Abraham was born in Ur of the Chaldees, which is located in southern Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates River, about 150 miles from Babylon, or about 100 miles northeast of the Kuwait border.
Abraham was not born to Jewish parents and he was not a Jew by birth: but he became one---the first Jew as well as the father of the Hebrew nation, and his life is a wonderful story of faith.
Abraham's story begins in the 12th chapter of the Book of Genesis, at which time his name was Abram, but God changed his name to Abraham.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (Genesis 12: 1-5)
Abraham believed God by faith and departed his homeland of Ur to go to a land he knew not as well as with no plan to return.
In Abraham, God created a new nation, a nation with its own land, a nation to be set apart from all nations, complete with its own language; a nation that would worship God, and a nation that would never be a world empire.
Out of Abraham came kings and queens, prophets and preachers, the writers of the Holy Bible, and the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God, born of the seed of Abraham. Just as God said to Abraham, in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed, God was faithful in the words He spoke to Abraham.
Beginning with Abraham, there have been 48 Jewish prophets and 7 prophetesses, and the writers of the Holy Bible are also Jews; and Abraham's name is mentioned 75 times in the New Testament.
For after the ascension of Christ, the Jews became ministers of the Lord as disciples, apostles, teachers, preachers, evangelists, and writers of the New Testament, thereby taking the message of Christ to all nations throughout the world, so that the lives of millions of people have been transformed in Christ all around the globe over the past 2000 years.
In Abraham's birth nation, Ur was an idolatrous people, a pagan nation, and a nation that had built shrines and temples to gods, and other nations throughout the world were just as idolatrous as Ur, for people did not know God. As Abraham departed Ur, he left the religion of his native land behind him; neither did he bring any of the idols or religious relics of a pagan country with him on his journey. When he arrived in Canaan, he did not establish a religion, nor accept the religious practices of people in Canaan. Futhermore, throughout his entire life, Abraham never had a religion, for his faith was in God and in God alone.
Likewise, when people accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they leave everything behind them, taking nothing. Our faith is in Christ and in nothing else, just as Abraham's faith was in God and in nothing else: at which time Christ begins to do a work in our lives just as God did a work in the life of Abraham.
Abraham is a picture of salvation: God came to Abraham, Abraham believed in God, and Abraham followed God by faith. Likewise, Christ comes to us for our salvation, and, when we believe in Christ, we follow Him by faith, just as Abraham followed God by faith.
Since the time of Abraham, Jews have been persecuted throughout history because they are the children of God. Likewise, Christians have been persecuted since the time of Jesus because we also are the children of God.
Perhaps you were born to a Christian family: this does not make you a Christian.
Perhaps you are a member of a Christian church: this does not make you a Christian.
Like Abraham, all of us are born in lands of religion and religious idols; and, like Abraham, we must make a choice when faced with Christ.
Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24).
As for Abraham's faith in God, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2: 23)
Again, Jesus said, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsover I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15: 14,15)
With God, there are no secrets; but there is always secrecy behind the walls of religion.
In choosing Christ, therefore, we must be willing to let go of everything that clings and binds us and place our total faith at His feet, and He will lift us up.
Through Abraham, a line of prophets came forth to tell about God. These are the true prophets, and prophets of the religions of man are false prophets: they tell of other ways to get to God that is not the way of God, for God's way is through His Son. For Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14: 6)
Jesus also said, ...salvation is of the Jews. (John 4: 22) But also notice Genesis 17: 7, a prophecy that says the Hebrew nation will be an eternal nation.
Therefore knowing Christ is not a new religion, but rather a spiritual relationship with God the Father by way of the Son of God, thus eliminating the need for rites and rituals, which religions require.
Knowing Christ also enables us to have a direct pipeline of communication with God, whereby we can speak directly to Him and He can speak to us, for God and Abraham had the same relationship.
Abraham was not born a Jew: but he became one.
We are not born as Christians: but we can become one.
Above all else, please remember this:
Christianity is NOT a religion, and neither is it a religious empire. Christianity is a body of people who have trusted in Christ for their salvation. And Christ wants to do a work in our lives just as He did a work in the life of Abraham. Abraham made some mistakes; but we also make mistakes in our walk with Christ.
Remember, too, that Abraham's faith was in God. Abraham never had a building in which to worship; and though we have buildings in which to worship, we can also worship Christ outside buildings: for the Lord does not reside in buildings, the work of men's hands.
Amen.
"
Abraham was not born to Jewish parents and he was not a Jew by birth: but he became one---the first Jew as well as the father of the Hebrew nation, and his life is a wonderful story of faith.
Abraham's story begins in the 12th chapter of the Book of Genesis, at which time his name was Abram, but God changed his name to Abraham.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came. (Genesis 12: 1-5)
Abraham believed God by faith and departed his homeland of Ur to go to a land he knew not as well as with no plan to return.
In Abraham, God created a new nation, a nation with its own land, a nation to be set apart from all nations, complete with its own language; a nation that would worship God, and a nation that would never be a world empire.
Out of Abraham came kings and queens, prophets and preachers, the writers of the Holy Bible, and the death, burial, and resurrection of the Son of God, born of the seed of Abraham. Just as God said to Abraham, in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed, God was faithful in the words He spoke to Abraham.
Beginning with Abraham, there have been 48 Jewish prophets and 7 prophetesses, and the writers of the Holy Bible are also Jews; and Abraham's name is mentioned 75 times in the New Testament.
For after the ascension of Christ, the Jews became ministers of the Lord as disciples, apostles, teachers, preachers, evangelists, and writers of the New Testament, thereby taking the message of Christ to all nations throughout the world, so that the lives of millions of people have been transformed in Christ all around the globe over the past 2000 years.
In Abraham's birth nation, Ur was an idolatrous people, a pagan nation, and a nation that had built shrines and temples to gods, and other nations throughout the world were just as idolatrous as Ur, for people did not know God. As Abraham departed Ur, he left the religion of his native land behind him; neither did he bring any of the idols or religious relics of a pagan country with him on his journey. When he arrived in Canaan, he did not establish a religion, nor accept the religious practices of people in Canaan. Futhermore, throughout his entire life, Abraham never had a religion, for his faith was in God and in God alone.
Likewise, when people accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they leave everything behind them, taking nothing. Our faith is in Christ and in nothing else, just as Abraham's faith was in God and in nothing else: at which time Christ begins to do a work in our lives just as God did a work in the life of Abraham.
Abraham is a picture of salvation: God came to Abraham, Abraham believed in God, and Abraham followed God by faith. Likewise, Christ comes to us for our salvation, and, when we believe in Christ, we follow Him by faith, just as Abraham followed God by faith.
Since the time of Abraham, Jews have been persecuted throughout history because they are the children of God. Likewise, Christians have been persecuted since the time of Jesus because we also are the children of God.
Perhaps you were born to a Christian family: this does not make you a Christian.
Perhaps you are a member of a Christian church: this does not make you a Christian.
Like Abraham, all of us are born in lands of religion and religious idols; and, like Abraham, we must make a choice when faced with Christ.
Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24).
As for Abraham's faith in God, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2: 23)
Again, Jesus said, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsover I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. (John 15: 14,15)
With God, there are no secrets; but there is always secrecy behind the walls of religion.
In choosing Christ, therefore, we must be willing to let go of everything that clings and binds us and place our total faith at His feet, and He will lift us up.
Through Abraham, a line of prophets came forth to tell about God. These are the true prophets, and prophets of the religions of man are false prophets: they tell of other ways to get to God that is not the way of God, for God's way is through His Son. For Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14: 6)
Jesus also said, ...salvation is of the Jews. (John 4: 22) But also notice Genesis 17: 7, a prophecy that says the Hebrew nation will be an eternal nation.
Therefore knowing Christ is not a new religion, but rather a spiritual relationship with God the Father by way of the Son of God, thus eliminating the need for rites and rituals, which religions require.
Knowing Christ also enables us to have a direct pipeline of communication with God, whereby we can speak directly to Him and He can speak to us, for God and Abraham had the same relationship.
Abraham was not born a Jew: but he became one.
We are not born as Christians: but we can become one.
Above all else, please remember this:
Christianity is NOT a religion, and neither is it a religious empire. Christianity is a body of people who have trusted in Christ for their salvation. And Christ wants to do a work in our lives just as He did a work in the life of Abraham. Abraham made some mistakes; but we also make mistakes in our walk with Christ.
Remember, too, that Abraham's faith was in God. Abraham never had a building in which to worship; and though we have buildings in which to worship, we can also worship Christ outside buildings: for the Lord does not reside in buildings, the work of men's hands.
Amen.
"
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