Jesus taught that a person who truly enjoys life (is “blessed”) is one who is “pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8 NKJV). Consider these biblical principles on having a pure heart.

“I don’t find Paul’s writings very authoritative,” were the words from a coworker years ago regarding the topic of whether the Bible endorses capital punishment (as it does in Romans 13:1-6). Paul claimed his writings were from God. First Corinthians 14:37 states, “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.” Yet, some deny Paul’s apostolic authority wherever he wrote about things that they consider offensive, such as what he commanded about marriage (Ephesians 5:23-28; 1 Corinthians 7), women’s role in worship (1 Timothy 2:8-12; 1 Corinthians 14:34) and even about various sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Romans 1:18-32). In order to be consistent, to deny that these passages are from God, one must deny the entirety of the letters in which they are contained are also from God. To deny these letters are from God is to deny all of Paul’s writings to be from God. To deny that all the apostle Paul wrote in Scripture is from God is to disregard almost half of the New Testament, since Paul authored thirteen of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament. Furthermore, to dismiss Paul leads to the dismissal of the writings of the apostle Peter, for Peter acknowledged Paul’s writings were from God (2 Peter 3:15-16). If Peter was not able to detect that Paul’s writings were not from God, how can it be said that Peter was inspired of God himself?

In his book, The Hermeneutical Spiral, Grant Osborne mentions an interesting point about personal Bible study. The big problem with Bible study today is that we think it should be easier than other things we do. We study recipes for quality meals, how-to books for all kind of things – carpentry, plumbing, automobile maintenance and so on – and read vociferously for our hobbies. Why do we think the Bible is the only subject we should not have to study?!… What if we spent as much time and money on Bible study as we do our hobbies? What if we took the same amount we spend on golf clubs and courses or on skiing equipment and skiing trips, and put it into Bible study? Yes, encyclopedias, commentaries and other reference materials are expensive. But so is everything we do. The question is about priorities: what is important enough for our time and money? (25) Mr. Osborne’s words may be pretty harsh, but are they true? How much time, money and resources do we invest in the study of God’s Word? Consider some benefits as to why we should invest in studying God’s Word: (1) to know truth (Acts 17:11; John 8:31-32), (2) to be blessed (Psalm 1:1-2), (3) to keep from sin (Psalm 119:11), (4) to promote a healthy and peaceful life (Proverbs 3:1-2), (5) to receive guidance (Psalm 119:105), (6) to know Christ and the way to eternal life or making one wise to salvation (John 5:38-39; 2 Timothy 3:14-17),

It is believed that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Does this make it true? Is Islam the one and only true religion? Consider some contrasts between it and Christianity (the Quran and the Bible) which clearly demonstrates the superiority of Christianity over Islam. Involuntary Conversion vs. Freedom of Choice Converts to Islam often came as a result of Muhammad’s success as a conquering war leader. For instance, in the early days of his new religion, Muhammad and his few followers were forced to flee Mecca due to his monotheistic stance in a polytheistic culture. He returned to Mecca years later with “ten thousand men… As they approached the city one of the leading men of the town was captured and brought to Mohammad. He proclaimed the faith and asked Mohammad not to destroy the city. Mohammad told him he would spare the people if they would accept the faith. Accordingly, Mecca was taken with very little bloodshed” (Mattox 171). In contrast, Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7), commanded His disciples to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9); even when Peter drew his sword to fight for Jesus at His arrest and betrayal, Jesus rebuked Peter saying, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:53). Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him (Matthew 11:28-30), and He allowed those who were following Him for the wrong reasons to turn back and no longer walk with Him

After graduating from preaching school, a preacher friend of mine located at a small congregation in hopes of building it up. The previous minister still worshipped there, and one day as he was showing the new minister around, he gave him a piece of “advice.” “Do not knock on the doors of those who were lower class, but focus on the people with nicer homes in wealthier neighborhoods who would be able to give more money to the church.” Needless to say, the plan did not work. In recognizing those who showed the greatest interest in Jesus, Phillip Yancey, in his book The Jesus I Never Knew, makes the following observation: “The more unsavory the characters, the more at ease they seemed to feel around Jesus. People like these found Jesus appealing: a Samaritan social outcast, a military officer of the tyrant Herod, a quisling tax collector, a recent hostess to seven demons… In contrast, Jesus got a chilly response from more respectable types. Pious Pharisees thought Him uncouth and worldly, a rich young ruler walked away shaking his head, and even the open-minded Nicodemus sought a meeting under the cover of darkness.” (Yancey, p. 147) Yancey rightly notes further that circumstances are the opposite today. Churches can be unfriendly, unkind and uninterested in to the souls of alcoholics, drug addicts, prostitutes, criminals, the homeless, outcasts and even the poor. Consider the following brief points that can help us to be more like Jesus in reaching out to the lost both