About The Bible Page
The Bible Page arose from my desire to make sure truly Bible-based Christianity continues to spread throughout the world. We are living in a time when truth comes at a premium. Many preachers and teachers who hold very popular and powerful platforms within the Christian church have strayed from the truth, and most of those who haven't (at least the popular ones), don't do much true preaching and teaching. Christianity is continually being watered down, seemingly so it will be acceptible even to those outside the Church. It is becoming more saturated with entertainment-based services filled with "feel-good" theology every day, and most confessing Christians don't even notice, or if they do notice, they don't seem to care. What I call "Biblical illiteracy" (a lack of knowledge and/or understanding of the Bible) is rampant among those who claim the name of Christ. Church discipline has all but disappeared. Reproof, correction, and rebuke, virtues extolled by the apostle Paul, seem to have been done away with in favor of Political Correctness; everyone is afraid that someone's feelings might get hurt. Over and over one can hear verses about not judging quoted as a defense against loving reproof.
It is time the Church got back to the Bible. It is time Christians returned to radical Christianity. In the first century A.D., a handful of men turned the world upside down, while in current society, millions of confessing Christians have virtually no impact on society. The Church is influenced much more by socially accepted behavior than society is influenced by the Church. In the first century A.D., you could tell who a Christian was; what's more, those who claimed the name of Christ risked losing their lives. In modern America (and most, but not all, of the world), more often than not, you cannot tell the difference between someone who claims to be Christian and someone who does not. Why is this?
We must get back to the basics. We need solid biblical teaching and preaching. We need strong fellowship. We need to "test every spirit". We need to compare what preachers and teachers say with what the Bible says (Paul counted the Bereans "more noble" for doing this with his own teachings). We need to use our gifts to edify one another (1 Corinthians 12-14). We need to correct, reprove, and rebuke one another in love. We need to lovingly warn each other (and our teachers) of false teachings and false teachers. Why do I feel so strongly about this?
I cannot help but feel this way. I am so thankful for Christ, I cannot help but share Him with others and praise Him all day long. Let me start by saying, I am not one to get caught up in emotionalism. My faith in Christ is based on facts that were shown me, not an emotional experience. However, the events prior to and following my coming to Christ do inspire emotion.
I was constantly depressed. I got involved in drugs. I didn't know where my life was going. I became so depressed that I tried to kill myself. Then, on a trip to buy a large quantity of drugs, something happened. Someone I had never met decided to share the gospel with me. I looked at the evidence, and suddenly it seemed so clear. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is God. And by His own statement, I must receive Him or be separated from God forever. Christ Himself said, "...I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6) and "...I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again" (John 3:3). So I received Christ.
Suddenly life seemed different. Unfortunately, the feeling didn't last. I slipped right back into drugs. I lost my job. I couldn't understand what was happening. I quickly learned that becoming a Christian didn't immediately solve all of your problems, nor will it. After a couple of years, on and off drugs, going from job to job, I finally turned to the one who called me. When I finally handed my life over to God, He turned me around. He cleaned me up. Free of drugs, I was able to focus on His purpose for my life. I became involved in the local church and made many new friends. God renewed my heart, and now my goal is to share His love with all I come in contact with and to glorify Him with my life.
God DOES change lives! Have faith in Him, and He will change your life too! Maybe not how you expect, but what He can do is far beyond all we can expect or imagine! God bless you!