BE KIND AND PRAY
Jesus is very clear about how we are to treat people who hate us: We are to be kind to them and pray for them.
We are not to seek revenge in any way or to curse them. We are to be kind to them and pray for them.
Praying means to be kind in our mind, not just in our words or actions.
There is no way that you can do either of those things (be kind and pray for people who hate you) without the help of God’s spirit. (more…)
SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS = SATANISTS
Jesus never got involved in social justice issues. You can bet that soldiers were beating and unfairly arresting people during Jesus’ ministry years, yet we hear nothing in the New Testament about it. Jesus warned his followers (that would be us) that we would be unjustly imprisoned and likely also beaten and killed, but he didn’t say to fight against it. He just advised us not to worry about our defense in court because God would give us the words we would need when it was time to defend ourselves.
In other words, there would be no #BelieverLivesMatter under Jesus’ watch.
Why is that? Why was Jesus so adamantly NOT a “social justice warrior”? (more…)
NONE BUT JESUS
When Jesus told his followers not to hide away from the world but instead to go out into it, preach the Good News and constantly “watch” for the signs of the times, he knew it was not going to be an easy job for them to do. The world is not a pleasant place for believers, and it’s growing less and less pleasant every day. (more…)
PERFECT JUSTICE + MERCY = GOD
Because God is perfect, his justice must necessarily also be perfect.
God cannot be perfect and his justice imperfect: That would not only be illogical but impossible.
God’s justice can be clearly seen in the action/consequence sequence. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Scientists know that, but for some reason most Christians do not.
The Old Testament is full of historical events that serve as cautionary tales. A cautionary tale is something that teaches you not to do something because the consequence will be bad for you. Jesus also used the “cautionary tale” approach in his parables. Unfortunately, most people don’t heed the advice of cautionary tales, and then when the consequences of their stupid actions come crashing down around them, they tend to blame everyone but themselves. (more…)
ANATHEMA
The world is under the control of Satan: this is not news to anyone with knowledge of scripture. What does appear to be news, sadly, even to those who call themselves believers, is that God’s kingdom has already come.
It’s here.
Now.
All around us. (more…)
GEN 9:13
New Sodom. That’s what Western society has become – New Sodom. This time of the year it’s particularly in-your-face because of the “pride” parades and the flags. You know the flags I’m talking about. Every time I see one, I want to burn it. (more…)
SIMPLE
A few years back, I dropped in on a church service in suburban Toronto. The “church” was a small dilapidated building (a converted cottage, I think) and only a few people were in attendance. The service was short, but at the end of the official proceedings, the minister asked if anyone had any prayer petitions they’d like to present. There was an awkward silence, and then a middle-aged woman sitting a few rows behind me slowly got to her feet. She nervously cleared her throat, cupped her hands palms upward in classic Muslim prayer style, and started to recite a litany of words. (more…)
KEEP IT REAL
There are lots of things I like about how Jesus carried out his ministry 2000 years ago, but one of my favourites is how he kept it real.
He wasn’t trying to be something he wasn’t, and he wasn’t trying not to be something he was.
Take, for instance, how he dealt with the Pharisees. They invited him to dinner on occasion because they had a morbid curiosity about him, but they certainly didn’t like him. Nor did Jesus like them, and he didn’t pretend to. Even as he sat eating their food and drinking their wine, he told them exactly what he thought of them. (more…)
FEED THEM
During his ministry years, Jesus worked.
Hard.
Not at being a carpenter or a customer service representative.
He did his Father’s work. (more…)
SLEEP PARALYSIS
I came across a topic thread on an online forum today that was discussing sleep paralysis. Of course, most of the people were discussing it from the point of view of non-believers (attributing the paralysis to a chemical imbalance or nutrient deficiency), but a few commenters did mention that sleep paralysis is a demonic attack. (more…)
A BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER 