The Long Term Effects Of Conversion to Christianity on Culture

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The title of this post may be longer than the article.  However, it is an important subject to discuss.  When Jesus Christ told Nicodemous (John 3:1-3) that he must be born again, He was inviting him to forever change his life, thereby, changing his culture.

What made me begin to think again about this subject was a brochure I picked up about an addiction ministry.  It was on a counter in a Clerk of Court’s Office.  I had been observing in a courtroom where a young man was being sentenced at age 19 for a serious crime.

The brochure showed a “before” accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior picture of another young man, and an “after” accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior picture of the same man.   He had been addicted to drugs and was delivered by the saving power of Jesus Christ.  (Jesus Christ very much and lovingly wants to change YOU for the better too!)

The “before” picture showed the face of a young man appearing to be without hope and suffering from additions.  Do you find yourself feeling that way?  Jesus Christ can restore your hope today when you trust him to become your Lord and Savior.

The “after” picture showed a confident, nicely dressed man with his attractive wife and several beautiful children. Psalm 113:9.  God developed His good plan in this man’s life.  It was a process with good results!  Do you know God has a good plan for your life no matter how it looks today?  Jereimaiah 29:11

This man’s life was forever changed after he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.  He left the drugs and hopelessness behind.  He regained his hope and had great success.

If he had continued on this destructive path, he could have experienced the harsh consequences of sin.  In addition to his experiencing them, his future wife, if he found one,  and children, if he had any, would have had to experience that pain also.  This path could have continued through additional generations with destructive sin behaviors and possible incarceration or death.

The young man I saw being sentence in criminal court not only cost himself great loss but he cost society great loss.  Loss to his parents and siblings.  Loss because of the cost of all the court officials, lawyers and sheriffs deputies necessary to carry out this process.

In contrast, by the grace of God, through His son Jesus Christ, the young man in the brochure accepted a plan of redemption.  He asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins which Jesus is eager to do no matter what he had done or what had been done to him.  There is no condemnation to those who accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.  John 3:16-21. He is our hope and our righteousness after salvation (i.e., accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior).

Because of this change, the young man in the brochure, forever postively affected his culture.  No calls to the home by police for violence because of alchol or drugs.  No broken marriage vows because of sin. No pain of seperation.  Many other sin caused problems were avoided because this young man in the brochure made the right decision to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and put his trust in him.  The young man in the brochure used his new life to influence positively his culture.  You can do the same.

Will you trust him today?  Its a simple prayer to become born again.  Simply pray (say to Jesus Christ) I ask you to forgive me of my sins, I ask you to come into my heart, I accept you as my Lord and Savior.  Amen.  Romans 10:9-10.

Friend, if you prayed that prayer, I believe you have been born again.  Email us and let us rejoice with you.  Congratulations on a new walk of life with hope, joy, and eternal salvation.

 

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Are you Sowing Seed? (Part 7)

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In this “Are you Sowing Seed?” series of post, we have been reviewing Sowing Seed (the Word of God) as Jesus taught in Matthew 13 in the Bible.  We know that the sower sowed seed on four different grounds.  He finally got the seed sown in good ground.  This ground caused increase one hundred times, sixty times and thirty times as much as was sown.  As disciples of Jesus or as ministers, we should also be sowing seed (The Word of God).  The seed shown will bring forth results on the Good Ground (hearts of others who are receptive, understanding, and willing to share the Word of God with others).

In this post, I am going to discuss with you a few methods that you can use to share the Word of God you have received.  In other words, how you can re-sow the Word of God which has been sown in your life.

In this age of internet availability, there is great potential to share the Word of God with others.  With a blog like this one, you can share the Word of God with a global community.  Using WordPress, you can set up a private hosted blog or let the professionals at WordPress host your site.  This means you can write blogs (short articles or presentations) and publish them on the World Wide Web.

You can also use Facebook to spread the Word of God with your friends and family.  This is a great way to sow the Word of God.  Remember to keep you sharing short and relevant.

Twitter also provides a method to share the Word of God and sow it into other people’s lives.  With Twitter, you write short statements of 140 characters or less.  This keeps the statement limited in size, but it can still be effective in sharing the Word of God with a world wide audience.

If these terms or concepts are new to you, get on the internet and type www.google.com in the address bar of your browser.  Then, search for the terms.  You will be able to get basic and advanced teaching from Videos on the internet.

Using this technology is a great way to sow the Word of God.  But remember the power of personally sharing the Word of God with others and telling them how it has changed your life for the better.

Thanks for reading these post.  Now go and sow!

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Are you Sowing Seed? (Part 6)

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This is part 6 in a series of post on Sowing Seed.  We have been looking at the parable of the sower in Matthew 13.  Jesus taught his disciples the inside meaning of this parable that originally was spoken as a mystery to the general audience He spoke to.  We are blessed to have it recorded in Matthew 13 so that we get the inside interpretation that He presented to His chosen disciples that day. (If you have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, your are one of His chosen now.)

Of all four soil that the seed fell on, the last ground was good soil.  This soil (heart of the hearers) produced fruit, some 100 fold, some 60 fold, and some 30 fold. (Remember the suffix “fold” means multiplication by the number indicated by the word to which the suffix is attached – dictionary.com. For example, 100 fold means one hundred times.)

When we think of this parable, we often think of the harvest that was generated.  However, remember the seed here was the Word of God.  What God planted through his sower, in the hearts of these people, came back some 100 times as much, some 60 times as much, and some 30 times as much.

Of the Word of God planted in your heart, how much have you sown in others?  I challenge you to look for ways to replant in the hearts of others the seed (Word of God) that has been planted in your heart.  Some of you will produce 100 times as much, some 60 times as much, and others 30 times as much.

When you share the Word of God (seed), you are planting in others what Jesus said is Spirit and Life (John 6:3).  You are going to see results in the lives of others as a result of this sowing.  Keep sowing and be faithful.

Paul summarized this concept well when he wrote a letter to Timothy.  He encouraged Timothy, and I encouraged you to do the following:

“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, committ these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  2 Timothy 2:2.

A way to paraphrase this, similar to what Jesus told his disciples, is “All the seed (Word of God) that you have heard from me among many witnesses, sow this seed (Word of God) in the hearts of faithful men who will be able to sow this seed (Word of God) in the hearts of others also.

Do you see the continuation of this sowing?  What you learn, teach others so that they may teach others.  For more than 2000 years, this principal of spreading the Word of God and Christianity has worked well as Jesus taught it would.

Now lets us use all the technology along with traditional teaching and classes to sow the seed (Word of God) in the hearts of as many people as possible.  As a result of this sowing, the seed (Word of God) will enter the hearts of good soil and come back 100 times, 60 times or 30 times as much as we have sown.  Keep the faith.  Stay faithful. Sow today.

 

In part 7 of this series of post we will discuss how to sow seed (Word of God) today though proven methods and by using today’s technology.

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Are you Sowing Seed? (Part 5)

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In Matthew 13, Jesus was teaching us that there are four types of ground which receive soil.  We know from his explanation later to his chosen disciples that these grounds represented people and their hearts.  We know that all four groups of people heard the Word of God.  But the third group, Jesus described as seed that fell among thorns.  He later explained that this group were people who heard the word of God, but the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and they become unfruitful.

This is a special warning to people today.  When they hear the Word of God in a sermon, on a cd, or by reading the bible, the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches can choke out the word which you have heard.  This result in living an unfruitful life.

When you evaluate your life, you should look for areas where the care of this world is getting to your heart trying to cause you to be unfruitful.  Apostle Peter reminded you that you are to cast your care upon Jesus because he cares for you.  (1 Peter 5:7)  We should not walk with it alone.  He also promised that his yoke was easy, and his burden was light. (Matthew 11:30)  Therefore,  Jesus did not intend for his believers to be troubled by the cares of this world.  (John 14:1).

He also warned that the deceitfulness of riches can choke the word of God out.  The New Living translation describes this as the “lure of wealth.” (Matthew 13:22).  Remember to always put God first in your life.  Do not make decisions based on the lure of wealth.  Genuinely seek the will of God regardless of the path that looks more monetarily blessed.  God will always make your life prosperous in Him.  He is a good God.

When Jesus was teaching this parable, he described these three groups of people or ground that was unfruitful.  They were seed on the footpath, on rocky soil, and on thorny ground.  His final group was the fruitful group of seed producers who provide an increase of 100, 60, and 30 fold increase.  I discuss this group in the next post.

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Are you sowing seed? (Part 4)

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The first group mentioned in Matthew 13 was the footpath (wayside).  These people did not produce results because they did not have understanding.  The enemy came an snatched the word which they heard from their hearts and understanding.

The second group was referred to as rocky soil.  These people as all four groups “heard the word of God.”  These did not have deep roots.  They did not last long.  At first they received it with great joy.  But Jesus taught that when they were persecuted for believing God’s Word, they fell away.

Have you had friends persecute you for your biblical standards which you heard preached?  Do you have co-workers who make fun of you because of your beliefs?  This is why christian friends and fellowship are so important.  It can strengthen you in times of testing.

Jesus taught us that these people did not have deep roots.  They fell away.  Remember this group, as the first group, had heard the Word of God.

In the next blog, we will review those who were in the third category of people – thorny ground.  And then, look at what made the fourth group of people so successful.

Are you sowing seed? (Part 3)

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We are looking at the four kinds of soil Jesus talked about in Matthew 13.  The first type of ground was the footpath (way side).  These were the people who heard the word of God, remember all four groups of people “heard the word of God.”  But this group did not understand the Word of God.  Then the evil one came an snatched it away.  This is why it is so important for you to understand the Word of God.  You must have understanding for the word of God to bear fruit and so that you can sow it into the lives of others.  When you understand it, you can teach it to your friends, family, and others.

Understanding is so important.  If you have trouble reading the bible, get a parallel translation of the bible.  You could have King James version on one column and the New Living Translation on the other.  This allows an easy way for you to read the traditional version of the Bible, the King James, and still have a good reference translation to be sure you understand the verses.  Again, getting understanding is essential in your life as a Christian.  (Read Proverbs 4:7)

The first group did not get understanding and yielded no fruit.  The Word of God was snatched from their heart without understanding.  In the next post, we will look at the second ground – rocky soil.

 

Are You Sowing Seed? (Part 2)

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The four areas Jesus taught about the sower sowing seed (Matthew 13) were the footpath, rocky soil, thorny ground, and good soil.   In each example, the people (and their hearts) represent the ground.  He taught us that they all “heard” the word of God – the seed sown.

This parable has been used to teach many different principles about sowing and reaping.  Although it has application in those areas, we must remember that as Jesus taught it then, he was focused on sowing the word of God. (i.e. “hearth the Word of the Kingdom” – Matthew 13:19 KJV).  When we read this parable, we must evaluate our lives on the principle of sowing seed (Word of the Kingdom) which Jesus taught.  As we listen to preaching on the Kingdom of Heaven, read articles on the Kingdom of Heaven, or read our bibles, we are having seed (word) sown into our hearts.  The bible teaches a good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings good things.  (Matthew 12:35)

Therefore, as the word is sown into our hearts, we must sow this seed again.  The level to which we sow seed determines, in part, the kind of ground we are.  In the next blog, we will investigate the ground in more detail.

 

Are you sowing seed? (Part 1)

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One of the great parables of the bible is the parable concerning the sower.  Jesus taught mysteries through these parables.  Not everyone who heard the parable understood it.  Thank God we have the benefit of Matthew 13 where what Jesus taught and later explained to His disciples is recorded for our understanding.  This sower or farmer went out to sow seeds.  There are four different illustrations of his sowing here.  Remember there are certain things that are consistent.  The seed appears to be the same in each of the four illustrations.  The farmer and his method of sowing appears to be the same.  However, the soil is always different. So in this series of post, we are going to take a look at one of the most important parables Jesus ever taught.

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Healing is for you.

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The Bible has many examples of people who were healed by the hand of God.  Remember Exodus 15:26 promises “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”  We can depend on the promises of God.  He loves you and wants you to receive your healing.  Trust him and receive healing today.