know of Jesus as a man is that he lived and died 2000 years ago. What we who follow him believe and trust is that he is more than that. So, given that the divinity of Jesus -- Jesus as God - is a matter of mystery and faith more than certainty. The idea of Jesus as God the Son was developed by the early church during the first four centuries following Jesus' early life. It was not a teaching of Jesus. Given that, what is a Christian? What does it mean to follow Jesus?
Christian was originally a derogatory term designed to mock the followers of the Way for serving a crucified and failed Messiah. These followers, who were eventually were described as turning the world upside down became a term of admiration. Let me suggest that we think in terms of being Christian in two senses: a narrow sense (focused, not rigid) and a broad sense (universal, not relativistic).
Being Christian in this broad sense means following the way that Jesus followed - a path of love, non-violent social justice, peacemaking, inclusion, and abundant grace. It is to follow what author Matthew Fox called the Cosmic Christ, faithful to the spirit of Jesus that is present in many people and even many faith traditions whether or not they identify with Jesus or the Christian Church.
Being Christian in a narrow sense refers to those of us who intentionally follow Jesus. We embrace his story and believe that through his life, death, and resurrection the temporal and eternal dimensions of life are reconciled. We seek his mystical presence through prayer and we see in his human face the nature of God. This more narrow sense of being Christian includes, but is not limited to, those who believe in him as God the Son.
Something we must wrestle with that the early followers of Jesus did not was the religion of Christianity. Even when Jesus says, in John 14, that "No one comes to the Father but by me," there is the sense of following Jesus' way of relating to God and not in accepting the religion of Christianity. Religion is a human creation to help us make sense of our experiences of the mystical. It can be very helpful as a means to help us grow up in faith. Religion can also be very destructive when coupled with coercive power. In this instance, religion can be used as a way to divide and judge people on behalf God. Let us not presume to take on God's role, but follow Jesus' example - to love extravagantly and work for the well being of all people. As Christians in the narrow sense, we trust in the power of our faith not in it being the only correct one, but in having the name and story of Jesus to guide our path. We are able to call on the Spirit of Christ to be our friend, guide, and comforter.
The last question: if Jesus is the only way to heaven, what about the over 90% of people who are not Christians? In other words, is Jesus the only way to heaven? Is the penalty for not following Jesus hell? This question raises so many other questions. "What happens to us after we die? What is heaven? What is hell? Are either or both of these real? Is the Christian religion the only way to follow Jesus? How do you wrestle with these questions?
I suggest that the only way to become awake to the ultimate truth of life is in the way Jesus did it, by reaching out to embrace and include others, to touch and be touched by the love of God. This is true for people who never knew Jesus or who have felt rejected by those who see them as condemned by God - true also for those who have rejected the Christian religion for a variety of reasons. Gandhi is reported to have said, "I love your Christ, but I can't stand your Christians."
The greatest challenge the church faces today is the issue of salvation. Are some saved and others not? Do some of us go to heaven and others to hell when we die? Is professed faith in Jesus as divine Lord and Savior a specifically determining factor? Many Christians believe that. Many others have turned their backs on biblical faith and rejected Christianity saying they cannot worship a God who could condemn good people to eternal punishment.
I am a lifelong Christian who embraces biblical faith, Jesus, and the Church. I do not profess what might be described as traditional views of heaven, hell, reward, and damnation. As a result, I find myself asking, "Is there another way?" Yes, there is and that yes answer makes all the difference. One of the challenges we Christians on opposite sides of the salvation divide face is how to relate to each other as sisters and brothers, as mutual members of the mystical body of Christ? The answer one ancient rabbi gave was this: "what is hateful to you, do not do to anyone else." Jesus essentially said the same thing: "Do to others what you would have them do to you." We all need to respect each others' journeys and trust that God is working in their lives just like in ours.
What about those who don't profess Jesus? Are they just out of the equation? How should we understand Jesus' words from John's gospel: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by me?" We should see salvation not simply as something that happens to you, not a transaction that sets you for life. Salvation, rather, is something in which we engage each day on the journey. The apostle Paul told us to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2: 12). Salvation is the process of awakening ourselves to the divine presence and embracing our relationship with the Holy.
It is a mistake to settle for a narrow and limited understanding of salvation as a religious transaction that punches our ticket for heaven. To do so is to miss the richness and depth of faith as Jesus lived and taught it.
What is the question behind the questions? What is it we really want to know with questions about Jesus, God, judgment, and eternal life? What are the deep questions? What is the reality behind the mystery of life? It this reality trustworthy, just, and loving? Where can I place my trust? Will I and those I love be okay in an ultimate sense? The answer we see in Jesus is "yes." Exactly how that "yes" is experienced remains a mystery that requires trust is the source of all mystery - God.
Jesus trusted. He showed us how and how much trust is needed. To follow Jesus means to challenge an approach to religion that defines who is in and who is out. To follow Jesus is to challenge the fear that results from drawing the circle of inclusion and grace large, questioning narrow definitions. To follow Jesus is to challenge us to face the fear of letting go our need to control - to live by faith. Can we differ in our understandings of the nature and mystery at the center of life? Can we differ without rejecting those with whom we disagree?
What would Jesus do? What did Jesus do? We know in part and we testify in part. (1 Cor. 13) We seek the whole. We worship the Whole who brings life-transforming power through people who can live by faith - people like us? In the Lord's Prayer, we pray "deliver us from evil." (Matthew 6: ) More than a plea to protect me and keep me from eternal meaninglessness and eternal death, these words are a commitment on my part to be an agent of transformation, delivering all people from the oppression of evil, from the dungeons of darkness, and from the prisons of despair. This is what Jesus did. This is the way of Jesus we can follow. This is why we are here.
The fundamental faith question is not, "Was Jesus the Son of God or God the Son?" It is not, "Who is in and who is out?" The faith question is, "Will we choose to see the world as scarcity or as abundance? Will we think of life as hopeless or filled with possibilities? Will we see people as essentially evil, in need of a divine pardon, or as essentially good and called to grow into the likeness of Jesus? Will we see abundance as self-defeating greed or as life-affirming good news? We follow the way of Jesus in order to answer this faith question, to live with abundant possibility, and to discover and share life-affirming good news.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1499115

How Long Will Hell Fire Burn?

The Bible clearly shows us that on the day of judgment at the end of time, the wicked will be punished with Hell Fire. Many Christians believe that this Hell Fire will last forever and that the wicked will be eternally tormented in pain and anguish. Is this really what the Bible shows?
Jesus said Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" He also said John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". In the one verse it would seem that the wicked will live forever in everlasting fire and yet the other verse tells us that only those who belong to Jesus will not perish. This means that wicked will perish.
The only conclusion we can come to is that the everlasting fire, is not actually fire that is everlasting, but rather fire which consumes with everlasting consequences.
Are there other places in the Bible where it says forever, but the event mentioned has finished? There are actually many examples of this. Just as today people will often say things like "The show was so boring it went on forever" and "It took forever to get the house painted". These same type of expressions were also used in the Bible for events that lasted a long time, but not actually eternally or for events that had everlasting consequences. For example the Bible describes the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha as eternal fire. Jude 1:7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire". This fire is not still burning today. It had eternal consequences, as the cities were forever destroyed and the fire was not extinguished. This fire was allowed to burn until it had consumed everything away and then it went out.
This is the same type of fire that "death and hell" will be thrown into and the same type of Fire from Heaven that will consume the wicked after the judgment. Depending on their sentence they will be either consumed quickly with little pain, or else have to suffer longer for more severe sins. The Bible shows us that they will not live forever burning in Hell, because we are told that they will be as ashes under our feet. Malachi 4:3 "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts".
Many Christians think that Satan will be thrown into eternally burning hell fire and yet the Bible shows that he too will be consumed and will be no more. Ezekiel 28:18-19 "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more".
The Bible further clarifies that fate of the wicked Malachi 4:1 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch".
Our awesome and loving God who abounds in mercy is not going to torture and torment the wicked forever and ever in the agony of an eternally burning Hell. He will justly deal with them and they will perish for their sins. For the Wages of Sin are death.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/349976

Is Hell Eternal?

Is hell eternal? There are two answers to this question. The first answer, in regards to the duration of the hell fire, is yes; it will burn forever, according to several New Testament scriptures. And, it does need to burn forever to justly and eternally punish the devil and his evil angels, who, according to the Bible, are eternal beings. However, the second answer, in regards to how long sinners will suffer in the hell fire, is no. The overwhelming weight of biblical evidence contradicts the widely accepted teaching that God will torment lost sinners in the fires of hell throughout the trillions of years of eternity.
Throughout the Bible the final fate of the wicked is stated to be death, not a miserable, eternal life of pain and agony. The Bible declares that the soul who sins shall die, not that he will be tortured forever (Ezekiel 18:4; Ezekiel 18:20). It also states that the wages of sin is death, not eternal torment (Romans 6:23). The prophet Malachi declares that the day is coming when the wicked will be burned like stubble, and they will be reduced to ashes under our feet (Malachi 4:1-3). If they have become ashes that returned to the earth under the feet of the redeemed who will occupy the "new earth", how can they still be burning? The book of Psalms tells us that the wicked will be destroyed, perish and "have no future", and that they "will be no more" (Psalm 145:20; Psalm 37:37,38; Psalm 37:10; Psalm 37:20).
It is significant that the Bible clearly states that "only God" possesses immortality (1st Timothy 6:16). Man does not possess immortality apart from the "new birth" experience in Christ. Without that new birth experience, there is no immortality for man. Lost people, of course, have not become born again in Christ; consequently, they have no immortal soul to "live forever" in hell. These are not my words, but rather are precisely what the Bible teaches. As I previously stated, the Bible declares that "only God" has immortality (1st Timothy 6:16). Because man does not have it on his own, Romans 2:7 states that he must seek for it (in Christ, of course). The Apostle Paul plainly states that immortality for human beings is only "brought to light" (made available) through the gospel of Christ (2nd Timothy 1:10). In other words, only those who place their faith in Jesus Christ have access to immortality. This undeniable truth is demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt in 1st John 5:11-12, where it states that God has given us eternal life "in His Son"; furthermore, this passage goes on to state that he who has the Son has eternal life, but he who does "not" have the Son of God does "not have eternal life" (Case closed!). Therefore, according to the Bible, it is impossible for people without Christ to possess immortality and live forever in hell!
This fact, that "fallen mankind" does not possess immortality apart from Christ, becomes obvious immediately after man's fall, as recorded in Genesis chapter three. God found it necessary to ban Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, and also to station angels to keep them from accessing the "tree of life". The Bible clearly states that God did this so that they could not eat from the tree of life and live forever (Genesis 3:22-24). Therefore, the now sinful couple obviously had become "mortal beings" as a consequence of their sin, and God did not want sinful beings to become immortalized by eating from this supernatural tree of life. It is clear from this text, as well as many others that could be cited, that there was "no immortal nature" inherent within human beings after they had fallen into sin. And, according to the Bible, it is also apparent that the only means to receive immortality was by eating from the tree of life or by faith in Christ. Of course, the Bible records that God immediately cut off access to the supernatural tree, which left only "one means" to receive immortality, which is faith in Christ. The Bible plainly teaches that, without faith in Christ, there is nothing immortal within mankind. Eternal life is only for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. However, according to the "eternal torment" doctrine taught by most preachers and theologians, the wicked also have eternal life. Their eternal life is a terrible and painful one, but it is still an eternal life. This is a blatant contradiction of Scripture!
Another important point to be considered is that the Bible teaches that we will be rewarded "according to our works", both for those whose deeds have been good, and for those who have done evil (Matthew 16:27; Revelation 22:12; 2nd Corinthians 5:10). In fact, the Bible specifically states that God will reveal His wrath towards the wicked on the day of judgment, by rendering to each one "according to his deeds" (Romans 2:5-6). If God is going to render to those who have done evil, according to their deeds, would He punish them for lives of seventy years of disobedience, with pain and torment for trillions of years without end? That would not be punishment based upon people's works, but would be billion-fold and trillion-fold punishment.
It is also obvious that, if we are rewarded or punished "according to our works", then the rewards and punishments must necessarily vary based upon those works. Sadistic, murderous tyrants like Hitler and Stalin, who were responsible for the torture and murder of millions of innocent people, cannot receive the same sentence of torment in hell throughout the trillions of years of eternity, as a sixteen year old boy or girl who died before placing their faith in Jesus, but who had never done anything to harm another human being.
In Luke 12:42-49, Jesus Himself illustrates this principle. He clearly states that unfaithful servants are punished differently according to their personal measure of guilt. Some will be beaten with "few stripes", whereas others will receive "many stripes". After stating this, Jesus immediately refers to the "fire" He will send on the earth. Is this a coincidence? Probably not, because it is in that fire where the wicked will receive their punishment, or "stripes", so to speak; some will receive a few and others will receive many. However, it is interesting to note that "none" of them will be "beaten forever". This agrees with what David says in Psalm 28:4, where he tells God to measure out punishment in "proportion to their wickedness".
There are literally dozens of other scriptures that I could share in this article that clearly refute the widespread teaching that God torments lost sinners in the hell fire throughout the endless ages of eternity. However, I will share just three more passages at this time. All of these texts use the Greek word, "apollumi", to refer to the final fate of the wicked. This is significant because Scripture always uses this Greek word to mean destruction, perish, kill, die or fully destroy. The only exception to this rule is in a few instances when apollumi is translated as lose or lost, describing things that are lost and can be found, such as sheep, coins and people. However, this word is "never" used to depict eternal torment or suffering.
In Luke 17:27-30 Jesus said that the wicked in the days of Noah and Lot were destroyed (apollumi). Of course, we know that in both instances the wicked were not inflicted with painful suffering forever, but were killed. It is also significant that Jesus said that it will be the same scenario when He returns. In other words, once again, the wicked will be destroyed or killed (apollumi); they will not be subjected to eternal torture, even as the wicked in Noah's flood did not continue to drown forever.
Likewise, in 2nd Peter 3:5-9, we're told once again that the floodwaters in the days of Noah caused the wicked to perish (apollumi). As previously stated, did the floodwaters torture the wicked forever? No! They killed the wicked by drowning them. Then Peter goes on to compare that destruction of the wicked with the destruction that will occur in the hell fire. He uses the same Greek word, "apollumi", in verse nine for those who will perish in the hell fire, as he did for those who perished in the flood in verse six. In other words, the wicked destroyed in the hell fire will experience the same fate as the wicked did in the flood, which was death, "not eternal torment".
Finally, Jesus eliminates all doubt in Matthew 10:28. After telling us not to fear men, who can only kill the body, He tells us instead to fear God, who will destroy (apollumi) "both soul and body" in hell! Remember, "apollumi" means to perish, be destroyed, kill or caused to die. It is "never" used to describe eternal torment! Therefore, Jesus is unequivocally stating that "both body and soul" will be destroyed, killed or caused to die in hell, not suffer throughout endless ages.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5603181

How Long Will Hell Fire Burn?

The Bible clearly shows us that on the day of judgment at the end of time, the wicked will be punished with Hell Fire. Many Christians believe that this Hell Fire will last forever and that the wicked will be eternally tormented in pain and anguish. Is this really what the Bible shows?
Jesus said Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:" He also said John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life". In the one verse it would seem that the wicked will live forever in everlasting fire and yet the other verse tells us that only those who belong to Jesus will not perish. This means that wicked will perish.
The only conclusion we can come to is that the everlasting fire, is not actually fire that is everlasting, but rather fire which consumes with everlasting consequences.
Are there other places in the Bible where it says forever, but the event mentioned has finished? There are actually many examples of this. Just as today people will often say things like "The show was so boring it went on forever" and "It took forever to get the house painted". These same type of expressions were also used in the Bible for events that lasted a long time, but not actually eternally or for events that had everlasting consequences. For example the Bible describes the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha as eternal fire. Jude 1:7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire". This fire is not still burning today. It had eternal consequences, as the cities were forever destroyed and the fire was not extinguished. This fire was allowed to burn until it had consumed everything away and then it went out.
This is the same type of fire that "death and hell" will be thrown into and the same type of Fire from Heaven that will consume the wicked after the judgment. Depending on their sentence they will be either consumed quickly with little pain, or else have to suffer longer for more severe sins. The Bible shows us that they will not live forever burning in Hell, because we are told that they will be as ashes under our feet. Malachi 4:3 "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts".
Many Christians think that Satan will be thrown into eternally burning hell fire and yet the Bible shows that he too will be consumed and will be no more. Ezekiel 28:18-19 "Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more".
The Bible further clarifies that fate of the wicked Malachi 4:1 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch".
Our awesome and loving God who abounds in mercy is not going to torture and torment the wicked forever and ever in the agony of an eternally burning Hell. He will justly deal with them and they will perish for their sins. For the Wages of Sin are death.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/349976

Why Pastors Should Blog

As a spiritual leader you are always seeking ways to get your message out to the world. As you probably know, social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) is taking over our world. Millions and millions of people are connecting through social media for their church marketing efforts and investing hours of their day utilizing it. Included in social media is blogging, which has steadily grown in popularity year after year and has been around well before Facebook was even born. Technorati.com (a website that tracks blogs) reported that there are over 175,000 new blogs per day worldwide. They also stated that the total amount of blogs have doubled every six months for the last three years. So what does this mean for you as a pastor? Well, it should mean that you should have a blog. Even though you may think yours will get lost in the billions of blogs, there are many reasons why a blog can be beneficial to your ministry's church marketing and church outreach. Blogs can connect you with your congregation- Chances are many of the people in your congregation are reading and/or writing some of those blogs that are spread across the internet. If they are not reading your blog, they are reading someone's. As a pastor you may not have the time to get to speak to every individual in your congregation every Sunday. Blogs are a great way for church outreach, allowing you to keep people updated on your life and have discussions on new church projects. It can also be a platform for you to be honest about your current desires for yourself and your church and explain new projects or initiatives that you plan to roll out. Finally, you can even blog about the scriptures you are studying and the preparations that you are making for your sermon. This may even get your congregation thinking about your subject matter before they come into church on Sunday! Blogs can connect you with the world- Most churches want to reach out to unbelievers or individuals who typically wouldn't set foot into a church. A blog can be a great way for a pastor to communicate with the world about spiritual matters in a non-threatening or non confrontational way. Maybe as a pastor you can discuss issues that have unbelievers confused about your faith. Not only may this create interest in spiritual matters but it will give you an opportunity to share and discuss your faith with individuals who would typically not walk into a church on a Sunday. Well if blogging is something that interests you, here are a few tips for effectively connecting through blogs: 1.Set your blog as public blog. Most blog programs allow you to set your blog as Public or Private.If you make it public, it means that search engines (i.e. Google, Yahoo) may look at your site and put it into their indexes. This means that people who are searching for topics may be pointed to your blog by a search engine, if you have written on these topics. 2.Write often and be patient No matter what your purpose is behind blogging, a blog will only be effective if you are continue to write and discuss. Yes, it is a time commitment, but the time and effort put into it will be well worth it in the long run. Also, if you are looking for results via search engines, it doesn't happen overnight so don't let that discourage you just keep blogging and build up your church marketing skills! There are a ton of great programs that will set up a blog for you and best of all, they are free! Some examples include WordPress and Blogspot. They are pretty straightforward and will walk you through the set up. The set up and writing is probably a lot easier than you think and as mentioned earlier, will give you opportunities to connect with people in a creative and authentic way. So go out and start your church outreach through blogs!

Trust God Through Hardships And Trials With Faith

We should unmistakably attend to God's plan, give credence to God through faith and try not to disobey Him. Sounds simple right? OK, it can be a harsh life attending to God. God never assured us that life was going to be simple as ABC. All those that have denounced the world and overcame their enslavement to it, are the people that encounter quite a few tests and trials. Many will Trust God by faith. Before we start a test or trial, we want to look for a definitive happening and so we need to get hold of all the input we need to obtain out of it as we make one's way through it. Many times we neglect to do this, we happen to get distressed or become agitated. This is not how we get our strength, this disrupts us from progressing spiritually. We are deficient in faith and it divulges to God that we don't rely on Him or that we are skeptical that He will accompany us through our troubled times. A lot of people will experience many of the tests and trials and they won't picture what's taking place or should I say, "What they can profit from them." Let me put it this way, when we are hit with a misfortune, what is it that we basically think about? We think about the harmful side to this problem and we are faced with going through the worry or fear of this handicap. Why do we have to add more pain for ourselves? It is saying that we lost our assurance in God. That is why we should always Trust God. Nothing on earth snuffs out faith more rapidly than worries, fears and doubts. That is the one reason many do not learn to participate in or comprehend the truth about a lot of the sacred text that are contained within the Bible. Many can't grow spiritually because they can't let go of their fear. Many usually see a opposite result than the one God has planned for them. There isn't any measure of time set for these tests and trials, any one of them could only take as much as 15 minutes, as many may endure for more than six months. This is why it can be crucial for you to be awake. It's best to be alert to what's taking place and you don't want to be too anxious to move right into your troubles. You can learn so much from tests and trials, utilize them. They can be so energizing that there really isn't any words you can find to explain about them as you glide through them relieved of worries, fears and doubts. You become so used to going through them and your faith is so potent that these three words do not exist as a crutch in your life. Jesus wants us to, Pick up our cross and follow Him. With out a doubt, you can't get to know Him if you can't prove your trust in Him. You will either angle off to the left or toward the right. You will surely be wandering haphazardly inside yourself. People can't show you the way back to God, but Jesus will, once you permit Him to and believe in Him. Just like you need to Trust God.

Spiritual Warfare

I remember when I was a new Christian how blessed God made me feel and how happy I was to have a new salvation and to be a member of God's family. But there were times when my life felt so out of control that I thought I was losing my mind. I remember reading this book about how wicked and wretched mankind was and left to his own devices, we would all perish and burn in the eternal damnation. I remember crying and getting on my knees praying that God would take all my sins away and make me white as snow so I could stand in the holiness of God. I felt like I was being pulled one way and then another. I asked my sister-in-law, Darlene if she knew what I was experiencing and she said it was the devil who did not want to let me go even though he knew I was saved. He was making life miserable for me by whispering evil thoughts in my ears telling me that God did not love me or want anything to do with me and that I really was not saved. Darlene gave me this scripture from the Bible stating, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12. I asked Darlene to explain this to me and she said that when I got saved, Satan fought God tooth and nail to prevent that from happening and even though it did, he still made my life a living hell. Darlene said that I would constantly struggle with Satan in all areas of my life and back in those days, I did. But after Darlene explained what was happening to me, I could at least take a deep breath and realize that I was not going crazy. Satan is evil and the father of all lies. He sits and waits like a roaring lion for someone that he can devour. This Christianity stuff was not all I expected it to be. I thought that after I became saved, my life would get better spiritually, financially, emotionally, and physically but I was wrong. I struggled daily to keep Satan and his demons away from me. Every evil thought I contributed to Satan and every evil action was Satan trying to trip me up. I was very aware of my sinful nature but to have to deal with that and Satan too, I was not always up for the task. Darlene, being the good sister-in-law that she was, gave me scriptures to ward off Satan and his attacks on me so every time Satan had a hold on me, I would read these scriptures out loud to Satan and remind him who I belonged to. These scriptures helped me so much to get through my day and the constant warfare going on in my life. Jesus being my Father held me up in the face of Satan and I boldly renounced Satan and all his schemes against me. Living the Christian life is not always easy. Sometimes I think it is harder because I was not only learning God's ways and His Word but I was also fending off my adversary who wanted to make my life miserable. In Ephesians 6:10-17 it states, Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of the evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Even being saved, Satan will always make life difficult for believers to get back at Christ. Satan knows he loses in the end but he will not stop tormenting God people until the end. That is why we need to take up God's armor on a daily basis to protect ourselves against the evil one. We will not be rid of Satan until God's Second Advent because Satan is the ruler of the air, but until then, we can trust that God will protect us from temptation and all the arrows Satan throws our way. If you are interested in fighting spiritual warfare that Christians need to deal with then there are some books on my website you might be interested in. Please go to www.truelifelivingbooks.com

All God's Children

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 provides a clear statement of the representative nature of biblical governance, "by a
man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection" (1 Corinthians 15:21). Death and resurrection are dispensed to the whole of humanity through a covenantal head who serves as a representative, who represents the people to God and who represents God to the people. The Greek "dia" is a primary preposition denoting the channel of an act, and literally means "through." So a man, a covenantal head or representative -- Adam, then Christ -- is the channel through which either death or resurrection has come to ... who? Verse 22 tells us that "in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." "All" (Greek: pas) here means all as in everyone and suggests a whole or undivided measure. The question is, all of what? All of who? All of some portion, or all of a whole? Calvinists understand the issues surrounding the word "all." And yet we know that God does not stutter or misspeak His mind. There is no problem with understanding that all have died in Adam, that use of the word "all" means every single person who has been or ever will be born this side of Christ's return in glory (Christ excepted, of course). But we must be careful not to fall into the apostasy of Universalism as we try to understand what is meant by "in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). We must be careful to read Scripture, particularly sections like this one, in the light of the whole of Scripture. We must keep in mind the Westminster Confession 1:7, "All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them." Understanding all of the riches of Scripture is not easy because some ideas are balanced and nuanced by others. And yet, all of God's people can attain a sufficient understanding of Scripture. Sufficient for what? Sufficient to continue in faithfulness and to grow in sanctification. Many of the issues that are dealt with in this section of First Corinthians are deep and complex, and we need to take care to not close our minds before we consider everything that Scripture says about a particular concern. However, my purpose here is not to be comprehensive, but to be suggestive, to sketch some of the broad outlines of God's concerns and invite you to further consideration under the guidance of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit (1 John 2:27). Let's look to Romans for help. Read (Romans 5:12-18). The same Greek word for "all" is used in both occurrences in Romans 5:18. Paul's meaning is that Adam's sin has condemned all of humanity, all who are under Adam as a covenantal head. And in a like manner Christ's propitiation on the cross provides sufficient justification for all of humanity, all who are under Christ as a covenantal head. This issue of the meaning and extent of the word "all" and its use in various places in Scripture has a very long and bloody history in the church. And it is not easily resolved. But it is not an error or a misspeaking by the Holy Spirit. Rather, God has given us this issue to wrestle with because through our wrestling with it we must wrestle with the Holy Spirit Himself. The point is that we are changed by the struggle, as we wrestle with God. And that is its purpose. The result of the struggle, of coming to grips with this issue, is the confirmation of our individual covenantal head, whether it remains Adam unto condemnation or becomes Christ unto salvation. All in Adam will receive condemnation, and all in Christ will receive salvation. The primary question anyone should have concerning the word "all" this is: am I still under Adam or am I now under Christ? God knows your ultimate status. Do you? If you don't, you need to wrestle through it. Be prepared for it to take longer than a night, and be advised that you will come away with a limp. (Jacob the patriarch wrestled with God one night - and won! But Jacob's hip was put out of joint. It's not that Jacob defeated God, but that Jacob won salvation. He emerged a changed man. In honor of that change God renamed him Israel, and from that day forward Israel limped. See Genesis 32. I contend that the only significant answer to this theological conundrum regarding the word "all" is the answer you give about your own inclusion in or exclusion from this "all" of Christ's people. You can answer for no one else, and no one else can answer for you.) "But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:23). The sense of our "own order" is that each individual will have a specific place or position in resurrection (in heaven and on earth). This lobbies against the idea that those in heaven will all occupy the same place or position. Do all Christians occupy the same position in Christ? No. There is, of course, the watershed issue of justification and the new position the justified person occupies under the headship of Christ. But beyond that initial justification, there is the matter of the identification and development of God's gifts. The idea that Paul is suggesting is that God's order is hierarchical on earth just as it is hierarchical in heaven, and consequently, each resurrected individual will have a specific position in God's order, on earth and in heaven. Each individual will be uniquely positioned in God's hierarchy. God is working to make it "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Paul had previously discussed the unity of the body of Christ on earth as being a function of individual giftedness, and that each individual has a specific role as well as unique position in Christ's body (the church) on earth. Here he suggests that Christ's body is not limited to its earthy manifestation as His church, but that Christ's body spans (or bridges, or includes) heaven and earth. While gold and silver -- worldly riches -- do not translate into heaven, our new character in Christ does. There is a continuity of character in Christ through regeneration and resurrection into eternity. Christians are changed upon regeneration, grafted into Christ (Romans 11:17-24), which means that our spiritual gifts, our individual endowments of character, interests and abilities, will continue to grow and develop and be used in heaven as well as on earth. Heaven will not be a grand retirement center where the saints sit in rocking chairs and reminisce about the good old days. Rather, in heaven the saints will actively engage their gifts in the work of praise (Revelation 19:4-10). Christ has lead the way in resurrection. Paul describes Christ as the firstfruits. The reason that firstfruits is plural is that the Greek word means a beginning of sacrifice, and is an allusion to Old Testament worship:: "The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring into the house of the Lord your God" (Exodus 23:19). It is also plural because Paul understands that Jesus is Trinitarian, and always includes three Persons. It is also plural because the multitude of saints are grafted into Christ. Paul continues, "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15:24). The word "end" in view is the Greek word "teleios," which means end, purpose, or goal. God's purpose is not to destroy the world, but to reboot it. God is not out to destroy the world -- He loves it (John 3:16)! However, God is out to destroy something. Here we see that He is out to destroy "every rule and every authority and power" (1 Corinthians 15:24). Yet, neither is God out to establish anarchy. He is not out to destroy authority itself, but rather to establish it rightly, to establish all authority in Christ (Matthew 28:18).

Imagining Heaven

Paul continues to contrast the differences and the similarities between the natural body and the spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44) because this contrast is the main point of this letter to the Corinthians. He has been talking about nothing else from the very beginning of this letter (1 Corinthians 2:12-14). In verse 45 Paul contrasts several elements of the spiritual body with the natural body, all of which are very important. First of all, to suggest that Jesus was like Adam is nothing less than astonishing. Because of the nature of inheritance Adam is the primary model for all human life. We are what we are because Adam was what he was. He was the original, we are the copies, and the absolute best that a copy can be cannot exceed the quality of the original. Adam's creation predated the entry of sin into the world. Thus, Adam was created without sin. And the comparison tells us that Christ, who is a type of Adam was also without sin. Scripture goes on to tell us, however, that Adam did sin, and that he sinned prior to the birth of any children, and that Adam's sin changed the relationship between God and Adam that would effect all of his natural children (Genesis 3). As history cannot be erased, so Adam's sin was historical and the reality of that history necessarily continues through time and accrues to Adam's posterity and to us. Adam played a unique role in the history of humanity as the first of a kind. Adam was unique, so Paul's reference to Jesus Christ as the "last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) cannot be overstressed. Paul tells us here that Jesus Christ is the most important person in human history since Adam, since the very beginning. And He goes on to say that Christ's importance far exceeds Adam's. We need to pay close attention to this. Paul also tells us that "Adam became a living being" and Christ "became a life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15: 45). In Genesis 2:7 we learn that "the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." The life that God gave Adam has been passed down through the ages through what we call the natural process of generation or reproduction, and Paul refers to the product of natural birth as the "natural man" (1 Corinthians 2:14). In contrast, Christ was miraculously born from a virgin, suggesting that His biological inheritance was more like Adam's in that both Adam and Christ were more directly related to God than the rest of humanity, whose relationship with God is more distant. Christ's nature was similar to Adam's nature in that both were immediately related to God. While the rest of humanity could claim that God Himself was their great, great, great (ad nauseum) grandfather, both Adam and Christ were immediate or direct sons of God. And yet Paul also tells us that Jesus Christ "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15). Adam preceded Christ in time, and yet Christ precedes Adam in eminence as the firstborn Son. Paul speaks repeatedly of Christ as the firstborn. Indeed, Adam and Adam's progeny have new life in Christ inasmuch as they are born again in Christ. In fact, the primary story of the Bible is the story of the Fall of humanity into death through Adam and the regeneration or resurrection of humanity into new life through Christ. Christ is the firstborn of the reborn. In the natural person of Jesus is fused the supernatural Person of the Holy Spirit. When "Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'" (Luke 3:22). Thus, Paul's contrast between the first Adam and the last Adam is a contrast between the natural and the supernatural, between generation and regeneration, between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:20-21). This contrast is the central point of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. The King James Bible contrasts a "living soul" with a "quickening spirit." Within this contrast is the difference between "living" and "life-giving" and between "being" (soul) and "spirit." Rather than getting distracted by the many subtleties of the Greek, let me just note that all of these contrasts point to the difference between natural and supernatural, between generation and regeneration, between the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of Christ. Paul goes on in verse 1 Corinthians 15:46 to tell us that while Christ was first in eminence, Adam was first in history. It is critically important that Adam was first in history because historical movement from Adam to Christ is a function of regeneration in or through Christ, while historical movement from Christ to Adam would be a function of degeneration. It is significant that history moves toward Christ or into Christ, not away from Him. In Christ is the hope of regeneration, restoration and wholeness, and that hope is the engine of history. History is powered by hope in Jesus Christ. If history flowed in the other direction, from Christ to Adam, there would be no hope. History would flow from life in Christ to death in Adam. History would be degenerate rather than regenerate, and all humanity could only wallow in hopelessness. But because history flows from Adam to Christ, from death to resurrection, there is hope -- and more than hope, proclaimed Paul, resurrection in Christ is a certainty. First "the natural, and then the spiritual" (v. 46).

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

The gospel is among the most widely celebrated themes in all Christianity. Ironically, differing gospel messages are printed in literature, broadcast on television, preached from the pulpit, and solicited door to door. In our modern age, competing denominations have advanced a gospel of grace, a gospel of salvation, a gospel of peace, a health and wealth gospel, a social gospel, and even gospel music.
However, while enormous attention has been focused on what various religious leaders have proclaimed, few have truly understood Christ's gospel of the Kingdom of God. In fact, religious leaders have deceived millions of sincere men and women regarding Christ's message to mankind. Certainly, they talk about Jesus, His life and His death, but they ignore the profound message that He preached.
Ministers lure members into their congregations by teaching that by professing belief in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, one gains an almost effortless and automatic ticket to salvation. By this, they lead followers to believe in Jesus, but they don't teach them to believe the message that Jesus preached
The Gospel Jesus Preached
During His ministry, Jesus Christ powerfully and passionately preached a message about the Kingdom of God. This gospel was to be the motivating hope of true Christians. It was to be their reason for being. But tragically, few have understood it. What was this gospel that Jesus preached?
After years of silent preparation, Christ launched His ministry in Galilee. There, speaking with urgency and authority, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God was coming: As Mark writes:
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
This profound message affected people in different ways. A few were inspired by His words, some were bewildered, and others actually felt threatened. Nevertheless, His declaration of the Kingdom was relentlessly consistent. As Matthew records Jesus to say:
Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand... and Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues the gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:17-23).
When the crucifixion of Jesus drew near, He entrusted the gospel of the Kingdom to His disciples. They were to continue to preach His vital message of hope. In fact, He explained, that this gospel of the Kingdom was to continue to be preached right up to the very end of the age. As Matthew writes:
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).
After Christ's resurrection, the apostles traveled to local cities and faraway nations, preaching Christ's message. They taught that we must have faith that Jesus is the promised Messiah. We must believe that His Kingdom will reign on earth, and that to be a part of that Kingdom, we must repent of breaking God's commandments, be baptized, and strive to overcome our human nature and live a Godly life.
The Original Corruption of the Gospel
The disciples faithfully preached Christ's gospel, but it was not long until Satan began his work of corrupting this message. A mere twenty years after Christ's crucifixion, the apostle Paul found himself forced to battle false teachers who had infected new Gentile converts with the idea that, to become a Christian they must first become Jews by being circumcised. Combating this, Paul wrote to the brethren in Corinth, warning them:
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him (II Corinthians 11:4).
A Modern Counterfeit
Paul confronted a growing perversion of the gospel in his day. It was one which required Gentiles to be circumcised and keep Jewish ceremonial laws. While few would ever be fooled by such a message, many must now combat another perversion of the gospel.
In the heresy widely preached today, thousands of false ministers propagate a gospel in which the focus is only about the life of Jesus. This teaching purports that Jesus lived a perfect life for us, and died to pay the penalty for our sins. While this may be true, they then add a heretical twist by teaching that all one must do is believe on Him and they will live forever in heaven.
In their theology, there is no longer a need to keep any of God's laws. They promote the idea that belief in the life and death of Jesus as our Savior alone grants people eternal life. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary is an example of this common belief. The Editors write:
One may conclude that the facts of Jesus' life constituted the Gospel, which was interpreted and applied to suit the occasion on which it was preached (P. 319, Article Gospel).
Certainly the facts of Jesus' life are part of the Gospel. Christ's life has deep and profound importance. The behavior He displayed and the events surrounding His life are essential to understanding the example we are to follow. Further, His death and resurrection make eternal life possible for believers, but the facts of His life are not the complete gospel. They certainly were not the focus of Christ's ministry. They were only a part-only the beginning of the gospel of the Kingdom of God that Jesus and His disciples preached!
Believing in the facts of Christ's life, death and resurrection is a prerequisite to the Kingdom. However, those who preach that this is all that is required are giving individuals a false sense of comfort. They teach followers that by accepting these facts, they will go to heaven when they die, but such a message is actually damnable! The consequence of such belief is that many mainstream Christians are left with only a sentimental concept of Jesus as a God that exists primarily for their comfort. Vast numbers trust that if they give their heart to the Lord, He accepts them just as they are. They think that since Christ's death paid for their sins, all they have to do is profess belief and this makes them "born again." They imagine that the kingdom is set up in their hearts and that eternal life in heaven is guaranteed, but this is far from the truth.
Is Belief in Jesus all that is required?
Promoting the belief that Christians only need faith in Christ's sacrifice does an enormous disservice to believers. It creates a false sense of security that can never be realized. Belief in Christ's atonement is absolutely essential, but it is only the foundation of what is required.
Consider that the devil recognizes the power and the majesty of God. He understands and believes in the life and sacrifice of Jesus, but he has chosen the side of darkness, and purposely violates God's law. In that context, the apostle James reminds us of this vital truth, stating:
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble, but wilt thou know O vain man that faith without works is dead (James 2:19-20).
Belief in Christ is essential, but truly believing must be reflected in a conviction to change our way of life! It will result in subjecting our will to God so that we can harmoniously live forever in His Kingdom. Genuine faith will function as a catalyst, promoting change in our character and producing the lasting fruit of obedience to God's law. No matter what your local minister, pastor, or priest might say, the Almighty is the one we should listen to and He is perfectly clear on this point. Certain "works" are a prerequisite to attaining God's Kingdom. Absolutely nothing in His Holy Word ever contradicts this truth!
Without this kind of life-altering faith, our religion is in vain. It is empty of substance and useless! Jesus warned that some would profess just such a belief in Him, but their faith was unacceptable. He warns:
These people draw near to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:9).
The gospel of the Kingdom demands much more of us than mere lip service! It requires repentance-a change in the way we live. It requires that we overcome sin and our own human nature. This gospel of Christ insists that we quit behaving in ways that continue to break God's law. We must begin to actually keep the Ten Commandments (Mat. 5:17-19, 19:16-19). The gospel Jesus preached demands that believers prepare for the Kingdom of God by actively practicing the way of life that will be taught and lived in His Kingdom in the world to come.
The Gospel of the Kingdom Changes Lives
The gospel of Jesus Christ captivated and motivated His followers to such an extent that they became dramatically changed people. They grew to become individuals totally committed to obeying God. They were willing to give up everything if necessary for Christ and many of them did. They felt honored to suffer persecution, torture, and even the loss of their lives to preach this message of God's Kingdom to others! Why would they be so willing to endure such things?
The answer is that after Jesus was resurrected, He visited His disciples and taught them

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1809596

Youth Ministry - 5 Questions Every Youth Ministry Leader Must Ask Themselves

We normally view ourselves as fairly comfortable with our daily life. We get into a routine and stop at a certain level of success. If you have a youth group of 40 members, it's easy to sit back and say "job well done". The few that push and aim for something more purposeful with their youth ministry are the leaders that will make a difference in a great number of teen's lives. So let's look in the mirror and ask 5 questions to see how we can improve as a child of God, so we can then be a better leader of a youth ministry. 1. What do I genuinely want out of leading a youth ministry? The truth is, some youth pastors just find themselves in the role. Some feel burnt out from youth ministry. And some love it with every fiber of their soul. Knowing what you get out of leading a youth ministry is vital to your success. If having a part in helping young adults become mature individuals, and leading teens to a relationship with Christ is what you "get out of youth ministry" then you are on the right track. If not, this question is extremely important for you to answer, not only for you, but for your students. 2. Am I too relaxed with my youth ministry? There is at all times an easy way to do something, and also the right way to do something. The easy way is to keep using the same lessons and techniques to teach class year after year. The right way, is to find what works with students, and constantly evolve your methods of teaching to keep the students involved and looking forward to your ministry year after year. Wide variety gives your students zero time to get bored with your classes. 3. Am I taking care of myself? Perhaps you have put so much pressure on yourself to deliver for you students, you are wearing yourself out. Keep yourself healthy spiritually as well as physically and mentally so you can be on top of your game with your students. 4. Am I happy today? Not in a literal sense, you could be reading this the same day you broke your foot falling down the stairs. But in general, are you happy as a youth leader? Do you enjoy the outreach programs with your students? Do you look forward to helping your students with their problems? The same goes with everyday life! 5. What inspires me? What inspires your youth work? It's an answer that should a clear statement of your love for God and spread His love to your students. There are numerous factors that help to make a successful youth ministry. But having a clear mission statement of what inspires your daily work with your youth ministry should be known by you and shared with everyone you know.

A Love that Will Last: Helpful Tips to a Lasting Marriage

While it may not always be easy to place your trust in the hands of God, especially when it becomes a test of patience as well, there's no doubt that waiting on God for the right spouse is an important part of your spiritual journey towards living a godly life. Pray to Him about your feelings, and He'll guide you down the right path. Once you've found the one that you want to spend the rest of your life with, what can you do to pave that road to as long as you both shall live so that the ride there is less bumpy? The following is a list of 5 tips that will help you on your marriage journey to a lasting marriage: Allow God to come before all else. Let Him into your hearts and your home to bless and nurture the spiritual side of your relationship. Set aside time to pray together or simply thank God for each other. This appreciation of Him will solidify your own bonds to each other. Learn to communicate. While it rarely happens that people will keep positive information or feelings from one another, its not always the same when circumstances are different. Its important to be able to pull your spouse aside and talk to one another when things aren't so positive. Sharing with one another if feelings are hurt, if something is said or done that makes you angry, or when you're just plain unhappy with a situation is essential. Keeping emotions bottled up only results in resentment. Even the smallest issue can turn into a big problem, so learning to share early on in the relationship will help to avoid blow-ups. Conflict resolution is a must. This can easily be seen as an extension of the previous point. Without good communication skills, conflict resolution can be a difficult task. Take time to sit together when things are calm, and develop a plan for dealing with any conflicts you may face as a couple. This way there are no surprises. Add a touch of humor to your everyday lives. You have probably heard the old saying Laughter is the best medicine.Perhaps that's because its true. Tell each other jokes, watch a funny movie, or plan something fun, like playing in the first snowfall, or running on the beach. A little laughter therapy can go a long way. Put your spouse before yourself. After God, your spouse should be your first priority. Let them know how important they are to you every day. Care for their needs and desires first, and you'll feel better about the time you spend away from them. You see, there's no magical formula, or special process to achieve a love that will stand the test of time. All it takes is faith, a little patience and some common sense. And when all else fails, take some time to pray about the situation. God will show you the way.

How To Develop A Stronger Spiritual Life

Over the years, one of the questions I have been asked most is how do I develop a stronger spiritual life? Most people tell me they spend a great deal of time praying but don't seem to get any answers, guidance or direction. In my experience I have found one sure-fire method of developing a stronger spiritual life and I will share it in this article. Most people have been taught that reading, studying, prayer and worship are the keys to stronger spiritual development. Those things definitely have their place and should be done no matter what your chosen spiritual practice is. However, reading, studying, prayer and worship will only take you so far. The key to spiritual development and growth is meditation. Prayer is us speaking to the universal powers, and is a one sided conversation. Meditation should follow prayer giving the universal powers the opportunity to speak to us and answer. When speaking of meditation I am not referring to the practice in which the meditation itself is the goal. That type of meditation is great for stress management but won't do much for spiritual growth. I speak of meditation with intention and purpose. The most effective way I have found to begin this practice is to get close to nature. Find a place out in nature that you can get to easily, is quiet and where you can remain undisturbed. Your home altar will work also, but out in nature is best. Go to your place every morning, sit and pray, then meditate with the intention and purpose of receiving the answers you seek. Then do the same every evening. Even 10 or 15 minutes twice daily will cause your spiritual life to grow exponentially. Find a method of meditation that works for you. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) works well for some while Transcendental Meditation works well for others. There are many methods you can learn. As you continue your practice it will slowly become easier for you to achieve the inner silence that is meditation. It is in the silence that answers come and growth begins. When you are able to achieve the silence easily you will then find you can enter that silence at will, no matter where you are. This is when your meditation becomes dynamic, as meditation should be. The only requirement for meditation is that you are comfortable and relaxed. I am comfortable and relaxed while taking a walk and therefore can enter the silence. Many times when I am creating or fixing something I take the time to ask how to do it, go to the silence, and get a very clear picture of how to complete the project. As you continue this practice you will develop greater awareness of all that is around you. Your intuition will become stronger and you will have a greatly expanded sense of knowing. You will begin to understand the spiritual communications that seldom come in language but rather in pictures, dreams, emotions, symbols and waking visions. It is then that you will realize you were receiving answers all along but simply did not know how to listen. Following this practice with dedication and commitment will open the door to unlimited spiritual growth and development as well as open two way communication with the spirit world. Don't be discouraged if it takes a while to learn. Be persistent in your practice and the rewards will be greater than you can imagine.

The Goodness of God in the Land of the Living

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Rewarder - "one who pays wages" (misthos, "wages," apo, "back," didomi, "to give"), is used by metonymy in Heb. 11:6, of God, as the "Rewarder" of those who "seek after Him"
Ask any Christian if they believe that God is good and they would certainly say, well of course. But believing that He is good is not the only requirement in pleasing Him. The Word we just read goes on to say, we must also believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This sounds like an admonishment to me. So many Christians don't believe He is a rewarder in the here and now, it's always in the future, or when they get to Heaven. When we understand what the Word of God has to say about this, we will come to the place where we can believe that He is a rewarder here and now.
Pleasing Him requires that we believe not only in Him, but in also in His willingness to reward those who seek after Him or as the Amplified Bible says, those who seek Him out.
A great many Christians don't believe God is a rewarder here and now. Yes, they believe their sins are forgiven and they are going to Heaven, but that is about as far as it goes in many cases. Christians will often say God is certainly able to help them, but when it comes down to it, they don't believe He is willing to show His goodness towards them personally. Often times they are willing to say He blesses others, but have a hard time believing He is actually willing to bless them. God is absolutely consistent in not only His ability to bless but in His willingness to bless. He is no respecter of persons. What ever He is willing to do for me, He is just as willing to do for you and visa versa. Aren't you glad?
Jesus said In Marks Gospel ...
Mark 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30. "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life.
Jesus said in Luke's Gospel...
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
The word Gospel simply means, good news.
Jesus preached good news to the poor. Does God want us broke down and begging? Then what is the significance of preaching to the poor, what is the significance of preaching to the sick, what is the significance of preaching to the lost? What is good news to someone who is poor, or lost, or who is sick? Do these people all have the same needs? No they don't, but there is good news. We have been redeemed from all of these things if we will but receive them. Glory to God!.
I've talked to many Christians who believe God is trying to teach them something through these things. Is this how goodness acts? Not by any definition I know of.
The Bible says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. This was God's will in the flesh. Sickness is oppression from the evil one. God does not use oppression of the devil to teach His children. He redeemed us at a great price so we wouldn't have to be oppressed, that's the Good News. Why would He go to such great lengths to redeem us from these things and then turn around and oppress us to teach us something. That makes no sense. I've learned He teaches us by His Word and by revelation of the Holy Spirit. He will lead us and guide us into all truth. He doesn't need the devil to teach His children. Who would want to seek after a God that as soon as they found Him caused them to become sick or poverty stricken to teach them something. That certainly doesn't sound like very good news to me, does it you? Is this how you would act toward your children? God loves us much more than we can understand. He wants the best for us. He went to great lengths to give us His best, The least we could do is try to learn what His best is, and then begin to learn how to walk in it. Sometimes we need to get to the place where we can shake off our preconceived ideas, before we can walk in the truth.
Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words; yet you say, "In what way have we wearied Him?'' In that you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,'' or, "Where is the God of justice?''
God's people were calling evil good, and God said that this wearied Him. Is it any different in our day? I've heard ministers call sickness a blessing from God. God forbid! God is good. Goodness and evil never co-exist. The definition of goodness has not changed since the times when Jesus walked the Earth. If it was true in the times of Christ, it is certainly true for us today. He went about doing good and healing. If we don't have this clear in our mind then we can certainly not have a firm foundation for our faith. Faith always begins where the word of God is clearly understood. Oppressing those who seek after Him is not what the Word of God says. He rewards those who diligently seek after Him. Sickness, disease, and poverty are not rewards and they are not of God. Enough said.
John said in his 3rd Epistle ...
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
W.E. Vines says this word prosper here means ... to have a prosperous journey.
"to prosper, be prospered. in material things;
the continuous tense suggests the successive circumstances of varying prosperity as week follows week; of physical and spiritual health.
Our life is an ongoing and continuous journey is it not? Can you have a prosperous or good journey if your sick, can you have prosperous journey if you are so poor you can't put gas in your tank, can you have a prosperous journey if you are lost. The answer to all of these is no, you can't. None the less, it is God's desire that we have a prosperous journey even as our soul prospers. A renewed mind is the beginning of this process. When we meditate on the goodness of God we bring our mind into subjection to His will.
Brother Oral Roberts made popular the saying, something good is going to happen. It gets you in the right frame of mind. When you begin to say this, it helps you turn your expectancy level up. Expectancy is another way of saying hope. Hope and faith work together to bring God's will to pass. If you can not see it happening you will never be able to receive the promise by faith. Our expectancy will grow as our understanding grows. The greater the revelation, the greater we can expect to receive. The greater we expect to receive, the greater we will receive, they are all tied together. We can not receive above the level of our expectancy. We can not walk in the goodness of God above the level of our soul prosperity. I hope this makes sense.
Psalms 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
We are certainly in the land of the living. It is here and now that we need to see a manifestation of God's goodness in our lives. When we get to Heaven it will be a given. There will be no more suffering, or sickness, or sorrow, or lack of any kind will there?
We must receive this revelation before we can begin to walk in it.
Back when I was in Bible School, one particular minister would always make us stand up before class and say, For the Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever. (He used the King James Version.) One day during my second year after having said this probably two hundred times, I asked the Lord, why this Scripture, I know You are good and Your mercy endures forever. I was literally too shy to go and ask him myself. Several weeks went by and I forgot about it. Thank God the Lord didn't forget. One particular day as always, we stood up before class and said, For the Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever, This time however, as I said it out loud revelation knowledge came into my spirit. It nearly overwhelmed me. There will never be the slightest doubt in my mind what goodness is, and that God is totally good. Glory to His name forever. I pray that all can come to this knowledge. We often think we know some things when the truth is we only know in part. I learned that in order to minister effectively to others I have to have this revelation myself, for it is the goodness of God that draws men to repentance. I only saw a small part of the revelation of His goodness that day, and since then I've seen more of it, but regardless of how much of His goodness I've seen, I still only know in part. He's too big for us to fully comprehend. Aren't you glad we will always be able to continue to grow in the knowledge of Him?
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
If you haven't done so, now is the time to reach out to Him and see that He is good, and in His goodness He is able and very willing to abundantly bless His children. Amen
I would like to leave you with a few Scriptures to meditate on.
Jeremiah 33:11 `the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: "Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever'' and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the Lord.
Psalms 100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalms 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!!
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, "...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (Jn.6:37),
So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, "... with the heart one believes to righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1841313

The Goodness of God in the Land of the Living

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Rewarder - "one who pays wages" (misthos, "wages," apo, "back," didomi, "to give"), is used by metonymy in Heb. 11:6, of God, as the "Rewarder" of those who "seek after Him"
Ask any Christian if they believe that God is good and they would certainly say, well of course. But believing that He is good is not the only requirement in pleasing Him. The Word we just read goes on to say, we must also believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. This sounds like an admonishment to me. So many Christians don't believe He is a rewarder in the here and now, it's always in the future, or when they get to Heaven. When we understand what the Word of God has to say about this, we will come to the place where we can believe that He is a rewarder here and now.
Pleasing Him requires that we believe not only in Him, but in also in His willingness to reward those who seek after Him or as the Amplified Bible says, those who seek Him out.
A great many Christians don't believe God is a rewarder here and now. Yes, they believe their sins are forgiven and they are going to Heaven, but that is about as far as it goes in many cases. Christians will often say God is certainly able to help them, but when it comes down to it, they don't believe He is willing to show His goodness towards them personally. Often times they are willing to say He blesses others, but have a hard time believing He is actually willing to bless them. God is absolutely consistent in not only His ability to bless but in His willingness to bless. He is no respecter of persons. What ever He is willing to do for me, He is just as willing to do for you and visa versa. Aren't you glad?
Jesus said In Marks Gospel ...
Mark 10:29 So Jesus answered and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, 30. "who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions and in the age to come, eternal life.
Jesus said in Luke's Gospel...
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
The word Gospel simply means, good news.
Jesus preached good news to the poor. Does God want us broke down and begging? Then what is the significance of preaching to the poor, what is the significance of preaching to the sick, what is the significance of preaching to the lost? What is good news to someone who is poor, or lost, or who is sick? Do these people all have the same needs? No they don't, but there is good news. We have been redeemed from all of these things if we will but receive them. Glory to God!.
I've talked to many Christians who believe God is trying to teach them something through these things. Is this how goodness acts? Not by any definition I know of.
The Bible says that Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. This was God's will in the flesh. Sickness is oppression from the evil one. God does not use oppression of the devil to teach His children. He redeemed us at a great price so we wouldn't have to be oppressed, that's the Good News. Why would He go to such great lengths to redeem us from these things and then turn around and oppress us to teach us something. That makes no sense. I've learned He teaches us by His Word and by revelation of the Holy Spirit. He will lead us and guide us into all truth. He doesn't need the devil to teach His children. Who would want to seek after a God that as soon as they found Him caused them to become sick or poverty stricken to teach them something. That certainly doesn't sound like very good news to me, does it you? Is this how you would act toward your children? God loves us much more than we can understand. He wants the best for us. He went to great lengths to give us His best, The least we could do is try to learn what His best is, and then begin to learn how to walk in it. Sometimes we need to get to the place where we can shake off our preconceived ideas, before we can walk in the truth.
Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the Lord with your words; yet you say, "In what way have we wearied Him?'' In that you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and He delights in them,'' or, "Where is the God of justice?''
God's people were calling evil good, and God said that this wearied Him. Is it any different in our day? I've heard ministers call sickness a blessing from God. God forbid! God is good. Goodness and evil never co-exist. The definition of goodness has not changed since the times when Jesus walked the Earth. If it was true in the times of Christ, it is certainly true for us today. He went about doing good and healing. If we don't have this clear in our mind then we can certainly not have a firm foundation for our faith. Faith always begins where the word of God is clearly understood. Oppressing those who seek after Him is not what the Word of God says. He rewards those who diligently seek after Him. Sickness, disease, and poverty are not rewards and they are not of God. Enough said.
John said in his 3rd Epistle ...
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
W.E. Vines says this word prosper here means ... to have a prosperous journey.
"to prosper, be prospered. in material things;
the continuous tense suggests the successive circumstances of varying prosperity as week follows week; of physical and spiritual health.
Our life is an ongoing and continuous journey is it not? Can you have a prosperous or good journey if your sick, can you have prosperous journey if you are so poor you can't put gas in your tank, can you have a prosperous journey if you are lost. The answer to all of these is no, you can't. None the less, it is God's desire that we have a prosperous journey even as our soul prospers. A renewed mind is the beginning of this process. When we meditate on the goodness of God we bring our mind into subjection to His will.
Brother Oral Roberts made popular the saying, something good is going to happen. It gets you in the right frame of mind. When you begin to say this, it helps you turn your expectancy level up. Expectancy is another way of saying hope. Hope and faith work together to bring God's will to pass. If you can not see it happening you will never be able to receive the promise by faith. Our expectancy will grow as our understanding grows. The greater the revelation, the greater we can expect to receive. The greater we expect to receive, the greater we will receive, they are all tied together. We can not receive above the level of our expectancy. We can not walk in the goodness of God above the level of our soul prosperity. I hope this makes sense.
Psalms 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
We are certainly in the land of the living. It is here and now that we need to see a manifestation of God's goodness in our lives. When we get to Heaven it will be a given. There will be no more suffering, or sickness, or sorrow, or lack of any kind will there?
We must receive this revelation before we can begin to walk in it.
Back when I was in Bible School, one particular minister would always make us stand up before class and say, For the Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever. (He used the King James Version.) One day during my second year after having said this probably two hundred times, I asked the Lord, why this Scripture, I know You are good and Your mercy endures forever. I was literally too shy to go and ask him myself. Several weeks went by and I forgot about it. Thank God the Lord didn't forget. One particular day as always, we stood up before class and said, For the Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever, This time however, as I said it out loud revelation knowledge came into my spirit. It nearly overwhelmed me. There will never be the slightest doubt in my mind what goodness is, and that God is totally good. Glory to His name forever. I pray that all can come to this knowledge. We often think we know some things when the truth is we only know in part. I learned that in order to minister effectively to others I have to have this revelation myself, for it is the goodness of God that draws men to repentance. I only saw a small part of the revelation of His goodness that day, and since then I've seen more of it, but regardless of how much of His goodness I've seen, I still only know in part. He's too big for us to fully comprehend. Aren't you glad we will always be able to continue to grow in the knowledge of Him?
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
If you haven't done so, now is the time to reach out to Him and see that He is good, and in His goodness He is able and very willing to abundantly bless His children. Amen
I would like to leave you with a few Scriptures to meditate on.
Jeremiah 33:11 `the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of those who will say: "Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever'' and of those who will bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. For I will cause the captives of the land to return as at the first,' says the Lord.
Psalms 100:5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalms 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!!
Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you want to be a joint heir with Christ?
If so, I urge you to earnestly pray the following prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, "...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (Jn.6:37),
So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, "... with the heart one believes to righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1841313