God Has Not Left Us Alone

Are we alone?

This is a question many of us ask when we gaze up at the stars at night.

While we many never know if alien beings inhabit the planets circling one or more of the countless stars in our universe, we can know for certain that no, we are not alone in the universe.

The Rev. Thomas Belsham wrote, amazingly, in 1826: 

"Behold the starry orbs, glittering like spangles, innumerable in the vast expanse of heaven. Conceive each star a sun, and each sun as the center, the fountain of light and heat to many habitable worlds, as large as, or larger than, the planet in which we dwell. Conceive of thousands of worlds, and clusters of suns and systems beyond these: of millions and millions remoter still than those. Who was the author of this stupendous fabric? God is the sole Architect. And God is love - infinite, immutable Love."

And he was right. The same God who oversaw the creation of trillions of stars – each one a massive, fiery nuclear furnace coalescing together to produce and spew forth unmeasurable amounts of energy for untold millennia – this God also loves each of us, here on this tiny globe in an average-sized galaxy.

While this mighty God, "determines the number of stars" and "gives to all of them their names" (Psalm 147:3) He also “heals the brokenhearted” (147:2.) He is aware of us, and knows our names, as well.

"The Heavens," the Psalmist says about God, "are Yours, and the earth and all that is in it, You have founded them" (Psalm 89:11.) 

Even when we cannot find another soul to turn to, we must know that God is always there, awaiting our words, our thoughts and also our pain.

This same God created our very souls, watching over us, knowing our hearts, caring about our welfare, and hoping for us the wholeness and completeness that He, himself enjoys.

Our Master and Teacher, Jesus, says God knows when sparrows fall from the sky, and knows the number of hairs on our head. Do we, then, believe God is not aware of our suffering and inner turmoil?

We all experience loneliness, alienation from others, and a feeling that we have nowhere to turn, and no one who will listen. But God is here, with us, even as he oversees the entire Universe. God is that big, and that close.

And God did not leave us alone. He sent us an example – our Master, Jesus – to show us how He wants us to live.

This Jesus served others completely, and he calls us to be there for others – just as he has done. He calls us to serve God and also to serve others: to clothe the naked, care for the sick, house the homeless, feed the hungry (Matt. 25:35-41.)

Even in our loneliness, we are called out to pick ourselves up and serve our neighbors, easing their loneliness and filling their needs. We are called to be the ones to whom others can turn and find comfort. We are to be the light of this world, just as a billion billion God-created suns light in our sky. And, not by accident, our service to others erases both their loneliness and ours, as well.

God waits for us to turn our troubled eyes towards Him, and He has promised that, like the Prodigal Son, He will always welcome back all who seek His warm embrace. And as long as we serve God, and others in His name, know that we can never truly be alone.

The Christian Religion We Should be Seeking

(Guest minister Rev. Henry Ware, Jr.)

Religion, in a general sense, is founded on our relationship and accountability to our Maker; and it consists in cherishing the sentiments and performing the duties which result from this, and which belong to the other relations to other beings which God has appointed us to sustain.

Religion, with us, is the Christian religion. It is found in the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. It consists in the worship, the sentiments, and the character, which he enjoined, and which he illustrated in his own life.

What we are to seek, therefore, is, under the guidance of Jesus Christ, to develop our relationship to God, and to live under a sense of responsibility to Him and to perform all the duties to Him and them, deriving from this character and relationship. Whoever does this is a religious person, or, in other words, a Christian.

If we desire to be Christians, three things are required: belief in the truths which the Gospel reveals; possession of the state of mind which it enjoins; and performance of the duties which it requires: or, I might put it, the subjection of the mind by faith, the subjection of the heart by love, the subjection of the will by obedience. This universal submission of ourselves to God is what we are to aim at. This is Religion.

It is a rule of life; it is the law of God; causing the external conduct to correspond to the principle which is established, and the sentiment which breathes, within; bringing every action into a conformity with the divine will, and making holiness the standard of the character.

Love to God and man is declared by the Savior to be the substance of religion. As a law or rule, it is a commandment of God, requiring obedience. We are 'to do his will.' 'If you will enter into life, keep the commandments.' And, 'He who keeps my commandments, he it is who loves me.”

This is the personification of religion. This is the model which we are to imitate. And it is when we are imbued with this spirit, when we are filled with this sentiment, when our words, actions, and life, shall be only the spontaneous expression of this state of mind, we will have attained the religious character, and become spiritually children of God. We will have built up the kingdom of God within us; its purity, its devotion, and its peace, will be shed abroad in our hearts, and it will display itself in the manners and conduct of our lives.

To attain and perfect this character is to be the object of our desires, and the business of our lives. We must never lose sight of it. In all that we learn, think, feel, and do, we are to have reference to this end. Whatever tends to promote this, we are to cherish and favor.

It is plain, that this occurs only by a surrender of our entire lives to the will of God, in faith, affection, and action; by a thorough imitation of Jesus in the devout and humble temper of his mind, in the spirituality of his affections, and in the purity and loveliness of his conduct.

Anything less than this, any partial, external, superficial conformity to a rule of decent living or ritual observance, is wholly insufficient.

Who will hope to receive salvation without actual obedience? Where is it promised to those who will do nothing in the way of self-government and active virtue? Where is it offered to any, except those who seek it by, “bringing forth fruits in keeping with repentance?”

We must be on our guard, therefore, from the first, against setting our mark too low. We must not allow ourselves to be persuaded that anything less is Religion, or will answer for you, than its complete and highest measure. Remember that these things must be ' in you and abound.'

The higher you aim, the higher you will reach; but if content with a low aim, you will forever fall short. The scriptural word is Perfection. Strive after that. Never be satisfied while short of it, and then you will be always improving. But if we put a limit on our devotion and love, we will at some point believe we have reached it, and will remain in a condition far below what we might have attained.

Remember always, that we are capable of being more devout, more charitable, more humble, more devoted and earnest in doing good, better acquainted with religious truth. It is because people do not think of this, or do not practically apply it, that so many, even of those who intend to govern themselves by Christian motives, remain so deficient in excellence. They adopt a low or a partial standard, and strive after it sluggishly, and thus come to a period in religion before they arrive at the close of life.

Happy are those who are so filled with longings after spiritual good that they go on improving to the end of their days!

(By Rev. Henry Ware, Jr. (April 21, 1794 - September 22, 1843.) Abridged and adapted from, “Formation of the Christian Character,” 1831.)

Can We REALLY Follow Jesus?

Jesus teaches: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” And, “I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you” (John 14:15; 13:15.)

The words and teachings of Jesus have great weight. They never pass away, and they speak plainly and clearly for us today, nearly 2,000 years after they were spoken.

Jesus is our example in all things, and his life, teachings and even his death taught us the power of repentance, love and forgiveness to bring us into close fellowship with God. And these teachings of his must never be diminished, belittled, or explained away, because they hold the power of our salvation from sin within them.

But Jesus didn't just teach, or give commands, he also gave us an example that he said we could follow. Jesus lived, taught and died as a pure moral example, that we should follow him.

His ministry shows us how to serve and love others the way God wants us to love and serve others. He said we must follow his example and do as he had done, and that is the challenge we accept when we become his followers.

Jesus ate with the outcasts, those the Religious Elites of his day believed should never be touched, spoken to or taught. But Jesus said he wasn't ministering to the healthy and the Righteous, but to those who were ill with sin, and needed a physician.

Jesus said that we must repent - turn from - those things which separate us from God. When we turn back to God, Jesus says it's as if we return to our father after squandering our inheritance. We become prodigal children, coming back to God, our heavenly Father, and God’s infinite mercy forgives those who return to Him without any payment or sacrifice required.

Jesus taught that loving our enemies is more powerful and a higher calling than simply loving those who love us back.

While striking someone who strikes you on the cheek seems reasonable, Jesus says we shouldn't fight back. And for those who compel us to walk one mile, we should offer to walk with them two miles. Is all this contrary to our logical understanding? Perhaps. But to destroy evil with good is the Godly way.

Jesus teaches us that we must deny ourselves, even though self-preservation is an instinct that kicks in naturally. But denying ourselves, and serving others completely, restores and refreshes the soul, and is at the core of who we should be as human beings.

Is all this impossible? Is it beyond our human abilities? No. Not with the help of God's Spirit giving us additional wisdom and feeding our souls with goodness and guiding us towards God's Will, along with the perfect example of Jesus always before our eyes.

To do as he has done, we must simply believe that Jesus left us an example that we can really follow.

If Jesus said we can love as he loved, and serve as he served, either he meant it, or he didn't. If he DID mean it, and we wish to call ourselves his followers and friends, then we must believe we can do as he did.

Otherwise, if we do not believe it, we must believe he either lied or was giving his disciples tasks they could not perform. We would have to believe he gave them false hope and goals higher than they, or any human, could ever meet.

But if that's true, then Jesus can no longer be our Master, our teacher or God's spokesman, and we would have to view him as a false prophet, and a liar, and a fraud.

Yet, our faith and the simple teachings of Jesus put all this speculation and doubt to rest. To doubt we can achieve high goals is perfectly natural. Doubt means we are thinking. But perpetual doubt means we've stopped thinking and are just rejecting.

That Jesus challenged us with incredibly high goals is undeniable. That he believed we could achieve them is proven by his words. And because Jesus, a human being like us, has done this, we are assured that we, too, may accomplish God’s will for our lives.

Going forward, let's stop doubting Jesus and our ability to follow him. Let's instead believe the simple teachings of Jesus - the teachings that, through obedience and faith, save us from sin and bring us into fellowship with God.

Jesus: a "Mere" Man Like No Other

The Jesus Followers, without reservation or apology, acknowledge Jesus is a man, fully human, just like us.

But Jesus isn't a "mere" man - as if being human was a sin or deficiency in and of itself. No, this Jesus is special and unique in the world, as are his teachings.

At his baptism, Jesus was specially anointed - chosen - by God as His unique spokesman/prophet. "You are my son," he said. "This day, I have given birth to you."

He was sent out to preach, but not to the well-off, the comfortable, the ruling elites, and those who were spiritually healthy. No, he was sent to the poor, the distressed, the dregs of society, and to those who were spiritually ill and yearning for completeness.

The Teachings of Jesus themselves are unique, not just "good advice" or "interesting sayings" to be considered lightly. While some built on the teachings of others - the Hebrew prophets of old, and the teachers of some other schools of Judaism - many were shocking, and all were challenging.

He called people to give up everything to follow these teachings. Mere teachers don't do this. This Teacher, sent from God does.

He said we must turn the other cheek when confronted by evil, rather than retaliate in kind.

We should walk two miles when asked to walk one - doing more than required, even when being forced by others.

Rather than indulge in focusing on our selves, he called on us to completely deny ourselves, to the point of taking up a cross, a tool of death.

When most religious leaders prayed long prayers to be seen by others, he said we should go into our closet and pray secretly.

He said we must do these things even at the risk of being hated by everyone, or even being killed for our actions.

Instead of serving ourselves, we must, said Jesus, serve others completely and with compassion. This includes the poor, the sick, the hungry, those without adequate clothing or housing, and those who need spiritual comfort.

Love and pray for your enemies, he said, to the amazement of all.

And perhaps the most shocking of all - he called on people to seek nothing less than to be as holy, perfect and merciful as God Himself.

No other man had said these things, and he spoke them with an authority that amazed, confused and then angered those Religious Elites who controlled the thinking of the people in his day.

They denied we could please God by our actions. They said people were too weak to obey God, and instead should pray long prayers and rely on rituals. They said outward appearances and good intentions were enough for God, ignoring all of the teachings of their own Scriptures and of their prophets.

Jesus sought to shake things up, to reform the fundamental orthodoxy of his day. And just as in his time, many of the established elites today don't like his teachings very much, either.

But his teachings undeniably call us to Good Works and Righteousness. We cannot hide our Good Works, they must be an example just as the Teacher that inspires them. We must be the light of the world, just as Jesus showed God's light to the world.

We cannot hide behind our alleged human frailty, we cannot blame others or our supposed genetic inability, and we cannot make Jesus into a one-of-a-kind aberration among humanity - a Superhero or Demigod who cannot be followed, but only admired and worshiped from afar. Instead, we must take up the challenges Jesus lays down for us and accept them as achievable.

Jesus calls us to action, not merely contemplation. He calls us to BE an active people, not a mere collection of church-goers, believing in comfortable doctrines and mouthing mindless prayers the "orthodox" approves for us.

We "mere" human beings are called by Jesus to achieve all that God desires us to become. God's servant Jesus calls us to do, to act, and to serve. Let us take up the challenge.

Jesus Assures Us: An Imperfect World Can be Made Complete

The world is imperfect. But it is imperfect not because it has fallen and cannot get up. It is imperfect because it does not know it can stand up, reach higher, and achieve Godliness.

Introducing everyone to Jesus is the key to giving the world the knowledge of all it is capable.

So: Meet Jesus.

Jesus is the anointed Spokesman for God - the one whom God chose at baptism to go out into the world preaching a Good and Beneficial Message to humanity, especially the poor, the hurting, the persecuted and those without hope.

That message, that Gospel, is why God chose, anointed and sent him. For no other reason did Jesus preach, live, and die.

(Don’t recognize this Jesus, or this message? Don’t worry. Most don’t. But read on.)

This human being, Jesus, teaches and demonstrates with his life and death, that we "mere humans" can do ALL that God asks of us:

We may forgive, just as God forgives
We may be merciful, as God is merciful
We may be complete and perfect, just as God is complete and perfect
We may love, just as God loves
We may give comfort to others, just as God gives comfort to us

But without knowing the teacher, and without hearing his lessons, students don't know they can learn - and don't even know they ARE students.

And the amazing lessons of Jesus teach us that we may give others infinite love, mercy and forgiveness, just as God gives infinite love, mercy and forgiveness.

There are those who will deny this, saying that it's too hard for "mere" humans to accomplish; that we are so fallen and lying so flat on our faces on the ground that we cannot pick ourselves up again; and that Jesus was simply holding us to an impossible standard to make us feel weak and powerless.

But God has not created powerless beings. God has implanted within all of us the seeds of greatness, and also goodness. However bad the path we have taken ourselves down, in whatever troubling situations we find ourselves, God has given everyone the ability to repent and come back to Him.

And God has not left us alone.

God has given us an example - his chosen Son, Jesus - to demonstrate that even the most persecuted, hated and despised human being can achieve the Godly Righteousness that God wishes for all of us.

And finally, God gives us ongoing Grace, Wisdom, Knowledge, Encouragement, and Moral strength - all achieved through communion with God directly through prayer.

With all of these gifts, we may come back to (or first discover) the knowledge of God. Then we may obey Him, love Him, serve Him, and then show the same unbounded love to all our fellow human beings.

This message, this Gospel, is even today an explosive secret to many millions of people. Even those who claim to bear his name have no idea of the powerful nature of God's gifts contained in the Religion Jesus preached.

Religion is not about mindless rituals; It's not about worship that entertains us but forgets God is its Object; It's not about believing doctrines that excuse our failure to obey God; It's not about making Jesus an idol to be admired, and worshiped, but not followed; It's not about reciting a few words designed to force God to grant us eternal life without our obedience; And it's not about feeling good about ourselves, enriching ourselves, or serving our selves to the exclusion of others.

Pure and Godly religion is about serving others, denying ourselves, loving and serving God with all that we have, and taking action NOW rather than waiting for God to send a sign or save us from the burden of living in an imperfect world.

Jesus calls us to act now, to perform Righteous Good Works in humility, to begin the work God has called us to do, and become the people God wishes us to be.

Let us therefore get to work doing God's Will, even in this imperfect world!

The "Lighthouse" of Jesus Must Shine Through Us

In contemporary Christian art and culture, Jesus is often portrayed as a lighthouse - one that guides the way for us, and one that can be our beacon of hope when we're lost and weary.

And that's a great analogy, because it’s true. Jesus is indeed the Light of the World (John 8:12) and beckons us with the light of his life, ministry, teachings and death. These aspects of Jesus shine upon all who have encountered him in the past twenty centuries.

But to take this analogy too far would be to assume we need only gaze lovingly at the light, but not follow it to where it points us, threatening to obscure what Jesus actually said about the light which he was giving off, how we are meant to perceive it, and what we are meant to do with it after we perceive it.

Jesus not only calls on us to HEAR about his light, but also calls on us to drink in the light of his teachings, and challenges us to radiate OUR light in order to be a LIGHT for OTHERS in this world. Because, while Jesus is the light of the world, we, also, are called to be the light of the world (Matt. 5:14) And if we claim that we have fellowship with him, but continue to walk in darkness, we're lying to ourselves (1 John 1:6.)

This world of ours, while a wondrous gift of God and filled with Goodness and great gifts, is also filled with darkness, despair and suffering. It can seem a very dark place, obscured by self-seeking, self-centeredness, petty wealth-seeking, and self-importance that all lead to destructive behavior. When we make serving our Self more important than serving others, we turn our backs on the Light that is contained in Jesus' teachings, which teach us the opposite lessons.

The light of a lighthouse is meant to warn ships of impending doom, and guide them in a more narrow and clearer path towards safety.

But simply gazing at the lighthouse, admiring the light without understanding the purpose of the light, then refusing to act upon its warning is pointless.

We must not forget that the light of Jesus is meant to shine THROUGH US to enlighten the entire world.

At his baptism, God anointed this man, Jesus, as His special spokesman, and as he said in the synagogue in the Gospel of Luke, God anointed Jesus to "preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:18) and to open eyes and heal sickness.

The light of Jesus' teachings calls upon us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, and care for the sick. We are to open people's eyes to the sickness of sin and reckless rebellion against God's Moral Laws, and heal them of this sin, leading them into the Light of God's Truth, as exemplified by Jesus' life and teachings.

The light is meant to AWAKEN WITHIN US the spirit of God that anointed Jesus, and send us out into the world to BE the light and to do Good in imitation of Jesus’ example (John 13:15.)

"You are the light of the world," he says. "A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."  (Matt. 5:14-16.)

Let us see the Light, and act upon it, so that others may come to know it as we do.

Our Humanity Is Not an Excuse for Our Sins

How many times have we heard, after someone makes a mistake, or acts sinfully, “Well, he was ONLY HUMAN, after all”? Perhaps many times. But do we ever wonder why this is used as an excuse for the sinful action? Is there something IN US that MAKES us sin against our will?

There are a lot of clever excuses we can use to avoid doing what's right – or even actively doing what is wrong. We can say others around us “forced” us to do these things – and peer pressure can indeed be a strong factor. We can say we couldn't avoid doing them – and if we put ourselves in situations in which sin is happening a lot, that can certainly influence us. And we can also say that we were born so flawed that we CANNOT do anything BUT sin and rebel against God – that we are “only human.” This last excuse is perhaps the greatest lie to ever infect Christendom - and the vast majority of Christians today believe it.

If it’s true, just BEING among those pressuring us means that we will cave in to sin every time. But that’s not true. We CAN resist, and Jesus and the Bible teaches us that we can, and must, do so.

It's important to know exactly what "sin" is. John said he wrote so that people "will not sin" (1 John 2:1.) That's not to say that we are going to immediately stop all sinning once we are exposed to the teachings of Jesus, but early Christians clearly expected new converts to make all effort to put behind them the sins they previously did. This was true of stealing, lusting, cheating others, lying, and more.

If what's being called "sin" is inherited from our birth, it cannot be called "sin", which is an act, not a thing. If it is a compulsion from birth, we cannot be guilty for being compelled unavoidably. But if sin is a choice, and we can avoid it, we must. Turns out, God told Adam's son that sin is a choice. (Gen. 4:7-8) That he chose falsely means he earned punishment. Only an individual’s ACTS of sin are punishable, and we are not liable for the sins of anyone else (Ezek. 18:19-24.) If we are sinful by nature, and yet we sin, we are NOT guilty, according to God.

In the Genesis story, Adam's very own son had the ability to not sin. Sin, therefore, cannot be inherited and passed down through either a man's "seed" or a woman's womb to us.

We must trust God when He told Cain - and us - that we NEED NOT SIN, and instead, must work to not sin any longer, instead asking God's forgiveness, which is granted freely upon repenting of our past behavior. We are assured that God has given all people the ability to stop sinning (Deut. 30:11-14; 19) and that we have Jesus as our example that a human being need not sin, and in fact can obey God. Jesus’ example is a model upon which we can shape our actions.

We must trust Jesus when he said we must seek Godliness and that we could become Godly and complete – not by ourselves without God or without God’s chosen example, but with God's ongoing help and with the example of Jesus always before us.

We are called to commit our lives to obedience to God's chosen Son, Jesus, the Anointed Prophet of God, and submit to humbly walk with him, relying, as he taught, on God's grace and forgiveness and growing into the Righteous Perfection that God knows we are capable of achieving.