Is Christianity the only religion that is true? – Or are all other religions describing the same God in different ways? Is there really any difference between Christianity and other religions such as Hinduism, Islam, or Buddhism, or Judaism. Many people claim that all of these religions are valid however John Piper puts the record straight in an extract from a sermon titled - “Not in This or That Mount, But in Spirit and Truth” John 4:16-30.
Full video http://www.desiringgod.org/…
It would be the most wonderful thing to know that Michael Jackson is now in Heaven and no doubt there are many who would believe he is. However man’s eternal and final destination has nothing to do with who we think should be in heaven, God has already determined the plan of salvation.
Jesus Christ was God on earth and suffered so that sin (in your life) can be destroyed. Jesus died on the cross and endured the wrath of God, so that man could be reconciled to Him and no longer enemies of each other. This death not only guarantees Heaven for the person who has repented and turned away from their sin and is trusting in Jesus but more importantly, a right relationship with God with a new life totally committed to Him.
With this new life comes a lifetime of expression, to the world, that Jesus is Saviour and Lord of your life. One of the ways you know that you are a born again Christian and on your way to Heaven is when you publicly confess Jesus as Lord, and you tell people on a regular basis that Jesus is the only way to God.
Not only that, you publicly make it known by your life style that you and God have a relationship.
There are certain outward appearances laid down by God in Scripture which qualify a person to have the absolute assurance that they will spend eternity with God in heaven when they leave this earth.
So judge for yourself (according to the Holy Scriptures which are man’s only reliable source on the subject of Heaven and Hell) if Michael Jackson is in heaven.
“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil”. John 3:3-6; 12-19.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do”. Ephesians 2:4-10.
“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:22-23.
“Repent therefore and return that your sins may be wiped away.” Acts 3:19-20
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. ”Romans 10:9-10
“Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36.
“I am the way and the truth and the life, no–one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14: 6.
Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to be able say with certainty that Michael Jackson is in Heaven. But I would be deceiving myself if I believed that and so would you.
Look at his life in the light of Scripture. Was he truly “born again” by God’s Holy Spirit?
Did he publicly confess Jesus as Lord and Saviour?
Did he believe in Jesus Christ as the only way men can be saved?
Was his life totally committed to God and His ways?
Did his lifestyle tell the world that Jesus was his God?
The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that salvation will not be available forever. There is no “later “There is only “NOW” God takes note of being put off!“How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation” Hebrews 2:3.“Now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation”! 2 Cor 6:2
Thanks to ProclaimHisWord for this video. |
There is an old axiom that says that there are only two certainties in life: death and taxes. But when you think about it….this familiar cliché’ is not totally accurate. With the right deductions and a good accountant, many people have managed to avoid paying any taxes at all. But everyone will face the ultimate certainty that we all die. Death is an unavoidable reality for all people…as it says in Ecclesiastes 7:2 “death is the destiny of every man”. As George Bernard Shaw once put it, “The statistics on death are quite impressive. One out of one people die.”
“The soul who sins is the one who will die.” Ezekiel 18:4b
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
So the question is not “will I die” it’s “when will I die”? Only God knows the answer. A much more important question to ask is “where will I spend eternity”?
One’s response to the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ will determine where one will spend eternity.
When you breathe your last breath, your eternal destiny is forever determined. Eleanor Roosevelt got it right when she said, “Life is like a parachute jump, and you’ve got to get it right the first time.”
Listen to this timely message from ProclaimHisWord on Luke 12: 20-21…
‘But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God’.
My thanks also to Shai Linne’ and Tournifreak08 for this video.
This message by C H Spurgeon is so applicable to the seeker sensitive /church entertainment/health and wealth gospel age we live in it’s somewhat “uncanny” to listen to. It’s something we need to hear more than ever.
Thanks to: http://www.gracegems.org/ http://www.sermonaudio.com/…
Comedy writer and Atheist, Ariane Sherine, debates with David Larlham of the Trinitarian Bible Society over bus ads which say “There’s probably no God” The Trinitarian Bible Society responded with their own bus ad “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God” which has prompted 400 requests for Bibles.(source: BBC).
A Christian group has received hundreds of requests for Bibles following a campaign to rival atheist bus ads which claimed “There’s probably no God”.
The ad, placed by the Trinitarian Bible Society (TBS), included an offer of a free Bible and has so far prompted 400 requests from the public.
Quoting from Psalm 53, the ad read: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God,” and was placed on the side of 100 London buses in February.
The TBS is a Christian charity working to provide Bibles to people at home and abroad in a variety of languages.
The Assistant General Secretary of TBS, David Larlham, recently reported on the campaign in the group’s quarterly magazine.
He said not only had the ads prompted Bible requests, but they had also attracted “a spate of objectionable, aggressive or mischievous calls, letters and e-mails from atheists, evolutionists and those of similar anti-Christian mindset”.
The ad was investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority after it received a number of complaints claiming it was “offensive” and “insulting to atheists”. The investigation was quickly dropped.
The Bible Society placed the bus ads in response to the atheist bus campaign backed by prominent atheist Richard Dawkins. The ad, placed by the British Humanist Association, stated “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
Thanks to christianorguk for video.
Passionate message from Matt Chandler preaching at the 2009 Desiring God Conference for Pastors.
For the full message @: http://www.desiringgod.org/…
Thanks to DGdwyl for video
Without doubt Christianity is under attack around the world and is the most hated religion, why is this? primarily because it requires you to repent and change your life. It is politically correct to attack Christianity but not other religions such is the hatred for Christianity.
However we shouldn’t be surprised at this because the Bible speaks of these very things coming to pass after Christ’s death.
“All this I have told you so that you will not go astray. They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me”. John 16:1-3
Here’s another example of the increasing intolerance propagated against the Christian faith.
A five-strong team of police officers investigated a church’s literature because someone said a leaflet inviting the public to an Easter service was ‘offensive’.
Two mounted policemen were later joined by three armour-clad officers who jumped out of a police van to examine the Easter invitation leaflet.
Having found no evidence that the leaflet was offensive, the individual making the complaint changed his claim.
He told police he found it offensive that an evangelical church was allowed to advertise itself on the high street in a region which had a sizeable gay community.
Thanks to christianorguk for the video
By Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent
Published: 9:00PM BST 20 Jun 2009
“A senior bishop has backed the move, which is part of a Church of England initiative to put a Christian emphasis on the annual celebration of fatherhood. Concerns over the lack of men attending services year-round has led clergy to offer a range of incentives today, including free beer, bacon rolls and chocolate bars.
It is the first time that the Church has attempted to treat Fathers’ Day in the same way as Mothering Sunday, which has traditionally formed part of its calendar. The plan to distribute ale has upset groups working to tackle alchohol abuse, but the Rt Rev John Inge, the Bishop of Worcester, said that it could help churches to attract more men. He argued that the free beer was intended to be symbolic of “the generosity of God”.Men at St Stephen’s church in Barbourne, Worcester, will be handed bottles of beer by children during the service. A prayer will be said for the fathers before the gifts are distributed.
The Ven Roger Morris, archdeacon of Worcester, who will be leading the service at St Stephen’s today, said that it was a practical way of sending a message to fathers. “I don’t see any other time that we can stop and remember fathers, and this is a gesture saying ‘Here’s something that will bless you,’” he said.
However, Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, criticised the Church, claiming that it was acting irresponsibly. “Bearing in mind the country is facing rising health harms from its high level of alcohol consumption, anyone in a position of authority or respect should perhaps think twice about promoting alcohol to the public,” he said”.
Sobering thoughts about the way many people think about Hell… from The Way Of The Master using clips from the movie Drag Me To Hell.
Praise God He has always had and still has His “Watchmen”. Men such as Piper, MacArthur, Washer, Ravenhill, Conway, Leiter and others who have and still are faithfully sounding Gods warning to a lost world…proclaiming the Word of God exactly as God has given it to them to proclaim, no more, no less. Men who are not prepared to change the message by watering it down to a point where they feel it will be “relevant” or more acceptable to the itching ear. Men who know that once they change the message it doesn’t become God’s Word anymore and who will bear a heavy penalty if they don’t declare “the whole counsel of God” “Their blood I will require at your hand.”
Today we can find preachers to suit whatever we want to hear but if they are not telling me that I am, by nature, a poor miserable sinner and that Jesus died for my sins and rose again, and that He forgives me, and gives me eternal life then they are no preachers of the Gospel. Thank God there are men who still hold fast to the true Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Enjoy!
Ezekiel 33: 7
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me”.
Thanks to illbehonest for the video.
Matt Chandler preaching the Gospel to the “De-churched” At the Advance09 Conference.
For the full sermon http://www.desiringgod.org/…
Thanks to DGdwyl for the video.
A prophets perdection of how Washington DC will look after Obama is done with it !
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