Which Denomination is the Best?

What is the answer to the best denomination to be a part of today?  Fortunately, the New Testament gives the clear answer to the question so that we do not have to wonder about this.  Let's look at 1 Corinthians 1 starting with verse 10:

"I appeal to you, brothers, In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.  My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.'  Is Christ divided?  Were you baptized into the name of Paul?..."

The answer is clear.  There is no best denomination.  In fact, there should be no denomination, realizing that the word simply means to divide.  As Christians, we are one.  We have one Lord, Jesus Christ.  Unity is taught all through the Bible.  Just before His death, Jesus prayed in John 17 that His followers would be united.  And this passage in Ephesians 4 shows us the importance of unity:

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism....."

It is obvious that Jesus and Paul were very concerned about the unity of Christians.  We might ask how we can be unified and is that possible.  The answer lies in just being Christians, just following the teaching of the Bible, just being today what Christians were in the days of the New Testament.  Meanwhile, while we make this journey to being what Christ wants us to be, we are to "be completely humble and gentle", as it says in Eph. 4, with one another; to love one another and seek the best for one another.

Let's just be Christians.   Thanks for reading.  Have a great week.

God Always Provides

All through the Bible we see that God loves His people....and He always provides for His people.  Today's lesson shows the example of this principle when God provided manna and quails for the people of Israel.  God had brought the people out of the land of Egypt, out of slavery and oppression, had helped them cross the Red Sea on dry land by parting the waters, and was leading them toward the promised land.  God delivered them and thought they would be appreciative.

Soon, the people became concerned about the lack of food and started complaining.  We learn from the Bible that God does not appreciate complaining.  He was upset with His people, but He showed great patience with them and love, too.  He gave them manna and quails.  We read in Exodus 16 that the manna was a type of bread dough that they got from God in the morning and baked.  Then quails were provided in the evening which they would boil for eating. 

We read on in the Old Testament that the Israelites were so turning away from God that He made them wander in the wilderness for 40 years before going into the promised land, the land of Canaan, what is today the nation of Israel.  Later in this period of wandering, God again became upset with their complaining.  Numbers 11 tells, "Now when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused.  So the fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp."  They then began complaining about the lack of meat again.  Apparently, the quails had been stopped for awhile and now they were unhappy.  God provided them quails again but in such quantity that it made them sick.

There are many lessons to be drawn here.  The main one is that God is extremely gracious to His people.  He saves, He delivers, He wants to help them...and does.  It is the same with us today who are His followers.  He not only gave us His only Son, but He continues to give and to care.

Another lesson  is that God doesn't appreciate complaining.  He didn't like it then and He doesn't like it now.

In summary, we must first be sure that we are committed to Him, that we are a true follower.  And we should know that He provides, He takes care of His own.  And we must appreciate the care and love He gives us, not complaining in any way.

Thanks for reading.  I hope your week is great!

King Josiah

King Josiah was one of the last kings of the nation of Judah.  This occurs in 2 Kings 22 of the Old Testament.  The overall nation of Israel had been split into 2 parts for many years; Israel in the North and Judah in the South.  As we read through the OT we see that Israel went into captivity to Assyria as recorded in 2 Kings 17.  And the reason that they were overcome was because they had left the Lord, not following His instruction, following after false gods.  And during this period of the Northern and Southern kingdoms, there was not one single king who was faithful to the Lord.

We read that Judah held on longer and never fell to the Assyrians.  This is because at least some of the kings and the people remained faithful to God.  Thus, God spared them for awhile.  Eventually we see that Judah falls to the dynasty of Babylon.....but only when the nation started following false gods and totally rejecting the true God. 

Josiah became king of Judah at the age of 8 and reigned for 31 years.  The High Priest at that time found the Book of the Law and got it to the king.  King Josiah as amazed; this book had not been found or followed for a long time.  Verse 13, the king speaks, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

Verse 25 says of king Josiah, "Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor after him did any arise like him."

This kind of commitment to the Lord serves as a good example to us.  We need to recognize the importance of God's instruction book to us, the Bible.  To those people of old it was the Law of Moses, given by God, the Jewish Law.  To us it is the instruction of the New Testament.  And we need to see that God is serious about us following it.

And we can note that all through the Bible we read where nations that followed the Lord were protected by Him.  When nations turned away from Him, there was a great fall.  Pray for our nation.

Thanks for reading......and learning, or being reminded, about our Great God!

The Prophets Elijah and Elisha

There are many prophets in the Bible, both OT and NT.  The purpose of the prophets varied somewhat, but in all cases involved these people being spokespeople for God, carrying His wishes to the people.  Often it was with the goal of getting the people, God's people, to repent, to straighten out their lives, to get back to following Him.

Elijah is referenced enough in the NT to know that he is regarded as one of the greatest.  We read about both of these men, Elijah first, beginning in 1Kings 17 and running into 2Kings 13.  Interestingly, neither of these men wrote books or letters or anything that we can read.  And they are not recorded as saying great things to us.  Their work was to the people of their time; sometimes to kings, sometimes to the smallest of figures. 

There is the story of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, both evil, obtaining the next door property of Naboth.  They had him killed, then took his vineyard land.  "Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'Arise, go down  to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria.....You shall speak to him, saying, "Thus says the Lord, Have you murdered and also taken possession?" ' " (1Kings 21).  This was a tough job for Elijah to do, going to the king and condemning him.  Elijah takes on lots of tough assignments including performing many powerful miracles at the hand of the Lord.

In 2Kings 2, Elijah passes the torch to Elisha.  Just before Elijah's life ends in a most amazing way, Elijah asks Elisha what he can do for him.  "Elisha said, 'Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."  This is what happened.  Elisha begins his ministry and works many powerful miracles in the name of the Lord.  These men were men of great faith and duty.  They set out to do exactly what God wanted them to do....and what was needed by the people.

We aren't Elijah or Elisha.  But we can follow their example and be the people that we need to be.  Thanks for reading again.  You are great.

Pivotal Chapter

The Bible begins in dramatic fashion with the creation.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  It then follows a thread of history leading up to the New Testament, to Jesus Himself, and to all the happenings to Jesus through His ministry and His death and resurrection.  In all of this building, there is a flow that is pointing toward the coming of a king, a great kingdom, a messiah, a new beginning.

All of this building, this progression, is leading to the pivotal chapter in all of the Bible.  This chapter is Acts 2.  It is here that all that the Old Testament was leading up to, all that Jesus prepared for, the beginnings of the kingdom are reflected on earth.  Jesus had left His apostles as recorded in the first chapter of Acts and gone into heaven to reign from the throne.  He left the apostles to carry on the work; and He sent the Holy Spirit back to help these men in their work, to give them power to work miracles and prove that they were for real, carrying a real message for a real Messiah.

The reader is encouraged to read all of Acts 2; it is very powerful.  It begins, "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire...."  It is this major event and the occurrences to follow that would begin the existence of "Christians" and the "church."  

After this pivotal chapter, the rest of Acts tells of the conversion of many people and the development of the church....in Israel and on beyond into all of the known world.  After the book of Acts, the NT tells Christians how to live, how to serve, how to avoid the evil of Satan.  It all revolves around the key chapter in all of the Bible.....Acts chapter 2.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!

Death and the White Stone

Death is a subject that we don't want to think about.  And I don't want to go into all aspects of this.  But as we read of the death of the Christian, we see that it is nothing to be feared.....at all.  Oh, none of us wants to go through the death process; dying has to be no fun; it surely wasn't for Jesus, and it may not be for us.

But the important point here is that if we are a follower of Jesus, if we do His will, if we put His will above ours, He has paved the way for us.  John 14 says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in God; trust also in Me.  In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you."  That is truly comforting as we think of ourselves...and as we think of our loved ones who have gone on before us.

We learn about this passing process in many places, but consider 1 Corinthians 15:51, "Listen, I tell you a mystery; We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed......Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?...But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

He continues, "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."  Now, how is that for good advice.  A powerful lesson for us all.

I want a white stone.  Note Revelation 2:17, "..To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna.  I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."  I look forward to my white stone; and I want that for you.  Love the Lord; He has prepared the way for you....and for me.

Thanks for reading.  Feel the love.

The Warning with Hope

The Old Testament gives us so much information leading up to the coming of Christ.  It gives us a history of man from the first people, Adam and Eve, and continues through to the final words of the prophet Malachi.  Throughout the OT we read of God giving warnings and direction and hope to His people.

Malachi is the last of the prophets in the OT through whom God gave His instruction.  It is interesting to read the very final words of Malachi.  "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

God is saying, through the mouth of the prophet, that He expects people to do right; and He is telling them that He will send Elijah the prophet to them.  This is figurative language because Elijah has already come and done his work.  He means here that one like Elijah is going to be sent.  We might think this is Jesus to come.  Actually He is speaking of John the baptist.  We know this by going to Matthew  17:12 and listening to the words of Jesus.

" 'But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.' Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist."

God has sent many prophets and even His Son to be sure that we get the message.  He made sure that all of the teaching from these men, especially that of Jesus and the apostles, was preserved through the writing of the Bible.  We have the Word in its entirety.  Now we must heed the warning to follow it.  But it also gives hope.  It offers us life. Let's make sure that we heed and take hold of the life that God has prepared for us.

Thanks for reading.  You are important.