Christian history is usually treated as a subset of human history; it is really the other way around! Long ago someone clever came up with the term HIS-story, to refer to everything that has happened since time began. Its scope is immeasureably wide --from eternity past to eternity future! A truly "never ending story" beyond our ken. Here are 12 reasons to love, value, and see your place in it.
I love CHRISTIAN HISTORY and have been blessed to have lived in it from my cradle on. So did the whole Western world. It is a wonderful story:
God created us good but an enemy deceived us and condemned us to death. God sent His Son to save us, and He died to forgive all our sins. He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and is coming back to take us with Him into His heavenly kingdom and throw the devil and the wicked into Hell.
What’s wrong with that? Why would anyone NOT want to believe the story of Jesus and His love? Because they can not see it. The apostle Paul explains that this story cannot be seen by those who have no faith. Why can't they see it? That is the work of the devil:
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. – St. Paul* in 2 Corinthians 2:4:4
* means this person has a short biography in SPIRITUAL LIVES.
Christian history is the story of an ongoing conflict between good and evil.
That story has been written by God and is now in His right hand:
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. Revelation 5:1
Some of that book has been given to us in the Bible, but the rest is sealed until Jesus comes again. But our part in Christian history begins when we meet the HIM of HIS-story as we enter HIS Word. The One God behind it all. We will meet HIM as HE manifests Himself as:
The Father, the Invisible Spirit who planned and governs all we can perceive.
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; – St. Paul* cited by Luke in Acts 17:24
The Only Begotten Son, the Agent of creation and the one and the only link between the divine and created beings.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. – John 1:1-3
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; – St. Paul in 1 Timothy 2:5
The Spirit of Truth teaches all things divine and empowers us to enter His eternal kingdom.
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: – Jesus* in John 15:36
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. – Jesus in John 3:5
As we read Christian history we discover that Gospel story, from God Himself, and how it was designed, communicated, implemented, and fulfilled, from beginning through the middle to the end and beyond- forever!
I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the LORD, who does all these things. – Isaiah 45:7
Christian history teaches us our place in the story and how that place in His kingdom will be assured.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: – St. Paul in Ephesians 1:4
As we go deeper into Christian history we will see the ongoing warfare between good and evil and learn how that warfare began:
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. – Revelation 12:7-9
Christian history teaches how the holy, Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God created EVERYTHING GOOD and how evil entered into the picture.
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. – Genesis 1:31
But it did not remain so! Disguised as a serpent, Satan began his work of deception in the Garden of Eden:
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Genesis 3:1
For the first time in Christian history we see Satan’s strategy: “Hath God said?” He questions God’s Word. He attacks faith and plants doubts even suggesting that God is not good but trying to hold back good from them!
The Bible tells us Adam* and Eve* were chased out of the Garden, and that the awful consequence of their sin would impact every one of their descendants.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: – St. Paul in Romans 5:12
We will see the forces of both sides, the leaders and the combatants and learn the qualities that determine the outcomes.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. – Jesus in Luke 10:18-19
Christian history shows us the power of sin and hatred, holiness and love, malice and unbelief, kindness and faith.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. – St. Paul in Romans 6:23
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. – Jesus in John 15:18
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; – Jesus in Matthew 5:44
The Bible shows us the amazing power of faith and the hopelessness of trying to find God without it.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrustit into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. – Jesus in John 20:27
And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. – Jesus in Luke 17:6
Christian history teaches us the way to receive salvation, eternal life and take our place join in the battle for truth.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. – John 3:3
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.—John 3:16
All of this comes from the Grace of God.
We have nothing to do but repent and receive the Great Salvation. The Bible says the way to do this is by faith:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: St. Paul in Ephesians 2:8
Best of all, we will enter into the Word of God, see its power and truth, and how our entry therein will draw us closer to God. We will see a change in our lives and learn to live for Him.
Christian history helps us understand the difference between Truth and falsehood.
Then we can see the impact of both in the cosmos and in individual lives.
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. –Jesus in John 8:44
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. – John 14:6
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. – John 18:37
As we acquaint ourselves with Christian history we will see hundreds of men and women who gave their lives to God and the building of His kingdom.
At first, we will meet these people in the Bible, but later in the writings of Christians throughout the ages, through testimonies and BIOGRAPHIES that make Christian history come alive.
We will see a sharp contrast in the lives of those who decided to live for Jesus and those who hated Him and His followers.
There is a marked contrast between the men and women belonging to Jesus and those against Him. Christian history will help us stay on the side of the Angels!
It is a long journey from before there was time to when there shall be time no more and we can learn the outcome and understand our own place in Eternity.
We are living members of HIS CHURCH, without spot or wrinkle, washed in the blood of the Lamb. And Jesus is coming back to take us as His Bride to complete the final chapter of Christian history!
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