What Is Truth?

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Just before Christ was crucified, Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler over Jerusalem asked a question of Christ that has puzzled mankind for thousands of years. That question was, “What is truth?” It was a good question; a deep question even. But strangely, Christ didn’t answer him. Why not? Did He not have universal truth to give? He sure did, but there was a very specific reason He did not answer.

Many in this world believe the Bible is open to interpretation to anyone professing Christianity. That notion could not be more wrong. Christ did not answer because he had a vile and corrupt ruler in front of Him who hated the law of God. It doesn’t matter if people today say they are Christian; if they do not obey God, they are not Christians – period. We can’t just throw the law of God out the window when the Bible is obviously a book of law from beginning to end. Christ wants us to know that if He’s going to reveal what truth is, that we have to do something.

Aquiring The Ability To Make Satan Flee!

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God only deals with one type of person – he that is humble. That is why the scriptures say God resists the proud (James 4:6). But an often overlooked aspect of this verse is the end part: …”Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

How is this possible? How do we resist Satan? There is only one way to drive this powerful and evil being away. If you submit to God, then Satan will flee from you – because he knows the power of God. Conversely, those that fail to do this will be in bondage to Satan’s desires. God’s will is that we obey Him, in all ways. That includes living by the commandments of God, something to irritates many who profess to walk the Christian life.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.” (Jam. 4:8)

God Condemns The Rich Man

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The title to this posts may be somewhat ambiguous, so let me explain.

None of us know what tomorrow may bring – only God does. We are totally helpless. In fact, He says our life is like a vapour, here a little while and then gone. That really puts the atheist point of view into perspective. What is our purpose and our meaning in life? Does the atheist know? Are we here merely to exist for a brutally brief period of time and then vanish as if never being here at all?

Some may say yes, and try to build their legacy in this lifetime. All that is irrelevant. Name me some important bankers of the 1920’s or 1930’s. At the time, they were important, well established and recognized men in their community and even within their country if the bank was big enough. Now, no one even knows their names. In fact, even in the very banks they worked, it is hard to find present day employees who are versed on these men.

So now the question of relevance becomes somewhat more important than legacy. I’m sure in their lifetime, these men were movers and shakers, making long-term plans for business. But God says:

“Go to now, you that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow…

True Christians Are Not Friends Of The World!

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I’m going to get disagreement with this post, but it is nonetheless biblical. God says that true Christians must never become too close with the ways of the world, because these are contrary to the ways of God:

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jam. 4:4).

Getting too friendly with the sins around us is demonstrating hatred against God, and it is a visible fruit that this person is NOT a true Christian. God has explicit instructions in the Bible for Christians, which must be followed for their own good. Rejecting these is willfully rejecting their marriage vows and trampling on their marriage covenant. In this light, it is easy to see why God calls these people His enemies.

How does the true Christian become too friendly with the world? By rejecting the “royal law” of James 2:8. By doing this they show that they are unworthy of being God’s royalty and noble Christian ambassadors. Christ calls the true (obedient) Christians his bride. Is this a calling more enticing than what the world offers? Of course it is – a trillions times more. And it is eternal and spiritual, rather than temporary and mortal.

Are You Praying Lustfully?

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True Christians must never prioritize objects ahead of God or it will kill them spiritually. God says: “You lust and have not: you kill and desire to have, and cannot obtain: you fight and war, yet you have not, because you ask not”(Jam. 4:2).

The expression “desire to have” actually means to covet something. Simply put, this type of prayer is nothing less than lusting for or receiving something. It is on the level of getting, rather than giving.

James 4:5 tells us, “Do you think that the scriptures says in vain, the spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?” We have human nature that gets us to lust, but we either have God or this world – never both! Lust destroys the true Christian spiritually. It comes from the deceitful heart that is desperately wicked within each human being (Jer, 17:9).

Yes, God says to ask for what we desire, but these desires must not be selfish or harmful to us. If we simply ask for money, power or fame, then these can be injurious requests.

“You ask and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts” (verse 3).

It’s pretty evident that this type of selfish prayer will not be answered and needs examination. When we ask “amiss,” we ask in an evil way, or in a selfish, wrongly focused prayer.

How To Rule The Tongue

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True Christians have their citizenship in heaven and represent/speak on behalf of the Almighty God of the universe. So God wants to teach them to speak like Him.

Many true Christians make mistakes, and “if anyone makes no mistakes in what he says, he is a perfect man able to bridle the whole body also” (Jam. 3:2, RSV). We all make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean these should be our way of life. If each Christian is able to bridle his body, then Christ can rule over the entire spiritual body.

“Behold we put bits in the horses’ mouths that they may obey us: and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whitsoever the governor listeth” (Jam. 3:3-4).

That’s no mean feat. Ships can be guided through waves and storms with a little rudder. Our tongue expresses what is in our mind, and if we can just control our tongue, we can guide our whole being and demonstrate a great deal of character.

A Volcano Burps And The World Staggers

Editors Comment: Found this article on TheTrumpet.com website and thought it was apt in dissecting the power of God through a biblical lens. No matter how powerful we think we are, nature (read God’s power) is infinitely more powerful. It’s all very humbling and should get us to see how insignificant we really are when stacked up against the power of God.

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A Volcano Burps And The World Staggers

The Trumpet.com, April 22, 2010

Eyjafjallajokull Glacier Volcano - http://www.boston.com

It is easy in this age of spectacular scientific advancement to forget how fragile and fleeting civilization is.

From a young age we’re groomed to trust implicitly in the human brain. We think technology and intellectual advancement have made mankind more resilient, more self-sufficient, and much less susceptible to catastrophe. Sophisticated medical practices and designer drugs alleviate suffering and stay the hand of death. Food crops are genetically modified to withstand drought and disease and to produce higher yields. Complicated social welfare programs are a safety net for millions. The powers of “science” have mitigated our vulnerability to disaster and chaos.

These achievements have fostered a fatal and widespread false sense of security.

Every now and then we get a stark glimpse into the fragility of human existence. A blood test reveals the presence of a fatal disease; a freak accident takes a friend; a tsunami swamps an entire region; a hurricane swallows an entire city; an earthquake snatches a quarter of a million lives.

How To Become A Friend Of God

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A Christian must show his faith by works. Faith is a lot more than merely believing in God. Faith with works means we believe God and do what he commands (Jam. 2:18)

God plainly states that faith without works is dead (Jam. 2:19-21). Now a lot of preachers will tell you that a Christian cannot be saved by works, and they are completely right. But they fail to state that works are still a necessary part of the qualification process for gaining eternal life. Otherwise it would not be listed in these verses. Leaving “works” out of the equation is merely another way of saying the law of God is abolished. But faith and obedience go hand in hand.

Scriptures also tell us that demons believe in God and tremble. But they don’t believe God (what He says) and still refuse to do faithful works. Now they face the blackest future one can imagine.

Verses 19-21 speak about Abraham being justified by his works. We know that God didn’t actually require Abraham to kill his son, but in his mind it was as good as done. Abraham waited 25 years for this promised son. He was an old man when Isaac was born, yet he was ready to sacrifice him to God – which was a prime example of his works – the kind of works that bring faith alive.

Abraham is the father of the faithful (Rom. 4:11). God desires that true Christians emulate his example and how far he was willing to go in obeying God. If we build up that type of faith filled obedience, God will bless us also, as He did Abraham.

Fulfilling God's Royal Law

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The book of James is a wonderful book about the Royal Law Of God.  It speaks of the majestic Father and the Son, so it is indeed a “Royal Law.” James 2:8 says:

“If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.”

This verse has a lot of depth. Most commentaries are dishonest when tackling it, saying they can’t be sure which law James refers to. That is why they say it point s only to the last six of God’s Ten Commandments.

Christ described the Ten Commandments as (1) Love to God, and (2) Love to neighbour. Clearly James is quoting from the same law, because when this quote is used by other New Testament writers , they often spell out some or all of the last six commandments (see Matt. 19:16-19). It’s clearly stated that you have to keep the commandments to enter into eternal life.

Many try to deceive themselves into believing the law of God is abolished by the New testament covenant, but this is not so. People who produce the commentaries are supposed to be biblical experts. So when they say they can’t identify the Royal Law, this is nothing more than rank ignorance.

God’s law can be applied everywhere – to all situations. It makes all things work. Take the example of child rearing. Who today understands how to handle children anymore? Many say they do, but they really don’t. They experiment and try things out, hoping to find something that works, but it never does. The behaviour of young people today spells that fact out clearly enough. Without clear guidelines, they go astray.

Christ came not to destroy the law, but to fulfill it – fill it to the full (Matt. 5:17). The law becomes even more binding in the New Testament.

God’s law is a law of liberty (Jam. 2:12). When we keep it, it frees us from contention and strife. It frees us from having disorderly children and broken families. It is a law of love. (I John 5:3). That law must dominate our thinking. Keeping it is our ultimate responsibility.

Show No Partiality!

God has set man on earth to prove their love with deeds. Sadly, this world is based on persons respecting persons, which is the curse of all mankind and causes endless problems.  People discriminate on the basis of wealth, privilege, sex, race, education, culture, talent, or any other number of things. The good looking discriminate against the ugly. Those who think they have class against others which supposedly have none. Some white people hate blacks or any other ethnic origin, while the opposite is also true.

The above mentioned failures are a direct result of not understanding the family plan of God. That is why this world has so many problems with physical family – strife, resentment, lack of teaching young people, divorce, etc. Understanding the family of God would clarify everything and lead to real happiness for mankind. But as long as organized religion teaches a watered down, lawless gospel, this cannot happen. And so we continue in a hate filled, divided and hopeless world that cannot solve its own problems.

God desires that all people be in His family eventually. That is why he sent Jesus Christ to die for them. How can we discriminate against each other if we understand this truth?  That could never be if people saw everyone’s potential as God does. All humanity has the potential to be a son of God someday.

Soon, when Christ returns, all people will treat everyone they meet with the highest respect, not shutting anyone out of the family of God. There will be no partiality, only honour.

“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially them who are of the household of faith.”(Gal. 6:10). It all starts with the true Church of God setting the example for the rest of mankind.  They hold to the head, Jesus Christ, reaching out to all others in the world, as they have opportunity.

Are You A Doer Of God's Word?

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Modern Christianity is all about being hearers of God’s word, but they forget to do, as admonished in James 1:22, 25:

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves…”

We have to take the instruction of God and do them, or otherwise we deceive ourselves. James uses “word” and “law” interchangeably. God’s law is the foundation of His word. God here condemns the apostasy of hearing and not doing, allowing lies and deceit, family problems, marriage problems and child rearing problems.

Verses 23-25 tell us that to solve the problem, we have to look into “the perfect law of liberty, freeing ourselves from lies and deceit and anything illicit in our life.

The expression “looketh into” denotes stooping down, seriously examining God’s law. Vincent’s Word Studies says that it implies penetrating, examining or looking into the very essence of the law of God. And the word “mirror” is a metaphor for the law. If you look into that mirror and see some sin in your life, then forgetting about it, you are a forgetful hearer, forgetting it is a way of life. So the emphasis on these verses is being a “doer of the law, to be able to know the Father and the Son.”

Many say they are serious about their religion, but God says it is in vain (Jam. 1:26). They talk themselves out of keeping God’s law in ambiguous ways, searching the scriptures in vain to support their weak doctrines. Yet the Bible is all about keeping the law of God, from beginning to end. This is a provable fact.

Religions without law believe they are doing a work for God – grinding at the mill”so to speak. Yet if it is not done according to God’s expectations, it is for nothing. Merely attaching the name of Christ to disobedience is reasoning around God’s law with their own minds (Jer. 17:9), a dangerous thing to do.

What Are The Conditions For Receiving God's Implanted Word?

James 1:21 is an interesting verse, in that it tells us to put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness (RSV) to receive God’s implanted word. So there are a few conditions attached to understanding what God says, namely getting rid of things that choke and pollute His word right out of our life.

Why does God’s word have to be implanted? Because as we nurture it, deep growth is experienced and roots form. In other words, God desires change and conversion. He wants us to be different today than we were yesterday. Christians cannot remain static spiritually.

So how does this process happen? Good Bible study for one thing brings God into our life. Deep prayer, fasting and meditation on the things of God are also extremely necessary for His divine nature to grow in the Christian. There is simply no way to receive it intellectually.

Another condition verse 21 speaks of is receiving God’s word with meekness. Having a childlike, teachable mind provides the fertile soil for God to implant His word in our mind and produce spiritual growth. God wants to make us “partakers of His divine nature” (II Pet. 1:4). Then only will His word grow to the point where we come to think and act like our Father. Then only do we grow in the grace and knowledge of God (II Pet. 3:18), to the point where we think and act like Him (Matt. 5:48).

Rule Your Emotions:Be Swift To Hear!

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We hear a lot of opinions, ideas and verbal exchanges today based on nothing more than fleeting ideas racing across emotional minds. How many people deeply think about what they say – before they say it? Better yet, how many even think of the repercussions of what they say?

God has quite a bit to say about how we communicate to each other as a species:

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath”(Jam. 1:19).

Many people have a horrible self-righteousness problem and God tells them, “Don’t think you know it all. Be swift to hear, and slow to speak!” Isn’t that the opposite of how we communicate? Don’t we speak swiftly and not listen much at all? No wonder there is so much miscommunication and irritation during conversation.

Above all, we have to be swift to hear our Father – wide open to receiving His instructions. And here, even Christians or religious denominations fail miserably. How many times does the Bible tell us to do something and it is misinterpreted, distorted or simply ignored so that an alternate version of the instruction can be practiced? A good example of this is the law of God. The Bible is replete with instructions – from beginning to end – about obeying God’s commandments, yet too many spiritualize them away. That is NOT how we listen to our Father – by ignoring His clear instructions. Instead of giving our opinion (being swift to speak), we should obey more (by listening to instructions – being swift to hear).

James also tells us to be slow to wrath. We should never let our emotions get in the way because the wrath of man does not contain the righteousness of God (Jam. 1:20). Will you let anger turn you from your Father, or will you be swift to hear Him? We must always allow God’s righteousness direct our anger, or we will make many mistakes.

We also must be slow to speak. The Proverbs talk about this a lot:

“In the multitude of words, there wants not sin: but he that refrains his lips is wise” (Prov. 10:19).

“He who guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin” (Prov. 13:3, RSV).

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that rules his spirit than he that takes a city” (Prov. 16:32).

What does all this tell us? God loves people who can rule their spirit. The implication of that proverb is if you can rule your spirit, God will give you rule over much. We absolutely must rule our emotions.

Eternal Life Versus The Fading Flower

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Here’s a biblical contrast if ever there was one – eternal life versus a fading flower! Say what? God compares the two against each other in the book of James :

“Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).

Here God makes an astounding promise of eternal life for those who love (read obey) Him. This is an eternal reward of glory – a promise from God.  A crown of life that lasts forever. Just think – no more worrying about getting old, aches, pains or worry about bills. All is taken care of from there on in – forever.

In contrast, James compares verse 12 with the fading flower of life in verses 9-11:

“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower thereof fails, and the grace of the fashion thereof perishes: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.”

Now is God against riches? Of course not! Men like Abraham and King David were very rich men who used their blessings to serve God more abundantly. But God is against those who put their riches before Him. In other words, this becomes their idol and this breaks the commandments.

Priorities in this life always have to be kept straight. If Christians allow the physical life to supersede spiritual things, they are in trouble. Life is ephemeral – nothing but a fading flower. We don’t even have a real life. We are simply heading towards death. That is all we have and nothing more, without God. The greatest things life has to offer mean nothing if our life is not lived in service to our Creator. Eternal life is at stake.

God The Father:Character Reflected in Light!

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Every good and perfect gift comes from the great God. Look at what He created. When you look at the material creation, you see a lot of shadows. For example, the planets cast shadows. But God is not that way. The book of James says with God there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” He is brighter than the sun at high noon – 100 percent light. This is the total opposite of darkness and there isn’t a trace of evil in Him.

The expression “with whom” should read in whom is no varibleness, neither shadow of turning. “This is referring to our Father’s perfect character – God is 100 percent agape love. His goal is for us to become perfect as He is perfect (Matt. 5:48). God cannot sin. There isn’t even a speck of a shadow of evil in His nature. His love toward us is perfect and absolute – 100 percent light. He would never do anything to harm us spiritually. True Christians must know His character and totally trust Him – even in fiery trials.

Spiritual light should dazzle us millions of times more than the lights from the universe. God’s desires is for us to inherit all things and we have to cooperate with Him for that to happen. Nothing but good gifts come from the Father.

Massive Survey Of Cosmos Proves Dark Matter Defies Law Of Physics

This dark matter map was created by the Hubble Telescope by measuring light from distant stars thought to have been deflected by dark matter. The map of half the Universe reveals dark matter filaments, collapsing under the relentless pull of gravity and growing clumpier over time - dailymail.co.uk

Most astronomers believe that the universe began in a Big Bang up to 15 billion years ago. The Big Bang model holds that the resulting universe should contain exactly the “critical density” of matter required to keep it geometrically “flat,” with just enough gravity to balance the outward momentum, slowing it down.  The result: a cosmos coasting indefinitely on the verge of collapse.

Here’s the bad news for this theory. New evidence from a massive survey of the cosmos (which included 446,000 galaxies) was recently carried out by an international team using the Hubble Space Telescope. It indicates that stars and galaxies are flying apart in all directions at an ever-increasing rate – thanks to an anti-gravity boost from some kind of unseen “dark matter” of an exotic nature, of which most of the universe exists. Normal matter is only a few per cent of the total, so most of the universe is dark, dark matter and dark energy, and scientists have absolutely no clue what its physical nature is.

The  Province.com quoted University of B. C. astronomer Ludovic Van Waerbeke as suggesting that dark matter is counteracting the pull of gravity on a cosmic scale. If the new results hold up, scientists said, they could have enormous ramifications for theories of cosmic “evolution.”

In other words, scientists are surprised to find that the expansion of the universe is actually accelerating, and they have no way to explain this phenomenon because it is supposed to be impossible according to the law of physics.

Overcoming To Obtain Salvation

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Overcoming is one of the most vital keys to salvation. Only those who overcome are promised eternal life, and this promise is graphically emphasized in Revelation 21:7: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” It is also mentioned at least seven other times in the book of Revelation (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28, 3:5, 12, 21).

Because overcoming is so important to our eternal destiny, we need to thoroughly understand what it is.

What is overcoming?

Most of us as God’s people have understood overcoming to mean the process of rooting out sinful habits and conduct from our lives. We have thought of it as forsaking and conquering such lawbreaking practices as swearing, lying, cheating, drunkenness, smoking and other sins.

Who Was The Apostle James?

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Mark and Matthew indicate that James was one of several children born to Mary and Joseph after Jesus’ birth. He, like the Lord’s other siblings, was not supportive of Jesus during his early ministry (John 7:5). Mark records an incident in Jesus’ ministry where his fellow townsmen derided Him as merely a local: “‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him” (Mark 6:3; see also Matthew 13:55–56). At one point, they actually thought Him mad (Mark 3:21). However, that was to change.

By the opening of the book of Acts, however, James had become one of the disciples. He was converted after his Brother, Jesus Christ, had died and been resurrected. James was the leader of the Church headquarters congregation in Jerusalem. He was martyred around A.D. 62. This was roughly during the beginning of the revolt in the Jerusalem area that resulted in its siege and eventual destruction in A.D. 70.

The canonical writings of the New Testament, as well as other written sources from the Early Church, provide some insights into James’ life and his role in the Early Church. There is mention of him in the Gospel of John and the early portions of the Acts of the Apostles. The Synoptics mention his name, but no further information. However, the later chapters of the Acts of the Apostles provide evidence that James was an important figure in the Christian community of Jerusalem.

Days Of Unleavened Bread: More Than Mere Symbolism

Leaven pictured as sin

Leviticus 23 outlines part of God’s law, where we find commanded the holy days of God (v. 2).  Rehearsing these holy days (the Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles and the Last Great Day) reinforces understanding of God’s master plan of salvation. They are to be honored and observed for eternity.

God also directs us to remove all leavened products from our homes during the one week period of the Days of Unleavened Bread (D.U.B.) , and conversely to eat unleavened bread to remind us of the haste in which Israel fled Egypt. On the two Holy Days at the beginning and end of the festival, God forbids Christians to continue in regular work because attention is to be focused on Him. The days are holy and an offering is to be taken.

The D.U.B. teach us that we should strive for perfection in obedience to the law of God at all times(Leviticus 23:6-8). God’s law is extended through the New Testament to help Christians build character in their lives. Christ taught, “But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments” (Matt. 19:17). If we are to enjoy eternal life in God’s Family, we must obey the law.