It is right for us Christians to celebrate Christmas. The world has adopted Christmas and turned it into what they want it to be. We Christians must celebrate Christmas to redirect the world to Christ. They have found a canning way to remove Christ from Christmas – they call it Xmas. Christ was born to save men from the shameful deeds of the world.
That is what is captured in Isaiah Chapter nine. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light.” Today there are many still walking in that great darkness. They must be made to see the light of Christ. That is why we must not celebrate Christmas like the rest of the world does. There must be a difference between us who have seen the light and them who have not, or are yet to see the light.
Christ came to change the world and to direct it to righteousness. He has come to rule the world not as how the political rulers do. His government is peace. That is why He is called the Prince of Peace. We need peace in our lives, the world needs peace. In our celebration of Christmas, let us make the world have peace.
The Essence of Christmas
There is no indication in the Bible that enjoins us to celebrate the birth of Christ. But since we have come to adopt it as a way of remembering the work of Christ, it is our duty that we let the world see the work of Christ. Jesus came to save the sinner. His coming is not to legitimize sin. There is so much sin during the celebration of Christian festivals. It will be good if through our celebration of Christmas, we will help reduce the number of sin committed.
People steal, cheat, and kill just to celebrate Christmas. There are a lot of Christmas orgies where men and woman throw away their dignity. Go round town this evening and see what will be going on in the various entertainment centres. The spirit of Herod is still at work in the celebration of Christmas. As people indulge in all kinds of promiscuous lives, the next thing some of them do after getting pregnant is to abort the pregnancies. That is what Herod did when Christ was born. We Christians must change this situation. Christmas must bring peace to the world.
For those of us Christians, the essence of Christmas is in Titus 2:11 – 14.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that having denied ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live discreetly, righteously and godly, in this present world, looking for the blessed hope, and the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify to Himself a special people, zealous of good works.
There are various lessons to be derived from these verses.
We must deny all ungodly behavior and worldly lust.
There is no need getting worried about what to eat and what wear during Christmas. People have cheated others for that purpose. Others have sold their bodies for that purpose. What have you done in the name of Christmas? All the worldliness must give way to godliness as we celebrate Christmas.
We must turn to God and obey his commands from now on. Let us live in modesty. We must eat and drink, but it should be the right stuff. We must resolve not to cheat in order to celebrate Christmas. There are some people who say because of the way people have corrupted Christmas, Christians should give up the celebration. I don’t think so; we will then have to give up everything then when the world takes it.
Look for the Blessed Hope
Christ came to give hope. It is that hope that is more important for us as Christians. We must not lose that hope. Things might not be for us as we will have wanted it to be. But there is hope. Christ is hope. If this year you can only afford fish, be happy. There is hope. If you are not able to buy any drink, drink water. The hope we should cling to is that Christ is coming again. That is where we will receive our reward.
Those of us who can, let’s share what we have with those who don’t have. Let’s give hope to the hopeless. There is a glory associated with Christ. That Glory must be our portion.
Let’s resolve to do good works
The good work is one that brings people to Christ. As we commemorate Christ’s birth, we must renew our zeal to work for him so that his kingdom and government will extend further into the hearts of all men.
The Lord be with you. MERRY CHRISTMAS
Monday, December 27, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Behold the Saviour Comes
This is a message of hope. There is hope for all those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; those who are expecting him to come and change their situation. There is hope for the future. That is what the Lord says.
I am always excited when I hear or read this verse and any verse in the Bible that sounds like it. “Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will establish the good thing which I have spoken to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.” What this means is that God has not forgotten the promise He made to his people. No matter how long it takes, it will come to pass.
The topic “Behold the Saviour comes” is reminding us all that Jesus is coming again. My understanding of this topic is in two ways. The first one is the ultimate coming of the Lord to judge the world. We must not lose sight of this as Christians because, if we do, that will be our doom. Whatever we do, whatever happens, we must remember that Jesus is coming. Some people have suggested that this message is no longer relevant because it’s been more than two thousand years since human beings have been hearing this, and He has not come.
Peter in his second letter tells us this: 2Pe 3:9. “The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
We must therefore live our lives in a way that when that moment comes, we will be taken up to be with him. Say Amen to that.
Jesus tells us that there will be signs of His second coming. These signs are normal occurrences that everyone can understand. In Luke 21: 25 – 36, we see some of these signs.
Here we read about environmental signs. There will be changes in the sky. We see this today. That is what is called Global Warming. We hear of floods, fires, and a lot of natural disasters these days. The whether is no longer predictable. These are signs of the coming of Jesus.
Low level of morality is another sign that Jesus is coming very soon. Jesus says we must not be involved too much in what is considered as good living in the world, big parties where we eat and drink to the beastly level. Now there is so much wickedness in the world being ruled by money. Money controls everything, even in the church. The good life now is to eat, drink and have sex in an uncontrolled manner. When we consider what people do to get money, we must know that morality is now at its lowest level. Human life is no longer of value. People package and sell poison in different forms to their neighbours.
The third sign that Jesus speaks about is the fig tree. Now the fig tree stands for the nation of Israel. That is what we hear about in Jeremiah when God says a day is coming when He will fulfill his promise to Israel. When the nation of Israel is prospering, then we must know that the time is drawing near.
That time started since the end of the Second World War when Jews were given a homeland. And they have been fighting to establish a firm grip on that land. As this continues, we must know that the time for his coming is surely approaching. There was no other time in history when the Jews receive so much support from the super powers of the world. Jews who were once a despised nation are now a protected people.
My second understanding of the topic is about Jesus coming into your life now. He will enter into your affairs, your business, your marriage, your education, your family and everything concerning you. Behold the Saviour comes:
to change your situation
to change your condition
to heal your sickness and disease
to cure your poverty
Behold the Saviour comes to free you from the grips of the devil. He comes to remove your chain and to free you from bondage. Say Hallelujah. That is why I am excited about the prophecy in Jeremiah. It says the time is coming. That means that time has not yet come. It is coming.
There is something we must understand about the prophesies in the Bible. They are two dimensional: short term and long term. For the people to whom the prophesy was given directly, there is a short term fulfilment. For that matter, as I speak this prophesy to you now, I want you to know that God says he will fulfill the promise he made to you. It will come to pass in your lifetime. God says he has plans to make you prosper, to be the head and not the tail. Believe it, it will come to pass; but not on silver platter. There are conditions attached.
There are certain things that we must do in order to be ready for the Lord to come to us.
The first is righteous living. Because when Jesus comes he will be the King of Righteousness.
Unrighteous will not be accommodated in the kingdom of God. Righteousness is the willingness to do what is right, that is what is accepted in the Christian community as right. If it is acceptable in the church that it is not good to steal, then don’t steal. If it is acceptable among Christians that it is not good to insult and quarrel, then don’t insult and quarrel. That is righteousness. Righteousness is the first step you can take whiles waiting for the Saviour to visit you.
The next thing is striving to gain perfection. 1 Thessalonians 3:10, reminds us to perfect the things lacking in our faith. No matter who we are, there are certain things lacking in us. Even the Pope lacks a lot of things in faith. We must strive to make those things perfect. This calls for self examination. You must ask the Lord to tell you what is lacking in you. Then you can ask him for strength to correct your mistakes and improve on your successes. You must strive to be blameless before the Lord comes.
If you want the Lord to come to you, you should be ready to love your neighbour.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all, even as we also toward you.
The blessings of the God come to us so that we can show love. When we are crying to God to bless us, we must remember that God blesses us so that we can become a blessing. It doesn’t matter the size of your house; it matters how many people found refuge in your house. The amount of money in your account is not necessary, what is necessary is the number of people you helped with your wealth.
Finally, we must watch and pray so that we are not deceived. Because there are a lot of satanic agents out there looking for Christians to deceive. Let us watch out for them.
Watch and pray.
I am always excited when I hear or read this verse and any verse in the Bible that sounds like it. “Behold, the days come, says Jehovah, that I will establish the good thing which I have spoken to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.” What this means is that God has not forgotten the promise He made to his people. No matter how long it takes, it will come to pass.
The topic “Behold the Saviour comes” is reminding us all that Jesus is coming again. My understanding of this topic is in two ways. The first one is the ultimate coming of the Lord to judge the world. We must not lose sight of this as Christians because, if we do, that will be our doom. Whatever we do, whatever happens, we must remember that Jesus is coming. Some people have suggested that this message is no longer relevant because it’s been more than two thousand years since human beings have been hearing this, and He has not come.
Peter in his second letter tells us this: 2Pe 3:9. “The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not purposing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
We must therefore live our lives in a way that when that moment comes, we will be taken up to be with him. Say Amen to that.
Jesus tells us that there will be signs of His second coming. These signs are normal occurrences that everyone can understand. In Luke 21: 25 – 36, we see some of these signs.
Here we read about environmental signs. There will be changes in the sky. We see this today. That is what is called Global Warming. We hear of floods, fires, and a lot of natural disasters these days. The whether is no longer predictable. These are signs of the coming of Jesus.
Low level of morality is another sign that Jesus is coming very soon. Jesus says we must not be involved too much in what is considered as good living in the world, big parties where we eat and drink to the beastly level. Now there is so much wickedness in the world being ruled by money. Money controls everything, even in the church. The good life now is to eat, drink and have sex in an uncontrolled manner. When we consider what people do to get money, we must know that morality is now at its lowest level. Human life is no longer of value. People package and sell poison in different forms to their neighbours.
The third sign that Jesus speaks about is the fig tree. Now the fig tree stands for the nation of Israel. That is what we hear about in Jeremiah when God says a day is coming when He will fulfill his promise to Israel. When the nation of Israel is prospering, then we must know that the time is drawing near.
That time started since the end of the Second World War when Jews were given a homeland. And they have been fighting to establish a firm grip on that land. As this continues, we must know that the time for his coming is surely approaching. There was no other time in history when the Jews receive so much support from the super powers of the world. Jews who were once a despised nation are now a protected people.
My second understanding of the topic is about Jesus coming into your life now. He will enter into your affairs, your business, your marriage, your education, your family and everything concerning you. Behold the Saviour comes:
to change your situation
to change your condition
to heal your sickness and disease
to cure your poverty
Behold the Saviour comes to free you from the grips of the devil. He comes to remove your chain and to free you from bondage. Say Hallelujah. That is why I am excited about the prophecy in Jeremiah. It says the time is coming. That means that time has not yet come. It is coming.
There is something we must understand about the prophesies in the Bible. They are two dimensional: short term and long term. For the people to whom the prophesy was given directly, there is a short term fulfilment. For that matter, as I speak this prophesy to you now, I want you to know that God says he will fulfill the promise he made to you. It will come to pass in your lifetime. God says he has plans to make you prosper, to be the head and not the tail. Believe it, it will come to pass; but not on silver platter. There are conditions attached.
There are certain things that we must do in order to be ready for the Lord to come to us.
The first is righteous living. Because when Jesus comes he will be the King of Righteousness.
Unrighteous will not be accommodated in the kingdom of God. Righteousness is the willingness to do what is right, that is what is accepted in the Christian community as right. If it is acceptable in the church that it is not good to steal, then don’t steal. If it is acceptable among Christians that it is not good to insult and quarrel, then don’t insult and quarrel. That is righteousness. Righteousness is the first step you can take whiles waiting for the Saviour to visit you.
The next thing is striving to gain perfection. 1 Thessalonians 3:10, reminds us to perfect the things lacking in our faith. No matter who we are, there are certain things lacking in us. Even the Pope lacks a lot of things in faith. We must strive to make those things perfect. This calls for self examination. You must ask the Lord to tell you what is lacking in you. Then you can ask him for strength to correct your mistakes and improve on your successes. You must strive to be blameless before the Lord comes.
If you want the Lord to come to you, you should be ready to love your neighbour.
1 Thessalonians 3:12 And may the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all, even as we also toward you.
The blessings of the God come to us so that we can show love. When we are crying to God to bless us, we must remember that God blesses us so that we can become a blessing. It doesn’t matter the size of your house; it matters how many people found refuge in your house. The amount of money in your account is not necessary, what is necessary is the number of people you helped with your wealth.
Finally, we must watch and pray so that we are not deceived. Because there are a lot of satanic agents out there looking for Christians to deceive. Let us watch out for them.
Watch and pray.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Promotion comes from the Lord
We all want to progress in life. We want our lives to improve. We don’t want to remain at the same place forever, or retrogress. Today’s world has made things worse. People are able to recognize quickly those who are making progress and praise them in various forms. The result is that we are all looking for various ways of progressing in life. But there are good ways of making it in life; there are equally bad ways of doing it.
But we must realize that the Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man; but at the end of that road is destruction. We must not look for promotion at all cost. An old French philosopher once said that in looking for progress, men risk falling below the level of the beast. In the same way, when we try to look for promotion at all cost, we will end up falling into disgrace. The right promotion comes from God.
Wrong Ways of Seeking Promotion
The texts we have before us today (Jer 2: 4 – 13, Heb 13: 1 – 8, Luke 14: 7 – 14) all talk about promotion in various ways: the wrong ways of seeking promotion and the right way (the Godly way). In fact the wrong ways of seeking promotion can be summarize into two words, that is Self Promotion. Self promotion manifests itself in various forms.
Refusing God
In Jeremiah 2, God spoke to his nation Israel, his own Holy Church. He says they have turned away from him despite the many good things he has done for them. They have turned away from the counsel of the Lord and have turned to idols. And God lamented about the priests who were supposed to bring the people close to him. They rather set the bad example for the people to follow. God went on to even wonder why people who don’t know him are very faithful to their gods which are no gods. Yet his people are very quick in turning away.
The House of Israel turned away from God for one reason: they want their lives to be better. They look at the prosperity of the other nations around them and they conclude that it is their gods who are making them prosper. Then, they started sacrificing to these gods.
The same thing is true about us Christians today. We turn away from God in order to adopt the solutions that the world is providing to its people. The Church which should be the voice of righteousness has now been totally commercialized. Everything about the church is about money. Success in the Church is being measured in terms of financial achievements. A successful pastor/Christian is one who rides in the latest car, has a big house, etc.
Heb 13: is warning us of the evils that too much focus on money brings about. The over commercialization of the church is causing us to lose focus on morality. We are accepting all kinds of behaviours into the church because the church cannot afford to lose the money that comes along with those behaviours.
For this reason people are using occult powers to and covering it with the Bible. Some gospel singers went to see spiritualists to make their albums sell. And when someone says he had the list of people who went to that spiritualist and was ready to publish it, they were calling to beg that their names should not be mentioned.
God warned his people that they will be disappointed when they ignore him. In the end they become captives of the pagan nations. In the same way Christians who ignore God and his word in their search for promotion will be disappointed. They will become captives of demons.
People are selling their bodies in fornication and adultery just because they want promotion. Hebrews 13: 4 talks about the sanctity of marriage. Yet some women even destroy their marriages before they start it. Just because they think they will not get any husband if they don’t commit fornication. Young men are being enticed into sexual affairs with certain women, just because of what they stand to benefit from those relationships. The end of such acts is trouble and destruction, shame and pain.
Another manner in which people self-promote was criticised by Jesus himself. Seeking position and recognition at all cost. When there is a seat of honour, people crumble for it. Honour should be given to the one who deserves it, not the one who usurps it.
One thing about Jesus is that he makes no excuses when it comes to saying the truth. He saw how the Pharisees were struggling for position at the party and told them the shame that awaits them when they are told they don’t deserve the honour. It is better to be elevated a step higher than to be abased a step lower. If you humble yourself, God will lift you up.
The next way people seek to promote themselves is by associating themselves with influential people. The one who organized the party invited only the influential people so that they will be seen to be great. When they know they have something to gain from you, they come to you, they send you invitations, and they attend your parties and funerals and want everyone to know that they are your friend. When they find out that they have nothing more to gain from you, they leave you for where they will get what they want.
When you have power, your house is full; once you are out of power your house is deserted. You are lonely. Jesus condemns that behaviour which is now very common in our society, the church is no exception. That is hypocrisy in the eyes of God. God will not bless you. Promotion comes from God, not from those you associate yourself with.
The Right Way
God first
Seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be added. To be promoted by God, you must place yourself right in the spirit and not physically. David was in the bush, but his promotion looked for him. This is because he was a man after the heart of God. No matter where you are, when the time for your upliftment comes, it will come to you. Joseph was down there in the maximum security prison of Egypt, yet when the time for his promotion came, the doors opened. Provided you put God first.
Do Good to all especially those you don’t know.
Not the wealthy who will pay you back in expected ways, but to those who will cause the favour of God to descend on you. You must be able to say the Lord is my helper. When you rely on people they will claim one day that they made you whom you are. Abraham rejected all offers from the King of Sodom because he knows God who called him was able to make him rich. The King of Sodom should not say that he made Abraham rich.
Say no to some offers
We must learn to reject some offers from doubtful sources. Joseph rejected the offer from Portiphar’s wife. That sent him to prison, but he came out a King. As it was in the days of Abraham, so shall it be with you. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
Sometimes when Satan realizes that God is about to bless you, he comes out with a counterfeit. You take that offer and you miss God’s blessing.
Wait for the Lord
When things get bad don’t worry. Joseph must go down to prison in Egypt to become a king. Sometimes, when God is about to promote you, He humbles you. He allows you to go down the dungeon. Jesus descended into the grave before he rose. You might find yourself in a situation where you feel you are not treated fairly, or you have been humiliated, but I want to assure you that God does not humiliate those who love him. He humbles them and promotes them.
Habakuk 3: 17
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
But we must realize that the Bible says that there is a way that seems right to a man; but at the end of that road is destruction. We must not look for promotion at all cost. An old French philosopher once said that in looking for progress, men risk falling below the level of the beast. In the same way, when we try to look for promotion at all cost, we will end up falling into disgrace. The right promotion comes from God.
Wrong Ways of Seeking Promotion
The texts we have before us today (Jer 2: 4 – 13, Heb 13: 1 – 8, Luke 14: 7 – 14) all talk about promotion in various ways: the wrong ways of seeking promotion and the right way (the Godly way). In fact the wrong ways of seeking promotion can be summarize into two words, that is Self Promotion. Self promotion manifests itself in various forms.
Refusing God
In Jeremiah 2, God spoke to his nation Israel, his own Holy Church. He says they have turned away from him despite the many good things he has done for them. They have turned away from the counsel of the Lord and have turned to idols. And God lamented about the priests who were supposed to bring the people close to him. They rather set the bad example for the people to follow. God went on to even wonder why people who don’t know him are very faithful to their gods which are no gods. Yet his people are very quick in turning away.
The House of Israel turned away from God for one reason: they want their lives to be better. They look at the prosperity of the other nations around them and they conclude that it is their gods who are making them prosper. Then, they started sacrificing to these gods.
The same thing is true about us Christians today. We turn away from God in order to adopt the solutions that the world is providing to its people. The Church which should be the voice of righteousness has now been totally commercialized. Everything about the church is about money. Success in the Church is being measured in terms of financial achievements. A successful pastor/Christian is one who rides in the latest car, has a big house, etc.
Heb 13: is warning us of the evils that too much focus on money brings about. The over commercialization of the church is causing us to lose focus on morality. We are accepting all kinds of behaviours into the church because the church cannot afford to lose the money that comes along with those behaviours.
For this reason people are using occult powers to and covering it with the Bible. Some gospel singers went to see spiritualists to make their albums sell. And when someone says he had the list of people who went to that spiritualist and was ready to publish it, they were calling to beg that their names should not be mentioned.
God warned his people that they will be disappointed when they ignore him. In the end they become captives of the pagan nations. In the same way Christians who ignore God and his word in their search for promotion will be disappointed. They will become captives of demons.
People are selling their bodies in fornication and adultery just because they want promotion. Hebrews 13: 4 talks about the sanctity of marriage. Yet some women even destroy their marriages before they start it. Just because they think they will not get any husband if they don’t commit fornication. Young men are being enticed into sexual affairs with certain women, just because of what they stand to benefit from those relationships. The end of such acts is trouble and destruction, shame and pain.
Another manner in which people self-promote was criticised by Jesus himself. Seeking position and recognition at all cost. When there is a seat of honour, people crumble for it. Honour should be given to the one who deserves it, not the one who usurps it.
One thing about Jesus is that he makes no excuses when it comes to saying the truth. He saw how the Pharisees were struggling for position at the party and told them the shame that awaits them when they are told they don’t deserve the honour. It is better to be elevated a step higher than to be abased a step lower. If you humble yourself, God will lift you up.
The next way people seek to promote themselves is by associating themselves with influential people. The one who organized the party invited only the influential people so that they will be seen to be great. When they know they have something to gain from you, they come to you, they send you invitations, and they attend your parties and funerals and want everyone to know that they are your friend. When they find out that they have nothing more to gain from you, they leave you for where they will get what they want.
When you have power, your house is full; once you are out of power your house is deserted. You are lonely. Jesus condemns that behaviour which is now very common in our society, the church is no exception. That is hypocrisy in the eyes of God. God will not bless you. Promotion comes from God, not from those you associate yourself with.
The Right Way
God first
Seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be added. To be promoted by God, you must place yourself right in the spirit and not physically. David was in the bush, but his promotion looked for him. This is because he was a man after the heart of God. No matter where you are, when the time for your upliftment comes, it will come to you. Joseph was down there in the maximum security prison of Egypt, yet when the time for his promotion came, the doors opened. Provided you put God first.
Do Good to all especially those you don’t know.
Not the wealthy who will pay you back in expected ways, but to those who will cause the favour of God to descend on you. You must be able to say the Lord is my helper. When you rely on people they will claim one day that they made you whom you are. Abraham rejected all offers from the King of Sodom because he knows God who called him was able to make him rich. The King of Sodom should not say that he made Abraham rich.
Say no to some offers
We must learn to reject some offers from doubtful sources. Joseph rejected the offer from Portiphar’s wife. That sent him to prison, but he came out a King. As it was in the days of Abraham, so shall it be with you. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
Sometimes when Satan realizes that God is about to bless you, he comes out with a counterfeit. You take that offer and you miss God’s blessing.
Wait for the Lord
When things get bad don’t worry. Joseph must go down to prison in Egypt to become a king. Sometimes, when God is about to promote you, He humbles you. He allows you to go down the dungeon. Jesus descended into the grave before he rose. You might find yourself in a situation where you feel you are not treated fairly, or you have been humiliated, but I want to assure you that God does not humiliate those who love him. He humbles them and promotes them.
Habakuk 3: 17
Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Why wait for the Lord
God cares for you and he will make sure your needs are met. Elijah was in need, he prayed to God about it and God provided for him in an amazing way. It was not a rich woman who fed him, but a poor desperate woman. When we are looking for help, we must allow God to show us how he will meet those needs.
You have enough to sustain you for life. The widow thought what she has was too little even for herself and her son. But the power of God through her obedience multiplied that meal and she was sustained for two years on that meal.
The food that is supposed to be a meal of death became a life sustaining meal. You will not die for food. Jesus told us not worry about the things of life, food, clothing and shelter. God will constantly supply you with all that.
The Role of Prayer
• Prayer defeats the devil. Matt 18:18 says whatever you bind on earth should be bound in heaven.
• Prayer empowers you to do greater things for God. If you don’t pray, obeying God will be very difficult for you. Jude 20
• Prayer makes the impossible possible. But prayer is not twisting the hand of God. What men say is impossible become possible through prayer. The prayer of Elijah turned a handful of flour to a two year meal.
• Prayer causes God to intervene in the natural order of things. James 5: 17 – 18 says Elijah was a man like you and I, but he prayed that it should not rain and it was so. He prayed again that it should rain and it did.
• Prayer guards against temptation. When we are in need, we are mostly tempted to do things that we should not do. But with prayer we will be able to resist.
• Prayer causes the answer of God to be revealed. Sometimes God answers our prayers immediately, but Satan prevents them from getting to us. Prayer opens the way for us to receive from God. Daniel 10: 12 - 13
You have enough to sustain you for life. The widow thought what she has was too little even for herself and her son. But the power of God through her obedience multiplied that meal and she was sustained for two years on that meal.
The food that is supposed to be a meal of death became a life sustaining meal. You will not die for food. Jesus told us not worry about the things of life, food, clothing and shelter. God will constantly supply you with all that.
The Role of Prayer
• Prayer defeats the devil. Matt 18:18 says whatever you bind on earth should be bound in heaven.
• Prayer empowers you to do greater things for God. If you don’t pray, obeying God will be very difficult for you. Jude 20
• Prayer makes the impossible possible. But prayer is not twisting the hand of God. What men say is impossible become possible through prayer. The prayer of Elijah turned a handful of flour to a two year meal.
• Prayer causes God to intervene in the natural order of things. James 5: 17 – 18 says Elijah was a man like you and I, but he prayed that it should not rain and it was so. He prayed again that it should rain and it did.
• Prayer guards against temptation. When we are in need, we are mostly tempted to do things that we should not do. But with prayer we will be able to resist.
• Prayer causes the answer of God to be revealed. Sometimes God answers our prayers immediately, but Satan prevents them from getting to us. Prayer opens the way for us to receive from God. Daniel 10: 12 - 13
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
NO CHRIST, NO PEACE
This is a common saying; we’ve all heard it before. Yet we find it difficult to live with this basic truth of life. Those of us who call ourselves Christians are just as guilty as the unbelievers. All over the world men and women are looking for peace. People are involved in many practices that are said to give them peace. Some of these practices are:
Transcendental Meditation: This is a way of the human being trying by his own effort to fill his mind with peace through thinking about peace.
Yoga: This is another form of meditation which people do to try to be in harmony with themselves.
New Age Religious Philosophies: These are new teaching coming out based on the principle that there is no God and man is capable making himself happy. Some of these people have been preaching on TV of late.
Charms, Amulet’s, Talismans, and Idols: We are well aware of these as they abound in our communities.
Doing good: There are those who think that doing good will give them peace.
All these lead to one thing: people who follow all these end up disappointed because in the end they destroy themselves. They fill themselves with demonic spirits that control and drive them towards the wrong.
There are those who even go for the ugly and unthinkable just to give peace to themselves. They sacrifice their fellow human being just for peace. But the more they struggle for peace, the more it eludes them.
Today we are being reminded once again that there is nothing in the world that we can do to get peace for our troubled souls, except in Christ Jesus. Jesus before he left this world said one thing to his followers. In John 16:33 He says “I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
Who is Christ?
Jesus is the son of God. He is God. He owns the world and everything in it. He died on the cross willingly so that those who believe in him will have peace.
What is peace?
The peace Jesus is talking about is not worldly peace that does not exist. It is peace that surpasses all other kinds of peace. It is total, complete in itself. It can only be found in Jesus. Only those who accept Jesus Christ will have this kind of peace.
In Luke 10:5, Jesus told his disciples he sent out that when they enter a house they should greet the people with peace, and if there is a man of peace in that house he will accept them.
The kind of peace Jesus is talking about is not just absence of fight; it means prosperity, wholeness, physical and spiritual. That is what is we find in 3 John 2 “Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”
But we must know that physical prosperity depends on spiritual prosperity. And there cannot be spiritual prosperity without Jesus. It is only those who accept the message of Christ who will have peace. Christ and his message are one and the same.
The disciples Jesus sent did not go to the Gentiles, they went to the Jews, yet we can conclude in the words of Jesus that not all the people of who are called by the name of God accepted the message of Christ.
Today, it is still the same. Not all the people in the Church accept the message of Christ. Some are in the Church for other reasons apart from Christ; and the message is clear to them: No Christ No Peace.
The peace of Christ comes with humility. It does not come with pride. We see that in Galatians 6. Those who have the peace of Christ seek the good of their fellows, while recognizing the fact that they are human and capable of making mistakes. Those who make much noise about how good they are end up discovering that they are nothing. But when you have Christ, no matter what you are, you still have peace.
Let us conclude this message with John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Transcendental Meditation: This is a way of the human being trying by his own effort to fill his mind with peace through thinking about peace.
Yoga: This is another form of meditation which people do to try to be in harmony with themselves.
New Age Religious Philosophies: These are new teaching coming out based on the principle that there is no God and man is capable making himself happy. Some of these people have been preaching on TV of late.
Charms, Amulet’s, Talismans, and Idols: We are well aware of these as they abound in our communities.
Doing good: There are those who think that doing good will give them peace.
All these lead to one thing: people who follow all these end up disappointed because in the end they destroy themselves. They fill themselves with demonic spirits that control and drive them towards the wrong.
There are those who even go for the ugly and unthinkable just to give peace to themselves. They sacrifice their fellow human being just for peace. But the more they struggle for peace, the more it eludes them.
Today we are being reminded once again that there is nothing in the world that we can do to get peace for our troubled souls, except in Christ Jesus. Jesus before he left this world said one thing to his followers. In John 16:33 He says “I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.”
Who is Christ?
Jesus is the son of God. He is God. He owns the world and everything in it. He died on the cross willingly so that those who believe in him will have peace.
What is peace?
The peace Jesus is talking about is not worldly peace that does not exist. It is peace that surpasses all other kinds of peace. It is total, complete in itself. It can only be found in Jesus. Only those who accept Jesus Christ will have this kind of peace.
In Luke 10:5, Jesus told his disciples he sent out that when they enter a house they should greet the people with peace, and if there is a man of peace in that house he will accept them.
The kind of peace Jesus is talking about is not just absence of fight; it means prosperity, wholeness, physical and spiritual. That is what is we find in 3 John 2 “Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.”
But we must know that physical prosperity depends on spiritual prosperity. And there cannot be spiritual prosperity without Jesus. It is only those who accept the message of Christ who will have peace. Christ and his message are one and the same.
The disciples Jesus sent did not go to the Gentiles, they went to the Jews, yet we can conclude in the words of Jesus that not all the people of who are called by the name of God accepted the message of Christ.
Today, it is still the same. Not all the people in the Church accept the message of Christ. Some are in the Church for other reasons apart from Christ; and the message is clear to them: No Christ No Peace.
The peace of Christ comes with humility. It does not come with pride. We see that in Galatians 6. Those who have the peace of Christ seek the good of their fellows, while recognizing the fact that they are human and capable of making mistakes. Those who make much noise about how good they are end up discovering that they are nothing. But when you have Christ, no matter what you are, you still have peace.
Let us conclude this message with John 3: 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Word of God is the Source of Your Power
We all need power in order to live well in the world. There is no one who can survive without some level of power. There are many kinds of power:
• scientific power
• political power
• spiritual power
Of all types of power, the most important power is spiritual power. This is because whatever we see in the physical exists first and foremost in the spiritual realm. The science of today is trying hard to make us disbelieve this fact but it remains unchangeable.
To be able to succeed in this physical world, you should have a spiritual backing. That means you must seek spiritual power. If you rely on the physical, you will fail. The bible tells us that the arm of flesh will fail. You must seek spiritual power.
Sources of spiritual power
There are two sources of spiritual power. The source where you seek the power determines which power you get. If you seek power from the devil, you will get devilish power. Many people are after such a power.
They go to various places for it.
• Occult masters including what I call the Christian occult: lodges, and secret societies
• Fetishes and shrines
• Oracles and seers
When you visit these places for power you will get negative power. You will have to sacrifice your soul for such power. Because this type of power promises quick results, most people including Christians visit such places.
People kill others including their own children for this kind of power that does not last. This kind of power will leave you on the way.
The word of God, the true source of power
There are two basic forms of the word of God: as “Logos”, the word of God is that everlasting and eternal power from which all other things were made. The Logos is the word of God full of power. But this power, although mighty, is very passive. In the Logos is the full potential of Gods power. The Logos is God Himself.
The word of God as “Rhema” is the spoken word that makes the power in the Logos to become active and explosive as described in Heb 4:12. The Rhema is the manifestation of the word of God in a creative form. For us this is where we put the word into action.
The logos is the true source of power, the rhema manifests this power.
That is why the bible says in Deut 30:14, and Romans 10: 18 that the word is in your mouth. The true source of power is in your mouth as the logos. You must put it into action to see its power. Speak the word.
The work of the Word of God
The word breaks. Jeremiah 23:29 says the word of God is like fire and a hammer. It will break open all doors, breakdown all strongholds. But you must speak it to the situation. There is no situation that defies the word of God, unless you are praying against the will of God.
The word is like a fire. Nothing can resist it. It consumes. That is why no weapon fashioned against you will stand, so long as you have the word of God in you.
It is only by the word that you can defeat the devil. The Word of God silences the devil. The authority of God goes out with the Word of God. In the wilderness, during the temptation, the devil was silenced by the word of God.
Action
Get the word into your system. Don’t let it depart from you. Wherever you find yourself, the word must be near you.
Speak the word to the situation that confronts you. Don’t mind which versus you don’t know. Even if it is only one verse you know, that verse is enough to change your situation.
• scientific power
• political power
• spiritual power
Of all types of power, the most important power is spiritual power. This is because whatever we see in the physical exists first and foremost in the spiritual realm. The science of today is trying hard to make us disbelieve this fact but it remains unchangeable.
To be able to succeed in this physical world, you should have a spiritual backing. That means you must seek spiritual power. If you rely on the physical, you will fail. The bible tells us that the arm of flesh will fail. You must seek spiritual power.
Sources of spiritual power
There are two sources of spiritual power. The source where you seek the power determines which power you get. If you seek power from the devil, you will get devilish power. Many people are after such a power.
They go to various places for it.
• Occult masters including what I call the Christian occult: lodges, and secret societies
• Fetishes and shrines
• Oracles and seers
When you visit these places for power you will get negative power. You will have to sacrifice your soul for such power. Because this type of power promises quick results, most people including Christians visit such places.
People kill others including their own children for this kind of power that does not last. This kind of power will leave you on the way.
The word of God, the true source of power
There are two basic forms of the word of God: as “Logos”, the word of God is that everlasting and eternal power from which all other things were made. The Logos is the word of God full of power. But this power, although mighty, is very passive. In the Logos is the full potential of Gods power. The Logos is God Himself.
The word of God as “Rhema” is the spoken word that makes the power in the Logos to become active and explosive as described in Heb 4:12. The Rhema is the manifestation of the word of God in a creative form. For us this is where we put the word into action.
The logos is the true source of power, the rhema manifests this power.
That is why the bible says in Deut 30:14, and Romans 10: 18 that the word is in your mouth. The true source of power is in your mouth as the logos. You must put it into action to see its power. Speak the word.
The work of the Word of God
The word breaks. Jeremiah 23:29 says the word of God is like fire and a hammer. It will break open all doors, breakdown all strongholds. But you must speak it to the situation. There is no situation that defies the word of God, unless you are praying against the will of God.
The word is like a fire. Nothing can resist it. It consumes. That is why no weapon fashioned against you will stand, so long as you have the word of God in you.
It is only by the word that you can defeat the devil. The Word of God silences the devil. The authority of God goes out with the Word of God. In the wilderness, during the temptation, the devil was silenced by the word of God.
Action
Get the word into your system. Don’t let it depart from you. Wherever you find yourself, the word must be near you.
Speak the word to the situation that confronts you. Don’t mind which versus you don’t know. Even if it is only one verse you know, that verse is enough to change your situation.
The Lord Will Be Your Comfort
Comfort is relief from pain and agony. To those who are in pain, Jesus is your comfort. There cannot be true comfort unless there is some sort of agony. In Matt 5:4 Jesus says blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. That tells us something about the comfort that Jesus gives us. We can only be truly comforted if we mourn. There are people, many people, who are looking for the comfort of Jesus without mourning, without agony. It will never be.
It came to a time when the people of God were in great distress; when their sins drove them to captivity. When they came to their senses and mourn for their sorrows, the Lord sent his prophet to them with a message of comfort. For me, the times in which we find ourselves as congregation today does not differ from that of the Israelites.
Here is how we can obtain the comfort of God. It is specified in all the three texts of the day.
Making a straight path for the Lord
The path mentioned here refers to our lives. We must allow the Lord to straighten and smoothen our lives. Our lives are crooked in all aspects of it. There are valleys and hills in our lives. Unless those valleys are filled and the crooked straightened, there will be no comfort for us.
The Lord rebukes those he loves. We must be ready to accept the rebuke of the Lord before he can comfort us. Last week someone had a dream. In that dream it was clear that those who accept the rebuke of God will worship him better. The comfort of the Lord sometimes comes in a form of his rebuke. We cannot continue in our sin and wrongdoing, and still expect the Lord to Comfort us when those lifestyles bring trouble upon us.
For the past two weeks we have been in a certain mood in this congregation. When I read the passage I realized that God is speaking to us in particular today. Those who are genuinely mourning will surely be comforted. But those who thought that what happened was just one of those things, they are not part of this comfort.
We are all crying for the Glory of God. The Glory of the Lord does not come unless our lives are straightened and smoothened.
Repentance is key to the comfort of the Lord
We see in the third reading, and it was prophesied in the first, that the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ was preceded by that of John the Baptist. The message of John the Baptist was repentance. That was how he prepared the way for the Lord who brought comfort and healing to many. There is the call on us to repent from our old way of life – full of greed and deceit if we want to have comfort from God. We cannot continue in our fornications, our adulteries, our drunkenness, our lies, our cheating, etc. and still expect the lord to comfort us. John the Baptist is still telling us today that we must repent before this year ends. Then we can be comforted. It is not enough to cry over your sins and go back to them. Repent and you will see the glory of the Lord. If you don’t you will be a spectator when the glory of the Lord appears. The Bible says all flesh will see it – some as partakers, others as spectators.
Holiness is indispensable
The Apostle Peter puts this in a dramatic and fearful way. The comfort of the Lord is on his second coming. It will be terrible for others. For him holiness is the only thing that will make you take part in the comfort of God. 2Pet 3:11 says we must be holy people who have dedicated our lives to God. Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness no one can see God. This includes the comfort of God.
The time has come for you to receive comfort from the Lord. Prepare a way for the Lord. Make straight paths with your lives. Comfort ye my people, says your God.
It came to a time when the people of God were in great distress; when their sins drove them to captivity. When they came to their senses and mourn for their sorrows, the Lord sent his prophet to them with a message of comfort. For me, the times in which we find ourselves as congregation today does not differ from that of the Israelites.
Here is how we can obtain the comfort of God. It is specified in all the three texts of the day.
Making a straight path for the Lord
The path mentioned here refers to our lives. We must allow the Lord to straighten and smoothen our lives. Our lives are crooked in all aspects of it. There are valleys and hills in our lives. Unless those valleys are filled and the crooked straightened, there will be no comfort for us.
The Lord rebukes those he loves. We must be ready to accept the rebuke of the Lord before he can comfort us. Last week someone had a dream. In that dream it was clear that those who accept the rebuke of God will worship him better. The comfort of the Lord sometimes comes in a form of his rebuke. We cannot continue in our sin and wrongdoing, and still expect the Lord to Comfort us when those lifestyles bring trouble upon us.
For the past two weeks we have been in a certain mood in this congregation. When I read the passage I realized that God is speaking to us in particular today. Those who are genuinely mourning will surely be comforted. But those who thought that what happened was just one of those things, they are not part of this comfort.
We are all crying for the Glory of God. The Glory of the Lord does not come unless our lives are straightened and smoothened.
Repentance is key to the comfort of the Lord
We see in the third reading, and it was prophesied in the first, that the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ was preceded by that of John the Baptist. The message of John the Baptist was repentance. That was how he prepared the way for the Lord who brought comfort and healing to many. There is the call on us to repent from our old way of life – full of greed and deceit if we want to have comfort from God. We cannot continue in our fornications, our adulteries, our drunkenness, our lies, our cheating, etc. and still expect the lord to comfort us. John the Baptist is still telling us today that we must repent before this year ends. Then we can be comforted. It is not enough to cry over your sins and go back to them. Repent and you will see the glory of the Lord. If you don’t you will be a spectator when the glory of the Lord appears. The Bible says all flesh will see it – some as partakers, others as spectators.
Holiness is indispensable
The Apostle Peter puts this in a dramatic and fearful way. The comfort of the Lord is on his second coming. It will be terrible for others. For him holiness is the only thing that will make you take part in the comfort of God. 2Pet 3:11 says we must be holy people who have dedicated our lives to God. Hebrews 12:14 says without holiness no one can see God. This includes the comfort of God.
The time has come for you to receive comfort from the Lord. Prepare a way for the Lord. Make straight paths with your lives. Comfort ye my people, says your God.
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