Christian Persecution!

Cannot grow without It?

The Christian faith is the only religion that increases by persecution and we see this from the first one that occurred in Jerusalem, after Pentecost. It may have been a terrible time, but from it the Church spread to Damascus in Syria and to Antioch in what is now south-east modern Turkey!

During the work of the Apostle Paul new Churches were established in Asia, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Rome and both Macedonia and Spain. Within fifty years there were Christians in Iran, N-Africa, the Arabian peninsula and India.

It is terrible today to see Chinese believers being attacked by the state, others driven from their home in the Muslim world and restrictions still placed on them throughout Roman Catholicism, apart from our own new secular humanistic societies were sin is justified as equality and human idealism?

Matthew/Levi 5:10-12,   Acts 6:7,   8:1-3,   22:4,   26:11, Galatians 1:13,   Revelation 5:8,   8:3-4.

Disrespect. Part-One.

Do you get the feeling that Trump does not like Black People?

In fact does he really like anyone at the Apprentice showdown tower in New York, when daily people are fired? Sadly one has to admit many of them like Spence were total idiots, when it came to major historical events!

The new news headline at the moment is his attack on the NFL and his belittling of American football and Baseball as boring games? This attack comes because he cannot get what he wants with Obama care and so he is indirectly attacking the Black Lives Matter movement!

It is sad to see politicians and leaders come to power and not be able to maintain it or to deal with people and their needs?

Men are blinded by wealth, success and selfishness, they will brag and boast and if you read the bible you will find many evil people there who had a high opinion of themselves and alas they hung themselves!

Matthew 2:1-19,  Luke 16:13,  Esther 9:13-24.

A New kind of People. One.

Not what we Where?

It can be hard for many who believe and then go to fellowship, only to find people still gossipping as they were in the world?

James (Ya'akov=Jacob) warns believers that we cannot carry on now like we were before, salt and fresh water cannot come from the same spring! There are a few other illustrations that one could search for this week and have a bit of bible study, that relate to we cannot be hot and cold?

If we claim faith in Jesus, we must walk in His ways and no longer in the ways of this world!

James 3:5-9,  Matthew/Levi 6:24,  Luke 16:13.

Sees Everything. Part-One.

God watches His Creation.

We might have other ideas in relation to hiding our actions from other people, pretending to be one thing, while we are the same old person as we always have been.

Cheating on the partner, tax evasion, telling lies, dishonest in business, tripping others up at work, seeking promotion in Church and at work that we know that we do not deserve?

God sees everything, He is always watching us, we cannot and never will be able to hide from Him!

2 Chronicles 16:9, Psalm 11:4-5,  102:19-20,  Hebrews 4:13.

Pentecost. Part-One.

Holy Spirit given to all Believers.

Prior to this event the Holy Spirit was only given to certain believers so that they would be enabled to do the will of God. Now all believers from this point on would receive the Holy Spirit, because they had to be empowered to serve.

Many Christians today make the slight mistake of asking Jesus for more of the Holy Spirit and for the gifts, that they already possess and refuse to use.

Everyone outside the born-again/converted experience cannot receive this power, it is only for us.

Acts 1:8, 2:33, 1 Thessalonians 1:6, Hebrews 3:7.

Oppression. Part-One.

We have the Power!

If you are a born-again or converted believer, you will have the Power of the Holy Spirit inside you. The world cannot have this power that god has given to us, this power is a passion that burns within us to keep doing the right things, to be honest and fare to all.

This power helps us to forgive those who give us a hard time, persecute and think they can oppress us? This Spirit of God is our friend, when we have failed and are weak, he comes to us and points the way back to Jesus again.

Romans 5:1-6, Psalm 22:4-5.

Marriage. Part-One.

Between a Man and a Woman.

This is Gods way and nearly every religion on our planet has accepted it.

Western society today wants everyone to be free and people can do almost what they want!

But we know they can, but we cannot?

Leviticus 18:22, Matthew 19:4-6, 1 Corinthians 7:2, 11:11.

Pirates. Part-Two.

Piracy.

Do you copy music from the radio or films from the net? 

What you are doing may seem totally innocent to you!

But this is still theft, the copying of someones 'Copyright.'

Many people cannot see this, I must admit it even took me along time to understand it.

Its like when you share a video on You Tube, everyone can take it copy and cut it up to create something different.

Unless you refuse them the possibility.

Exodus 20, Job 27:5,  Psalm 73:13.