Author: hillturnfs

The Bible not only claims to be God’s Word it takes it for granted as a matter of fact. 394 times the Old Testament refers to itself as the Word of God. The Old Testament speaks as if the author has authority by using synonyms such as laws, statutes, precepts, commands, ordinances and decrees, There is an unmistakable swagger to the Bible that can’t be overlooked. The Bible acts like it’s God’s Word. The 40 writers of the 66 books of the Bible took over 1500 years to complete it yet there is a continuity to the message of the Bible that is unmistakable. There is a single theme of God’s love for man and God’s salvation plan to restore our lost fellowship with God. The evidence is clear that God worked through the Bible writers to say exactly what He wanted said and each writer readily admits that was the case.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Throughout his ministry Jesus acknowledged the validity of the Old Testament Scriptures. In John 10:35, Jesus said, “And the Scripture cannot be broken.” Jesus is interwoven throughout the Bible to the point if we believe in one we must believe in both. The Bible contains over 1,000 prophecies, over 500 of which have been fulfilled and documented. I need no further proof that the Bible was written by God. The Bible prophecies are incredibly detailed which is unequalled in any other major religion of the world.

In fact, not a single prophecy has been fulfilled by any other religion in the world which only underscores the fact they are all fake religions sponsored by Satan to lead men away from the gospel of truth.

Jeremiah 28:9 – As for the prophet who prophesies of peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.

The resurrected Jesus was on this earth for 40 days before his ascension. Throughout the Bible God has this thing about 40 days. For instance, Jesus was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days prior to his ministry. What good is it to be resurrected unless you appear to enough people so it can’t be disputed later? The Bible has recorded eleven separate appearances of the risen Christ to over 500 people with great variety as to the time and place.

There were eyewitness testimonies given for each appearance. The disciples themselves had to be persuaded against their wills that Jesus had risen from the dead. Remember the story of doubting Thomas? The fact that meek disciples turned into roaring lions of the faith spreading the gospel of Christ all over the world to the point they were all martyred for preaching, except John, is proof they had seen the risen Jesus. Nothing else could have motivated them to do what they did.

The fact that millions of people since then have known Jesus Christ in their lives bears testimony that Jesus is alive. The evidence supporting the resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming and irrefutable. Below I have listed the appearances of Jesus in the New Testament:

Matthew 28:9-10 – Two women outside of Jerusalem

John 20:15-18 – Mary Magdalene

Luke 24:13-32 – Two travelers on the road to Emmaus

Luke 24:34 – Peter in Jerusalem

John 20:19-25 – Ten disciples in the upper room

John 20:26-31 – Eleven disciples in the upper room

John 21:1-23 – Seven disciples fishing

Matthew 28:16-20 – Eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee

1 Corinthians 15:5 – More than five hundred people

1 Corinthians 15:7 – James

Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:3-8 – Disciples who watched Jesus ascending into heaven

If you could have the correct answer to one question in this life what would you ask? For me the question would be, “Did Jesus rise from the dead?”. Once I know this answer all the other important questions in my life are answered. The resurrection of Jesus is foundational and crucial for Christianity. Without the resurrection Christianity would not exist. If the resurrection happened we know that God exists and that Jesus is the Son of God sent to save us from our sins because only God could rise from the dead. If the resurrection happened we know about the character of God, that He made us and loves us and wants us to live in heaven with Him forever. You are what you do and so is God. If the resurrection happened we know the Bible is the Word of God and contains God’s wisdom and truth.

1 Corinthians 15:14 – And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

If the resurrection happened I have no problem accepting the miracles of Jesus as God showing us He has authority over all things in his creation. If the resurrection happened I know where we came from and where we are going. I also know God put on this earth for a reason, to seek out our God and decide whether or not to serve Him or not. I know we are put on this earth to bring praise, honor and glory to God by how we live our lives. At the time of the resurrection of Jesus all the people in Palestine accepted it as an irrefutable fact. The Jewish authorities had the Roman guards seal the tomb of Jesus and stand watch because they knew Jesus said He would arise on the third day and they didn’t want his disciples to take the body and thereby perpetuate the myth.

When the Roman soldiers reported the body of Jesus missing the Jewish elders paid the soldiers money to say the disciples came and stole the body. Nobody at the time believed this story because a Roman soldier caught sleeping on guard duty was killed instantly. At the time the Jewish and Roman authorities did not dispute the resurrection of Jesus. How could they? The tomb was guarded, the body was gone and they could not produce the body of Jesus. If the authorities had the body of Jesus they could have produced it and ended the upstart Christian cult right there.

As far as saying the disciples stole the body of Jesus we have to understand the disciples did not believe Jesus would rise from the dead. It’s inconceivable to believe all of them would band together to steal Jesus’ body in order to perpetuate a false religion on the people. Not to mention the fact it would be impossible to steal the body of Jesus out from under the noses of the Roman guard detachment there to protect the tomb. A recent theory is that Jesus wasn’t actually dead when he was buried but had swooned. We are to believe Jesus ripped off the 75 pounds of burial clothes he was wrapped in from the inside and then somehow managed to roll back the burial stone weighing several tons from the inside with no possible handhold.

In his physical condition we are to believe Jesus then walked away to appear before the disciples unharmed and in good physical condition. Let’s not forget Jesus also had a spear thrust into his heart and hands and feet that were pierced by nails. The Romans were experts at crucifixion and they knew death when they saw it. The resurrection is much more plausible than believing all these other impossible things happened in conjunction.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead in 32-33 AD and the evidence been irrefutable then there would not have been an explosion of believers. The Christian church would not now be worldwide with two billion believers. The resurrection is the cornerstone of all we believe.

The resurrection has been verified by eyewitness testimony by the Apostle Peter as recorded by Mark. The gospels of Matthew and John written by those Apostles also testify to the resurrection of Jesus. Luke wrote his gospel after carefully examining the evidence and came to the same conclusion that Jesus arose from the dead.

Throughout history all people everywhere have shown a belief in god, whether it was many gods or one supreme god. This is because Jehovah, the one true God, made us so we would seek Him out. Man will never be at peace without God filling the void in their hearts. In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the writer referred to God as having, “set eternity in the hearts of men.” of men.” With the law of cause and effect this seeking after a supreme being can be traced back to God, the first cause. God is eternal, uncreated and self-existent and by definition an uncaused cause.

Science has proven there was a big bang to start the universe. That is an effect that isn’t disputed. For every effect there must be a cause but the scientists don’t know what caused the big bang. It’s obvious that God was the cause. Humanists have pushed the theory of evolution on us and our children without a shred of proof. Most people have swallowed this lie hook, line and sinker. The odds of an accident of nature creating the awesome complexity of life is so minute as to be completely ruled out. That leaves us with the only other possibility, that we were indeed created by an intelligent designer, which would be God.

In a previous blog I’ve listed 23 physical proofs that God created the universe, all of which must be present for the universe to exist. I recently found another proof to add to the list. The oceans are needed for life to exist on earth. They are a cushion against the heat of the sun and the freezing blast of the winter. The modulating effect of the oceans keep the earth’s temperatures in the range where life can exist. There are over eleven million species of life on earth. Are we to believe that each one developed independently by accident? How could the intricate human eye connect with our brain to give a visual picture of our world on its own?

It has been demonstrated that human beings have an inner sense of right and wrong, a moral compass that is consistent among all people everywhere. If we have a moral code (the effect) then there must be a cause, a moral Lawgiver, namely God.

For the last 200 years or so the world’s education system has been gradually taken over by the liberal left by design. These humanists have removed all vestiges of religion from the classroom and now mostly turn out perfect little atheists who parrot the same leftist dogma: 1. All religions are equally valid. 2. Contradictions between religions are acceptable. 3. Absolute truth doesn’t exist. All three assertions are absolutely false. If you can’t test or prove a religious assertion then any search for truth is meaningless and we are left with believing what those in power tell us is true which is their goal all along.

An unenlightened mind is one never exposed to the truth of God and Muslims in the middle east fall into that category. Millions of Muslims live in squalor, abject poverty and deep despair. If they would only study the Christian Bible they would be enlightened by God’s truth and they could start to make positive changes in their lives. What do Muslims have to lose? It couldn’t get any worse for them. Their god stands mute before Jehovah, the one and only true God and Creator of the universe. True enlightenment will bring satisfying comprehension when based on a rational body of truth and that truth is in God’s Word, the Holy Bible.

When I first understood completely God’s salvation plan for man I instinctively knew it to be true in my soul. You might say my spirit was enlightened. Two words came into my mind, “It’s perfect,” because God is perfect. God hasn’t told us everything He knows but He has given us more than enough information to give us a solid foundation under our faith.
Christianity is based on reasonable faith. It’s normal for Christians to go through periods of doubt. It’s okay, God’s not offended. God is always there for you. We all face doubts in our walk with God. When that happens fall back on what you know to be true, like the proven facts of the Bible and the resurrection.

Remember the 500 fulfilled Bible prophecies. Look inward to see the changes Jesus made in your life and other Christians you know. Believe what you see, feel and know to be true. There is no doubt or question that will bring Christianity crashing down. Christianity has been closely scrutinized for 2,000 years by brilliant scholars and is still standing strong.

Biblical Christianity has very specific, comprehensible bases that can be researched and proven to be true or not. Christianity is a not a selective religion meant only for the chosen few. God loves everyone and wants all peoples of the earth to come to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Eternal life is available to those who seek the answers to life’s hard questions and the place to look is in God’s Word, our Holy Bible. The Bible contains over 1,000 prophecies. So far over 500 prophecies have come true at their appointed time and documented. People, places and things in the Bible has been verified as true. So far thousands of Bible facts have been proven by archeology and historical records and not one account in the Bible has been disproven even though detractors have been trying for 2,000 years.

Christianity is the only religion where we have this empirical evidence available that our God is real. God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ and proved His identity by way of His resurrection from the dead. Jesus, as the author of our faith, is the only God for which there are historical facts that prove He lived on this earth and died on the cross. More importantly, we have proof that He is risen! The case for Christianity is overwhelming.
Only the tomb of Jesus is empty while the founders of all the fake religions of the world are still in their graves somewhere. All the fake religions are devoid of provable facts, have no spiritual wisdom whatsoever and do not allow their adherents to even approach their so-called god because they were devised by men.

They knew they were false religions to begin with and therefore had to hide that fact from the masses so they could be fooled and enslaved. False religions are like a crooked shell game with the pea missing. Satan has sponsored these false religions to divert men from the truth of God to enslave them and rob them of their souls. Faith is trust in what we believe to be true. The wise person will always investigate the facts of any object in which they have faith. People need to set aside their biases and emotions when searching for the truth of God. The Christian faith is not blind. Christians have looked at the evidence of our faith and judged the facts to be true. 95% of all the books and publications in the world that pertain to religion are about the Christian faith, which confirms our search for God.

That is because our God is alive and so is our faith. Lives have been changed and truths have been discovered and people want to share that information with others. The gods of all other religions stand mute before the true God of Christianity. In Isaiah 1:18, God says “Come now, and let us reason together,” and in Psalm 34:8, God says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.” Only our God issues such a challenge to all men to come check Him out. God hates all false gods that attempt to steal His glory. Scripture says our God is a jealous God. All the followers of those false gods will feel the wrath of God at the Great White Throne judgement. Satan had blinded the unbeliever and snatched the gospel from their hearts before it took hold.

I’m in anguish over all the lost souls throughout the world that will never know God and the truth of God’s Word. I pray for them. The Bible is in bookstores all across the world just waiting to change someone’s eternal destination. All they have to do is read it. I cannot save them all but maybe, just maybe, I can help save one. The value of even one soul is incalculable. Our duty to God is to help save one, and then one more.

In previous blogs I’ve often covered justification, sanctification and glorification but I never tire of the subject. Upon salvation we receive our justification or right to enter heaven. Being saved and justified are the same thing. Justification is much more that having our sins removed forever. Justification is God declaring in heaven that we are righteous. God’s forgiveness causes Him to look upon us as “in Christ” where we have Jesus’ perfect righteousness.

When Jesus died on the cross He took our sins from us and gave us His righteousness in return for those who believe in Him. When God then looks upon us it’s as if God is seeing His own dear Son. By our faith God has given us credit for Jesus’ righteousness. This is the spiritual law of imputation at work. Through Adam sin entered the world and that sin was imputed to all men who came after. In like manner, the new Adam, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to remove the sins of men and the righteousness of Christ was imputed to all who believe on His name.

Justification has to do with our standing before God with our sins forgiven. This a one time event that happens the moment we are saved and transferred from death to life in God’s kingdom. Sanctification has to do with our growth in Christian character and conduct. Sanctification is progressive as long as we live. As we become more like Jesus we become more holy. We have been set apart and declared holy for God’s use and service. We belong to God. Although God does all the work of sanctification we are called on to be active participants in the process. Faith is key to sanctification just as it is with justification.

Once we get to heaven God will complete the sanctification process so we can no longer sin, which is what we call glorification. God will not allow sin into heaven. It’s no longer anything for us to be concerned about. God is sovereign over His creation and we are the children of God. Praise and glory to God!

God made our salvation so simple a lot of people think there has to be catch. They can’t believe salvation is so easy and they don’t have to do anything to earn it. All they have to do is ask for Jesus to come into their heart as Lord and Savior. What people need to understand is God wants everyone in heaven. A loving God is inclusive rather than exclusive so He made salvation as easy as He possibly could. God made us to have a loving relationship with Him in heaven forever. I know it sounds too good to be true but it really is the truth. Salvation is a gift of God and not something you can earn by works. God loves dispensing mercy and grace to His children.

Acts 16:31 – Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.

We need to repent of our sins. Repentance is the conscious act of both turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. Once the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin our minds will grasp the holiness of God and our sinful state. We’ll understand the fate we deserve for our transgressions against God is an eternity in hell. This should cause us to be filled with remorse and sorrow and compel us to take the willful act of throwing ourselves on God’s mercy and asking for His forgiveness.

We should then be able to change our behavior going forward by the exercise of our will. Genuine repentance always leads to a change in conduct and attitude. You can’t fake it with God because He reads the heart. Just saying the words won’t help you. You have to believe you’re a sinner and then trust God to forgive you and you must willfully make changes in your life based on your new commitment to God.

Hebrews 11:6 – But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

When we repent we are trusting in the Lord to save us from our sins as He said He would. Placing our trust in Christ is a key element of saving faith. Having faith is like jumping into the arms of a loving God over an abyss without a net underneath and knowing that He will catch you. It’s all of nothing. There is no backup plan. By our faith we are saved unto eternal life and deemed righteous in the eyes of the Lord. Our faith is the key.

As we submit to the mind of Christ and the internal guidance of the Holy Spirit the fruit of the Spirit starts to manifest in our lives as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. When the Holy spirit indwells a believer the moment they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior they receive God’s seal of approval.  Believers no longer have to wonder if they’re going to heaven, it’s guaranteed. Think of the Holy Spirit like an earnest deposit in a real estate transaction and the balance will become due from God when we get to heaven. God cannot break His contract with you. It is the Holy Spirit who delivers us from the power of sin.

Being indwelt by the Holy Spirit is a one time event lasting for the rest of our lives for those who believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  It’s possible for us to have a deeper personal relationship with the Holy Spirit which we call the “filling of the Spirit”. We can receive power and boldness for God’s service and strength to meet a particular crisis in our lives.  We need to want it, strive for it and pray for it if we want more help from the Holy Spirit in our lives. All believers get the minimum from the Holy Spirit and if you want more you need a reason and you have to ask for it in prayer. Ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit.  Extra filling of the Holy spirit isn’t a one time request and you’re done.

We need to keep on praying as often as necessary throughout our lives in order to keep being filled with the Holy Spirit or we lose it. The more we want to accomplish for the kingdom of God the more we’ll need filling with the Spirit of God. Think of our souls as a gas tank and the filling of the Holy spirit as the gasoline. If we don’t keep topping off the tank we’ll eventually run out of gas and be unable to move forward for God.

Like the other persons in the Trinity the Holy Spirit has many names that reflect His nature and what He does. A few of the names for the Holy Spirit include the following: the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of grace, the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of promise, the Spirit of counsel, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.  The Holy Spirit is God!

The Holy Spirit is the executor of the purposes and plans of the Godhead. He is the direct work of God which impacts us directly. Upon salvation we were justified before God by the Holy Spirit. Our ongoing sanctification process where we become more like Christ over time is the work of the Holy Spirit. God will complete the glorification process once we get to heaven through His Holy Spirit. You do not belong to Christ if you do not have the Spirit of Christ within you.

Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are Sons of God.

Romans 8:16 – The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Ephesians 1:17 – That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

Galatians 5:16 – I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

When we become members of the body of Christ the Holy Spirit will give to each believer at least one spiritual gift that we can use to glorify God and benefit the kingdom of God.  A few individuals may receive more than one spiritual gift but one will always be dominate. The Holy Spirit is within you and knows you intimately so who better to decide which special gift would be best for you? The decision of which gift to give you is totally up to the Holy Spirit and it’s irrevocable.

You can’t return your spiritual gift and your greatest impact for God will always be with the gift you were given. As believers we are charged with finding out our spiritual gift, developing it and then using it effectively for the glory of God. Nine spiritual gifts are listed in the Bible: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.