The World's Largest Religion Today

     Some people I've talked to tell me that nobody believes in Jesus anymore. There is a big lack of faith in this country (Canada) and you'll hear people say things, like,
     "There's nothing after this life. You just get squashed like a bug and that's it."
     Belief in God is mocked. Faith in the unseen is often considered insane.
     But, while it seems that we in the Western World are losing our faith, turning to so-called "Science" and the worship of materialism, the scene is different elsewhere.
     Statistics say that there are 2.1 billion Christians in the world. That makes Christianity the largest religion in the world today. Yes, folks, Christians are actually in the majority! (Now, that's not to say that all those who call themselves Christians put their faith into practice.)
     The number of Christians around the world has nearly quadrupled in the last 100 years from 600 million in 1910 to 2.1 billion today.
     So, how do the other religions fare? I'll lay it out for you:

• Christians - 1.9 to 2.1 billion
•  Muslims - 1.6 billion
•  Judaism - 14.5 million
• Agnostic/Atheism - 1.1 billion (if you call that a religion)
• Hinduism - 950 million
• Chinese Traditional - 400 million
• Animists - 306 million
• African Anglicanism/disporic - 110 million
• Sikhism - 23.5 million
• Juche - 19.4 million
• Spiritism - 15.2 million
• Baha'i - 7 million
• Jainism - 4.2 million
• Shinto - 4 million
• Cao Dai - 4 million
• Zoroastrianism - 2.5 million
• Tenrikyo - 2 million
• Neo Paganism - 1.1 million
• Unitarian Universalism - 800,000
• Rastafaris - 625,00

     It should encourage all you dedicated Christians out there to know that more than one third of the 7 billion people on the face of the earth today think your belief system makes sense.
     "But do you really expect people to believe that a man died, was put into a tomb and then on the third day after his death, suddenly rose from the dead?"
     Yes!
     In the Hebrew court, the evidence of at least two witnesses was required for convicting the accused. The convicted false witness bore the same penalty that would have been inflicted upon the accused.
     There are not two, but four testimonies written by four witnesses who claim to have seen and heard the amazing events that took place in Israel when Jesus began his ministry. Four different accounts tell of miracles of healing, of sight being restored to the blind, of the lame rising to walk, of the dead being raised to life, of lepers being healed of their leprosy and of water being turned to wine, among other things.
     Four separate testimonies tell of the crucifixion, the piercing of Jesus' side, the darkened sky, the earthquake at the time of his death, the placing of His body inside of a tomb and the stone that was rolled in front of the door of said tomb.
     But it is the testimony of what happened on the third day after Jesus Christ's death that is of paramount importance. It is this testimony on which the Christian faith hinges.
     Because, if this part of the testimony is not true; if these four testimonies do not agree, "we are of all men most miserable", as Paul said in I Corinthians 15:19.
     If that third day, Jesus did not rise from the dead; if Mary and Martha did not find an angel sitting in the tomb where the body of Jesus had lain; if there was no Resurrection, we are lost in the dark, doomed to suffer for our sins and plea bargain with God for a shot at Eternal Life.
     If Jesus did not fulfill all of the 300 prophecies about Him, He is not the Messiah. If all four of these witnesses were lying, we are followers of a false religion. If a Roman soldier came and took the body of Jesus out of the tomb, this whole story is a cheap joke, a childish prank meant only for entertainment value and anyone would be crazy to follow such a man.
     As it turns out, there were not merely four witnesses. The twelve disciples of Jesus not only witnessed His life, but were endowed by His Spirit after His death. Jesus was seen after His death and walked on the earth for 40 days! Countless witnesses saw and heard Him.
     There are 2.1 billion people today who call themselves Christians. A Christian is a follower of Christ. Many of these can testify to knowing Jesus by faith. They can testify of miracles in their lives and of receiving the miraculous gift of Salvation.
     Don't take our word for it. Find out yourself what is written. Find out yourself whether Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies written in the Old Testament. Read for yourself in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to see if their stories match up. Do they all agree that Jesus indeed was crucified and that He rose again on the third day after His death?
     If they all tell the same story, it's a viable truth that would hold up in any court of law. Ask yourself this question,
     "What reason would they have to lie?" Do you think they would risk the punishment of being crucified? That would have been their punishment if they'd been tried in a Hebrew court and any of their stories didn't match up.
     Every Christian is a testimony of what Jesus did for them. We tell our children if they are in trouble and need help, "Just ask a Policeman." So, my advice to anyone who needs spiritual help is, "Just ask a Spirit-filled Christian." They should be willing and able to give you a reason for the hope that is in them.

P.S. I welcome your comments. You can email me at: brenleephillips@gmail.com   
 


  

The Deciding Factor

     How can you tell if a person is of God or not? What is the key? What is the deciding factor?
     According to the Bible, it's love.
     I John chapter 4 verse1 says: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
    We are not supposed to just accept everyone and believe what they are saying. That's gullibility, not faith. We are supposed to 'try the spirits' to make sure that they are of God.
    I John chapter 4 goes on to say: "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:  and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:  and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now already is it in the world."
    If a person is not of God, they won't be able to confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. In fact, from my experience, they won't even like to hear the name of Jesus Christ. That name has power in the spiritual realm that causes the little minions of the devil to want to run! I have seen His name bring about a physical reaction from unbelievers. It's like blinding them with the light, exposing their darkness and they physically back off, turn away and flea.
     Furthermore, it says: "Beloved, let us love one another:  for love is of God:  and everyone that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
     And there you have it. God is love.
     Now, what more do you need to know?
     Look beyond a man's/woman's religion. Look beyond his/her monetary wealth, the colour of his/her skin, the car he/she drives. Even look beyond his/her church attendance.
     If he does not or cannot love, he does not know God.
     Of course, believers fall down on occasion; we make mistakes, fail others, even commit crimes. We are human. The question is, do we love? (If you're asking, "What is love?", you can read I Corinthians chapter 13 to find out exactly what Love is.)
     I John 4 verse 16 says: "...God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him."
     Or, you could say, "God is love and he that lives in love lives in God and God in him." That to me means that if you are a believer, God's love is alive in you. And it will show!
     The opposite of that? --You might say, "hate". But, really what is hate? It's fear. Fear is weakness. Love is strength.
     "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
     Again, none of us is perfect. But, if we suffer from any type of fear, we should know that that is not of God. Chase away your fears with the love of God.

Everything is a Miracle

     Albert Einstein said,
     "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
     Take, for example, the lowly bumble bee. Aerodynamically, he is not built to fly. His wings are too small to be able to support his plump body in the air. But, the bumble bee doesn't know he is defying the laws of nature. So, he flies!
     A human cell has a brain, waste disposal, factories, transportation and communication. Yet, we are not able to see a cell with our earthly eyes. How could so much detail and intelligence exist in such microscopic dimensions? If one of these cells fails to do its job, the results could be fatal to the entire body.
     It's a miracle that the human body can survive, considering how easily it can be destroyed. Unseen germs can bring down giant men. There's nothing "supernatural" about catching a disease.
     If a person flips a light switch, it's not considered a miracle that the light goes on. Talking on a phone these days is a normal part of life. We don't stop to consider there are no wires attached nor that the person we are talking to is miles away. But, how could anyone say that's not a miracle?
     No less of a miracle is my new granddaughter. She arrived in brand new condition, no assembly required. It's a mystery how her bones were formed in her mother's womb.
     Likewise, spiritual birth is a miracle.
    
     "It took a miracle to put the stars in place.
     It took a miracle to hang the world in space.
     But when He saved my soul
     Cleansed and made me whole,
     It took a miracle of love and grace."

     I think it was Paul McCartney who turned to his wife after she'd given birth to their first child and asked,
     "How did you do that?"
     To me, a miracle is something that cannot be explained to my satisfaction. That's why, to me, everything is a miracle.  
 
    

Believe to See

     They say "Seeing is believing." But, if you've already seen, how much faith does it take to believe it? That's not exercising faith. The word faith means you are believing something you can't see, or else why do you need faith? So, what we should say is, "Believing is seeing."
     First you believe. Then, you see.
     If you need to see before you believe, it means you have a lack of faith. You're not trusting that what is being told to you is the truth.
     How do you feel when someone doesn't believe you? It's a nasty feeling, like your character is being called into question.
     We go to work for someone, believing that they will pay us. That takes a bit of faith. Business deals are transacted in faith. You have to have a certain amount of trust in the people you do business with. Even a Police Record Check doesn't guarantee that that person is honest, does it?
     One of the biggest arguments against faith in God is, "If God made us, who made God?"
     This sounds like a reasonable, logical excuse to deny the existence of a Creator. Logically speaking, there could not be a Creator because He Himself would have had to have been created at some point in time. Otherwise, how did He exist in order to be able to create?
     Who created God?
     The answer to that question is in the Bible. Exodus chapter 3, verse 14 says:
     "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
     This is one of the few passages where a phrase is written in capital letters. Seems important. However, this is the sort of phrase that goes right over our heads. God's use of the present tense to describe Himself is mystifying, brain-boggling and in downright defiance of our human scientific laws.
     How can anyone or anything just "be"? That is an absolute impossibility in our realm. Our finite minds cannot grasp it.
     Our finite, human minds cannot grasp God. That's why the Bible says, "The carnal mind is at enmity (war) with God."  If we want to know God, we have to use another conduit. Faith.
     "According to your faith be it unto you."
     "...All things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:23.
    Where do you get faith? Little children seem to have ample supplies. But, how do adults get enough faith to believe the impossible?
     We simply need to ask God for it. He has barrels of it just sitting around going to waste. Just ask.
     If you ask him for a loaf of bread, He won't give you a stone and if you ask Him for faith, He'll give you abundantly more than you could imagine. It's all by faith.
     And then, you'll see!

     

When You Know God is Real

     I have spoken to several people who said that they discovered God is real, simply by asking Him to show them. He wants to show you. He's waiting for you to open that door, to test Him for yourself. If God is real, wouldn't He be able to show you?
     So, I suggest to the seeker, "You be the test-tube. You be the experiment. Put the invisible, omniscient, omnipresent Creator inside of you and see what happens!"
     Put God to the test! Why not? He's more than able to answer any question you ask Him.
     What's holding you back? What have you got to lose? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
     "What's in it for me?" you may ask. And the answer is:
     Peace of mind, joy, freedom from the weight of guilt and sins, freedom of choice, liberty of spirit, a new life with new desires and reasons for living, the truth, love... But the best part of it all is that you no longer need to fear death. You won't die, but you will pass from death into eternal life. Jesus Christ is handing out free tickets to the Afterlife, the Kingdom of Heaven.
     All you have to do is believe!
     "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." Acts 16:31
     It's that simple. It's enough to make you want to run out and buy a Bible, isn't it? If you don't already have one, you don't know what you're missing! The Bible is the most powerful book on the face of this planet. And, it's still a best-seller, in spite of all the lies and controversy against it down through the ages.
     There are mysteries within its pages. There are wonders to be marveled at. Prophecies recorded in the books of Daniel and Revelation, for example, reveal the near future that awaits us.
     To read the Bible with an open heart and mind is to take a spiritual journey more amazing than any magic carpet ride this world has to offer. You will feel the heart of God, weep when He weeps and laugh when He laughs. You will be swept up into an incomprehensible world of Love and filled with His omnipotent Spirit. It's all there for the taking.
     Don't wait until you run out of excuses. Don't (like the alcoholic) wait until you "hit bottom" before you wake up. You already know that materialism and the pursuit of selfish pleasure don't satisfy.
     Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour,Messiah, Lord, All-in-All, Prince of Peace, King of Kings and Lover of your Soul to find true happiness and peace today. Ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit, the spirit of wisdom and you will understand how wonderful life can be!
    
    

Religionists Crucified Jesus!

    We hear over and over that religion is what is destroying the world. I have to agree with that. Religious legalism and that self-righteous attitude of, "I'm right and you're wrong." has partly had a hand in bringing about war and destruction.
     If you take the love out of God's Word, you're left with the "letter of the law". Second Corinthians 3:6 warns that "the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."
     In chemistry, certain chemicals can become unstable without an inhibitor. In the same way, removing Love from the Word creates a dangerous and destructive weapon. The Bible is a weapon that must be used with wisdom. (Wisdom is the ability to use knowledge with love.)
     "The Word of God is quick (alive) and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword..."
     It was the religious leaders of Jesus' day that killed him.
     Why?
     Because, Jesus came to make salvation as easy as possible. The Scribes and Pharisees had him crucified, because the religious system of the day said it couldn't be done without them, without following all of their complicated laws, traditions and religious rigmarole.
     So, what exactly does it take to obtain the salvation of one's soul?
     We can't earn it. We'd never be "good" enough to deserve it. We'll never by worthy. We can't work for it.
     Salvation is a gift. All you can do is receive it.
     Then, what?
     Then, thank God for it! It has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ.
     If you're not sure whether you have received this gift from God, why not just ask Him for it? Here's an example prayer:
     "Dear God, If you are real, please show me. If Jesus is your Son Who died for me, please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal salvation. Thank-You. Amen." 
    
   

Is the Bible Like the Moon?

     It could be that dusty, heavy, old book left behind by your dead great-grandmother, who fingered through it once a week on Sundays. Maybe you envision a thick, leather-bound version being pounded by a religious fist or carried to church under the arm of a preacher. Perhaps that book is an embarrassment, a dark secret that we don't want to talk about. You may have been convinced that it's full of fables, wives' tales and mistranslated bunkum. Besides, it's too difficult to understand and it contradicts itself.
     Have you ever wondered why, of all the books in the world, the Bible has been surrounded in such forbidding threats and accusations? It's just a book, isn't it?
    Every day, more than a metric ton of meteoroids hits the moon. But, the moon continues to shine on us.  
    Like the moon, God's Word has survived. And it shines on.
    When all is said and done, each of our lives will be summed up by how we treated the Bible; whether we read it, or believed it, or obeyed it or whether we ignored it and chose to swallow the accusations against it.
     No, it's not just a book. It comes in the form of a book with words in it. That's true. But, you won't find any words in any other book that hold as much power. Therein lies the very reason behind the enemy's attacks on it. The enemy of your soul wants to convince you that it's just a weak fairy tale, full of mistranslations and contradictions because he knows that if you actually read it, just one word of Truth is able to pierce through the darkness and fill you with Light. 
     "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." John 5:24
     God put his cookies on the lowest possible shelf for us. How could it be any easier than that? All you have to do is hear his word and believe it to pass from death to eternal life.
     Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63
     Get those words into you and you will be full of life and light. The darkness will flee. Try it and see. 

(For those who are new to Bible-reading, I suggest you start with the book of John. Cut your teeth on that.)