Benjamin Netanyahu – Who Is He?

 

Benjamin Netanyahu is the current serving Prime Minister of the nation of Israel. It could be said he is the long term guardian of an imperiled nation. It is only my opinion but I think he is the God appointed leader and the only man capable of defending Israel and protecting her until that job exceeds even his capabilities. He’s there until God steps in and step in He will. This is described in some detail in the book of Revelation in the Bible.

So, who is this man, Benjamin Netanyahu and why is he the only one who can steer Israel through the toils and snares of what can only be called the existence of the nation state of Israel. Which was prophesied to be regathered from all the Earth; from North to South; East to West; as God has stated, in His word that He would do in the End Times. Israel now exists once more since she was re-established as a nation in 1948. Much to the chagrin of her enemies.

Benjamin Netanyahu is the latest and probably the most able leader of modern Israel in an auspicious list of very capable leaders. David Ben Gurion, Moshe Sharett, Levi Eshkol, Yigal Allon, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Shamir, Shimon Peres, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu, again, until the present day.

Modern Israel has needed her warrior generals and men like Moshe Dyan who led Israel through the Six Day War in 1967. Ben Natanyahu is also a warrior and such a man. He is one of the decorated members of the Israel Defense Force who was sent to Entebbe in Uganda in 1977, to rescue a group of Israeli hostages taken by terrorists on a hijacked plane to a terrorist state, the Uganda, of Idi Amin. His older brother Yonaton was killed during the mission and five other Israeli soldiers were injured. 102 hostages were taken and of those three were killed. One of the most skillfully implemented and successful counter terrorism rescue missions in history bar none. Yahweh Elohim is the God of Israel and to Him be the Glory. Ben Netanyahu is His man as Prime Minister of Israel in our time. A man among many whom God Has raised up to defend Israel in her times of need as described in the Tanakh.

When we consider the defense of Israel it is an arduous job. Israel is not only surrounded by enemies, they dwell in her midst. The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are home to the people of Palestine and this nation group has been weaponised by Israel’s Muslim enemies, all of whom are nation states, and all of whom seek the complete annihilation of Israel. It involves some very tricky decision making and for the most part Israel's leaders have chosen to fight the wars and preserve the peace. For the last decade though, they have endured almost daily missile strikes and yes they developed the nifty Iron dome. If they hadn’t developed Iron dome they would certainly have suffered many hundreds if not thousands of casualties. Look at Ukraine if you want to see the damage that even relatively small munitions can do when it comes to demolishing urban buildings on a large scale. If it wasn’t for Iron dome Israel would look very similar to Ukraine.

So, now in the face of enemies who are becoming steadily more technically sophisticated and aggressive. Who are indoctrinating and arming a Palestinian enemy within Israel’s borders. Enemies who attacked on October 7^th 2023. An attack on Israel which involved 7000 Gazans firing 4300 rocks with 6000 attackers crossing the border and pressing war on various Jewish communities and even military installations. Over 1200 Israeli citizens were killed and a large number taken back to Gaza as hostages.

Although it is contended that Israel may have been aware that an attack was imminent. This was taken as the last straw and the Israeli government gave the order for war to be made on Gaza. Over the last two years the Israel Defense Force have systematically destroyed Gaza and Hamas and despite protests to the contrary from Israel it has been apparent to all that it has been their objective to remove the Palestinian threat to Israel’s security..

I’m quite sure that Israel intends to survive and they have always been prepared to fight if necessary. In this case I believe it was not just that they had had enough of Hamas and Gaza’s continual war of attrition. They simply realised that the time for fighting for their survival was upon them. Netanyahu and his government understood that if they are to have any chance of fighting the nation states that encircle Israel on a sound footing, then the enemy within must be removed. I don’t think Israel have any illusions about their ultimate chances for survival as a nation state. They have stirred up a hornets nest and are going to have to deal with the consequences. Which is where we come to the part that God will play in this situation.

Scripture states in several places that God will restore Israel in the last days (Isaiah 11:11-16). That this has happened in our time must give Netanyahu and the Jewish nation some confidence that whatever happens with the Palestinians and regardless of what the rest of the world has to say. Israel has a future and is back to stay. God says so and I imagine that being under the Law they view the destruction of Gaza as obedience to God. This could be because Israel never completely removed the races that inhabited the land when they entered it as God had instructed them too. It may be that they see this campaign as a fulfillment of God’s command to the nation of Israel at that time.

If we read the book of Revelation chapters six through to chapter eleven. We will see the judgment that comes on the world. It is a brutal destruction brought on the Earth by God’s angels and the sounding of the Seven Trumpets soon to be followed by the Seven Bowls of God’s wrath to be poured out on the Earth. Chapter thirteen tells of the woman who is Israel and how the Dragon, who is Satan, tries to kill her Son and then persecutes her. God enables her to flee and hide. Obviously elements of this prophecy about Israel are past, present and future. Shown in the life of Jesus and Satan’s attacks by Herod on the child Jesus and then Jesus ministry and persecution by the Pharisees and Sadducees leading to His crucifixion, then resurrection and ultimately ascending to Heaven,

Israel was attacked in AD 70, conquered and dispersed by the Romans. The Jews settled in various countries throughout the Middle East and ancient Asia and as far away as China. They remained without a homeland for 1878 years until Zionist activism managed to bring about the formation of Modern Israel in 1948. The battle against the Islamic states that surround Israel, and seek her soon demise, has raged throughout the last 78 years and continues with fervor under their current leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

It is my opinion that we live at the end of the Church Age and that Jesus' soon return is at hand. Throughout my lifetime, I have believed that we are at the door of the last act of mankind before the establishment of the Kingdom of God. It seems to me that the world is becoming a more volatile place with political actors who are more prone to excessive and violent solutions than to talk and reason things out.

Meanwhile, weapons are being developed that are so powerful that their use may spell the end of life on Earth. All the while the planet is being laid waste and many nations are on the verge of famine and starvation. Even if you were to ask the question “Could man survive another hundred years?” With the wars and the careless damage being done to the planet.  It is by no means certain that man could survive unless righteous men were to decide on measures that were adhered to by all of the nations. That would be unlikely because there are few righteous men and most of the planets’ governments including the much touted New World Order seem to be desperately corrupt.

So we come back to Ben Netanyahu stolidly defending Israel. Facing a difficult and seemingly hopeless task. His enemies seeking to disable and hamstring him on the world stage and label him a criminal into the bargain. What choice does he or Israel have other than to fight on, taking every opportunity to defeat the enemy within and then to take the war to the enemies without.

To me there is no doubt. God will defend Israel and from the moment she declared nationhood in 1948. Israel was back to stay and that one way or another the Lord will protect and keep her through every trial until He returns after the Time of Jacob’s Trouble which is a period of seven years of God's judgement upon the world.

Finally, Ben Netanyahu is a man for his time and given to Israel by God to guide and defend her. I pray for his wisdom, his well-being and long life that he might continue to hinder the enemies of Israel for many years to come. God willing, for I don’t think Israel can replace him. My plea to you is remember Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in your prayers. Seek wisdom for their leaders and miracles for their protection.

Religion

Over the centuries Christianity has developed an expansive library of Church traditions and theology with which to control the activities of believers in the various denominations that exist within the orthodoxy of organised religion.This has involved a bevy of catechisms of which examples range from the Roman Catholic Catechism, the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Confession of Faith and various other religious documents including Books of Church Order, Bible Commentaries etc..

Now it can be said that there is some very good teaching in many of these documents and some great merit in adhering to many of the religious traditions. Christmas and Easter are a lot of fun but how did jolly old Saint Nick get attached to the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ or where did the Easter bunny come from and why doesn’t the church call out the error of this extra Christian distortion of the celebration of the Resurrection. Lent, Advent and Holy Week as seasons of the Christian Christian cycle? Books of Church Order and Catechism, veneration of saints and objects, and various other extra biblical anomalies. Ah! Religion, now I see it.

It could be said that Christianity is swamped with Church tradition and that this situation results in the frustration of most of the most basic intentions as outlined by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospels. It results, in the Churches, and believers, being confined to a worldly approach to Christian objectives. Instead of living by faith and in the Spirit. We rather live by sight and in the flesh.

When we should be coming together as a congregation and prayerfully seeking God’s will for our future. We come together as church members attending a business meeting where instead of searching the bible we peruse books of church statutes and do what is right in our own sight. It hi-lights what happens when we Christians lose focus on walking daily with Jesus Christ and living in the Spirit.

We proceed through life living in the flesh and as the apostle Paul put it “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:5). Could this be why Jesus jousted with the Pharisees and was the center of so much opposition from them? To the point that they conspired to murder Him and carried that plot to its conclusion on the Cross. Ah! Religion, now I see. Religion is power!

So, what is Religion and why is it so destructive to the Christian walk. Well for what it’s worth this is my take on the whole distracting, disruptive business that is Christian Religion. I have personally never taken a label for who I am and what I believe other than calling myself a Christian. I have always felt that others who believe on and love Jesus Christ are my brothers and sisters, in Christ.

In the first century, before the followers of Jesus became known as Christians they were known as “The People of the Way.” I really like that description of the Christian as follower of Jesus and I would accept it myself. Christianity is a way of life and is entirely based around our belief and faith in Christ Jesus and the relationship that we have with Him.

It is a moment by moment relationship with Him through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and religion has no part in it. It is a living thing where we are so close to God that He is a part of us. Religion only happens when we live a fleshly life with some spiritual connections. If we walk by sight we allow Satan to begin speaking into our hearts.

If we do all the outward features of walking in the Spirit only people who know us really well will know we are actually just faking it. If every Christian in our church is faking it except one or two then Satan has a way into the church administration. When important decisions are taken and don’t seek God because we aren’t closely connected to Him then we do what is right in our own sight. Having a quorum doesn’t make it right. After a few disasters we all decide we need to write a few things down.

We call it a Church Book of Order or if we’ve been doing this for a century, or two, we write the scripture interpretations we like into something we call a Confession of Faith. Now you may say that those type of documents are actually really necessary and if we are going to keep operating with a shallow relationship with God then you are probably right.

A friend was asking me what I thought about the place of women in the Church? I said to him look at the example of Lydia in the bible. No one appointed her to be the leader of the Church in Thyatira. She simply became Paul’s first convert there and started a church in her own home. No one seems to have opposed the idea just because she was a woman. Paul seemed happy enough with her and God seems to have appointed her and they were walking in the Spirit with a powerful relationship with God. No church book of order required.

You see the Holy Spirit writes God’s law in your heart and puts it in your mind but if you don’t stay connected to God then you start having to write down your own laws in a document somewhere. It is not as good as God’s because its Man’s Law not God’s but in the absence of the real thing it fills a gap. The reason Satan likes it is because as it did with the Pharisees using Man’s Law consolidates power with the Church leadership in the hands of a few powerful people. The locus of control moves from the people into a church hierarchy that becomes an amalgam of church and state and ultimately doesn’t even resemble the organisation that God intended His Church to be. Check out Revelation seventeen.

So Satan’s attack on Christianity and the Church as an organisation is four fold. First, get the Christians focused on themselves and to walk by sight instead of faith. In the flesh not in the Spirit. Instead of seeking God in continual prayer they spend most of their time living in their own power. Instead of miracles they seek solutions. The result is they drift away from God and their faith begins to wain. Instead of a vibrant spiritual life they become spiritually dead.

Secondly, because, they no longer commune with God they need rules to enable the solutions they seek. So, they start to write guidelines for the Christian life and the functioning of the Church. Next, they start to write commentaries and catechisms filled with their best guess interpretations of God’s Word. Soon, those writings take on a kind holiness and become of a higher status than the Bible. Because there is error in them they begin to have and impact which is visible, and measurable, when compared to the Bible and the voice of the Spirit in our hearts. If we are honest we know this nonsense is not right but when has the sure knowledge of error ever stopped men walking in error.

Thirdly the enemies next step is to set up a hierarchy among the leaders of the Church and among the congregants. The hierarchy among the congregants is especially useful because it can be used to control those who would seek to steer the Church back in the right direction. The hierarchy amongst the leadership goes from deacon to Bishop and is theoretically based on God’s word but it rapidly becomes and old boys club and it is not what you know but who you know that determines the outcomes. With this structure Satan usurps God’s control within the Church and establishes a culture that at its root is Antichrist. This is by no means universal in its control but there are elements of this hierarchy in every denomination.

Finally, having lulled the believers to sleep; Having instituted rules and theology; Having instituted a dominant leadership hierarchy; Then the enemy capitalises on the fact that the believers are not communing with God and not obeying the great commandment. Jesus said “You will know them by their fruit.” The reality is they don’t have any fruit not in the mainline Churches and none that is good in any case.

So, what has to happen to turn all of this around? The same thing that usually happens when the Almighty quickens the flock. Probably, some persecution followed by a genuine outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The impact will most likely be stronger among the lost although it will certainly start among the Churches and the Christian folk who wake and begin to walk in the Spirit and commune with God once more.

Dear Friends,

Your personal relationship with Jesus Christ is everything and is paramount. Your walk in the Spirit depends on it. To actually achieve the will of God you need to commune with Him all of the time. When you do things for the Church you need to do it as a whole and prayerfully seeking God’s will.

Remember what Jesus said...

John 15: 4-5

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ESV

In Christ,

Bruce

Are we free to choose Christ Jesus?

 

Some folk believe that man is totally depraved and without the ability to choose to believe on Jesus Christ or to do any good thing. That he has no free will and that he lives a life scripted by God for good or for bad. When I think about this I wonder what would the world look like if we knew there was a God but we had no divine guidance in the form of the bible. If we had no authoritative source of information to tell us about the history of the people of God. Nothing to lead us to Christ Jesus or to show us about His redemptive work on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead. What would the world be like?

The apostle Paul told us that the all of mankind knows right from wrong in their hearts. God has put that knowledge in the souls of all humanity (Romans 1:19-20). Satan tells mankind that there is no God and a man should do whatever he desires to do. Do what you want in other words. However, the conscience that God has given you informs you that there is a path that is wicked and a path that is righteous. You have the knowledge and you have the choice.

So, if we look at our depravity from the God’s point of view we simply don’t measure up. Romans 3:10 tells us that “There is non righteous not even one.” Romans 3:22 says “All have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 puts it this way “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So when stand before God we are clearly deficient or as the prophet Isaiah states “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” KJV

If we consider our situation from a human point of view where we are considering our good deeds or our sinful acts in comparison to our equally fallen brothers and sisters. May be we can be more merciful to our fellow men and women. We all know at least someone who is not a Christian but who is a good person when judged by human standards and as I mentioned before we all have a heart felt knowledge of right and wrong. Christians are saved but are not perfect in this life and this is also the case with non believers who are often decent folk but not perfect in this life. Non Christians may choose to be as righteous as they can be because they have the free choice. They may not have heard the gospel or read the bible but often they try to be as righteous as they can as people who don’t know God. This does not apply to all as some people are just wicked but that is often a choice they make for themselves.

However, The fallen and unsaved do good things every day. Mothers and Fathers love their children. They feed and care for them and even give their lives for them in many places around the world. Are these not righteous acts. We hear tales of valor from wars and from disasters and often these are from people who are not Christian. If we cannot do any good thing with out the grace of God, how is it that the unrighteous can do these things at all?

I believe that much of the thinking that underpins ideas like “We are so depraved we can do no good thing without the grace of God,”comes from legalism and church tradition. It is the traditions of men based in the arrogance that we know better than those around us. It is so easy to be saved and credit the grace of God for our salvation while condemning the lost for their depravity. Interesting in the light of what Jesus says in John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (NKJV). If God does not condemn the world then why do we?

Ezekiel chapter eighteen is interesting reading when it comes to learning about God’s attitude to sin and repentance. In paraphrase, Ezekiel speaks here of how God views the sins of the fathers and the impact they have on the righteousness of their sons. The end of the chapter, verses thirty through thirty two says this: “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

Here, the prophet speaks to the reader as though they are able to hear his message and react to to it. There appears to be no question of them being unable to respond to his instructions because of their depravity. God who inspired the prophet, seems to expect them to repent and return to Him as though the course is open to them and they are completely able to comply with His request. It is as though He views them as free will beings with the freedom to choose.

It is interesting that the people are being told to repent and turn from their transgressions in a similar way to that which the apostle Peter proclaims in the book of Acts chapter three verses seventeen through twenty: “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers also did. But the things which God previously announced by the mouths of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you..” (NASB).

Now, if you read Ezekiel chapter eighteen and the passage from Acts chapter three you will see that the people are given a clear vision of sin and repentance and God has given them a clear choice, and He gives it with the expectation that you will obey and live. The choice is yours my friends. It always has been and it is a choice given to free will beings created in the image of God. Whom God hopes will choose His Son, Jesus Christ, that they might have eternal life and live forever with Him in the kingdom of heaven.

So let the bible which is the divinely inspired word of God have the last say.

Two Peter chapter three verses eight and nine:

“But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance..” (NASB).

John chapter three verse sixteen:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV)

The Whole Picture

 

Many Christians speak of salvation in terms of election and grace. However, the bible provides more information about salvation than election alone and the bigger picture involves faith, belief and an element of personal choice.

Now, it is not agreeable to talk about freedom of choice in many Christian circles. This is because as it is considered that since the fall of man, humanity is so completely depraved that they are unable to choose to do any good thing.

A fallen person then, would be unable to believe that God’s only Son, Jesus Christ, bore their sins on the cross and that through believing in His redemptive work they would receive eternal life.

Therefore, from this perspective people can only be saved through God’s grace. This statement is true but focuses on only part of the picture of salvation. This is because God desires a people for His own possession (1Peter 2: 9-10), and that we each must choose to believe on Jesus Christ to become members of the people of God and to gain entry to the Kingdom of Heaven.

You see, it all comes back to what happened with Lucifer in heaven. Lucifer was perfect in every detail until sin was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15). Although God created him perfect, Lucifer (Satan), chose to disobey the will of God and sought to usurp the throne of God. To attempt to achieve this he led one third of the angels in a battle against God. He lost the war and was forcibly ejected from Heaven (Revelation 12:3-4).

He then came to Earth and decided to attack God’s creation there and by tempting Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and to disobey God (Genesis 3:1-6). In doing this, he brought about the fall of man and usurped their throne to become the prince of this world.

Now, because Satan was created perfect and decided to rebel against God as were Adam and Eve. It is now very important to God that man makes a choice to either believe on Jesus Christ and live or to reject Him and die. It must be a free will choice. Which is not to say that God will not assist man to make that choice through grace.

This is because, man has experienced sin and its consequences in this one life on Earth (1Corinthians 15:42). Every man is to live and die once and then the resurrection To those who choose to believe on Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross. They are resurrected to Eternal Life. To those who reject Jesus Christ. They are resurrected to judgement and the second death, eternal fire.

Thus, it is not only a matter of predestination and election from the foundation of the world although this is an essential part of salvation. It is also critical that man be able to exercise freedom of choice in the matter of salvation.

The method of delivery of that freedom of choice is the Holy Spirit. He brings the conviction of sin into the heart of the lost person who hears the gospel message (John 16:8). Under conviction, he enables them to make a decision, either to believe on Jesus Christ and to receive eternal life or to reject Jesus Christ and to receive eternal damnation. The choice is theirs.

So it is, that those who would believe on Jesus Christ would also want to spend eternity in the universe run according to the will and law of God (Psalm 16:11). Those who reject Christ would not want to spend eternity in His kingdom. As is evidenced by those who implore the rocks to fall on them and the hills to cover them when Jesus returns at the end of the tribulation in the book of Revelation.

It is often put forward by those who favour a Calvinist approach to predestination and grace, that all is provided that is needful for salvation through God’s grace and that all is achieved through the fulfilment of the sovereign will of God. However, there is also a mention of the will of man in the bible (Revelation 21:6).

If we read the bible clearly and without bias and were we to consider the concept of a ‘People of God’s Own Possession’ as if they were in a train on a railway line. Then each of the rails in this track would have a name. One would be called Election and Predestination, and the other rail would be called Freedom of Choice to Believe.

God desires a people who will obey His will. This is mentioned in Revelation chapter 22 verse 17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” KJV

The meaning of this verse is a positive decision on behalf of the believer to obey the will of God and to strongly desire to avail themselves of the glorious rewards of eternal life, bestowed on the people of God in the Kingdom Age to come.

So, what is the outcome of election and faith in my opinion. Well, I believe that we are chosen of God and surely elected in the sovereign will of God. I also believe, that we must choose God and believe on Christ Jesus with all of our hearts, with all of our souls, with all of our minds and with all of our strength. Then we must love our brother as we love ourselves.

Sovereign Election and Free Will Beings – Both Are True In God.

Getting the Gospel Across

 

 

 

There's a bible called The Message. I would hazard a guess that the focus of the message is  sharing the gospel with as many people as possible. It a achieves this by shifting the bible into a plain speaking easy reading language that is accessible to any person.

 

I feel the same about what our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, had to say about sharing the gospel with the whole world. Matthew chapter twenty eight verses eighteen through twenty. "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

 

So we need to get out there as Christians and share a simple gospel with the people containing the truth about sin and how it separates us from God. Romans 6:23 "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16 "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."

Acts 2:38 "Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

 

It's not rocket science folks. We are sinners and yet while we were still sinners Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary in our place, paying the cost of our sins. All you need do is to acknowledge that your sin separates you from God; Believe on Jesus Christ to receive eternal life; Repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and to receive the Holy Spirit.

What Does The Bible Actually Teach?

There are a lot of different biblical doctrines and teachings in the Christian sphere of influence. It is also true to say that the Bible is often cited when many different theologies are being discussed both in the Church and outside of it. However, It is not unusual to hear knowledgeable people say that a given teaching is not what you might arrive at if you simply read the Bible. It is not what the Bible has to say.

This is the case for elements of the Pentecostal, the Calvinist and the Adventist belief systems to name a few. For instance, in the Pentecostal faith there is a strong contention that receiving the Holy Spirit is always evidenced by speaking in tongues. The problem here is that there is not enough scripture to support that contention. 

The number of scriptures relating to speaking in tongues are relatively few and it is not completely clear what the phrase ‘speaking in tongues,’ actually means. Is it speaking in unknown languages, angelic or human? Is it for worship and the glory of God or is it to convey meaning and assist the dissemination of the gospel or both? There are many arguments either way and the Bible is not clear on which is the absolute truth of the matter. Thus, it is hard to make a categorical statement of fact either way but to do so puts one in the situation previously eluded too where you are saying something that the Bible does not actually say.

In the Calvinist faith it is contended that a person is elected to salvation on the sovereign will of God alone and contributes nothing to their salvation. In fact, even the choice to believe on Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the Cross is said to be bestowed by God’s grace as an artifact of God’s sovereign will. Such that, the freedom to choose salvation for ones’s self is removed from the equation. 

The question here is if you simply read the Bible for your self is this the conclusion that you will arrive at? Personally, I would point to many scriptures that tend to indicate that when you are speaking of the doctrine of election the answer is yes God has exercised His sovereign grace and will. However, the answer is also yes the Christian has exercised his, or her, free and personal choice in this matter of salvation as per John chapter three verse sixteen.

Adventism is another example of how different faiths interpret the bible. For the most part Adventist’s preach a gospel based on understanding the gospel as it is laid out in the book of John chapter three. However, they have some notable additions to their faith in that they include the writings of Ellen White and have a group of doctrines based on the Millerite Great Disappointment of 1844. 

Notably, that Jesus Christ didn’t return to the Earth in 1844 but instead went into the inner sanctuary in Heaven and has been interceding for the saints, on a case by case basis ever since, to see who has sufficient good works to make it into the Kingdom in the resurrection. Evidently, Jesus wasn’t able to pay the sins of the whole world on the cross. This doctrine is called the Investigative Judgement.

I know that I have mentioned my three favorite religious entities in this piece and that I tend to go on about them in some detail and also fairly regularly. What I am trying to get at here though is that it is important to search the scriptures and to find out for yourself what they say about the different doctrines. Is what scripture says actually what different faiths claim that it says.

It is amazing how the leaders of those faiths claim that they teach what the Bible says and even seem to teach against some of the beliefs of their group but in the end manage to add what amounts to false teaching into their preaching while scarcely batting an eye lid. They also tend to incorporate the same church traditions that they might rail against other Christian groups for adhering too in their beliefs. 

This can be the case with congregants as well. They rail against others for taking verses out of context while happily picking a verse here and a verse there and then pick one or two verses while ignoring the rest of the chapter and taking the whole issue out of context at the same time. 

My counsel, for what it is worth is to select a topic that is relevant to your walk or your Church. Then study what the Bible says about it. Search all of the relevant scriptures and make notes about what the Bible seems to be saying about this issue. Then, read some commentaries and try to get a sound perspective on what the scripture really says. Just because a group teaches a certain doctrine does not mean that, that is what the Bible says and yes sometimes the Bible has very little to say on an issue. Which tends to allow some creativity on behalf of the various religious organisations as they compound doctrine and tradition.

So, take some time to really check out what the bible does say about the various theological issues. What it does teach and what you can preach with confidence. Use it to compare and contrast what your denomination teaches and believes. The question is always what does the bible actually teach? 

Acts chapter seventeen verses ten to eleven, “The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” NASB

Reach the Lost

 

In this time Christianity is almost mirroring the World. Politics is becoming increasingly divided and polarized and so is the Church. Where politics is seeing the disappearance of parties in the center and the return of extreme left and right wing parties into the mainstream. The Church is seeing the disappearance of denominations that believe the gospel. They are being supplanted with other denominations who believe that the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross was not enough to save mankind by itself.

 

As a result we have these various denominations believe that Christ and the Father met in the beginning to decide who would be saved. Still others believe that the believer must do more to ensure their salvation than simply believe. One wonders where these ideas find their source? In a way they are similar to Roman Catholicism even though the proponents of them would rail at the very idea of such a thing. The Catholics make no bones of the fact that in their view no one will make it to heaven without a lengthy stay in purgatory. They teach that life is about making yourself more godly and righteous so that God will accept you.

 

Meanwhile, society is moving further and further from its Christian roots and is descending into  a drug induced malaise. Citizens in so many countries are straying into paganism while social media is exposing them to everything from atheism to the occult. Secular socialism with a spiritual component, paganism. As we moved into a new era in the fifth century as the rise of Christianity changed the face of the world at that time. So, now we are making the reverse move and heading back to pantheism and pagan spiritism.

 

Our youth are actually quite strong young people but the effects of drugs and secularism are impacting their perspective on life. However, they have community and contrary to popular belief of many are quite good communicators exhibiting loyalty, concern for their peers and genuine love for each other. I think, they are similar to the great generation of WWII in many ways and if they are to go through similar life experiences to that generation and hear the gospel. I think they stand a good chance of becoming Christians and entering the Kingdom of God.

 

 In this light, we have a great opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. These young people can be reached and even though the bible tells us that many will fall away in our time. The gospel will be shared around the world and a multitude will turn to righteousness in Christ Jesus and will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. As Christians we need to start sowing the seed, while others of us water and tend the crop.

 

Some might read this piece and say "What need we do as the lost are lost and the saved are saved." Personally, I don't subscribe to that belief. The word of God says clearly in Ezekiel 18:32 "For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” and again in 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow to fulfil his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."

 

 So, it is that the lost have a choice to make and can hear the gospel and respond to it or reject it. They may choose to accept the gospel and live or reject it and die in their sins. In the same vain we have a job to do, fulfilling the great commission and taking the gospel to all the world. That all the world may hear the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ and choose to receive the forgiveness of sins through the His shed blood on the Cross at Calvary. The choice is theirs but the honour to bear the gospel is ours as servants of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.