Did you know that in the Old Testament God commanded the ancient Israelites to throw a big nationwide party every third year? Deuteronomy 14:23-26 commands Israel to take ten percent of their income (a tithe) and go to Jerusalem and buy food, wine, strong drink and "whatsoever thy soul desireth" and rejoice before the Lord! This reveals an aspect of God that we don't often emphasize. Our God is a God of joy and celebration!
In Deuteronomy 24:5 we read "When a man has taken a new wife, he shall not go out to war, neither shall he be charged with any business: but he shall be free at home one year, and shall cheer up his wife which he hath taken." This passage not only shows the importance which God places on joy but also note that the one year exemption from military service is more liberal than comparable military regulations in modern America! In some ways the Bible is more liberal than the laws of modern societies.
Isaiah 55:12 says "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace." Zephaniah 3:17 says "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." In Psalm 16:11 we read "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore."
God gives us great joy on earth but we also look forward to heaven, the future home of all of us who repent and receive Christ into our hearts. Heaven is certainly the greatest place of joy and pleasure!
The first miracle that Jesus performed was to turn water into wine. Jesus extended the joy and celebration of a wedding!
In Philippians 4:4 we read "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice." Galatians 5:22 teaches us that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . " Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and people should expect the followers of Christ to exhibit it. Historians now admit that the Puritans of 17th century New England were not the stern faced killjoys of legend. The Puritans wore bright colored clothing and enjoyed lively social functions.
Our worship services must be bright and joyful celebrations of God's mercy and goodness. Many, if not most of our songs should be in a major key. The God we worship is a God of love, joy, peace, acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation for those who have repented and received Christ. We should celebrate the fact that God loved us enough to send His Son to die for our sins!
We are commanded to give up our sins not our joy. The Christian life has its griefs and challenges but the joy outweighs it all.
The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.
Steps to salvation:
Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)
- Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
- Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
- Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
- Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
- Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)
"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)
To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:
"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."
If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!
Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA
(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given
Read Bill Nugent's award winning Christian book, Lawful or Legalistic: How New Testament Believers Must Understand Old Testament Laws. For more information and to order click here.
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DEFENDING THE FAITH
APOLOGETIC ARTICLES
Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world.
The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel.
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