'STANDING IN THE GAP' IN 2013

I attended the Grace Covenant Church's Intercessory Meeting last night. We started off with Pastor Sam opening the meeting with a prayer calling on the Holy Spirit to give us fresh revelation for the New Year. There were many who prayed for the normal intentions but bang in the middle of the supplications the Holy Spirit spoke up through Pastor 'D' and boy-oh-boy, was it a powerful message!

He began expounding on the following scripture:

¹² And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. – Matt.11:12

The church was meant to be powerful on earth, warding off every attack from satan's kingdom. We were meant to be God's military on earth with mighty weapons such as The WORD OF GOD, WORD OF OUR TESTIMONY (Power in JESUS' NAME) and THE BLOOD OF JESUS. The church has instead backslidden and has been rendered powerless

²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power – 1 Cor 4:20

NO POWER, NO KINGDOM!

Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven – Matt. 6:10

We were to establish the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth but are far from it. We've allowed God's church on earth to be steamrolled by the powers of darkness!

We may be humans but we're called to declare 'a spiritual war'!

³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh – 2 Cor 10:3, 4

The Bible prophesies that Elijah will come again before the second coming of Christ. It has been revealed to Men of God that the return of Elijah will be a 'special manifestation' of the Holy Spirit when the 'end-time church' will be involved in spiritual warfare just as Elijah had stood against Jezebel, the high priestess of satan in the Old Testament.

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death – Rev 12:11

It is clear from the above scripture that eventually, the 'end time church' will prevail against evil even if they have to lay down their lives doing it! But this realisation must come upon the people of God now so that they start moving in the right dimension! Our prayers must 'BIND' and 'LOSE' as per the need, by the power invested by Jesus in us!

By the time the meeting ended, it was clear that the Holy Spirit wanted a 'praying church' in 2013, not afraid to use all the spiritual weapons against satan's kingdom. THERE IS MIGHTY POWER IN INTERCESSORY PRAYERS!

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,^[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places – Eph. 6:12

(Please do pass on this message to other churches so that we can stand united in this 'spiritual war'!)

 

 

THE THIEF

John 10:10 - 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.

For those of you who have understood what the 'thief' has done to the real meaning of Christmas will understand how subtle and destructive he is! Santa has replaced Jesus in popularity through the gifts he brings whilst the bible clearly tells us in James 1:17 that EVERY good and perfect gift comes from God! The Christmas tree brings great joy when it is put up and so did the 'tree decked with silver and gold that the heathen put up'- Jer 10:2-5! The festival is good but the focus is not!

Now that Christmas has come and gone, along with the merriment that accompanied it, let us settle down and contemplate on all that happened in the old year and resolve to set a theme for the new year that will keep us thoroughly focused on 'higher things'.

I suggest we decide to keep our eyes on our Lord at ALL TIMES and choose to follow Him and Him alone. Let us not look over his head, or sideways to try and look ahead at the path! Remember Peter? As long as he was looking at Jesus, he WALKED ON WATER! The moment he looked away, he was overwhelmed by the storm, wind and waves and began to sink! The 'thief' will employ every trick to distract you from your focus but be vigilant always!

If Jesus has come to us as the WORD made FLESH (Jn 1:1-5), and he came to serve and not to be served (Mark 10:42 to 45), let us follow our great and humble 'king' and also SERVE in the coming year. The world badly needs to accept the saviour. WE KNOW WE CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES ... WE BADLY NEED A SAVIOUR! The sad thing is that many still need to know this truth and our CHRISTIAN LOVE seen through our life example is the only Gospel that others will be drawn to!

In serving others as Jesus did, we will be able to save other souls from eternal damnation. Are you ready to take on the great commission in 2013?

'SEASON'

Dear friends, Whilst wishing each other compliments of the season, let us contemplate on the following commentary by JFBBC: Ec 3:1-22. Earthly pursuits are no doubt lawful in their proper time and order (Ec 3:1-8), but unprofitable when out of time and place; as for instance, when pursued as the solid and chief good (Ec 3:9, 10); whereas God makes everything beautiful in its season, which man obscurely comprehends (Ec 3:11). God allows man to enjoy moderately and virtuously His earthly gifts (Ec 3:12, 13). What consoles us amidst the instability of earthly blessings is, God's counsels are immutable (Ec 3:14). 1. Man has his appointed cycle of seasons and vicissitudes, as the sun, wind, and water (Ec 1:5-7). purpose-as there is a fixed "season" in God's "purposes" (for example, He has fixed the "time" when man is "to be born," and "to die," Ec 3:2), so there is a lawful "time" for man to carry out his "purposes" and inclinations. God does not condemn, but approves of, the use of earthly blessings (Ec 3:12); it is the abuse that He condemns, the making them the chief end (1Co 7:31). The earth, without human desires, love, taste, joy, sorrow, would be a dreary waste, without water; but, on the other hand, the misplacing and excess of them, as of a flood, need control. Reason and revelation are given to control them.

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Remember, if you're going through a tough time right now, IT WILL LAST BUT FOR A SEASON! Meditate on the WORD OF GOD all the time and He will make your way prosperous (Whether in season or out of season!).

God bless you all!

MY CHRISTMAS MESSAGE TO ALL

'The six men who raped a Delhi student on a bus had decided to "punish" her .... police sources said.'

Keeping the above 'news extract' of the heinous gang rape of the 23 year old medical student in Delhi as our backdrop, let us go to the following extract from the Holy Bible:

 ^{JOHN 8: 2-11} Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them. ³ The scribes and the Pharisees *brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the centre of the court, ⁴ they *said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. ⁵ Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” ⁶ They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. ⁷ But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” ⁸ Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. ⁹ When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the centre of the court. ¹⁰ Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, ^[a]Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.”

It is very easy for everyone to feel 'self-righteous' and at once get blinded by a false kind of zeal to 'punish' others for the 'wrongs' others do. In the case of the gang-rape victim, the perpetrators of the heinous crime tried to justify their loathful act by saying she deserved such a punishment!

The passage from the bible about the adulterous woman very clearly demonstrates that THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS AND ALL FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD! from the two that remain amongst the collection of stones left by the accusers, THERE IS ONE THAT IS FREE FROM SIN and by Jewish law, only he could have proceeded with the execution of the woman! Instead, He chooses to show mercy!

The core relevance of Christmas celebrations has been lost due to 'empty traditions'. It is the BIRTH OF OUR MESSIAH that we're celebrating and not His birthday! The power of the message of Christmas has been watered down by our vane traditions which have been used lucratively by traders and businessmen to make millions over this joyous season! Instead of enjoying the TRUE JOY that only our Lord Jesus can give, we chase after temporal vanities!

Isaiah 9:6 prophecies:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will ^[a]rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

The above scripture was read/heard by me many times but it never made the impact like it did today!
When God created the heavens and the earth HE LOOKED AT HIS CREATION AND SAID 'IT WAS GOOD'. It was man's disobedience to God that severed the wonderful fellowship that man enjoyed with god. We now blame God for all the wrong that happens in the world. We forget that if we do not chose Jesus as our personal saviour, we will never reach that destination that unites us with God in heaven!

An easy illustration of the above truth: If you've boarded a train to take you from 'A' to 'B', the train will eventually take you to 'B' however, if you decide to get off at any other station along the way, the train will reach the destination WITHOUT YOU!

God is not the author of religions! God wanted to restore the relationship between man and Himself but man has instead invented religions. He sent his only begotten son Jesus to earth so that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

True joy will be experienced only when we allow the PRINCE OF PEACE to be born inside our hearts. Let us invite Him this Christmas to come into our lives and change us to the image and likeness of HIM!

CHRISTIAN 'BROTHER/SISTER'

I was speaking to my Christian 'brother' Denzyl today and i thought i'd look into the Bible to see the real reason for calling each other 'brother X' or 'sister Y' ... I came across the following scriptures and i though i'd share them with you. Of course there are many more scriptures in the Bible that speak about 'brother' but the following will suffice for now:

Mark 3:35 Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."
Therefore Jesus is our brother also.
If you are angry with your brother (a Christian), Jesus says:

Matthew 5:24 -  "Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift".
Matthew 18:15 -  "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over,"
Luke 17:3 -  "So watch yourself. If your brother sins, rebuke him".

1John 2:9 -  Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing, in him to make him stumble.

1 John 4:21 -  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Hmmmm ... i learnt something new today! DID YOU TOO? Please do share your thoughts with me brother/sister!

STATUS OF MY RELATIONSHIP

Whenever we sing the song, "I AM A FRIEND OF GOD", i think back over the years and i recollect the times when i have not been in that particular 'status' of my relationship with Him. Honestly, the years when i was an atheist (1987-1989) were the darkest years of my life!

Yesterday, at Grace Covenant Church, Sister Ruth was given a chance to preach the Word of God. As she shyly (must have been her first time!) went about explaining her notes on the above subject, i suddenly found myself listening intently to the message that was unfolding in my mind. When challenged to rate my relationship with Jesus on a scale of 1-10, i was disappointed to mark myself a measly 4! (And this was not out of modesty but in truth!).

"Are you in an intimate relationship with Christ so much so you share all your secrets with Him?"
"Are you really a friend of God?"
"Do you trust Him enough to do what He said He would do for you?" (e.g. Hebrews 13:5, Is. 41:13, Ps. 55:22)

The questions came one after another and it was no longer Ruth who was speaking to me but the Holy Spirit convicting me of not making God my priority!

"How much time do you spend reading your newspaper?"
"How much time do you spend watching movies?"
"How much time do you spend in front of the mirror?"

I soon realised that i was spending very little time in His Presence, listening to His voice.

Psalm 5:3 - My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

By the time Ruth had completed her sharing with a 'How to rate' instruction, i had already made a decision to make the necessary corrections in my life.
She had said -
-Continue to strive to know Him more
-Those who are followers but don't yet have a relationship with Him, establish it and taste a victorious life!
-Those who are born Christians but do not follow even the Word, bring them to the understanding of what a relationship with Him will bring them!

Pastor David's built on Ruth's message since her message ended earlier than the scheduled time period. He brought us to the understanding that 'Mankind was to be the 'bride' of Christ. One can be blessed only after you get into that intimate love relationship with Christ. Christianity is all about love!

Your anointing is directly proportional to the intimacy of your relationship with God. In the Bible, we see Apostle John having such an intimate relationship with Jesus! He was the only one who came to the cross and Jesus even places His mother in his charge. Mary Magdalene was another. Her despair at not finding Jesus' body in the tomb and then His appearance to her in His glorified body speaks volumes about her relationship with Jesus.

Much is being said about 'the rapture' but how passionate are we in seeking that relationship with him so that we can one day be united with Him?

Let us do an audit of how much we spend time reading his Word. Reading the Bible is 'listening' to Him speak! You are taken into His presence ... and in His presence there is the fullness of joy!

James 1:22 - But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

AT TABLE WITH HIM



The following photo shows the slab of rock (Church of Mensa Christi in Nazareth, which according to the tradition was the table on which Jesus ate with his disciples after rising from the dead.



MAT 26:26-29 -  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

²⁷ Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. ²⁸ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. ²⁹ But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

The Lord is saying that He will not eat again of the Passover until the Passover is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. What he means by “the kingdom of God” can be readily seen from verse 18 of this chapter. He states there that “the kingdom of God” is yet to come. And in verses 28 through 30, we read that He told His disciples, “Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed me: That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

'In the east, even today, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, brotherhood and forgiveness; the shared table is a shared life.In Judaism fellowship at table had the special meaning of fellowship in the sight of God.Each person at the table ate a piece of broken bread and thus received a share in the blessing spoken by the master of the house over the whole loaf. Finally, every meal is a sign of the coming eschatological meal and the eschatological fellowship with God' -  (Walter Kasper, Jesus the Christ, trans. V. Green (Mahwah, NJ:Paulist Press, 1976).

For more insight on the above...

Extracts from Matthew Henri's Concise Commentary:

'There is a day coming when the kingdom of God will come to earth—when the twelve tribes of Israel will have been restored—when Christ will come to earth and eat again with His disciples as they sit at His table in His kingdom.

This ordinance of the Lord's supper is to us the passover supper, by which we commemorate a much greater deliverance than that of Israel out of Egypt.

The pardon of sin is that great blessing which is, in the Lord's supper, conferred on all true believers; it is the foundation of all other blessings. He takes leave of such communion; and assures them of a happy meeting again at last; Until that day when I drink it new with you, may be understood of the joys and glories of the future state, which the saints shall partake with the Lord Jesus. That will be the kingdom of his Father; the wine of consolation will there be always new'.

While we look at the outward signs of Christ's body broken and his blood shed for the remission of our sins, let us recollect that the feast cost him as much as though he had literally given his flesh to be eaten and his blood for us to drink.

POWER OF 'KINGDOM' PRAYING

Last Tuesday, at GCC, I found myself seated among my Filipino brethren, listening to Pastor Luis (From the Philippines, 30 years in ministry). The Word was preached in Tagalog of course and I was urged by the Spirit to stay on! During the service, I put together a few notes based on just a few words Pastor Luis uttered in English and lo and behold, I saw that there was quite a message unfolding there!

How do you define prayer? Most people would rightly define prayer to be a communication with God but Pastor Luis had a different take on it! ‘Prayer permits God to interfere with the fear of men’ he said!

Since God is a sovereign God, every word that comes from the mouth of God becomes LAW! In Gen 1:26 to 28, God gave man dominion (rulership) over all the earth and therefore man was given a similar power as God to command and rule over the whole earth. This rulership was taken away from man when he sinned and therefore when Jesus redeemed man from the God of this earth (satan), through His eternal sacrifice, man could once again, through Believing/Faith in Jesus, begin to communicate with God.

Even Jesus prayed to His Father whenever he could steal some quiet time from the maddening crowd.

Luke 11:1 - 11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Also, there’s no question that there IS a KINGDOM waiting for those who’ve made the right choice to stay on the narrow path taking them there.

Acts 1-2,3 - ² Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

³ To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
Prayer is that communication tool which is able to restore the connection with God so that He can reveal to us the ‘hidden treasures’ reserved for us throughout eternity.
Eph. 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Wow! Prayer lifts us up into heavenly places!
KINGDOM PRAYER is praying in the ‘will of God’. KINGDOM Praying conquers ‘territory’ for the Lord! Our mindset should be that of a CONQUEROR!
In Ps.2: 1 to 6 God challenges us saying, “Ask me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession”. Put your trust in Him! Repent and go back to Him! Be restored in Him!
How is Restoration achieved? Change your thinking! Change your mindset! And therefore, transform your ORIGIN into a new ORIGIN! Prayer is an AGENT OF CHANGE!
EXISTING ORIGIN ® IDENTITY®PURPOSE®ABILITY®VISION®PASSION®IMPACT®INFLUENCE®
TRANSFORMATION®KINGDOM ORIGIN
Now, when people ask, “WHO ARE YOU?
You should be able to answer confidently and boldly, “I am one who is Ruling and Reigning in Christ”
Let us unite in one accord and conquer through prayer!

Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Without ‘u’ there is no unity. Without ‘I’ there is no unity.

SOLOMON'S SECRETS TO A BETTER LIFE!

The hand of the diligent will rule but the slack hand will be put to forced labour – Proverbs 12:24

The online dictionary defines ‘diligent’ as:

diligent [ˈdɪlɪdʒənt]

adj

1. careful and persevering in carrying out tasks or duties

2. carried out with care and perseverance diligent work

In his book, ‘The Richest Man Who Ever Lived …’ Steve Scott explores into the very heart of Solomon’s proverbs and redefines the word as:

Being ‘pure’ and ‘right’ in carrying out tasks or duties!

In today’s world too many are chasing after ‘get- rich- quick’ gurus who profess to know all about the subject of making money with very less effort. In the process, tasks are completed in a 'far less than outstanding' grade. Ultimately, one's credibility is affected and the employer no longer thinks of you as being 'worth it'!  Steve states that the inherent nature of man is to seek out the easy path but Solomon cautions the ‘slack’ of dire consequences of such an approach!

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keeps the law, happy is he.

 Proverbs 29:18

Many have formed vague visions of wealth and have ended up in delusion! Many are content with what they do for a living although their heart wants to do something different. The fear of failure is making good people procrastinate and tomorrow never shows up! However, the vision that Solomon talks about is one that is well mapped out! A vision that is clear in every way. A vision that defines goals and steps to take in order to ensure the fulfilment of the vision!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 18:12

The fuel for the accomplishment of the vision is hope. When a person is not disciplined enough to stay on course towards the accomplishment of the vision, his hope level begins to diminish and ultimately, he gives up on his dream! Fulfilment in life is a live tree - evergreen, ever spreading, ever growing! Communicate your vision with your spouse and arrest any deferment of hope in each others' vision before it is too late! Assess your finances and why they aren't great. Have you been deligently pursuing your vision? (Do you have a well 'mapped out' vision at all?). Where is your life heading? Does it lack fulfilment?

I pray that like Solomon, each one of you prays for wisdom and understanding to better your relationships, financials and life!

THE ROSEBUD

This morning i came across this beautiful poem that made me think of God's plan for me in my life:

"It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design;
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine."

"The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I.
GOD opens this flower so easily,
But in my hands they die."

"If I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have the wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?"

"So I'll trust in God for leading
Each moment of my day.
I will look to God for guidance
In each step along the way."

"The path that lies before me,
Only my Lord and Savior knows.
I'll trust God to unfold the moments,
Just as He unfolds the rose."

The Spirit of God immediately connected me to Jeremiah 29:11!

BUT First, recognize that this promise is to believers ONLY.

Do you believe?

Jesus says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you.”

Have you done that? If not, will you do it?

God’s promise through David is, “A broken and contrite heart you will not despise.” So fall down broken before Him!

And then, all of us, all believers:

Seek His face! Be His people and then be part of His plan! Delight in Him, and He will fulfill the desires of your heart.

As you do that, God will give you ‘shalom’(Peace). Your shalom on earth may include earthly goods. It may not. In any event, we are aliens and strangers here and our hope is not in this world. Rather, our hope is Jesus Christ Himself!

So delight in Him! Seek His face! And know the shalom of God.

IDLI (RICE CAKE)

Whilst the whole hall erupted in laughter over Bro. Johnson's instructions on 'How to make an idli', within minutes, the atmosphere in the hall changed when the same example was used as an analogy to explain Rom 12:1,2!

Just so that all who read this article understand how 'idlis' are made, here's the process in brief!

-The rice and daal are ground and made into a frothy paste which is kept aside for fermenting.
-Water is put at the bottom of a steamer and the paste poured into several round dimples on metal plates inside the steamer.
-The steamer is closed and put over a flame.

Now let us look at the quoted scripture and try to get the message:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. - ROM 12:1,2

When we feel trapped within ourselves with the heat and pressure of our circumstances making us scream in discomfort, our decision to 'offer our bodies as a living sacrifice' will transform us by the renewing of our minds and make us conform to the will of God! (just like the paste turning to an idli that takes the form of the container!).

... And for those who do not want to make that all important decision to renew their minds will have to remain as PASTE!

(NOTE: For those who want to know more about Bro. Johnson and his ministry, please visit www.jcilm.info and be blest!)

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THE WIDOW'S MITE

And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” - Mark 13:1-2

"for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God,^[a] but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” – Luke 21:4

Some of us are very aware that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere! There's much to be said about 'Giving' out of the excess wealth that one has - God is not impressed with such a giver! It is very clear from the verse quoted below from Proverbs that stinginess leads to poverty.

He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him - Pr.28:22

Know that God knows your heart! It is this very reason why God, in Mal 3:10, encourages us to try Him out!

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,
That there may be food in My house,
And try Me now in this,”
Says the Lord of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven
And pour out for you such blessing
That there will not be room enough to receive it.

You don't have to wait till you become a millionaire! Give ALL and you will receive back multiplied! If you were stingy before you made the decision to believe in Him, now as a NEW CREATION, you are a GIVER!

God is nobody's debtor!

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT … (For serious Bible Scholars only :-)

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Mark 12:38-40 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.
⁴⁰ They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

In His teaching WHICH COMES JUST BEFORE THE STORY OF THE WIDOW, Jesus was talking about how the teachers of the law were ‘devouring widows’ houses’. Could it be that Jesus is talking about how the teachers of the law, through their requirements of contributing towards the temple treasury, were coercing the widows to lose their entire livelihood? It appears plausible that the example of the widow was to illustrate this very point!

If this were a lesson on giving, Jesus could have just as easily chosen a “poor man” as His example – or simply a “poor woman”, but He was very specific in His choice of “a poor widow.” This ties it to His criticism of the Scribes who He said were “devouring widows’ houses in vs. 40.

Any Pastors/Priests out there who can shed more light on this thought?

NOTE: Regardless of your interpretation of the above verses, the Bible is still full of passages that emphasize the importance of giving!

GIVING

The author of the following article is not known however i am posting it since it blessed me immensely!

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"How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfil my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people." – Psalm 116:12-14

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Years ago some people thought the crocodile was sacred. They worshipped him as one of their gods. Mothers used to throw their children to the crocodiles in the river. Why did they do that? They did it because they thought it would please this river god.

One day two missionaries walked along a certain river path. At the river's edge sat a mother staring at the dark water. In her arms the mother cradled a sickly baby girl. And nearby her healthy son laughed and played happily.

The missionaries looked sad. They guessed what the mother meant to do. She was planning to give one of her children to the crocodile god. The missionaries stopped and sat down to talk with her. They told her about Jesus.

"Don't give your dear children to the river god," begged the missionaries. "Trust in Jesus. He is the only Savior."

"All my life I have worshipped the river god," said the mother. "What you tell me is so new and strange. I just can't believe it."

After much persuasion, the missionaries sadly walked away.

A few days later they met the mother again. This time only one child was with her - the sick baby girl. The missionaries sighed. They knew what must have happened. The mother's healthy son had been given to the crocodiles.

"If you thought you had to give one of your children, why didn't you give the poor, sick baby?" asked the missionaries.

The mother's dark eyes flashed. She stood straight and tall. "We give our best to our gods," she proudly answered.
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I wonder - Do we give our best to our One and Only true God of heaven and earth?

Does God get our best and first fruits or does He get our leftovers? Or are the leftovers used to build bigger barns as well? Too often our social calendar, sporting events, or recreational activities get our first and best efforts and our faith and our church community get what's left over. Is that all God is worth? An hour a week and anything that is leftover? When we think of all that God gives us everyday with His Holy Spirit and the nourishment of His Son's Body and Blood how can we not be a little sheepish when we think of what we give in return.

This is not a call to join a committee or come to a meeting; this is not even a call to give more money in the collection. This is simply a question about lifestyle - does God come first or do we just rely on His forgiveness and trust that we can give Him what's leftover? Does God get our first efforts or our last? We are Stewards and Caretakers of everything that God has given us. Not just for our use or to hand down to our children but to give back to God and say thank you for all that we have been given. Our first gift should be back to God because He is the most important part of our life. May that be our prayer and heartfelt desire.
Luke 6:38 – “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you”


Give n Be Blessed!

HOW TO DISPEL DARKNESS

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” - GEN 1:26

Until recently it did not occur to me what being created in God's 'likeness' meant! I decided to make a study on who God was according to the Holy Bible. I found the following scriptures which spoke about God:

1 JN 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

REV 21:23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

REV 22:5  There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

GEN 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

JN 1:2-4 He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

Whilst i was studying on the topic, i heard a sermon by Pastor Luis who had come to Dubai to hold a Worship Concert. He was preaching a message on the 'Second Adam'. I found the following scripture which clearly spoke of Adam as being the 'son of God' too!

LK 3:38 ...the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

This got more interesting because if Adam was created in 'God's image' he should have been a light to all mankind too. But then it takes us to the following scripture:

ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

1 JN 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

ROM 3:10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;

ROM 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

What jarred me the most was when i read the following scripture!

JN 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Now it made perfect sense why God had to perfect His plan for our salvation through a 'once and for all' sacrifice of the blemish-free saviour, JESUS!

1 COR 15:3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance^[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

So what must we do now? We must let go of all our fleshly desires and embrace all things of the spirit!

JN 3:6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

We must learn to LOVE the AGAPE (Sacrificial) kind of love!

1 JN 4: 8  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 JN 4: 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

REPENT AND BELIEVE! BE A LIGHT AND DISPEL THE DARKNESS IN YOU AND AROUND YOU! LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS GOD (JESUS) HAS LOVED YOU!