Post by Category : Salvation

Put Your Confidence in God for it is profitable  0

 October 30, 2019  

The Holy Scripture frequently speaks with emphasis on the importance of believers putting their trust in God. One would think that those who claim to believe in God will not have any problem trusting that God. But this is far from being common amongst profess believers.

But what is trust?

Trust is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. To trust is to place confidence in or rely on. To be confident is to be without any doubt. A feeling of trust in someone or something. A person’s confidence is to be placed or based on someone or something.

Do you have confidence?

What confidence do you have or on what is your confidence placed?

Do you have self-confidence?

You place your trust in yourself because you are good-looking and charm anyone to do whatever you want?

Financial confidence?

You are so rich that you assure yourself that whatever happens, you have enough starched that you will never lack any good thing of life?

Skills-confidence?

You are so skilled in what you do that every commends you, want your opinion on everything as the admiringly call your “the expert no one can do without?”

Looks-confidence?

You are good looking, your smile lights of the gloomiest places, everyone wants to be around you if only just to bask in showers of the light of your beauty?

Material wealth-confidence?

You have so much wealth that were you to live a thousand years and spend millions daily will not put the lightest of dents on your pocket?

Power-confidence?

You are so powerful that everyone obeys you as they see you as some god who can do and undo?

God-confidence?

You recognise puny wisdom and ability you have and hold unto God who has all wisdom, has the power of the unbreakable, whose will must be done in His creation, and who infinitely loves you?

One can on enumerating endlessly. But now you get the drift of where we are going.

Is your confidence in the ephemeral things of life or in the giver of all good gifts?

Believers make numerous decisions every day, many often without thinking. Situations often arise that challenge the confidence of the believer in Christ. The basis of decision-making is then called into question. And suddenly the usually self-assured person is not sure anymore! Worse still, whatever affects your confidence will affect your quiet (peace) and rest.

Believers in Christ are assailed daily by things and situations that challenge their faith, that attack the foundation of their faith, and usually in attempts to make their faith tumble over. Unfortunately, many times, without thinking deep enough, many give-in to such situations, stumble and before they realise it, they have lost their peace and quiet.

But how can this be when the foundation of the believer is the Lord Jesus Christ? (1Cor 3:11).

But of utmost importance is what happens when the believer is faced with issues or situations that are serious and that cannot be wished or prayed away immediately. What happens in a situation that cannot be wish away, and is such that if nothing is done, or if something is done wrongly, the consequences many be damaging? That is almost the time the person finds out that he is not as trusting in God as he had thought all along!

Why place trust in God?

The believer should place his trust in God because of who God is.

In the physical world people always have grounds or reasons for trusting in whatever they place their trust. Such would usually have an attitude of self-assuredness that may not even be supported by the object of their trust.

Trust is placed in such object of trust because of the perceived value as to what can be benefited by the one place his trust. Hence, trusting is not free but is more like a merchandise that seems to be on sale to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, such object of trust often prove to be unreliable if not outrightly deceitful.

But believers in Christ are on a surer ground if they place their trust in God.

But how many know why they should place their trust solely in God and nothing, no one else?

Not placing trust in humans is not suggesting that you should be suspicious of everyone around you or not relate to others. Rather, it is that you should let God be the ruler over your life by your daily lifestyle of trust and obedience to Him.

Who God is

The existence of God is assumed known by the creations of God. So, the Holy Scripture did not attempt to prove the existence of God. We know that God exists through what He has created as seen in Hid creation, and from the revelation knowledge He has given to man in His written word.

The believer’s trust in God should be nurtured by His revealed truth,

“19That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. 20Have not I written to thee excellent things In counsels and knowledge, 21That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; That thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” (Pro. 22:19-21).

And so, from God’s revelation knowledge in the Holy Scripture we know that:

  • God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them (Gen 1:1; Ps 33:6; John 1:1-3; Col 1:16-17).
  • He is the Almighty powerful God
  • God is the only God and the one truly unique, (Isa 43:11; 44:6; 45:6).
  • God is the only one who can save
  • And His word is comprehensively powerful and effective (Ps 19:7-11).

“7The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward.” (Ps 19:6-11).

There is a long list of those who placed their confidence in God in Holy Scripture. For example, King Hezekiah and the people of Judah were delivered from the onslaught of the overwhelming forces of Assyria (2Kgs 18:13-19:37).

However, our Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme example of someone who placed His confidence in the only true and living God.

As in all true things in biblical Christianity, the supreme example for every child of God is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He supremely trusted in His Father and was a faithful witness to His Father all through His earthly ministry.

Also, the pages of Holy Scripture are replete with many who while claiming to believe in God placed their confidence elsewhere: Judas Iscariot (Mat 26:14-16, 47-50) and Demas (Col 4:14; 2Tim 4:10) are examples.

Benefits of placing your trust in God

God has done so much good for His, and in particular, believers in Christ. Christians should therefore be willing to serve without asking for reward. But the reality is that many insist on benefits and oftentimes, benefits before service. While they may not ask openly, often in their mind is the question, “What will I gain or how does it benefit me?”

But thank God that He has not asked His people to seek Him in vain (Isa 45:19). God handsomely rewards His children for their trust in Him in diverse ways.

Placing one’s confidence in God presupposes the existence of a genuine relationship between the person and God. Ideally, such trust should not be rooted in desire for reward but rooted in the desire to be grateful for who God is and what He has done in salvation history for mankind.

How to demonstrate and express the placement of your trust in God

There are numerous ways of demonstrating one’s trust in God. Few of such include:

 Demonstrate your trust in God through praise and worship

Throughout the history of the people of God praise and worship has always been a major way of expressing their trust in God. It is one means of expressing their gratitude to a saving and merciful God.

The Psalms are one enormous signpost to the central role of praise and worship in the life of the people of God during the Old Testament period. They are replete with numerous wonderful expressions extoling the lofty virtues of the God of all wonders, the only true and living God of not only Israel but of the whole universe.

Even the ungodly may acknowledge God when he sees His work. When king Nebuchadnezzar saw the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego he praised the living God (Dan 3:28).

Demonstrate your trust in God through persevering in your faith

As we continue on the Christian journey of faith, the Lord Jesus Christ is our worthy example of perseverance in faith in face of adversity:

“1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 looking 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. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Heb. 12:1-3).

Christians are admonished further to,

“35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” (Heb. 10:35-39).

Demonstrate your trust in God through knowing and holding on to the promises of God

  • God promises to never leave His own (Heb. 13:5).
  • He promises to make things work out for your good (Rom 8:28).
  • Nothing can separate the genuine Christian from the love of God which is in Christ (Rom 8:31-39).

The example of backsliding Judah

God spoke to the people of Israel who had turned away from His true worship were still claiming to be worshipping Him. Many had abandoned the true worship of the true God of Israel. And those who have not had a hodgepodge concoction of multitudes of gods with Yahweh the true God.

God spoke simply to them to remind them of what He had offered them even in their backsliding or apostate state:

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: And ye would not.” (Isa 30:15).

God offered them a great offer for their own good,

“In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength”, but God says “And ye would not”.

In other words, they rejected God’s offer and His way out for them and continued in their backsliding.

Notice the sequence of the offers made to them by God: “returning; rest; be saved; quietness; confidence; your strength. I believe the same offers are available to any believer who is in a backsliding state today.

So, let us take a closer look:

These people had a serious problem which was the consequence of their disobedience to God. They then compounded an already bad situation by going to Egypt to seek for help (Isa 30:1-2). This happened because their trust was not in their God.

Because they were in the wrong place (they had turned away from God), they took the wrong turn, went in the wrong direction and arrived in Egypt where all they could get would be the wrong counsel with which they would then make wrong plans which would in-turn push them deeper into more trouble.

But God did not leave them to drown in their problem. Rather, He offered them a simple solution, a solution so simple they might have laughed in the face of the messenger of God who delivered God’s message to them.

Is it not the same with the simplicity of the gospel?

The solution was, is, and will always be the same to every backslider:

returning:

This simply means repent. Repent of your wayward and unprofitable ways. Turnback from your idols and false worship. Stop ascribing evil to God. Stop loving sin and ungodliness. Come back to God with the desire to want to know and obey Him.

Rest:

To rest is to settle down. To stay settled. Freedom from activity or labour.

They were to rest in God. They were to stay settled in God. They were to know, believe and rest in the truth that God was for and with them. If they rest in God, they will cease from fruitless and ungodly activities that will only worsen their situation. If they refuse the rest in God, they will only continue in the wrong direction that will take them deeper and deeper into enemy territory and rulership.

be saved:

To be helped. To be accepted. To be victorious. Remember this was referring to people of God. Though they were in the backsliding state, they were still the people of God. Hence, it is not about their salvation but their restoration to good relationship with their God.

 If they repented and returned to, and rested in God, God will accept and save them. They will be delivered from their enemies and their troubles.

 It is in repentance and rest that you will be saved.

Quietness:

To be at rest. To be at peace. To be settled in both spirit and body. The person who is in “quietness” is the one who in the midst of the trouble is so settled in spirit that he prayers fervently.

Confidence:

To trust. To cause to rely. While confidence is the state or quality of being certain, trust is the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength and truth of someone or something. The object of the confidence or trust or certainty is crucial.

 The object of the trust should be God and not you or some other false god, for it should be obvious to all that only God has proven to be reliable and trustworthy to all His creation.

your strength:

The quality or state of being strong. Power to resist force or of resisting attack. The force or power in comparison to others, with the focus on the majestic awe ascribed to the one possessing this power. Your power to of resisting attack.

This combination of returning, resting, quietness and confident trust brings us believers in Christ into a freedom we have not had whilst trusting other things. It brings the Christian into victory and secures that victory.

When we follow God, His voice come to us from the front loud and clear. But when we turn aside from following Him, the voice of God recalling us comes from behind (Isa 30:21), for instead of us following, He now pursues us as the lost sheep the shepherd seeks to find and save.

One cannot be quiet unless one has confidence. And assurance is not based on optimism about your own abilities, but it is an inward peace based on God’s righteous work in you as His child.

This confidence is not self-confidence, for that would be false security and a reliance on something unreliable. For according to the counsel of the word of God,

“A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: But the fool rageth, and is confident.” (Pro. 14:16).

And so, God commands His own,

“23Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Neither let the mighty man glory in his might, Let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24But let him that glorieth glory in this, That he understandeth and knoweth me, That I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: For in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” (Jer. 9:23-24).

The foundation of true confidence

We find then that true confidence is based in its entirety on God.

  • It is thus based upon the word of God (Acts 27:22-25), not on feelings;
  • Upon Assurance of who God is (2Tim 1:12), an assurance that enables the believer to be sustained in trials and suffering (1Pet 4:19; Ps 10:14);
  • Upon Trust (Pro. 3:5-6; Heb. 11:6), anything else leads to ruin (Heb. 3:17-19);
  • Upon the Promise of Christ (Phil 1:6), of who we are told,

“24 but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:24-25).

The foundation of false confidence

False confidence needs to be guided against as its presence can be so subtle as to be difficult to detect. False confidence is confidence based on anything else other than the living God.

Hence, false confidence could be based on numerous things some if which include:

  • Profaning holy things buy misuse (Lev. 10:1-2; 1Sam 4:5-11; Dan 5:2-31);
  • Presumption (Lev. 10:1-2; Num. 14:40-45 cf. Deut.1:43);
  • Pride (1Sam 17:43-44).
  • Personal position and power (Isa 30:12);
  • Personal beauty (Ezek. 16:13, 15);
  • Personal righteousness (Ezek. 33:12-13);

 And such as put their trust in any personal endowment are considered to be fools (Pro. 28:26);

You should nourish your confidence in God

Trust (confidence) in God is not static. It is dynamic and grows. It grows through proper nourishment. We are commanded,

“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22).

And further,

“21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. 22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1John 3:21-22).

Hence, our trust in God is from God and also is nurtured by the means provided by our God.

You nurture and grow your confidence in God through feeding on His revealed truth, the Holy Scripture. The Christian is to desire the sincere milk of the word (1Pet 2:2). He is to do the word not just hear (Jam 1:22, 25). He is to grow spiritually through the use of the word (Jam 1:22; 1Pet 2:2).

As the Christian takes in the word regularly, he gets transformed, his mind gets renewed, the true new creature in Christ begins to show forth as his lifestyle begins to mirror biblical standards thus honouring and glorifying God.

Through regular prayer, sharing the gospel of Christ with others, putting into practice what is revealing to us in the word of God, we grow in our trust in God and are the better for it.

Trust in God is nurtured by the understanding of the revealed truth of God as revealed in Holy Scripture. Such trust in God finds expression in a life lived according to the purpose of God. However, there are those who place their trust in other people or things rather than God of which there are many examples.

I encourage you to put your trust in the only true and living God, Yahweh, God of Israel, the creator of the whole universe through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. My prayer is that He will receive and uphold you in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

There you have it. If on reflection you conclude you are in the backsliding state, please do not stay there. Arise and hid what the LORD commanded Israel and by extension, all backsliders,

“For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: And ye would not.” (Isa 30:15).

Again, notice the sequence of the offers made to them by God: “returning; rest; be saved; quietness; confidence; your strength.

Act now and the LORD will receive and restore you.

Please, note that all the above concerns believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those referred to as born-again Christians.

To the unbeliever

But this has been about the believers in Christ. Those who have made peace with God through the propitiation of Jesus Christ. They are the one being exhorted to live true to their calling in Christ as they wait for His second coming.

 But what if you are an unbeliever? What if Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit?

 Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of believers in Christ. And you cannot be expected to please the Lord and to do things that are only possible with the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

 Perhaps you are saying you what to be part of the wonderful people of God who are the disciples of Christ. You want an end to the enmity between you and God.

 And having read this piece you see the possibility but are wondering how you can change your situation.

 You are asking, “How do I come into the fold of believers in Christ seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

 Truly, there is a way out for God has made provision for you too.

How?

 By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God:

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation

Do You Know That You Are a Double Portion Treasure to God?  0

 September 23, 2019  

O yes, believers in Christ are double treasures of God though not many speak in such terms about man and God.

 

When humans talk of and about treasure, something that they value much, its often centred on some material physical item: a piece of real estate, gold bullion tucked away safely somewhere, some newly acquired exotic gadget or other such things that people are wont to put a premium upon.

 

Earthly treasure is so close to the heart most people that secure storage of treasures is a booming industry. But all such treasures have one thing in common, they are restricted to the earth and cannot be taken along when their owners exit this earth.

 

But from the perspective of God, there are more enduring treasures. No, this is not another piece to berate prosperity and those intoxicated by its acquisition at any and all costs. From the point of view of God man himself is the treasure. Yes, read that right, man himself is the treasure. Come along with me and see.

 

Be humble before Him but do not insult God

It is expected and it is good to be humble before God. It is also important to reflect humility in our everyday interaction with fellow human beings. Such humility before God should be genuine and not be for eye-service, to curry favour, to flatter or hypocritical for I real terms God can neither be mocked nor deceived. God sees through all human facades and masks of deception. But such humility should not be to the extreme where a genuine believer in Christ considers himself worthless in the sight of God.

 

God is infinite, omnipresent, omniscience and omnipotent. God is way, way higher than man by an unbridgeable very long mile. Though believers are precious to Him, they still are his creation which is inferior to Him in everything.

 

There are those who think and claim that they are worthless before God. They claim there is nothing worthy of God’s attention in their life. Such attitude and thinking may sound like humility but in reality, it is another subtle way of insulting God.

 

At the other extreme are those who claim to be sinless because Christ has paid for their sins. They claim they are very important to God. In fact, so important to God that God cannot do anything without them. Some amongst such people have even gone so far as to say that God cannot do anything on earth without asking for their permission.

 

Neither of these two extremes are biblical but are men speaking from their wrong perceptions of their relationship with God. One from confusion and error as to what is humility before God. The other out of the pride of his haughty heart.

 

What is clear is that the Almighty God is so high and lofty compared to man that the right-thinking person cannot but humbly pay homage to the majesty of God.

 

It is the acknowledgement of the infiniteness and majesty of God with the corresponding worship that comes from a grateful and obedient heart that is humility before God, and not some self-denigrating eye-service bowing down like a bulrush done in a so-call place of worship while the heart of such remain deviant to God.

 

Understanding what humility is then prepares us to accept what God calls us who belong to Him without getting puffed up with pride that goes before a fall. Rather than pride, the child of God recognising the enormity of what God has done for him, knowing he can never repay bows down from a heart filled with gratitude in humble adoration of such a loving, merciful God who is mighty to save!

 

Who do you think you are?

  • How would you answer the question, “Who do you think you are?”
  • Is your answer from human or God’s perspective?
  • Does your warped understanding of humility make you to denigrate what God says He made with purpose and wonderfully?

 

Think then answer this question: “Would you spend your all to obtain something you consider worthless or valueless?” Though you are just a human being I doubt if you will knowingly make any serious effort to acquire something that will be worthless to you.

 

So, if you, a mere man with all your proneness to wickedness will not make effort to acquire something you know will be worthless to you, why do you think the Almighty, All-knowing God expend much effort to reclaim man for Himself, if as some say, man is worthless to God?

 

Who is God?

 

But who is this God?

 

Though, man can have a general idea and knowledge about God through His creation, the more important and specific information about God can only be obtained by God revealing to man what He wants man to know. Hence, the specifics we can know of God is revealed in His written Word: The Holy Bible.

 

  • There is only one God (Deut. 6:4; 1Cor 8:4-6).
  • He is the only living and true God (1Thess 1:9; Jer. 10:10).
  • God is infinite in being and perfection (Job 11:7-9, 26:14).
  • God is the creator of all things visible and invisible, known and unknown to man (Gen 1:1).

 

God chose to create when He needed not to. No one compelled Him to create neither was there any with enough wisdom to give Him advice. He created as He desired to create.

 

Down the line many millennia into His creation, a sequel to the prior call of Abraham, their ancestor and founder of the ethic people-group (Gen 12:1-3), God chose Israel to be his possession, a special people to himself (Ex 19:5-6; Deut. 7:6; Ps 135:4), not because of any merit they have over other people-groups for God himself spoke concerning his election of them thus,

 

  • “7The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: 8but because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Deut. 7:7-8). See also 9:6).

 

And we are told further,

 

  • “4For the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, And Israel for his peculiar treasure. 5For I know that the Lord is great, And that our Lord is above all gods. 6Whatsoever the Lord pleased, That did he in heaven, and in earth, In the seas, and all deep places.” (Ps 135:4-6).

 

God is not under any obligation to explain His actions or state His motive for He is most free (Ps 115:3). But though invisible and eternal (1Tim 1:17), He chose to speak and to reveal things that can only be known by revelation, especially those that are of benefit to His intelligent creation.

 

God has always taken the initiative. And whatever He starts He follows through to completion.

 

And so as in the Old Testament period, God acted similarly in the New Testament. Hence, the New Testament believers in Christ are chosen by God as His own possession. No believer in Christ has done anything to merit or to qualify for predestination and call (cf. Rom 8:29-30; 1Thess 1:4; 2Pet 1:10).

 

Some of the attributes of God

Though the pages of Holy Scripture abound with copious details of the majesty of our God, many believers still lack the right perception of God in their heart.

 

Hence, it is worth repeating some of the attributes of God as revealed to us in Holy Scripture, and perchance, you that is reading this may be helped further in your journey of faith:

  • Our God is the only creator of the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1);
  • The God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel is our God and He is the only true and living God (Deut. 6:4; Jer. 10:10; 1Cor 8:4-6; 1Thess 1:9);
  • Our God is invisible, infinite in being and perfection (Job 11:7-9, 26:14; 1Tim 1:17);
  • Our God is immutable, immense and eternal (Jam 1:17; Mal 3:6; 1Kgs 8:27; Jer. 23:23-24; Ps 90:2; 1Tim 1:17);
  • Our God sustains his creation and redeems as He pleases (Rom 8:29; 11:36; Heb. 1:3);
  • Our God is great (Ps 135:5);
  • Our God rules sovereignly over the whole universe (Ps 135:6), and so, He does whatever He pleases in and with His creation;
  • The word of our God is all-encompassing and comprehensively powerful (Ps 19:7-11).
  • God Himself speaks, about Himself,

 

“I, even I, am the Lord; And beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa 43:11).

 

And further,

 

“Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, And his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; And besides me there is no God.” (Isa 44:6).

 

The advent of man

God reveals to us in the Holy Scripture that He spoke His creation into existence. But there is one element of His creation whose existence seemed to have involved more than the spoken word: the creation of man.

 

Scripture informs us that God took the initiative, that creating man was a deliberated action by God.

 

There apparently was a sort of council meeting concerning the creation of man. Human beings did not just happen to be as in,

 

“Let there be…, Let the waters…, Let the earth….” (Gen 1:3-25)

 

as was the case concerning plant and animal life. Man is not a product of evolution that evolved from some low-level creature.

 

Rather, the need for the existence of mankind was discussed as we are informed,

 

“And God said, Let us make man in our image….” (Gen 1:26).

 

Hence, mankind came into existence by the deliberate and thoughtful creative act of the Almighty God:

 

  • “26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Gen 1:26-27).

 

Our God created man out of love. God made man wonderfully (Ps 139:14), and with the capacity to relate to Him. God created man for the fellowship and worship of Himself as his creator-God.

 

We are told that God deliberately and need I say, joyful fellowshipped with man before the fall:

 

“the LORD God walked in the garden in the cool of the day….And the LORD God called…“Where art thou?”” (Gen 3:8-9).

 

The fellowship with man as God intended was soon interrupted by the devil luring man into sin. But it was man who listened to the devil and disobeyed God (Gen 3). And man has continued in sin and rebellion against God since.

 

God could have easily replaced both Adam and Eve with another set of beings. But He did not, not for want of capacity, for He was willing and ready to replace the Israelites with a new people-group through Moses (Ex 32:10).

 

Rather, God chose to save them because of His love and the much value He placed on man.

 

Further, no one of the creatures of God can be allowed to stop His plan for man. So, God decided to redeem man.

 

What do you think you are worth in gold, diamond or any other precious stone?

 

The means by which you were redeemed will give you a good idea of your worth in the sight of God.

 

If someone was to surreptitiously acquire your precious treasure, to what length would you go to redeem that your precious treasure?

 

Well, God went all the way to reclaim and redeem His precious treasure, man that He had created in His own image (Gen 1:26-27).

 

So, God loved man. Put another way, man is God’s treasure.

 

Naturally, God’s heart was on earth because God’s treasure, man is on earth.

 

[[Scientists tell us that the earth is one of the smallest of the smallest planets. If this is true, the question needs be asked: “Why is God focused on earth, one of the smallest of his planetary creation?” This answer will not be farfetched if I say God is focused on the earth because that is where God’s treasure is. That treasure is man.

 

Remember, God gave the earth to man,

 

“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: But the earth hath he given to the children of men.” (Ps 115:16). To buttress this point, remember that God first created all that man would require for his existence (Gen 1:1-25), before He created man.

 

And remember, the truth spoken by our Lord when he said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart will also.” (Mat 6:21).

 

I venture to say the Lord might have been speaking from experience. He knew how much the Father’s heart was on earth and how much He Himself could hardly wait to come down to earth to overcome the strong man the devil and retrieve man, the treasure of God that he stole.

 

Still in doubt?

 

Then tell me, “Why did the Lord of Glory divested himself of his glory to come to planet earth and not to Jupiter, mars or any of these other planets named by man?”

 

Well I say, it can only mean one thing: “Because of His treasure, which is man, is here on earth!”

 

Remember, He came to seek and save that which was lost,

 

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10).

 

Man was the lost treasure of God, stolen by the devil if you like, that Christ came to save.

 

And God needed to do something about His treasure on earth that has been corrupted and taken over by the devil through sin. God needed to redeem His treasure.

 

But, by what means would man be redeemed that will meet the standard demanded by the love, justice and integrity of God?

 

Jesus Christ the Lord of glory

The Lord Jesus Christ was there with His Father in the beginning. He carried out the creation and so knew the purpose and will of His Father for man (Gen 1:1, 26-28; John 1:1-4). He knew man is God’s peculiar treasure. He loved man and loved His Father even more. He knew His Father’s heart was on earth with His treasure, man (Mat 6:21).

 

The Father desired to reclaim, He desired the reconciliation of and the reestablishment of the broken relationship with man. Hence, God took the initiative: He set the price of reconciliation. His loving son volunteered to pay the set price.

 

Apparently, the devil and his cohorts were not in on the arrangement between Father and Son concerning His treasure. Hence, we told of,

 

“7…the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1Cor 2:7-8).

 

The Lord Jesus Christ knew about the existing problem of the devil.

 

He said,

 

“10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11).

 

The Lord came in flesh through a virgin birth. He grew up in obscurity though He was of the royal lineage of David for at the time of His birth, the glory had departed and there was only a stump remaining in the stem of Jesse.

 

When He was about 30 years of age in His earthly, fleshly existence, the previously latent and clandestine battles with the kingdom of darkness broke out into the open.

 

The enemy wasted no time in seeking and obtaining the support of the cultural, religious and later, governmental leaders and systems to ensure victory for himself. All the devil needed was to present his own agenda and methods of achieving such in a way these his cohorts believed them as their own, and he was home and dry. Or so he thought.

 

The Ministry of Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus gathered some common members of the community and went about teaching them about the kingdom of heaven and what He was about. The enemy must have thought He was beside Himself. For to the devil it would have made more sense and with success guaranteed to go through established, well-oiled system corrupt men and wicked devil than to start something new in a very hostile environment with recruits not used to the established order.

 

However, Christ was undeterred because He knew His purpose and His calling in life!

Do you know your purpose and calling in life?

 

Man was redeemed with God’s best, His only begotten Son,

 

“even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mat 20:28).

 

The Lord further said, “this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Mat 26:28).

 

The devil executed all his repertoire of wills, devices and all else he was capable of, but the Lord came out victorious and in power (Mat 28:18-20).

 

But the devil is under restraint

And so, please remember, left on his own the devil wants to supplant God and failing that, to destroy man as a way of hurting God if that were possible. But is under constraints placed by God. Hence, the devil cannot do all the evil he is capable of doing nor all the evil he wants to do. The devil can only perform with the limit God allows (Job 1:12, 2:6; John 7:30, 8:20).

 

So, we are informed too concerning believers,

 

“being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” (1Pet 1:23);

 

Christ is the propitiation for the sins of all believers including you (1John 2:2). Christ purchased you with His own blood (Acts 20:28);

 

“who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” (Tit 2:14);

 

Hence, if you have been saved, you do not belong to yourself but to Christ,

 

“19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1Cor 6:19-20. Also see Gal 3:13; 1Pet 1:18-19; Acts 20:28).

 

Then comes the gospel

The men later described as being perceived by Annas the high priest and his kindred to be unlearned and ignorant (Acts 4:6, 13), proved they were the right choices for the Ultimate Teacher and Builder, our Lord Jesus Christ. Through the apostles and their foundational pioneering work (Eph. 3:20), the Holy Spirit working through them, the Biblical Christian Faith was birthed.

 

And so, the world continues to witness the presence and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:16), even till today. But remember, they started in earnest after receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).

 

The vessel, the first treasure (2Cor 4:7)                                                                                            

The believer in Christ, himself a treasure of God, carries the gospel of Christ, another treasure of God.

 

God Himself choses and prepares His vessels. The first step is usually the salvation of the would-be vessel. The vessel accepts the gospel and confesses Christ as Saviour and Lord. The useable vessel must be clean, empty and available for service.

 

Hence, the believer in Christ must seek to become

  • “a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” (2Tim 2:21).

 

Believers in Christ are vessels that God uses. We are earthen vessels so that we will depend on the power of God and not our own in the propagation of the gospel. The jars of clay are inexpensive, brittle and easily broken. This illustrates the truth that the power released through the preaching of the gospel is from God and not from the believers who are the earthen vessels preaching the gospel.

 

Within the earthen vessel is a treasure, a second treasure.

Within the earthen vessels, the believers in Christ is the gospel, another treasure of God. Hence, a treasure carrying another treasure. As long as the vessel guards the treasure, God would guard the vessel. Believers in Christ must focus on the treasure and not the vessel, and on the master and not on the servant.

 

One way for believers in Christ not to give up in the face of serious challenges is by remembering that we are privileged to have the treasure of the Gospel in us who are though vessels of clay are precious to God too!

 

The enemy fights both the gospel, the invisible treasure and the vessel, the visible human treasure, that carries it (2Cor 4:4). Having failed woefully at Calvary, the enemy now directed and continues to direct the full power of his weaponry against the gospel. This he does by multi-prong attacks.

 

The devil fights against the gospel and believers in Christ through planting and sustaining false religions, philosophies, false teachers and prophets. He also works directly on the unbeliever by blinding the mind of the people as we are told,

 

“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 4:4).

 

The battle has continued till this day as the gospel continues to be veiled from the perishing even today.

 

The sun is always shining though it may not always seem so as we may not see it all the time because it is obscured by other things between it and us.

 

Similarly, the light of the gospel is always shining. God is always seeking to shine its light into the hearts of men in every era and very culture. But the devil puts various barriers between the lost sinners and God.

 

These barriers include love of the world and the things in it over and above God, rebellion against God and everything God stands for, pride that demands self-worship and worship by others, self-righteousness or any number of several other obstacles. They all serve often effectively to hinder the light of the gospel from shining for the enemy simply does not want those who are lost to be saved.

 

 

Again, the treasures are:

  • First Treasure is the vessel which is you the believer in Christ.
  • The Second Treasure is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2Cor 4:6), that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

The gospel illustrated by comparison with creation as described in Genesis

When the sinner hears the preaching of the gospel, when a believer in Christ shares the good news of the gospel with an unbeliever, the light begins to shine. Like the earth of Gen 1:2, the lost sinner is formless, empty and in darkness.

 

As the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached, the Holy Spirit moves upon the heart of the person hearing, just as He moved on the face of the deep at the original creation. Then light shines into the heart of this person showing him that he is guilty sinner who needs a Saviour.

 

As the material creation in Genesis began with light, so also does the spiritual creation begin with light. Through the gospel light God shines in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, then spiritual life begins.

 

The believer in Christ is precious to God

 

God sent His only begotten Son to die for you while you were still in your sins. This was because you are valuable to God. Though you may not have adequate knowledge as to your value to God, it is clear that He loves you and decided to save you. Nothing can be plainer that what Christ said,

 

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10).

 

And,

 

“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 further,

 

“37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. 38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40);

 

  • Are you a genuine believer in the Lord Jesus Christ?
  • Is the Lord Jesus Christ your Saviour and your Lord?

 

If yes, then you are doubly precious to the living God. You are God’s treasure and you carry another treasure of God.

 

“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:7, 10).

 

There is joy because it is a good and God-glorifying thing each time a sinner repents. Remember, you were once a sinner. Which means there was joy in heaven when you repented and were saved.

 

Each person saved is another manifestation of the victory of Christ on the cross over the devil and his kingdom of darkness. A resounding defeat for the devil and his cohorts.

 

And further, if the death of His saint matters to God, “Precious in the sight of the Lord

Is the death of his saints.” (Ps 116:15), then His saints are important to Him.

 

 

This knowledge should humble the true believer in Christ. Especially when you realise that you have not done anything special or important to warrant such love from God.

 

God has refused to give up on man

Many derogatory things are said about man and the devil many of which are true. God himself says many unsavoury things about man and God will never lie. Yet, all these unpalatable attributes have never been able to discourage God from doing everything possible to save man.  

 

And we are informed that God’s determination to save was not an after-thought but a deliberate act,

 

  • “4according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” (Eph. 1:4-5).

 

Thus when a person believes in Christ and is saved the sinner becomes a new creation (2Cor 5:17). As the new believer in Christ begins to be transformed by the Holy Spirit through the instrument of the word of God, he begins to be productive and fruitful.

 

The light of the gospel does not shine in your heart simply to give you knowledge of salvation. You are not the end of your blessings.

 

Rather, as a new believer in Christ, God expects you to be a new channel through which the gospel will get to others. Put another way, you are blessed so you might be a blessing to others. As a believer in Christ you become another instrument in the repertoire of God to reach other human beings for God.

 

The gospel is the good news of Christ in glory. Christ has triumphed on the cross over the forces of evil. This is the Lord Jesus Christ who came to seek and save that which was lost. He died on the cross, was buried, He rose from the dead on the third day, showed Himself to His apostles, ascended into heaven and He is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven.

 

The glorified Son of God is the object of every true believer’s faith. He is coming back again but this time in power and glory.

 

We (believers in Christ) are truly a double portion treasure in the sight of the Lord. A jewel of inestimable value. Thus He offered His highest and best for you on Calvary in the person of His only begotten son. The Son offered His life so that He might have you as a co-heir.

 

This knowledge should humble you and indeed humble every true believer. You should not be puffed up as some do.

 

Remember, you have no credentials to present to God other than the righteousness of His Son which has been imputed into your account. God and His Son did everything for you. Therefore, as you begin to understand this knowledge re-dedicate your life to the service of the LORD out of a grateful heart.

 

Begin to seek to make His glory shine through you to others. You should begin to serve now out of love, gratitude and referential fear for who He is and what He has done for you and not from the fear of going to hell. God’s perfect love casts out fear.

 

You are the light in the midst of the darkness around your environment. Begin to shine and let others see the glory of God over your life!

 

To the unbeliever

The above piece about being a double treasure to God refers to believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have made peace with God through Christ are commonly referred to as being born-again.

 

But what if you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ! What if you are yet to be saved? Then you are still at enmity with God and are yet outside of the circle of the people of God.

 

But God in His mercy has made provision for you too. God says you should repent and come back to Him. He is willing and waiting to forgive you and take you back to Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.

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.

 

  1. “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.

 

  1. “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).

 

  1. There is only One step that must be taken:
  2. “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, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation, Uncategorized

Beware that your attitude does not portray you as one of the foolish  0

 August 1, 2019  

Many believers in Christ are so sure of their faith that they claim that nothing can shake them. That nothing will make them want to think evil of God. On the surface that sounds nice and even spiritual. Yet many are living like God has left them or that they never knew God in the first place. Peter the apostle once boasted that he would never deny the Lord even if others did. He was to later regret that boast as in the face of potential persecution and possible death, he reneged and denied his Lord.

And believers are warned to take heed least they fall. Believers are to regularly examine themselves to see if they are still in the faith. All these go to show to the believers in Christ that it is important for them to know they are vulnerable, especially at certain times and circumstances. They are to therefore be grounded and rooted in their faith and be on their watch against any slip ups.

Let every believer in Christ therefore beware that his attitude does not portray him as one of the foolish. To help us we shall look at a passage of the Holy Scripture, (Job 2:9-10) to learn from the life of one of the believers of old and his wife.

Job 2:9-10:

“9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”.

Most anyone who has read the Holy Bible or been to Sunday Schools knows the story of Job or at least have heard of him. He is often held up as the epitome of faith in the face of adversity. Many often forget that while those reading the story as written in the Bible have the privilege of knowing the behind the scenes conferences held by God with the sons of God, Job in the centre of the testing did not.

And today, many believers in adverse circumstances expect to be told point blank that God is the one allowing Satan to test-prove them. This is not always the case as in the case of Job, God alone has the right to have such privileged information.

What God requires of you the believer is to stay true to him in all circumstances. However, as he demonstrated in the case of Job, God is able to see you through any situation without giving you the details of whatever may be taking place in the spirit realm concerning your situation.

God demands and expects you who claim to be his child to stand with him in the face of the adversary. I pray you will not fail God in the name of Jesus.

God Himself testifies concerning Job that:

  • Job is the servant of God.
  • There is none like him in the earth, a perfect man.
  • Job feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:8).

Satan the opportunist

And God gave Satan permission to afflict Job, but with one exemption: God commanded Satan to not touch the life of Job (Job 2:6).

What better opportunity could Satan ever had again against such a highly regarded servant of God. The devil took his opportunity with both hands and joyfully went to work on Job. By the time Satan got to the limit of what God permitted him to do, Job had lost ALL:

  • He had lost all his property.
  • He had lost all his children.
  • He had lost all his wealth.
  • He had lost his health.
  • He had lost his standing and prestige in the community.
  • Everything was gone, and he was in a terrible state.

In all his plenty and adversity, his wife was a full participant equally affected as her husband.

Job was now sitting outside on a heap of ashes, scratching his rotten sores with a potsherd (Job 2:8). Job that was a man of authority and prestige (Job 29:1-25) was now an outcast scorned by all. What a terrible personality Satan is!

Job not aware of meeting in heaven

Do remember that Job was not privileged to know God held a council with the sons of God in heaven, neither was he informed of what transpired in that meeting (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6).

Only the readers of this book down the ages, including us are given that privileged information. We are reading it after the events. As such we have a tendency to be wiser after the events forgetting that Job was not privy to the behind-the-scenes spiritual goings-on.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

 Job’s wife was married to him in a covenant relationship.

  • She had lived with him for a long time.
  • She is the mother of his 10 children (7 sons and 3 daughters).
  • She knew him very well.
  • She knew his devotion to God to be real, and not a pretension.
  • She had enjoyed the period of prosperity and was now undergoing adversity with him.
  • Hence, she was not a stranger to God’s goodness in their lives.

However, she is a woman deeply grieving. And she spoke out of the depth of her sorrow and grief.

Integrity:

Integrity: (in this context), is spotless character in regard to God; blamelessness before God; Completeness with regard to his relationship with God. This completeness in relationship with God manifested in concrete action as Job refused to charge God with wrongdoing.

Job persisted in the same level of devotion to God that he had at the time of his prosperity even in the time of his great and tragic adversity. God Himself testified to the veracity of Job’s integrity though his wife was not aware of God’s testimony.

 Of Job can truly be said, “He loved the giver of the gifts infinitely more than the gifts.”

 Believer in Christ how are you responding to God in your prosperity?

  • Believer in Christ, how are you responding to God in your adversity?
  • Like Job or like his wife?

 Job’s wife knew Job was still maintaining his relationship with God. That he had refused to charge God with error or wickedness.

 Hence, her question.

  • Are you still maintaining your integrity?
  • Are you still continuing to have faith in your God who has done all these terrible things to us?
  • How long are you going to continue to insist that God is good and loves you?
  • How worse can things get before you wake up from this your religious fanaticism.
  • Stop burying your head in the sand like an ostrich and face the reality of your situation!
  • And on and on. You, fill-in the blanks!  

 She asked the question knowing fully well that Job was still faithful to God and that her husband was still refusing to blame God for their calamity.

The age-old modus operandi of Satan

This line of questioning by Job’s wife is not new. It is as old as when corruption was found in Satan, the adversary. Neither prosperity nor adversity is a panacea against it. It can be indirect through a cooperating agent like the serpent in the garden, an agent who may not be aware of having been coopted like the case of Job’s wife, or direct by the devil himself as in the case of Christ in the wilderness.

Remember:

The serpent (the instrument of the devil in the garden) with Eve:

Eve was in a place of plenty. A place where all their needs as a couple, including regular fellowship with God were met. Yet, the devil came there. Knowing what God has said to Eve, he said,

“Yea, hath God said?” (Gen 3:1).

 The devil directly confronted the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord was in the wilderness and fasting. It was a place of deprivation, preparation and testing. The Lord was fasting as part of the preparation for His soon-to-be lunched ministry of Salvation.

So, further down the line, the devil used the same ploy with the Lord Jesus Christ. Though, he knew Jesus to be the Son of God, he still went ahead to challenge that truth. He said,

“If thou be the son of God” (Mat 4:3, 6).

 Notice that the questions and statements are calculated or framed in a way to create doubt in the hearer.

The devil was saying to the Lord, “you are the Son of God eh! Prove it to me now!” But since when does a child of God has to prove to the devil that he is a child of God? He knows his Father and his Father knows him!

Remember,

Eve was wallowing in abundance, while the Lord was in a 40-day fast and in the wilderness. They were both confronted by the tempter with things that would be quite enticing and irresistible.

The devil makes his moves at the moments of maximum vulnerability of his intended victim! The time the devil is most likely to succeed against the would-be victim in his deception. The devil presents his case in a most believable way. In ways that even others will join in to put pressure upon the intended victim.

Job asked to imitate the heathen around him

Job’s wife’s command to him was, “curse God, and die”

The heathens around them were in the habit of heaping curses upon their idol gods when they thought such false gods had brought misfortune and evil upon them. Job’s wife would have seen them berating and reproaching their gods on many occasions.

Job as the head of the family is the one with authority to call time on the family. Through him, both blessings and curses come, and in this case, all the calamity was because his faithfulness pleased God but angered Satan and led to his being further tested.

And he is the one who could end their relationship with God. Hence, she was asking her husband to do the ultimate: curse God and let Him kill us out of anger and save us from this miserable life!

 What she might be forgetting because of her sorrow was that Yahweh, their God was the true God and not an idol. You can neither curse nor make an end of the true and living God! You cannot even curse the true child of God. If you doubt this ask Balaam and Balak (Num. 22:1-24:25. See esp. Num.23:7-8, 18-21).

 The idea was that Job should make an end of everything, because according to the theology of the wife by what had happened to them, God had proved to be unworthy of their devotion and worship. Doesn’t that remind you of the prosperity crowed?

What worse thing could befall them other than what they had suffered? she must have reasoned. It is better to die and end all than to live such a miserable life she must have thought!

 Please, be aware, suffering and pain can do much damage to a believer’s thinking.

So, mind your thinking and your words when you are in unpleasant circumstances.

Her words were harsh and would have had a devastating effect on Job more than whatever Job’s friends might have said. She was the closest to Him, the only one after God that he could trust, and rely upon. They have done intimate and confidential things together and she knew her husband inside out. Job, her husband knew and trusted her too.

And so, to hear her utter the words she uttered like she did would ordinarily have deflated Him. But he showed that he was really a man of faith. Job demonstrated perseverance in His faith and in his trust in God.

 However, Job’s wife misconstrued his perseverance in faith as religious fanaticism. She thought Job was blindly refusing to face the reality of their very desperate situation. She showed her bitterness against God by lashing out at her husband. Her action would have been another of so many terrible blows to Job, her husband.

 Notice that, though Job and his wife were unaware of what was going on in the heavenly council, the suggestion of his wife that Job should curse God was exactly what Satan had twice predicted in the presence of God that Job would do if God should allow him to attack Job (Job 1:11; 2:5). Hence, inadvertently, she was being an advocate for the devil!

Please be careful that neither your utterances nor your actions inadvertently strengthen the enemy position.

“10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.”

Her husband, who was in addition to the loss of their children and all their material wealth, was in serious physical sickness responded but not in the harsh tone that some would have.

Foolish here does not mean to be stupid or lack natural intelligence. Here, foolish means being spiritually ignorant or being undiscerning of spiritual things.

Notice that her husband, Job, did not call her a foolish woman. And no right-thinking believer should call his wife foolish, neither should the wife her husband. There should be no derogatory language between spouses.

Rather, Job was cautioning his wife against speaking unadvisedly. It is as if saying, be careful now. Do not speak like one of the foolish women. Foolish women here likely referred to the heathen unbelievers around them. Job was cautioning his wife not to let their current terrible situation to overwhelm her to the extent that she would disparage and charge God with error.

The fool:

It is the fool who has said in his heart, that there is no God. It is the fool that worship idols and other false gods. It is the fool that claims to be a Christian while living contrary to the word of God, and still expecting God’s blessings.

Brother, sister, how do you speak? Like one of the foolish? Please, speak as one of the wise ones.

What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?

Job was indeed reminding his wife of who she was in God, and their previous blessings from God by his statement put to her as a question. Job was not being a fatalist who resigned to the will of an unknown God.

Rather, Job recognised the sovereignty of God over their lives, and indeed over all of creation. Though he might not be able to explain it or even understand it, Job believed nothing would happen to them except God allowed it.

He was of such trustfulness that God knows all things, and especially in their situation, that he must have rested in the truth that God knew what he was doing. His is the life of one totally submitted to God.

In spite of his own personal pain and anguish, he found time to be the pillar of support for his wife. He was still gracious towards her as in her grieve she lashed out at him.

In all this did not Job sin with his lips:

Try to picture the level of personal agony and suffering Job must have been in because of his terrible physical sickness, add to that the loss of all he possessed except his wife. All his friends and relatives had deserted them. He had lost his high status in society. Yet, he refused to charge God with error. Though in serious pain, he did not sin! Though in a very serious situation he neither understood nor could explain, he refused to sin!

Observe that:

This affirmation and confirmation that, “in all this did Job sin not with his lips”, proved Satan’s prediction wrong. Satan had twice predicted to God that if Job was attacked severely enough, Job would curse God to his face (Job 1:11; 2:5). Of course, Satan is the father and purveyor of falsehood. He raises up false prophets to ensnare the gullible, especially those in pursuit of signs and wonders from whatever source. It also vindicated God’s confidence in Job, and God’s words about Job (Job 1:22, cf. Job 1:8, 11; 2:3, 5).

How would you fare?

  • Brother, sister, how is your relationship with God.
  • In what ways may Satan be challenging your integrity before God?
  • What may the devil be predicting concerning you before God?
  • Will God have such confidence in your integrity or faithfulness if the devil were to argue in the court of heaven that he be allowed to put you to the test, to be allowed to attack you so as to show God that you are not as committed as you claim to be?
  • If such were to happen, or perhaps, is already happening, how will you respond?
  • Like Job or like Job’s wife?

Rather, Job confidently affirmed that trouble (evil) as well as good come from God. Scripture confirms the same (cf. Eccl. 7:14; Lam 3:38). This is in contrast with the view of most people, including Christians. Most people’s view is that bad things happening means the very existence of God is questionable. For if God truly exists and have all the powers ascribed to Him, everything should just be good, and with the complete absence of evil or trouble they reason and affirm.

Later, Job affirmed to his friends that he would retain his integrity till death (Job 27:5).

Job was a human like any, and all of us. He was just getting on with life not knowing what was happening in the spirit world. Though he was oblivious to the conferences going on about him in heaven, he believed not only in the sovereignty of God but also in the goodness of God. He believed whatever God allowed in his life (Job’s) would be in his (job’s) and to the Glory of God.

  • How many of us could have stayed true to God if we were Job?
  • Consider where you are now, and the things you think you are going through:
  • How is your relationship with God?
  • How are you bearing up under the burden?
  • Could you have gone further than Job’s wife and taken the laws into your hands?

Remember, she stayed with her husband till the end and they were restored together.

  • What would you do when you are in that place where though you are a believer in Christ, there is no evidence of God’s presence, and blessing, as in this case of Job.
  • How long do you think you will stay true to God before seeking additions, and or alternatives or even abandoning God altogether as you seek solution your own way at all costs?

This is especially important in this day of benefits Christianity. There is a deluge falsehood and the merchandising of the God of the bible and his word. Purveyors damnable heresies, instant gratifications, and so-called instant miracles have invaded the land and numerous people are being ensnared daily.

Please, it is important to look intently at yourself and sincerely re-evaluate your relationship with the Lord with the intention to make necessary adjustment as soon as practicable. Please, do not delay as the Lord could come back anytime.

While not everyone is called to be a Job and his wife, each believer has his or her place and time of testing.

Remember, both husband and wife were believers. They were both beset in the same calamity, but the husband more so, as he was also afflicted in his body. Both were grieving due to their devastating loss. All they saw was the physical realities of their situation as they were not privy to the meetings that took place in the presence of God. Yet, their response concerning their faith and trust in God were so different.

As people of faith in God, and followers of Christ, we must have faith and trust in God in both prosperity and adversity, even while we are unable to understand why bad things happen.

New Testament believers

Both the Old Testament and New Testament believers have and serve the same God. His standards and demands for his people remain the same. We have seen what would have been foolishness on the part of the wife of Job.

What will be foolishness on our part as New Testament believers in Christ? How a believer could inadvertently behave or act foolishly. And hence the need for the believer in Christ not to be complacent.

 No excuse for unfaithfulness

What Job’s wife said was bad. She seemed to think that Job had good reason to rebel against God in view of all they had lost. Perhaps most people would have thought so too. Hence, her question, and the following statement. But God expect better things from his children.

 And Job like many others in Scripture demonstrate to the rest of believers that believers can be better ambassadors of Christ if they will allow the Holy Spirit and the word of God to do their work in in the believer. This is what Job also amply demonstrated.

 But Job showed that he was not serving God for profit. New Testament believers have an even more obvious or objective thing to look up to: The suffering and sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. And because the sacrifice and persecution of any believer in Christ cannot be compared to that of Christ, it will be foolish to claim or proffer any excuse for not being faithful to God.

 So, if you find yourself faltering or being unfaithful, do not excuse yourself or try to blame someone else. Rather, confess and repent asking God to forgive you. And God will forgive and restore you to himself.

God always have use for his own

Calling Job, her husband to end it all by cursing God is akin to saying God had no use for them anymore. She was deep in sorrow and grief. She was wearied, tired, and seem not to have the strength nor the will to want to continue. The depth sorrow and grief of such horrendous disaster and personal tragedy befalling the home of a believer in the one true God can only be imagined and no doubt would have clouded her understanding.

She was simply numbed by her grief and couldn’t care less whatever happens. She therefore looked for the quickest way to end it all – no point to continue to live a miserable existence. But contrary to what she thought, God still had much use for her and her husband and thus kept them alive in their adversity.

 While she seemed hasty in her decision of advising her husband to abandon his faith, Job, her husband was an example of patience in the face of adversity. And the faith of Job in the face of overwhelming tragedy should challenge every believer in Christ.

 God used Job to confound and silence Satan called the adversary. Satan is still in the business of opposing God by been the adversary to his people. And God is still ever proud of his people, more so wherever there are faithful ones like Job. God still wants to use his people for his glory through empowering them to resist and overcome whatever the adversary may throw at them as he did Job. It is talking like one of the foolish if a believer counsels another to leave God because of some tragedy or adversity.

It is foolish to think that because of being in adversity, God has no further use for any of his children, children that he has gone to extra-ordinary effort to redeem by sending his only begotten Son into the world to suffer and die on the cross for.

 Never let adversity make forget the goodness of God

Job’s reply to his wife showed that though his anguish was intense, he still remembered the goodness of God. God had been good to them with all they enjoyed in the past.

 Though one’s circumstances could change dramatically, God never changes. God is always good even when our personal circumstances wants us to think otherwise. And as New Testament believers, God has and continues to demonstrate His love for us through salvation, daily provision, protection, and good promises for the future. It is therefore foolish to forget the goodness of God when we have problems or challenges that are not easy to resolve.

 As I often encourage us, you should never question what God had spoken or given to you in your steady state when trouble or difficulties come. God is always good and true.

 Satan will do his best to make you charge God with error.

Satan will come, and especially at periods of vulnerability: He will try to sow doubt. He will try to tempt us with foolish questions. He will try to make us draw foolish conclusions from incomplete and corrupt information. And he will try to urge us to urgent precipitate and unwise actions that could make our situation worse if not irredeemable.

 But never forget who you are:

However, whatever the circumstances may be, the believer in Christ should remember who he is: Job never forgot who he was. Job knew he had a living, all-powerful redeemer (Job 19:25). Though his current situation was terrible, and he had no explanation for it, he knew his future was bright (Job 19:25-27).

 The future of the New Testament believers in Christ is in the hands of Christ. This is the living hope that is a sure promise of bright future based upon Christ’s finished work on the cross.

The believer in Christ should be careful that his walk or anything in him does not portray him as one of the ungodly around. There is a possibility this could happen. Hence, believers are commanded to abstain or flee from all appearance of evil (1Thes 5:22).

Christian, believer in Christ, DETERMINE from now not to allow any circumstances to cause you to appear as a fool before God.

The unbeliever

But this has been about the people of God, especially in our time, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps unlike Job and his wife, you are not of the people of God, you are yet an unbeliever and you are asking, “How do I come in seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

 What if Christ is not yet your Saviour? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of the people of God, the believers in Christ.

 But there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. O yes, God created you. So, he knows you more than you know yourself! God knew you were going to get to this point and he therefore made provision for you.

How?

 By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God:

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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

God is Big Enough, but Who is He to You?  0

 July 28, 2019  

Every person engages in various activities of daily living. The core thing that drives most people is that their needs and desires be met. They had decided what they wanted out of life, and then tailored their endeavours towards achieving it.

 

Things would seem well and good until challenges or difficulties arise. The young person leaves school all pumped up thinking the world is at his feet. “I will be a big success within a short time” he says to himself. But he soon discovers that life is not as easy as he thinks.

 

The point is when things are not going as you expect, where do you go? Who do you turn to?

 

Naturally when people want or need help, they look for someone they think has the capacity to meet that need.

 

  • So, when they need some loan, they go to a money lender.
  • If it is housing, to the estate agent they go.
  • They need treatment for an ailment, they go to a GP clinic, etc.
  • There will usually be terms & conditions to be met for such a need to be met.

 

In all your actions, you will usually act according to your faith in and relationship with God.

 

Oftentimes, you think of the physical helps and networks around you. It is when these begin to fail to meet your expectations that you seem to think of God, and in a half-hearted manner.

 

Part of the problem is that when in need, the place some believer in Christ should go first is the place they go last. This is an indication of what or whom they think God is. If you are a believer in Christ and this reflects your situation, you are not alone. You are not the first to be in this situation, and in all probability, you will not be the last.

 

However, there is much believers in Christ can learn from the experiences of the people of God in the kingdom of Judah. We shall look at a particular event in their live and see what we can glean from it. This would be especially encouraging as even in our day many people of God continue to behave in many ways that are similar to the Israelites of old.

 

A family of God that went astray

God picked a family and brought them near to himself. He multiplied this family turning them into a nation made up of people peculiar and special to himself. He gave them the details of how to approach and worship him. He gave them law and instructions on how to live their lives in a way to please him. He gave promises of protection, provision, progress and promised never to forsake them. They demanded for a king. He set up kings over them thus making them a kingdom unto himself.

 

However, in spite of all that God did for them and to them and all the warnings, they gradually drifted away from God.

 

The people had become so idolatrous and gone after many of the Gods of the surrounding nations, that on many fronts, they were worse than the nations God used them to replace in the promised land. Both the leaders and the people were full of wickedness, and ungodliness including sacrificing their children to false gods. Injustice, violence, and all manners of evil were rampant.

 

The faithful who never leaves his own

It was so bad, that, despite the reforms that one their kings who was zealous for God (King Hezekiah) carried out (2Chr 29:1-31:21), God had decided He had had enough. He was Going to judge them severely.

 

Right now, under king Hezekiah, they were under siege from the most powerful army of the time, the Assyrian army (2Kgs 18:1-37). So, the prophet Isaiah was himself wearied and discouraged because of the terrible things that they were doing.

 

But though, God was going to punish His people, He gave them hope for the future as can be seen in Isaiah 40:12-31.

 

In the midst of their distressing situation and despite their apostasy God was not going to abandoned them to be completely destroyed. They were going to be chastened but not unto perdition. While not letting them go unpunished, God was not going to make an end of them.

 

That nation was the kingdom of Judah.

 

It is still the same God

The same word that God sent to the people of the kingdom of Judah to give them hope in the midst of their trouble and the impending invasion can also give believers in Christ hope today.

 

The people of Judah faced a ferocious army that was intent on doing them maximum damage. Today, many believers in Christ, and in many places, the church of Christ as a group are similarly surrounded by enemies that are intent on doing them maximum damage. But unlike the people of Judah, the believers in Christ are fighting a multi-front war. The world of the ungodly and wicked encircles and threatens to strangle the believer. The battle can often be so fierce that the believer may become weary or even want to give in to the wicked.

 

But our God is on the throne with all the power and love to take care of every one of his children. And this is what we want to remind the believers in Christ of and for them to therefore be encouraged in whatever circumstances they may find themselves.

 

Whatever your situation God is there

  • Are you burdened by the terrible situation of the church?
  • Are your burdened by the level of the wickedness you hear about every day?
  • Like Lot is Sodom, is your spirit grieved by the horrendous disregard for God in almost anywhere you look today?
  • Are you being persecuted for your faith in Christ?
  • Do you feel overwhelmed by your personal situation?

 

Take heart child of God. Your heavenly Father is still on the throne. He knows you. He knows what he is going to do concerning you. And he is never late.

 

But who is God to you?

With God being on our side, his children, we have hope.

But this question needs to be asked and you should answer it sincerely and to the best of your ability: “Who is God to you?”

 

This is very important because the answer could be the reason for your situation and provide the way out at the same time.

When the Lord Jesus Christ asked a similar question of his disciples of what people said he was, there were numerous responses. But when he personalised the question, directing in specifically to his disciples, “…But whom say ye that I am?” (Mat 16:15), there was pin-drop silence. Only one could respond appropriately after a long silence (Mat 16:13-16).

 

As it was then, it is still the same today: It is not what others make of the Lord but what you who claim to be a Christian make of him that determines how you relate to him. And so, the question, “Who is God to you?” or put another way, “Whom do you take God to be to you?”. It is your view of God that underlies how you live your life.

 

Our God is the Almighty

Again, take a reflective look at Isaiah 40:12-31. This is just a snapshot of the numerous passages of Scripture that speak of the majesty of God. As you reflect on that passage observe and mediate on some of the attributes of our God. There is no better place to learn about our God than from the testimony of his word. Though much of this passage is in poetic and figurative language, this is describing our God and some of his actions in terms that we can understand.

 

To help you in your meditation, here are some points that can be inferred from this passage among other things and that you may use as starters:

 

  • God is one and self-existing
  • God unchanging
  • God’s power is unsurpassed (Isaiah 40:27-28).
  • God alone creates and his capacity to create is unsurpassed (Isaiah 40:21-22).
  • God measures all, but he himself is beyond all measure (Isaiah 40:12).
  • God alone has perfect Knowledge, knows all things perfectly, and is absolutely independent (Isaiah 40:13-14).
  • God alone is the righteous judge
  • God’s creation is vast, much beyond what any man can see or know (Isaiah 40:15-17, Dan 4:35).
  • God is higher than any man-made or devil-inspired rival (Isaiah 40:25-26).
  • God is incomparable to any of His creations and any man-made improvisations (Isaiah 40:18-20).
  • God alone promotes and demotes (Isaiah 40:23-24).
  • God gives power to achieve (Isaiah 40:29-31).

 

God is a self-existing. His creation exists because of Him. God owns His own existence to no one, but Himself. He knows all things perfectly, and is therefore, the righteous judge.

 

Idolatry

Yet some still dare to turn their backs on such a God! They turn to idols and false worship of false gods and in some cases, demons. The level of effort and expense they go through to procure these worthless idols shows how depraved they had become.

 

Idolatry did not end with the Israelites nor with the coming of Christ. Idolatry is not just bowing down to a wooden or golden statute and other such things. So, before you absolve yourself from being an idol worshipper claiming that you have no statue you bow down to hear this: Idolatry includes the giving of the worship and reference due to God, to creatures of God.

 

Each time a person thinks a more powerful being other than the true God directs him to comfort you, you may be putting that creature in the creator’s place. It does not matter whether in the face of a formidable army, well-stored magazines, a small circle of friends, or an income, it is idolatry if it is receiving that which is due only to God from you.

 

Remember, your idol or false god could be the devil and the numerous entities that front for him in the affairs of the world, you job, your spouse, your child, fulfilling your lust, and any number of other things people devote their lives to. This is what the Israelites were guilty of on numerous occasions. God had to eventually put a stop to it by sending them into captivity in Babylon.

 

Beware of personal pride

As the saying goes, pride goes before a fall. But common as that saying is, how many do the necessary self-examination to avoid it? Better than popular opinion is what the word of says of pride.

 

Here is a sampling,

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: But with the lowly is wisdom.” (Pro 11:2); and

 

“Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Pro 16:18).

 

Please, never think that you are so faithful and committed to the LORD that you are beyond idolatry or cannot be ensnared. Such thoughts could be a sign of pride and could lead you to lowering your guard against falling victim to the worship of false gods.

 

Remember, the Israelites were people of God and many amongst them were committed and faithful to God. Yet they fell.

 

While His creatures come from nothing: He calls things from nothingness into existence, makes things in existence into nothingness.

 

Do not allow your personal situation to re-interpret the Word of God for you. What you received and believed in the light and when you were in the steady state, do not begin to doubt in the hours of darkness when you are prone to stumble.

 

Rather, examine yourself appropriately and regularly. Get yourself established and rooted in the word of God and personal relationship with his Holy Spirit. When in crisis, and in desperate situation, some claim that their ways are hidden from God or that God is no more interest in them.

 

But God is always the one in sole charge and the arbiter of all events. When you have Scriptural view of God and a heart that loves him you will be less prone to error or being deceived.

 

Some pertinent questions:

  • But you the believer in Christ, what is your response when you are faced with some situation that is serious or even desperate?
  • Who or where do you turn to?
  • What type of help are ready to accept in such a situation?
  • Do you think or assume that the end justifies the means irrespective of what you know of God?

 

You cannot run away from problem for God has not put you in a cocoon isolating you from life challenges. God’s word even says that,

 

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1Cor 10:13).

 

So, you, a Christian, what do you do when you face a challenge or problem that does not lend itself to an easy or quick solution?

 

Check yourself, for you may be unknowingly committing a form idolatry.

 

Our God never changes

Again, remember and take this to heart:

 

Believers in Christ should have comfort from God’s attributes or character. Our God measures all but is beyond all measure Himself. Even the waters, the heavens, the mountains, and the dust of the earth, He created precisely to His perfect satisfaction.

 

God alone has perfect Knowledge. No one ever directed the Spirit of God, nor ever will be. His capacity to create is unsurpassed. Yes, his creation is vast, much beyond what any man can know or see. Yet, are insignificant in His sight

 

Our God is incomparable to any of His creations, any man-made improvisations. He is higher than any man-made rival. No man-made image could ever portray such a great God.

 

His power is unsurpassed, and God gives power to achieve. He alone promotes and demotes. Our God alone can deliver.

 

Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. This is letting the people of Judah who were at that time discouraged, and possibly thinking, God does not care anymore, to let them know God still cared for them. God never leaves, nor forsakes His own (Heb. 13:5).

 

You belong to God!

To crown it all: This is the God that calls you his own! Should this be motivation and encouragement enough for you to be able to persist and overcome even the preset storm?

 

It is those who put their hope in the Almighty God that will keep going, even when it seems humanly speaking, it is impossible. Do not judge by what you see or feel alone, but by the word of God. God is with you always. So, take God at His word from this moment on.

 

I pray that the LORD will quickly come to your aid in the Name of Jesus.

 

The unbeliever

But this has been about the people of God, especially in our time, the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps you are yet an unbeliever and you are asking, “How do I come in seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

What if Christ is not yet your Saviour? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of the people of God, the believers in Christ.

 

But there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. O yes, God created you. So, he knows you more than you know yourself! God knew you were going to get to this point and he therefore made provision for you.

 

How?

 

By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God:

 

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

 

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

 

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

 

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

 

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

 

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

 

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

 

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

 

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

 

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

 

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

 

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 Christian Conduct, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation, Uncategorized

Be a true disciple of Christ and not just one of the multitudes  0

 June 12, 2019  

Many Christians are self-certified and self-satisfied with their Christian life. This often despite a lifestyle that is obviously not in line with the word of God. Some excuse themselves by claiming that they are followers of Christ who are yet to become Christ’s thus creating artificial categories amongst the disciples of Christ.

 

However, there is only one group of Christ’s disciples in Scripture. Hence, those who claim to be followers while waiting to become disciples are drawing conclusions are erroneous and possible delusions from their own minds that have no bearing with the true word of God.

 

Thank God that we live in the time of grace. A time when we can encourage ourselves. And if anyone is beginning to fall asleep at his duty post rather than being awake to his responsibilities as a disciple of Christ, we can nudge him back to wakefulness.

 

Truly, there were multitudes who followed Christ about during His earthly ministry. But such ones were just faceless crowds who saw Him more as an entertainer. They were never considered nor confused with the disciples of Christ.

 

If going off course and into this error, it is required you retrace your steps and go back to your first love, that of being true disciple of Christ.

 

So today, I want each person who claim to know Christ to honestly answer this question in the deepest part of his heart:

 

“Are you a true disciple of Christ or just one of the multitudes?”

 

I say upfront that I desire and want to encourage you to “Be a true disciple of Christ and not just one within the faceless multitudes that followed Him.

 

As a form of help, I encourage you to read and reflect of Luke 14:25-35 as you attempt to answer that question. Please, this is not an attempt to bring you under condemnation. Rather, it is an attempt to remind you of what the Holy Scripture teaches: That those in Christ should appraise themselves regularly to ensure that they are still walking according to the light of the Lord.

Here is that passage of Scripture as in the King James Version of the Holy Bible:

 

“25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them, 26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. 34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:25-35).

 

While you do your own reading and reflection, consider the following:

 

Background

The Lord was by now used to the crowds that followed him around. He had become so popular that He could hardly go anywhere unnoticed or unaccompanied. Many of these that followed Him were there just for the entertainment, free food or just to witness the miracles and not because of any desire to know the truth and get closer to God.

 

And now, another Passover was coming. Most of the people within these multitudes were Jews who had come from the Jewish diaspora. They were headed to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover as commanded them in the law of Moses.

 

Many of them had spent much money and time to be there. Hence, they were religious. They came because they apparently believed in the law of Moses and the God who gave that law through him. They had come to perform their religious obligations.

 

However, the Lord knew that many amongst them were not committed nor did they know the God of their fathers whom they had come to pay religious homage to as much as they claimed.

 

So He spoke to them as to what is required to be His disciple, and by implication, members of the kingdom of the God they claim to be worshipping. He did not want them to be in any doubt as to what God required of them. What the Lord spoke to them He spoke to all including the one who wrote this piece and you reading it.

 

The Lord spoke to the multitude

25 And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,

 

A multitude is a large number of people gathered together in one place. They are often fickle-minded. People within the multitude are faceless. They are uncommitted to anything. No one could be held responsible or accountable for anything. They are excitable and are easily roused and since they often are on a short fuse can do much damage when they engage in mob action.  

 

The multitudes that followed the Lord were there for the entertainment or whatever they thought could be of benefit to themselves and thus caress their need for instant gratifications.

 

At the sight of any trouble or problem, they will disappear or go away. When angry or in disagreement, they could become very vicious and destructive as they go into mob-action mode.

 

An instant that comes to mind is the multitudes that hailed the Lord and usher Him into Jerusalem as King turned against Him as they shouted, “crucify Him, crucify Him!” few days later.

 

The Lord recognised their core characteristics. He also recognised that committed ones could be drawn out of the multitude. He wanted such ones that would be willing to commit to following God to hear the truth. Hence, the Lord addressed them.

 

What the Lord demands of His would-be disciple

26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

 

It is a very big if. It suggests that there is a choice, a decision to be made by people within the great multitudes following Him. It is conditional upon the person who makes such a decision to fulfil the condition. He wanted them to have the needed information so that they will make an informed decision.

 

And what He said applied to any man, that is, anybody, whoever so choses or desires. There is no exception. There are no special circumstances or situations that could be the grounds for exception. No special privileges for anybody man or woman. All are to fulfil the same conditions.

 

To come to me is another way of saying, believe in and commit to follow the Lord as a disciple.

 

The crowds already had come from their various locations to him and were following Him. But their following Him was superficial and temporary as they followed Him to just enjoy whatever they could get from Him. To many of them, He was just a teacher working miracles which they were enjoying as a form of entertainment.

 

Hence, “come to me” here means to come to the Lord with the intention of wanting to become His disciple. It applies to anyone who would venture to commit to following Him the Son of God, as Saviour and Lord.

 

Hate here is a very strong word, demonstrating the seriousness of what was at stake. It is a figure of speech referred to as hyperbole or exaggeration.

 

Father, mother, wife, children, brethren and sisters are all blood relations within the nuclear family. It speaks of the closest and most important relationships known to all his hearers, and indeed, all mankind in all cultures and traditions. These are relationships that are the products of the family as ordained by God. That any normal person would hold above all others and would do anything they can to keep and to nurture at great expense.

 

Christ is to be held up supremely above all else.

The effect of true commitment to Christ will have an effect upon the person’s (the disciple’s) other relationships as to seem like he hates those other relationships. It is not hatred in the sense of doing harm to these blood and close relations. For in numerous places, the believer is commanded to take good care of such relationships.

 

Examples include:

  • The marriage relationship is to be life long and spousal responsibilities and obligations are to be fulfilled.
  • Fathers and mothers are to be honoured and taken care of.
  • Children are to be properly trained and cared for.
  • Nowhere in Scripture is it said that becoming a disciple absolves a person from such obligations.
  • Rather, neglect of such obligations could be a sign that such a one is really not a believer.

 

In addition, the would-be disciple is to “hate his own life also.” Self-love seems to be in-born and universal amongst all of mankind. Every normal person loves himself or herself more than anybody else. This self-love propels each person in all his endeavour in life. Hence, everyone wants the best for himself/herself. This ingrain self-love must be jettisoned by the would-be disciple of Christ. Failing to adhere to this demand of the Lord, the would-be disciple “cannot be my disciple” says the Lord.

 

Dealing with these important and sometimes crucial relationships is according to Christ, an all-or-none process that the would-be disciple must deal with not as one-off event, but as a continuous, on-going process all through his life as a disciple. Each of these relationships must be treated as prescribed by the word of God.

 

Verse 26 echoes a somewhat similar command of God to the people of Israel in the OT not to allow any close relations to entice them away from their God (Deut. 13:6-8).

 

This tells us that it is the same God with the same commands for His people all the time in all places and eras. As in the days of old, so also should be down the ages and down to us, the confession of the saints:

 

“Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.” (Ps 73:25).

 

Jewish understanding of discipleship

The Jews understood what it was to be a disciple in their religion and tradition. Jewish disciples followed their masters or rabbis. They frequently imitate them literarily.

 

Their goal was to one day become masters or rabbis themselves having their own disciples. In contrast, the disciples of Jesus Christ were and still are to remain His disciples, and to follow Him only. They were and still are expected to point or lead others to Christ.

 

The disciple of Christ must carry his cross and follow the Lord

27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

 

The command is to an individual. For it is an individual and not a group decision. It is “whosoever” and not “whatever group.”  Personal responsibility is what is called for. Each person will answer to his/her name.

 

Does not bear or carry his cross suggests that there are crosses to carry. Though some may which they don’t have to but each person is to carry his own cross.

 

But what is the cross?

The cross is not some disease, mental anguish or physical infirmity as some suppose. Nobody decides to become sick or acquires a disease of himself. But the cross has an element of choice in it.

 

The cross is what you suffer because you are a true disciple of Christ. Hence, the content of the cross includes a pathway of reproach, persecution, suffering, loneliness, tribulations, and even death if need be voluntarily for the sake of Christ, and of the word (Mat 13:21; Acts 14:22; 2Tim 3:12).

 

It is not just to carry his cross, but such a one must in addition, come after or follow Christ. To come after or follow Christ is to submit to Him and to obey Him. It is those who obey Him that love Him.

 

A person not willing to carry his cross and follow cannot be a disciple of Christ.

 

Refusal to carry the cross and follow the master tantamount to a rejection of the Lord. The carrying of the cross is not a one-off event, but a life-time commitment carried out every day of the disciple’s life. For the command of Christ is:

 

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23).

 

This level of commitment by a true disciple of Christ was alluded to by the apostle Paul. For the apostle Paul made reference to all the afflictions and troubles he had had, that still awaited him, when he said concerning himself:

 

“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24).

 

Discipleship is costly, can you pay what is required?

 

Three illustrations from everyday activities

 

  1. A would-be tower builder (Luke 14:28-30):

 

“28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.” (Luke 14:28-30).

 

 

A person wanting to build a tower would start with planning. He would sit down and count or estimate the cost of the project. He would then check his resources to see if he has enough to start and complete the tower project. This wise planning would prevent him from starting a project he may not have enough to complete.

 

Not starting a project for which he does not have enough to complete will prevent him from being the object of derision to be mocked for an otherwise uncompleted tower building project.

 

The Christian must assess himself and be willing to fully commit to Christ. It will not be acceptable to accept to become a disciple, be enthusiastic for a while, and then fizzle away. Even the people of the world will mock such a failure and hold such a one in contempt.

 2. A king going to war (Luke 14:31-32):

 

“31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.” (Luke 14:31-32)

 

The king planning to go to war with another king would first appraise his arsenal of soldiers, weapons and other resources beforehand. If he discovers that he would not be able to win the impending war, he would quickly make arrangement for peace with his would-be adversary.

 

For example: The Gibeonites did this with the Israelites during the early stage of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelites (Jos. 9:3-16). 

 

The would-be disciple must be willing to and must forsake all

33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

 

This links back to what has been said in the previous verses about the would-be tower builder and the king about to go to war (vv.28-32). Just as the tower builder, and the king going to war had to use all their resources, failing which each would not pursue his respective project, the would-be disciple would go through the same process of evaluation of ability and willingness to become a disciple.

 

The would-be disciple must determine if he will be willing to forsake all and follow the Lord wherever He may lead and whatever He may demand of him as His disciple.

 

The conclusion to be drawn for him to be a disciple is:

“I am willing to, and I will forsake all that I have to become a disciple of Christ.”

 

If the conclusion of the would-be disciple of Christ is short of this, then like the tower builder who would not start building a tower because he does not have enough to complete it, or the king who lack enough soldiers and other resources to prosecute a war, and therefore sort terms of peace from his opposing king, this person cannot be the disciple of Christ, and has to turn back from becoming a disciple of Christ.

 

Others before left all to become disciples of Christ

We could see the demonstration of “forsaking all to follow Christ” in the:

  •  Life of Abraham (Gen 12:1-5), who left all to follow God, and in
  •  The lives of the apostles:
  • Simon, James and John (Luke 5:1-11, esp. v.11),
  • the publican, Levi (Luke 5:27-28).

 

Some others could not forsake all and could not become disciples of Christ

There were also others who could not forsake all, and therefore could not become the disciples of Christ.

 

Examples:  

  •  The rich ruler (Luke 18:15-24, esp. vv.22-23),
  • Ananias with Sapphira his wife (Acts 5:1-5).,
  • Hymeneus and Alexander (1Tim 1:19-20),
  • and Demas (2Tim 4:10).

 

Note that it is not that a person must be willing to, but that he must forsake all.

Many so-called Christians try to explain this passage away. But there is no explaining away what Christ Himself said was His demand of anyone who would want to be His disciple.

 

Christ knew what His disciple would face, and what the job would entail, so He wanted, and still wants people who will esteem Him above everything else in the world.

 

Same planning and diligence in the affairs of this world is called for in spiritual affairs too. It is common sense and normal practice amongst men to plan and ensure they have all the resources they would need before they start any meaningful and worthwhile project.

 

Why would any right-thinking person suppose that a matter of eternal consequences like becoming a disciple of Christ would require anything less?

 3. Salt, a common item of food (Luke 14:34-35):

 

“34 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:34-35).

 

Salt is good because of its flavour which is inherent in it. That flavour accounts for its usefulness in the various ways and purposes for which it is put. If the salt should loose its all-important flavour, it cannot be re-flavoured.

 

And if it has no flavour, it becomes useless to everybody. It will not even be good for the land fill or the dunghill (rubbish dump). The useless flavourless salt will therefore be thrown away.

 

This paints the picture of the disciple who starts his Christians journey with enthusiasm and zeal. But along the line, he begins to lose his zeal and begins to renege on his vows and promises.

 

The reason for the disciple’s existence is to live true to his Lord. As he begins to lose focus, he begins to live a life that is miserable and therefore, pitiable. As in the case of the salt, men, not God threw out the useless salt.

 

In the case of the disciple who is not living true to the demands of Christ’s discipleship, God does not cast him it, for that would never happen to a true believer.

 

But this believer that has lost his flavour would have men trample underfoot his testimony, as men hold him in contempt and mock him as someone who started well but is unable to finish.

 

What testimony do people have concerning you and your faith of Christianity?  

 

Finally, the Lord said, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”

This is not talking of physical ears and physical hearing as important as those are. This is because all his listeners had physical ears, and they could hear his voice as He spoke, otherwise, the whole exercise would be pointless if they were all earless or physically deaf.

 

Rather, those who have ears and would hear are those who could understand the spiritual truth He was teaching, and to go ahead and obey them.

 

In Conclusion

This was Christ informing His would-be followers of the standard required of His disciples.

 

The leaders of the world, and many Christian leaders today crave, cultivate and are excited by large crowds. They just love the crowds, especially when they are gullible and are easily exploited for the benefit of such leaders. This is contrary to Christ.

 

The Lord was not interested in the crowd just for having a large company of people around Him who were there just for the entertainment, who would not commit to any enduring thing, and would run away at the first sign of trouble or any problem.

 

But Christ was looking for committed people, who would prove reliable and endure to the end what the kingdom of God demanded.

 

So, He spoke to them in plain language, so that, such ones as were hoping to become His disciples, as we say in our day, “would make an informed decision.”

 

And contrary to what many think, being a disciple of Christ is costly to the disciple. Becoming a disciple of Christ is a life-long commitment to him. The apostle paul surveying his life in relationship to his life in Christ said,

 

“7But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” (Phil 3:7-8).

 

The disciple must prioritise Jesus Christ above ALL Else (family, his own life) bear his own cross, counting the cost, and live with purpose of being salt in the world, consistently all through his/her life.

 

There is no place or time for laxity. The Lord Himself made it clear when He said to all:

 

“No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

 

  • Are you a true disciple of Christ or just one of the multitudes of people?
  • Have you resolved to follow the Lord Jesus Christ anywhere He leads you?
  • Have you counted the cost of being a disciple of Christ?

 

I encourage you today to commit to a life of discipleship under the Lordship of Christ.

 

When you do, you will receive the grace to be sustained in your journey of faith, service and ministry to the risen Lord. 

 

To the unbeliever

But this has been about the believers in Christ. Those who have made peace with God through the propitiation of Jesus Christ. They are the one being exhorted to live true to their calling in Christ as they wait for His second coming.

 

But what if you are an unbeliever? What if Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of believers in Christ. And you cannot be expected to please the Lord and to do things that are only possible with the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

 

Perhaps you are saying you what to be part of the wonderful people of God who are the disciples of Christ. You want an end to the enmity between you and God.

 

And having read this piece you see the possibility but are wondering how you can change your situation.

 

You are asking, “How do I come into the fold of believers in Christ seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

 

Truly, there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. 

 

How?

 

By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God: 

 

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

 

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

 

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

 

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

 

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

 

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

 

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

 

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

 

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

 

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

 

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

 

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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

Be aware of and resist the deceitful workers around you  0

 May 29, 2019  

Christianity is a supernatural religion that straddles but the physical and spirit realms. Unfortunately, the supernatural aspect seems to be on continual downgrade. Daily, people who are Christians go more and more in the direction of the physical.

The focus on the physical has become so entrenched that many now view Christianity only from the point of view of the world.

While many still mention the name of God and talk religious talk, their actions demonstrate that they do not believe as the believers of the days of old. Many today are just going through the motions. They come to church and attend religious meetings more as obligation or duty rather than as a demonstration of their belief in and love of God.

But truth remains truth whether a person believes it or not. The unfaithfulness of man will never make God become unfaithful. As the word of God tells us, there is more to life than the physical that we see.

The spirit world is as real and as important to our existence as the physical. In our daily living, we are to interact with the two the way God has instructed us.

So today, let us remind ourselves about one area where the spirit world attempts to negatively impact our lives, and to encourage ourselves to resist any attempt to lure us away from our Lord.

This area is the methodology that the prince of darkness uses to influence us to follow his ways rather than the way of God.

And that methodology is called: Deception. So, you need to “Be aware of and resist the deceitful workers around you.” And to resist them.

Apostle Paul had ongoing encounters with false teachers

The apostle Paul with his companions founded and nurtured the church in Corinth. That church experienced the gifts and the power of God. But in spite of the manifest presence of God within that church, there was also much that could be accounted the work of the devil.

The apostle identified one of the major causes of this apparent contradiction to his critics. These were people who did not accept his apostleship. Not only that, they openly slander him and further brought false teachings and error into the church.

These false teachers presented themselves as people with more accurate knowledge and higher rank than the apostle. Some even accused him of not being an apostle as he was not part of the original twelve appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ.

The issue of false workers seemed to follow him around a lot. And he responded to them in his letters many times. One of such responses in the letter to the Corinthian church.

Specifically,

“13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2Cor 11:13-15).

In this passage, the apostle identified and unmasked these ungodly workers.

 “13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

This section is connected to the previous as it now gives the reason the apostle Paul did not want to be considered or thought of in the same category or class as those described in the previous verses above.  

These critics of apostle Paul, and who were working against the gospel apparently were calling themselves apostles of Christ. But they are false apostles because they were not sent or commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. They were neither sent nor approved by the other true apostles of Christ (Acts 15:1, 24).

They might have appointed themselves or were appointed by men. Hence, they are false apostles. These are the many who corrupt the word of God (2Cor 2:17), and those others like them.

Deceitfulness was the method by which they went about deceiving people as they moved from church to church seeking to gain followers and disciples for their false teachings. They preach, teach, evangelize and engage or labour in other activities of ministry, but all are done for their own gain or profit.

They were pretending to be “workmen” with authority of the Lord to work for the Lord while they were working for and seeking their own gain.

Masters of subterfuge

They transformed themselves. That is, they change their appearance so they will not be recognised. They disguised, they masqueraded, they assumed any posture, title or mannerism that will enable them to represent themselves to others as who they are not. Left to themselves they carried no influence, no authority. They needed a make-over so as to have an appearance close to that of the people they are trying to impersonate.

They went as far as they possibly could to assume in line with their evil motive, the habits, manner and doctrine of the apostles of Christ. They coveted the highest office so that if they succeed in their deceit, they can then corrupt the whole corpus of the body of Christ.

They wanted to be seen and taken as apostles of Christ even though they knew they were not. But they needed credibility to be able to successively deceive the people. On their own, they stood no chance, so they had to claim to be apostles of Christ to gain the needed credibility. They were pretending to be who they were not.

False teachers and other categories of false workers continue the same method even today.

Hence, the apostle Paul did not want to be thought of or put in the same class as them.

An attempt to infiltrate the highest office

They were making out to be apostles of Christ when they were not. Their action was not an accident or out of ignorance. Rather, their action was premeditated and deliberate. They purposefully set out to deceive. They chose to pretend to have been sent by Christ when He had not sent them. They were thus false teachers.

Observe that what is said concerning these Judaizing teachers who were attempting to impose the observance of the law of these believers are also true of false teachers in our day.

As in those days, the false teachers pretended to be upholding the righteous laws of God, so also in our day the false teachers pretend and give the appearance of fighting to uphold the truth of Christianity.

They are aware that falsehood in its true colour will not fool any believer. Hence, falsehood had to be disguised as truth. Hence, false teachers appeal to people through ideas, desires and hopes that people are expected to have, pretending that such could be attained by means other than prescribed by God.

This is a very serious allegation because it concerns the highest office within the church of Christ on earth that a person can occupy. Though the term “apostle” can have the general meaning of someone “sent by another”, its most obvious use is as the title the Lord Jesus Christ bestowed upon twelve of His disciples which He chose after a night of prayer.

These special group frequently referred to in Scripture as “the twelve” occupied a special position only next to Christ. They were given special powers and privileges including: Power to work miracles, authority to write Scripture and many other unique abilities.  

These are the men these false teachers were pretending or attempting to masquerade as.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Do not wonder, do not be surprised about this method and the motive of the false apostles and false teachers.

Why?

Because of who they hold allegiance to, the one who is truly their master.

Satan is their master. Satan is the grandmaster of subterfuge. The masquerade extraordinaire.

It is natural for the disciple to want to be and should aspire to be like his master. Christians are commanded to aspire to be like their master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is the prince of darkness, the power that works in the children of disobedience. The devil’s chief method of operation is deception. Thought, Satan is often depicted as an ugly, hideous-looking, two-horned monster, he is far from such a physically frightening creature. 

Satan not occasionally but habitually transforms himself. Put another way, disguising is his stock-in-trade.

He disguises or transforms himself into an angel of light. He was an angel of light before his fall. So, he knows what to do and how to masquerade himself as an angel of light to humans and other unsuspecting creatures of God.

How does the devil do this in practice?

In the garden of Eden (Genesis 3), he pretended to have the best interest of Eve at heart. That he wanted Eve to have knowledge and wisdom that God had denied her. That God was not as good as He made out to her as God was hiding the best from her.

But all the while, all the devil wanted was for Eve to disobey God and thus create discord between Eve and God. He wanted their ruin but pretended to be helping them to get to a higher level of achievement.

Similarly, in the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness (Mat 4:1-11), he pretended to be acting in the interest of Jesus Christ by telling Him and asking Him to prove Himself as the Son of God.

In both events Satan used the word of God with much falsehood mixed with it.

Similarly, false apostles and false teachers have the bible. They are always claiming to be working for God. By having the bible and quoting from it, they are claiming to be working for God. They engage in religious activities, display the mannerism using words like God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, salvation and the like.

But what they are doing is to deceive and press any advantage that could be profitable to them. But their true status soon become apparent to those discerning that they only mix some truth with much falsehood to deceive.

As the father of lies, deception is part of the nature of the devil. Deception is an advance form of lying. The devil is the father of lying:

“He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44).

Satan is the thief that has come to steal, to kill and to destroy (John 10:10).

To be able to accomplish his mission, he had to and continues to be the master of deception.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”.

Servants like their master

It is not a difficult matter and it should not be a surprise as to the things the false apostles do since they do what their master does.

If the fountain head is corruption itself, that the stream therefore is polluted should be expected rather than it being a surprise to anyone.

In other words, since Satan himself poses falsely, believers should not be surprised that his agents do the same.

Satan’s agents pose as ministers of righteousness. That is, they profess to be ministers of the Christian religion. They profess and pretend to lead people in the way of truth and righteousness while they are agents of Satan in disguise. In this they are only imitating Satan their master.

Satan’s attacks against the church are often subversive and are often carried out by people within the church who are enemies of the cross of Christ who claim to be Christians. (Phil 3:18).

They claim to be believers while they are not, and their conduct and activities betray them as they demonstrate the opposite. Hence, they cause divisions, produce and spread errors and false doctrine, corrupt the word of God (Rom 16:18; 2Cor 2:17; Eph. 4:14; Phil 3:18; Col 2:4),

Dire consequences await them

They will be judged not according to what they professed or claimed to be, but according to their evil deeds (Mat 7:21-23). Severe judgement awaits the devil and those who through their works ally with him. But before the judgement day comes, these false ministers of various ranks are capable of much damage to the body and cause of Christ.

Virtually from its inception the church faced the onslaught of false teachers. The apostles and those who followed them frequently contended with a diversity of false teachers and their false doctrine.

Know your Christian Faith

The same situation continues to our day. The false teachers are crafty, bold and often daring. Believers in Christ should therefore be on their guard. Being on guard also means you the believer in Christ understand the core tenets of the Christian faith and will therefore detect error when you come across it. Thus, it is important to pray regularly, study the word diligently and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He applies the word into your life.  

Remember that the church was warned both by Christ and His apostles that such people will arise within the church, and the church was to be on her watch against such (Mat 7:15-16; 24:24; Acts 20:30; 2Pet 2:1-3).

Determine that you will never be a purveyor of error in your Christian journey: Be aware of and resist the deceitful workers around you!!!

To the unbeliever

But this has been about the believers in Christ. Those who have made peace with God through the propitiation of Jesus Christ. They are the one being exhorted to live true to their calling in Christ as they wait for His second coming.

But what if you are an unbeliever? What if Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of believers in Christ. And you cannot be expected to please the Lord and to do things that are only possible with the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps you are saying you what to be part of the wonderful people of God who are the disciples of Christ. You want an end to the enmity between you and God.

And having read this piece you see the possibility but are wondering how you can change your situation.

You are asking, “How do I come into the fold of believers in Christ seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

Truly, there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. 

How?

By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God: 

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen. 6c732f2e72656c

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

Practice Your Christianity NOW!  0

 May 19, 2019  

Before we begin, have you ever thought of how to answer the question “What makes a person a Christian?”

Many profess to be Christians or believers in Christ. But one wonders how many can sensibly explain what it means to be a Christian to an unbeliever. Perhaps many who claim to be Christians live the way they live because they do not understand who or what makes one a Christian. I would encourage us to reflect on this on our own.

One major expectation and living hope of the Christian is that Christ is coming again. This is one reason a Christian makes effort to live to please the Lord. Though we are saved by grace and it also grace that enables the believers to do the will of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, believers are still required to take responsibility and make personal efforts in their journey of faith.

How much effort are you making?

So, today, we want to encourage ourselves to practice our Christianity in the here and now, to live a lifestyle that pleases our Lord.

Our discussion will be based on the following passage of the Holy Scripture: 

“11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Rom 13:11-14).

11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

The recipients of this letter knew the time being spoken of here. The time referred to here is not time in general but the end-time in particular. Right now, is a time of darkness over the earth as the powers of darkness hold sway over the lives of the people. We are in the end time and it is a perilous time (2Tim 3:1).

The time or hour has already come.

Sleep here is a figure of speech for careless Christian lifestyle. For lackadaisical attitudes to be shoved aside. Believers are to awake from sleep means they should come out of their indifference towards spiritual and eternal things.

It is time for believers in Christ to pay closer attention to their lifestyle with the intension of stopping whatsoever is contrary to God in their lives. Rather, they should now be intensifying their efforts in activities that glorify God.

The believer in Christ is to “awake to righteousness, and sin not.” (1Cor 15:34). He is to be sober and vigilant because the enemy is on the prowl seeking whom to devour (1Pet 5:8).

Salvation here refers to the final deliverance of believers in Christ from this present evil world (Gal 1:4). As we are told that, “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1John 5:19), and the whole creation is groaning as it waits for that day (Rom 8:22-23). This is reminding the believers that the time of the Lord coming for their final deliverance when the Lord will take them to Himself is nearer than when they first became believers in Christ.

The Lord’s Second Coming draws near each day (Jam 5:8). This is telling the believers in Christ to live earnestly and expectantly as the Lord could come anytime now. The reason to be awake, vigilant and live soberly is because of our final or ultimate salvation which will take place at the return of our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth and could take place unexpectedly anytime (Rom 8:23; Heb. 9:28; 1Pet 1:5).

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Night is a metaphor for darkness. The night is the time when ungodliness reigned. The night is of evil and the wicked plough their wares in thick darkness.The night is the time we live in now, this end time that is full of the activities of darkness.

The night is when evil doers carry out their evil activities. The Lord tells us that “men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19). This period is far gone when viewed from when Christ first came into the world. Though, chronologically one may not know the order of things or what will happen next and when, the believers are to live in expectation of the Lord’s second coming.

The day of final triumph or victory over all evil. The day of the Lord’s second coming is at hand, i.e. it is so close that it could happen anytime. And the believers are commanded and expected to be ready.

To cast off is to throw away with some force as you will urgently throw away a dress on fire!

This is now stated in plain speech: The believers are to do away with works of darkness. Whatever could have an appearance of darkness should be cast off. They are not to rationalize, pretend or argue, but to use whatever means they are capable of to do away with acts of darkness. This is the negative, the DO NOT!

The armour of light means the protective covering of a righteous or holy life. The believers are to put on this armour of light. The various pieces of this armour are described in some detail in Ephesians 6:14-18. These are also the elements of true Christian character. This is the positive, DO THIS!

The time of our final salvation will be the start of a new day for all believers. The present time in which Christ is absent (He has gone to the Father) (John 14:2-3; Acts 1:11), and Satan is at work (2Cor 4:4; Eph. 2:2), is described as the night (2Pet 1:19).

Believers are at war with the enemy of God, and as soldiers in a conflict must be alert and equipped for battle with the armour of light. Since the day is almost here, and indeed, could occur anytime, believers are urged to put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.

Believers in Christ are all the children of light and the children of the day, are not of the night nor of darkness. They are therefore to

“be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.” (1Thess 5:5, 8).

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

Now, some specific activities are mentioned: What to do and what not to do.

Believers in Christ are to walk as becoming of a follower of Christ.

Our own night had passed for we were once in the dark partaking of the works of darkness (Eph. 5:8). But now as believers, we are of the day partaking of the righteous things of the day and not the unrighteousness of the night. Believers are children of light and of the day (1Thess 5:5). So, they should only do things that are fit to be exposed to the light of the day, things that would withstand the scrutiny of their Lord.

Rioting and drunkenness denote various forms of intemperance that usually end in intoxication. Believers are to be temperate or self-controlled in their appetite.

Chambering and wantonness denote various forms of impurity and believers are to avoid any form of impurity in their lives.

Strife and envying denote the various forms poisonous feelings and attitudes between one person and another.

These all go against or work against the law of love between people, especially between the brethren or Christian community. The Christian have nothing to do with wild parties, drunken brawls, sex orgies, vile excesses, bickering and envy.

Notice that the emphasis is on our practical Christian walk – what we can and should do ourselves.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

The conclusion or sum-total of what has been said and demanded of the believer now follows.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ is one way of telling the believers in Christ: Conduct your life in such a way that Christ can be seen in and through you. This is saying the believers should take upon themselves, the whole of the Lord’s character, become truly Christ-like. Adopt the lifestyle of Christ, living as He lived, accepting Him as our Guide and Example.

Those who opposed the apostles took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).

  • Does your life reflect anything or aspect of Christ?
  • Without some long, winding introduction or description can someone who is meeting you for the first moment see anything different in you?
  • Do remember that you are the first and open epistle of Christ that people see and read (2Cor 3:3).

“For as many of you as has been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). 

Take no forethought or premeditate on. Do not direct any of your thought and attention to the cravings or demands of your corrupt, fallen nature, as to how you may provide for their gratification or satisfaction. Be realistic and admit it, the flesh which is the old corrupt nature incessantly cries for attention, demanding to be pampered with comfort, luxury, illicit sexual indulgence, empty, fleeting amusements, worldly pleasures, materialism and such other things.

You are not to indulge the cravings that your appetites are demanding. Rather, you should bring your body into subjection.

One makes provision for the flesh:

  • When he/she buys things that are associated with temptation,
  • When he/she makes it easy for himself/herself to sin,
  • When he/she gives a higher priority to the physical than to the spiritual.

Thus, the Christian should not indulge the flesh even a little.

Becoming Christ-like will remove every likelihood of indulging the flesh or anything associated with it.

Verses 13-14 speak of the lifestyle of the believer. Violence, wickedness and crime ordinarily are associated with darkness and night (John 1:5; 3:19-20; 8:12; Eph. 5:8, 11), and should not be found with the Christian.

Summary / Conclusion.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon for His own. Every true believer in Christ should live in that expectation. We should be constantly aware that He could come anytime. Each day brings His second coming ever closer.

While waiting, we put our Christian faith into practice now by putting away from us every work associated with darkness and engaging in works of righteousness.

As we are at war, we continuously put on the armour of God.

As believers in Christ we are able to do this through the grace the Lord has granted us, the ever-present help of the Holy Spirit who ever empowers us to triumph. Hence, we are not to be discouraged or give room to fear knowing that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13).

We ensure that we adopt the lifestyle of Christ to such an extent that Christ will be see seen in and through us. Resolve today to be a practicing Christian – one who truly emulates Christ.

May the Almighty God uphold you and continually grant you all you need to be sustained in your Christian journey and to please Him in all you engage in as you eagerly await the Second Coming of the Lord in Jesus Name, Amen.

The unbeliever

But this has been about the believers in Christ. Those who have made peace with God through the propitiation of Jesus Christ. They are the one being exhorted to live true to their calling in Christ as they wait for His second coming.

But what if you are an unbeliever? What if Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of believers in Christ. And you cannot be expected to please the Lord and to do things that are only possible with the enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps you are saying you what to be part of the wonderful people of God who are the disciples of Christ. You want an end to the enmity between you and God.

And having read this piece you see the possibility but are wondering how you can change your situation.

You are asking, “How do I come into the fold of believers in Christ seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

Truly, there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. 

How?

By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God: 

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen. o

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Christian Conduct, Doctrine, Exhortation, Salvation, Sermon

For Your Own Benefit Make the word of God the authority over your life  0

 April 29, 2019  

Lots of people desire to know the truth. They want to deal with facts when making important decisions. Believers in Christ especially talk of wanting to know the will of God for themselves or concerning specific situations. With this mindset that truth is essential in every activity of daily living, the search begins either consciously or inadvertently.  

Amongst profess believers some have lost their way in their attempts to know or discover the truth themselves. They have therefore deliberately or by default contracted the search for the truth to others. Such others that they hold in high esteem that sometimes borders on worship have various designations that include pastor, prophet, mature Christian, apostle and any other title they care to confer on such ones as they chose to subject themselves to determine how they should lead their Christian life.

Thus, many continue to be led astray by blind guides and continue to live a life much below what Christ would want for them. This unfortunate situation is all the more tragic when it is realised that the written word of God is available to them and God promises His presence in the person of the Holy Spirit to the believer.

Some questions for you to ponder:

  • Are you a genuine believer in Christ?
  • Do you take God at His word?
  • Do you believe God still guides His children today?
  • Are you looking to and in the right place for guidance?

We live in an era when to have someone else be in-charge or in-control especially over one’s life makes many uncomfortable. But the reality is that though it may not seem so, if you look well enough you will discover that your life is under the control of many entities in some way.

God created and loves you

The one that truly loves you is God who created you. He loved you so much that he gave His only Son for you (John 3:16; Rom 5:8). And Christ loves you so much that He laid down His life for you (John 10:11; 15:13; 1John 3:16).

On the basis of who God is and what He has done for you, I just want to encourage you now you should for your own benefit make the word of God to be the authority over your life.

To ensure that you the believer in Christ is not left to your own devices or fall prey to the wicked schemes of others, God has made available His written word to you and has granted you His Holy Spirit to teach and train you through the instrument of His written word.

Expressly, we are informed: 

 “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15:4).

The conduct of the believers in Christ

Previous to the above verse of Scripture and in the same epistle to the Romans, believers in Christ have been taught that: 

  • Believers in Christ are not to despise or condemn other Christians in doubtful disputations, debates or disagreements, for example, the eating of food, the way one esteems or do not esteem a day and such other things (Rom 14:1-12).
  • Christians are not to hinder the conduct of other Christians. Rather, believers in Christ should encourage one another in good conduct (Rom 14:13-23).
  • Believers in Christ are to follow Christ as their example or model when dealing with other Christians (Rom 15:1-13).  

Further, Rom 15:1-4 summarised the Christian conduct discussion of Roman 14.

Where believers in Christ are taught that:

  • Those who are strong (in convictions and conscience), ought to bear with the failings (infirmities, weakness) of the weak (v.1). The strong has this obligation as an on-going duty.
  • The strong, and indeed, every Christian should please his fellow Christian for his good to edification (building up) (v.2). That is, a Christian should not be self-centred, rather should be concerned with the spiritual welfare of other Christians around him.
  • In whatever the Christian does or is doing, he should imitate Christ who did not please Himself, but suffered for the sake of others (v.3).
  • Then comes v.4 quoted above:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15:4).

This is telling us that all the above are for one purpose: for our instruction. It is for the believers in Christ to be instructed by them and to thereby learn how to conduct themselves that they are written.

Scripture in many other places corroborate the above, compare:  

“This shall be written for the generation to come: And the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.” (102:18).

“We will not hide them from their children, Shewing to the generation to come The praises of the Lord, and his strength, And his wonderful works that he hath done.” (Ps 78:4).

“That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; Who should arise and declare them to their children.” (Ps 78:6).

This again tells us that the Old Testament Scriptures were written not for the old-time believers alone, but also for the subsequent generations of believers down to and including believers of today.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

This verse is connected to what has been spoken before. It is the reason for what is to follow here in this verse. Anything or all things without exception that were written before is a reference Scripture. Scripture makes us to understand that writing had been one way of God preserving His word through the past ages. He commanded Moses to write down what He commanded him in a book (cf. Ex 34:27; Deut. 31:9, 24).

Such writings were not only for the use of the immediate recipients of such instructions and commands, but also for the use and benefit of the generations to come. And so, today, it is for our use and our benefit. It is for us to learn, to study and to apply in practice. We are to and should be instructed by them.

Such study and instruction are not purposeless. In addition to being commanded by God, there is much benefit to be derived from it. Believers are to be instructed or trained by them. They are the means of knowing the will of God.

As we patientlystudy and put into practice what we are learning: We will be able to recollect the patience of previous saints as written in Scripture, as they withstood reproaches and persecution because of their faith and we will be encouraged by their example as we face similar situations in our day.

We discover the promises of God, and how they manifested on the pages of Scripture in the lives of the children of God, and the enemies of God, and we draw comfort from them. We will on occasions be able to echo the Palmist’s saying,

“This is my comfort in my affliction: For thy word hath quickened me.” (Ps 119:50).

Our Lord Jesus Christ in His sufferings and sacrifice should be our perfect model of self-sacrifice for the good of others.

Our Lord was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. The Lord defeated devil by using the word of God (Mat 4:1-11), which is the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17, cf. Rev 1:16).

Indeed, all the events relating to life of the Lord as detailed on the pages of the Holy Scripture are there for our instruction. We thus see much of Scripture speaking of His patience and consolation that sustained Him under such enormous suffering.

And these should be appropriate nourishment for our spirit, ministering to us the hope of that blessed day when these shall be no more as we are told:

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Rev 21:4).

We should especially realise that the same traits the Lord demonstrated in His earthly life including His sufferings and ultimate sacrifice on the cross, we are commanded to demonstrate too.

For example, we are to be:

“rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Rom 12:12). 

Child of God, you want to make an important decision that is according to the will of God then let God’s word be your authority for guidance.

Again Some Questions:

  • How do you determine the will of God?
  • Or how would you know you know God has spoken?
  • Are you growing in faith?
  • What is your view of the Holy Bible?
  • Where do you get the template for your daily living?

Remember that no man has seen God at any time. But Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son has declared Him (John 1:18). As we are told,

“in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2:9).

And He rightly said,

“he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).

You want to see God? Then look to the Lord Jesus Christ.

One major way to hear from God is through His written word.

Do you still need convincing?

Let us have a closer look at the source of the knowledge of our faith:

“Whatsoever things were written aforetime”

is referring to the written word of God as found on the pages of the Holy Scripture. It is by the word of God that the believer in Christ should conduct his life.

Some of the attributes of the word of God.

God is the source of the word of God

God’s word is from God and is God and God is His word. Just as you cannot be separated from your word, God cannot be separated from His word. The Word has an enlivening or vitalising power all its own that is quite separate from who preaches it. It has power from the fact that it is God’s Word.

All Scripture is God-breathed (2Tim 3:16).

“16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Tim 3:16-17).

No prophecy is of private interpretation. Holy men spoke as they were borne along by the Holy Spirit.

“20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2Pet 1:20-21).

God is committed to His word. He backs up His word:

“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.” (Is 55:11).

“For all those things hath mine hand made, And all those things have been, saith the Lord: But to this man will I look, Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And trembleth at my word.” (Is 66:2).

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12).

Things inherent in or the effect of the word of God:

“7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward.” (Ps 19:7-11).

“16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Tim 3:16-17).

The experience of previous saints of God:

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Ps 119:11).

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.” (Jer. 15:16).

The Holy Scripture is the revelation of God to man. It contains invaluable lessons for all believers in Christ and the whole of mankind that could not have been obtained other than by divine revelation. It is for the believer the manual for living a life that is consecrated to the service of the Living God. 

As we encounter problems, conflicts, tribulations, and troubles, the Scriptures teach us to be steadfast, and they impart encouragement and comfort to us. Hence, instead of collapsing under the waves of unpleasant circumstances, we are sustained by the hope that the Lord will see us through.

We should therefore accept the word of God and let the Holy Scripture be our authority to which we should submit all the time as we continue our spiritual journey in this earthly existence as we expectantly wait and look forward to the soon-coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

This bears repeating so I remind you that:

The one that truly loves you is God who created you. He loved you so much that he gave His only Son for you (John 3:16; Rom 5:8). And Christ loves you so much that He laid down His life for you (John 10:11; 15:13; 1John 3:16). He wants the best for you and has amply demonstrated that.

To ensure that you the believer in Christ is not left to your own devices or fall prey to the wicked schemes of others, God has made available His written word to you and has granted you His Holy Spirit to teach and train you through the instrument of His written word.

God has ensured the preservation of His written word. That word is with you now not by accident but by God’s design and for His purpose.

I cannot put it better than He expressly expressed it:

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15:4).

So, the ball is in your court. Obey the commandment of God from today. For your own benefit make the word of God to be the authority over your life from Now and for the rest of your Christian journey.

May the LORD grant you the courage to henceforth put Him first in all that you do in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

The unbeliever

But this has been about the believer in Christ. Perhaps you are yet an unbeliever and you are asking, “How do I come in seeing I do not yet know Christ?”

What if Christ is not yet your Saviour? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of believers in Christ.

But there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. 

How?

By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God: 

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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

You are to hold forth the word of life, but are you?  0

 April 18, 2019  

We have had four posts in this series:

Hence, this is the fifth post.

Each post is self-contained and though they can be read in any other, it is suggested that they be read in sequence for better understanding and benefit.

Recap:

Let us remind ourselves of the way of God with particular reference to the passage we have been looking at:

  • We are to obey the word of God whether we are alone or in the company of others, whether we have someone to encourage us or not.
  • More importantly, we are to grow out of any dependence or servant mentality and walk in the light God has given us.
  • Each of us is to work out his own salvation with fear and trembling.
  • We should understand and be encouraged by the truth that, it is God that works in us both to will to do anything, and to go ahead and do it.
  • In all that we do, we are not to murmur and dispute either against God or against our fellow believers.
  • Rather, we are to follow the ways laid down in Scripture to address God, and to resolve differences with fellow believers.
  • God’s way is the right way because that is the only way acceptable to Him, and that leads to reward.

We continue our discussion in this piece by looking at how we can answer this question: “You are to hold forth the word of life, but are you?”

Our anchor scripture for this discussion is,

Phil 2:16: “holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.”

We shall be looking at the first part of this verse here: holding forth the word of life.

How do you hold something forth? Or what does it mean to hold forth?

Holding forth, meaning to hold something fast or firmly and in a way that others will see it or to show something to others to see. In this case this is a metaphor for demonstrating to the world the fact of our faith through a lifestyle of obedience to the gospel message.

It includes knowing the truth, holding it firmly, keeping it pure, applying it so that faith in it is demonstrated to or shown to others by one’s lifestyle.

What is to be held forth is not just anything but “the word of life”

People hold forth new material things they are proud of for others to see. They enjoy the attention, and desire that people know they have this thing.

Such material things may include new dress, new shoes, engagement ring, new hair-do, new car, new gadget, new toys and the like.

To hold forth such things, one first must have it, value it, be proud of it, and therefore desire that others see it while firmly keeping it. People are proud of and derive pleasure from being seen with such materials. They may even purposely go to large gatherings just so they can be seen wearing such item.

In all these scenarios, the owner possesses that thing, it belongs to him, is proud of it, and desires others to know of this possession, and wants to be seen enjoying this possession. All this effort is concerning material perishable terms.

But this verse is talking about something eternal the value of which is inestimable.

  • But how proud are you to be seen or identified as a Christian?
  • How much effort do you make so you can be seen as enjoying being a Christian?

But this verse is speaking of the word of life, and not of some material thing of temporary value.

If some believers are so proud of material things that are so temporary, why are they not so proud of their faith in Christ that is eternal?

What is the word of life?

The word of life is described or illustrated in numerous ways in the bible, as if to ensure we know or understand what it is. Knowing it is crucial to our very existence.

The gospel is the word of life (John 6:68; Acts 5:20). It is the word of God which endures forever, and by which the gospel is preached to all (1Pet 1:25).

“It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Romans 1:16; 1Cor 1:18, 24),

And believers should therefore not be ashamed of it. It is by the gospel that believers are born into a new life (1Pet 1:23).

What are some of the qualities/attributes, and effects of the word of life?

Some of the attributes of the word of God include that it is:

  • Perfect and converts the soul;
  • Sure, and makes the simple wise;
  • Right and rejoices the heart;
  • Pure and enlightens the eyes;
  • Clean and endures for ever; and
  • True and righteous completely (Ps 19:7-9).

The word of God is to be desired than gold and is sweeter than honey; It is by it the believer is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward (Ps 19:10-11).

This is summarized in the NT here in Heb. 4:12:

“the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”.

But is it working in your life?

  • Can it be that you are just a Christian by association, and not by genuine conversion experience in an encounter with Christ?
  • Or you are a Christian, but the world and your circumstances are choking the word of life out of your life?

The word of life is very precious to God and should be to you and indeed to all who belong to God and love God, that is, every child of God. It is a trust given to every believer to keep pure and uncorrupted, and to make the rule of his life.

Our duty as believers is to hold fast in our lives and forth the word of life to others in our spirit, conversation, and practice. We should so live that others will see the presence of God in us. That they will feel that God is with us. Other believers before us have lived true to the faith by the grace of God.

Joseph, even as a slave so lived that his master knew God was with him (Gen 39:3).

Daniel was so diligent in his secular duties and his devotion to God that the ungodly around him knew they could not catch him in any wrong doing except they conjure trump-up charges against him concerning the worship of his God (Dan 6:4-5ff.).

Concerning Demetrius, we are informed,

“Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true.” (3John 12).

It is still the same Lord. It is still the same grace available to believers today.

What should motivate the believer to hold fast and forth the word of life the love God showed him first by sending Christ to die for him while yet a sinner (1John 4:9-10). The motivation is gratitude out of a grateful heart for his salvation which makes him to love God and want to please Him.

Believers are to hold forth the word of life.

But how?

  • First, before you can hold forth the word of life, you must have the word of life, that is you must be born again.
  • Are you born-again or you are just a church goer?
  • Are you a Christian by association or by real personal experience of Christ?

When you are born again, the word of life comes into you, and the Holy Spirit begins to reside in you. The two begin to work together to renew and transform you. You receive the desire to love God and to want to please Him.

You demonstrate your love for God by the efforts you make to cut off yourself from your old life and develop the character traits in-line with the new life. In other words, your becoming a born-again Christian is the beginning of personal action and responsibility to truly live as the new creature you are in Christ (2Cor 5:17).  

Action time

Now is the action time, the time for war, not against others but against your members. Those parts of you that want to continue with the old life without regard to your relationship with God.

It is war because military and forceful words are used. It is war because you have been used to these things, and they have enjoyed your company for so long, and so, they will not leave without being forcefully ejected.

Words like cast off, put off, mortify, tear out and others denoting violence and forcefulness are used to describe the actions to be taken by the believer as part of his responsibility in working out his salvation.

These things to be gotten rid of must leave the believer in Christ by fire and by force!

Few samples as reminders as to what God is talking about:

“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).

“I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.” (Rom 6:19).

In other words, you are not an innocent bystander, rather, you have been an active participant in your ways of life. As an unbeliever, you worked unrighteousness. Now as a believer, you are to work righteousness.

No excuses.

The command is:

“come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thin; and I will receive you. (2Cor 6:17).

But remember, these are habits you have enjoyed. You also might have made some half-hearted efforts to get rid of them, and then gave up trying. Tried as you have, you have never been able to wish them away, nor pray them away.

Hence, the forceful words used as to the type of actions you, the believer are to take to get rid of them:

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

“Put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Eph. 4:22).

More specifically, believers are commanded:

“But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” (Col 3:8).

These are commands, not advice, not suggestions, and not options. Again, remember the military terms used.

They are to be done from now, and persistently throughout our lives.

Two Practical examples: anger and filthy communication

What is anger?

  • Why does it come?
  • How do you overcome it?

What are examples of filthy communication out of your mouth?

  • What causes them or where are they coming from?
  • How do you get rid of them?

No excuses.

The command is:

“come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thin; and I will receive you. (2Cor 6:17).

It is very important that you remember:

  • That you are not left on your own to do whatever is second nature to you;
  • That the Holy Spirit is with you and is there to render all the help you need.
  • that the Holy Spirit in you will illumine your mind, teach you, correct you, rebuke you, and train you in works of righteousness;
  • That the word of God is available, and you should not just read it, but you should actually make time to diligently study and apply it to your life;
  • Your success lies in the word of God as applied to your life by the Holy Spirit.

Your heart is at the heart of the matter

The root is in the heart, your heart and not that of the other person. It is you that needs to deal with yourself with the help of God, while using all the resources God has provided to you to fight the battle.

If your defense /armour is not breached from inside, no one can breach it from outside.

Take active, sustained, and persistent action to root out all the filth from its root in your heart:

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Luke 6:45).

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; For out of it are the issues of life.” (Pr. 4:23).

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Rom 12:2).

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Col 3:16).

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Phil 4:8).

To hold forth the word of life:

Again remember, the believers in Christ are to “shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life” (Phil 2:15-16).

  • The believer in Christ is to know the truth of God.
  • The believer in Christ is to keep that word from corruption.
  • The believer in Christ is to hold fast to the word of life by living it as a lifestyle.
  • The believer in Christ is then to hold forth the word of life to others in his daily living and in sharing it with others as he has opportunity.

So:

  • Be sure you know and have the truth;
  • Be sure it is pure and uncorrupted;
  • Be sure that you are a living epistle of the truth you believe.

You must therefore be earnest in both acquiring and dispensing the truth. Do it lovingly, constantly, and with confidence, all of which come with persistent practice through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

The unbeliever

But this has been about the believer in Christ. What if Christ is not yet your Saviour? What if you are not yet born of the Spirit? Then the above does not yet apply to you. You are yet outside the fold of believers in Christ.

But there is a way out for God has made provision for you too. 

How?

By becoming a born-again child of God as demanded and provided for by God: 

The invitation has gone out to all human beings including you reading this piece.

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen. 0

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Exhortation, Salvation

Why This Way of God is the Right Way  0

 March 31, 2019  

We have had three posts in this series:

Hence, this is the fourth post. Each post is self-contained and though they can be read in any other, it is suggested that they be read in sequence for better understanding and benefit.

In view of our previous discussions we want to see, “Why this way of God is the right way.”

But first let us remind ourselves of the way of God with particular reference to the passage we have been looking at:

We are to obey the word of God whether we are alone or in the company of others, whether we have someone to encourage us or not. More importantly, we are to grow out of any dependence or servant mentality and walk in the light God has given us.

Each of us is to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling by obeying the commandments of the Lord after we have been saved. We should understand and be encouraged by the truth that, it is God that works in us both to will to do anything, and to go ahead and do it.

In all that we do, we are not to murmur against and dispute with either God or our fellow believers and thus should not allow a disaffected spirit to disrupt the Christian assembly or our relationship with the Lord.

Rather, we are to follow the ways laid down in Scripture to address God, and to resolve any differences with fellow believers.

Perhaps you are saying that “but I know that believers should not murmur and engage in disputings.”

Then, let us remind ourselves that according to the records of the Holy Bible, not to talk of our own human experiences, there were murmurings and disputings amongst and within the people of God in the Old Testament, also in the early church, and down the ages to our day.

Examples Include, but are not limited to:

  • Murmuring and disputing was the stock-in-trade of the people of God in the Old Testament, the Israelites;
  •  The Pharisees continuously murmured against and disputed with the Lord Jesus Christ during His ministry on earth;
  • The disciples amongst themselves even when the Lord Jesus Christ was still with them.
  • The Grecian Christians within the early church against the apostles;

And it was not because they did not know they should not have engaged in such ungodly behaviour.

You might be saying, “Who does not know that the way of God is the right way?” But experience tells us that the simple or straight forward things are not always taken seriously by many people. Believers of all era have always known they should obey God yet many disobeyed and continue to disobey even in our own day.

Still in doubt?

Hear: Most Christians know they are to pray, but how many pray? Amongst those who do, how many have progressed beyond just petition and bread and butter prayer level?

Since one of our major duties as believers is to remind one another of the teachings of the Holy Scripture, we shall be doing that now.

 We shall anchor our discussion on:

Phil 2:15: “that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world”

From this verse of Scripture and speaking of believers in Christ that: They may be blameless or be without blame and harmless or not harmful to any.

It means that contrary to what many say, it is possible to be blameless and harmless. It also means that effort is required on the part of the believer to accomplish such a state.

To blame is to find fault with or “To hold responsible for.” Hence, one sometimes hears someone else say, “they blamed me for everything” or “He blames everyone for his condition”

To be blameless means to find no fault in or with; To be faultless or Having no fault. From the perspective of humans, even Christ could not escape blame. So, we also cannot escape blame. But we can escape occasions of blame as Christ did, that is, being “hated for nothing” (John 15:25).

But here it is speaking from God’s perspective concerning believers, and not from the perspective of man or of the world: That the believers in Christ are to live to the standard of God, and thus be blameless in the sight of God.

This is not saying that believers can so live as to become blameless before God on the grounds of merit. Rather, it is that a loving God who is their Father will validate the little but sincere efforts of believers out of His love for them.

Hence, we are informed that Zacharias and his wife, Elizabeth were blameless before God (Luke 1:6). That is God reckoned them as blameless before Himself.

Do remember that blame could also come to the believer when he reproofs the blameworthy. But the believer should not be afraid of such a blame or refuse to reproof the blameworthy because of the possibility of being blamed. 

To be harmful is to cause harm or injury. Being harmless is to not cause harm or injury. Be innocent. The believer must neither have the reputation of mischief, nor the inclination to do mischief.

Believers in Christ are sons (children) of God. They have been reconciled with God through the precious blood of Christ and are therefore “the children of God” (Rom 8:14-16). And as children of God imitating their heavenly Father should be instinctive to all believers and God’s word should be a guide to them as to their duty towards God (Mat 5:44-45, 48).

To rebuke is to criticize sharply. To turn back or keep down. So, to be without rebuke is to be without reproach, fault or blemish. Without strong criticism or strong disapproval. Pleasing God will ensure commendation rather than rebuke. Hence, believers are admonished that:

“having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1Pet 2:12).

That is, believers are to live honestly amongst unbelievers, so that when the unbelievers speak against the believers as evil doers, their works will testify against the unbelievers. This is, in contrast to the unbeliever who is wholly given to ungodliness, and described thus:

“They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: They are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deut. 32:5).

In the midst of is same as in the middle of or in the centre. It is to be in the most conspicuous place or highest point of visibility. A place of maximum visibility.  

To be crooked is to be twisted out of place, dishonest. Being perverse is to be obstinate in opposing what is right. Turned away from what is right or good.

Believers are in the midst of, before or in the presence of the crooked and perverse people of the world. Mark you, it is all believers then, and by extension, all Christians down the ages down to us, and including us today. 

Lights shine. Yes, it is the nature of light to shine. The absence of light gives rise to darkness. For the believers to shine is to appear or show themselves by the way they live in obedience to God in their everyday activities surrounded by unbelievers of the world. Their good deeds which they are enabled to do by the grace of God will stand in stark contrast to the evil deeds of the ungodly around them. They will be as lights in their environment just as the sun and the moon are luminaries with their lights illuminating the earth.

Thus, the believers are:

“14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Mat 5:14-16).

this is in reference to this world. It is in the present existence. Most of the graces that believers are endowed with and are expected or commanded to exhibit are for their use in this world.

The entrance of the word of God gives light (Ps 119:130). That word has saved the believer and has continued to renew him. The light within the believer is God’s light.

Hence, the believers are commanded to let their lights so shine before men that they may give glory to God (Mat 5:16). When the believer allows his light to shine, we are told that his path will be,

“as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day” (Pr. 4:18).  

Putting everything together

Believers are to do things God’s way so they can meet with His approval. Believers are the representatives of the invisible God on earth. They are the ones people see, and in many cases, either make them want to get to know God, or run away from God. Believers are to live their lives with the consciousness of being the presence of God.

Believers are to do things God’s way. Though the world may hate them without reason, they should ensure they are blameless and harmless in the sight of God.

As they obey God, they will receive more and more help from the Holy Spirit, and gain access to other resources God has provided for their use. As they obey God, they will shine like luminaries amongst the unbelievers of the world.

Let us ever be more determined to obey God.

The purpose of commanding believers to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, but without murmurings and disputings is so they can be true children of God who are blameless in His sight, and who shine as lights in the midst of the crooked and perverse world.

This is God’s way, and the only way that will meet with His approval and commendation. Believers should do things for God only in the way God has commanded. This is because God’s way is the only way that will please Him.

God is the only one who is a law unto Himself. He is not subject to the judgement or evaluation of any of His creations be they angels or humans. He can only be judged by His own standards and no creation has that level of knowledge or authority to do that for they know only in part, and the creator can never be subject or subservient to any of His creations.

God judges by His own standards which are absolute and not subject to review or approval by anyone for no one is equal to or higher than Him.

God says those who love Him will obey His commands. And that to them, His commands are not burdensome. Rather, to those who believe in Him, it is a delight to obey Him.

This way of God that believers are commanded to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling, but without murmuring and disputings,

“that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:15),

is the only way that will meet with the approval of God and that He will qualify for reward when the time comes for His children to give account to Him at the final glorification.

It is only right and a fitting demonstration of the believer’s love for His loving Father to obey His commands, especially that the Lord supplies His sufficiency to make obeying Him possible.

Let us, therefore, make every effort to know God’s way, and to follow it in all that we do, so that we may be acceptable to Him now and in eternity.

But please realise that the above speaks to the children of God. People who have been adopted through their believing in the Lord Jesus Christ into the household of God.

But what if you are not yet a believer in Christ and as such, not yet a member of God’s household?

Please understand that the above concerns the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. They can with the help of the Holy Spirit and the written word of God, and a humble spirit be able to be obedient to God. This is because what God demands of His people can only be done with the help of God.

So, if you are not yet a believer in Christ, if Jesus Christ is not yet your Saviour and Lord, the above may sound to you as unreal or a fairy tale. But I assure you it is real and not a fairy tale. And better still, you can come in and have what genuine believers in Christ have.

How?

By becoming a born-again child of God:  

Accept God’s verdict concerning human beings:

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). And that“the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

That is, in the opinion of God, we all fall short of His standard. Further, our sin has earned a deserved wage which is death or separation from God in hell.

But while we are still in our sin, God took the initiative to reconcile us with Himself as we are told:

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

Yes, while we were all still in our sin, God showed His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. God gave Jesus Christ to the whole world (John 3:16). So, all we need to do is to accept that Christ has died for our sin by standing in place of us.

We do this by doing what the word of God commands all would-be believers:

“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.” (Romans 10:9-10). “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

Everyone who appropriates the sacrifice of Christ is acceptable to Him. And 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.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

So, I encourage you to appropriate the finished work of Christ and confess Him as your Saviour and Lord NOW!

I prayer that God will accept you into His household through Christ in Jesus’ Name, Amen. e

 Bible Study, Christian Conduct, Salvation
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