My Message From God - Christian Spirituality

By Gregory Vanden Berge 

This is a special article to me and I would like to share it with you. It seems like, every one that I have ever met, who refers to themselves as Christians, have received a special message from God.

I would like to share my message from God with every person in the world.

Why would God go out of his way to create evil people? To create people that wouldn't convert to his religion. To understand the true meaning of the one true religion. To have the ability to comprehend the truth and wisdom of Christianity.

I have been listening to Christians for years, talk about evil, the influence of the Bible on Christians, gifts from God, questioning their beliefs, lacking understanding for things that God doesn't give them or things that he takes away from them and excluding sinners from their lives.

I've been listening to Christians talk about love and caring, but excluding sinners, homosexuals and women from their church. Not allowing women to hold decision of authority or allowing them to perform certain tasks, inside of the Church.

I've been listening to Christians, quote from the Bible, with limited knowledge of the origins of that individual Bible verse, let alone the origins of their church or how Christianity was formed.

I've listened to them judge me for my beliefs and condemn others for theirs, while they are telling me about decision's they are making within their own lives, that don't support Christianity.

Just because you go to church, read the Bible or simply believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, doesn't make you an educated Christian. It only makes you a Christian.

My message from God is simple. Learn more about Christianity and this will allow you to do one of two things. Either you will become a stronger Christian or you will relinquish your beliefs in Christianity.

Either way you will have learned more about Christianity and could consider yourself an educated Christian or simply an educated person. [http://didgodactuallysaythat.spiritualbooks4u.com/]Advanced Bible Study

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author and a inspiration to millions of people. He has been involved in religious research for almost 30 years, and his influence in the Christian community is growing. The Holy Bible, is the core to Christian beliefs and most Christians don't even question it. Was the Bible actually written by men?

His newest book," Did God Actually Say That?" Was written specifically for Christians who are interested in gaining additional knowledge about the Bible. This book provides Christians with advanced biblical knowledge, answer some tough questions and should be read by every faithful follower of Christ.

Click here if you're a Spiritual Chrsitian.

Holy Mary Mother of God

By  Bob Gill

For centuries Christians have pondered mysteries associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus: holy Mary, mother of God. Most people know her through the pages of the Bible, but many others have come to know her outside these pages. Throughout the last 2000 years, for example, Mary is said to have responded to the thousands of prayers to her Son, prayers that have been answered through her intercession. She has even, on occasions, graced us with her actual presence here on earth.

Roman Catholics are often accused of worshipping Mary, giving her God-like status. Contact with her is made through the likes of the Rosary - a Roman Catholic devotional item, icons and other images while invoking her name. The Rosary, for example, is a string of beads arranged in five sets of ten beads, with each set used to meditate on events in the life of Christ and his mother while praying. Such is the devotion applied by Rosary users on occasions that non-Catholics accuse them of worshipping Mary.

The Council of Ephesus in 431 held that Mary was the mother of God, Theotokos, and as such is worthy of great reverence. Catholics, then, honor Mary in their special way, often using her to mediate with God or her son on their behalf. The tradition of 2000 years, the documented miraculous occurrences or answers to thousands of prayers over the centuries, all attest to the success of using holy Mary, mother of God as a mediator between God and man.

Apparitions of Mary are alleged to have occurred over 2000 years. The evidence of many reputable witnesses to certain of these events cannot be discounted. In 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, for example, some 70,000 people witnessed unnatural 'dancing' of the sun following monthly appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Again, in 1981 young children in Medjugorje, Bosnia claimed daily apparitions of Mary. More than 25 years later these same visionaries are said to be still receiving visitations - an almost unheard of regularity in Church history.

The events in Medjugorje have attracted millions of pilgrims to that small village, overshadowed by a huge concrete cross on a nearby hill that was erected by the villagers in 1933 to celebrate 2000 years since the Redemption of Christ. Visitors here cannot but be impressed with the devotion of the villagers to the service of God. They respond to requests from Mary to pray, fast and make reparation for sins. The whole atmosphere is one of peace and tranquility.

Commercialism is a fact of life in many tourist places these days, and in Medjugorje it is no different. Shops are stocked with religious items: Rosary beads, Italian manufactured art and statues, various other religious objects. But the visitor can see beyond this commercialism and witness genuine devotion to Mary, with first place being given to her son, Jesus.  Life here, one can imagine, is like stepping into the pages of the Bible during the lifetime of Jesus. The author knows of no other place on earth where you can go out and leave your home unlocked without fear of burglary. Here you feel safe and secure when you carry out all your daily activities.

In this 21st century, then, God is still alive and still being witnessed in Medjugorje by Catholics, Protestants, and all men, women and children of many religions. All of these people are being brought back to the Creator by the greatest woman in the history of mankind: holy Mary, mother of God.

Bob Gill is webmaster for the site:'Gospa, Our Lady of Medjugorje  http://www.medjugorjenews-nz.org which offers a free quarterly publication aimed at spreading the messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje.

Top Twenty-Five Quotes On God And Christianity

By Jerry Richard Boone 

Do you love a good quote? Are you a Christian? Yes? Yes? Then I guarantee you will love the Top Twenty Quotes on God and Christianity! Okay, I admit, I did sneak in one of my own. See if you can find it.

   Please note: These quotations are listed apathetically by author, not in any perceived order of importance.

"Christ is not valued at all unless He is valued above all."  Saint Augustine (354-430)  Christian church father, philosopher, bishop

"Who among us is willing to die to perpetuate a hoax?  A logical assumption is that the martyrs: Stephen, James, Peter, and Paul died firmly convinced they were telling us the truth about Jesus and his resurrection.  A blind faith?  No, a reasoned faith.  For Christianity was established by credible eyewitnesses willing to die for their testimony."  Jerry Boone (1947- ) American author

"God bears with the wicked, but not forever."  Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish Writer

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."  G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author

"Nature is but a name for an effect, whose cause is God."  William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet

"How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments."  Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)  American inventor, publisher, statesman

"Toward what should we aim if not toward God?"  Andre Gide (1869-1951) French writer

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both the soul and the body in hell."  (Matthew 10:28) Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.- c. A.D. 30) The Messiah, the Son of God

"A man with God is always in the majority."  John Knox (1505-1572)  Scottish religious reformer, founder of Scottish Presbyterianism

"Now I define Faith as the power of continuing to believe what we once honestly thought to be true until cogent reasons for honestly changing our minds are brought before us."  Christian Reflections (1941) C. S. [Clive Staples] Lewis  English author and Christian Apologist


"One of the great difficulties is to keep before the audience's mind the question of Truth.  They always think you are recommending Christianity not because it is 'true' but because it is 'good'.  One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and if it is true, of infinite importance.  The one thing it cannot be is moderately important."  God in the Dock (1946)  C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

"Here is a door, behind which, according to some people, the secret of the universe is hiding. Either that is true, or it isn't. And if it isn't, then what that door really conceals is simply the greatest fraud, the most colossal 'sell' on record. Isn't it obviously the job of every man (that is a man and not a rabbit) to try to find out which, and then devote his full energies to serving this tremendous secret or to exposing and destroying this giant humbug?"  God in the Dock (1946) C.S. Lewis

"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut him up for a fool; you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."  Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis

"We may not be able to get certainty, but we can get probability, and half a loaf is better than no bread."  Christian Reflections C. S. Lewis

"The central Christian belief is that Christ's death has somehow put us right with God and given us a fresh start."  Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis

"The perfect church service would be the one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God. But every novelty prevents this. It fixes our attention on the service itself; and thinking about worship is a different thing than worshiping ... 'Tis mad idolatry that makes the service greater than the god."  C.S. Lewis

"Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because he said so. The other evidence about him has convinced them he was neither a lunatic nor a quack." Christian Reflections  C.S. Lewis

"When you try to explain the Christian doctrine as it is really held by an instructed adult, they will complain that you are making their heads turn round and that it is all too complicated and that if there really were a God they are sure that He would have made 'religion' simple, . . . as if 'religion' were something God invented, and not His statement to us of certain quite unalterable facts about His own nature. Besides being complicated, reality, in my experience, is usually odd. It is not neat, not obvious, not what you expect . . . .  Reality, in fact, is usually something you could not have guessed. That is one of the reasons I believe in Christianity."  Mere Christianity  C.S. Lewis

"It is my deepest conviction that New Testament Christianity -- I mean undenominationalized Christianity -- what you read in your New Testament -- unpolluted with centuries of human tradition, and untainted with the newest novelties and fads, is the best thing that ever happened to the human race, and that's our message."  Mack Lyon American Evangelist

"The heart of Christianity is that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from death the third day according to the Scriptures."  Mack Lyon

"Christianity is a demanding and serious religion. When it is delivered as easy and amusing, it's another kind of religion altogether. It's almost become a truism in preaching -- avoid doctrine, but by all means be amusing and entertaining -- and make it short. It's a mistake to substitute show for substance in the pulpit or on TV."  Mack Lyon

"Christianity, the kind of teaching and faith and worship and service that you read about in your own New Testament, isn't a hype religion that keeps you pumped up by the momentary excitement of frequent hand-clapping, foot stomping, hallelujah pep rallies. But it will sustain you in sickness and suffering and recessions and reversals, and at the grave side of a loved one. It gives stability and meaning to your life. It's the presence of God."  Mack Lyon

"When I was young, I was sure of many things; now there are only two things of which I am sure: one is, that I am a miserable sinner; and the other, that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior. He is well-taught who learns these two lessons."  John Newton (1725 -1807) Sailor, English Clergyman and Songwriter, best known for the hymn, "Amazing Grace"

"Jesus Christ our Lord was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead."   Romans 1:4) Apostle Paul

"Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under. If I could just make a personal statement of my own -- in these 3 1/2 years I have understood and known better than ever before the words of Lincoln, when he said that he would be the greatest fool on this footstool called Earth if he ever thought that for one moment he could perform the duties of that office without help from One who is stronger than all." Ronald Wilson Reagan  (1911-2004)  August 23, 1984, address at an ecumenical prayer breakfast, Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas

    If I haven't listed your favorite God and Christianity quote, email it to me and I'll consider it for a future article. No negative quotes, please!

   I believe you eventually become whatever you allow your mind to think about. If you will allow me one more "self quote": "Whatever is constantly on your mind is what you become. To put it another way, you are what you think. Want to become a saint? Then read, study, and take to heart -- the New Testament. Want to become a moral degenerate? Then read, study, and take to heart -- pornography. We can't help it. That's the way we are made.  Whoever we associate with, whatever we read, whatever we watch on television, whatever we allow our minds to dwell on, becomes, in time, our character and our destiny."

Jerry Boone, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, United States  webmaster@merechristianity.us  Mr. Boone is a sailor, author, and   His works include: Mere Christianity.us and SAFETY LINE - EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN, an apologetic study published 1998.

5 Famous Prayers in the Bible

By Diana Williams 

You may wonder what type of prayer arouses GOD'S attention and get results. Effective prayer is direct communication with GOD. It acknowledges individual faith in a power higher than oneself who can help, guide and bring comfort. Many see prayer as weak, spineless and the last resort of out of touch people in over their heads. I beg to differ. Prayer is the very first tactic of powerful, resourceful people living in complete dependence on GOD.

Throughout the Bible when situations occurred, prayer made the difference for the person praying. The first example of prayer that gets GOD attention is The LORD'S Prayer. Often called the Model Prayer, this prayer uses the formula of reverence for GOD first, petitioning, asking for forgiveness and then closing with praise. When asked by HIS disciples, JESUS taught HIS followers to pray with sincerity and without pretext. The tone that this prayer sets is reliance upon the LORD to meet needs.

1. Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13, NKJV)


The second prayer example looks at the short and simplistic Prayer of Jabez. It also got GOD'S attention and produced results! What was noteworthy of this prayer was the fact that Jabez asked for GOD'S blessing. The Bible gives very little background about Jabez, yet this particular prayer stuck out.

2. And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that YOU would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV)

The third prayer we examine is what David prayed after Nathan the prophet informed him of GOD'S judgment because of his adultery with Bathsheba, and his murder of Uriah, Bathsheba's husband. This is a prayer of confession to assuage guilt and receive forgiveness. The person praying must always take full responsibility for his or her actions. This type of humility makes this an effective prayer.

3. O loving and kind GOD, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed-it haunts me day and night. It is against YOU and YOU alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. YOU saw it all, and Your sentence against me is just. Create in me a new, clean heart, O GOD, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don't toss me aside, banished forever from Your presence. Don't take Your HOLY SPIRIT from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey YOU. (Psalms51:1-17 TLB)

A fourth example is how Hannah, who was barren, prayed for a son. She knew that GOD was able to grant her request. Her prayer demonstrated her faith by including a vow for her future.

4. In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if YOU will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head." (1 Sam 1:10-11, NIV)

The fifth prayer examined is from Hezekiah after the prophet told him to prepare to die. Hezekiah's tearful prayer spoke of his urgent need. GOD bestowed mercy and gave Hezekiah fifteen additional years of life.

5. "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech YOU, how I have walked before YOU in truth and with a whole heart and have done what is good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. (2 Kings 20:3, NASU)

The common thread prevalent in these prayers was a sincere link to GOD. True prayer fellowship recognizes that there is nothing too hard for GOD. There is also nothing off limits in the prayer request. Long or short, what garner results from GOD are the faith, love and motivation behind the prayers! http://5famousprayers.blogspot.com

One Hour with the Bible Changes Everything

Author: Jessica Hannah

Like everyone I have my own personal daily struggles, in this article I reveal how my personal daily Bible devotion has changed everything for me.

Let me start by saying that I am and have been a committed Christian for the last twenty years. So it will probably no surprise to hear me say that I do read the Bible on a regular basis. However in the last year I have changed the way I do this, if you like creating a daily reading habit that has transformed my life. I would like to share this with you in order to encourage you to consider this as a way to live.

The Bible is an amazing book, it is in fact 66 individual books from Genesis through to Revelation bought together to form what is known as the canon of scripture. The Bible covers history, archaeology, the rise and fall of nations and of course looks at the relationship between God and man down through the ages. It is this last point that we Christians focus on, believing it to be God's revealed blueprint for man kind. We consider the Bible to be a guide to living and the revealed word of God which explains his plan of redemption for all humankind.

In Matthew 6:33 but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Reflecting on this scripture alone I decided to radically change the way I read the Bible and as a result my lifestyle.

This involved literally putting God first by rising early each morning and reading the Bible before doing anything else in my day. Now knowing what to read each day can be tricky so my advice to anyone is to get a daily reading plan. You can pick these up online for free. The one I have means that I read the entire Bible from cover-to-cover in a year.

Reading the Bible on its own does not change ones life. However reading it and making a decision to be obedient to it as the word of God in my experience changes everything. I have felt lead, challenged and changed by my daily devotion and as a result my character and relationship with God has grown immensely. This in turn has helped me to get through intact the trials of life.