Tag: christianity

Our Perception of God

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How we live our lives as Christians is usually on the same level as our perception of God. The greater our perception of God, the greater our trust in Him. Therefore, the closer and more intimate our relationship with Him is.

Theology is the human attempt to understand God. It is absolutely impossible for us as humans to understand God. God is far greater than we can ever comprehend in our wildest dreams. 

God tells us in Isaiah 55: 8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

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Do you Have Peace in your life?

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We live in a world that knows no peace. It is a complex world, that can be very stressful at times. It is a far cry from the world God had created for us. We can only dream of the peaceful life that Adam and Eve knew in the Garden of Eden. 

Philippians 4:7 tells us when you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And it will keep guard over our hearts and minds.

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Jesus knew that if there was one thing we needed here on earth it was to have peace in our lives. He knows the trials, heartache, troubles, and uncertainty each of us faces. The peace He gives us allows us to face each day no matter what it brings.

In 2022 I suffered a very severe heart attack. My wife rushed me twenty miles to a small local hospital, where I was given clot blockers and blood thinners to stop the effects of the attack. From there I was rushed by ambulance to a larger regional hospital, where I was stabilized until surgery. The emergency nurse at the local hospital told me later that people normally don’t survive a heart attack like mine. The heart surgeon at the regional hospital told me at least three times that I was lucky to be alive. He said I would never have made it to Marquette, that I owed my life to the staff at the Munising Hospital. I thought at the time that luck had little to do with it. It was God.

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Jesus – God or Man

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As Christians, the foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ. Paul said that we should always be prepared to explain to others why our hope and faith are in Jesus. So, who is Jesus? What do we tell the unbeliever or those who may have doubts? We can say with confidence that Jesus is Alive! His resurrection was real. The textual, documentary, and archaeological proof of Jesus’s life abounds!

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Will we know people in heaven? What will Heaven be Like?

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Will we know people in heaven?

Many people wonder if we will recognize our friends and family when we get to heaven.  We will not only recognize our loved ones and friends, but it appears that we will know everyone in heaven. We will enjoy fellowship with people from all walks of life and from the time of Adam to the present time. Can you imagine meeting the saints of the Old and New Testaments or of the generations before us? 

   At the mount of transfiguration, Peter, James, and John recognized Elijah and Moses even though they had never seen them before and they were separated by hundreds of years (Luke 9:30-32). This is how it will be in heaven. We will recognize everyone else and will feel like one with them.

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).

  We will leave our sinful nature behind, and we will instead be filled with the spirit of God. Therefore we will love each other as God intended us to. We will be like one big family in heaven. Parents, Grandparents, children, and babies will be reunited and will all recognize each other. It will be a family reunion like no other!

What will it be like When we get to Heaven?

The most glorious thing is that God will be there, and Christ will be there. Tens of thousands of angels will be there praising God and serving Him. The experience will be beyond our present understanding.

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly” (Hebrews 12:22).

   While this scripture was not meant to describe heaven, the writer of Hebrews does give us a glimpse into heaven. The singing and music will be far beyond anything we have experienced before. Can you imagine singing with the angels? Our joy in the Lord will be complete.

“They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion…They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more…I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow” (Jeremiah 31:12-13).

Those that suffered bad things on earth will be comforted (Luke 16:25). The tired and weary will find rest. To the thief on the cross Jesus called Heaven Paradise (Luke 23:43).

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”  (Revelation 21:4).

   Discouragement, despair, and heartache will be a thing of the past. No more sickness or pain. No more sadness, no more sorrow. We will be filled with the peace and joy of being in the presence of God.

   The Old Testament saints will be there. Saints such as Moses, Samuel, Daniel, Noah, and all the others. There will be people from every denomination, ethnic group, and continent in heaven, anyone who was a true believer and trusted Christ as Lord and Savior of their life. Children who died before the “age of accountability” will be there, as will those with mental limitations that made them unable to understand the gospel. Also, the millions of aborted babies will be in heaven. Our family and friends who accepted Christ as their Saviour and went before us will be there to welcome us home. It will be the greatest homecoming we have ever experienced. Wow!

This post was taken from my book “Things You Probably Didn’t Learn in Church.” To learn more about Heaven and many other subjects check out this book at https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Blount/author/B06XK4GJT1

Books by Jerry, most you can read for free:

  1. Things you Probably Didn’t Learn in Chruch
  2. Basic Christianity: Living a Joy-Filled Life and Making a Difference
  3. Noah and the Great Flood: Proof and Effects
  4. The End Times: Signs and Prophecy
  5. Following Jesus and Fishing Along the Way: Stories From God’s Great Outdoors
  6. The Rapture: Coming Soon

Will our Sins be Remembered at the Judgment?

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If one should enter a jewelry store and ask to see a diamond or any other precious stone, the jeweler would first spread upon his showcase a black cloth and then place the diamonds upon it, not only for protection but also in order that the black background might bring out distinctly the brilliancy and worth of the gems. So God gives this best of all promises with the dark picture of sin clearly and thoughtfully portrayed.

But first, think about the fact that for each of us, there will come a time of judgment. We will be judged and then receive eternal punishment for our sins.

Every sin we have ever committed is written down. Every unkind word, every impure thought, and every godless act will be written down. When we stand at the judgment there shall appear before us all our sins of commission and all our sins of omission, the sins we have long forgotten, and more recent sins we have committed against our fellow man and against God. There is not a sin of your youth, or passion of our mature years that is not recorded. Every act, feeling, or imagination has been indelibly recorded. All the efforts of man cannot erase this record, nor will time dim it.

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Who were the Twelve Disciples of Jesus

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Names, Professions, and Characteristics

12 disciples list:

  1. Simon Peter, (the son of Jonas)
  2. James, the Elder (the son of Zebedee)
  3. John, the brother of James (the son of Zebedee)
  4. Andrew, brother of Peter (the son of Jonas)
  5. Bartholomew or Nathanael)
  6. James, the Lesser or Younger (the son of Alphaeus)
  7. Judas Iscariot
  8. Jude or Thaddeus, the brother of James the Younger (the son of Alphaeus)
  9. Matthew or Levi, (the son of Alphaeus)
  10. Phillip
  11. Simon the Zealot
  12. Thomas Didymus

The Apostles of Jesus

The 12 disciples/apostles of Jesus were the foundation stones of His church, several even wrote portions of the Bible. In Revelation 21:14 we are told that the twelve foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem will have in them the names of the twelve disciples/apostles. It is evident, therefore, that God attaches great importance to these 12 men.

In the Gospels, Peter, James, and John become Jesus’ inner circle among the disciples, sharing knowledge and experiences with Jesus that the other disciples don’t have. They are even referred to as the Pillars of the Church in Paul’s letters. These three are the only ones present at Jesus’ Transfiguration and are with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest.

The following biographical information about the 12 original disciples of Jesus uses the New Testament accounts along with the most respected legends and traditions. We do not mean to infer, that legend and tradition constitute historical fact. We do feel, however, that they do have value in the study of the lives of these men who “…turned the world upside down…”

Peter

Peter

Simon Peter, son of Jonas, was a fisherman who lived in Bethsaida and Capernaum. He did evangelistic and missionary work among the Jews, going as far as Babylon. He was a member of the Inner Circle and authored the two New Testament epistles which bear his name. Tradition says he was crucified, head downward, in Rome.

In every apostolic list, the name Peter is mentioned first. However, Peter had other names. At the time of Christ, the common language was Greek and the family language was Hebrew. So his Greek name was Simon (Mark 1:16; John 1:40, 41). His Hebrew name was Cephas (1 Corinthians 1:12; 3:22; 9:5 and Galatians 2:9). The Greek meaning of Simon is rock. The Arabic meaning of Cephas is also rock.

By trade, Peter was a fisherman. He was a married man (1 Corinthians 9:5) and his home was Capernaum. Jesus probably made His headquarters there when He visited Capernaum. Peter was also a Galilean as was typical of many of the other disciples. Josephus described the Galileans this way, “They were ever fond of innovation and by nature disposed to change and delighted in sedition. They were ever ready to follow the leader and to begin an insurrection. They were quick in temper and given to quarreling and they were very chivalrous men.” The Talmud says this of the Galileans, “They were more anxious for honor than for gain, quick-tempered, impulsive, emotional, easily aroused by an appeal to adventure, loyal to the end.”

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