Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1 John 4:1-3)

If you've ever watched "Law & Order," you've heard someone say these words: "the whole truth and nothing but the truth." In a court of law, truth is essential. In order to make a just ruling on the case at hand, the judge and jury must have the truth in its entirety. Partial truth is of no value, because once pure truth is tainted with a falsehood, no trust can be placed in any of it. Likewise, if someone lies to you, you are automatically uncertain if you can believe anything they tell you. Your trust is shaken.

The Bible is truth, through and through. Inspired by God, it is to be taken seriously and believed completely. We cannot choose to believe some parts of scripture and to disregard or ignore other parts. If we accept the Bible to be true in all that it says, we reject any religion or idea that disagrees with God's word. If it isn't Jesus, it isn't true.

There are many ideas and "religions" we can believe in. We have so many things thrown at us every day, and with every piece of information that comes our way, we have a choice to make: Can this be from God? If it is not from God, it is not to be believed, whether it is the idea from the media that we aren't beautiful unless we look like a supermodel, the lingering memory of being teased for being "stupid" when we were a child, or the idea that we can all believe what we want about God and still be okay. Take it all back to scripture. Does it match what God says? If it doesn't, let it go.

Father, teach me to know what comes from You and what doesn't. Help me to discern between truth and lies. Fill my mind with Your truth. Amen.

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Focus on John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 today and reflect on the fact that Jesus Christ is the only person who's entire purpose was to die for our sins and rise again to live in Eternity.

Are we as Christians truly the only right religion? Sounds kind of crazy for us to think that we have it and all the others don't. But can you think of another religion that had a leader that died for his followers, and more importantly rose again to promise them an eternal life?

Rather than focus on these other religions, focus on what makes Christianity the way:

Christ the deity, John 1:18
Authority of scripture being the Word of God, 2 Timothy 3:16
Salvation by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8

Jesus paid our penalty for our sins and rose again.......that's my saving grace!

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"Dear God, are Christians the only ones who are right, and does that make everyone else wrong?"

I wouldn't say that Christians are the only ones who are right, and that everyone else is wrong. I don't think that any particular religion has a "right" to say who is right or wrong. However, if I profess to be a Christian, then I believe that the bible is the inspired Word of God. I also believe that Jesus is my Savior and that He died for my sins. To be a Christian means to be a follower of Jesus. If the preceding statements are true, then what does that mean for anyone else who is not a Christian? A few weeks ago, the message was about free will. We all have the freedom to believe as we wish. If God gives us that freedom, who are we, as Christians, to say that others are wrong in their beliefs? If we were to be less judgmental and let others see us as "Christ like", then maybe they would feel the love of Christ, just as many of us do. If others felt the love of Christ, then maybe they too would believe and become Christians. If you believe in Jesus, then you believe Him when He said "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6) To me, it isn't about being "right". It is about showing others the love of Christ. If we were to practice tolerance, patience, and forgiveness as taught in Matt. 18:21-22, and Gal. 5:22-23, then there wouldn't be a need to "prove" who is right or wrong. I am convinced that Jesus lived and that He died on a cross for our sins. I believe that He rose from the dead and defeated death. By living my life in a way that demonstrates my faith, others will see that maybe there is something to this thing we call Christianity.

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"Dear God, are Christians the only ones who are right, and does that make everyone else wrong?"

How can I judge a non-Christian who believes so deeply in something that contradicts my beliefs? Are their beliefs all wrong? Are mine perfectly right?

Life is a journey. It is a journey of living and learning and growing as we place our faith and trust in those things we come to believe in. For many of the most fortunate ones, we learn to trust in the unfailing love of our mothers and fathers, regardless of when we fail. As we grow up, we are told stories about a God who loves us with this kind of love, and even more. We learn about a God who loves us so much that He sent His own son to pay the price for our sinful ways.

From what I know of most other religions, they place a lot of emphasis on what we (the human race) can do on our own, how we can better ourselves and place ourselves in a better final place through our own efforts. But our own Christian faith teaches us that we are sinners, and we need someone greater than ourselves to rescue us from our sinful ways of life. We are unable on our own to do the good works that would make us worthy of a better final destination. Some other religions will take a part of Jesus into their faith, and call him a great prophet or teacher. They will accept some of what He says, but seem to ignore what He says about Himself.

Somewhere in my bible Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father, except through me." Back to our original question, "Dear God, are Christians the only ones who are right, and does that make everyone else wrong?" According to what my Jesus, whom I believe, I must answer with a firm "Yes".

But if you do not believe what I believe, my God allows and even deeply desires that I love you as much as I am able with no judgment in my heart. I can accept and welcome you and walk beside you through this life's journey, without accepting your belief system. And if along the way we can talk and my life may be able to convince you that Jesus loves you the way He loves me, then my life is not wasted.

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Dear God, are Christians the only ones who are right, and does that make everyone else wrong?

Jesus says in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one comes to Father except through Him. With that said I have to answer "Yes" to the question of are whether or not Christians are right. Even though I answer yes to this question that doesn't mean that I am going to hate or judge those who have different beliefs than me. I try not to get caught up in who's right and who's wrong but rather I try to love people for who they are. After all could you imagine trying to keep up with who was right and who was wrong? I have a hard enough time trying to keep my life straight without worrying about who's right or wrong.

I don't think the Gospel is about proving people wrong but rather it is about loving God and loving people. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to love and save the world. That is our tasks as Christians, to love the world not to condemn it.

Life isn't about proving those whose beliefs differ from yours wrong but rather it is about loving all people and allowing them to see Jesus through you. Jesus loves those people who have different beliefs than me and I need to love them as well. Let us as Christians allow others to see the light of Jesus through us.

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