Biblical Perspectives – Page 6 – Media 4 Life Ministries

The Integrity of Job

So often, when I have a conversation with unbelievers and skeptics they will bring up the book of Job. Their argument is, why did God single out Job and bragged about him to Satan? Job did all the right things and loved the Lord, yet He allowed Satan to take everything that Job had, his family, servants and possessions.

Why would God do that to someone who loves Him. Isn’t He suppose to be a loving God? At first glance I admit, it might look that way, here is a guy just going on about his day thinking about his sons and daughters when tragedy strikes him out of nowhere. In one day he looses it all, his sons and daughters and his livelihood. Everything that he worked and lived for, up in smoke. Job had no clue what was going on and why this came upon him. He did not have the benefit that we have when we read the story in the Bible.

The first two chapters give us a unique look behind the scenes, a look into the spiritual world unseen from the human eye. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Job 1:6, 7. Satan was most likely prowling the earth as a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour.

“Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”Job 1:8. Poor Job, he had no idea that God and Satan had a conversation about him. It almost seems like God may have been bragging a little bit about Job. Satan seized the moment: “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. “Does Job fear God for nothing? “But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” Job 1:9-11.

It is interesting to hear Satan say that God had a hedge i.e a protection around Job, he was blessed by God in all he did. I believe that believers in Jesus Christ have a hedge around them just as Job did. Satan in his arrogance challenged God by stating, hey if you take everything away that he has, he will not love you and curse You to Your face. Satan thought that Job or for that matter any other believers only love God when He blesses them, but turn from Him when tragedy or tribulations arise. God in His sovereign will gave Satan the permission to hit Job with afflictions.

“And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.” Job 1:12.

That was the moment when Jobs world would be turned upside down. We read that Job lost his seven sons and three daughters in one day as well as all of his livestock. What a terrible day in the life of poor Job. Yet in all this tragedy, he did not curse God. As a matter of fact, he praised God.

“Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.” In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” Job 1:20-22.

I don’t think that was what Satan intended, he was hoping that Job would blame God and turn from God. The opposite happened, although deeply grieved, he did not forsake or denounce the Lord. I can only imagine that Satan was a bit furious. Some time later Satan appeared before God again and we have the same conversation in chapter two of Job.

“And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” Job 2:2, 3.

We need to read this verse very carefully, God allowed it because Satan incited Him and God allowed Satan to destroy everything that Job had. I believe what we can glean from this is, that without God’s permission, Satan can’t do a thing to harm believers. This second time around Satan wanted even more.

“So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. “But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.” Job 2:6. It was Satan’s desire to physically harm Job in hope that he would curse God.

Again, God only allowed Satan to strike Job, but not to kill him. “So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.” Job 2:7. Here is Job, covered in painful boils and now even his wife asked him to curse God. “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:8.

In ancient times, people thought that the person that was punished so severally must have done some kind of sin to deserve something like that. This time even his wife wanted him to curse God and die. But Job just answered: “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” Job 2:9.

Even now Job does not curse or blame God for his sufferings. Now I don’t know how I would have reacted if I were to be in the shoes of Job. As the story goes on, three of his friends come to comfort him, but as it turns out they were no comfort at all. They either blamed Job for everything that happened to him, because they thought that he must have sin in his life and lost favor with God. In the end however it turns out that these three wise men weren’t all that wise. At the end God intervenes and rebukes his friends. What happened to good old Job? God restored everything to Job and more, He restored everything ten fold.

I think we as believers can learn a lot from the story of Job. We do have a hedge around us that protects us from many things of the world. At the same time, we are not immune from pain and suffering. Many Christians are going through various hardships, from persecutions and tribulations to financial issues to many other tragedies in their life’s. We are not exempt, but ultimately, God is in control of all things and nothing happens without a purpose and His permission. Sometimes God uses sufferings and tribulations for His divine purpose and to work in people’s life’s. I may not understand why sometimes, but God knows and nothing is done without a reason and a purpose.

Even the Apostle Peter was subject to Satan on more than one occasion. “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Lk 22:31.

Peter had to go to some trials, He denied the Lord three times and he had hardships and was imprisoned and crucified upside down in Rome, just as the Lord told him when He was still with them. So were many of the other disciples. All of the Apostles except John died a martyrs death. The Apostle Paul experienced many afflictions, beatings, imprisonment and ultimately death by beheading. This is what Paul thought about sufferings in his lifetime: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”Rom 8:18.

Paul looked at the eternal not the temporal. In this life, Christians who follow the Lord will face opposition, trials and tribulations. The Lord told us so. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

We as Christians have an enemy that is relentless, the world, the flesh and Satan. I believe that most of our afflictions are not caused by Satan but by our own flesh. The flesh is warring against the Spirit. Many people want to blame Satan for everything that is going on in their life’s, but I think many times it’s just the flesh and the world. Of course we should never underestimate Satan, he is called the prince of this world and if Christians are living in the world as if the world were their home, then they are subject to Satan. The Bible speaks of Satan as the accuser of the brethren, he accuses us day and night before God. (Rev 12:10)

Sufferings and pains are not easy, but they do strengthen a believers faith and draws them closer to the Lord. That’s what happened to Job, Peter and Paul as well as many others throughout history. In the end everything turned out well for Job and Satan was proven wrong.

That’s what Satan wishes to happen to the believers today. He wants us to curse God as soon as some kind of trial, sufferings or pain come our way. Most of us may never face the kind of tragedy Job was confronted with, although there are many that have had tragedies of various degrees in their lives. The question becomes , if any one of us who believes in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior gets confronted with tribulations and trials similar to Job’s, will we keep the faith and integrity that Job demonstrated?

I hope and pray that none of us will ever face something like Job, but if we do I hope that we will stand tall and firmly rooted in the Lord. There is a spiritual warfare raging. Satan knows that he only but a short time left. We need to fight the good fight and stand against every fiery dart that the enemy may throw at us.

No matter what happen in this life, the destination of the believer is to be with the Lord. God will never leave us nor forsake us as long as we abide in Him, no matter what may come our way. Satan is already defeated and he will try anything to distract or harass the believers. We need to stand on the promises of God. We as believers are secured in Christ and nothing can take that away. The book of Ephesians is all about our position in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” Rom 8:38, 39.

We are secure in Christ and we are not of this world. The world can’t touch us, unless we allow the cares of this world to dominate our lives. As long as we abide in Christ to live after the spirit rather than the flesh and we resist the Devil and his temptations and lies, we can overcome every obstacle and tragedy that we may face. All things here on the earth are temporal and will fade with time, our destination as believers is eternity. We need to set our eyes on the eternal and look up, our redemption draws close. Maranatha Lord Jesus.

Where does God dwell?

I was sitting at home on my patio this morning and enjoyed my first cup of java. I love that first cup in the morning. I looked up at the trees and there were a bunch of birds singing, which made me think about God. His beautiful creation which is revealed through the animal kingdom, the universe, nature and man. I see how wonderfully and marvelously He created everything. The birds were singing a song early in the morning and I wondered, are they praising God, thanking Him for life and the provisions He gives them daily?

I live close to the Pacific Ocean and I can see wonderful sunsets and the waves with surfers riding them just about everyday. It’s just so beautiful to look at the blue water and the dolphins showing up from time to time, pelicans flying by and just enjoying in general what God has blessed me with. We live on this blue planet called earth and considering how big the universe is and how far away the other solar systems are, made me think of the awesomeness of God. He spoke everything into existence, mind-blowing in itself. I don’t think we even can ever really comprehend how big the universe is and how small we really are.

Contemplating on all of that makes one wonder, where does God dwell or tabernacle? The scriptures tell us that God created all things and that He is outside of His creation. Time as we know it does not exist for God. He is eternal and always was and will be. He can see the end from the beginning, another mind blower. Where does He dwell? He created the space to put the universe in and made this planet we call home for us to dwell on. So, I’m sitting there pondering all those things and do I have an answer? No, I don’t. Is the heavenly realm another dimension another unseen parallel world, or maybe God has the whole universe in a glass bowl next to His throne? What if the universe is so small that God holds it in the palm of His hand? Does the universe end somewhere and where did the space come from for the universe with all its galaxies to fit in?

I can not buy in to the theory that all we see was by accident about 4.3 billion years ago. Something so organized and beautiful as the universe can not just come out of an explosion. That is like taking a stick of dynamite and throwing it into a printing factory and out of the explosion come the Declaration of Independence. Everything is just perfect and right for us here on earth to live on. God placed the earth in our solar system in such a way that there are no obstructions to look out into space. I think He did that on purpose: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1.

As I said, I don’t know where God dwells and how that might look but I can’t wait to be there one day. That He promised us. “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:2, 3.

Today so many scientist still trying to figure out the universe and come up with all kinds of explanations of how it came into being and how we evolved from some kind of fish. Nothing but theories and no concrete and absolute answers. We made it to the moon and now we are trying to reach Mars. What are we gonna do on Mars? Open up a Walmart? Even if we would have people reaching mars and live on mars, that is nothing compared to how big this universe is and places that we will never reach. Now the scientist at Cern are trying to find the “God particle” at the Hadron collider in Geneva Switzerland.

Here is a small quote from their website: “The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is a gigantic scientific instrument near Geneva, where it spans the border between Switzerland and France about 100m underground. It is a particle accelerator used by physicists to study the smallest known particles – the fundamental building blocks of all things. It will revolutionize our understanding, from the minuscule world deep within atoms to the vastness of the Universe.”

It will revolutionize our understanding? I don’t think that we will ever understand the awesomeness of God. He said, “Let there be light” and it was. Finite man with finite minds trying to explain how the universe came into existence. I rather believe God’s word, “Light be.”

Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?” Job 38:3-5.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8, 9.

Where do You dwell oh LORD?

The coming war of Gog and Magog?

Looking at the headlines today about the unrest in the Middle East makes one wonder, what’s next? It all started with Tunisia when one man set himself on fire. That set off a wave of protest throughout the Arab world what the media calls the Arab spring. Sudan became two countries, the North and the South with a border along the Nuba mountains. There are reports that came out just recently that a Bible college and 4 churches that are set up by Samaritan Purse have been bombed by radicals Islamist in South Sudan. Sudan is an ongoing battle to this day.

Next came Egypt and the removal of Mubarak after long and heavy fighting of the people against the regime. No one is really certain what the new government will finally look like. Egypt has been a long-standing ally of the US and had a peaceful existence with Israel, which seems to fade fast.

And who can forget Libya and Qaddafi’s regime? He and his son vowed a long and bloody battle. Many people died until Qaddafi was captured and killed by his own people. Now the Syrian regime is in the news and has killed at least 5000 protesters since the unrest by the people started. Just recently the UN failed to come to a resolution to oust Assad, even though the people of Syria are crying out to the world for help. Russia and China are the two countries that are opposed to the ousting of Assad.

The UN has been ineffective many time and is in my opinion irrelevant. They are headquartered in New York City. It might be a good idea to vacate the building and set up shop somewhere in the Middle East. At least it would be much easier traveling for Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez who hate the US anyways. And now Iran again is threatening with the annihilation of the state of Israel. Just recently the supreme leader came out with a statement why it is religiously justifiable to wipe out Israel. http://www.wnd.com/2012/02/ayatollah-kill-all-jews-annihilate-israel/

Israel is under tremendous pressure and it seems that the world has abandoned Israel. A nuclear Iran with a rogue regime like Ahmadinejad would be world-changing. Israel cannot allow for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon that would be aimed at them. Just today the Israeli Ambassador to the US declared that Israel will act unilateral if necessary. There are many speculations floating around if and when Israel will attack Iran. Many believe that it could come as early as this spring. Although sanctions have been imposed by the UN and the US, they have not deterred the Iranian regime from developing a nuclear weapon.

The Bible has prophesied many of these things and I believe we are at the verge of an all out war of biblical proportions. Could this be the Gog and Magog war spoken off in Ezekiel 38 and 39? I don’t know, I don’t want to make any predictions, but we are seeing some events unfolding as we have never seen them before. I have a strong sense that by this summer, we will see some events happen that could possibly cause an all out war in the Middle East. The escalation of Iran vs Israel could be the trigger for biblical prophecy to unfold right in front of our eyes. Iran wants to create chaos, in the Shiite religious belief, chaos will usher in the 12th imam or the Mahdi. It is Islams version of the Messiah, which is the Antichrist in Christianity.

What exactly will happen in the near future is uncertain, but I believe we have never been closer to the escalation of Gog and Magog. Many Bible scholars believe that Magog is Russia and as many of you know the former Soviet Union has changed dramatically over the last years. Many of the southern states are Islamic and are at the north of Israel with other Islamic countries virtually surrounding Israel. I have spoken to some Jewish scholars and some believe that China is part of Magog as well. That of course is a possibility, China sides with Russia on many decisions made at the UN. One thing is for sure, Israel has many enemies that surround her.

Coming back to Syria for a moment, there is a prophecy about Syria in the book of Isaiah that declares Damascus will be a heap of ashes. “The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap.” Isaiah 17:1. That has not happened yet, Damascus is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Seeing what’s happening in Syria, maybe that prophecy is not too far off? Whatever happens in the near future, we need to look at the Middle East, especially Israel. Israel is the center of the world, Jerusalem is the center of Israel and the temple mount i.e Mount Moriah is the Epicenter.

It is also time for us Christians to stand with Israel, our current administration has thrown Israel under the bus and Israel will once again face the threats virtually alone. But on thing is for sure, Israel is the apple of God’s eye and God will not allow anybody to wipe them off the map. His promises to Abraham, Issac and Jacob will be fulfilled and the predictions about Gog and Magog will be fulfilled. God is in control and He will preserve and protect His chosen people. Let us all pray for the people of Israel that face a constant threat of annihilation from her enemies. If this escalation will result in the war of Gog and Magog or maybe a precursor, who knows. The stage is set. We are in the final act.

“For behold, Your enemies make a tumult; And those who hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, And consulted together against Your sheltered ones. They have said, “Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”Psalm 83:2-4.

Ezekiel 35, the Arab-Israeli War before Ezekiel 38 (antwrites.com)
Insights of a Former Cia Director: Is an Israeli-iranian War Imminent? (flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com)

What’s in a name?

I came a cross a video on YT where a Jewish believer made the case that Christians use the wrong name for God and Jesus. First let me say that God is a title not His name. People of course use the word God very frequently and there are other religions that have gods. The name of the God of the Bible is revealed as YHWH or the “I AM.”

The person in the video made the point that YHWH is His name and Christians should call Him YHWH instead of God. The name Jesus in our English translation is derived from the Greek word Iēsous. That is the name the NT writers used in their epistles and the gospels in the Greek Septuagint. Most of us Christians that speak English use the name Jesus. The same is true in German and Spanish, just with a different pronunciation. I do believe that most believers know that Jesus’ name in the Hebrew is Yehoshua or Yeshua, which means God or YHWH is our salvation.

What about calling Him Jesus rather than by His Jewish name? The point made in the video was this: if someone goes to France and meets a person named Pierre, which in English would be Peter and calls him Peter instead of Pierre and that person says stop calling me Peter my name is Pierre.

Would he not get offended if the other person keeps on calling him Peter? I’m not sure what to make of this, is it wrong to call our Lord and Savior Jesus? Many people who are not believers think that Jesus Christ is His first and last name. Christ is also a title i.e Messiah. What is your opinion? Is it a legalistic way of looking at a name or does the man have a point and we should call “Jesus” by His Jewish name? I think it would be difficult to change something that has been going on for centuries.

On a personal note, my given birth name is Freddy and sometimes people call me Fredrick or Fred. I can handle Fred but don’t like Fredrick, that is not my name. Would Jesus feel the same way? Would He say my name is not Jesus it is Yehoshua or Yeshua? I don’t really know, but I do like the name Yeshua. Should we call YHWH by His title (God) or by His name? Well, I’m not getting legalistic about it. It’s not any issue essential for salvation. I believe that “God” or “Jesus” know Who we mean when we say Jesus or God. I welcome your input and feedback on this.

Why does God?

Why does God allow so much suffering in the world? That is a question I hear many times from believers and unbelievers alike. Unbelievers argue, if God is all-knowing and all-powerful, why does He just sit by and does nothing to prevent suffering? People are getting murdered and God does nothing to prevent it. Women get raped and killed, God does nothing. Many people are brutalized around the world and God does nothing to stop it. There are government’s that oppresses the people, who kill and jail them or torture those who are in opposition to them e.g the resent unrest in Syria.

We hear and see these atrocities and suffering everyday in the media. Suicide bombers who kill innocent people for their religious cause. Heinous crimes committed against humanity and individuals, yet God chooses to do nothing to stop any of it. These are legitimate questions and the argument if God sees all things and knows all things, why doesn’t He do anything about it are very reasonable.

Believe me, I have asked myself that question many times. Why does God? Whenever the question arises why does God, we don’t have the answers and we just don’t know. In that case we need to go back to what we do know, God is all-powerful, all-knowing and He is in control. His ways are higher than our ways.

Although it seems for us to be incomprehensible the things that are going on around the world and in our own neighborhood, there is a purpose for everything. First of all I would have to say that it is not God that causes all the sufferings in the world, it is us. It is mankind that has disobeyed God almost from the beginning and we see the consequences thereof. We are living in a fallen world and in this fallen world we will have to suffer these consequences. It is not that God likes to see or enjoys these sufferings, but He does allow them for His divine and ultimate purposes. He has given man a free will and freedom to choose.

Unfortunately, we as mankind have made the wrong choices and exercised our free will. We have followed man’s wisdom rather than God’s wisdom. Has God ever intervened in man’s affairs? I am certain that He has. The Bible teaches very clearly that He is in control. “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, “if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. “And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, “if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.” Jer 18:7-10. God is the one that establishes kingdoms and rulers for His purpose and He is in absolute control over them.

I am a firm believer that God has established the United States and has blessed the United States. People in the US are truly blessed compared to so many other places in the world. But I also see a dangerous trend of abandoning God in this country which will result in God withdrawing more and more of His blessings. That is a choice that we as a county have to make. There are some that want to remove God from everyday life and I believe that we will reap the consequences as a nation. I think a lot of people are not grateful to God and don’t even realize how blessed they are. We have conveniences that many others can only dream about. I do see a moral decline in this country as well as in other countries around the world and I think that it will get worse in the future.

Evil does exist and evil is caused by man. God did not invent evil, neither does He condone it. Lucifer in his rebellion and by deceiving Adam and Eve brought evil into the world. There are evil people, they are dictators such as Hitler, Stalin, Mao and many others in the past to this present day. There are evil people in general, causing murder, rapes etc. Society is not getting any better as some who claim that we can be “good without God.”

If morality declines evilness and wickedness will be on the increase. There are many godless countries and I don’t see a “perfect society” anywhere. The people who blame God for all the suffering in the world are in my humble opinion wrong. Many state that God does not exist, yet they blame Him. It is man who causes all the suffering by their choice and free will. They are controlled by the prince of this word i.e Satan. Although we may not see God or the wicked one physically, there is a spiritual battle raging in the heavenly realm.

There will come a day, which I believe is in the very near future that Jesus Christ will return to the earth and defeat the armies of Satan and establishes His millennial reign here upon the earth. Many of those who think that they can do evil things without consequences are gravely mistaken.

The day will come when God will judge all man who have not worshiped or honored Him as the true and living God and they will pay for the suffering they have caused. God is longsuffering and He wants everyone to come to repentance and turn from their wicked ways. We don’t know the day or they hour, but be assured that day will come and God will judge people through Jesus Christ who have done evil in His eyes. Until then, we will see sufferings, atrocities and evil rulers and dictators that think that they can get away with murder. Their day in court will come.

“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Rev 20: 12-15.

If you are a true believer in Jesus Christ, you are written in the book of life, no white throne judgment will face you. If you an unbeliever and reject God and His ways, your day of judgment will come. Don’t get me wrong, I do not delight in anyone facing the white throne judgment. God wants everybody to come to the knowledge of the truth which is in Jesus Christ. He gave Hid only begotten Son, so that those who believe will be saved and have eternal life, not eternal separation from God. It is never too late to turn to God and ask for forgiveness, no matter what you may have done. There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, except one and that is the rejection of Christ Jesus.

Until the return of Christ, there will be sufferings and pain in the world. Don’t blame God for these things, blame mankind.

Why did God punish Adam and Eve? (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)
Human Reasoning or God’s Standard’s? (media4lifeministries.com)

Strive to enter…

“Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke 13:23, 24.

We often wonder about the salvation of others. But in His reply, Jesus points back to the only person’s salvation we can really know and asks, “are you yourself saved?” The rabbis of that day used to love to debate the question of whether many or few would be saved. Jesus did not take that bait, His only question is, “are you saved?”

The Greek word for strive is agōnizomai, where we get the word agonize from. The concordance list the following meanings of the word agōnizomai.

1) to enter a contest: contend in the gymnastic games

2) to contend with adversaries, fight

3) metaph. to contend, struggle, with difficulties and dangers

4) to endeavour with strenuous zeal, strive: to obtain something

The Christian walk is not a walk in the park. Jesus paid a heavy price for us. We can’t bring our self-centeredness, pride, lusts, hate or especially our own righteousness. Therefore, we must strive or agonize in order to lay aside these things.

We read about His love and compassion for others and the forgiveness that can only come through Him. His humbleness and gentleness, His healing power and the absolute truth and authority of His word.

Jesus said many comforting and encouraging words to those who believe in Him. Forgiveness and eternal life for example. He also said some things that should make all of us who believe in Him and call Him Lord, think and examine ourselves.

Jesus throughout gospels said some pretty tough things. Many that followed Him left Him because it was either too hard for them to understand, or they were no willing to pick up their cross and follow Him any longer.

Are we truly willing to pick up our own cross and follow Him, no matter what may come? There are many obstacles in the way. The world is an obstacle. The devil is an obstacle. But the worst obstacle is your own flesh. Are we willing to murder our flesh?

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Rom 8: 5, 6 ,13.

We as believers are in a spiritual battle every day. We can either give in or agonize and fight the good fight. “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Mat 26:41. Jesus said this to the disciple when He prayed 3 times in the garden of Gethsemane. He was agonizing and sweating drops of blood. This is very rare and the medical term today is: Hematidrosis. It may occur when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress for example, facing his or her own death. Jesus prayed that this cup i.e. the crucifixion may pass Him. I believe that this was the last attempt of Satan to prevent Christ from going to the cross to die for the sin of the world and ultimately defeat him.

“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”Mat 26:39.

Jesus did not give in to the flesh, He did the will of the Father. Jesus came willingly to the earth, He left His glory in heaven to fulfill the plan of God’s salvation for mankind. He willingly bore the cross and He laid down His life for us. He picked up His cross. Are we willing to do the same? Jesus needs to be our example. Life is not easy and comes with many distractions and cares of this world. Temptations are all around us and many blame it on Satan, but I do believe it is our flesh that causes us to stumble and give into various temptations. We need to strive/agonize to overcome and pick up our cross.

We may not have to suffer as Jesus did, severally beaten to a bloody pulp, unrecognizable and nailed to the cross. There are many followers of Christ that do suffer for their faith. They are persecuted, beaten and killed because of their faith in Jesus. Those are the once that strive to enter the kingdom of heave. They truly live out their faith.

I hope and pray that we as believers don’t have to go to such heavy persecutions or facing death, but if it comes, are we willing to stand strong and strive and enter through the narrow gate?

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Mat 7:13, 14.

Let us be of the few who find the gate which is Jesus.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16

The world hates you… (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)
“It is written….” (media4lifeministries.com)

Freedom From Religion

Media 4 Life Ministries is pleased to endorse and support the Freedom From Religion Foundation: http://ffrf.org

I am a believer and disciple of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, also referred to as a Christian. I believe that the Freedom from Religion Foundation and myself have a common goal; to free people from religion. Jesus was against religion and the religious zealots of His days. A true follower of Christ is set free from a bondage to religion. He came to set us free from requirements and ordinances . Religion separates people from God. Religion is man trying to reach God on their own merit.

The Freedom from Religion foundation is a non-profit organization and has the nations largest association of free thinkers consisting of Atheist, Agnostics and skeptics. They have about 17000 members and was founded in 1978. Their motto: “Freedom Depends Upon Free Thinkers.”

I wanna thank the Freedom From Religion Foundation in supporting the message of Jesus Christ and His 2 billion plus followers by declaring freedom from religion on billboards, buses and in various media outlets.

Thank you for bringing His message of freedom from religion to the world.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32.
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36.

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” Phl 1:18.

Religion is… (media4lifeministries.com)

The 10 Commandments

I was led to write this article after some comments I received about my post “Good without God?” Arguments were made that we can have moral values without God and that many people who are Atheist, agnostics or other can do good things to better society. I don’t disagree with those statements. People can do good deeds or have compassion and love others. Morals, on what are we suppose to gauge moral values? If we gauge moral standards and values on human philosophy and thinking, who determines the moral code for society to live by? One persons moral values may not be another persons moral values. One persons morals may be immoral to another. Who would set the standards for a moral society? Who would get to decide what is moral and what is not?

I believe that God Who gave the 10 commandments to Moses on mount Sinai has given mankind a set of moral values and laws which to live by. These 10 commandments are the foundation on which to build a society. God chose Israel to be a nation, to live by those commandment and to be a witness to other nations that had no moral values and did what was right in their eyes. It’s too much to get into it now, but they did some deplorable things, e.g human sacrifices, killing, raping and worshiping man-made idols. In those days those things were standard for most nations, which we would call barbaric today. These things are still happening somewhere in the world, there are still barbaric practices that go on. Just look at Rwanda and the genocide there. Absolute evil without a moral conciseness. Rwanda is not the only place in our times, let’s look at Serbia and the genocide that happened there not too long ago. Parts of Africa and the Middle East with no regards of other people’s life’s and beliefs. They kill and rape because a people group has a different faith then them. They behead people or burn them to death. Is that moral? Maybe those who brutally murder and rape think that it is within their moral standards. Many of us would not agree that those things are moral, but there are others in the world that see no problem with those things according to their moral code and ethics.

I believe that most people know at least some of the 10 commandments, believers or unbelievers. All around the world people know to one degree or another about the 10 commandments. As I stated in my previous article, the law of God is written on the hearts of man. People intrinsically know right from wrong, but many choose to ignore their heart.

Let’s take a quick look at the 10 commandments. (Short version) The 10 commandment can be found in Exodus 20.

1. “You shall have no other gods before Me.. (people invented many false gods).

2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image… (idols).

3. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.. (broken everyday).

4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.. (a day of rest for the people).

5. “Honor your father and your mother.. ( on the decline in today’s society).

6. “You shall not murder.. (no words needed).

7. “You shall not commit adultery.. (get’s broken).

8. “You shall not steal.. (same as above).

9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor… (gets broken).

10. “You shall not covet.. (people desire many of the things others have).

The first 4 commandments are directed towards God. We should honor Him and reverence Him as our Father and creator. We should not make idols and worship something that does not exist. Some people say that they don’t worship anything. If you don’t worship God, you worship something. Yourself, riches and material things, sports etc. God’s name gets used in vain everyday. Jesus has become a swear word, in the movies and society. The sabbath law for the Christian is a subject for another time.

The last 6 commandments are directed towards human relations and how we should live with one another. I firmly believe that if we would all follow those, we would not have the problems in society as we see them today.

These are the moral standards and code we as humans should live by. All of them however get broken every day and today we have thousands of laws in the books because people disobey the commandments given by God. Now, many will say that they have never murdered anyone or committed adultery or have lied etc. The religious leadership in the days of Jesus told Him that. They believed that they kept the law perfectly. Jesus didn’t think so and He actually put the 10 commandments a notch higher. People thought that they kept the laws, because physically they never murdered anybody or cheated on their wife’s. They may have kept the law outwardly, Jesus however showed them that is was and is a matter of the heart.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment….”

If someone hates another person, they have already committed murder in their heart.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not commit adultery” “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

A person may not had sexual relation with another, but lusting after someone is the same as committing adultery.

These passage can be found in Matthew chapter 5. Jesus clearly shows that God looks at the heart and not the outside. If we gauge our moral laws on human understanding and reasoning instead of God’s, where would we be? We as humans cannot know the heart of our fellow-man, even our own heart is unknowable and wicked. God judges the heart of man and here is what God said about the heart of man:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17:1o, 11.

God will judge according to His law and He will look at the heart. There will be a day of judgment for everybody, whether some believe it or not. Everybody will face death one day, no exceptions and stand before God.

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..” Hebrews 9:27.

Jesus narrowed those 10 commandment down to two: Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40. If we were to follow those two, we would fulfill the law to love God and not murder, steal, lie etc.

If we talk about moral values and ethics set by man or God, I rather follow the moral code set by God and not of man and human wisdom and understanding. A society that distance itself from God and His standards will ultimately fail. There is no other foundation that can be laid but God’s. If a society turns from God, wants to remove God from its life is a society doomed, sooner or later.

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”Matthew 7:24-27.

Good without God? (media4lifeministries.com)
Human Reasoning or God’s Standard’s? (media4lifeministries.com)
Law Breakers (media4lifeministries.com)
Relationship or Religion? (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)

Religion is…

Religion is the enemy of God.
Religion was rebuked by Jesus.
Religion separates people from God.
Religion is used by the enemy to deceive.
Religion puts people into bondage.
Religion is of works, not of faith.
Religion is self-righteousness.

Religion is hypocrisy.
Religion does not save.
Religion denies grace.
Religion is in vain.
Religion causes pain.
Religion is…you name it.

Say NO to religion and follow Jesus instead!

Can we really know God?

There are many religions in the world and all of them have some kind of a god. Muslims worship Allah for example and Hindus have 330 million different gods. Can anybody really know 330 million gods?

Muslims say that they know Allah and that he is the true god, yet they have no personal relationship with Allah. A Muslim can never be sure if Allah is pleased with them. Muslims have no assurance of Allah’s love for them. They weight out their good and bad deeds and hope that the goods deeds will outweigh their bad deeds. They hope that Allah will be merciful to them. They also have no assurance to make it to heaven i.e paradise. All religions are either based on a works based or man centered relationship with their god(s). That is what religion is, man trying in vain to reach God on their own merit.

How about Christianity? Can a Christian truly know God? When I talk about God, I am referring to the God of the Bible, the Creator of all things. The only true and living God. In all reality, there is only one true God, all others are man-made and do not exist. I know that will offend many religions and religious people, but it is the simple truth. There is only One true and living God and it doesn’t matter how many different gods people worship. Ultimately they will all face the true God, at the day of judgment.

Many people believe that it is impossible to know God. They say that God is incomprehensible, which He is. How can one know Almighty God that spoke the universe into existence, simply by His Word? It is way beyond our finite minds. When God spoke, His word traveled in the speed of light which is about 186.000 miles per second. Awesome, incredible and incomprehensible. God in the OT was know by Abraham as YHWH and to Moses God revealed Himself as the “I AM that I AM” in the burning bush. God revealed Himself and His awesome powers through various ways to the OT Saints. Adam and Eve before the fall, walked with God in the cool of the evening. How can somebody walk with God Who is Spirit? Moses wanted to see God and ask Him to show His Glory. “And Moses said, “Please, show me Your glory.” But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” Ex33:18, 20.

God did show Moses some of His Glory, by passing by, covering the eyes of Moses and Moses saw the back or afterglow of God. The result of that was that the face of Moses was glowing when he came down from the mountain. The children of Israel saw the presence of God as a flame of fire at night and a cloud during the day after the Exodus from Egypt. God is so Holy that we as fallen human beings could not stand in His presence and live.

How than can Christians claim to know God personally and have a loving relationship with Him? A Christian knows God because of Jesus Christ. He has revealed God to them. Jesus, the second person of the triune Godhead became flesh and dwelled among us (John 1:14). Jesus is the exact image of God, His character, nature and all attributes. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Col 1:15-17.

In the OT times God appeared to man as the Angel of the LORD. He appeared and spoke to Abraham in Genesis 18. Whenever God appeared to men in human form, it was through the person of Jesus i.e.the pre-incarnate Christ.

He was the Angel of the LORD that spoke to Haggar after leaving Abraham with Ishmael. The Angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Ex 3:2). The Angel of the LORD appeared before Balaam riding his donkey in Numbers 22. He appeared to Gideon (Jdg 6). Manoah, Elijah and many others throughout the OT.

Whenever God communicated with men in human form, it was the person of Jesus. In the gospel of John in chapter 8 the Pharisees once again attack Jesus accusing Him of having a demon. Jesus is making one of the most profound statements to them: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” Jhn 8: 56-58. Jesus took the very name that the Angel of the Lord revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush. “I AM.” The Jews understood perfectly well that He said that He is God. That’s the reason they picked up stones to kill Him. Jesus is the great “I AM” or the becoming One.

Christians can know God the Father because Jesus declared Him and we know God because we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus left heaven to dwell with man, He humbled Himself and became one of us. He willfully came to the earth dwelled among us and gave His life on the cross. He came to die for those that would believe in Him through faith. Believers in Christ Jesus are forgiven of their sins. The scriptures are very clear, only God can forgive sins. “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Mark 2:7. They were right, only God can forgive sins and Jesus told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. They called Jesus a blasphemer. What they failed to see is that Jesus is God. The Apostle John makes it very clear who Jesus is: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3.

Christians believe in the trinity or the triune nature of God. Father, Son and Holy Spirit: Co-equal, Co-existent, Co-eternal. One God in three distinct Persons but of One Essence. (please see my article on the trinity).

Jesus showed us God. If we know and learn from Jesus we can know God and have a meaningful and personal relationship with Him by abiding in Christ. “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Mat 11:27-30.

As true biblical Christians we can boldly claim to know God, because we know and believe in Jesus who is like the Father and He has shown us the Father. One of His own disciples was asking Jesus: “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Philip wanted to see God, not realizing that God was in their midst. Jesus said: “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” John 14: 9,10.

As Christians we can have assurance of forgiveness and eternal life because of our Lord and Savior. We can also come boldly before the throne of God because Jesus opened the way to the Father, He opened the veil to the Holy of Holiest.

The answer to the question in the beginning is a big YES. True believers in Jesus can know God, His Character, attributes, His kindness, His love, mercy and grace towards those who receive the Son. There is only one way to know God and there is only one way to God.

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6.