Evidence of us being Christians. [ 1 John 4 v 1-3 ]

I have just read 1st John ,which stresses a number of things which I would class as evidence,proff that we are truly belong to Christ,this is just a brief outline,Truth, Love,and Works. There are other aspects of this epistle these  ,but we will consider these three. Truth as to the person of Jesus,in 4v1 John warns us not to believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit,the world is full of many who peddle error. We are to realise that not everyone who talks  about God ,is speaking the truth,as the Message puts it,there are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world. John advises us test what they say,and the biggest test is what they teach about Jesus,in John two things are stressed about Jesus that indicates that we are Christians,we believe in Christs humanity, and His divinity. In other words  Christ was truly human, and truly divine,if we deney this, which many do ,we are judged  to be error.Right at the very beginning John stresses Christ humanity 1v1,Johns personal testimony is as follows,WE[his fellow apostles and himself], heard Him,they saw Him ,they touched Him,in other words Christ was a real living human being. I will touch on His divinity,next time,take time to think about Christs humanity ,His perfect humanity,but a humanity that felt pain,experienced temptation,hunger,and rejection,which equipped Him to be our great high priest [Hebrews 4 v15].Also His sinless humanty which qualified Him to be our Saviour,the lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.
A  prayer....../ Dear God we thank you for Jesus ,the Word who became flesh,who lived a perfect life,and  who died as a perfect sacrifice for sinners Amen ./

A hoax [ 2 Thessalonians 2 v 8 ff]

In 1810 in London a chimney sweep knocked on the door of a house in Berners Street,just north of Oxford Street.He had been sent for,he said,mystified the residents said they had no need of a sweep and closed the door.This was just the beginning throughout the day tradesmen,and goods began to arrive at the home ,2,500 raspberry tarts doctors,fishmongers,midwives,furniture,groceries, and so it went on.Who perpetrated this hoax was never discovered,but it was hoax on a grand scale,the reason why it happened is not clear,it was thought that the person who was responsible had hired rooms in the street so he and his friends could observe the scene.A hoax is described as a humorous,or cruel trick,when a person or persons are deceived .As I was driving today I noticed JWs ,are they not believing a hoax,the world is full of people believing a hoax,and it is far from being funny,in fact I see it as being cruel, for those who invented such ,are damming  souls to a lost eternity .Christianity is based on truth,on Him who is the way the truth and the life[ [John 14 v6 ],who he is and what He did is clearly shown in the Jewish scriptures, in His coming he totally fulfilled ,whom He was , the Son of God,the Saviour of sinners,the one who died and rose again.from the dead.
A prayer ..../ Dear God have mercy upon those who are taken in by hoaxers, open their blinded eyes to see Jesus the true and only Saviour of the world ,Amen/

Addiction.[ john 8 v 36]

Recently a lady was sent to prison because  she let her little child starve to death,she never reported the death and continued to collect the child benefit .This went on for two years,until it was discovered,this lady was addicted to drink, her addiction blinded her to the seriousness of what she was doing .Now in prison as she sobers up for the first time in many years she may start to consider what she did,she may not,she may still be blinded by her addiction. I started smoking when I was a young lad,a lot of people smoked in those days,thankfully many are stopping now.When I came back to the Lord ,I believe He helped me to quit the cigarettes,and I have never backslid into smoking.I also have not drunk alcohol for 49years,now I mention alcohol,it is not a sin to drink alcohol, but like so many things,be it food,sex,power,or whatever, they are all things that can become addictive. When Christ forgives us our sins,He can also set us free,this is all very possible,Millions have discovered, freedom, and forgiveness through Christ ,as the old hymn puts it,though millions have come there's still room for one,there,s room at the cross for you.
A  prayer ...../Dear God we thank You that in love You sent Jesus to forgive us our sins and to set us free Amen /

Only in Christ [ John 15 v 5 ]

I think it was Winston  Churchill who said gave me the tools and I will do the job,and it is Peter in his 2nd epistle who writes,By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life[2 v3]. The challenge for all of us is to live a godly life,what does that mean to you?,I see it as loving  God, loving others,loving truth. The Christian life is one of love not a legalistic grinding out, a love relationship,when our Saviour appealed to Peter it was on the bases of love[John 21].I can assure you that living a life of love is a mighty big challenge,the biggest challenge that any one could face. How can we rise to that challenge day after day?by getting to know Christ personally and intimately[The Message]. In Him is the divine power, and linked with His divine power we have the divine word,those exceedingly great and precious promises.It is Christ who is author and finisher of our faith [Hebrews 12 v2],so it is we can go forward into each new day ,we must place our confidence in Him.William Barclay writes,/What Christianity says is that mankind is
 capable of becoming sharers in the divine nature-but only in Jesus Christ can their destiny come true, and only in Him can our potentiality be realised/
A  prayer...../Dear God we thank that through Jesus we can face life and be victorious Amen/

He shall choose [ Psalm 47 v4 ]

Life is about making choices,and often we are not clear as to the choice we should make,recently we bought a car,it appeared to be what I wanted,I had done my homework,and  I had prayed,but when we got it,we found it had problems,so we had to get rid of it,we changed it for another car.What had gone wrong ?,I had made my choice but it was not Gods choice,that is the conclusion I have come to. Newman in his hymn ,Lead kindly light, which really is a prayer ,prays for Gods leading,he writes/,I loved to choose my path,but now lead lead Thou me on,one step enough for me/.The Christian life is one of following Jesus,of making choices as to what is the will of God,and  this is not easy,we often make choices even after praying that may not be Gods choice.Could it be that God allows us to make the wrong choice,in order to teach us lessons that we need to learn?. In Psalm 47 v4 we read,He shall choose our inheritance for us,very meaningful words,with hindsight we appreciate many things,and I am ever so grateful,that God choose my pathway.Here is a prayer by Horatius Bonar, which we can end with.
               /  Thy way, not mine, O Lord,however dark it be,Lead me by Thine hand choose out the path for me. Not mine,not mine the choice,in things or great or small.Be Thou my guide, my strength, my wisdom, and my all.  Amen./

Jesus saves. [ Mark 5 v1ff]

I  was told something recently that made me feel very sad,about a dear Christian brother and his wife,he used to be a Pastor and was hurt by different things that happened in his life,in that he left the ministry. He left feeling very hurt and I feel disillusioned with Christians,went back to a secular job,later I heard that his oldest daughter had committed suicide,and that his wife has become seriously mentally ill.This dear brother is in the process of seeking a divorce from his wife,all in all it is a very sad state of affairs, I tell you this because I want you to pray for that couple,it breaks my heart to hear what has happened to them. There are so many broken people in life,lives that are so messed up,but I believe that I have a God who has the answer.I work with the mentally ill,I see people whose lives are so broken,and they don't get better,maybe your life is broken,through no fault of your own,or maybe it is your fault,whatever the reason,Christ is the answer,let me repeat this Christ is the answer. I believe this with all my heart,and would point you to the one who can save to the uttermost,even Jesus.
A  prayer ..../ Dear God we pray for that dear couple,have mercy and help,for You are the help of the helpless,and for the many broken lives in our world,that they turn to Christ Amen /

It can happen. [ Jeremiah 32v27]

Got any rivers you think our impossible ,got any mountains you cant tunnel through,God specialises in things thought impossible,so goes that old gospel song..These are words we need to hear,for so often we are pressed into a corner,and the odds are stacked against us,there seems no way out. So let me encourage you , and myself that with God all things are possible,let me repeat this with God all things are possible,He can make a way, where there appears to be no way,He can supply all your needs.  These words are not written to mock us but to encourage us,to trust in a sovereign God, and that the miracles recorded in the Bible are not just restricted to the Bible. I was talking to a Christian recently who shared his experience with me,it related to when he lived in what was then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. He contacted polio ,and this effected his breathing,to such a point that the hospital ordered an iron lung,before it arrived, his local church,and his church in England both prayed for him.The next day while lying in his hospital bed,he felt a stiffness in his back,when the nurse came in to tell him  that the iron lung had arrived,my friend greeted her in a way that surprised her.They examined him throughout the day and found no trace of polio,he was healed, he went on to serve the Lord
A  prayer...../.Dear God we acknowledge that You are a God of the impossible,grant Lord we may have faith to trust You  for the impossible in Jesus name Amen /