Andy Gibb: "I Just Want to Be Your Everything"

The Bee Gees' little brother released this track in the summer of 1977. With the help of his older siblings, Andy had his first hit. His brothers also sang harmonies on this song. Listen to it here.

We know that nobody on earth is able to be all things to all people. Even so, the Apostle Paul did try. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22 (Bible in Basic English) that, "To the feeble, I was as one who is feeble, so that they might have salvation: I have been all things to all men, so that some at least might have salvation."

Be that as it may, the only person who can be all things to us is Christ. As he said in John 10:10 (BBE), "The thief comes only to take the sheep and to put them to death: he comes for their destruction: I have come so that they may have life and have it in greater measure."

Likewise, Christ said in John 12:46 (BBE), "I have come as a light into the world, so that no one who has faith in me will go on living in the dark."

And as we work for our Master, we know he'll be with us all the time in the spirit. Matthew 28:19 and 20 (BBE) reminds us to, "Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to keep all the rules which I have given you: and see, I am ever with you, even to the end of the world."

Even if we forget some things, we still know that Christ will help us testify through the Holy Spirit. As we read what he said in John 14:25 and 26 (BBE) to the disciples, "I have said all this to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will be your teacher in all things and will put you in mind of everything I have said to you."

So if he whom we adore hasn't returned by Saturday, I'll feature a sweet song by Joni Mitchel.

But Why Do Christians Still Suffer?

In my previous post, I mentioned the benefits of surrendering our lives to Christ. Some people might wonder why then do Christians suffer mistreatment. Look at what Christ said in Mark 10:30 (KJV), "But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."

The Apostle Paul recognized the good that persecution eventually accomplishes when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV), "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." The strength he spoke of comes from God working through him.

Paul also wrote in 2 Timothy 13:10 to 12, "But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

So why bother being an outspoken Christian when it earns you abuse? Paul wrote in Philippians 3:14 (KJV), "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." And what a glorious prize it is too.

Satan hates the truth and wants to stifle or distort it. We by our very belief in Christ  wage war against him. Therefore, he tries everything in his power to destroy or distract us.

In my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven, I'll outline just how the Devil seeks to destroy humanity and how to avoid being his inmate in hell. Watch this space.

What's This Personal Relationship With Christ?

Bearing what I previously wrote in mind, I need to explain what the meaning is of having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In brief, it means becoming his friend, disciple, servant,  and child.

When we give ourselves to Christ, we become far more than mere property. John 15:15 (KJV) quotes Jesus as saying to his disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

Furthermore, we know him intimately as a true friend. Look at what Christ said in Revelation 3:20 KJV). "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Unlike uninvited strangers, we invite Jesus into our lives and he fellowships with us like a dinner guest.

Here's another great promise, this time from Colossians 1:27 (KJV.) "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" Ponder that mind-blowing truth for a while.

Not only that but we inherit the riches of Christ. Check out what Galatians 3:29 (KJV) says. "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,  and heirs according to the promise."

And how do we become heirs? We become adoptees. Paul wrote in Galatians 4:5 (KJV), "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

He also wrote in Romans 8:15 (KJV), "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, 'Abba, Father.'"

Even better, this adoption is physical as well as spiritual. Consider what Paul wrote in Romans 8:23 (KJV), "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Now isn't all that worth giving up your selfish will to the Lord?

In my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven?, I hope to go into deeper detail about the rewards of a surrendered life to Christ. What a bargain it is that when we give up ourselves to him, we get all he is in return.

Is it Too Late to Repent?

If you're still alive, it isn't too late to repent of your wicked ways and follow Christ. Many people think they can't be forgiven because they've done such horrible things. The good news is that Christ will NEVER turn away ANYBODY who begs his forgiveness.

Believe it or not, some of the worst people in history have been forgiven. Even the Bible shows a long list of rogues who put their trust in the Lord.

Moses was a murderer. He killed an Egyptian task master for violently beating a Hebrew slave. He went from being an adopted prince to a fugitive, then he became the deliverer of the Israelites.

King David raped Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed in battle. David abused his power as king but because he tearfully repented, the Lord forgave him. The son born to Bathsheba died but the king realized that he would go to be with him someday in heaven.

I could list others, such as a murderous religious fanatic named Saul who later became Paul the apostle, but this post would become far too long. Suffice it to say that God is exceptionally patient and desires that nobody go to hell. Instead, he has magnanimously allowed us to choose our eternal destination.

Though I repented and gave my life over to Christ in 1969, Nobody mentored me. After fifteen years in a cult and nine years of rejecting God, he providentially led me to the truth. Contact me about the memoir I wrote called How I Was Razed.

What About People Who Never Heard the Gospel?

To the average person, sending people who never heard the gospel to eternal torment in hell is horribly unfair. How could God be so cruel as to condemn those who never even heard of him or Jesus Christ? The fact is that we all have eternity in our hearts.

The Apostle Paul explained it well in his letter to the Christians in Rome. In the first chapter, he wrote that the evidence of God, who can't be seen, is visible in what he created. But people decided to suppress this knowledge in their ungodliness. They worshipped created things rather than the creator. So the Lord honoured their choice by letting them choose eternity apart from him and all his goodness.

Paul also spoke to Greek philosophers at Athens. In Acts chapter seventeen, he explained how God planned where people would go and the countries they'd form so that they could search and find him. He also cut those ethnic groups a break, being able to judge the motives of the heart, so that those who sought him could be justified.

Furthermore, God worked through the Israelites to be a light to the gentiles. All through Hebrews chapter eleven, we're told how by faith the saints of old were justified. They believed God and it was counted to them as righteousness. They all looked forward to a saviour who would rescue them from sin. That person was Jesus Christ. We now are justified by trusting in him and what he accomplished on the cross.

I hope to answer this and many more questions with scripture quotes and references in my next book. You Think You're Going to Heaven? gives a warning which everybody needs to read. Like running a diagnostic program on the computer, examining our lives by the Bible is the only reliable way to learn if we are living up to God's standards. Eternity is a long time to suffer because we trusted our own pet notions rather than God's word.

"HE THAT HATH AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR."

In past posts, I've mentioned the day that I was thrown out of a vacation Bible school because I couldn't read the microscopic print in the Bibles that the pastor handed out to us students. His calous action deeply hurt me. I had a keen interest in Christianity but my poor vision and lack of proper magnifying glasses thwarted my attempts to read sacred scripture.

When I did acquire a large print New Testament and a decent magnifying glass, I eagerly read it from cover to cover. Not only did I read what people formerly read to me but I learned much. One fact that touched me deeply was that many of the apostle Paul's letters were written in prison. I felt thrilled that I could read for myself what these early saints wrote. I began thinking of these people as friends rather than distant historical figures after reading their epistles.

I took a Bible correspondence course in 1979 and bought a large print King James version of the scriptures. As I rested between patrols while on guard duty at the bank, I read through the entire Old and New Testaments. The course also filled in the background regarding the culture and history of the Middle East. All those strange sacrifices that I'd formerly heard about began to make sense as I studied the Word.

Through friends, I heard the scriptures on cassette tapes. These were nice but I wasn't able to pinpoint individual verses as the numbers were left out of the reading. Though I enjoyed listening to God's Word being read, something was missing.

Bible Seeker, a free downloadable program from Lockette.com filled in the missing connection between hearing and reading scriptures. It let me not only read verses but copy and paste them into documents. Many of the scriptures quoted in how I Was Razed, my memoir of how God led me out of a cult and into the truth, were copied from Bible Seeker. Additionally, the program helped me learn the spelling of names and terms used in God's Word. If I didn't understand something, I could easily proceed word by word so I could get the gist of the passage. Better yet, Bible Seeker's functions are screen reader-friendly, allowing sight-impaired folks like me to study the Bible for free.

I wrote extensively about that house church in my newly-published memoir, How I Was Razed: A Journey from Cultism to Christianity. Please check it out at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Virtual Bookworm.