tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41657067682008790632024-03-13T20:53:02.937-07:00Truth PublicationGrace And TruthEnoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-63524283085517153822020-04-22T13:30:00.001-07:002020-04-22T13:31:10.058-07:00When Was The Last TIme You Read The BIble? TIps To Help You<div>
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You know this popular children chorus right?<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Read your Bible.<br />
Pray every day (repeat 3 times).<br />
Read your Bible.<br />
Pray every day.<br />
And you’ll grow, grow, grow (repeat 3 times).<br />
Read your Bible.<br />
Pray every day.<br />
And you’ll grow, grow, grow.¹</blockquote>
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This song in its simplicity teaches us a lot. It teaches the importance of reading the bible and prayer. It teaches the link between Christian growth and the Bible. For many Christians, we know the place of the Bible in our Christian walk and do desire to read and study it. David said, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” (Psalm 119:18). In the same Psalm, he said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Psalm 119:105). I cannot finish with Psalm 119 without mentioning verse 11. But I won’t quote it; assuming that, you either know what it says or you will look it up. The article is to help you read your Bible and that’s a good place to start. Look up the text.<br />
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Though we know the importance of the Bible in our Christian life, sometimes we can go months, if not years without reading it simply because we get busy. But regardless of our busy schedule, we must take the time to read Scripture. R.C Sproul says it well <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I could plead with you to study the Bible for personal edification; I could try the art of persuasion to stimulate your quest for happiness. I could say that the study of the Bible would probably be the most fulfilling and rewarding educational experience of your life. I could cite numerous reasons why you would benefit from a serious study of Scripture. But ultimately the main reason why we should study the Bible is because it is our duty.~ R.C. Sproul²</blockquote>
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In this article, what I attempt to do is to help you with some simple, uncomplicated, easy steps to follow to hopefully get you to read Scripture if peradventure, you have fallen off a long time in reading Scripture. <br />
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<b>Desire to Read and Study Again.</b><br />
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Somehow we are conscious of the necessity of reading and studying Scripture (I will use reading and studying interchangeably in this article), but the desire is just absent. We are caught up in a busy life and nothing suggests to us “read your Bible”. The cares of daily living confront us and the Bible is not the first on our agenda. But, it should be if we are going to make any progress in our walk of faith. So, as the deer pants after the water brooks, our souls must also thirst and pant after God through His word. (Psalms 42:1-2). Pray to God that through the Holy Spirit, a desire will be stirred up in your heart to study.<br />
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<b>Make The Time</b><br />
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Desire is not enough. We must consciously set aside time for this one important discipline in our lives. The best time, in my opinion, to read the Bible, is in the mornings. This might not work for everybody because of time schedules but I believe it is the most reasonable time. In the morning, our mind is fresh and alert. Now never expect your Bible study time to be “fulfilling” every time. There may bland days when it feels like a waste of time. But, however it feels, we must labour to study. Make the time, but if you break it, don’t feel bad. Catch up again.<br />
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<b>Have A Plan To Study: Study Systematically</b><br />
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You have to open the Bible and read it in a systematic way. Not cheery picking verses from different places in the Bible every day. By systematic, I mean in an orderly manner; follow an organised pattern: page by page, chapter by chapter until we are through with the whole book. With this, we grasp the whole concept of the Bible. The gospel according to John is a good place to start with for me.<br />
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<b>Keep Notes</b><br />
Keep a notebook and a pen when reading. Make notes, write things you believe God is communicating through His word. Also, make an investment in Bible commentaries, Bible reference materials, bible dictionaries. It all makes the study of the Bible fruitful. If you can, use more than one version. <br />
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<b>Reflection</b><br />
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Desire and studying Scriptures alone will not produce the full benefit of the word in our lives. We have to take desire and study to another level—Reflection. We must reflect and think through what we read and study. It is said that, if you know how to worry, you can meditate on the word. Just “worry” about the word. Ask questions in your mind. Turn the word around. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, Joshua 1:8 and Psalms 1:1-2)<br />
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<b>Share/Obey/Do</b><br />
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Studying the word is not for our benefit alone, we must also try to share what we learn from our reading. Again, knowing the word is one thing; obeying its teachings is another thing. It must be our desire to obey what we read.<br />
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<b>Read Christian Literature</b><br />
Read good books written by other Christians: Pastors, Theologians etc. This will help stir a desire for the word. Much has been written about and from the Bible. It will help to read great minds and the things they have written from Scriptures. It will stir you up to want to dig further into Scripture and most importantly grow in your knowledge of the Lord as Paul prayed for the Ephesians (1:16-18)<br />
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<b>Make Use Of Technology</b><br />
Do you ever consider your spiritual life when investing in the most latest mobile technology? These days you have no excuse not to read the Bible. You can carry the Bible anywhere on a smartphone etc.<br />
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***Article also published on<a href="https://graceandtruthgh.wordpress.com/2020/04/21/when-was-the-last-time-you-read-your-bible-tips-to-help-you/" target="_blank"> graceandtruthgh.wordpress.com</a><br />
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Note<br />
1. Mission Bible Class, “Read Your Bible Pray Everyday Song”, <a href="https://missionbibleclass.org/songs/english-songs/bible-songs/read-your-bible-pray-every-day-song/">https://missionbibleclass.org/songs/english-songs/bible-songs/read-your-bible-pray-every-day-song/</a>, accessed 20th April, 2020</div>
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2. R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture ( Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009), Kindle Edition</div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-34981103836569371402017-11-26T13:31:00.001-08:002017-11-27T04:08:21.167-08:00The Author Of Eternal Life<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him (Hebrews 5:9).</blockquote>
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The text is speaking about Christ. Indeed, the whole of the book of Hebrews speaks of Christ and his superiority over all things. Christ offers salvation and eternal life. But one may ask, why Salvation?<br />
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Salvation is needed because of humanity's sin problem. We trace the sin problem to eden where the fall of Adam became the fall of the whole human race. The image of God, in which we were created is defaced. We are alienated from God because of sin. Our mind lacks understanding, our hearts corrupted and hardened by sin and and only Christ can save us from this alienation.<br />
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<b>Why Is Christ Fit To Offer Salvation?</b><br />
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1: He is a Perfect Saviour<br />
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Among many meanings, the word perfect denotes completion and fulfillment. Christ was made perfect in the sense that he fulfilled all of God's plan for salvation. He kept and fulfilled all of God's law that we couldn't keep.<br />
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2. Christ is the author of Salvation.<br />
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Only through him can sinners be saved. He went to the cross for sinners. And he has a name above every name. In his name salvation is offered.<br />
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3. He paid the ransom<br />
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Christ gave his life as a ransom for our sins. He paid the debt of sin we owed.<br />
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You don't own your soul and without Christ you are lost eternally. And the salvation Christ offers is salvation of the soul---eternally. Seek Christ to save your soul. Those who hear him take his word preciously and obey the gospel.<br />
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The good news is this: you are helpless, bound for hell and a Saviour in Christ comes to appease for your sins and offered salvation. Come to Christ. Look to him for your salvation. Jesus shows us abundant love and mercy. While we were sinners he died for us.<br />
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---This is a summary of sermon notes I made of a sermon preached by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ferguson.kcofie.3" target="_blank">Pastor Ferguson Kcofie</a> on 26/11/2017 @ Truth Missionary Baptist Church, Dansoman-Exhibition. Truth MissionaryBaptist Church is a Reformed Baptist Church in Accra-Ghana and is the church I attend.<br />
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Also, the notes are mine and hence solely liable for any misinterpretation of doctrine or the sermon which may appear in this summary.Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-67250655463049135432017-11-23T05:09:00.000-08:002017-11-23T05:09:09.435-08:00Philemon: A Practical Letter For Christian Living<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Download<a href="http://sovereigngracegh.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/213/2017/11/Philemon_A-Practical-Letter-For-Christian-Living.pdf"> PDF</a> or <a href="http://sovereigngracegh.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/213/2017/11/Philemon_A-Practical-Letter-For-Christian-Living.docx">Word Document</a> of article<br />
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<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philemon&version=ESV">Philemon 1:1-25</a><br />
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There are twenty-seven books of the New Testament divided mainly into; The Gospels (Synoptics and John), Acts, Paul’s Epistles, General Epistles and Apocalypse/Revelation. Majority of the NT are epistles (Paul’s and others’) forming twenty-one of the twenty-seven. Paul wrote thirteen 13 letters--some to churches, pastors and individuals. Further, four of Paul’s letters are called prison epistles because they were written in Prison; namely: Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians and Philemon. Philemon is an epistle and to study it we have to approach it as a letter. In doing so, we will seek to answer five questions: Who wrote Philemon, when and where was Philemon written, Who was/were the recipients, Why was it written and what can we learn from it? Answering the first four questions will lead us into a proper application---what we can learn from Philemon.<br />
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<strong>Who Wrote Philemon?</strong><br />
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Letters in the New Testament world were written just as we write letters today, albeit with some differences. Letters in the then world starts with a greeting and salutation where the author(s) introduce themselves. Sinclair Ferguson in his book Let's Study Philippians notes that "Letters began with three words: (i) the name of the writer; (ii) the name of the recipients; (iii)'greetings'." [1] We see examples of these standard openings of epistles identifying authors in some of these epistles: 2 Timothy 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1; 2 John 1:1. Now in answering who wrote Philemon; let's look at verse 1: "Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother..." Clearly, we see Paul introducing himself as the author. Timothy is also introduced to us as a co-author. Timothy, was Paul's protégé who was being raised as a Pastor<br />
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<strong>When and Where Was Philemon Written?</strong><br />
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Paul's opening words "Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus..." is no "spiritual language". He wrote from prison (vv.1; 9; 10; 22). And Philemon as has been identified earlier is one of the four prison epistles. It was believed to have been written in Rome (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+28%3A16&version=ESV">Acts 28:16</a>; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+28%3A31&version=ESV">31</a>) in A.D. 62<br />
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<strong>Who Was The Recipient?</strong><br />
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Philemon, the name of the letter, is the recipient: "To Philemon our beloved fellow worker..." (v.1). The letter was also perhaps to be read by others as they have been included in the recipients: "...and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house" (v.1). Philemon was a wealthy and generous man who was hosting a church in his house. It is to be noted that "The early Christians met in believers’ homes" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Cor.+16%3A19&version=ESV">1 Cor. 16:19</a>; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Col.+4%3A15&version=ESV">Col. 4:15</a>). [2] Again, Philemon was converted under Paul's ministry. We know this because Paul mentions it in v.17 pointing out to Philemon that he owes him his very life: "A reference to the fact that Philemon was converted through Paul's ministry, so that Philemon "owed" Paul something far greater, namely, his eternal life." [3]<br />
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<strong>Why Was The Letter Written?</strong><br />
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Philemon had a slave--Onesimus-- who run away with stolen money from his master. However, in the course of his "runaway life" Onesimus encountered Paul's ministry and was converted. He served Paul in his imprisonment for some time. However, Paul knowing the right thing to be done sent Onesimus back to his master. And the letter to Philemon accompanied Onesimus' return. Paul wrote appealing to Philemon to receive Onesimus back. Now, there is a clarification which needs to be done concerning slavery as it occurred in New Testament. This is necessary because one may ask why Paul, an apostle will want a slave to return to his master when he has had the opportunity to escape. Also, the repulsive imagery of slavery in a modern world may be imposed on the New Testament hence losing entirely the lessons contained in this letter. To this, I quote the below for clarification.<br />
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People became slaves in various ways: Many were prisoners taken in war; others were kidnapped by slave hunters; still others were enslaved through debt; and, of course, there were the children born to slaves. The slavery many English-speaking readers of the Bible are most familiar with is that of the blacks in America, but the Roman situation was more complicated. Within the general category the most burdensome form of slave life was endured by those who did heavy manual labor, e.g., in the mines, building construction, and the rowing banks on ships. By contrast many who worked in households for understanding masters would not have been much worse off than servants in wealthy British homes at the end of the last century known to TV watchers through "Upstairs, Downstairs." On a particularly high level were the very well-educated slaves who administered their master's estates or businesses, instructed the children, and even earned their own money. These would have been the group from which many emerged by gaining or being given freedom.[4]</blockquote>
<strong>How Do We Apply The Letter To Our Lives? (What Can We Learn From it?)</strong><br />
Having explored the first four questions, we can now go further to find out how the letter is relevant or can be applied to our live. Below we will identify some lessons in the text relevant to our Christian living.<br />
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<strong>Christian Interpersonal Relationships</strong><br />
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Christians relate in divers ways with one another (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+5%3A1-33%3B+6%3A1-9&version=ESV">Ephesians 5:1-33; 6:1-9</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A33&version=ESV">Mark 12:33</a>) and the heart of the letter is about Christian relationships and reconciliation when things go wrong. One of the first lessons we learn in our relationship with each other is the place of <em>intercessory prayers for each other</em> (James 5:16). Paul tells Philemon "I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers" (v.4). This teaches us about gratitude to God for our fellow believers and we must make it a point to remember all believers---those we know and believers in general---in our prayers. People often ask us to remember them in our prayers and yet many are guilty of not honouring this request. It shouldn't be so. Let's get involved in each other’s life through intercession. We must also pray for the needs of those who minister the gospel. We see this in Paul's closing words in Philemon: "...for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you (v.22). Paul here asks for prayers for his release.<br />
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Philemon also teaches<em> generosity</em> towards one another marked by love and faith in Christ. Christian relationship must be characterised by love that shares---<a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/koinonia.html"><em>Koinonia</em></a> (vv.5-7; <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1Corinthians+13&version=ESV">1Corinthians 13</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians+1%3A5&version=ESV">Philippians 1:5</a>). Philemon, as a person is presented to us as a generous person: "For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you" (v.7). He was a generous man concerned with the upkeep of the saints. Not only that, he had opened his home for Christian fellowship. His faith in Christ overflowed into generosity towards the saints and in service to the Lord.<br />
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Christian relationship is also <em>not manipulative</em>. Paul, though he was an apostle, he found it necessary not to impose his will on Philemon with regards to the return of Onesimus. Paul tells Philemon"...though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you..." (vv.8-9). The subsequent verses were all appeals from Paul for Philemon to receive Onesimus---not "by compulsion but of your own accord (v.14). A window is opened here for us to see into Paul's heart. He practices what he preaches. Remember in 1 Corinthians 13:5, Paul has written that love is not selfish---it doesn't insist on its own. Here is Paul living what he preaches. He could use his apostolic office to get what he wants; but rather, for love's sake he appeals to Philemon. In our Christian relationships; especially in places of leadership, we must ensure we are not abusing our authority over those God has given us responsibility over.<br />
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Finally, Christian relationships must be marked by forgiveness and not be vindictive (vv.17-19). In the New Testament Hellenistic world, a captured slave who attempted running receives a harsh punishment. According to John MacArthur, recounting the lives of slaves in the then world, points out that "Their master's had virtually unlimited power to punish them, and sometimes did so severely for the slightest infractions."Paul however calls for something radical than what the culture promotes. He calls for reconciliation, especially so because Onesimus is now not just a slave, but a fellow believer. Christian relationships must be that of forgiveness. We have been forgiven and reconciled to God and we must in that same spirit seek to forgive one another. In the prayer our Lord taught the disciples, he taught them and by extension us to pray "forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+6%3A12&version=ESV">Matthew 6:12</a>; see also <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A21-22&version=ESV">18:21-22</a>).<br />
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<strong>Christ Saves</strong><br />
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When Onesimus escaped from his master, he was an unbeliever. But now he is returning to his master not as a returnee slave so to speak; but as a brother in the Lord: "no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother--especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord" (v.16). This is the beautiful message of the Christian gospel! It reconciles. It bonds together in love people from all status of life: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). What happened to Onesimus? He encountered Christ and was changed. Sinners need to come to faith in Christ to be forgiven, cleansed of their sins and above all be reconciled to God for eternal life. What Onesimus had in common with his master was that they have all come to faith in Christ through the gospel. We see Onesimus' life transformed by Christ to the point that Paul wrote "Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me" (v.11).<br />
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<strong>The Providence of God</strong><br />
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Though not directly, Paul teaches the providence of God in this letter. Paul links Onesimus' salvation to his running away. He run away to be saved so to speak: "for this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever" (v.15). Perhaps, if he had not run away, he wouldn't have been saved, Paul seem to be saying. I see Paul trying to bring Philemon's attention to the fact that whatever happened was for a reason, that is, Onesimus' salvation. What Paul asserts here can be compared to the narrative of Joseph and his brothers. What happened, according to Joseph was meant for good by God for the sake of posterity (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+50%3A19-21&version=ESV">Genesis 50:19-21</a>). We also read in Romans 8:28 that "for those who love God all things work together for good."<br />
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As believers, we must come to the point of looking at our world through the lenses of God's providential ordering of events to the accomplishment of his will: "God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy." [5] The believer doesn't live by chance but by the divine ordering of our God and King.<br />
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<strong>Christians And Suffering</strong><br />
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There is a world of erroneous teaching out there that Christians must not suffer. But the Bible doesn't teach such. Paul says in Philippians 1:29 that "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." This is the testimony of Scripture. If we are followers of Christ, we are going to face all categories of suffering however Christ promises us his peace (John 16:33).<br />
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In this letter, we see a clear picture of Christian suffering. Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter. Philemon, a faithful brother in the Lord had also may have encountered an emotional suffering pertaining to his runaway slave. As Christians, we must not, in any way expect our lives to be rosy without any setbacks or suffering for that is not promised in the Bible. This doesn't however mean the Christian faith is all gloomy for we have also been promised joy and peace in the Lord (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A27&version=ESV">John 14:27</a>). However, this promise of peace is at the backdrop of suffering. We will suffer, but Christ is with us and we can have peace in whatever situation we find ourselves.<br />
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<strong>Keep Hope Alive</strong><br />
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Despite the challenges and problems we will encounter in our Christian walk, we must not lose heart. We must continue to hope and believe in God in all of life’s circumstances. And Paul clearly points to the hope he has of been released from prison. He wrote: "At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you" (v.22). Though he was in prison, Paul didn't become despondent. He kept hope alive.<br />
In fact if you read through his prison epistles, they exude with joy. In Philippians 3:1 he says "rejoice in the Lord". In Ephesians he breaks forth with praise: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ..." (Ephesians 1:3). Finally in Colossians 1:24 he says "Now I rejoice in my sufferings...." With Paul's hope of release from prison, we can learn something about our own situations. We must keep hope alive in Christ. As believer's, what we have is a living hope and we must never cast it away in whatever situation<br />
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Notes<br /> 1. Sinclair B. Ferguson, <em>Let's Study Philippians</em> ( Edinburgh: The Banner Of Truth, 2005), 1<br /> 2. R. C. Sproul (Ed.), <em>The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version</em> (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2189.<br /> 3. Notes on Philemon 1:18-19 in ESV Global Study Bible,2012<br /> 4. Raymond E Brown, S.S, <em>An Introduction To The New Testament</em> ( New York, Doubleday, 1997), 503-504<br /> 5. John MacArthur, <em>The MacArthur Bible Commentary</em> (Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1827-1828<br /> 6. Westminster Confession of Faith, 5.1<br />
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-27118799355712659322017-07-15T14:21:00.000-07:002017-07-15T14:21:36.011-07:00Faith And Conduct<img alt="bridge-893200_1920" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1635" height="297" src="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2017/06/bridge-893200_1920.jpg" width="640" /> <br />
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Among six key themes (from ESV Global Study Bible) of the book of Amos, two stands out for me.<br />
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1. Justice and righteousness in the treatment of other people are the key evidences of a right relationship to the Lord.<br /> 2. Religious observances in the absence of social justice are disgusting to God.¹</blockquote>
I find these two key themes present in the verses that follow. God says;<br />
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I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen (Amos 5:21-23).</blockquote>
Today, many profess faith but their profession contradicts their conduct. Should that be the case? Where profession of faith and conduct contradicts, there is a justification to question what one professes. Could it be possible that God has rejected many gatherings supposedly assembled in the name of God and yet we are unaware? Could it be that God has turned his ears away from our worship and considers many a congregations singing noise yet they haven’t discerned it?<br />
How would we know if our worship is acceptable to God? I believe the answer is in the next verse: “<em>But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream</em>.” (Amos 5:24).<br />
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Where our life is not marked by justice and righteousness—a right treatment of one another and right conduct; our salvation may be questionable. Our Lord commands us to love one another and to not love the world (1Jn. 2:9-17). Paul says “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers , and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1cor. 13:1-2).<br />
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You see, our faith and conduct are inseparable. If we have faith, it must show in our conduct: “But be n doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves”!(Jam. 1:22).<br />
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Notes:<br /> 1. Introductory notes on Amos from The ESV Global Study Bible (Wheaton, Illinois:Crossway, 2012 ) Kindle editionEnoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-83361666503850968652017-02-10T02:01:00.001-08:002017-02-10T02:01:43.814-08:00The Cost Of Following Christ<a href="http://sovereigngracegh.org/2017/02/10/the-cost-of-following-christ/">The Cost Of Following Christ</a>Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-16856112604309514312016-04-18T00:25:00.000-07:002016-05-04T14:47:38.675-07:00Depart From Me...I Am A Sinful Man<div class="fix-link-focus" style="background-color: white; color: #383838; font-family: 'PT Serif', Georgia, serif; font-size: 17.008px; line-height: 26.3624px; margin-bottom: 1em;">
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<span style="font-size: 17.008px; line-height: 26.3624px;">Have you ever thought about it? What is the greatest need of humankind? This question will generate a lot of response. Probably, for the majority, top of the list will be eradication of poverty and disease. Others will put forth world peace, eradication of drug and sex trafficking. To others, equal rights for all humankind will top the list. These indeed are commendable, but they are not the greatest need of humankind. The Bible gives us the answer:</span></div>
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<a href="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/2015-09-12-01-31-00.jpg?w=700" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2015-09-12 01.31.00" border="0" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-151" height="200" originalw="700" scale="1.5" src="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/2015-09-12-01-31-00.jpg?w=700" style="border-radius: 2px; border: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="142" /></a>For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).</blockquote>
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This is the divine verdict from God. All humankind have sinned. Not only that, but by our sins, we are enstranged, alienated and separated from God. We are enemies of God and liable to receive the just punishment for our sins. Paul describes our hopelessness in Ephesians 2:1-3 saying , “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind”.</div>
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The above is true of every human being. It is the present reality of the unbeliever and it was the reality of the believer who has now come to Faith.</div>
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Now the reality of sin as our greatest need came home to me again very strongly today when I read portions of Luke’s gospel for my devotion. In Luke 5, the story is told of Jesus using the boat of Peter to preach and afterwards, He issued a command saying “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (v.4). Here is an experienced fisherman who has toiled all night and caught nothing, so he might have been surprised by the command from Jesus. Indeed he was and his response tells:</div>
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And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing!”(v5a).</blockquote>
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However, I suppose having heard Jesus preaching, his heart might have been convicted to obey. So he didn’t stop at questioning Jesus’ instruction. He responded positively afterwards: “<em>But at your word I will let down the nets.”</em>(v.5b). After they heeded Jesus’ instruction, we are told a miracle happened. They had a great catch to the extent they had to signal other fisherman to assist with bringing their catch (vv.6-7).</div>
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Simon’s report in the narrative is what caught my attention: “<em>But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”</em>(v.8).</div>
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A miracle has taken place. But it seemed the miracle didn’t matter to Simon. We are looking at a great breakthrough for that day. They have a great abundance. But in the midst of that abundance, the state of Simon’s heart was laid bare. He was convicted: “he fell down at Jesus’ feet”. He was broken. He lost himself. Before Him was no ordinary man but Jesus, God incarnate.</div>
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In that moment of a great miracle, his sinful heart all played before him in front of a Holy God: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord”. Anyone who encounters the holiness of God is always struck with the wretchedness of their soul (Isaiah 6:5, Romans 7:24). Sin is our greatest predicament (Psalm 51:5, Jeremiah 17:9, Isaiah 53:6) and until we are reconciled to God, nothing else matters that happens to us. A miracle or breakthrough is of no significance to a heart dead in sin.</div>
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Like Simon, we must all fall on our knees at the feet of Christ and plead for forgiveness and reconciliation. Our sin must not drive us away from God, rather it must drive us to Him. Jesus didn’t drive away Peter, but He spoke forgiveness to the need of his sinful heart: “And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”(v.10).</div>
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Here is the mercy of God in action; a man not only forgiven, but his life takes on a new direction. A sinful man cleansed and reconciled to God and commissioned to be a <em>soul winner–fisher of men</em>. Our greatest need is to be forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God. That is the foremost reason Christ walked this earth (Ephesians 2:14-17).</div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-46967335868373190222016-03-25T02:39:00.002-07:002016-05-04T14:51:07.552-07:00Christ Our Sin Bearer<div style="color: #3d596d; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25.5px; margin-bottom: 24px;">
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Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It is also the book of beginnings because it tells us the origins of life and accurately explains the main problem of the world--Sin.</div>
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From the first two chapters of Genesis, we are made to know there is a Creator who created the world and all that dwells in it (Genesis 1:1, 31, 2:26-27). After creation, God saw that everything He had created was good (Genesis 1:31). But today, in contrast to Genesis 1:31, the world in its current state is not good. It is a world filled with pain, tragedy, wickedness, cruelty and every horror imaginable. How do we reconcile the current state of the world with God's proclamation that "everything that he had made...was very good". The answer is that sin entered the world. So;</div>
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What Is Sin?</div>
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Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God [a]. Lev 5:17; Jas 4:17; 1 John 3:4</div>
~Westminster Shorter Catechism Q14</blockquote>
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In these words we see what sin is. Sin is breaking God's law by omission or commission. In modern English, the words, "want of conformity" will read something like inability to conform to the law of God or failure to measure up to or obey God's command. In Greek, the word hamartia is used in explaining what sin is. Sin is "missing the mark" and rightly so, we are all sinners because we have missed the mark of God's rigtheous standard (Romans 3:23).</div>
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<a href="https://thegospelnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/dexati20160325080715.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DEXATI20160325080715" border="0" class=" size-full wp-image-697 alignleft" data-mce-src="https://thegospelnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/dexati20160325080715.png" height="200" src="https://thegospelnetwork.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/dexati20160325080715.png" style="height: auto; margin-top: 16px; max-width: 100%;" width="320" /></a>Now, how did sin enter the perfect world God created? We again go back to Genesis, the book of origins. In Genesis 2:16-17, we read of a commandment God gave Adam, the first created man, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die". Fast foward to Genesis 3, Adam disobeyed God; he ate of the forbidden tree and by that act of disobedience, sin entered the world.</div>
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Adam in the garden of Eden was acting as a federal head for all of humankind therefore his fall became the fall of all who will ever walk this earth: "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned"(Romans 5:12).</div>
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Except Jesus who lived a perfect life without sin, all humankind inherited the consequences and effects of Adam's fall; physical and spiritual death. Our nature was badly corrupted and we were alienated from God. The Psalmist said "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5).</div>
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What he means here is that he was born with a sin problem. He inherited sin. We are by ourselves unable to please God: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:11-12). These words describes the helpless state of humankind without Christ. They are enemies of God, separated from Him and guilty of eternal damnation.</div>
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However God didn't leave sinners to our fate to try to work our way to Him. God made the first move towards reconciling sinful humankind to Himself. If you read Genesis 3 again, we see that even in their sins, God's mercy was manifested. Firstly, God proclaimed what theologians refer to as <a data-mce-href="http://www.gotquestions.org/protoevangelium.html" href="http://www.gotquestions.org/protoevangelium.html" style="color: #00aadc;">protoevangelium</a>--the first gospel. God announced His plans towards reconciliation. A curse was pronounced and a remedy for that curse was also revealed:</div>
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I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15).</blockquote>
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The seed of the woman being referred to here is Christ who the Bible speaks of by saying "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil"(1John 3:8). The works of the devil is sin that separated us from God. And it is this, Jesus died to destroy. He took the punishment that belonged to sinners. He died in our place to appease for our sins and reconcile us to the Father. Our sins was imputed to Him. He became our substitutionary atonement (Isaiah 53:5-6).</div>
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Secondly, God covered the nakedness (guilt and shame) of Adam and Eve revealing a type of Christ's imputed righteousness to those who will come to Faith through Jesus Christ. Paul aptly captures this saying, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2Corinthians 5:21).</div>
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Christ was murdered on the cross because of the sins of you and I. And He resurrected to give eternal life to all who will come to Him in Faith If you have not come to saving faith through Christ, you are condemned to eternal damnation and an enemy of God. One day, you will have to answer for your sins before a Holy God and nothing you will present will measure up to God's Holy standard. Your good works outside of Christ are like filthy rags. Repent from your sins and turn to Christ for forgiveness.</div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-25268089634352809432016-03-23T14:38:00.000-07:002016-03-23T14:38:05.343-07:00Life Under The Providence Of God.<br />
It was 21st March, 2016 at about 9:30pm and I was trying to catch up with a bible reading plan --<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A1-38&version=ESV" target="_blank">Luke 1:1-38</a><br />
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--I had missed in the morning. While reading, verses 8-9 caught my attention "Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense" (Luke 1:8-9).<br />
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The priest in question here is Zachariah, the Father of John the Baptist and husband of Elizabeth. Prior to vv8-9, Luke briefly profiled their lives: "In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years".<br />
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Here is a couple described as rigthteous and walking blameless before God. However, there was a problem: (i) they had no child, (ii) Elizabeth was barren and they were (iii) both advanced in age. That last one sums up the seemingly hopeless situation of their lives. As I read on and the narrative progressed, my mind was fastened on vv 8-9 especially the last words: "he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense."<br />
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You see, events that unfolded that day hinges on the fact that Zachariah was chosen as the priest to enter the temple and burn incense by <a href="https://carm.org/what-casting-lots" target="_blank">casting of lot</a>. The lot could have fallen on any other priest than Zachariah and we probably might read Zachariah's story in a different context. In this ordinary human act of casting lot, we see the Providence of God explicitly revealed in the narration.Though men made their choice, God through His divine Providence ordained His purposes through their action: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD," (Proverbs. 16:33).<br />
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On this day, I believe Zachariah never expected what unfolded in the narration prior to his entering the temple (at least the text didn't tell us). I also believe the team of priests who were involved in choosing him didn't envisage what transpired on that day. The people made a choice, their choice sent Zachariah into the temple to burn incense and the events of that day changed the life of Zachariah and Elizabeth because the Providence of God was at work.<br />
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<b>So what is Providence?</b><br />
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God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence, according to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy (Westminster Confession Of Faith 5:1).</blockquote>
According to <a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/divine-providence.html" target="_blank">gotquestions.com</a>, Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8)<br />
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God's Providence is a pillow believers can lay their heads on and sleep soundly. Nothing can happen to a believer that catches our heavenly Father by surprise. Though Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, he later informed them they meant it for evil but God meant it for good. Moses was left in a basket in the river Nile and as we know he went on to become God's chosen vessel to deliver Israel out of slavery.<br />
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The believer's life is not left to chance. Every single event in our life is part of God's grand design to bring about His purposes and plans to pass. We serve a living God who is not bewildered thinking what to do next with the situations that confronts us. He has it all covered. He is personally involved in every detail of our lives including what we might consider mundane:<br />
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Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?(Matthew 6:26).</blockquote>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-81616554537057621152016-03-22T08:14:00.000-07:002016-03-22T08:14:23.411-07:00The Syrophoenician Woman and Jesus<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But
immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him
and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a
Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her
daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not
right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. (Mark 7:25-27)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The
text records a woman who approached Jesus to ask for a miracle on behalf of her
daughter. Now, if Jesus indeed “went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil”(Acts 10:38), isn’t it startling, the response He gave
to the woman? “She begged him”…yet, we see Jesus responding in a seemingly
derogatory manner. But was He being offensive?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">There
are two perspectives to approach this incident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Firstly,
in Mark 7:24, Jesus had entered a hideout, away from the crowd, probably to
rest with His disciples from the rigours of public ministry. We get a hint
about this when we look back one Chapter: “And he said to them, “Come away by
yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and
going, and they had no leisure even to eat (Mark 6:31).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Unfortunately,
Jesus and His disciples didn’t get the needed rest. The Bible says the people
run ahead of them to their destination. When Jesus and His team got to their
desired resting place, a crowd was waiting for them. So instead of resting,
Jesus “…began to teach them many things”(Mark 6:34). After attending to the
crowd and other ministry needs, Jesus sought another opportunity to rest: “And
from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want
anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.(Mark 7:24). It is on this background the woman enters the
narrative: “But immediately…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">If
you can envisage the frustration of Jesus and His team, you can empathise with
them. After losing their first opportunity for rest, they were on the verge of
been deprived this also. His statement to the woman could therefore be viewed
as He saying; “let me attend first to myself and my disciples, then I will
attend to you later. It is not right to give time I have set aside for myself
and my disciples and attend to you."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It
appears Jesus was apathetic to the woman and her possessed daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But
looking at the text from the second perspective, one fact of the gospel emerges;
by faith, sinners can come to God through Christ for salvation. Salvation is
for whoever will put their trust in Christ: “For God so loved the world , that
he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life. (John 3:16).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Now,
there was a time in God’s redemptive history when non-Jews were outside of the
covenant family of God. To the Jews, anyone apart from a Jew was a “nonentity”.
David called Goliath an “uncircumcised philistine” in 1Samuel 17:26. In John
4:22, Jesus, talking to a Samaritan woman, made a statement worth noting here:
“…salvation is of the Jews”. Jesus’ earthly ministry was first confined to the
Jews. But in the scheme of God’s redemptive plan, salvation will be extended to
other persons outside of what Paul calls “commonwealth of Israel” (Ephesians
2:12).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We
see clearly, the Bible was specific in telling us who this woman was. She was a
Greek, a non-Jew, one separated from the covenant family of God. She </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> qualify to receive anything from Christ. But Jesus’ strong words </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> put her
off. She </span><span style="line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">didn't</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> get offended, rather, in faith, she answered “…Yes, Lord: yet
the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs”(v28). That caught Jesus’
attention. “And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone
out of thy daughter” (v29). Jesus praised the woman’s faith and granted her
request.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The
message is simple for today’s Bible reader; the door of salvation is opened for
anyone who will believe and approach Christ in faith. When Christ died, “the
curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51)
signifying an open access to God for people from “all tribes and languages”
(Revelation 7:9).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In
Christ, there is neither Jew, Greek, Roman or Gentile….</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But
now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of
Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us”(Ephesians 2:13-14).</span></blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-18087298461405581602016-03-15T08:09:00.001-07:002016-03-15T08:09:43.344-07:00The Gospel, Grace And Good Works.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel (Galatians 1:6).</blockquote>
In every generation, the gospel -- the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners by grace alone through faith alone for justification before God has always been under attack. Recently, I met with a group of friends and from Galatians 1:6-10, I admonished them to go back to their churches and start listening well if the gospel is being preached on their churches' pulpit.<br />
<br />
Now a church that doesn't preach the gospel and salvation by grace is not worth the name church.<br />
<br />
Sadly, many believers have stopped listening and reading with discernment, hence, all kinds of errors are passing on for gospel preaching on many pulpits in our country. Among the numïerous errors, there are two extremes by which we see the abuse of the gospel: Legalism and Antinomianism. These two are opposites to each other and are all wrong. <a href="https://carm.org/what-is-legalism" target="_blank">Legalism</a> is simply seeking justification with God through good works or by keeping the law -- (<a href="https://carm.org/what-is-legalism" target="_blank">10 commandments, holiness laws, etc</a>). There is also another side to Legalism where we look to the law and good works to maintain our salvation. All these fly in the face of Scripture because "...one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Romans 3:28). What Paul means here is that, justification is by faith alone; believing and trusting in Christ's death alone for salvation.<br />
<br />
This naturally raises questions about whether we can live our lives anyhow since we are justified by faith alone. The question usually arises from a misunderstanding of the place of the Law in the Christians life. There are those who insist that because of grace the law of God has no place in the believers' life. Such position leads us to the next error that confronts the gospel---<a href="http://www.theopedia.com/antinomianism" target="_blank">Antinomianism</a>. Antinomianism teaches that the Law has no place in a Christians' life. But that is far from the truth. In an online article, The Threefold Use Of The Law, R.C. Sproul wrote on three uses of the law in the Christian's life. He stated that:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhTvuLig49n-ng_dSnQvSu_MKdIoGJDCzfKz1Q3DEJvYtOcwc6tgMmzqdNMQ09aRqkeCy1G4SZO66Rjz6d3s8S11BLKzXrEaNaACm9pRQut0BfFMds-GXsURhhUeoXSoGWA3luqd1oG4/s1600/zoom-in-on-cross_b1qufnxwb__S0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhTvuLig49n-ng_dSnQvSu_MKdIoGJDCzfKz1Q3DEJvYtOcwc6tgMmzqdNMQ09aRqkeCy1G4SZO66Rjz6d3s8S11BLKzXrEaNaACm9pRQut0BfFMds-GXsURhhUeoXSoGWA3luqd1oG4/s1600/zoom-in-on-cross_b1qufnxwb__S0000.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/sproul/threefold_law.html" target="_blank">Every Christian wrestles with the question, how does the Old Testament law relate to my life? Is the Old Testament law irrelevant to Christians or is there some sense in which we are still bound by portions of it? As the heresy of antinomianism becomes ever more pervasive in our culture, the need to answer these questions grows increasingly urgent.</a></blockquote>
You see, the preaching of the gospel is the means by which God brings people to salvation and it is of utmost importance it is not misrepresented or watered down. A watered down gospel lacks power to save. "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1Corinthians 1:18).<br />
<br />
But what do we see today? We live in times when the preaching of the gospel has been replaced by human and secular philosophies which has no power to save anyone. The Galatian church to which Paul wrote his letter, were, just like today, invaded by false teachers propagating a false gospel. Paul described them as trouble makers and those who distort the gospel of Christ(v7).<br />
<br />
The gospel is central to the salvation of sinners and any false representation of it must be a cause of concern to every believer. We see Paul registering his disapproval of what was going on in the Galatian church in a rather forceful manner: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel".<br />
<br />
Rightly so, Paul was astonished--greatly amazed, surprised--that a people who have been "called...in the grace of Christ" are "quickly" moving away from the gospel; not gradually, not slowly, but quickly, rendered as as hastily(<a href="http://biblehub.com/greek/5030.htm" target="_blank">tacheós</a>) in the original language. It was a concern to him, that a people who have once believed in the gospel and have been justified by grace through faith alone are now shifting from grace to works salvation. Any departure from the proclamation of the gospel must just as Paul, astonish us who call on the name of the Lord.<br />
<br />
The Christian is saved by grace alone through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) and this truth must remain at the back of our minds throughout our Christian journey. Grace doesn't only bring us in. Grace keeps us till the end of the journey (Jeremiah 31:3, John 10:27-29). It is important, unlike the Galatians, we keep focus on the grace of God and continue in Him (Colossians 2:6-7, Hebrews 4:14-16). Many believers after they are saved by grace go on to live their lives as if they have works to add to their salvation.<br />
<br />
Of course the Christian is saved to do good works. But the Christian is not saved by doing good works.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).</blockquote>
In conclusion, just as I admonished my friends to start listening for the preaching of the gospel on their church pulpits, permit me to put the same charge to you my reader. Start listening for gospel preaching on your church pulpit and count how often sinners, guilty of the judgement and wrath of God are called to repentance by pointing them to the death and resurrection of Christ for sinners. Listen also how often believers are admonished to continue in the grace of God. Anything short of this passes for "a different gospel".<br />
<br />
Nothing else will do but gospel preaching and gospel centred ministries.<br />
<br />
<br />Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-57003864186509373942015-10-30T14:02:00.002-07:002015-10-30T14:02:38.381-07:00Seeing Through The Lenses Of The BibleI recently visited an optician for a routine check-up. As I sat to read the vision test chart, the poor state of my eyesight became evident. The diagnosis: nearsigthedness. The solution: corrective lenses. So now I wear glasses.<br />
<br />
Drawing an analogy, the Word of God is like corrective lens. It aids the believer with an accurate view of life <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesUuyR7m5i0yyaaWDz_pJ0yMEH-gyYVkIDpxjDdh4zAEJ6Z9J-HihHa_021JpO4ERw1Af3-B0HFv-dyWTXuRGT_hh3utNyTuU0HxSpcJOS1IaYAK95tENcNyB4ZI77NuzCV8TdH9Ih7k/s1600/KuKJQAsGVM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesUuyR7m5i0yyaaWDz_pJ0yMEH-gyYVkIDpxjDdh4zAEJ6Z9J-HihHa_021JpO4ERw1Af3-B0HFv-dyWTXuRGT_hh3utNyTuU0HxSpcJOS1IaYAK95tENcNyB4ZI77NuzCV8TdH9Ih7k/s400/KuKJQAsGVM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
and of themselves. The Word of God delineates the worldview of the believer and of humanity. It is in the Bible we are made conscious of our depravity. In the Bible we appreciate we have offended and continue to offend a Holy God. Humanity, without faith in Christ, is sinful and alienated from God; dead in sin. In the Bible we are told what we have done wrong and what we need to do to restore our relationship with a Holy God(Genesis 3, Ephesians 2:1-10, John 1:12-13, 3:16,Romans 3:23).<br />
<br />
The whole theme of the Bible is about God's plan to restore fallen sinners unto Himself. Under the lenses of the Bible, we see well: "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."(Psalm 119:105). In an age of self-obsession and numerous self-help strategies, which only deals with the superficial, the Word of God comes as the only trustworthy source of diagnosis of our fallen human condition. Hebrews 4:12-13 gives a proper description of the ability of God's word to reveal our true self to us.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.</blockquote>
<br />
When I was growing up, I knew of only the x-ray machine as the only machine that can “look” into the human body. There might have been more. But in my small world, it was the x-ray machine. Today, medical science with sophisticated machines can pick up any ailment hidden anywhere in the body. Apart from medical sciences, there are other equally sophisticated scanning devices in other fields that can pick their targets even through opaque objects.<br />
<br />
We are advancing in technology and knowledge. However, these advancements have limitations. You can’t use an MRI scan to detect the sicknesses of our spiritual being. In Jeremiah 17:9, God through the prophet, testifies about the condition of the human heart. This is not referring to the organ that pumps blood and sustains our physical life. He is talking about the state of our whole being. He says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” No machine, notwithstanding of degree of sophistication can detect the evil and wickedness wedged in our hearts. Only God’s word can. Not leaving us in utter despair of our state, at the very place where God describes the depravity of our hearts, He went on to further tell us, what He alone can do.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.(Jer 17:10).</blockquote>
<br />
That is humbling. The dispositions of our hearts are laid bare before Him. Nowhere to run for cover.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.(Ps 139:1-6).</blockquote>
<br />
The Psalmist here awes about God’s omniscience: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” Nothing, not even our own self can do an accurate diagnosis of the state of our hearts than God can. Through His word, He meticulously searches and reveals the true state of our hearts. Like corrective lenses, the Word leads us in the path of righteousness(Psalm 23:3). God's Word convicts us, it reproofs, corrects, and trains us in righteousness (2Tim 3:16). God through His Word renews and transform us (Rom 12:1-2). He washes and sanctifies us by His word (John 17:17). Jesus said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."(Matthew 4:4).<br />
<br />
The Word of God is a lens that will not distort our worldview if faithfully studied, applied and obeyed.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you(Ps. 119:11).</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-10723498375256297232015-10-29T10:40:00.002-07:002015-10-29T10:40:27.340-07:00Three Reasons People Believe The Prosperity Gospel<div class="MsoNormal">
For a greater part of my christian life, my understanding of
christianity was shaped by the Charismatic and Word of Faith movement. The idea
that God saves us to bless us with material wealth, divine health and a good
life is characteristics of the movement. Prosperity, divine health is my
portion! I am walking in blessings and divine health! These are but just a few
cliches of the movement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/252px-ghana_cedi_banknotes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="252px-Ghana_Cedi_banknotes" border="0" src="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/252px-ghana_cedi_banknotes.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.gotquestions.org/Word-Faith.html" target="_blank">Fundamentally, the theology of the movement isanthropocentric, oppossed to Christianity been theocentric. In the prosperitygospel, also known as the "Word of Faith," the believer is told touse God, whereas the truth of biblical Christianity is just theopposite"God uses the believer. Word of Faith or prosperity theology seesthe Holy Spirit as a power to be put to use for whatever the believer wills.</a></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About three years ago, I began drifting from the beliefs of
charismatism. The drift was precipitated by a number of books I read by <a href="http://www.insight.org/resources/articles/bio/charles-r-swindoll-bio.html" target="_blank">CharlesR. Swindoll.</a> One of the titles that made a difference in my life was; "<a href="http://www.insight.org/store/so-you-want-to-be-like-christ-eight-essentials-to-get-you-there-wb.html" target="_blank">So,You Want To Be Like Christ? Eight Essentials To Get You There</a>". That book
disturbed my theology. My drift however, was gradual, at a snail's pace, as I
had not fully grasped what was wrong with the prosperity, health and wealth
gospel. Many of my friends held to do those beliefs and still do, and not
having the requisite knowledge to counteract it, I kept what I had encountered
to myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During the same period also, <a href="http://semperreformandagh.com/2015/06/02/my-journey-from-charismatism-to-calvinism/" target="_blank">I was exposed to ReformedTheology</a>. My world was thrown into complete chaos--positive chaos if there is a
phrase like that. All the beliefs I have held before were challenged. All my
"heroes" were been described as false teachers. That was too much to
take. But gradually, dedicating myself to reading and studying the Bible, the
puzzles started falling in place. I haven't fully grasped all there is to the
Christian faith, but I have gained some understanding I believe I can share.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of prosperity and divine health, I have come to three conclusions of what's behind this heresy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1: A Depraved Mind Deprived Of Truth</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 Timothy 6:3-10<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is no place in the Bible believers are promised
prosperity and divine health. To believe God saved us to prosper us is a sign
of a depraved mind. The proponents have corrupt minds and corrupt the minds of
their followers. They are greedy. They pry on the innocent, using their
position of influence to lead people astray. They are robbers who fleece the
sheep for selfish gains. They are deprived of truth not understanding the truth
of God's word. Anyone who believes and accepts the prosperity and divine health
nonsense is clearly guilty of thinking godliness is a means of gain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Bible clearly warns the love of money is the root of all
evil. Yet, point this out to the proponents of the prosperity gospel and they
will in turn inform you "it is the love of money that is evil not
money". Very well said, money indeed is not evil, but the love of it. But
how can one have money at the root of their theology and yet deny they love
money? If you believe in the prosperity gospel, you love money! However you try
to look at it, you love money. At the root of your desire for riches, is the
love of money. You want to be rich, and you desire that so much, don't you? The
diagnosis: you love money.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2: A Low View Of Scripture</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To believe Jesus Christ died to make you prosper and
successful is a blatant lie. It is a result of under valuing the weight and
glory of Holy Scripture. Much of the proof texts used to propagate prosperity
and divine health are complete mishandling and distortion of the word of truth.
I will examine two popular ones:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though
he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might
become rich.(2Corinthians 8:9).</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(i) "<i>Though he was rich,yet for your sake he became
poor</i>"...This in no sense speaks of material prosperity. The riches been
spoken about here is the glory He left behind in heaven, putting aside His
divinity to live the life of a human being. If we are to interpret the riches
here as something earthly, the question we must answer is that, where He came
from, i.e. heaven, was there transactions of money which makes Him rich? No,
the riches is the glory He laid aside to become human and live amongst us.
(Phillipians 2:5-9).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(ii) "<i>so that you by his poverty might become rich</i>" All
human beings by virtue of our sins are wretched and separated from God's glory
(Rom 3:23). To be separated from God's glory makes us poor and souls deserving
of God's wrath. But Jesus stepped in, He descended from His glory to make us
who will believe in Him, rich, not in terms of material blessings; but
reconciliation unto God and restoration from from our sinful state to live
lives glorifying to God.( Eph 1:3-4) When we read riches as material blessings,
we under value what God did for the Christian through His death and resurrection. He died to
reconcile sinners to God, not to make sinners rich.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next popular representing divine health is a little
phrase "By his wounds you have been healed" which is pulled from "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.For you were straying like sheep, but have
now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls."(1Peter 2:24-25).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, "By his wounds you have been healed" is another
blatant abuse of the text to say what it is not saying. That phrase in the
context it appears says nothing about physical healing. The healing in the context is simply
forgiveness of sin in Christ. The context is so clear, I wonder how we twist
it. Sin is a disease, a disease that separates us from God. And by Jesus'
wounds on the cross, we were healed of the disease of sin and brought back into
fellowship with God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3. Disregard For Sound Doctrine</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sound doctrine--rightly dividing the word of truth has been
replaced by messages to entertain and stimulate itchy ears. In the last days,
we are told "people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching
ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into
myths."(1Timothy 4:3-4).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We indeed are living in the days and the descriptions above
fits many church folks. What their Pastor or spiritual leader says is the truth
and they won't hear anyone else, not even when you point them to the truth as
revealed in the Bible. Paul admonishes Timothy to "...flee these
things"(1Timothy 6:11). Why will you not flee from that which will lead
you "...into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful
desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."(v9).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In conclusion, we must indeed work and be good stewards of what God blesses
us with. We must however not approach God with the false notion of prosperity.
God doesn't owe us anything. But if by His Sovereignty and Providence, He gives
us riches to enjoy, we must live our days in gratitude and generosity:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be
haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who
richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in
good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for
themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of
that which is truly life.(1Timothy 6:17-19).</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-3868074573884064532015-10-28T10:52:00.000-07:002015-10-28T10:54:45.894-07:00Standing Firm In God's Love<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers
beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved,
through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth(2Thessalonians
2:13).</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/3051-13.jpg?w=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="3051-13" border="0" src="https://semperreformandagh.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/3051-13.jpg?w=300" /></a>In my Bible, the verse above opens with the heading, "Stand
firm". This is an indication this portion of the epistle was written to
strengthen and encourage the Thessalonians to stand firm in their faith. In
2Thessalonians, Paul addresses the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, a
message we seldom hear in our days. In verse two and three, he tackles a false
belief amongst the Thessalonians purporting the second coming has already
happened:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken
in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to
be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive
you in any way...(v1-3).</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This was a church enduring persecutions and suffering (2Thes
1:4-5) hence a lie of such magnitude will unsettle them. They might be
contemplating; "If the second coming has already occurred, what are we
then suffering for?" "Is our faith not in vain?". You will
notice Paul addresses specifically, the possibility of losing one's faith and
uncertainty that such a lie can produce. He wrote, "we ask you, brothers,
not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed". Notice also that, some have
actually believed the lie of these false teachers. God allowed them to believe
a lie because they were unwilling to believe the truth.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan
with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for
those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be
saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe
what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.(v9-12).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Falsehood has the capacity to lead believers astray and we
must at all times guard our hearts against deception. In stabilising their hearts, Paul speaks of a truth--the
doctrine of election--which is the reality of every believer: "God chose
you...to be saved". The believer is chosen of God; handpicked and set
aside to be a recipient of God’s love. Salvation is monergestic--strictly a
work of God we contributed nothing to. Christ in John 15:16 tells His disciples
"You did not choose me, but I chose you”. Peter in 1Pet 2:9 also wrote
that “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called
you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What qualifies a person to be chosen by God? Nothing! We are
not saved by meritorious works. We are saved by grace alone through faith
alone(Rom 3:20; 28, Eph 2:8-9, Gal 2:16).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We contributed nothing to our salvation. It is all a work of
God’s grace. We were sinners seperated from God(Rom 3:23). We were children of
wrath (Eph 2:3). But God extended His love towards us and set us
apart–sanctified–to Himself by the regenerating power of The Holy Spirit. “Once
[we] were not a people, but now [we] are God’s people; once [we]had not
received mercy, but now [we] have received mercy.” (1Pet 2:10). A Christian is
a Christian “according to the purpose of [God’s] will” (Eph 1:5). God chose us
before the foundation of the earth (Eph. 1:4).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As indicated earlier, the Thessalonian church was a
suffering church and this portion of the epistle was written to strengthen and
encourage them to stand firm in their faith. Believers suffer and face
persecution in various forms. But the reality of God's Sovereignty in
electing--choosing sinners--unto eternal life must delight every child of God.
God before the foundation of the earth, set His love upon us and He called us
"Beloved". When God saves us from the present evil world, He saves us
with an everlasting love. He doesn't save with a love that fails. He saves us
never to perish. Our hearts must be stepped in God's love towards us. Nothing
can separate us from His love (Jeremiah 31:3, John 10:27-28, Romans 8:31-38).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you are a believer, God has chosen--elected--you to be
saved. You did nothing deserving of God's choice. This truth must humble and
cause us to lift our voice in adoration, just as Paul did in writing to the
Thessalonians, "But we ought always to give thanks to God for you,
brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you… (2 Thess 2:13).<o:p></o:p></div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-69712018516417402072015-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:002015-10-16T09:34:56.275-07:00Here Are Three Reasons You Must Pray For The Unsaved<div class="MsoNormal">
I belong to a facebook group where different Christian thoughts are shared. Recently, a question was posted which inspired this post.
"Will You Pray At All For Someone Who Is Not willing To Submit To
Christ?" That's a good question, isn't it? I believe as Christians, we all
have experiences of praying for the
salvation of a friend, family member, neighbour etc and it seems the more we
pray, and tell them about their need of salvation, their rebellion towards God
and Christianity grows. Now, it can indeed get frustrating. So the question
whether to continue in prayer for an unwilling, unrepentant sinner is, to be
frank, a relevant question. In this post, I seek to answer an emphatic Yes to
the question "Will You Pray At All For Someone Who Is Not willing To
Submit To Christ?"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are my reasons<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>1: Prayers For The
Unsaved Is A Command<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a conversation with His disciples, Jesus commanded them
to pray about salvation of souls. "Then he said to his disciples, The
harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest" (Matthew
9:37-38). In these words, we see embedded the necessity of prayer for souls.
Why must we pray for labourers? Because "The harvest is plentiful".
In other words, there are many people who have to be saved. In 1Timothy 2:1-4,
Paul instructs we engage in prayers for the salvation of souls. We don't
possess the ability to save anyone. Salvation is of the Lord therefore we must
continually entreat Him in prayer to save sinners. Without prayer, our efforts
at reaching people for the Lord will be in vain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After planting and watering, God is the one who gives the
increase. Now, if we look at the preceeding verses of Matthew 9, we will get a
perfect picture of why Jesus asked for prayers for labourers to be sent:
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."(v36).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Herein is the sad state of the unbeliever; the
multitudes-crowd without Christ. They are harassed and helpless under the
bondage of sin. They are guilty under the wrath of God. They are without a
shepherd. They have no relationship with
the Lord Jesus Christ..."Harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd"...that must break every believers' heart to say a word of prayer
for the unsaved. They will not admit it; but our Lord's words are true; they
are "Harassed and helpless, like sheep without shepherd". They are
lost! Out of compassion, our Lord told His disciples; “The harvest is
plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of
the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”(v37-38). Don't give up
praying for the lost.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>2: Only God Can Break
The Unwilling Heart Of The Sinner<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It must not be lost on us as believers, that our salvation
is not a smart choice or good decision we made. We are not smarter than our
neighbhour who hasn't yet submitted to the Lordship of Christ. The truth is, we
are not Christians because we were willing to give our lives to Christ. Jesus
said He chose us, not us (John 15:16). In John 6:44, we are also told "No
one can come to [Jesus] unless the Father ... draws him. By our own will we
cannot be saved (Ezekiel 36:26, John 1:12-13, Roman 9:18). We are Christians
because of God's grace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before we came to Christ, we were all people who rebelled
against God until grace found us. In Ephesians 2:1-3, Paul describes our
spiritual deadness prior to coming to Christ. He compares us to that unwilling
sinner we are getting tired praying for. He seems to say, "before you came
to Christ, you were just like them"; "And you were dead in the
trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this
world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at
work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions
of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That was our state. We were equally "following the
course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit
that is now at work in the sons of disobedience". We were no different
from the unwilling unbeliever. The difference now is God's intervention. In
verse 4 of Ephesians 2, after our former state has been described, we are told
what God did with us: "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great
love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God showed us mercy. God stepped into out rebellion and
broke our resistance. Knowing our former state and how merciful God has been to
us, we must be patient and continue in prayer for those who seem unwilling to
submit to Christ. Their unwillingness can only be broken by the Spirit of God.
Don't give up. Keep praying for them. Their unwillingness is indeed a spiritual
battle. Satan has blinded them to the truth. That is the more reason we must
pray for them. Only God can rip off their spiritual blindness and shine lights
into their hearts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>3: Someone Prayed For
Your Salvation<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You might not be directly aware. But I am confident your
salvation is an answer to somebody's prayers. Your friend, your family member,
a church in your community, a Pastor, your school chaplain, a
missionary...somebody's prayer definitely has a hand in your salvation. An
incident in the Bible readily comes to minpicture comes to mind. In Acts 7,
Stephen's martydom by stoning is recorded:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the
witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And
as they were stoning Stephen , he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord , do not hold
this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.(vs58-60)</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
See two powerful phrases in the verses here. The first is
the record that they laid Stephen's garment at the feet of Saul(v58) and
secondly Stephen's prayer in v60, "Lord, do not hold this sin against
them". Even at the brink of death Stephen still prays for his murderers.
Immediately we step into Chapter 8, Saul's name is mentioned again. He has come
into the picture. He must be important to the storyline: "And Saul
approved of his execution."(v8). Fast foward to Chapter 9 we meet Saul and
his encounter on the road to Damascus. He met the Lord and his life was
changed. I am very convinced Paul's conversion has a relationship with
Stephen's prayer; "Lord , do not hold this sin against them"<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I pray you don't get tired praying for anyone's salvation.
Continue in prayer and don't give up.<o:p></o:p></div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-60421629838043631182015-10-05T02:07:00.000-07:002015-10-05T02:22:05.121-07:00Christian Suffering Is Biblical There is a kind of Christian teachings out there that promotes the idea Christians must not suffer. That's a lie. A blatant lie! Christians suffer. Acts 14:22 says through much suffering we must enter the kingdom of God. We are no different from people who are persecuted and some even killed for their faith. Contrary to modern day, twenty first century, watered down, health and wealth, easy believismChristians are in fact no super humans. We get frustrated. We get stressed. We live with unfulfilled dreams and expectations. Our lives are in no way immune from the challenges of this world. We lose love ones. We lose jobs. We get sick.<br />
<div>
<br />
World events must call many believers to rethink what gospel they have believed. Are you saved to be materially blessed and divinely healthy? You have believed a lie.<br />
<br />
A cursory look at the Psalms–a great source of comfort and inspiration for believers—reveals the realities of pain and suffering in a believer’s life. Some of the Psalms contain expressions of David’s personal pain and sorrows: "I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes"(Ps 6:6). "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?"(Ps 43:5). "Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I"(Ps 61:2). "Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins".(Ps 25:18).<br />
<br />
In these words, we see “a man after God’s heart” expressing anguish in different circumstances of his life. David was not an exception. Many other characters in the Bible poured out their hearts in pain and anguish. As believers living in a fallen body in a fallen world, we are not immuned from the pain and suffering present in the world. In fact, suffering is ordained in the sovereign plan of God for the world and in the life of the believer. Job said “man is born to trouble”(Job 5:7). Suffering is the portion of every believer. We must all carry our cross and follow Him.<br />
<br />
The biblical authors acknowledged what many today will deny in the name of Faith. They acknowledged the place of suffering in the believer's life. James said "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,"(James 2:1). Paul pointed out that "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"(2Timothy 3:12). The Lord Jesus Christ Himself painted no rosy picture of the Christian walk. He told the disciples, "In the world you will have tribulation."(John 16:33).<br />
<br />
Suffering teaches us obedience. Writing about the high priestly role of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews tells us that, in His humanity, "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered."(Hebrews 5:8). No where in the Bible are we guaranteed a life without suffering and pain. You dont even have to open the pages of the Bible to realise the reality of suffering in the world. The bad news, disease, brutal execution of Christians coupled with the suffering of people around us is enough evidence that a suffering proof christianity is a placebo. Paul describes the inescapable realities of suffering in the believers life. "...we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies”(Rom 8:23)<br />
<br />
<br />
Though we are saved, we are not in possession of the full benefits of our redemption–the glorification of our bodies. We still live with the presence of sin, pain and suffering. We groan in pain in anticipation of our glorification in future. In all of these however, Christianity doesn't spell as gloom. In our suffering, we are not left on our own, we don’t grieve as people who have no hope(1Thess 4:13). We have the blessed Holy Spirit as a comforter and “present help in need”. What a privilege! In our weaknesses and suffering, we can turn to God through faith in Christ Jesus.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.(Heb 4:15-16).</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-70446593905613532602015-09-30T23:08:00.005-07:002015-10-05T02:23:08.069-07:00Pleasing God In A Self Pleasing WorldThe chief end--purpose, reason of existence -- of man is to glorify self and enjoy self forever"...That of course is wrong, an adulteration by myself of the original "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". The adulteration however, is on purpose to sum up our self-obsessed generation. We live in an age preoccupied with self. It is a selfie generation. Everything is about self. Self-esteem, Self-confidence, Self-actualisation. Self is on the ascendancy. The whole fabric of society is woven with selfishness. Many are gods to themselves though they will not say it. They live, eat and breath self. In an online article, Kevin DeYoung aptly captured the self centeredness we carry around in what he calls "<a href="http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2014/08/28/what-kind-of-blessing/" target="_blank">The Beatitudes Of The World"</a><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are the rich, for theirs is the kingdom of pleasure. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are those who feel good about themselves, for they shall be confident. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are the aggressive, for they shall control the earth. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for recognition, for they shall be noticed. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are the demanding, for they shall receive what’s coming to them. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are the sexually liberated, for they shall be their own gods.Blessed are the scheming, for they shall be called children of the powerful. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Blessed are those who are praised by the world, for theirs is the kingdom of now.</blockquote>
<br />
These words vividly portrays what the human race is: selfish and self centered. It was selfishness; belief in a lie, a promise of independence from God and "self-exaltation" to deity that plummeted our first parents. They believed they could be like God; “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(Genesis 3:1-5).<br />
<br />
You will notice that, the first assault from the Serpent was against God's word;"Did God actually say"? Where ever self is dominant, people indulge in sin, attack the word and its authority. The word is twisted, rendered false by misinterpretation, sin is justified and the relevance of God's word called to disrepute. Why? So we will be able to please self and disregard what God's word says. In Matthew 4, during the encounter between Jesus and Satan, we see the devil consistently attacking the word of God to lure Jesus to disregard God's word and sin. Where ever there is a disregard for God's word, selfishness and sin is the result.<br />
<br />
Today, that same voice, which suggested independence from God and the prospect of deity In the garden of Eden is still loud in our generation. Many will have nothing to do with God. He is, to the unbelieving world, non-existent. If He is given attention at all; He exists to cater for our needs, grant our everyday desire; including approving of our every sin, because He is a God of love. ...J. I. Packer, in his book knowing God, pulls a punch against this distorted love of a Holy God. He wrote; "the God who is love is first and foremost light, and sentimental ideas of his love as an indulgent, benevolent softness, divorced from moral standards and concerns, must therefore be ruled out from the start. God’s love is holy love...God’s love is stern, for it expresses holiness in the lover and seeks holiness for the beloved. Scripture does not allow us to suppose that because God is love we may look to him to confer happiness on people who will not seek holiness, or to shield his loved ones from trouble when he knows that they need trouble to further their sanctification"<br />
<br />
Paul, writing to Timothy, saw the assault self will unleash on godliness. In 2Timothy 3:1-5, with prophetic precision, he hinted us on what to see in the last days: "...lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to ...parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.<br />
<br />
"...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God"...That caps it all, doesn't it? Fallen humanity will choose their evil ways above God's holy ways. We love ourselves. Our world today is ruled by subjective morality. The language is, "it is true, because it is what I want". The Prophet Isaiah rightly prophesied when he wrote "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way..."(Isaiah 53:6).<br />
<br />
Now, contrary to the world's self pleasing lifestyle, Scripture calls believers to a God glorifying, Christ exalting life. We are the light of the world(Matthew 5:16). Christians are people who have been delivered from the world of sin into a world of righteousness and holiness to show forth the praise of God(Colossians 1:13, 1Peter 2:9). Romans 12:2 admonishes us "not [to] be conformed to this world". To be conformed to the world is to imitate, act and think like the world. It is, as James puts it, "friendship with the world". The Christian life is a radical call to separate ourselves from the world-- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life. Jesus said if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off (Matthew 5:30, Mark 9:43). Jesus is in no way teaching self-mutilation for rigtheousness. He is painting a picture of how radical the call to separate ourselves from sin and self is. The standard for the believer is high. We are called to be perfect as our Father in heaven is. We are called to separate ourselves from the world. We are called to be holy as our Father is Holy.<br />
<br />
These however cannot be attained by mere goodwill. We are bound to fail if we attempt to please God in our strength. We first of all must come to a place of total surrender where we look to God for the strength to please Him. While Paul charges us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, he emphatically told us where the strength to please God and do his will comes from. It is from God Himself; He is the one who works in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure...we are here to please God, and all of our lives must be lived in honour and glory to God who is a rewarder of those who through faith seek him.<br />
<br />
To this end God has called us--His Glory! "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created".(Revelations 4:11)<br />
<br />Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-70578518298631119522015-09-20T04:29:00.000-07:002015-09-20T04:29:49.510-07:00Salvation By Grace Alone Through Faith Alone.<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians.2:8-9ESV).</blockquote>
In a <a href="https://www.blogger.com/(http://www.statsghana.gov.gh/pop_stats.html)" target="_blank">secular state with about 71%</a> professing Christianity; many grow up in Christian homes with Christian discipline. Raised and groomed "christianly"; the Christian faith appears normal to many. Nothing peculiar! Church attendance is a given. Talk of morality, philanthropy, fighting the social cause---you might be actively engaged. You probably have grown up believing you are a Christian. But there's a danger here. Growing up in a Christian home, regular church attendance, morality and philanthropy without saving faith in Christ still leaves you in a sinful state separated from God: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"(Romans 3:23).<br />
<br />
The whole world, without saving faith in Christ, lies dead in sin.(Eph 2). We are broken and sinful--totally depraved and needy of God's grace.The dispositions of our hearts are evil. We tend to believe we are good people. But no, Scripture describes us otherwise: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). If we are indeed dead in sins and our hearts desperately sick, how can we help ourselves? Human pride coupled with false religion suggests to us we can help ourselves. "We don't need God". Though many will not openly confess that, nonetheless they live that everyday. Truth is we can't help ourselves. But self-help sells. There are multitudes of them out there that promises you "your best life now".<br />
<br />
However, salvation is strictly a work of God's grace in our hearts. Try as hard as we may, our best efforts in reforming ourselves will only produce "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Our only hope of salvation is a divine work of grace that makes our hearts pliable to divine truth:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules".(Ezekiel 36:25-27).</blockquote>
<br />
Here we see the regenerating power of God's grace in our lives. He first removes our "heart of stone"; cold dead to divine truth, disobedient and unyeilding to Him and replaces it with a "heart of flesh"; alive to divine truth, obedient and yeilding to Him. This regenerating power of God's Spirit in our heart leads us to repentance from sin and saving faith in Jesus Christ for remission of sins unto salvation. It is only then you can call yourself a christian and a member of God's family. No one is deserving of God's grace. That's why it is in fact called grace--unmerited, undeserved favour. We contributed nothing to it. It is a gift and rightly so, a gift must be accepted and received.<br />
<br />
Now, try answering these questions: Are you a Christian? Is your heart regenerated? Are you born again? Have you come to saving faith putting your trust in Christ for the remission of sins? Be certain with your answer. No self-deception, lest in eternity future you hear Jesus saying to you; "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’(Matthew 7:23).<br />
<br />Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-3802024167978284992015-09-18T14:42:00.000-07:002015-09-18T14:42:01.605-07:00Christians: Channels Of Truth And God's Holiness<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Christians are children of the Sovereign,
Almighty, Most Holy, Most Wise and Infinite God. Creator of the heavens and the
earth and all that dwell in it. We are His children He “chose in Christ before
the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). Once upon a time, we were sinners,
children of disobedience and separated from God. But Scripture says, “while we
were still sinners, Christ died for us”(Rom 5:8). He died to reconcile sinners
to God. And by coming to Him through faith, we become His children. We are
adopted into the family of God (Jh 1:12-13,Rom 8:14-17).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Apart from being children of God, there are
different other descriptions used for the Christian. We are God’s elect. We are
His chosen ones. We are His sheep. We are His servants and ambassadors. We are
the salt and light of the world. These descriptions presents us with some
understanding of our relationship with God. He is a Father, Shepherd, and King.
He is Lord and ruler over us and His creation. If this is true of us, then as a
Father, Shepherd, King and Lord over our lives; He must have expectations of
us. It is said we are the hands and feet of Christ in the world. We are God’s
representatives on earth with a mandate to let Him be known to the world. We
are saved to show forth God’s glory to the world(Jh 15:16, 1 Pet 2:9, 2Cor
5:20).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">As God’s representatives on earth, we have
a mandate to make Him known, as already indicated. But if He is God–a Spirit,
infinite, eternal, and unchangeabled in his being, wisdom, power, holiness,
justice, goodness, and truth; how can we mere mortal and finite beings
represent Him and show forth His glory? How can we be channels by which His
truth and holiness will be known?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">I will offer two thoughts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">1. Know The Truth.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">How can we represent or be channels of what
we do not know? It is impossible. It will be an exercise in futility. We must
know the truth if we are to represent the truth. Truth is what God has revealed
about Himself in Scriptures. “The Word of God, which is contained in the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we
may glorify… [God]. (WSC 2A).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">In Deuteronomy 4:5, Moses clearly indicated
the source of the commandments he was giving the children of Israel. They were
God’s very words and commands: “See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as
the LORD my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are
entering to take possession of it”. These “statutes and rules” which are God’s
words are to be made known because they are true. Truth is not subjective.
Truth is not what other people definite it to be. Truth is what God calls truth
through His self-revelation in His word.(Pr 30:5) Jh 14:6, 17:17).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">The believer who doesn’t pay attention to
the truth of God’s word is going to live a defeated Christian life, tossed to
and fro by every wind of doctrine. Despite its importance, as humans, the
tendency of forgetting the important things of the faith is high. So constantly
in Scriptures, God reminds us of the importance of paying heed to His word
(Joshua 1:9, Psalms 1 & 119). The reality of our forgetfulness
necesscitates constant reminders: “Only take care, and keep your soul
diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they
depart from your heart all the days of your life. (Deut 4:9). Knowing the truth
also has an element of passing the truth on. “Make them known to your children
and your children’s children”(Deut 4:9).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-GB">2 Live The Truth</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Knowing the truth is not enough. We must
live the truth:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">…be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a
doer, he is like a man looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he
looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the
one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being
no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his
doing.(James 1:22-25).</span></div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Accumulation of truth is not the desired
end for the believer. Living in obedience to God and His word is the desired
end of biblical knowledge. I once heard a preacher say the worst sinner is the
one whose theology doesn’t reflect in their lives. I agree with him. The
highest level indeed of hypocrisy is to preach what we do not practice. God has
called us into a life of holiness. He chose us “that we should be holy and
blameless before him (Eph 1:4). We are also by the sanctifying power of the
Holy Spirit being conformed to the image of Christ. (Rom 8:29). Because He is
Holy, God calls us unto holiness(Lev 11:44, 1 Pet 1:16). Our manner of life
matters to God, because we are His representatives and others see His workings
in the world through our lives in our sanctification and holiness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">However, holiness is not only outward. It
is also inward; “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts,
sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit,
sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from
within, and they defile a person.”(Mark 7:21-23). There are people whose
outward deeds will, in the eyes of men recommend them to God. But before God,
they are “whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are
full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness”(Matt 23:27).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">That said, it is critical we understand
holiness cannot be produced by self-will. We can only be holy when we submit
ourselves in obedience to God’s truth enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In pursuit of personal holiness, which God has called every believer to, God
works and we respond: “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for
it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good
pleasure.”(Phil 1:12-13).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">Holiness doesn’t also spell perfectionism.
In our pursuit of holiness, we will fall and stumble sometimes. But we must not
relent to keep focus on Christ our righteousness. It is in His rigtheousness we
work out our righteousness. Apart from our personal holiness, we are also to be
people who care and love others not only in words, but in deeds. We are to
extend a hand of care and love to the society we find ourselves. We are to love
one another and care for the needs of others. In love, we show the love of God
to others. In love, we practice “pure religion”.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">These two, I believe are just but a few
ways we can be channels of God’s truth and holiness. We must never forget we
are instruments and channels through whom God shows forth His truth and
holiness to the world. Let us examine our lives and repent where we fall short
in representing God’s truth and holiness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB">You are the salt of the earth, but if salt
has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good
for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are
the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people
light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to
all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that
they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven.(Matthew 5:14-16).</span></div>
</blockquote>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-17288616198942911522015-09-02T02:55:00.000-07:002015-09-02T02:55:15.026-07:00Your Body Is The Sanctuary Of God<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God? You are not your own(1Corinthians 6:19).</blockquote>
Many of us practice a level of cleanliness in our homes, offices and
environment. We sweep compounds. We mop floors. We remove cobwebs etc. This is
because that is where we live. And when we are receiving visitors many of us do
a more thorough cleaning. Imagine the President of the land is paying you a
visit in your home.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
It is said that cleanliness is next to godliness. That is not entirely true,
if not entirely false. There are countless number of people who observe
marvellous standards of cleanliness and personal hygeine but are far from
godliness. That said, if we are believers, we must indeed strive to live lives
of excellence which might include personal hygiene and cleanliness of our
environment. At least if the earth belongs to our God and all that dwell in it,
we must be stewards of it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
When we were moving from our previous accommodation to where we currently
live, the landlord came in to inspect the state of his facilities. He was
grateful and thanked us for keeping his facilities clean and intact. He
continued by saying "most tenants when they leave a facility leave it in a
worse and deplorable state". When we first moved into that property, that
was going to be our home for the period we will be living there so we kept it
as we will keep our own property. How we keep that place gives an indication of
the kind of people we are.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Now, God tells believers our body is His sanctuary. It is His temple. It is
His dwelling place. When we become born again, when the Holy Spirit regenerates
our hearts and quickens our mortal body, He takes residence in us. What this
means is that God owns us. We belong to Him. He has control over our body. The
huge edifices, cathedrals and temples put up by "human hands" are not
God's dwelling. Our body is through the Holy Spirit and the word.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and
earth, does not live in temples made by man.</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p><br />
If our body belongs to God and His Spirit dwells in us, then God calls us to
holiness. He calls us cleanliness and purity. He commands us to stay away from
desecrating that temple. If we will take pains to clean our homes and
environment, then we must as a command make our body a worthy dwelling place
for God. Not necessarily in personal hygiene(though it matters), but in sexual
purity and holiness. Since our body is not ours but God's, He must be glorified
in us.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body(1Corinthians
6:20).</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p>Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-47989161856048017122015-09-01T06:38:00.000-07:002015-09-01T06:38:15.389-07:00Be Fervent In Spirit: Serve The Lord<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.(Romans 12:11).</blockquote>
<br />
Life does get boring sometimes. Suddenly, the things that gives us joy doesn't again. The same thing can happen to a believer in the Christian walk which inadvertently affects our passion for spiritual things. Our hearts get cold. We become slothful--lazy--a state every believer must guard against.<br />
<br />
The church is one of the many means God has ordained for our growth; where our faith is sharpened and built up. When we are saved, God places us in a community of believers to be built up and to in turn build others up. The church--an assembly of the called out ones--like the human body has many parts. Each part of the human body has a part to play. The eye can't claim superiority over the legs. Every part of the body has its specific role. No part of the body is insignificant.<br />
<br />
In that same comparison, every believer, as a member of the body of Christ has a significant role to play. We are not independent isolated members of the body of Christ. As members of the body of Christ, we all have a part to contribute to its growth. Paul brings this point home in the earlier verses of Romans 12. In verse 4-5, he says<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another</blockquote>
<br />
As members of the body, we are all endowed with gifts and abilities for the building and growth of the body of Christ. In the words of John MacArthur, "The church is a living, breathing organism that functions as life and breath on the basis of the ministry of each member to minister to the others. This is why the church is seen as a body and every one of us as a member of that body. We have a function in harmony and symphony with every other member." We see this further clearly spelt out in vs 6-8.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.</blockquote>
<br />
Despite these rich endowment of gifts each member of the body of Christ has, many believers sit idle without making their gifts benefit the body. They are almost non-existent though they are physically present. Why? Either they have not identified their gifts or think of themselves and their gifts as insignificant or worse still they are simply lazy. Having the knowledge we are all gifted in the body, it is mandatory we take steps to identify our gifts and be actively involved in building the body. Many are actively and passionately involved in other things apart from service to the Lord. Like the third person in the parable of the talents, many believers have buried their gifts and are making no returns on it.<br />
<br />
Certainly when the Master returns, they will hear Him say to them "You wicked and slothful servant!"(Matt 25:26). Not to put our gifts to the benefits of others in the body of Christ is wickedness and slothfulness--laziness.<br />
<br />
In Revelations, Christ warns against lukewarmness. God demands of us to be fervent in service to Him. We are to present [ourselves] as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual worship(Rom 12:1). This imperative cannot be obeyed without making ourselves available as vessels in God's kingdom.<br />
<br />
Are you idle and uninvolved in God's kingdom? It is time to get active. Pray that God will help you find your gift to put to use in the building of His kingdom.<br />
<br />Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-24582267418379133582015-08-21T15:48:00.001-07:002015-08-21T15:48:55.436-07:00The Carnal Mind And The Spiritual Mind.<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are [children] of God.--Romans 8:14</blockquote>
In Romans 8, Paul contrasts a life lived under the dictates of the flesh with a life lived under the influence and control of the Holy Spirit. He argued that, “we[children of God] are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.”(Rom 8:12). To be a debtor to the flesh, is to be under bondage to sin and controlled by the desires of the flesh.<br />
<br />
Living under bondage of the flesh, Paul says leads to death; “For if you live according to the flesh you will die”(vs 13).<br />
<br />
In life we are all driven by a specific desire: success, fame, money, power, influence, pleasure etc. But as believers, we should be driven by the glory of God. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever (WSC).<br />
<br />
Where is your desire? (Ps 42: 1-2, Matt 6:33, Phil 3:10, Col 3:1). The difference between those driven by the desires of their flesh and those submitted to the Spirit is simply that, the latter are regenerated, born again and indwelt by the Spirit of God. They are sons–children–of God.<br />
<br />
If the Spirit of God lives in you and you are truly converted, there must be a growing evidence of victory over the desires of your flesh. If there is no evidence of change and transformation in the dispositions of your heart which of course shows in your way of life, then there is a legitimate reason for your conversion to be questioned. You must be yearning and desiring to please God in all you do.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him" (Rom 8:7-9).</blockquote>
<br />
There is a Litmus test for who is a child of God! Is yours a mind set on the flesh or a mind set on the Spirit? The best judge is you if indeed you belong to Christ: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!(2 Cor 13:5).Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-49817221699450105112015-08-20T08:02:00.000-07:002015-08-20T08:02:18.087-07:00Christ Our Living Bread<blockquote class="tr_bq">
1 Kings 19:4-8, Ephesians 4:25, John 6:41-51</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Bible draws many analogies from the natural world to
teach lessons about spiritual reality. Light, darkness, water, etc. Bread is
one of the commonly used analogies from the natural world which speaks to
spiritual reality. Jesus indicates in John 6:51 that He is “the living bread
that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.
And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bread in the natural signifies food. We eat to to live. We
eat to have strength. We eat for nourishment. We eat to satisfy hunger. In the wilderness,
after Elijah has run away from Jezebel’s threat for fear of his life, he was
constantly supplied with food for his physical nourisment and strength.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And the angel of the LORD came again a second time and
touched him and said, “Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.”And
he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days
and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.(1 Kings 19:7-8).</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note vs 8 carefully. Elijah “went in the strength of that
food forty days and forty nights”. Physically, he was strengthened by food. He
was nourished by food. He ate to live in order to continue his assignment. If
bread gives nourishment and life to the physical body, the “the living bread”
who is Christ gives the spiritual food
we need for spiritual life, strength and nourishment. He is the “living bread”
because He gives eternal life to sinners who are separated from God by sin. He
reconciles sinners dead in sin to God.(Rom 3:23, 2 Cor 5:19).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spiritually, without Christ, there is a gulf between us and
God. We all deserve eternal damnation. But “the living bread”—Jesus Christ–
administers life to all who through faith in Him will come to God to satisfy
their spiritual hunger. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said “Man shall not live by bread
alone but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. Then in John 1:1,
we are told Jesus is the Word incarnate. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Saint Augustine rightly described this spiritual gulf, void
and hunger when he said in his Confessions, </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
You have made us for yourself, and
our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you.</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indeed our hearts are restless till they find rest in God.
Because God created us for Himself and for His glory. The only satisfaction we
will have in life is satisfaction derived from the source of our lives — the
Word of God, the Fountain of Living Water, the Living bread, our sin Bearer,
our Advocate and the Mediator between God and man.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is to Jesus we must turn, for without Him, we can do
nothing(Jn 15:5). In Him we live and move and have our being(Acts 17:28). We
are the sheep of His pasture(Ps. 100:3). We are the branches abiding in the
True Vine(Jn 15:4). All other sources of satisfaction are pale in the face of
God’s immense provision for satisfaction of our souls.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
O! may our hearts be nourished by God’s Word: The Living
Bread. Sex won’t do. Alcohol won’t do. Illicit drugs and relationships won’t
do. We will find true and lasting satisfaction only if we will turn to God who
loves us and came down in human form in the person of Jesus Christ to die to
reconcile us to himself. He is the living bread. He is the one with authority
given to Him to forgive sins and justify all who will come to Him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Don’t fill up that void with anything else apart from a
lasting, loving relationship with the Living Bread; Jesus the Son of the Living
God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Guide me, O Thou great Redeemer.<br /> Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak but Thou art
mighty. Hold me with Thy powerful hand.<br />Bread of heaven, bread of heaven.<br /> Feed me till I want no more. Feed me till I want n</i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-13002904806787840922015-08-05T07:45:00.000-07:002015-08-05T07:53:39.953-07:00Create In Me A Clean Heart<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+11%2C12&version=ESV">2 Samuel 11,12</a>. <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms+51%3A1-12&version=ESV">Psalms 51:1-12</a></blockquote>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We live in a fallen world in a fallen body. A world broken
with pain and heartaches. A world inundated with sin. Believers have been
separated from sin to righteousness, yet we struggle with sin and fail
sometimes if not often. Unbelievers are called unto repentance from their sins.
Sin is the root of all our predicaments.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every now and then a scandal breaks making news headline.
Apart from those making the headlines, numerous, equally scandalous, go
unnoticed; they occur in “secret places”. However, though removed from the
public eye, God sees all that is done in “secret places”. <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">(</span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ps+139%3A7&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c7c7c; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Ps 139:7</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">, </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A13&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Heb 4:13</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">).</span>.One of such scandals took place in
the palace of an ancient king. The story is narrated in 2 Samuel 11 through to
12. David commits adultery with Bathsheba. She takes seed and in an attempt to
cover up, David connives with his army general, Joab, to assassinate Uriah,
Bathsheba’s husband. The plot was well executed. Uriah is dead, David marries
Bathsheba. Done and dusted! No one knows what has transpired. But wait, though
done in secret, the Bible tells us an “Omnipresent eye” was watching:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.(2
Samuel 11:27b).</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God, displeased with David’s sin, sends Nathan, a prophet to
confront David. After the “charge sheet” has been read out to David; Scripture
records “David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan
said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; You shall not die” (2
Samuel 12:13). Fast forward to Psalms 51 and David penned his prayer of
repentance on a musical note.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The effects of David’s sin on his relationship with God and
himself can be seen in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms51&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Ps 51:8-12</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">. </span> His joy was gone. He senses a gulf
between himself and God. Spiritually, unrepentant sin separates humanity from
God. Naturally, the first reaction many
of us take, when we sin, is to hide and pretend. This also, we inherited from
our first parents. Their first reaction when they fell was to hide themselves
from God:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
…the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of
the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Gen 3:8).</blockquote>
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You see, sin has ramifications. Psalms 51 gives us a picture
of the weight of sin. Sin is first and foremost against God; an infinitely Holy
God: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”
(vs4). To be bothered about sin in your life is to be bothered about a good
cause.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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At this point I will offer three suggestions to undergo a
“heart cleansing”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>1: Acknowledge Your Sins.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Hiding our sin is a great deception. We must bring our sins
before God to be healed and forgiven. The first verses of Psalms 51, i.e. vs
1-3 opens with David acknowleding his sin. In 2 Samuel 12:13, we see this same
truth. When Nathan confronted David with his sin, he didn’t debate, deny or
justify his sin. He admitted to his sins immediately.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In our age of self-esteem and self-aggrandisement; we will
do everything to ignore our sins, cover it up with activity; more activity
eventually drowning the voice of our conscience. When we mourn over our sins,
we are told not to be hard on ourselves. But sin is ubiquitous. In theology,
the universal presence of sin is termed Original sin. Ps 51:5 tells us the
origin of sin; “I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother
conceive me.” Sin is natural with us as a result of the fall.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The whole world, without saving faith in Christ, lies dead
in sin.(Eph 2). The dispositions of our hearts are evil. “The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer
17:9). When Isaiah encountered the holiness of the Lord, his depravity and
sinfulness stared him in the face: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of
unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes
have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”(6:5).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When Peter encountered Jesus, his sinful nature couldn’t
stand the presence of The Holy One. Falling at Jesus’ knees, he exclaimed:
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8). Paul, in deep
anguish, I believe over indwelling sin, cried out; “[O] Wretched man that I am!
Who will deliver me from this body of death?”(Romans 7:24). The tax collector
who showed up in prayer with the self-righteous Pharisee is also worth
mentioning. He, “… standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,
but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’(Luke 18:13).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>2: Repent: Look To Jesus</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“God be merciful to me, a sinner”. This prayer, devoid of
eloquence and “empty phrases” got God’s attention. Hear Jesus’ commentary. “I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified…”(vs14). God hears the
prayers of the penitent who looks up to Him in humility and true repentance for
forgiveness of their sins: “…a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O
God, you will not despise.”(Psalms 51:17).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A renunciation of the presence of sin is probably the worst
predicaments that has happened to the human race. Instead of addressing sin as
sin; we live in denial, replacing sin with psychological words aimed at
drowning and soothing our conscience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sin has eternal ramifications and must be treated as such.
We must not live in denial of the
presence of sin in our lives. We are all sinners from conception and having
inherited the consequence of Adam’s disobedience, Scriptures accuses us and
places us distanced from the glory of God <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">(</span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalms51&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c7c7c; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Psalms 51:5,</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;"> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A23&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Romans 3:23</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">).</span></div>
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Sinner, will you do the noblest thing of your life by
acknowledging your sins? Run to the outstretched arms of the Saviour Jesus for
forgiveness and remission of your sins. Come just as you and receive pardon for
your sins. <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">(</span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+28%3A13&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Pro 28:13</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">, </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matt+11%3A28-30&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c7c7c; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Matt 11:28-30,</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;"> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A12-13&version=ESV" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1c7c7c; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; vertical-align: baseline;">Jn 1:12-13</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: 'Roboto Slab', Georgia, Times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 27px;">).</span></div>
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<b>3: Submit To The Holy Spirit</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Go and sin no more”: I think on two occasions, Jesus
pronounced these words to people who have been forgiven of their sins. The
woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:11) and the paralysed man who was healed by
Jesus (Jn 5:1-14).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When we come to saving faith through the regeneration of the
Holy Spirit, God requires from us a life of holiness and separation from sin
(Eph 1:4, 1 Pet 1:15-17). We are called out of the world not to be friends with
the world–lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and pride of life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This, left on our own is a daunting task, because as long as
we live on this side of eternity, our struggles with the flesh and with sin
will continue(Gal 5:17, Matt 26:14).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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However, despite the struggles, we are not victims of our
flesh. We are not left on our own to
suffer under bondage of sin. God works in us to will and do of His good
pleasure, while we, with the help of the Holy Spirit also work out our
salvation with fear and trembling. We need not be overcomed by sin once we have
been regenerated.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Holy Spirit renews and gives us strength to be
victorious when we submit daily to Him by taking advantage of the means of
grace available to us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Broken and sinful, we all need grace and forgiveness of sin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Blessed, merciful, Jehovah, Lord, my sin, You have forgiv’n.
Now I’m filled with joy eternal, Now I’m satisfied in faith. O my soul, give
thanks with praises, Great is God’s blessings we have. Merciful, He loved,
redeemed me, Evil dungeon saved me from.~~Presbyterian Church of Ghana hymn
462, Author:Philipp. Friedrich. Hiller 1699-1769. Scripture:Matthew 18 vs. 27<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-91149135669104122582015-08-01T00:14:00.000-07:002015-08-01T00:14:40.420-07:00May The Lord Be With You<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.(2 Timothy 4:22).</blockquote>
2 Timothy 4:22 is a benediction. As is common with all the epsitles, the Apostles conlude their letters with a benediction; invoking divine help, blessings and guidance. Here is one common one:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.(2 Cor. 13:14).</blockquote>
Benedictions are not a mere pronouncement of blessings. Rather, they are pronouncements of blessings based on the truth of God’s word and His providence in our daily, even mundane routines of life. God is not distant. He is not removed from the struggles of our lives. He is “a very present help in trouble.”(Ps 46:1).<br />
<br />
Through benedictions, we receive comfort and encouragement in every situation. Our spirits are lifted. It is of great comfort to also note that pronouncement of benediction is God ordained:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.(Numbers 6:22-26).</blockquote>
There are indeed many promises in the Bible from which we can draw strength and comfort in difficult moments. One of such promises is the promise of the ever abiding presence of God. He has promised He will never leave us nor forsake us. David, in the very popular Psalms 23 said “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” He continued: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”.<br />
<br />
Whatever dark moments life presents this month, God is able to empower us to override those dark moments. His presence is more than a thousand demons set in array against us. In his presence there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more (Ps. 16:11).<br />
<br />
Today, as you go through this new month, “May your spirit know the presence of the Lord”.Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4165706768200879063.post-63336383701544370692015-07-31T09:52:00.000-07:002015-07-31T09:52:25.813-07:00Renewed By The Holy Spirit<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+3%3A5-6&version=ESV" target="_blank">Titus 3:5-6</a></blockquote>
The Christian life is a relationship between a Holy God and sinful humanity,
who, God in Christ has reconciled unto Himself (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+5%3A19&version=ESV" target="_blank">2 Cor 5:19</a>). The Bible describes
all of us as sinners separated from God by sin (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom.+3%3A23&version=ESV" target="_blank">Rom. 3:23</a>). As Christians,
we were once dead in sin, but God through the Holy Spirit quickened us. He gave
us life. He changed the disposition of our sinful hearts and brought us to
saving faith in Christ Jesus.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Coming to Christ in faith is the first work of renewal the Holy Spirit does
in our hearts.<o:p></o:p><br />
He produces faith in our hearts to believe in Christ for the remission of
sins. Salvation is a work of God through the Holy Spirit. Our renewal starts
from the day we believed in Christ and were given the right to become children
of God.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
Now that we are children of God, what is required of us by God?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
God requires from us a life of holiness and separation from sin. It not just
a requirement. It is what we were created to be: holy (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Eph+1%3A4&version=ESV" target="_blank">Eph 1:4</a>, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Pet+1%3A15-17&version=ESV" target="_blank">1 Pet 1:15-17</a>). We are
called out of the world not to be friends with the world--lust of the flesh,
lust of the eyes and pride of life. This, left on our own is a daunting task
because as long as we live on this side of eternity, our struggles with the
flesh and with sin will continue:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the
Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you
from doing the things you want to do.(Gal 5:17).</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak(Matt 26:41).</blockquote>
However, despite the struggle, we are not victims of our flesh. We are not
left on our own to suffer under bondage of sin. God works in us to will
and do of His good pleasure, while we, with the help of the Holy Spirit also
work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We need not be overcome by sin.
The Holy Spirit renews and gives us strength to be victorious.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
How can we access this strength to be victorious?<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
By submission to God through prayer and feeding on His word:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. 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.(Rom 12:1-4).</blockquote>
<o:p></o:p>Enoch Antihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04585299669467410260noreply@blogger.com0