Love and Murder

Today I am thinking about love and murder. Love is the opposite of murder. Jesus, during the sermon on the mount gave addendum's to the Law "you shall not commit murder". Murder always begins in the heart. That is why he said that if you even become angry you shall be guilty before the court. That is because anger is the seed for murder. He said, if you say to your brother you good for nothing you shall be guilty before the Supreme Court. Name-calling indicates that you have a spirit of murder welling up within you. Then he says that if you curse someone you are guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. That is because cursing shows hatred, a desire to murder even though that desire may not be carried out to the act. So if your anger boils to the point of cursing or thinking harm towards someone else you have murdered in your heart.

Yesterday my wife and I had traveled to Dallas, Texas, so that I could take a nursing certification exam. On the way home we stopped by my mothers. She proceeded to tell us about how her church had drafted documents on homosexuality and gay marriage and presented this to the congregation. It was then that Darlene said, "Did they address other sins like lying?" Why do we focus on the sins of others, and not our own sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 gives a list of 10 sins to describe the unrighteous; sodomy or homosexuality are one of these, as is Murder, let us never forget that hatred is murder. May we all hate sin; yes I hate all sin, and desire to see all sin die away. But let us hate our own sin more so than the sins of others. Peace and grace to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ son of God. 

It's a Journal

I have been writing this blog for five years now. When I began to write I did so because the Lord had called me into evangelism. I wrote as a means to tell the world about Jesus and what He has done. I quickly learned that the majority of everyone who read what I wrote are themselves followers of the Lord Jesus Christ so I began to write about doctrine. The Lord is now guiding me into a new direction with this blog and it is where I probably should have been in the first place; that is to simply write about my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ as I follow Him along the narrow way.

Therefore, going forward "A Slave of Jesus Christ" will look more like a journal than anything else. I will be journaling a few times a week and then posting publicly what I write. I am constantly thinking about things that the Lord is showing me from His word and also working out the things put into my path (struggles) as I follow after Jesus, seeking to become more like Him. The things that I post will not be edited; as I said, it is a journal. I hope that you glean something from these writings. Peace and grace to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every Tear

I often feel sad; I could elaborate, but that would only be complaining. This world is a very difficult place to live in, but the Lord Jesus Christ said, "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 [NASB]). People make the gospel out to be so many different things and declaring by their own set of rules who is saved and who is not. The Lord Jesus Christ promised eternal life to whoever believes in Him (John 3:16), I choose to follow Him. In His Father's house Jesus is the Sheppard and He will guide all who believe in Him to springs of the water of life and wipe away every tear out of our eyes (Rev 7:17). I pray that you hear His voice and come follow Him.

Life Liberty and Property

I have been thinking lately about politics in America and the governments of man. I am a Christian; a believer and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith. Until the Lord calls me home to His Father's house I remain in this world. I therefore believe that there are two kingdoms; the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of man.

The Kingdom of God is an authoritarian ruled Kingdom. God is in charge and what He says is Law. Authoritarian rule in the Kingdom of God is good, because God is good; He is abounding with lovingkindness and truth. Authoritarian rule in the kingdom of man is never good, because men are not good; men are murderers, liars, and thieves. They hate other men and therefore do them harm, they lie to get what they want, and take what is not their own.

I am no better, I have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I have been justified (declared righteous by God) as a gift, by His grace, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith. Though I have been justified by God through faith in Jesus my flesh is not redeemed, it remains in this corruptible world. I look forward to the day that I take off that which is corruptible, my earthly body, and put on that which is in corruptible, my heavenly body in Christ Jesus.

With the knowledge that God has given me through His word about the nature of God and the nature of man, I recently pondered a question about politics in America. Since God is good and therefore His authoritarian rule is good, and man is not good and therefore man's authoritarian rule is not good; what is the best form of government in the kingdom of man? The answer has been eye opening; the absolute smallest government possible that protects the lives, liberty, and property of its citizens.

In October 1689 an English Philosopher named John Locke (1632-1704) wrote two treatises on government in which he said: "The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions..... “every Man has a Property in his own Person. This no Body has any Right to but himself. The Labour of his Body, and the Work of his Hands, we may say, are properly his. The great and chief end therefore, of Mens uniting into Commonwealths, and putting themselves under Government, is the Preservation of their Property." (locke, J., 1689).

So John Locke believed that the only purpose of government in the kingdom of man is to protect life and property. It was from this idea regarding government that the American Declaration of Independence was drafted, although the word (property or possessions) was changed to the pursuit of happiness, a foretelling of the corruption to come in the ensuing years. "In anticipation of a vote for independence, the Continental Congress on June 11 appointed Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston as a committee to draft a declaration of independence. The committee then delegated Thomas Jefferson to undertake the task." (Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents).

American government and politics despite its declaration is actually somewhere in-between this idea of liberty rule and authoritarian rule. Men have voted themselves into a mess. Men want what they do not have so they vote for men who promise to give it to them, but in order for them to give these things to the men who want them, they have to first take from the men who have them. Men do not like things that other men do or say so they vote for people to control certain behaviors or speech and at the same time force other behaviors or speech. This may seem good when those who agree with you are in power, but the tide always turns in the kingdom of man. The Democrats and the Republicans both do this, they just disagree on the behaviors that should be controlled and promoted.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, I am calling for an end to this madness. Stop trying to vote the world into what you want it to be and do what our Lord commanded us to do; tell people about Him, what He alone has done, and love our neighbors. Is it scary to allow people to do and say whatever they want? Of course it is, but the alternative is authoritarian rule by evil men which is ever increasing in America. Let us allow the government to do what it is suppose to do; protect life and property, stop voting for governmental control and thievery. If you want the world to change do what the Lord commanded us to do. Go make disciples of Jesus!

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, " All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mt 28:18-20).





Bibliography
Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents. (n.d.). Retrieved from Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara3.html
John Locke on the rights to life, liberty, and property of ourselves and others (1689) . (n.d.). Retrieved from On-line Library of Liberty: http://oll.libertyfund.org/quotes/497
Powell, J. (1996, August 1). the Freeman. Retrieved from Foundation for Economic Education: http://fee.org/freeman/detail/john-locke-natural-rights-to-life-liberty-and-property
The Holy Bible, Updated New American Standard Bible. (1995). The Lockman Foundation.

Salvation From Sin

I've been thinking a lot lately while out on a run about salvation from sin. Salvation is said to be a onetime event that happens in a person's life. That statement is true, the moment that you believed in and trusted in Jesus Christ you were saved; but I have also come to understand that we are being saved and yet to be saved. So if we who are abiding in Jesus and He in us are saved what then are we being saved from and what are we yet to be saved from?

I have heard men say that salvation means that we are saved from the wrath of God. Amen, we are saved from what we deserve for our sin, the eternal wrath of almighty God. As incredible as that is the amazing thing is that it is not all. I would say that salvation from the wrath of God is a part of salvation and not the whole, salvation in whole is salvation from sin. The very moment that you went from unbelief to belief in the Son of God Jesus Christ you were justified (declared righteous by God), as a gift, by His grace; you were redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ through faith. "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:1). All of your sin past, present, and future paid in full. That is one aspect of your salvation in Christ Jesus, salvation from the penalty of sin.

The moment that you walked through that small gate which is Jesus you began a journey along the narrow way. It is not your best life now, it is a journey with much tribulation. The moment that you believed in Jesus, God began saving you from the pleasure of sin or power of sin in your life. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come" (2 Cor 5:17). I have a friend whom I have often heard say; "A Christian cannot sin successfully" (Anderson, M.). What I think he means by that is that a Christian cannot sin without feeling horrible in the process.

We also have a future hope in Christ Jesus of being saved from the presence of sin in the Celestial City. Eternal life with God in heaven were He wipes away every tear; were there is no longer death, nor mourning, nor crying, nor pain. Why are these things missing from heaven? Because there is no sin in heaven. We will take off this old corruptible body and put on new incorruptible bodies made for heaven. One of my favorite passages is found in Psalm 17:15, "As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness; I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake". That truly is the desire of my heart; to see the face of Jesus in all His glory and be like Him in righteousness.





Bibliography
The Holy Bible, Updated New American Standard Bible. (1995). The Lockman Foundation.