IN THE BEGINNING GOD (6) THE DOCTRINE OF THE FALL OF MAN

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached from the Book of Genesis chapter 3. She said that Genesis chapter 3 is absolutely essential in understanding the Bible and the history of man. Here we see how sin entered humanity. For the first time, we are presented with the Gospel of Christ. If you study the history of man, there is no better explanation of why things happen the way they do, except you believe the doctrine of the fall of man and the doctrine of the original sin.

The fall of man, also called ‘the fall of Adam’, or simply ‘the Fall’, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience. The doctrine of the Fall comes from a biblical interpretation of Genesis, chapters 1-3. God created Adam and Eve perfect. They were innocent concerning sin. But God allowed their free will to manifest. Obedience meant life. Disobedience to God’s command meant death.  God gave Adam a covenant of works. He broke the covenant.

This is a reminder that later, God then sent His Son Jesus Christ with a covenant of Grace. We believe Jesus Christ, that He died for us. Grace means unmerited favor. If Adam, as perfect as he was could not keep the covenant of works, God knew that we cannot keep it. Grace is introduced thru Christ. That is why salvation is Christ can never fail. We are saved, not by works, but by Grace, thru faith in Jesus Christ, in His death on the Cross. Salvation in Christ is eternal!

At first, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. It was their home, their paradise created by God specifically for them. They were happy as a husband and wife. They worked and took care of the garden. God, their Creator, visited them daily, in the evenings, to fellowship with them. This was their lifestyle. God put Adam in the Garden and commanded him “to tend and keep it” (Gen 2:15). These words mean that Adam was supposed to cultivate the Garden and to watch over it. In other words, Adam was to be a farmer and a watchman. God did not tell Adam about the devil, but the command to watch over the garden implies that there is an enemy outside there. Adam was commanded to protect the garden from enemies. This command was given to Adam before Eve was formed. That is why when both fell, God held Adam responsible for both of their sins. He was formed first. He was the leader of the home. God gave the law to him in particular. He was to teach Eve the law. But he failed to do so. That is why their fall into sin is called The Fall of Man or The fall of Adam. Adam understood the law of God. He was created intelligent. He was also created to love God and obey His commands. For Adam to disobey God’s command, he had to willingly choose disobedience. Sin was not an ignorant error. Eve was deceived into sin, but Adam disobeyed God willingly and knowingly.  “Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1Tim 2:13, 14). There is a great lesson here: Husbands, fathers, pastors and leaders have a greater responsibility to protect their spiritual territory. Pray for your leaders! 

The devil using the serpent tempted them into eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They both fell into sin. God curses the serpent and curses the ground. God does not curse Adam and Eve because He has already blessed them. But God gives His judgement: there shall be pain to the woman in the process of her being a mother. Also, God adds sorrow to the man in the process of his labor. At the same time, God announces the Gospel. The Seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, will come one day and bruise the head of the devil. God clothes them with animal skins. Lastly, God expelled them from the Garden to prevent them from eating from the tree of life and becoming immortal in sin. Two cherubs with flaming swords were placed at the gate of the Garden to prevent them going back!    

The serpent was ‘more cunning’ than any other animal that God has made. The word ‘cunning’ is also translated as shrewd, wise or prudent. Initially, the serpent was created innocent. God gave it more wisdom than He gave to the other animals. Possibly, the serpent could speak at that time. Eve does not look afraid to speak to the serpent. The devil possessed the serpent and use it to tempt Eve. This is reminder: Temptation is not a sin. Agreeing with the temptation and yielding to it, is sin. Temptation came from the outside. Eve obeyed the devil and broke God’s law. That is sin!   

We are not given many details. We are not told how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden as husband and wife. It seems that they did not live long in the Garden as a husband and wife. The devil is not introduced as devil. The serpent is its victim. There is no explanation how the devil came to possess the serpent and tempt Eve. The devil knew God’s law in the garden. He starts the discussion with Eve using a question. “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Gen 3:1. KJ).  The word ‘yea’ means a surprise. Questions are powerful on the human mind. They are like a hook. They arrest the thoughts forcing them to consider the question. Research show that for as long as the human mind thinks how to answer the question, it cannot think about any other thing. Human brain can only think of one thing at a time. Questions are selfish and possessive. They influence action. The devil knew that starting the discussion with a question, Eve’s mind will be manipulated to answer the question and forget every other thing.

Throughout His life on earth, the Pharisees bombarded our Lord with many questions. The devil was behind all those. But Jesus could not be manipulated by the devil. Each of His answers, even His silence, gave glory to God. For example, our Lord answered Pilate but refused to answer the Pharisees. “Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing. Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly” (Mt 27:11-14). It was the same with King Herod. “Then he (Herod) questioned Him (Jesus) with many words, but He answered him nothing” (Lk 23:9). What is the lesson? Questions can be spiritually poisoned arrows! They may be part of spiritual warfare! Be careful and discerning with people who ask you many questions? The devil may use the questions to try to rule over your mind. Do not allow these questions to penetrate your mind. Leave them on the altar of God. Remain calm! Pray for wisdom! Let the Holy Spirit help you deal with these questions!   

“The Lord God” in Hebrew, is Jehovah Elohim. Elohim means God, The Creator. Jehovah means the Covenant Keeping God, the personal relationship God. Towards men, God’s title Elohim is more distant than the Name Jehovah, which reflects an intimate relationship. It is Jehovah Elohim that speaks to Adam and commands him to tend and keep the Garden. It is Jehovah Elohim that tells Adam to freely eat fruits from any tree in the Garden, but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is Jehovah Elohim that makes a wife for Adam and invents the holy institution of marriage (Gen 2:15-18). It was the duty of Adam to teach Eve how to honor God by addressing Him with the proper names: Jehovah Elohim! It was the duty of Adam to teach Eve how to obey God’s commands! When the devil asks Eve about God’s prohibition, he only uses the name Elohim. He ignores the name Jehovah.  He dishonors God by reducing His name. He tells Eve that God is only her creator, not a God who desires a relationship with her. He makes Eve feel that God does not care for her; that is a God afar off. The devil pretends to care for them more than God. Eve falls to the deception. She takes the devil’s example, and she too addresses God only as Elohim. Both the devil and Eve ignore the name Jehovah, the personal Covenant keeping God in their first conversation! As you can see, Eve was not watchful. That is how deception entered. Sin entered. Man fell in the Garden! Their lives will never be the same again!

But in the middle of this tragedy, the Hope of the Gospel is introduced. One day, the Last Adam, the Second Man, our Lord Jesus Christ will come, and He will obey all God’s Law. He will take man’s sin upon Himself and die on behalf of man. This is the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected! Once again, light shines in the darkness! God can never fail! Jesus is Lord! Worship the Lord!   

FOREVER LOVE

English: My husband and our daughter; Tali and Alina Yemi Lee

Romanian: sotul cu fata noastra cea mare, Alina Yemi (In 2015)

”As the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold man is tested by the praise he receives’ (PV 27:21)

This scripture has been on my mind… It is natural that men praise you for your gifts, for your good deeds and accomplishments. Sometimes the praise is genuine and at other times it is flattering and dangerous, to gain some illegal advantage over you. But whatever way it comes, praise is the fire of God to test your heart!!! We remember that Praise and glory belongs to God alone!!! Only God is worthy of praise! That is why we praise Him always! He does not share it with men. What then should you do when men praise you? When men praise you horizontally the right, safe and holy thing to do is to immediately send the praise up to God. Do not keep it. Do not swallow it. It will make you proud and foolish. It becomes spiritual poison to your soul. Selah!

In the scripture above we see that praise from men is like a furnace fire that refine the silver and the gold. Originally these metals contain impurities. That is why they do not shine. Once they pass thru the fire the impurities are burnt off and the pure metal shines for all to see. If it was silver it will shine as silver. If it was gold it will shine as gold. But if it was ordinary metal it will be revealed that it is not silver and gold. Spiritually speaking, the praise of men reveals the fool to be a fool! ‘ The promotion of a fool ends in his shame’ (PV 3:35). That is why I pray that promotion among men should not come to me and my family before God’s time for it! According to the Word of God, the praise of men is a test that reveals the best and the worst in men. It reveals who you really are behind the superficial golden glitter of fame covering your life. If you are a humble man the praise of men will reveal that you are wise and humble. If you are a proud and rebellious man the same praise of men will reveal that. Once praise comes you can’t hide your true self anymore.

When the women praised King Saul and David it revealed who these two men were in reality (1Sam 18:6-7). Young David ‘behaved himself wisely’ as he experienced success. He was humble during the unexpected fame in the King’s palace. He was a shepherd and a servant at heart. The reason given is that ‘the Lord was with him (1Sam 18:14). By contrast, when king Saul was praised he became angry and jealous with David. This was the door for an evil spirit ‘from the Lord’ to enter Saul. We often forget that before this time ‘Saul loved David greatly and liked him very much’ (1Sam 16:21). Their relationship as father and son started with love. But from this moment on, from the time the evil spirit of jealousy entered Saul’s heart, love died. Saul starts planning how to kill David. He became obsessed with David and did not stop this evil plan until he later died by suicide. When Saul saw that his children love David he became afraid of David (1Sam 18:1, 18, 29).

This is a spiritual law: love of men and fear of men are mutually exclusive. When love enters your heart fear runs away. When you fear men you can never love them again. What are the lessons? As a mother and a pastor I pray for my natural and spiritual children. I pray that they may be successful men and women. That is a good prayer! But I know that visible success comes with the praise and flattery of men. I know that this praise is a test to prove who they really are inside. That is why I pray that before visible success comes to them they may be changed from inside out. That they may be truly saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray that they fulfil God’s plan for their lives. I also pray that in God’s mercy, visible success may be delayed until they mature spiritually so that they may be able to carry the burden of fame and wealth without breaking under it. I also pray for myself, to be patient as a mother and a pastor, as I witness the painful refining process going on in the life of my children. God’s time is the best! At last, we shall rejoice together and testify that the Lord has been with us as a family and a congregation. Glory to the Lamb of God!(from my notes August, 2018)

IN THE BEGINNING GOD / THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION (5)/ THE DIVINE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached from the Book of Genesis chapter two She said that we shall go and revisit the beginning of creation. The way Isaac dug Abraham’s well (Genesis 26), we want to dig our Heavenly Father’s well of eternal life! The Bible starts with four simple words: “In the beginning God…”. The Bible takes it for granted that God exists and God is the creator of everything that is created. You cannot read the Bible without faith. You must believe these words. If not, to you, the Bible looks like a foolish book.

The doctrine of creation states that creation is a miracle. God, who alone is uncreated and eternal, formed and brought into existence everything outside of Himself. He did this out of nothing, just by the Word of His power. Everything God created was very good.

Just the way Isaac went to re-dig his father’s wells, covered by the dirt of the Philistines, so we shall search for the deeper revelation found in the story of Creation. The Word of God is simple. That is why even the children understand it. But the evil spirits of religion have confused and complicated many people. This complication is a religious seduction. The intent of the devil is for us to forget the simplicity of Christ! We need to reject these demons of religion, to dig deeper and find the Water of Life, bellow, which in fact, is our Lord Jesus Christ! This process is part of the preparation for revival. As you read the story of Creation, you should have a feeling that you have heard these things in the past. But the anxiety of life, the cares of the world, the pollution of empty religion have covered the revelation. We should dig to find the water of life again! Spiritual warfare should not be strange to a believer! Jesus is Lord!

THE DIVINE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE

God gave two ordinances to mankind: To keep the Sabbath Day and the perform the institution of marriage. The Sabbath was given to preserve the Church that will be born later. Marriage was given to preserve mankind. God created marriage between a man and a woman to display His glory and for their good! Marriage is part of God’s original creation. It is an ordered, covenant relationship between a man and a woman, in the presence of God, who become one flesh, but keeping their individual personalities. Thru the marriage ceremony, the man and the woman become husband and wife. There is an order or distinction of roles within marriage. A covenant is a formal agreement between one or more people, to do or not to do something specified. Thru the marriage ceremony, the man and the woman make a covenant before God and people, acting as witnesses, that they shall live as husband and wife, for as long as they live on earth. Marriage has a spiritual, a sexual and a social component. The marriage should be between a man and a woman who are both believers in the Lord Jesus Christ! The couple pledges to serve God together, in private and in public, and to be sexually faithful to one another until death.

God created Adam from the earth. The meaning of the word ‘Adam’ is ‘The Son of the earth’. Out of Adam’s rib, God made Eve, who will be his wife. The meaning of the word ‘Eve’ is ‘The Breath of Life’. Marriage was invented by God before the fall of man. It is part of God’s original creation. There was no idea of divorce when God made Adam and Eve. God says: “I hate divorce!” (Mal 2:16). Primarily, marriage is a symbol of the relationship that exists between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  

*We see God’s image is in the plurality and unity of marriage. God said, “Let us make man in our image,” and then the text says, “male and female, he created them” (v. 26, 27). When God made man, He made a plurality. He made a man and a woman. He said they would become “one flesh” (Gen 2:24). The Trinity, they are one and yet still individual persons. When a couple gets married, they are meant to demonstrate this. Marriage demonstrates two individual people becoming “one” for the rest of their lives while maintaining their individuality.

*We see God’s image in the area of authority and submission.  In the Trinity, God the Son submits in all things to God the Father and the Holy Spirit submits to both (John 5:19, 14:26, 15:26). There is perfect submission in the Godhead. In the same way, when God made man and woman in his image, there was meant to be order in the relationship. “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1Cor 11:3). God made the husband-and-wife relationship to mirror the Godhead specifically in the area of authority. Therefore, Ephesians 5:24 calls for wives to submit to their husbands in everything.

*We see God’s image in the area of love. “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).  Husbands love your wives! The submission of the wife happens in a perfect loving relationship with her husband. Throughout eternity, the Godhead has always dwelled in a perfect relationship of love and authority. The Father loves the Son and the Son willingly submits to the Father. The Father does not oppress the Son and forces Him to submit. He loves the Son, and within this perfect love, the Son submits to God. The Holy Spirit loves and submits to both. The husband is called to love his wife as Christ loved the church (Eph 5:25-27). How did Christ love the church? He died for her! He also teaches her the Word of God. The husband must love his wife sacrificially and lead his wife spiritually. He leads his family to a Bible preaching church. He leads family devotions. He is the pastor of the home. He serves his wife and edifies her with his words. The wife honors him as her head and submits to him in everything (Col 3:18).

This is a redemptive picture of the gospel.  With so many troubled marriages ending in divorce, the glory of God has been greatly dimmed. It is no surprise that so many people doubt God’s existence or are falling away from him. In marriage, it should be our desire to reflect God and bring glory to him since that was his original plan. The Biblical marriage is between one man and one woman. God must be at the center. Marriage on earth is a symbol of the marriage between Christ and His Bride (Eph 5:22-33). Marriage is a mystery. The ideal marriage is between two believers in Christ. It must have spiritual foundation to have eternal value. 

What is God’s plan and purpose for marriage?  

1-To serve God together; to agree in prayer and worship God together! The main purpose why God created the institution of marriage is so that both husband and wife are holy. In the original pattern of marriage, holiness comes before happiness. Happiness is a by product of holiness.

2-For Companionship and love

The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’ (Gen 2:18). God has put a deep desire in mankind for intimate companionship. Adam named all the animals but did not find one that is suitable to him. This is when he felt lonely. God made a helper to him, comparable to him. No animal can be a mate to a man. In Hebrew, the word ‘helpmeet’ means someone who can stand face to face with man, who can be his mate or counterpart. The word ‘helper’ in Hebrew is ‘ezer’. It is the same word used for the Holy Spirit!  

God gave the gift of singleness to some to allow for a deeper devotion to God and his work (1 Cor 7:32). Many singles (Like Jesus, Paul) have accomplished great work for God. But this gift is not for everyone. God wants most people to have a mate: someone to fellowship with, to dream with, to serve God with.

3-The Couple will Make a New Family Unit with God at the center

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh” (Gen 2:24). In Hebrew the word ‘leave’ means to let go of. The word ‘cleave’ means to catch by pursuit, to cling by force. “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD” (PV 18:22). It is the man who does the seeking. He is “the hunter”. The woman prepares herself to be found by him. Both have a part to play in the dating process and marriage later. God said that a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife. In marriage, a couple is starting a new family unit.  This does not mean that they are no longer their parents’ children, but it does mean that the priorities of a man and woman have changed. Their priority must now be their marriage. They are always called to honor their parents and even care for them in old age (1 Tim 5:4, 8), but they must honor their spouse first. Even Jesus left His Father to come to earth to find His Bride. his is the pattern for a successful marriage: The man and the woman must LEAVE – TO CLEAVE – SO THAT THEY BECOME!!! The man must leave the authority of his parents to go and cleave to his wife. The new unit called marriage has a stronger bond than the natural relationship between parents and children. To marry, there is a change of authority! The woman leaves the authority of her parents to go and submit to the authority of her husband. Without ‘leaving’ there is no ‘cleaving’ and therefore there is no ‘becoming one’.  

3-To Raise Godly Children

God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28).  “Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth” (Malachi 2:15). God’s command for people is to be fruitful and multiply. It is not just children he wants but godly children. One of the parents’ highest purposes is to teach their children the Bible, to help them grow in character, and to help them find their spiritual gifts and calling in serving the Lord. The bond between the husband and wife is stronger than the bond between parents and children. As parents, we train our children to know and serve God. We also prepare them to leave our nest to go and marry. There is a time to hold and there is a time to let go. Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Pv 22:6)

4-To Establish and Build His Kingdom

After telling Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, God told them to have dominion, to subdue and rule over the earth. They were to be co-rulers over God’s creation and to be stewards of it.  A godly marriage is a powerful weapon for the kingdom of God. The powerful prayer of agreement works best in the marriage. Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Mt 19: 18-20). They build the kingdom through raising godly seed, corporate prayer, service to God’s church, missionary and evangelism of the world.

JESUS AND MARRIAGE. Jesus affirmed, honored and commended Marriage. His every allusion to marriage not only reaffirms it but strengthens it. Although He is clear that marriage is a created institution for this world (Luke 20.27), He is also emphatic that it is an honorable institution to be respected by all (Matthew 19.6; Luke 16.18).

“The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?” And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to Him, “Why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” He said to them, “Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” His disciples said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it.” (Matt 19:3-12)

According to our Lord, the greatest hindrance to a successful marriage is the hardness of heart. This hardness is a sin quite common even among the believers. The heart is the center of the feelings, of the total personality. Unconfessed, unrepentant sin hardens the heart (Heb 3:7-11). The hardness of heart is defined as an un-sensitive heart, merciless, stubborn, un-teachable, harsh, wicked, and cold blooded. Religious hypocrisy leads to hardness of heart (Mk 8:13-21). We repent and reject every form of hardness of heart! Holy Spirit take control! In Jesus’ name! Worship the Lord!     

This Sunday service, Pastor Richmond Leigh continued preaching from the Book of Ephesians on the subject of spiritual warfare: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph 6:10-12)

Pastor Richmond Leigh said that to live successfully the Christian must be engaged in spiritual warfare. You must recognize the existence of the devil which is able to possess human beings (the unbelievers) or to influence them (the believers). You need to know that there is an enemy in this world and you must fight him. This is a call to battle! If you refuse to do spiritual warfare you will surely backslide. There are evil forces outside there that fight against you! They hate you! You cannot ‘settle’ with the devil! The evil spirits want to destroy your testimony. To live a successful Christian life you must fight and defeat them in the name of Jesus! Each time you win a battle God will reward you. You cannot afford to be ignorant about these wicked evil forces. The Lord spoke a parable about a king who went to battle unprepared. He did not understand his enemy and underestimated his power (Lk 14:31-33). You should not be like this king who went to war unprepared. You need to know the ‘wiles of the devil’, his tricks and manipulations. Failure to do so will result in defeat. The devil will capture you and make you his slave. According to the Bible, who is the Devil? He is the enemy of God. He is the chief of all evil powers that are set against us, the believers. He is known by many names: Beelzebub (Lk 11:15), Belial (2Cor 6:15), The Liar (Jn 8:44), The god of this world (2Cor 4:4), The Strong man armed (Lk 11:21, 22), The Tempter (Mt 4:3), The Great Red Dragon (Rev 12:3), The Accuser of the Brethren (Rev 12:10), Satan, That Old Serpent (Rev 20:2)… The devil is a person. It is wrong to think of the devil as just an influence. He has a superhuman personality. He is bigger and stronger than man. The devil has power. The name ‘devil’ means a traducer, a slanderer. He speaks only falsehood and wickedness. Satan means an adversary (the one who opposes you). On your own you cannot defeat the devil. Only in Christ you can fight and defeat him. Remember that the devil is not God. The devil is a created being. He is created by God. Also remember that on the Cross, The Lord Jesus Christ defeated the devil for us (1Jn 3:8).

Child of God, be filled with the Holy Spirit! Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might! Put on the whole armor of God and in the name of Jesus, go and defeat the devil! You can do it! For the glory of God! Worship the Lord!

(Sermon preached by my husband, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh, on the 20th of August, 2017)

IN THE BEGINNING GOD / THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION (4)/ ADAM AND EVE (Genesis 2)

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached from the Book of Genesis chapter two She said that we shall go and revisit the beginning of creation. The way Isaac dug Abraham’s well (Genesis 26), we want to dig our Heavenly Father’s well of eternal life! The Bible starts with four simple words: “In the beginning God…”. The Bible takes it for granted that God exists and God is the creator of everything that is created. You cannot read the Bible without faith. You must believe these words. If not, to you, the Bible looks like a foolish book.

The doctrine of creation states that creation is a miracle. God, who alone is uncreated and eternal, formed and brought into existence everything outside of Himself. He did this out of nothing, just by the Word of His power. Everything God created was very good.

Just the way Isaac went to re-dig his father’s wells, covered by the dirt of the Philistines, so we shall search for the deeper revelation found in the story of Creation. The Word of God is simple. That is why even the children understand it. But the evil spirits of religion have confused and complicated many people. This complication is a religious seduction. The intent of the devil is for us to forget the simplicity of Christ! We need to reject these demons of religion, to dig deeper and find the Water of Life, bellow, which in fact, is our Lord Jesus Christ! This process is part of the preparation for revival. As you read the story of Creation, you should have a feeling that you have heard these things in the past. But the anxiety of life, the cares of the world, the pollution of empty religion have covered the revelation. We should dig to find the water of life again! Spiritual warfare should not be strange to a believer! Jesus is Lord!

1-God has created all things in six days and rested on the seventh day! God does all things for His pleasure and to manifest His glory! “All things were created through Him (Christ) and for Him (Christ)” (Col 1:16). Creation is God’s work. It is separated from Him. God is not equal with His creation. God is greater than it! As the Potter is greater than the vessel of clay so God is concerning His creation. God created both the visible and the invisible realm (the angels). Creation manifests His power and glory! It does not manifest His Goodness and Grace! That revelation came only thru the Lord Jesus Christ!

2-God does not need the creation to live! God is independent of His creation. He is self-existent and self-sustaining! God’s name Jehovah means “I AM”. He introduced Himself to Moses as I AM. “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Ex 3:14). The name I AM is a verb. It means To BE. It means action, activity and life! The burning bush is a sign that God does not depend on His creation to exist. God was like the fire in the bush. It was burning by Himself! It was not the bush that was the fuel for the fire. That is why it was not consumed. The fire in the bush was not in any way dependent upon the bush for its energy to burn. What is the Lesson? God is not dependent on His creation. God is All by Himself! But creation is dependent on God. Creation cannot control God. It is God who controls and sustains creation.

(Pantheism is a religion/ philosophy that equates the creation with God. They say there is no personal God; that everything is God. One of the best known ‘disciples’ of pantheism is A. Einstein. He was a Jew, born in Germany. He later became a US citizen. He is considered to be the greatest physicist of all times. In 1921 he won the Nobel Prize for physics. He said: “The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. I do not believe in an afterlife. One life is enough for me”. When he died, the doctor removed his brain for research, what made him so intelligent).

3- God made man in His image and gave him dominion (authority) over everything. God commanded Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply! There was no bareness in God’s creation! God made man from the ground and breath His breath in him. This is how Man became a living being. God commanded man to take care of the garden. God did not make Adam to be idle in the Garden. God gave man work to do. All Adam’s work was easy and profitable. Can you imagine a work, a business, where there is no loss and no cheating? This is how Adam’s work was to be. He freely gave him all fruits to eat except the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God made Adam and Eve to be the crown of His creation! It is His last work before He rested! All creation was for Adam (who is a symbol of Christ). God created man with a body and a soul God said that it is very good! Animals do not have souls. God gives spiritual understanding to man. He knew God and understood God. God gave man a conscience that will tell him what is good and bad. Man was animated by the life of God! God prepared the garden and put man in it. This was the best place of creation. Man is like God and represents God. Man is unique and special in God’s creation. Man is God’s messenger and ambassador.  Adam was created intelligent. He named all animals. Adam was creative. Adam understood the world in which he was placed. He knew God’s will. The law of God is written in the heart of every man (Rom 2:12=16). God invented marriage. God made a helpmeet for him. Can you imagine a marriage where both husband and wife are without sin? This is how Adam and Eve enjoyed marriage. God is a Trinity. Man is created for love and fellowship. That is why it was not good for man to be alone! Lesson? God made man to work, to rest, to worship God and to love one another. God gave Adam ‘dominion’ over the rest work of His hands. The word ‘dominion’ means to have sovereign power and supreme authority. Adam was given dominion over all the animals, insects and things that crawl on the ground. That includes the microbes, viruses and parasites. No virus had the power to enter Adam’s body to make him sick. After the fall, Adam lost this dominion because the devil took it from him.

In Christ, we are to be like Adam, and even more than Adam. In Christ, we regain the dominion lost. Sickness, poverty mentality and addiction to failure should not have dominion over us. Sin should have no dominion over us! As believers, King Grace now reigns in our lives! We must rule over our circumstances in the powerful name of Jesus! The evil spirits of the Philistines have tried to hide the gains we have in Christ. We must dig thru this ‘dirt’ and find the water of life and hope beneath the rubble. God help us! Worship the Lord!     

IN THE BEGINNING GOD / THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION (3)/ THE SABBATH DAY

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached from the Book of Genesis chapter two She said that we shall go and revisit the beginning of creation. The way Isaac dug Abraham’s well (Gen 26), we want to dig our Heavenly Father’s well of eternal life! The Bible starts with four simple words: “In the beginning God…”. The Bible takes it for granted that God exists and God is the creator of everything that is created. You cannot read the Bible without faith. You must believe these words. If not, to you, the Bible looks like a foolish book.

The doctrine of creation states that creation is a miracle. God, who alone is uncreated and eternal, formed and brought into existence everything outside of Himself. He did this out of nothing, just by the Word of His power. Everything God created was very good.

Just the way Isaac went to re-dig his father’s wells, covered by the dirt of the Philistines, so we shall search for the deeper revelation found in the story of Creation. The Word of God is simple. That is why even the children understand it. But the evil spirits of religion have confused and complicated many people. This complication is a religious seduction. The intent of the devil is for us to forget the simplicity of Christ! We need to reject these demons of religion, to dig deeper and find the Water of Life, bellow, which in fact, is our Lord Jesus Christ! This process is part of the preparation for revival. As you read the story of Creation, you should have a feeling that you have heard these things in the past. But the anxiety of life, the cares of the world, the pollution of empty religion have covered the revelation. We should dig to find the water of life again! Spiritual warfare should not be strange to a believer! Jesus is Lord!

“Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Gen 2:1-3). Today, we shall look at the meaning of the Sabbath Day. In six days, God created the heavens and the earth. He finished His work. He then rested on the Sabbath Day, sanctified it, separated it and declared it to be holy! This is part of God’s original creation, even before sin entered humanity. For us, the believers, Sunday is Sabbath Day. By coming to the house of God, praising God, and hearing the Word of God, we declare that Sabbath is God’s Day. In the past, the Jews considered Saturday to be Sabbath. Some churches worship God on Saturdays. But for us, Sabbath is Sunday, which is also called Resurrection Day. Our Lord died on the Cross of Friday and rose from the grave on Sunday morning. Each time we come to church on Sunday morning we declare the Jesus died and rose again. This is the Gospel! Praise the Lord!

To remember the Sabbath day is one of the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Ex 20:8-11).

We tend to forget God’s Word and God’s Day. We are commanded to remember it! To forget God’s Day is a sin! This forgetfulness is the dirt of the Philistines blocking the well of Abraham! We have no excuse to forget God’s command! For a believer, to stay at home on a Sunday morning, is sin! Except there is a problem beyond our power to control, we should go to the house of God and worship God every Sunday! This should be a holy habit! From Monday to Saturday, we can work and do business. But Sunday is different. We should not think that Sunday is the same as every other day. If you are a doctor or a nurse on duty, that is ok. For the sake of humanity, you can work if you are on call. But for the rest of us, no buying and selling should be done of Sunday! Keep it holy! Is God’s Day! As you can see, nobody in your house should work on Sunday; not the children, not the house helps, the unbeliever guests, or even the animals. Don’t expect your dog to bark and protect you from thieves on Sunday. God will do that! It may sound like a joke, but it is true! It is God’s Word!  

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you. You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ ” And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God” (Ex 31:12-18)

The Sabbath is a sign of covenant between God the Creator and His people. God wrote this law with His finger. It was on the tablets of stones but now, it is written in our hearts. By coming to church on Sunday, you declare that you are saved, that you are a child of God; you are sanctified and made holy. Coming to church on Sunday is a sign, a forever sign that you have eternal life! God made many birds and fishes at the same time. But God created man one by one. Child of God, you are unique, special in the presence of God! By coming to church on Sunday, you declare that! In the Old Testament anyone who works during the Sabbath Day was to be killed. By going to work on the Sabbath, that one says that God has not finished His work. This is an insult to God! When Jesus died on the Cross He said: “It is finished!” (Jn 19:30). And salvation was finished! He then entered the eternal rest of victory! Christ Himself is the eternal Sabbath for His people! In the New Covenant, God does not kill us for committing sin. This is because Grace is greater than sin! But we should not willingly break or ignore His commands! A child of God is obedient to God’s Word!  On the seventh Day God rested and He was refreshed. The word ‘refreshed’ also means revival. If there is any time at all that we may experience revival, it should be on a Sabbath Day! We too, like God, must rest and be refreshed. More peace, more joy, more passion for Jesus in our hearts! This is the work of the Holy Spirit! Praise the Lord!  

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deut 5:12-15).

On Sabbath Day everybody is resting; the master and the ‘house-boy’; the mistress and the ‘house-girl’. As you can see, all people, rich and poor, educated or not, are equal before God during the Sabbath. God created them all. Before the Cross, the ground is level! By keeping the Sabbath holy, by coming to church on Sunday morning, you declare that you are no longer in Egypt, that you are no longer a sinner going to hell. You declare that you are a sinner saved by grace, which indeed you are!

Jesus declared Himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:8). Many of His miracles were done during the Sabbath Day. He provoked the Pharisees, who represent religious spirits, and the dirt of the Philistines. The Pharisees added many rules for the people to obey during the Sabbath. They hated Jesus ‘breaking their rules’ thru miracles of healing. By doing this, they tried to prove that they are in charge of what happens on the Sabbath Day. They tried to take the glory for the religious services especially during the Sabbath. But Jesus proved that He is the Master or the Lord of the Sabbath. The religious Pharisees wanted to kill Jesus for bringing Lazarus from the dead. They also wanted to kill Lazarus, to remove any trace of the miracle (Jn 12:9-11). Jesus is proclaiming that He is the One who exercises authority even over the rules and regulations that govern the Sabbath day! As such, Jesus was proclaiming to the world, especially to the legalistic Pharisees, that He was greater than the Law and above the laws of the Mosaic Covenant because, as God in flesh, He is the Author of those laws. As Creator, Christ is the original Lord of the Sabbath. As the Creator is greater than His creation, so He has the authority to overrule the Pharisees’ traditions and regulations because He has created the Sabbath. Because Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, He is free to do on it and with it whatever He pleases. Worship the Lord!

IN THE BEGINNING GOD / THE DOCTRINE OF CREATION (2)

During the Sunday service, Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached from the Book of Genesis chapter two She said that we shall go and revisit the beginning of creation. The way Isaac dug Abraham’s well, we want to dig our Heavenly Father’s well of eternal life! The Bible starts with four simple words: “In the beginning God…”. The Bible takes it for granted that God exists and God is the creator of everything that is created. You cannot read the Bible without faith. You must believe these words. If not, to you, the Bible looks like a foolish book.

The doctrine of creation states that creation is a miracle. God, who alone is uncreated and eternal, formed and brought into existence everything outside of Himself. He did this out of nothing, just by the Word of His power. Everything God created was very good.

Just the way Isaac went to re-dig his father’s wells, covered by the dirt of the Philistines, so we shall search for the deeper revelation found in the story of Creation.

The dirt of the Philistines can be described as any scientific theory that denies the existence of God as the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. To understand the Bible, you need faith to find the revelation. Science, philosophy and psychology, are man’s ideas trying to describe God’s creation. These ideas have done a lot of harm to many people all over the world. There are 4 philosophical ideas that try to explain the history of mankind. They say that:

1-Mankind is gradually getting better. There is a gradual progress built into humanity. The Darwin Evolution theory has done much damage to many people, all over the world. It has affected the way people see life in general. There is a superficial optimism that life will be better. The advice is to improve the area of medicine and education. Interestingly, as an old man, Darwin regrated his theory of evolution. It was said that he became depressed and that he lost the joy of life. He said that he lost the wonder of life. He will read a poem, or he will listen to a song, and his heart was not moved anymore are the beauty in it! As children of God, may we never lose our wonder! Jesus!!! His name is Wonderful!

2-Mankind and civilizations go in circles. This is the Greek philosophy. It says that every empire and civilization start to build itself, then arrives to a peak, then it crumbles. Another one starts, and the circle continues. 

3-The history of mankind is shapeless and scattered with no lesson to learn from it!

4-Mankind will come to an end. It is based on the second law of thermodynamics. They say that the world is like a clock somebody has turned on. It will come to an end and stop on its own. The second law of thermodynamics means that hot things always cool unless you do something to stop the transfer of energy. The roots of thermodynamics lie in efforts to understand the steam engines. Their heat always tends to dissipate, moving to cooler regions. To maintain the heat, you need additional energy to power it. The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; the total quantity of energy in the universe stays the same. The Second Law of Thermodynamics is about the quality of energy. It states that as energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is wasted. The Second Law also states that there is a natural tendency of any isolated system to degenerate into a more disordered state called entropy. According to the scientists, this is the fate of the universe: The Second Law predicts the end of the universe “It implies that the universe will end in a ‘heat death’ in which everything is at the same temperature. This is the ultimate level of disorder; if everything is at the same temperature, no work can be done, and all the energy will end up as the random motion of atoms and molecules.” In the distant future, stars will have used up all their nuclear fuel ending up as stellar remnants or black holes. What a fancy theory? These unbelieves are willing believe anything, but they reject God!

All these theories have one thing in common: the reject God as the Creator of the universe. They reject that He is personally in charge of His creation. These are the theories of the scientific unbelievers! They also ignore the value of man created by God in His image. They ignore that the Creation has a story, to prepare man for the reality of redemption! They ignore the fact of sin! They ignore that the end of the world is not because of the second law of thermodynamics but it will happen when Christ shall come again. He will punish all sin. The devil and the unbelievers will be thrown in the lake of fire. God will create a new earth and a new heaven where we shall dwell together, forever and in love with our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ! These so called ‘scientific theories’ are a part of the dirt of the Philistines that we need to evacuate, to find the water of life bellow. The Bible is not the history of humanity! It is the history of creation and redemption! May we dig deeper! May we find the truth!

If these are all imaginations and lies, what is the truth? What does the Bible say about this universe? The Bible says that God has created all things! God maintains all things for His pleasure and to manifest His glory! God the Father has created all things thru the hands of God the Son. The creation is to give Him the glory and it is for the pleasure of God the Son. “All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16). God spoke in the Old Testament thru the prophets. He speaks now thru the Son. Creation speaks! Do you hear its voice? “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb 1:1-3). Our Lord was slain before the creation. “All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev 13:8). God knew that man would fall into sin. God the Father designed the plan of salvation before the earth was formed. At the same time, God the Son agreed to die for sinners. This agreement was done before the creation. The chosen ones, the believers in Christ, were in God’s heart before the foundation of the world. God “chose us in Him (in Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Eph 1:4). This universe is the product of love! Sacrificial love. Every mountain, the sea, the flowers of the field, the butterflies, all have the seal of the Blood of the Son of God. The creation has the stamp of the Cross! What is the lesson? Child of God, trust God for the assurance and joy or your salvation! You should never fear to lose your salvation. King Grace has designed it. King Grace has completed it! Salvation is older than time! What is left for us now is to worship this great and mighty God, the Lover of our souls! Let Creation bow to the Creator! Worship the Lord!