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The Lord is still on his throne in heaven

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 10:07:12 GMT

When foundations collapse, for God's sake, look up.

Today's reading from the Word for Today is very apt for our current economic circumstances. "When the foundations for good collapse, what can good people do?" All around us we see the foundations of society collapsing as nations stray further and further from truth, so what can good, godly people do? We just need to remind ourselves that the Lord is still seated on his throne in heaven.

Have a blessed day, and remind yourself throughout this day, that the God who sits on his throne in heaven also sits on the throne of your heart.

The LORD sits on his throne in heaven.’

Psalm 11:4 NCV

The psalmist asked, ‘When the foundations for good collapse, what can good people do?’ (v. 3 NCV). Then he goes on to answer his own question: ‘The Lord sits on his throne in heaven.’ When sickness comes, when your marriage fails, when your children suffer, when death strikes, what are you to do? Remember that God is still on the throne, and He is watching over you. No detail escapes His notice or care. He works according to a plan, and it’s not usually a plan we can understand when we’re going through hard times. Only in looking back do we realise that His goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our lives (see Psalm 23:6).

Joseph landed in prison. Moses spent forty years in the desert. Daniel ended up in chains. These were dismal moments. Who could possibly have seen any good in them? Who could have known that Joseph the prisoner was only a single promotion away from becoming Joseph the prime minister? Who would have thought God was providing Moses forty years of wilderness training in the same desert through which he would lead the people? Who would have imagined that Daniel the captive would soon become the king’s counsellor? God carries out His plans like that. He did it for Joseph, Moses, and Daniel – and He will do the same for you – so trust Him. He will give you the grace you need to get through this situation. When you ask, ‘God, where are you?’ He answers, ‘I am with you and will watch over you…I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’ (Genesis 28:15 NIV).

Living in the best period of time

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:25:35 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

Living in the best period of time

Something came up in our study on Wednesday night and has stayed with me ever since. We are living in the best period in the history of the world. We could break human history into seven different periods.

The beginning of creation in garden of paradise to the sin or fall of mankind – the beginning of time.

The time between the fall of man and the flood - the antediluvian time.

The time between the flood and the giving of the law on Mount Sinai.

The time between God giving Moses the Ten Commandments and the coming of Christ to earth – the time of cursing and blessing.

The time between Christ ascending into heaven and his coming again, the time of Grace.

The time between Christ coming for his faithful and taking them to heaven and his second coming – the time of trouble.

The one thousand years of peace when Christ will reign from the Throne of David in Jerusalem – the time of peace.

Why then are we living in the best period of human history. For a number of reasons. Those of us to be fortunate enough to live in the period of history from the time of Christ to the time of his return are very special people indeed. We are the church of Jesus Christ on earth, also known as the Bride of Christ. One day, and it can be any day, the great Bridegroom is coming back again for his Bride to take him to be with him forever. We will spend seven years with Christ in heaven and then he will return to earth once more to take up his place on the throne of David in Jerusalem to reign in peace for a thousand years. We the church, the Bride of Christ will rule and reign with him. Only those who have put their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ will be part of his Bride.

Be a Giver with no Regrets

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 20:04:58 GMT

Will you wish you'd given more?
Thursday 9th June 2022

'God loves a cheerful giver.' 2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV

The film Schindler's List tells the story of one man's efforts to make the most of a desperate situation. As the director of a munitions factory in Poland, Oskar Schindler used his position to save Jewish lives. By employing them in his factory, Schindler rescued many Jews from the gas chambers. But keeping them employed was costly, and little by little he liquidated his personal property to keep his business afloat. At the end of the story, the Nazis are defeated, and the full impact of Schindler's efforts is revealed as the dead are counted and the living stagger back to freedom. In one scene, kneeling by the railroad tracks that had carried thousands to their deaths, Schindler had a startling realisation. He could have saved a few more! Overwhelmed with regret, he laments keeping the few personal assets he still owns. If only he had known when the war would end, he would have done more. Now it was too late. Oskar Schindler is credited with saving more Jews during World War II than any other person. But interestingly, all he could think about was what he didn't do. He wished he had done more.

A powerful lesson in Schindler's story is this: even joyful givers will look back and wish they had done more. There are also others who gave less than they could have given, or who never gave at all. Imagine their thoughts as they stand before God, giving an account of how they used their resources and to be rewarded accordingly? 'God loves a cheerful giver,' so today look for opportunities to give.

Pentecost

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 10:52:51 GMT

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance

Scriptures

Act 1:1-8 (ESV) In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Act 2:1-18 (ESV) When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

Psa 37:1-11 (ESV) Of David. Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! 2 For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. 7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. 9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. 10 In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace.

Why We Do the Things We Do

Sun, 15 May 2022 20:03:31 GMT

Building: Once again, we thank our hosts for giving their home for us to have our Sunday services, and of course this is how the church that began at Pentecost met. However, our mission as a church and our call as a light for the gospel is to the town of Ballina, and we must get back to the place we belong. I would ask for prayer so that we can know the Lord’s leading for a meeting place in Ballina.

On that note, rent is expensive, and I want to thank those who have contributed to the rent from last October to March. However, with your contribution, there was still a shortfall of over 130 per month which the church does not have to spare.

Going forward, if each person would pledge as little as six euro per week, this would cover the cost of rent for a building, so could I ask you to pray about that and get back to me.

Today I want to talk about our calling as believers, and in particular what God expects of us in relation to our giving. Teaching on finances is not one of my favourite subjects, but from time-to-time God will have me teach on subjects that I would rather not. If I am to be good steward of the call of God on my life, I must be prepared to teach the whole council of God, not just the subjects that I enjoy.

Teaching on finances has had a lot of bad press in the church, and I know this is why many preachers stay away from it. Yet if it is not taught from a scriptural perspective, how can we learn. Which reminds me of a time when I began teaching with Rehab over twenty years ago. I will always remember what one of my first students said. “How can I know what to do if no one teaches me”.

While I have taught on this subject in the past, we need to be reminded again and again of why we do what we do, or we can forget, and if we forget we can easily stop. And if you have stopped doing the things that Jesus taught, you really need to hear this message today.

As I said, because of bad press, and in particular because of some who abuse the subject of finances for their own gain, many, including myself, shy away from the subject. Jesus however, talked a lot about finances, and anyone who consistently reads God’s Word cannot miss his teaching on finances and giving. If we are faithful to the word of God, we cannot skip over this part.

While Jesus used money as an illustration in many of his teachings, yet he described money as the least of things. After teaching the parable of the dishonest manager, who though was dishonest in his dealings, was commended by his manager for his shrewdness, Jesus said.

Luk 16:10-12 ESV “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. (11) If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? (12) And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own?

Jesus describes money as something that means very little, yet He goes on to say that if a person is not honest and faithful in finances, that which is least, who will put that person in charge of true riches.

In other words, if a person cannot be trusted with money, how could he expect to be trusted with the riches of grace, with the blessings and promises of the covenant of grace, the graces of the Spirit of God, which truly enrich a person. How can that person be entrusted with the riches of glory, the riches of the gospel of grace or any other of God’s true riches. All God asks of us is that we show ourselves to be faithful with what is his.

When we forget why we do something, its easy to stop doing it. During the pandemic we were prohibited from gathering together as a church, and there are many churches whose members have not yet returned. It seems like they have forgotten why we assemble together. They may feel it’s no longer necessary to meet up for worship, and that it’s OK to continue to watch the services online. While it’s great to be able to watch online, church is never meant to be a spectator event, it involves participation. After Pentecost when the church was born we read.

Act 2:41-42 ESV So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. (42) And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Verse 42 gives us the four pillars that our faith is built on, the apostles’ teaching, or the teaching of Jesus, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers.

The apostles’ teaching is the teaching they received by the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, which we now have in the form of the written word. They received it and they held on to it.

The fellowship is the community, the coming together for spiritual purposes, devoted to God as a family and living in holy and Christian fellowship. Strengthening and building each other up in our most holy faith.

The breaking of bread is the time we as a body of believers remember and proclaim the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Isa 55:10-11 ESV “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, (11) so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

In the natural it is God himself who gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. This is only possible because of the rain and snow that come down from the heaven watering the earth. All is from God. If he doesn’t send rain, no matter how much money you have, one day you will starve to death.

In the same way, when we look at the subject of finance and giving, we must always approach it from the mindset that our finances are not our own, they belong to God, and he allows us to be stewards of what he has given us.

Seed to the sower.

2Co 9:6-12 ESV The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

(9) As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” (10) He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. (11) You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

(12) For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

The question is this, how much of what we get is food to be eaten and how much of it is seed to be sown. The old testament requirement was a tithe or a tenth. We are no longer under the OT law, and the New Testament never specified a tithe as a requirement. However, in the teaching of Jesus and in the examples of the early church, it is very clear that the message in relation to our finances is that we ought to be willing to give everything for the sake of the kingdom, and a tithe, or a tenth should only be the minimum, not the maximum. Being faithful stewards of unrighteous mammon is a very important part of our walk of faith.

We work to earn a wage, but it is God who gives us the power to earn a living. Whether we get paid once a day, once a week or once a year, it is God who supplies us with all that we have. He provides everything we need for life and godliness, an in his provision he also includes seed for us to sow. He does not demand or command us to sow seed into his kingdom, but he expects us to.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

God made it simple, He has given us everything and included in everything is the seed he has given for us to sow. God expects us to give generously to the work of his kingdom, and as we saw earlier, under the new covenant, the old requirement of a tithe should only be a starting point. What happens then if we eat not just the food he gives us, which is our portion, but we eat the seed as well.

I did a study on seeds recently. Some seeds are good for your health. For example, chia seeds are recommended to help reduce cholesterol and flax seeds aid with food digestion. However, your body is not designed to digest all types of seeds, so they either cause problems in your gut or they simply pass through your body and end up as waste.

Seeds are the one part of the plant structure that are vital to the survival of their species. Because seeds are so important, plants take extra measures to ensure they are protected and have the best chance of growing and producing so the plant can survive. When God created the seed-bearing trees, he created in each species the seed of reproduction, and He hasn’t needed to create anything else since the beginning of time.

Take the apple tree for example. Like other trees it has a goal to spread its seed. When an apple is in the process of ripening, the seed inside is still vulnerable as it has no protective covering, and if exposed during the ripening period it will not survive. During the process of creating this necessary protective covering, the apple is green in colour, is bitter to taste, and is toxic to the stomach. This is why we don’t eat un-ripened apples. Even a gorilla in the wild will not eat an apple until it has ripened.

However, once the seed has developed its protective cover, the apple is ripe in colour, has increased its sugar content, has decreased its toxicity, and is delicious to eat. But do we eat the seeds – I hope not, as apple seeds contain a compound called Amygdalin, which is a part of the seeds’ chemical defences. It is harmless when a seed is intact, but when a seed is chewed or otherwise damaged, the amygdalin degrades into hydrogen cyanide. This is very poisonous and even lethal in high doses. So, the seed has in itself not only the ability to reproduce, but it has a mechanism to ensure that it is not eaten. Food to the eater and seed to the sower, but if we eat the seed as well as the food, we are in danger of getting sick, and then even the food we eat will be of no use to us.

The apple tree protects itself because it can only survive if the seed continues to be planted, if not then over time it will die out.

Are we beginning to see the point? In the nature, eating the seed of certain food as well as eating the food, will have an adverse effect on our natural bodies. The same applies in the spiritual realm. Eating the seed that God gives us for the purpose of the advancement of his kingdom, as well as eating the food he gives us for our advancement, will cause our bodies to have an adverse reaction to the food. Not only that, but the seed we eat was that meant for the reproduction of his kingdom in the hearts and live of others, will not reproduce, and will die.

If we eat the seed, first of all it will do us no good, and may even harm us, but we will certainly not benefit from eating it. Secondly, it will not do what God had purposed it to do in the first place so we will not be good stewards of what he has given us.

This is why we separate the seed from the food, and if we forget why we do thhis, then we will soon stop doing what we are meant to do with what God has given us.

Tithing is not law because we are no longer under Old Testament law. Under the New Testament, all we have is God’s in the first place, so a tithe ought to be the minimum. Your giving produces thanksgiving unto God, according to Paul, and overflows in many thanksgivings to him. And he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, promises to supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

If you have been faithfully separating the seed from the food and sowing it into the soil where you are fed from his word, then believe that God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

If you have not been faithfully separating the seed and sowing it in
God’s good soil, then today if you hear his voice, repent, change your mind, and decide to be faithful with the good seed. If you have been faithfully separating the seed, but for some reason you have felt it is ok to sow it in a field other than the one you know God has called you to, where he wants you to be fed, then again, repent, and sow your seed where it belongs.

For, says Paul, the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. (2 Co 9 12 )

When you are faithful in this the least of things, God will give you stewardship over more. And as you are faithful, the ministry of tis service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but it is overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

God's DNA is in His Word

Thu, 12 May 2022 20:01:39 GMT

God's DNA is in his Word
Thursday 12th May 2022

'All Scripture is God-breathed.' 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

On a cold day, have you ever tried breathing on your hands to restore warmth and life? That's like what happens when you meditate on God's Word, because 'all Scripture is God-breathed' ( 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV ). Imagine yourself at a party where people are blowing up balloons and popping them with pins. A scientist could figure out which balloon was yours because your DNA (the genetic configuration that makes you unique) is in your breath. Now apply that principle to reading the Bible, and you will understand how vital it is to your spiritual life. John tells us, 'the Word was God' ( John 1:1 NKJV ), so anytime you ingest God's Word, you're ingesting his attributes. That's why the enemy will try to keep you so busy that you have no time to read your Bible.

Many of the issues we struggle with could be resolved or eliminated altogether if we developed a hunger for God's Word. Job said, 'I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food' ( Job 23:12 NKJV ). Jeremiah, who was so dejected that he became known as 'the weeping prophet', said, 'Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart' ( Jeremiah 15:16 NKJV ). Jesus experienced every test and trial known to man; he even went toe-to-toe with the tempter. What was the secret of his strength? He said, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"' ( Matthew 4:4 NKJV ).

Today get God's Word into you - it's his DNA.

The Heart of the Father

Sun, 08 May 2022 19:59:47 GMT

Isa 57:14-21 ESV And it shall be said, “Build up, build up, prepare the way, remove every obstruction from my people's way.” (15) For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

(16) For I will not contend forever, nor will I always be angry; for the spirit would grow faint before me, and the breath of life that I made. (17) Because of the iniquity of his unjust gain I was angry, I struck him; I hid my face and was angry, but he went on backsliding in the way of his own heart.

(18) I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, (19) creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him.

(20) But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. (21) There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

I believe that today’s message may help us pray for our unsaved loved ones in a new way when we understand the danger that most of them are in. we all have family members who have not interest in the cross of Christ, we have some who have put their trust in him but are still walking in darkness and deception and others who are so wrapped up in their religion that they cannot see the truth of what God did for them by sending Jesus to die, if they did they would follow him wholeheartedly.

At the beginning of this chapter, Isaiah the prophet prophesies against the wicked who delight in the calamity of the righteous. The righteous ones are those who have believed in Christ and have put trust completely in him for their eternal security. God says that though the righteous man may have trouble and other will laugh about him, God promises that he will be taken away from trouble, and he will enter a place of peace.

Isa 57:2 ESV he enters into peace; they rest in their beds who walk in their uprightness.

The wicked are those who desert God, who do not remember him, as they are so caught up in themselves serving images created by man. God calls them idolators because they worship idols of wood and stone, images of created things. Today as in the days of Isaiah there are billions who worship idols worldview and even millions in our own nation. Idolators are those who bow down or pray to statues or images made in the likeness of the dead. They believe they are doing good, and while their actions are religious, God this to say about those who choose to venerate anyone except him.

Isa 57:12-13 ESV I will declare your righteousness and your deeds, but they will not profit you. (13) When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! The wind will carry them all off, a breath will take them away. But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land and shall inherit my holy mountain.

God is saying that their righteous acts, their good deeds, are of no use. He warns them that when they are in trouble and call out to their collection of idols, they will find that their images made of wood, stone or chalk, are useless. The wind will carry them off and a breath will take them away. But, he says, the one who takes refuge in the God of the universe, will prosper, and will have a place near his heart.

God hates idolatry, he hates it when someone he created in his own image, puts their trust in something that was created in the image of another human being. and prays to that image. Speaking through the apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians, Jesus warns us to run from idolatry.

1Co 10:14 KJV Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Idolatry is the worship of anything other than God Himself. The second commandment that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai expressly forbids this kind of worship.

Exo 20:1-6 ESV And God spoke all these words, saying, (2) “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (3) “You shall have no other gods before me. (4) “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

(5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (6) but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Many religions in the world today have the practice of praying to statues, worshipping, and bowing before images made by human hands. Those who practice this type of idolatry will say that they are not really worshipping the images or statues, but merely use them as a reminder and as a way of helping them to pray and focus on God. However, not only did God forbid the practice of bowing down and worshipping such images and statues, but He commanded that no such images should be made.

No image is to be made of anything in heaven above, or in the earth beneath or in the waters under the earth. God commanded man not to make them. If man obeyed God’s command not to make them, no one could worship them. But even if a person says that they don’t really worship such images and statues, by acknowledging them as part of their religion they are as guilty as the person who made the image in the first place. This second commandment is very clear, and it says that anyone who breaks this commandment hates God.

You may well wonder how any religion could get away with breaking one of God’s commandments, and in particular any religion that claims to be Christian. In order to facilitate the worship of other beings besides God, the religion practiced by most of the people in our land simply took out that second commandment. Let us see a comparison of the ten commandments that God gave to Moses and the ten commandments as taught by this particular well-known denomination. Let’s refer to it as the Church of altered Ten Commandments.

First Commandment

Bible

Exo 20:2-3 ESV “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. (3) “You shall have no other gods before me

First Commandment

Church of altered Ten Commandments.

I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.

Second commandment

Bible

Exo 20:4-6 ESV “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (5) You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, (6) but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Second commandment

Church of altered Ten Commandments.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

In order to allow people to worship others apart from God, this denomination simply removed the commandment that forbids the making of images and worshipping them. Does this mean that they don’t teach a tenth commandment? Oh, they have a tenth commandment alright, but in order to make up for the commandment that was removed, the tenth commandment was divided in two.

Ninth Commandment

Bible

Exo 20:16 ESV “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Ninth Commandment

Church of altered Ten Commandments.

You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

Tenth commandment

Bible

Exo 20:17 ESV “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's

Tenth commandment

Church of altered Ten Commandments.

You shall not covet your neighbor's goods

The second commandment was deleted, and the tenth commandment became the ninth and tenth. There you have it, a new set of ten commandments. And by doing that, people see no problem worshipping and praying to statues, images, and idols. However, they are deceived, and they are in total disobedience to the commands of God, a God who describes himself as someone who is jealous for the worship of his people and promises to punish those who make images or worship them, and to punish their descendants to the third and fourth generation. In fact, not alone does he hate the practice of making images and statues and worshipping before them, but God sys that those who make them and those who worship them in disobedience to his commandment actually hate him.

Idolatry is a very serious offence, which is why Jesus warned us to flee from it. If your church has images and statues, you need to flee from it as fast as you can. Run to God and trust him and be among those who keep his commandments and are shown his love. He will lead you and he will restore you as he promises.

Isa 57:15 ESV For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

The verses that follow tell how God relates to those who are humble and contrite. Those who humly turn from their ways and turn to God. When we learn that we have been going the wrong way in disobedience to the Lord, the high and holy God meets us where we are, he comes down to our level to save us, because it is impossible for us to go to his level to save ourselves. When we come to him un humility he promises to restore us, to save us and to heal us.

Isa 57 18_19 ESV I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, (19) creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him.

God sees all our ways, good and bad, and yet once we put our complete trust in him, he promises that, even though he sees our ways he says, he will heal us. Not only does he promise to heal us, but he promises to lead us and restore comfort to us, and to those who lament or grieve with us over our sickness.

During my recurring health problems since Christmas, I have clung to verse 18 and 19.

It is our wonderful Father who created the fruit of our lips, who creates praise to his name because of his wonderful works to the children of men. At times our sickness may well be the result of some sin in our lives, and our sin will draw away from God. However, when we turn again to him, he still promises to speak peace to us even when we are far from him. He speaks peace peace to the far and near, and He ends by repeating the words “and I will heal him.”

This is the heart of Father God. He sees all our ways, but he promises to heal us. This is his promise to us when we are near him and when we move away from him. Claim this promise whenever sickness visits you.

Pray especially for any of your family members who are caught up in a religion that worships any one other then God alone. They may have heard the gospel and may have believed it, but they will never be free while they live in disobedience to the gospel, trusting in another means of getting right with God. There is only one way, one truth and one life, his name is Jesus, and no person can be one with the Father without coming through Jesus. Praying to anyone else is idolatry and it’s not just that God doesn’t hear those prayers, he considers those who do such things as hating him, and promises to visit theirs sin, which means punishment if they don’t humble themselves and turn back to him.

Your Love is Better Than Life

Sat, 07 May 2022 19:55:23 GMT

Earlier this week myself and our son Aaron were in Dublin for appointments and during a break we went on a tour of Kilmainham Gaol. This jail is famous for holding many, and executing some, of those men and women who fought for Irish independence. From the 1798 rebellion, to the 1916 Easter Rising, the Anglo-Irish War in 1919-1921 to the devastation of the Irish Civil War 1922-1923.

We got to walk the tunnels full of cells now lying empty, but for years were filled to over-crowding, especially during the Irish famine where a jail sentence meant being fed - while being “free” meant death by starvation.

So many lives, so many stories. Stories of love, injustice, tragedy, devastating poverty. Lives of men, women and children kept in freezing cold cells, open to the elements - but facing this fate seemed to be a lifeline to survival. Serving sentences for offences such as stealing bread or a potato with their youngest prisoner being just 3 years of age, held along side hardened criminals who’s crimes were much greater and their motives and characters much more sinister. Some sentencing led to death by hanging … young, bound and many suffering for hours as they died in a torturous fashion – some innocent of their crimes, many truths untold, many failings unheard …

Others serving time for fighting a cause bigger than their own, rebelling and rising against the injustices that their fellow country folk faced day in and day out. They may have been kept in better conditions, with a cell to themselves, but their fate still ended their lives - lives that had just begun, young men taken at the hands of another.

The world is full of untruths, of stories unheard, injustices being allowed, lives in pain and torment. Disease and rumour eat away at our minds and bodies. There seems to be little relief … even if our basic needs are met … every life has hardships in the here and now … as we navigate the brokenness and sorrow of a world yet perfected for all of time.

One thing all of humanity longs for is freedom … in all of its ways … but just like those who were starving and chose jail for relief - we look for freedom in all the ways WE can only to find ourselves more and more bound. To find freedom we must look outside of ourselves.

In Psalm 63:1-4 King David finds himself out in the arid dry heat of the desert and sings …

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.”

Psalms 63:1-4 NIV

Like the picture of jail, we can often feel like we are in a desert … we are thirsty and long for the refreshment of pure water, in a land dry and parched. Dry of truth, of health, of substance. We seek relief in other ways as we drink from all the many wells. Few seek the Water of Life from the only well we can drink from that brings freedom and true satisfaction. God describes Himself in Jeremiah 2:13 as a “fountain of Living Waters”.

The average human can physically live around 3-4 days only without water, our bodies depend on being hydrated to stay alive. So when Jesus describes in John 4:13-14 the difference between drinking water from the well in the dry lands of Samaria and drinking the water only He provides we can see a clear picture of why He uses this analogy.

He says “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” A spring that never dries, a continual stream of living water within us … bringing hydration to our dry bones, life to our souls, purpose and power in us and through us that over flows to those around us. A river of joy that supersedes our griefs and sorrow, it runs continually along side all our other emotions and thoughts and circumstances … accessible for us to drink from always if and when we choose. Jesus is our one and only source of life and freedom. The only breaker of chains. As David says “because your love (God’s Love) is better than life”.

A strong statement do we think? Better than life? Didn’t God give us life? Yes. God’s Love is greater than all loves, greater than our every breath, greater than life itself. Why? Because God IS love so anything outside of that is not pure, it’s been distorted in some way, and as much as we want to believe other ways can bring us to the same outcome, to freedom, to life giving water … they can’t. In John 10 Jesus speaks of being the Good Shepherd who lays his life down for his sheep. He speaks of the thief here in verse 10 … “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY”. Jesus gave His life so all who come to Him don’t just have life eternally but life abundantly starting right from that moment! The thief comes in all shapes and sizes to make us believe anything else is the right way, that any other falsehood is the truth, that any other person can fulfil us, any other desire is everlasting and fully satisfying … all of which are lies. The thief comes ONLY to steal and kill and destroy.

This is why getting to know God is the only thing that’s not only eternally worthwhile, but worthwhile in our living and breathing right here, right now. It’s our freedom and sustenance. Truth can seem so stark in comparison to all we have been told, fed and bound by - it can seem so foreign to us we can even become offended by it. We wrestle with it. We reject it for what seems an easier way but as we dig in and persevere in forming a relationship with Jesus, in believing in His Truth, in His way, in His Love … we move further away from everything else that is thrown our way and deeper into freedom. Our eyes become opened and our spiritual senses more keenly fine-tuned to recognise the deception all around us. We come to know the power residing within us, the Holy Spirit, we come to see more clearly and as Tom often says it’s the Truth we KNOW that sets us free … we often hear these verses taught here from John 8:31-32 Jesus says “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So to get to KNOW the Truth we need to abide (to live) in the teachings of Jesus, in relationship with Him - and the Truth in Him lived out in us sets us free.

It doesn’t mean we don’t have to deal with life’s pains, sorrows, illnesses, griefs … trials that seem to be endless. It means we get to live in FREEDOM within them, we get to be refreshed moment by moment in living water, we get to find and know true, unconditional, merciful, Grace filled Love every breath that we take. We find acceptance and belonging, a peace that comes from being known deep, deeper than we will ever know our own selves, and living free in THAT knowledge, THAT identity of being HIS and as we continue in HIS Love we find safety, security, confidence, trust … we find life in abundance true life … beyond circumstances that surround us, beyond emotions that crush in, beyond illnesses that bind our bodies, beyond cruelty that leave scars cut deep … we find that HIS Love IS better than life … because without it we are not living at all. We are surviving, scrambling around trying to find water to drink, reaching out to anyone and anything to relieve the pain of being shut in our own jails … finding nothing of substance, nothing that lasts, nothing that satisfies … nothing like the Love of Jesus … because He IS life. In John 14:6 Jesus speaks to Thomas saying … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Even in the world we live in today the model of thinking about our overall health and wellbeing in general includes to love ourselves and heal from within before we can love others well. If we love ourselves by human standards of love, we are doing OURSELVES an injustice, if we never discover the purity of God’s Love for us, we can never love ourselves or others as He does … because it is HIS love that flows in us and through us to ourselves and to others … and there we find rest. Jesus left us with a new commandment that encapsulates all others given before it … “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and with all your mind. And to love your neighbour as you love yourself.”

When I used to read that in my early defiance I’d come to God and say “but I don’t love myself so that’s that”. Maturity at its finest!! God in His mercy knows us so well and there’s a reason why we are told to love Him first and then our neighbour. If we love the Lord our God with ALL of ourselves … we come to know the fullness of Him and in turn the fullness of His Love not just for us but IN us … so to love God cannot be separate to loving ourselves, they are as one - He in us. It is God in us, changing us from the inside, not by anything we can do of ourselves. Only by giving our all to Him can He then work in us. It’s voluntary … not forced, He asks us to invite Him in not to control us but change us for OUR good. As He is at work IN us … we change, we find forgiveness that enables us to forgive, we find mercy that enables us to be merciful, we find grace that enables us to be gracious and extend His grace to others, we find security, safety, stability, joy and peace beyond our understanding and so much more … we find life and life abundant!

I have spent many long dark years clinging to Jesus as my only source of life but only truly following Him this past 11 years. Those years seemed full of loneliness, pain and confusion - years of untold trauma, unseen pain, unknown misunderstandings within misdiagnosis’s. Distructive untrue labels, words spoken over me that produced death in me and not life. I don’t know why I went through that for so long, it caused pain not only in me but in those who love me … I had many many unanswered questions … until I didn’t even need the answers to them anymore. I don’t need the answers to those questions because Jesus is the only answer I need. I KNOW that it’s only because of Jesus I stand before you today, I KNOW it’s only because of Jesus I have life, I KNOW It’s only because of Jesus and Him alone I live and breathe, I KNOW it’s only because of Jesus I found Living Water that sustains me, I KNOW it’s only because of Jesus I found freedom, I KNOW it’s only because of Jesus my chains are gone, I KNOW it’s only because of Jesus I am Loved fully, purely, confidently with no condemnation. I KNOW the Truth because Jesus IS Truth and it is in HIM I am set free. I can assure you that in my flesh I would be as far away from the front as possible let alone be speaking in front of you … but God IN ME. When we come to Him, allow Him to change us, work in us, hear His voice and follow Him ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

At a particularly difficult period I clung to that verse in Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me”. Even getting out of bed seemed insurmountable and I knew I couldn’t do it in my own strength. I would say out loud “I can do ALL things through Christ” and His power would well up within me and gave me strength to literally put one foot in front of the other. I KNOW His Love IS better than life … without Him I’d have no life at all and many other lives would be destroyed in the process. At that time my loving husband Tom had only recently come to know the Lord but when he turned to Jesus he KNEW his life was changed forever and he never wanted to turn back! He carved Philippians 4:13 into wood for me and it now stands over the door which we use the most to come in and out of our home. It stands as a reminder that we don’t live here as a family in our own strength, but God’s. It stands as a monument of His goodness and faithfulness. It stands as an anthem that we take through each moment of our days. It proclaims words of life over us and in us. It counteracts all of our own weaknesses and failings that we give to Him and allow Him to turn them around in us and through us. This home is messy (and I don’t just mean all the stuff lying about in it!!), it’s messy because we are human and we make mistakes as we navigate our lives and relationships in a messy world, it’s messy because although God is at work in us we are not yet perfected, it’s messy … but it’s covered by the blood of the Lamb … Christ is the Head of our home, He is our strength, He is our purpose, He gives us life … and life abundantly because from Him Living Waters flow continually in us and around us.

So as we all spend our days looking to Him moment by moment, in our pain, in our griefs, in our difficult circumstances, our struggles, our relationships, in our questions and in our doubts but also in our joys and our victories … we will find ALL we need to live life in freedom and continual satisfaction in Him, for Him, with Him … breath by breath becoming more aware of WHO He is, who WE are and the abundance of life in His Love and there we can sing along with David … “my lips will praise you (Lord) … I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands … because your steadfast Love is better than life” …

Be Passionate About It!

Fri, 06 May 2022 19:52:10 GMT

'I felt a fire burning inside.' Psalm 39:3 CEV

David wrote, 'I felt a fire burning inside, and the more I thought, the more it burned, until at last I said: "Please, Lord, show me my future"' ( Psalm 39:3-4 CEV ). Passion is like fire; unless you feed it and stoke it, it will die.

Question: on a scale of one to ten, how wholehearted are you about serving the Lord? Before you answer, think about these Scriptures: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength' ( Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV ). 'Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart' ( Psalm 119:2 NIV ). 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding' ( Proverbs 3:5 NIV ). 'You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart' ( Jeremiah 29:13 NIV ). 'Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you' ( 2 Timothy 1:6 NIV ). '"Return home and tell how much God has done for you." So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him' ( Luke 8:39 NIV ). 'Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church' ( 1 Corinthians 14:12 NIV ). 'To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me' ( Colossians 1:29 NIV ). 'Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus' ( Philippians 3:13-14 NIV ).

All these Scriptures can be reduced to one sentence: be passionate about what God has called you to do

How to Keep from Falling

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 19:50:53 GMT

How to keep from falling
Tuesday 26th April 2022

'Whoever does these things will never be shaken.' Psalm 15:5 NIV

In God's Word we read, 'The man who is often reproved but refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken and never have another chance"' ( Proverbs 29:1 TLB). King Solomon was reputed to be the wisest man who ever lived. He wrote these words, but sadly he didn't live by them, so he was suddenly 'broken'. And if it could happen to Solomon, none of us are immune!

Character is still a crucial issue in our day: political, business and religious leaders still fall so publicly. As a leader, you don't operate in a vacuum. You influence many others, and when you fall they feel the repercussions. When a big oak tree falls, it takes the little trees with it.

So how can you guard against falling? By not favouring gifts over character. People have an unhealthy tendency to celebrate and reward someone's gift and overlook their character; both must be developed. Character is the sum total of your daily habits. In Psalm 15, David gives us eight traits to look for in a leader worthy of respect: (1) They have integrity. (2) They don't take part in gossip. (3) They don't harm others. (4) They speak up against wrong. (5) They honour those who walk in the truth. (6) They keep their promise, even at personal cost. (7) They're not greedy to profit at the expense of others. (8) They're strong and stable. David concludes his psalm by saying those who do these things 'will never be shaken'. That's how you keep from falling!

God Will Take Care of You

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 19:49:44 GMT

Joh 11:17-27 ESV Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. (18) Bethany was near Jerusalem, about tw o miles off, (19) and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. (20) So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house.

(21) Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. (22) But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” (23) Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” (24) Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

(25) Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, (26) and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (27) She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

After this, Martha went and called her sister Mary and told her quietly that Jesus was here and was asking for her. As Jesus had not yet arrived in the village, Mary ran immediately to where he was. She fell down at his feet and said.

Joh 11 32b ESV …“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her sorrow and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. He asked where they had laid Lazarus. At this point Jesus wept.

When Jesus wept, I don’t believe he was weeping because Lazarus was dead, instead he was weeping in tender sympathy with his troubled friends. Christ is touched by all our afflictions. He was a man of sorrow acquainted with grief. I believe Jesus knew that Lazarus would be raised to life because when he received the news that he was sick, instead of rushing to him, Jesus remained where he was for two days before starting his journey. When I received the message from Susanna to come to Brain, I dropped everything and went immediately. Surely if Jesus didn’t know that Lazarus would be raised to life, he too would have left immediately. This us why we can be assiured that Jesus wasn’t weeping because Lazarus had died, but in sympathy with the sorrow of his friends who believed that they would not see their loved on again.

When I was praying with Brian, at one stage Susanna and Wilma were weeping, and their grief struck me and I too wept. They wept seeing precious loved one so weak and sick and it seemed like he was dying. I was weeping because I was touched by their grief. I’m not saying that my faith was so strong that I believed one hundred percent that Brian would recover. Its hard to be full of faith when you are praying for someone who is unresponsive with has hardly a pulse. This is the time to pray, “I Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief.”

On a side note, while we ought always to pray for healing, believing that God hears, we don’t always know what else is going on between the individual and God. There is always the chance that the person we are praying for has come to terms with the length of their life and they are happy to go home, and we know no matter how we pray, God will never overrule a person’s will.

In Psalm 91 God promises to satisfy his loved ones with length of days. I used to understand that to mean long life, like ninety or a hundred years. However, over the years I have seen believers of all ages die, young and old. At one stage I sought God on this and what I understood as a result was this. What was meant in Psalm 91 in relation to long life was that a person would be satisfied with the length of days they had, not how old they were when they died. A person may die young, and still be satisfied with the length they have lived. So, we don’t know always what is going on with the person.

I remember praying for a person who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer in her early sixties, and short of a miracle there was no hope of her recovery. I would call to her bedside and pray for her healing. As I continued to visit her, and pray for a miracle, I saw her get weaker each day, even to the point of losing the ability to speak. One day I noticed that she would become very agitated when I would pray, and I wondered why. I remembered that when she first got sick, she told me that she was ready to go home at any time. I realised this person had come to accept the length of her days and wanted to go home.

After this I changed my prayer. Instead of praying for her healing, I prayed for her to be prepared to meet her Lord and saviour. The peace that came over her was really noticeable, so I knew I was praying in line with her will, and God would not overrule her will.

I’m saying that to say this, when we pray for others, especially loved ones, there are times when we must prepare ourselves for the worst but believe for the best. It also worth noting that the worst for us is when a loved one dies, but it’s only the worst for us, not for other person who has gone into the presence of God in glory.

Jews saw Jesus weeping -

John 11 36_37 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (37) But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

While its true, Jesus could have kept Lazarus from dying, there was a greater miracle in store for the people to see.

Joh 11:38-44 ESV Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. (39) Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” (40) Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

(41) So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. (42) I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” (43) When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.”

(44) The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Imagine the scene today. A loved one has died. He is in the grave a week. Then someone digs up the coffin and opens it. There is the dead man in the coffin. He is called back to life, and, lo and behold, out he comes alive and well. Our God is the God of the impossible, and we are still seeing the miracles today. If Jesus could bring a person back from death, and if today he can bring someone back from the point of death, is there anything too difficult for him, only believe.

Let’s continue to pray for Brian’s complete recovery, and pray for Susanna, for their son Martin, and for Wilma and James. The God who began a good work in Brian is still perfecting that good work. He continues his good work in all of us throughout our lifetime and will not stop until we see him fade to face. God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His good work began within us when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. This process of Christian growth and maturity began when we first accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, and continues until he returns again for us, or until we go to him, whichever comes first.

With the God who created the heavens and the earth by his great power, nothing is too difficult, only believe. And if your faith is weak, pray, and ask God to help you in your unbelief. Believe for greater things and you will see them.

Palm Sunday

Sun, 10 Apr 2022 19:45:59 GMT

In the Christian calendar, the most important day of the year is Easter Sunday, when we Celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Tod ay, one week before Easter we celebrate Palm Sunday, the day that marks the beginning of what is known as Holy Week. Palm Sunday is the day we celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus to Jerusalem just days before his death. Today is known as Palm Sunday because, as Jesus passed by on a donkey, the crowds laid palm branches at His feet as he passed by. We read the account from the gospel of John.

Joh 12 1_36 ESV Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. (2) So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. (3) Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

(4) But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, (5) “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (6) He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. (7) Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

(8) For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (9) When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. (10) So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, (11) because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

(12) The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. (13) So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

(14) And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, (15) “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” (16) His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

(17) The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. (18) The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. (19) So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”

(20) Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. (21) So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” (22) Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

(23) And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (24) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (25) Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

(26) If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. (27) “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. (28) Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

(29) The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” (30) Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. (31) Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. (32) And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

(33) He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. (34) So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” (35) So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.

(36) While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

The day before his triumphant entry, according to John, Mary anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive ointment. This was no ordinary ointment, but essence of nard, which was a fragrant ointment imported from the mountains of India. The amount Mary used was worth a year's wages, which was about three hundred denarii, and would be the equivalent of five and half thousand euro today. You can imagine the horror of Judas when he saw that amount being ‘wasted’ as he implied. He said this because he was a thief who would steal from the collection. Mary, on the other hand, knew the value of the ointment for a different reason; she knew the value of the person she was pouring the ointment on, that he was priceless.

Mary at the feet of Jesus, learning from him. Come to me ….

Judas only knew the value of material things and had no problem stealing from the poor box. What a contrast. One worships the God of ages the other the god of mammon. We can’t worship God and money; for we will hate the one and love the other.

Jesus responded to Judas -

Joh 12:7-8 ESV Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. (8) For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

The next day the crowds who had come for the feast of Passover in Jerusalem heard that Jesus was coming. They came, not only on account of Jesus, but also because of Lazarus who had been raised from the dead, so they gathered to greet Jesus, and put palm branches to line the road before him, singing.

Joh 12:13 ESV …“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

It looks like they were honouring Him, but let’s not forget with a short week this same crowd cried for his crucifixion.

So Jesus finds the donkey as he had said and rode on it to Jerusalem.

Joh 12:15-16 ESV “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt!” (16) His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.

It wasn’t until after the resurrection that the disciples understood for the first time many of the prophesies that they missed along the way. It was only then that the words and actions of Jesus took on deeper meaning and made more sense. When they looked back on their journey with Jesus, they saw how he had led them into deeper meaning and better understanding of His truth.

Things are happening in your life right now that you don’t fully understand. You are trusting God, but you don’t fully understand what he is saying or where he is taking you. When we pause to think about the events in our lives that have led us where you are today, it can help us trust God for whatever is happening in our lives right now that we don’t fully understand. How has God led you to this point? When you look back and now, we see why God lead you on that path, why he answered your prayer in a way you could not understand at the time. There are things that you understand today that you didn’t understand in the past, and as you grow older, you will look back and see God's involvement more clearly than you do now. All he asks is that we trust him through it all, even if you don’t understand.

The crowds followed Jesus because he had done miraculous signs, the disciples followed him because he called them and they answered, even though they didn’t understand. Today you can be one of the crowd or you can be a disciple, by you can’t be both. Today we can follow the Lord with all our heart like Mary, or we can follow our own soulish desires, but you can’t do both.

Joh 12:25 ESV Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

If we are truly committed to living for Jesus, then we should care nothing for our lives in comparison to living for Him. This doesn’t mean that we have to have a death wish or that we be carless or destructive with this life God has given us, but we must be willing to lay down our lives to glorify Christ. We must be willing to leave aside self and all desire for self-centredness. By laying aside our own ambitions and desires we can serve God lovingly and freely. This is what Jesus did for us, and this is what he asks us to do.

Joh 12:26 ESV If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

Joh 12:34-36 ESV So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” (35) So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer.

Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. (36) While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.

We have the light of Christ in us, his light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome the light. Not only do we have the light of Christ, but we are this light to others.

Joh 12:27-28 ESV “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. (28) Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

The main purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to die for you. That bottle of expensive ointment that Mary poured out on the feet of Jesus, even though worth a year’s wages, was no more than a grain of sand compared to the price Jesus was about to pay for you and me. He was about to give up his very life for us, which shows how much he values each and every one of us. You are priceless, because no man can put a price on the ransom that was paid for your soul. As we go into Holy Week, let us be ever mindful of our value to the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!”

A Heart of Flesh

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 19:44:51 GMT

A heart of flesh
Saturday 9th April 2022

'I will remove...your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.' Ezekiel 36:26 NIV

When you have been hurt, it's easy to put up barriers. But be careful - a protective shell can turn into a 'heart of stone': resistant, unreceptive, impenetrable even to God.

One Christian author writes: 'The only thing more painful, and with...more serious ramifications than a broken heart, is a frozen one....Paul warns us [about]...allowing our hearts to harden. "They are darkened in their understanding...separated from the life of God...due to...hardening of their hearts" ( Ephesians 4:18 NIV ). A soft heart is not weak or naive. To the contrary, wisdom, experience, and faith make for a strong heart, weathered by compassion and seasoned with mercy. A hardened heart is not protected, it's merely encased in injury, and it is painfully obvious to everyone but you...After a weekend that felt like one painful test after another, I called my best friend in tears. "Why won't this end? How strong does God want me to be? I can't take it anymore!" Being a godly woman...she replied, "Perhaps it's the other way around. You have been strong enough. God wants your heart to be soft and open." I hadn't thought of it that way. In response to heartbreak, betrayal, or shame, it is...easy to develop a heart of stone. We think this will protect us from...more pain. The problem with stone is...it feels nothing - no pain, but no love. It is a trap that feels like self-preservation, but it is actually self-destruction. [God] wants to give you a heart of flesh. With his love you can emerge from a painful season of loss with a heart that is yielding, porous, and ready to receive the gifts he has...for you.'

Revealing the Father's Heart

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 19:43:29 GMT

For the past two years we have lived with the threat of a deadly virus, not knowing how or when it would affect us, or in what way. For s ome, there was the added threat of losing jobs, businesses failing, and the fear of not being able to survive. Then, just as government announces the end of lockdown and what seems to be the first sign of light at the end of this very long tunnel, we hear the disastrous news of war in Europe, and soon realise that this too will cost us even though we are thousands of miles away. With prices reaching levels that we have not seen before, fear slowly creeps in with questions like, will I have enough to survive, will I be able to pay my mortgage, will I be able to survive.

And of course, like the last two years, the ones who fear the most are the ones who listen to the daily news the most. But God. In first Chronicles chapter twelve, where the mighty men of David are recorded, in verse thirty-two we see mention of men of Issachar.

1Ch 12:32 ESV Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.

The 200 leaders from the tribe of Issachar "understood the signs of the times." As a result, their knowledge and judgment provided needed help in making decisions for the nation. Today, the job of the leader is to prepare his or her people for what is happening in the world, and to know how and what to do. How then is God’s word relevant for the world we live in today.

As a church we are so thankful to Tom and Heather for giving their home to host our worship services. Last week Heather brought a powerful message entitled Back to Basics. In it she taught that as individuals we are being called to strip away everything until it’s just us and God, and as a church he is asking us to come together WITH Him, just us and Daddy. It’s true that at times we can get so involved in the practicalities of being a Christian, ticking all the right the boxes - read my Bible today, prayed for the lost today, attended church this week, paid my tithes, helped my neighbour - and while all this is going on, God is waiting patiently for some quality time with us.

Getting back to basics, according to Heather’s message is about spending time with Father God, because it’s the best time of all. When we spend time with Him, He changes us from the inside out. Jesus said that as we come to him in our weary state, he restores us. So, what does the Word of God say to us today, in the troubled times we live in.

Mat 11:25-30 ESV At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; (26) yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. (27) All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the

Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (28) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”…

No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. The fact that we know the Father today is because Jesus has revealed Him to us. And Jesus can only reveal the heart of the Father to us when we come to him for this revelation. The knowledge of God the Father and the mysteries of grace can only be found when we come to Jesus. It was Jesus who said, “I am the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by me.” Jesus warmly invites and encourages us to come to him for all the things we need for life and godliness; all things we need for peace, comfort, happiness, and salvation are to be found in his hands alone. And as we come to him, he reveals the Father’s heart.

He calls us to him, and the promise is that we will be given rest as we become yoked to Christ.

A yoke was a heavy wooden harness that fitted over the shoulders of an ox or oxen. It was attached to a piece of equipment the oxen would pull. We may be carrying heavy burdens of (1) sin, (2) the demands of life (3) oppression and persecution, or (4) weariness in the search for God.

Jesus frees people from all these burdens. The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God. A relationship with God changes meaningless, wearisome toil into spiritual productivity and purpose.

As we come to him, as we learn from him, as we learn from his gentle and humble heart, he promises that we will find rest for our souls, for, says Christ, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. This is the opposite of what is happening right now in the world. The burden on people to simply live has become extremely heavy in recent times. In budget 2022, the minister for finance announced an increase in fuel prices.

Minister Donohoe said the action was necessary as "the world is burning, and people will not tolerate Governments' inaction on climate crisis."

Of course, when fuel prices increase, everything else increases as well because everything we buy is dependent on being delivered by fuel-driven transport. In February, fuel saw another increase as a result of the war in the Ukraine. This has resulted in families and individuals having to deal with the extra burden of the rising cost of living, electricity goes up, gas goes up, home heating, food, and the list goes on and on, and so does the added stress and pressure that goes with it. This is why we must not lose sight of the word of God when he invites us to come to him, and we must believe that as we do, he will give us rest. As we learn from him, we will find that his yoke is easy, and his burden is light.

If we continue to try to make it on our own, we won’t be at rest, we will find that we are weak and heavy laden. We cannot survive without him. As we come to Him, he reveals the heart of our good, good Father who loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son to die for us, and if God gave his only Son, will he hold anything back. Of course, the answer is no, but we won’t see the goodness of God our heavenly Father unless we first believe it, and we cannot believe it unless Christ reveals it to us, and he cannot reveal it to us unless we come to him and rest in him.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”…

We get rest only when we come to him. When we come to him, we must be prepared to lay down our own burdens, we must allow him to take the yoke of worry, of anxiety, of fear for the future off our shoulders in preparation for the taking on of his yoke of righteousness, of peace, of joy in the Holy Ghost. We come to Him to learn from him, and as we do we will learn his gentleness and his humility. This is the means that God has provided so that we can find rest for our souls. For, said Jesus, my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

This is the only way to ride out this storm, and if we don’t learn to ride this one, we won’t be able to ride the nest one, and you can be sure there will be a next one.

When We Don't Get The Answer We Want

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 19:42:18 GMT

The book of Job is a very sobering read, not for the faint-hearted. As we read through it, we find that Job has three very int eresting friends. They talk to Job about his predicament and his suffering. They try to get Job to see that his suffering is God’s punishment for evil in his heart. Job however knows that he has done nothing deserving of the calamity that has come upon him and argues his case with his friends. He makes his claims that he has lived a righteous life, that there is no falsehood to be found in him, he is not deceitful, he has given to the poor, clothes the needy, has not trusted in riches, has not let his mouth to sin.

Job 31:38-40 ESV “If my land has cried out against me and its furrows have wept together, (39) if I have eaten its yield without payment and made its owners breathe their last, (40) let thorns grow instead of wheat, and foul weeds instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

If I have done wrong let me be punished, but I know that I have lived a righteous life. Job spends time questioning God about his plight and doesn’t understand why God would send calamity to visit him.

Job 32:1 ESV So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

His three friends had no more to say because they simply could not accept the fact that Job was a good man, because to do so would completely destroy their theory that suffering, and trouble are always God’s punishment for evil and sin. However, it wasn’t just Job who claimed that he was righteous, God himself affirmed the blamelessness of Job.

Job 1:8 ESV And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

When a person gets a mindset about God, it can be hard to change their minds. Job knew that he could see no just cause for his suffering, on the other hand, his friends just couldn’t see how God would punish him unless he had entertained sin in his life. They were ignorant of the fact that God had already declared Job to be righteous. There are some people who will never allow God’s word to interfere with their theology.

The younger Elihu concluded that God is still concerned even though he doesn't intervene immediately in every situation. In the broad scope of time, God executes justice. We have his promise on that. Don't lose hope. Wait upon God. He notices your right living and your faith.

In chapter thirty-eight God begins to speak to Job.

Job 38:1-14 ESV Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: (2) “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? (3) Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. (4) “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding. (5) Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? (6) On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, (7) when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

(8) “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, (9) when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, (10) and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, (11) and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

(12) “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, (13) that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? (14) It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment.

Out of a whirlwind, God spoke. Surprisingly, he didn't answer any of Job's questions; Job's questions were not at the heart of the issue. Instead, God used Job's ignorance of the earth's natural order to reveal his ignorance of God's moral order. If Job did not understand the workings of God's physical creation, how could he possibly understand God's mind and character? There is no standard higher than God himself by which to judge. God himself is the standard. Our only option is to submit to his authority and rest in his care.

Job 38:22-23 ESV “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, (23) which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?

God said he was reserving the storehouses of the snow and hail for times of trouble. God used hail to help Joshua and the Israelites win a battle (Jos_10:11). Just as armies keep weapons in the armoury, God has all the forces of nature in his control. Sometimes he uses them to confound those opposed to him or his people. Job couldn't even begin to know all of God's resources.

God lets Job know that he has all the forces of nature at his every beck and call, and he can let them loose or restrain them as he wishes. No man understands such common things as rain or snow, and no one can command them to fall, only God who created them, he is the only one who has power over them. The point that God was making to Job was that if Job could not explain those common events of nature, how could he possibly explain or question God. If we cannot understand nature, God’s moral purposes may also be beyond our grasp.

Job 38:31 ESV “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?

These are all star constellations, and they are all under God's control, no one can bind or lose them except God Himself. God asked Job many other questions to which he had no answer, but God wasn’t looking for answers from Job, he was simply demonstrating how limited Job was in his knowledge. He was getting Job to recognize and submit to God's power and sovereignty. Only then could he hear what God was really saying to him.

Job 40:1-5 ESV And the LORD said to Job: (2) “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.” (3) Then Job answered the LORD and said: (4) “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. (5) I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Throughout his time of suffering, Job longed to have an opportunity to plead his innocence before God. Here God appeared to Job and gave him that opportunity. But Job decided to remain quiet because it was no longer necessary for him to speak. God had shown Job that, as a limited human being, he had neither the ability to judge the God who created the universe nor the right to ask why. God's actions do not depend on ours. He will do what he knows is best, regardless of what we think is fair. It is important to note, however, that God came to Job, demonstrating his love and care for him.

How do you argue or criticize almighty God? Do you demand answers when things don't go your way, you lose a job, someone close to you is ill or dies, finances are tight, you fail, or unexpected changes occur? When we are tempted to complain to God, first we must think about how much he loves us. And we must not forget Job's reaction when he had his chance to speak. Are you worse off than Job or more righteous than he? Give God a chance to reveal his greater purposes for you but remember that they may unfold slowly over the course of your life and not at the moment you desire.

The main question in the book of Job is timely: Why do believers experience troubles and suffering? Through a long debate, Job's supposedly wise friends were unable to answer this question. Job's friends made a serious error for which God rebuked them. They assumed that trouble comes only because people sin. People make the same mistake today when they assert that sickness or lack of material blessing, or trouble of some kind is a sign of unconfessed sin or lack of faith. Though normally (but not always) following God leads to a happier life, and rebelling against God normally (but not always) leads to an unhappy life, God is in control. In our world invaded by sin, calamity and suffering come to good and bad alike.

This does not mean that God is indifferent, uncaring, unjust, or powerless to protect us. Bad things happen because we live in a fallen world, where both believers and unbelievers are hit with the tragic consequences of sin. God allows evil for a time although he turns it around for our good (Rom_8:28). We may have no answers as to why God allows evil, but we can be sure he is all-powerful and knows what he is doing. The next time you face trials and dilemmas, see them as opportunities to turn to God for strength. You will find a God who only desires to show his love and compassion to you. If you can trust him in pain, confusion, and loneliness, you will win the victory and eliminate doubt, one of Satan's greatest footholds in your life.

When we make God our sure foundation, we can never be separated from his love.

Back to Basics

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 19:39:47 GMT

Back to Basics

As I was preparing the house for Church this week my eyes were drawn to a sign that our daughter had bought Tom which says “The best time is when Daddy and me are together” and I really felt God say … “Let’s get back to basics”.

According to the Collins dictionary … “The basics of something are its simplest, most important elements, ideas, or principles, in contrast to more complicated or detailed ones”.

Simplest most important elements. In essence the foundations. Without them nothing else can stand. Without food and water we can not physically live. These are the basics for our body to keep functioning.

So when God says “Let’s get back to basics” … He is calling us to strip away everything until it’s just you and Him … and to the church He’s asking us to come together WITH Him just us and Daddy.

Back to basics. God walked with Adam and Eve freely in the garden and because of Jesus He walks with us today. He doesn’t leave us. Our hearts can be filled with so many things, but God is calling us back to His heart, His hand and His walk with us.

On days such as Mother’s Day we can get caught up in what it represents in our hearts, whether that’s joy, or deep loss, or expectations not met … or a mixture of all three. We look at what is or what isn’t, what was or what wasn’t, what we have or what we haven’t and really isn’t that how we live in this broken world? There’s no certainties, our ideals are mostly unrealistic and we feel let down more often than not. But God. If we spent as much time looking to Him, growing in relationship with Him, spending time with Him, as we do at everything else … our uncertainties would fade little by little because our certainty is in Him alone, our priorities would shift to those of God, our hearts would become less fraught as glimpses of peace and satisfaction would come … DESPITE everything and everyone else. Those glimpses would grow and our focus would sharpen more and more to the heart of our Father.

In the same way as we gather in fellowship to encourage, listen, worship, pray and break bread with one another – community rises, we become accountable to one another and although that can sometimes get messy … because we are messy beings … if we stick it out and continue in the fellowship God has planted us in we see God change us, renew us, rejuvenate us, energise us. It takes humility to live in community and it takes humility to see Gods heart. It takes us to say here I am Lord … have YOUR way! Which generally looks a lot different to our own!

We see in Acts 2 that the body of believers came together in each other’s homes for fellowship, teaching, praying & breaking of bread … as they devoted themselves to the teachings of Jesus and those He entrusted to continue with the good news of the Gospel.

We are here to learn God’s eternal perspective … the right here right now is about trusting and leaning in, finding Him in the deep because this world is imperfect and we all experience pain and sorrow that God doesn’t want us to gloss over but He does want us to bring it to Him. As we continue in relationship with Him and each other we find a belonging that is not of this world, a peace that is not of our understanding and a contentment in ALL circumstances.

As Paul reminds us of his own walk with God in Philippians 4:12&13

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and in hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

So as individuals and as a fellowship, as believers in Jesus Christ, “let’s get back to basics” and spend time with Father God … because it’s the best time of all .

Forgive Your Parents

Sat, 19 Mar 2022 20:36:26 GMT

Hi all

There is only one perfect parent, our Heavenly Father, all other parents, yours and mine, are or have been flawed. If you’re a parent you’re flawed too. When we experience hurt because of something our flawed parents did in the past, the only solution is to forgive and and as God to help us move on. If not those hurts will be passed down to the next generation and the cycle will continue.

Forgive your parents (1)

'Be...forgiving...as God...forgave you.' Ephesians 4:32 NKJV

There is nothing worse than the pain some parents inflict on their children. Often it stems from ignorance, but that doesn't lessen the hurt when you're on the receiving end.

A Christian author writes: 'Needs not met in childhood will be just as strong in adulthood, but they will be expertly camouflaged. If you were abused as a child, don't be misled into [thinking]..."I'm born again - I shouldn't still hurt." The fact that you still hurt doesn't negate your born-again status or make you less spiritual... it takes a time of healing, deliverance, and getting to know the love of God before total trust comes. Forgiving your parents is a big part of the healing (and crucial to avoiding the pitfall of abusing your own children). You have to forgive the father who never protected you, the mother who mistreated and abused you, the stepfather who didn't love you, the grandfather or uncle who sexually molested you, the parent who was never there or deserted you through death or abandonment...the selfish parent who reminded you that you were never wanted, or the emotionally deficient parent who didn't know how to properly nurture you. These bitterly painful experiences will continue to hurt you if you don't...release all that pain and bitterness...and ask [God] to help you forgive...he is a God of restoration and redemption, so he can redeem whatever...occurred in your past. He can mend the breach between you and your children, or parents, or friends. Restoration doesn't happen overnight, but redemption can. Allow God to redeem your situation now, so it can be turned around and headed in the right direction.'

Forgive your parents (2)

'Forgive...and you will be forgiven.' Luke 6:37 NLT

Once you understand that parents aren't always capable of giving their children what they didn't get themselves - namely love, nurturing, acceptance and physical affection - it becomes easier to forgive them.

Author Stormie Omartian says: 'Sometimes what one parent didn't do hurts as bad as what the abusing one did. A parent's uninvolvement or unwillingness to step in and rescue you feels like a betrayal. Unforgiveness for that uninvolved parent is more difficult to recognise but is more common than we think. Ask God to show you any unforgiveness towards a parent who didn't come to your rescue. If it's there, you have to deal honestly with your feelings...We can't go back in time and get someone to hold and nurture us, and we mustn't demand it from a spouse or friends because they can't do it. It [must] come from our heavenly Father...The first step...is to receive [his] forgivenessand let its reality penetrate the deepest part of our being. When we realise how much we have been forgiven...we have no right to pass judgement on...another. Being forgiven and released from everything we've ever done is such a miraculous gift, how could we refuse to obey God when he asks us to forgive others? Forgiveness is a two-way street. God forgives you, and you forgive others...We base our decision not on what we feel like doing but on what we know is right.'

Jesus said, 'Do not judge...and you will not be judged...Forgive...and you will be forgiven' ( Luke 6:37 NLT ). Choosing to forgive and not let somebody else's sin dictate how you feel and what you do frees you to live in peace.

Our Past is Past Tense

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 20:35:12 GMT

Our past is past tense
Tuesday 15th March 2022

'Jesus...called her to him.' Luke 13:12 NKJV

We don't know how long it took this woman to get to the front of the synagogue when Jesus called her. People who are hurting can't always move as quickly as others. There are two important lessons for you in her story. (1) Sometimes you won't grow and mature as fast as others because you have been struggling with a debilitating problem for a long time. What seems easy for others can be very difficult for you. But there is good news: Jesus will wait for you, and he will work with you until you overcome your problem.

(2) Your testimony will come out of the tests you have been through. No matter what you have been through, today Jesus is calling you. He is saying, 'Get up! You can approach me.' Regardless of what you have done or what you have suffered, he is calling you. You may think your secret is worse than anyone else's. Rest assured that God knows all about it. And his promise is this: 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you...I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt' ( Jeremiah 31:3-4 NKJV ). Like a master sculptor creating something beautiful out of a crude piece of rock, God can turn your mess into a message of hope for others. The reason Satan has attacked you is because you have something valuable to contribute.

This woman's story ends with these words: 'The multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him' ( Luke 13:17 NKJV ). God's plan is to have people look at your life and say, 'Something has happened to you; you're not the same person anymore!'

Sowing the Seeds

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 20:33:57 GMT

On Sunday our message was about the sower sowing the word. We made a comparison between sowing seed in the natural and sowing seed in the spiritual. So wing seed in the natural required a number of events to take place. The first and most important was the seed. If you want a good crop, then good seed must be sown. The next thing was the ground. In the parable taught by Jesus in Mark’s gospel, there were four different types of ground. The first was ground by the wayside. This was ground that had been trodden over, it was hard and could no produce. The second was stony ground and the third thorny ground. Neither of those three types of ground were suitable for sowing seed. The fourth was good ground, this was the ground that produced thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown.

Once the farmer sows the good seed in the good ground, he needs to ensure that the soil has water and that it is fertilised. The next thing he must do is ensure that weeds are not allowed to grow, or they will choke that good seed and cause the crop to fail. Good ground will produce whatever is sown, and we must not forget that weeds will grow as well as good fruit. In the spiritual realm the same thing applies.

When Jesus taught the parable of the sower, he stated that if a person doesn’t understand this parable, how can he hope to understand any of the parables that Jesus taught. Tonight, I want to spend time on this parable again so we can understand it more fully, and so we can apply the seed of God’s Word to our lives. I want to look at the seed of healing and health as an example.

There are many scriptures that promise healing, so how do we sow those seeds when we are sick in a way that we see the fruit of healing.

Isaiah 57:18-19 (ESV) I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will lead him and restore comfort to him and his mourners, 19 creating the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace, to the far and to the near,” says the LORD, “and I will heal him

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Psalms 103:1-5 (ESV) Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Psa 107:19-20 ESV Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. (20) He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

The key to all those passages on health and healing is in the following verse.

3 Jn 1 2 MKJV Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

How does our soul prosper? It prospers as the seed of God’s word is sown in our hearts. As this seed grows it produces the fruit of good health, this is how we prosper, and this is how we can be in health. They key to our souls being in health is directly connected to our understanding of the parables of Jesus, and in particular the parable of the Sower.

A parable is a story told to illustrate a truth. Jesus’ parables were teaching aids and can be thought of as extended analogies, comparing two things or ideas. A common description of a parable is that it is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus told many parables; in fact, at least for a time in His ministry, Jesus relied heavily on storytelling:

“He did not say anything to them without using a parable” (Mark 4:34).

The four gospels contain thirty-seven parables. This is a lot of teaching to miss out on if we don’t understand this one parable. When Jesus explained the parable of the sower to his disciples, he said the sower was the one who sows the word of God, which is the seed. The ground was the heart of the hearer, and only one heart had good soil

Mar 4:20 ESV But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

How did one have a good heart and others did not. The one with the good heart is the one who hears the word, accepts it, and it bears fruit.

In the beginning of John’s gospel, we read

Joh 1 1_2 ESV In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:10-13 ESV He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. (11) He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. (12) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, (13) who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

The ones who did receive him, who believed in his name, those were the ones God gave the right to become his children. They were the ones who heard the news about Jesus, accepted it and bore fruit. The fruit they bore immediately was the fruit of eternal life. They did this simply by believing what they heard.

Rom 10:9-10 ESV because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

The good news is that once we believe that Jesus died for our sins, we are justified by God, we are made right with him. All our sins are forgiven, and we are given eternal life. Not only that, but from the moment we first believe, God puts his Spirit in us.

Eph 1:13-14 ESV In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The spirit of God in our innermost being, in our very hearts, is what turns the soil of our hard hearts into good soil.

Eze 11:19 ESV And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,

Therefore, the one who has believed that Jesus died for their sins and was risen to life again, has their sins forgiven. They are given the right to become children of God, and God puts his Spirit in them and changes their hard hearts into good soil.

The sower sows the word. No matter how good soil is, unless good seed is sown in it, it will not produce a good crop. Our hearts need the good seed of God’s Word in order for us to be fruitful. The Sower sows the word.

The next thing we need to do is to water and fertilise that seed with faith and prayer. In prayer we talk to God, and our faith grows by focusing on the Word of God. In the book of Romans Paul says that faith comes by hearing the word of God. Faith comes when we read the word of God, when we meditate on it, when we focus on it, and as we do this prayerfully, our faith grows. Faith and prayer are the water and fertiliser that help that seed to grow.

There is one other thing we must do. The farmer who sows the good seed in the good ground, who waters it and fertilises it, will still have a crop failure if he fails to root out the weeds that grow automatically. The seed of those weeds are there in the ground, and they will grow as the earth brings them forth automatically. They are there since man first sinned against God. The farmer must be watchful and root them out or they will choke the fruit as it grows.

In the spiritual realm, the weeds are doubt and unbelief, and if we allow them to grow alongside the good seed, they will choke the fruit and cause it to fail.

Tonight, as I bring this teaching to a close, I want us to sow seeds of good health. The time to sow those seeds is when we are well, not when we are sick. No farmer in his right mind would wait until his food supply ran out to sow seeds expecting a fresh crop tomorrow. Likewise, if we wait until we are sick to sow sees of health, we may have to wait a while to see the fruit. I’m not saying that God cannot heal us immediately, but if we haven’t sown good seeds in advance, then we may have to depend on someone else’s supply of faith to see healing.

1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

3 Jn 1 2 MKJV Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

This is a good seed that promises to produce health. When we sow it in the good ground of our hearts we can expect to prosper and to be in health, because Jesus took all our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed.

The first step is to sow it. We do this by reading it and making it our own.

Step two, we water it and fertilise the seed by faith and prayer. In prayer we talk to God about it. Then we think on it, we meditate on it, we focus on it by faith, and as we do this causes our faith to grow, which in turn produces fruit.

The last step in the process is to watch out for the weeds of doubt and unbelief. Let’s say we are sick, and we begin to read those scriptures. We pray to God for our healing, and as we do our faith grows and we believe we are being healed. If healing doesn’t manifest immediately, then doubt and unbelief can easily creep in. if we allow doubt and unbelief to take hold, then they will cause our faith to fail, and we will not see the crop we hope for.

When doubt and unbelief begin to show their ugly heads, we must get rid of them by turning our focus back on the seed of God’s Word and meditate on it.

Proverbs 4:20-23 (ESV) My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

This is how we meditate on God’s Word. We become attentive to it. We listen to what God says. We don’t allow weeds to grow, and we do this by not allowing God’s promises to escape form our sight. We keep them within our hearts. We do this knowing that because we have found those words of promise, they are life to us, they are healing to our bodies. We keep our hearts full of God’s word, because from our hearts flows the springs of life. We don’t allow that spring to become polluted by doubt and unbelief.

The same applies to any need we have, whether it be physical, financial, spiritual, or emotional, no matter what. When we have a need, we find a seed. God’s word is full of good seed, our hearts are full of good soil. Find the seed, plant it in the soil, water and fertilise it by faith and prayer, and keep the weeds of doubt and unbelief rooted out. When you do this diligently, you will reap a harvest after the seeds you have sown. Sow good seed.

The Sower Sows the Word

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 20:32:47 GMT

I n recent weeks we have been looking recently at the parable of the sower, the one who sows seeds in different types of ground. Anyone who is familiar with farming will know that unless you sow good seed in good soil at the right time you won’t have a harvest when you need it. However, before any seed is sown, the ground must be prepared. Take a framer sowing potatoes. First, he must break up the hard ground and plough ridges, or drills as they are known, where he will plant the seeds. He then spreads fertiliser on the drills before sowing the seed potatoes in the soil. This is done in April when the soil is at the right temperature. The farmer expects a crop to be produced and harvested in October, each seed planted in the ground yielding up to twenty potatoes.

There are many tasks he must perform in the six months between sowing and reaping, but he never doubts that he will have a crop. He wouldn’t dream of going out the week after he sowed his seed and dig it up expecting a crop. Instead, he waits patiently for the expected time of harvest.

In the parable of the sower, which Jesus used to teach about the kingdom, he said.

Mar 4 26_27 ESV And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. (27) He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.

The farmer goes about his daily business, and in the course of time, the seed sprouts and grows, and he does not know how.

Mar 4 28 ESV The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

This is how it happens. The earth produces the fruit of the seed planted, and it does it by itself. In the case of the grain, it produces first the blade, then the ear and then the full grain in the ear. In the case of the potatoe, the first thing to appear is the stalk above the ground, then the leaves and flowers on the stalk, and after that the potatoe grows under the soil. The earth produces of itself.

In the original language, the term ‘of itself’ means self-moved or spontaneous. It’s from this word that we get our English word ‘automatic’ . When given the right conditions and time, the earth automatically brings forth fruit from the planted seed. It’s the same with the seed of the kingdom of God. However, there has to be an interaction between the seed (God’s Word) and our hearts ( the soil) to get the desired harvest.

We know that as followers of Christ we are to attend to his teachings, we are to allow his word to renew our minds and transform our lives. God’s Word itself promises that this is what it is designed to do, whether we understand what it says or not. We plant it in our heart, we sleep and rise night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; we know not how.

If the kingdom of God is to be compared to the sower sowing the seed, then we must understand that even though we know not how the seed springs forth, we must be satisfied that the soil of our hearts, that has been made good by the Holy Spirit, of itself brings forth fruit from the seed planted. And the good news is, you don’t have to understand it to see fruit of it in your life.

When Jesus explained the parable of the sower to his disciples, he said if they didn’t understand this parable, then they couldn’t possibly understand any of his parables. To understand this parable, we must understand how planting the seed of God’s Word in our hearts really works. Yes, we read God’s Word because He said to. We read it to gain information, to gain knowledge. Then there are those like me who read it and spend time studying it so we can teach it.

Today I want to talk about reading the word of God for the purpose of meditation, that is the sowing of the seed of the Word of God in our hearts so it can sprout and bring forth fruit. As Jesus lives in our hearts by his Spirit, he has taken our hearts of stone and transformed them into hearts of flesh. He is the farmer who has ploughed the fallow ground and turned it into good soil.

Mar 4 20 ESV But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

When we sow God’s Word into this good soil, it produces fruit, some thirty, some sixty and some one hundred-fold. The quality of the fruit will always be perfect, the only thing that will differ is the quantity. Just like the soil that produces of itself from the seeds sown, so our hearts will produce of themselves, automatically, the fruit of the seed of God’s Word.

In the natural, seed planted in the earth draws out of the ground the potential that is already there. When you plant a potatoe seed, a potatoe comes out of the ground. When you plant an acorn, an oak tree comes out of the ground. The acorn has the miracle in it that activates the earth and draws from the soil the nutrients needed to produce this huge oak tree. The oak tree is already in the earth in nutrient form, and the acorn just calls forth all the elements of oak tree in the ground. When a seed is sown in good soil, the earth already has all the nutrients needed to produce after the kind of seed planted?

In the first boak of the Bible we see this taking place when God calls from the earth all that He had already placed there.

Gen 1 24 ESV And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

God had already created the heavens and the earth, and he formed the animals from what he had already placed in the ground. He called them forth from the earth. The same thing happened with the body of Adam.

Gen 2 7 ESV then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Everything that was ever needed to produce all the animals and even the body of Adam was already in the ground. Furthermore, God would never have to create another living being from the earth, because, when he called both man and animal from the earth, he placed in them the seed of reproduction.

The sower sows the Word. Every man, every dog, every cat, every elephant, and every living thing was already in the earth. Everything that God needed for every living thing imaginable was already placed in the earth by God. The raw material was already there, and all God had to do to bring them out of the ground was to release the miracle-working power of the seed of His word.

Gen 1 24a “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—

God planted the seed of his Word, and the earth itself produced what the Lord commanded it to produce. I think that’s amazing.

Our hearts are the ground, and in our hearts, God has placed everything needed to produce what we need for life and Godliness. All that’s missing is the seed of God’s Word to activate what God has already placed in this good soil.

2Pe 1 3_4 ESV His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, (4) by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

To those who know God and are known by Him, he has already granted all things needed for this life and to life a godly life. He has granted to us all things we need in seed form in his precious and very great promises. All he asks is that we find those seeds and plant them the soil he has prepared, and we will reap a harvest. As we reap this harvest through sowing his Word in our hearts, through this very Word we can become partakers of his divine nature, having escaped the corruption that’s in the world because of sinful desire.

If this is the case, you might ask, why am I not seeing fruit, why am I not seeing this harvest, why am I in need? If you are not reaping a harvest for the seeds sown there may be any number of reasons, but it cannot be the seed of God’s Word because it never fails to produce, and it cannot be the soil, because God has already placed everything that is needed for a crop in the soil of your heart.

However, it can be that you have sown, but you have allowed weeds to grow in the good soil, and as the soil is good it will produce a crop after the kind of seed you sow, good or bad.

For example, a believer discovers that he needs a financial miracle. His mortgage is due, but because of other unexpected expenses he has not been able to budget for it. He reads the scripture, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”, so he claims this expecting a miracle of provision, but sadly this doesn’t happen, so he wonders what went wrong.

He sowed the seed of the Word in faith, but it turns out that he didn’t properly attend to the seed and his crop failed. If a farmer who sows seed in the ground, fails to take care of it, weeds will grow up and choke the crop and it will fail to produce. It’s the same with the man who sowed the seed of God’s word in his heart believing for a financial miracle. As the day went by, he began to worry and get anxious. He began to have thoughts of the bank repossessing his house. What was he going to do, would he end up on the street? He was allowing seeds of doubt and unbelief to be planted in the good soil of his heart, and this soil will produce according to the seed planted. When we sow the seed of God’s Word in our heart, we must not allow seeds of doubt and unbelief to be planted alongside it, or the bad seed will choke to fruit of the good seed.

Jas 1 6_7 ESV But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

We must leave the seed there in our heart so our heart can produce of itself. Seeds of doubt and unbelief will come, so we must meditate on the seed of God’s Word. If the man in need had meditated on that scripture, read it over and over, memorised it, thought about it, prayed about it, he wouldn’t have lost faith in its potential to produce, and he would have received his miracle. Instead, the weeds of doubt choked the fruit of provision. All things are possible if you believe, whether good or bad.

Jesus said that the kingdom of God was like the man who scattered the seed on the ground, went about his daily business, and then one day the seed sprouts and grows, and he knows not how.

Find the seed for your need, plant it in your heart, water it with prayer and don’t lose faith and it will grow. You heart has in it all the elements you will ever need for life and godliness, all that’s missing is the seed of the Word of God, his precious and very great promises. When you combine the two, believing that your heart will bring forth of itself all that you need for life and godliness, you will have what you ask for. Watch out for the weeds of doubt and unbelief for they will choke the seed and destroy your harvest

The Sower, God Himself, sows the word, your heart is the soil that he has prepared. Meditate on the seed that God has given you, think about it, whenever doubt comes in, go back to it again and read it, meditate on it, and allow it to take root. As you do, believe that you have received, and you will see it. Believe, for with faith all things will be possible.

Forgiveness

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 20:30:57 GMT

Hi all,

One of the hardest things that we must do as Christian’s is to forgive those who hurt us. If we don’t forgive, the scriptures say that we are at the mercy of tormenting spirits who torment us day and night. When we refuse to forgive, we are harming ourselves and not the person who has hurt us.

'"I will pay them back,"' says the Lord.' Romans 12:19 NLT

Long after you think you have forgiven someone, you can still harbour hard feelings. Some indicators that you still have work to do are these: you keep thinking about the person who hurt you and become resentful. You avoid them. You rehearse the incident mentally and in conversation. You take every opportunity to remind them of what they did. Do you know what you're doing? Justifying an unforgiving attitude!

There are two things God won't share. (1) The praise that's due him. 'I will not give my glory to anyone else, nor share my praise' ( Isaiah 42:8 NLT ). (2) The right to 'settle the score'. Paul writes: 'Never take revenge...The Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back," says the Lord. Instead, "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads." Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good' ( Romans 12:19-21 NLT ).

So forgive, hand the situation over to God, and trust him to work it out! When 'people insulted Christ...he did not insult them in return...he let God...who judges rightly, take care of him' ( 1 Peter 2:23 NCV ). Resentment chains you to the offender, and you end up as a hostage. Dwelling on something your parents or spouse did, or how a colleague took credit for your work, or what someone may or may not have said about you, makes you - not them - miserable. You walk around stewing, and they don't even know you're upset. Don't give anyone that kind of control over your life. Forgive - and move on!

Antidote to Rejection

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 20:29:51 GMT

For the right reasons
Monday 21st February 2022

'He had this testimony, that he pleased God.' Hebrews 11:5 NKJV

When you grow up with rejection, it can manifest itself in either a need to isolate and withdraw or in a drive to constantly 'prove yourself'. One man said it like this: 'I can still hear my father yelling, telling me I'd never be any good, never amount to anything. The more he yelled, the more determined I became to prove him wrong.'

Are the wrong voices speaking to you? The Bible says Enoch 'had this testimony, that he pleased God'. How? 'By faith' ( Hebrews 11:5 NKJV ). God sees you differently from how your parents or peers do. Their acceptance is often based on your performance, whereas God's acceptance is based on your position. Paul writes, 'God made him who had no sin to be sin for us...that in him we might become the righteousness of God' ( 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV ). God sees you wrapped in the righteousness of Christ; therefore, you are acceptable. This means working for the right reasons - instead of striving for God's approval, you serve him out of gratitude.

Once you know that your identity and worth aren't tied to the car you drive, the home you live in, how much you earn or the people you mix with, it changes your motivation. Instead of being concerned about the neighbourhood you live in, you become concerned about your neighbours. Instead of focusing on how much money you make, your focus becomes financing God's Kingdom. Instead of worrying about your job title, your goal becomes performing with excellence and integrity. In other words, instead of just working hard, you're doing it for the right reasons.

Sowing Seeds of Thanksgiving

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 20:25:45 GMT

Mat 14:13-21 ESV Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But whe n the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. (14) When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (15) Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”

(16) But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (17) They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” (18) And he said, “Bring them here to me.” (19) Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he

looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. (20) And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. (21) And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Just prior to this Jesus had heard the news that his cousin and forerunner John the Baptist had been beheaded by the evil ruler Herod. At once Jesus went in a boat to a desolate place to be alone. However, the crowds heard about it, and they followed him on foot. When Jesus reached the place where he was going and went ashore, he saw the crowds of people and being Jesus, he immediately forgot about himself, had compassion on the people and healed their sick. He continued to pray for them until the evening came. His disciples were concerned for the people as it was late, and they were in a desolate place. There was no McDonalds or Supermacs nearby, so they asked Jesus to send the crowds away to go into the villages so they could buy food for themselves.

Jesus knew their needs, not just the need for healing but for all their needs, but I imagine he was delighted when the disciples showed concern as well. What he said next must have surprised his disciples.

Mat 14 16 ESV But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”

The disciples informed Jesus that they had only five loaves and two fish, thinking that would be the end of the discussion, but Jesus had other plans

“Bring them here to me.”

I suppose they had witnessed enough of the unusual requests that Jesus made and would have brought the five loaves and two fish to him without question. The five loaves were not five of O’Hara’s breakfast sliced pans, but more like small bread rolls, so not much when you consider that the crowds numbered about twenty thousand, including women and children. Jesus ordered them to sit down on the grass as he took the five loaves and two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to give them to the crowds. Everyone there ate until they were satisfied, and when they had finished, the broken pieces that were left over filled twelve baskets. We don’t know what size those basked were, but the fact that there were full baskets left over means that not one of the twenty thousand people went away hungry.

What a miracle, and there’s so much for us to learn from all this. First of all, no matter how busy you may think the Jesus is, or what is going on with him, when you come to him, when you seek him, you will find that he will always have compassion on you and is always more than willing to heal your sickness and provide for you in every way.

Secondly, when, like the disciples, you have concern for the care and welfare of others, that’s when you will see the real miracles take place. When you come to Jesus on behalf of others you never know what he will do for you. You may well believe that the resources you have are not enough to meet your own needs, let alone the needs of others, yet when the disciples gave what they had to Jesus, the miracle took place, but only because they first put what they had in the hands of Jesus.

No matter how great the need, and no matter how small the provision, when you give it into the hands of Jesus it becomes blessed, and he multiplies it. Notice also when Jesus took the bread and blessed it, he broke it and gave it back to the disciples, and it was only as they gave it out that the miracles of multiplication tool place. Its only when you put what you have into the hands of Jesus that it becomes blessed. How could a handful of disciples feed twenty thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish, which was probably only enough for two or three people, unless it had been blessed by God. Paul taught a powerful lesson on this in his second letter to the Corinthians.

(11) You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (12) For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

When you take the little you have and give it to God something happens in the spiritual realm. As you give to God, cheerfully, not begrudgingly, because God loves a cheerful giver, it is God Himself how makes all grace abound to you. Because he is able to make all grace abound to you, God promises that he will increase your worldly substance, he will increase what you have so that you will have more than enough for you and your family, but more than that, he will increase you in all things at all times so that you may abound in every good work. As he does, it will be said of you -

“He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

Whose righteousness endures forever, God’s righteousness in you; and who has distributed freely, who has given to the poor, God has because he is the one who gave you the seed. He is the one who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food, and he promises to supply and multiply your seed for sowing and to increase the harvest of your righteousness.

What would have happened if the disciples had refused to give Jesus the food they had. The crowd would not have been fed, the miracle would not have been seen and God would not have been glorified. God supplies all we need for life and godliness. He supplies all our needs. Included in our supply is his seed which makes up ten percent of what he gives us. This is his seed, and this seed is sacred. Sometimes we eat the seed as well as the bread. When we do this, we cannot expect to have a harvest of anything. When we obediently give to God the seed he has given us to sow, then God can supply and multiply that seed for sowing, and he can increase the harvest of our righteousness.

God also promises that when we sow the seed he give us, we will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way. This generosity through us will produce a harvest of thanksgiving to God and this is what it is all about.

When you give to God, not only will you be enriched in every way, and not only will this produce a harvest of thanksgiving to God, but this service of giving, the ministry of this service not only supplies the needs of the others, but it is overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

I know we are a giving church, and I also know that there are some who give more generally than others. Having said that, I know there are those have been eating the seed God has given as well as the bread. So, I ask you today to make a decision today to stop. We pay our taxes because that’s the law of the land but remember that Jesus also commanded us give to God what belongs to God. The seed is not yours, so don’t rob God, give it to him, and watch as he multiplies your seed for sowing and increases the harvest of your righteousness. God promises to enrich you in every way to be generous in every way, which will produce thanksgiving to God.

You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

Today as you have given the seed back to God, as you have placed your loaves and fishes on the hands of God, believe and expect that God Himself has taken your seed and blessed it and gives it back to you so you can distribute it to those who have less. Believe that God is indeed able to make all grace overflow to you, and as this grace overflows and overtakes you, believe that you will have more than enough in all things at all times and that as a result you may overflow in every good work. Remember, if God can get money through you, he will get money to you. And if he can trust you with money, which he reckons the least of all things, there is nothing that he will not trust you with.

Let it be written of you -“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

May you see that the God who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness so that you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

Reading the Word

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:23:16 GMT

Hi all

The Bible itself has many, many scriptures about the need to read the Word of God, and todays reading is all about reading. I know I teach on this quite a bit and it’s important to hear, as faith comes by hearing, and we need to be reminded. Jesus was the best teacher that ever walked the earth and we see from the Gospels alone that he repeated lessons on many occasions.

So here’s the reading on reading ��

R ead God's Book
Friday 18th February 2022

'Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.' Psalm 119:18 NIV

The key to Bible study is to do it daily, systematically and prayerfully. The psalmist prayed, 'Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law' ( Psalm 119:18 NIV ).

This involves three things: (1) God will show you the truth about himself. You will discover his nature, his opinions and what he values. And if you grew up with an absent or abusive parent, you will discover that your heavenly Father is entirely different - lovingly different! (2) God will show you the truth about others. You will begin to understand and appreciate their places in your life. You will also learn to recognise and anticipate their needs and the role God wants you to play in helping them. You see, when God blesses you, it's always to make you a blessing to others (see Genesis 12:1-2 ). (3) God will show you the truth about yourself. You will start to grasp and appreciate how important you are to him. Yes, he will point out your problems and weaknesses. But he will do more than that. He will show you the possibilities he sees in you and the plans he has for you (see Jeremiah 29:11 ).

So, set aside time each day to study your Bible. And spend part of it simply reading, without trying to delve into complex theological concepts. Read and absorb what God has to say, and let his Spirit speak to your heart. And here is an additional thought: since the Bible is the only book God ever wrote, and one day you're going to stand before the author himself, wouldn't you like to be able to tell him you have read his book

The Seed of God's Kingdom

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 20:22:04 GMT

In Mark’s Gospel chapter four, Jesus again began to teach by the seaside where a great crowd had gathered. He taught them many things by parab le, and its here he teaches the parable of the Sower.

Mar 4 3_8 MKJV Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. (4) And as he sowed, it happened that indeed some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and ate it up. (5) And another fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth. And it sprang up at once, due to not having deepness of earth.

(6) And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because it had no root, it withered away. (7) And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. (8) And another fell on good ground and yielded fruit, going up and increasing. And one bore thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundredfold.

The sower spread seed everywhere, and this seed is interpreted by Jesus as the Word of God.

Mar 4 14 MKJV The sower sows the Word.

Jesus wasn’t giving a lesson on farming or teaching how seeds grow. He was using an illustration from nature, something that his listeners would understand, to show how the kingdom of God works.

Mar 4 26 MKJV And He said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

Everything in the natural realm begins as a seed and grows from that seed. God’s kingdom is the same, everything in His kingdom comes from a seed, that seed is the Word of God. Its only when we take the seed of God’s Word, those promises that give us faith to receive miracles and blessings, and plant them in the soil of our hearts, that we will see the fruit of those seeds – miracles and blessings. We must take God’s Word by faith, not doubting, because it is our faith in the Word of God that waters the seed and causes the fruit to grow.

Two weeks ago, I taught from the Word of God on healing, and how to take the Word of God and apply it to our lives when we are sick. Its only when we really believe God for healing that we will see it come to pass. Our faith, our belief, causes the seed to grow. When the farmer sows the seed, he knows that it will grow if it is planted in good soil. After he sows it, there are two very important things he must do; one, he must ensure that it is watered and fertilised, and secondly, he must ensure that weeds do not grow up and choke the Word.

When we sow the seed of God’s Word in our heart, the good soil, we must ensure that it is watered and fertilised by faith and prayer, and we must ensure that weeds do not come in and choke the seed. Weeds are doubt or unbelief.

Jas 1 6_8 MKJV But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. (7) For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord; (8) he is a double-minded man, not dependable in all his ways.

Doubt and unbelief are the weeds that choke the seed of God’s word and causes it to be unfruitful. The parable of the sower speaks of four different types of ground that the seed falls on, producing four very different results.

The four different types of soil can be four different types of people, and I have preached on this a couple of years ago. However, the four types of soil can apply to one person at four different stages in their lives, and this is what I want to speak on tonight. We can willingly apply God’s word to one area of our lives, and but refuse or resist applying it to another area. For example, you may be willing and open to God’s call to gather together with the church to worship but closed to his call to give to him what is rightfully his in regard to your finances. We must strive to be good soil in every area of our lives, and not just the areas we find easy.

The first soil the seed of God’s word finds itself in is the soil by the wayside. This seed had no chance because the birds swooped down and ate it up. Jesus explains what this means in terms of the seed of God’s Word in verse fifteen.

Seeds sown by the wayside

Mar 4 15 MKJV And these are those by the wayside, where the Word is sown. And when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts.

When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts. This is explained more fully in the parallel passage in Matthew’s gospel.

Mat 13 19 MKJV When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.

When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it. This is why it is important not just to read the Word of God, but to ask God to give you understanding, to study it until you do understand it, otherwise Satan can come and steal it away.

Seeds sown in stony places

Mar 4 16_17 MKJV And these are those likewise being sown on stony places; who, when they hear the Word, immediately receive it with gladness. (17) But they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Word's sake, they are immediately offended.

Stony places refer to hard places, and in spiritual terms refers to hardness of heart towards the Word of God. The person with the stony heart hears the Word of God and receivers it immediately with gladness. The problem is that there is no place in the heart for the seed of God’s Word to take root, and the planted seed is only temporary, that is the person believes for a short period of time, but when he doesn’t see fruit immediately, they walk away. When trouble of persecution comes because of the Word, they are immediately offended.

This is the kind of person who may go on with God for a season, but when God doesn’t answer prayers as he thinks he ought, he then becomes offended and walks away from God. The Word has not found a place in his hard heart, and he hasn’t allowed the Word to soften his heart. We are all born with a soft skin and a hard heart, and we must allow God to soften our heart and harden our skin, if not then we will continue to be stony-hearted Christians who are easily offended.

Seeds in thorny places.

Mar 4 18_19 MKJV And these are those being sown among thorns; such as hear the Word, (19) and the cares of this world, and the deceit of riches, and the lust about other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.

Thorny ground hearts refers to the ones who hear the Word, but their focus is on worldly things, and not on Godly things. The deceit of riches and the lust for material things chokes the seed of God’s word and no fruit is produced. Thorny ground hearers are more interested in amassing material things, in the pleasures of life, and in gratifying their carnal nature than they are in watering and fertilising the seed of God’s Word by faith and prayer.

They hear the word, they read it, they listen as it is being preached, but as their focus is on other things, the seed is chocked and does not bear fruit in their lives. This person hears what Christ has to say, but they fail to live by what they hear. If you’re a stony ground hearer, then you are a hearer but not a doer, and Jesus describes such a person as being deceived.

Jas 1 22 MKJV But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

The one who hears but does not do, is deceiving himself, on the other hand, the one who hears and does, this one is blessed in his doing.

Seeds in good ground

Mar 4 20 MKJV And these are those sown on good ground, who hear the Word and welcome it, and bear fruit, one thirty, one sixty, and one a hundredfold.

Finally, Jesus explains what the good ground, the good soil produces. Good ground hearers are those who hear the word, welcome it, and bear fruit, one thirty, one sixty, one a hundredfold. This ground is not by the wayside, its not stony, nor is it thorny, it is good soil. Good soil refers to a soft and tender heart. a heart stirred by things of eternity and not things of this world. This is the heart that Jesus speaks of in Matthew chapter six.

Mat 6 19_21 MKJV Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. (20) But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. (21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The heart set on things eternal, is the good soil. When your heart is set on things of the kingdom, you are laying up for yourself treasures in heaven, treasures that are not corrupted and destroyed, where no thief can break in and steal. Luke says this of the good soil heart.

Luk 8 15 MKJV But those on the good ground are the ones who, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience.

When the Word falls in good soil, in an honest and good heart, that’s the person who hears the Word, and keeps it with patience. The result is that the Word brings forth fruit. In contrast to all the other hearts, "Good soil" hearts are those who follow Jesus no matter what the cost.

When sickness comes, good soil hearts bury themselves in scriptures that speak of healing, they believe that God sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from all destruction. They believe that Jesus took all our sicknesses on his body and by his wounds we are healed. They believe that they will prosper and be in health as their souls prosper. They continue to believe the scriptures through their sickness, they keep the word of God patiently until they see it bring forth fruit, until perfect health is restored.

When hard times come, good soil hearts believe that when they make God their first priority, seeking him and his kingdom and its righteousness above all else, everything they need will be given to them, and they have no need to worry about tomorrow. They believe this in spite of what they may see with their eyes.

When others let them down, good soil hearts run to Jesus, and they believe that God will never leave them nor forsake them. They believe that God has a plan to work out their situation for the good no matter what is going on. They know He will do this because of His love poured into their hearts, and because He has called them according to His purpose.

How do you plant the seed of God’s Word in your good soil heart? You don’t just read it one time and that’s it. You have to meditate on the Word of God until it releases its power, germinates, and begins to release its life. I can guarantee you that if you take a scripture that is promising you some result from God’s Word, and you meditate on it until it begins to release its life in your life, you’ll be able to say what that scripture says.

Your body tells you that you are sick, God’s Word tells you that you are healed. When you meditate on scripture you are allowing God’s Word to bear the fruit of healing in your body. The truth of God’s Word will set you free from the lies of your symptoms. As you meditate on God’s Word, declaring that by His wounds you are healed, then soon your body will also be speaking the truth of God’s Word as healing is manifest in your life. This doesn’t just apply to healing, but to all areas of your life. God has given us all things that concern life and godliness in his precious and very great promises, so that in them we may be partakers of his divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world though sinful desire.

Be a good soil heart, and don’t just be a hearer, be a doer, bearing much fruit with patience.

Scripture and Your Health

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 20:20:42 GMT

Todays message from The Word for Today with Rhema.nz

Wednesday 9th February 2022

'Pray without ceasing.' 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV

Gone are the days when gun-shy theologians bowed to the god of science. Reliable scientists are now affirming how ingenious God is and how his principles hold up under the piercing light of scientific scrutiny.

Neuroscientist Andrew B. Newberg, MD, who studies the relationship between spiritual phenomena and the brain, has demonstrated that we were designed physically and mentally to interact with God through prayer and Scripture. It's a known fact that there are centres in the human brain that respond positively to prayer, reading and meditating on God's Word, group worship, hymn singing, and empathy for other people. And Dr Newberg believes that practising a personal religious faith is the most powerful way to maintain a healthy brain. The brain's frontal lobe is used in focusing attention, rational thinking and decision-making. It responds to prayer and meditation by helping to reduce stress, strengthen our immune system, enhance memory and increase our capacity for compassion. It helps us ward off age-related brain deterioration and live longer! Newberg's research indicates that praying for at least twelve minutes a day slows age-related brain decline. Prayer and reading Scripture also deactivates areas in the brain associated with anger, guilt, anxiety, depression, fear, resentment and pessimism.

It seems that 21st century science has finally joined ancient Scripture in echoing what the psalmist said: 'Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous' ( Psalm 139:14 NLT ). Can you think of a better reason to 'let the word of Christ dwell in you richly' ( Colossians 3:16 NKJV )?

What do You See?

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 20:19:08 GMT

2Ki 6:8-23 ESV Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” (9) But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” (10) And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice.

(11) And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” (12) And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” (13) And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”

(14) So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. (15) When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (16) He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

(17) Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. (18) And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha.

(19) And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria. (20) As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

(21) As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” (22) He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

(23) So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.

In this story the king of Syria and his army is at war with king Israel and his army. The king of Syria shared his battle plans with his counsel, but Elisha, the prophet of God had revelation of the plans and made them known to the king of Israel, so the attacks on Israel failed every time. The king of Syria believed there must be a spy in his camp who was sending information to the king of Israel. He enquired of his servants only to be told that it was the prophet Elisha who was revealing the kings plans to his adversaries.

2 Kings 6 12 … “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.”

Information is power, and in this case the information that was revealed to Elisha defeated the king of Syria. When the king learned of this, in his arrogance he believed that he could outdo the God of heaven by seizing his servant the prophet.

2 Kings 6 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.”

How foolish. God reveals to his prophet what the king has planned against Israel, and the king of Syria imagines that God will not reveal his plans to seize Elisha. So he sends horses and chariots and a great army top Dothan where Elisha was staying, and they surrounded the city by night. What they didn’t know was that the might of this army or their great number was no match to the Spirit of the living God. It is the Lord who saves, not the armies of man.

1Sa 2:7-9 ESV The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. (8) He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and on them he has set the world. (9) “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

Not by might shall a man prevail, his success or failure is in the hands of the Lord.

Zec 4:6 ESV Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

Now when we leave that scripture there on its own, we see that God is saying that the might and power of man cannot achieve what the Spirit of the Lord can. However, when we step back a little and read a few verses earlier we get a clearer picture of the meaning of this verse.

Zec 4 1_5 ESV And the angel who talked with me came again and woke me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. (2) And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.

(3) And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.” (4) And I said to the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?” (5) Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, “Do you not know what these are?” I said, “No, my lord.”

That is, that as the candlestick was supplied with oil from the two olive trees by the side of it, without the help of any man, to pour in the oil, and trim the lamps; and so the temple should be built by Zerubbabel, not through the multitude and strength of men, but through the Spirit of God, stirring up the men to do the work, encouraging, and strengthening them to go through the work. The temple was a type of the church, and Zerubbabel a type of Christ; he was chosen by the Lord and was held in high esteem. He was used by God in bringing the Jews out of captivity, and in rebuilding the temple. But not in his own strength nor power, which is why we read in next verse -

Zec 4:6 ESV Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

2 Kins 6:(9) “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.

The king of Syria who imagined that he would prevail over the man of God with his mighty army was in for a surprise.

2Ki 6 14_16 ESV (14) So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. (15) When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (16) He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

2 Kings 6 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha

The servant looked with his natural eyes and saw defeat, but Elijah saw with his spiritual eyes and saw victory. Two men looking though prison bars, one sees mud, the other sees stars, for God’s sake, look up. What do you see?

Not only did Elisha see the armies of God, but he prayed that his servant would see as well. The servant’s eyes were opened, and he saw the army of the Lord and in that moment he saw the mountain before him full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Don’t you love it when you know that there are more with you than against you. It may seem like an army is out to get you, but know this, the army of the Lord is even greater than all the armies of men and all the armies of the devil.

Maybe it’s not a physical army, maybe its sickness, oppression, depression, poverty, loneliness or maybe it is a physical being, but let me tell you, the army of the Lord is greater than anything that’s against you today. Pray the Lord would open your eyes to see. Its not in your own strength that you will succeeds, its not in your own power, but by the Spirit of the Lord in you.

The servant sees the armies of God, what do you see.

2 Kings 6 18a And when the Syrians came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, …

Notice that when the army of the Syrians began to come against Elisha he didn’t panic, he didn’t run for cover, no, he prayed.

2 Kings 6 18b_20 “Please strike this people with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. (19) And Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” And he led them to Samaria.

(20) As soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

Elisha prayed and God answered, and the prophet was able to lead his enemy into a trap. He handed them over to the king of Israel, but still Elisha was able to show mercy to his enemies.

2 Kings 6 21_23 As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?” (22) He answered, “You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink and go to their master.”

(23) So he prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel.

Elisha didn’t win by might, by his own strength, or by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Today we have the Spirit of God living in us. When we are afraid, we can ask the Lord to open our eyes and to show us his might angel army surrounding us, protecting us, delivering us from our enemies.

Heb 1 13_14 ESV And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? (14) Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

You are someone who is to inherit salvation because of your position in Christ. This qualifies you to be someone to whom the angels are sent out to serve. They are your bodyguards, they are your protectors, sent by God to prevent evil for our sakes and to ensure the blessings of God are manifest in our lives. Oh that we would see those special agents protecting us, watching out for our welfare, and that we would not focus on the armies of earth and of darkness surrounding us. That we would not allow the army of fear to paralyse us, that we would not allow the principality of anxiety to cause us to lose heart. that instead we would look up and see the army of the living God all around us, every day of our loves.

Two men looking through prison bars, one sees mud the other sees stars. For God’s sake, look up.

What do you see today?

The Year of the Gospel

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 20:17:01 GMT

We have seen that the fear of this global pandemic has not really driven people to the feet of Jesus. At first yes there was a great int erest in religion because when the pandemic hit, people thought that the end of the world was coming, and they grasped at anything to look for hope. As time went on though, interest began to wane, and soon the hope of a vaccine became the hope of salvation from this disease, and the fear of the end being nigh soon became yesterday’s news.

While many have logged onto church broadcasts, and many still do, and for this we are thankful, there is much more to be done. Pandemics come and go, sickness comes and goes, people die, people get well, and many carry on as if nothing has happened, but the pandemic of sin and its consequences are for more serious than Coviod-19

Throughout the past almost two years, many believers have been crippled by the fear associated with Covid, and while it is right to take all necessary precautions, allowing fear to rule our lives is not living the abundant life that is promised in Christ. So, as we begin a new year, and with it a hope that this virus will die out, how are we as believers to life our lives.

One of my favourite passages of scripture is found in John’s gospel chapter ten and verses twenty-five to thirty. One day, as Jesus was walking in the temple, the Jews asked him if he was the Christ, and if he was then they asked him to tell them plainly.

Joh 10:25-30 ESV Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, (26) but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. (27) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

(28) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (30) I and the Father are one.”

My sheep hear my voice, I know them, they follow me. If you believe that Jesus is the Christ, that he is the Messiah, the Son of the living God, the one who was sent by the Father to be the saviour of the world, then you are among His sheep. His voice is heard by you, He knows you and you follow him. Because you are of his sheepfold, he gives you eternal life, and you will never perish and there is no one, not even Satan himself, who will ever snatch you from his hand. Jesus gives a twofold promise, not only can no one snatch you from his hand, but as he and the Father are one, and the Father is the one who has given you to Jesus, there is no one who can snatch you from the Father’s hand, as he is greater than all.

At the beginning this new year, its good to remind ourselves again of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. To follow means to accompany someone, and in this context, especially as a disciple. Jesus said something about this:

Joh 8:31-32 ESV So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, (32) and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

If you live in my word, in my teachings, said Jesus, you will know the truth, and the knowledge of this truth will set you free. The early church set us this example. After the day of Pentecost when Peter preached his first sermon under the power of the Holy Spirit, those who heard were cut to the heart and asked, what shall we do? Peter went on to tell them to repent, to change their mind about their beliefs, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and he promised that they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Three thousand people put their faith in Christ on that day.

Here we see the foundations stones that held up the church of Jesus Christ. They devoted themselves to four practices –

1. The apostles’ teachings

2. The fellowship

3. The breaking of bread

4. The prayers.

The fellowship is the coming together of each other as instructed in Hebrews chapter ten.

Heb 10:24-25 ESV And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, (25) not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Fellowship is the one thing that has been missing most in the past two years, and yet it was a pillar of the church that was founded over two thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost. The fellowship is the coming together with each other for religious and spiritual purposes. When we come together, we do so to worship the Lord, to minister to him in song, to encourage one another and to stir each other to love and good works.

When we come together, we break bread as commanded by Jesus on the night he was betrayed. We do it in remembrance of his body that was broken for us, by whose wounds we are healed, and we do it to remember his blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sins. When we break bread, we proclaim that Christ died but that he is coming again.

When we come together, we pray, we give thanks to God and we present our requests before him, knowing that when we do, the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

When we come together, we do so by continuing in the apostles’ teaching which are the teachings of Christ. God gave the church the gifts of pastors, teachers and evangelists, those with apostolic and prophetic giftings, to equip the saints for works of service. God didn’t give the church pastors and teachers so that every Sunday you could hear a nice fussy message that would make you feel good about yourself. Its not about yourself, its about bringing your life in line with the life of Jesus, its about being a disciple, about being a learner, so that you are no longer tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and by every cunning and crafty and deceitful scheme of man.

Eph 4:15-16 ESV Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

This is the goal, to grow up, that simple, grow up, grow up in every way into Christ who is the head. From this head the whole body grows to that it builds itself up in love. It’s all about love, knowing Jesus reveals His Father to us, and knowing God is always expressed in how we love people.

1Jn 4:7-8 ESV Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. (8) Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Each day in my prayer time I begin by reading two passages from the gospels.

Mar 1:35 ESV And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Luk 4:42-44 ESV And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them,

(43) but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (44) And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

As a follower of Jesus, I’m always challenge by this passage. Yes, Jesus came to die for the sins of mankind, but if his chief mission while he walked the earth was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God, shouldn’t it be mine as well, and shouldn’t everything else be secondary. The last instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples was to bring this news to the entire world.

Jesus did heal everyone who came to him, yet this was not his chief mission. In the passage we read, the people came looking for him as many sick had come for healing. However, Jesus did not go back, instead he said that he must go elsewhere and preach the gospel, this was the reason he was sent.

On the other hand, while Jesus did heal all who came to him, not all who were healed walked with him, not everyone who was healed was made whole, and not everyone who believed in his miraculous signs believed in him.

Joh 2:23-25 ESV Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. (24) But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people (25) and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Because of his miracles many believed that he was the promised Messiah, but they did not believe in him for salvation. Their hearts were not changed and so Jesus did not entrust himself to them. They were not of his sheepfold.

In Luke seventeen we read about the ten lepers who were healed by Jesus, and while they were all obviously grateful for their healing, only one came back to Jesus to give Him thanks. There were many who were healed by Jesus and while they were grateful thankful for their healing, they showed no gratitude.

Luke 17:15-16 (ESV) Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

Luke 17:19 (ESV) And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Jesus said the man’s faith had made him well. But you may ask, wasn’t he already healed, wasn’t he already made well, isn’t this why he came back to Jesus, to thank him for healing him, for making him well. This is true, but when we look at the term “made well” in the original language we find it’s translated from the word ’sozo’ which gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘made well’. The word ‘sozo’ means not just to be made well, but to be made whole, to be made complete, to be protected, to be saved.

This man’s faith had saved him, his faith in the person of Jesus. What happened to the other nine we don’t know, but one thing we do know, the one who returned had a revelation of who Jesus was, which is why he turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He bowed at the feet of Jesus and gave him thanks. And this is why Jesus declared him saved by faith in the only one who has the power to save.

Jesus could have spent all his time healing the sick, but he knew this wasn’t the answer to man’s greatest illness which was sin, the answer to this disease was the good news of the gospel.

To conclude, if we are followers of Jesus, if we are his sheep who hear his voice, then what is Jesus saying to his sheep at the beginning of this new year. We can be sure that he is saying the same thing that he has always said, we must go and bring this good news to our towns and villages, because the people are in great darkness and in danger of eternal damnation. We were sent for this purpose. There is only one gospel, there is only one message and there is only one saviour.

Now I know not everyone can be out on the highways and byways bringing this message, but we must all pray and ask God to give us opportunity to serve the gospel in whatever way we can. And even if you feel that right now for whatever reason, you cannot personally go with this news, then you can support those who can. You can support them by encouraging them, by praying for them and by supporting the church financially. I don’t mean that you have to make a financial sacrifice. All that God requires of you financially is that you would give him his portion by being faithful in your tithes and offerings. If you neglect this, then you are not being a true disciple of Jesus, If the Lord cannot trust you in the area of your finances, then he will not trust you in any other area. And if you cannot believe God in the area of finances by being a faithful and cheerful giver then you will find you will not be able trust him other areas of your life.

This is the year of the gospel, and over the coming weeks we will be looking at practical ways in which we can make 2022 the year when the gospel makes a difference in the life of our communities.

Mar 16:15-16 ESV And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (16) Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

The Giant, the Boy and the Living God

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 20:15:46 GMT

Most of us have heard the story of David and Goliath from the Old Testament that is written about in 1 Samuel 17. David a young shepherd in his teens, Goliath a seasoned war hero and giant among men. Goliath representing the Philistine army challenging the Israelite army led by King Saul to a dual with a man of their choice – whoever was defeated the whole of their army became the others servants. An Israelite army struck with fear stood with no opponent for 40 days until one day David was sent by his father to bring food to his brothers who were serving in the Israelite army and fine cheeses to their commander. When David arrived at the camp and heard Goliath’s challenge he asks “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”. King Saul heard of what David had said and sent for him.

1 Samuel 17:32-40 ESV

“And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!"”

“Then Saul clothed David with his armour. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armour. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.”

I read this statement on social media one day …

“God didn’t take the sword out of Goliath’s hand,

He put the slingshot in David’s.”

David used something that he was familiar with to face Goliath on the battle field that day. They had tried to dress him in armour that did not fit and gave him a sword and shield too heavy for him to carry. They were unfamiliar to him and they encumbered him. They were made for battle yes, the problem wasn’t the items themselves, the problem was that David had never used them before, his skill lay in years out in the wilderness with only his barehands to use against predators. His staff and sling were the tools he used to defeat his enemy, those trying to kill the sheep in his charge. Wild hungry beasts much stronger than he were defeated by the precision of his hand, his agility and quick thinking mind that could change tactics to whatever came his way.

So here was a man twice his size, covered in armour from head to toe, with men holding shields around him, swords and spears in hand. Even with the same amount of armour and weaponry any possible opponent would shudder standing opposite him just from his sheer size alone! A man confident of victory because he had the advantage in size and superior protection on the field. David faced Goliath with weapons he had trained with since a young boy. Weapons he had learnt to use with great skill as a shepherd protecting the sheep in his care. Weapons that looked nothing beside that of swords and shields, yet used correctly and precisely killed many a lion and bear, no shield had been necessary. David carried onto the battle field his staff, a sling and five carefully chosen smooth stones, taken from the nearby brook.

These are what were seen as he walked onto the battle field.

Vs 41 - 47

“And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."”

No God did not remove the sword from Goliath. Yes David used the tools that he knew were effective in defeating his enemy. A sling in his hand like so many times before. But there’s something much much greater that David had that day on the battlefield. You see out in the wilderness, in the silence of the deepest darkest nights, David had sharpened his senses. Not only to hear his enemy approaching, not only the incredible skill, agility and speed needed to defeat such a fierce foe – can you even imagine coming face to face with such a terrifying animal in a hungry state let alone have the wits about you to kill it as a young boy? – but David’s senses had been sharpened to God’s voice. The hours upon hours, days upon days, weeks upon weeks with very little human company … he had spent time with God, he had learnt to trust Him literally with his life, he had leaned in to God and faced his fear with the strength of his Lord. He had become so confident of God’s faithfulness and goodness he could stand among hundreds upon hundreds of grown men and declare with full assurance that the Lord would deliver the enemy into his hand. Not because of who David was, not because of the years perfecting his skills as a shepherd, not because he saw himself as special in anyway … but because he knew his Lord, his relationship with God was so strong he doubted not even for second that he would lose, because he wasn’t looking at his abilities or weaknesses, he wasn’t looking at all the seasoned soldiers whose fear was tangible, he wasn’t looking at a king of men who faltered and failed … he was looking to his Lord Who stood with him, His King Who reigns victorious, His Shepherd who delivered him from ravenous beasts time and time again.

David knew that the battle wasn’t his, he knew it wasn’t a battle between flesh and blood, he knew that he hadn’t defeated the lions nor the bears by his own strength, he knew that it wasn’t about him but all about the Living God working in him and through him and it was to God he focused both armies attention right before he took a stone, placed it into his sling, aimed and hit the only place of Goliaths great body that had not been covered by metal right between his eyes … and down his foe fell before he’d even had time to draw his weapon … nor indeed those who were stood around him time to protect him!

There can be many giants standing in our way as we journey through life this side of heaven and if we are relying on our own wit, our own skill, our own protection, our own strength or even our own faith … those giants will loom over us as we stand in their shadows. As we continue to nurture our relationship with God, the One Who knows all our giants, all our weaknesses, all our fears, our griefs, our pains … as we lean in to Him in the depths of the deepest darkness … He will reveal Himself to us. As we choose to trust even though cannot see, as we choose to believe in His goodness despite the giant standing right in front of us … His faithfulness will be made known, not because of our faith but because He is faithful. As we become more accustomed to His voice we become more aware of the ways the enemy comes at us to intimidate and distract. When our full attention is on God, giants lose their power over us, their size shrinks, their intimidation melts away and we stand in confidence not because of all we are, but because of all He is. As we focus our eyes away from the giant, away from the world surrounding us, away from ourselves and onto Jesus, we will meet His gaze as He looks adoringly into ours assuring us that we stand not alone in battle, but that the battle is His.

Exodus 14:14a “The Lord will fight for you….”

I used to hold onto this verse in my own battles but frustrations would eventually set in when I saw no changes. As I continued in relationship with the Lord and He revealed Himself more and more, as with any relationship - we get to know someone deeper the more we spend time with them, He brought me back to this verse and highlighted the second half. You see I’d put all my focus on “The Lord will fight for you” and I firmly believed it even if I wasn’t seeing it. Many versions of this verse go on to say “you only have to be still”. Yet the day the Lord brought me back to focus on this verse there it was in the English Standard Version and here it states “you only have to be silent”. Yes the Lord will fight for us, but He can only do so when we stop fighting for ourselves! So often we are busy trying to work out the best strategy to get the results we want, we are focusing on the giant, or those around us, we are looking for the strongest armour and the best weapons that we can see with our eyes and that others can too, so that we can intimidate our enemy, or so we think. We forget the battle isn’t ours, we are distracted by flesh and blood, we look to our own abilities and skills … we are everything BUT silent.

We are not very good at not fighting our own battles, we want to be self reliant, in fact the world is constantly telling us how to build resilience so as not to be overcome by life’s struggles. Humans like to be in control, we like to be in charge, we want to solve all the problems … but we can’t. It’s only in stillness, we become fine tuned to hear God’s voice. It’s only in silence that we allow HIM to speak. In the King James Version we read “The Lord fights for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Our peace comes from the Lord Himself and we don’t have to lose our peace if we allow Him to fight for us. It’s a peace that is beyond our own human understanding. It’s a peace that can be held even though we may be suffering greatly, it’s a peace that is separate from circumstance, thought or emotion. It’s a peace that dwells deep within us DESPITE the giant in front of us, it’s a knowing of Who God is and a confidence in Him alone. It’s a declaration of ultimate victory beyond the battles. It’s a depth within us despite the deepest darkness that acknowledges the voice of our Shepherd because we’ve come to know Him and trust Him and find safety in Him among the turbulence of living life this side of heaven.

This year, come what may, I encourage you (and me) to practice more silence so we can hear God’s voice over the noise of our lives, to choose trust in Him through all things, to lean in to stillness with Him over the busyness of ourselves, to declare that the battle belongs to the LIVING GOD and as I allow Him to fight for me I will find my rest!

I finish with these incredible reminders and instruction from Ephesians 6:10-18 reading from the Amplified Version.

“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [draw your strength from Him and be empowered through your union with Him] and in the power of His [boundless] might. Put on the full armor of God [for His precepts are like the splendid armor of a heavily-armed soldier], so that you may be able to [successfully] stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places. Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to [successfully] resist and stand your ground in the evil day [of danger], and having done everything … to stand firm [in your place, fully prepared, immovable, victorious]. So stand firm and hold your ground, having tightened the wide band of truth … around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness … and having strapped on your feet the gospel of peace in preparation [to face the enemy with firm-footed stability and the readiness produced by the good news]. Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. With all prayer and petition pray [with specific requests] at all times [on every occasion and in every season] in the Spirit, and with this in view, stay alert with all perseverance and petition [interceding in prayer] for all God’s people."

The Case for God

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 20:13:25 GMT

The case for God (1)
Sunday 9th January 2022

'He never left them without evidence of himself.' Acts 14:17 NLT

Do you believe there is a God who made all things, including you? Yes? Then you're blessed. On the other hand, if you don't believe in God, try to make an eye, an ear or a brain. Only make one...from nothing! Or create a flower that can produce nectar that can be collected by bees you made and make them transform it into honey for you to eat. You breathe in life-giving oxygen released by trees, then you breathe out carbon dioxide giving the trees what they need for their survival. Brilliant, right? And since atheists believe all this came into being without an intelligent guiding power - there was no 'mind' behind creation - imagine having your brain removed and then being asked to create it. Perhaps that's why the majority of people in a Newsweek poll said they believe in God.

So, what about the tiny three to five per cent who claim to be atheists? Are they just smarter than the rest of us, or are they missing some apparent evidence? An atheist is defined as someone who doesn't believe in God. But since it is impossible to prove scientifically that something doesn't exist, atheists can't know for sure that there is no God. Their view is based solely on the lack of evidence. However, believing there is no God doesn't mean one does not exist. The Bible says, 'He never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness. For instance, he sends you rain and good crops and gives you food and joyful hearts' ( Acts 14:17 NLT ).

The 'evidence' is all around us. God's existence can be proved. And you can have a personal relationship with him!

A Little Weeding

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 20:12:10 GMT

In traditional Jewish education, students by the age 6 would attend synagogue schools. By around 10 years of age, they would have learned and memorized the first 5 books of the Bible, called the Torah (yes, even Leviticus!).

While it’s a good practice to memorize scripture, regular reading is where faith is built. Todays word is a reminder again of the importance of scheduling time for the Word of God. If you are already an habitual reader, then may this be the year that you go even deeper.

How to be fruitful (4)
Wednesday 5th January 2022

'The seeds...fell among...thorns.' Luke 8:14 NLT

You must eliminate the weeds. In his famous parable of the sower, Jesus said the seed fell into four different kinds of soil. 'The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature' ( Luke 8:14 NIV ).

Notice, three varieties of 'weeds' can keep you from growing into spiritual maturity. (1) Worry. You become so preoccupied with everyday cares that you take your eyes off Jesus. (2) Riches. Making money and buying things dominates your life so much that you don't have time for the Lord. (3) Pleasure. Pursuing 'the good life' can choke out your spiritual growth. It's okay to have a good time, but you need to protect your priorities. When you have time to shop, go to the beach, play golf, or spend hours watching television yet you don't have time to read your Bible and pray, your priorities are out of balance. You say, 'I just don't have time to serve the Lord. I'm too busy. I don't have time to commit.' Then you are too busy!

You'd better do some weeding. Lots of things in life are not necessarily wrong; they are just not necessary. Maybe you need to cut back your schedule a little to remove the weeds. You have to tend your tomato plants, but you don't have to do anything to produce dandelions; they grow by themselves when you neglect your garden. Getting the idea? If the 'weeds' in your life are keeping you from bearing 'fruit', it's time to stop talking about it and take action.

Good Habits

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 18:44:21 GMT

As the year slowly draws to a close todays word holds great advice for the start of a new year.
Be free of enslaving habits

‘I must not become a slave to anything.’ 1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT

Paul said, ‘You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything’ ( 1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT ). If you’re serious about spiritual growth, look for opportunities to say no to yourself in small areas. Then one day you will be able to say it when it really counts. Daniel started by saying no to eating the king’s food, and later was able to say no to bowing to the king’s idols.

Zero in on the undisciplined areas of your life; the ones you keep excusing, rationalising and delaying dealing with. Paul measured his actions by this yardstick: ‘Is it beneficial? Does it have the potential to control me’ (see 1 Corinthians 6:12 )? You have a ‘right’ to eat a tub of ice cream every night. It’s permissible – but it’s not ‘beneficial’, especially if you want unblocked arteries, a trim waistline, the ability to run a marathon, or to just keep up with your kids and grandkids. You have a ‘right’ to spend your money as you please, but don’t complain when you end up strangled by debt. You have a ‘right’ to look at whatever you want on TV or the internet, but exposure to wrong influences will inevitably weaken your character, rob you of self-respect, and enslave you.

Bottom line: your character is the sum total of the choices you make each day. And one more thought: when it comes to replacing bad habits with good ones, the only person who can make that happen is you.

The Weary World Rejoices

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 20:10:27 GMT

One of my favourite hymns at this time of year is “Oh Holy Night” and this line alone stands out for me … “A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices”. This morning we are going to look at this a little further and how it is relevant to us in our lives.

In Philippians 4: 4 Paul writes … “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Paul really had something to say here, he made a point of saying it twice. There are many scriptures that encourage us to rejoice, but it is never an empty command that has no direction. Rejoice IN THE LORD!

Why is the world weary? How can a weary world rejoice?

In the garden of Eden God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening, there was togetherness, a oneness, deep relationship, full communion … and it was good!

Fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil was the only thing that was forbidden.

A seed of doubt was planted in Eve’s mind by the serpent one day. Doubt of the goodness of God. And even though she experienced and lived in ALL THAT IS GOOD … that seed was enough for her to doubt God’s goodness and caused her to believe He was keeping something from her that was good for her … and she wanted it. She wanted more.

Our human hearts are deceitful, and we see here it really takes very little for it to be swayed from the truth that God has planted in us … one lie, one temptation, one doubt … became one action that changed the world. One bite of fruit. Eve then continued what the serpent had started. One lie to Adam, one temptation put to him, one doubt planted in his mind, one choice he had to make … became one action that separated man from God. One bite of fruit.

We were not designed to be separated from God, we were created for oneness with Him. What was forbidden by God was something that He knew would harm us, He knew that thatknowledge would be too much for our humanness to bear. The tree existed in the garden because HE was there and He doesn’t hide Himself from us. But mankind had a choice … live in freedom and contentment in the oneness of God and trust that His knowledge was too great for us to contend with … or step into what was forbidden, forbidden for our own protection, and live in the consequences that comes with knowledge that we don’t possess the capacity to fully understand or to handle...

The world became weary from that moment. Separation from God makes us weary. Sin and destruction make us weary. Our souls ache for oneness with Him alone … so we wander wearily in a world that is weary trying to find something to fill that void.

We can often confuse our circumstances with God’s goodness. The griefs too hard to bear, the pain suffered so deeply, disease, disability, dysfunction, poverty, depravity, control, power, greed … the list goes on and on … the world is weary but God is always good. God never changes. The world changed from what He had designed it to be - but He had a plan to fill the void that separation had brought and to bring us back to oneness with Him. He gave us Jesus.

John 1:14 & 16-18 tells us …

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

I’m going to read that again from the Amplified Version …

¹⁴ And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).

¹⁶ For out of His fullness [the superabundance of His grace and truth] we have all received grace upon grace [spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, favor upon favor, and gift heaped upon gift]. ¹⁷ For the Law was given through Moses, but grace [the unearned, undeserved favor of God] and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].

When Jesus was given to us as a gift He not only gave Himself freely as a sacrifice for ALL mankind forever and ever so we could be in oneness once more with the Father … He REVEALED to us WHO His Father is and who we are now THROUGH Christ … and it IS good! We not only were given eternal life through Jesus … we were given all that we need to live in the cruel realities of this world in peace and with hope deep within.

If we look at the Christmas story, we can easily see that circumstances were far from ideal for those He called to greatness. Just in the lives of Mary and Joseph we see this clearly.

Mary a humble, godly girl betrothed to be married to a good, steady, tradesman who loved her dearly. A contract that was never to be broken. Joseph a hardworking young man, with a skilled trade, his wife chosen and promised to him - and a future with her that he looked forward to as he waited for their wedding day when they would become together as one.

In Luke 1:26 we are told that the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to Mary with a grand announcement. An announcement that didn’t come in line with all this devoted couple had planned or envisioned. An announcement that changed the course of their lives forever. An announcement that spoke of promises being fulfilled for all of mankind. An announcement that was impossible yet made possible. An announcement that made Mary ask “how?” but not “why?”. An announcement that revealed her heart for God. A calling on Mary’s life that was great indeed but came with much danger and uncertainty … yet her response showed her deep trust in God and His goodness … “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to YOUR word.”

Mary became pregnant and although she is betrothed is not yet married … so to be with child was an offence that was worthy of public out casting, indeed it was possible she could have been stoned to death. Joseph knows he is not the father, he loves Mary but there can be no future for them with a child that is not his … But God. An angel comes to Joseph in a dream with a message that confirms that what Mary is saying is true. The calling on Joseph’s life was of greatness – not in the world’s view, but in the Kingdom of God. To protect Mary and stand by her, to marry her but wait until her son was born before they became one in marriage.

The child they will call Immanuel “God with us” …

Joseph’s response was one of trust and obedience. He woke and did what was asked of him. He didn’t ask God why was He making his life so much more complicated … he trusted, obeyed and knew the depths of God’s goodness as he stepped into what he had been called to knowing that God would provide all He needed to fulfill what had been asked of Him. He rested in God’s goodness despite the circumstances.

Mary’s song of praise recorded in Luke 1 begins … “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” she goes on to praise God in all He has done and will do for generation after generation. She knew the honour that had been bestowed upon her was great, she was humbled and privileged and blessed. No matter what happened she knew her God, she knew His goodness and she rested in that, rejoicing and glorifying His name.

Life became much more complicated than they probably ever imagined ... circumstances of long painful journey’s, of rejection after rejection in their home town, of great poverty, of fleeing with no belongings, of threat to life, of ridicule, of letting go and trusting fully in a good God who had called them for greatness in His Kingdom … and they stepped in.

Not because of their own ability, or knowledge, or wealth, or standing in society, or what theydeemed was appropriate service to God … but because they knew God could do ALL things and they were willing to say yes to whatever it was He asked of them. They knew God is a good God and no matter what the world saw as sufferings that came upon them … they knew they were chosen for greatness, they were loved, they were humbled, they had the peace of God that was magnified in their soul, they were blessed and they rejoiced.

Our circumstances in this world is not a measure of our worth, they are not a reflection of how much God does or does not love us, they are a symptom of living in a weary world that is broken. And yet through Jesus we are redeemed. Those who believe in Jesus still suffer because we are still living in a weary world but we are called to greatness in God’s Kingdom lived out here … and we are blessed! Those who take time to nurture their relationship with God and come to know Him more and more will come to know He is good ALL the time … He does not hide Himself from us but He won’t force His way in either. He gives us a choice to come to know Him and there He reveals Himself to us, deeper and deeper until we have a surety in God’s character which is all good … and there we find peace in Him and rejoice in ALL circumstances!

Mary suffered the grief no mother should ever have to bear when years later her beloved son suffered a cruel horrific death. Her heart shattered, battered and broken … she witnessed the heart of her Saviour as He provided for her needs in every way. While He was dying His thoughts were of her as Jesus asked John to take his mother as his own …

While He was dying Jesus’ thoughts were of you and of me. While He was dying He submitted to what was the only way we could be brought back to Oneness with His Father … He sacrificed His Oneness for ours as He allowed death to take hold … the victory over OUR death was won.

The world is weary with sin and destruction, yet we have cause to rejoice!! Once we come to know God, we come to know He is Good ALWAYS and we come to know God in all of His glory. When we step in to the call on our lives and trust in His Goodness, we come to know His great Love for us. When we step into relationship deeper and deeper we see His heart for us. When we focus on Jesus and not the circumstances surrounding us we step into peace within. This is not denying our pain, nor is it hiding that we are living through difficult circumstances. We have been given a community in one another to come around us and lift us up, to encourage us and speak truth over us.

Finding peace in Jesus and rejoicing in Him does not look like a smile planted on our faces Sunday morning pretending life is all good … it is living in a world that is weary and all that comes with that, being real about that but knowing GOD is all good and because He is good then so are we IN Him!! When our souls find rest in the peace of Jesus Himself we find our hope, our joy, Love eternal … and we cannot help BUT to rejoice in Him!

A thrill of hope … our hope is not empty. Our Hope is IN Jesus who we KNOW IS PEACE. Our hope has substance. Our hope is deep, it is a hope that changes us from the inside as we step into life with Jesus … our hope is living and breathing IN us. It is not a “feeling” that is manufactured BY US … but comes from a solid foundation Who is our Rock and our Redeemer. When we experience the peace that comes from knowing the Prince of Peace, trusting HIM in all circumstances, thanking HIM in all circumstances for Who HE is … our souls can do nothing BUT to rejoice in Him!

The weary world rejoices … and in rejoicing from a place of peace in Jesus He reveals His Goodness through us to others … not because of us, but because of Him IN us … His light shines in the darkness, His Love poured in is poured out. No longer separated from God - we rejoice, no longer alone in our sorrow - we rejoice, no longer searching and seeking our identity and purpose but knowing WHOSE we are - we rejoice. Peace comes from knowingJesus, from falling in love with Jesus, from pursuing relationship with Jesus … and from there ALL things flow.

Interestingly Mary’s last recorded words in the Bible are these. “Do whatever He tells you” … We need to be close to Jesus to hear His voice, we need to know our Saviour to discern His words in us, we need to believe that all He says is good even when the way seems scary. When we do whatever God tells us to do our circumstances may get better, they may not change or indeed they may get worse. That isn’t why God tells us to do something and it shouldn’t be our motivation to obey.

He asks us to step into His Goodness DESPITE what is going on in our lives - or in those we love - because His Goodness is NOT dependent on circumstances. His Goodness is never changing and it is where our focus needs to be. God’s goodness is WHO He is. He IS GOODNESS, He is PEACE, He is HOPE, He is LIGHT, He is LOVE … and when His Light shines in the darkness NOTHING shall overcome it … His Light brings us peace within and Oneness with Him once more … so that no matter what we are going through, no matter where He has asked us to tread - we are living in perfect peace with Hope that is real, Joy that is in the Lord, and in unconditional Love that is abundant and eternal … and we REJOICE!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look FULL in His wonderful face

And the things on earth WILL grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

Rejoice IN the Lord ALWAYS, and again I say REJOICE!

The Greatest Gift of All Time

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 20:09:02 GMT

This is the second last Sunday before Christmas, and difficult though it has been, Christmas seems to have come around pretty fast. Littl e children are looking forward to the gifts they will receive. Parents can’t wait to see the joy on their little faces on Christmas morning, as they look forward to their favourite Christmas dinner with family or friends. This is also a time when many will turn their eyes to religion, to the birth of Jesus, and Christmas carols, while others will attend church for the first time in a year. For believers in Jesus, Christmas has much more meaning. While we do enjoy the presents, the turkey, the celebrations, the family get-togethers, for us Christmas is first and foremost about the greatest gift of all time, Jesus, the Saviour of the world who has come.

Joh 3:16 ESV “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

It’s nice to see the crib on display at this time of year, to see Mary and Joseph and the little baby Jesus in the manger. Its good to be reminded of the reason for this season we are living in, but the crib must always point us to the cross or it is just another seasonal ornament. If it doesn’t point to the gift of life in Jesus, the gift that God gave out of his abundant love for mankind, then it fails to serve any lasting purpose. The only thing that matters is that God gave the gift of his only begotten Son Jesus. This gift he gave freely, not wrapped in fancy paper and tied with a bow but wrapped in His Son’s precious blood, and not tied with fancy ribbon, but fastened with nails to a cruel cross.

Christmas is a time when we will receive various presents from numerous individuals. People usually give gifts to show their appreciation and their love. When you get a present its usually comes wrapped. In order to use it you must open the wrapping paper. It will be of no benefit whatsoever if you leave it lying under the tree.

God loved the world, yes, and his loved caused him to give, not just any old present, but to give his most beloved Son. The reason he gave his Son was that anyone who would believe in him would not perish but have eternal life. This gift of God was given to all mankind, but not all mankind will open this present. There are multitudes who will leave this gift of God all wrapped up and will never open it. All mankind were offered this gift of life, but only those who took the gift and unwrapped it will enter into His glory on the last day.

To open this amazing present all that is required is that you believe. God made it simple, and the gift is out of this world. God could have turned his back on mankind when that first man Adam sinned against him, but God had this gift all ready to go even before he sinned. God had a rescue plan in place before Adam was ever born, isn’t he so amazing.

Joh 1:17 ESV For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

The law was made up of commands that the people of God were to obey. Obedience brought blessings, while disobedience, sin, brought curses. Jesus didn’t come with another layer of law; he came with grace and truth. He kept the law completely so that those who believe in him will no longer be judged accruing to the law that was given through Moses, instead they will be judged on where they have believed in this gift of God or not, if they have opened his present or left it under the tree. Jesus is no longer a baby in a manger, but neither is he a victim upon a cross. Sadly, to many he is still hanging in that cross, or in the grave, dead to the world.

A baby Jesus cannot save, a Jesus still hanging on a cross cannot save, a Jesus still dead in the grave cannot be your hope. Your only hope is in the Jesus who was raised to life so that you can be made right with God through believe in this miracle called salvation. Its not longer the law that makes you right with God, it’s the grace and truth that came though Jesus.

There were many in the days of Jesus who unwrapped this gift of life, and most of them were not the most popular people in the community. One such person is found in the story of the woman at the well. The story unfolds at a time when Jesus felt led to leave Judah and go to Galilee. On his journey he had to pass through Samaria, and when he arrived at a town called Sychar he was tired and sat down by a well to rest. This was about noon, the hottest hour of the day, and as he sat a woman of Samaria came by to draw water, so Jesus asked her for a drink.

Nothing strange about this at first glance. Jesus was tired and thirsty and as the well was deep, he needed some kind of container and a rope to draw water. Its only when we look closer that we can see why something strange was going on. First of all, Jews didn’t associate with Samaritans, and a Jewish man on his wone would definitely not speak to a Samaritan woman. The other thing that is strange from this story is this woman coming to the well at midday, the hottest time of the day. Later when we discover a little about her character, we will see the reason she came at noon was that she was a woman of loose morals. The reason she came at noon was that she was not expecting to find anyone there, especially the wives of the men that she had been in unlawful relationships with.

Jesus knows she is a Samaritan woman, not only that but he knows exactly the kind of character she is, and yet he strikes up a conversation with her.

Joh 4 7_10 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (8) (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) (9) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?”

(For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) (10) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

A gift is something that is freely given and with no conditions attached. “If you knew the gift of God.” Nowadays many of people put up their Christmas wish list on some website or other to make it easier for others to buy for them. Christ, this gift of God, however, was never on anyone’s wish list. Christ was not an object of desire to the world - no man asked for him; but God, moved to give this gift by his own eternal mercy, freely gave him.

Jesus was the gift of God, and still is. He is the gift that keeps on giving, and through him we receive gift upon gift. Through the gift of Jesus, we receive so much. Through him comes the gift of the Holy Spirit, given to all who believe on his name. When you unwrap this gift of God you find Jesus, then in Jesus you find a whole treasure trove of amazing gifts. The Samaritan woman at the well didn’t know about this gift of God.

John 4 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

If she had known about this gift, if she had known who she was speaking to, she would have asked him, and he would have given her living water.

Joh 4 15 ESV The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Even at this stage, this woman still had no clue who she was speaking to, but she challenged him to give her this water, anything that would ensure that she would never have to come here again. She was still focused on the natural, and we see why in the next verse.

Joh 4:16-19 ESV Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” (17) The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; (18) for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” (19) The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.

Jesus knew all about her, he knew about her sin and her sinful ways. You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. This is why she came to the well at the hottest time of the day. She knew she would be alone and not in danger of being shamed for her behaviour. She changes the subject and begins to talk about religion and various forms of worship as way of taking the attention off of her sin. When she saw she was getting nowhere in relation to how one must worship, she went deeper.

Joh 4 25_26 ESV The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” (26) Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Joh 4 27_30 ESV Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” (28) So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people,

(29) “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (30) They went out of the town and were coming to him.

This woman not only received this gift of God, Jesus as her saviour, but she received the Holy Spirit as well. This is what enabled her to go into the village, to the very people she spent her time avoiding, to tell them of this gift of God.

Joh 4:39 ESV Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

The gift of God poured into this woman made her a blessing to the village as many others opened up this gift that was given by God.

Jas 1:17 ESV Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

God has gift after gift for those who believe in what His Son accomplished on the cross on their behalf. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from heaven, sent down from God our Father, who never changes. This Christmas when you are opening your presents, be sure to give thanks to God for the gift of his Son, in whom we have the amazing gift of life, this living water that quenches our every thirst.

Teach your children about this gift so they too will be given the power to go and tell others, and so the story will keep on going until the end of time. Everywhere you look there are women at the well, and you I were no different. We may like to think that we were not very bad sinners, certainly not anything like her, but with God there is no hierarchy of sins, when you break one of his commandments you have broken the entire law. Like the woman you were lost in your sin and needed this gift of God.

Eph 2:8 ESV For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

The grace and the faith have been given as a gift from God.

Rom 5:17 ESV For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

You received it by faith, and in that moment, you were made right with God. Jesus, the gift that keeps on giving, gave you the gift of the Holy Spirit and I’m always encouraged by this church, a church not afraid to move in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I see your sincere faith, and I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of hands. Like Paul in his letter to Timothy, I thank God for you and remember you always in my prayers

2Ti 1:7_8a ESV for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (8) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord,…

God has given us the gift of his Son, freely and without measure. The woman at the well received it and ran to tell others. Lives were changed. Let us always be thankful, and especially at Christmas, for this gift of love, this gift that has set us free from slavery to sin and has brought us into this wonderful family of God. Let us never be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and Savour Jesus Christ.

To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 20:07:34 GMT

Eph 1:3-14 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, (4) even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love (5) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

(6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (7) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (8) which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

(9) making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ (10) as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (11) In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

(12) so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. (13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

There is such a wealth of riches in those verses, and of course one of my favourites is verse three.

Eph 1:3-14 ESV Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

This letter of Paul to the Ephesians has been called the “Epistle of In-ness, ” because it is so full of the preposition in. We are in Christ, saints of God in flesh and blood, set apart for God. We are in Christ, and He is in us, and any goodness we have is due to our giving room and space to Him so he can fulfil his purpose in us. If we come to Christ thinking it’s about us, then we are in for a bit of a shock. Three times in this first chapter in Ephesians Paul says that disciples of Christ, those who have believed in Him, exist for one purpose, that is for the praise of his glorious grace. Everything we do is for the praise of his glorious grace.

We came here today not to get something from God, instead we came for the praise of His glorious grace that saved us from eternal destruction. We took part in the communion service today not because its some ritual we must perform to be saved, no, we did it for the praise of His glorious grace. As we gave of our finances today, we didn’t do it because we had to, we didn’t so we would get from God as if He was some sort of slot machine, no, we gave so it would be to the praise of His glorious grace.

2Co 9:7-8 ESV (7) Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

As we give to God in this manner, not reluctantly, not under compulsion, not feeling as if we must give, but as we have already decided and with a cheerful heart, as we give in this manner, the scriptures say that God is able to make all grace abound to us, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, we may abound in every good work. This means that as we give under those conditions, God Himself will ensure that we have more than enough in every area of our lives, and at all times in our lives, and that we will be able to abound, to overflow, in every good work. The result of giving cheerfully, as you have decided beforehand, not reluctantly, or under compulsion, according to the next verse, is that -

2Co 9:11 ESV You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

The result is that your giving will produce thanksgiving to God, showing again that even your giving is for the praise of the glorious grace of God.

We are not really poorer by what we give away; and God will never starve those who give to Him. Note the fullness of this verse. God’s grace is like an ocean at full tide. Count the alls: all grace, always, all sufficiency, every good work, and twice the verb ‘abound’, meaning to overflow. When you are going forth to sow, ask God to give you the seed. If after sowing you are hungry, ask God to supply you with bread. When you are discouraged at the results, ask God to increase the fruit. We sow the seed, whether of the gospel, or of the finances to aid its circulation, and praise the Lord, we reap a harvest of thanksgiving to God. But who can ever measure the thanks and love which are due to God for having given the Gift of His Son, the gift that includes all gifts?

Our giving to God is for the praise of His glorious grace, our service is for the praise of His glorious grace, our very lives are for the praise of His glorious grace.

Paul opens verse three by declaring “blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. As he is blessed, and as we are in Christ, we too are blessed, even if our lives are for the praise of His glorious grace. In Christ you cannot help but to be blessed, in the same way that if you jumped into the river this morning you could not help but be wet. In Christ we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.

To be in the heavenlies, means to live a spiritual life and to draw our reinforcements from the unseen and eternal world, which is focused on and in our Lord Jesus Christ. We are in Him, so far as justification is concerned - that is our standing; if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead you are justified and are fully included in Christ. Not alone are we in him for justification, but he is in us for sanctification - that is the source of a holy and useful life. The condition of a blessed life is the conscious maintenance of this oneness, the conscious development of this relationship, Christ in me the hope of glory, and I in Him the hope of eternal life.

Eph 1 4_6 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love (5) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, (6) to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

The source of all we are, and have, and hope to be, so far as salvation is concerned, is the will of God for us; but the stream flows to us through our Lord Jesus Christ, and the end to which all things are moving is the summing-up of all in Christ. As He is the Alpha, so He is the Omega. We were chosen in Christ before the world was even formed, chosen to be holy and blameless before him. His original plan was to adopt us into his family as sons and daughters through his one and only begotten Son Jesus, and this was according to his will and purpose, and of course, to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the Beloved, that is in Christ.

Eph 1 7_10 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (8) which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

In our union with Christ, we are already blessed in so many ways. We see here the blessing of redemption through the blood of Christ. To be redeemed means to be ransomed in full. The only ones who need to be ransomed are those who are in captivity, and oh boy were we in captivity. We were in captivity to our sin and locked away forever with no hope, without God in our world, but at the right time, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, the ungodly, to set us free from the burden of sin. He ransomed us in full by his blood.

As well as paying for our ransom to set us free, he has forgiven us all our trespasses, all our sins, completely, and has decided not to record them anymore. Now that’s what I call good news, and that good news is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you glad for Jesus? He redeemed us and forgave us, and remembers our sins no more, according to the riches of his grace, which he showered upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ. He set forth his purpose in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, and that plan is so he can unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. This is our future hope, thanks be to God.

Eph 1 11_14 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, (12) so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

(13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, (14) who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

At this moment in time, we are blessed with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. We are ransomed in full, forgiven, in Christ made holy and blameless before God. That’s the here and now. We also have an inheritance that we will receive in the fullness of time. God works everything according to the purpose of His will, so that we who have our hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. When we first heard the word of truth, the gospel, and believed in Christ, we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. God deposited the Holy Spirit in us, and this seal of the Holy Spirit is the deposit that guarantees our inheritance.

There is no way to measure the sealing of the Holy Spirit, because it means that we are stamped with the likeness of Christ and so kept unspoiled among all the ups and downs of life. His seal ensures that our inheritance is guaranteed until we come into possession of it in the next life, to the praise of his glory.

Its not about you, it’s all about Jesus, for his glory and for his fame. Its not about you or about me, its not about us trying to twist God’s arm to do things our way. There is a simple theology, God good devil bad, but we can add, God is God I am not. He is God and there is no other, and all my life is for the praise of His glorious grace.

On this the first Sunday of December as we begin to see the rush and panic of Christmas begin to take hold, lets remember, its not about the presents under the tree, its about the presence of the one who hung on the tree to ransom us sinners, to give us forgiveness of sins. To seal us with the promised Holy Spirit as a guarantee of our future inheritance, and to remind us of our present hope in Christ.

We have been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we might be to the praise of his glory. You are special, very special indeed, but its not about you, it’s all about Jesus.

Living Fearlessly in the Love of God the Father

Sat, 04 Dec 2021 20:06:22 GMT

Jesus lived a fearless life here on the earth, facing every situation He encountered with boldness. However, living fe arlessly does not mean that you never feel fear in your heart. What it does mean is that when you’re tempted to worry about something, you look to Jesus and receive His grace to empower you to trust Him instead. Whenever you are tempted to fear, you are believing something that is not true, something about yourself, something about someone else or something about God. When you are tempted to fear, you must go to God and ask him what is the lie you are believing and ask him to show you the truth.

Its much like a young child who comes into the parent’s room in the middle of the night afraid of the monster under the bed. The child has believed a lie, so the parent takes him back to the room and shines a torch back under the bed and assures him there is nothing to fear. The child is then tucked into bed with the assurance that the parents are right next door. The child had believed the lie, had come to the parents for protection and the parent showed them the truth. It’s the same with us when we are tempted to live in fear. We go to God for protection, and we tell him what’s worrying us. He shines a light in the darkness and tells us that there is nothing to fear. Then he assures us that he is right there with us, and nothing can harm us. Jesus can do this because he knows what its like to be tempted to be afraid.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are. He understands what it feels like to be tempted to be afraid; but He also showed us that the way to freedom is through union and communion with the Father. Just like us, He went to the throne of grace to receive the strength He needed to overcome the temptation. We can see His example to us very clearly in Mark 14:32-34:

Mar 14 32_34 ESV And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” (33) And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. (34) And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”

Jesus was tempted to be afraid. The Scriptures say His heart was stricken with distress, and intensely troubled and saddened, sorrowful even unto death. Just like any human, He felt distressed and deeply troubled. Knowing that Jesus felt the same way we all can feel at times encourages us and endears Him to our heart. Have you ever shared your heart with a good friend and were comforted realizing they felt the same way that you did? Jesus is your best friend, and He can relate to the negative emotions your heart feels because He was tempted in the same ways that you are. He sympathizes with you. He truly understands what it feels like to be afraid, to the point of sweating great drops of blood.

Luk 22 44 ESV And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Jesus felt the agony of the pain and suffering that lay ahead of him, but his heart was set free through his union and communion with His Father.

Mar 14:35-36 ESV And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. (36) And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Jesus opened His heart and shared His fear with His Father. He was honest with Him about how He felt. Then He said, “Abba Father, not what I will, but what you will.” He acknowledged His fear but was willing to trust His Father completely because He knew His Father loved Him.

Mar 14:37 ESV And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour?

If Jesus was tempted in every way that you are, how do you think Jesus felt when He realised that His friends had let Him down?

Mar 14:38 ESV Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Again, we see Jesus sharing the secret to living a life free from sin. Prayer is not something we do just before we eat or for ten minutes in the morning during our devotional time. Prayer is a lifestyle of constant fellowship with God the Father and God the Son. It’s not a religious duty, it’s an intimate relationship with the One Who loves us and meets all the needs of our heart. When we live in intimacy with Jesus, inviting Him into every facet of our hearts by sharing our fears, frustrations, doubts, and struggles with Him, He empowers us with His grace. In our weakness, He makes us strong (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Mar 14 39_41 ESV And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. (40) And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. (41) And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Jesus knew where to go when he was tempted. He ran to His Father who loved Him. He knew that it was only through His union and communion with His Father that He would receive the strength He needed to carry out the Father’s plan for His life. Although He went into the garden of Gethsemane feeling fearful, sad and alone, He came out empowered by the Holy Spirit. He was able to face His accusers fearlessly and fulfil the Father’s plan for His life because His heart was filled with His Father’s love.

Heb 12 2 ESV looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Amplified version

Hebrews 12:2:2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. AMP

The Bible tells us that for the joy of obtaining the prize that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. Yes, His prize was being seated in the highest place of Honor at the right hand of the Father, but you must remember he was there before he gave it all up to come to earth. The prize was not only to be seated in glory at God’s right hand, but making it possible for us to be seated there in Him. You and I are His prize, His treasured possession, and He wanted to be one with us.

The Bible tells us that for the joy of obtaining the prize that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross. His prize was being seated in the highest place of honor at the right hand of the Father and making it possible for us to be seated in Him. You and I are His prize, His treasured possession, and He wanted to be one with us.

Joh 17:24 ESV Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Eph 2 4_6 ESV But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (6) and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Wow! It was the desire of Jesus’ heart that we would sit with Him in the highest place of Honour. What love He demonstrated toward us to go through such agony and grief in order to give us such a priceless gift. He made it possible for all of us to live free from fear by bringing us into that same intimate relationship with Him and the Father. Jesus was able to go to the cross fearlessly because He knew His Father’s promise and was secure in His Father’s love. In John 17:24 He said, “Father… You have loved me before the foundation of the world.”

Whenever you are faced with the temptation to fear or to worry, follow the example of Jesus and simply pray,

“Father, I know You love me because of the promises You have given me in Christ, and because of this I can rest in your great love!”

When you do, then you too can live free from fear by living in the same relationship with the Father that Jesus did. Living in the same position with the Father as Jesus is, realising that as you have been given to Jesus by the Father, you are with Him where He is, gazing on His beauty and His glory. Take the fears, frustrations, worries, concerns, and struggles of your heart to God your heavenly Father. Live conscious of His love for you. Live in constant union and communion with Him, and as you do, watch as the Holy Spirit empowers you to live fearlessly in the love of the Father, right here and now this world, in the love.

God is Not Punishing You

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 20:05:03 GMT

Don’t Fall for a False Image of God

Religion likes to tell people God will punish them for their sins. This isn’t true at all! Jesus paid for all our sins on the cross (1 John 2:1-2). If God is punishing people for their sins, then He owes Jesus an apology because He has already paid for “all” our sins.

It is important to know God isn’t the source of our pain or difficulties in life. One main reason for difficulties and troubles in life is because of who we are in Christ.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

As believers in Jesus, we are righteous in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). God sees us as righteous, treats us as righteous, and relates to us as righteous. The afflictions we face have nothing to do with our failures or sins but everything to do with who we are in Christ. The Enemy sees us as targets for accusations, attacks, persecution, etc. because of our identity in Christ. We shouldn’t be surprised because Jesus told us we should expect this if we trust in Him.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

We must never forget that in times of trouble, we can have peace. If God is the source of our trouble, we could never have peace, but we know He isn’t the cause of our troubles. Thus, our hearts can be at peace no matter what we face or go through in life. Peace in our hearts reveals we know the trouble we are dealing with has nothing to do with God punishing us for our sins. Plus, we know we will overcome whatever the world throws at us because, in Him, we are overcomers.

“Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

As believers, we don’t conquer in life because we love God. We are conquerors because He loves us.

Religion is very deceptive because it tries to connect human suffering with God. It says God is the source of that suffering or difficulty as punishment for sin. When believers are ignorant of their rights and privileges in Christ or the nature of God, they can fall prey to this false teaching, blaming God for their problems in life. If you believe God is the one causing you pain or frustration because of some sin you committed, you won’t resist or overcome the pain and suffering because you believe God is behind it. Who can fight against God? So, people surrender to this darkness thinking it is the will of God when, in fact, it isn’t.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Jesus teaches us the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy isn’t God. The Devil loves it when people blame God for the stealing, killing, and destruction they see or experience. Why? Because it causes people to want nothing to do with God. Who can blame them? Why join yourself with a God who delights in stealing, killing, and bringing destruction in your life? Quite a conundrum to be in believing the suffering you are going through is all orchestrated by God.

This is why Jesus told Philip when he sees Him, he is seeing what God is like (John 14:9). We know Jesus never stole, killed, or destroyed a nyone’s life. Actually, just the opposite happened. He healed people who had their health stolen from them by sickness and disease. He raised the dead and gave them ac cess to a kingdom filled with righteousness, peace, and joy, that will never be destroyed. He also freely gave us His life, which is more than abundantly sufficient for everything we will ever need in life.

Don’t allow religion to paint a false image of God in your heart. Jesus is the only true representation of who and what God is like.

O just and righteous Father, although the world has not known You and has never acknowledged You [and the revelation of Your mercy], yet I have always known You; and these [believers] know [without any doubt] that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will continue to make it known, so that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them [overwhelming their heart], and I [may be] in them. (John 17:25-26, AMP)

Love: The Antidote to All Fear Part 2

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:03:31 GMT

Love, the antidote to all fear – Part 2

Rom 8:38-39 ESV For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor pow ers, (39) nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s perfect love is revealed to us in the promises we have been given in Jesus. Each promise is a treasure we have in Christ, a revelation of His love.

2Co 1:19-20 ESV For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. (20) For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.

God is not two-faced; he doesn’t promise one thing and then do a totally different thing. Jesus Christ is the number one example of this; God promised a Saviour, Jesus came and died for the forgiveness of sins, and now all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a loud and definite ‘Yes’. Jesus is the complete expression of God’s faithfulness. Because Jesus Christ is faithful, Paul, who was a messenger appointed by Jesus would also be faithful in his ministry.

Because you are in Christ, God says Yes to all the promises he has given in Christ, and all he requires is that we believe Him. We are going to look at some of those promises.

Righteousness

2Co 5:21 ESV For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God says “Yes! You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!”

Protection

Psa 91:11 ESV For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

God says Yes! I have given My angels charge over you to protect you in all your ways!

Blessed and Favoured

Psa 5:11-12 ESV But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. (12) For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover him with favor as with a shield.

God says Yes! You are highly favored and abundantly blessed!

Qualified to promote the good news

2Co 3:4-6 ESV Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. (5) Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, (6) who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

God says Yes! You are qualified and anointed to share the Good News!

Accepted and approved

Eph 1:6 ESV to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

God says Yes! I accept and approve of you!

Holy and Blameless

Eph 1:4 ESV even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

God says Yes! You are holy and without fault in My sight!

Given power to please God

Php 2:13 ESV for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

God says Yes! I create in you the desire and the power to do what pleases Me!

Free from sin

Rom 6:11-14 ESV So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (13) Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (14) For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

God says Yes! I set you free from all sin!

Forgiven now and always

Heb 8:12 ESV For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”

God says Yes! You are forgiven. I don’t even remember your sins!

No longer guilty or condemned

Rom 8:1 ESV There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

God says Yes! You are free from all condemnation and guilt!

This is just a small sample of the promises of God to us, promises that find their fulfilment in Christ. When we think on, when we meditate on the promises of God, we are reminded again of the significance of our union with Christ. It’s because you are one with Jesus that God says, “Yes!” to His promises in your life. Because you are in Christ Jesus, you can boldly say, “Amen, Lord! I know You love me! Your promises are true in my life!” My heart is made free from all fear as I agree with the One Who loves me.

I remember one time when fear could have gripped my heart if I wasn’t convinced of God’s promises in my life. It was 2012 and I had handed in my notice to take a year out from work to follow the leading of God in my life. My wife Terry was working as a restaurant manager in a local hotel at the time. A month after handing in my notice the hotel went into liquidation and her job was gone. However, God’s promise to provide was so clear, and I knew that he would fulfil what he promised, and he has, and He is still providing nine years later.

His promise to prosper and not to harm, to give a hope and a future are not just words from a book, they are the words of God Himself, and they are yes and amen in Christ. God had taught me the principle of sowing and reaping, and I knew that my provision was not in anything I earned, but in God Himself. This is the promise of God to all his children.

2Co 9:6-11 ESV The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (7) Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

(8) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (9) As it is written, “He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

(10) He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. (11) You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.

God promises that as he takes care of the birds in the air, he also takes care of us. And when we make it our business to put God first in our lives, to fill our thoughts with what he desires, its then we can believe that he will provide all we need, and once we believe it, we will see it.

If we don’t actively choose to give God first place in every area of our lives, then people, objects, goals, and other desires will all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly become most important and God gets pushed to second place. When this happens, we have made an idol of whatever has been promoted to first place, and this does not please God.

As you continually speak God’s promises, your heart will become established and rooted in the truth that your Heavenly Father says “Yes” to all of His promises in your life because of your position in Christ Jesus. All you have to do is to receive them by saying, “Amen! Lord, what You say about me is true!” Through your union and communion with Him, His love is brought to completion within your heart. His perfect love casts out all your fears!

God has been faithful to us a family since the first day we trusted in him to provide, and over the past eight years he has miraculously provided our every need. We have experienced God’s promise of peace and provision simply by agreeing with the One Who loves us.

2Pe 1:3-4 ESV His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, (4) by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

To sum up. God Almighty, Your Heavenly Father has given you everything you need to live a life free from fear. He has called you to receive His glory and goodness. Because He loves you, He has given you His great and precious promises so that you can escape the devil’s plan of fear and oppression and partake of His divine nature. The next time the devil tempts you to worry or be afraid, turn your heart to the Father and talk to Him about His great love for you. Keep in mind that it is through your union and communion with Him that His love is brought to perfection in your heart. As your heart is established in His love, you’ll find yourself confidently coming before Him as you say,

“Father, I know You love me because of the promise You’ve given me in Jesus.”

As you agree with the Father’s promise to you, you’ll see yourself living fearlessly, confidently and securely in Jesus, your life glorifying God. Watch as His perfect love casts out all your fears!

Discerning Truth from Error

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 20:01:54 GMT

Discerning truth from error
Tuesday 23rd November 2021

'An enemy has done this!' Matthew 13:28 NLT

'Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. The farmer's workers went to him and said, "Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds!"..."An enemy has done this!" the farmer exclaimed. "Should we pull out the weeds?" they asked. "No," he replied, "you'll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds"' ( Matthew 13:24-30 NLT ).

There are two important lessons here. (1) You must know God's Word well so that error, regardless of how convincingly it's presented, can't mislead you.Paul warned the leaders of the church at Ephesus: 'Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard' ( Acts 20:30-31 NIV )! (2) You must stay spiritually awake and alert. Notice, the seeds that were sown that night didn't produce a harvest of weeds until later. And at that point they could not be uprooted. Perhaps you think this is no big deal. Think again! One degree off course may seem harmless enough. But if you stay on that trajectory long enough, spiritually speaking, you will end up far from where God wants you to be and realise 'an enemy has done this!'

So what is the answer? 'They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching...to fellowship...the breaking of bread and...prayer' ( Acts 2:42 NIV ).

Love: The Antidote to All Fear Part 1

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 19:56:40 GMT

1Jn 4:15-19 ESV Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (16) So we have come to know and to b elieve the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

(17) By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. (18) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

(19) We love because he first loved us.

God’s love for mankind caused Him to sacrifice His Son Jesus Christ, to buy back men and women who had been condemned to everlasting destruction because of the sin of Adam and Eve. God made it simple. Believe that Jesus died for your sins, and you will live in God and God will live in you. We can know that God’s love is made perfect in us when we no longer need to live in fear of God’s judgment. We have this confidence when we truly believe that all the punishment for our sin was put on Jesus, and when God the Father sees us, He sees us in His Son Jesus, he sees us as he sees Jesus, perfect in every way. our spirits having been made perfect by the love of God. You see, fearing God has to do with punishment, but His perfect love in us is the one thing that drives fear out of us. If you fear God’s judgment and punishment, then you have not been made perfect in the love of God.

What causes us to lose our confidence in God. We have been born into God’s family so we should have nothing to fear.

Rom 8:15 ESV For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

The day you believed and invited Christ into your life, he put His spirit in you. His Spirit adopted you as a child of His, and by His Spirit you can call God your Father, your Daddy. So, if we have not received the spirit of slavery, why is it that we fall back into fear?

The answer is Satan. Anyone who believes that his is just some fictional character is deceived. Not only is he real, but he invades our lives every day with his lies and deceit. He was once described by Jesus as the father of all lies, and when he speaks, his speaks his native language - lies. Why does he bother, because it works, and he knows that his tactics have been working since he first lied to and deceived Eve in the garden? We are to be careful, and we are to pray so we wont fall into his traps.

1Pe 5:8-9 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (9) Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

He goes around like a roaring lion. He is not a roaring lion, but he behaves like one, he growls and roars his lies to try to put fear on you. However, you are to be to be watchful, to be on your guard. You are to resist him, standing firm in the faith, firmly trusting in Jesus to rescue you from the devil’s evil schemes.

Satan is constantly throwing his lies at us to fill our hearts with fear and worry. When we don’t believe, or we don’t fully understand the love our Heavenly Father has for us, we live our lives with a low-grade fear. Because we are not fully convinced of His love for us, we fear that something bad might happen in our lives.

Low-grade fear is not out and out terror, but it requires you to be on your guard, to be extra vigilant. You will find it lurking behind that hesitation you have to try something new, or the resistance you feel in pursuing your dream. That excuse you made to cover a failure. The compromise you made to win the approval of your friends or colleagues.

It’s rarely the big things, always the little ones. You may be late for an appointment, so you boot it down the road taking no heed of the speed limit, putting yourself or others in danger. You still arrive late for your appointment only to discover that you have to wait another ten minutes to be called. All that fear and panic for nothing.

I used to live in fear: Fear of what people thought of me, fear about my finances, fear of sickness, concerns for my family, fear of failure, fear of harm, even fear that people wouldn’t like me. The root of all my fears was that I wasn’t quite sure if God would really take care of the things that concerned me. I was unsure of His love for me. As I have learned to live in this love of God, my heart become free from fear. Yes, there are still times when I am tempted to be fearful, but now when an anxious feeling comes to my heart, I turn to Jesus and ask Him to show me the truth that will set my heart free. The anti-dote to lies and fear is truth and security. This is found only in Jesus and his teachings. We can only be free when we live in His truth. He is the one person who ever was ever heard to declare that he was the only way to God the Father, because he is the way, the truth and the life. He also said that those who follow him will be set free from deception and lies, if they will truly follow his teachings.

Joh 8:31-32 ESV So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, (32) and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Any time fear creeps in, I go to God and to His word and He is always faithful to remind me of His promise of freedom from fear, and as I receive His love for me, my heart is filled with peace. His perfect love sets my heart free from all fear every time I look to Him.

1Jn 4 16 ESV So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

This verse shows us that God is love. God’s perfect love and fear cannot remain in your heart at the same time. They cannot coexist. His perfect love casts out all your fears. Any time you experience a low grade-fear it’s because His love for you has not been established in your heart and you are believing something about God or yourself that is not true.

Fear is a wicked preservative. It seeks to preserve our safety at the expense of our strength and authenticity. Left unchecked it can fester until it robs our joy and leaves us frustrated. Once we recognise it, however, we can intentionally take steps to trust God with the adventure He calls us to and be rid of that headache of fear we’ve been carrying.

As you become conscious of your union with Jesus (that you are one with Him), and you fellowship with Him daily, you’ll find yourself living free from fear. Verse 17 says that it is through your union and communion with Him that love is brought to perfection in your heart.

1 Jn 4 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.

Your heart becomes established in His love as you live and abide in Him. You are not afraid of judgment. You can come before your Heavenly Father with confidence because your heart is established in the truth that you are just like Jesus in this world. You are the righteousness of God in Him.

We sang the song, “I’m no longer a slave to fear” We mustn’t just sing it, we must live it. Any time fear comes at your heart, allow the Holy Spirit to remind you that are not a fearful slave and that Jesus has set you free from the bondage of fear by making you a child of God. You can pray, “Father, I know You love me. I don’t have to be afraid. I am an heir to all of Your promises because of my union with Jesus.” In your union and communion with Him, His love is brought to perfection in your soul.

I love this promise in the Paul’s letter to the Romans –

Rom 8:38-39 ESV For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God’s perfect love is revealed to us in the promises we have been given in Jesus. Each promise is a treasure we have in Christ, a revelation of His love.

To sum up

You are in Christ if you believe he had forgiven you, if you have declared that Jesus is the Son of God, then –

God lives in you and you in God

The more you come to know and believe the love that God has for you, the more you will live your life free from fear, and the more you will realise that God is love.

When you live in the love of God you live in God and God lives in you.

This is how love is perfected in you, and when love is perfected in you there is no need to fear judgment.

The more you come to know and understand the love of God the more you will realise that there is no fear in love, because God’s perfect love drives fear away.

Fear has to do with punishment, but you have been spared from punishment, Christ taking your punishment instead. God sees you as he sees Jesus, free from all punishment.

You have no need to fear because you have been perfected in love, you love God because he loved you fist.

When you feel fear beginning to rise, go to God, talk to him, read his word, and allow his perfect love to drive that fear away

Revelation

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 19:54:54 GMT

Revelation

Rev 1. 1_ 8 ESV The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, (2) who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. (3) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

(4) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (6) and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

(7) Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, his disclosure of things to come, a disclosure he made to His servant John the Evangelist. In it, Christ revealed His complete identity and gave warnings to believers in seven churches, as well as hope.

It is generally believed that the seven churches of revelation were at the time experiencing the persecution that took place when Domitian was Emperor in AD 90-95. It would seem from study that the Roman authorities had banished John into exile to the Island of Patmos, an island in the Aegean Sea off Asian coast. John had previously been an eyewitness to the incarnate Christ, having seen him in the flesh before the crucifixion and having seen him in his glorified body after the resurrection.

Here Christ is revealing to John what would take place in the future - judgment of the world and the final and complete triumph of God over every form of evil. The key verse in the book of Revelation is here in chapter one and verse three.

Rev 1 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

While it is true that as believers in Christ, we have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, from this verse it would seem that there is the promise of a very special blessing for those who read, hear and do what is written in this book. While this is a book about future events that are yet to take place, and sadly many believers steer clear of it for one reason or another, still it is also a book about present hope that we miss if we are afraid to study it. While it reveals future events, it’s not all doom and gloom that many expect. The drama of these unfolding events is spectacular, but there is nothing to fear if you are on the winning side. When you think about the future, you can walk with confidence, because Christ, the Victor, walks with you.

This future hope is offered to all who believe, and especially to those who suffer for their faith. This future hope is the full assurance of Christ’s final victory over all evil and the reality of spending eternity with Him in His eternal kingdom. At the same time, it gives present-day guidance as it teaches us about Jesus Christ and how we are to live for Him.

Regarding the future, in no uncertain terms and with very convincing and graphic language, it leaves us in no doubt as the return to earth of our mighty God and King, the Lord Jesus Christ. It teaches us about the final judgment of the world, some to eternal life and others to eternal damnation.

God gave the revelation in this book when he first disclosed it to his Son Jesus Christ, who in turn made it known to his servant John. He did this so that all God’s servants down through the ages would see the things that are to take place in the future. Because it says that these things must soon take place as the time is near, one could be excused to think that these events ought to have happened soon after they were revealed to John, or at least by now, some two thousand years later. As we all know, this has not been the case, Christ has not yet returned.

Even though the message to John was that the time was near, on the other hand, as we read on through the book, we learn that many events must first occur in succession before the time of Christ’s final return is here. But one thing we can be sure of, he is coming, and as we read the words of his revelation and do them, we are guaranteed a blessing. This book contains so many of God’s promises.

In Peter’s second letter he says that it’s through the precious and very great promises that God has given us throughout scripture, that we may become partakers of the divine nature, the nature of God.

As we took the bread and the cup today, we became partakers in the Lord’s supper as He commanded at the last supper he had with his disciples. Each time we partake in the Lord’s supper we do it to remember Christ, and we do it to proclaim that he died, and he is coming back again.

Mat 26:27-29 ESV And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, (28) for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (29) I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”

Each time we partake in the Lord’s supper we are one day closer to that day when Christ will drink it new with us in our Father’s kingdom. In the same way, each time we read from God’s word, not just the book of Revelation, we become partakers of his divine nature.

We don’t have the power in ourselves to be truly Godly no matter how hard we try, but God allows us to share in His divine nature in order to keep us from sin and help us live for Him. When we first had a change of mind about God and put our faith completely in Christ and his sacrifice, God gave us the power to be born into His family. He put His Spirit in us, and by His Spirit He empowers us with His own goodness.

When we read God’s word, we are partakers n His divine nature and as a result he grants us all we need to live our lives and to live for Him. He does this though the knowledge of Himself, the one who has called us to his own glory and excellence. Every time you read God’s word, or listen to it and do what God says, you are partaking in God’s divine nature.

Rev 1. 4_8 John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

(6) and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (7) Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. (8) “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

John again testifies that his message is from the One who exists, who existed in times past, and the one who is coming again to rule and reign. That is Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from the dead and the one who rules over the kings of the earth. In verse five John brings the gospel into the conversation, without which no one has any hope. Christ loves us, says John, and his love caused him to give his life as a sacrifice to free us from our sins by his blood. Not only that, but we who were once living our lives in total disobedience, he has now made a kingdom and priests to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our own God and Father.

This is something we need to be reminded of not just now and then, not just every Sunday, but every day of our lives, because we forget. I was listening to an old comedian who was talking about memory. He said there were three things he can never remember, and then he pauses as if he is trying to think what they are, but he shakes his head and says, “No, four”. When we believe the wrong report about ourselves, we become insecure. If we try to find our security in ourselves, we become even more insecure. IN todays reading from the Word for Today, we read that our competence doesn’t come from ourselves or our own abilities, no, our competence from God.

Insecurity can side-line you. When you feel unqualified and unworthy of success, self-doubt may cause you to sabotage your chances to be successful. The truth is, it's impossible to live for long on a level that's inconsistent with how you see yourself.

And one of the biggest problems with insecurity is that it's almost impossible to acknowledge, so you don't deal with it and overcome it. Why is that? Because you're afraid that an admission of vulnerability will (1) weaken you in other people's eyes, (2) empower and embolden your critics, and (3) give your competitors an advantage. Insecurity makes you keep others at a distance. It means living without the counsel and support of the very people whose input can help you to succeed. Bottom line: you have a hard time trusting other people because you have a hard time trusting yourself! It's not a new phenomenon. Recorded in the Old Testament, Zophar said to Job, 'In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress' (Job 20:22 NKJV). Note the word 'distress', then think of the word 'stress'. Your insecurity will whisper, 'If people really knew me, they wouldn't love me, respect me, follow me, invite me or invest in me.'

So what’s the answer? Paul has it! He writes, 'Not that we are competent...to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent' (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV). The first step to overcoming insecurity is to draw your self-worth from God and learn to see yourself through his eyes. And you can only do that by spending time with him in prayer and reading his Word each day.

When we read his word, we are reminded of who we are in Christ, and we need to be reminded, and we can only be reminded when we hear God’s Word, when we read it, and when we believe it and do it. You are a kingdom, and you are a priest unto God. Yes, one day He is coming back to take you to be with him forever in his new kingdom. You will rule and reign with him in this glorious kingdom. But in the meantime, he promises to be with you, he promises to reveal to you who you are, and today know this – you are blessed in a special way when you hear, read and do the word of God. When you read it and do it, you are partaking in His divine nature. And when you read it and do it, in it you have everything you will ever need for life and godliness. So read it, do it, be especially blessed, and be partakers of his divine nature, you have all you need in Him.

Roaming Through Romans Chapter 16

Wed, 10 Nov 2021 19:53:07 GMT

Roaming through Romans Chapter 16

Rom 16:1-27 ESV I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae, [King CRY AI] (2) that you may welcome her i n the Lord in a way worthy of the saints, and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a patron of many and of myself as well.

As the apostle Paul brings this letter to a close, he acknowledges those who have been faithful partners in the spread of the gospel in Rome and stirs up the church to be ready to greet those he commends. The first is a lady named Phoebe whom he describes as a servant of the church at Cenchreae. He asks the saints at Rome to welcome her in the Lord as the servant of the Lord, and to welcome her in a way that is worthy of the saints. He requests that she be helped in whatever way she may need.

The fact that Paul refers to Phoebe as a patron is important. The word patron means a customer or someone who provides service, or who supports with money or other means. The word patron in this verse is the word “prostatis” in the original, and while it does mean one who provides help and support, in this case it means much more. This was a word that was applied by the Greeks to one who presided over an assembly of people, one who became a ‘patron’ of others, one who aided or defended them in their cause. It was particularly used to refer to one who undertook to manage the cause of strangers and foreigners in court.

For those reasons it was an honourable title or description, and in this case applied to Phoebe to show that she was one who not only helped Paul and others, but she ministered to the needs of others and in some way was someone who presided over an assembly. This is one of the many examples in Scripture that proves that God uses the women as well as the men of the Bible to lead, preach and teach and oversee others.

Rom 16_3 Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, (4) who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.

Priscilla was another woman commended by Paul for her service to the church of God. She and her husband were Paul’s fellow workers, faithful to the point of risking their lives for his. They were a type of itinerant ministers of the Gospel as they were well known among all the churches of the Gentiles, who also gave thanks for their service. Its great to have opportunity to be a help to the work of the Lord in your local church, and those blessings are multiplied further when you have opportunity to minister to the wider community of the faith. Next Paul lists others who have help the spread of the gospel of Christ.

Rom 16 5_15 Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia. (6) Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you. (7) Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners. They are well known to the apostles, and they were in Christ before me.

(8) Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. (9) Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and my beloved Stachys. (10) Greet Apelles, who is approved in Christ. Greet those who belong to the family of Aristobulus.

(11) Greet my kinsman Herodion. Greet those in the Lord who belong to the family of Narcissus. (12) Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord. (13) Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord; also his mother, who has been a mother to me as well.

(14) Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers who are with them. (15) Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints who are with them.

Rom 16 16_21 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.

While our tradition of greeting each other with a hug and holy kiss has been put on hold for the past year and a half, we really look forward to getting back to this very special God-ordained greeting. Now as Paul brings his letter to a close he leaves the believers with a warning to be on their guard.

Rom 16 17_18 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. (18) For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

There is nothing worse than a divisive person, a person who creates obstacle that are opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message is to avoid them. Paul issues this waring again in his letter to Titus

Tit 3:10-11 ESV As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, (11) knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

If anyone is seen to cause division in the church, we are to warn him, but only twice. If he or she continues to stir up division, then we are to have nothing more to do with that person. Being divisive is totally against the doctrine of peace, of unity and brotherly love that Jesus taught. We are to look carefully for those who do such things, so they are not allowed to continue in their evil practices, and if they do, we are to avoid them, which means we are to have not religious fellowship with them. A divisive person destroys unity, and the Bible is clear that we are to stay united in Christ.

Eph 4:1-3 ESV I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, (2) with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, (3) eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

We are to be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, so is someone refuses to stop being divisive then we are to separate ourselves from that person, because, according to the scripture, that person is warped ands sinful, self-condemned.

Rom 16 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you

Satan is mentioned here because we know that he is the one behind all divisiveness and sin, but thanks be to God he will soon be crushed under our feet. Satan is already under our feet, but he is not crushed forever, he keeps rising his ugly head. He is under our feet by the power of the Holy Spirit of God in us. In Ephesians chapter one, the prayer is that we would be enlightened so that we would know…

Eph 1:19-23 ESV … the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might (20) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. (22) And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, (23) which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Christ was raised from the dead by the power of almighty God, and that power was placed in us the day we believed. By God’s power Christ was raised from the dead and seated at His right hand in the heavenly places. He is seated there as the head of His body the church; all things having been put under his feet. His feet are part of His body, and we are that body here on the earth, so all things are under our feet in Christ, and that includes Satan himself. When he rises his head, we stamp it down again. We do this by submitting ourselves to the authority of God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit we resist the evil. He knows when this happens, he must flee.

Satan cannot conquer you if you continue to resist. Strong as he is, God never permits him to conquer the person who continues to resist him; he cannot force the human will. When we oppose the devil in the powerful name of Jesus, we can be sure that we will defeat him powerfully. He flees from that name that is above all names, and from his conquering blood.

Rom 16 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.

While the saints in Rome were obedient and Paul was rejoicing over their obedience, at the same time he wanted them to understand the difference between what was good and innocent and what was evil so they would not fall into the trap of the devil. To conclude, Pauls sends greeting to the church from his fellow workers.

Rom 16 21_23 Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. (22) I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. (23) Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

(25) Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages

(26) but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— (27) to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

God is more than able to give us strength according to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This mystery of the gospel had been hidden for centuries but at last has been disclosed, and by means of the prophetic writings was made knows to all nations. God commanded it to be preached, it was preached, and it is being preached, and this preaching brings about the obedience of faith. This obedience of faith was the call to believe the teachings of Jesus as the only means of salvation and eternal life. The preaching of this gospel carries with it the call to repentance, that is a change of mind towards God, faith in the person of Jesus Christ, and circumcision of the heart, instead of anything that a person may have been doing in the hope of being made right with God.

And that is the end of our Roaming through Romans.

Did Jesus Always Talk About God's Love?

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 19:46:45 GMT

Did Jesus Always Talk About God’s Love?

If God is love (1 John 4:8) and Jesus’ life was a perfect representation of God’s character (John 17:24-26) then everything Jesus said and did was grounded and rooted in the love His Father had for Him.

Those who think Jesus didn’t preach on love all the time, need to rethink that position. Everything Jesus said and did reflected His Father’s heart. All of it was grounded and rooted in the revelation of who His Father is and how love is expressed 24/7. Jesus lived in His Father’s love. Everything He did was a manifestation of knowing that love. He spoke the truth in love (Ephesians 5:15). He walked in love (Ephesians 5:1-2). We exist in Him to represent that same light in this dark world.

Some say Jesus didn't always preach on love but He also preached on righteousness. I agree 100%, but the righteousness Jesus talked about wasn’t the self-righteousness the Pharisees promoted. Jesus told people to seek His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Only knowing His righteousness can give us access to the kingdom of God that gives us the peace of God and floods our hearts and lives with joy. These life-changing experiences come directly from knowing and experiencing the love God has for us. You can’t disconnect love from righteousness because they are truths that run parallel to each other. We are righteous because of the love of God. We have access to God’s righteousness because faith is a response to God’s love.

Jesus stood on the foundation of God’s love and so should we.

“As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love” (John 15:9).

I Will Never Leave You

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 19:44:39 GMT

I will never leave you, says the Lord.

Gen 3:6-11 NIV When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (7) Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. (8) Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

(9) But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" (10) He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." (11) And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

This passage in the book of Genesis is referred to as the Fall, or the Fall of man. What a tragedy. God had created man in his own image and likeness. Had provided for their every need. Adam was the world’s first Gardner and Eve his helper. They went about tending to the garden, without a care in the world, naked as jaybirds, and never gave it a second thought. Then the tragedy struck.

One day they forgot who God was, they forgot who they were, and they went to try to improve on their already perfect lives. The believed that God had lied to them and that they were not who He said they were. God could not be trusted so they would have to depend on themselves in order to survive. They do what God told them not to, and immediately they realised that they had done wrong. Then they hid and covered themselves hoping that this would protect them and help them in some way to make up for the wrong they had done, and if they did he would be gracious to them.

In our own foolish minds, we may think that because we have been faithful to the Lord in some way, he will help us, he will be with us, he will never cast us out. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is true that God is our help, that he promises to be with us always, that he will never forsake us or cast us out, this is only true because God said so, not because of anything we have ever done to deserve it. The problem with believing that God’s love, his mercy and his faithfulness to us are based on our performance is this, we don’t always perform well, and when we don’t, then we won’t believe that God can be with us, that he can help us, and instead we may very well believe that he will forsake us.

We have often head this; “If you think God is far away, ask yourself who moved.” However, there is a major flaw in this statement. Even though there may be times when we feel God is far away, He has not moved, and he never will move, his is as near to us as when we first came to know Him. In fact, He says in many places in scripture that he will never leave nor forsake us, and even if he only said it once, that ought to be enough. We cannot move away from God, because He is in us, we can only feel removed form God. Why then do we sometimes feel the need to continue in this performance-based relationship with God. I want to look at three probable answers to this question.

1) We don’t really know the character of God

2) We don’t really know who we are to him

3) We believe that God has plans to punish us or desert us when we sin

When God created man, He gave him all he would ever need for life and for godliness, and he lacked no good thing. He gave him free will, and to test his love for him, God gave man one command, and of course he failed the test miserably. Adam and Eve weren’t evil at first, but they were tricked into believing that God didn’t care for them and was holding something back from them, so they stole from God.

The very moment man broke God’s command, he forgot what God’s character was, he forgot who he was, and he believed that God planned to punish him and to reject him. This is why they hid from God in the garden. While we know that man was destined to live forever on earth, that day his destiny changed, and death reigned. But did God’s character change.

No, God came looking for man and found him hiding. Yes, there were consequences for his actions, but the first thing that God did was to cover the sin of man by killing one of the animals he created to make coverings for Adam and Eve. This was a symbol of what God had already put in place for man’s sin, Jesus, the Lamb of God, slain as it were, at the very foundation of the world. The world was founded on Christ and his sacrifice, and the church today is built on Christ as the firm foundation, the chief cornerstone. Just as God made a covering for the sin of Adam by killing a lamb, Jesus the Lamb of God is a covering for ours, not only that, but He is God’s Lamb who takes away our sin.

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever would believe in Him would never perish but have everlasting life. Adam and Eve were included in this love God has for the people of the world. When they sinned, they didn’t stop being loved by God, but they no longer believed it, so they hid from God. Adam’s sin made the nakedness of his body something to be ashamed of, but the real shame was that his soul has lost its glory, the purity and holiness had been taken away, and he could not appear before a pure and holy God.

We do that too. Whenever we get to feeling that God loves us because of our performance, and then we fall short, we tend to hide from God, or at best we stop believing that he still loves us as much. This may come in the form of lack of faith in God, we stop worshipping God, we stop depending on him or we stop meeting with God’s people. In the garden, man, in his efforts to become more like God sank into a state of great wickedness. We would never do that, you say, but whenever we try to do something to gain favour with God, we are trying to be more like God.

Whenever we feel that we must perform to gain his love or acceptance, we are attempting to become more like him in our own strength, and we forget that he already loves us and accepts us just as we are because of the sacrifice and the blood of Jesus. Anytime we fall into this performance-based relationship trap, we show that we have indeed forgotten what God’s character is and we have forgotten who we are to Him. Like Adam and Eve, we hide from Him in shame

When God came looking for man in the garden, Adam’s excuse was that he was afraid because he was naked. Adam was naked from the very first day that he was created, and he was never afraid or ashamed until now. The real reason he was hiding was because of his sin. He had sinned against God, and he knew that the punishment for his sin was death. He may very well have believed that if God found him, he would kill him on sight, but he didn’t know that God had no intention of killing him in a physical sense. The death penalty for sin was not just physical death in the fullness of time, but spiritual death in separation from God forever. But their fear was very real. The first fruit of sin is shame and fear, and whenever we sin by believing that we are not loved unconditionally by God, we will hide away in shame and fear.

Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thinking that she would become more like God. We too eat from that tree whenever we think that by doing good and staying away from evil we can somehow become more like God. The moment we believed the good news of the gospel, God put His Spirit in us, and now we live by faith, not our faith in God, but the faith of His Son Jesus, the One who now lives in us.

Any attempt to become more acceptable to God by performance makes a mockery of the performance of Jesus on the cross. God loves us just the way we are, and as we allow His life to be lived out in us, we will become more like him every day. But it will Christ in us, it will be his life in us, not us trying to become more like Him.

Why do we struggle so much with our identity and with God’s character. Why do we fear God so much, why do we fear punishment so much. We are so bombarded each day with conditional love that it can be hard for us to understand the unconditional love of almighty God. Not only do we have difficulty understanding unconditional love because of our life’s experiences, but we have an added difficulty in the form of an enemy who wants to convince us that God will only love us and care for us when we live our lives pleasing to him. When he manages to convince us of this, he is quick to remind us that when we sin, we fall short of the glory of God, and so God cannot be pleased with us. It would follow then, according to our life’s experiences, that when someone is not pleased with us, they will not love us until we have done some good thing to make up for our wrong.

What we forget is that first of all Jesus did all the making up that was necessary for all the wrong that we have done. And if he hadn’t, then no amount of good could ever make up for any wrong we did. And secondly, because Jesus was punished for all our sin, God no longer keeps a record of our wrongs, so there is nothing to make up for. Boy, can we become so confused. The truth is, God absolutely loves us when we are good, when we are very good, and when we are so bad that we are horrid.

Even if we walk away from God and all his plans for us, he will never let us walk alone, he will always hold our hand until the day we meet Him face to face.

Roaming Through Romans Chapter 15

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 19:41:59 GMT

Roaming through Romans Chapter 15

Rom 15 1_3 ESV We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (2) Let each o f us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (3) For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Paul continues here with what we looked at in chapter fourteen – having concern for the one who may not be as strong in the faith as another. We are not to please ourselves, but we are to please our neighbour so that he or she can be built up and not brought down. We are reminded that even Christ, who was above all, did not please himself but humbled himself and became a man, finally taking on himself the sins of those who had sinned against God.

“The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

Rom 15 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

This is with reference to the Old Testament scriptures – whatever was written in former days. All scripture is for our good, not just the parts of the Bible that are our favourite verses. In Pauls second letter to Timothy, he tells him that –

2Ti 3:16-17 ESV All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, (17) that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

At the beginning of this chapter, we read that in the last days times will be difficult. People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud and arrogant, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful and unholy. Heartless, without self-control, not lovers of good but lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Appearing to be godly, but denying the power of godliness, in the last days there will be those who will be always learning but never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. In opposing the truth, they disqualify themselves regarding the faith. Paul concludes that those people won’t go far, and their foolishness will be plain to all.

On the other hand, Paul acknowledges that Timothy, the one he is writing to, has followed the teachings of Jesus, he has followed the truth. He has followed Paul’s conduct, hi aim in life, his faith, patience, love and steadfastness. He urges him to continue in what he has learned and believed, having known the scriptures from a child, scriptures that are able to make him wise for salvation in Christ Jesus. Then he makes the following statement.

All of scripture, not just our favourite verses or passages. If we are just deepening on a number of favourite Bible verses instead of reading the whole Bible, then we cannot expect that we can be taught, corrected, reproved or trained for right living. We cannot expect to become complete and equipped for every good work.

Rom 15_4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

This is what is meant here, what was written in former days, all of scripture, the entire Bible, was written for our instruction. As we endure, and are encouraged by the Scriptures, we can have hope.

Rom 15 5_7 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, (6) that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (7) Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

The prayer here is that God himself would grant believers the power to live in harmony with one another, in harmony with Christ Jesus. As we live in harmony with one another and in harmony with Christ Jesus, the aim is that with one voice we all may bring glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even though we were his enemies, Christ has welcomed us, having forgiven all our sins against him. It should follow that we would welcome one another, and it shouldn’t matter what someone else has done to us, for to live as Christ lived, we ought to love and welcome one another. This is the way we are to bring glory to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 15 8_13 ESV For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, (9) and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.” (10) And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”

(11) And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.” (12) And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.” (13) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

The circumcised were the Jews, the Gentiles were the uncircumcised. Christ Himself became a servant to the Jews and the purpose of his servanthood was to show that the God who promised a Messiah, was faithful to do what he promised. Not only for the Jews, but Christ came so that the Gentiles who didn’t have those promises would glorify God and bring praise to His name.

Rom 15_12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”

Jesus was born of the lineage of David, who was son of Jesse. He is the one who came to rule the Gentiles and in him the Gentiles have hope. If you’re not a Jew then you’re a Gentile, and as a Gentile you have hope in Christ alone.

Rom 15:14-16 ESV I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. (15) But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God (16) to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

So, as Paul knows that Timothy placed his hope in God and in His Word, he is satisfied that Timothy is full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and has the ability to instruct others. Timothy is reminded by Paul to minister the good news of the gospel of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. This is in line with the model set down by Jesus, who went about preaching the good news of the kingdom of God everywhere he went. As the gospel is preached and men and women respond to it, they become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The good news of what God did by sending Christ is the one thing that saves mankind. When a person hears the gospel and responds, their hearts become broken by the love of God. This is the offering that is acceptable to God, and the one who humbles himself in this way is sanctified to God by the Holy Spirit. It all happens when the gospel is ministered to others. Angels cannot minister the Gospel. God won’t minister the gospel, so it is up to man thought he power of the Holy Spirit, to do this.

Rom 15 17_21 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. (18) For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, (19) by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; (20) and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, (21) but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

In Christ alone and in what he does through us, this is our only reason we have to boast or be proud. Christ has worked through Paul, and his work in Paul has caused the Gentiles to obey the gospel, to repent and believe that the kingdom of heaven was near, and that salvation was in no other name except in the name of Jesus. This message that Paul preached was accompanied by the power of signs and wonder and by the power of the Holy Spirit. When the gospel of Christ is preached, God promises to always accompany it with signs, wonders and miracles.

Rom 15:22-33 ESV This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. (23) But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, (24) I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. (25) At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. (26) For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.

Its not just a good thing to give to the poor, it’s a God thing.

Pro 14:31 ESV Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

When we are genrourr to the poor we honour God, that’s a good thing. However there is more.

Pro 19:17 ESV Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed.

God promises that when you are generous to the poor, you are lending to the Lord. And God promises that he will pay you back for your deed. Therefore, by being generous to the poor you can never lose, you will always be repaid.

Rom 15 27_33 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. (28) When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you. (29) I know that when I come to you I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ. (30) I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, (31) that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, (32) so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. (33) May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

The Gentiles had been blessed spiritually and in turn they blessed others materially by giving generously. Paul was about to deliver their gift to the believers in Jerusalem and then he would depart for Spain but would visit Timothy on the way. He asked them for their prayers that he would be set free from unbelievers and that the believers in Jerusalem would accept his service to them. Finally, he was looking forward to coming to the believers so that he would be refreshed in their company. How great it is when we meet together with others in the family of God and are refreshed with great joy.

Learning How to Do War

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 19:39:59 GMT

Judges 3:1-6 ESV Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. (2) It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before. (3) These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.

(4) They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. (5) So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (6) And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

After their God-appointed leader Joshua died, Israel became unfaithful to the Lord, and he got angry with them. He decreed that he would no longer drive out from among them the enemy nations that were left after Joshua’s death. He did this to test the Israelites at the hand of those enemies, to see if they would walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or would they turn from God to do evil.

His purpose in this was two-fold; one, instead of driving out their enemies, he would use those very enemies to promote moral and spiritual discipline among the Israelites. Secondly, he would cause the Israelites to become acquainted with the ways of war in order that the young who had not known war, would be forced to learn how to be proficient in the use of weaponry.

Those enemy nations were there in the first place because the people of God had failed to obey Him and drive them out when they had the opportunity. Now those very enemies would be used by God as a test to see if they would exercise faith and obedience, or if they would disobey God. In order to pass the test, they must complete the conquest of the land. How they would handle the obstacles that lay ahead of them in their new homeland would be a test of their faith.

God leaves obstacles in our lives too, in order to test our faith and obedience. Those obstacles sometimes come in the form of hostile people in our lives, difficult situations, problems that baffle us. Those obstacles are there to allow us to develop faith and obedience. Will we accept those obstacles as just the way life is, will we compromise and allow them to frustrate our lives, will we try to overcome them in our own way Whenever we try to overcome those obstacles with our own strength and wisdom, we fail the test. How did the Israelites get on, were they faithful and obedient to the Lord by driving out their enemies or did they compromise?

Judges 3:4 They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

Let’s take a look at what the Lord commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.

Deu 7:1-4 ESV “When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, (2) and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

(3) You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, (4) for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.

Very straight forward, The Lord promised to bring them into the land he had promised. He also promised to drive out all the nations before them by giving them into their hands, even though those nations were more numerous and stronger than them. When this happened, they were to completely destroy all those nations and leave none of them. This may sound pretty harsh, but the Lord knew if they didn’t do as he said, and instead spare those nations, then those nations would become the ruin of Israel.

He specifically said that they were not to interma rry with them, or this would be the cause of turning them away from following the Lord their God to serve other gods. If this happened, the Lord promised that his anger would be kindled against them, and he would destroy them. So, what did they do?

Jdg 3:5-6 ESV So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (6) And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

Exactly what the Lord had forbidden them to do. Instead of conquering their enemies, the people became one with their enemies by marrying into their families and as a result serving their gods. This practice was not just forbidden for the Israelites but for all of God’s people. Paul in his second letter to the church in Corinth warns against the practice of believers becoming one with unbelievers.

2Co 6:14 ESV Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Over the years I have seen numerous believers marrying unbelievers. Some did this, genuinely believing that they would change their partners, but in nearly every case, it’s the unbeliever that ends up changing the believer. When the sons and daughters of God take for themselves wives and husbands from outside the household of God, they also take and serve the gods of those outside the household of God. What happened to the Israelites still happens today.

Jdg 3:7 ESV And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.

When they married those who served other gods, they too began to serve those gods, and as a result did evil in the sight of the Lord. Baal was the most worshipped god of the Canaanites. He symbolised strength and fertility and was seen as the god of agriculture. The Asheroth were images of Baal and his female counterpart, the mother goddess of the sea. In times of famine, Canaanites believed that Baal was angry with then and was holding back the rain as punishment.

Relationship alters faith, and when the Israelites married outside of the household of faith, they also accepted the false gods of those they married, a practice that was prohibited by God. The problem with accepting false gods is that by accepting them you are accepting the immoral, ungodly and forbidden practices associated with those gods. The Israelites didn’t deliberately set out to become idolators, worshippers of false gods, they just added their idols of the people to the worship of God. However, in doing so we read that they forgot the Lord their God, and in a short time they became absorbed in this pagan worship.

This is the difficulty with entering an unequal relationship with those who don’t know God, who don’t know Jesus as the only Lord and Saviour. Yes, we can befriend those who worship other gods, be it Buddha, Allah, Mary and the saints, the pope or any other false god, but we mustn’t allow those friendships to cause us to become entangled in unhealthy and ungodly religious practices. If we get too close to people who don’t know God, or serve God, we must be careful that our relationship doesn’t cause us to compromise our faith or adopt to their pattern of behaviour.

Rom 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Israelites knew the one true and living God. They knew He was the One who had brought them out of bondage and into the promised land. It may seem foolish that the Israelites would trade worship of the Lord their God, the One who had done so much for them, for worship of idols of wood, stone and iron. But before we pass judgment on them lets be sure that we are not trading worship of God for our own idols, by giving more time to our hobbies, and other activities, even to our jobs and businesses, than we do to worship of our Lord and God.

So, the Israelites were tested so that they would learn the art of war, and instead they literally went to bed with their enemies. As I was reading this it seemed to me that the Lord does the same today. He tests us by putting obstacles in our paths to see if we will faithfully obey him or if we will disobey and fall into sin. He wants to teach us the art of war, and he wants our young people to learn the art of war. Unlike the Israelites, the weapons of our warfare are not sword and spear but are might at pulling down strongholds.

The battle belongs to the Lord yes, but as he gave the enemies of Israel into their hands to overcome them, so he has given our great enemy, the devil, into our hands, but we must over come him. The weapons of our warfare are prayer. Last week we looked at how we can employ those weapons when sickness comes our way. When you get sick do you just accept it, take some medication and hope you get better, or have you learned the art of war and do you wield the weapons of your warfare and come against that enemy sickness in the name of Jesus.

When finances are running low, do you run to worry and try to fix it in your own strength by working longer hours or going without heat or some other necessity in order to survive. If you do, then you are compromising and accepting that your God has not provided for you. In fact, if that’s what you do, then you are not being faithful and you are living in disobedience. God has provided all you need, but there are times when you must fight for it because the enemy has plundered your supply.

In the passage in Deuteronomy that we read, God promised to clear away the nations before His people, and yet it says that when the Lord would give them to the Israelites, they were to defeat them and drive them out. Today God promises that he has given us everything we need for life and godliness. He also promises that he has defeated our enemy Satan, but at the same time, He says that we are to drive him out before us.

2Co 10:3-5 ESV For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (5) We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

The weapons that God has given us are weapons that have divine power to destroy the stronghold of our enemy. It has been said that the mind is the arena of the soul, as life’s greatest battles are fought in our minds. This is where arguments against the knowledge of God are presented and must be conquered and taken captive. This is where every high opinion against the knowledge of God is planted by our enemy. We destroy those arguments, and we take down those lofty opinions, and we take every contrary thought captive to obey Christ. We take down our enemy by practicing warfare against him, we take him down by prayer. This is our spiritual warfare.

As we approach Christmas, I pray that you would have all your needs met. In particular if you are in financial difficulty at this time, I pray you would indeed know that you are already blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. But if there are difficulties let them be an opportunity for you to practice war against the devil who wants to steal what God has already granted. You come against him in prayer, declaring that every good gift and every perfect gift from above that is destined for you will not be waylaid by the thief whose only agenda is to steal, kill and destroy. As you are tested by God, I pray that you will pass the test with flying colours. I pray that you will continue in faith and obedience and not try to fix things in your own strength. At the same time, I pray that you will not be tempted to go outside of God for help as the Israelites did.

Instead, put on the full armour of God, in submission to Him, resisting the devil and watching him flee.

Eph 6:10-13 ESV Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

The Good Samaritan

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 18:34:27 GMT

May you be so blessed as you read this today.

Who Was the Good Samaritan?

One day, Jesus was approached and asked a question about how to inherit eternal life. In answering the question, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan, a man who had left a secure city and was caught by thieves and robbed of all he had (Luke 10:25-37).

A priest representing religion passed by the dying man and was unable to offer any help.

Later, a Levite passed by ignoring the dying man's cries and disregarding his plight. I am sure the priest thought that this man was getting what he deserved and the Levite most likely felt he was being punished by God for his sins. Neither of them wanted to interrupt the lesson they believed God was teaching this man. This is the folly of religion and of a works-based belief system. It prevents us from moving in compassion and helping those who have fallen and are unable get back up.

In the story, we learn the man had been attacked but it didn't seem to matter to the priest or Levite because they had nothing they could offer to change or help him. Self-righteousness or religion is very narcissistic. Therefore, it isn't touched or moved by the feelings of our infirmities like Jesus was. You cannot find a story in all of the gospels where someone is looking for Jesus, is unable to find Him and then they die. Jesus was always available and reachable. In fact, many times He would change His course to go and help someone when asked. He never said, “I am too busy; can you come back tomorrow? Or bug off!”

Whatever the problem became His problem, whether it was creating more wine for a wedding or making lunch for a few thousand hungry people. Nothing was too small or too big for Him to handle.

The third and final man to pass by was the Good Samaritan. He saw the man and didn't ignore him. He got down to his level, poured in the oil and wine and bound his wounds. He placed him on a donkey and brought him to a hotel where he paid for his stay, and then told the owner, “I am coming back for him.”

When Jesus finished telling this story, which was a reply to the lawyer who had asked Him how to get to heaven, He asked, “So who was the neighbor to him who was caught by the thieves?”

The lawyer answered, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

This story has always fascinated me because it paints a vivid picture of the gospel that many actually miss. The man, who fell into the hands of thieves and was left half-dead, represents Adam. Today, people without Christ are half-dead—alive physically but dead spiritually.

The priest came by and had nothing that could help the man. Jesus was showing that religion cannot save you and it really doesn't care about you.

The Levite, who represents the law of God or good works could offer nothing to help the man. Again, Jesus used this to illustrate that good works and self-effort cannot change a person's half-dead condition.

Then, the good news comes in the form of a Good Samaritan; the Samaritans were outcast Jews. In Bible times, an orthodox Jew would not even step foot in Samaria because the Jews considered the Samaritans to be unclean. The Good Samaritan is Jesus. He wasn't received by His own people; they considered Him tainted and unclean because of who He associated with. It was Jesus who came down to our level. The oil and wine are symbolic. The wine was His blood, which was shed for the remission of sins. The oil was symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit that seals us as the children of God.

Finally, the Good Samaritan puts the man he healed and raised up into a hotel, which represents the kingdom of God. Paul writes, “The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 14:17).

Before the Good Samaritan leaves, he tells the innkeeper, “I am coming back again and if anything else needs to be paid, I will pay it!”

Jesus is coming back again! We await His return with great anticipation. And because of His great love, we can live in righteousness, peace, and incredible joy now. If something you have done needs to be paid for, He will cover whatever payment needs to be made. Praise the Lord! To show mercy, you must recognize you need it yourself. You cannot give what you do not have, and you can't lead someone to a place you have never been.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11).

Roaming Through Romans Chapter 14

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 18:32:44 GMT

Roaming thorough Romans Chapter 14

Rom 14:1-23 ESV As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. (2) One person believes he may e at anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. (3) Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. (4) Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The subject in this chapter again is the great law of love, and how we are to show our love for the family of God by not passing judgment on our fellow believers.

The first thing that Paul talks about here is the person who is weak in the faith. This refers to someone who has recently come to believe the gospel as the only means of salvation from the fierce judgement of God for sin. We are to welcome those who are new to the faith, but we are not to quarrel over opinions, only to teach them the truth if they are open to it.

Next, he talks about food. I have seen many who have come to faith in Christ to have questions over certain foods, in particular pork. To the Jews pork meat is strictly forbidden and seen as unclean. This was one of the Jewish laws under the old covenant. In Christ all foods are acceptable if received with thanksgiving because they have been made clean by God.

However, if someone insists on abstaining from certain foods, Paul’s teaching is that the person who feels free to eat whatever they wish is not to despise or think differently of the one who would not eat certain foods. Any in any case he says, who are you to pass judgement on those who belong to Christ. The God who called that person into his own family is able to keep him, is able to bring him into the fullness of His plan for his life.

Rom 14:5-7 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. (6) The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.

The same applies to setting certain days aside in honour of God. For one person this may be Sunday, for others it may be Saturday, or any other day of the week, while still others may observe every day as holy to the Lord. Whether you see one day as better than any other, be fully convinced in your own mind about this, and be convinced without seeing the need to convince someone else how right you are. If you see all days the same, don’t pass judgment on the one who sets one day above the rest, for just as you honour the Lord by observing all days as holy, another person honours God by keeping one day above the rest.

The same applies to food, whether a person eats all foods, or abstains from certain foods for religious reasons, they both give thanks to God and they both honour the Lord in their own way.

Rom 14:7-9 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. (8) For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. (9) For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

When we commit our lives to Christ, we no longer live for ourselves, but for Christ, and when we die we belong to Him in a complete way. Christ died and he rose from the dead, so he is Lord of both the living and the dead. So, whether we live of die, we do it to the Lord as we are his.

Rom 14:10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; (11) for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” (12) So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. (13) Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

Paul brings us back to judgment again with the reminder that we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. Therefore, we don’t need to judge others, God will do that, and he is the merciful judge. Passing judgment can put an obstacle in the path or be a hindrance in the way of someone who is trying to come to know more about Christ. This doesn’t mean that we are not to point others to the truth, it is more speaking about superficial things, like rules and regulations that are not in scripture, or such things as personal likes or dislikes. “This is the way we do things here and you must comply.” We are not to put anything in the path of another that would cause them to be drawn away from following Christ.

Rom 14:14-16 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. (15) For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. (16) So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil.

Here this idea of not judging what others eat or would abstain from eating, is taken to a whole different level. First, Paul affirms to us that, as far as Christ is concerned, nothing we eat is of itself unclean, it only becomes unclean to the one who thinks it is unclean and unfit to eat. But here’s where Paul tells us that we should go a step further because of this law of love. If a believer is grieved or upset because of something you eat, then you are not walking in love. Therefore, we are not to let something that we see as good be spoken of as evil.

Rom 14:17- For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

This is the theme that runs throughout all the NT teachings. The Old Testament law was a matter of rules and regulations, don’t touch this, don’t eat that, but the kingdom of God, introduced by Jesus, is not about any of this, it is about righteousness, which is being in right standing with God. This is not something that we can achieve by any of our doing, it is something that is given to us freely by God the moment we believe that Christ died and was raised to life for our sin. God the Father made Jesus the Son who had no sin to become sin so that anyone who would believe in him would become the righteousness of God. Jesus lived a perfect life but was punished as a criminal and took the punishment for all of mankind’s sin on the cross.

His sacrifice paid for the sins of mankind in such a way that now God is not even recording mans’ sins against him. Why would God decide not to keep a record of our wrongdoing. Because it would be a useless exercise. If God were to keep a record of our sins, there is nothing he could do with it. He couldn’t punish us for our sins because Jesus already received that punishment. It would be like someone who spent time in prison for theft and when he comes out you go about telling him about the crimes he committed. He has paid for his crime, and he cannot pay a second time, no matter how detailed a record you have of his crime.

This is why God no longer records our sins against him, Christ paid for our sins and he cannot pay a second time no matter how detailed a record is kept. All he asks is that we believe in his sacrifice, and the moment we do we are reconciled to him forever. Anyone who refuses to believe will never be reconciled to God in this life and will remain separated from him for all eternity.

The kingdom of God is also about peace, the peace of God, through Christ the prince of peace living in us. Anxiety and fear are the opposite of peace, but God gives us the anti-dote to this.

Php 4:6-7 ESV do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Don’t allow yourself the luxury of being anxious about anything, and the anti-dote – in everything, pray and give thanks to God, then let him know what you need. If you do this, God promises that His peace, which is beyond man’s understanding, will be a guard on your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The third thing that the kingdom of God is about is joy in the Holy Spirit. This is happiness brought about by the Holy Spirit and maintained by Him. This joy springs from the knowledge of God’s mercy; his love being poured into our hearts by His Spirit.

Rom 14:18-23 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. (19) So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. (20) Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. (21) It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.

(22) The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. (23) But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

When we serve Christ in live without judgment, we are acceptable to him, not only that but we are also approve by man. The message is love for others, especially the family of God. We are to pursue the things that promote peace and build each other up. Don’t do anything that would make another stumble.

Finally, keep your faith between yourself and God and give your conscience no reason to pass judgment on yourself. The last verse is in relation to doing something that you believe is not permitted. We saw earlier that nothing is unclean unless a person thinks it is unclean. So, for example, if there is some food that you are convinced should not be eaten, and you go ahead and eat it, this is what Paul is talking about. Whoever has doubts about what he eats is condemned already, because his eating is not from faith, and whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.

The same applies to anything you do. A personal example, if I’m watching something on TV and I hear offensive language, I change the channel. Does this mean that I’m holier than thou, or super-spiritual. No, it just means that I’m convinced in my heart that I should not expose my spirit to the use of bad language. If I continued to watch something when I know it contains offensive language, then it would be contrary to my faith, and my conscience would condemn me. Do I judge someone else who would not seem to have a problem with this, no. I keep my faith on this issue between me and God, and as result I give my conscience no reason to pass judgment on me by what I approve.

That’s it for tonight.

Godliness with Contentment is Great Gain

Sun, 24 Oct 2021 18:31:12 GMT

What is on your mind My Lord.

My Lord, what love is this that pays so dearly

That I the guilty one should go free.

There is so much going on in this world right now and most people don’t really know where to turn to or who to trust. There is a pandemic and it’s affecting us all in one way or another, and even though it is worldwide, it affects everyone individually. There is a vaccine that doesn’t appear to be working, or at least not working as effectively as it is supposed to work. This week the head of the World Health Organisation warned that the Covid vaccine alone will not be able to lift world out of pandemic.

The good news is that Covid-19 in not new to man, as it was among one of the sicknesses that Jesus took on his body on the cross when he took the sicknesses of all mankind.

Isa 53:4-5 ESV Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. (5) But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

1Pe 2:24 ESV He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

That word ‘have’ is past tense. Christ purchased your healing when he died on the cross. He took all your sin and offered you his perfect righteousness in its place; he took all your sickness and offered you his perfect heart; he even took your eternal death and offered you eternal life in its place. With all the focus on sickness and death in the media in recent times, its little wonder if even the people of God forget this truth. Because of all this bad news we need to focus on the good news, and there is good news. God is still and always will be in the business of healing and protecting his children.

But there is an issue, and the issue is this, not everyone who asks for healing gets healed. Now some may say its because of the person’s lack of faith, their lack of belie, or sin in their life or, that hinders their healing from manifesting, and yet see Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus commanding him to come forth, and out he comes from the grave with his grave clothes still intact. Was it the faith of Lazarus or his belief in Jesus that brought him out? NO, he was dead, stone dead, no life left in him. Was it his sinless life, no, for all sin and fall short of the glory of God. It was the power of God, power we too have access to in the name of Jesus, and yet we know that no all are healed. So what's the answer.

The answer is the same for those who are suffering financially. God promises to provide all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus, and yet we know that some are in great need. The answer to this question comes from the apostle Paul. One of the most popular verses in the Bible is form the book of Philippian.

Php 4:13 ESV I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Some take this as a mantra to give them faith to believe that nothing is impossible for them, and while this is true, just praying this verse is not the way to seeing the impossible being made possible. Using this verse to try to force a result is not what this verse is about. If we take verses on their own, we usually end up missing out on what the Bible is saying. In this chapter in Philippians Paul is commending the believers for their support of his ministry.

Php 4:10 ESV I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

He is rejoicing in the Lord for the fact that the church in Philippi had opportunity to send him financial support. His rejoicing was for them and not for himself, because he knew that in their giving, they would be more blessed than he would in receiving. He qualifies this in verse ten.

Php 4:11 ESV Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.

He didn’t see the lack of finances as being in need, he had learned to be content whether he had an abundance of provision or a shortage.

Php 4:12 ESV I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.

His contentement came for accepting whatever situation he was in. Obviously he prayed that his needs would be met, and hebelieved God to meet those needs, but if rthey weren’t met he didn’t go arousn with a puiss on him, balming God and remindgin him of all the good work he was doing for him.

Roaming Through Romans Chapter 13 Part 2

Wed, 20 Oct 2021 18:28:34 GMT

Roaming through Romans Chapter 13 – Cont’d

Last week we looked at part of this chapter and we saw that God’s word gives instruct us to be subject to the governing autho rities.” The reason being that all authority is ordained by God and anyone who resists the authority that God has put in place will incur judgment. We are to be subject to authority in order to avoid judgment, but also for that sale of consciences.

If we allow our consciences to become defiled by disobedience, rebellion and sin, then we are in danger of shipwrecking our faith. We maintain faith and a good conscience by trusting in the blood of Jesus to purge our consciences from dead works, and by recognising it when we have done wrong, thanking God for forgiveness and cleansing, and then turning from wrongdoing to doing what is right, by the grace of God.

Rom 13:5-7 ESV Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. (6) For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Not many like the tax man, but in all fairness, I have found him to be very reasonable. If you are upfront with the taxman, he is very fair. In order to avoid God’s wrath and for the sake of conscience we are to pay the taxman what is due to him, for even he, or she, is a minister of God, who attends to the service of taxation.

On many occasions the Pharisees came to Jesus to see if they could catch him out, one of those occasions is recorded in Mark’s gospel chapter twelve.

Mar 12:13-17 ESV And they sent to him some of the Pharisees and some of the Herodians, to trap him in his talk. (14) And they came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?”

(15) But, knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why put me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” (16) And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” (17) Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.

Caesar was the taxman in the day, and the instruction from Jesus was, give to the taxman what belongs to him and give to God what belongs to him. Now you may be a generous giver and have no problem giving to God, but if you are not paying the taxes that you owe then you are in rebellion against the government that has been appointed by God. Owe no one anything says the Lord, pay your taxes, pay your revenue or levies, pay respect to those who you owe respect to, pay honour to those you owe honour to.

Now we come to the part that teaches us how to fulfil the law of God through love, which is the currency of the kingdom.

Rom 13: (8) Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (9) For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

When Jesus said that the two greatest commandments were to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself, what he meant was this. If you love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, then you won’t even dream of having any other gods before him, you won’t worship images or statues or any other man-made idol of worship, you won’t take the name of the Lord in vain, and you will keep holy the Lord’s day, and as every day is the Lord’s day, that means you will keep every day holy to the Lord. So, when you love the Lord your God, then you will automatically keep the first four of God’s Ten Commandments.

When you love your neighbour as yourself, meaning that you will love all mankind as yourself, you wouldn’t even think about dishonouring your parents, you wouldn’t kill another human being, someone made in God’s image and likeness, you wouldn’t dream of having an affair with the wife or husband of another. When you have faith to believe that God provides everything you need, why would you steal form someone else, including the taxman. When you love your neighbour as yourself, would you lie, would you covet someone’s wife or husband, or someone else’s property? The answer is no. So, when you love your neighbour was yourself, you will have no difficulty with he remaining six of God’s commandments.

Owe no one anything except to love each other, for the last six commandments are summed up in this word; “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” On those two commandments, love God and love your neighbour, Jesus said that all the law and the commandments hang. This is how the law of God is fulfilled, by love.

Rom 13:11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

We hear a lot today about being woke, but here is a different call to wokeness, if that’s a word. Paul goes on to say that besides all this, you know the time we live in, and its time for you to wake up. You may not be aware, but salvation is nearer now that when we first believed. He wasn’t talking about the Christians in Rome being saved from the ruthless evil empire they were under; he was talking about the complete enjoyment of their salvation in heaven. Jesus talked a lot about the day of his second coming being close to hand. He repeated it many times in order to keep believers always in an attitude of being awake and expecting his return at any time. Now while scripture speaks in many places of the soon return of Christ, there is never any reference to an actual date or how near or far this day is. The message is always to be on the alert, be watchful, be woke to the day we are living in, for salvation is indeed nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Paul continues

Rom 13:12-14 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (13) Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. (14) But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

If we are aware of the time we are living in, we too must cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light, the armour of God. Let us walk properly as in the daytime. There was song that once recorded by C&W star Charlie Pride called, ‘The Snakes crawl at night.’

All the snakes crawl at night, that's what they say

When the sun goes down, then the snakes will play

As followers of Jesus, we at not people of the night but people of the day. We are commanded to walk properly, not in orgies, not in drunkenness, not in sexual immorality, and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Whenever we are tempted to resist the authority God has put in place, we are to turn Christ so that we do not satisfy that fleshly desire. If we are tempted to cheat on our taxes or not pay our taxes, we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

Anytime we are about do something that would be contrary to showing love to God or our neighbour, we must refuse to gratify our flesh, but turn to Christ so that we can fulfil the law of God with love.

Rom 13:11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Being Present in God's Presence

Sun, 17 Oct 2021 18:26:26 GMT

Welcome back to the place where we come together as God’s children to honour and adore our Papa in heaven, Daddy God who loves us uncond itionally. As an earthly father I love when my children come together in my house, so how much more does our heavenly Father delight in us coming into his presence as his family, to worship at his feet as we are surrounded by his glory.

We gather as a church, as the children of God, as his body here on earth, to meet with him, to worship and to hear what he has to say through the prophetic gifts and through the preaching of His Word. We also know that individually we can come to him at any time to worship him, to pray, to give him glory and to hear from him. We would be foolish to just wait for this time on Sunday to meet with our heavenly Father.

To those who have received him, to those who have believed in his name, God lives in our hearts by His Spirit in the hearts, so one could say that we are never away from his presence. However, there is a different between being in someone’s presence and being present with them. For example, I can be sitting at the table with my wife having a cup of tea, so I am in her presence, but if I’m doing something on my phone, she knows that even though I’m in her presence, I’m not really present with her. She can say something, and I can answer her, but my mind is not focused on what she is saying.

Likewise, God lives in us by his Spirit, so we are always in his presence, but he knows when we are present with him and when we are not. Therefore, it’s so important to do what’s called practicing the presence of God. To practice the presence of God is to make a practice of being present with him, giving Him a time when He has our full attention, focusing our thoughts on him. In this day and age of so many distractions we can live our lives going from one form of entertainment to another, and never getting time to be fully present with God. This can happen individually, but it can also happen corporately when gather to worship. We can sing the songs, raise our hands, close our eyes, but our minds can be a million miles away from God and His presence.

Today as we read from a very popular Psalm, we will see the benefit of being present with God, both on our own, and with others. Let’s take it one piece at a time.

Psa 91:1 ESV He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

The one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High God. The word dwell in the context of the verse means to sit down, to be quiet. The one who sits quietly in God’s shelter will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. The word for shelter means a hiding place, or a secret place. The words abide and dwell are similar, however abide means more than sitting quietly, it has the meaning to stay permanently. This gives the verse the following meaning. The person who sits quietly with God in his secret hiding place, will stay permanently in the shadow of the Almighty. To be in someone’s shadow means to be right there beside them. When you are in the shadow of the Almighty this has the meaning of protection, and of defence from all enemy attacks.

This is the promise for the one who will make a practice of being present, waiting patiently in God’s presence. Does this mean that if you don’t make a practice of sitting quietly in His presence, He will not protect you? No, but you won’t have the faith to believe God can protect you unless you put time into your relationship with Him.

The Psalmist declares that when he is in God’s presence he will speak to
God, and this is what he will say.

Psa 91:2-8 ESV I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Not only does he have the faith to say this, but he encourages others to have faith as well.

Psa 91: 3-7 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. (4) He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. (5) You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, (6) nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. (7) A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (8) You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.

Such promises. God will deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. In the past eighteen months he has delivered us from the pestilence of Covid-19, and we thank him for it. He has delivered us from many dangers and many trials. Not only that, but the promise is that the Most High God will cover you with his pinions, or his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. Have you ever seen a mother hen gather her chickens under her wings? She wraps her wings around them, and you wouldn’t even know they were there. I’m sure they feel cosy and warm and secure under her wings.

Something else he promises too – you will have no fear of the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day. There are many who are afraid of sleeping at night. Some fear that they will be burgled or killed in their sleep, others fear evil spirits and demons, many fear they will not wake up, and still others are prone to the most dreadful nightmares. The Psalmist promises that there is no need to fear any of those terrors. In the words of one of the songs we sing, “no power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from his hand, till he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”

The one who goes to sleep at night, acknowledging the presence of the Most High God, has no need to fear once he believes that God watches over his body and soul as he sleeps. Once you prayerfully place yourself and your family in the care and protection of God, you have no reason to be anxiously careful of these things, or to be motivated by fear of what might happen in the night.

Psa 3:5 ESV I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.

On a side note; If you are prone to nightmares, examine what you are feeding you soul during the day. If you are in the habit of watching scary or explicitly violent movies, then don’t be surprised if your sleep is disturbed. If you are feeding constantly on the media and the news, especially in today’s world, don’t be surprised if you live in fear of the deadly pestilence that stalks in darkness. The one thing that will protect you from the fear of Covid-19 is to switch off the news, for this is the real virus.

Psa 91:9-12 ESV Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— (10) no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. (11) For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. (12) On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

The Psalmist assures that because you have found the place of shelter in the Lord, because you have made him, you’re hiding place, the promise is that no evil will be allowed to befall you, and no plague come near your tent, including Covid-19. God Himself commands his angels to be concerned for you, to be a guard for you in all your ways. In Hebrews chapter ten, the following is written of the angels.

Heb 1:14 ESV Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

You are to inherit salvation so therefore the angels are all ministering spirits sent by God to serve for you sake, and in verse twelve of Psalm ninety one it says –

Psalm 91:12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

Imagine that, when you make the Lord your hiding place, when you make a practice of being present with him in the secret place, as he causes you to stay permanently in the shadow of His wings, even the angels are watching your feet, watching your footsteps, watching where you walk. All promised to the one who

Psa 91:1 ESV … dwells in the shelter of the Most High …

But there’s more;

Psa 91:13 ESV You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

While this promise was to the Jews in the wilderness, it is for us today as well. For the Jews it was literal in the sense that where they went there were all those deadly creatures, but God promised to keep them safe. Even in the New Testament when a serpent attached itself to Paul’s hand and bit him, he should have died, but he just shook it off and threw it in the fire.

This may also be understood figuratively of Satan, who because of his cruelty and ferocity is compared to a lion, and for his craftiness and subtlety to a serpent.

1Pe 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

This dragon, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, Christ trampled under his feet when he hung on the cross. He spoiled him and his principalities and powers, he totally disarmed them and made an open show of them. It won’t be long until Satan will be bruised forever under the feet of God’s people, as he has been already by Jesus, the seed of the woman as promised by God in Genesis 3:15.

In the meantime, God has promised us power to trample on all the power of Satan. After he sent his disciples out to preach the gospel of the kingdom and to set free all who had been under the power of Satan, they came back rejoicing, saying,

Luk 10:17 ESV … “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

This was Jesus’ response -

Luk 10:18-20 ESV And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. (20) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Jesus reminded them that he had given them His authority to stamp on all the power of Satan and that nothing would hurt them. However, as much as they were rejoicing in the fact that spirits were under their command, Jesus told them not to, but rather to rejoice that their names were written in heaven.

This authority over all the power of the devil is for all the disciples of Jesus, and will be, up until the end of the age. This is a fact, but we are not to rejoice in this fact, instead we rejoice in the fact that our names are written in God’s book in heaven, for when that book is opened on judgment day and our name is found there, no record of our wrongs will be made available for anyone to see.

Finally, we come to the last three verses of Psalm 91. Of the one who makes a practice of sitting quietly with God in his presence, being kept permanently in God’s shadow, the Psalmist says.

Psa 91:14-16 ESV “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. (15) When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.

Its only possible to fast to God in love because of the love of God poured into us in the first place. Because of the gift of God’s love in us we have the power to respond in love, but we also have the choice to reject this love. When we respond in love for God, the Lord promises to deliver us from harm, because we know our God by name. because we have this one-to-one relationship with him, he promises to answer when we call on him, he promises to be with us in trouble, to rescue us and to honour us.

Psa 91:16) With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

This is truly amazing – God promises to satisfy us with long life. We hear of so many dying young today, and this can cause us to fear we too will die young. We don’t have an answer for the reason that saints of God die young, but this we know, whether people die young or not, God’s word is still true, and his word tells us that when our time comes to leave this world, we will have been satisfied with the length of our days. When I read this passage, I’m always reminded of our dear departed friend Bobby. He was just over eighty and when he got the news that he was sick, it seemed that he was satisfied with the length of his days. He totally accepted it and would speak of death in it matter-of-fact way, “Its nothing but a transition from here to there.” He never wavered in his faith or in his confidence in God. He knew his God, and he knew his God was watching over him. this is true faith, and the faith of one who sat quietly with God. Today he rests fully in the shadow of the Almighty. Now he is completely at rest in God’s presence waiting for the day when we will join him, and what a day that will be.

As well as satisfying us with length of day, God promises to show us his saving power throughout our lives on earth, and finally in our transition from here to eternity.

What can we take from this Psalm? Make a practice of sitting quietly in the presence of the Most High and you will find that you can rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Th Lord is your refuge, your strength. You will find faith to believe that he will answer you when you call on Him. You will have no need to fear, day or night. You will even have faith to believe that you can stamp you foot in the name of Jesus, and even the demons will be jump in fear at the sound of your voice. But rejoice not in this but rejoice that your name is written in God’s book.

God’s might angels are watching over you as you go out and come in. Because you hold tight to him in love, God promises to deliver you from trouble, to protect you, to answer you when you call. Finally, he promises to satisfy you with the length of your life and show you his saving power every day.

Those are God’s promises to the one who will make a practice of being present with God in his secret hiding place, waiting patiently in God’s presence.

Hearing God's Voice

Fri, 15 Oct 2021 18:19:06 GMT

Recognising God's voice
Friday 15th October 2021

'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.' 1 Samuel 3:9 NKJV

As a boy working in the temple, Samuel didn't recognise God's voice when he spoke to him. But later as a prophet, his ear was the portal through which God spoke to an entire nation. Learning to recognise God's voice isn't a skill that's acquired overnight, because he speaks to us at different times, in different ways, and in different settings.

Recognising God's voice: (1) Calls for spiritual maturity. Jesus said, 'The sheep follow him, for they know his voice' ( John 10:4 NKJV ). Note, he said his sheep, not his lambs, know his voice. Baby sheep follow adult sheep until their senses are trained. That means there's grace for the immature. So, if your spiritual ears aren't developed yet, God will work with you till they are. (2) Means not being limited by your previous experiences. When God spoke to Moses, a mountain shook, whereas he spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice. Don't limit God, and don't try to figure him out. He can speak to you through your Bible, through those qualified to teach his Word, through a song, through a painful situation, and through your thoughts and desires when you're submitted to him. The key is to stay close to God and keep your receiver tuned. (3)Means being obedient: David said, 'I take joy in doing your will' ( Psalm 40:8 NLT ). When it comes to recognising God's voice, is your response, 'When I get around to it'? 'If I can fit you in'? 'I'll think about it'? Read this: 'If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures' ( Job 36:11 NKJV ).

Roaming Through Romans Chapter 13 Part 1

Wed, 13 Oct 2021 18:23:38 GMT

Roaming through Romans Chapter 13

In tonight’s study of Romans chapter thirteen the subjects are submission to the authorities and how to fulfil the law of God through love. We won’t get to cover the complete chapter in one study, so we plan to come back to it again next week.

Rom 13:1-14 ESV Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

This is a statement that most people have an issue with, including Christians who follow the Bible. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.” In most countries its common knowledge that not many trust politicians or those in governing authority, and it was the same in the day of Paul’s writing. Why should we be in submission to governing authorities when we know there is much evidence that they cannot be trusted. The answer is very clear in the next sentence in verse one.

Rom 13:1b … For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

It may be difficult to understand this, but according to scripture its true. God institutes all authority, and that includes those in government. In fact, there is no authority except from God. Jesus confirmed this when He was being questioned by Pilate after his arrest.

Joh 19:9-11 ESV He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. (10) So Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?” (11) Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. …

Pilate was the governor at the time and Jesus tells him in no uncertain terms that his authority as governor was given to him by God. This is still as true today as it was in the day of Jesus. All authority that exists, good, bad or indifferent, has been instituted from above, from God, and there is no authority that exists except from God.

Rom 13:2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

We can protest authority, we can complain to authority, but we are not to resist authority, we are not to set ourselves against authority. To do so is to resist the authority that has been appointed by God, and to resist is to incur judgement. If we do good, we have no need to fear authorities or their judgments, but if we resist them, we cannot hope to escape.

There were many Christians, including church leaders who went against the government’s restrictions during the pandemic, and many of those are being brought before the courts to be persecuted. We can argue that what the government did during the pandemic was against the constitution and that as citizens we should not submit to a government that breaks the law, and yet there is no such loophole in this passage to give us permission to ignore authority.

Many of us have a tendency to be rebellious, and for many this tendency has been alive and well for the past eighteen months. Yet scripture is very clear, government is government, and God is God. He is the one who appoints all governing authorities, and to resist his appointed governors is to incur judgment.

Rom 13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, (4) for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.

To go against governing authorities is not good conduct but bad, and rulers are a terror to bad conduct. But if you do well you need not be in fear of any authority. Do what is good and you will receive their approval, do bad and you will incur their wrath. Church leaders who have defied authorities in recent times, have given themselves a bad name in the eyes of government. Their conduct has not been good, and they have not received the approval.

Do what is good, says Paul, and you will receive approval, for governors are God’s servants for your good. But anyone who chooses to do wrong has cause to be afraid because those in power do not bear the sword of justice in vain. Just as those in government are God’s servants for the good of those who do good, so also are they servants of God to avenge and carry out God’s justice, to carry out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. To clarify, the punishment for all our sins was places on Jesus and we do not have to pay for them, nor will we be punished for them on judgement day. However, if we continue to do wrong, there will be consequences here on earth.

For example, if you were stooped by the guards on the way here today and you had no tax on your car for the past six months, the authorities have the right to take you car from you until you pay the tax and the fine for not having tax. You can tell them that Jesus paid for your sin on the cross and that God is no longer recording your sin against you, and this is true. However, the guard, who is God’s servant to carry our justice here on earth, has the authority to punish wrongdoers, and he gets this authority form God. True, there is no record of your sin un heaven, but you haven’t arrived there yet, you are still on earth, and you must abide by the rules laid down, or bear the consequences of your wrongdoing.

Rom 13:5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

For this reason, we must be subject to all authority in order to avoid God’s wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he instructs him to hold faith and a good conscience. He warned him that anyone who failed to so would shipwreck their faith. This is a picture of a ship leaving harbour for a given destination but, on the way it crashed on rocks and got wrecked. It never reached its destination.

The conscience is the self-judging function of the inner being, the heart of man, that either accuses or excuses us regarding our conduct. It’s the part of us that recognises right from wrong and demands that we do right to avoid doing wrong. While the conscience is not infallible and can make mistakes, we cannot ignore it and succeed. For faith to reach its goal, for us to fulfil God’s will and purpose from our lives, a will that is good, pleasing and perfect, we must keep a good conscience.

There are two means of maintaining a good conscience. One is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sin and purges or cleanes our conscience from guilt for sin.

Heb 9:14 ESV how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

His blood cleanses us from dead works. In fact, no matter what we have done in the past or might do in the future, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins.

Rom 4:7-8 ESV “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; (8) blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

This is the best news we will ever hear; all our sins are already forgiven in Christ. Our consciences are purified from dead works, that is works that are past, but every time we sin our consciences will condemn us afresh. If we think we can live in continuous sin with nor harmful effects, we are fooling ourselves because to continue in known sin is to ignore the conscience. God still loves us because his love is not based on our performance, but our hearts will condemn us and rob us of our confidence. Then our faith will become shipwrecked and never reach its goal.

We are saved by grace through faith, and that is not of our own doing, its is from God. In order to keep our ship on course and avoid a shipwreck, we must have a good conscience. This is achieved by not defiling our consciences and depending in the blood of Jesus to cleanse away any condemnation from present sins and failures.

Now we live by the faith of Jesus, and to continue in His faith we are to maintain that faith until it brings us to the desired result. Whenever we catch ourselves doing wrong, we are to thank God for forgiveness and then ask his help to turn from doing wrong to doing what is right. We do this so we will avoid God’s wrath, the consequences for doing wrong, and also for the sake of conscience.

Rom 13:5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

If you allow your faith to become shipwrecked it will never bring you to the fullness of God’s plan for your life here on earth. Do not allow your consciences to become defiled by sin, so that your faith won’t become shipwrecked. Turn from it as quickly as you have turned to it, and you will hold faith and a good conscience.

We will leave it there for this week and come back to remainder of the chapter week by the grace of God.

(6) For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. (7) Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. (8) Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (9) For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (11) Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. (12) The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (13) Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. (14) But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Through Christ

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 18:17:26 GMT

Today’s reading really ticks the important boxes.

Through Christ, you can!
Thursday 7th October 2021

'I can...through Christ who strengthens me.' Philippians 4:13 NKJV

Stubborn habits assume a life of their own, and keep growing. They have a mind that thinks for you, a voice that speaks to you, and a power that keeps conquering you. So...what should you do? Pray and proclaim God's Word over your habit! God said, 'I am watching over my word to perform it' ( Jeremiah 1:12 NAS).

Pray: 'Lord, your Word says that if I call on you, you'll answer me...that you'll be with me in trouble, you'll honour...and...deliver me (see Psalm 91:15 ). You promised that through the power of your indwelling Spirit, I can be free from this vicious cycle of temptation, sin and failure (see Romans 8:2 ). You said if I fully committed my life to you, I'd have the strength to resist the devil, and that he would flee from me (see James 4:7 ). Your Word says you've given me the power to pull down my old mental strongholds and take control of every wayward thought, imagination and impulse (see 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). You promised that by reading and meditating on your Word each day, I'd become a partaker in your divine nature and overcome the tendencies of my flesh (see 2 Peter 1:4 ). You promised to strengthen me in my mind, my emotions and my will; that my self-worth would be based solely on your love for me; that you'd do exceedingly abundantly above all I could ask or think - because you're at work in me (see Ephesians 3:14-21 ). Today, I claim victory over this habit, in Jesus' name, Amen.'

The word for today is: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' ( Philippians 4:13 NKJV ).

The Gifts of God

Sun, 26 Sep 2021 18:15:35 GMT

Why do we attend church services?

The purpose of coming together as the people of God is outlined in Hebrews chapter ten. The author of the Book of He brews teaches about the confidence that we have as believers to enter that holy place, the very presence of God, by the blood of Jesus. He calls this the new and living way that Jesus opened for us by removing the partition that was between God and man through his body on the cross when God reconciled us to Himself in Christ. Now Jesus is our great high priest over the house of God, and because he is, we are encouraged to come near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith. We can come with true hearts because our hearts have been washed clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with water. This is the confession of our hope, and we are to hold to it, and we are not to waver from it, because it was God Himself who promised it, and he is faithful. Then we read in Hebrews chapter ten and verse twenty-four.

We are to be concerned with stirring up of each other to love and good works. To love one another is part of the commandment that Jesus gave in John’s first letter.

1John 3:23-24 ESV And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. (24) Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

Believe in the name of God’s Son Jesus Christ and love one another. Once we believe in the Son of God, we have eternal life, and when we love one another, God promises that we abide or remain in God and God in us. When we come together as people who love God, we come in obedience to his call, we come to worship him as his body, and we come to stir one another up to love and good works. We come to hear His Word being preached and taught, and this is a most important part of being a disciple of Jesus. God in his wisdom gave us all things for life and godliness, and one of things we need for life and godliness are teachers who will bring us into the truth of god’s Word.

Eph 4:8 ESV Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Eph 4:11-16 ESV And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

(14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (15) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

According to this passage. to this church, as you pastor, as your shepherd, I am given to you as a gift from God, …. as are evangelists, prophets, and others.

Let’s take a look at the reasons that Jesus gave the gift of a pastor or shepherd.

1. Why did Jesus give those gifts?

Eph 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

To teach you how to operate in your God-given calling. As the people of God, we are to gather as one body yes, but we are all individuals, and God the Holy Spirit has given each Christian special gifts for building up the church. All our gifts are important for the building project. Like the construction of a building, all the workers are important, from the architect who designed the building to the least unskilled worker. One of the lowest paid workers on a building site is the person mixing the concrete that’s needed to hold the blocks together, and yet the architect, who is one of the highest paid workers, depends on the person who mixes the concrete or there won’t be a building.

I say this so we can get the idea that no matter what it is that we are called to do in the kingdom of God and for the building of His church, no job is meaningless, or less important than another. Everyone’s gifts are needed, or the building will not progress. If the labour who mixers the concrete didn’t do his job the building would be at a standstill. We all know we have gifts from God for his work, it is important that we use them. If you know what they are, look for opportunities to use them. If you don’t know, ask God to show you, talk to others, to your leaders. We are all here to help each other walk in God’s plan for our lives, and as leaders we are here to equip you for the work of the ministry so you can use your gifts to strengthen and encourage the church.

2. What is the goal of this equipping of the believers or saints

Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

You are being equipped to bring you to the unity of the faith. Jesus gave the church the responsibility of making disciples of all nations as we read in Matthew chapter twenty-eight.

Mat 28:18-20 ESV And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Part of this command was the responsibility to teach others to observe all things that Christ commanded them. These things are written down for us, and these are the things that we as pastors and teachers are to teach. Christ Himself promised that he would be with us always as we teach, right up until the end of the age.

The purpose of teaching and equipping is to attain the unity of the faith, Earlier Ephesians chapter four, the writer Paul says regarding faith, that there is but one.

Eph 4:4-6 ESV There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— (5) one Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

According to Strong’s Bible Concordance, the word faith used here in the Greek means the persuasion or moral conviction of the truth or truthfulness of God as a teacher, and his Word as the textbook, and especially the reliance upon Christ for salvation so much so that there is a constant profession of this persuasion and reliance. Unity of the faith can be summed up as follows; believing that God is our teacher, his Word is the Textbook, reliance on Christ for salvation is the subject lesson, and proclaiming this teaching before others is the homework.

Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,…

The knowledge of the Son of God is another way of saying faith in Christ, as faith is the spiritual knowledge of Christ. This knowledge of course is contained in the writhing of scripture. However, this is more than knowing about Jesus, it is knowing why God was made known to man in the flesh, and why this was necessary in order to purchase salvation.

This unity of the faith and unity of the knowledge of the Son of God is the path to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The next verse highlights the importance of this equipping of the saints by pointing out what happens when we are not equipped, or when we refuse to be equipped.

Eph 4:14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

If you are not being equipped for the works of ministry, or if you refuse to be in the place where you can be equipped, then you are still a child as regards your faith, you are still immature in your Christian walk. When you refuse to be in the place where you can constantly be brought more and more into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the fullness of the stature of Christ, then you leave yourself in danger of being tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by every cunning person, by craftiness and deceitful schemes.

We refuse to allow ourselves to be equipped for the work of God when we neglect the assembling together of each other. This is why it is so important to do all in our power to be with the church when we come together, at all times. I know we are not yet in a position to come together at our Wednesday night Bible studies, but we have been online for eighteen months, and I know some of you are not availing of this when you could. Wednesday night Bible studies are not some optional extra just to keep the pastor busy, or for something to do during the week. They are an integral part of the equipping of the saints for works of the ministry and ought not to be neglected. If you only attend the Sunday service, then you are only availing of half of the lessons you need to walk in faith and in the knowledge of God. We hope to resume our in-person Bible studies on twenty-seventh of October by the grace of God, and make a plan to be there, in person.

If you could attend to your religious duty but don’t, then you are being tossed to and fro by the waves and by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning and craftiness in deceitful schemes. This is not God’s plan for our life and if we think we can live in a constant state of ignoring God’s plans without any harmful side effects, we are fooling ourselves and ignoring our conscience. Its not that God will condemn you or love you any less, it’s not that you will lose your eternal hope, but your hearts will condemn you and rob you of your confidence.

In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul said that we are to hold faith and a good conscience. To neglect to do so is to shipwreck our faith. When we hear the word ‘shipwreck’ we get the picture of a ship being destroyed in a storm. The ship set off on a journey, but it never arrived at its destination. Likewise, we not only need to start out in faith, but we must also maintain faith until it brings us to the desired result. To know God’s will and to fail or refuse to do it defiles our conscience and will cause our faith to be shipwrecked, and we will never reach unity in faith and the knowledge of the Son of God.

On the other hand, when we are in that place where we can avail of the gift that Jesus has given, where we can be equipped for works of ministry, instead of being tossed to and fro by people and teachings that are contrary to the truth, Pauls assures us -

Ep[h 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Which is the very opposite of being tossed to and fro by the waves and carried by every contrary doctrine. When we are allowing ourselves to be equipped for works of ministry, works of God; as we speak the truth in love, we are to grow into Christ who is the head, and as we do, as we remain connected in faith, in the knowledge of the Son of God, we are joined and held together by every joint by which it is equipped. This is referring to others, to our fellow brothers and sisters. They are the joints that hold the body together, when each part is working properly, and as we grow up into Christ in this way, we, with all the other parts, He makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

This is the end goal; this is the destination to which we are called. This is where our ship is to anchor. Let us do nothing to cause a shipwreck. Let us strive to reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God. May we always be fully persuaded and morally convicted of the truth and truthfulness of God as our teacher, of his Word as the Textbook, of the reliance on Christ for our salvation as the subject lesson, and of the profession of these truths as our homework. That’s your part, my part is to provide the means for you to be equipped.

Decide today that you will be there when we meet, so we can all stir each other up to love and good works. Decide that you will not neglect the coming together of the church as is the habit of some, but instead you will be there when we meet to encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day of the Lord drawing nearer and nearer.

He Who Keeps No Records

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 18:13:02 GMT

Hi all

Recently I spoke about how God keeps no record of our sin, and here’s a reminder again. We need to hear this because each day doubts fly around, and we still have that old “keep short accounts with God” and “Be sure to confess all to God” in our head from old untruths. Faith comes by hearing the words of Christ, words of grace not of law. Law gave the means to cover sin, the cross gave the means to remove sin. There’s a huge difference.

You are blessed.

Why Remember What God Promised Us He Would Never Remember Again!

In the Old Testament, “The Day of Atonement” was a yearly reminder of Israel’s sins. The blood of ani mals was shed to “cover” those sins each year. Keep in mind, each year, their sins were only covered, not cleansed.
The New Covenant teaches us God no longer remembers our sins.
“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12).
“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:3-4).
What the blood of animals couldn’t do, the blood of Jesus could.
The day John the Baptist first laid eyes on Jesus, he proclaimed to everyone a truth about Jesus that was radically different from how God would deal with our sins.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’” (John 1:2).

Our sins weren’t covered every year. They were “taken away” forever. Some are puzzled by how it is possible for God to take away all our sins thousands of years after the cross. Because God sits outside of time and knows the beginning from the end (Isaiah 46:10).
Old Testament sacrifices were an annual reminder of sins. Because of Jesus, God remembers your sins no more.
We have all committed millions of sins and maybe confessed a small fraction of them. That's why our forgiveness and relationship are reliant on His blood, not our regret or lack of repentance.
Don’t remember what God forgets or what He told us not to remember.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good [things; so that] thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:2-5)

Who Can Understand the Love of God?

Sun, 19 Sep 2021 17:44:20 GMT

Who can understand the love of God?

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would no perish but have everlasting life.

God has done his bit, and now we must do ours.

Take up your cross and follow Jesus.

A devotional I read recently was all about God’s love for us, not our love for him, I found it really encouraging. Sometimes we are of the impression that it is our job to fix others, and especially if we are in leadership, or indeed as a parent. It’s very easy for us to see what’s wrong with others, and of course focusing on what’s wrong with others can an attempt to take the attention away from what is wrong with ourselves. Jesus didn’t come to tell people what was wrong with them, he came to tell them how much they were loved just as they were.

A religious, Pharisaic spirit will get you focused on what is wrong with yourself or someone else, and then your focus will be on trying to fix it. This is what Eve did when Satan deceived her. He got her to take her focus off God and onto what she thought he was keeping from her. This caused her to believe that God couldn’t be trusted and so she attempted to fix it. Her attempts to do something about her perceived problem caused her to sin against the very God who loved her so much that he had already given her everything she would ever need to life in a perfect world forever, in complete harmony with God and his plans.

When God called his children to go into all the world and preach the gospel, he didn’t tell them to go and tell others what was wrong with them and try to fix them. Rather he told them to go into all the world and tell people how much they were loved by God, his Father in heaven, and how much his children loved them. He didn’t call us to fix people, he called us to love people Why? Because only His love can heal broken hearts. The gospel isn’t a self-help program; it is all about living in a relationship with God.

Th apostle Paul wrote most of the New Testament, but none of his teachings are about trying to get people to stop sinning and become better people, instead his goal was to get people to enter into an intimate relationship with God the Father though Jesus, God the Son, by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

You must remember when Paul was converted to faith in Christ on the road to Damascus, he was continuing on his mission find followers of Christ so he could have them arrested and put to death for their beliefs. You’d imagine this was the perfect opportunity for Jesus to tell Paul how much of a sinner he was and how he must change his ways, or he would be punished. Instead, all Jesus did was ask him why he was persecuting Jesus.

Act 22:7 ESV And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

You’d think that Jesus would have told him what he needed to do to fix his life. That he needed to do a Bible study course on how to be a follower of Jesus, or at least he needed to do was to prove himself before he could be trusted. So what did Jesus say to him –

Act 22:10 ESV And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to do.’

Little wonder that Paul testified about how he gave up everything to know Jesus

Php 3:7-8 ESV But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. (8) Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Paul understood that knowing Jesus was seeing God as He is. Paul’s personal transformation came from knowing Jesus. The Greek word for “know” or “knowing” that Paul uses is a Jewish word used when referring to the intimacy a married couple enjoys by loving one another. Notice what Paul tells his young student Timothy whom he is discipling in ministry:

“The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).

If our goal in life is to strive to be a better person so God will love us more then we will not be filled with the love of God. Its not that God doesn’t love us completely, but we will not have the faith to believe that he loves us no matter what. When we live in that place of, “I need to do more,” “I need to live a better life,” “I must be a better Christian,” then we will live our lies riddled with guilt, we won’t have a clear conscience, and our hearts will not be pure, and our faith will not be genuine. We cannot be filled with the love of God that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith, when we have shipwrecked all three in our efforts to try to be better.

If you are living like this, then you are living in a performance-based relationship with God and with others. You don’t really believe that you are loved by God or by others because you measure God’s love for you by your performance, and you measure the love of others for you by their performance.

Paul’s goal in all his teachings was to help believers walk in the fullness of God’s love for them. This revelation purifies people’s hearts and consciences. Consequently, their hearts’ faith in God will be genuine and unwavering. Everything Paul taught and wrote carried this purpose in mind.

You are not called to change the world, or indeed to change yourself. You are called to love the world, and to love others, and to love yourself; and this is only possible as you understand the love that God has for you. If you think that as believers, we are called to change people, you will never see them the way God does. If you believe we are called to love people as God loves us, then you will see how powerful God’s love is to change them in ways nothing else can. But you must see God’s love for you first, and his love is never, never based on your performance, on how you live your life.

God’s love for Paul was so great that even when he met him Paul was on his way from the murder of God’s children and on his way to find more, and in that moment, he trusted him and loved him enough to send him off to bring more of his children home. This should encourage us to believe that it’s not our performance that causes God to love us, it’s not our good words that cause him to call us to love others, it’s his call on our lives to be his children that promises his continual, unshaking, unchanging love for us.

The biggest problem that people generally struggle with in this life comes from a broken heart. We cannot see a broken heart, so we cannot always know when someone’s heart is broken. However, we can see the signs, as a broken heart can manifest in drug addiction, alcohol abuse, in hatred, anger, greed, lack of self-worth, obsessive compulsive disorder, control and a whole host of other behaviours that causes a person to self-destruct.

The only cure for a broken heart is a revelation of God’s love. When we really experience the love God has for us, our broken hearts are healed. Wholeness in who we are in Christ begins to bring fresh revelation of our new identity in Christ. It brings new revelation into our hearts, revelation of who God created us to be in Him.

Paul was at the top of his game when he met Christ.

Php 3:4-7 ESV (4) though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: (5) circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; (6) as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (7) But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Before he came to Christ, Paul had it all going for him, or so he thought. There was no one who could keep the law like Paul. He kept the law to the letter, describing himself as blameless as far as self-righteousness was concerned, not only that but he would have he taught others to do so. As a Pharisee he was so zealous for the law that he persecuted anyone he found who was not keeping it, which is why he went after the church of Jesus Christ. However, he discovered this is not who God created him to be, and when he believed Jesus, he was changed.

Knowing that he had persecuted Jesus Christ and put to death all those he found following Christ, now he comes face-to-face with the acceptance of God, the unconditional love of the Father and total forgiveness. This began a process in Paul’s spirit that led to his true transformation. I was speaking in a church in Tullamore last week and I talked about the time that I first believed that God had paid for my sins on the cross, having forgiven me and offered me eternal life. In that moment my life was changed. The moment I realised that the one person against whom I had sinned the most had forgiven me and accepted me, the weight of sin was taken from my shoulders. This was the beginning of the process that led to my transformation. That God would accept me, that he would love me unconditionally and that he would forgive all my sin, eventually led me to this wonderful revelation of how much I am loved by God.

There is a sign over my life and over yours, “Work in progress.” We are neither the engineers or the builders, God is. It is his engineering and his design at work in our lives, and he doesn’t have the same set of blueprints for any two of us. I’m not capable of loving in any real way, but when I understand God’s love for me then I can allow that love to be poured out to others around me. As your pastor its not my job to fix you, it’s my job to love you enough that I pray for you, that I minister the word of God to you, and that I be there for you whenever or however you need me.

I do love every one of you with the love God has poured into my heart. If, however you are judging my love for you by my performance then you will be disappointed. But here’s the thing, if you are judging me by the things I do for you, or the things you think I should be doing but don’t, then you are also judging yourself in the same way. You are either judging how much God’s loves you by how much you think he should be doing and how much you feel he falls short of that mark, or you believe that God is judging you for your poor performance and so is withholding his promises. Not unlike Like Eve, you have listened to the voice of the devil who tells you if God really loved you, he would have answered that prayer by now. Therefore, God doesn’t love you, in fact he cannot be trusted as he is holding things from you. You need to do something to fix yourself or God will never love you.

Truth is, God always has and always will love you, and he has already given you everything you will ever need for this life, to live the life he has called you to live. The problem is you don’t see his hand of provision because you believe that he is still waiting for you to get your act together, and if you don’t, he won’t provide. That’s a pack of lies. God cannot give you what he has already given you, so isn’t it time you quit trying to be someone you are never going to be and be and be the person he has already called you to be. God has already provided everything for you and all he asks is that you believe.

Like the author of the devotional, I, as your pastor, I am a work in progress. I am too busy to run around trying to fix everyone, but I am fully capable of loving you all because of my revelation of the love that God has for me.

“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

As believers, we are 100% whole in Christ. The manifestation of this wholeness comes by walking in faith with a heart fully persuaded in the love God has for us.

Eph 3:16-19 ESV that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, (17) so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, (19) and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell.

It goes beyond the highest star

And reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled

And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

When hoary time shall pass away,

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall;

When men who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call;

God’s love, so sure, shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—

The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made;

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

Though stretched from sky to sky

Protection

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 17:44:21 GMT

Going over the word that Patricia brought last week and as I was pondering on it, I felt that the Lord had more to say on the subject. Words that seem to be to the fore were words like abandonment, loss, hurts, broken hearts, covering and hiding pain, keeping the bright side out. This ability to push thinks down is something we learn at a young age. I remember one of our children when they were about eight or nine. They were not having a good day, and someone asked them how they were. They answered in good old, tell them nothing style with the words, “I’m fine,” but it their tone of voice gave them away.

When we make a habit of brushing things under the carpet, one day that lump under the carpet is going to trip us up and cause us to fall and maybe get hurt badly. This is when those things we hide rear their ugly head once again.

The good news we heard was that Jesus could set us free, and he can, he has, and he will, but we must learn to protect ourselves against future hurts so that we don’t go into hiding once again. Patricia quoted from Scripture where the Lord spoke to Joshua and told him, “As I was with Moses so I will be with you, I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

If you are carrying hurts today, they are not your own, because Jesus took care of yours when he took them on his body o the cross, so you won’t have to. Yes, it’s true, but we still get hurt, we still have our hearts broken again. People hurt us, spouses hurt each other; parents hurt their children, children hurt their parents, as brothers and sisters in Christ, as his church, we hurt each other. Our hearts get wounded and we stop trusting others. The problem with not trusting others is that we can end up not even trusting ourselves, and then we stop trusting God. this causes a breakdown in relationship, our relationship with each other, our relationship with ourselves, and our relationship with God.

I was reading an article by a Christian medical doctor recently and was amazed at his studies. According to his research, over 80% of disease is tied to a breakdown in one or more of those relationships. The reason why we have difficulty with relationship, and especially as Christians, is that we have this preconceived idea that we are dealing with perfect people, especially when we are dealing with our brothers and sisters in Christ. This idea of perfection in relationships, and even in the church, certainly didn’t come from God, and if it didn’t come from God there is a problem. This is the idea that if people love you, they will not hurt you. People who believe this are really saying that people who are supposed to love them are supposed to be perfect, they should not be incapable of hurting or of sinning against you. This type of thinking produces an expectation people exist in a state sinless perfection here on earth, which is a total impossibility.

With this mindset, when someone does behave in a way that is less than perfect, the reaction is, “How could they do this to me? How could they say that about me? They are supposed to love me.” This is the mindset that is the root of most relationship issues and in turn is the root of the majority of illness and disease.

But God is not caught off guard by all of this, and he already has made provision for this type of unhealthy thinking. The amazing thing about this provision is that God didn’t make it about you or about the person who has the potential to hurt you, nor did he make it about the person you have the potential to hurt. God made this provision for himself

Roaming Through Romans Chapter 4

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 18:21:58 GMT

Roaming through Romans Chapter Four.

Romans 4:1-25 ESV What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? (2) For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. (3) For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” (4) Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

When Abraham believed God, it was counted to him as righteousness. In other words, that very moment, God added righteousness to Abraham’s account. God saw Abraham as innocent once he believed. If Abraham’s righteousness was given to him because he had earned it by good works, by doing nothing but good all the days of his life, then it wouldn’t be a gift, he would have earned it. if you have a job and you have worked this week, then you expect to get paid on payday. You have earned your pay check and you will hardly thank your employer for giving you a gift.

(5) And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

When one has faith that believes God makes the ungodly just, that faith is added to his account as righteousness. Notice it doesn’t say that God justifies those who live perfect lives, no God justifies the ungodly, the unholy, the wicked. Those who believe him are seen as innocent because of their belief, and nothing else. Even David the prophet in the Old Testament spoke of the blessing of forgiveness that God bestows on those whom he counts as righteous apart from the works of the law.

Rom 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: (7) “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; (8) blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Who is David speaking about, who are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, whose sins are covered? Who is the man against whom the Lord will not count sin? The answer - those who believe. How can this be. How can those who are lawbreakers be forgiven, how can those who do ungodly deeds have their sins covered over?

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; (15) and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

Christ died for the sake of sinners, of lawless ones, not only that, but –

2 Corinthians 5:17-19 ESV Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (18) All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

The one who believes in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, that person is now in Christ and is a new creation. The old ways are passed, and the new way has come. And this is not of ourselves lest we should boast, it is all from God, who, through Christ, reconciled us to himself. To reconcile is to change mutually, to compound a difference, to receive another with favour. In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself. God in Christ on the cross was taking away the dividing wall of sin that lay between himself and man because of the sin of Adam.

Romans 5:17 ESV For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

This free gift of righteousness or innocence is available to those who believe, because God has shown his favour to mankind by reconciling the world to himself, not counting man’s trespasses or sins against them. This is why David could say,

Rom 4:7-8 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; (8) blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

We are truly blessed and we will not be punished for our sin because Jesus was, and when we believe this, then righteousness or innocence is added to our account.

(9) Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. (10) How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. (11) He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, (12) and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (13) For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

Is this blessing only for the circumcised, Paul asks. The circumcised here are the Jewish people, and he makes it very clear that the blessing of righteousness is not only for the Jews but for all people. Abraham’s righteousness by faith was given to him before the law of circumcision was given, so that Abraham would not only be the father of the circumcised, the Jews, but also of the uncircumcised, the non-Jews or the Gentiles. The promise to Abraham and to his descendants that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.

(14) For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. (15) For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. (16) That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (17) as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

This promise again is clearly to all who share the same faith as Abraham, and not only to those who keep the law of Moses. This is so that it can only depend on faith, that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all who believe, not only the Jews.

Abraham believed God even when it seemed impossible in the natural for the things promised to come to pass.

Rom 4:18-21 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” (19) He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. (20) No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, (21) fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Abraham never wavered in his faith. When he was almost a hundred years of and his wife was ninety, God promised they would have a family. Abraham knew he was far too old for this to happen, and Sarah had been barren all her life. Those were two major hurdles to cross, but we read that this did not weaken his faith concerning the promise of God, instead he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God. The thing about Abraham was that he was fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

This is what faith is, seeing the promises of God come to pass even when in the natural they seem totally impossible. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Its faith that makes the impossible possible.

David the prophet said –

Psalms 27:13 MKJV I would have fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

First David believed that he would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, then he saw it. We see this kind of faith at work in the New Testament.

Matthew 9:20-22 ESV And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, (21) for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” (22) Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well.

Your faith has made you well.

So Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness, but not just for him alone.

(22) That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (23) But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, (24) but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, (25) who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

It was also written for us who believe in the one who raised Jesus form the dead, this same Jesus who was given up to death, a death he freely accepted, for our trespasses, for our sins, and was raised to life again for our justification. We were guilty of sinning against God, Jesus took our sin on his body, he died and was buried and was raised to life again on the third day according to the scriptures. The moment we believe this we were justified; we were made righteous we were seen as innocent before God.

This is the good news of the Gospel. We are children of Abraham by faith, and as Abraham’s faith in God was counted to him as innocence, so is ours. Abraham didn’t receive his righteousness by the things he did to please God, but by faith alone. The things he did to please God came because of his faith and after he received the gift of righteousness.

What are you believing God for? Don’t give up, don’t waver, don’t doubt and you will see it come to pass. The God of Abraham is your God too and he treats all how believe the same. It is faith that pleases God, in fact without faith it’s impossible to please him.

I’m going to leave you with this quote from a friend if mine.

The sad reality (and paradox) for many believers in Jesus is that we are still trying to earn points for a God who is no longer keeping score.

God no longer keeps score because when his son Jesus died on the cross for our sins, for sin, it was game over.

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Roaming Through Romans Chapter 4

As the year slowly draws to a close todays word holds great advice for the start of a new year.
Be free of enslaving habits