Genesis 1,1
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| In the beginning God created the universe. Genesis 1,1 |
| As a scientist myself I find it immensely satisfying that the first verse of the Bible is in harmony with science. The Big Bang Theory fits neatly here. |
| Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. Exodus 23,2 |
| God gives everyone a conscience. We shouldn't ignore ours, even if other people ignore theirs. |
| "I, the Lord, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness." Exodus 34,6 |
| Through the process of evolution God created us and so He loves us as a devoted father loves his children. That's why we call Him "Our Father" in the Lord's Prayer. He believes in us, even if we don't believe in Him. |
| [God said] "Do not steal or cheat or lie." Leviticus 19,11 |
| Try to imagine a world where everyone, whatever their walk of life, willingly obeyed this simple commandment. |
| Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good. Deuteronomy 8,5 |
| Being a Christian isn't always easy, but just as a loving parent hugs a child who says sorry, in the same way God forgives us when we are sorry for doing wrong. |
| He [God] sent hardships on you to test you, so that in the end he could bless you with good things. Deuteronomy 8,16 |
| A teacher tests a child to understand them better and God tests us for the same reason. We also begin to understand ourselves better when life is hard. God promises not to test anyone beyond their limit. The really nasty, cruel things in life don't come from God. Jesus said that Satan is a reality and is the malevolent being who constantly tries to tempt people into being evil. Sometimes he succeeds, but this isn't a foregone conclusion. |
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| [God said,] "Today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse." Deuteronomy 11,26 |
| Choose Christianity today and a hundred years from now you'll be so happy you did. |
| [God said,] "You know it and can quote it, so now obey it." Deuteronomy 30,14 |
| God wants Christians to make the world a better place. The instructions are in the Bible. It's no good reading how to do it and then doing nothing. |
| [God said,] "Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1,9 |
| Often, when I'm going somewhere I'd rather not be going, or I'm about to meet someone I'd rather not be meeting, I remind myself that God is with me. This gives me confidence and then I can cope. |
| The Lord answered, "You can do it because I will help you." Judges 6,16 |
| Next time you're up against something you feel is too difficult for you, pray. Suddenly it's not just you against the problem, but you and God together. |
| The priest answered,"You have nothing to worry about. The Lord is taking care of you." Judges 18,6 |
| If you're about to do something difficult, there's no harm in asking God to bless your plans (provided it's not illegal, or could hurt someone !) |
| [A woman called Hannah said,] "I have been praying, pouring out my troubles to the Lord." 1 Samuel (1st Book of Samuel) 1,15 |
| God talks to us from the pages of the Bible. We talk to God through prayer. When we pray it's God's turn to listen. No prayer, however small, goes unnoticed. He may not answer it as quickly as we'd like - sometimes He tests our faith by making us wait. Remember, God will alter events in our favour if we trust Him. Remember too that God doesn't see the situation in the narrow way we do. He sees the bigger picture so our prayers may be answered in an unexpected manner. |
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| The Lord keeps close watch over the whole world, to give strength to those whose hearts are loyal to him. 2 Chronicles 16,9 |
| Wherever you are in the world God is only a prayer away. |
| The Lord your God is kind and merciful, and if you return to him, he will accept you. 2 Chronicles 30,9 |
| Children brought up in a religious home sometimes reject their faith during their rebellious years. When the time of rebellion has passed, God always welcomes back anyone who wants to return to Him. No hard feelings. |
| In his home in heaven God heard their prayers and accepted them. 2 Chronicles 30,27 |
| Science is in its infancy so naturally it struggles with the concept of other dimensions and meta-universes. Because of this, it is arrogant of any scientist to tell you there is no such thing as heaven. Challenge him or her to prove it ! |
| No one helped God spread out the heavens. Job 9,8 |
| Astronomy helps us understand how the universe developed, starting with the Big Bang of about 13.8 billion years ago. Scientists depend on the laws of nature being fixed, or science would be next to impossible. These laws were defined precisely at the outset. Why does the concept of God's laws of nature upset some scientists so much? Science helps us to understand God's universe. Where's the problem? |
| God offers you comfort; why still reject it? Job 15,11 |
| Many people reject God because they were brought up in another religion, so that's fair enough. Other people of no faith may reject God because they are suspicious of anything "religious". It's like someone saying they don't like exotic food, even though they haven't tried it. I've been guilty of that, though when I have been persuaded to try it, I've liked it a lot. When people reject "religion" out of hand they can also be rejecting God's offer of a place in heaven. |
| [While praying to God] "When I was in trouble, you helped me. Be kind to me now and hear my prayer." Psalms 4,1 |
| To be comfortable with praying, talking to God as to a loving father, takes a little practice. You don't have to be in church to do it, though it can be nice to share time with people who believe the same things as you. If you are shy about going to a church service, take a friend and sit at the back. You can pray anywhere, but somewhere quiet is best. |
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| Find out for yourself how good the Lord is. Psalms 34,8 |
| It only takes about an hour to read the whole of Matthew's Gospel, the first book of the New Testament. If you live to be 80 you'll have a life time of just about 700,000 hours. By spending just one of those hours reading this Gospel you'll get to know the personality of Jesus and some of His teachings. Then you'll be much better placed to judge whether Christianity is religious nonsense or not. If you decide it's not for you, at least it will be an informed decision. |
| Be patient and wait for the Lord to act. Psalms 37,7 |
| God is happy to answer prayers as long as they're reasonable and not at anyone else's expense. All He asks is that we trust Him. For a prayer such as "God help me, the brakes don't work!" the answer is immediate, but for others He may test our faith a bit by making us wait. Trust Him. |
| Leave your troubles with the Lord. Psalms 55,22 |
| When you can't see any answer to a problem ask God to help you. He can control circumstances. Events that you're not even aware of can be managed by God. When you pray God wants you to trust Him even though He may test your faith by making you wait. |
| Heaven belongs to the Lord alone, but he gave the earth to man. Psalms 115,16 |
| People sometimes ask how a loving, caring God can allow crime, injustice and war to bring misery to so many people. The problem is, we want freedom to do things our own way. We don't want to behave like robots, programmed to do the decent thing all the time. If we then make a mess of the world, is it fair to blame God? |
| Children are a gift from God; they are a real blessing. Psalms 127,3 |
| In the New Testament Jesus warns people who abuse innocent children of the terrible punishment that awaits them. When Jesus was on earth He used to gather children round him and keep them enthralled with His stories. They had nothing to fear from Him. |
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| Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it. Proverbs 3,27 |
| Try to imagine 24 hours of being homeless, or starving, or in prison for your politics, or fleeing from your village which has been flattened by warfare. Then reflect on the people who are suffering these things every day. If you were in their position would you like some help? |
| If you correct a wise man, he will respect you. Anything you say to a wise man will make him wiser. Proverbs 9,8-9 |
| The Bible encourages the gaining of knowledge. |
| A good man takes care of his animals. Proverbs 12,10 |
| God created all living beings, human and animal. We should never be cruel to any of them. |
| When a fool is annoyed he quickly lets it be known. Proverbs 12,16 |
| No comment needed. |
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| It is a sin to despise anyone. Proverbs 14,21 |
| Everyone is better than me at something so I learn from everyone. |
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| A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17,22 |
| Our attitude to misfortune can make all the difference to how much we suffer. |
| Patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance. Proverbs 25,15 |
| Kindness, respect and intelligent discussion can achieve far more than pressure, threats and bullying. It is better to get there slowly than not to get there at all. |
| Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Proverbs 31,8 |
| If we don't try to help the forgotten people, it's possible nobody will. |
| If you wander off the road to the right or the left, you will hear his voice behind you saying, "Here is the road. Follow it." Isaiah 30,21 |
| God sometimes speaks to us through the pages of the Bible and sometimes we know deep in our hearts what is wanted. Perhaps this is what is meant by God's voice. |
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| [God said,] "Turn to me now and be saved, people all over the world! I am the only God there is." Isaiah 45,22 |
| Obviously all religions claim to be the only true religion. They would, wouldn't they? To find out which one it is, compare them on their merits. Also, think of the religions from the True God's point of view. After having created mankind, would He want one section of it to terrorise another section in His name, or would He rather encourage love and charity amongst His people? Would He consider some of His people to be inferior, and others superior, depending on what category they had been born into? Finally, is it an option to believe that suddenly, during infinite time, the universe suddenly created itself, along with the laws of nature? (Atheism is a religion because it too is based on faith, the belief, without any proof, that there is no God.) |
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| [Describing Jesus] "He endured the suffering that should have been ours." Isaiah 53,4 |
| Are any of us good enough for heaven, the perfect paradise? Have we all got(ten) away with things we should be ashamed of? Could people with faults like ours spoil heaven for everybody else? So that we can enter heaven sinless, really we deserve to be punished for the sins of a lifetime. That's horrible. So what did Jesus do? He volunteered to be punished in our place (redeeming us), the only condition being that we believe in Him. In that way Jesus became our Saviour/Savior. People who follow Jesus leave their sins with Him when they die and go straight to heaven. Despite being the Son of God He endured a barbaric and dreadful execution as a human being. This appalling punishment is worse than most of us deserve, but Jesus took it on our behalf anyway. |
| The Lord said,"I was ready to answer my people's prayers, but they did not pray." Isaiah 65,1 |
| If we have a problem with anything and want help, or if we feel grateful for something and want to say thanks, or if we feel guilty about something and want to say sorry, remember that God loves us, His children. We can talk to Him about these things in a prayer. The act of praying demonstrates our faith, that we believe in Him. |
| [God said] "Does a young woman forget her jewellery, or a bride her wedding-dress? But my people have forgotten me." Jeremiah 2,32 |
| Observing a society where few people have any time for God must make Him very sad. |
| [God said] "I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky." Jeremiah 33,25 |
| God loves us and cares for us deeply, even though many people go about their daily lives without sparing Him a thought. "I'm not religious" is the standard answer. |
| Tell your children about it; they will tell their children, who in turn will tell the next generation. Joel 1,3 |
| Christianity has been passed on generation by generation for 2,000 years. Sometimes it is cool to be a Christian, sometimes it isn't, but the fact is Christianity has never gone away. |
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| Beginning of Luke Chapter 2 in Greek [Luke, a doctor and amateur historian, originally wrote his Gospel for someone called Theophilus.] Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. Luke 1,1-4 |
| The four Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They describe the ministry of Jesus from their four points of view. Matthew, Mark and Luke also appear to have had access to an early collection of Jesus' sayings, which they all quote from. Matthew was one of Jesus' Disciples, a tax collector who was a member of the group from the very start. Mark was an associate of the fisherman Peter, one of the Disciples closest to Jesus. Mark wrote down Peter's recollections. Luke was the only one of the Gospel writers who never met Jesus, though Jesus' mother Mary seems to have been one of his informants. John was the deep thinker of the group. Jesus used to discuss with him the meaning behind His actions. |
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| [John the Baptist said] "Whover has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it." Luke 3,11 |
| With the world in the state it is in today, this is just as relevant now as it was 2,000 years ago. Maybe we should thank God that we're not starving, or homeless, or living in a war zone, and show our gratitude by giving what we can spare to those who are. |
| Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. He healed every kind of disease and illness. News about him spread as far as Syria. Matthew 4, 23-24 |
| Some people find it difficult to believe in a God we can't see, so God sent His son Jesus to earth as a man. Jesus did miracles, not just out of compassion for people, but also to show He was the son of God. He taught about God, about the Kingdom of Heaven and about treating each other with loving kindness and forgiveness. Despite all His good works, people nailed Him to a cross and left Him to die. End of story, or so they thought . . . . |
| There was a woman who had suffered terribly from severe bleeding for twelve years. ... She had heard about Jesus, so she came in the crowd behind him, saying to herself, "If I just touch his clothes, I will get well." She touched his cloak, and her bleeding stopped at once; and she had the feeling inside herself that she was healed of her trouble. Mark 5,25 & 27-29 |
| This describes what a miracle feels like. |
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| "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. "Teacher," the blind man answered,"I want to see again." "Go," Jesus told him,"your faith has made you well." At once he was able to see again. Mark 10,51-52 |
| This is Jesus showing his love to those in distress and showing his power as Son of God. |
| [Jesus said] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5,4 |
| Writing as someone who has lost both parents and a daughter, and as someone who believes that death is merely a glitch in the continuing story of life, I am indeed comforted by the conviction that when I die and go to heaven those loved-ones will be there waiting for me with open arms. |
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| [Jesus said] "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5,7 |
| Parents, teachers, bosses, and others, are all people in authority. They can choose how to assert their control. They can be harsh and unfeeling, or they can inspire and motivate. They can criticize and ridicule, or they can praise, reward, reassure, encourage and discuss. Which type do you think Jesus will show mercy and forgiveness to when He sits in judgment? |
| [Jesus said] "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven." Matthew 5,11-12 |
| If you want to see foul language and bad spelling, go to a typical blog where non-believers discuss Christians. Far, far worse, of course, is the situation where families who refuse to renounce Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior/Saviour are mercilessly beheaded by evil terrorists. [See "Blessed are the merciful" above.] |
| [Jesus said] "When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." Matthew 6,3 |
| Jesus said that we shouldn't boast about our charitable deeds; they are very private and personal. The word "charity" comes through Old French "charite" from "caritas", one of the Latin words for "love". Charity is one of the ways we can show love for our fellow human beings. |
| Jesus told him,"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14,6 |
| At the end of their time on earth everybody gets to meet Jesus. Nobody gets into heaven without that happening. If you've been against Him, or had no time for Him in your life, the meeting could prove a bit awkward. |
| "Sir," replied the official,"come with me before my child dies." Jesus said to him,"Go, your son will live!" The man believed Jesus' words and went. On his way home his servants met him with the news,"Your boy is going to live!" He asked them what time it was when his son got better, and they answered, "It was one o'clock yesterday afternoon when the fever left him." Then the father remembered that it was at that very hour when Jesus had told him,"Your son will live." So he and all his family believed. John 4,49-53 |
| Jesus is alive. We can take our troubles to Him, or to the Father, in prayer. Have faith. |
| [Jesus said] "Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." Matthew 7,1-2 |
| If we go through life being harshly critical of other people, when we die and meet our Maker, should we be surprised if He is harshly critical of us? On the other hand, if we go through life looking for the best in people, trying to understand their problems and making allowances for their behaviour, when we come face to face with Jesus, He will do the same for us. If we feel we must judge people (which is the Lord's job, not ours), let's judge kindly. Of course, judges in law courts are a different matter. They have the Lord's blessing, as long as they act correctly. |
| [Jesus said] "Keep on asking and you will receive." Matthew 7,7 |
| If a prayer isn't answered as quickly as you'd like, don't imagine God hasn't heard it. Maybe He is testing your faith, seeing if you give up easily. Maybe other events have to be arranged behind the scenes before your prayer can be answered. Keep on praying, keep on trusting that God knows what He is doing and keep on being patient. When your prayer is answered, it is good to say a quick prayer of thanks. |
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| [Jesus said] "You parents - if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him." Matthew 7,9-11 |
| God is our father and He behaves as a good father would. He doesn't let us have our own way all the time, but He listens to us and responds in His own good time. He is loving, not spiteful! His commandments are not to stop us enjoying ourselves - they're for our own good and for the good of others. |
| [Jesus said] "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you." Matthew 7,12 |
| Jesus explained that this command summed up neatly how Christians should behave to everyone they meet. |
| The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. "Teacher", they said to Jesus,"this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept on demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said,"All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. When the accusers heard this, they slipped away, one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman,"Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said,"Neither do I. Go and sin no more." John 8,3-11 |
| This is so typical of Jesus - absolutely correct, yet so calm, so intelligent, so forgiving and so kind. When we pray to Jesus, this is who is listening to us. |
| The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. Luke 16,22 |
| When Christians die they go straight to heaven. No time to "Rest In Peace"! |
| [Jesus said] "If anyone declares publicly that he belongs to me, I will do the same for him before my Father in heaven. But if anyone rejects me publicly, I will reject him before my Father in heaven." Matthew 10,32-33 |
| Options:- 1. Accept the love Jesus offers and you become a citizen of the Kingdom Of Heaven. 2. Reject Jesus and you throw away your invitation to everlasting life in heaven. 3. Tell people that there is no heaven (on what evidence?) and find out at the end of your life that you were wrong. 4. Decide which you'd prefer: To spend eternity in heaven, or spend eternity in hell. Decisions, decisions! I know which option I've chosen!! |
| [Jesus said] "Whoever believes in the Son is not judged." John 3,18 |
| Believers are redeemed by Jesus' sacrifice for us on the Cross. Everyone else in the world faces judgment. Jesus said judgment was like a farmer separating good wheat grains from chaff, or sheep from goats. Sounds a bit like an exam where you don't know how high the pass mark is. Following Jesus and leading a Christian lifestyle is really not difficult! |
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| [Jesus said] "Be glad because your names are written in heaven." Luke 10,20 |
| Anyone who decides that Jesus is the Truth gets their name written in heaven. If they then act like good Christians they build up treasure in heaven. By becoming a citizen of the Kingdom Of Heaven they get a passport to paradise which they can use when their time comes. That way they don't get judged because Jesus took any punishment they might deserve. |
| One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them. Matthew 19,13-15 |
| Young children are often innocent, keen to learn, willing to listen, fun-loving and open-minded. Jesus was saying that in these ways children are better than adults. To be child-like is not the same as being childish. |
| [Jesus said] "I will never turn away anyone who comes to me." John 6,37 |
| Whatever your circumstances, remember that Jesus loves you. |
| [Jesus said that in the Kingdom of Heaven] "Many who are the greatest now will be the least important then, and those who seem the least important now will be the greatest then." Matthew 19,30 |
| Life's not fair - we all know that, but it would be more accurate to say this life's not fair. In the next life the injustices that we suffer and the misfortunes which happen to us will all be things of the past. All wrongs will be righted. Those people who didn't reject heaven will have an eternity without illness, injustice, or misfortune. Sir Winston Churchill found art relaxing. "When I get to heaven", he said,"I mean to spend a considerable portion of my first million years in painting." |
| The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law [religious leaders] started grumbling "This man welcomes outcasts and even eats with them!" Luke 15,2 |
| Where Christianity is concerned EVERYONE IS WELCOME. God loves us and welcomes us whatever our sexuality, previous religion, or former life-style. God created each one of us so why wouldn't He love us? |
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| [On being asked what the greatest commandment was] Jesus answered," 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' " Matthew 22,37-39 |
| Just as it is natural to love your earthly father, so it is natural to love your Father in heaven. If everyone loved their fellow human beings, this world would be much more like heaven. And yes, Christianity does allow you to love yourself too, despite what uninformed critics say about Christians being killjoys! |
| [Jesus said] "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Acts of the Apostles 20,35 |
| Let's be generous whenever possible. |
| [Jesus said] "Satan has received permission to test all of you, to separate the good from the bad, just as a farmer separates the wheat from the chaff." Luke 22,31 |
| A battery has a positive and a negative, a magnet has a north and a south, and the Bible says there is a force for good and a force for evil at work in the world. The good force is in God’s Holy Spirit. The evil force prefers to keep out of sight. It likes seeing God getting the blame when a disaster strikes. It puts us through hell and then watches to see if we turn against God. It tests us. It is true that God may sometimes test us with hardships, but Satan tests us with catastrophes. Of course, God is on our side and if we pray He will help us to defeat hardships and the (d)evil. Some people don't pray. |
| [Jesus said] "Give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." Luke 18,22 |
| This life is short, but heaven is forever. |
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| [Jesus said] "Not one sparrow is forgotten by God." Luke 12,6 |
| As a scientist I have no problem with the idea that God created all the many life forms through the process of evolution. To a large extent the fossil evidence supports it. An objection to evolution is that it appears to contradict the concept of entropy, the phenomenon of things getting more and more disordered with the passing of time. Evolution displays life getting more and more sophisticated with the passing of time. The reason is because of the survival of the fittest. For every evolutionary success there are thousands of failures, but it is the successes who pass their genes on to future generations. The process of evolution goes on and on, generation by generation over millions of years. The wonderful thing that God did was to define the laws and processes of nature at the beginning of time as we know it. He set the process going at the "Big Bang" but doesn't interfere with it, even when it turns cruel. Seeing animals suffer can give Him no pleasure as they are part of His Creation. God has given us humans the compassion and ability to make the world a better place for animals as well as for our fellow human beings. |
| [Jesus said] "Now I give you a new commandment: love one another." John 13,34 |
| If everyone loved everyone else, there would be no crime, no hatred, no loneliness, no war. It would be heaven on earth! Yet so many people sneer at Jesus. Why? What harm has He done? |
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| The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some evidence against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they could not find any. Mark 14,55 |
| If we are treated unfairly we can feel miserable or angry about it. However unjustly we've been treated, though, it can't be as bad as being sentenced to death without any evidence and then nailed to a large wooden cross and left to die. All Jesus needed to have done was to say, "Ok, I admit it. I have been lying about being the Son of God and my miracles were just tricks." The fact that He didn't take His chance to avoid death by torture suggests strongly to me that Jesus really was who He claimed to be and He knew exactly what He was doing. |
| [Jesus was on trial for His life in open court in front of the mob and Pontius Pilate was representing the Roman emperor.] "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered,"Crucify him!" "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder,"Crucify him!" Matthew 27,22-23 |
| The verdict at Jesus' trial was decided by a shouting mob and the Roman official who gave in to them, despite the terrible injustice of crucifying an innocent man. |
| When they came to the place called "The Skull" [Calvary] they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said,"Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing." Luke 23,33-34 |
| Jesus forgave His executioners. Isn't that just typical ! |
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| One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23,39-43 |
| Jesus was crucified along with two criminals. The criminal who defended Jesus against the other man went straight to paradise (heaven) that day. He didn't belong to any particular church because there weren't any at that time. He simply accepted Jesus as his Savior/Saviour (faith) and was sorry for his sins (repentance). This is Salvation in its simplest form. Why not do the same and accept Jesus as your Saviour/Savior TODAY? |
| With a loud cry Jesus died. Mark 15,37 |
| One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at once blood and water poured out. John 19,34 |
Joseph [of Arimathea] brought a linen sheet, took the body down, wrapped it in the sheet, and placed it in a tomb which had been dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb. Mark 15,46 |
| When Jesus' corpse was shut away in the tomb He was clearly dead. He wasn't going to simply wake up a few hours later. Because a large stone blocked the entrance it would not have been possible for Him to get out or for His disciples to steal His body and then claim He had risen from the dead. The word 'Easter' comes from the name of a pagan Anglo-Saxon goddess called Eostre. The month of April, at that time called Eosturmonath, was dedicated to her. The early church took her festival and made it into 'Easter'. |
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| Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus. Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way they said to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? (It was a very large stone). Then they looked up and saw that the stone had already been rolled back. So they entered the tomb, where they saw a young man sitting on the right, wearing a white robe - and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here - he has been raised!" Mark 16,1-6 |
| What happened inside the tomb that first Easter weekend is something only God knows. What is certain is that if the risen Christ had not been seen by so many witnesses on eleven occasions over 40 days, the Christian faith could never have been born. If the early disciples had not been inspired to travel far and wide risking execution for proclaiming their Risen Lord, there would have been no Christian Church. How could a religion that places so high a value on honesty have been founded on such a colossal lie? If the story of Jesus had ended at His execution, it wouldn't be talked about today. We would probably never have heard of Him. If the witnesses to Christ's crucifixion and His return from death had been deluded fools, how could their rantings have spread rapidly thoughout the Roman Empire and then become the state religion? The Christian Church now has over two billion members world wide. It would be hard to fool that many people! The disciples were so sure that they had met the risen Lord, the person they had known so well over the previous three years, that people who listened to them were convinced they were telling the truth. The four men who wrote the Gospels were sure that they were writing what actually happened. Three of them had physically been there at the time. If the Jewish leaders and the Romans, who had placed a guard on the tomb, had been able to produce Jesus' corpse, they would surely have done so. The idea that Jesus had returned to life was highly inconvenient, to say the least. To bring someone back from death is truly amazing - only a God who could create a universe out of nothing would be able to do that! |
| Suddenly the Lord himself stood among them and said to them,"Peace be with you." They were terrified, thinking that they were seeing a ghost. But he said to them,"Why are you alarmed? Why are these doubts coming up in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet, and see that it is I myself. Feel me, and you will know, for a ghost doesn't have flesh and bones, as you see I have." He said this and showed them his hands and his feet. They still could not believe, they were so full of joy and wonder; so he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of cooked fish, which he took and ate in their presence. Luke 24,36-43 |
| He looked real enough, but obviously His disciples were utterly astonished. They didn't know what to think. They had seen Him nailed to the Cross and they'd seen Him die. They'd seen his body shut in the tomb. So Jesus showed them the gaping wounds in His hands and feet and then, to prove He was real, He ate a piece of fish. The disciples were convinced, apart from Thomas, who was out at the time. When Jesus asked,"Why are you alarmed?" I wonder if He was grinning. I suspect He had a sense of humour. After all, He enjoyed feasts and He enjoyed His wine, so He must have had a sense of fun. |
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| One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him,"We have seen the Lord!" But he replied,"I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side." Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. "Peace be with you," he said. Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed. Then Jesus told him,"You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." John 20,24-29 |
| Jesus proved to even the most doubting of His disciples that He had returned from death. He said that for us to believe, as they did, but without actually having been there, is much better and deserves His blessing. |
| [Jesus said] "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3,16 |
| [Jesus said to His followers] "Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples." Matthew 28,19 |
| People are often rightly suspicious of free gifts, but the gift of everlasting life is too good to be ignored. Doesn't deciding whether to believe in Jesus rank as one of life's BIG DECISIONS? This gift is worth sharing! |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "If we share Christ's suffering, we will also share his glory." Romans 8,17 |
| If you ever have a hard time because you are a Christian, this won't have gone unnoticed by God. He will put it right in the next life. |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "How can they call to him for help if they have not believed? And how can they believe if they have not heard the message?" Romans 10,14 |
| When you accept Jesus into your life and get the power of prayer and you receive the promise of a place in heaven, don't keep it to yourself. Share it with your friends, share it with your family. Give them the opportunity to accept (or reject) the gift of everlasting life. Wouldn't you like your friends and family to be with you in heaven one day? |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good." Romans 12,21 |
| This attitude brings good results. |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are insulted, we answer with kind words." 1 Corinthians 4,12-13 |
| Jesus did. |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal." 1 Corinthians 13,4-8 |
| As well as being a beautiful description of love, Paul's words also paint a portrait of Jesus. Jesus is patient and kind . . . Jesus is eternal. |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 1 Corinthians 15,55 |
| Naturally enough, death is feared. This is part of our survival instinct and helps keep us safe. But fear of death is different from worrying about it. Everyone has to die eventually, but for a Christian it is nothing to fear. Heaven awaits. |
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| [Saint Paul wrote] "Today is the day to be saved!" 2 Corinthians 6,2 |
| If you like the look of Christianity, then become a Christian yourself. What's stopping you? If you put off making the decision, it might never happen and then you'll have lost everything. To slightly mis-quote John Lennon "Imagine there's a heaven; it's easy if you try." If you say "Jesus, please come into my life" He'll hear you and sure enough, at a time of His choosing, you'll find Him. You won't regret it! |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "Help to carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ." Galatians 6,2 |
| We can help people we know, friends and family, and people we don't know, people in need who can be helped through charity. |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "You must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another." Colossians 3,12-13 |
| It makes sense. |
| [Saint Paul wrote] "God was merciful to me because I did not yet have faith and so did not know what I was doing." 1 Timothy 1,13 |
| When you become a Christian God forgives you everything you may have done wrong in the past. Spiritually you are born again. |
| "Here I am, O God, to do your will." Hebrews 10,9 |
| A nine word prayer. |
| [James wrote] "He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1,6 |
| Focus on Jesus, read about Jesus, copy Jesus, trust Jesus. You could find the experience very rewarding. |
| [James wrote] "Faith is dead without good works." James 2,26 |
| Some people are "religious", but have they made the world a better place? Are they cheerful, or irritable? Some people go to church every Sunday and sing hymns, but are they only concerned about their own group? Being a Christian means being an active follower of Christ. He spent His life gladly helping others. |
| [James wrote] "Come near to God and he will come near to you." James 4,8 |
| You may be satisfied with your life. You may not be looking for answers, but it is still good to know that God is on your side and is only a prayer away. |
| [John wrote] "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just and will forgive our sins." 1st Letter of John 1,8-9 |
| If you've got something on your conscience, tell God about it. This requires faith. Then do your best to put matters right with the person or people involved. This requires action. Christianity is a combination of faith and action. If you are scared to approach someone you have wronged, ask God for courage and for Him to be with you. With God backing you up it'll be easier. |
| [Jesus said] "I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends." Revelation 3,20 |
| Jesus is holding out the hand of friendship to you. How disappointed would He be if you answer,"I'm not religious. Go away"? Do you think that would be wise? Wouldn't it be better to get to know Him better before making your decision? You can read about Him in the New Testament. |