Its an African thing

Christianity as a movement according to the Bible was founded by and should be attributed to Africans. This in no way negates the fact that Jesus Christ is and remain the central figure of Christianity. The movement whose adherents were later called Christians was well established and had taken roots before the Apostles who were originally trained by Jesus of Nazareth heard about it.

Joseph of Cyprus ( aka Barnabas) was sent to investigate the movement which originated in the city of  Antioch of Syria and he on arrival in the city of  Antioch gave validity to the movement. Barnabas is believed to have been personally trained by Jesus of Nazareth although he was not one of the twelve Apostles.  According to the Bible Barnabas introduced the brilliant scholar, Saul of Tarsus to the movement which was already well established and Saul of Tarsus spent the rest of  his life propagating the movement. (Saul of Tarsus aka Paul the Apostle).

As the New Testament is read it becomes obvious that there were two versions of the good news about Jesus of Nazareth. At the front of one movement was the Apostle Peter and he focused on spreading the message of Jesus of Nazareth to the Jews. The other movement was the one began by the Africans among the Greeks in the city of Antioch with Barnabas (Barnabas was a Jew) giving leadership.

A careful reading and understanding of the first missionary journey of Paul the Apostle will show that although Paul was the one doing the talking, it was Barnabas that was the recognized leader.

The mention of Africans in the Bible is not a strange phenomena. "Can the Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Jeremiah 13:23). The Sabeans were also from Africa and were reputed to be in excess of 12ft tall.

Africa is introduced into the New Testament when Simon of Cyrene (Mark 15:21) was forced to assist Jesus of Nazareth with his cross while on his way to be crucified. This Simon of Cyrene had two sons Rufus and Alexander who were well known and active in the early church. Cyrene can be found in present day Libya. Simon of Cyrene was not necessarily a black man because Jews had scattered and were living throughout the known world. There is also the mention in the New Testament of  an Ethiopian eunuch in the Book of Acts. It should be noted that all Jews were required to present themselves before the Lord God at the temple in Jerusalem three times each year. Both Simon of Cyrene and the Ethiopian eunuch could have been Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem   for one of the required festival.

According to the Bible it were men from Cyrene who introduced the message of Jesus of Nazareth to the gentiles Greeks. The Greek believed the message about Jesus of Nazareth and soon there were so many Greek believers that the Apostles in Jerusalem took note. This was unique in that these Greeks became followers of Jesus of Nazareth without converting to Jewish customs and beliefs. This was to later cause controversy because some Jews later contended that these Greek believers should convert to Jewish beliefs and customs. A council meeting was held and the general consensus was that non-Jewish believers in Jesus of Nazareth should not be forced to covert to Jewish customs and practices.

There was another influential African later in the church, Cyprian the Bishop of Carthage.

The present day church came out the movement that began in the ancient city of Antioch in Cyria whether Protestant or Roman Catholic.

The trans-Atlantic slave trade began with the Spanish at the suggestion of a Dominican priest Bartolome De Las Casas. The church never accepted culpability for the slave trade and it will never be known how many Africans died or were killed as a result of four hundred years of the  trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is ironic that the very movement that were began by Africans were to later regard Africans as less than humans and use the Bible to support its actions.

The enslavement and ill treatment of African have forced the church and Europeans to reinterpret the Bible. Preachers in the church and Christianity present Paul the Apostle as the greatest Christian but will not say that according to the Bible the Christian movement began of Africans or had prominent Africans in its early leadership. The church will not accept Africa as the cradle of civilization.

There are many persons of African descent who presently reject the Bible, the church and Christianity under the pretense that the Bible was used by Europeans to keep Africans in subjugation. The reality is that when Christianity was well established in Ethiopia the countries of  Europe and America were still uncivilized. The time has come for Africans to once again claim what rightfully belong to Africans.

The church and Christianity was not founded by Europeans. The Bible was not written by Europeans to keep Africans in subjugation as many ignoramus claim. Paul the Apostle did not begin the christian movement.

There are many persons of African descent who are ridiculously contending that Africa need a black god and a black messiah when it does not really matter if the men from Cyrene who originally shared the message about Jesus of Nazareth with the Greeks in the city of Antioch were black or some other color, the important thing is that they shared the message and they were from Africa. The Ethiopian eunuch was from Africa and he too would have taken the message about Jesus of Nazareth to Africa. On the Day of Pentecost recorded in the Book of Acts there were Africans among the people gathered to hear the message preached by the Apostle Peter and they too would have taken the message about Jesus of Nazareth back to Africa.

Like so many things that belong to Africa Christianity was hijacked by Europeans and Europeans continue pretending that they have an access to God that Africans don't have. It is time for African to reclaim what truly belong to Africans.   Europeans continue claiming they are sending missionaries and preachers to Africa to proclaim what was first begun by Africans when it is time for African to once again take the message about Jesus of Nazareth to the Europeans..

Even if I am wrong I remain a happy fool

We are among Kings, queens, presidents, prime ministers and leaders of countries and states that presently exists on the earth. We are among lawyers, doctors, judges, scientist and the most brilliant minds that grace this planet earth. We are among the billionaires, the millionaires, the successful businessmen and those who fail in business and other ventures in life. We are among the downtrodden, the rejected, the destitute, the poor and the  most miserable of humanity. We are Christians and we believe that some two thousand years ago a man named Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth. We believe that  this man Jesus of Nazareth was God manifested in the flesh and now he provides the motive and the hope for our living.

We educate you in your universities and institutions of higher learning, we teach your children in the classrooms of schools, we treat you when you are sick, we dispense your medication, we serve your food in the restaurants, we wait on you in the supermarkets and banks. In fact we are everywhere and you relate to us but we do shout or make a noise and sometime we do not maintain the expected standards but we remain Christians.

You have to understand that for two thousand years we have endured the worst that humanity can devise and we have survived. We have been thrown to the lions and wild animals, burned alive at the stakes, been tortured, executed, persecuted, imprisoned and we continue being Christians. Those who hate us cannot understand why we have sung songs of praise while we are marched to our death. while they remain without hope we see our death as the beginning of our life. We are Christians and we believe that death is the door to living with Jesus Christ and while we are not careless with our lives or takes our own lives we do not fear death but we welcome death.

You may ask, if being a Christian is so great, who do so man walk away? The answer is that it is possible to begin enjoying the benefits of what Jesus Christ has promised here and now but many simply fail to access the benefits. There are many also who desire a life of ease and fail to recognize that in a similar way that God and Jesus Christ is hated, they too will be hated.

There are few persons who will have the time and opportunity to spend as much time studying and researching as the great philosopher Karl Marx , he is paraphrased as saying "Religion is the opium of the people". We as Christians do not need drugs to get high but the freedom that we find in Jesus Christ takes us to a height surpassed by drugs.  Where drugs does damage to the  brains and body Jesus Christ makes us better citizens and better persons. Marx knew that what we have as Christians can never be taken away because we presently enjoy the pleasures that awaits  when we die so he encouraged that citizens be not exposed to or learn religion.

Why does a few brilliant minds choose to insult their fellows and those more brilliant than they are? When you say those who only believe should keep silent are you not suggesting that the unlearned are ignoramuses. Those who are learned just so happen to believe the same thing that the unlearned believe. Insulting the unlearned because of their belief is also insulting the learned who believe the same thing as the unlearned.

We are Christians and we have survived two thousand years of attacks on what we believe. It is just too bad that you have gained enough knowledge so as not to be able to understand what faith can do. Jesus Christ changes a man inside out. Jesus Christ reigns as king in the Christian's thoughts and actions. One of the reasons that Christianity continue to survive is the change that Jesus Christ makes in lives. The learned continue looking for evidence and proof in science and books to prove that a man named Jesus of Nazareth walked this earth two thousand years ago. Another man hears the same thing and believes and he finds the proof in his attitude and thinking and to him Jesus Christ becomes real and the Bible make sense.

We are Christians and you may ridicule what we believe but we have something that you don't have and you do not offer an alternative to what we believe. One of us have things wrong but at least as Christians we remain happy fools which you try to take away but offers nothing in exchange.

Have a Happy New year.

Some things an atheist should consider

I recently came across an article written by a professing atheist. In the article he mentioned some books and their authors and the fact that he had silenced these authors so those who are not intellectually advanced were to keep silent.

This professed atheist focused his attack on the Bible noting that the Bible is a book of myths and tales that lacked the supporting evidence.  He noted also that there is no proof that Jesus of Nazareth really existed.

There are some basic truths that this atheist ignored; 

1. The Bible addresses the present
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (II Timothy 3:16 KJV). It is quite easy to miss the basic instructions to be practiced for daily living. The Bible do records historical events but it also contains basic lessons for life.

2. The Bible addresses the past

Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. (II Corinthians 10:11 KJV)
Stress, problems and testing are a part of the human experience and there is none unique to any one group of people. The Bible details the experiences of the people of Israel so that we can learn from their experiences. The people of Israel murmured and complain against God and they were punished. They serve as a warning that if we do the same then we too will suffer similar punishment.

3.  The Bible addresses the future

For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Romans 15:4 KJV)
The Bible is a book about victories and deliverance in times of troubles. Those persons who champion the cause of God were subjected to persecution, torture and death yet they remained faithful to God. In times of stress and anxiety many of these persons experienced supernatural deliverance. These experiences are recorded in the Bible so that when in similar situations we can take comfort in the fact that the experiences of others in the Bible can be ours too because God does not change. (Atheist have problems believing many of the stories that are written in the Bible But there are countless stories of similar proportions as in the Bible that are documented as happening in Israel since 1948).

4. More copies of the Bible are stolen each year than any other books.

5.  In excess of 52,000,000 copies of Bibles are sold, stolen or given away each year.

6.  The King James Version of the Bible has sold in excess of one billion copies. There must be something to a book that is loved and remain a best seller for four hundred years.

7.  The history of western civilization cannot be studied without noting the effect of Christianity, the church and the contribution of the Jewish people. The real motivator behind the Jewish people, Christians and the church is God. Acknowledging their impact and contribution to western civilization is also acknowledging God.

8.  A modern philosopher wrote "religion is the opium of the people". This philosopher knew the impossibly of separation of a man from his God because of the inability to reach his mind. When the man's body is tortured he simply focuses on the prize that God has waiting. The very people who declared that God does not exist make it illegal to hear about God. If God does not exist why make it illegal to own a Bible or to hear about God. This philosopher understood well the concept that man is body, spirit and soul which is a concept that an atheist must of necessity deny.

9.  Christians and the Muslims owe their knowledge about God to the Jewish people. Approximately half of the earth population subscribe to the fact that there is a God. By virtue of this the atheist should join and become a theist instead of the few looking on the billions in ridicule to declare the billions as being in the wrong and the few atheists being right.

10.  The God of the Bible is particular to the poor, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the disenfranchised, the widows, the orphans, etc. These people more readily believe and experience God. The Bible does record fabulously wealthy and learned men who were close to God. The wealthy and the advanced in knowledge will have a problem accepting the message of the Bible and the writers of the Bible noted this that the message of God is a message to the poor etc.

11.  The international calendar that is in use at present is the Christian calendar. It is of no consequence whether the atheist care to accept or reject whether Jesus of Nazareth existed or not because each time he writes the date of the year he gives testimony of the existence of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus of Nazareth was declared to be the son of God. If the atheist does not believe this everything remain fine because he is simply another who for two thousand years have been trying to prove this wrong.

12.  If the atheist were to do a historical check then he will discover that there have been countless attempts throughout history to destroy the Bible and also to destroy the Jewish people. The Bible and the Jewish people are testimony to the existence of God. The two remain strong while those that oppose are dead and have been forgotten or their memory are with ignominy and contempt.

Finding God

Science and Christianity agree that the fact that something exists means that there had to be a time when it did not exist and so there must have been a time of beginning. The means and time of the beginning of the existence the material world is where science and Christianity part ways.

Science is in the process of trying to prove the possibility of creating some thing out of nothing and that order can naturally and without external forces comes out of chaos. This bring in focus the calculation of time. The rotation of the earth on its axis allows for the season, day, night etc. The sun is estimated to be ninety millions away from the earth but what exist beyond the sun? Is there light beyond the sun or the calculation of day and night? Is it darkness,or nothingness until there is light from another sun? 

Christianity embraces the teaching of Judaism that  there is a God who is responsible for creating and sustaining everything. This God is eternal and self-existing so he lives in a sphere where there is no darkness or any regulation of day and night. Time as far as God is concerned is non-existent.

Science try to explain the evolutionary process from billions of years in the past to the present. Science also seek to provide possible answers as to the how of  what now exist could possibly have come into existence. The presupposition of science is that formulas that work for the present can also be applied to the past.

Christianity must always contend with finding proof to the existence of God. There are no philosophical or ideological argument to use to prove the existence of God. There are also no material evidence that is to be presented by the Christians to prove the existence of God. It is just as impossible to prove that God does not exist. Man demands that God provide the existence of proof for his existence. God on the other hand challenges man with the question, who are you to challenge me?

The God in which Christians believe is really the God of the Jewish nation. It is impossible to separate this God from Christianity or the who belief system of Christianity will make no sense. This God became a man (Jesus Christ) to bring man once again into a right relationship because man had rebelled against his rule. The   Jewish nation however would have nothing to do with this man Jesus Christ.

One particular Jew, Saul of Tarsus later championed the cause of presenting Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah and Jesus Christ being the only way to a right relationship with God. This Saul of Tarsus tried preaching this message to Jews of the Diaspora but got to the point of being so fed up with his message being rejected by the Jews that he began preaching this message about Jesus Christ to the Non-Jews. The non- Jews gladly believed and accepted the message. This resulted in the Non- Jews historically looking down on the Jews and proclaiming that the Christians are in a better standing with God than the Jewish people. The Jewish people were later dispersed from their homeland while Christianity went on to become the principal religion of the Roman empire. Christianity continue to be the dominant religion today.

In trying to find proof for the existence of God, Christianity resorts to the records in the Jewish holy writings. In Jewish thoughts and holy writings, the man who deny the existence of God was considered to be a fool. This resulted from the fact the the man had  Jewish traditions, the history passed down by word of mouth from fore parents, the prophets who spoke on God's behalf  and most importantly the tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant as proof to the existence of God.

The God of the Jews quite often used the forces of nature to accomplish his purposes and testify of  his existence. This included his servants and prophets exercising supernatural control over the forces of nature. In a contest between Moses and Pharaoh the king of Egypt there was the gradual destruction of Egypt even as Moses called on and activated the various forces of nature. Joshua caused the diversion of the Jordan River for the people of Israel to cross over. David experienced plagues and drought and these were seen as a reflection of the displeasure of God. The prophet Elijah deliberately called for a drought over the country. 

During times of war God also acted. One military general heaped insults and curses on God and in one night lost in excess of one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers. The favorite modus operandi  of God is to use the small and insignificant to accomplish the great band impossible. These most times included God providing a battle plan. The basic instruction from God being that he be acknowledged as the one providing the victory because outside of his assistance then failure would be guaranteed. It was the divine intervention which allowed for the insignificant to become mighty through God. 

Christians regard the works of God as displayed in the Jewish holy writings to be consistent and in the same way that he brought deliverance in the past he would do in the present. At present there are many persons who chose to ignore the Holy Scriptures but the same Holy Scriptures declare that the natural things around us are clear evidence that there is a God who originally put things into place and continue to sustain nature.

The church and money

I saw a post on social media this week “If money is the root of all evil, why does the church need it.”

This was the signal for the intellectually ignorant to have a field day vilifying God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, the church and Christians. These critics had no interest in the correct quotation, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: …..” (I Timothy 6:10).

It is ironic that these critics chose not to read the complete passage which actually condemns reasoning such as theirs and in which the writer Paul was not referencing the church but the moral and spiritual dilemma into which those whose sole purpose is to get riches and wealth fall.

These critics also took the opportunity to vilify the King James Version of the Bible. That in itself was a joke comparable to an ignorant student seeking to instruct an experienced professor. The King James Version of the Bible remain the best loved English version of the Bible and it is probably the only book that have exceeded a billion copies printed. There must be something special about any book that can rank as a best seller each year for four hundred years. These ignoramus are willing to deny the changes that have occurred in the lives of millions that have read and heeded the word of God. Their contention is that the King James Version of the Bible is a book conceived by man to deceive.

The church is comprised of those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came to the earth and died so that man may be once again in a right relationship with the Lord God. Jesus Christ suffered and died for the sins of the world and through his death there is forgiveness of sins. The church is the body of Jesus Christ and believers are added to the church by the Holy Spirit. When a person hears the message about Jesus Christ and believes while making a conscious decision to turn to the Lord God and ask for forgiveness for sins then the Holy Spirit makes that person a member of the church (the body of Christ). The Holy Spirit also takes up residence in the body of the believer to take control of that believers mind and actions.

The church is not a building but a community of believers. The uniting force in the church is that it is the Holy Spirit that adds persons to the church and all members are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is irrespective of national origin, race or social standing. All members are sinners saved by Jesus Christ and are brought in by the Holy Spirit and so all are on an equal standing before the Lord God.

The root of the idea behind the church building is found in the Book of Exodus when the Lord God told Moses to collect materials from those who were willing and to construct a tabernacle (tent) that he may live among his people. The idea behind the church building is not so much for it to serve as the place where God’s people gather for worship but for it to serve as the building where God reside in the community. This is the reason why church buildings are considered to be sacred and to be treated with reverence. Those entering the church buildings should be made aware that they are entering the house of the Lord God and the presence of the Lord God.

Building are subjected to the effect of time and the weather and from time to time must be up graded and maintained. There are equipments and materials that will enhance the beauty of the building and the worship experience. Technology also enhance making it easier to concentrate on the one being worshiped and eliminate distractions. These require money but persons who see giving to enhance the place where God lives in the community as a burden should refrain from doing so. The Lord God has no need for money on the one hand and on the other hand the Lord God has those with wealth who are more than willing to give. However, The Lord God want for all to share in the opportunity to give.

The promise of the Lord God to the people of Israel was that he would take them to a land of blessing. It is customary to speak of the twelve tribes of Israel but in reality there were thirteen tribes because Joseph got the blessing of two tribes. The thirteen tribes became twelve because when the land was divided according to the tribes then the tribe of Levi was not given any land but was scattered among the twelve tribes. The tribe of Levi became the ministering tribe or literally the servants or slaves of the other tribes. Where the other tribes were focused on working and gaining wealth the responsibility of the tribe of Levi was to assist where needed and to attend to the spiritual need of the other tribes. The focus then was not only to be on the physical but also on the spiritual. The command of the Lord God was that a tenth of the produce should go to the members of the tribe of Levi for their sustenance.

A priest/pastor is on call 24/7 for the members of his congregation and for the genuine priest/pastor he is not limited to his congregation but to anyone that is in need. The responsibility of the priest/pastor is to be devoted to the study of God’ word, prayer, fasting and to hear from God so that he can deliver God’s word to God’s people. If the priest/pastor is to function properly then he cannot be engaged in another or secular job. The priest/pastor should not have to worry about being able to support his wife and children, retirement, housing, paying his bills etc. but should focus on his main responsibility which is to see God’s people safely to heaven. The role of the priest/pastor is to focus on the spiritual needs of those whom he serves and it is the responsibility of those whom he serve to take care of his physical needs.

The promise of the Lord God to the people of Israel was that he was taking then to a land that was flowing with milk and honey (an idiom for abundance). In this land of abundance, however, there were going to be some who were poor and this was how the Lord God wanted it to be. Those who were poor were to borrow from the wealthy. The Lord God knew that the poor in some instance would be unable to repay what was borrowed from the wealthy but his command was for the wealthy to lend the poor as much as the poor needed. When the wealthy loaned to the poor and the poor was unable to repay then the Lord God assumed the responsibility for the loan. This is a principle that is found throughout the Bible.

There are many persons who want to bless the poor but have no idea of people who are genuinely in need of help or how to go about doing so. The focus of the church is much broader than that of the individual and the church can do more with the money of many individuals in assisting the poor than what an individual could do. This does not excuse individuals who contribute to the church from meeting the needs that they encounter. A part of the responsibility of the church is meeting the needs of the poor and this is an opportunity for the members of the church. The Lord God will be no man’s debtor.

The final command of the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples was to take the gospel message throughout the world. There are two interesting passages in the Gospel of Luke because Jesus Christ at one time sent out his disciples and told them to take with them nothing. Later Jesus Christ, however, told the disciples that this time it was okay to take the necessary provisions. In order for the message of Jesus Christ to reach the world it takes money. If the modern means of communicating are going to be fully utilized then the church must also have the money to make use of these means.

We have on record in the Bible that Jesus Christ was entertained by a number of different people. Wherever he went Jesus also had his twelve disciples and perhaps others also. It is unthinkable that Jesus would go off to a meal at someone’s house and forget about his disciple. The people who entertained Jesus were persons of means but this did not eliminate the poor or those of modest means because that would be denying these persons the blessings of giving to Jesus’ ministry. The money given at church is one way of showing a willingness to be involved in the ministry of Jesus Christ.

The church exist not to be a burden to the community but for members of the community to show their appreciation and thankfulness to the Lord God. The church buildings serves as the building in the community where the Lord God lives so it is okay for it to be more grand and elaborate than any other building in the community. The money given at church is not money given to the priest/pastor but money given to the Lord God and one day they will have to give an account to the Lord God for that money. Giving to the church is not a privilege reserved for the members of the local church but if person feel a desire to give to the Lord God and the money was not obtained by immoral, illegal or unethical means then the church will accept such monies. Some church for the sake of conscience will not inquire about the source of the money.

One of the great privileges that God has given to man is to give to his work and to contribute to the building up of his kingdom here on the earth. The spirit where the church becomes a burden to its members is against the spirit of giving which God likes. God like a person who when he is giving is hilarious.

ALternatives to the Lord God

The spirit world

Pharaoh the king of Egypt was the servant of the gods and the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt were the mouthpiece of the gods. The magicians and sorcerers delivered the messages of the gods and the onus was on Pharaoh the king to carry out the orders of the gods. There existed a mutual understanding Pharaoh the King and the magicians and sorcerers in Egypt. The magicians and sorcerers existed at the whims of Pharaoh the king while at the same time Pharaoh the king knew that the magicians and sorcerers had the power to turn the people against him by citing misfortunes and calamities as the displeasure of the gods. The gods of Egypt were the most powerful gods on the earth and by virtue of this Egypt was the superpower of the day and the power of Egypt was ascribed to the gods of Egypt.

Moses and Aaron appeared before Pharaoh the king of Egypt in dramatic fashion with demands from YHWH the God of the Hebrews. The demand of YHWH the God of the Hebrews was to allow the people of Israel to travel into the unoccupied territories to do sacrifice and to worship. Pharaoh the king of Egypt had never heard of YHWH the God of the Hebrews and he made it clear that he had no regard for YHWH the God of the Hebrews and he would not accede to the demands of YHWH the God of the Hebrews.

Pharaoh the king of Egypt had the power to command the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt but he could not perform the feats that the magicians and sorcerers could do. Pharaoh assumed that the same thing was applicable to Moses because Moses gave commands to Aaron. In Moses then was a rival leader, in YHWH a rival god to the gods of Egypt and in Aaron was a rival to the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt.

Pharaoh the king of Egypt got the opportunity to see displayed the supernatural powers with which the gods empowered their servants as the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt and Aaron the spokesman for Moses went head to head in a battle of wonders and miracles. When Moses later entered the battle then neither Pharaoh the king of Egypt nor the magicians and sorcerers of Egypt had any response and so the gods of Egypt were defeated and put to shame.

It was not long after this that the Lord God through Moses forbid the people of Israel to consult witches, wizards, necromancers, persons with familiar spirits, enchanters etc. The command was for persons with familiar spirits was to be executed. The persons with familiar spirits were those persons who made claims that they knew how to contact the dead and so were open for consultations. The familiar spirits were spirit beings who were familiar with the voice, habits, attitudes, character, etc. of individuals and these spirits would imitate the dead and sometimes the living. The witches, wizards, enchanters, necromancers made claims to be able to contact the world of the dead, the unseen, predict the future etc.

Today the world of the unseen is denied and ignored because we live in a world that demands scientific proof and tangible evidence. It is a world that seek to abandon religion and the belief in the existence of God. It is also a world that declares that life is short and comes with no guarantee so whatever you desires to do, don’t wait but do it now.

The Bible indicates that the Lord God desires to set up a kingdom of priest and kings that is holy and to manifest his goodness to the world. It is the desire of the Spirit of the Lord God to have the bodies of man as the temple out of which he operates. The Bible is also clear that there are intelligent spirit beings that also desire to occupy and control the mind and bodies of man. These intelligent spirit beings offers an alternative to the Spirit of God. The deeds and actions of these intelligent spirit beings are counter to and opposite the deed of the Spirit of God.

The Bible does not explicitly state how these spirit being came to be without bodies or how they exist but these spirit beings exhibit intelligence and personality. They can and occupy the mind and body of man and in some instances enter and leave at will or sometimes take up permanent residence.

There were and are gods in many forms and shapes and the demands of the various gods differ. There were some gods that demanded that humans be sacrificed. The ancient people of Israel were not immune to this and got caught up in this practice. This was never the intention or demand of the Lord God of Israel.

In the psalms it was declared that this practice of human sacrifice was really sacrificing to devils and this made the powers at work behind idol worship demonic.

The goal of these spirit beings is to provide an alternative god to the Lord God and to direct worship that belonged to the Lord God to someone these gods. In a similar way to the Spirit of God occupying the body of man and controlling the mind of man these spirits seek to imitate the Spirit of God but in doing the opposite.

King Saul may have been stung by the rebuke of the Prophet Samuel when the Prophet Samuel told him that disobedience was a sin comparable to witchcraft because later we are told that he killed all the witches and those possessed by familiar spirits. However, King Saul was to later find a witch that had a familiar spirit for consultation because he stopped hearing from the Lord God. This is listed as one of the reasons for King Saul’s death.

There are a number of passages in the Old Testament where it is recorded that the prophets of the Lord God were challenged by kings and other prophets. The claims of these prophets were that they spoke on behalf of the Lord God. There were also the instances where Baal was declared to be god and the prophets of the Lord God threw down the gauntlet. Prophetic competition to prove which god was the real God. The loser sometimes faced death and the possibility of being labeled as working in conjunction with devils.

The prophets Elijah, Miciah and Jeremiah faced these challenges and there were times when there were the contests of the prophets to see which prophecy would come true. There were also two notable case when Elijah the prophet rebuked King Ahazariah for consulting Baalzebub the god of Ekron instead of consulting the Lord God of Israel. The prophet Isaiah also rebuked the people of Israel for consulting witches and mediums (Those who mutter and peep) instead of consulting the living God. At this time the people of Israel were seeking advice from the dead.

In the New Testament demon (evil) spirits recognized and readily submitted to Jesus. These spirits were responsible for causing various ailments and illnesses and Jesus was involved in exorcising demon spirits. In the Old Testament the command was to execute persons working in conjunction with spirits but in the New Testament Jesus has empowered believers to drive out and exercise authority over demon (evil) spirits.  

Christianity - The secret to living

It is very easy when reading the Bible to ignore the time factor. It is also very easy to forget these facts

1. Genesis 1:3 – Revelations 22:21 covers a period of approximately four thousand years.

2. The Bible was written over a period of fourteen hundred years

3. The Bible was written by more than forty authors from varying backgrounds.

Some of the difficulties that are associated with interpreting the Bible originate with the theologians. Theologians does not teach the Bible based on dogma and so when questioned in the right settings these theologians readily confess to not being sure of what they believe or they admit that they are unsure how to interpret the Bible.

It is within reason to believe that there was a time span between Genesis 1:26 when the Lord God created man and Genesis 2:7 when the Lord God fitted man with a body. This time span would allow for the trees of the garden of Eden to grow and for Adam to learn to be responsible before Eve is fitted with her body and she is introduced to Adam.

The Bible indicates that the Lord God caused the plants to grow from out of the earth. The question become whether the Lord God created mature fruit trees that were producing fruit or did the Lord God follow the process a seed germinating then growing through the process of years as happens now. If this happened then it would allow for Adam to have spent much time alone with the Lord God.

The crowning piece of God’s creation was man (Adam and Eve). Man was created to look like the Lord God, to behave like the Lord God and man breathed the breath of the Lord God. The breath of the Lord God subjected man to inspiration and enabled man to have fellowship with the Lord God. Man also enjoyed the exalted position of the Lord God coming to the earth to have fellowship.

The Lord God condescended to come down to fellowship with man and man was tricked into believing that he could rise to being on an equal status to the Lord God and this led to man rebelling against the Lord God. Since that time man continue to rebel by believing that he can live without the Lord God on the one hand while others seek to find ways to once more enter into a right relationship with the lord God.

One man that discovered the secret of fellowship with the Lord God was Enoch because after walking in close fellowship with the Lord God for three hundred year the Lord God took him and did not allow him to see death.

The story of the people of Israel and their deliverance from slavery in Egypt until they finally entered the promised land after more than forty years highlights several things.

1. The pillar of cloud protected from direct exposure to the sun during the day

2. The pillar of fire gave light and heat during the night

3. Each morning for six days each week the people collected their daily supply of food for more than forty years

The people of Israel was to soon learn that the Lord God had a special role for them. They were to become a nation of kings and priests and to be uniquely distinct from other nations because their lives were to be governed by the principles and laws of the Lord God. The Lord God had demonstrated through Moses and Aaron that he was mightier and more powerful than all the gods of Egypt and now the Lord God was going to living among them. The people of Israel at the time were living in tents and the Lord God directed that a tent (tabernacle) be constructed so that he may live among his people.

The Lord God would now be easily accessible to his special people and everything that they experienced as a people the Lord their God would experience also.

This tent (tabernacle) lasted for about five hundred years. The time came when the people of Israel built permanent residences and King David felt really bad because he lived in a house of wood and stone but the place where the Lord God lived was a tent. King David desired to construct a temple to be the place where the Lord God permanently lived among his people but it was his son Solomon that the Lord God permitted to build the temple.

The tabernacle and later the temple served as the place where the Lord God lived among his people and also as the place where those who sought reconciliation with the Lord God through sacrifice and atonement could do so.

The animals that were sacrificed in the tabernacle and later the temple to atone for sins and bring reconciliation to the Lord God could not adequately deal with the sin problem and had to be constantly repeated. The Lord God through his prophets had promised a redeemer that would restore the lost fellowship with the Lord God.

Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene teaching, preaching and doing miracles. The religious experts of the day examined the works of Jesus of Nazareth and refused to certify it as the works of the Lord God but instead credited the works of Jesus of Nazareth to Beelzebub the prince of demons. The rejection of Jesus of Nazareth by the leaders of the nation of Israel was regarded as a national rejection of Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God and their Messiah.

Jesus of Nazareth was eventually arrested, tried and sentenced to death for his claims to being the Son of God and Israel’s long expected messiah. Jesus of Nazareth was found guilty of being the King of the Jews and was executed and buried.

During the time that he went about teaching and preaching Jesus of Nazareth had trained twelve disciples. A few days after the execution of Jesus of Nazareth rumors circulated that Jesus of Nazareth had risen from the dead and that he was very much alive. Six weeks after the execution of Jesus of Nazareth the religious leaders in the nation of Israel had to deal with the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth because the message that Jesus of Nazareth preached continued and the disciples were also performing miracles.

The message of the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth went further because the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth proclaimed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God, the Lord God had raised him from the dead and Jesus of Nazareth was now the way to righteousness with the Lord God. This message in effect declared that the religious leaders were of no effect and Jesus of Nazareth was now the one to respect.

Jesus of Nazareth during the time that he taught and preached knew that the people of Israel looked for a king to set up a political kingdom on the earth. Jesus indicated to his listeners that he was establishing a kingdom where the Lord God reigned in the hearts and minds as king. Just before his execution Jesus told his disciples that he would be killed and then he would return to heaven but when he returned to heaven he would send another divine person to permanently live with the disciples. This divine person’s presence while not necessarily obvious to the world would live in the believer and make known the works of the Lord God through the believer. The apostle Paul understood this when he asked the believers in the city of Corinth if they were not aware that their bodies were the temple of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle Peter also pointed out in his epistle the exalted position that believers in Jesus now occupy. The body of those who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of God and the Messiah/Christ became the temple out of which the Spirit of the Lord God operates.

The rejection of Jesus of Nazareth did not take the Lord God by surprise neither did it take Jesus himself by surprise. It simply delayed the Lord God’s plans for the nation of Israel. The benefits that the nation of Israel would have received had they accepted Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah has been extended to the whole world. These benefits included among others:

1. Being indwelt by the Spirit of God

2. Being adopted into the family of God

3. Becoming joint heirs with Jesus

4. becoming members of the body of Jesus (the church).

The first man and woman rebelled against the authority of the Lord God because they wanted to be like the Lord God. Man continue in rebellion today because he does not desire to submit to the authority of the Lord God.

The Holy Spirit uses the body of the believer in Jesus Christ as the temple out of which he operates. This enables man to do the very deeds the Lord God would do if he had been living on the earth as a man. The Lord God through his Holy Spirit continues to do marvelous deeds but just like how the religious authorities of Jesus’ day refused to acknowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Son of God and their Messiah so now the works of the Lord God is ridiculed and the world fail to acknowledge the Lord God at work in the lives of Christians.