Why I Believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture

1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

The church is not destined for wrath, we are to encourage one another, not live in fear. Fear is not a virtue of God. 2 Timothy 1:3 Paul writes to Timothy: “I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Romans 5:9 “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

John 14:3 ““And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Jesus is preparing a place for us.

1 Thessalonians 13 ““But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[d] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Revelation 19:6 “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,”

““Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.””
9 And the angel said[a] to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, ““These are the true words of God.”” 10 Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ““You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.”” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Why would God make His bride go through the tribulation period and then welcome us into his kingdom for the marriage supper of the Lamb? God is not a wife beater.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

You think we live in an evil time now, wait until the church is gone, that is when there will be lawlessness.

Daniel 12:5 “Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. 6 And someone said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream,[b] ““How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?”” 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. 8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ““O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?”” 9 He said, ““Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

2 Timothy 3:1 “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. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

The Lesson of the Fig Tree: Luke 21:29 And he told them a parable: ““Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So
also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.””

There is a generation that will now pass away, that will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord.

34 “” But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.””

We must pray that we have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, the tribulation period.
Mathew 24:36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[b] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Bible Gateway 2026)

Just like in the days of Noah they were going about their usual business, and they didn’t know that there was going to be a flood or judgement, just like now, in the last days, the unbelievers are not aware that Jesus is coming and separating the light from the darkness. The Bible says two will be out in the field, or two will be griding, and one will be taken. However, we don’t know when Jesus will come back, therefore we must stay ready and keep our lamps full.
Revelation 6:6 ““And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, “A quart[a] of wheat for a denarius,[b] and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

“In this verse John writes that he heard what seemed to be a voice coming from the midst of the four living creatures (Revelation 4:6–8). The voice announced that a quart of wheat was selling for a denarius and three quarts of barley cost a denarius. Symbolically, this passage seems to indicate a common experience in real-world crises: war and famine give way to inflation due to supply and demand.

A denarius in the first century was usually equal to a day’s wages, and the amount of grain given here is just enough to keep a person alive. These are also the commodities of the common person: basic staples for living. The implication seems to be that most people in this part of the tribulation are struggling just to meet their basic survival needs. This is the kind of poverty which threatens a person’s life, not merely their lifestyle.

However, the voice from the midst of the four living creatures also commanded, “Do not harm the oil and wine!” Oil and wine, in this context, are less crucial supplies, making them a form of minor luxury. The implication that these are not harmed might suggest that wealthy people would not be hurt by the economic or inflationary catastrophe. According to Revelation 13:16–17, the false prophet in Jerusalem will control commerce during the tribulation, making it extremely difficult for tribulation believers to purchase even basic commodities.” (Bible Ref 2026)
Revelation 24:22 “And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

“The biblical account of Noah begins in Genesis 6. Approximately 1,600 years had passed since the creation of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:26–27). As the earth’s population exploded in number, it also exploded with evil. Long forgotten was the righteous sacrifice of Abel (Genesis 4:4) as “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Verses 11 and 12 say, “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.” However, “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (verse 8).

When Jesus described the events that will surround His second coming, He said, “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:26–27). Jesus was pointing out that, although the people of Noah’s day were totally depraved, they were not the least bit concerned about it. They were carrying on the events of their lives without a single thought of the judgment of God. Noah is described as a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), meaning he had spent years warning his friends and neighbors what the Holy God was about to do. No one listened.

The depravity and ungodly lifestyles of the entire world at that time were enough to cause the Lord to “regret that He had made man” (Genesis 6:6). Many scholars believe that part of the need to destroy every human being except Noah and his family was the sin mentioned in Genesis 6:1–4, when “the Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.” As evil reproduced and overtook the world, the most merciful act God could perform was to start over.

It is interesting that God allowed Noah nearly one hundred years to complete the building of the ark. Through all that time, God patiently waited (1 Peter 3:20). Scripture seems to imply that Noah preached to the people of that time about what was coming (Hebrews 11:7). They did not believe Noah and were content with their wickedness and idolatry. Their hearts were hard and their ears dull. No one repented, and no one cared to seek God.

Jesus said that the world will be much the same before He returns to set up His earthly kingdom (Matthew 25:31–33). He warned us to “be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Second Timothy 3:1–4 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world before Jesus comes and most likely also describes the world in the days of Noah. That verse says, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” It is becoming increasingly obvious that, to understand what the world was like in the days of Noah, we only need to watch the evening news.” (Got Questions 2026)

Travel to and Fro throughout the world and an increase in knowledge

Daniel 12:1““At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;[a] and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.””

These are a few scriptures why I believe in the pre-tribulation rapture and an article from Got Questions.
What if the first words in the Bible proved that the church won’t endure God’s wrath? Genesis 1:4 “And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)
It says God separated the light from the darkness, what if God is going to separate the believers or the light from the darkness, the unbelievers?

It’s not the first time that we have seen someone separated or taken. Enoch was taken to heaven by God. Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God, and he was not,[c] for God took him.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And Elijah was taken to heaven. 2 Kings 2:11“And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)
Noah was separated from the flood, “These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,[c] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. “(Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

Abraham and Lot were separated from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis 19:27 “And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, behold, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

God separated Isreal from the plagues Exodus 11:4 “So Moses said, ““Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. 6 There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. 7 But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ 8 And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.”” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 9 Then the LORD said to Moses, ““Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”” (Bible Gateway ESV 2026)

And God will separate the light from the darkness and save us from the great tribulation period.

The Holy Spirit

I’m taking a class with BMA Seminary; Introduction to Christian Teaching. I believe it will help me learn more about the Bible and I hope it will compliment my writing. One of the required books I need for the course is the Baptist Expositor, Leader. I was reading the first lesson of Leader/Spring 2020 book and the first lesson is on Acts 1:1-11.

I’ll summarize what’s taken place: “The apostles, were told to wait in Jerusalem for the power of the Holy Spirit Who would empower them to witness for Jesus. Jesus told them that their witnessing would be far-reaching beginning at home and going to the uttermost part of the earth. What a gigantic task that lay before them! How can such a task be accomplished? They key to their success would be the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Baptist Expositor Leader/Spring 2020)

“Today believers do not have to wait for the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He came 2,000 years ago to empower the church and has faithfully dome so ever since. We can tap into that power right now and be witnesses for Jesus. Are you utilizing the power of the Holy Spirit now to be an effective witness for Jesus? We should work hard at our witness for Jesus knowing that one day He will return to this earth just as He ascended into Heaven.” (Baptist Expositor Leader/Spring 2020)

We were just talking about this at Church, well we had Brotherhood breakfast at Church; we’re Baptists so we eat a lot, and the devotion was about asking God to use us to witness to others. If we have faith and pray to be used as a witness, the Holy Spirit will make give us the words and confidence to be an effective witness. I know it’s hard to step out and have faith to talk to others about Christ, but that’s what were supposed to do, we are supposed to build the Kingdom. I read a statistic that shocked me; only 32 percent of the World’s population believe in Jesus. This is going to sound BOLD, but I wish it was 100%! Hell wasn’t intended for us; it was intended for the Devil and his demonic angels. Matthew 25:41 says “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (King James Version of the Holy Bible Holman KJV Study Bible 2012). I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be on the left-hand side, bound for everlasting fire!

The sad thing is that you just have to BELIEVE in Jesus, that he died on the cross for your sins and accept him into your heart, and your life and repent from your sins. We’re all sinners, but believers are saved by God’s grace because we are sinners, we’re not perfect.

So, ask to be used by God to witness to others and let the Holy Spirit work in you.

Make Jesus Famous

How can we make Jesus Famous? You say isn’t Jesus already famous? According to Learn Religions 32% of the World’s population are Christians. That’s less than a third of the World that are going to Heaven. I believe in Heaven and Hell and right now, there will be more people in Hell than Heaven and that is SAD! https://www.learnreligions.com/christianity-statistics-700533

I wrote an article not too long ago where I talked about handing out donuts, and if you think about it, it’s the same concept. To hand out donuts or knock on people’s doors, whatever it takes to make Jesus famous and build God’s Kingdom. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?

We’re all sinners, but I’m a hypocrite. I recently bought this cool necklace with a cross made from small nails on it. I’m a hypocrite because I keep the cross inside my shirt. I shouldn’t hide my necklace. I shouldn’t hide my faith. I should shout it out from the rooftops. Why do we hide our faith?

We should want to make Jesus famous, or more famous, according to that statistic, only 32% of the World population is going to heaven. We should want every single person to believe in Jesus and we should be out there spreading the good news.

Are you sitting on your hands or are you trying to make Jesus famous? What are you doing to make Jesus famous? Let’s Make Jesus Famous!

Handing Out Donuts

Our old preacher started a ritual where he and some of the Church congregation would hand out donut holes to people at a local gas station. It was a good ice breaker, a way to invite people to our Church, it was also a way to talk to people that may not know Jesus Christ, and it was a way to let people know we care about them.

Our Church has been without a preacher since the end of August. We’ve formed a pastoral committee and have been searching for the preacher the Lord has picked out for us. We’ve been praying for God’s will. It has been a very fulfilling endeavor; we understand we are at God’s mercy and he will provide when the time is right.

As servants of God, we are supposed to go out and tell Jesus Christ’s story of good news.

Today’s Sunday school lesson was about “The Banquet”. Have you ever invited people over for a gathering and they cancelled on you or just didn’t show up? It’s disappointing to prepare a big feast or schedule a party and no one show up. That’s what happened at the Great Supper a meal was prepared, and the guests all had excuses to why they couldn’t attend.

One person said, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.” (Holman KJV Study Bible)

Another excuse was “I have bought five yolk of oxen, and I must go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.” (Holman KJV Study Bible)

Another stated” I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come.” (Holman KJV Study Bible)

Luke 14:21 “So that servant came and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, go out quickly and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt and the blind.”

Luke 14:22 “And the servant said, Lord it is done as thou has commanded, and yet there is room.”

Luke 14:23 “And the lord said unto the servant, go out into the highway and hedges and compel them to come in, that my house be filled.”

Since the people invited had other things to do with their time, they went into the streets and invited the common people into their house to fill it up. As Christians, we should also not discriminate. We should want to tell our story to anyone and everyone that will listen after all there is not better deed than to lead someone to Christ.

Can you imagine being invited to sit with Jesus and eat at his table? How could anyone refuse such an offer? How many times will Jesus ask us to do work for him? And how many times can we refuse to do what God asks us to do? How many times are we going to make excuses to not accept Jesus into our hearts? We may say next time, or next week, but the reality is there may not be a next time or a next Sunday. If God asks you to hand out donuts, then hand out donuts.

Doing What We Want To Do

I was at an event called Fields of Faith Wednesday at Bearcat Stadium in Mena, Arkansas. Before I go any farther, I want to explain what this is.

Fields of Faith is a student led event where students invite, pray for, share with and challenge their peers to read the Bible and follow Jesus Christ. The venue is an athletic field to provide a neutral rally- point where a community can come together.

And it was awesome seeing young adults come together and worship Jesus. There was pizza provided by a local pizza place, there was a band. There were testimonials and guest speakers. I would certainly call it a success.

But I heard the phrase doing whatever we wanted to do in some testimonials and this applies to us at Church as well, sometimes we hear someone say that they just did whatever they wanted to do when they were younger or before they were saved, referring to going out drinking, getting drunk, passing out, doing drugs, cheating, lying, stealing, basically living Worldly. Instead of doing whatever we want to, shouldn’t we want to follow Jesus, shouldn’t we want to do the right thing, read our Bibles and worship God. The more we read the Bible the more we learn how we as Christians need to live our lives.

I’m not trying to pick on the kids. It’s just some constructive criticism that applies to all of us even at Church. And I’m not trying to sound better than anyone either. I’m a sinner too. I just want to change the perception that living for Christ is a choice we should want to do as opposed to living a sinful Worldly life. We can still do what we want to do and live for Jesus Christ and leave the Worldly sinful life behind. It’s the least we can do for Jesus since he died for our sins and with the grace of God we can all have everlasting life in Heaven, all we have to do is believe in Jesus.

Are you doing whatever you want when you read the Bible, go to Church, pray and worship God or are you doing whatever you want and living a sinful Worldly life?

Replace Sinful Nature with Good-Hearted Nature (Love)

My wife and I were reading our Bible plan and I came across these verses I wanted to share with you in Ephesians:

Ephesians 5:17 “With the Lord’s authority I say this. Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18. Their minds are full of darkness. They wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.”

20. “But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him. 22. Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.”

25. “So stop telling people lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26. And don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry. 27. For anger gives a foothold to the devil”, Holy Bible New Living Translation, Second Edition.

I love these verses. It’s not easy being a Christian and living up to all the expectations that others have for us, not to mention the expectations that we have as Christians.

Verse 22 says “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.” Before accepting Jesus into our lives as our savior, we were more concerned about ourselves and filling our sinful needs and wants, but when we accept Jesus into our lives and become Christians, we need to be more concerned with others’ needs and not putting our sinful nature first. It’s about loving others and being more like Christ and when we do sin, we need to be aware of it and ask for forgiveness and try to not fall back into that same mindset again. I love in verse 26 it says not to “let the sun go down while you are still angry.” My wife and I try to not to go to sleep mad at each other and that is just one example, but the big picture is to not go to sleep mad at anyone. That’s a hard feat to accomplish. We don’t know if we will wake up tomorrow and it would be a travesty if we didn’t make amends with a loved one and didn’t get the chance to say you’re sorry and you love them. Verse 27 says “for anger gives a foothold to the devil”. The Devil wants nothing more than to destroy us and every chance he gets he will try to replace our good-hearted nature with sinful nature, so don’t let the devil get a foothold into your life, remember to Love like Jesus.

Sleeping Too Close to the Getting in Spot

Our Sunday school teacher told the Sunday school a story the other day and I wanted to share it with you.

He said, one night a small child rolled out of bed and landed on the floor. His Mom came in and picked the child up off the ground and consoled him and after the boy was calmed down put him back in bed. The Mom asked why did you fall out of bed and the boy thought about it for a while and after a minute or so said, well I guess I went to sleep too close to the getting in spot.

Our Sunday school teacher compared that to us as Christians. He said sometimes if we aren’t careful after getting saved, we may grow stagnant and go to sleep too close to the getting in spot. We think we are saved now and we don’t need to put forth any effort in our relationship with God. We’re good, we’re saved, right?

God already knows everything about us, he made us, but what do we know about God? I think the least we can do for giving his only son to die on the Cross for us, so we can be saved by God’s grace and go to Heaven is to spend some time and effort on our relationship with him. How do we get to know God, by meditating in our Bible (not just reading it), praying, and going to Church, to name a few and to be as close in our lives as possible to live like Jesus, yes Jesus was perfect and we are not, but we should strive to live like Jesus and to love like Jesus after all being a Christian is about loving others.

The Sunday school teacher also shared a story about sharing a garden with his neighbors and they would plant the garden, harvest the garden and share the crops from the garden. He said the men were all God fearing Christians, but he noticed one of the neighbor’s brothers stopped going to Church because he was afraid God would call on him to be a preacher like his other brothers.

It’s sad that some of us are afraid to step outside of our comfort zone to serve the Lord, whether that is being a Sunday school teacher, leading the music in our Church, preaching, serving on the pulpit committee, being a deacon, or all the other positions that are required for a Church to be successful. Aren’t we supposed to serve God?

Be careful not to go to sleep too close to the getting in spot and step out of your comfort zone to help your Church by serving God.

The Perception of a Christian

I have this perception of a Christian and I have pretty high standards for Christians, it’s pretty much perfection. And maybe I need to work on that. We are going to make mistakes, we are not perfect, sometimes we may say a curse word (under our breath), we may overreact to a situation, or we may even get a ticket as long as we realize our shortcomings and work on changing them. It’s like having weaknesses. I have many. When you are in a job interview and are asked what are your weaknesses. I think the best thing is to state them (one of two, don’t offer up too many.) It shows that your cognizant of your weaknesses, you have identified your weaknesses and you are working on them to change them from weaknesses to strengths.

As a Christian, I believe in Christ. I am saved and I have asked God to forgive me of my sins. I believe (faith) when I die, I will live eternally in Heaven. I will strive to be a better person each day with strong morals and ethics. That’s the best we can do as Christians.

What is your perception of a Christian?