One Way, One God Part Six Why So Many?

 If there is only one way to God, then why have these gods and goddesses been created for people to worship? There are so many starting in Old Testament days and going forward.

It is because people did not like the fact that there are certain things that God requires them to be if they want to be a part of his kingdom. They wanted to do their own thing. But because his kingdom is incorruptible therefore he will allow nothing evil into it. That was not good enough for those people and so they created their own gods that would allow them to do the things that God prohibited.

Romans1:28 pretty well sums it up.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a corrupt mind, to do what they should not do.

So what does that mean? It means these are people that reject God, trying to suppress the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's those people that go their own way. Those that don't believe in him. Those that teach other gospels that are not from God. It is those that "Suppress the truth by their wickedness and it is upon these people that the wrath of God rests." Romans 1:18

No, false gods did not cease with the arrival of Jesus Christ. Look at what the apostle Paul had to say about them in his time.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that "An idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "There is no God but one." For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods and many"lords",yet for us there is but one God the Father, from whom all things came, and for whom we live, and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ through whom all things came and through whom we live. 1 Corthianians 8:4-6

There are many gods, many idols, many lords that we can worship and give our allegiance to. But they are but things created by men that give false hope to the people that do worship them.

When I was 12 years old, Billy Graham came to the city that we lived in at that time. He preached at a baseball stadium and my family attended his services. The stadium was filled to capacity and so many people sat in the outfield to hear him. We were some of those people and as a kid, looking up to the stadium itself, above it there was a huge banner stretched out that said, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE." JOHN 14:6. That banner proclaimed Jesus Christ and the rest of the verse says this: "No one comes to the Father, but by me." That huge banner made quite an impression on that 12-year-old girl.

Why so many religions?  The answer to that question is easy.

There have been many false gods created for man's pleasure and ability to disobey the laws of God. But to man's own destruction they have been and are still today for those that choose a different path from the true God.  And it doesn't end there because, in the meantime, there are also different religions that have sprung up all through the ages that are just as harmful to those that believe them.

"That we be henceforth no more children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" Ephesians 4:14

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God who is Father above all." Ephesians 4:5-6

The Bible, our God-given guideline into how to steer clear of false teachings, says we need to grow up and not fall for just anything that comes along and may look good to us because there are men out there teaching things that are not of God. And they are waiting for people that will fall for their tricks and it is usually for power and money. They are out there friends. We see cults in the news at times when bad things that happen to people due to cults and their teachings.  People have died from falling for such stuff when they have been indoctrinated and brainwashed by different groups.

Furthermore, there is just one Lord, one faith and one baptism above us all. And it is to our benefit that we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and let him help us to grow in our faith. Because if we follow God and what his plans for us are, we are not subject to the wrath of God, that rests upon those that go their own way. And believe me, we do not want to be under God's wrath when we can instead be under his grace. Because it is because" by grace, we are saved, through faith and not of ourselves, it is a gift of God." Ephesians 2:8-9

Which is for you? God's gift of grace. Or God's wrath? It is a choice we all have to make. I choose God's grace. And I sincerely hope you do as well.

January 16, 2019 Promise: I cling to you, your strong right-hand holds me securely. Psalm 63:8t

Thanks for your visit today, Friends. Tomorrow we will start a new topic in this blog. Be blessed!

One Way, One God Part Five Why So Many?

Sometimes God lets us have what we want without stopping us from getting it. Even if it is is not good for us. Take the children of Israel. God's commandments did not stop them all from getting what they wanted and doing the things that he specifically said not to do. At least for a time.  You take the case of Noah and the flood. People had gotten so wicked that he felt he had to destroy them. And in the end, how many people were saved from that disaster? Eight people because Noah was the only man God had found righteous in his eyes.

Man has been bent on having his own way from the beginning of time. Where did it all go wrong? Well, if we are to believe scripture, we know that it had started way back in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. Sin entered into the world and the rest is history. Right down to today. To this minute.

One of the evilest kind of devil-inspired gods was Moleck (Moloch) for whom innocent children were sacrificed to. See Leviticus 20:1-5

Yes, man has created for himself gods of many kinds. From Old Testament days to the New Testament Days. They did not stop with the coming of Jesus Christ.

Mercurius was named in Acts 14:12 and is said to have been a 'messager for the gods.' And Jupiter was named in this same verse as well, as he was the King god, ruler of heaven and all other gods. Ummm. Now, why do these gods remind me of something in space that we call 'planets'?

The Virginity goddess Diana is mentioned in Acts 19:24 where silvers shrines were made for her,

Twin brother gods Castor and Pollux who were sons of Zeus were protection for sailors are found in Acts 38:11.

To be sure, the people in the New Testament did not need the One True God that would be coming to save their sins. Why would they when they had all of these and more? From grain gods to hunting gods. From gods of art to weather gods.

And our gods haven't stopped being worshipped since. Even by people like you and me who worship money, and cars and homes. And other people.

God had said, "Thou shall have no other gods before me."

But that was in the Old Testament. Maybe he had changed his mind in the New Testament? Did  Jesus have anything to say about gods and/or why people had them? Come back tomorrow to find the answer to those questions.

(Please note. In yesterdays blog, I had given you the wrong website with which I found the list of gods mentioned. The correct site is: How many Pagan/false gods does the Bible mention? Another site helpful in information about this subject can be found at: Gods and Goddesses, Pagan - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology Online  I apologize for the mistake and hope if you are interested in learning more about these gods, you will find these sites helpful. Thanks for your patience.)


January 15,2019 Promise: He who has begun a great work in you will complete it. Philippians 1:6

I have to add to my blog today that this verse is a real witness of God's grace. On January 15, 1985, God began a work in my family. That day ended a 15 year plus addiction to alcohol in my husband. Those years prior to that day were some of the hardest I had ever known. I know I have a long way to go still to see God's great work completed in me.  But God made me a specific promise, and on that day, he kept it. Life has not always been easy since that time but it has not been the same either. God is so good and it is to you I encourage you to hope in him for whatever you need and may be going through because he is our only hope! Praise God!

May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I am happy you spent time here today Friends. Have a blessed day and come back tomorrow for part six. Thanks for coming!

One Way, One God Part Four Why So Many?

One view. Many views. No view. One religion. Many religions. No religion. One God. Many gods. No god.

Which among each of these statements should we believe? It is a reasonable question that people sometimes ask. But how many actually go looking for the answers? And when they do, what sources do they actually look to?

Case in point. I was raised in a Christian home, albeit due to my mother having serious issues mentally, it was very dysfunctional. However, be that as it may, God and church was very much a part of our lives.

I had 2 older siblings and one younger than me. My older brother (now deceased and whom I will call Mike) was very intelligent. He was one of that kind of people that was smart and whose everyday speech could confound you because he often used words that others had no idea what they meant, and yet he often had problems relating to everyday events. He spent most of his younger life locked away in his bedroom reading and studying subjects he was interested in.

After graduation, Mike went to college in pursuit of a degree in English education to then teach high school students. But while there, he took some courses is other religions. And doing that set off the questions of whether what he had been taught about God was really the truth or not. It messed his mind up for years as he ended up getting into doing drugs and at one point, he married a woman who said she was a 'witch.'  He was married and divorced at least 3 times during those years before his death and I am told that he had gotten back to God right before he passed but I am not really sure about that because I had spoken to him on the phone right before that point and it was questionable to me. At the time he lived in another state and so I had not really had any conversations save that one time, for the past couple years. I can only hope I was wrong but that is not the point of this blog today.

The point is, how did someone raised in a Christian home, believing in one God, turn him questioning the teachings of eastern and other religions that taught many gods or perhaps no god at all?

I never asked him about that. My life had taken on a different path and we were 8 years apart in age, so never that close. But I would venture to say that his problem started out because he had not compared those teachings he was learning about with the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. And so what were the teachings of Jesus concerning the worship of other Gods.

 Well, let's start in the Old Testament with God. The True God, I might add, who had delivered his people out of the slavery of Egypt and the very first commandment that he gave Moses on Mt.Sini, was, "You shall have no other gods before me."  Exodus 20:3.

But what had the Israelites done while Moses was still up on Mt.Sini receiving the commandments from God? They were doing their own thing. As we would say today, they were 'partying.' And while they were engaging in much immorality. they had also made a "golden calf' as a god to worship.  Next on God's list of commandments after the first one in Exodus 20:4, came "You shall not make for yourselves any carved image." Exodus 20:4. Umm. Well, strike that one down too. They had already committed both commandments. But the commandments did not stop people from worshipping pagain gods.

They are mentioned in many places in the Old Testament. Here are just a few and others are listed at: If there is only one God, why are there so many different religions? | CARM.org

Baal-Zebub (means Lord of the flies) 2 Kings 1:2
Ashtoreth (goddess of futility) 1 Kings 11:53
Queen of heaven known as Ishtar (love, war, fertility goddess) Jeremiah 7:18)

But these are just in the Old Testament. With the coming of Jesus, that should have ended the need for people to have gods other than the one true God. Because after all, Jesus was the Son of God. That should have been enough for them. Shouldn't it have?

But did it? Come back tomorrow to find out.



January 14, 2019 Promise: Do not fear. For I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:16




Thanks for coming today Friends. Be blessed and share your blessings with others. An encouraging word, helping an elderly neighbor, donating your time to church, or taking a meal to a sick friend. We all have something to give and the smallest gift can put a smile of thanks on someone else's face. Take care!

One Way, One God Part Three

Who do you say that Jesus is? Was he a teacher? A prophet? Just a man?  Was he crazy? I mean who goes around claiming he is God unless he is crazy? Right?

Or was he really who he claimed to be? The Son of God.

One day Jesus asked his disciples this question. "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

They replied, "Some say that you are John the Baptist or Elijah. Others say Jeremiah or one of the prophets. (Those men were trying to equate Jesus with other human beings. Not the Son of God.)

But then Jesus then asked, "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter answered, "You are the Christ. Son of the Living God."

 Simon Peter had gotten the answer to Jesus' question right. He knew that Jesus was not John the Baptist, or Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. He knew that Jesus was not crazy. He had been with Jesus during his ministry and seen his miracles.  He knew without a doubt that Jesus was the Christ. Son of the Living God.

What response did Jesus give to Simon Peter?

"You are blessed Simon, son of Jonah. For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood. But by my Father in heaven." Mathew 16:13-17.

When it got right down to it, Simon knew who he was because God in heaven had revealed it to him. Not flesh and blood.

It is the same with you and I. When we were yet unforgiven sinners, before we asked Christ into our hearts, God revealed himself to us as to who Jesus Christ really was. It was then that we could accept Christ as the Son of God. And just like Simon, we are blessed because when it was revealed to us, we knew it was the truth.

The question today is: Who do you say Jesus Christ is? Because if he was just a good man, or a teacher or a prophet you have the wrong answer. Likewise, if any of those were true, this world is in a very sorry and doomed place. It would mean hell for everyone. Of course, sadly, there are those that don't believe in hell. But that is a place where we will be if we do not answer that question just as Simon Peter had done and then asked him for the forgiveness of our sin.

 Mathew 12:30 says: He who is against me is not with me.

I prefer it to be revealed to me by God the Father as the Truth and not of the flesh and blood of man. How about you? Who do you say Jesus Christ is?

January 13, 2019 Promise: Old things are passed away. Behold, all things become new. Romans 12:9

Coming up tomorrow: More on: if there is only one way to get to heaven and only one true God, then why are there so many religions?

Thank for your visit. Please come back tomorrow and be blessed today!

One Way, One God Part Two

There is a heaven. There is one path there. There is one God. He is the only true God.

Why then is there so many religions and which church will get me to heaven?

Jesus was not just a great teacher as some religions say. He was not just a prophet. He was and is 'The Son of God." And he is the only way we can get to heaven.

Jesus said it: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. John 14:6

He does not say he is one of many ways. He is the way. There is no one else under heaven that can rightfully claim to be a god or a way to get to heaven. There is no one under heaven that we are to worship.

He was chosen by the Father, to be born, to grow up to teach others to go out and preach the gospel. He is the one that took the sins of the world on himself, died a cruel death, rose after 3 days, was seen by many people before he ascended to heaven to be with his Father where he is making intercession for you and me

It does not matter what "religion" we find ourselves in. It is not a religion that is going to save us. It is not a church that is going to save us. It is what the church teaches that does. If we go to a Bible-preaching church where the Word of God of the Bible unequivocally is taught, that is a pretty good chance that you are in the right church. As it is the shed blood of Jesus Christ that is the price for our way to heaven.

However, many churches teach God. But not all of them that Jesus is God and he came to die to save the sins of the world. Those churches are ones we need to steer clear of because they are teaching false doctrines. False doctrines are teachings or ideas that draw away from the truth. For instance, if a church denies that Jesus was born of the virgin birth, that is a false doctrine and one we need to get away from. Any church or religion that teaches that Jesus was just a teacher or a prophet and not the Son of God, or teaches that there are many ways to get to heaven or that there are other gods that can be worshipped, those are false doctrines. We need to run and not just walk away from them because they will lead only to one place. Hell.

The Bible clearly gives us confirmation of who Jesus was and is from His birth which was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14 to the book of Revelation. His name is mentioned 925 times in the New Testament and if we believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God as 2 Timothy 3:16  says, that does not allow for no other god (s) to be worshipped and on the same level as God. If his word is the truth, then Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and the only way to get to the Father is through him. And in fact, anything else would lead us away from the truth and into hell.

Who is your God? Who do you say Jesus is?  Your answer to those questions are important. Please come back tomorrow for part 3.

January 12,2015 Promise: These things I have spoken to you. That in me you will have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33.

Thanks for coming by Friends. I apologize for the delay in posting this today. Hopefully, I will be back on track tomorrow. Have a blessed day!

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Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? Part One

There are many "religions." But do they all point the way to get to heaven?  Is there many pathways there, or is there one true way?  Or is there any path at all? Is there one God, or are there many gods? Or is there is no god at all?

Many believe that any god they believe in will get them there. That all gods are the same. But why is this so? And what religion or church should I join that will get me there?

Sobering questions they are. And yet, if one does not seek the answers from the Bible, they will not get the right answer and the wrong ones will not get them to where they think they might be going. They can think they are going there. They can hope they will. But only knowing and accepting the truth will get them to heaven.

The Bible is just not a book of stories we tell our children in Sunday School. It was authorized  and inspired by God to be written by the prophets of old and other men that came after them, so that down through the ages, we can be guided by God to live our lives to the fullest in this life, but more importantly to get us to that desired home where we will spend with Jesus when we die.

I read something recently on another website which is quite interesting but also the truth."Eternity is a long time when we are wrong."   Author Chris Brady's Blog: Eternity is a Long Time to be Wrong

I would also add to that, that eternity is an awfully long time to be if we are in the wrong place. Because that is where many people past and present and future have ended or will end up.

People go about everyday living, often unconcerned with where they will end up. Many just don't believe the bible, some think hell is just one big party and joke about wanting to get there to be with their friends. For those that think the Bible is a book of fairy tales or just for weak people, their beliefs do not make them true. In fact, if they do believe that, they are emphatically wrong.

 Some people are confused by religion because after all, there are so many of them 'out there' and so they don't try to figure out what is the truth. Others are born and raised into a church and just stick with whatever they were brought up with, believing it, whether it is true or not.

 

Keith Green was a talented singer/songwriter in his day until his life was cut short in a plane accident in 1982. In one of his songs he contemplates and asked these questions Where did I come from? Where am I going? It is something every person on this earth should be asking. Where did we come from? Where are we going? Because there are answers to these questions. We didn't evolve from a mud puddle, left to flounder like animals. We have a real purpose for being here and where we are going. But what are they?

And by the way, those questions still remain for some people. Are there many pathways to heaven? Or is there just one true way? Or is there any pathway at all?  Is there just one God or many gods Is there any god at all?

What religion or church should I go to that will get me there?

I hope you know the correct answers to those questions. If you have been with me long, you will know what I believe. However, come back tomorrow and I will let you in on what people of this universe can know if they truly want the truth. Because it is not some far-out cosmic and mysterious thing to understand, that some try to make it out to be. It is there for you and me, to know the truth so that we will end up where we want to be.


January 11, 2019 Promise: The Lord himself will go before you. He will never leave or forsake you/ Do not be afraid or be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8


Blessing from God. May they fall abundantly on your and your family today and every day! Thanks for coming Friends!

Expecting God's Blessings in 2019 Part 8 Light of the Word

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Mathew 5:13-16. 

Jesus was is teaching the disciples on the sermon on the mount one that they were to be the salt and light of the earth. (see my blog on Jan.8th about the "salt") In today's blog, I want to focus more on what he meant that we are to be the light of the world. 

Several months ago I told in a blog about a young woman that had written to me on another that she was lost and without hope. And I told her that there is good news. She is not without hope and I went on to tell her why.

I cannot tell you what her comment had made me feel that day. Lost and without hope. What an awful feeling to have in this world we live in. I cannot begin to think what that must be like for people. How sad it is. It is like they are reaching out for something or someone that they don't know how to touch. Many do not know what they are even reaching for. This world is dying. People are dying every day. Not only in death but in life. Oh sure, we know our bodies are dying. That is a given fact as we age. But I am talking today about our souls. The souls of people are dying and if they are not redeemed before their physical death, the bible says this, "It is appointed to men, it is once to men and then the judgment."

Jesus is our hope. He is our only hope!

 That is why Jesus was teaching them to be the "light of the world." Not to hide their light but to shine it for all to see their works in all that they do and all we do in his name so that unsaved people that are without hope can see Jesus in us and want him too.

I once heard someone state a number of years ago, that we are the only bible some people may ever read. We must live our lives according to God's word so that those that know us can see it by the Holy Spirit that it is living in us.

We must be a light to a dark world. And the worst part yet is that this world is getting darker. If we allow the world to snuff it out, what hope is there? There is none. But that is what many in this world are trying to do. We must not let it happen.

We are to stand up for the truth. And that may at some time come at a very high price for us because we are hated as Christians in the world. Fairness for Christians. There isn't much. We are just not tolerated. And Jesus knew all about that. He went to the cross for nothing he did that was wrong.

The disciples were to find it out too when they were each put to death for their preaching of the gospel.

Many have known it since the beginning of time in one way or another. And it will continue until Jesus comes back for his church.

Blessed are those that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs are the kingdom of heaven. Mathew 5:10.

Jesus calls us to be both the salt and light of the world. Easy? No. Possible? Yes, or he would not ask it of us. Be the salt and light to those around you so that they can possibly join the ranks of the believers in Jesus Christ and go to be with him when their time is up here on earth.


January 10, 2019 Promise: Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, shall distress, or persecution or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:35
In all things we are conquerors in him, that loved us. Romans 8:37

Thanks for your visit Friends. Have a wonderfully blessed day in Jesus!