ISLAM AND THE BIBLE 2

Devout Muslims desire to know God but they do not believe God is personally knowable. The Allah of the Qur’an is a not person but an unknowable supreme authority, lawmaker and judge.
The Bible tells a different story.

God is love.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 
1 Jn 4:7-8
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 
1 Jn 4:16 (NLT) 
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 
Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV) 

Muslims strive to fulfil religious obligations in the hope that they might possibly escape eternal hell fire. They have no assurance that they will escape hell and reach paradise but many of them try very hard to obey their religion in the hope that their good deeds will outweigh their sins. 

The Bible tells us we can never be good enough to please God by our own efforts. We can only be saved by the GRACE of God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 
If we can only be at peace with God through GRACE, it is important to understand what the word means. 

What is GRACE?
FIRST it is mercy.

God forgives our sins and blesses us in spite of our sins.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 
Ps 32:1  
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. 
Isa 43:25
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Matthew 26:26-28 (NKJV) 
I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake. 1Jn 2:12 

SECOND it is acceptance.
God accepts us as His children.

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 1 John 3:1 (NLT)  

THIRD it is the power of God the Almighty Creator to Transform you into a heavenly person, by the power of His Spirit, not your own effort or good works.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 

FOURTH it is Divine Love, the Love of God that is not based on what you deserve because we don’t deserve the Love of God.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV) 

FIFTH it is a free gift. It cannot be earned or merited. It can only be received through trusting. That means by FAITH.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NKJV) 
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 

UNDERSTANDING GOD'S HEALING

In the Gospel of Matthew some Jewish leaders tried to trap Jesus with a question. A woman married seven times but each husband died. Whose wife will she be in the next life?

Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.” Mt 22:29-30

So often we also limit the meaning and the power of the Bible by sticking to traditional mindsets.

The Bible says God heals all our illnesses and disabilities but we experience some healings, many incomplete healings and many conditions which are not healed. So we believe according to our experience instead of believing the promise of God. Much of our theology is based on disappointment and human reasoning rather than on the Word of God which we profess to believe.

John G Lake was a missionary in Africa. In his ministry there were countless healing miracles. Then he returned to North America and set up a healing ministry in Spokane, Washington. In 5 years, over 100,000 documented healings took place. Was everybody healed? Probably not but the percentage of miracle healings was much higher than we normally see or expect.

When Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt, everyone was healed.

He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes. Ps 105:37 (NKJV)

When Jesus ministered miracle healing in Israel, His failure rate was zero.

When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." Mt 8:16-17

No one in our time has enjoyed 100% success but the stream of healings and miracles seen in some ministries should encourage us to take the Bible promises of healing at face value.

Does that mean we should advise seriously ill people to take off their glasses or stop taking medication? Of course not. This kind of fanaticism has caused much harm and offended many. God is not against medicine. He made natural healing available through giving knowledge wisdom to doctors and by creating the raw materials of medicine.

There is another problem with some healing ministries. Sick people are told it is their duty to believe and be healed. People feel guilty or rejected if they do not receive healing. We love people as they are, whether strong or weak in faith.

If you make a person feel he must prove his value by believing and being healed, you are not truly representing the unconditional love of God.

When the disciples of Jesus could not drive out a demon, Jesus criticised the disciples, not the sick boy or his father. (Matthew 17:14-21)

Some people distinguish between miracles and supernatural healing. Miracles happen very quickly but healing can take time.

Before the time of antibiotics, a pastor in England had tuberculosis. When he prayed in faith, God answered with an instruction, to spend two hours a day in prayer. When he obeyed God he recovered completely.

In His healing ministry Jesus often gave an instruction to a sick person. When the person obeyed Jesus, he was supernaturally healed. I believe if we listened to the Holy Spirit more and were open to hear and obey specific instructions from God here and now, we would experience more healings, here and now, or “HEAR” and now.

... "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God ... I will put none of the diseases on you ... For I am the LORD who heals you." Ex 15:26

Read His word; speak His word; listen to His Voice.

There is another hindrance to healing. Many sick Christians stay in churches where healing is rare. If you need healing, go to where healings are happening. In the Gospels, people did not usually get healed by waiting for Jesus to visit their synagogue.

Faith is contagious and so is unbelief. Go to where faith is strong.

If you have a sick friend, pray for him and if necessary take him to a good healing ministry.

Releasing the Power of the Bible

Someone once asked the great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon: “How should you defend the word of God?” Spurgeon answered: the Word of God is like a lion. "Unchain it and it will defend itself.”
Why does the Word of God seem to be so weak, that we struggle to defend it? The answer is simple. We have put a chain on the Bible. We have kept the lion in a cage.
For centuries the Roman Catholic Church put the Bible in the cage of a Latin translation which few could understand and only the priests were supposed to read it.

The meaning of Bible words was changed to fit in with Church traditions. Saving Grace could only be received at the hands of an Ordained priest through Catholic baptism, ritual confession to a priest, going to mass and so on.

It is so easy for Evangelical Protestants to criticise the Catholic Church but we need to examine ourselves.

Have we also kept the lion in a cage?
Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye. Luke 6:42       
We have also restricted the meaning of Bible words and so robbed them of much power.
Only a Catholic priest can celebrate the Mass and many Protestants will only recognise communion administered by a Pastor.
Jesus said: “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst...” I take bread and wine alone with my wife at times. Why should not any believer or believers partake reverently of bread and wine at any time? Release the lion!
The word Pastor (Shepherd) is only used once in the New Testament to refer to certain Christians gifted to nurture, train, feed and guide other Christians.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ... Eph 4:11-12 (NKJV)
There is no context here or in the New Testament to define the institutional role of evangelists, pastors or teachers. Yet we have restricted the meaning of Pastor to refer to an ordained minister in charge of a congregation. Of course the Apostle Paul did appoint elders and the New Testament refers to leaders in churches, so I am not suggesting God does not call leaders.
Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 1Ti 5:17 (NKJV)
This text supports leadership. To whom should you give double honour? YOU must decide who YOU consider to be leading well and give credit where credit is due. Many sincere pastors sacrificially serve their congregations and do not receive the support and encouragement they deserve but We should not be in a hurry to submit to leaders who demand "double honour". On the contrary, we should cautiously put them to the test.
I know your works, your labor, your patience... And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars... Rev 2:2
I highly honour the pastor of my church. Once the Holy Spirit prompted him to pray for a young man in a meeting. Pastor Phil was led to tell the young man he was a Pastor and his sheep were the young people in the street. This young believer was actually a security guard in a nightclub and he ministered in faith and love to the young people he met in his job.       
My aunt was never an ordained minister but she was a wonderful pastor. Her husband had been a prisoner of war and needed a lot of support. Their seven children became Spirit filled Christians who serve God in various ministries. My aunt pastored her husband and children and many other people including myself.
What is your ministry? If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you are appointed by God to release the power of the Bible in your own life and in the lives of others.

God bless you from
Bill Derham

THE POWER OF WORDS

In the beginning God spoke, and it happened.
“Let there be light!” and the light appeared.

God speaks. It is in His eternal nature. He is not a silent God or a God who only speaks sometimes, like once every few years.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets... Heb 1:1 (ESV)
Then God sent His Son into the world to show us what He is like. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God became flesh and blood.
...but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. Heb 1:2 (ESV)
The eternal Father sent His eternal Son to represent Him on earth to act for Him.
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. Jn 5:19 (ESV)
And the Father also sent Jesus to SPEAK for Him.
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Jn 14:10 (ESV)  
We have a wonderful record of the words of Jesus in the Bible, which we rightly consider to the Word of God in book form. It is in the very nature of God to speak. He did not stop speaking when the Bible was published. The Spirit of Jesus who inspired the Bible also speaks through the Bible as we hear it and read it today.
The words of God give life.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. Jn 5:25 (ESV)
When Jesus spoke to the lifeless body of Lazarus in the tomb, the stinking corpse stood up and Lazarus walked out alive. Even today, there are believing Christians who have spoken to dead bodies and they have returned to life.
Death is the great enemy of human kind but there is an even more terrible curse upon us, spiritual death. If you don’t know Jesus personally, you are separated from God and as good as dead for ever and ever.
We can only be truly alive by receiving the words of Jesus and getting to know the eternal ONE whose words give life.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. Jn 10:27-28 (ESV)
How spiritually alive are you? This question is a good test.
Do you know what God is saying to you now? Do you frequently receive direct communication from the Spirit of Jesus?
In the time of Jesus, each sheep was in constant personal contact with the shepherd. Where the shepherd walked, the sheep followed. When the shepherd called, the sheep heard and responded.
This reminds me of a lovely song.
“I heard the Lord, call my name. Listen close you’ll hear the same. Take it and we are glory bound.”
But take care not to confuse the VOICE of God with the words of Christians who water down the truth.
The Bible says we are saved by grace and not by our works. That is true. But often the wonderful word GRACE is watered down. We think it means mercy, and it does mean mercy.
But grace means much more. The grace of God is also the creative power of God.

Jesus saved an adulterous woman from execution by stoning. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Jn 8:10-11 (ESV)
This was not only mercy but powerful grace. The words of Jesus imparted inspiration and divine power to change her life.
THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS OF JESUS CHRIST.
If you receive the words of life directly from God, the power of hi words will change you. 
God bless you from
Bill Derham