What is your Gospel?

Romans 16:25 Paul tells us, "Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ. . ." What was Paul referring to as "my gospel"? We know that Paul preached "Christ and him crucified", as well as "all have sinned" and that "the wages of sin is death." When one looks at the words of Jesus Himself, you find that Paul was right on track. How does that line up with the Gospel preached or lived by many today? Not very well. God does not promise us a life of health, wealth, and prosperity if we serve Him. To the contrary, His Word confirms that if we serve Him we are guaranteed to experience turmoil, persecution, and difficulty. The Gospel we are instructed to proclaim is one of a hope in heaven. How do we attain this hope? First we must realize and admit that we have broken God's commands and that that makes us guilty in God's eyes. Secondly, we must ask God to forgive us for sinning. Thirdly, we must accept Jesus'payment of our punishment. Lastly, we must place ourselves in God's control. Is that the gospel that you live by and share with others. To ignore the gospel of the Bible is to condemn yourself to an eternity of punishment in the lake of fire. It is essential that we share the truth, not what sounds good or makes us popular. So, what is your gospel?

The God of the Real

"He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake." A familiar tune I know, but the truth of the matter is that it is all based on a lie. Does that seem like a strong statement? We live in a world where true reality doesn't matter, only perceived reality. If I want to believe in Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, or Godzilla that is my liberty. Also, if I don't want to believe in UFOs, Hell, or God, that is also my choice. Jesus plainly stated that those that worship Him must do so in spirit and in truth. Do you worship the real Jesus? Do you realize that you need Jesus more than you need air to breathe? When we tell one lie, take one thing that is not ours, or look one time with lust we break the law of God and condemn ourselves to an eternity of punishment in the lake of fire. We are all guilty, and deserve to be punished, but Jesus entered the courtroom of eternity and took your place and suffered your judgment . . . death. We could act the fool and refuse His offer or we could accept it on His terms. What are His terms? You must acknowledge that you havfe broken God's laws, ask for His forgiveness, and give Him complete control of your life. Scripture commands us to follow up our commitment with baptism and involvement in His work. That is real.

The Myth of Separation

Quite often in recent years we have heard the phrase "separation of church and state". This phrase has been used to justify keeping anything and everything to do with God out of politics, government, and the public eye. Sadly, Christianity as a whole has swallowed this principle and allowed it to be expanded. How so? We have been taught that there is very little connection between the spiritual realm or religion and "real" life. The sad result of this is that many feel that their relationship with God consists only of going to church, tithing, giving to charities, and the like. They see no reason for God to be involved in their everyday lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is the God of all or not at all. He has told us that whatever we do we are to do it as if it were for Him. That includes everything: how we drive, how we do business, how we talk about others, how we treat our family, how we compete in athletics. . . everything. We are also told in Scripture that we will answer for every word, thought, and deed. There is no separation. Coincidentally, the separation of church and state; it's not in our Constitution. It was mentioned in a personal letter from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison. It's a myth, just like the belief that God desires to be separated from certain areas of your life.

Why Bother?

Why have a blog? Why put thoughts and words out there? The simple answer is, to do my part to fulfill what God has given me to do--to point people to Him. My desire and prayer is for this to be a springboard for conversation, thoughts, and encouragement in pursuing some very important questions. Does God exist? If so, what form does He take? What are His expectations for mankind? What are the reward for meeting or the consequences for not meeting those expectations? Is this life all there is or is there more? What role does religion have in "real" life? Let's jump in!