Rejoice in the Lord!

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.  (1 Peter 1:6-9)

Peter mentions suffering several times in this letter:  1 Peter 1:6-7; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:9.  When he speaks of trials, he is not talking about natural disasters or the experience of God’s punishments, but the response of an unbelieving world to people of faith.  All believers face such trials when they let their light shine into the darkness.  We must accept trials as part of the refining process that burns away impurities and prepares us to meet Christ.  Trials teach us patience (Romans 5:3, 4; James 1:2, 3) and help us grow to be the kind of people God wants.

Our Heavenly Inheritance

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (1 Peter 1:3-5)

In 1 Peter 1:2, believers are chosen to be included in God’s family, not on the basis of what they have done or who they are, but on the basis of God’s eternal wisdom. Sanctification is the ongoing process whereby the Holy Spirit works in believers, making their lives holy, separated from their old ways and to God in order to be more like Him. This verse mentions all three members of the Trinity – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit.  All members of the Trinity work to bring about our salvation.  The Father chose us before we chose Him (Ephesians 1:4).  Jesus Christ the Son died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 6:6-10).  The Holy Spirit brings us the benefits of salvation and sets us apart (sanctifies us) for God’s service (2 Thessalonians 2:13).

Only Member's of the RCC are SAVED?

I thought it would be interesting to see if all members of the Roman Catholic Church had the same belief as my Christian Brother Michael regarding "Salvation".

Michael is a very outspoken member of the RCC on all doctrines and traditions.  Michael has the Christian blog "BREAD OF LIFE" and just recently posted the following teachings on "WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?"  Click "here" and read what Michael has to say, then let me know what God is saying to you regarding His free gift of Salvation.

Then I want you to answer this simple question:  In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to Heaven?

The Unconquerable Love of Jesus

Today would have been my son Jim’s 35th birthday. My wife and I plan on going out to the cemetery to put a few fresh flowers on his grave and then spending the rest of the day hanging out together giving comfort and love to each other. Even though it has been seven years since Jim went home to be with our Lord and Savior, it sometimes feels just like yesterday when my wife and I received that devastating news of his suicide. Sometimes the hardest emotion to overcome is the guilt that comes from not being there when your child needs you the most.

God has been so good to us over the years and has given us so many blessings. I want to personally let all of you mom and dads out there know that if you have ever had a child die, for any reason, my sincere condolence and prayers go out to you. I can tell you personally that even though the grief and pain returns every now and then, I can testify to you this day that you can still have the peace, joy and happiness if you have Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord.

Evangelism: Every Believer’s Calling!

Christian belief is not built on speculation or myth but on the sovereign acts and words of God incarnate in the time-space universe. The birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ are solidly rooted in history. The kingdom of God was the central topic of discussion between Christ and His apostles during the forty days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension. The goal of history is not the Cross, but the crown—the time when King Jesus reveals Himself in all His majesty and reigns in glory (Isaiah 11:1-2; Daniel 7:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:24–28; Revelation 20:4–6).

At Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) the Holy Spirit was made available to all who believed in Jesus. We receive the Holy Spirit (are baptized with Him) when we receive Jesus Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit must be understood in the light of His total work in Christians:

God Will Make Everything New!

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. (Revelation 21:1-3)

The earth as we know it will not last forever, but after God's great judgment, He will create a new earth (Romans 8:18:21; 2 Peter 3:7-13). New here suggests freshness, not just a second beginning. This is the fulfillment of the prophecies (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13). Significantly, this eternal renewal has already begun in the life of the believer because, using the same term, Paul says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The present heaven and earth, including the sea, were burned up in the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11, 13), and thus have passed away before the arrival of the new heaven and earth. The fact that there will be a continuation of some features of the present creation in the new heaven and new earth is implied by the description of the New Jerusalem as the holy city, a title that is applied to the present Jerusalem in Revelation 11:2. Yet the drastic difference in the new eternal state is obvious from the fact that there will be no more sea, which was a major part of the original creation (Genesis 1:6–10).

How Is Your Conduct In The Midst Of Suffering?

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. (1 Peter 2:11-12)

As believers, we are “aliens and strangers” in this world, because our real home is with God. Heaven is not the pink-cloud-and-harp existence popular in cartoons. Heaven is where God lives. Life in heaven operates according to God’s principles and values, and it is eternal and unshakable. Heaven came to earth in the symbolism of the Jewish sanctuary (the tabernacle and temple) where God’s presence dwelt. It came in a fuller way in the person of Jesus Christ, “God with us.” It permeated the entire world as the Holy Spirit came to live in every believer.

Will You Spend Eternity With God?

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. (2 Corinthians 5:1-3)

Notice that the Apostle Paul contrasts our earthly bodies (“earthy house”) and our future resurrection bodies (“a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens”) so we KNOW that we will be clothed in our heavenly bodies when Jesus returns.

Paul clearly states that our present bodies make us groan, but when we die we will not be spirits without bodies (“be found naked”). Suffering makes believers long for their glorious future in heaven (Romans 8:22-23). We will have new bodies that will be perfect for our everlasting life. Like Paul, we look forward not only to our resurrected body but also to the reward we will receive in the future.

For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 5:4-5)

The believer’s future experience is called life, meaning the full experience of eternal life in Christ. The life experience of the future is being determined by how we invest this life today. The Holy Spirit’s work in believers’ lives can be compared to a deposit or down payment. The presence of the Holy Spirit assures believers that God has purchased them. It is a GUARANTEE that our Lord has prepared a place for us. We are no longer slaves to sin, but His children. We WILL receive all the rights and privileges of children of God when our Savior returns or when we die, which ever comes first.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

Because the believer has God’s guarantee (v. 5), we can be confident, a word that means “to be of good cheer” or “to be of courage.” Sight means “appearance.” Christ is not physically present, so believers live by faith (John 20:29). After the parenthetical thought of v. 7, Paul resumes where he left off in v. 6. He was not only confident (v. 6) that he was going to be with the Lord, he was pleased that he would be with the Lord after his death.

This is one of the passages in the New Testament that indicates where believers will go immediately after their death; they will be with Jesus in heaven (Phil. 1:23). Jesus’ promise to the repentant criminal on the cross next to Him indicates this: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)

Wanting to be with Christ (v. 8) produces the ambition to please Him (Luke 19:17). We strive to please the Lord not only because we know we will be with Him (v. 8) but also because He will evaluate our work—whether good or bad—and reward us accordingly.

The person unconcerned about doing good deeds shows a grave lack of vision. Appear means “to make visible” or “to make known.” Here it may refer to nothing more than an appearance, such as appearing in court before a judge. Or it may mean believers will stand before the Lord with their true character revealed. Receive means “to receive back,” “to get an equivalent,” or “to get one’s due.” The believer will be either approved or ashamed (2 Cor 5:3; Luke 19:11–26; 1 Cor. 3:14, 15; 9:27; 1 John 2:28; 2 John 7, 8). This truth should dramatically change the way we live, for our actions will be evaluated by our Master.

Only believers will appear before the judgment seat of Christ. The “great white throne” judgment described in Rev. 20:11–15 is for unbelievers. At His judgment seat, Jesus will determine a believer’s faithfulness to Him and reward each person appropriately (1 Cor. 3:11–15). This will not be a determination of one’s eternal destiny; that issue is decided the moment a person believes in Christ.

Knowing that in the future we will stand before Jesus Christ and face a review of our lives should motivate us to live righteously and faithfully in the present. How can we prepare for our eternal “audit”? Walk by faith not by sight (5:7). Develop a longing for heaven (5:8). Make it our chief aim in life to please the Lord (5:9). Keep the judgment seat of Christ in view (5:10).

Therefore indicates that this verse is a conclusion drawn from the previous one. The terror of the Lord is the fear of standing before the Lord and having one’s life exposed and evaluated. The reality of giving an account to the Lord motivated Paul to persuade people, in this context meaning to convince the Corinthians of his sincerity and integrity.

After studying and meditating on the above scriptures, can you now answer the question: Will You Spend Eternity With God? I can answer this by saying, YES, I will spend eternity with my Lord and Savior when I die.

Note: Some of the above information was taken out of the Nelson Bible Study.

The Free Gift of Salvation

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)

We have such a great and loving God, full of Mercy and Grace. It is hard for me to comprehend the extent of our God's love for us. God loved us so much that He came to earth, incarnated as Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. When I think of the pain and suffering that my Lord endured just too save a sinner like me it makes me want to reach out to Him and say "Thank you Lord!". My Lord's suffering makes anything that I might go through seem so minor and insignificant.

Just the thought of everlasting life and knowing that God has a place for me in Heaven brings peace and joy to me even in trying times. Do you have the peace and joy that I am talking about? God's gift of Salvation is free. All you have to do is accept His Son Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Is this the day that you will accept your free gift from God?

Believe in Him!

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15)

I remember, as a kid growing up, I attended a little Quaker church along with my brothers and sisters. I recall all of the friendly people there and the fun I had listening to Bible stories in Sunday School. I also cherished the memories of all the fun activities that this small Quaker church had to offer. I really enjoyed those years going to church, but when I think back on it, I now realize that I was only attending church for the fun and activities offered. I did not attend church to worship God.

That may explain why I didn't have much to do with religion when I became an adult. In fact, I went out of my way sometimes, to mock Christianity. I remember when I was in my early twenties living in a small town in Eastern Oregon. Two local church people came up to my door to welcome my wife and I to the community and witness to us. I remember how rude I was to them as I explained that I didn't need God and that "Only the weak" relied on Him. If I could only go back into time and tell those nice folks how sorry I was for acting that way towards them.

Sometimes God needs to get our attention by allowing things to happen in our lives that we don't like. How are things going for you? Is today going to be the day you reach out to the Lord?