Sunday, 17 February 2013

PERTINENT QUESTIONS, APT RESPONSES


Questions from a brother in Christ:

  • When Jesus was crucified he said  "My God My God why have you forsaken me? why did he say this?
  • When God created Adam & Eve, he gave them the garden of Eden to rule, but Adam and Eve sinned against Him. Did God knew those things will happen? That they will not obey and ate the fruit? what is the purpose of putting the tree in the middle of the garden?
Response by Pastor D:

1) Jesus had to go on the cross to suffer the eternal judgement of all mankind. So when He was on the cross He took all our sins upon Himself. At this stage, God the Father brought upon Him all the eternal judgement and punishment that was due to us. Just think of it - Jesus had to suffer God's punishment that was due to all men who have ever lived, including, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, etc, etc. It was at this stage that He cried out: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

2) God knows in advance everything that is going to happen. So when He created Adam and Eve He knew that they would sin and disobey His commandment. The purpose of this very short earthly life is to test our faith and obedience to His commandments. So He put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the centre of the garden, but He warned Adam and Eve not to eat its fruit, saying, "the day that you eat of it you will surely die." Adam and Eve failed God's test, because they believed the enemy and not God. This, in turn, led to all men being born with Sinful Nature, or in a state of Spiritual Death. But God had already planned the solution and the Savior of mankind. This is why 1 Peter 1:18-20 tells us that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus who was "foreordained before the foundation of the world." And Rev.13:8 tells us Jesus was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 

(Since Pastor shared them with me, i thought I'd share them with my readers too ... Be blest!)

Sunday, 3 February 2013

'ALL INCLUSIVE' LOVE


I choked with emotion on a story of Mother Theresa today!

Mother Theresa sent two young nuns to invite a Hindu leper to the leper's home that the Missionaries of Charity were running. When the two nuns appeared at the door of the filthy hovel of the leper, they were greeted with a barrage of bad words. They took all the bad words with a smile and kept coaxing the leper to accompany them to the Leper's Home. The leper kept on abusing them. They both returned to the convent to report the incident to Mother Theresa.

The next day, Mother Theresa went to the leper herself. She too received the same treatment! Mother Theresa took all the abuse with a smile and stood her ground. The leper then hurled an empty metal cup which struck her face. But Mother Theresa kept standing there with a smile! When the leper had exhausted himself of bad words, she stepped into his hut and began to clean the place. She then cleaned a kerosene lamp and lit it while the leper kept watching. Before she left the hut, she asked the leper to light it daily. 

"To whom should i light it?' He asked (Lepers resent God and man for abandoning them! They feel a deep rejection and 'no love')" Light it for me", said Mother Theresa.

A few days later, the leper found his way to the Leper's Home with the same lamp. He not only lit the lamp every day for Mother Theresa but he also committed his life to Jesus! He ultimately died in Mother Theresa's lap.

The Bible gives many examples of God's 'ALL INCLUSIVE' love for His people. The Lord heals a Commander of the Syrian army (Naaman) of leprosy through Elisha the prophet. It doesn't matter to God that Naaman is not a Jew but a pagan

Prophet Elijah too is sent to the widow at Zarephath (outside Israel) who brings her dead son back to life. It did not matter that she was not a Jew but a pagan.

Have you ever considered how gracious our God is? He knew that the Jews would have hard hearts toward the message of the Lord.  Jesus offers redemption not only to the Jewish people but to us as well.  I praise God that because of His grace we can be included in His plan!!

Tuesday, 29 January 2013

A SRI LANKAN MEMOIR

This article has been long overdue! Ever since i returned from Sri Lanka, I've been up to my eyeballs in work! I guess those are the blessings that I'm enjoying as a result of sowing into 'good works'.

Exactly three years ago Dilrukshi (Sister Dilu) had expressed a desire to have an orphanage of her own in Sri Lanka. She belongs to our prayer group in Dubai and has been instrumental in taking Bro. Johnson to Colombo. It has been three years now since JCILM was established there and today, hundreds have offered their lives to Jesus!

Ever since God instilled the desire in Dilu's heart, land for the orphanage has been gifted to her free of cost. She is already looking after about 30 children from the slums, providing them free meals every day. She continues to work in Dubai but supports her friends who have dedicated their lives to this service in Sri Lanka. 

Just a couple of months ago, i recommitted my services to designing the orphanage. At that time, Dilu told us by faith to get ready to go there around the 10th of Jan 2013. Of course i said yes not knowing what was in store for me regarding my job!Even though i lost my job, I offered this trip up to the Lord and before i left for Sri Lanka on the 14th, i had the license of our firm DIASQUARE JLT in my hand! By this time, my brother Antonio had also consented to come along with me to Sri Lanka.

Ever since we landed at Bandarinaike International Airport in Colombo to now, the blessings have never stopped pouring into our lives! Before we left Dubai, the Lord had given me the following message through Psalm 3: 5,6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.


Just a few things worth mentioning:

- When we visited the various government authorities in Sri Lanka to get the project going, we saw the mighty hand of the Lord as we were accorded a rare welcome, with government servants actually rising from their seats and running around doing all the paperwork for us. They even helped fill our application forms! (Believe me ... if it was in Goa, what we achieved in 2 days would have taken us a month!)

- Antonio and i wanted to visit the survey department but for some strange reason, the 'Trishaw ( Rickshaw, in India :-) took us to Child Protection Authority! Nevertheless, trusting in God that it was not a mistake, we decided to go in and meet the Chairperson. We had no appointment with her but we sat in the waiting hall and prayed. I told the others to get ready to go in any moment and it actually happened! The Chairperson saw us and asked several questions regarding the orphanage. I was silently praying in the spirit. Dilu was heartbroken to hear that the government had stopped giving licenses to orphanages due to the abuses happening there! But God turned her despair into great joy the very next moment when the Chairperson suggested that the building be called a SAFE HOME for abused children. She even said that it would be the first of many such homes in the country and that she had absolutely no issues with the home being run on Christian principles! She even agreed to keep young pregnant girls until their delivery, in the same home and said that Dilu could raise those children as a foster parent! All assistance to get the plans approved would be granted by the ministry. They even volunteered to provide operational assistance for the home!

- Fr. Sanjeeva Vas, a professor in the seminary (Ampitiya) teaching 'Christology' said mass in Dilu's house. People from the ward were also invited and the service turned out to be an amazing one. The sermon was absolutely soul stirring and the young priest's passion to unite the people of his parish through weekly masses celebrated in people's houses was a great way of building the 'body of Christ'. It also happened to be the feast of Blessed Joseph Vaz (Missionary from Goa to Ceylon) who the Sri Lankans revere to this day!

- We visited Pastor Roshan's church and were touched to hear the story of a growing church. His prayers were also answered through our visit to Sri Lanka as he needed Architects to advise how he could extend the hall and other facilities.

-During a dinner invitation from Bro. Paul, who leads worship at Bro. Johnson's meetings, we came to know that he too was praying for Christian architects to help him in realising a long standing dream to own his own apartment block in an opulent zone in Colombo. We were introduced to several such buildings just to have an idea of the type of apartments which were on offer so that we could design accordingly. It appears that God has great plans for us in Sri Lanka!

- The tour of Pollonnarwa, Dambulla, Kandy, Srigiriya, Kelany Temple, Colombo and Negombo broadened our thinking as we were transported 2000 years back into history into the very lives of the early Kings and Monks who lived there. We couldn't stop marvelling at their art,  engineering and Architectural genius!

- We were also blessed to hear Bro. Trewin's testimony of how the Lord had delivered him from Cancer! It is a long story and i will leave it for another time!

Friends, if you ever wanted to go someplace real nice for a vacation, consider Sri Lanka. And please do not book a hotel in one place but rather do a 'point-to-point' stay along the entire site seeing circuit of Anuradhapura (Ancient City and first capital), Pollonarua (2nd Capital), Dambulla and Kandy etc. It is an affordable place (1 Indian Rupee = 2.3 Sri Lankan Rupees). The people are friendly and the food is excellent!

Sunday, 6 January 2013

YOU ARE A MIRACLE WORKING PEOPLE!


My family (All four of us!) has been down with some viral cold/fever for the past few days and has been battling it with a lot of prayer and believing. We all want our healing to come instantaneously but most times it comes and some even lose their hope in that waiting period!

Last night, the HS explained it all through Pastor 'D' ...
Choosing Jesus as our model for the study, Pastor made the following observations:

Jesus very clearly states  in Luke 4:18, the purpose of His ministry :

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,[a]
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

Again in Matthew 4:23,24

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.  
 
24 Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

And in Mark 1:14,15...
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom[a] of God,
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel!

It is clear from the above scripture verses that Jesus was fulfilling the will of His father to establish HIS KINGDOM here on earth. Interestingly, the way He was doing it was with POWER and GLORY and the Apostles, disciples and the early church

When Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law (See Luke 4:38-41), he 'REBUKED' the fever and it left her body! It is clear from the word 'rebuked' that Jesus was treating all sickness as being caused by the evil one! His ministry had a lot of 'Deliverance Cases'! He 'laid hands' on each sick person and He healed them!

Did Jesus say the following words in John 14:12 or not?
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Again, in Mat 10:1...
And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
So, friends, if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you are a MIRACLE WORKING PEOPLE! YOU ARE CARRYING GOD"S GLORY! PREACH THE GOSPEL AND SIGNS AND WONDERS WILL SURELY FOLLOW YOU!
.............................................................................................................................................................

NOTE:

For those of you who are trying to 'walk the path' but are not 'getting the same results' as Jesus and the early Church did, here's some encouragement for you!

There are 4 possible answers to your 'healing prayer' requests:

YES! - You will see an instant miracle right after you have prayed over someone!

YES, BUT NOT NOW!- The person may need a proper 'deliverance' before the healing can come.
YES, WHEN YOU MEET GOD"S CONDITIONS - The person will need to release forgiveness, change sinful attitudes etc.

NO! - You will not see an immediate manifestation of what you prayed for. (Remember Paul in 2 Cor 12:7-9? He prayed to God to remove a particular 'affliction' from his body but he had to be content with 'My grace is sufficient for you' as an answer!))


If you have any questions, i will forward them to Pastor 'D' for you and he will surely respond!

Thursday, 3 January 2013

HOW TO RECEIVE A 'DOUBLE PORTION' in 2013!

Pastor 'D' (Grace Covenant church) has announced that the year 2013 would be a year when one can avail of a 'double portion' from the Lord. Here's how!

It is common knowledge that most Christians find the Book of JOB very depressing! However, to the ones who reflect on it will find it very interesting! Let's learn how to get a 'double portion' from JOB's testimony:

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. - JOB 1:1-3

His sons used to hold feasts in their homes on their birthdays, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When a period of feasting had run its course, Job would make arrangements for them to be purified. Early in the morning he would sacrifice a burnt offering for each of them, thinking, “Perhaps my children have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” This was Job’s regular custom. - JOB 1:4-5

JOB was a blameless and upright man yet he lived in fear of losing all that he had! His children were sinners and he offered sacrifices to atone for their sins lest God punished them! He was in love with the Lord but he had FEAR inside of him! We all know that FEAR and FAITH cannot coexist in our spirit. Fear CANCELS Faith!

When God allows Satan to test JOB's faithfulness, Satan uses the very weakness of JOB against him - The fear of losing his children and all that he had! 

But Romans 14:23 reminds us that whatever is not of faith is SIN!

Thus JOB stops being 'blameless and upright' the moment he is in fear! He has sinned!

When JOB still remains faithful to the Lord, Satan attacks his body and covers his body with sickness and pain! Yet JOB does not curse God!

What I feared has come upon me;
    what I dreaded has happened to me. - JOB 3:25


A very interesting turn of events happens here when his own three friends (who have been envious of him all along!) appear on the scene. Instead of encouraging him with words of comfort, they  condemn JOB as a sinner!

In JOB 19:25, he at last reaches his 'zero point' and depends completely on God: 
I know that my redeemer[c] lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.[d]
26 And after my skin has been destroyed,
    yet[e] in[f] my flesh I will see God;

As soon as JOB completely and truly begins to depend on God and surrenders to God completely, believing and trusting ONLY in His ability to save him, does God intervene! JOB realises  and is convicted of his unworthiness!

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. JOB 42:10

God  restores him ONLY WHEN HE FORGIVES HIS 'FRIENDS'!




..............................................................................................................................................................

A SIDE NOTE:

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—John 1:12

Here's where we make the mistake in our lives and fall short of tasting the glory of God - If we are the 'Children of God', HE is our PERFECT FATHER. If we trust God to be our father, there should be no fear and therefore perfect peace should be our lot! The words DO NOT FEAR have been repeated 365 times in the Bible!

ALAS!  IF ONLY WE COULD BELIEVE THIS!









Tuesday, 1 January 2013

AARON'S BLESSING

During Mass today, one of the readings was taken from the Book of Numbers. The following extract is what jumped out at me!

The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance[a] upon you and give you peace - Num. 6:24-26


 The above is an instruction to Aaron through Moses as to how he was to bless His people. Since through Christ, we are the 'seed' of Abraham, we can boldly say that Aaron's blessings hold good for all those in Christ even to this day! What better way to start the New Year than to know of our inheritance through Abraham!


13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
14 Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
16 For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. - Heb 6:13-16

The blessing given to Abraham continues to affect his 'seed' to this day. It is only through FAITH that we can access the blessing! Tell yourself again and again, 'I AM BLESSED. I AM A CHILD OF GOD. WITH GOD ON MY SIDE WHO CAN BE AGAINST ME?'

Whatever blunders you may have done in the past, that door is shut now and that 'moment in time' cannot be revisited and put right! But a new door has opened in 2013 which affords the opportunity to 'repair' whatever 'damage' we may have caused in relationships with man or God.

Let us resolve to evolve into a New Creation in Christ this year! Let the 'pursuit of Holiness' continue throughout this year!

Monday, 31 December 2012

'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'!)
 
 

Saturday, 29 December 2012

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?

Wednesday, 26 December 2012

'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.

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!

Friday, 21 December 2012

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!