Awesome things in Colossians One...

Collossae is located near to Laodicea and Hierapolis both cities of Asia Minor and Ancient Rome in the first century. The city was occupied from 3500 BC until 1100 AD and lies near the modern city of Honaz at the foot of Mt. Cadmus in modern Turkey. Although it seems likely that the apostle Paul had not visited Colossae he felt the need to write to the Christians there because his disciple Epaphras had established the church at Colossae as well as the churches of Laodicea and Hierapolis in the same region probably during his Third Missionary Journey. The awesome thing here is that you can travel to Turkey and go there. It’s a real place.

 

The message from Paul is one of encouragement to the Church at Colossae because he and Timothy had heard of their faith and love for the saints. He speaks of the hope laid up for them in heaven through the hearing of the gospel of Jesus Christ and fruit which it will bear in them as in the grace of God in Truth. This connects to what Christ Jesus said in John chapter fifteen about his being the vine and the Father being the vine dresser. The Vinedresser cuts out the branches which bear no fruit and prunes the vines that bear fruit that they might bear more fruit. It is cool that Paul cared to write to the Church and shows the love that he had in Christ Jesus. It is also awesome that the bible sticks to central themes like illustration of the vine. Keep in mind he may not have been aware of the gospel of John and what it contained when he was writing this epistle.

 

Paul then speaks of praying for the Colossians that they might filled with wisdom and understanding and knowledge. That they might be strengthened with all might according to his power. There enduring everything with patience and perseverance joyfully giving thanks to the Father who is allowing us to partake in the inheritance of the saints in light. Who delivered us from darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son. What a wonderful prayer that Paul made for the believers in Colossae.

 

The next passage is one of the most wonderful revelations of the person of Jesus Christ as our resurrected Lord and His saving nature in the bible.

 

Colossians chapter one starting at verse 15 He is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of every creature. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell, 20 and to reconcile all things to Himself by Him, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him, I say—whether they are things in earth, or things in heaven. MEV

 

What a wonderful description of Jesus Christ our great Lord and Savior. The almighty First Born of all Creation for whom all things were created. In Space or on the Earth, seen and unseen, powers, dominions and principalities. All was made by him and for him as God. Firstborn from the dead and set over all things. Having the fullness of God in him and in peace bringing all to himself through the blood of His cross. How cool of Jehovah to give His only begotten Son for you and I and how awesome that Paul was able to share this picture of Jesus and what he achieved for us all who believe on him through the Cross at Calvary.

 

Then Paul turns his conversation to show how while the Colossians and we ourselves were once separated from God through our sins not in our relationship with Jesus in faith. Christ Jesus can now present us blameless and holy and above reproach in him and this when we remain grounded and settled in the hope of the gospel. Awesome.

 

As we near the end of chapter one Paul speaks of his rejoicing in sufferings for the Colossians sake through the afflictions of Christ for the sake of the Church which is the body of Christ of which Paul is a servant through commission by Christ. To bring forth the mystery hidden for ages past and make known “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Whom we preach warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom that they may be presented perfect in Christ Jesus through his power which worked in Paul and works in us today. What an awesome pearl of wisdom for us to know. What a blessing and what promise to us all. Amen Lord Jesus.

 

Reference List

 

Bible Gateway http://biblegateway.com

 

Colossae https://www.bibleplaces.com/colossae/ 01.07.19

 

Where Is Biblical Colossae? https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/where-is-biblical-colossae/ 01.07.19

What Israel Said...

Remember a while ago Israel Folau published a response to some solid baiting on Twitter. His post warned of the need for all to repent and come to Jesus Christ in order to avoid hell. John the Baptist preached a gospel of repentance while preparing the people for the imminent coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Jesus also preached a gospel of repentance and sent his disciples out to preach a gospel of repentance as well. 

 

So repentance is a strong theme in Christianity. Hell is mentioned but the emphasis is on Salvation. Sin is mentioned by Israel Folau and was often mentioned by the Jesus of Nazareth. Frequently he would heal someone or save them from a band of Pharisees who were about to stone them and as he finished talking with them he would say “Go and sin no more.” Sin is the breaking of God’s Law. To repent is to turn away from the breaking of the Creator’s Law.

The basis of God’s Law is the Ten Commandments. 

 

Exodus chapter 20 verse 1Now God spoke all these words, saying: 2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 You shall not make for yourself any graven idol, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water below the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of them who hate Me, 6 and showing lovingkindness to thousands of them who love Me and keep My commandments. 7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who takes His name in vain. 8 Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or your sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. 12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 13 You shall not murder. 14 You shall not commit adultery. 15 You shall not steal. 16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

 

The rest of the law relating to daily life and homosexuality is called the Torah and was given to the people of Israel by Moses to assist in governing the nation. Sufficient to say sin is the breaking the of God’s Law and is not acceptable in the sight of God. 

 

However God so loved you that he devised a way of dealing with your sin. He came as a man and became the sacrificial offering. A virtual lamb of God to pay the price for your sin. All you have to do is believe that he bore your sin on the cross at Calvary and ask him to forgive your sin and make his place in your heart. 

 

Only one condition. That you repent of your sin. When the Holy Spirit comes into your life he begins to reform you toward the perfection of the creator. He reveals the nature of Jesus of Nazareth in you. All sin has to go starting with the ones you don’t care about and moving right on to the ones that have a real hold in your life. It may take a life time but God is going to reshape you into the person he intended you to be when he first envisioned you. He loves you and wants only the best for you and won’t make you do anything against your will. But he will give you experiences that will affirm his plans for you. It may take a while but that is God’s intention for you if you accept his plan of Salvation.

 

Now as for Mr. Israel Folau? He finds himself in a very fortunate position. The experiences he is currently enduring are leading him to the position that God has appointed him too. Billy Graham died in February of 2018 and was an Evangelist of Note across the Western World. Perhaps Mr. Folau could fill that roll as a representative for Evangelical Christians in Australasia. Heaven knows we need one in this secular time in which we are living. Someone who isn’t afraid to stand for Jesus in the face of persecution. What do you say Issey?

Defending the Faith - Proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ

I think we are really needing a couple of real men of God to stand up for the Church and to proclaim the gospel to the nation at the moment. There are some contenders but to be a man of God you need to be bible believing and focused purely on winning souls to Jesus Christ.

 

So often we believers are distracted by the pride of life and the accumulation of worldly goods. Whereas to succeed in the walk with Jesus of Nazareth we need to focus solely on putting God and His will for us into first place. This impacts on Church leadership as well. In fact in this day and age with cell phones, the Internet and online living it is hard not to be attracted away from God’s ways and down into Vanity Fair.

 

It is important to concentrate on the relationship that God is cultivating with us. In fact Jesus Christ tells us in John fifteen that He is the true vine and that His Heavenly Father is the Vine Dresser. Every branch that bears no fruit he takes away and every branch that bears fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit. Jesus states in this scripture that he is the vine and that we must remain in him and he in us for us to bear much fruit for without him we can do nothing.

 

What am I saying here. Probably that God has big plans for bringing salvation and restoration to our country and the world. We need to focus on God’s work in our lives and his voice in what he wants us to do for him. You know “Don’t ask what God can do for you. Rather what you can do for God.” It would be great to have a leader like John Wesley going around the country and sharing the gospel with the people of New Zealand. But until God raises a couple of real prophets and priests of the last days for our little corner of the world. Well, I guess you and I will have to tidy up our act and start doing what God leads us to do.

 

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine . . . they will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Tim. 4:2–4)

 

Reference List

 

Chapter 5 The Ready Defense https://answersingenesis.org/apologetics/the-ready-defense/ 30.06.19

I Wonder what Dad Would Have Thought: The Day of the Nazarene

We live in strange times. A large part of our nation has largely become extremely Communist leaning. By this I mean secular humanist in emphasis. Anti-Christian and supportive of every form immorality and capable of displaying childlike naivety in regard to the future impact of Islam on our nation while at the same time showing breathtaking intolerance toward Christians or even center right politicians.

 

The left also appears to have a roadmap of what future New Zealand society should look like. It would appear to be Women in charge, Islam the key faith, LGBTQ+ in positions of power, Vegan the diet of the country and Yoga the exercise philosophy of the nation. Natural products the way of life.

So what’s wrong with that I hear you say sounds tolerant and probably healthier than what we have now. There is nothing wrong with any of that provided Jehovah and Jesus of Nazareth, His only begotten Son are worshiped as Lord of Lords and King of Kings (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Provided that the bible is the main source of wisdom in the nation. 

 

Not Islam, not the Quran, nor the philosophy of secular humanism nor, the theory of evolution or, Buddhism, Yoga or Vegetarianism. Why do I say this? Because to follow these religions is to turn your back on God and as soon as a nation turns away from God that nation will begin to be judged and to experience the consequences of their error. 

 

What would my Dad and his generation think? They would be horrified for the folly of the consequences that this generation is bringing on themselves. All that they went through to protect you during the Second World War squandered in disobedience to Jehovah. Immorality and depravity as far as the eye can see and socialism the major tenant of society. They would be angry because they would have known that an evil society is a weak society. If it doesn’t fall apart by itself then it will fall victim to a morally stronger neighbor or to a movement like Islam that will conquer it and reform it into a more conservative regime. Both of which would be disastrous to the mainly Christian democracy they left us.

 

You can chastise me or unfriend me for speaking this plain truth to you. You can accuse me of hate speech if you want. To me the reality is that for whatever reasons many of us choose not to listen to Jehovah or to reject the gospel that Christ Jesus bore our sins upon the cross and with his shed blood paid the sacrifice in our place. Such that if we believe on him we will not perish but will inherit eternal life.

 

All I can say to you is that I serve Jesus of Nazareth. I can only tell you of Christ crucified and beseech that you listen. I ask that you see his open arms toward you and the love for you in his eyes. Please ask him to forgive yours sins that you might receive him into your heart and that your life might uplifted and healed in power of His glory. 

 

This is my prayer for you. Let your answer to Jesus of Nazareth be yes. Let him heal and restore you and bring his wonderful grace into your heart. Let this happen not just for you but let it become a wave of salvation that sweeps our nation and leave it greater in every way than it has ever been in the past. That a great turning back to Jehovah begins in New Zealand, here and today.

In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Tribalism from Secularism

I was watching Breakfast TV this morning and John Campbell interviewing a psychologist about what amounts to the polarisation of attitudes in our society. The discussion seemed to be commenting on the tribal nature of mankind and how secularism is developing more and more distance between the tribes. The psychologist was saying how we need to draw larger circles around other groups to include them rather than confronting them.

 

I have to say I hadn’t thought about secularism leading to tribalism but it is a definite concern. With powerful groups like the LGBTQ, Feminists and the Greens becoming more dominant and less tolerant of other groups attitudes. For example the Neoconservatives, Climate Change Resistors and Christians. It is becoming increasingly possible that society may begin to degenerate into violence and chaos or worse head into totalitarian government. 

 

I say this because the one factor that actually helped people to be more inclusive in the past was the number of bible believing Christians that were spread throughout society. The secularists rail against Christians as being intolerant and backward thinking but in reality when society was more Christian it was safer, more peaceful and definitely more tolerant. Christians didn’t used to ram the gospel down others throats as it were. The general attitude was each to his own in terms of religion and philosophy. As there is today so in the past there were evangelistic Church meetings in order to bring the gospel to potential new converts but on the whole a person’s belief was their own business.

 

Within the circle that was life in a Christian nation there was real stability. People could have free speech and live in freedom and at peace. My opinion is that we need to repent and head back to Jesus Christ as a nation. Calamity is looming and it is not only Christians who can see it. As Mr Campbell and the psychologist were noting on BreakfastTV there is much more polarisation at this time. However if we want to draw a bigger circle to include all facets of society we need to turn back to God.

 

We need to think of how God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but inherit eternal life. We need to understand that we are not alone in needing his forgiveness. Romans 3:10 “There is none righteous, not even one.” Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and all fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So won’t you believe on him that your sins may be forgiven and that you may receive the free gift of God which is eternal life Christ Jesus our Lord?

Important Things

We live in a time as Christians when secular humanism is ushering in a return to Paganism. It is hard to share the gospel in this environment where peoples hearts are hardened and they don’t want to hear the truth of Salvation In Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God.

 

Many of our children are living in households where the people they are living with are not their parents. Often they are not well cared for and live in abject poverty. Occult practices are not uncommon in secular society and pagan doctrine is more available than is wise. 

 

This is all evidence that our country is heading in the wrong direction. When we follow the teachings in the bible and adhere to Jesus Christ as our Savior. When we repent and pray to the Lord our God, Jehovah. Then God will bless our nation and our people will prosper and our children will be blessed. We will not struggle to find employment for our people or to educate our children in the nation’s schools.

 

My friends if our country continues in its current path then we are moving into a time of darkness that will make the dark ages seem relatively tame. When we combine the turbulence already in society with the weather and other events prophesied in the bible. Then it will be a time no one wants to experience.

 

John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whoever believes on Him shall not perish but will inherit eternal life. Maybe it’s time to think about this scripture and to kneel in prayer asking the Most High to forgive your sins and to make his place in your heart."

A Fearful Time

We live in a fearful time again as Christians. Our faith is on the wain and paganism and the works of the evil one are rising to ascendancy in this day. Because of secular humanism laws are being drafted to muzzle Christians and silence sound reason.

 

An example of this is the recent furor over the Christchurch shootings. People were so moved by the events that in one instance a sign was erected over a Baptist Church in Tauranga stating “Peace be with you.” in Arabic. A happening that demonstrates a real lack of understanding of the reality of how others view Christianity.

 

People say the Islam is a peaceful religion and that they seek only to live in peace. However, Islam was raised by Satan in the seventh century to destroy the Christianity. Muhammad was visited by a spirit that claimed to have knowledge of God. He raised armies and within a few decades he had conquered most of the Middle East including Palestine, Egypt and Syria. All of these countries were Christian at that time. In some areas Christians were killed. In others they became second class citizens and were taxed but the outcome in the end was to stop of the spread of the gospel and begin the decline of the Christian Church. This was the devil’s intention and makes the truth of the matter plain and simple. Islam is a spirit of Antichrist.

 

For Christians to embrace Islam in Western Democracies is to be naive in the extreme. There can be no friendship with Islam. The intention of Islam is to dominate and eventually supplant Christianity. It is an enemy and antichrist. You need to understand this and be chastened my fellow believers. We must earnestly seek God to stop the spread of Islam in our countries and pour out his Holy Spirit to bring about a great repentance in the name of Jesus Christ. 

 

2 Chronicle 7 verses 13 puts it like this “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Reference List

 

Scripture from http://www.biblegateway.com

 

Christianity Face to Face with Islam https://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/01/christianity-face-to-face-with-islam 01.06.19