Would Jesus say you and I are faithful and true to Him?
He said that about the Pergamum church.
Revelation 2:12-13 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp,
double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan
has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith
in me, not
even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your
city—where Satan lives.
Do we openly identify ourselves as a
child of God? What if we knew we would be killed if we said we were a
Christian? Antipas was supposedly burned for refusing to renounce his faith. Jesus
called him His faithful witness for living a consistent faithful life in the face
of satanic evil.
Similar situations happen today. The
gunman in Oregon reportedly asked his classmates if they were a Christian and
asked the Christians to stand up. Then he shot them and continued down the
line. Would you and I boldly claim to be Christians after seeing what happened
to the first victim?
Antipas
and the Christian victims in Oregon are safe in God’s arms now. Nothing will
ever harm them again. Jesus has eternal rewards for His faithful and true
followers! That's something we can cling to, no matter what happens! Alice
THE BIBLE OR MEN'S OPINIONS?
ReplyDeleteIs the Bible the accurate word God or are the opinions of men the absolute truth?
According to the average of May 2005, May 2006, May 2007 Gallup Polls state that 40% of protestants and 45% of other Christians believe that the Bible is the actual word of God, to be taken literally. If that is a fact, then at least 55% who claim to be Christians do not believe the Bible is God's accurate word.
If those claiming to be Christian do not trust the Bible, then who or what do they trust? They are left with the opinions of men.
JOHN MacArthur Quote:
In Acts 2:38, Peter appears to link forgiveness of sins to baptism. But there are several plausible interpretations of this verse that do not connect forgiveness of sin with baptism. It is possible to translate the Greek preposition eis—”because of,” or “on the basis of,” instead of “for.” It is used in that sense in Matthew 3:11; 12:41; and Luke 11:32.
There is not one English translation of the the Bible that translates "for" of Acts 2:38 as "because of" or "on the basis of".
Max Lucado Quote:
3) “What of the ones who die before they have a chance? What if I entrust my soul to Christ and before I can tell anyone or arrange to be baptized, a swarm of killer bees attacks me and I die?”
The answer to this question is found in the character of God. Would a God of love reject an honest heart? No way. Would a God of mercy and kindness condemn any seeking soul? Absolutely not. Having called you and died for you would he cast you away because of a curious sequence of events? Inconceivable. Is it possible for an unbaptized believer to be saved? Yes, definitely. Should every believer be baptized? Yes, definitely.
Jesus Quote:
Mark 16:15-16 ...preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved...(NKJV)
Realizing that 55% of those who claim to be Christian do not believe the Bible is God's word, it is no shock that men reject the clear teaching of Scripture.
Belief and water baptism are essential to salvation regardless of man-made doctrine.
Men are not baptized in water because they are already saved. Water baptism is in order to be saved.
What could more illogical, than to believe the Bible is not the accurate word of God, and then believe without question, preachers, priests, Bible commentaries, church creed books and other extra-Biblical writings?
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