TaylorCity.com – Home of Ken Taylor

This site is dedicated to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is my sincere hope and prayer that you find it useful in coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. All quotes from scripture are from the ESV (English Standard Version).

Today we find ourselves bombarded with media of all types and news from all angles. For those with questions about God or faith, wading through the programs on ‘Christian’ television can be even more daunting and frankly more dangerous since the subject matter regards eternal life. It is my hope and prayer that you find this humble we page useful in finding faith. I leave it to you and the Spirit of God to decide the truth. Never accept anything less than the truth. Your eternal soul and well-being is at stake.

Today we are competing with multiple world views. Mine is a Biblical world view. This world view in no way means that science is not valid. On the contrary, those of us that hold the Biblical world view have been made up some of the greatest scientist in history. We just believe that true science ultimately and has always proven that God exists. We distinguish between theoretical sciences that change every day and hard fast proven science that is established such as is used in engineering. As one who has worked in the engineering field for 40 years on mega projects around the world, engineers and designers don’t do ‘theoretical’ science, because it is totally undependable until it is proven.

The Bible has stood the test of time as being proven by archaeologist, scientist, sociologist, anthropologist, astrologist, etc. As a work of significant literature, it stands alone and is without equal. So with that being said, know that I believe that the Bible is trustworthy. That being said, it also is written to a particular group of people. Mockers and scorners will not and cannot begin to fathom its writings…

¹⁴ The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14

¹⁶ But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 2 Corinthians 3:16

²⁵ At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; ²⁶ yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. Matthew 11:25-26

⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

The limitations to understanding the Bible stem from our unbelief and sin.

God vs. Man

In the beginning, God created man in His image and likeness.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
²⁷ So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27

As we all know, the man’s name was Adam and his wife was Eve. God’s original creation was good until they sinned against God. Since we are their descendants, we have inherited their sin nature and are therefore separated from God. Worse, this means although we may be born physically alive, we are born spiritually dead.

When Adam died spiritually, we all died spiritually and mind-kind was therefore forever lost and separated from God. This is because God is holy (is with out sin and perfect in all His ways). Not only is He holy, he is Holy, holy, holy! In bible speak, Holy, holy, holy means Holy, holier, holiest.

Isaiah's Vision of the Lord
¹ In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”
⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Isaiah 6:1-5

Understand, Isaiah is at the top rung of the most godly men to ever walk the earth. Moses, Job and Daniel also had similar experiences when meeting God. Had it not been for God’s immediate intervention, each one of them would have perished just from the experience.

Another way of looking at this is found in the book of Romans…

No One Is Righteous
⁹ What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, ¹⁰ as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹ no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
¹³ “Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶ in their paths are ruin and misery,
¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.”
¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Romans 3:9-18

I know that by now, you must be saying to yourself, ”Rubbish!, I know plenty of good people… Mother Theresa for cryin’ out loud!”. Well, yeah, comparing her to Hitler, Stalin, (you or I). Compared to the creator of the universe, the author of life, the one who gives the rain and the sun to both the good and the evil, the sole source of love, truth, righteousness, etc., we don’t stand a chance, and neither did she.

Proof

God has given every one of us proofs for His existence. God has designed us with a conscience so that although we are sinful from birth, we do have his laws written on our hearts. This gives us all a basic understanding of right and wrong.

¹⁴ For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them Romans 2:14-15

God has given us proof through His creation…

¹⁹ For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. ²⁰ For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

Earlier I mentioned my experience in the engineering and design field. Recently, I was working at the sight of an 11.6 billion dollar chemical plant that we were finishing up for a client. Having spent my life being involved with piping, electrical, process, stress, control systems, structural and project engineers; I had a unique knowledge of the manpower, computations, experience, planning, effort and sheer brilliance it took to complete the project to the point of what I could see with the naked eye. I also know that it all pales in comparison to the overwhelming miracle of a newborn child. I know that any microbiologist will tell you that the inner workings of a single living cell with it’s DNA, amino acid’s and abilities to fight of viruses is ultimately more complex than any 11.6 billion dollar chemical plant. It takes true faith to NOT believe in intelligent design. The religion of humanism or evolution, now those things require faith and a mind-numbing level of ignorance of facts.

You might ask, “what about the church believing that the earth was flat?”. Consider this passage written around 740 BC…

²² It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; Isaiah 40:22

Jesus IS the only way to salvation

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

¹¹ This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:11-12

⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5

¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:18

²³ No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:23

The Gospel

The gospel in short form can be found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8.

¹ Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, ² and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
³ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 1 Corinthians 15:1-8

The central them of the bible is Jesus Christ. From the fall in the garden God had a plan to restore a relationship with mankind. In God’s curse on the serpent (Satan) for deceiving Eve, God gave the curse…

¹⁴ The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
¹⁵ I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15

In verse 15, he mentions an enmity. This enmity is the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ).

Throughout the Old Testament, Christ is foreshadowed in various character types (Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David) and shadows such as sacrifices and sin offerings (i.e. perfect lambs, red heifers). For example, Abraham is given a promise that he will be given a son in his old age, and that in him will be a great nations.

¹⁶ I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Genesis 17:16

After Abraham’s son Isaac is born, Abraham himself becomes a type of God the father when God asks him to sacrifice his son.

The Sacrifice of Isaac
¹ After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ² He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. ⁴ On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. ⁵ Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” ⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. ⁷ And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.
⁹ When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹² He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
¹⁵ And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven ¹⁶ and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, ¹⁸ and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” Genesis 22:1-18

In the story of Moses and the exodus of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, Christ is again foreshadowed in the picture of the Passover lamb. Those who sprinkled the blood of the lamb and placed it on their doorpost would be exempt from the final plague that would strike Egypt

¹³ The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. Exodus 12:13

The foreshadowing of Christ continues in the various sacrificial laws. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us…

²² Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 9:22

Some 1500 years later, the ultimate Lamb of God is revealed when John the Baptist sees Jesus walking towards him…

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

The Bible however has one other element that sets it apart from all other writings; fulfilled prophecy. There were at least 100 prophecies from the old testament that foretold of the coming Messiah. The death of Jesus Christ is well documented by not just biblical scholars, but secular scholars as well. What are stunning is the detail of His birth, death and resurrection.

¹³ Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.
¹⁴ As many were astonished at you—
his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—
¹⁵ so shall he sprinkle many nations.
Kings shall shut their mouths because of him,
for that which has not been told them they see,
and that which they have not heard they understand.
¹ Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away;
and as for his generation, who considered
that he was cut off out of the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people?
⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked
and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.
¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12

This entire passage along with the entire book of Isaiah was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The scroll itself dates to 300 years before Christ. Isaiah wrote the prophecy at least 400 years before that around 740 BC.

Only God Himself can take on the wrath of God, and only God Himself is sinless. As Abraham previously stated in Genesis, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”

As John the Baptist stated when he saw Jesus walking towards him, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

And we find in the last book of the Bible…

³ No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. Revelation 22:3

This is truly good news, that Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah, our Savior, the Lamb of God has come and been sacrificed on our behalf! The bad news is our unbelief.

We all know John 3:16:

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17

What we fail to include with this famous passage of God’s love is the next few verses…

¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. ¹⁹ And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. ²¹ But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” John 3:18-21

So what does it mean to believe? The Bible says that even the demons believe and shudder (James 2:19). We know that Satan believes in Christ. Christ is his mortal enemy. True belief requires more.

A religious leader of the Jews came to question Jesus. This Pharisee named Nicodemus was perplexed having seen him perform miraculous signs, realizing that God was obviously with Him.

³ Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:3-8

His point was, we who are spiritually dead and need to be spiritually reborn. In most churches, pastors teach that it is if we are people treading water in the middle of the ocean needing a life preserver, when in fact, we are at the bottom of the ocean incapable of breathing a bubble. That’s what spiritual death means. The fact is that even faith is a gift from God.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

God calls all men to repent and believe. By reading this very web page, it is God calling you to repent.

¹ In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:1-2

¹⁴ Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15

Peter…¹⁸ But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. ¹⁹ Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, Acts 3:18-19

Paul… ²⁰ but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. Acts 26:20

Notice that Paul adds “performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.” This does NOT equate to saying that salvation is by works. As we saw Paul say in Ephesians…

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

True repentance is a grieving because of our sin. False repentance is feeling bad because we get caught.

Works of righteousness are an outflow of salvation as worked in the life of the believer by the Holy Spirit.

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:19-25

Confess and Believe

⁹ because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10

⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40

⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. John 6:47

⁸ “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, ⁹ but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. Luke 12:8-9

When we believe, we become indwelt and thereby sealed by the Holy Spirit

¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

²¹ And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, ²² and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

⁵ He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 5:5

³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30

The sealing of the Holy Spirit accomplishes several things:

1) It guarantees our salvation and gives us assurance

2) It is grieved when we sin making us aware of sin that has to be dealt with and creates a deep sense of being out of fellowship with God

3) When we are out of fellowship with God, it warns us that God’s discipline is not far off.

4) It keeps assures the true perseverance of the believer. A true believer may wander for a period of time, but will not abandon their faith altogether.

When we sin, we may lose fellowship with God. It doesn’t move God from us, however it moves us away from God. It cannot however cause us to lose our salvation. We never did anything to earn our salvation, we can do nothing to stay saved. Christ also cannot be sacrificed for our sin. Christ was crucified once and for all to pay for our sin.

¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 1 Peter 3:18

¹⁰ And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10

¹⁰ For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. Romans 6:10

¹² he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12

²⁴ For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ²⁵ Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, ²⁶ for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:24-26

The Cost for Rejecting Christ

Now that you see the extents to which a Holy God has done to save you, you have a choice.

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:26-31

⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:40-42

It is my whole-hearted prayer that you receive this gift that God has given. I have witnessed in my own life and in the lives of many others that if you ask God to reveal Himself to you through scripture He will. There is no limit to His grace and no sin that He will not forgive.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹² as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust. Psalms 103:6-14

⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10

To follow Christ will not be easy. It is not a life guarantee of health, wealth and prosperity. Any teacher that tells you that is a liar and a false teacher. The message of the cross is an offence to the world. Nobody ever died preaching that “Christ loves you and wants you to be the best you that you can be”.

³⁴ “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. ³⁷ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Matthew 10:34-39

¹² Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 2 Timothy 3:12

In fact, we are warned about false teachers

³ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴ and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

¹ But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. ⁶ For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, ⁷ always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-7

³ If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, ⁴ he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. ⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain, ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. ⁹ But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. 1 Timothy 6:3-10

Recommendations

1) Get a Bible with a current translation such as the ESV, NIV or NLT. There is a Bible app by Olive Tree that will give you one or more free translations of the Bible. This is especially great for iPad’s. I would also advise purchasing the Life Application Study Bible in the NLT or the NIV. This will be great in helping you understand how the scripture applies to you. The NIV Study Bible and / or the ESV Study Bible are excellent resources in understanding deeper lessons of the bible. I find that I enjoy reading from a printed Bible that I can mark up with a pen and take notes. There are a ton of opinions out there about Bible translations. Translations range from the NASB (New American Standard) and ESV (English Standard Version) and NKJV (New King James Version) which are more word for word to the NIV (New International Version) and NLT (New Living Translation) which are thought for thought to the Message and Living Bible which are paraphrased. Stay away from the paraphrased if possible. I would recommend the ESV as a first choice and if it seems too difficult, try the NIV. In the end, it is the one that speaks to you best. The King James is a beautiful translation, but is a 400 year old language. If you are fluent in Shakespeare, you should be OK.

2) Start reading from the books of John, Mark (Gospels), Romans (a letter from Paul), Psalms (various authors) and Proverbs (wisdom) initially. Also read through the first book of the bible Genesis to understand the creation story and learn about the flood (Noah), and the patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) and Joseph. Before during and after you read your bible, pray for understanding.

3) Unfortunately, although watching Christian television preachers will be inviting, there are not many good teachers there. There are a few like Allen Jackson, Jack Graham (Prestonwood), Charles Stanley, stay far away from the rest. There are great pastors on YouTube such as John MacArthur (Grace to You), R C Sproul (Ligonier Ministries), Paul Washer (HeartCry Missionary Society) and John Piper (Desiring God), Steven Lawson (OnePassionMinistries). Another great resource that I would highly recommend to new believers is Allen Parr (THE BEAT by Allen Parr).

4) The “Is Genesis History” documentary is on YouTube at this time and is highly recommended for those who may want more evidence of the Creation theory.

5) Ask for God’s wisdom.

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. James 1:5

6) Find a local bible believing church body. Finding one that’s right may take a very long time. Join a bible study group. If the church doesn’t have one, move on. If the church is a “King James Only” church, move on. If a message relies on the King James version of the bible to be proven, it is wrong. The pastor of a church should preach from the bible, a lot. If his preaching sounds like motivational speak, move on. Large churches are not necessarily the best churches. If the worship music sounds like pop music or is filled with meaningless repetition, move on. If a pastor rarely mentions sin, repentance, suffering and rarely convicts you of sin or encourages spiritual growth, move on. If there is out of control activities such as speaking in tongues, uncontrolled laughing, or anything that resembles something you would see at a drunken dance hall, move on! If a church teaches that there are many paths or religions that lead to God, MOVE ON!

7) Understand that the church in America is old and the gospel message is getting more and more watered down. I highly recommend the documentary series “American Gospel: Christ Alone”, and “American Gospel: Christ Crucified”. I rented these on Amazon. They can also be rented on YouTube for now.

8) The United Pentecostal (UPI), Latter Day Saint (Mormon), Jehovah Witness, Christian Science churches are cults, not Christian.

9) Catholic churches do not teach that salvation is by grace alone, but rather by grace plus works such as sacraments.

10) A church should believe in the 5 Solas of the Reformation. Scripture alone, by Grace alone, by Faith alone, by Christ alone, to God’s Glory alone.

Helpful Links

The Sanctuary Fellowship (My Church)