Built Upon

Reject or add to parts of the Bible. "All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) The Bible warns in both Proverbs 30:5-6 (Do not add to His words lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar) and  Revelations 22:18-19 that His scripture is not to be added to or taken from, for it is breathed out by God in divine revelation. So if one proclaimed to know God and boasts a revelation for additions or subtractions from the bible, he lies.       Don't stay within the Church "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us." (I John 2:19) If someone is a true Christian, they will stay within the body of Christ, His church. If someone leaves the ch...

          A general misconception among non-Christians and new Christians is that when you become a Christian, you have to change your way of life. Taking into consideration things we've heard all our life that a 'good Christian' doesn't do, we strive to discipline ourselves to conform to the ideal of a good Christian. In time, we general have a decent amount of success. Whether it be drinking, smoking, cussing, unfriendliness, bad influences, or any number of things, if we discipline ourselves, we are able to make our outward appearance more 'holy.'            However, the fact of the matter is, that this isn't what we're called to do. The Bible never says "When you believe in Jesus, discipline yourself to look more like Him." What it actually says is "And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to...

        Jesus claims to be THE way, THE truth, and THE life, insinuating that there is NO other way, truth or life.         Jesus says that He is the way. The way to what? In John 14:2-4, Jesus says to His disciples, "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am you may be also. (4) And you know the way to where I am going." Thomas replies that he doesn't know where Jesus is going, how can he know the way, and Jesus said: I AM THE WAY.         There is one way. Jesus is the way to His Father's house. Thus, Jesus is the way to eternal life with Himself and the Father. Prior to this scenario with His disciple's, Jesus had mentioned that He was the only way. In John 10:9, Jesus says "I am the door. If anyone enters by ...

        John 10:11- "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." Jesus shows Himself metaphorically as a shepherd and us, His people, as His sheep.          Compared to the intelligence of the shepherd, sheep are not intelligent. They can't survive for long wandering on their own. It's upon the protection of their shepherd that they must rely. Indisputably, sheep are entirely undeserving of their shepherd's protection. However, a shepherd protects and fights for his sheep even to the point of death.         In Jesus' case, He fought for us and protected us by His death on a cross. As a sheep's understanding is minuscule compared to the vast perspicacity and intellect of his shepherd, so is Jesus' understanding of this world and life infinite beyond our imaginations. Without Christ, we can't survive for long. We're headed for death. Yet with Him, we can have protection and eter...

        After Jesus fed the 5,000, He crossed the sea to Capernaum. The next day, the crowd followed Him. When they found Him, they inquired "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs but because you ate your fill of the loaves." The crowd was merely seeking after Him for materialistic gain. He then says "Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." Jesus was rebuking them for only working for transient worldly gain instead of eternal gain. He goes on to say "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." What did Jesus mean by calling Himself the bread of life?         When Moses and the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years,  they were starving until God provided bread (manna) from ...

        What is grace? If you're a Christian, no doubt you've heard this word tossed about plenty of times. "It's all by the grace of God." "Just respond to His grace." Wait, what? By definition, grace is "The free and unmerited favour of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings." To put it succinctly, everything good in your life is by the grace of God. As humans, we don't truly deserve anything from an almighty, all-powerful God of the universe. It is through His grace that He sent His son to die for our sins and make us new. Jesus is grace manifested.         In Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter 5, He mentions that "Not an iota, not a dot has passed away" from the law. When I used to read this, I would become confused; thinking "Wait, what Jesus? I thought life wasn't just about upholding the law anymore because you died for us... right?" But now I realize...