Book: Why ARE we here?
PREVIEW AND A REVIEW OF
'Why ARE we here?'
CHRISTIANITY DIRECT FROM CHRIST - THE WORD OF GOD
A practical, non-denominational way to study and understand
the Scriptures,and discover the meaning and purpose of life.
Compiled by Brian H. Butler
The Holy Bible is God's Word
There is only one Authoritative Book on Earth that contains statements written in the First Person by God. The Bible is the only book that was written by God, and that tells us about God. It is the only reliable source of His Truth.
God, the Word, YHWH the Designer, Creator and Sustainer of all there is, who became Christ Jesus, is the Author of The Holy Bible. The original texts were entirely inspired by God, by YHWH who became Christ Jesus; and were written down by the Prophets of old, and by Christ's Apostles.
The manuscripts (literally hand-written) of the Bible in the original languages were written down by men, but Christ Jesus directly inspired every Word into the minds of the Prophets and Apostles to be recorded exactly as He wanted. Christ Created the Universe, the Earth. He Designed DNA; He originated the millions of species on this earth.
Many people apparently do not think Christ, the Creator of all things, is capable of Creating a Book that is exactly as He ordained it to be. So in fact, they doubt that the Bible is really the Word of God. Others accept that part of the Bible is true, but dismiss other parts. The whole of the Bible in the original texts, both the Canon of the Old Testament in the Hebrew and Aramaic, and the New Testament in Greek are the inspired Word of God.
To be a Christian it is essential to believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
What is a Christian? One who believes that the Bible is the Word of God, believes in Jesus as God the Christ, who lives life based on His life and teachings, and has His Holy Spirit.
Are you sure you are a true Christian? There are over two billion people called Christians on Earth, belonging to many thousands of denominations, each a recognized autonomous branch, group, sect, cult, movement, or faith of the Christian Church; all claiming to be 'the' way. How many 'denominations' of Christian are mentioned in the Bible? None.
Clearly, logic demands that all these denominations or 'churches' cannot be right. Christ is not divided. There cannot be many versions of the Truth. The Christian Churches worldwide are in disarray, and cannot agree on a single set of beliefs or Gospel.
Mark 3:25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
To be 'Christian' means to be 'Christlike'. How do you check out compared with His New Commandments? Is Christ building a divided 'ecclesia'? No. It requires a change of mind, from carnal to spiritual with God's help. Philippians 2:5
What is a 'church'? The word 'church' in the King James version (KJV) is translated from the Greek word 'ekklesia' in the original text, or 'ecclesia' in English. It appears 115 times, and it means 'group' or 'assembly'. It does not mean a buildling, or a religious organisation.
This mistranslation came about because King James ordered the scholars appointed to translate the Bible to retain the word "church" in the translation, and it was not to be replaced with the word "congregation". This was because the King, as head of the Church of England, wanted to establish and maintain his jurisdiction and control over “the church”.
Check out the derivation the origins of the word 'church' for yourself. Any etymological dictionary will tell you, or use the Internet. When you see the historical meaning of 'church', you might want to ask yourself, 'Do I really want to be associated with the meaning of that word?'
The meaning of words is of extreme importance when it comes to Christianity and our relationship with God. We use words to express precise meaning, and to define exactly what we mean when we use them. There is a saying in English: 'Call a spade a spade'. If anyone were to pick up a spade and say 'This is a fork', or call it a rake or a hoe, people would not only think it strange, but insane.
Is it possible to be deceived? Yes! Christ warned us many times to be careful not to be deceived. Christ said that many would claim to be speaking in His name, and would deceive many; not some, not few, but many.
Hundreds of millions of people who consider themselves Christian think it is perfectly all right to participate in Christmas, observe Easter, and allow their children to be involved in Halloe'en. But what does God have to say about these types of activity? A serious Bible student will quickly realise that they originate from pagan, immoral, sexual, idolatrous festivals, which God says in the Bible that He hates. He even likens them to dung!
A person who is deceived does not know they are deceived.
So what is the answer? How can you know whether you are a true Christian, or not? Only by studying the Word of God for yourself with the direct help of the Holy Spirit, to check what you believe is the truth, and not some deception implanted in your mind. This is not easy! We have to allow God to infuse our minds with the pure truth directly from Him.
Christ does not use organisations of human beings to build His ecclesia, His 'assembly'. There is no 'House of God' on earth today, no 'God's Church'. The only true 'assembly' is with Christ, in type, in heaven.
Christ Jesus said, “I will build my 'ecclesia”, My group, My team; and that is exactly what He has been doing ever since His resurrection.
What is a 'good' Christian? How does one become a 'good' anything? It takes a lot of study and a great deal of hard work. Whether one wants to be a 'good' musician, architect, electrician, farmer, or indeed anything, it takes much study, hard work, years of practice, and the help of a 'coach'. That is exactly how to become a 'good' Christian.
Study, work and practice, with the direct help of the only true Christian 'Coach', Christ Jesus, who works through the Holy Spirit in your mind.
Study, yes but how? This book 'Why ARE we here' will not attempt to teach you what to believe, but it will provide you with the many essential 'keys' and useful 'tools' needed to help you to 'master' the study of the true Christianity of the Bible. You can only 'Grow in grace and knowledge' by studying daily the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures of the Bible, with God's help!
Essential 'Key' #1 No human being can fathom the deep meanings in the Bible without asking God for, and receiving, the required Spiritual gifts of Belief, Faith, a changed open mind or 'Repentance', and the help of the Holy Spirit.
The Meaning of and Purpose of Life As you patiently study God's word, you will discover the answer to the question 'Why are we here?' You will see that the Bible clearly reveals 'The Plan, Purpose, and Meaning of Life' as described briefly in the slide show on the home page.
I wish you well on what may prove to be the most exciting 'journey' of your life.
Brian H. Butler.
BOOK REVIEWS
WHY ARE WE HERE?
By Brian H. Butler
Ken Nagele Brian, I am happy to report that I have finally finished your excellent book, "Why Are We Here?" While I am familiar with most of the information in it (though I learned a few new things I didn't know), the book was an excellent refresher course. I highly recommend the book to everyone, both to those new to the Bible and to those who have studied it over the years. Your book is the equivalent to a college course. It is indeed a breath of fresh air and I'm sure Dr. Martin would be pleased. Thank you for taking the time to write it. Somehow we will find a way to get it into the hands of those who are truly searching for God's truth, as revealed in the Bible.
M.L. This book, in teaching how to effectively study the Bible for oneself, also provides intellectual stimulation and the answersto many questions about the Bible which have perplexed me for years.
I have been particularly interested in the explanations and definitions regarding the chronology of lives and events. Especially intriguing was the history of the beginning in the 6th Century B.C.E. of what is known today as 'Western Civilisation'.
The placement of extracts from the Kings James Version into the actual text of the book makes it easier to study and cross-reference.
The diagram setting out how the original Books of the Bible were assembled and the explanations of that structure are fascinating and one can't help but marvel at the symmetry and science behind it. How sacrilegious that man distorted it!
A 'must read' for anyone interested in discovering the Bible for themselves! ML
You can get a copy here: http://ernestworkman.com
