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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.

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)

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.

Jesus or Muhammad? (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)
Christianity; the oldest “religion” in the World. (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)
The Muslim Dilemma (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)

Seven Churches

In the book of Revelation Jesus had the Apostle John write a letter to each of the seven churches in Asia minor. These seven churches were literal churches that existed at the time when John wrote these letters from the island of Patmos. Asia minor is modern-day Turkey and some of the remnants of these churches can still be seen to this day.

The seven churches were: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Five of the churches were rebuked by Jesus for tolerating sin in their midst. Ephesus was the loveless church, they had left their first love. Smyrna was the persecuted church, they endured and kept their faith during fierce persecutions. Pergarmos was the compromising church. Thyatira, was the corrupted church. Sardis was called the dead church by the Lord. Philadelphia was not rebuked, because they kept His word and faith. Laodicea is known as the lukewarm church. This church I believe got the worse rebuke from the Lord. They were neither hot nor cold. A terrible condition to be in.

There are various viewpoints on the seven churches. Some believe it was the seven churches at the time of John and Jesus was addressing them regarding their short comings and called them to repent.

Another viewpoint is that these churches represent the church age, beginning with Ephesus the first century church, Laodicea the church of toady in the last days of the church age. I believe that both viewpoints have some truth to them. The seven churches as mentioned before were literal churches at the time of John’s writing and these seven churches also represent church history for the last 2 millenniums. Many books have been written about the seven churches, who they were in the past and throughout the church age. I don’t want to go into a big study on the churches, which time they represented and possible denominations etc. There are many good commentaries available.

I would like to look at the churches from a different view. I do believe the above, that the seven churches were literal and that they represent the entire the church age.
I also believe that each of these seven churches represent individual believers throughout history and for the last 2000 years.
The true church is not a building or denominations, the true church, the bride of Christ is every true believer that is an individual stone making up the temple of God.

“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1Pe 2:4, 5.

That is what we as believers are, living stones with Jesus as our head cornerstone. Our foundation is Jesus on which we must built on. “For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1Cr 3:11.

Jesus is the head cornerstone that was rejected. Bob Marley even cited that verse in one of his songs. “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.” Ps118:22.

With this in mind, Jesus being the cornerstone on which I as a believer built on, which church am I? Paul the Apostle exhorted the believers to examine their faith.

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified.” 2Cr 13:5.

I examen myself from time to time and ask the question, which church am I? Have I left my first love which is Jesus? Am I enduring persecutions and mocking because of my faith in Jesus? ( not a bad thing considering many were persecuted before us). Have I compromised with the world, sitting on the fence? Or have I become corrupted and polluted by the things of the world? Maybe I’m as dead as the church of Sardis was? Have I become lukewarm the worse condition to be in? Am I on fire for the Lord or just ride the wave as it comes? What is being lukewarm? No real commitment to the Lord or passion for others. Not being on the alert just as the 5 foolish virgins were and just being a Christian by name only with no fruit to show for. I’m afraid that many of today’s churches have become lukewarm. There are many so-called followers of Christ that have no discernment at all about the signs of the time or know the word, they have become sleepy and are not watching.

I pray to the Lord that I will not be lukewarm or compromise with the world. No physical church or denomination can save anyone. No certain Priest or Pastor can save anyone. I can talk a lot of Christianise, play Churchanity or appear to be highly spiritual. All of those are just outward things and the Lord does not look on the outside as people do, He looks at the heart. God knows our heart. I think it is very wise and important to examine ourselves from time to time, to see if we are truly in the faith or if we have left our first love. There is one thing Jesus said that should concern all of us who are confessing believers in Christ:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Mat 7:21.

The letters to the seven churches can be found in the book of Revelation, chapter 2 and 3.

As in the days of Noah

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; “but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. “Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 21:17-30.

Jesus is talking about the judgment that will come upon the whole earth. Biblical evangelical Christians believe that this day is very near. The signs of the time and the many prophecies that have come to pass confirm this. There are many prophecies yet to be fulfilled concerning the end of days, but every day we watch the news and see the stage set for the final act. One of the “super signs” was fulfilled when Israel became a nation in 1948. For almost 2000 years there was no nation of Israel. The Romans under Titus destroyed the temple and the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. Many Jews were brutally slaughtered and others were dispersed all over the known earth.

This was a judgment of God on the nation of Israel because they had forsaken Him. Jesus said this to His disciples when the were admiring the beauty of the temple in Jerusalem. “These things which you see, the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.” Luke 21:6.

This prophecy came true about 40 years later, when the Romans literally destroyed the temple and threw every stone of the temple mount and they are still lying there to this day. Not one stone was left upon another. They were scattered all over the earth and the nation was no more, until 1948. Many believe that this date is very significant because Jesus on the Olivet discourse said among many other prophecies concerning the end times, something about a fig tree. Please read Matthew 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13. “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: “When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. “So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near, at the doors! Mark 13:28, 29.

The fig tree as many scholars believe is a symbol for Israel. You may remember that Jesus cursed the fig tree because it bore no fruit and the next day it was withered. Jesus was showing that Israel had failed the Lord and did not bear any fruit as He had desired. Because of it God threw them out of the land. When Israel became a nation again in 1948, the fig tree back in the land, the summer is near and the return of Jesus is very near. Jesus goes on to say: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” Mark 13:30.

This generation, what generation did Jesus refer to? It could not have referred to the generation of the disciples, because Jesus obviously did not return in their life time. It is also possible that the word generation can be understood as a race or people. This may be a promise that the Jewish race will not perish before history ends. Of course many people mock Christians concerning prophecies and the coming judgment of God. They are mocking and scoffing because it’s been almost 2000 years and Jesus has not returned to judge the world.

The Apostle Peter wrote: “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder, that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” 2Peter 3:1-10.

The judgment will come upon the whole earth, that’s why it should be on every Christians heart to warn the world. I’m not talking about standing on the street corners and preach fire and brimstone messages like for example the Westboro Baptist church does. That kind of approach turns people away from God, rather than drawing them near. Messages like God hates you, or you are going to Hell will accomplish just the opposite. The unbelievers will think that Christians are nuts. We are living in a world that changes by the minute. We are seeing the worldwide economy in decline, geopolitical events and problems are in the news every day and much of the focus is on the Middle East. Israel, a small country about the size of New Jersey is in the news almost every day, they are surrounded by enemies just as foretold in the Bible.

The last days or the end times revolve around Israel and her neighbors. Israel is the center of the world, Jerusalem is the center of Israel and the temple mount is the Epicenter. The Bible says that in the last days the armies of the surrounding nations will come against Israel, the economy of the world will collapse and people are struck with perplexity. We see all of these things come to pass. Iran wants to wipe Israel of the map, the EU, US , UN and Russia want to divide the land which is spoken off in Joel chapter 2. I believe sincerely that we are living in the very last minutes of the last days which began by the way at Pentecost. Now more than ever do we need to talk to our neighbors, friends and family members that do not know the Lord. I know, many will call us crazy, just as the people did when Noah build the Ark. The scoffed and mocked him, laughing while he was building the ark.

It took Noah about 120 years to finish the ark. God gave people plenty of time to repent, Noah preached about the judgment of God to come, but they would not listen and instead it was business as usual. We see the same things today, the handwriting is on the wall, but people can’t read it or understand it. With everything that is happening around them, it business as usual. Noah warned the people, God gave them time, but one day, God closed the ark. The judgment came and it was too late for those who mocked and laughed. Same thing today, we warn people, God is giving them time and they continue to laugh, reject and mock us. One day the door will close and it will be too late. It’s no longer business as usual for them.

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 2Ti 3:1-4.

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32.

“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.

A 2000 + year old desert religion; still relevant for us today? (media4lifeministries.com)
What About the Judgement Day (verticalviewer.wordpress.com)
When will Jesus return? Only the father knows… (pastormikesays.wordpress.com)

Good without God?

Atheist or Anti-theist are pushing their agenda with the ultimate goal to remove God from the government, schools and public life. Atheist believe that without religion, society would be better off and the world would be more peaceful.

Religion in their view is outdated and obsolete. They argue that we have made many advances in science, the medical field and we possess a higher knowledge than our forefathers did. They believe that all the answers can be found in science and human wisdom. They believe that with human reasoning and science they can fix most of the problems facing modern society and the world today.

One of their arguments is, “if we could just get rid of these religious people the world would be a better place.” They have billboards and signs on buses that read: “There is probably no God” and “you can be good without God.” Atheist and Anti-theist have become increasingly outspoken over the last few decades and the liberal media outlets have given them a platform to do so. Although Atheist are a minority in this country and the world , people like Atheist Bill Maher have their own shows on cable TV.

Just recently, Bill Maher ridiculed Tim Tebow again and again because of Tim’s faith in Jesus Christ. He mocked him because he prays on the field and speaks openly about Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I have not heard Maher and others attacking Muslims, Buddhist and Hindus in the media as they attack Christians and Christianity. Are they afraid to speak out about Islam? Are we dealing with hypocrites that attack one faith only, Christianity? Political correctness has taken over this country and made it almost impossible to say anything in the media or in public about other faith groups like the Muslim faith for example. The liberal media is very quick to report on people who speak out against Islam and the Islamic Sharia law.

People that voice their concerns about radical Islam and it’s teachings are called by the media, Islamophobic. The liberal media seems to have no problem with Christian bashing on TV. Shows like Maher’s mock Jesus Christ and His followers, ridiculing them because of their faith. Would this country be better off without God? I don’t think so. We are already witnessing a vast moral decline in society. If we remove the God of the Bible completely from public life, this country and the world would be in chaos. The moral values that we once had would be forgotten and everybody would do what’s right in their own eyes. The US constitution is based on biblical principles, the ethic and moral law that we all enjoy can be found in the pages of the Bible.

The founding fathers, although not all of them were believers wrote the constitution with the ten commandments and the laws of the Torah as a guide. Many want to deny this today, trying to change the history of this country by adding things that are not true. Go to Washington DC and look at the US Supreme Court House. On the Western facade, you find the words “Equal Justice Under Law” and on Eastern facade, “Justice the Guardian of Liberty.” The Eastern facade has Moses holding the two tablets with the 10 commandments as the law giver. Our moral and ethical values come from the 10 commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.

The judiciary laws are based on biblical principles. If we take God and the Bible out of the equation, how would this world look? Who would set the moral standards, who would decide what is right and what is wrong? What is right for somebody may not be right for somebody else.

If we solely base morality on human reason alone instead of God, how would this world look? There are already plenty of people in society today that think there is nothing wrong with killing or raping someone. Nothing wrong with stealing from others. If we build a society based on human reasoning and human understanding without God or the ten commandments, society as we know would cease to exist.

The reason that we are still live in a somewhat civil society is because of believing Christians that stand for conservative principles. I’m not saying that every non believer or liberal person is bad, but in general a liberal mindset has no boundaries. It’s a view of compromise, tolerance towards those with the same mind, but the most intolerant people against those in opposition. Atheist and liberals look at issues as grey, rather than black or white. That is a dangerous view to have because it is clouded and uncertain. Jesus said, “Let you yes be yes and your no be no, everything else is of the evil one.” Religions have been around since the beginning, all religions have one thing in common, a set of moral and ethic rules to live by. These different religions have much in common when it comes to moral and ethical values. Who gave mankind moral values? People intrinsically know when they did something wrong. They know that certain behaviors are wrong. How do they know?

Is it because God has given mankind moral standards that are instilled in every human being? I heard a story of missionaries that went into the deepest jungle in South America and reached a people who were totally isolated from the world. They had a custom of revenge killing. After month and month of ministering to the tribal people and telling them about Jesus and salvation and forgiveness through Him, the chief told them a story. A family member was killed by a rival tribe and as it was their custom, he sought out the person and killed him in return. Justice was served in their belief. The missionary spoke in length with the chief and ask him how he felt killing someone. The chief answered that he knew it was wrong, but he did it anyways and felt terrible afterwards. God gave us all a conscience. Instinctively we know what’s right or wrong. God’s law is written on our hearts, some just ignore and refuse God’s law and have hardened their hearts.

So, my fellow Atheist, you may deny God and His existence. You may want to shout from the roof tops, “I can be good without God.” The fact is His laws are written on your heart. If you want to get rid of God from society, the society will collapse sooner or later. There are some Godless societies, North Korea would be one. Maybe that would be a good model for us to learn from? Instead of worshiping God, people worship the supreme leader.

“Man will ultimately be governed by God or by tyrants.” Patrick Henry.

“It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains.” Benjamin Franklin.

“Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom.” Patrick Henry.

“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Thomas Jefferson.

“The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free Constitutions of Government.” Noah Webster.

The Atheist Dilemma (media4lifeministries.com)
Human Reasoning or God’s Standard’s? (media4lifeministries.com)
I Was an Atheist Like You Before I Found Jesus (fallenfromgrace.net)
Bill Maher – Anti-Tebow Tweet Not Much of a Joke (fueledbyscotch.wordpress.com)
A case of Blasphemy by Bill Maher. Why do people hate Jesus so much? What can we do? (pastormikesays.wordpress.com)

The Atheist Dilemma

Atheists or Anti-theists love to make the statement, “there is no God!” I had numerous conversations with anti-theists which lead nowhere except around and around in circles. An Atheist strongly believes that there is no God, just as I strongly believe God exist. Sometimes I wonder why atheists are so outspoken against something they claim does not exist. They even have their own symbol and hold conventions, and meetings of “Free Thinkers”. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, who recently expired, and many others have written numerous books on their belief’s.

Before I was a believer, I never thought of going around mocking Christians and their faith and belief’s in God. Atheists, however, go out of their way pushing their godless agenda. Atheists can get pretty upset when I call atheism a religion. Their statement of “there is no God” is an empty statement, because they cannot for a fact disprove God. Neither can I necessarily prove the existence of God. In my view an atheist has thoroughly examined all the evidence and has come to the conclusion in his or her mind that God does not exist.

Since the atheists can not disprove God for a fact, their belief that God does not exist is by faith. As a believer I know with an absolute certainty that God exist and that God is the creator of all things. I have not seen God, but I believe by faith just as the atheist believes by faith. When I say God, I mean the God of the Bible, YHWH, the only true and living God. God is only a title and there are many god’s. It can get confusing sometimes because people have made so many of their own god’s in the past and present. The Bible speaks very clearly about the natural man, which in this case, the atheist is, a natural man without any kind of true spiritual understanding. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 2Cr 2:14.

It is a fact that unbelievers and rejecters of God have no spiritual understanding or relationship in any way to the true and living God. The dilemma for the atheists is that they can not be sure that there is no God. One thing believers and unbelievers share is that, at one point in our life, we will have to face death. One out of one dies and that is reality. The question for the atheist is, what happens at the moment of passing? Blackness, darkness, nothingness? The light switch just get’s turned off? What if you are wrong, my dear atheist? What if there is something that happens at the moment of death? The writer of Hebrews wrote this: “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment..” Heb 9:27.

What if he is right, my atheist friend? Can you stand before God on your Day of Judgment having rejected Him? The only unpardonable sin is the rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I would not want to be in your shoes on that day. Are you 100% sure that God does not exist? Because if not, I would really take some time to learn about Jesus. Meet the real Jesus, not the one portrayed on the History Channel or Discovery channel. Start with the gospel of John. Jesus said, “seek and you shall find,” Matthew 7:7. I think that the atheist community is in a dilemma because, if their theory proofs to be wrong, there is much to fear: Eternal separation from God. Even the unbelievers are still getting blessed by God, which will end one day, either when they die or on Judgment Day, at the end of the age.

The Bible teaches that today is the day of salvation. Seek God before it is too late. I hope and pray that any proclaiming atheist reads this to at least investigate who Jesus is, why He came and died on the cross for the sin of the world. The glorious promise of eternal life He gave to all of those who believe in Him by faith. Jesus said, “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. Jesus does not want anyone to perish but to have everlasting life. Are you sure that when you die there is nothing? Think about it.

“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.” Psalm 14:1

Believers in Jesus are not any better than anybody else. We are sinners just like everybody else. We are fallen creatures that were forgiven by Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross. Heaven is not full of good people, but of forgiven sinners.

“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.

Revised by Tikvas Garden.

Faith a gift from God (media4lifeministries.wordpress.com)
Looking unto to Jesus… (media4lifeministries.com)
Good without God? (media4lifeministries.com)
I Was an Atheist Like You Before I Found Jesus (fallenfromgrace.net)

Looking unto to Jesus…

Most people are probably familiar with the story in Matthew 14. It’s the story where Jesus walks on the water.

It was just before the break of dawn when Jesus walked on the water towards the boat were the disciples spend the night crossing the Sea of Galilee. At first they thought it was a ghost and they started to fear. Jesus called out to them, “Be of good cheer, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter was the first to react, I think maybe with a little bit of doubt asking Jesus, “Lord if this is You, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus answered, “Come”. So Peter stepped out of the boat and onto the water. I wonder sometimes when I read that passage, what must have gone through Peter’s mind that very moment, realizing that he was actually walking on water?

Peter stepped out in faith and was walking towards the Lord. As the story goes on, Peter got very afraid seeing the boisterous wind and the waves coming towards him. He became fearful and started to sink. He cried out to Jesus, “Lord save me.”. Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and caught him. After this Jesus said to Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”.

I think Jesus said this with a little chuckle. Why did Peter have fear and doubts? He stepped out in faith and walk a short distance on the water before he started to drown. I think the reason is because Peter took his eyes off the Lord. His faith turned into fear. Instead of believing Jesus Who said to him “Come” he became fearful.

Fear and Faith are mutually exclusive. Faith and Fear cannot co-exist. The one cancels out the other. One cannot have faith and fear at the same time. That’s what happened to Peter, he was walking on the water and the moment he took his eyes of Jesus, he started to sink. The lesson we can learn from this is to keep our eyes on Jesus. As long as we stay focused on Jesus and do not fear whatever wave or storm may come our way, we will not sink as Peter did. The world is full of fear and doubts, people are scared about the economy, geopolitical events and many other things in their daily life’s.

We as believers in Christ should not fear or doubt. We can firmly stand on God’s word and His promises. We cannot please the Lord by fearing. Jesus said many times, “Fear Not!” The Bible says in Hebrews: “..looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith….” Heb 12:2. Looking onto Jesus… Without Jesus we can do nothing and without faith, it’s impossible to please God. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus, He is the shinning light unto our path.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Phl 6:4.

“It is written….” (media4lifeministries.com)
Wash my Feet… (media4lifeministries.com)

A 2000 + year old desert religion; still relevant for us today?

Christianity cannot be considered a philosophy as some have you believe. Christians believe and know that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the OT. He is the One that would come to be the Savior of the world through the shedding of His blood on the cross.

God made this promise way back in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit and sin entered the world. Sin brought forth spiritual death (separation from God). Satan the adversary tempted Eve by lying to her. God had told them not to eat of a specific tree or else they would die. They chose not to obey God’s word and gave into the temptation of Satan. He told Eve that they would not die if they ate of the fruit, contradicting God’s word.

What was that fruit? Nobody really knows, I ‘m sure it was not an apple. Because of this the fall occurred. Did they die after eating the fruit? No, they did not die physically but they died spiritually. Satan did lie to them. Jesus said in the gospel of John: “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.

There is no truth in Satan at all. He lied to Adam and Eve and he is lying to the world. He has deceived many over all those centuries and they died spiritually spending time separated from God for eternity. One of his biggest lie is that he does not exist and that God does not exist. Many haven fallen into that trap, including me for many years. They either don’t think much about God or flat-out deny Him. They serve Satan and don’t even know it. Bob Dylan once wrote in one of his songs, “you gotta serve someone”.

The unrepentant world serves Satan and his agenda, willingly or unwillingly. The disobedience of Adam and Eve which caused sin to enter in to the once perfect world resulted in them being cast out of the garden. Adam and Eve saw the consequences of their disobedience, when one of their son Cain murdering Abel. God had created everything perfect but Lucifer a high ranked Cherubim had a pride issue and rebelled against God (Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28). By tempting Adam and Eve, the first recorded murder took place and things got worse after that. Sin was in the world and Satan was then and is now the ruler of this world because Adam and Eve forfeited the earth over to Satan. In the beginning was light but now Satan brought in darkness. The Bible which Christians believe is God’s written word to mankind, and is really a book of redemption. From Genesis to Revelation the book outlines God’s redemptive work, the promised Savior to mankind as promised shortly after the fall. “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15.

This is the first messianic prophecy found in the Bible. The Bible is historically accurate and we have the creation account, the fall, the flood in the days of Noah and the multiplying of people and the origin of nations. The Bible tells us that Noah had three sons, Japheth, Ham and Shem. Japheth and Ham are the fathers of the African, Middle Eastern, Northern European and Asian nations. Through the line of Shem came Abraham, Moses, King David and Jesus. Jesus is the promised Messiah from back in Genesis. He came to the nation of Israel to reconcile them to God as promised. The OT speaks of the suffering Messiah in Isaiah 53. Jesus was that suffering servant who came and was despised and hated by own. He shed his blood on the cross for the remission of sins. The religious leadership rejected Him as the Messiah and because of that, God punished them by dispersing them throughout the world by the Romans in AD 70.

As foretold in the OT the gospel i.e. the good news, would come to all the Gentile nations because of Israels rejection. The Gentiles were grafted into the olive tree. The early Church started in Jerusalem and later went out and it was in Antioch that they were first called Christians or Christ-like. From there the gospel went throughout the whole world. The gospel is really simple and it is as important today as it was yesterday and no other religion or philosophy can save us from our sins. Forgiveness and salvation is only through Jesus Christ and His redemptive and finished work on the cross. The cross was the fulfillment from Genesis. Here is the gospel message in a very simple and easy way to understand:

“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. What could be more simpler? Jesus purchased back the title-deed to the earth that was forfeited by Adam. God paid a very high price for it, the blood of His Son. Jesus was the the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. He was the unblemished passover lamb. The blood of the animals could only cover the sins of ancient Israel. The blood of Jesus the lamb takes away sins and God will not remember them anymore. They are forgotten as far as the east is from the west. Why is this “desert religion” still relevant 2000 years later? Because people are still sinners today and in need of forgiveness by God through His Son. The meaning of the word sin is simply “to miss the mark” and all of us have missed the mark. Many people say that they are “good people” and compassionate etc. In the eyes of a Holy God however we all fall short of His glory. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” Romans 3:23. Sin is death and God can not allow sin in His presence because He is Holy and just and cannot approve of sin. There is a punishment for sin: eternal separation from God i.e. Hell. The Bible teaches that we all will die once and then judgement.

“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” Hebrews 9:27, 28

A believer in Jesus as their Lord and Savior will not be judged as the unbelievers and those who reject Jesus and God’s plan of salvation. No religion or philosophy, good behavior and good deeds will get a person into heaven and eternal life. There is only one way and Jesus said so Himself:

“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

Personally I think that this “desert religion” is very relevant today. Considering that there will be a judgment of God and realizing that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No one can stand before God and defend themselves on that day. The punishment for sin is eternal separation from God which is also called the lake a fire where the fire is never quenched. I am not sure how exactly that looks like, but I’m sure I don’t want to be there. Thanks to God because of His love and mercy towards us, He has provided a way for us to be reconciled to Him. Jesus Christ the righteous and by believing in Him by faith, His righteousness is imputed onto every believer. It is His righteousness God the Father looks at, not our righteousness which does not exist. All sins past, present and future are forgiven and there will be no eternal judgment but eternal life with Him. That’s the good news and I hope that you have thought of your life and where you will be spending eternity. Jesus is real and He is alive and He will come again to take the believers home. The Bible says today is the day of your salvation. Tomorrow may never come. Should you die tomorrow, do you know where you will be going?