Much has been said and made of the Thief on the cross. Many people have taken comfort from the story of the thief to whom Jesus makes the famous quote, "Verily I say onto Thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Unfortunately for the people who quote or rely on this scripture, the meaning of this verse is not what they believe. Before we discuss this scripture, we need to understand why people have placed so much significance on these words. Many today want to take the easy way out (with little responsibility or commitment), or they are looking for Godly hope and they find it very comforting to think, that when they are on death's doorstep, they can simply say sorry and all will be well. They are wrong! The other concept which comes forward is the appreciation that when you die, you go straight into heaven to be with the Lord. That also is error. Let us have a closer look at the words of Jesus and see what He is truly saying.

The Bible describes a series of events which define the return of the Lord. One such line of prophecy is called "birth pangs", being likened to the onset of human birth. This is a very interesting metaphor, because many of the events of human labour are easy to identify, and by their nature, continue to intensify and are irreversible.

The following is a brief outline comparing the old and new temples of God, both physically and spiritually.

Many Christians feel obliged to prioritize their service to Christ by telling him through prayers, music, public speaking and testimony; how much they love him. This is often promoted and perceived as one of the greatest and most rewarding deeds of the Christian life. Sadly, this is wrong, and ill conceived. Many would be surprised how few times Christ or God mentioned their love for each other. It is not that it wasn't there, it is just that they preferred to display their love for each other through actions and deeds... rather than words. Jesus lived by faith and wants us to imitate his love towards others through deeds and actions, not just words.

All sciences have tools or documented comparisons so any device or formula can be calibrated against a proven measure or standard. The reality of bible salvation is based on a series of promises and actions which God has promised through His Holy Spirit, of which He confirms. God is well aware of human failure and has thus calibrated His word and blessings with signs and evidence outside of intellectual and emotional factors alone. Like the Prime Meridian (the 0 degree line of longitude) used for all charting and travelling on the earth's surface, the church needs a fixed starting point of reference, or natural wisdom will corrupt spiritual truths.

The fatal human trait of blaming others for the things that go wrong in our lives, will always leave us at the mercy of others. Blaming others is not empowering; it traps us in failure rather that building our character. The solution is short term and often painful... we need to take responsibility for our life and the outcome of our choices, especially when they go wrong! The Bible offers a perfect solution and with lots of help along the way.

Fasting is a form of self discipline... exercising personal humility. Prayer is a form of self discipline... exercising spiritual humility.

There are two main identities that God reveals about himself when dealing with us on a personal level. The first identity he takes on is "Father" and the second main identity he takes on is "Friend". God takes on these identities so he can be better visualised and easily understood. These identities make it a lot simpler to know how to approach him and what to build our expectations upon. The salvation message of repentance, water baptism and the receiving (anointing) of the Holy Spirit gives us new status, or a fresh start.

The world is full of fake news and fake gospels. We can't always fact check the news, but we can always fact check the salvation gospel and its content: by comparing the Bible with the works God is doing with his people.

It should not be surprising that the church of God is structured on the same principles as the family unit. Almost all the benefits and challenges of a family are also part of church life. The Bible offers some wonderful insight.