After the religious people grilled Jesus with tough questions it was Jesus’ turn to ask His: “How can people say that the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is David’s Son? For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, the Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet. So David calls Him Lord; how then is He his Son?”  (Luke 20:41-44 Amplified)

What Jesus was saying is that the Messiah is much much more than a mere descendant of David. He is actually David’s LORD. Someone who is far above David. But to Jesus’ question/statement no one gave an answer, I suppose because this was simply too much for them to take in. They already knew that many believed Jesus was the Messiah and were trying hard to redefine Him. Others had openly tried to discredit Him. But this didn’t keep Jesus from making His numerous references to how He and the Father were one, indicating His deity. And now Jesus challenged them with this scripture, a scripture they were surely familiar with, and still they wouldn’t acknowledge the obvious. They still wanted to make Jesus less than what He was.

Nothing changes. The secular world and even some “religious” people still want to make Jesus less. Oh, they might grudgingly acknowledge He was a good man and a good teacher but little more. Like those in Jesus’ day, even when confronted by the scriptures they refuse to accept them, refuse to answer the tough questions, even refuse an honest evaluation of them.

And here’s the strangest part: I’ve yet to meet someone who claims he doesn’t believe in the Bible who has actually read it! They may have heard snippets of it preached in church or heard someone else give their views on it, but they have never read it for themselves. 

On the other hand, I’ve head many many stories about people who started out not believing in Jesus, and ended up totally committed to Him after reading the Bible through with an open mind. God’s word is powerful. It will clearly acquaint one with the person of Jesus Christ, then change them, heal them and give them a hope and a future. I think that’s why Satan tries so hard to discredit it and to discourage people from reading it. But it’s in scripture that the toughest question—who is Jesus—will be answered, and it’s scripture that will help answer the other tough questions in life, as well.

My prayer is that God births in each of us a new desire to read His word and then to live it.

Until next time,

Sylvia

It’s hard to imagine, but yes, there’s a one-world religion in the works and has been for some time. The UN has promoted “religious pluralism” for years, hoping to bring all faiths under one banner. Working closely with them, the World Council of Churches also tries to “unify all religions” while at the same time constantly attacking “Western imperialism and capitalism” but failing to criticizing even brutal Communist leaders or dictators. Another layer was added by Bill Clinton and Tony Blair in their promotion of “Face to Faith” a study course aimed at 12 to 17 year olds, and is currently offered in 17 different countries. It’s purpose? To promote “religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue.” And now the latest—Chrislam, the effort by so-called Christian churches in 32 US states to hold “unity meetings” and place the writings of the Quran and the Bible on equal footing on the premise that both these writings honor Jesus Christ.

Nothing could be further from the truth!

For starters, the Prophet Jesus of the Quran has no resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible. According to numerous surahs or chapters in the Quran, as well as according to Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, Founder and Chairman of the Islamic Supreme Council of America, their Jesus will return with the Muslim Messiah, Mahdi, to establish a New World Order, and when this happens Prophet Jesus will confess that he never died on the cross, that it was all a fake. Then he’ll proceed to destroy all crosses and kill every man, woman and child who refuses to convert to Islam. To say that this Prophet Jesus is the same as the Jesus of the Bible is utter blasphemy.

The Church needs to wake up. Alexander Hamilton said, “He who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” But how can we stand if we don’t even know what our Bible says? And how can we tell a teaching is false if we’re not firmly grounded in Scripture? 2 Timothy 2:15 says “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Lies and distortion swirl all around us. More than ever, Christians need to know the “word of truth.”

The church of Laodicea was lukewarm, thinking it was rich and had need of nothing, when in reality it was poor and naked. Laodicea depicts the end-time church, a church Jesus said He would vomit out of his mouth. I don’t want to be part of that church—comfortable and content and not willing to thoroughly learn the tenets of my faith, then stand for them—do you?

I pray that revival falls on us all, and that the fresh fire of the Holy Spirit ignites us, and stirs us from our complacency before we open our eyes and find the New World Order and One World Religion has invaded our own church. It’s already happened to some.

Until next week,

Sylvia    

Recently I had a minor procedure on one of my legs to prevent blood clots and ulceration. It was another reminder that physically, at least, we are not like fine wines, we don’t improve with age. Rather, with each passing day, we are wearing out. Anyone over thirty knows how fast life is whizzing by. The Bible tells us that our earthly life is but a vapor (James 4:14); that like grass we are here one day and gone the next (Psalm 103:15-16).

Perhaps not a pleasant thought for some, but don’t despair, this is all just the anteroom to eternity. While we need to appreciate each day and live it to the fullest for God, we also need to keep in mind the larger picture, and as Colossians 3:2 says, set our mind on things above, not on earthly things. Oh, how we love to sweat the small stuff! How we major in the minors, and get bogged down in the things that really don’t matter and will have no eternal value! And for those bigger, heavier issues in our lives, we need to remember that God is in control, that nothing happening to us is taking Him by surprise, and that He has a way of escape if we but trust Him.

There is no better way to live life than by knowing, loving and serving the One who gave Himself for us. And He is the very One that according to Jude 24 can and will keep us “from falling” and present us “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.”

Oh, how much we have to look forward to!

Until next week,

Sylvia