GOD IS A CHRISTIAN

PASTOR ANDY MORGRIDGE

• On June 20, 2015 Mike Awoyinfa in his Sat. Sun Newspaper column, PRESS CLIPS, wrote an article titled, GOD IS NOT A CHRISTIAN. It was a commentary on the book by DESMOND TUTU.

• Brought to my attention by Bro. Patrick, the comments by him, the readers and the many on-line commentators are the things that pushed me to give this message on behalf of God.

• In defense of God (if I may be permitted to speak for Him) I seek to show God’s reason for creation, and prove that God is a Christian.• I will show you their comments so

that you will see the huge amount of people going to hell, without knowing – thinking they are on the way to heaven.

• The Book: Most Christians believe that they get their mandate for exclusive claims from the Bible. Jesus does say that no one can come to the Father except through Him, and in Acts we hear it proclaimed that there is no other name under Heaven that is given for salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12)

• Those passages seem to be categorical enough to make all debates superfluous. But is this all that the Bible says, with nothing, as it were, on the side of inclusiveness and universality, and does the exclusivist case seem reasonable in the light of human history and development?

• Fortunately for those who contend that Christianity does not have an exclusive and proprietary claim on God, as if God were indeed a Christian, there is ample biblical evidence (John 1:9) In Romans, St. Paul points out that everyone stands condemned as under sin before God-both Jew and Gentile (Romans 3;9).

• This, which is central to the teaching he intends to convey, is found in an Epistle focused on the wonder of God’s free acquittal of all. God’s grace, bestowed freely through Jesus Christ, would be untenable if there were no universality about God’s law. • (Here he forgets the claiming /

acceptance of a free gift is what makes it yours – Titus 2:11-14)

• To claim God exclusively for Christians is to make God too small and in a real sense is blasphemous. God is bigger than Christianity and cares for more than Christians only he has to, if only for the simple reason that Christians are quite late arrivals on the world scene. God has been around since even before creation, and that is a very long time.

• If God’s love is limited to Christians, what must the fate be of all who existed before Christ?• (Apparently he does not know

about the 7 dispensations. It will be highlighted in part 2)

•My God and, I hope, your God is not sitting around apprehensive that a profound religious truth or a major scientific discovery is going to be made by a non-Christian.

• God rejoices that His human creatures, irrespective of race, culture, gender, or religious faith, are making exhilarating advances in science, art, music, ethics, philosophy, and law, apprehending with increasing ability the truth, the beauty, the goodness that emanate from Him.

• And we should also join in the divine exultation, rejoicing that there have been wonderful people such as Socrates, Aristotle, Herodotus, Hippocrates, Confucius, and others. Isn’t it obvious that Christians do not have a monopoly on virtue, on intellectual capacity, on aesthetic knowledge?

• Is God dishonoured that Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu? Shouldn’t we be glad that there was a great soul who inspired others with his teachings of satyagraha, who inspired the Christian Martin Luther King Jr. in his civil rights campaign? Do we really have to be so ridiculous as to assert that what Mahatma Gandhi did was good, but it would have been better had he been a Christian?

Comments by people:

• 11 of 12 people found the following review helpful• By Georgann Peck on February 7,

2012• Desmond Tutu’s insight into the

value of all humanity is centered in his profound understanding of the holy text of all major religions.

• With great zeal and sound knowledge of God’s word found in these sacred books, he reminds us that we are all children of god and that in all religion writings God commands us to live compassionately toward the oppressed, whether we are Christians, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, or Buddist, or otherwise.

• We are therefore bound to do good toward one another, and not to harm one another, no matter what other religious or lifestyle differences we may face. As in all of his writings his brilliance shines like light in the dark.

• I just finished reading your piece and I am somehow ashamed based on my Christian upbringing to say I agree with Desmond Tutu. God is way bigger than just one faith. I would really love to lay my hand on that book. –Arinze

• “To claim God exclusively for Christians is to make God too small and in a real sense is blasphemous. God is bigger than Christianity and cares for more than Christians only. He has to, if only for the simple reason that Chris tians are quite late arrivals on the world scene. God has been around since even before creation, and that is a very long time.”

• As a Rabbi of this age, I can’t but admire such rare and courageous open-mindedness which is clearly corroborated by that great scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan that the “present human culture is a kind of arrogant newcomer” into the world – Rabbi Nat

• Even a good native doctor will be with God before some of us that call ourselves Christians or Muslims. The God in me greets the God in you. Amen.

• To Archbishop Tutu, I say: May the universal and un limited God bless you richly for the article on “God is not a Christian.” May He grant you the wisdom and cour age to tell us more critical and liberating truths – Gabriel

• From all the above, the first thing that will strike you is that MAN GENERALLY PERCEIVES GOD THE WAY HE IS NOT. Wrong perception of the TRUTH is a very potent weapon in the hands of satan.

• 2Cor. 4:4 Mind discussed. Thayer’s definition:• NOEMA i.e. (1) A mental

perception, thought• (2) An evil purpose• (3) That which thinks,

the mind, the thoughts

• Let’s now look at PERCEPTION to understand how the Devil works – how he worked on Desmond Tutu, the commentators and Christians on things that affect their lives.

• Perception from chambers 21st C. Dictionary:• “The process whereby information

about one’s environment, received by the senses is organized and interpreted so that it becomes meaningful.• (2) One’s powers of observation,

discernment, insight• (3) One’s view or interpretation of

something

• When you are thinking outside the revealed word of God, you are in Satan’s territory and you will lose out, because he’s also anointed (Rm. 10:28-29 1Tim. 4:16 He’s NACHASH – the enchanter, mesmerize, hypnotist. He did it to Eve. See Gen. 3:1-5. He did it to Angels before Eve (See Jn. 8:44). See the Apostles view of Paul (2Pet.3:15-16; Acts 9: Acts 11:

• See Barnabas’ perception as different – we’ll see why later). See different view on Gentiles – Peter vs God (Acts 10.) Always run with the fact that because you are born again does not mean Satan cannot speak to you. See Eph. 2:1-3; Luke 4:5-6. Moment of time is vision given to Jesus. The Elijah example

• Never think outside the box – the word of God revealed – whether Bible or personal revelation / instruction. From the beginning of the nation Israel. See Deut.6-:4-14; Deut. 11:8-25 – write it everywhere. Discuss frontlets etc. Blue on your dress. Constant reminder and guide.

• Now you see why Jesus described His family thus – Matt. 12:46-50. Now you see why Jn. 14:6, Josh. 1:8