Do You Believe Jesus?
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Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, . . . (Matthew 6:1)
Do you believe Jesus?
On Sunday morning, those of us in the congregation I belong to, lay out our offerings on a table each service, for all to see.
When we make a donation for some charitable cause, we accept the accolades given us and sometimes even receive a plaque mounted in a public place for all to see.
Our charitable contributions are not anonymous as required by God. We are given recognition by others and made to feel proud and good before men. And for those who have little to spare and give, they must experience the public humiliation of displaying their meager offering to the rest of the congregation.
Contributions to the Church are tax deductible, thus creating a situation where a public record must be kept for proof. If we followed Jesus’s instruction, our contributions would be secret and anonymous.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:5)
Do you believe Jesus?
We are asked and expected to pray aloud before the congregation by Deacons of the church. It is as if Jesus never said these things, but he did, and he meant them.
Exposing these truths is not an effort to demean anyone or any organization, we must recognize those practices, that we take for granted daily, which are contrary to the teaching of Jesus. We can be forgiven for those practices, which are sin, if we abandon them and change our ways. Ignorance is not a crime, ignoring knowledge of the truth is! These practices are the practices of a false religion, without realizing it, we bought into Satan’s deception. It is not too late to change our ways, but we must believe Jesus to do it.
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? . . . profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, . . . Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, . . . And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, . . . (Matthew 7:22-26)
And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Luke 6:46)
Let these sayings sink down into your ears: . . . (Luke 9:44)
. . . If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: . . . (John 14:23-24)
Do you believe Jesus?
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About the Book
Many beliefs practiced in mainstream Christianity—some much older than New Testament writings—find their roots in a blend of ancient pagan worship, philosophy, and allegorical interpretation. The early church in Rome, familiar with these ancient beliefs and practices, attempted to Christianize them and then force fed them to the churches of the Roman Empire. And just like church groups back then adopted those beliefs and practices, Christians today continue to adopt questionable beliefs from the society around them.
Do You Believe Jesus? presents a theology that dares to confront mainstream beliefs, most of which are cloaked in tradition. It finds its basis in the words of Jesus—those he personally taught—and in the writings of the early church fathers. It is an alternate theology and may have some serendipitous similarities to other theologies that are also out of the mainstream, and it will challenge mainstream beliefs that in no way represent the gospel as taught by Jesus.
If you have questioned whether or not your church and its beliefs are taught by Jesus, then it is time to explore what Jesus actually taught. Or if you do not attend church and do not know what to believe, then listening to Jesus’s words can start you on a new path, settling questions in your mind and providing peace of mind by exposing new truths.
About the Author
John Popken is a retired entrepreneur and passionate Bible scholar.
He attended Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California.
John has a history of starting and managing businesses since 1963. These ranged from retail service stations to manufacturing. He also spent a few years working in the aerospace industry. Most notable of the programs was Lockheed’s SR-71 Blackbird developed in the famous Kelly Johnson Skunk Works. While working for Northrop Aviation he participated in the design and testing of recovery systems for Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft.
Among the businesses started by him were CAD/CAM Applications, a computer aided design and manufacturing company which specialized in new product development. John also developed a proprietary process for injection molding ferrous metal materials, the resulting company, Advanced Forming Technology grew to become the largest company in the world employing the Metal Injection Molding Process.
John, following the sale of Advanced Forming Technology, purchased Proto-Tel Inc., a manufacturer of telecommunications products. He managed that company until his retirement in 2005. Following his retirement John consulted to industry for another five years.
In addition to the years spent in industry, John has been an avid and serious Bible scholar since his early twenties. He has developed a theology during his many years of study which differs from tradition we see practiced in churches today. He believes todays professing Christians need a wakeup call and a return to the doctrines taught in the first century church.
John currently resides in rural south central Kentucky.