Posts for Tag : salvation

You Need A New Administration Over Your Life  0

 July 24, 2020  

Everyone agrees that: Death ends each person’s existence on this earth! Yes, ALL without exception eventually die. No person knows when, where, and how he will die. Death cannot even be postponed. Once it is your turn, you must go.

The thought of death could be frightening if you do not know where you will be going. Some are forced to think about it after surviving a serious accident or at the death of a loved one. Many push the thought of death out of their mind until it is too late.

When you die, you will face God. Standing before God, “the judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25), is a serious matter.

If you were to die before you finish reading this note, what account are you going to give to God?

 Up to this moment, you have been the President and Chief Executive Officer of your life, ruling and running your life as you wanted.

How is your life faring under your presidency?

If you continue to run your life as you have, will your life-report be acceptable by God when you stand before Him?

  • You think you are a good person?
  • If ALL your activities including your thoughts for just the past one year were to be shown on prime television, will you be proud or be horrified?
  • Are there things you will desperately wish should not be shown?

Your response shows that you have a conscience and the ability to know what is right and what is wrong. But somehow, you have managed to continue to do wrong things because you have suppressed your conscience.  

 1st God has examined us and given His findings – ALL are sinners

ALL of us human beings, including YOU are sinners:

  • “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And
  • “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

In other words, in God’s opinion, we fall short of His standard.

Please recognise that an orange tree is not an orange tree because it produces oranges. Rather, it produces oranges because it is an orange tree.

Similarly, you are not a sinner because you sin, rather, you sin because you are a sinner.

Put another way:

You as the CEO of the company called YOU have managed the company very badly. Company YOU is in such a bad state that if things continue the way they are now, everything will soon be completely ruined. Hence, Company YOU needs immediate and urgent attention.

 2nd God’s decree is that the sinner shall die

According to the creator of mankind, all souls belong to Him and the soul that sins (fall short of His standard) shall die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20).

“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). That is to say, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in Hell.

 3rd There will be a day of reckoning – a day for all to give account.

One day all will stand before God to give account of their lives while one earth:

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15).

These are the words of the Lord telling us of the fate of every unbeliever.

4th Truth remains truth always

Please at this early stage, let me remind you of an unchangeable fact:

  • Truth is still truth even if you do not believe it. Your unbelief cannot and will not alter the nature of truth.
  • You can be sincerely wrong. That is, you can be sincere or honest and still be wrong.

So, please, do not dismiss what you are reading here with a wave of the hand as myth, or untrue just because you don’t believe right now.

 5th But God doesn’t want you or any sinner to die

But it is not God’s wish that anybody should die. Friend, believe it, yes, it is true: God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner (Ezekiel 18:32). Hear God calling ALL including you now:

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die? (Ezekiel 33:11).

So he made provision for us (those who will be willing) to be saved because He still loves us:

  • “But God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Also
  • “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John 4:10).

In other words, even in our sin, God continued to show us His love and demonstrated this love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. He thus gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16).

 6th You cannot save yourself

Except the judge does, no prisoner can set himself free. Similarly, the sinner cannot set himself free. Yes, you cannot set yourself free.

You may consider yourself good, perhaps because you are religious, or you live a morally upright life, or you do good to others and you are loved by everyone, or you have joined a church and you are contributing much money there, or you are engaged in a lot of charity work, or you are a very generous philanthropist. All these may be good and do have their place, but they will not save you.

No amount of good work and being on your best behaviour can save you. Your salvation is not based on the merit of what works and contributions you have made to society.

Simply put – you cannot be your own saviour. This is a fact you need to admit to yourself for salvation is:

  • “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9).
  • “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5).

Your salvation is based on what someone else had done.

 7th God has made provision for your salvation

Between you the sinner and a Holy God is the sin barrier. To remove that barrier, God provided His Son, Jesus Christ:

  • “The Lord Laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
  • “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).
  • “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
  • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ can therefore offer you salvation as a gift. All you need is believe and appropriate His provision.

 8th an appeal: Come under a New Management

Jesus says to you, the sinner: “Come unto Me!”

I appeal to you as a fellow human being, and in the name of the Lord, hear and accept His invitation now:

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30).

Further, He says:

I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

You now have to believe God’s word and take the step of faith by accepting and appropriating the way of salvation He has provided for us in Jesus Christ.

You are a sinner who has badly run his life like a very poorly run company. You cannot save yourself. This sinking company called YOU needs to be saved. It needs a new CEO. That New CEO is the Lord Jesus Christ.

 You reading this, should take that step of faith now. It is not complicated. Rather, the word is near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart (Rom 10:8):

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

Furthermore, we are told:

whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

That is to say, ALL that appropriate the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him.

Act now, come under a New Management!

God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

And remember that those who believe the word of God and accept His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ will not come under judgement because their names are entered in the Book of Life:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

But the unrepentant sinner’s name will not be in the Book of Life, and he will be judged:

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15).

 Therefore, it is a dangerous thing not to believe what God has done for humanity through Jesus Christ. There is no other means, way or provision available to man. ALL goes to and through Jesus Christ. For:

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12).

And so it follows that:

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18).

You have the information now and please know that:

these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31).

There is a decision to make. You alone can make that decision now.

  • The decision is to appropriate the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross as yours, so He becomes your saviour and Lord.
  • But please do not delay.
  • Let today be the day of your salvation.
  • ACT NOW!!!
  • Let The Lord Jesus Christ be Saviour and Lord of your life – the New CEO of your life calling the shots and you obeying as He brings the company called “YOU” back to life.
 Exhortation, Salvation , , , , ,

What to Do in Time of Crisis  0

 May 27, 2020  

We may be faced with crisis or situations that threaten us at one time or another. We may be unable to avoid such an event or even do something about it.

How should we respond in such a time?

For even though we may not be able to do something, responding is a natural human instinct. We just feel we must do something even when we don’t know what.

The world faces a situation that threatens all of us right now. Virtually every country is prepared for the possibility of a conventional war with some other country. Many countries spend a disproportionately higher proportion of their wealth on preparing for such wars. Some even foment troubles in other countries so as to be able to sell and test their weapons to both sides in such conflicts.

Oftentimes, our responseto the problem or difficulty is the problem and not the crisis confronting us. This is because of the attendant anxiety and fear which make us prone to inappropriate response. We become so strung up with fear that we may not even realise that our response to the problem is inappropriate or outrightly wrong and counterproductive.

Hence, our response to the problem may become a major complication of the already bad situation. And so our response to the problem is the problem and not the crisis confronting us. Our attitude is crucial in any situation, more so, in crisis situations.

Our attitude in time of Crisis

Generally, believers in Christ respond to crisis in one of several ways:

  • Some cover up the problem hoping that it will just go away.
  • Some give up. Claiming that it is God’s will, or the enemies are this time just too powerful and God will not do anything either.
  • Some deny they have a problem. They believe or have been taught that admitting to having a problem is confessing negatively or a sign of lack of faith. They have not learnt that Christianity is not positive confession but relationship with the creator of the universe.
  • Some panic and want to end it all by doing some terrible things. and in the process act out of impulse. Such acts often lead to unpleasant consequences.
  • Few pray.

Effect of the attitude

Very often it is not the crisis that destroys the person, but what the person does: Whether he acts or Does not act. And whatever he acts are all responses.

For those who belong to the LORD, our attitude is a measure of the health of our relationship with God. The closer you have walked with the LORD, the closer your attitude will reflect the rectitude of those who are abiding under the shadow of the Almighty.

The attitude of the believer in Christ is a reflection of his level of spiritual growth.

It is common for many people to claim to have little faith and then be asking God for more faith during a crisis. But oftentimes the person claiming to have a little faith has yet to know the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord. He is still outside the circle of the people of God. Rather than asking for more faith in the person he does not know, the right thing for such a person to do is to come to the place of repentance and then be saved by the Lord before he can begin to think of faith whether great or little.

But for those who are already believers in Christ, it is the exercising in the spiritual disciplines and being regularly in the word and the ministration of the Holy Spirit that help us to grow in faith as we advance in spiritual growth. This presupposes having a habit of putting God first in all that we do. Then at the time of crisis we know where to turn. King Jehoshaphat of Judah can be cited as a case in point (2Chr 20:1-13). 

In time of crisis check and ensure you have an attitude of prayer

Our status in time of crisis

This then brings us to the issue of our status before God.

Who are you before God, His child or His enemy?

We must have a God, not just believe there is a God. We must have been reconciled to Him [born-again] and in right relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ.

The demons believe there is God and tremble (Jam 2:19), a belief that has not led them to repentance and willing obedience to God. It is also not about moralising, claiming that you do good to others and are harming no one. Any moralist not reconciled to God is heading towards hell unless he repents and is reconciled to God soonest (Isa 64:6).

So, you should not flippantly claim a relationship with Christ. It will not only be a worthless exercise but can be dangerous as you are only luring yourself into false security. Rather, examine yourself not by your feelings but by the word of God to see if you are genuinely in faith with Christ as your Saviour and Lord.

If any of us believers in Christ having God as our Father is out of fellowship because of sin, we should repent of such and be reconciled to Him immediately. It is through confessing and repenting as we forsake the sin that we then receive pardon and are reconciled to and are back in fellowship with the Lord (1John 1:8-9).

Believers in Christ are not insulated from challenges of life. Indeed the word of God tells us that challenges are part of being a follower of Christ.

As believers in Christ in this time of global crisis of corona virus pandemic with individual and personal ramifications,or indeed during any crisis, we should not give room to fear. Notice that I did not say do not be afraid. This is because we have not to pretend, we all fear sometimes, especially in times of crisis. And right now there is an atmosphere of fear prevailing over the whole world, so thick, it can be cut with a knife!

The children of God are commanded,

“Neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid” (Isa 8:12).

This is especially important as if as a follow-up to this we are further told,

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2Tim 1:7).

What is important is what we do for that is what shows whether we are beginning to give room to fear or not. We must focus our attention and not allow ourselves to be distracted. Particularly at this time our focus should be on God, especially on three of the traits of God as they concern our relationship with our God: His power, His character, and His promise.

Yes, come to God having faith in the power of God, Faith in God’s character, and Faith in God’s promise.

Believe that you are still a child of God in spite of the problem. The crisis is not a sign that God has left you.

Three traits of God

According to the word of God, there is no situation that we may face that God does not already know about. Why we may be surprised or even shocked to numbness because of the suddenness and seriousness of a situation, our God is never caught unawares or unprepared. We have an all-knowing and all-able God who is our loving Father.

We are to therefore approach Him on the basis of relationship. He is our Father and we are members of His earthly household. Our God is infinitely better in every aspect than even the best of earthly fathers at his best.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16).

We come to our Father in humility and deep reference having:

  • Faith in the power of our God (past, present and future) 
  • Faith in the character of our God
  • Faith in the promise of God

Faith in the power of God (v.7)

We must have faith in the power of our God (past, present and future). Our God is the God in heaven and on earth. For the avoidance of any doubt as to who our God is:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” (Gen 1:1-2).

And

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5).

“21 …..and there is no God else beside me; A just God and a saviour; there is none beside me. 22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: For I am God, and there is none else.” (Isa 45:21-22).

We see the demonstration of the faith of Jehoshaphat and the people as he addressed a question to God,

“Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?” (2Chr 20:7).

Of course, the answer is yes, god was the one. In other words, Jehoshaphat was telling God that God defended His people in the past and he believed God was going to deliver them from their current predicament too.

Our God is the Triune God: One God in three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Our God rules over all the kingdoms of the earth. In His hand are power and might so that none is able to withstand Him (2Chr 20:6). He will execute judgement upon our enemies. Let it be said that though we may not have power over the horde that come against us (any and all adversaries), we may not know what to do, but our eyes are on our God (2Chr 20:12).

Psalm 91 speaks much about our God and our security in and from Him. We only need to believe and act on that belief: That is faith.

Our God is:

  • A shelter of Strength
  • A refuge of Rest
  • A fortress of Peace where we can rest, be in peace and have living hope from the fears of life.

Look at verses 1 & 2 again.

What do you notice?

That there is something required of us believers. We are to abide.

How do we abide?

The Lord asked a question then which still applies today,

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

And went on to clarify what it means to abide in Him,

“24 Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Mat 7:24-27).

We abide by doing the will of God. We must constantly affirm our trust in our God. We cannot love one we do not know. We cannot do God’s will if we do not know and love Him.  

Faith in God’s character (vv.6, 12)

We must have faith in the character of our God (vv.6, 12). The LORD is God in heaven and on earth. He is a covenant keeping God (Deut. 4:39; 1Kgs 8:23; 2Chr 20:6). He has demonstrated in His dealings with His creation that He is consistent and completely trustworthy. And we have the sure testimony of Holy Scripture,

“6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” (Ex 34:6-7).

Jehoshaphat approached God on the grounds of God’s previous record. God has been consistent. He has been and continued to be the God in heaven who has all the power and might. He rules over all the kingdoms and he judges the ungodly. It is God’s character to be consistent and trustworthy.

“and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?” (2Chr 20:6).

And

“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” (2Chr 20:12).

Our God will judge the ungodly and reward the godly ultimately at the end of the age at the second coming of Christ. Meanwhile He continues to deal with all His creation according to His own counsel. In the final analysis, we do not know the details as to how God makes His decisions about us on day to day basis. He knows how powerful and hateful the wicked are and will not leave us at their mercy (2Chr 20:12).

Our God is all powerful and is never weary. We cannot search out His understanding. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might He increases strength of those who do not have.

“28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth,            Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall:       31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa 40:28-31).

Our God will supply us with whatever we need to pass through any situation threatening to overwhelm us. Whatever such challenges are they have an expiry sate well known to our God. He will ensure we outlive whatever the scourge may be in the Name of Jesu, Amen.

Faith in God’s promise

We must have faith in God’s promise. God promises to keep us safe (Ps 91:7, 11-12). Everything God says concerning you will come true for He stands by His word to perform what He has spoken. God always stands by His word and hastens to perform it (Jer. 1:12).

And

“10  For as the rain cometh down, And the snow from heaven, And returneth not thither, But watereth the earth, And maketh it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11     So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isa 55:10-11).

“7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee.

11For he shall give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” (Ps 91:7, 11-12).

All of us believers in Christ should have every confidence in God and trust Him to be true to all His promises to all He has given to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, our Saviour and our Lord.

Approach God as your Father having faith in His power, character and promise.

We now come to the content of our prayer and this brings us to the actions of king Jehoshaphat

The contents of our prayer (cf. 2Chr 20:1-13)

“1It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. 2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi. 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” (2Chr 20:1-3).

Jehoshaphat was a God-fearing king, doing things that pleased God according to the testimony of Holy Scripture (2Chronicle 17:3-6):

“3 And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; 4 but sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 5 Therefore the Lord stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance. 6 And his heart was lift up in the ways of the Lord: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.” (2Chr 17:3-6).

Yet he was confronted by a crisis situation as the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir united and came against Judah with a great multitude (2Chr 20:1-2). Being a believer in Christ does not always mean we would not have to face crisis situation. As Jehoshaphat faced the great multitude of the enemies, he was afraid but did not give room to fear as he went to God (2Chr 20:3-5).

At the time of a crisis more than any other we need to appraise our prayer life, especially the contents of what we offer to God.

  • Brother, sister, how do you pray?
  • What do you pray?

Please, check again!

To assist us, let us take a closer look at the prayer of king Jehoshaphat as to what we may learn from there.

We observe some basic facts:

Relationship with God

“God of our father” (2Chr 20:6). This speaks of relationship. Christ taught His disciples to start with relationship, “Our Father which art in heaven” (Mat 6:9). Jehoshaphat acknowledged that they belonged to God. The land that their enemies were threatening was a gift of God (v.7). Our relationship with God is paramount. It is the foundation for all else. God is our Father who has adopted us through His Son Jesus Christ. He knows and loves us and will do us good.

“5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?” (2Chr 20:5-6).

Ownership.

Many live with the mind set of “it is my life and I can live anyhow I want. I am the captain of my ship, paddle your own canoe!” And if it so happens that they have a “measure of success”, they say, “I worked hard for my success, I am responsible for my success.” As the word of God makes us to understand, there are those who say in their heart that there is no God and they act accordingly.

But genuine believers would not fall for that fallacy as they know that is far from the truth for there is the God who created all things. Believers in Christ know this God has made them new creatures in Christ (2Cor 5:17). We must acknowledge God’s ownership of us. Our Lord Jesus Christ has purchased us (His church) with His blood. We no longer belong to ourselves but to Him (1Pet 1:18-19; Rev 5:9). As our God, He rules our lives and will not brood any interference from anyone who may want to take over His place in our lives.

The enemies wanted to determine how Jehoshaphat and Judah should live, something that is totally the prerogative of God. Naturally, God would not allow such. Similarly, when problems and situations threaten to overwhelm us, we should recognise God’s ownership of us and plead with Him not to allow such to usurp His place in our lives.

God is our help.

Jehoshaphat asserted that he was turning to God in time of need (vv.8-9).

“8 And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, 9 If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.” (2Chr 20:8-9).

As the people of God, we should let God know we are turning to Him in our time of need. We are to draw near to God, “unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Indictment of the enemy.

Jehoshaphat indicted their enemy for their show of ingratitude. Israel had restrained from attacking these countries (Ammon, Edom and Moab) at the time of the exodus as they encountered them in their wandering in the wilderness (vv.10-11; cf. Num. 20:17-21; Deut. 2:4-5).

“10 And now behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11 behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.” (2Chr 20:10-11).

At the commandment of God (Mat 5:44-48), (I do hope we are obeying this difficult command to the best of our ability), believers in Christ have continued to do good to the ungodly and their enemies. It is therefore in order to indict the enemy before God for their ingratitude. Remember that God knows them more than we do, and He is the one to judge them too.

Confession of total dependence upon God.

They admitted and confessed their complete dependence upon God (v.12). We ought to never be too full of ourselves when we come to God. Rather we should be down-to-earth humbling ourselves before His Majesty as we confess our utter dependence upon God to Him.

“O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” (2Chr 20:12).

Simple, sincere prayer from the heart

King Jehoshaphat’s prayer had one request: judge them (v.12), one complaint: how they repaid us (v.11), and one confession: we don’t know what to do (v.12). Our prayer should be simple for God looks at the heart not how big are the words we say nor the fluency of our speech. We do not need a speech writer before approaching our God in prayer. We should not only marvel at the simplicity of this prayer but should also try to emulate it.

We are to apply the truth of Holy Scripture to our lives:

We have no power, but our God has unlimited and unlimitable power

When we realise our powerlessness and dependence on God great things will happen. Rather than becoming afraid we should let our powerlessness drive us to God who has all the power and is ever willing to enable us.

Oftentimes God takes away the things we use as crutches, all those things we tend to depend on in place of God. Yes, God will take away all our potential God-replacers, all our false security. Even the best of Christians still has much of the undesirable baggage. And such baggage must be done away with.

Christian growth towards spiritual maturity is the process by which God does away with the excess and undesirable baggage thus breaking down our false security that we have surreptitiously used to replace Him in our lives.

Yes, if need be, God will take away everything else so that we have nowhere to go but to Him. God wants to be the “All-in all” in our lives. It to our advantage and good if we cooperate with His Holy Spirit in His work of consistent continuing sanctification in us. Hear, again what Jehoshaphat said to God, “neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee” (2Chr 20:12). That is where God wants us to be!

At the risk of sounding like a broken gramophone record, please bear with my repetition. I just think this bears repeating:

Our God is all powerful and is never weary. We cannot search out His understanding. He gives power to the faint and to him who has no might He increases strength of those who do not have.

“28  Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth,            Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall:       31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa 40:28-31).

Our God will supply us with whatever we need to pass through the pestilence and emerge victorious at the end of it all. Yes, even this Corona virus (Covid-19) that is currently rampaging the world has expiry date known to our God. All of us will outlive the scourge in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Cultivate the worshipful heart

Having a worshipful heart is important especially in the midst of problems. For this to be so, we ought to have been cultivating worshipful heart as part of our daily Christian exercise. It should not be when we face a problem that we are then searching for how to worship.

Worship should be our response from a heart that is grateful to God. If we truly are grateful, then genuine worship will be our response to the mercy He has shown us as we go into the presence of God. And worship will thus be our response as we turn to God in our helplessness in time of trouble.

They worshipped before the battle, during the battle, and after the battle.

That did not happen as a spur-of-the-moment-decision. Rather, it was the result of a cultivated lifestyle of worship!

Such is the state we ought to be too: always in the habit of worship from a heart filled with gratitude to God.

Start now. Do away with the fear in and around you. Enter into the presence of our all-powerful, all-loving and ever willing God. Worship Him with a heart filled with gratitude and not fear. He is merciful and will add His surpassing sufficiency to our insufficiency and see us all through this dangerous and uncertain period.

We shall all be here again to thankfully praise and worship Him after the expiry of whatever crisis you and any of us may be going through right now. 

Again remember,

In time of crisis check and ensure you have an attitude of prayer all through.

Believe that you are still a child of God in spite of the problem. The crisis is not a sign that God has left you.

Approach God as your Father having faith in His power, character and promise.

Let the content of your prayer reflect the situation but focus on God and not on the devil or anyone else you may be blaming.

For the unbeliever

However, if you are not yet a disciple of Christ, if you are not yet born-again, that is what you have to resolved face. Pray to God to save you by confessing the Lord Jesus Christ.

“9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10:9-10).

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom 10:13).

May the LORD accept and grant you salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Do not fear for God is still on His throne  0

 April 13, 2020  

Today the world is engaged in a war with an enemy which neither plays to any known rules of engagement nor respects any borders. The enemy cannot even be seen with ordinary human eyes without the aid of powerful microscopes. But whether seen or not, its impact is being felt across the globe. This enemy is the pestilence named Coronavirus (Covid-19). Governments and institutions were neither prepared nor ready for it and so were caught napping. That alone ought to raise serious questions.

How can nations and peoples who claim to be so advanced and sophisticated as to declare there is no God be almost brought to their knees by a tiny speck of God’s invisible creation?

And so, anxiety and fear have gripped the nations. People are just afraid to meet God!  Many questions are being asked and many erroneous reasons are being given as the cause of this pestilence.

Those who have lost loved ones, those who have had the severe type of the disease and have survived after being treated and those who have been engaged in treating the victims will tell you that this scourge is real and very devastating.

This is not the time for frivolous questions. For it is clear only God knows the why and how of this virus. But human beings as usual will not accept their ignorance. Rather, they will continue to propound theories of causation and proffer solutions that only lead to more confusion. Mark you, the religious crowd is not left out of this.

This viral pandemic has brought certain things that have been hiding in plain sight out in the open to all whether people will accept it or not:

Human beings can only live on this earth. For,

“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: But the earth hath he given to the children of men.” (Ps 115:16).

When trouble comes, no human being is powerful or wise enough to successfully take flight to another planet to live. We are all limited to this earth until death do us part!

 In the meantime, we all must stay here and face whatever comes our way as best as we can.

But God promises His people His presence and His help

You can claim there is no God. But that simply means you are possibly deluded. Take it or leave it, there is God. He created all known and unknown, visible and invisible to man. God superintends all affairs of life.

You ignore, reject or disobey Him at your own peril. You embrace Him, obey Him, depend on Him, petition Him at this time for your own good and the good of humanity.

By now you must be aware that a life without Christ will be a life full of crisis.

You either give your heart to God and serve Him or you serve the devil and man-made gods including yourself. The Lord Jesus said you are either with or against Him (Mat 12:30). There is no middle cause. There is no neutrality. If you think you can be neutral, you are only deceiving yourself. The Lord wants and demands exclusive relationship with His own and broods no competition.

Remember, truth is still truth even if you don’t believe it! God said He created the earth and gave it to mankind to live in. So any usurper called Corona or any other name will not and cannot make an end of us. Corona has expiry date known to our God.

Do not endanger the lives of others

Most of the governments of the countries of the world have asked people within the areas of their jurisdiction to stay at home as one of the ways to limit the spread of the virus. Only workers on essential duties are exempted. Though the level of the quarantine and degree of enforcement vary from country to country, most people are compliant.  Please, be compliant according the government instructions in your area of residence.

I am aware that there are many that though they have titles of pastors and ministers, are charlatans who cannot perform their macabre dance without the crowd of baying sycophants urging them on as they spew out their errors to their itchy ears.

And so, if you are addicted to having a physical crowd around you to hail you and you are already having withdrawal symptoms because of their absence, or possibly for others of your own personal agenda that you are trying to cover with the cloak of righteousness, God is not with you in this. You are on your own.

But please, do not endanger the lives of others by claiming to have some faith or mandate from God. You neither have the right nor the authority to expose others to danger or to waste the lives of others. As the Holy Scripture commands and I think this is the appropriate time for this, “Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God” (Rom 14:22). Let it be that you alone should pay for the errors of your ways should you chose to disobey the instructions of the government under which you reside.

There are still genuine Christians

Though the charlatans are most vocal and conspicuous, thank God that He has not abandoned His church. For out there are still numerous genuine believers in Christ. Out there are still numerous genuine and committed ministers of the gospel of Christ who are truly labouring for the glory of God and His kingdom. To you I offer my encouragement and prayers. To you I say, do not fear for God is on your side.

Have you lost a loved one to this pestilence? May the Lord console and comfort you at this time of your loss. Are you or a loved one currently suffering from a severe form of this disease? May the Lord heal you and yours. Are your challenged as to the means of daily living? May the Lord send help to you.

Hear the word of God:  

“10Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 11Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: They shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. 12Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: They that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. 13For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand,    Saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” (Isa 41:10-13).

This is not the time to ask frivolous questions that no one has answers to but dangerous speculations that lead to more confusion and fear. This is the time for the people of faith, the true children of God who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ to arise, and go before the throne room of grace to ask for help in this time of need for all humanity. 

You see that I repeatedly say “genuine.” This is because we are talking about relationship. Christianity is not a collection of codes of living. It is not morality. It is not about how hard you can shout and sweat claiming to be “anointed.” It is about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The question is simple enough: “Is Jesus Christ your Saviour and Lord or not?”

This is a simple but very serious question. For the answer has eternal implications. Do not flippantly claim to be a Christian please. It can be dangerous. This is especially important at this time of great upheaval and uncertainty in the world. There is no half-way house. You are either in or out. And the danger is that you may be out and think you are in.

Remember the wife of Lot. She must have thought she was a believer. People around them must have thought she was a believer. What else do you need? Married to Lot, the nephew of Abraham the Patriarch who was the friend of God. They had abundance of the good things of life which many in our day erroneously see as a sign of God’s blessing even though their God is their belly. She possibly was so big that she was an area mother spreading the largess of her husband to nurture a large following of the ungodly like Jezebel centuries after her.

Unfortunately, when the day of testing came, she failed where it mattered most: in her heart. Her heart was not given to God but was given to the world and its poisonous alure. She was found wanting when it was too late to change. To her was the answer to the rhetorical question our Lord asked true,

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mat 16:26).

The answer is a resounding “NOTHING!”

So, please do not depend on your feelings, do not depend on your longevity in church attendance. It will not matter how many titles you have acquired, it will not matter how much tithe and offering you have paid. Works of charity will be worthless if your heart has not been wholly given to the LORD. You may be flying around in private jets claiming you are doing the work of God, while deceiving the gullible because their hearts towards God are so soft that they have become undiscerning.

The portion of hell where you will burn is currently in quarantine and under lockdown in the gym as it is doing press-ups and weightlifting in preparation to receiving you if you fail to repent.

Of course, am aware as the word of God says that like the rich man in the story of Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31, esp. v.25), you may currently be receiving your good things now so when you are burning in hell you will know why.

The word of God makes us to known that performing miracles may not be an indication that God is with you. Indeed, you may perform miracles and do many wonderful things and still end in hell (Mat 7:21-23). But this is the time of grace. Please, I urge you to repent now in this time of grace.

The genuine believer in Christ

Please bear in mind that as it was in the beginning, so it still is now. In the beginning, biblical Christianity started with the heart. It was the heart God demanded and it is the heart that has to be given to God. You confess with your mouth and believe in your heart (Rom 10:9-10). It is as many as received Him and believed in His name that are given the right to become children of God (John 1:12-13).

Hence, Jesus and His early disciples met in the temple precincts of the temple, in homes, in natural environments like hill sides, fields and so on. It was much later that structures referred to as church buildings came on the scene. But the church of Christ has always been and continue to be the people. The church is a living temple joined together by and is the abode of the Holy Spirit.

This is why the church of Christ cannot be closed. Only physical structures can be and are closed. It good and desirable to fellowship together. But when situation does not allow as it is currently the case in most parts of the world, the individual temples of the LORD must still continue to function as we continue to offer the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to our God wherever we happen to be in quarantine.

Do not let any deceiver lure you into disobeying the quarantine rule. The government is neither in error nor is it asking you to do anything that is ungodly at this time. You are not sinning by obeying the government and staying at home at this time. Not having physical fellowship with other believers but continuing your own private worship at home at this time is not a sin.

Do not neglect your spiritual exercises:

Do as much good that you can to as many as you can. Pray fervently for yourself, loved ones and others. Pray for the leaders of the governments of the world and the community where you live. Prayerfully study the word of God and diligently apply what you are learning. Pray fervently for those workers in the frontline in the war against this pestilence.

Pray for the consolation and comfort of those who have lost loved ones to this plague. Pray for the poor. Petition God for divine intervention to put an end to this pestilence. Be usefully engaged and not be idle.

Pray that even this pestilence will lead to many more turning to God in true repentance, that many more will be saved. Pray for those who are already saved that God will keep and blessed them. Pray that all things will work together for the glory of our God.

Again, continue to obey the instructions of the government that has jurisdiction over

your place of residence.

For all of us believers in Christ, I pray for more grace for us. May the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ avail for us at these trying times. May the protective hedge of the LORD around us ever remain intact and strong, and the mark of Christ upon us ever remain very conspicuous so that as the angel of destruction and death is passing, he will pass over us and no plague will come upon us in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Please, cut through the chase and focus on what really matters to God (Matthew 22:36-40).

Please, I encourage you to regularly prayerfully meditate upon these passages of Holy Scripture in any order that suits you:

(Psalm 23:1-6; Isaiah 40:26-31; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 8:28-39; 1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 4:6-8; 1 Timothy 6:12; Hebrews 4:12-16; James 1:2-4;).

Feel free to add many more as you dwell in the word of God with the Holy Spirit superintending all of your life.

As we are all quarantined at our homes from this terrible plague I pray we will remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ who became the ultimate spotless Passover sacrifice lamb and by His blood freed us from the slavery of sin and death as we are told, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1Cor 5:7).

May everything in our lives that should be alive and well but are not be visited by the power that resurrected our Lord. And may they come roaring back to life and begin to thrive again. The Almighty God surely see us through this pestilence and at the end we shall all from a heart filled with gratitude give Him thanks and glory in the Name of Jesus, Amen.

 Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

What are the means of working out your own salvation?  0

 February 27, 2019  

We continue with our discussion on the believer “working out your own salvation.”

We know from our previous post, “How are you working out your own salvation?” that “working out your own salvation” does not mean that a person can earn his own salvation by doing some work. Rather salvation is by grace through faith.

But that “working out your own salvation” means the believer in Christ aspires and strives to be Christ-like walking in obedience according to the light he receives from the Lord in his daily living.

Put another way, to the level that the believer aspires, and strives to be Christlike, walking in obedience according to the light he receives, in his daily living, is he “working out his salvation.”

We have looked at what it means to work out our own salvation. See the previous post, “How are you working out your own salvation?”  We saw what it is to do this with fear and trembling. We have seen that what is required of us is much, and if care is not taken, we can feel overwhelmed.

However, no one is more aware of our fallen nature, limitations and vulnerability than our God Himself. He has thus made available the means whereby we may work out our own salvation to His satisfaction.

And so, the question we need to ask ourselves, and try to answer is, “What are the means of working out your (our) own salvation?”

Again we shall look at a verse of Scripture from the book of Philippians.

Specifically,

Phil 2:13:

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

The “For” that is, because connects this verse with the previous. What is said and required in Philippians 2:12 will be possible because of God. Ordinarily, the requirement to work out one’s salvation could be overwhelming, and lead to discouragement. Hence, the need for the truth in this verse.

It is God who is the one in charge. God has already begun the good work of the new creation (2Cor 5:17) in the life of the believer (Phil 1:6) and continues that work powerfully. Though the apostle was absent, and to us is even now no more, God was, is, and will always be present with His people.

The work is in the believer. God works effectually in and through the believer in Christ. It is not alright to just be running around doing all sorts of things in the name of work while not achieving anything of worth in the eyes of God. But God works effectively through the believer.

The Holy Spirit continues His work of ongoing sanctification of the believer, transforming him/her ever, and ever closer to Christlikeness. Accomplishing any task involves both the will to decide to want to do the task and the actual capacity to carry out the proposed task.

Understand that to want to is “to will”; To desire to do or not to do. It is the capacity to make decisions as to what to do or not to do and follow through with such decisions.

It is obvious that many of us heard the gospel many times, ran away and would not embrace the gospel for a while, often for several years in many cases. Apparently, we eventually were saved by the Lord, need I say, in spite of ourselves! And so, we cannot of ourselves embrace the gospel of grace. Hence, “the will” (Ps 110:3; 2Cor 3:5) comes solely of God’s gift to whom He will (John 6:44, 65).

Numerous verses of Scripture testify to the truth that it is God that makes the believer to will or desire something good and to do it.

Here is a sampling of the Holy Scripture:

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness From the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” (Ps 110:3).

“not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” (2Cor 3:5).

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44).

“And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” (John 6:65).

God also gives the power “to do” that is, “to work effectually”, the ability to do something effectively and accomplish what is desired. That is, effectual perseverance to the end, is wholly of God. It is God’s gift:

“being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil 1:6).

“make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (Heb. 13:21).

The will, desire and delight of the believer continuously conforming to and obeying the commandments of God, so much so that, more often than not, he desires or wills to obey God than to disobey is one sign that he is growing spiritually.

Further, the Holy Spirit, assigns duties and tasks to the believer. He then gives the believer the needed gifts and other essentials to accomplish those duties and tasks.

Hence, God works in both the will or desire to conform, and the capacity to accomplish what the believer has been assigned.

God works in and through the believer by the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit in the believer, and the instrument of His word.

God works in the believers in Christ for “His good pleasure.” God is a God with purpose. He is not doing things arbitrarily without thinking.

For example, He purposed to save and has done so and continues to save. And having saved you, or rather, He saved you, in order to carry out His sovereign purpose towards you.

We are thus informed:

“5 having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Eph. 1:5-6).

And further,  

“having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself.” (Eph. 1:9).

God is the God of joy. We are informed that in the presence of God there is fulness of joy and at his right hand there are pleasures for ever more (Ps 16:11).

God created all for His glory, and for His pleasure. He knows what His pleasures consist of. He also knows how the believer can be enabled to desire and to do things according to that His good pleasure.

This would then mean that the believer can know the will of God for himself/herself. He/she can desire to obey and be enabled to accomplish whatever God desires of him/her.

The Lord said He is the good shepherd. He knows His sheep and His sheep know Him and do hear Him. That His sheep will also recognise the voice of the stranger and will not follow that stranger (John 10:3-4, 14, 27).

Pertinent questions for you

  • Do you hear the voice of the Lord?
  • Do you know the voice of the Lord?
  • If you don’t know the voice of the Lord, how will you know when He speaks?
  • How does the Lord speak to you?
  • How does the Holy Spirit lead or guide you?

Remember:

  • Those that are led by the Spirit are the sons of God (Rom 8:14).
  • If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfil the works of the flesh (Ga 5:16).
  • In the presence of God is the fullness of Joy, and in His right hand are pleasures forever more (Ps 16:11).
  • We are created for His pleasure and for His glory (Rev 4:11).

Pertinent questions for you

  • Is your life glorifying God?
  • By your life, can you be said to be an object of pleasure to the Lord?
  • Can the Lord count on you, and be pleased with you in your current state?
  • Can you identify areas of your life that need improvement so as to conform to His will and good pleasure?

Do remember:

Phil 2:13:

  • “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

That this verse is not saying people don’t or can’t do things on their own. Rather, as far as God is concerned, He enables His people to will, to desire to, and to do effectively those things that please God, and to take delight in continuing in such things continually.

Without God being the initiator and the one who sustains, you cannot do anything that will please Him, be acceptable to Him, or receive His commendation.

How we participate in what God wants done

It is very important for us to understand the relationship between how God works and how we work.

God has by His grace first worked in us and still continues to work His salvation in us. The same grace now continues to encourage us to make full proof of and carry out to the end that salvation which He has first worked in us.

Hence, our will does nothing without grace. What God produced is our own acts. It is not that God does some, and we the rest. Rather, God does all, and we do all.

God is the only proper author, we the only proper actors. Thus, the same things in Scripture are represented as from God, and from us.

God has His part, but there is a personal responsibility demanded of each believer

For example:

God makes a new heart, and we (the believers), are commanded to make us a new heart; not merely because we must use the means in order to the effect, but the effect itself is our act and our duty.

Numerous passages of Scripture testify to this.

Carefully meditate on these few:

“19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: 20 that they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezek. 11:19-20).  

“31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” (Ezek. 18:31-32).

“22 that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24).  

“26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezek. 36:26-27).

Hence, the Philippian believers, and by extension all Christians down the ages and including us today,

  • are commanded to, and are able to work out our salvation
  • because our ever present and all-powerful God enables us to, and continues to enable us to do so,
  • and so, it will continue unto the day of the Lord.

This should be an encouragement and motivation to the believer: that he is not left on his own but the means to achieving the purpose of God is made available to him. The believer will be able to obey and do the will of God because it is God that gives the enablement to be able to do so.

Remember that:

  • God takes the initiative for He originally initiates, then sustains, and ultimately will complete all the work of the believer by His indwelling power.
  • The means of working out your salvation is by divine power through the Holy Spirit.
  • Because God empowers us to do His good pleasure, He rightly demands of us things we cannot do on our own.
  • This is so we can then avail ourselves of the means He has provided for our needs, and use.

Determine today to avail yourself of the means God has provided for you to work out your own salvation:

  • His Holy Spirit;
  • His written word; and
  • Fellow believers around you.

If you are not yet saved. If you are not yet a born-again believer in Christ

But the foregoing presupposes that your already saved and that you are endeavouring to please God.

But what if you are not yet saved? If you are not yet saved, you are a none-starter. The above do not apply to you because you cannot begin to work out the salvation you do not have.

But there is hope for you. You can be saved. You only need to heed the call of the Lord. Yes, the Lord is Calling you now.

Hear Him:

“28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30).

And you should heed His call. The word to say is with you now.

Hear now:

9… if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom 10:9-13).

There you have it. Act now by praying to the Lord to have mercy on you and to make you one of His own.

May God keep you in his love in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation , ,

How are you working out your salvation?  0

 February 16, 2019  

Many believers take the fact that they are Christians for granted. They think that being born again is all there is. They think that once they are saved by the Lord Jesus Christ, that is it, the Holy Spirit will do the rest. All they have to do is just relax and enjoy a wonderful ride to heaven. They thus, do not make effort concerning their Christian faith as they should.

A major consequence of this lack of effort is ignorance of the ways of God, and lack of advancement in their Christian character. Many remain infantile when they should be maturing.

Let us see how we can begin to improve in this area today by trying to answer the question:

How are you working out your salvation?

Those who are already saved are commanded to work out their own salvation:

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12)

The whole of this chapter two of the epistle to the Philippians is about the believer in Christ becoming Christlike. So today, we begin to look at the practical ways of becoming like Christ.

We shall therefore use Philippians 2:12 as our learning station.

Wherefore is saying, therefore. It tells us that this is the beginning of a new section and connects this new section to the previous. It is referencing or referring to the obedience and humility of Christ (Phil 2:8), as an example for all believers to follow.

My beloved is a term of endearment showing his love for the Philippians. It shows that they belonged to the same faith as himself.

The believers in Philippi have always obeyed the word of God in the presence of the apostle. The apostle acknowledges that they had always (not occasionally or often), but always obeyed in his presence. That is, he was an eyewitness to their obedience to the apostolic teachings, and thus, obedience of God. This seems to be a commendation and it would have encouraged the Philippian believers.

Do you commend to encourage or to flatter?

We should develop the habit of true commendation for those who are making effort to live true to the Christian faith, and we should resist the urge to flatter.

Genuine commendation shows a person that he is truly appreciated. It will therefore encourage that person to put in more effort to be better.

The usual obedience of the Philippian church was even more important in his absence when he was not there to encourage and instruct them. His presence in addition to encouraging them, would have made it more difficult for those who would otherwise discourage these believers from continuing in their faith.

Does your presence make it easier for other Christians to continue to believe, and live true to the word of God?

Or does your presence make it more difficult for believers around you to continue in faith because you are always negative and do not walk through to the faith?

To “work out your own salvation” is a much misused, and much misunderstood verse of Scripture.

And so, the question arises, “What does it mean to, “work out your own salvation?””

Misinterpretation

Some have interpreted “work out your own salvation” to mean that a person can earn salvation by doing some work. Some have taken it to mean that whatever you consider as salvation is what God will accept for your salvation is determined by you!

But these and many other ideas of man concerning salvation are far removed from salvation as taught by the Holy Bible.

Remember, this letter was written to those who have been saved. They were already believers in Christ. They were already obeying God. So, salvation here does not mean to be born again or to come newly to the Christian faith for they were already Christians. Thus, this verse is not saying they should do something to earn or merit their salvation.

“The kindness of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Tit 3:4-6).

So, if they were already saved (which they were), how were they to work out their own salvation?

The gospel/the word of God is complete

The gospel is a faith delivered once-for-all complete to believers. It is a body of knowledge concerning God, His Son, His Holy Spirit, man, and their relationship.

Nothing can be and should be added to that body of knowledge. They were exhorted to “work out”, not to “work for” their salvation. The believer in Christ “works out his own salvation” by studying that body of knowledge and putting what he discovers there into practice in his own life.

He makes time and effort available to avail himself of opportunities to increase in that knowledge, and to be renewed, and be transformed by the Holy Spirit through the instrument of the word of God (Rom 12:2; Eph. 4:23).

A major goal for the Christian in this world, and as demanded of him by God, is to become Christlike.

To the level that the believer aspires, and strives to be Christlike, walking in obedience according to the light he receives, in his daily living, is he “working out his salvation.”

In other words, walking in obedience, wholeheartedly lending his members to works of righteousness rather than works of unrighteousness, is working out his own salvation. The believer is thus commanded,

“even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness” (Rom 6:19).

Further,

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” (Rom 6:13).

Rather he is commanded,

“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Col 3:5).

No one works to save himself/herself

Again, we are told,

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2:8; see also Eph. 2:5; Rom 3:24).

No one works for their salvation for it is God’s free gift to those who are saved.

These believers in Christ in Philippi were to put into practice what God was working in them by His Holy Spirit. But as children of God they were not obeying and doing works of righteousness to earn their salvation. They were already saved.

Similarly, to them, as children of God, we are not obeying and doing works of righteousness to earn our salvation.

No child of God works to earn his salvation.

Rather, all genuine believers engage in works of righteousness because they are already saved and are children of God. In doing good works, believers are thereby manifesting the character of God, their Father in their walk of obedience to him.

Hear what the word of God says:

“5 and beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2Pet 1:5-8).

When you see a child, you see a semblance of his parents in that child.

Similarly, when you see a child of God, you ought to see a semblance of God in him/her.

Can someone see you and see a semblance of Christ in you?

The Lord commanded those who believe in him,

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Mat 5:16).

Remember,

  • This is a life-long journey of continuing and increasing renewal and transformation.
  • It will not be completed in our present existence, so we cannot claim to have attained, but it will be completed at the final glorification.

Let us emulate the apostle Paul who said,

“12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:12-14).

So,

  • Do not think that you have attained anything.
  • Do not think you are now perfect.
  • Redouble your effort to understand why you have been saved.
  • Understand what is expected of you by the Lord.
  • Do not think you understand everything now.
  • Forget those things that are past (both successes and failures).
  • Reach out or make strenuous efforts to do or engage those things set before you.
  • And press with all your strength, and purposefully towards the finished line of the race the Lord has set before you.

None of us is left to go on this journey alone, and on our own. But the lord Himself, His Holy Spirit, the written word, and other genuine believers are there alongside us to help us along the journey. And they will be there until we each run and finish our course in victory.   

The phrase, “with fear and trembling” is not suggesting that the believer should live in the fear and terror of God. Far from it.

Remember, fear has torment, and is not of God. But perfect love, which is of God casts out fear (1John 4:18).

Fear here refers to the fear of the LORD which is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 111:10; Pr. 9:10).

  • It is very important to realise that, having knowledge of the holy is understanding.
  • And all those who do God’s commandments have a good understanding of Him.
  • Hence, we need to make effort to increase in our knowledge of God and of His word.

Love is not above other attributes of God

Many unbelievers and Christians alike tended to over emphasis the love of God over His other attributes especially His righteousness and justice. Because of this perversion, many do not fear God. Many do not think God will punish the wicked.

Many think the wicked, the disobedient and rebellious will somehow escape punishment because “God is love, and God loves.” So, they continue living contrary to God and in rebellion unmindful of the soon-coming wrath of God upon the ungodly. They are the deceived.

God is bound by His Word, by His character

However, we should remember that, though God is Love, and truly loves, He is also righteous and a just judge of the whole earth. He is bound to love as well as to judge righteously.

As he is bound to bless the obedient, He is also bound to punish the disobedient and rebellious. This is amply demonstrated on the pages of Holy Scripture:

The generation that lived in the time of Noah; The people of Sodom, Gomorrah and their environment, Israelites in Egypt, in the wilderness, under the Judges, and in the promised land, Prophet Jonah and the people of Nineveh come to mind.

His whole harmonious character demands that He always lives up to His word. He is faithful even when we are not faithful, and He cannot deny Himself (2Tim 2:13).

Genuine believers reference God

The true believer knows that though he is a member of the house of God and as such he uses family language like Father, child, son, daughter and the like, that God is infinitely higher than himself. He would not and should never become so familiar with God or claim that level of familiarity that makes him equate God with his own earthly parents.

There should always be that understanding that though God is our Father, he is to be respected and honoured at all times in a way that no other human should be. That devotion and reference should come from our love for God as our Father who created us out of love, saved us out of love and all for his pleasure and glory.

Hence, all believers live in referential fear of Him. They know though He is love, that God can be severe too.

They know that, “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31).

Hence, they tremble at His word. Yes, those who are of God tremble at His word (Ezra 9:4; 10:3). That is, they hear Him, and promptly obey.

When they do anything amiss, they know, they do not rationalize or put the blame elsewhere. Rather, they promptly confess, repent, and get back right with God.

Hence, “with fear and trembling” is not living in terror of God. Rather, it is recognizing His sovereignty, His majesty, referencing Him, seeking His will and obeying Him all the time.

Those who do not obey Him, those who lack the fear of Him have not known Him, no matter how much they claim to know or belong to Him.

It is always, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). And to those who love God his commands are not burdensome.

As we are told, “For this is love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1John 5:3). And so, they obey promptly.

It is very important to understand that this verse is not teaching that salvation can be earned in any way.

Simply put, salvation is not by works but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You work out your own salvation by obeying the word of God in all circumstances as you make pleasing and glorifying God in all you do a lifestyle.

As you obey what you know, God gives you more grace to resist temptations, and to obey Him more.

Begin today to work out your salvation!

Please, notice that this passage,

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Phil 2:12) is speak to believers in Christ.

Those that have been save by the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not yet saved, you have no part in what is written here yet. But you can change your status now, you can acknowledge that you are sinner. You cannot save yourself. Then pray that the Lord Jesus Christ should save you now. Please, do not delay becoming a child of God any long. Come to the Lord now.

Remember he is the one calling you,

“28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30).

May God keep you in his love in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Exhortation , ,

Please, Ensure You Are Not Playing the Fool  0

 January 30, 2019  

Humans are creatures of contrasts. We like to compare, and contrast virtually every, and all things. Though believers are told,

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves amongst themselves, are not wise.” (2Cor 10:12).

We still do it anyway. The problem with us comparing ourselves with others is that our standards are not consistent. We are always partial or biased towards ourselves, especially when the qualities are considered to be negative.

Hence, many like to be described with qualities considered good or positive like clever, beautiful, nice and the like. They ascribed to themselves, animal names like lion, tiger, eagle but would not want to be described as chicken, serpent or pig because of the perceived qualities or lack of it of those animals. None would want to be referred to as ugly, horrible or ill-mannered even if they are.

Some of the serious consequences of this unrealistic comparison include:

  • Unhealthy rivalry that come from inordinate ambition;
  • Pride that often lead to ill-treatment of others;
  • Selfishness and covetousness  
  • Or others may become complacent and will therefore not make effort to improve.

So, today we want to tap ourselves on the shoulder as if to say, “wake up and check yourself.

Remember, we are to regularly examine ourselves to see if we are still in the faith, and with the aim of improving and growing (2Cor 13:5).

So, let us examine a very important biblical contrast to see which side we are on so we can then make necessary modifications.

  • This is a serious appeal to us all to, “Please, ensure you are not a fool.”

Put another way, “Please, ensure you are not playing the fool”

The word of God commands the believers in Christ to,

“15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16).

Background

To start with, many of the errors of the ungodly had been detailed (Eph. 5:3-5). After believers have been told of these errors, they are then informed that such ones will not inherit, that is, will not partake of the kingdom of Christ and of God (v.6).

They are then reminded that they are not to be partakers with the ungodly, though, they once as unbelievers had lived such ungodly lifestyle but are now delivered by Christ (vv.7-8).

But the possibility of regression to that ungodly behaviour is ever present. Hence, the warning is further reinforced by contrasting the live of the ungodly with that of the godly using the fool and the wise as illustration. The fool and the wise are here defined in relationship with God.

And so believers in Christ are commanded to:

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

In view of what has been said above about the lifestyle of the ungodly and its consequence, the believers are to then see to it to be careful or take care and watch diligently.

Walk here represents the behaviour or lifestyle of the believers. Their day-to-day conduct and character. Everything concerning how they conduct their life. The believer is to walk circumspectly meaning implying with care and adequateness. The believer in Christ is to strictly conform to a norm or standard in both detail and completeness.

The Christian journey is like walking on a cliff edge

The believers in Christ are to behave like someone who necessarily must walk to safety through a cliff edge. On such a journey a misstep and a fall will lead to serious injuries or even death.

In such a situation, he will take every precaution to avoid any distractions. He will therefore be focused, taking as much care as possible to not make a mistake of allowing a slipup that could have catastrophic consequences.

A person in such a serious situation and who recognizes the dangers, will not likely require more talk or encouragement before using all he is capable of to avoid distractions and to make sure he successful walks through that dangerous cliff edge. This is how the believer’s journey of faith through life is expected to be like, he ensuring he avoids being side-tracked his flesh, the world and the kingdom of darkness all working together to derail his relationship with the Lord.

It is a reminder of what the Lord Himself said:

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.” (Mat 7:13).

And He further warned:

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24).

Put another way, the walk of the believer on the journey of faith is not a walk in the park. It is not a walk on a plain field where one could walk leisurely, stepping anyhow, stopping every-now-and-then to admire this or that scenery.

Rather, it is a walk on narrow road with many hair-pin turns, and numerous enticing but dangerous things clamouring for the believer’s attention. But enticing and desirable as such things may be, he must make every effort to refuse being enticed and ensnared.

As if to make the importance of these explicit and unmistakable, we are given the contrast between the fools and the wise.

But others before us ran the race before them, resisted all enticement and completed their journey successfully. It is still the same God with the same standard. The same help available to those old believers in God are available believers in Christ today.

Hence, we are told concerning:

Moses:

Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season. Because he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt for, he had respect unto the recompence of the reward (Heb. 11:23-26);

The Lord Jesus Christ:

We are to look,

“unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:2);

Apostle Paul:

The NT records a lot of the afflictions and deprivations he went through because of his faith in Christ. His testimony towards the end of his days,

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2Tim 4:7).  

But Believers in Christ are to walk not as fools.

But who is a fool?

The secular fool

In the secular society a fool is someone lacking in the powers of understanding or to use modern-day terminology, one mentally challenged. This is very different from the fool described on the pages of Holy Scripture.

The fool according to Holy Scripture

The fool described on the pages of Holy Scripture are often intellectually sound, and may accomplish much in the academic, business, science, politics and other areas of human endeavour. But in spite of what man may consider to be lofty achievements, they amount to nothing if God is not in their heart.

Hence, according to the Holy Scripture, the fool is the one who denies the existence of God (Ps 14:1; 53:1).

Some of the character traits of the fool include:

  • He “hath said in his heart, there is no God” (Ps 14:1; 53:1).
  • He utters slander(Pr. 10:18).
  • His way is right in his own eyes(Pr. 12:15).
  • It is abomination for him to turn away from evil (Pr. 13:19).
  • He makes a mock at sin(Pr. 14:9).
  • While the wise fears and departs from evil, the fool rages on and is confident (Pr. 14:16).
  • He despises his father’s instructions (Pr. 15:5).
  • He despises his mother(Pr. 15:20).
  • He trusts in his own heart (Pr. 28:26).
  • The fool walks in darkness(Eccl. 2:15).
  • He hears the words of Jesus, but does not do them, and is thus like one building on sand (Mat 7:26-27).
  • He lays up treasure for himself on earth while he is not rich towards God (Luke 12:20-21).
  • He changes“the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man” (Rom 1:22-23).

The believers are therefore not to walk as fools. Rather, they are to walk as wise.

The wise according to Holy Scripture

According to Holy Scripture, the wise is one who believes in and obeys God. Hence, we are informed,

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” (Pro. 9:10).

Believers are not to major or be experts in the negative only. But should major or be an expert in the positives as well. It is not enough to not be a fool, but in addition, to be wise.

Some character traits of the wise

  • He is a child of God through the finished work of Christ, having been born of water and of the spirit (John 3:3, 5).
  • If you are not yet born-again you are a none starter.
  • This is because God is the one that gives wisdom to the wise (Pr. 2:6; Dan 2:21), and you have no relationship with Him yet
  • The wise hearkens unto counsel (Pr. 12:15).
  • He fears and departs from evil (Pr. 14:16).
  • The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly(Pr. 15:2).
  • The lips of the wise disperse knowledge (Pr. 15:7).
  • He hears the reproof of life(Pr. 15:31).
  • His heart teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips (Pr. 16:23).
  • The ear of the wise seeks knowledge(Pr. 18:15).
  • He receives knowledge when he is instructed (Pr. 21:11).
  • The wise is the one who understands what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:17).

Not only are believers commanded to walk circumspectly, they are to be:

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

For the believer in Christ, redeeming the time is making the most use of the time or making use of every opportunity. He walks in wisdom towards those outside the faith (Col 4:5), as he engages in good works with zeal (Tit 2:14). This is how the light of the believer in Christ will shine before men and they will glorify his father in heaven (Mat 5:16).  

The reason the believers are to walk circumspectly is that the days are evil. Virtually anywhere you look there is one form of evil or another. Believers thus have to contend for the faith.

They are in the world but are not of the world, and the world loves her own people and things, but hates believers because they belong to God and love God instead of the world (cf. John 15:19; 17:14, 16).

Thus, the world and the devil will make every effort to co-opt the flesh and other aspects of the believer as allies in their war against the believer.

The believer has to therefore make the most of his time, to concentrating only on himself, but taking every opportunity to help others to overcome in resisting the devil and growing in their faith.

However, it is important to recognise that though believers are not to live in fear, they are to be aware of the dangers that surround them, and the different elements that are trying to pull them down.

This is a serious matter

Please, hear the command to believers in Christ again:  

“15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph. 5:15-16).

Believers in Christ are not to play the fool like Saul, the first king of Israel did.

“Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.” (1Sam 26:21).

To live circumspectly is to live their lives within the light of their position as children of God. They are to walk carefully and precisely following their Lord.

And to walk as fools is to descend or regress from this high level of fellowship and partaking in the divine nature with the Lord down to the life of the ungodly.

The believers are to walk i.e. live carefully, being wise or skilful, and thus please their Lord. 

But do you belong to Christ or you are still outside without Christ?

The above speaks to true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope it is reasonable for me to make the assumption that you reading this piece is a believer in and a follower of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

That assumption is very massive in its potential consequences whether true or false.

If true, that is, you are born again, then we are told that you have been delivered from the powers of darkness and being translated into the kingdom of the Son of God (Col 1:12-13). And so, you have access to all that God promises to his people.

But if it is false, that is, if the Lord Jesus Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord, the consequences are very dire indeed. Howbeit, all is not lost for that can change now. 

So, you should act fast and NOW: Repent, that is, change your mind about what you think of God, Christ, sin and the purpose in life.

Wondering, “how do I become born again?”

The Holy Scriptures say that:

1. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

This means that in God’s opinion, we fall short of His standard.

2. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in Hell.

3. “But God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Even in our sin, God continued to show us His love and demonstrated this love by sending his Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for us. He thus gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16).

4. There is only One step that must be taken:

1. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10:9-10).

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

All that appropriate the sacrifice of Christ are acceptable to Him. For He Himself extended the invitation to all:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30).

Why don’t you confess the Lord Jesus Christ NOW?

Please, do not reject that invitation as you do not know when you will be called by God to give account of your life!!!

I pray that you will take the necessary step towards the Lord and God will accept you in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation, Uncategorized , , ,

Three reasons for giving thanks to God always  0

 January 16, 2019  

The beginning of a New year is for many Christians a time of thanking God. Some section of the church even engage in what is commonly termed “cross-over” service whereby they ensure that the New Year meets them within the church precinct, never mind that such a one might have lived in disobedience to God all year round, and same lifestyle of disobedience will continue immediately he steps out of the church into the New year.

Oftentimes such thanks to God is for material things and so does not last long. It is alright and indeed expected that we thank God for material things. What is not expected is that the giving of such thanks is limited to the giving of material things. Because of the attachment of thanks to material things received, it does not last, and it is intermittent and half-hearted at best.

Many of the material things many consider as important and as such demand that they be blessed with are oftentimes are not received. Hence, when the material blessings are not coming, giving thanks stops. Questioning, and even berating God may follow from disgruntled hearts, especially from those who have developed the attitude of entitlement towards God. They claim God is obligated to bless them materially because they serve him and are obedient to him.

This attitude perhaps comes from lack of knowledge as to what God has done for the believer in Christ. Hence the need to see the how and why of continuously being able to give thanks to God.

Believers easily thank God for what I refer to as “landmark blessings.” These are the type of blessings people consider important or major in their lives. Things like finding a partner and getting married, the birth of a baby, securing a dream job, buying a car, buying a house, success in a business venture and such like.

As can been seen such blessings are not everyday events. Hence, many do not operate in an attitude of thanksgiving or do so sporadically. On the other hand, seeming delay or absence of any of these often result in anxiety and fear. Any of these could easily become a short-term or even long-term, all-consuming prayer project for some believers.

This piece is written in the awareness that believers in Christ need to be made aware of the very important spiritual blessings from God. These are what may then usher in the advent of material blessings. These spiritual blessings should be the main reasons for thanking God and remaining grateful to Him all the time even when material blessings are not evident.

If we think not only in terms of temporal things but shift our focus to the real things, that is, eternal, permanent things, our thanksgiving will have a better chance of being consistent and eventually becoming a lifestyle as it should be.

We shall look at three reason why we should give thanks to God always.

Three reasons for giving thanks to God are found in a passage in the epistle to the Colossians. 

“12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.” (Col 1:12-13).

“12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Giving thanks is an expression of gratitude. In this case, it is a prayer expressing gratitude, an acknowledgement and celebration of divine goodness. Believers in Christ are to give thanks for who God is. But in this case, it is specifically to be grateful to God the Father for what he has done.

The object of giving thanks in this case is God the Father:

God the Father is the creator of all things and also the provider (Gen 1:1; 1Cor 8:6). He is the Father of Jesus Christ (Mat 3:17; 11:27), and the Father of those who believe in Jesus Christ (Gal 3:26).

He adopts believers into his family (John 1:12-13). It is through the adoption of believers in Christ into the family of God that they become heirs of God (Rom 8:14-17; Gal 4:5-7). 

It is the work of the Father (what he has done for the believers in Christ) that is being spoken of here in this verse of holy Scripture. However, the reasons for giving thanks in this case are specified. Three reasons are mentioned, one in this verse and two in the next verse.

The first of three reasons for giving thanks to God the Father is that he “hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints”

This is simply telling us that God is the one who has qualified or made us (the believers in Christ), sufficient or fit to share or receive a portion from the inheritance of the saints. This is in the past tense and a one-off event and not a process. It has already been done completely by God the Father at his own initiative.

We do not qualify for and are not sufficient or fit for this. But God is the one who acted and qualified the believer.

In ordinary everyday things of life, a person has to prove himself to qualify for something, promotion or bonus at work for example. But this is not so in this situation.

No one can qualify for things from God on the grounds of merit. So, God has taken the initiative and acted on our behalf and in our best interest without impugning his own character as the only living and true God.

The saints are the people of God, they are the one who have put their trust in the God of Israel who is the only true and living God. Every believer in God is thus addressed in the word of God as a saint and not some special group of people given the name “saint” after their death by some religious denomination.

Inheritance is something a person inherits from another usually because of being related as in the case of a child inheriting the property of his parents. The saints of God have inheritance reserved for them in heaven.

The inheritance of the saints, (the people of God), is eternal life in the kingdom God has prepared for his people from the foundation of the world (Mat 25:34). This comes through the Lord Jesus Christ to all who believe in him.  God is the Father of light.

Believers start in his light and become lights in the darkness of their environment in the world.

The Father’s work is making us his children by adoption as a one-time event. He justified and sanctified the believer at once giving them a new standing in his presence as his children on the basis of the work of Christ which was the sacrifice from our sins.

This is not progressive sanctification. All believers at salvation and positional sanctification are at different levels of growth but have the same standing before God as his children because he has qualified or caused them to be sufficient to inherit as his children.

The believers are thus spoken of as being complete in Christ (Col 2:10). It is this qualifying or sufficiency that is the ground from which progressive sanctification begins to take place.

It is God who took the initiative and made all things possible.

Hence, we are told,

“29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn amongst many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Rom 8:29-30).

13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.”.

The second work of God the Father spoken of in this passage is that he “hath delivered us from the power of darkness” 

The operation of the devil and his kingdom are described in much graphic terms in Scripture.

The term “darkness” as denoting evil is often used as a figure of speech to represent the devil, the kingdom associated with him and ungodliness in general. On the other hand, light is used as a figure of speech to represent God and the good associated with him and his kingdom:

“3But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2Cor 4:3-4).

“18having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Eph. 4:18-19).

The devil and all that are allied with him not only have the power but also the desire to overpower, control and rule over people. And he has successfully ruled and continues to rule over numerous human beings whether they are aware of it or not.

As the word of God makes us to understand, those who are believers in Christ today including you reading this and I writing it have once been ruled by the kingdom of darkness:

“1And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Eph. 2:1-3). “” ().

And so, we are told that God had delivered us (believers in Christ) from the power of darkness. God had quickened (made alive) the believers (Eph. 2:1), who were “sometimes darkness.” Hence, believers are now light in the Lord and should therefore walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8).

Speaking further of believers, we are informed:

“and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1Thess 1:10).

“14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb. 2:14-15).

The third work of God the Father mentioned in this passage is that he “hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son”

That is, God the Father has transferred or conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. The sense is that of conveying or carrying something very precious or valuable in protective custody and safety under the strictest security that makes hijacking, stealing and vandalizing impossible.

Like the bullion van with its precious cargo under powerful security escort while being overseen by constant real life clear-sight surveillance from point of departure to arrival at the safe depot, so God the Father has taken the saved sinner from the kingdom of darkness and securely conveyed him into the kingdom of his dear Son. And he is forever safe there.

“9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” (1Pet 2:9-10).

Hence, the three reasons here mentioned for giving thanks are spiritual in the main, but they have very important physical consequences for our current existence as believers in the fallen world.

Because they are spiritual there is the danger of oversight and forgetfulness because we do not see them as tangible the way we hold physical material gifts. Hence, the failure to remain thankful to God when we are not having material blessings the way we think we should.

This piece is just a reminder to all true followers of Christ to remember at least these three eternally enduring acts of God the Father for believers and thus to be giving thanks to him always.

Giving thanks to God is to be a lifestyle for the people of God.

“giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:20).

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Col 3:17).

“21Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men! 22And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare his works with rejoicing.” (Ps 107:21-22).

Giving thanks to God can only become the lifestyle of believers if we think beyond the physical and temporal and see into the spiritual with its eternally enduring blessings of God that surpasses temporal blessings or temporal deprivations.

Summary

We should give thanks to God for earthly blessings. But we should realise that the earthly blessings are a result of and follow-up to the heavenly blessings.

While our earthly circumstances may fluctuate with much ups and downs, our heavenly status is established and stable. It for these heavenly blessings which are eternal that should motivate our thanksgiving.

God the Father had:

  • Made us fit to share in the inheritance of the saints;
  • Delivered us from the power of darkness;
  • Translated or conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of his love.

Conclusion

Remember, spiritual blessings are at the core of the relationship between God and his people. Material blessings in this world are more of a bonus. Three of those spiritual blessings are mentioned above.

Think of the eternal blessings of God and you will never lack reasons to give thanks to God the Father always. The eternal blessings are of much higher value and permanent compared to any temporary things of this world.

Think heavenly, give thanks to the God the Father through our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ always.

Please, note that one is speaking to and for those who had put their trust or faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

  • Those who had believed that He was the Son of God who came, not to teach us how to live a good life, but that He came to die for our sins, and the sins of the whole world.
  • That He came physically into the world through the virgin birth, lived a sinless life, though He was tested in all points like any man, but He did not sin,
  • He was falsely accused with trump up charges, denied justice, beaten and scorched, and nailed to the cross on Calvary.
  • He died on the cross, was buried, He rose again from the dead on the third day.
  • After His resurrection, He showed Himself to and taught His disciples over a period of forty days,
  • and in plain sight of them ascended into heaven, where He is now at the right side of God.
  • He is coming the second time.

These are those described as being born-again or saved.

But if you are not yet of this group, if the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth is not yet your Saviour and your Lord, please this is what you need to settle first before we start thinking about giving thanks to God the Father.

I encourage you to do what the word of God commands to be done by every person:

There is only One step that must be taken:

1. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Rom 10:9-10).

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

All that appropriate the sacrifice of Christ are acceptable to Him. For He Himself extended the invitation to all:

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30).

Why don’t you confess the Lord Jesus Christ NOW?

DO NOT DELAY ANY LONGER. DO IT NOW!!!

May the LORD accept you as you come to him in faith, in Jesus’ Name, Amen sdunhi

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Sermon , , ,