Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Thursday, December 13, 2018
If Christ Had Not Come by Rev.M.D.Rogers
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.We live in an age in which only one prejudice is tolerated – anti-Christian bigotry. Michael Novak, the eminent columnist, once said that today you can no longer hold up to public ridicule groups such as minorities or women or homosexuals or ethnic groups (and rightly so!), but the one group you can hold up to public mockery without penalty is Christians. Attacks on the church and Christianity are common in the media, and less conspicuously in our schools, universities and governments. Much of what we take for granted finds its roots in Christ and His teachings. And yet Christianity is ridiculed as an impediment to progress, a bane on humanity, and remains today the one safe target of contempt and prejudice.
But the truth is this: Had Jesus never been born, this world would be far more miserable than it is. Had the church never existed, some of earth’s greatest accomplishments would never have graced the pages of history. In fact, many of man’s noblest and kindest deeds find their motivation in simple love and willing service for the humble Carpenter of Nazareth named Jesus Christ.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the central figure of the human race and the leader of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.
Consider the impact of Jesus Christ in just four areas:
1.THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Prior to the coming of Christ, human life on this planet was expendable and exceedingly cheap, as it still is today in parts of the world where Christianity has not penetrated. And as we in North America abandon our Judaeo-Christian heritage and values, you will see life become increasing cheap once again!
In the ancient world, child sacrifice was a common phenomenon. It was a dangerous thing for a baby to be conceived in classical Rome or Greece; abortion was rampant and abandonment of
infants was commonplace. It was common for handicapped, or unwanted, or female babies to be taken out into the forest or the mountainside and left to be consumed by wild animals or to starve, or for others to pick them up for their own perverted ends.
2.THE WORTH OF WOMEN
John 8:11b And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Before Jesus came, a woman’s life was also very cheap. In ancient cultures, the wife was the property of the husband and women were generally declared not able or competent to be independent. In ancient religions like Hinduism, widows were voluntarily or involuntarily burned on their husbands’ funeral pyres, and many young girls were dedicated from birth to be temple prostitutes.
But then Jesus came! And He elevated women by treating them as equals. How ironic that feminists today do not give any credit to Christianity; in fact, they say it has oppressed women. In reality, the reverse is true. Had Jesus never come, the feminists who curse Him might not have lived more than a few weeks!
3.COMPASSION FOR THE POOR
Proverbs 14:21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
The world before Christianity was cold and unkind toward the underprivileged. Historical documents who no trace of any organized charitable effort. People who had problems were thought to have brought their circumstances upon themselves.
But then Jesus came! He set the great example of helping the poor and caring for the downtrodden, even when they were strangers. And while poverty has always been part of life on earth, the church has done more to alleviate it than any other institution in history. The early church actually attracted many of their converts because their kindness was such a contrast to Rome’s harshness. The vast majority of today’s charitable organizations had their start within the confines of the church.
4. PERSONAL LIBERTY
Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Wherever the Word of the Lord has been preached, tyrants have trembled, despots have been cast from the throne, and people have become free. Liberty is a constant theme in the Word of God! Free speech is a gift from the church, founded by Jesus Christ! You’ll never hear a talk show in a Muslim country discussing whether Mohammed was really a prophet of Allah. You’ll never see a talk show in China discussing whether citizens should be allowed to leave China at will.
The great irony today is that many people use their civil liberties to rail against Christianity!
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