Do gooder.[ Acts 10 v 38 ]

John is known as the apostle of love ,and like James in his epistle ,he see's love as being an evidence of being Christs ,in 1John3 v17-18,we read,/But whoso hath this worlds good,and seeth his brother have need,and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,how dwelleth the love of God in him?. My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue,but in deed and in truth./It  was M Luther who said we are saved by faith alone,but the faith that saves is never alone,the importance of good works is stressed  continually throughout scripture. In Ephesians 2v10,we read,/God has created us anew in Christ Jesus ,so we can do the good things He has planned for us long ago/. The good works are not just related to money,although a lot of it is,it is about supporting people in different ways,visiting,praying,whatever, and wherever there is a need. Our Saviour went about doing good ,He was a good doer,we all need to be good doer's,let us remember that even a cup of  cold water will receive it's reward ,likewise clothing ,visiting,befriending a stranger,[  Matthew 25 v 31ff] I remember many years ago when money was so scarce, friends bought my wife a new outfit,and also gave us a washing machine. I have never repaid them for their kindness ,but one day Jesus will.
A  prayer..../Dear God help to be good doer's ,to  follow the example of our Saviour . Amen /

Hate.[ 1 John 4 v 20 ]

Now let us consider our next theme, love,there is so much said about love,the NT emphasizes different aspects of love physical,brotherly ,and what we can call Christian love,Agape,this expression of love is a God love.God is love,as His children we are meant to reflect God love,and John makes it clear that it is not optional. This love involves many things,but it especially involves loving our fellow Christians,it is a command,Jesus said,/These things I command you , that ye love one another[John 15 v17 ],the question is are we obeying this command?. In stressing the importance of loving our fellow Christians John  contrasts two extremes,hate and love. In stressing hate he is using a term  for the most extreme breakdown in relationship,the lesser is just as serious,  all unlove has serious consequences. Simply because it challenges what Christ commanded us,that we are to love one another,we may not hate our fellow Christians ,but we may not like them,we may despise them,we may not forgive them for hurts caused.Such a spirit has its consequences,[ CP Matthew6 v15] John deals with hopefully that which is not two common,  but is very serious,that of a professing Christian hating another Christian. Can you think of a situation where it may happen?well it can happen, but John spells out what that means, whatever the cause,that person is in darkness,[cp 1 v9-11]and it is likened unto being a murderer[3 v15]which is clear indication that he ,or she is not saved,now that is very serious.
A  prayer....../Dear God ,You love all men, and forgive all who seek You,help us to be more like You in Jesus name Amen /

Evidence [1 John 5 v7 ]

Next let us consider Christ and His divinity,I recently watched the movie,the D  Code ,a movie that was based on a book of fiction,the theme of that book/movie was that Christ was not divine,and that the church had suppressed this truth. To the writers of the NT ,the divinity of Christ was vital,to them Christ was not  only the son of man,but also the Son of God.John in his Gospel  declares,/But these are written,that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,the Son of God[ John 20v31],in his ist epistle he uses the term Son of God,I think 6 times,and many other references he makes that stress Christs divinity.This is an absolute vital doctrine which we must not compromise on,to the Jew,Moslem,cults ,and liberal so called Christians,this truth is a stumbling block,.I finish by quoating John Stott,/The true Christian ,born from above,believes in the Son of God,keeps the commandments of God,each involves the other/.
A prayer..../God and Father we worship You and Your Son through the divine Spirit ,Amen /

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/