Faith Can Save You From Drowning

Almost everyone is familiar with the story of Jesus walking on the water. The story shows Christ on the waves walking towards the disciples and they are completely baffled by this concept.

 "When the disciples saw him walking on the water they were terrified and they said 'It is a ghost' and they cried out in fear." Then Peter who saw him and wanted to come to him on the water. "Peter said to him 'Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water', and Jesus said, 'come' and Peter got out of the boat and walked on water and came towards Jesus. But seeing the wind he became frightened and began to sink, he cried out 'Lord save me.' Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him and said, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:25-31

This passage shows us that at first Peter had all capabilities to walk on the water, Jesus simply said come to me and he began to walk out of the boat and across the surface of the water in the direction of Jesus. This is an astounding feet for anyone and a gift of faith, but Peter began to think about it and he became scared of the storm that surrounded them and he lost his faith and in an instant he fell and began to drown, this is the mystery of faith. 

God gives us amazing gifts and abilities in our lives and would do anything for his people as long as they have faith. But this is the point of the this verse is to always have faith in God even in the times of fear. God will not abandon his people no matter what issues they face and so we should not abandon God when we do not find it suitable. 

Marketing Christianity

Over the last couple of years it has become all too common to find religious jewelry in department stores and clothing retailers. This has caused some questioning of the methods and motives of the stores carrying these items.

For instance the rosary can be found in many stores world wide, from it's use in the past as a reminder of prayer in the Catholic church, the rosary has now become a fashion statement and a necklace to be worn out. It leads some to believe that people sell these items now, not for religious purposes, but to gain a profit.

This in theory is a negative when the thought of what the rosary represents. The cross represents the cross used to crucify Christ. So in looking at it from the outside, companies are turning a profit on marketing the death of Jesus. And what is sadder still is that people often buy into the scheme. Sure there are some that buy the rosary from these places and use it to pray or to remind them of the sacrifice of Christ, but to some it's nothing more than a pretty piece of jewelry.

The agonizing death of Jesus was never intended to be used for gaining money. He died for the sins of man, to bring repentance to the people of God. His death is worth more than a 10 dollar pricetag.

How Deep is Your Faith?

Imagine you are standing in front of a large crowd of angry people, their goal is to stop you from expressing your faith by any means necessary, even death. These same people follow you day in and day out, watching for you to stumble and make a mistake. The test is would you hold fast and stand your ground, even in the face of death?

In the Bible this is a common theme for the believers. We see this theme repeatedly with people like: Moses, Daniel, Jesus, Peter, and even Paul. In their own respective stories they were all tested and warned of their actions. They were threatened with beatings expulsion, or even death, but in the end stood through judgement and death. This leads me to my former question; What would you do?

Would you stand and teach through the fear of death or harsh punishments? Would you share the message of God even if it were illegal? This is a tough question for believers even when it doesn't have to be. Unfortunately for the people that have sat and pondered long and hard over the question and wondered what it is that you would say, the answer is so very simple and is easy as, yes or no.

God has a plan for all who believe on him and he knows the measure of each person who comes to the faith. He also knows that there will bee those who will die in his name. Those people who would be martyred in the name of God are held in esteem in the book of Revelations. They are clothed in white robes. Death is serious and at times a bit scary, but will come for us all eventually. Dying in the name of God is not a regrettable thing, it should be nothing to fear. The life that God's people are promised in his house is a prestigious life with God.

In many cases there are scenes where a gunman or someone with a weapon who asks the question, "Do you believe in God?", and someone replies "yes" and they are murdered for giving what that person believes is the wrong answer. Do not fear those who threaten you with sword, gun, or any other weapon, in the hopes of breaking your faith. It is only when we hold on to our great faith that we will be redeemed and that those who wish to do evil will lose.

This message I bring is discouraging to some and people must choose for themselves the lives they will lead, but all I say is hold close your faith in God and trust in him. God will not abandon you in the hour that you are called to testify of his name. Our God is great and he asks nothing of us that he would not do himself. Be strong, for our God is strong.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 5:10-12

What is Faith?

What is faith? Faith is something that you believe in, with strong conviction. In our religious lives faith is in God or in Christ being the son of God. But to dig even deeper is to ask what is "Your" faith? Is your faith something you share privately? Is it something you wear proudly fir the whole world to see? Is your faith something that people torment you about?

God assures us as members of the faith that we are saved on our faith through him and the actions of his son.

But some of the faith are shaken by fear of oppression. Some fear the ability to speak when they are opposed. To this I say that you must be strong in your personal faith. What you believe is unique and special to you. The only person who can change your faith and what you believe in is you. Never be fearful of your faith. When someone questions your faith stand strong. People may tell you that you are wrong, but the only thing that matters is what you believe in.

Your faith in God is your saving grace, when you are in fear ask for God's guidance and he will lead you down the path he has set for you.

Saint Paul Pt. 2- The Early Ministry

After Paul's baptism he decided to go out and begin to teach. Paul wanted very much to teach people about his experience with Jesus and what happened to him on the road into Damascus. But he did not realize just how hard his message may be to bring to the new Christian movement.

Paul decided to begin preaching in Damascus and to be among the followers of Jesus that were there. He thought that sharing his message with people who were already believers would be easy. Paul never thought about the fact that his previous line of work would effect his ministry. The believers in Christ heard him and believed that he was speaking in contradiction:
"Isn't he the man who raised havok in Jerusalem among those who call his name?"(Acts 9:21)
The believers thought of it as something of a trap. They believed Paul was trying to trick them into trusting him so that he could turn then and arrest them for believing in Jesus.

After a couple of days the followers of Paul, his friends, had to help him escape because they learned of a secret plot to kill Paul. They had to lower Paul by night in a basket from the city walls. Paul would escape and return to Jerusalem where even the apostles of Jesus were afraid of him. They believed like the others that it was nothing more than a trap. Barnabas, a disciple, informed the others of what had happened to Paul on his journey to Damascus. Of his conversion and baptism.

Paul was an eager man willing to share his new found message of the grace of Jesus with everyone. He wanted to share with the Jewish people and the followers of Jesus, of his blindness and his instructions from the lord about what he must do. Unfortunately because of his past they were all too afraid to be around him or they did not trust him to be honest. After all he had been met by Jesus when he became blind, we was baptized after he regained his sight, and now all he wanted to do was share the good news of Jesus.

My message in all of this is never let your past get the best of you. We have all sinned in one way or another. But sin is wiped clean through repentance. Sin is washed away in the baptism in the name of Jesus. Sin was ultimately wiped away when Christ died on the cross for us. An amazing act of sacrifice, that one man would die for so many others. Do not let your past sins weigh you down. Repent and give those sins to God. Sharing the message with people should never be second priority to your past. The fact that you have moved on and become a person of God is a great triumph. Go out in your new life and teach men and woman and children alike about God and about the sacrifice made on the cross. Some times even sharing your personal story of your triumph over sin will make for a more personal sharing experience.

Saint Paul Pt.1- Saul the Accuser

In the book of Acts we are introduced to a new character in the Bible's story of Jesus. His name is Saul Paulus, he is a Roman citizen and a member of the Pharisees. We know him today by his honorary title of Saint Paul but who was he originally and how did he effect the early church?

We see Saul in the book of Acts chapter 7, verse 58. This particular story is about a young apostle to Christ, called Stephen. Stephen has made a speech before the Sanhedrin and the religious leaders and the high priest. In his speech he accuses the religious leader of being arrogant and resisting God's will. The religious leaders are not happy with what Stephen is saying so "They covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began attorney stone him."(Acts 7:57-58)

At the stone, as the book of Acts describes was a young man named Saul, "And Saul approved of their killing him."(Acts 7:60) As we see thee scene unfold even further in chapter 8, we see Saul get approval to go house to house and take both men and women who believed in Jesus and began to put them in prison.

In chapter 9 Saul goes to the high priest and ask permission that he migtht go to Damascus and begin to arrest those there that might belong to "The way" and bring them back to Jerusalem. We are never given much clarification as to why Saul is so against the growing Christian movement but we are shown in these couple of chapters that he is willing to do what ever it takes to have them arrested. We can only assume that it is because of his duties of being a Pharisee, that he is so out against the followers of Jesus. As the chapter moves into verse 3 we see that a light is shown from heaven and a bright light has blinded Saul. A voice(Jesus) begins to call out to him asking "why do you persecute me"
As he says this Saul asks simply, who are you? And the voice replies again,
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you are to do"

So Saul is led by his companions into the town of Damascus and was blind for three days until a believer in Christ called, Ananias, came to Saul after being instructed by God to come and restore Saul's sight. God told Ananias "I will shoe him how much he must suffer for my name." At this point after he regains his sight, he is baptized.

So from a man of the religious realm of the Jewish faith, a man devoted to arresting the members of the new Christian movement, to a newly baptized Christian. This conversion at this point in time would have been a very difficult one for Paul because of his standing as a Pharisee. He too would become one if the men that he sought out to be arrested for proclaiming Jesus name.
This simply goes to show God's power. When God appears to men in the Bible, Moses, Saul, and any others he shows them that he is God and that it is his will to be done, not the will of man. As Saul was blind before he accepted, he was now given sight through the grace of God for having accepted him. We are like Saul, we must do what God has for us to do, or we will wonder blindly without his guidance.

End Time Preaching: Fact or Fiction?

Over the years many people have sought to answer the questions of the end times. Since the time that the Bible was assembled many have debated and asked questions of the book of Revelations. The book is a prophecy, visions that were given to St. John of things to come. But the one thing that the book of Revelations is not very clear about is when all these great and wonderful and even terrible things will come to pass. Over the last few years some extreme church groups have preached "The end is near" or plastered billboards. Some have quoted Nostradamus or ancient Indian predictions to figure out the time when God will make his return.

This question has put people in opposition for years. Because of the vague nature of the time that these things will take place, has made the church curious and caused divisions among the churches. Some speculate that some of the events in the book of Revelations have already come to pass. While some churches put no faith at all in the book, but call it a colorful work of fiction. The one aspect that some overlook is the fact while God gave the visions to John, the timing in accordance to being God's people does not matter much.

If we are as Christian people who live, work, and walk by faith the timing for the "End Times" wouldn't matter. Many new age theorists look at December 12, 2012 as the date that the world will end. But as I post the question why are we people of God concerned with the time of the end? It would seem to me that God works by his own times and methods. If this is true then we as his people need only trust him and follow his commandments. I can assure you that all the things God says he will do, he does but it should be of no concern to those of the faithful. We already know in the end that those who are faithful and seek repentance and are baptised for our forgiveness will be among those accepted into heaven. Those who fear and wait and watch for the end and have not sought out forgiveness according to the Bible are the people with the most to fear.

Some associate this fear in apocalyptic times with the popular "Left Behind" novels. The novels by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye published in 1995, portray a story of the great rapture that happens in which the firm believers in God are taken from the earth into heaven in an instant. Those people who have been left behind begin to panic over these disappearances. These novels are loosely based on the idea of the Bible's book of Revelations along with other Biblical references to the end of times. These novels were only ever intended to be a way to relate Christianity to religious fiction and make a new way for people to understand God's words. The stories were never meant to be used as ant sort of realistic nature or cause panic, but some people not understanding this took the novels to be a literal work of truth.

We see in the book of Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus is speaking about the unknown hour in which the son of man will return:
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."(verse 36)

So as we have been instructed we must always keep watch of our faith, do those things that God called of us to do and never stray from those teachings. We must be baptised and repent all things for in that hour God will being all his people together and the glorious will be judged and also the wicked ones. As the old saying goes about all those things that are done in the dark, they will come out into the light. Be a person who follows the commandments and does the work of the son of God. We never have to fear the end of time unless there are things that we have to hide.