Verse of the Day: John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

This verse, written by the Apostle John, sums up Christianity. Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God (Genesis 22), God gave up his son as a propitiation, or sacrifice of atonement, so that any man (or woman) could seek forgiveness for sin(s), merely by asking. 

Who do we believe in to get everlasting life? Jesus, God's only begotten son--meaning a son who was not created, but actually came from God.

What is everlasting life? It is the continuance of our existence, for all eternity. This implies that those that do not believe in Christ will not continue on forever. Rather, when they are cast into the lake of eternal fire (Revelation Chapter 20) they suffer a second, permanent death. 

Salvation, Simplified

For a new believer, Christianity may seem overwhelming. The Bible is not by any means short--it requires many hours or even months of study. THe Apostle Paul simplified the gospel in First Corinthians 15.  

Even that might be confusing to some. So, here's a super-simple breakdown:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
(John 1:1)

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
(John 1:14)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(John 3:16)

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
(Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 6:23)

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
(Hebrews 2:9)

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
(Acts 3:19)

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
(Romans 10:9)

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
(Ephesians 2:8)

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(1 Timothy 2:5)

Word of the Day: Saved by Grace

Saved by Grace means saved from a future in hell, and granted eternal life--a gift from God, given to sinners who have accepted His only begotten son, Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (Ephesians 2:8)

Pre-Jesus, sinners could seek atonement by making a blood sacrifice and asking for forgiveness. By dying sinless on the cross, Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice for all the sins of mankind, so long as they turn away from sinning and accept Christ as their Lord and savior.

The expression comes from the writings of Paul, who pointed out that salvation didn't come from doing good deeds or works, but was a gift given by God.

Just Say a Prayer

In the 1990s, then-President Bill Clinton adopted a program of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" for the US Military, to avoid prosecution of homsexuality within the Armed Forces--an act then prohibited by the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Article 125). Being told to "not ask" was hardly a new concept for the military. It's a common theme that soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines aren't supposed to ask questions--they're supposed to follow orders.

That isn't the case with Our Father in Heaven and His only begotten son, Christ Jesus. Requesting assistance of the LORD is highly encouraged throughout scripture. But prayer isn't just about asking God for things as though He is some kind of magic genie. We are to praise the LORD as well. Jesus illustrated both requesting and thanking with his example of what prayer to the Father should be like in Matthew 6:9-13:  

9, After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11, Give us this day our daily bread.

12, And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Asking God for help should not be anything to ashamed of. Jesus directed the Apostles and his other disciples, during his Sermon on the Mount, to ask for assistance (Matthew 7:7):

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Yes, God doesn't always answers prayer--don't expect him to gift you a Lamborghini or a million bucks. But, if your request is in accordance with His will, you may get what you request. Not asking guarantees you won't receive it.

Nor should we limit our prayers to just ourselves. A friend once lamented to me that when he was out and about, he would see people begging for money. He was hesitant to help them, fearing they might be faking their need--then he immediately would feel bad for thinking that and passing them by without helping them. My response to this was simple: Pray for them.

There are many people in the world who need help but won't ask for it. This isn't just help from God, but help from anyone. If you see someone in need, if nothing else, you can pray for them, asking God on their behalf.

Prayer doesn't stop with with praise and pleading. There's also just simple dialogue.

Every morning, we greet people with salutations like "Good Morning!" or "Hello". Why not God? Children are often taught to say their prayers at night, before they go to sleep. Why not start the day with a hello to God--and maybe a thanks for another day alive?

Prayer should be a daily part of our life, but it doesn't have to be a public one. While we shouldn't be embarrassed to believe in and speak to our Father in Heaven, we also shouldn't pray to make ourselves seem righteous or holy. Jesus also addressed this in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:2 & 6:5):

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

...

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Neither should we recite memorized prayers as though they are magic spells. When we speak to God, it should be respectful, but done in an actual dialogue no different from speaking to family or pets--God does hear you and understands what you are saying. And of course, Jesus addressed this aspect of prayer also (Matthew 6:7)

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Prayer costs us nothing but a fleeting moment of time, the same time we spend on many around us. Why not spend a moment here and there speaking to God? Thank Him, Ask Him, or maybe just say hi. He is always listening.

You're in Great Danger!

You are in great danger. Like all of us, you've violated, at some point or time in your life, one or more of God's Ten Commandments. The penalty for this is death. 

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God doesn't like disobediance. However, in His gracious love, God decided to help us out. 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

--John 3:16

God created a perfect son from part of himself (the Word--see John 1:1-14), Jesus. Jesus lived without sin, but was sacrificed for our sins--paying the penalty for everyone. To receive forgiveness, all you have to do is:

Believe Jesus is the Son of God;

Believe Jesus died on the Cross to pay for all our sins;

Believe that Christ rose again on the third day;

Accept Christ as your Lord (King) and Savior; and,

Repent, or turn away from sin--be ashamed of past sins and try not to sin again.

It's that easy. Do this, and after the temporary death of your physical body, you will live for eternity, instead of going to Hell and eventually the Lake of Fire.

If you don't believe you've sinned and that forgiveness is this easy, check out Ray Comfort and Living Waters for videos where sinners (which means, everyone) learn the terrible truth.

The VA Won't Save You, but Jesus Will

As a veteran, one thing we can count on in life is for the Department of Veteran Affairs to fail us. A quick Google search will pull up multiple stories of our brothers- or sisters-in-arms dying in waiting rooms, waiting for the VA to help them. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/healthcare/secret-va-wait-list-reveals-40-vets-died-while-awaiting-treatment.

In March 1865, President Abraham Lincoln established a national soldiers and sailors asylum to take care of the United States' veterans. The VA proudly talks about this on their official history page. The mission of the VA is to "provide health, education, disability, funerary, and financial benefits earned by Veterans..." Sadly, the VA, made up of imperfect people, frequently fails in this mission. 

Veterans are used to broken promises. Many of us were promised this or that by our recruiters, only to discover that the recruiter didn't have the authority to make those promises, or that they were just plain wrong. Promises of support for active duty members and veterans by politicians are far too frequent to list. In short, the USA, and nations around the world, regularly fail their veterans.

There is one person who will never fail my fellow veterans: Jesus Christ.

The only begotten son of God was sent to Earth with a mission--save that which was lost (mankind--See Matthew 18:11). He lived a sinless life, but submitted to torture and execution to pay the penalty for all the sins of mankind--even sins that hadn't been committed yet. His Father, God, watched all this happen, and allowed it to happen. He then resurrected his son (Romans 6:4) -- just as Jesus has promised we will be resurrected after a physical death if we trust in him. 

We can trust in Jesus because he fulfilled prophecies that were written 700 years before he was born. Hundreds witnessed him, resurrected, after his death on the cross. His followers faced persecution and execution simply for sharing their eyewitness testimony about Jesus. Everything he said he would do, he did. Everything he promises to do when he returns, he will. 

If you haven't considered serving Jesus Christ, think about it now. There's no ASVAB test. No physical to take at MEPS. No Holy drill sergeant is going to try to shape you into something they deem worthy. All you need to do is believe that Jesus was the Son of God, who died on the cross to pay for the penalty for your sins, and then was resurrected three days later by his Father. If you accept Jesus as your one true leader, and try to turn away from sin and a sinful life, God will grant you eternal life, with his son as your perfect leader for all eternity.

Word of the Day: The Word of God

Often used to describe the writings in the Bible, or the Bible itself--implying that the Bible was written by, or dictated by God.

Less often, the phrase is taught to mean Jesus, before his birth, as in John 1;

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

⁵ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

John 1:14 further explains that this part of God became the man, Jesus Christ:

¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Word of the Day: Scripture

The writings within the Holy Bible. Can mean all the writings, or a particular passage from the Bible. For example, "scripture tells us Jesus is God's only begotten son" refers to The Gospel of John, Chapter 3, verse 16; which states "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Sometimes, scripture is used to describe the Bible in its entirety. 

The word comes from the Latin word scriptura, meaning writings. 

Word of the Day: Saved

In simplest terms, being saved means you aren't going to hell and, later, the lake of fire described in Revelation 20.

Most modern Christians avoid references to Hell and simply explain that salvation (becoming saved) is a reference to eternal life. This isn't an avoidance of physical death, but rather a promise of resurrection, some time after death and eternal life.

John 3:16 summarizes, in briefest terms, salvation and eternal life: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Romans 10:9 further elaborates on what one must do to be saved: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Acts 3:19, and multiple other verses further point out that you must also repent (turn away from) your sins--meaning you reject sin and instead accept Jesus. 

It should be noted that some Christians today put far more emphasis on accepting Christ than on the need to also repent. 

Word of the Day: Begat/Begotten

Meaning to father offspring (as opposed to adopting). Similar to the term "to sire". In the Old Testament, there are lineages listed of who begat whom--for example, Moses was begotten by Amram and Jochebad, but was raised by the Pharaoh's daughter (Exodus 2). 

Adam was not begotten, but rather "formed" from the dust (Hebrew word "yatser"). Jesus, on the other hand was begotten by God (John 3:16), in that Jesus is the actual Son of God, rather than just a creation. 

Note: In the Old Testament, there are descriptions of "Sons of God" which means followers or worshippers of God. 

In the case of Jesus, God made his Word flesh (John 1:14) and formed it in the Womb of the virgin Mary. Jesus is often described as an "incarnation" of God, which is partially incorrect; an incarnation is when something takes on flesh, such as when God wrestled Jacob (Genesis 32:24-32). Only God's Word became Jesus. God also appears in the bible as a burning bush, a column of fire, and has an undescribed physical body in the Garden of Eden, in that His footsteps could be heard as he walked there (Genesis 3:8).

Word of the Day: Christ

Christ: savior; the title given to Jesus (the only begotten son of God).

Originally meaning "annointed", it comes from the Latin "Christus", which comes from  the Greek word "Khristos", which is a combination of the Greek word "khriein" (annoint) and the Hebrew "māšīaḥ" (messiah).

Jesus was sent to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), which is stated multiple times throughout the New Testament.

Word of the Day: Christian

New-and non-believers may find it difficult to understand the language of modern Christianity in the same way way civilians struggle with military jargon ormedical terminology. 

Christian: a follower of Jesus Christ; a person who believes Jesus, the only begotten son of God, died to pay the penalty for their sins, was ressurected by God, and who will one day return to rule the world; a person who follows Jesus Christ, rejecting and turning away from sin; and, a person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. 

Jesus died for veterans

The Christian faith is perfectly summed up in the Book of John, Chapter 3, verse 16: For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Despite how simple this is, it's often hard to communicate to non-believers. We don't all speak the same language or in the same manner. 

Churches often form special ministries to reach out to non-believers from different walks of life, witnessing the faith to them in their own language. For example, there are Youth Ministries that preach in a manner and use terminology that young people will relate to. There are also prison ministries, where the incarcerated hear the gospel in a manner different from regular Sunday service attendees at a local church. 

While there are Youth and Prison ministries, and preachers themselves come from all walks of life, one area where there seems to be a shortage is in the veteran community. Veterans can hear the same testimony as others, but where are the veterans preaching to veterans?

The purpose of Fear No Dragon is to offer testimony to veterans, from veterans. Military life is very different from civilian life. Someone who hasn't served may not understand the difficulties that those who did suffered. 

If you are a veteran and haven't been saved, or know a veteran who hasn't, please join me in witnessing to those who served. Christ died on the cross for all the world--including veterans. Let's share the gospel in terms our brothers- and sisters-in-arms will relate to.