Born.Again.Christian.

To a non-Christian the concept of taking joy in trials is nonsensical. Trials and hardships are a time for mourning and self-pity when we question the injustice of life. For a Christian, trials are to be the complete opposite. BAC's are human and have human emotion, therefore it is inevitable that trials and hardship will be accompanied by negative feelings such as sadness, loneliness and anger. Yet even when experiencing these emotions we should be taking joy in our trials. James 1:2-3 "My Brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." We are told in James that through our trials our faith is tested, which produces patience - a fruit of the spirit. Therefore, James is saying that by enduring trials we strengthen one of our Godly characteristics. In another sense, through our trials we are brought closer to God. As beings we are made up of body and soul (and mind, but let's leave that

Upon studying Ecclessiastes one will come to the conclusion that it is like no other book in the Bible. Whilst still God-inspired, the whole of the book is made up of the contemplations of man. King Solomon questions the meaning of life and living, noting that everything in this world is empty and meaningless (or in the words of the NKJV: "Vanities upon vanities!"). It would be recommended to start at chapter 12, the conclusion of Solomon's contemplations, which are certainly God-inspired. Solomon comes to the conclusion that without God everything is meaningless. We have been created in a way that we can only be fulfilled through a relationship with our Creator. Ecclessiastes 12:13  "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all." Some translations have since included the phrase "this is man's duty", however this interpretation loses some of it's meaning. It is not just our '

There is a lot to get through so lets keep the intro short: This is the Bible and God’s plan for the world rolled into one big blog. Begin: ‘In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth’ … we’ve all heard this bit. God made earth perfect and without sin. He also made man and woman (that’s us guys). He made us with freewill because He loves us. Now Adam and Eve had it all going for them; they were perfect and they lived in the Garden of Eden, but they didn’t realise they had it so good because they allowed themselves to be deceived by that big snake that is the devil, therefore bringing sin into the world. Now, a quick intro to the devil: The devil was formerly God’s most powerful and beautiful angel called Lucifer who became proud and thought he could be God. As a result God cast Lucifer out of heaven to earth. [SPOILER ALERT: God’s won. Jesus beat satan on his death at Calvary, but until Jesus comes again the devil is still on this earth and he is determined to spread evi

We have all been created in a way that only a relationship with our Creator can fulfil us. Everything else is emptiness. Every man has his own set of circumstances, whether good or bad. Some men may be rich and surrounded by friends and family, whilst some men may be poor, lonely and have experienced great pain and loss. We would never think that these two men are in any way similar by the way that they think or the problems that they have. Yet, both men are in need of exactly the same thing, both men have exactly the same troubles, the same problems and the same thoughts. Look at Job in Job and King Solomon in Ecclesiastes . In terms of circumstances these men are the polar opposites. Job has experienced tremendous pain and loss and is in poor health. In comparison, Solomon, the king of Jerusalem at one time, has all he ever wanted. He has riches more than anyone before him and he is blessed with wisdom and knowledge. Despite being the complete opposites, both men are as equally

Do you want to be ‘hip’ or Godly? Christian’s today, specifically the younger generations, can be classed into two categories: ‘hip’ or ‘godly’. These ‘hip’ Christians are cool cats. They are so cool that if you put them in the street next to the rest of society you couldn’t tell the difference. They follow fashions, get tattoos and speak the language. The hipster’s claim they do this to be culturally relevant. They bring Jesus to the streets in a way that people can relate. By portraying Jesus as a hip, fashionable and loving ‘party-animal’, Jesus all of a sudden becomes a very attractive option to today’s society. Praise the Lord, right!? ... Wrong. First and foremost, this is blasphemy. Jesus was not a hip fashionable party animal. He was a Godly man who fulfilled the Old Testament laws and kept every single one of them – He lived a perfect life. To even claim that Jesus was interested in things such as fashion and parties is blasphemy. Christ had much more important th

Be wise as to Bible translations: The Bible is the word of God. Penned by men yet inspired by the Holy Spirit. Re-writing the Bible without that same inspiration is going to contain mistakes and take away from God’s message. The Bible is 100 per cent consistent and coherent. Only through God’s inspiration could such a perfect book be written. Without this inspiration the book would not be consistent or coherent, but rather inconsistent and incoherent. Hebrews 13:8 tells us that ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.’ Stick to the script! Do not change what does not need to be changed. Do not change it, especially using our short-sighted, sin-filled minds. Lets look at the Lord’s prayer in the Message for an example: Matthew 6:11 in the New King James reads: “Give us this day our daily bread.” In the Message, the same passage in Matthew 6:7-13 reads: “…keep us alive with three square meals.” This seemingly small difference is in fact massive. Not o

Easter is a celebration of Jesus Christ, His death on the cross on Easter Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us that Christ died once for all sins, past present and future. Upon his death upon the cross Christ shouted ‘It is finished!’ He had won. He had defeated death. As Christ was perfect, He was the ultimate sacrifice, sufficient to pay for the sins of all forevermore. No longer were insufficient animal sacrifices in the Temple required. Easter Friday is all about the crucifixion and the ultimate and marvelous sacrifice made. Easter Saturday is the time when Christ descended into the earth, to proclaim His victory over death in Hades and to preach to those saints who had died before Christ had come and to take them to heaven (see the article ‘when heaven was empty’ for information on this). Easter Sunday is all about life. Through Christ’s resurrection we may have life. If you are a BAC with Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour then you have been

There are not many more heated discussions than that over the issue of women in the bible. 'The bible is sexist' is a phrase in the atheist's arsenal that they like to bring our to discredit the Bible. Like most things, too many people have an opinion on this issue without actually knowing the truth. The Bible is not sexist and men and women are equal. This is not a new view that fits in with today's society, but a view that has been in the Bible since it was written. Like most things, it is the world that has finally caught up with the views of the Bible. In our world, until recently, arguably starting with the 1920's suffragette movement, women were considered to be not equal to men. The bible however has clearly stated that men and women are and always have been equal. When forming an opinion it is vital that one knows the truth of the matter rather than reiterating the arguments of others, that is a fools game. Test all things. I have attempted to explain th

To improve our relationship with God and be used effectively by Him we must have no doubt at all, only faith. If there is doubt then there is no faith. If there is no faith then there is no salvation and we remain subject to the law and death. Galatians 3:22-25 " But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.  23  But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.  24  Therefore the law was our tutor  to bring us  to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  25  But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." Start to walk in faith. Pray into the situations in your lives and put your trust in the Lord. Do not be flippant, yet do not let life pass you by by being too cautious. Take a leap of faith in the Lord your God and do not fear. You will be rewarded for your faith and wisdom. Isaiah 43:2: " When you pass