Tag / truth

by The Monahans

The Narrow Road

Narrow Road 2 Jesus said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:13) This is a definitive statement from our Lord and clearly indicates not all roads lead to heaven. Indeed, to have assurance of heaven we need to enter through the “narrow gate”.

So how do you know if you’re on the wide road that leads to destruction or the narrow road that leads to life? It’s actually a pretty easy question to answer. We can start with a broad statement: if you are adhering to any religion or spiritual path (or no religion at all) that is not Biblical Christianity, then you are on the wide road and your destiny is not good. The Bible says, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

Easy enough, right? But, you say, “I was raised in a Christian home” or “I’ve been a Christian all my life” or “my parents were Christians” or “I go to church every week”. What then? Is that assurance you have entered through the narrow gate and you’re on the right road? In a word: no! Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) So we better dig a little deeper to see if we’re on the narrow road.

Paul instructed us this way: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NIV) And Jesus went on to say, in Matthew 7:21, “Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” We can know we are on the narrow road, and I believe there are some simple questions we can ask ourselves to help us know.

  • Do I hold the Bible as the highest authority in my life?
  • How often am I opening the Bible and reading and studying it?
  • Do I believe God’s Word is absolute truth?
  • Can I remember a specific time I repented and trusted Jesus?

There are certainly many more questions we could ask ourselves or reflect on, but these would be a good starting point. And please know that the Christian life is not always an easy one. Jesus said “the road is difficult” and in John 16:33 Jesus said, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.” So, especially in these days, if your current path is comfortable, that in itself could be a sign you’re on the wrong road!

Jesus went on to say, in John 16:33, that we should “take heart, because I have overcome the world.” And that is great news for those of us who have entered through the narrow gate. And for those of you who want to enter through the narrow gate, it is not too late! “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” (Romans 10:9-11)

May you find the narrow gate and enter through it, if you haven’t already. God bless.

To learn more, please click here: KnowGod.org

Here at Reign Drops, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or drop us an email at: ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
by The Monahans

True Love

What's Love 4  There can be no doubt that God loves us. After all, the Bible says God is love. No matter where you find yourself at this moment, even if maybe you don’t feel it, you can rest assured that God loves you. More than you can imagine. And if you want to explore this love that God has for you further, please read our previous blog on the subject:

There’s A God In Heaven Who Loves You

In this blog, however, we’re going to look at things from a slightly different perspective. Here we will accept that Jesus loves us (and teaches us to love others) as a given; so as Paul Harvey used to say, we’re going to look at the rest of the story. The Bible clearly teaches us that we should not “just pretend to love others” but to “really love them.” (Romans 12:9) But just how do we do that? How do we show true love?

In the world today it is not uncommon to hear someone say something along the lines of “Jesus is all about love and tolerance”. And when they say such a thing, what they are usually trying to convey is that true love is defined as accepting a person living in one sin or another just as they are without ever addressing the sin itself. But this position is only partially correct; yes we should treat all people with love, right where they are. After all, even if they disagree with us, Jesus did tell us we should love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). To the extent possible, we should show love to everyone, regardless of their present condition or spiritual state. But that is not the whole story.

You see, loving someone often means telling them the truth. So, if someone is, for example, caught in sexual sin, the loving thing is to tell them the truth. In fact, to tell them it is OK, to encourage them to remain in their sin, is actually damaging and unloving. Why? Because you may actually be preventing them from turning from their sin and receiving the eternal life that Jesus promises those who repent of their sins. The Bible says “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves.” (1 Corinthians 6:9a)

Jesus came to Earth to live and die for us so that our sins would be forgiven; and to rise from the grave that we could have eternal life. So if we do not call out sin for what it is, and then encourage the sinner to repent and accept the grace of Jesus, we are robbing them of the very loving act that Jesus performed for them. Yes, we are very possibly keeping them from eternal life! So while some may decry that we are being hateful for not accepting others in their sin, in reality, we are being most loving when we tell them the truth!

Of course, we tell them in a loving and caring way. The Bible says: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1, CSB) So the loving thing, the Christ-like thing, is to gently point people to the truth of God’s Word, to encourage them they can change, they can escape the sin in which they are trapped, and to tell them what Jesus has done so they can be forgiven and have eternal life. And all the while, as we share this love of Christ, we are careful that we don’t fall into sin ourselves (for that is a real possibility!).

You can think of it this way: is it more loving to give an alcoholic another bottle or to speak the truth about their condition and point he or she to the nearest recovery center? Paul taught the Corinthian church, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:20) Jesus, himself, showed his love by pointing out our need to turn from our sins: “From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” (Matthew 4:17)

God is very patient with us. But his patience and kindness has a purpose: “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Romans 2:4) He did not come to Earth to accept us in our sins as some would have you think, rather, he came to die for us that we might be forgiven of our sins: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) So, Jesus called us to repent from our sins that he might show his love to us by forgiving us.

Therefore, the most loving thing we can do, and the way to show true love to one who is caught up in sin, is to share the Gospel with them. We tell them that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23) and that they should “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)

“This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

To learn more about becoming a Christian, or if you just have questions, please check out KnowGod.org.

If you are trapped in sin and want help, or if you just want to share your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or drop us an email at: ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
by The Monahans

Stealing Hope

child-1640159_960_720  The basis for the reality of the hope that Christians have is found in the Word of God, and that hope is derived from the understanding that the Bible relays a true story, with true theology that is authoritative. But the Bible is quite clear that in the last days (before the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ) there would be growing rejection of this truth (apostasy). It is made clear in Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica that apostasy will come first: Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day (the Lord’s return) will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (2 Thessalonians 2:3 CSB)

Perhaps the most notable verse in this regard comes from Paul’s second letter to Timothy: “You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

This is not only a prophetic verse, but a very descriptive one; Paul describes the behaviors that will result from the growing apostasy. He continues the characterization this way: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”  (2 Timothy 4:3-4) So the Holy Spirit revealed in the Bible that apostasy would come and what it would look like; but what exactly, one might ask, is apostasy?

Dictionary.com describes it this way: a total desertion of, or departure from, one’s religion, principles, party, cause, etc. This is a good general definition; but specific to Christianity, I think we can do a little better. There are basic core beliefs that define the true Christian faith, you can find a bit more detail on these in our statement of faith, but for our purposes here I will focus on just three of them:

  • All people are sinners and need God’s forgiveness.
  • Jesus Christ is Lord and the only way to forgiveness, and thus salvation, is through him. There is no other way. This means all other religions are false.
  • The Bible is the very Word of God and is inerrant in the original manuscripts and, as such, is the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

Apostasy in the Christian sense, then, is abandonment of these cores beliefs. The next question that needs to be addressed is do we have growing apostasy in the present time that might signify the last days are coming? I think the answer is decidedly yes. Why do I believe that? Well, I see a real trend in society today that, in the words of Jan Markell, “emphasizes experience over reason, subjectivity over objectivity, spirituality over religion, images over words, and feelings over truth.” There is growing intolerance towards those who declare absolutes or who purport there is but one way to salvation. At least here in America, acceptance of the Christian message is on the decline.

This is quite visible even in some our churches. There are churches that do not teach from the Bible; others deny that hell is a real place where some people will spend eternity. There are churches ordaining people who are not Biblically qualified to be pastors and even some seminaries that have professors who do not even believe the Gospel. Bible translations are being brought forth with gender neutral language (instead of relying on accurate translation). And there are churches that refuse to acknowledge the Genesis creation account and subsequent fall of man.

A recent article in the Christian Post states that Americans are increasingly departing from core truths of the Christian worldview. The survey reports that a majority of Americans now believe that being a good person is sufficient to get them to heaven and that having some kind of faith is more important than the particular faith with which you align. A majority also responded that the Bible is not the authoritative Word of God. So in this survey alone, we see departure from the three core beliefs I identified above. Sadly, a sizable number of respondents in this survey identified themselves as evangelical Christians.

Apostasy, simply put, is rebellion against God. And it is a very real and dangerous threat that, as we see, is growing in today’s world at a very fast pace. Referring again to my short list above, please know that any teaching that advances a works-based message proposing that we can achieve salvation by our own good works, or a church that over-emphasizes social justice, is apostasy. Likewise, any teaching that all roads lead to heaven, or all religions are pathways to God, or that there is salvation in anyone other than Jesus, is most certainly apostate. Finally, anyone who dilutes the Word of God, denies all or a portion of Scripture, who gives equal weight to texts other than the Bible, or takes Scripture out of context is guilty of apostasy. There is no sugar coating it.

There are many, many other topics where apostasy may be evident, and many other aspects to understanding apostasy, space simply does not allow me to go into great detail here. If you do desire to learn more, this piece by Matt Slick at the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM) is a great starting point: Apostasy in the Christian Church.

My purpose in writing this is to help people begin to recognize apostasy. And to encourage you to know that if you are grounded in the truth, then apostasy cannot take away the hope that you have (even though the world may seem to be crumbling before your very eyes). Quite the opposite, this growing apostasy is not a sign that things are falling apart, it is a sign that things are falling in place. Remember that those verses above are prophetic, and today we are seeing those prophecies fulfilled. So, then, these are signs of the times and they are signaling that the coming of our Lord is getting closer (though we cannot know exactly when).

Of most importance is assuring the integrity of our own personal faith such that we don’t succumb to those who would steal our hope with their apostate teaching. We can protect ourselves through regular and careful study of the Bible. The Bible says that “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16). We also do well to seek out a strong, Bible-believing church that has sound eschatology; which is the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, the final destiny of the soul, and the final events in history.

And if you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ, please know that the Bible is absolutely true. The evidence supporting it is overwhelming; so close your ears to those who teach otherwise and accept the free gift of salvation today. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

For further understanding of eschatology and the growing apostasy, I recommend these resources:

Educating Our World

Olive Tree Ministries

Lamb & Lion Ministries

Here at Reign Drops, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or drop us an email at: ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
by The Monahans

This Is Real

This is Real 2  Time for some personal confession. Starting sometime in my late teen years, continuing all through my twenties, and into my early thirties, I was a professing atheist. And not a silent one by any means. I spoke my mind to anyone who would listen and, quite often, to those who didn’t want to. When I say I was a “professing” atheist, you can take that to mean I preached atheism!

I was quite well educated in all things science related. I maintained subscriptions to Science magazine and Astronomy magazine; the only classes for which I studied hard were those related to science, I watched every episode of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos documentary series. I made myself a student of science and I could recite all the latest theories and rattle off all the latest scientific discoveries and their implications.

Science became my hobby. But that would be selling things a bit short. It became the driving force behind my reason for living and the basis upon which I understood life itself and the world around me. As a child I was forced to sit in church, attend Sunday school and weekly catechism classes, and was generally excited about Jesus, but now, as I reached adulthood, that was replaced with a “real” understanding through scientific endeavor. Or so I thought.

I was certainly enthusiastic about my newfound scientific understanding. I recall in my early twenties working on an assembly line, across from some Christians. Since they were a captive audience, I made sure to extol upon them every piece of objective evidence, deductive reasoning, and experimental outcome science had to offer. There were, in Carl Sagan’s words, “billions and billions” of stars in the universe and our solar system just happened to be the lucky one upon which mere chance orchestrated life. Even now as I type that, I can see the preposterousness of it, but at the time, my arguments were either quite convincing or merely obnoxious (or probably both).

Eventually, my life began to collapse around me. Mired in self-destructive behavior fueled, at least in part, by the meaninglessness of a life that was the result of mere random chance, the castle I built for myself eventually fell, and all my scientific knowledge really couldn’t explain it or put it back together. I was left to pick up the pieces but had not the desire or drive to do so. The pain and inner turmoil I was left with was significant and ultimately pushed me to seek help.

But even then, I didn’t immediately let go of the scientific basis upon which I built my life. That took time. One particularly desperate night, I had a uniquely spiritual experience and, while I did not understand it, it was tangible enough that it started to change me. Subsequently, I was invited to church by a friend, and that “God encounter” I had was just enough to get me to accept. And thus I started down a road to a whole new understanding.

One of the first things I began to realize is that all my scientific inquiry was my attempt to make sense of my existence. And all those times I was fiercely arguing with others, trying to convince them how science explained our existence better than the Bible did, I was really hoping, unconsciously, someone would be able to convince me otherwise. I was on a truth quest…but I was not open to the truth! That is what the reality of my situation boiled down to.

Later, once I gave my life to Jesus Christ and began to understand the reality that the Bible is the very Word of God, supported by extensive and highly scientific research, I began to also understand that science supports the Biblical account of creation and life far better than it supports the proposition of spontaneous life and random chance mutations over billions of years. Those who espouse such “science” have made that their religion, just like I once did, and they are not really open to the truth.

My one-time obstinate denial of all things Biblical is really no surprise, the Bible speaks to this: “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) I have come to realize God is so much bigger than we can even imagine. He designed, created, and now sustains the entire universe with merely a thought. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and nothing is beyond his ability. To think for, even a second, we know enough, or ever could know enough, to truly understand the complexities of life and the world we live in is arrogant beyond compare. All of our collective knowledge is merely a drop in the ocean of all there is to know!

As the Apostle Paul wrote: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” (1 Corinthians 3:19) And in Jeremiah 8:9: “These wise teachers will fall into the trap of their own foolishness, for they have rejected the word of the Lord. Are they so wise after all?” And Isaiah speaks of the destiny of those who see themselves as wise: “What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.” (Isaiah 5:21) But when we are humble and turn our hearts to God, we can begin to understand the world around us and the meaning of life through his revealed Word.

“For the sake of your servant, O Lord, and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known.” (1 Chronicles 17:19)

Whether you know God already and just want to learn more, or maybe your heart is just opening to the truth, here are some resources that can help you learn more about how science actually supports the Biblical account and can help you understand where you came from and where you are going:

Institute for Creation Research

Answers in Genesis

Creation Science Today

Creation.com

The Evidence Bible

Here at Reign Drops, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or drop us an email at: ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
by The Monahans

A House in Heaven

The Other Side 5 Having previously written about the rapture of the church (click here to read that piece) hopefully we can agree that, even though we do not know the exact date or the hour, the signs tell us that time is growing short. Too short to mince words! I am going to speak this time about heaven. Because heaven is where we all want to go, and where I sincerely pray you are going. So I shall not mince words; if you haven’t already, now is the time to get right with God by accepting the free gift of grace through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. As we shall see, it is the only way you will one day dwell in heaven.

And heaven is a place you definitely want to be. How do I know? Well, the Bible tells us much about heaven, and it is all good. Better than good, actually! But rather than try to say this in my own words, I will let God’s Word do the talking. Here are some key points about heaven and the verses that inform us:

There will be no more death:

He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, “This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the Lord, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!” (Isaiah 25:8-9)

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. (Revelation 21:4)

There will be no more hunger, thirst, or pain:

They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17)

All things will be new:

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 21:5-6)

We will no longer be under the curse of sin:

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. (Revelation 22:3)

God will be our light and we will see His face:

And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:4-5)

In heaven we will have new bodies:

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. (2 Corinthians 5:1-3)

“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

We will be like the angels:

For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30)

The normal order of things, as we know it on Earth, will be reversed:

And people will come from all over the world—from east and west, north and south—to take their places in the Kingdom of God. And note this: Some who seem least important now will be the greatest then, and some who are the greatest now will be least important then. (Luke 13:29-30)

God has a place in heaven prepared for those who believe:

There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 14:2-3)

Whether it is through death or rapture, when our lives on Earth end, we are instantly with the Lord:

Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)

And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

Heaven is a place we want to think about frequently:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Finally, there is only one way to get there:

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)

The Bible helps us understand what an amazing and incredible place heaven is, and what a wonderful life we will have there. But to get there you will find no shortcuts, no workarounds, no gimmicks. You can’t get there by being a good person, because none of us can be good enough (and I am convinced that deep down inside, we all instinctively know this). We can only get there by repenting of our wrongs and trusting in Jesus Christ. If you haven’t already, won’t you please do this right now, before it is too late?

Here at Reign Drops, we’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or drop us an email at: ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.