Author: Tony Busquets

THIS ADVENTURE CALLED LIFE

~ Tony Busquets ~ Leave a comment

Ever wonder what life is all about?  Ever think “Why am I here?” 

We have all had that thought. In an earlier post I stated that we are here to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, that is to seek and save the lost. However, the basic meaning of life is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and to bring others to Jesus. We have to take that first step of accepting him. However, many people say “But my life is not where I want it to be?” or “How can Jesus love a person like me.”

To those who doubt that Jesus would want you, I have something to say – Jesus loves you and wants you with Him in Heaven. He will meet you where you are and will help you turn your life around. All you have to do is accept Him as your Lord and Savior, submit to His will, and repent of your sins.

Repent is an old military term from the Roman Legion days that means “To do an about-face, to turn 180 degrees”.

Jesus can for us. Luke 19:10 states that Jesus came to save us. Here is the verse from the English Standard Version “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

To understand this, we need to look at the most famous passage in the Bible – John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. God wants a relationship with you. He sent Jesus as our Mercy giver, our healer, and our Spiritual Doctor.

The truth is that if we look at the next verses you will see how much love God has for us. And it is important to read and understand these two verses and not read anything into it. Verses 16 and 17 of the third chapter of the book of John says: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” God does not want to be separated from you, He wants you to be with Him in Heaven for all eternity. You are His creation and He loves you.

God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn it but to save it. Others would have you think that we have an unmerciful God, or a Vengeful God. In fact, we have the opposite, we have a very loving and merciful God. God is not a god who wants to hurt you, punish you, condemn you, or destroy you. Our God is a god who wants to redeem you and have a relationship with you. He wants you for Himself because He loves you.

If you’re a parent, could you watch your child be tortured, humiliated, and ultimately killed for not committing any crimes except to bring you hope and a future? Would you be able to sit and watch your own child be flogged, whipped and have their entire body ripped to shreds, then spit on, and finally executed for not committing any crimes? That is the price God paid to have a relationship with you. He sacrificed His own Son for you because our Lord loves you.

Several times in Scripture God has written the following “Be holy, because I am holy.”  God cannot accept someone who is filled with sin into His Kingdom.  However He made a way for us thru Jesus – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14:6.  Many times in the New Testament Jesus states that only thru Him is the way to Heaven.  Only thru Jesus can we have fellowship with the Father. 

And yet, this is a major stumbling block to many. How can Jesus be the only way to God? The reason is because God designed it that way. After all, Jesus redeemed us thru His blood on the Cross. There are no other ways to Heaven or to God. There is only one way to Heaven.

There is no other way to God. There is no other way to Heaven. There is only one way and that is thru Jesus.

I want to ask you to take a moment and figure out where you are in life, where are you in your spiritual walk with Jesus? And I want to ask you to think about where do you want to spend eternity? Do you want to spend eternity in paradise with Jesus and God and the rest of the saints who have paved the path for us? Or do you want to continue in life with no hope and in the end, face judgment and eternal punishment?
If you want to spend life in Heaven and Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or you feel you have backslidden and want to repent then please pray this prayer:

DEAR LORD, I KNOW I AM A SINNER.  I KNOW I HAVE HOPE IN JESUS.  I WANT TO REPENT OF MY SINS AND COME TO YOU TO ASK FORGIVENESS.  I WANT TO ASK YOU TO FORGIVE MY SINS, CLEANSE ME OF MY SINS, GIVE ME THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE WITH JESUS, AND I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS IS MY LORD AND SAVIOR AND HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ME.  I ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME INTO ME AS THE GUARANTEE OF MY SALVATION AND WANT TO REPENT OF MY SINS.  ALL THIS I ASK IN JESUS HOLY AND PRECIOUS NAME, AMEN

If you prayed that prayer then I want to say CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF BELIEVERS. You are now one of the Saints of God! You are a Christian! The Angels, The Saints, The Lord Jesus, and all who have gone before us are having a party in Heaven because you chose Jesus. And I want to welcome you to the family. Find a good Bible-based church and continue to learn about Jesus. We are all on this Journey together. And in the end we will hear God say “Well Done my good and faithful servant!” And I hope to see you in Heaven with me!

OUR MORAL COMPASS

~ Tony Busquets ~ Leave a comment

Everyone has a definition of right and wrong.  Right and wrong are mostly defined by what we ourselves or what society defines as right and wrong.  This definition can be altered based on our perception of right and wrong, the current societal perception of right and wrong, political perception, business perception, ethical perception, or any other perception that we feel should be considered based on current events or current circumstances.

What if I were to tell you that there is a perception that is always correct for every circumstance and can give an unbiased perspective on right and wrong? 

In the book of Proverbs Chapter 1, we are treated to the introduction of right and wrong.  I will quote the first four verses here:

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

2 Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
    to help them understand the insights of the wise.
3 Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
    to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
4 These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
    knowledge and discernment to the young.

The entire Bible is filled with examples of right and wrong.  The Proverbs and the Ten Commandments of God are a great starting place.  Those give us the ultimate test of right and wrong. 

What is the ultimate test of right and wrong?  We can start with the Ten Commandments, which were the first laws given to Moses from God, to guide us into living a righteous life.  These are found in the Book of Exodus in Chapter 20 of the Bible.  I will place the portions of the commandments here for all to see.

20 Then God gave the people all these instructions[a]:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.

3 “You must not have any other god but me.

4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those[b] who love me and obey my commands

7 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.

12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You must not murder.

14 “You must not commit adultery.

15 “You must not steal.

16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.

17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

Basically, they are broken down in this way:

  1. You shall have no other gods before Me. (God is our God.  There are no other Gods)
  2. You shall make no idols. (Do not worship anything or anyone except God.  And there are no other Gods and nothing can take the place of our God)
  3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
  4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.
  5. Honor your father and your mother.
  6. You shall not murder.
  7. You shall not commit adultery.
  8. You shall not steal.
  9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (Don’t lie)
  10. You shall not covet. (Don’t be jealous because your friend or neighbor may have a better car, a nice house, a beautiful wife or muscular husband, etc.).

The book of Proverbs in the Bible provides more instructions on right and wrong.  They will help guide you to make the best decisions using the standards God has given us thru the prophets. 

We get more instructions from Jesus himself.  In John 14: 6 Jesus tells us “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”  He gives us instructions on how to live and know the difference between right and wrong. 

Digging a little deeper Jesus told us in John 8: 31-32 “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  Knowing the truth from the point of view of Jesus provides us with a compass detailing what is right and what is wrong.  It provides us with the best way to live and the best way to make a difference in the world to those who are hurting or those who need to understand the difference between right and wrong. 

In Psalm 43:3 the author writes the following: “Send out your light and your truth;
    let them guide me” The author was asking God to show him what is right, what is the right thing to do or to say.  If we look further down in the rest of verse 3 and into verse 4 we can read the following: “Let them lead me to your holy mountain,
    to the place where you live.
There I will go to the altar of God,
    to God—the source of all my joy.
I will praise you with my harp,
    O God, my God!”

Right and truth is what God loves.  Doing the right thing according to God pleases Him.  Understanding His truth and His righteousness helps us to understand Him and have a deeper relationship with God. 

The words that come from our lips or the actions we take are the results of things we have in our hearts.  Matthew 15: 17 – 18 states 17 “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. 18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you.”  Our actions define us.  What we say or do determines how others view us – Good or Bad.   What we learn and how we react is what defines us. 

Thru the salvation given to us by Jesus we are also given the truth.  We are given truth from God thru Jesus.   We have had the truth with us from the beginning of time.  Psalm 26: 3 states “For I am always aware of your unfailing love,
    and I have lived according to your truth.” 

We can fill ourselves with the truth that comes from God thru the Bible.  This will be our Moral Compass and our guide to right and wrong – an infallible guide, an inerrant guide.  What we feed our hearts is what will come out.  Food only fills us for a short time.  The truth stays with us forever. The definition of right and wrong remains in us, and we can be a better example of parents, friends, managers, employees, etc.  We will be the ones who are trustworthy, and no one can fault a trustworthy person.

I remember a saying from Frank Jackson that goes like this: “Watch your thoughts, they become words.  Watch your words, they become your actions.  What your actions, they become habits.  What your habits, they become character.  Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” 

How do you want your ultimate destiny defined?  Where do you want to spend eternity?  In the smoking or non-smoking section of eternity (Heaven or Hell)?  I am not saying good works and good character will get you into Heaven.  Only believing and accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and repenting of your sins will open the doors to Heaven for you.  Understanding what is truly right and truly wrong thru God’s eyes will provide a better life for you.  There will be some trials and troubles, Christianity does not give you an escape from trouble.  But with Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can have peace during the troubles.

Feeding our minds with the Word of God will help us to get closer to our Creator.  Understanding God and his definition of right and wrong will help us lead better lives.  We will become better people for the sake of our Creator and our Savior.  We will make mistakes and we will slip up, that happens.  We have mercy and grace from our God who will forgive us our sins.  That does not give us a right to sin (which will be discussed later), but we have a merciful God who forgives us and welcomes us back when we sin.  We are all born as sinners and we need forgiveness.  We need to acknowledge that Jesus is our Savior, who died on the cross for us to have freedom from Sin, and rose again three days later so we can have freedom from death.  If we acknowledge all this and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will have eternal life.  Understanding his teachings and the teachings in the rest of the Bible will help us to know what is truly right and truly wrong.  And we will live a better life. 

So, when the last day on Earth has come and you have slipped past this world and gone into the afterlife, how do you want to be remembered?  What epitaph do you want to be left for you?  What would you like people to truly say about you?  And where do you want to spend eternity? 

UNITY IN CHRIST

~ Tony Busquets ~ Leave a comment

How many of us remember the history lessons of the Civil War?  The United States was divided with family members on both sides of the war.  At times they were fighting against each other.  And if another army would have come into the fight while America was divided, the entire country would’ve fallen. 

Unfortunately, that is happening with the Christian Faith.  There are those that say “My way is the best.”  Others say “You are wrong!”  And still, others that say “If you are not part of this church you are going to hell!” 

What do you think Satan is doing right now?  He is laughing at all of us.  Because the only person who is right and perfect is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We need to respect each other’s point views and try to find common ground.

We should all really around the key points of Christianity:

  1. There is only One God and his name is Yahweh.  He is our creator.
  2. Believe in One God but with three faces: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
  3. That Jesus is God the Son, and that Jesus was 100% God and 100% Man.
  4. Jesus died to atone for our sins and was raised from the dead, and now resides with God the Father.  He did this for us have a relationship with God, and Jesus did this of His own free will.  And that Jesus will one day return for His Church and bring us to be with Him in Heaven.
  5. Jesus is the only way to Heaven.  Without our belief in Jesus and acceptance of Jesus as our Savior we are doomed to an eternity in Hell.
  6. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit as our seal and guarantee of our salvation.
  7. Salvation is a free gift from God.  It cannot be earned and there is nothing you can do to receive salvation except to accept and acknowledge that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, that He died for our Sins so we can live in eternity with Him.  
  8. Jesus is the Head of the Church.  And we submit to His authority.
  9. The Bible is the inerrant word of God and was divinely inspired.  We believe the Bible in its entirety.  We do not remove chapters or verses; the Bible is accurate and correct and is the Divine Word of God.
  10. There will be a final judgment on Mankind, and you will be sentenced either to an eternity in Heaven or an eternity in Hell.
  11. Satan and his demons are real.  That they are here to create spiritual warfare, distract us from our mission to seek and save the lost, to stop unbelievers from believing, create chaos, to deceive us, and that Satan wants to destroy mankind and prevent our reunion with God.
  12. God is omniscient.  Satan and his demons are not omniscient.
  13. That there is a Heaven for those who follow Jesus and a Hell as the eternal punishment for those who do not follow Jesus.
  14. The only unforgivable sin is Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
  15. There will be a tribulation period in which the Anti-Christ will arise and rule the world. 
  16. Eventually, the Earth will pass away, and a New Heaven and a New Earth will take its place with God as the Benevolent Ruler of this New Heaven and New Earth.  And no evil will be allowed to reside there.

We need to unite around these truths from the Bible for Christianity to be victorious in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to Christ’s Followers.  As Christians, we have no right to defame other Christians unless they are not showing Love or Grace to others, and have turned their backs on the Word of God, and on the teaching of Jesus and His Prophets as dictated in the Bible.  We must be United in our Faith.  We need to tolerate the majors and accept the minors.  Those minors include speaking in tongues.  We need to accept that the majors are important.  Other things like was Jesus Black, White, or Hispanic (The Bible does not say anything about this, only that He was born of a Jewish carpenter and that He was not a person who stood out);  or does the miracle of healing still happen, where a person lays his hands on an ill person and heals them instantly.  Remember, our faith is what we hang onto for our salvation and our hope. 

In some parts of our country, and many parts of the world, faith and hope are the only thing people have to hold onto and if we take that away by attacking each other then we are no better than the world that attacks us.  We need to be United in our Faith.

I love how the Ligonier Ministry took the Reformation Theology and summarized it into the Five Solas

  1. Sola Scriptura:  Scripture Alone.  All theology must be based on Scripture.  And that scripture only comes from the Word of God – The Bible.  Nothing extra-biblical, everything is based on Scripture from the Bible.  We do not add to the Word of God, we do not take away from the Word of God, and we don’t change the meaning to the Word of God.  We are always reverent to God and His Word, and the meaning in which it was written.
  2. Sola Christus:  Christ Alone.  All theology must be Christ Focused and point to Jesus as the Head of the Church.  Everything in Scripture teaches us about God and His story, and His plan for us.  The Bible is the testament of God and is inerrant.  Also, there is no fellowship with God without acceptance or a relationship with Jesus, Our Savior
  3. Sola Fide: Faith Driven and Faith Alone.  Without Faith in Jesus Christ we have no hope.  Faith leads us to Jesus.  Without this faith in Jesus it would be impossible to please God and to improve ourselves or to be better testimonies for Him.  With faith we can do all things for God.  Without faith we are lost in a sea of storms.
  4. Sola Gratia: Grace Alone.  Our Salvation is from God’s Grace.  Our salvation is a gift from God.  It is not earned, but freely given.  As stated above, all God wants is for us to believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, and He gave up His life on the Cross as the atonement for our Sins.  Because of His gift we now have eternal life.  We must acknowledge that Jesus is our King, Our Lord and Savior, and that He sits at the right hand of the Father.  Again, it is freely given.  There is nothing you can do to earn Salvation. The fact is that we are saved by our faith in Jesus and that our salvation is a free gift from God, you can’t do anything to earn it, you cannot buy it, and you cannot receive it any other way. 
  5. Soli Deo Gloria: Dominated by God.  This is very important.  Ligonier’s Ministry, from whom I borrowed the Five Solas definition, defines Soli Deo Gloria beautifully: each of the three persons of the Trinity leads us to salvation and to worship all three faces of God.  Even though there are three faces, it is still One God.  Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have fellowship with all three faces of God in the following way:
  6. With the Father we have fellowship with Him in Love.  He is our Creator and our Father.
  7. With the Son (Jesus) we have fellowship with Him in Grace.  He is our Savior and He laid down his life freely for us by dying on the Cross on Calvary.
  8. With the Holy Spirit we have fellowship in strength and comfort.  He is our Guide, our Counselor, our Conscience, provider of our strength, and giver of comfort.  He is always with us and is our seal of salvation that cannot be lost. 

Once we accept all this and unite behind our Lord and Savior Jesus, and discontinue the infighting, then we will all be stronger.  Remember that the only perfect person is Jesus.  The spirit that divides is not of God but of satan (Yes I purposely wrote his name in lowercase because he is a nothing burger compared to God our Father).  The spirit that causes chaos is from the evil one.  The spirit of Unity comes from our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We have a God who brings order, unity, and peace.  Let us submit to our God of Peace and forsake the spirit of chaos, and live in Unity and Harmony with each other.

To God be the Glory