THE RISE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PAPACY

“And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”[1] These words spoken by Jesus to Peter allege the foundation of the Roman Catholic Papacy. Although there is not concrete evidence to this fact, it has nonetheless been deemed so by early Bishops of Rome and used, along with John 21:15-16[2], as the rationale for the authority and leadership of the church.

That Peter exists is not the issue, that Jesus said these words is not the issue; the issue is whether or not such credence can be given to these words to the extent that they would provide “permission” to rule spiritually, totally and unequivocally. A series of events would give such credence to the church to take the helm in the space of power in Rome or else true devastation would be imminent, but did it need to be the church? And was what Jesus said to Peter proof enough to warrant total authority?

            The power of the papacy was instituted gradually. As mentioned in the introduction, the spiritual aspect of the papacy, that which is believed to give the position its God given authority, is its ties to apostolic lineage. The church at Rome believed that the words to Paul from Jesus in Matthew 16:18 and John 21:15-16 were what allowed it to be involved more readily than it had been previously giving it authority to impose its views and direction on churches in areas other than where the western see was situated. There are varying views to this thinking. Some scholars believe the church at Rome was continuing the work of Paul as the example of “shepherd-pastor,” while others do not accept the “Roman Catholic belief that the papacy is an absolutely essential element of the church.”[3]

Rome was the capital of the empire and it was uniquely positioned in that it held the only see in the West. Men such as Ignatius and Irenaeus gave Rome a posture of loftiness because they claimed it to be “imposing” and “presiding in love.”[4] This afforded the bishopric in Rome a certain clout, Richard Bennett writes, “The respect enjoyed by the various Christian elders in the second century was roughly proportionate to the rank of the city in which they resided. At that time, Rome was the largest, richest, most powerful city in the world, the queen of the Imperial Roman Empire.”[5]

With that said, bishops such as Clement I (c. 90–99), Victor I (c. 189–198) and Stephen I (c. 254–257) sought to involve the church in the affairs of other churches performing acts such as settling disputes, forcing the requirement of celebratory customs (Easter), and reinstating deposed bishops; Carthage bishop Cyprian (d. 258) was not in agreement with some of these actions but he did consider Rome to be the “principal church” and believed bishops needed to have spiritual union with Rome to be genuine.[6]

In 313 the Edict of Milan allowed Christians more freedoms and ceased persecutions, this in turn gave way to more and more Christians coming to Rome and would eventually lead to “the institutional development of the papacy.”[7] Constantine’s decision to make Constantinople the hub of his empire allows for greater notoriety for the church in the West. By 381 Christianity is now the official religion of Rome and the papacy is already seen as “primatial authority.” It is between the time of Damasus I and Leo I that “the popes explicitly claimed that the bishop of Rome was the head of the entire church…”[8]

            According to Justo L. Gonzalez, Germanic invasions are what caused an “upsurge” in papal authority.[9] He goes on to say that the church of the West had become the “guardian of what was left of ancient civilization, as well as order and justice.” Richard Cavendish says, “In the fourth century ad…what Pliny the Elder had called the 'immense majesty of the Roman peace' was menaced by invasions of Germanic peoples from beyond the frontiers of the Rhine and the Danube.”[10] The invasions on Rome allowed her more notable bishops to exact authority and make decisions that would propel the papal position to new heights.

Leo I led the charge in changing how the bishop of Rome was to be viewed, and through a series of circumstances he was able to attain “great authority in the city of Rome.”;[11] situations such as leaving Rome to meet with Attila the Hun who had sights on Constantinople but was convinced with gold to go west. Rome was an easy target because there was no real army to stop them. The emperor of the West was unable to establish a military stance due to lack of character and resources. Allegedly Leo was quite the formidable spiritual opponent, Gonzalez states, “legend has it that Attila saw Saints Peter and Paul marching with the pope, and threatening the Hun.”[12] Literature on the Papacy by The Columbia Encyclopedia says, “He was also effective as a statesman and met (c. 452) Attila the Hun to persuade him not to invade Rome.”[13] And he did just that.

Pope Simplicius (c. 476) would see a Western emperor deposed, tensions between popes and emperors regarding issues of theology, and the eventual schism that took a great deal of time to mend; a schism made more difficult because of the Ostrogoth invasions, which led to two competing popes, one on the side of the Arian Ostrogoths, and one in Constantinople.[14] The schism would finally come to an end but not without Rome suffering terrible violence. Hormisdas (c. 514) was able to end the division with Constantinople and during this time hope was prevailing under the new emperor Justinian, but another invasion, this time by Belisarius. This was not good for the church in Rome. The emperor enacted policy similar to the Eastern church which was basically run by the secular leadership and so the popes held no real power during Justinian rule.[15] By 565 things were not faring well in Constantinople, once again she found herself with a weak army and simply could not defend itself. In come the Lombards.

By this time the popes were almost entirely in charge of making certain the city of Rome was safe from Lombard threat. After Pelagius II buys the Lombards off, he seeks assistance from the Franks. They would become the papacy’s most important source of aid.[16] Pope Gregory I would now enter the picture and become what Gonzalez calls, “one of the ablest men to ever occupy that position.”[17] At the time Gregory came in to his position, there were so many issues to contend with including plague and famine. Notwithstanding, he made many advances to the papacy, including turning to the Germanic invaders who now ruled in Rome even though he strongly believed he was amongst a “Christian commonwealth led the Byzantine emperor.”[18] A series of unfortunate events would see the papacy lose much of its authority. Not until 756, after Pope Stephen II crowned Pippin III (Carolingian king) was the papal authority restored. It was then that the papacy received from the king the “Donation of Pippin” giving the papacy “Papal States”[19] In 800, the papacy received some security in crowning Charlemagne as Roman emperor, but in doing so they gave up a great deal of their independence.[20] In the 10^th and 11^th centuries, the office of the papacy found itself amidst competition for the papal throne, corruption, and weak political conditions, the seat still remained the “focus of devotion and pilgrimage as the city of Peter and of the martyrs and saints.”[21]

The papacy form its beginnings to just before the Reformation has seen good times and bad. Papal authority, controversy, dissension, confusion, and the like caused the office to ponder a variety of spiritual and political thought processes. There is no doubt that the office of the papacy had its moments, it saved Rome from being completely burned down by barbarians. It saw the likes of Gregory I preaching the message of commitment to the church and God. But it also saw complete wrecks that allowed corruption and a loss of good will from the people. The position of Pope as it stands today is shrouded in mystery with talk of conspiracy theories and claims of world domination, but then, the office of the President of the United States has been given the same royal treatment.

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[1] Holy Bible. King James Version. YouVersion.com, http://www.youversion.com/bible/matt.16.kjv (accessed September 26, 2012). 

[2] “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” KJV.

[3]Patrick Granfield. 2005. Papacy, Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. vol. 10. 2^nd ed:6965-6976, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX3424502367&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1 (accessed September 25, 2012).

[4] Granfield, Encyclopedia of Religion.

[5] Richard Bennett. An Overview of the History of the Papacy, http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/An_Overview_of_the_History_of_the_Papacy.pdf (accessed September 25, 2012).

[6] Granfield, Encyclopedia of Religion.

[7] Granfield, Encyclopedia of Religion.

[8] Granfield, Encyclopedia of Religion.

[9] Justo L. Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010), 282.

[10] Richard Cavendish. 2010. The Visigoths Attack Rome. History Today. Vol. 60, no. 8:8, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/741578968 (accessed September 26, 2012).

[11] Gonzalez, 283.

[12] Gonzalez, 283.

[13] The Columbia Encyclopedia, s.v. "Leo I, Saint, pope," http://www.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com/entry/columency/leo_i_saint_pope (accessed September 27, 2012).

[14] Gonzalez, 283.

[15] Gonzalez, 284.

[16] Gonzalez, 285.

[17] Gonzalez, 285

[18] Frank J. Coppa. Papacy. Encyclopædia Britannica Online s.v., http://www.britannica.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/441722/papacy (accessed September 27, 2012).

[19] Papal States, also called Republic of Saint Peter or Church States, Italian Stati Pontifici or Stati della Chiesa, territories of central Italy over which the pope had sovereignty from 756 to 1870. Included were the modern Italian regions of Lazio (Latium), Umbria, and Marche and part of Emilia-Romagna, though the extent of the territory, along with the degree of papal control, varied over the centuries. Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s.v. “Papal States, http://www.britannica.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/441848/Papal-States (accessed September 27, 2012).

[20] Coppa, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

[21] Coppa, Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Bibliography

Holy Bible. King James Version. YouVersion.com, http://www.youversion.com/bible/matt.16.kjv.

Granfield,  Patrick. 2005. Papacy, Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. vol. 10. 2^nd ed:6965-6976, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX3424502367&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1.

Bennett, Richard. An Overview of the History of the Papacy, http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/An_Overview_of_the_History_of_the_Papacy.pdf.

Gonzalez, Justo L.. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010).

Cavendish, Richard. 2010. The Visigoths Attack Rome. History Today. Vol. 60, no. 8:8, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/741578968.

The Columbia Encyclopedia, s.v. "Leo I, Saint, pope," http://www.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com/entry/columency/leo_i_saint_pope

Coppa,  Frank J. Papacy. Encyclopædia Britannica Online s.v., http://www.britannica.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/441722/papacy

THE FORMATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT CANON

Introduction

            Today every believer enjoys a Bible that fills the soul with hope and joy because of Father God’s faithfulness in teaching His children all about Himself. Believers are given first hand insight into the history, persecution, and triumph of Jesus Christ in the greatest story ever told; all with a very clear purpose, to teach His little ones how to live and love now and forevermore. Unbelievers alike are granted access to the Bible’s unending drama, comedy, love, and genuine kindness as expressed through a myriad of unforgettable characters that are truly breathtaking – if of course one takes the time to delve into its many marvelous anecdotes.

The New Testament provides an account of Christ’s glorious redemptive work on the Cross, methods for living the Christian life, and teaches most of all about love. Not only is it the greatest story ever told, by far it is the greatest love story ever told. But let us for a moment imagine what life would be like without the luxury of having such uncomplicated access to God’s New Testament. God’s providence and His Holy Spirit, has made it so that people all around the world can receive His word unadulterated. It was however, a series of events throughout the annals of Church history and the use of godly people that has made what we have today in the way of the New Testament possible. It was not without its challenges, and it certainly was due to necessity that we have the canon.

Formation of the New Testament Canon

            So what is the New Testament canon? It is a compilation of twenty-seven books to include gospels, epistles, Acts, and a book of revelation. These were written by Jesus Christ’s apostles and half brothers, with one book written by an unknown author (maybe Paul); this collection of books was established to be canonical (in the fourth century by an Alexandrian Bishop named Athanasius) meaning they are the “rule or standard” of Scripture.[1] These books were chosen in order that they might convey to the Church the teachings of Jesus Christ, and how to live the Christian life in accordance to God’s will.

According to Donald W. Riddle, we should not think of the New Testament when approaching the completed work as having been a “steady, progressive selection of books until the final number contained in “the” New Testament was attained.” [2] Rather, the end result was compiled from a series of “New Testaments” taken from collections of writings[3] from authority figures such as Ignatius, who “wrote seven letters that are among the most valuable documents informing our knowledge of early Christianity.”[4] There were other works written considered New Testaments as well, for example, the Didache (c AD 70)[5], 1 Clement (c. 96) and the Epistle of Barnabas (c. 100).[6] The point here is that, apparently the New Testament had already been written; it would be a matter of defense that would cause the final compilation to take root.

This list of course is not exhaustive, there were more written works considered valuable and necessary for Church growth and instruction; authors and Scholars such as Irenaeus of Lyons a Pastor whose main purpose was “leading his flock in Christian life and faith”;[7] Clement of Alexandria, “main Christian instructor in Alexandria”; [8] Tertullian of Carthage, defender of “the faith against pagans, and defender of orthodoxy against various heresies”; [9] and Origen of Alexandria, “whose genius was exceptional” and “literary output was enormous.”[10] And yet none of the works by any these influential men were added to the final canon, which is interesting when we consider “some of these books were prized even more highly than those which eventually found an entrance into the authoritative collection.”[11] Why?

            Before we consider why the works of some of the most influential leaders of early Church history was not included in the New Testament canon, let us consider why there needed to be a canon in the first place. Was it not enough for the Old Testament canon to meet the needs of the early Church? It was in there that most, if not all, of the early writers got their knowledge base. The Septuagint (LXX)[12] was the most widely used reference of the early Church, and the New Testament or New Covenant was believed to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament “promises of salvation that were continued for the new Israel, the church, through the Holy Spirit, which had come through Christ, upon the whole people of God.”[13] The Church believed they were on the cusp of the “age to come” and set out to establish the New Testament as “qualitatively different” from the Old Testament because of it.[14]

            The need then to establish a work that corresponds to this new age in the form of Scripture comes not only from its advent but also because of other factors; factors such as the lack of reliability of oral traditions. In the post-apostolic age, many of the witnesses to Jesus and the Apostles work had passed away and much of the tradition was being marred in its translation.[15] The translation then of the oral tradition was, by its very nature, able to be manipulated so much so, that even the words of Jesus Christ could be taken and molded to conform to what the Church needed instead of being used for what Christ meant. At this point gospels were also being written but some of these writings which were claiming to be the teachings of Christ were deemed heretical by the Church. This is one of the reasons they felt the need to found the canon.[16] According to Homer A. Kent Jr.:

As the Christian era progressed it was inevitable that a variety of literature would soon appear. Much of this Christian writing was entirely orthodox. But some was issued to promote special interests of heretical groups. Many of these documents were well-intentioned but factually inaccurate.[17]

In order to guard against such things discussion of a canon takes place.

Heretical text was fast becoming one of the main reasons for a New Testament canon. Many writings deemed heretical by the Church were vying for the Christians attention and subsequently the Church was making moves to protect itself. Gnosticism was a religious faction that leaned toward “speculation” and basically got rid of “historical revelation.”[18] This faction attempted to use the Gospel of Truth[19] and the Gospel of Thomas as instruments of influence but the Church quickly judged these heretical. Montanism was another heresy as deemed by the Church that caused a move toward a canon. This was “an ecstatic enthusiastic movement claiming special revelation and stressing “the age of the spirit.”[20] And lastly, and probably the most defining of the heresies to cause a move toward canonicity was Marcion and his version of a canon that “repudiated the Old Testament and anything Jewish.”[21] Without a doubt, the Church considered this to be the most damaging heresy and necessitated a decisive action before things got so out of hand, they may never regain momentum. Marcion attempted to rewrite Christian history by excluding books such as Hebrews and I and II Timothy. He omitted anything Jewish from the Pauline letters. He wanted nothing more than to get rid of true Old Testament Scripture to change the face of orthodox Christianity. This, in essence, forced the Church to compile Testaments to refute Marcion’s canon.

Many New Testaments were considered before Athanasius decided on the final version of the canon. He got involved to squelch division between the East and West ends of Christianity. In the fourth century, Athanasius decided that the twenty-seven books of the New Testament to include Revelation and Hebrews would be the final canon.

Conclusion

            Without question the New Testament has undergone an amazing journey into being. Many issues and concerns raised the question of need for a canon. Many defensive postures were taken in defense of true orthodoxy, and ultimately, God’s providence won the day by establishing a inerrant Word that feeds many millions of Christians around the world. There is one issue that I would be remiss not to mention, and that is the glorious power of Holy Spirit at work in the formation of the New Testament Canon. He helped write the Word, He would help establish it.

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[1] Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "New Testament," http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/412114/New-Testament (accessed September 09, 2012).

[2] Riddle, Donald W. 1939. Factors in the Formation of the New Testament Canon. The Journal of Religion, Vol. 19, no. 4:330-345, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/stable/1198364?seq=2 (accessed September 09, 2012).

[3] Riddle, 331.

[4] Justo L. Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010), 51.

[5] The Didache is a collection of writings given by Jesus through the twelve Apostles for the instruction of Gentile converts prior to Baptism. It is important literature in that in provides a first look into the life of the early Jewish Christian community and its leadership structure.  Draper, Jonathan. 2006. The Apostolic Fathers: The Didache. The Expository Times, Vol. 117, no. 5:177-181, http://ext.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/117/5/177.full.pdf+html (accessed September 10, 2012). 

[6] Hahn, Paul. 1995. Development Of The Biblical Canon: Development of the New Testament Canon, http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/canon.html (accessed September 10, 2012).

[7] Justo L. Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010), 84.

[8] Gonzalez, 86.

[9] Gonzalez, 88.

[10] Gonzalez, 92.

[11] George Hooper, The Formation of the New Testament (Philadelphia: Griffith & Rowland press, 1907), http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002051123975;page=root;view=image;size=100;seq=19;num=15 (accessed September 10, 2012).

[12] “a Greek version of the Jewish Scriptures redacted in the third and second centuries b.c. by Jewish scholars and adopted by Greek-speaking Christians.” Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/septuagint (accessed September 10, 2012).

[13] Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "New Testament,",

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/412114/New-Testament (accessed September 09, 2012).

[14] Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

[15] Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

[16] Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

[17] Kent Jr., Homer A. 1967. How We got Our New Testament. Grace Theological Journal 8.2:22-26, http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/NTeSources/NTArticles/GTJ-NT/Kent-HowNT-GTJ-67.pdf (accessed September 10, 2012).

[18] Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "New Testament,",

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/412114/New-Testament (accessed September 09, 2012).

[19] The text of the Gospel of Thomas is understood to be a rolling corpus, or aggregate of sayings that represent different moments in the life and history of the early Thomasine community. Deconick, April D. 2007. The Gospel of Thomas. The Expository Times, Vol. 118 no. 10 469-479, http://ext.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/118/10/469, (accessed September 10, 2012).

[20] Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "New Testament,",

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/412114/New-Testament (accessed September 09, 2012).

[21] Encyclopædia Britannica Online.

Bibliography

Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "New Testament,"

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/412114/New-Testament.

Donald W. Riddle, 1939. Factors in the Formation of the New Testament Canon. The Journal of Religion, Vol. 19, no. 4:330-345, http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/stable/1198364?seq=2.

Justo L. Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010).

Jonathan Draper. 2006. The Apostolic Fathers: The Didache. The Expository Times, Vol. 117, no. 5:177-181, http://ext.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/117/5/177.full.pdf+html.

Paul Hahn. 1995. Development Of The Biblical Canon: Development of the New Testament Canon, http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/a/canon.html.

George Hooper. The Formation of the New Testament (Philadelphia: Griffith & Rowland press, 1907), http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002051123975;page=root;view=image;size=100;seq=19;num=15.

Miriam-Webster Online Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/septuagint.

Homer A Kent Jr. 1967. How We got Our New Testament. Grace Theological Journal 8.2:22-26, http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/NTeSources/NTArticles/GTJ-NT/Kent-HowNT-GTJ-67.pdf.

April D. Deconick. 2007. The Gospel of Thomas. The Expository Times, Vol. 118 no. 10 469-479, http://ext.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/content/118/10/469.

With God, Without God

I'd like to remind you all of the immense love God has for each of you. Whether you are a Christian, Catholic, Gnostic, Atheist, Muslim or part of any other religion or belief system, God loves you so much. 

Listen, You could have it all together right now - great career, a nice home, cars, money in the bank, disposable income that allows you to enjoy certain luxuries in life, or you could be scraping pennies to try and make ends meet - worried about how to pay your rent. You could have the greatest relationships - family and friends, or you could be on the outs with everyone and be all alone. I could easily go on.

The point is, God is no respecter of person. No matter where we are in life today, a day will come when we leave these mortal bodies and face God, at which time we will be judged. And only one of two destinies awaits our eternal fate (Yes, we have a soul, one that will go on after our physical bodies are no more - please believe this) eternal life with God in heaven, enjoying the splendor of the King, or eternal separation from God, where even a drop of water to quench our souls thirst will not be granted.

This is serious! Whether you choose to believe this or not is up to you, but I am here to attest to the fact that the Word of God is reliable and accurate. I would stake my life on what it says. And it says what I just mentioned.

The Bible is clear - disregard it, think it foolish, don't take it seriously and we will suffer the consequences of eternal separation. But, if you regard it, if you take it seriously and understand that God wants you to live an amazing life here on earth and spend all eternity with Him - you will! And it all begins with Jesus.

The Bible teaches that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one gets to the Father (God) except through Jesus. Jesus is our mediator to everlasting life.

God loves you so much He sent Jesus, His Son to take upon Himself the penalty of sin we all deserve. He says, confess you are a sinner and receive my Son Jesus into your heart, and He will come. God says, turn around from the things you know are wrong in your life (lying, stealing, cheating, anger, jealousy, hate, etc.) and see the glory of the Lord shine brightly in you.


Pray: God, I believe you sent Jesus to die and take my place at the judgment seat. I confess, I am a sinner. I believe Jesus is alive and I receive Him into my heart. Help me turn around from the things I do that dishonor you. Amen.

Won't you decide today to really think about your life, and of the lives of those you love. We are all going to meet God one day, let it be on His terms because - Daddy truly knows best. God bless.

Children's Prayers

Here are three prayers my wife and I modified for our son, use them joyfully.

Morning (anytime) Modified Lord's Prayer

Our Father, in Heaven
Blessed be your name
Your Kingdom come
Your will be done
on earth as in heaven
Give us today all we need
and forgive us our wrongs
as we forgive those who wronged us
keep us safe
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen

Meals

God you are great
God you are good
Let us thank you
For our food
In Jesus Name We Pray

Bedtime

Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my soul to keep
I cannot wait
to see my family
when I wake up
in the morning
God bless Mom and Dad (or who ever you'd like)
and everybody that I love
Especially You Lord
In Jesus Name We Pray, Amen

Enjoy, God Bless.

A Disciple of Christ

What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ? Jesus Himself tells us in passages such as Luke 9:57-62. It means to follow Christ. If you think that is easy, remember that the condition is to be willing to set everything aside for the sake of Christ: dreams, possessions, family, ambitions, even life. Discipleship has to do with abandonment, denial, and even death. And for what? In order to gain Christ. The reward of the gospel is God Himself, the greatest treasure one can ever possess. So, when you think in terms of this reward, then the requirement is insignificant.

Listen to what Elisabeth Elliot wrote about her husband killed in trying to take the gospel to a tribe: “Jim’s aim was to know God. His course, obedience-the only course that could lead to the fulfillment of his aim. His end was what some would call an extraordinary death, although in facing death he had quietly pointed out that many have died because of obedience to God. He and the other men with whom he died were hailed as heroes, ‘martyrs.’ I do not approve. Nor would they have approved. Is the distinction between living for Christ and dying for Him, after all, so great? Is not the second the logical conclusion of the first? Furthermore, to live for God is to die, ‘dayly,’ as the apostle Paul put it. It is to lose everything that we may gain Christ. It is in thus laying down our lives that we find them.”
Help us Lord to count to cost, take up our cross and follow You. Amin.

Professor Mihaila - Liberty University

God Loves You

As I think about the frailty of life, I am reminded that at the end of the day, all we want as human beings is to be loved. We work so hard at trying to live lives that are full of what seems to bring us joy, but we cry more than we laugh. We think the worst more than the best. We lie more than we tell the truth, especially to ourselves. We hurt, and then hurt; because that's what hurt people do. We don't trust more than we trust.

There are people who spend a life time accomplishing this thing or that thing with the hopes of changing the world, when in fact, all that have made contributions to society have only ever wanted one thing - love. How about all the evil people that have committed such atrocities? They were missing love. But not all evil people lacked love, you say. Yes, they have.

We were built to love and be loved - that's it! That's why men work. That's why women work. That's why we have what we have around us today because someone, somewhere, loved someone else. Think about this world of ours and how it is built. Do you honestly think that we as a race are smart enough to have accomplished all we have without help? Why is it that most of what we enjoy today has come just in the last four or five decades? Because we are evolving to meet the need for love, or maybe technology is moving forward at such a rapid pace to keep us from figuring out we need love.

I don't know, seems to me we either miss love, need love, give love or take it. But we sure don't know how to handle it. But somewhere along the line, we will never be happy unless we have the greatest love of all. That's why we damage each other! That's why fathers run out on their kids. That's why marriages are so quickly and easily broken. That's why we do drugs, and drink and gamble and prostitute and kill and lie and cheat and steal and are gay and are corrupt and the rest of it - because we don't have love! At least most of us don't.

Some of us think we have real good love. Shoot, brought up right, been given good homes, not necessarily rich homes, although I imagine that's not too bad, lol; but an environment conducive to good growing up and good social living. Nonetheless, even that is not enough - even that won't prevent a husband from cheating, or a wife for that matter. Or a Business person from causing havoc. You think Bernie Madoff had a good upbringing? How about G W Bush or Obama?

We are such fools to think we can make a life for ourselves without true and real love; a love that we are simply incapable of giving or receiving without the key to it. God, through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit! Girls will always be hungry for real love and will look for it anywhere they can get it. Boys will always look for real and true and trusting love and will go anywhere to get it. FOOLS!

And the world thinks that Bible believing, true and honest Children of God are the fools. Have you read the Bible? Yes! It is full of war and violence and discrimination! No, it's not - it's full of love. You can't skim through a biophysics textbook in thirty minute and think you know all there is to biophysics! So why do some many people, some that have never even picked up a Bible think they know what it is all about?

God loves us! He truly and deeply loves us! He loves us more than we can ever know. With a sweet and tender love, with a firm and disciplinary love (to keep knuckleheads like me on the right path), with an endearing love, a protective love, with an affirming love, with an EVERLASTING LOVE -just ask His Son!

I don't have this love thing down, that's for sure - I lack in all kinds of ways, but one thing I know to be true - God loves me. And I know He loves you too. If you're hurting, or lost, or lonely, or depressed, or confused, or angry, or hungry, or not sure if life is worth living, or just need to hear the words - I love you - God is waiting to receive you and hug you, and kiss you and show you His amazing love.

Believe Jesus is His Son and that He came to die in your place. Confess you have lived contrary to what God wants for you. Receive Christ into your heart. Turn from the kind of living that hurts God, and watch how LOVE will overcome you. He's waiting, He loves you so much. He gave His Son for you. His love will bring peace and joy in your life.

God bless.

Are You Sure You Belong To God?

To truly know if one is or to become a child of the Living God through Jesus Christ, I believe there are four elements necessary in starting this amazing journey with God.

1. Believe: Believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He came in the form of man to, through His redemptive work on the Cross, take upon Himself the sins of man - past, present, and future. Acts 16:31, 1 John 2:2, 1 Peter 2:24

2. Confess: Confess you are a sinner. Breaking the laws of God - use the Ten Commandments as a guide - Are you lying? Are you stealing? Are you looking at a man/women with lust in your heart? Are you committing murder? (Jesus said being angry with someone is as committing murder) etc. If so, then confess it - tell God, I am a sinner and I need your Grace. 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 2:8, Romans 10:9

3. Receive: Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, and allow Him to be Lord of every area of you life - Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength.
Colossians 2:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:9

4. Repent: Repent of sin. Stop doing the things you know are against what God wants for you (You learn this through reading the Bible, going to a solid faith based Church, and fellowship with other believers.) Acts 3:19, Acts 20:21, Colossians 3:16, Romans 12:10

**The Scriptures above are but a few examples to glean from, good Bible study reveals much.**

Do these things and you are well on your way to an abundant (not always easy) but absolutely abundant (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, thoughtfulness, goodness, self-control, just to name a few) life!

A Simple Prayer Can Begin to Change Your Life...

God, I realize that I have done wrong by not listening to what you ask me to do with my life. I have sinned against You and I confess my sin. I believe You sent your Son Jesus Christ to take upon Himself all my sins, and through Him, I can be made right with You. I believe He died and rose again and is alive! If I ask for forgiveness, I can receive it and become Your child. Please forgive me God, I receive Your Son Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for setting me free! Help me to turn from sin and live my life, Your way. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.