Boost One

Jesus Is Blessing You Now

 

Jesus is blessing You personally and socially, at this very moment.

 

Personal Blessings

 

In many ways, You are a universe unto Yourself.  You live in Your own personal cosmos.  You are a living marvel.  Every moment You experience is a miracle.  You are full of life, an amazing assemblage of living parts.  You are about 80 trillion cells.  Each of these is a living entity made of hundreds of smaller parts.  And, within Your body are about 1600 trillion living microbes.  Some of these micro-organisms are helping You survive and some of them are trying to do You in.  The structures, mechanisms and maintenance systems in Your body are infinitely more complex than any thing mankind has ever attempted to construct.  Only the Lord can keep all this “life” working together harmoniously.

 

Most of Your cells contain two copies of the “recipe” for Your body.  It is unique.  God created a specific blueprint for You.  It is breathtaking to think that He placed about 160 trillion copies of Your “recipe” in You.  If one copy of this plan were printed to paper, it would make a huge book, far more complex than the engineering plans for a

skyscraper.  All this information is concealed in Your tiny cells.

 

When You began to grow inside Your Mother, Your embryonic cells carefully followed the “recipe” for You.  Think of the information processing involved in the growth and ongoing maintenance of Your body.  Every cell needs to know where he is in the grand scheme of the plan and who his neighboring cells are and what their role is.  If an adjacent cell dies, a surviving cell looks at the “recipe” and creates a replacement cell and positions it in the proper place.  How miraculous is that?

 

We can imagine a conversation between the cells as an embryo develops.  Cell “A” says to cell “B”, “Look at the ‘recipe’.  This is where the heart begins.  I will create a cell for this chamber.  You work on that valve.”  

 

And, when the organs of Your body were completed, who caused them to begin their life-long work?  Who caused Your heart to start pumping?  Who knew at that moment that Your heart would beat exactly 130,516,212 times?  Surely, God is at work here.

 

However, You are much more than a complex machine.  The Bible says You are a composite of a body, a soul and a Spirit. (I Thessalonians 5:23)  Your marvelous body is animated by Your soul (Your personality) and Your spirit (Your conscience).  Sometimes, in the Bible, the word “soul” is used to refer to both of the invisible body parts, the spirit and the soul.  Many books have been written about these entities, but, for sure, no one but God truly understands how these three parts of each human work together.

 

And, what shall we say of the mind?  Myriad thoughts pass through Your brain each day, and God knows them all.  Scientists persist in teasing out the way Your mind works, but, largely, it remains a mystery.

 

The activity in Your body is amazingly complex, yet, with little effort, here You sit reading this book.  Your heart is pulsing.  Your lungs are breathing.  Your eyes are seeing.  Your mind is comprehending.  Who is in charge of all this activity?  God.

 

Life is a fabulous blessing.  Yet, Your dazzling body has its limits.  Eventually, its intricate systems will break down.  But, Jesus wants to add to the years You will dwell in Your present body better years in a better body that will last forever.  He wants to transplant Your soul and spirit into a heavenly body.

 

The Bible tells us that we live in a cursed world; that things were better in the Garden of Eden, before Adam and Eve sinned.  Still, we can see magnificence in God’s handiwork.  You enjoy the rapturous sounds of passionate music.  You delight to the taste of a hot sandwich.  You are captivated by the beauty and fragrance of a bouquet of flowers.  You are soothed by the buoyancy You feel while playing in a warm pool.  Life, with all its problems, has its marvelous blessings.

 

Social Blessings

 

Your life intersects with the lives of those around You.  Here, too, Jesus is blessing You, now.  Can You imagine a world without Jesus?  Probably not.  Most readers of this book live in the United States, a culture that is greatly influenced by Him.  Those unfortunate people living in un-Christian and anti-Christian cultures long for the quality of life enjoyed by You and me, living in a nation shaped by the Christian faith.  We have much for which we should be thankful.

 

Blessings of Christian Influences

 

Why are Christian influences so invigorating to a culture?  Let me explain.  Since Jesus began His ministry on Earth, there has always been a body of true-believers we call the “Church”.  That word has been abused and mis-used.  Rightfully, the term should be applied only to those who believe what Jesus taught.  Today, this body of believers is the group of souls who study the Bible, believe it, and

endeavor to live by its precepts. 

 

The Church has had, and is having, an astounding impact on You.  Too easily, we forget the origins of our blessings.  But, even a glance at history will tell us that the regions of the Earth that have been touched by the Church are filled with blessings not seen elsewhere.  So, You are a recipient of manifold blessings delivered to You by the Church.  Why is life so much better in the United States than in many other nations?  It is because the Gospel made it to America with enough potency to field a vigorous Church body that has graced our nation with blessings.

 

Those nations which are now, or once were, in the sway of Christianity are the best places in which to live.  This is not a chance occurrence.  There is a close correlation between Christian influences and elevated living standards for the common man.  And, as we should expect, when nations have drifted away from Christ, that high quality of life, we all desire, has diminished. 

 

I do not mean to imply that there is, or ever has been, a “Christian Nation”.  Every culture is a mixture of the devout and the debauched.  But, many nations have experienced a phenomenon, a “season of Christian enlightenment”, that has shaped their institutions and the behaviors of their people.  In these swells of belief, we see leaps of progress and great improvements in the life of the ordinary man.  There is a connection between the convictions of the citizenry and the quality of life experienced by its individuals.

The Peril of Abandoning Christianity

 

What happens when a nation abandons Christianity?  England is an instructive example.  Of course, that nation has done many things wrong and some things right.  She has fought immoral wars and, in the past, mistreated some of the natives in her colonies.  She has been involved in scandalous and brutal religious quarrels.  Still, it is clear that when England experienced a great surge of Christian influence, she became the mightiest nation on Earth.  And, simultaneously, she became the center of world-wide, Christian evangelism, taking the Gospel to such far-flung places as Africa, China, India and the Americas.  Meanwhile, the British people experienced an enhanced quality of life. 

 

Sadly, the British have turned their backs on Christianity.  Their great churches are nearly empty.  Many of their clerics are not true Bible-believers.  They are simply going through the motions of engrained traditions.  And, England is no longer the world force she once was.  And, the quality of life in the British Isles has suffered. 

 

Our United States of America is in danger of becoming another such proverb.  Even though we were founded by citizens immersed in Christian influences, we have fallen away from our first principles.  Corruption in high places is laying waste the concepts enshrined in our Constitution. 

Anti-Christian sentiment in Hollywood and the broadcast media is denigrating Bible-believers.  And, predictably, the welfare of the common man is in jeopardy.  While a few elitists are living in extravagance, citizens are having trouble with their jobs and careers.  It seems like an economic problem, and it is, but, I believe the real cause of the present diminishment of the American life-style is a wide-spread turning away from Christ.

 

Still, we live in the best of places.  There is a chance that the Church can turn around the attitude of our citizenry.  The most patriotic thing we Christians can do is to win people over to the Christian Way.  I believe that God is watching our nation from His throne above.  He is perfect.  He never changes.  He is always right, and in II Chronicles He stated His policy concerning the welfare of His people...

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 

(KJV II Chronicles 7:14)

If the number of true-believers within our borders

increases substantially, we will see tremendous improvements in our nation.

 

Some would dispute these claims, cataloging the sins of “Christians”.  Therefore, we need to clarify the fuzzy words, “Church” and “Christian”. 

 

The Marks of True Christianity

 

According to the Scriptures, you are a Christian, a member of the Church Jesus founded, if you hold certain beliefs, such as...

·        Jesus is the Son of God.

·        Jesus left Heaven to live as a man.

·        Jesus was born of the virgin Mary.

·        Jesus offered Himself as the Ultimate Sacrifice for your sins.

·        Jesus' shed blood washes away all of your sins.

·        Jesus rose from the grave, showing that He and you and all His followers have victory over death.

·        Jesus founded the Church.

·        Jesus ascended to Heaven to prepare a marvelous place in which you and all His followers will live with Him, forever.

We who are Christians have received an indwelling of the Holy Spirit which helps us live the Christian life.  We practice the activities prescribed by the New Testament: Baptism, Communion, Church attendance, caring for the needy, witnessing to the world, and so on.  We endeavor to live as Jesus urges us to live.  Even so, we still sin at times.  We confess our sins to Jesus, and He...

...is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (KJV I John 1:9)

 

Many flippantly claim to be a member of the Church without adhering to these basic doctrines.  This has caused great confusion.  For instance, once, I was flabbergasted when a Jewish friend of mine stated that Adolf Hitler was a Christian.  No!  No!  Christians believe you must “love your neighbor as yourself”. (Matthew 22:39)  That directive was not followed by Hitler.  Many who wish to denigrate the tremendous success of the Church point to other such villains and label them as Christians.

 

In addition, some nefarious men and women have claimed to be Church members to improve their opportunities for personal gain.  They proclaim Christ as they solicit contributions used to enrich themselves.  They pretend to be Christians to get votes.  They attend Church to make business contacts.  They enter the clergy to obtain an easy job.  And so on.  Many “Church College” faculty positions, “Church Association” positions, “Church Denomination Headquarter” seats, and “Church” pulpits are filled by fraudulent “christians”.

Blessings You Receive from the Church

 

If we clear away the flippant and the nefarious riffraff from the Church body, I may safely assert that the Church is a great success.  It has had a strong impact on You.

 

We should not be surprised by the success of the Church.  Christ said...

...he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do...  (KJV John 14:12)

Jesus worked great miracles and saved many souls, but He lived in a compact, geographic area during a short period of time.  He worked with those at hand.  Then, He went back to Heaven.  He left behind the embryonic Church which grew to do many miraculous works over the entire globe for centuries.

 

At its onset, the Church was a group of Jews, following Jesus.  Due to persecutions emanating from the unpersuaded Jews, Christians began to fan out over the Earth, taking their Judeo-Christian convictions with them.  Also, some Christians felt a “call” from the Holy Spirit within them to go “into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature”, as Jesus had directed in Mark 16:15.

 

Further, we should not be surprised by the incessant resistance the Church faces.  Satan is real.  He commands an army of wicked spirits.  These persistently persuade charlatans to use the auspices of the Church to promote un-Christian messages and deeds.  Who has not heard of a “reverend” who doubts the Easter story?  How often must we hear of a “pastor” caught in a porn activity?  How many politicians have used Christianity as a smokescreen for their wicked behaviors?  Satan takes every opportunity to fill men and women with evil spirits and motivate them to use the Church as a tool for fulfilling their lusts.  Yet, the Church presses on with backlash from Satan, the “prince of this world”, and his devotees. (John 16:11)

 

History reports that the Church thrived best in Europe, and then touched the European colonies around the world.  What happened as the Church marched into new areas?  Many things.  They are hard to organize into any pattern, precisely because each new Christian received his or her particular gifts from the Holy Spirit.  This led Christians into a variety of endeavors.  Of course, they all adopted a new standard of morality based on Jesus’ command, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (KJV Matthew 22:39)

 

As Christianity spread, honesty became paramount, greatly improving business transactions.  The Church, with its Judeo-Christian ethics, engendered a vibrant middle-class and amazing prosperity.  Lifelong monogamy strengthened family units.  Christians, wanting their children to be able to read and understand the Scriptures, started schools and schools developed into universities.  Some Christians were led to organize programs to care for the elderly and the disabled.  Others started hospitals for the sick and injured.  The Christians who made it to America put their faith to work in developing the United States, the pre-eminent nation in all of recorded history, with “freedom and justice for all” as its goal.  Charities, Service Organizations, and Orphanages were created.  Evangelistic Movements, Missionary Programs, and the fight to end slavery and prostitution and racial discrimination emerged.

 

Now, all these societal improvements were offshoots of dramatic changes within each Christian.  When one becomes a Christian, he (or she)...

...is a new creature: old things are passed away; ...all things are...new...and all things are of God...  (KJV II Corinthians 5:17-18)

 

We Christians are confident that God is in charge.  Kings and nations will all pass away, but God is forever.  We have a profound feeling of self-worth, because God loves us, immensely.  God sent His only Son to the Cross to take the punishment for our sinful thoughts and behaviors.  This wonderful God made us in His image, and He wants each of us to come to Heaven to live with Him, forever.

 

The efforts of Christians in the early Church ripened into the complex foundations of modern society wherever the Church was allowed to flourish.  Fledgling schools became universities.  They continued to study God’s Bible, but they began to study God’s handiwork as well.  Science produced the marvelous inventions that are now commonplace.  The stronger the Church in a given region, the better the quality of life became.

 

The Church and the Middle-Class

 

Have You ever wondered why the USA has a huge middle-class population while many countries have few middle-class citizens?  Here’s my answer to that question.  I believe the strength of the middle-class in any nation is a barometer of the strength of the Church in that nation.  If Christianity is widely accepted in a nation, it will develop a large middle-class population.  If Christianity is stifled in a nation, the middle-class will be small.

 

Here’s a story that illustrates my point.  Probably, You know one of Jesus’ commandments, “You should love Your neighbor as You love Yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)  Let’s see how this teaching transformed a small, fictitious town named Calamity.  It was down on its luck.  The town was depressing.  The dwellings were dilapidated.  The villagers were suffocated by worries over food and shelter.  Calamity had no middle-class.  A few rich people held all the assets, tightly.  The rest of the citizens were paupers. 

 

Some wise Christians in the next county decided to plant a Church in Calamity.  They built an attractive meeting hall and began holding worship services there.  They encouraged the citizens to attend.  Slowly, the congregation grew.  At the urging of his wife, one of the town’s employers got

involved.  As Bill listened to the Gospel sermons, his heart melted.  He was saved.  He knew he needed to change some of his attitudes and practices.  Bill ran a hardware store.  He did not pay his employees well.  He did not need to.  No one in town paid well.  But, now, Bill wanted to put Jesus’ commandment into action.  He raised the salaries of his workers.  The results thrilled him.  Joe was able to remodel his house.  It needed it.  Mary made plans to send her son to college.  Everyone in his store seemed happier, and the business grew.  The best people in town wanted to work for Bill.

 

Some of Bill’s associates complained.  They were having trouble finding good help.  In fact, some of their best employees had left them to work for Bill.  Bill explained, “I gave my heart to Jesus and decided to follow His commandment.  I want my employees to have as much as I have.  They should have nice housing and food.  Their children should have a good education.  Jesus’ plan is working well for me.  Why don’t you come to Church and see what you think?”  Well, some did, and they followed the path forged by Bill.  Others didn’t, but even they had to raise wages to attract and retain good employees.  The town developed a vibrant middle-class.  Over time, some of the middle-class citizens were able to save enough capital to start new businesses and multiply the good found in Jesus’ words.  Soon, the residents changed the name of the town from Calamity to Hope.

 

Now, this is just a story, but look around the world and You will see that where Jesus’ commandment is known and practiced, a strong middle-class exists.  And, where Jesus’

commandment is unknown or rejected, the middle-class is very small, and the population is divided into two tiers, the elite and the peasants.  Praise God that You live in America, where Jesus’ words are honored.  And, pray that our people never desert the Christian faith.

 

You have inherited a treasure.  Just because You were born in the United States, You enjoy a very high standard of living.  This derives from the courageous efforts of the God-fearing men and women who established this society.  Thank God!  Yes, Jesus is blessing You now, personally and socially.