10 Reasons not to be a Christian

10 Reasons not to be a Christian

10. "A lot of Christians are hypocrites." - This is a true statement. Many Christians are hypocrites. This should not be too surprising, because there are bad apples in every basket. The standard to which God calls us should not be judged by a few bad apples. Besides, would you rather spend a few years, putting up with a few hypocrites in church, or spend eternity with all of them in hell? (Matthew 13:24-43)

9. "I am not good enough." - When one becomes a Christian, it is not because he, or she is good. In fact, we become Christians because we recognize that we are not good. We are sinners. The redemption of the Christian is based on grace and faith, not one's own righteousness (Romans 3:21-28). If it was based on righteousness, nobody would be a Christian, much less be saved (Romans 3:23; James 2:10-11).

8. "I do not know enough." - Do you believe there is a God? Do you believe that Jesus is His Son, who died on the cross to save us from our sins, and was resurrected to give us hope? Are you willing to accept Him as your Lord and Savior, to follow Him wherever He leads you? His commands are simple: After hearing the gospel, you must believe, repent from your sins, confess Him, and be immersed in water into His body (Romans 10:8-18; Acts 2:38; Galatians 3:26-27). The rest will come with time and diligence (I Peter 5:10; Hebrews 5:12-14). Trust Him.

7. "It is too hard." - Being a Christian is hard work. Before one becomes a Christian they should count the cost, and commit themselves to Christ, whatever the cost (Luke 9:57-62; 14:26-35). However, you should know that choosing not to be a Christian will produce a life that is even harder (Matthew 11:28-30). To help us, God has provided spiritual tools that enable us to grow as a Christian and overcome this life (II Corinthians 10:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-18). These tools are only available to Christians (Ephesians 1:3). If we run away from the difficulties of being a Christian, we will run straight into a trapped life of ruin and misery, which will bring insurmountable and eternal difficulties.

6. "I am too wicked. God could not forgive me." - What have you done? Have you persecuted Christians? Forcing them to blaspheme their own Savior through slow and painful torture? Have you persecuted them to the point of death? If God can accept Saul, the persecutor of Jesus and Christians (I Timothy 1:13-16; Acts 8:1-3; 9:1-22), and if He can forgive those who crucified His own Son (Luke 23:33-34; Acts 2:36-47), then will He not readily accept you (Luke 15:1-32)? Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, including yours (I John 2:2; I Timothy 2:5-6).

5. "But, that means my family is going to hell!" - Once someone realizes the truth of his condemned state, it does not take long before he considers the fate of his loved ones. This realization often produces much worry and heartache. Such a person may allow this concern to overpower his desire to save himself. However, denying the truth will not change their true state before God (I Corinthians 4:1-5). The only real hope of saving your loved ones is to first become a Christian, and then you can reach out to them with the gospel. Ignoring the judgment to come does not make it go away. Turning a blind eye only makes condemnation inevitable (Romans 11:7-10).

4. "God is merciful. He would not condemn me." - God truly is merciful. He does not want any to be lost (II Peter 3:9). That is why He gave His Son to be sacrificed upon the cross, thereby giving us an opportunity to be saved (John 3:16). However, the Lord is also just, and He will one day return unexpectedly, as a "thief in the night" (I Thessalonians 5:1-3). Then the door of opportunity will be closed, and only those who are prepared will be saved (Matthew 25:1-13). At that time, He will be "revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 1:7-8). This is God’s promise and warning. Will you ignore the warning?

3. "I am a good, moral person. God would not condemn me." - On that last great day, there will be many surprised people, whom we might would consider good, moral people. Many might have even acknowledged Him as Lord (Matthew 7:21). Some might have gone so far as to have performed many great works in His name (Matthew 7:22). However, if they have not obeyed and performed according to the Lord’s command, then Jesus will not recognize them, and they will be eternally condemned (Luke 13:23-27; Matthew 7:21-23). Are you obeying the Lord’s command (Mark 16:15-16)?

2. "I'm not ready yet. Maybe tomorrow?" - Some people want to finish sowing their wild oats. Once they have had their full of sin and its pleasures, then they plan to offer their ragged life to God, just before they expire. Such people underestimate God. He will not be tricked, or mocked (Galatians 6:7-8). You will reap what you sow. In reality, the race is not to become a Christian before you die, but to repent before your heart becomes hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, unable to hear the word and repent (Hebrews 3:13; Luke 8:4-15).

1. Me, myself, and I - Few, if any, would readily admit this is the reason for delaying their conversion. However, at some point, all of the nine above reasons cease to be barriers, and they become excuses, masking their own selfish, stubborn rebellion as the true reason (Romans 1:18-32). However, such people will one day find themselves surrounded by all the selfish beings that ever lived, angels and people (Matthew 25:41-46). How effectively will you be able to serve yourself and find happiness in that realm of eternal evil, darkness, and suffering, where nothing good dwells?

Conclusion

If you are delaying becoming a Christian, then please answer the question, "Why?" What stands in your way between you and the Lord? Why will you not do what you know to be right? How do you know this is not your last chance before you either die or your conscience becomes so hardened that it can no longer be pricked by the truth? If something still stands in your way, please talk to me, or any Christian, about it. There is nothing worth losing your one and only eternal soul (Mark 8:34-38)!

Trevor Bowen

Glorifying God in the Good or Bad

Glorifying God in the Good or Bad

Nick Foles, the Jacksonville Jaguar quarterback, returned to the starting lineup two weeks ago, after being sidelined since he injured his shoulder in the opening week of the season.

It’s been a tough season for Foles who won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and signed a four-year contract with the Jags in May.

When asked about dealing with the injury Foles said that it has made him a better person. Taught him to have joy even during a difficult situation. And helped him grow in his faith.

Foles said he told God, “If this is the journey you want me to go on, I’m going to glorify you in every action, good or bad.”

Known as an outspoken believer in Jesus, the quarterback referred to his Super Bowl win when he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, “In that moment I realized I didn’t need that trophy to define who I was because it was already in Christ.”

I don’t know Nick Foles’ religious affiliation, but I know he’s right about two things: (1) We can glorify God even in tough times; and (2) Our achievements, awards, and accolades don’t define who we are. The Christian’s identity is in Christ.

In Psalm 50, Jehovah, speaking through Asaph declared, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”Normally we don’t think about glorifying God during our difficulties. We give glory to God for our blessings. Our successes. Our material abundance. Our spiritual victories.

Yet, the Bible is filled with commands and examples reminding us that life is not a beautiful bouquet of roses without the thorns. We all experience trials, troubles, and tribulations.

When Paul and Silas were beaten and imprisoned for preaching Christ, they sang, prayed and gloried God. Not softly or faintly, but loudly enough the other prisoners heard them (Acts 16:25).

While suffering his “thorn in the flesh,” Paul prayed to God three times for its removal. God’s answer? “My grace is sufficient for you.” The thorn remained. But Paul didn’t pout. Rather he glorified God and responded with faith, hope and courageous determination.

“I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

When Paul was confined to a Roman prison, he wrote the Philippian letter and spoke of the “joy of faith.” He viewed his imprisonment as an opportunity to “preach Christ,” as the gospel message spread even to the Emperor’s palace. His motto and message was “rejoice in the Lord.”

James reminds us that even when “we face trials of various kinds” that we can “count it all joy” (Jas 1:3). The experience he affirms makes us better. Stronger. More complete in Christ.

It’s well to be reminded in an era of unparalleled prosperity that we don’t thank and glorify God just because of what He’s given us. But because of who HE IS.

The Psalmist affirmed, “I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And I will glorify Your name forevermore” (Ps 86:12).

When? It good times and tough times. In sickness and in health. In joy and in sorrow. In abundance and in scarcity. And in triumph and in defeat.

Why? Because God is worthy to be praised. He is our Creator. All-knowing. All-wise. Ever present. And He will provide. In His time.

I’m reminded of the words of the poet and songwriter, Annie Flint Johnson, who experienced many sorrows in life, yet was strong and faithful.

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions, He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

To God be the glory. In good times or bad.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman

Praying “According to His Will”

Praying “According to His Will”

I Peter 3:12 teaches us that “the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers.”  This reminds us of James 5:16, which says that the fervent prayers of the righteous accomplish much.  So, what about all those people who pray for a new car and never get one?  What about all those people who pray for a dream job and never seem to land it?  What about all those who pray for the healing of a loved one who still passes away?

We often feel like there is a certain mystery about prayer and how/if God answers those prayers.  Sometimes we wonder if an event or circumstances was indeed an answered prayer (or was it the Devil making us think our prayer was answered?).  Sometimes we begin to question what God is doing when He doesn’t seem to answer our prayers how we think they ought to be answered, we wonder if He is even listening or, worse, we may begin to question if He even exists to answer prayer.

I John 5:14,15 is an excellent commentary on the two verses above.  It says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (I John 5:14,15).  According to His will.  There is the key to understanding how to pray to God, the kind of heart we ought to have, and whether or not prayers are answered.  We must learn to pray according to His will.So, in order to understand how to pray according to His will, and therefore know that He will grant us whatever we ask, we need to learn exactly what His will is.  The challenge we have in this regard is understanding that the expressed will of God does not involve worldly, material matters.  When we ask, “is it God’s will for me to live in this town” or, “is it God’s will that I start this job,” we are asking about things that pertain to this earthly realm.  The fact is that God has not revealed anything in His word regarding His will in these kinds of matters; there is no clear revelation about whether one should live in Los Angeles or Dallas, or work as a salesman or teacher.  God specifically told Abraham to leave his home in Ur, and go to a specific place.  Paul was forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go into Asia.  But we don’t get such specific orders today regarding the will of God in earthly matters.

But what has God specifically revealed about His will?  We have verses where God says He wants us to love Him and love our neighbor, verses that teach us to live humbly before men, to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to Him, to spread the Gospel and bring others to the knowledge of His Son, to be obedient to specified commandments.  The New Testament is full of the expressed will of God, summed up in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

So, when we pray, we must pray according to the expressed will of God.  There is nothing wrong about praying for material things, or praying for certain situations to work out, praying for physical health and healing (James 5:16), but do we remain mindful of the expressed will of God in our petitions?  Is our heart in the right place, focused on the will of God, when we pray about these things? 

When we pray for the healing of a loved one, it would be hard (if not impossible) to determine if God truly desires for that person to remain on this earth.  However, we know for certain that God desires the salvation of that one’s soul, as well as for that one to remain faithful to Him and serve Him as best they can while they are here; we can pray for their healing, but we should really be focused on praying for them in spiritual matters.  Likewise, when we pray for healing and wholeness in our own bodies; pray for the help physically, but do not neglect the more important matters, petitions for our souls, calling on the love, mercy, and forgiveness of God.  In these matters of praying for health, we can know, according to I John 5:14,15, that we do have the petitions of our hearts, even if the prayer for physical health seems to go unanswered.

When it comes to praying for financial matters, there is nothing wrong with praying for a raise or material assistance.  Sometimes it is not within our power, ability, or opportunity to work and earn for ourselves according to II Thessalonians 3:10.  However, when we do pray about money matters, are we praying with an understanding of the will of God in our hearts?  Are we praying about financial matters so that the will of God might be accomplished through those answered prayers?  Somewhere in our heart, we should sincerely desire that any increase in material gain might lead to our increased ability to do benevolent works in the world, our increased ability to support the work of the church, our increased ability to aid needy saints, our increased ability to support gospel preachers, all of which we know is the will of God.  God wants us to enjoy life and have pleasure in this world, but that is not the primary objective of our being here.  The will of God for our material gain is, according to Ephesians 4:28, “that we he might have to give.”

Let us be mindful of the will of God and His eternal purpose when we pray.  Let us be careful about praying for worldly gain, self-promotion, or physical health and pleasure in and of themselves, giving no thought to if the will of God is being carried out.  Let us pray for comfort and security, for wisdom and health, for opportunities and prosperity, understanding what Jesus said about our Father in heaven, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  When we have this great teaching firmly implanted in our hearts, we will not be frustrated or perplexed by unpredictable earthly matters which are subject to “time and chance”, and be fully confident that God hears and answers our prayers.

Jeremy Koontz

Jose Rodriguez - choices

In My Opinion pp

Moving Past Hard Moments

Moving Past Hard Moments

Sometimes it is hard to move past the moment. It is hard to work through the adversity, disappointment, or heartbreak. Maybe it is self-inflicted. Maybe it is due to my own weaknesses. Maybe it is because of my own ignorance. Maybe it is because of my own unmet expectations. It can also be others. We expect someone to be different than they are. We learn of a marriage that is tearing needlessly apart. Any number of things get us stuck in the moment. We spin our wheels in the sand. Too many things collide together at one time.

First, remember God has not changed.  He is still on His throne. Even though the moments seem to be like walking in concrete, God is still merciful, full of grace, and loving. He never disappoints. Our hope is anchored in Him. His promises are sure. He has never failed us. He carries us in our darkest moments. He strengthens us when we are weak.

Second, because we are hard-pressed by the moment, the moments do not define who we really are. It is easy to begin to believe that the moments define us. They do not. The moments of heartbreak may be real, but the cause of the heartbreak does not define who we are. It grieved God that He had created man. Yet man’s failure did not define who God is. Jesus was disappointed in His disciples. “O you oflittle faith,” He would say. Yet, those disciples did not define who is He is. Heartbreak does define who we are. We are defined by God.

Third, hard pressing moments have always been part of man’s existence. The person has not lived who has not faced some moments that were hard to move past.  We are not robots that can be programed. We have emotions. Those emotions are tightly bound in others. Paul was heart-broken when Demas left him. He was frustrated with John Mark after the first journey. Barnabas, the encourager, was even susceptible to Peter’s negative influence. As long as we are involved in the lives of other people, moments that are hard to move past will be present.

Fourth, those hard-pressing moments are hardest to move past when it is a child. The disappointment and heartbreak consume us. We invest our lives in our children. We place such hope in them and believe in their great promise. When we watch them make choices that are life-altering, we feel helpless. We beg, plead, cry, and pray. Yet, they have choice.  If we could, we would make the choice for them. We can’t. We want to do something. We want to reach out. We pray and pray, and it seems like God is not with us. We ask why? We ask where did we fail? I have seen it in the faces of parents. I have heard their voices tremble because a child walks away from God. It is hard to remember, but God has experienced the same thing with His creation. Man walked away from God. In the story of the two sons, one a prodigal and one who never left, the same father loves them. The prodigal returned. The one who stayed home, left. The father cries for both. His heart was broken then healed by the prodigal’s return. His heart was broken again when the boy who stayed, left. God knows and God understands.

Life has those moment that are hard to move past.  But we can learn to live with them. They become part of who we are. They can also be transforming. They can make us more tender, more understanding, and more loving. We must not let them make us more cynical and bitter. We must keep praying for greater wisdom and spiritual insight.

Rickie Jenkins

What Does the Bible Teach about Angels pp