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• Do we learn more about God's relationship with the nation of Israel in the New Testament more than the Old Testament?
• do we reunite with our loves ones when we die
• Hello there, I was wondering where on the web I can read about Josepheth,the Historian that tells about Jesus Christ. I would like to read about him myself. Thanks and God Bless, Peachy
• how can i keep my salvation?
• How can one be certain that Jesus Christ is God? Is there scientific evidence?
• I do not quite understand how I can make it to heaven while I sin in my heart, and constantly ask for forgiveness. Why do I have certain fears, knowing that I will be cast into hell for this?
• If christ has no beginning, then how did he come to be? EVERYTHING has a beginning and end.
• If we will see our loved ones in Heaven, what about widows who have remarried? Will they want to be with their widow or their new wife? Odd question I know.
• In the parable of the unjust steward,how are we to view the steward?
• Is it Biblical for a Christian to speak in tounges, have a gift of Phrophecy and lay hands on the sick for a devine healing? I am Pentecostal and beleive in all above. Id like another Christian perspective on this backed by scripture. God Bless.
• Is Jesus God the son or the son of God? If Jesus had not died on the cross for our sins would He have live for ever here on earth since He was sinless. Sin introduced death and sickness to Man!
• Is Jesus God?
• We can only enter heaven thru Christ. Does this mean non believers in Christ don't go to heaven, including all the Jews? How do the Jews believe they will enter heaven, if not thru Jesus Christ? And if not entering heaven, is hell the only alternative?
• What does it mean to be saved?
• What happens when we die? Do we sleep in the grave?
• What is the foundation for prayer? Would like some ideas for sermon material.
• What is the meaning of peace in such a troubled world?
• What was the name of Jesus' bothers and sisters and were can i find this in the Bible?
• WHEN CHRIST SITS ON THE GREAT WHITE THRONE,HE JUDGES THOSE WHO WERE DEAD IN CHRIST. ARE THEY SENT DIRECTLY TO HEAVEN OR GIVEN HUMAN BODIES AND REMAIN ON EARTH AND LIVE DURING THE MILLENNIUM ?
• when jesus was born on Christmas day , the 3 kings that came barring gifts, how long did it take them to reach the stable, is this 6 days after he was born?
• Who is Jesus Christ according from Gospel of MARK?
• who is the true god
• Why do people have to die and do their ghosts still are around?
• Explain Mathhews 6:26
• Hi, I was referred to your ministry by someone who told me that your ministry helps out students with computers, and I was just wondering was it true.
• how come Christians don't follow the laws of the old testament? i thought they were eternal?
• What are the avenues of your ministry? Where do you serve? Do you have missionaries/
• WHY DO SOME TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE REFER TO SATAN AS THE DAY STAR, I THOUGHT ONLY JESUS WAS THE DAY STAR, THANK YOU
• Why do we celebrate "Christmas" when it is of a pagan root? also "Easter", it is of a pagan root. Are we not told in the Bible that we are not to partake of anything that is of pagan, or wicked? So how is it that as so called "Christians" we have tried to turn the pagan worship into Christian and holy when it is not? I am a believer of God, but I am confused also. I do understand that just believing is not enough, because even the devil believes and trembles at the word of God. I often wonder how we have gotten so far off the path that we should be following. Any information you send on the so called holidays would truly be helpful. Thanks for taking the time to even read this...Just me, looking for more answers.

Q. Do we learn more about God's relationship with the nation of Israel in the New Testament more than the Old Testament?

A. Dear Friend, thank you for your question concerning God’s relationship to the people of Israel. I am not a Bible scholar, just a person who loves the Lord,There are different thoughts among Christians as to how God will deal specifically with the nation of Israel in the end so I will give you what I understand in a general way. Hebrews 8:10 says that God will give them a new covenant ( the first being the law of Moses) and that His ways would then be in their minds and hearts and that then He will truly be their worshipped God and they will truly be His people in the way that He had always intended for them to be. You see, God wants us (Gentile or Hebrew) to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. I am encouraged to know that God loves people so deeply that He gives second chances, to individuals and even to a nation. Thank you for your question which has strengthened my own faith!

Q. do we reunite with our loves ones when we die

A. Thanks for the question. We will include two thoughts on this question. The question, "do we reunite with our loved ones when we die", is a hard question that some Christians might have different opinions on. First, as followers of Jesus Christ and believers in the inspired Word of God (the Bible), I would say the answer is,yes. At some level, people will be reunited with their loved ones in eternity - if you have the same destination as your loved one(s). The Bible teaches us that there are two destinations - Heaven and Hell; both of them are eternal and permanent. After death there is not a time period where a “higher power” decides which destination is the one we will be heading to. There is not an opportunity to go to one and “work our way to the other.” Our destination of Heaven and Hell is determined by our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, committing our lives to Him, recognizing that we are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. We need a mediator, Jesus. When we can realize our state and need for a savior, by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we will be in Heaven (which is also called Paradise)!!! To learn more about Heaven and how you or others can join us there, please refer to the website for many teachings on this subject (or you can just ask; we would love to share more with you). So, assuming that both parties are Heaven-bound, then I believe that Scripture teaches us that we will “reunite” with our loved ones. An example from the Word of God is when Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with him in paradise. This declaration from Jesus implies that there will be some sort of understanding of our earthly relationships in Heaven. The Bible also teaches us that there is no marriage in Heaven, and that we will be like the angels. This fact implies that the reunion with our loved ones in Heaven won’t be the same as we would think of reuniting with them here on earth…it will actually be far better!!! If you think of earthly relationships they are often flawed and imperfect, in Heaven there will be no flaws or imperfections. So, based on that principle if your loved one(s) do not have the same eternal destination; it will not be sad for the party that is in Heaven, and they will not recognize this factor - which reiterates the idea that we will reunite with our loved ones at some level. However, it will be a different relationship than we can comprehend here; again, it will be far better! Assuming that the parties are both in Hell, the Bible, to the best of my knowledge, doesn’t talk about how relationships will be in Hell; it just talks about how miserable Hell will be: How we will thirst for just one drop of water along with many other miserable things. Based upon that belief, if there is recognition in Hell it will be in a very miserable and negative context; it will not be a joyful or satisfying reunion. John Answer #2 True believers do have the hope of reuniting with loved ones who have gone on before us. For all those who have their names written in the Book of Life(Revelations 20) We look forward to meeting loved ones in Heaven. One example that comes to mind is when King David and Bathsheba's son died King David said" I shall go to him."(II Samuel 12:23). It will be a joyful reuniion with loved ones in Heaven, including all young children not yet to the age of accountability who have gone on before us. Here are the words of the last verse of the old Christian Hymn,"Beyond the Sunset." Beyond the sunset, O glad reunion, with our dear loved ones who've gone before; In that fair homeland we'll know no parting, Beyond the sunset forevermore." Tom

Q. Hello there, I was wondering where on the web I can read about Josepheth,the Historian that tells about Jesus Christ. I would like to read about him myself. Thanks and God Bless, Peachy

A. The historian you are referring to is Josephus, I believe. This is one website that some good information about him. I hope this helps. Thank you for your email and may God bless you. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/josephus/works/files/works.html

Q. how can i keep my salvation?

A. Thank you for concern of eternal life. It is important to remember that salvation is a free gift from God made manifest through the shed blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. There is no way we can work our way to heaven. The real goal is to humble ourselves before God and submit fully to His will. Jesus illustrates in a passage from Matthew (16:24-28) that we must give up our old life in order to follow Him. The exciting news is that Jesus Christ loves us. We cannot be perfect, and our salvation does not hang in the balance with every poor decision. What is important is to sincerely seek forgiveness daily from Jesus in prayer and use His grace to grow from our mistakes. The Bible will provide further guidance in the search for God's will in our life. Although salvation is an intensely personal experience between you and Jesus, being involved in Bible study groups or having accountability partners can help you grow in the Spirit. The Bible mentions that as we grow in the spirit we will be given bigger tasks in the service of the Lord (I Col. 3:2). Your question points to this spiritual growth. Once we have received this free gift of salvation, we are expected to use it and share it with others. Jesus explains His desire that we use His grace for others in a parable in Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable Jesus shows that those who do not share His grace with others will lose their own grace, but for those who expand the kingdom of the Lord heaven will be magnified. It is our humble prayer here a Mustard Seed Ministries, that you share your spiritual talents with others and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. I will lift you up in prayer that you will grow in the Lord.

Q. How can one be certain that Jesus Christ is God? Is there scientific evidence?

A. Excellent question! Many reilgions will ascribe to Jesus great respect, but only Christianity embraces him as God. For the sake of argument, I will assume you agree that the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God. If I am wrong in this assumption, then I would direct you to consider the gospel of John, which was written with the intent of demonstrating that Jesus is God. The theme verse for this book is found in chapter 20, verse 31...."But these [things] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.".The root of your question seems to be, "Is the Bible a reliable record upon which I can place my confidence, or is there some other source that would verify that Jesus is who he claimed to be?". Here are some facts about the Bible: It is unique in it's continuity.It was written over a 1600 year span, involving over 60 generations, written by more than over 40 authors from many walks of life including fisherman, a doctor, a shepherd, a military leader, and a political leader, among others. It was written on 3 continents, written during many different times and moods (war, peace, joy, sorrow, etc.), and written in 3 different languages. With all this diversity, the plainly remarkable thing about this book is that it has a unifying theme throughout it's pages....that of God rescuing a fallen mankind, and desiring close relationship with man. It is unique in it's circulation. "The Bible has been read by more people and published in more languages than any other book." (Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, 1972, p.21) It is unique in its survival. "The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any ten pieces of classical literature combined...". (ibid.,21) As far as your question about science....The repeated experimentation/observation aspect of science is not helpful to us in this situation, and archeology is the main "science" that would help us most in anwering your question. Archeology finds have, to my knowlegde, never disproven the Bible. Rather, sceptics have been disproven time and time again when new discoveries bolster the testimony of the Bible. A lifetime of study would prove insufficient to plumb the depths of your question, but I have offered a tiny thought or 2 about the Bible. In summary, the Bible is unquestionably unique, it is historically and archeologically reliable, and it calls you and I to submit to it's claim as the Word of God. As to your specific question about the Bible's testimony about Jesus, science has not disproven the claims of Christ, and archeology supports the Bible's testimony. "How can you be certain Jesus is God?". There will always be an element of faith when it comes to these things. However, biblical faith is not a blind leap in the dark, but rather it is a call to faith based on ample evidence provided by God in 1) Creation (nature) and 2) The Bible. The Bible does not stop at answering the question "Who is Jesus?". It asks the follow up question, "Will you trust in Him for eternal life?". Faith in him alone is the only remedy the Bible offers for your sinful offensiveness to a holy God. Jon

Q. I do not quite understand how I can make it to heaven while I sin in my heart, and constantly ask for forgiveness. Why do I have certain fears, knowing that I will be cast into hell for this?

A. Thank you for the question. I am not sure exactly what you mean by sin in your heart. When an individual becomes a Christian he turns the control of his life over to God. This does not mean that we become sinless. It doesn’t even mean that we become mature Christians overnight. It does mean that we are different and we have allowed the Lord to control our life. Humans are not very wise, powerful or virtuous by nature. We are born into a sinful world and sin is inside of us. Most of our sins are motivated by a desire to run our own lives without God’s leadership. If we become converted Christians (we have allowed God to enter our heart and take control), then there is a difference inside of us, but we are still humans. Since we are still humans, we are prone to sin. It is therefore very important that we work with the spirit of God, that lives inside of us, to produce virtuous living. His spirit gives us the power to avoid much of the sin of this world but not all. If we have truly committed our life to God, then when we sin we will feel sorry for disappointing Him and will repent of this sin and turn from it. This repentance will include trying to make the sin right (if possible), and it will also include a real desire to avoid sin in the future. If we are not really Christians (we haven’t given our life over to God), then we can’t live without real sin. If we simply don’t believe in God, or if we are avoiding Him, we don’t have His Spirit and therefore have very little power to avoid sin. We simply do not have the power to overcome sin without the Spirit of God in us. In an unbelieving state, we cannot experience the peace of God, since we are not part of His kingdom yet. In this state we should fear hell; it is this fear that draws us to God. Some people believe that if our heart is right with God, we will serve Him out of love and not just fear. The Bible says that if we do two things we have fulfilled all the requirements of Christianity. Matt 22:37 Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” If we are trying to serve Him only because we are afraid of Him and what He might do to us, we do not really know Him as we should. We must know Him good enough to want to be close to Him, to view Him as a close personal friend, to love Him with all our heart and to be at peace with him. To know God is to love Him. He is so loving that if we are close to Him we cannot help ourselves, we fall in love with Him. If we hold our heart back, then we will not experience this closeness. God has said that we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. Of course, being human, we do not love perfectly, but if we are Christians, there is a strong desire to do so. Sometimes we feel guilty and fearful because of the way we were raised or the way we think. If you have given your life to the Lord and you can detect that His spirit is working inside you, you can feel confident that if you come to Him, He will forgive you. If the guilt and fear continue, then it is possible that something in your past or in your thinking that is keeping you from feeling forgiven, even though you are. I strongly suggest that you find a good Bible teaching church to attend and talk to the pastor or a caring Christian about how you feel. Many times, if we just change our thinking in small ways, we notice big changes in our feelings and actions. You might also put your name on the prayer list, on this website, so that others can ask God to help you find the peace and assurance that you appear to desire. Bob

Q. If christ has no beginning, then how did he come to be? EVERYTHING has a beginning and end.

A. Dear Friend, You have asked some very good questions about how God came to be and you are right, there is no way that we with our finite minds can comprehend how a Person could have no beginning. That is why He is God. The Bible tells us that God (existing as Father, Son and Holy Spirit) has always been and always will be. We have to accept that on faith. We as human beings had a beginning at some point but the Bible also tells us that we will always exist-that our bodies will someday die but that our soul will live forever in some place. This time on earth is given to us so that we can chose where we will spend eternity. This is the reason that 2,000 years ago Jesus took on a body like us, was born, lived a perfect life, and voluntarily gave his life on a cross so that we could live with Him forever if we believe that He gave his perfect life for our sins. You see, He rose from the dead and now lives again in heaven. He wants very much for you to know that He loves you deeply, to trust Him, follow His ways, and be with Him when your life here is over. Finally, the Bible tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please or know God. It also tells us that faith is a gift from God, so please ask Him for help in understanding more of His ways. I will pray for you to-there is nothing God wants more than for you to come to Him and ask.

Q. If we will see our loved ones in Heaven, what about widows who have remarried? Will they want to be with their widow or their new wife? Odd question I know.

A. Thanks for your question. Here is our answer. If you have any future question please contact us again. Also we have a discussion section on this website and I would encourage you to sign up and post this question, on the discussion area, for opinions from others. The Bible speaks much about heaven, but says very little about how our relationships in heaven will work. Marriage, in particular, will not exist in heaven. (Mark 12:25) It's hard to imagine relationships free from sinful influence, isn't it? Think about people existing together in complete harmony, without a single selfish thought to disrupt the bliss! We can hardly envision such a place, and that shows us a little bit of how thoroughly corrupted our relationships are here on earth. Heaven is chiefly about God, not people. Over and over again the Bible describes heaven as God's dwelling place. The mystery, then, is that this great and awesome God desires to share His dwelling with us! Looking at Revelation 4, 5, 7, 21, and 22, we see that God is at the center of the heavenly praise. In light of this, I think other relationships seem to be such a side note that they are hardly worth mentioning in comparison with the joy of worshipping Christ with people of every tribe and tongue. To directly answer your question, I would have to say, it won't matter. Jon

Q. In the parable of the unjust steward,how are we to view the steward?

A. Your question is an excellent one. Christians have been debating this parable since the establishment of the Bible. Several things that many Bible scholars would agree to are: 1. We are far removed from the culture that this parable unfolded in. Sometimes when we cross cultures with inverse type teachings, and if we lose a small portion of the meaning , we may produce a story that seems to have a missing element. 2. Christ has used this type of teaching before. I call them inverse teachings where He takes an example of sinful men to make a point. The point is NOT that sin is OK. Other points that could be made without going into an exhaustive analysis are: 1. In the preceding chapter on the prodigal son, the wayward son also mismanaged money. In the case of the prodigal son, he was not as worldly wise and fell into physical labor and poverty. Having fallen and not being very worldly wise he came to God broken and found the greatest treasure one can find on Earth. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that these two chapters follow each other. 2. The master’s spirituality was not discussed. Whether the master was worldly and shrewd or wise and just, he did noticed the steward’s quick, selfish but affective response. The text didn’t say that the master agreed with the steward’s actions. By using self centered, worldly wisdom, he circumvented the primary point, if we do wrong and own up to it we can find forgiveness and a changed life. From a worldly point of view he showed a great example of how to deal with a bad situation, without the application of morals and ethics, in an attempt to save one’s hide. He was an example of shrewd, crafty, worldly, self centered, intelligent thinking but missed the eternal Godly point. Having missed the eternal point he missed it all. Worldly wise - eternally a fool. 3. Luke makes a strong point about the relationship between money and Godliness. Each of us must choose if we want to serve money (worldly wisdom) or God (eternal wisdom), it is impossible to serve both (verse 13). Further, if we have done poorly in dealing with money, God will not let us manage the true riches of life. 4. Maybe the parable hinted that worldly wise people show more enthusiasm at gaining money than godly people do at pursuing their faith. Maybe Christians should take a lesson, from the enthusiasm and energy of worldly men in their scramble to gain more money, and show the same enthusiasm for a much higher and rewarding pursuit, God’s will. I would suggest that you post this question on the forum that we have just started. There may be many other individuals who have a thought on this issue or would like to explore its meaning from different perspectives. Since the forum is new, the participation may be slow at developing, but this is a good topic. Thanks for contacting us. Bob

Q. Is it Biblical for a Christian to speak in tounges, have a gift of Phrophecy and lay hands on the sick for a devine healing? I am Pentecostal and beleive in all above. Id like another Christian perspective on this backed by scripture. God Bless.

A. Dear Friend, First of all, thanks for your question. You need to know that I am not a Bible theologian but just a fellow Christian so with that, I will answer your question in the best way I can. The three gifts of the Spirit you mentioned were evident in the book of Acts and are further expanded on in 1 Cor 12 & 14 along with other gifts of the Spirit. I Cor 13 is devoted entirely to the one foundational gift of charity and very plainly states that all other gifts are nothing if not exercised with the motivation of charity. I do find it interesting that the three you picked out have tended to be the ones that are often used for personal gain (notoriety or financial or both) with sensational appeal and also those which have been used for issues of contention and division in the Church. One of my best friends from high school was a member of a Pentacostal church but these gifts were never used as a point of contention in our friendship. We just respected that we chose to worship the Lord differently. In conclusion, I would just ask you that you carefully examine the motives behind especially public arena use of these gifts. These are gifts which, in my opinion, should be exercised primarily within the privacy of the local body of believers only. Again, ask "what is the motive behind the use of this gift in this setting? First Cor 13 tells us that prophecies will fail, and tongues will cease but that love (charity) never fails (vs 8).

Q. Is Jesus God the son or the son of God? If Jesus had not died on the cross for our sins would He have live for ever here on earth since He was sinless. Sin introduced death and sickness to Man!

A. Thanks for taking the time to write us. You might find errors in punctuation or grammar since our first priority is to answer questions and the second priority is to be correct in punctuation and grammar. Jesus was called several different names in the Bible. It is my opinion that the most correct would be, God the Son. God exists in three persons, God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One astronomer, after viewing the complexities of the universe, came to the conclusion that God is trillions of times more intelligent and powerful than us. There are things that we will never understand about Him, but thankfully that is not the issue. The issue is that He has given us enough information to learn to trust Him and is so doing find a much better life here and in eternity. So when we are faced with the many mysteries of the Bible, we can try to apply our human intelligence and become confused, or seek out the things that He wants us to know about life. If we believe that we must know every thing there is to know about Him, before we can trust Him, we will never ever trust Him. I believe it is to all of our self interests to see what He has to say. There are several ways to look at the effects of sin. There are the effects of sin that cause physical and psychological problems for those born on earth and there is the sin in our spirits that causes us to die spiritually. When the original humans disobeyed God, it set up a chain reaction on earth. One of the problems it produced was genetic. It caused disruptions in the genetic material that makes up all life. This meant that humans would be born with or be prone to physical and psychological problems. It also meant that all living creatures would have a life span and then would die physically. Therefore even Christ (sinless) would experience these genetic problems and would have to die physically. The effects of sin on our spirit is a much more complex issue. I would encourage you to look at several of the faqs on the home page and also read the article on “from here through eternity” on the home page. All good things come from God, enjoying a piece of apple pie, a beautiful summer day, the love of a spouse or child, and every other good thing we experience. God allows everyone on the earth, to a certain degree, to experience good things. He is far more loving than humans. He gives good things to them who even hate Him. Some people wish that God would leave them alone, but they are ignorant of what this would mean. If God ever withdraws His help from someone, they will never again experience anything good. Despair, depression, rejection, regret, etc. is all that is left. This, I believe, is what the Bible calls spiritual death (hell); the total withdrawal of God’s help. You might also look at the faq on being saved. It is to our self interest to make sure that we are walking with God. We may get through life without yielding to him, but the moment we die, we will regret it forever. Therefore, it would seem that sinlessness would not spare one from dying physically, but it would assure that one would not die spiritually. Bob

Q. Is Jesus God?

A. The Bible is clear that Jesus is God! Jesus had all of the characteristics of God and also had the mind and heart of God. Jesus even said in John 8:58: “I tell you the truth…before Abraham was born, I am!” Jesus is saying here that he existed even before Abraham (of the Old Testament) was born. When Jesus says, “I am,” this is in reference to the way in which God refers to Himself in the Old Testament. The Bible also says in John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.” These are just a few examples that reference Jesus as God Himself. There are other examples in the Bible that reference Jesus as God and if you would more information on this please just let us know. God Bless!

Q. We can only enter heaven thru Christ. Does this mean non believers in Christ don't go to heaven, including all the Jews? How do the Jews believe they will enter heaven, if not thru Jesus Christ? And if not entering heaven, is hell the only alternative?

A. Thanks for the question. This answer may contain some writing errors as we concentrate more on answering as many questions as we can and less on writing errors. I think it helps, when we are exploring questions about eternity, to remember that God is trillions of times more powerful and intelligent than us. Therefore, it is important that we realize that we cannot reason everything out on the human level. It is also important to understand that it is good to seek and explore the things of God, even if we cannot always get a perfect picture of what is happening. The answer to this question starts with Abraham. This is where the covenant with the Jews seemed to start. Of course, more than one nation came from Abraham, but the Jewish people are our focus at this point. Abraham was commend by God because Abraham believed that God would justify him through faith. That is, Abraham realized that he could not meet the justice, righteousness, and holiness that was required to be close to God, by his works. He simply could not be good enough to earn God’s love, favor and friendship by his actions. God then proceeded to tell Abraham that he would be the father of all those who trusted God for their salvation and not their own works. This would include all people, not just the Jews. To state it another way, all people who trust God for their salvation, by loving, and allowing Him to control their lives, share in God’s promises to Abraham. Those who try to earn this gift, even if they are very sincere, have missed the boat and are not part of God’s promise. Years later, God brought the law through another godly man, Moses. The law spelled out what it would take for a human to fulfill the requirements needed to have God’s promises and eternal life. God did this to show humans that the requirements were beyond their abilities. He didn’t do it to rub their faces in the dirt, He did it to show us how futile it is to try to be right with Him by are own efforts alone. He is saying, you are wasting your time if you try to earn salvation by your own efforts alone. Turn to Me and trust your life to me and I will save you. Of course, this goes against our pride, since we become hopelessly in debt to Him. We will owe Him everything and be dependent of Him or we will be dammed. Many of the Jews seemed blind to this truth and tried hard to live by the law. They sacrificed in the temple, tried to keep the Sabbath and all the other rules and regulations. There was nothing wrong with sacrificing and keeping the rules, the problem was that they believed that this would bring them salvation. They believed that trying to fulfil the requirements of the law would earn them salvation, and they were wrong. Many of them were proud to be Jews, God’s chosen people, and looked down on other groups of people. Some of them upset God by taking the false gods of the people around them. God needed a nation or group of people that He could work through and teach others in the world the concept of one God. The Jewish people told others of God and what He was like. At times, many of them lived close to God and at other times, only a few did. The people of the ancient world knew something about God because of the Jewish people. Consider several Bible verses: Romans 10:2 & 3 For I can testify about them (Jews) that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes form God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. Romans 10:12 & 13 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile –the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for , “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 9:27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved.” Romans 4:13 It was not through law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would he heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. Romans 11:21 For if God did not spare the natural branches (Jews), he will not spare you either. Acts 4:12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name (but Christ) under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. As we look at the above verses, and there are many more, we have to come to the conclusion that there is no difference between the Jew and non-Jew when it come to personal salvation. The Bible is also clear that there is only one way to be saved and that is if we have allowed Jesus Christ to live in us and rule our lives. There are only two ways in eternity; heaven or hell. There may be levels of suffering in hell, but I hope no one tries for the least suffering level in hell when heaven is available for all who will come in faith. The Jews who missed salvation did so because they either didn’t care or they tried to obtain it by their own works. Eternal life in heaven is a free gift, in that we cannot earn it, but we can and must sincerely try to seek out, accept and love God with all our hearts, to obtain it. Bob

Q. What does it mean to be saved?

A. Sweat poured off His body as sharp, relentless pain flooded His mind. He could not “will” himself to think of anything but the overwhelming pain. He twisted and turned trying to find a position that would ease the intolerable pain but His movements only created new sharp stabs of pain . There was no escape. His eyes were only half open, His lips white and drawn, and His body trembled continuously as it was brutalized by pain. It was everything He could do to just make it through the next few seconds. Why did Jesus have to suffer so? Have you ever taken a spanking for someone else who was guilty, or perhaps, were reprimanded at work for someone else’s mistake. If you have, you will begin to understand the sacrifice that Christ made. Of course, this does not help us to understand the enormity of Christ’s sacrifice for us. You and I are the guilty ones. We have turned our backs to God and lived in opposition to Him. We have not lived in the way that God has designed us to live. Christ suffered for our mistakes and our outright opposition to God. There was this Prussian general who had come into the command of a large group of undisciplined troops. They had to be ready to fight in short order. Some of the sentries were caught one night sleeping. At the trial the next day the general donned his judge’s robe and after hearing all the evidence found them guilty. Their sentence was the standard for this offense, sitting all night on a frozen lake without clothes. Since the temperature outside was below zero, it was a death sentence. Their punishment caught the attention of all the troops. Fear spread through their ranks and discipline increased dramatically. The general knew that the men needed more than discipline to win the battles ahead. He also knew they needed to learn to sacrifice for the common good, for each other. So he took off his robe and his clothes and joined his men on the ice that night. The troops went into battle without their general but his example, wisdom and sacrifice had started a fire in their hearts that the enemy couldn’t put out. Christ also sacrificed himself for us. His sacrifice showed once and for all His unbelievable love for us. It showed the heights and depths that He was willing to go for us. He did not suffer for just a few individuals, He suffered and gave His life for everyone who will yield their life to Him. He opened the way to eternal life for a race that was condemned to death. Consider the following Bible versus: Jn 3:15-17 “That everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” Jn 5:24 “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” Ro 10:9&10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Luke 9-13 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks. The door will be opened.” “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” At one time humans actually lived in the presence of God. It was a huge blessing to walk together as friends do. God and the first man and woman looked forward to being together. They surely experienced the warm feelings that come from being with someone who loves you and you love in return. Man and woman were nourished by their relationship with God. They experienced security, joy, goodwill, purpose, meaning and a heart full of goodness. Though God is trillions of times more intelligent and powerful than us, He loved His creation so much that He lowered Himself enough to be our friend. This friendship was not a mushy, indulgent type of friendship, but rather it is built on high standards of love and behavior. God has an arch foe, Satan. He is bad to the core. He does everything within his limited power to destroy or warp God’s work. He is jealous of God, but being less powerful than God, he has to use deceit and trickery in the background to try and even the score. He would love to be as powerful as God, but this simply isn’t going to happen. If Satan was in charge he would be a cruel and evil dictator. Why God doesn’t simple destroy him is not well understood but someday it is predicted in the Bible that Satan will pay for his evil. Satan started working on men and women as soon as they were created. He tried to find a weak spot he could exploit and destroy God’s plan. He finally succeeded in getting the first woman, Eve, to disobey God, much to our shame. Don’t be too hard on woman though, Adam was right there and didn’t do anything to stop it but he actually joined in. When man and woman disobeyed God, they fell from their secure position at God’s side. They began to experience fear, dread, anxiety, discouragement - they were on their own and they were scared. Sin has affected all aspects of our world from the environment, to diseases and physical problems, to emotional problems and most profoundly, spiritual problems. In Adam and Eve’s now fallen state they would die physically and spiritually. That was the sentence for their disobedience and it was just. Something major had to be done if you and I were to have an opportunity to avoid eternal suffering. It was obvious that men and women couldn’t save themselves. If they couldn’t live right in paradise, how could they live right in the pain and confusion of today’s world. Christ was the only being in all of God’s kingdom who was qualified to make the sacrifice for us. He did not need to do it for Himself. In fact, He didn’t have to do it for us. He did it simply because He felt sorry for us, He loved us and He realized that without His help we were doomed. If we could see how bad off we are and what He really did for us, we would instantly recognize the incomprehensible debt we owe Him. If someone would ask us why we believe something we can usually give them what we believe is an satisfactory reason. If they would go one step further and ask us how we arrived at this reason we would give them another deeper reason. This probing of the reasons behind our beliefs would continue until we reach a “hunch point”. A “hunch point” is where we finally run out of reasons and simply say “we just believe it is true.” In a sense, at a “hunch point” we are saying that we don’t have a reason but it is our hunch that what we believe is true. Our hunch is based on our feelings. It is a step of faith that we do not have absolute proof to support. This is really the basis for all our beliefs, especially our belief or disbelief in God. If we are looking for proof of God we don’t have to look to hard. There are over 25,000 manuscript verifying the Bible. Nature and the complexity of the night sky speak loudly of a Creator (if we will accept it) The universe is incredibly complex and orderly. The latest scientific statistics are pointing strongly toward an intelligent, extreme powerful being who is behind it all. Our bodies have such complexity that scientists are beginning to throw up their hands in exasperation, they simply can’t explain yesterday’s discoveries and today’s are even more complex. If we simply look at the inside of a good wrist watch it would be difficult to imagine that such a precise instrument is some kind of accident, we must conclude that some intelligent being produced this watch. One has to seriously wonder about those who call this universe, earth and life an “accident.” All of this proof of God, if taken seriously, can bring us to a “hunch point.” At the “hunch point” we must decide if we are going to accept this evidence and believe there is a God or choose to ignore, rationalize or avoid a decision. If we choose to believe there is a God then we are met with one more decision, should we trust our existence to Him. We look at the pros and cons of this issue and finally come to a “hunch point.” Should we trust our life to a God we have not seen but have a great deal of proof about or should we turn our back on the whole matter. We believe that it is at this point that we decide to become a Christian or remain a non-Christian. Do we follow our hunch and commit our life to Him or do we back out? The problem is we will never be able to conclusively prove or disprove God’s existence. If we believe we must first have irrefutable evidence that God exists, we have already chosen not to believe. There are many things in life we cannot prove conclusively, but we still choose to believe them. There is enough evidence of God’s existence for anyone on this Earth to accept Him in faith. Perhaps you have come to this point and need to take that step of faith and simply believe. How do we turn our life over to God’s leadership? We can not: 1. We cannot earn or come to the Lord with any righteousness of our own that will pay our way into the Kingdom of God. We cannot prepare ourselves by trying to better ourselves, developing new and better habits, improving our self image, etc. Though these efforts are commendable and worthwhile they can never be good enough for us to claim the gift of eternal life. If we do not come with absolutely nothing to offer for this fantastic gift, we cannot have it. 2. We cannot understand a great deal about God, because of His immense intelligence, but we can understand enough to follow Him. The issue of our salvation is not about understanding everything there is to know of God (and then trusting Him) but it is about submitting to His leadership and trusting Him at our current level of understanding. 3. We cannot take this issue lightly and expect God to respond. God will not play our games. We will find Him when we seek after Him with all our heart - when we have decided that this is the most important issue in our life and pursue it with all our heart. 5. We cannot become fully mature Christians overnight. We can patiently let God work actively in our life. We are only responsible for what we understand at our current level of maturity in Christ. We can grow continually in our walk with God. 6. We cannot expect God to take us serious if we just have good intentions without a wholehearted commitment. We can: 1. We can feel deeply sorry (repentant) for all the wrong that we have done especially in turning our backs on God and living an immoral lifestyle. Some people suggest that we write down as many of the sins of the past that we can remember and ask God’s (and in some cases others) forgiveness for each of them. Many people also feel that it is helpful to tell another caring Christian about your sins and ask for support and encouragement during this process. 2. We can go beyond feeling sorry for our sins and make a commitment to turn from these sins (by God’s help). This repentance must go deeper than our feelings. It must penetrate to the depths of our heart. 3. We can seek after God with all our hearts until we find Him. 4. We can go back and repay or seek the forgiveness of those we have wronged (in cases where this is possible). 5. We can be baptized. 6. We can expect to be forgiven completely and eternally - free from the bondage of sin - the adopted sons and daughters of the great King of the universe. 7. We can expect to inherit eternal life - to live in paradise forever. 8. We can expect God to watch over us and filter all we experience in this life (the good and the bad) in such a way that works to our good (makes us more Godly, virtuous and wise). 9. We can expect that we will think, feel and act differently. When we give the King of the universe control of our life, He actually lives in us. His spirit’s presence in us has a profound impact on our life. 10. We can read what God wants to say to us in the Bible. We can pray daily for God’s help, and give Him our praise. We can also find a church that really preaches all of God’s word and attend regularly. 11. We can commit our self fully into God’s care and leadership each day. Are you ignoring God? One day you will die. No one will get off this planet alive. One day you will have to face the heavenly court of justice. Ignorance of the law will no more be an excuse in that heavenly court than it is in an earthly court. We will be judged according to what the Bible says whether we have embraced it or ignored it. It is to your own self-interest to look at this seriously. If you will accept God’s rule over you, repent (make a decision to turn from your sinful way of living ), and dedicate your life to God He has promised to save you and make you His son or daughter. His love and grace (undeserved free help) will help you to become, in a sense, a new person with a new outlook - not perfect but definitely different. You are the one who will suffer or you are the one who will experience paradise. You are the one who is leaving an example for those you love to follow. In some sense you are responsible for what they see in you and how this affects their handling of this issue of eternity. Consider this honestly and seriously for your own sake. If you have any questions or would like to explore this further, read more of the articles on this web site, talk to someone who’s life (and not just words) reflect a committed Christian lifestyle, find and attend a bible teaching church in your area and /or email us. We wish you God’s richest blessings in your search to know and trust Him. If you commit your life to God, please email us a note. We would love to here about it. Your friends at Mustard Seed ministries

Q. What happens when we die? Do we sleep in the grave?

A. There remains only two eternal destinations for our souls once we die. Hebrew 9:27 says, "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the Judgement". Once we close our eyes in death, or the Lord Jesus Christ returns, our eternal destination is concreted in place and cannot be changed. We read in Revelations 20:11-15 about the Great White Throne judgement of all man kind. Here, those whose names are not found in the Book Of Life are cast into the Loake of Fire. Those who have repented for their sins and have placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are ushered into Heaven, which we can read about in Chapters 21 & 22. A friend of mine mentioned that when we sleep (here on earth), it seems that we have slept only a short while, then it is morning. We have no concept of time while we sleep. Perhaps that is how sleeping in the grave is. There are different viewpoints among Christians but Matthew 11: 28 tells of Jesus's invitation to come to Him and rest. Many struggle with the idea of repentence or about Heaven and Hell. Jesus doesn't want us to worry so much, He wants to give us joy and peace in knowing Him personally and He wants us to be with Him in Heaven. He gives us free will to chose His ways, or to follow Satan in our own worldly ways. His ways are not difficult because He holds all the answers to life's trials and questions, and loves us so much. As we spend more time reading and studying God's Word, He gives us more understanding and wisdom and reveals to us what is important for us to know. May God bless you.

Q. What is the foundation for prayer? Would like some ideas for sermon material.

A. In summary the foundation of Prayer is Worship! Prayer is not solely about what God can do for us but more importantly it is an expression of our reverence, love, and dependence upon God. One of best summaries of prayer in the New Testament is Mt 6:9-13 9"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. This passage gives us a good starting ground on the foundation of prayer. Here are 6 foundational points of prayer based upon this passage. 1. Relational (Vs 9) - We are told to acknowledge God as father (daddy) 2. Holy & Reverent (VS 9) - Worshipping the majesty and holiness of God. 3. God’s Sovereignty (VS 10) Simply praying that God’s will be done on earth as it is done on heaven, realizing that he has control and not to let the circumstance of life consume us but to bring them to the throne of God in prayer. 4. Provision (V 11) - As verse 9 says God is our father and just as our earthly father desires to meet our needs so much more does our heavenly father. Putting our dependence upon God out to meet our daily needs (food, shelter, clothing, etc) Needs not Wants is the difference here 5. Forgiveness & Salvation (VS 12) - Salvation belongs to those who ask, confess, and accept the forgiveness of God. We are not only to accept God’s forgiveness but pray for the forgiveness of those that have wronged us. 6. Deliverance & Protection (Vs 13) - Pray for the Grace of God to protect us from Satan and the fleshly desires of this world. And not only for the prevention of these desires but for the deliverance from the things that have already entered our life. This is not all inclusive on prayer but I think these are how Jesus instructs us most clearly to pray. I think it is important that under these headings we make them personal and focus on each element individually in our life and how it directly applies to our relationship with Jesus not just to recite the Lords prayer as a church ritual or like a college fight song.

Q. What is the meaning of peace in such a troubled world?

A. I hope the following answer helps you to come to term with this great concept. This answer may contain errors in grammar and punctuation as we spend most of our time trying to answer as many of the questions presented to us and less time on writing errors. When we speak of peace, we may mean peace with God, ourselves, others or our environment. Peace with God is the foundation on which a Christian’s faith is built. This does not mean that we have an easy life, it means that in the middle of the pain and confusion of this life, we have a secret place to go to find love, acceptance, and peace. We were designed to be dependent on our Creator. If we are dependent on Him, He is able to give us the resources we need to live a much better adjusted life on earth. Just like there are essential nutrient for the body, there are also essential nutrient for us emotionally and spiritually. People search constantly and many times thoroughly for these nutrients, but they are only found in God. It is a fool’s mission to try to seek them outside of God and leads only to frustration and disillusionment. To be dependent on God, we have to ask Him to enter our lives and organize the events of our life as He sees fit. We all have a control room in our heart where all the levels and switches that run our life are located. When we allow Him to set at the controls and run our life, we are living in the Spirit. We have loved and trusted Him enough to allow Him the ultimate power in our life. To serve Him and do His will must be the primary desire of our life. He must come before every other desire in our life. If His spirit is in us, we will choose His way in every aspect of our life. Sometimes we speak of peace with our environment. This is about the situations that are all around us. We might ask, “can a Christian be at peace in a troubled world?” How about the threats to our faith in this country? How about the threats to our lives from terrorist? Can we really be at peace with all the bad things that swirl around us at times? It all depends on our perspective. If we talk about a very troubled family in the large state of Texas, we can say that this family is not at peace with each other, but we cannot say that the whole state is in conflict. If every other family in Texas was at peace, then we would have to conclude that the people of the state of Texas are overwhelmingly at peace. Yes, this is a troubled world, and if our focus is on this world than we can easily get discouraged. But the Christian sees a much bigger picture than this world. To give you an example of how much bigger, consider this: There is a mountain range as massive as the whole Himalayan Range of mountains. A small bird lands on this huge mountain range once every one hundred years and wipes its beak on the hard rock surface. When this bird has completely wore down the entire range we will have experienced the first second of eternity. As you can see from this example, our life on earth is an extremely brief time compared to eternal life. In eternity we will look back (in perhaps a trillion years) on our life on earth. It will seem that it lasted such a short time as we look back. I believe we will wonder why we got so excited. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing but it doesn’t feel helpful when we our in the middle of painful, confusing problems. The Bible says that “you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.” It is important that we view life here from an eternal perspective, if we want to really know the truth. If we are Christians, we are citizens of an eternal kingdom even as we are citizens of our country here on earth. It is much easier to face the problems in this life if we face the truth that we are citizens of an eternal kingdom. We can put up with any and all problems in this life, if we have this big picture. We are just moving through this life and the real action is in our eternal country (home). Citizens of this eternal country will experience no more suffering, no more tears. They will be filled to the top with joy, happiness, goodness and peace to name a few. There will simply be no room for anything but goodness. We will meet people who have died before us. We will experience great times with these people, since we will free from conflicts and problems, free to love them as we all really would desire to do so here. There will be no jealousy and the like, we will be different and we will enjoy each other immensely. If you are not part of this eternal kingdom, now is the time to pursue it with all your heart. I don’t mean to minimize or trivialize our problems that seem to dominate our life here at times, I am just opening the way for you to think that these problems will not always be with us. Life is hard at times, and when difficult problems come our way, we do suffer and seek relief. I just don’t think that our suffering should make us blind to the truth. If they do, they have won. They hurt once when we go through them initially, and then again every time we allow them to take control of our current thinking. Consider the following Bible versus that God has inspired men to speak to you who are in trouble. Mark 9:50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in ourselves, and be at peace with each others.” John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you: my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Romans 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 4:6 & 7 Do not be anxious abut anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Being at peace with ourselves is a little more complicated. Many times we are raised in a way that makes it difficult to forgive ourselves. The Bible says that we must take every thought captive. I believe this means that we should not accept every thought that enters our head. We should treat our thoughts as strangers who have entered our life. Are they good and helpful or are they wrong and harmful? Most of our thoughts are somewhere in between. Our challenge is to discern the bad and reject it, and recognize the good and keep it. Some of our thoughts have been with us for a long time and seem so apart of us. It takes time and concentration to pick out the good and the bad. Why is it so important to watch our thoughts and accept only the truth? It is because our thoughts (in many cases) generate our feelings, which in turn can have a real effect on how we act. If we want to feel and act properly we must work at learning to discern our thoughts and think as correctly as possible. The Bible and reality give us a reference point for our thinking. This may sound a little complicated, and may reek of hard work, but it is certainly a worthy, great quest for the Christian. It is to our own self interest to think correctly for if we don’t, we will suffer needlessly. There is no virtue in suffering needlessly. We will never discern perfectly, but every time we see the truth more clearly we will experience a greater sense of freedom. Being at peace with others is a result of being at peace with God and our self. When God is controlling our life, we begin to act more as His spirit would act. His spirit in us sweetens our reactions to life. We become so grateful for all He does for us, it becomes more natural for us to accept and forgive others around us. We simply can’t treat others wrong, when God treats us so right. If you want to get a better handle on the realities of the Christian life, I will challenge you to go through the New Testament of the Bible and write down at least 10 to 20 promises you find. Read these promises at least twice a day. In a notebook write down your feelings and thoughts, as you read these promises each day. I ask you to do this for only 30 days. At the end of 30 days, compare your thoughts and feelings with those you started with. The change, in your thoughts and feelings, is because you are concentrating on the eternal truth, not only what a short sighted world feeds you each day. Bob

Q. What was the name of Jesus' bothers and sisters and were can i find this in the Bible?

A. Hello and thank you for your email! The Bible does not give very much information about Jesus's siblings, however, here are some references that you can read about. Matthew 13:54-58, John 2:11-12, John 7:3-5. Since James, the brother of the disciple John, was killed before the New Testament book of James was written, it could be a possibility that the book of James was written by Jesus's brother who finally believed after the crucifiction. We do not know this for sure, though. Galatians Chapter 1, Matthew 13:55, Acts 12:17. I hope these references answer your question. May God bless you.

Q. WHEN CHRIST SITS ON THE GREAT WHITE THRONE,HE JUDGES THOSE WHO WERE DEAD IN CHRIST. ARE THEY SENT DIRECTLY TO HEAVEN OR GIVEN HUMAN BODIES AND REMAIN ON EARTH AND LIVE DURING THE MILLENNIUM ?

A. Very good question! The reference to the Great White Throne Judgement can be found in Revelations 20:11-15. This reference to the last judgement of mankind is found to be after the millenium, which appears earlier in verses 2-7. Verse 5 clearly states that the dead are not resurrected until the millenium is over, consumating in the Great White Throne Judgment. After this final judgement, those whose names are not found in the Book Of Life are cast into the Lake of Fire (v. 15. Those who escaped this judgement through repentance towards God for their sins, and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, find themselves as described in Chapter 21, in the New Heaven and the new Earth. The Bible teaches a bodily resurrection of both the just and unjust (Acts 24:15), therefore; we will enjoy Heaven with a physical body like that of Christ (Romans 6:5) Hope to meet you there! May God Bless you.

Q. when jesus was born on Christmas day , the 3 kings that came barring gifts, how long did it take them to reach the stable, is this 6 days after he was born?

A. Thank you for your curiousity about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible is not specific on the gift-givers. According to Matthew chapter 2 in the New testament and reference material in the Life Application Bible, it is unclear whether these visitors were kings or scholars, but we do know that they were from the East and followed a new star in the heavens to the site of the Messiah (Jesus). It is also indicated that these wise men traveled thousands of miles. Bible commentary speculates that Jesus may have been 1 or 2 years old at the time of the visit. Matthew 2:11 gives us a clue that Joseph and Mary were no longer staying in the stable because it states that the wise men came to the house. Unfortunately, the Bible does not give us convenient calendar dates for the birth of Jesus or the visit from the wise men, but the clues lead us to believe that some time had passed between the birth and the visit from the wise men. Further evidence of this is recorded in Matthew 2:16 when Herod, the ruler of Isreal, ordered all children under the age of 2 be killed in the Bethlehem area out of fear that a new king of the Jews had been born. Fortunately Joseph, Mary and Jesus escaped to Egypt before this order was carried out. It has been suggested that the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh offered by the wise men were used by Jesus' family to pay for the escape. Just as a quick clarification, when Jesus was first born, he was visited in the stable by sheperds who were just outside of Bethlehem. These sheperds received a heavenly message from the angels that the Savior had been born. They did arrive at the stable and worshiped the newborn king (Jesus), but they did not bring gifts. The story of the sheperds can be found in Luke 2:8-16. I pray that this message adequately answers your question and I pray that you can have a blessed year in the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Q. Who is Jesus Christ according from Gospel of MARK?

A. Dear Friend, Thank you for your recent question,"Who is Jesus Christ accoding to the Gospel of Mark?". First of all, you need to know that I am no theologian, just a Christian who loves the Lord and sharing about Him with others. Looking into the first 2 chapters of Mark only, we see how Jesus' authority is confirmed by God the Father at His baptism when heaven is opened and the announcement made:"this is my beloved Son..."(Mark 1:10-11) Then in the rest of the first chapter we see His authority demonstrated in His calling of the disciples, teaching the Scriptures (vs 22),over unclean spirits (vs 27) and over disease. In the second chapter of Mark we see the authority of Jesus to forgive sins (vs 1-12). It is recorded that even the doubters of that time said that no one could forgive sins except God. Jesus knew their thoughts and told them that to prove He had the power (and was therefore God) that he would show by healing the man's physical body as well that he was for real, not just a talker. I hope, friend, that you will come to know this Jesus who has the power to forgive your sins as well and to heal you from the inside out! I will pray for you.

Q. who is the true god

A. Who is the true God? Wow – that is a great question. Although, it is difficult to define God because He encompasses so many different, vast dimensions of the personal, physical, and spiritual realm/world. First of all I think we need to take in account or understand that God exists in the Holy Trinity – God (the Father), the Holy Spirit (which lives in us who have accepted Jesus), and Jesus (God’s Son – who is also our Savior and shed blood). “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” – Revelations 5:13 With that said, God’s name in English is Jehovah (in the original Hebrew it is Yahweh). This name for God is used more than sixty-eight hundred times in the entire Bible. The name means “to be.” This means that God is ever-lasting, self-existing. God is the God who always is. Secondly, God is the Provider (Jehovah-Jireh). Jireh means “he sees ahead.” God sees what you need before you even have a need, and He provides. One story in the Old Testament that references God as the Provider is in Gen. 22 when God asks Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice. When Abraham was ready to take his boy up for the sacrifice, he said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you” (Gen 22:5). Abraham new God would provide the sacrifice because of God’s promise to multiply Abraham’s family. Abraham then named the place of sacrifice where God provided a ram Jehovah-Jireh (Gen 22:13-14). God is also our Healer. In Exodus 15:26 God make this promise to His people, “If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His eyes, if you pay attention to His commands and keep all His decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.” God is continually healing us through His Spirit everyday. Jesus displays God’s healing power in the New Testament. He says, “Rise and walk. Be healed. Be made whole” (see John 5:3-9). And because of Jesus’ blood we can receive that healing power each and every day through the Holy Spirit. Another name for God is Jehovah-Nissi, which also means that God is our banner. An example of this name occurs in Exodus 17 when the Amelekites were trying to prevent Isreal from entering the Promised Land. Moses told Joshua to round up some men to form an army, and to pursue the Amelekite army. While Joshua and his men fought Moses stood on top of the hill and held up the staff of God in his hands. All the while Moses held up the staff, the Isrealites were winning against the giants of the Amelekites, but if Moses let down the staff, the Amelekites would start to win. In the same way, God is victorious over evil and darkness in our lives. Because of the shed blood of Jesus we can be victorious and carry with us the cross of Jesus to fight the “giants” in our own lives. Jehovah-Mekaddish: God who makes us holy. God has the power to make us holy, but He has given us a free will to accept the blood of Jesus. With the acceptance and desire for Jesus in our lives, repenting for our sins, we gain the Holy Spirit who makes us holy. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple” (I Corinthians 3:16-17). “Do you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body” (I Corinthians 6:19-20). God is also a God of peace. In Philippians, the Word says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7). In John, chapter 16, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (v.33) God is our Shepherd – Ps. 23:1 – “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (see also vs. 2-6). God is our Righteousness. In I Corinthians 1:26-31, Paul writes about what God chooses to do with His children, and in vs. 30 Paul addresses how God chooses to make us righteous – “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” By the gift of the Holy Spirit, Jesus helps us to walk daily in righteousness. Lastly, God is always present. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus says, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And also in Revelations Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (22:13). These things mentioned are good definitions and descriptions of God; however, God is so much bigger than words can say or can even describe. It’s very difficult to define God. In order to truly know God and know who He truly is, we just have to study His Word (daily) and seek Him (daily and with reckless abandon). He will reveal Himself to us, but He desires our will. He desires us to have a love and a passion to know Him more. I hope this helped you to have a better grasp of who God is. I encourage you to continue attending church and to daily seek Him. God bless. Andria

Q. Why do people have to die and do their ghosts still are around?

A. Thanks for the question. This answer may contain some mistakes in punctuation and grammar as we focus our efforts in answering questions and secondarily on mistakes in writing. It would be wonderful if we never had to worry about physical death. Dying can be a frightful event and for good reasons for some people. The first man and woman whom God created were not made to die. They would have lived on a very special place on earth (no weeds, no water problems, no toxins, no disease, no worry about making a living, no worries about how others are going to treat them, and the list of good things goes on and on. Also, they walked face to face with God, He took care of them and was a very close friend to them. Nothing could hurt them while they were close to Him. What happened to change this paradise? This is the most tragic story in human history. The first man and women were told not to do just two things, just two things. Satan, a creature that is bad and evil to the very core, talked them into doing one of the only two things they were told not to do. Everything changed when they disobeyed God. They began to feel emotional and physical pain. They were afraid of things around them since God no longer protected them. Weeds began to grow, disease entered their world, they had much more trouble raising food and for the first time they had to work hard to make a living. Things had been perfect and now they were a mess. There was a problem that was bigger than the weeds. Because of their stupidity, they would now have to die physically. Dying was a scary thought, no one had ever done it before. They began to ask the question “what happens when we die?” God told them that after death there are two places someone with go, only two. The first place was for those who had not given the control of their life to God. They were keeping God out of their life and they would go to hell. Hell is a place where no good thing exists, a place of intense suffering. The worst news is that it lasts forever. That means no one will ever get out of hell. The other place people can go after death is heaven. Heaven is a place where no bad thing exists, it is joy, happiness, laughter, love, acceptance, friendship, security, no struggles, and again the list goes on and on. Heaven is for people who know God and have let Him into their lives. There are only a very few times in the Bible where people’s spirits (ghosts) have been around. These were for special events and not for scaring others or haunting things. It appears that when we die, we either sleep quietly in the grave or we go to heaven or hell. I hope this answers your questions. I would also ask you to carefully consider your current life and if God is not part of it, I would advise you to do everything possible to find Him and give your life to Him. The stakes are far too high to put it off. Bob

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Q. Explain Mathhews 6:26

A. Dear Friend, Thank you for your question concerning the meaning of Matt 6:26. In this passage ( verses 19-34) Jesus gives his followers God’ perspective on wealth. Specifically in verse 26, He reminds us of the Father’s care and provision for his creation so that His people would remember to trust and not be anxious concerning our needs for the basics of life. The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6 that we should take all our cares and worries to God in prayer. You may also want to look up verses in the Bible which teach us that we should be good stewards and work to provide for ourselves and our families as well as give to others in need.( I Timothy 5:8 & Matthew 25: 14-15 ) We are to trust God to provide for our needs through our efforts ( He gives us the life and strength to work). Trust and work- both are God’s plan for our lives.

Q. Hi, I was referred to your ministry by someone who told me that your ministry helps out students with computers, and I was just wondering was it true.

A. Hello, and thank you for emailing us. I do not think we are the ministry your friend was referring to. There are several "Mustard Seed" options to chose when you Goggle that name...everything from ministries to herb shops. Our Our ministry is soley a web based ministry offering articles, sermons, and devotionals to those who want to know about Jesus Christ and to believers who would like encouragement. It is a non-profit organization, and all monetary gifts from our readers are tax deductible. Our name is Mustard Seed Ministries and our web site is mustardseedministries.org. We hope, however; that since you found us, that perhaps you would check out our site. And I hope you find someone to help you with computers. May God bless you today.

Q. how come Christians don't follow the laws of the old testament? i thought they were eternal?

A. Dear Friend, Thank you for your recent question concerning following the Old Testament Laws. Certainly, the Ten Commandments are to be followed and the other judicial laws contained in the Old Testament are the basis for Western Civilization's judicial code. The dietary and health laws set standards for healthy living. The restrictions on certain foods was lifted from Christian practice when Peter received the vision in Acts 10:9-22 and Paul's writings in Romans 14 & I Tim 4:3. Of course, the ceremonial laws for worship of God were fulfilled in Jesus. I hope this helps; I am not a Bible Scholar, just someone who loves the Lord. Following God's ways are a matter of the heart for which the Ten Commandments give us solid guidelines. I hope you will continue to seed His ways in His Word. God Bless.

Q. What are the avenues of your ministry? Where do you serve? Do you have missionaries/

A. Thank you for visiting our site and for your email. We are a web based ministry only. Our hope is that we are serving God by reaching out to the world via the world wide web. If you go to our Home Page, you can click on a button to learn more about who we are, a few men and women who volunteer their extra time and resources to provide and maintain this website. We are located in Indiana and do most of our work out of our homes, but do meet on a regular basis. All of us attend church on a regular basis and are born-again Christians who believe the Bible to be the true inspired Word of God, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Our ministry does not send out missionaries, but we do individually support missionaries through our churches or personally. We are a non-profit ministry, so we do not have funds set aside for other uses besides keeping this website active. But we do ask for our readers to submit devotionals and would like to hear from other believers around the world. We are all missionaries in the way of our desire to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope this answered your question, if not, please email us again! May God bless you.

Q. WHY DO SOME TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE REFER TO SATAN AS THE DAY STAR, I THOUGHT ONLY JESUS WAS THE DAY STAR, THANK YOU

A. Hello, and thank you for emailing us. As far as I could find, "Lucifer" only appears once in the Bible in Is. 14:12. The Hebrew for "Lucifer" is literally "shining one" or "morning star". In the context of Is. 14, Isaiah is making a prophecy against a ruler which is debated to be either the ruler of Babylon or Satan or both. Anyways, Isaiah compares this ruler to the morning star (Venus) that appears in the sky but then is extinguished by the sun before reaching its zenith. This ruler that Isaiah is referring to appears to be great but will have a sudden fall. (Zondervan KJV Study Bible) Therefore, Jesus Christ is the true "bright and morning star"(Rev. 22:16) and all others are only counterfeits. I hope this answers your question. May God bless you today.

Q. Why do we celebrate "Christmas" when it is of a pagan root? also "Easter", it is of a pagan root. Are we not told in the Bible that we are not to partake of anything that is of pagan, or wicked? So how is it that as so called "Christians" we have tried to turn the pagan worship into Christian and holy when it is not? I am a believer of God, but I am confused also. I do understand that just believing is not enough, because even the devil believes and trembles at the word of God. I often wonder how we have gotten so far off the path that we should be following. Any information you send on the so called holidays would truly be helpful. Thanks for taking the time to even read this...Just me, looking for more answers.

A. This is an excellent question. I am not an expert in history, so please bear with me as I do my best to answer your question. I do not have much information regarding historical Easter, thus, I will focus my response mainly on Christmas. I have heard that Christmas has links to early pagan holidays and rituals, but I believe it has more to do with the dates that it is celebrated rather than with the reason for the celebration. It is true that in ancient Rome a festival was held during the last week of December by pagan sun-worshipers. This festival would probably have been similar to our modern day “Mardi Gras.” From what I’ve read and heard, the early Christians decided to “transform” the festival from an immoral pagan holiday into a Christian celebration for the birth of Jesus Christ. The transition from a pagan holiday into a Christian holiday took a long time, in fact, history has it that the NYPD was formed as a type of riot squad to deal with “Christmas” rioters during this holiday. It is true that the “Christmas” holiday has had some dark moments throughout history, but equally true and amazing is how

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