THEN JONAH PRAYED

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JONAH (4) THEN JONAH PRAYED

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Gospel according to Jonah’ (4); “Then Jonah Prayed”. Her main text was taken from the Book of Jonah chapters 1 and 2; and Mark 4:35-41.

INTRODUCTION

The story of Jonah is more than a children’s tale. It is more than an adventure about a great fish. It the revelation of God and His Grace towards men. It is the testimony of King Grace. Simply said, Grace means unmerited favor, undeserved Kindness for the sake of Christ! In the Book of Jonah, we shall find the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected. The study of this Book from the Old Testament will help us see that the Bible is One. In the Old Testament the Gospel is revealed in symbols and shadows. In the New Testament, we see reality of the Gospel. There are many deep revelations here, about salvation and the call of God to ministry. All people can gain wisdom and strength from the study of the Book of Jonah, but in particular the backsliders. Praise the Lord!

WHO IS JONAH?

Jonah was the son of Amittai. In Hebrew, the name “Amittai” means Truthful or Faithful. Jonah comes from a good Hebrew family. The Name “Jonah” means “Dove”. It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Jonah was a true Prophet of Jehovah God. God wanted to use him as an ambassador of peace. He prophesied during Jeroboam II, a wicked king of Israel. Jonah lived in a small town called Gath Hepher, located at the north border of ancient Israel. It was part of the inheritance of the Tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:13). (Today, the town does not exist. There are some ruins there, and a stone said to be Jonah’s tomb. The ruins are five Kilometers north of Nazareth). Jonah must have lived between 800 and 750BC. Assyria was Israel’s neighbor in the north. At that time, the Kingdom of Assyria was the greatest power in the world. Its capital, Nineveh, founded by Nimrod, was at its peak. (The Kingdom of Assyria was conquered by Babylon in 600 BC). Jonah’s ministry started immediately after the prophets Elijah and Elisha. It is possible that Jonah was a disciple of Elisha.

THE THEME OF THE BOOK OF JONAH – SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!

The Book of Jonah is not a prophecy. It is the Prophet’s miraculous story, his testimony, and his relationship with Jehovah God. Jonah’s story reveals the way The God of all Grace deals with His people, even when they rebel against His commands. The greatest revelation in the Book of Jonah is that “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). In Jonah we discover the Gospel, the power of seeking Grace. It is not man looking for God but God seeking and finding the lost! “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai,,,” (Jonah 1:1). This is how the Book of Jonah starts. It is not Jonah’s word that matters. It is God’s Word that starts the story. God is always first! The Gospel is not man’s work but God’s. Grace always ignites the fire. But Jonah struggles with the Grace of God. He loves to experience grace for himself, but he does not what to extend that grace to others. The story of Jonah helps us to understand and appreciate the irresistible Grace of God in salvation and redemption. Throughout the story of Jonah, we see that God is all-powerful, kind, patient, and faithful. For not good reason, God loves Jonah from the beginning to the end! There is no other explanation for this love except the Grace of God!

Jonah’s rebellion ends in the belly of a great fish sent be God to arrest him. In that fishy prison, Jonah comes back to his senses, and he does two things: he repents, and he prays to God. All Bible commentators do not agree when did Jonah pray. Some say that he when he was thrown in the sea, he sank to the bottom of it and died. A great fish sent by God swallowed him dead. He was in its belly for three days as Lazarus was in the tomb for four days. Then God resuscitated Jonah as he did with Lazarus. After coming back to life, Jonah, in the belly of the fish, he finally repented of his rebellion, and he prayed with faith and thanksgiving. Then the fish vomited Jonah unto dry ground near Nineveh. Other Bible commentators say that the fish was close to the boat. When Jonah was thrown into the sea, the fish swallowed him immediately. Jonah stayed alive in the belly of the fish for three days. That is when he prayed. Either way, one thing is clear: Jonah encountered his God. He passed thru death unto life. Jonah experienced the grace and mercy of the Lord, his God. In the natural, there was no hope for him. He could not save himself from the belly of the fish, a watery grave for him. But God saved him by His Grace and by His sovereign will. This is a picture of the Gospel of Christ!

The Book of Jonah, in the Old Testament, gives us a clear prophetic picture of Christ crucified and resurrected. It is a reminder that a sinner cannot save himself. The wages of sin is death. The only way a sinner can be saved, is by the Grace of God! Our Lord identified Himself with Jonah. He rebuked the religious leaders who wanted a sign for Him to prove His authority. He said the only sign that will be given is the sign of Jonah. “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:38-41). Christ was crucified by these religious hypocrites. He died, and He was buried. By His glory, God the Father resurrected Him from the dead. He died on behalf of sinners who shall believe in Him. The Cross will convict all men of sin. Those who repent and believe like Jonah, will be saved. Those who continue in their unbelief and hypocrisy, are condemned already. God saved the sinners in Nineveh so that they will be witnesses in heaven to the Grace of the Gospel of Christ. They obeyed the command to repent! They became believers at the preaching of Jonah. Our Lord is ‘greater’ than Jonah. This is the Power of the Gospel to save those who believe! Glory!

JONAH’S PRAYER

In the belly of the fish, Jonah prays to the Lord, his God. The word ‘prayed’ means to cry to God and to judge himself. Jonah now repents of his sins, especially of rebellion. The prodigal son is ready to come back home! He prays to Jehovah Elohim, meaning the God of the Covenant, and the Creator of the universe. Jonah prays as a believer. He remembers that God is the Covenant keeping God who has promised to answer and help His people when they are in trouble. He also sees God as the Creator of the earth and the sea, having all powers over His creation. This prayer is a genuine prayer of faith. Face to face with death, we are all humbled. It is in times of crisis that the truth about us is revealed. That is why God allows troubles, to help us discover who God is and, to discover ourselves. This is God’s promise: “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me” (Ps 50:15). The word ‘trouble’ here means ‘a tight corner’. When in trouble, do not try to save yourself thru sinful imaginations and evil manipulations. Forget what men can do to help you! Remember God! He knows that you are in this trouble because He ‘supervises it’. He wants to use it to manifest His power and grace, to recuse you. The deliverance will end in giving glory to God and for your own good. All true believers have this testimony that when they were in serious trouble, and no man could help, God manifested Himself and saved them from death.

From ‘the belly of Sheol’ Jonah cries out to God in a desperate prayer of faith. He does not say from the belly of the fish. He says, ‘from the belly of Sheol’. This word means the land of the dead, the spiritual cemetery of hell. Jonah cannot go lower than that. But this is the miracle of true prayer: God heard His voice! This is a great lesson: when you are in trouble, run to God! Do not run away from God! After God saves you, live your life to the praise and glory of His name! Do not forget God’s help in times past. Live your life in thanksgiving to God! Passing thru the valley of the shadow of death should make us better people. We should study God’s Word, pray more, be more humble, more compassionate with others, and wiser in all our decisions. We should never take God’s help for granted. We should honor the God of all Grace! Be reminded that Grace is never given to demons. They will never experience the grace and mercy of God. Grace is God’s gift to His children alone! Selah!

King David had faith that God will not abandon him in the grave and his body will not see corruption. This is what he said: “I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:8-11). He had hope that his soul is eternally saved, and his body will one day be resurrected. This is the faith and hope of all true believers in Christ. What was David’s secret of this confidence? It is the secret of all true believers. He cultivated the presence of God. “I have set the Lord always before me”. He made sure that his conscience was always free from guilt. He acknowledged God in all his ways. Because of this holy lifestyle, he was joyful even in troubles and had the assurance of salvation. When Peter preached his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, he refers to David’s prophetic words. Peter said that David referred to Christ, the Son of David, who resurrected on the third day. David’s body saw ‘corruption’, waiting for the resurrection day. But Christ’s Body did not see corruption. We, the believers in Christ, the Body of Christ, have this hope also. One day, when Christ comes again, our bodies will rise from the ground and become spiritual glorious bodies like our Lord’s. Listen to Peter: “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Ac 2:29-32).

Jonah’s body did not see corruption in the belly of the fish. It did not decompose inside. Death did not have power of Jonah’s body and soul. This is a great picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. It is also a wonderful encouragement to us all, that God will not abandon us to the grave. This hope of glory should influence our thinking and attitude to life, especially when trials come. Jonah prays: ‘You (God) cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me’ (Jonah 2:3). It is true that it was the mariners who cast Jonah into the sea, and that action was at his request. But here, Jonah says that it was God’s will for him to be cast into the sea of death. The floods are sea currents. The sea was not calm. Jonah was cast unto the troubled sea. Now Jonah sees God’s sovereign hand in everything. This is a great revelation! Jonah is maturing spiritually! Praise the Lord!

There are other examples when men rejected God’s children and sent them to die. But God was using their evil deeds for His own glory. For example, Joseph’s brothers cast him into the pit for him to die. But God saved Joseph from death. From pit, Joseph went to Potiphar’s house, then to prison and at last, into the palace. The way up goes down first. It is God’s way. Later, when the wicked Pharoah commanded that every Jewish baby boy should be thrown into River Nile to die, Baby Moses was saved and became the leader of his people. This is another great lesson: men may reject you, may throw you away like dirt, but God always intervenes and saves His people. What men call ‘trash’ God calls ‘salvation’. This is the story of Jesus! This is our story! This is the power of the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected!

Jonah was running away from the presence of God. In the belly of the fish, he finally succeeded to run away from God’s presence. Or so he thought. But it is there, in the belly of Sheol, that Jonah starts to miss God’s presence. For a moment he thought he will never experience the sweet glory of His presence. “Then I said, ‘I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.’ (Jonah 2:4). The words ‘cast out’ mean to divorce. For a moment, like an unfaithful wife running from her good husband, Jonah thought that God has divorced him. But how little he knew the faithfulness of God. Amid the terrible fear of a life and death without God, Jonah says ‘yet’! There is a ‘yet’ for all believers who come to this point of no return! Jonah decided to use his last moments on this earth by ‘looking again to God’s holy Temple’. Jonah was born in the northern Israel where people raised a false altar to Jehovah God. It is possible that Jonah was going to Jerusalem on pilgrimage, to worship God in Solomon’s temple. He knew the presence of God. He felt it in that temple. He knew the promise God gave about people who pray trusting the God of the Temple. The promise was that if men pray towards the Temple in Jerusalem God will hear and God will help. That was the faith of Daniel who was rescued from the lions. At the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon prayed: “may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive” (1Kg 8:30). From inside the belly of the fish, Jonah remembered God, and especially His promise of mercy and grace. “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the LORD; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple”. When the veil of death covered his eyes and soul, with the last breath of his lips, Jonah remembered God and prayed! It was not a usual prayer. It was a prayer that ‘went up’ to God. From dying lips, the prayer got resurrection wings, passed thru the fish body, thru the waters, and went to God’s heaven. God answered! Our Lord prayed on the Cross. His Blood shed, His body broken, He prayed and gave God his spirit! Do you know the power of such a prayer?

This is another great lesson: When you are in trouble, forget all people and all things but remember God! Remember His Love and Faithfulness! Remember His great acts of power! We change! Circumstances change! But God neve changes! He is forever the same! Promise me that when you weep, you remember God! “Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Selah! And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely, I will remember Your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all Your work And talk of Your deeds. Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; Who is so great a God as our God? You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were afraid; The depths also trembled… Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, And Your footsteps were not known. You led Your people like a flock By the hand of Moses and Aaron” (Ps 77:8-15; 19, 20)

Now, Jonah sees the foolishness of serving idols. These are called worthless idols or ‘lying vanities’ (Jonah 2:8. KJ). To serve anything other than God, that is an idol. For sinners, self is the greatest idol. If you want to do your will, that is an idol. Let God’s will be done! All idols are full of promises, but they can never perform. They are deceitful, and never bring satisfaction. Jonah says that if you cling to idols, you forsake the Grace and Mercy God offers, the source of all goodness and help. That is the tragedy of idolatry. Finally, Jonah says: “I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jonah 2:9). In other words, Jonah promised God to serve Him alone forever. He vows that once he is out of this fish, he will serve God! He will go to Nineveh and preach the Gospel to them. Praise and thanksgiving are sacrifices accepted by God. Jonah declares that ‘Salvation is of the Lord’! The word ‘salvation’ is ‘Jeshua’. It also means victory, deliverance, prosperity. These are found only in the Lord (Jehovah). In other words, Jonah has now declared that “Jesus is Lord”. It is only by the Holy Spirit that a man can truly declare that (1 Cor 12:3). This is the best and the last word of Jonah in the belly of the fish. God has heard his prayer and confession. Jesus is Lord! God’s decision is that Jonah shall live and not die and he shall declare the works of the Lord (Ps 118:17). Immediately, “The Lord spoke to the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land” (Jonah 2:9). What a testimony of the Grace of God! Hallelujah!

TWO STORMS – ONE LORD!

“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mk 4:35-41)

Jesus said that he is ‘greater than Jonah’. We shall look at the story when Jesus stopped the storm. Like Jonah, Jesus too was sleeping in the boat. But there was a major difference. Jonah was a rebellious believer. Our Lord was obedient to His Father, even unto death. The mariners on the boat going to Tarshish were afraid that they will die. They repented of idolatry and surrendered their lives to Jehovah, Jonah’s God. The disciples of Jesus also were afraid that they will die. They learned many lessons, that ‘one greater than Jonah’ was their Savior and Lord! During the worse moment of his life, Jonah prayed to Jesus who alone could save him! And He did! The Gospel of Jonah shows us the pursuing Grace of Chastisement. The Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected reveals the reality of Grace, Truth, Power, and Eternal Life. Worthy is the Lamb!

Leaving the crowd behind, The Lord commanded His disciples saying: ‘Let us cross over to the other side’! Jesus was tired and fell asleep in the stern, on a pillow. This ‘pillow’ was made of leather, and it was placed there for the captain. The way Jesus slept reveals to us the humanity of Jesus. As a man, He was tired, hungry, and thirsty. He was tired and sleeping as a Man, but as God, He was always watchful. “Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber [briefly] nor sleep [soundly]” (Ps 121:4; AMP). As they were sailing on the Sea of Galilee, suddenly, ‘a great windstorm’ arose (Mk 4:37) and ‘also came down on the lake’ (Lk 8:23). The Sea of Galilee is usually calm. Occasionally, strong hurricanes suddenly come on it. The reason is because the Sea is 700 feet below Sea level, and it is surrounded by great mountains. The cold air from the mountains comes down and ‘troubles’ the Sea. The disciples are all fishermen. This Sea is their ‘territory’. They are used to navigate during storms. But this ‘windstorm’ was different. In fact, it was a perfect storm! The sudden violent gush of cold wind, and the rain that accompanied it, was different that anything they have seen in the past. There was a fearful wickedness of the wind that could not be explained. The waves carried the boat high, on the mighty waves. Then the boat will go low, almost to the bottom of the sea. The water was going into the boat. There was a genuine danger that they will all drown. It was not just the boat that was flooded. Their hearts became flooded with fear! The disciples tried to manage the situation, but all their efforts were in vain. The fear of death became their master now. Drenched, shivering cold, afraid they ran to Jesus! This is good! We should always run to Jesus!

DOES JESUS CARE FOR US?

The disciples complained: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”. It is possible that it was Peter who asked the question, but he represented all of them. The question reveals their hearts. They were impatient, angry, and even rude with their “Teacher’. They blamed Jesus that He does not care about them. In Greek, the word ‘care’ means to be anxious, to be concerned. To care it means to be interested about someone, to feel concerned, to take responsibility about someone, to love, protect and provide for his needs. For example, parents care about their children. Often, God’s people feel that God does not care enough for them. At the root of it, this is a sign of unbelief!

For the disciples to complain that their Lord ‘does not care if they die’, they indirectly accused Him to be a hireling and not a true shepherd. Listen to what our Lord said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep” (Jn 10:11-13). The hireling is an agent of the devil. He shepherds the sheep for money. When the wolf attacks, the hireling is not ready to protect the sheep with his life. He runs away. Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd, and He gives His life for the sheep. To accuse the Lord that He does not care for them, the disciples accused Him to be a hypocrite, to be a devil. The Lord rebuked their lack of faith in Him, their Savior, who came from heaven to die for them, that they may live!

Sister Martha asked a similar question. Mary was ‘wasting time’ seated at the feet of Jesus and listening to His Word. Martha was busy in the kitchen, cooking and serving food to the guests. Tired of all that labor, she complained to the Lord saying that He ‘does not care’. Our Lord gently rebuked her saying that her labor makes her worried and troubled about many things. Our Lord also said that ‘only one thing is needed’. Mary was wiser than her. She has chosen ‘the good (or the better) part’. We need to work for our daily bread but to listen to God’s voice, to study the Word of God, will always be ‘the better part’ which is eternally ours (Lk 10:39-42)

Later Peter encouraged all believers to trust the Lord because He cares for us! “Casting all your cares

[all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all]

on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]” (1 Pet 5:7, AMP)

JESUS MUZZLES THE STORM

Jesus arose and rebuked the wind and the waves. He stopped the storm with a Word! The wind stopped immediately, like Christ switched it off. He said: “Peace, be still!” Immediately, the storm ceased and there was a great mysterious supernatural calm in the atmosphere. In Greek, the words spoken by our Lord: “Peace, be still” mean this: ‘Be silent! Be dumb! Be calm! Be muzzled!”. Jesus ‘muzzled’ the storm the way a dog is muzzled so that it cannot bark or bite anymore. The result was immediate. There was ‘a great calm’. This was a perfect storm that ended in a perfect peace. By stopping the storm, Jesus proved to be God, the Lord of Hosts, the Captain of the hosts of heaven. “O Lord God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O Lord? Your faithfulness also surrounds You. You rule the raging of the sea; When its waves rise, You still them” (Ps 89:8, 9).

During the storm, the disciples were restless and confused because of fear. Jesus alone was calm and composed. This is a great lesson: your attitude during your ‘storm’ will determine the result. Praying with fear and praying with faith is totally different. Once peace reigned again, The Lord asked them: “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?”. This was a gentle rebuke, but nevertheless, a rebuke. The boat became the classroom. The storm revealed that the disciples did not totally trust in Jesus. Their fears almost drowned their faith. They forgot God’s Word: “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Is 43:1-3)

LITTLE BOATS

There were some ‘little boats’ following the main boat. The disciples were so worried about their problems that they did not see that there was other ‘little boats’ around. They too were in the storm. They had the same problems, but Jesus was not in these boats. But after the storm was stopped by Jesus, they too shared in the victory. These little boats represent people who come to church, are friends with the Christians, but are not yet saved. I said: ‘yet’. For none can experience the power and grace of the Lord and remain the same! They are followers of Jesus but not converts! Yet! Let us pray for the people in these little boats, who are here in the church, right now! Let us pray for their salvation! Amen!

WHAT MANNER OF MAN IS JESUS? (Mk 4:41, KJ)

The disciples feared the storm and feared death. Now, a greater fear overcame them. It was the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom.

What are some of the lessons for us?

*The Lord Jesus Christ is the Sovereign God! Our Lord Jesus Christ is completely Man and completely God. He is the Creator of everything. He made the sea, and He alone can control it. “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (Jn 1:3). “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16). The Lord Jesus ‘has the power to bring everything under His control’ (Phil 3:21). The Lord gave authority to His disciples to heal diseases and deliver the oppressed, in His name. But Christ did not give them the authority over nature. During the storms of life, we must run to Jesus. He alone can stop the storm and bring peace once more! Our sufferings may come suddenly, but these never take Jesus by surprise. The Holy Spirit uses the storms of life to bring us closer to God, to purify and increase our faith, to wean us from the love of the world, and to make us spiritually mature. We now appreciate salvation and heaven like never before!

*The Lord Jesus Christ is the best example of how to behave during the storms of life. He went to sleep during the storm. Why? Because He completely trusted His Father. You need to learn to sleep like Jesus! Peter did it (Ac 12:6). Jesus knew that He and His disciples cannot die before the appointed time. He trusted that the Father would wake Him up when it is necessary for him to act. Most people cannot do that. They sleep, but they do not sleep well, because they are worried about things that can happen around them. They think that by worrying, they help themselves to live longer. They think it is their duty to remain alert in the night, just in case… But Jesus went to sleep in the shalom of God! ‘It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep’ (Ps 127:2). Do you sleep well?

*We should fear not! We should live by faith! Our Lord is in our boat! The symbol of the church is a boat on the water. Jesus is in the boat of our hearts, individually, and in the church as a congregation. Jesus said: “whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (Jn 11:26). At God’s appointed time, we shall ‘sleep’ in Christ, but we can never die! During the storm, the disciples feared death. After the storm they ‘feared exceedingly’ and said to one another: “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” They knew Jesus as their Teacher. Now they experienced Him as God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Lord over every storm and the Ruler of all creation!

Jonah bowed to the storm! The storm bowed to Jesus! One in Christ, we died with Him, and we rose with Him!

*Cross over the storm before you arrive at greater success! It was the Lord that said to them: “Let us Cross over to the other side”. After an unforgettable night, they arrived at the region of the Gadarenes. It was a Gentile territory on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. The Lord delivered a demon possessed man and was rejected from that area. These were more lessons for the disciples. Before a breakthrough in ministry, we may have to pass the test of faith in the storm. May God help us!

*We should fear God always! We should trust in Jesus Christ, always! Like Jonah discovered: “Salvation is of the Lord!”(Jonah 2:9). Jesus is Lord!

*Jesus cares! Yes! Even right now, in your suffering and weakness, Jesus cares! Jesus is Our Compassionate High Priest. He left heaven and lived among men, to know men. He knows the power of temptation, of the sin of grumbling, of unbelief. He suffered. But He conquered death and hell. Jesus became a man so that He can die for men. He is now in heaven interceding for me, and for you. He invites us to come boldly to meet with Him at His throne in heaven, that we may receive mercy and grace in time of need! Let us go to Jesus! Today! Right now! “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:14-16). I DECLARE TODAY: JESUS IS ENOUGH FOR ME! Worship the Lord!

MY LIFE LONG PRAYER

Apr2 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“My Lord and my God,

May I never lose the wonder of Your Word!

May I never feel like a visitor at the touch of Your Spirit!

May I never lose the joy of my salvation!

May I never count the stars or the kisses of Your mouth!

May I never think I know it all, when standing face to face with You!

May I never pray and not expect an answer!

May I never doubt, never fear and never look back!

In Jesus’ name!

Amen!”

“Who is this one coming up from the desert, and leaning on her Lover?” (SS 8:5)

YOUR GLORY IS ALL I SEE

Mar29 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“God has made everything beautiful for its own time and He has planted eternity in the human heart…” (Ecc 3:11)

These days, to speak the truth, to open your heart to strangers, just to encourage them from afar, you need the courage of love. We have to learn to live with less (space, food, friends, toys…).. This is the simplicity of Christ, the greatest treasure on earth. I live in Africa. My children and grandchildren live in Texas. I have learned to secret to be contented in every situation, when I have too much food (I give to others) and when I have too little food (I decide to diet until provision comes). I have also learned to enjoy each day, as it is and not as I wanted it to be.

It is easy to complain about limitations. Complaining is like taking drugs, it is very addictive. Long ago I decided to live a life of thanksgiving. I cannot change my decision now, just because of some natural restrictions. In this life, I reached on top of mountains and I crawled to the bottom of dark valleys. One thing never changed: with Christ in me, I overcame all obstacles, exterior and interior. Even when I thought that I was going in circles, I made progress in life. Welcome to my world where endurance is the ground, thanksgiving is the sky, and all I see, is beauty everywhere! Jesus is Lord! I look around and I am amazed at Your beauty! Your glory is all I see!

(My husband took this picture… in 2018… me in a calm pretty old French village)

CHILDREN WORSHIP GOD

Mar27 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

CHILDREN IN OUR CHURCH WORSHIP GOD

GOD BLESS ALL NIGERIAN CHILDREN!

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Father’s House, Bible Church, Sunday service, 27-03-22

GOD’S CHASTISEMENT OF JONAH

Mar27 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JONAH (3) GOD’S CHASTISEMENT OF JONAH

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Gospel according to Jonah’ (3) God’s Chastisement of Jonah. Her main text was taken from the Book of Jonah chapters 1 and 2, and Luke 15:1-7.

INTRODUCTION

WHO IS JONAH?

THE THEME OF THE BOOK OF JONAH – SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!

GOD CHASTISES JONAH

Jonah was running away from God. He took a ship that was going to the opposite direction. Initially, Jonah was not interested in anything concerning the ship or the mariners. This was not a vacation cruise. Having nothing to do, exhausted from all his rebellious plans, Jonah went to sleep. He knew that all the mariners were sinners and pagans. Soon, in the middle of the storm, Jonah realizes that God is chastising him for his rebellion. The revelation of God’s chastisement ended his desire to run away from God. Jonah does some things that are right: He openly confesses that He fears Jehovah God. He also openly confesses his sin. He tells them that he is running away from God. He takes the blame and wants to take the punishment for the tragedy. That is why Jonah tells them to throw him into the sea. He prophesies that the sea will be calm, and it was. The mariners believed that he was a true prophet. All these things Jonah did are good things. But his repentance was not complete. These are some things Jonah did not do: he did not pray for forgiveness, and he did not change his actions. He did not become obedient to God. He should have told the mariners: ‘Let us turn the ship and go to Nineveh! Let us serve Jehovah God!’ When a child is disobedient, it is not enough that he confesses his sin to his parents. He is to assure them that from now on, he will obey them. That is true repentance. Jonah fell short of the standard of true repentance. But God was making progress in the process of chastisement. Once Jonah fell into the depth of the sea and a great fish swallowed him, he finally broke down and truly repented. He ‘remembered God!’ He prayed to God! He finally declared that all salvation, from beginning to the end is of God! He now understands that even the times of chastisements are under the control of the sovereign God. The chastisement of God manifests God’s sustaining Grace.

Jonah is the only man who is a believer in that ship. He is like the church sleeping in the midst of a troubled world. Selah! Once the mariners understood God’s love for Jonah, even coming in the form of chastisement, they too acknowledged Jehovah, Jonah’s God. Initially, they all prayed to their little gods who were not able to help them. Now they know that Jonah’s God is God Almighty, the Creator of the universe. The fear of God came upon them. That was the beginning of their wisdom. When Jonah told them to throw him into the raging sea, they did not want to do that. They looked at it as an act of murder. But the storm increased in power. At last, they prayed to Jehovah for mercy, and they surrendered Jonah to his God. The storm stopped immediately as a sign that God has received their ‘sacrifice’. They offered a sacrifice to God and made vows, possibly to serve Him from now on. This can be taken as a sign that became saved thru the witness of God’s chastisement, a revelation of God’s love for His child. Jonah behavior reveals that he was truly a child of God. That is why he repented. An unbeliever in the middle of a storm becomes more stubborn, more silent, and totally careless of the lives of others. In other words, troubles drive a believer to God and the same troubles drive unbelievers to the worlds.

THE DOCTRINE OF GOD’S CHASTISEMENT

The word chastisement is defined as verbal strong rebuke combined with corporal punishment (flogging). It comes from a Latin word that means ‘to make pure’. God’s chastisement is the peculiar painful process by which God punishes rebellion among men until it ends, and obedience is restored. This is how a parent disciplines his disobedient child, for his own good. God is the Father of all believers in Christ. The purpose God teaches and trains His children is so that they become like Jesus. Chastisement is God’s way to work with His rebellious children. This peculiar work is done for His glory and for their own good. Chastisement is never pleasant. It is painful. But the effect is that the rebellious child repents of his sins and comes back to God the Father with a new heart and a new attitude. Chastisement leads to godliness, humility, and wisdom. God only chastises His children. It is a sign of fatherly love. It is a proof that the child belongs to the family of God! But God deals differently with the unbelievers. God punishes the wicked unbelievers to restrain their evil works. Even after the punishment, the unbelievers will not repent. Their punishment does not lead to salvation. But they stop doing evil work for fear of more punishment. In other words, God chastises His children and punishes the unbelievers.

In the Old Testament, we see God chastising His people each time they become rebellious. Often, God chastises disobedient people thru men. For example, if a man slanders his wife for no good reason, he must be punished by the elders of the city. They shall flog him in public. He must pay compensation to his father-in-law, for spoiling his daughter’s name. The marriage is now permanent. He cannot divorce her all the days of his life (Deut 22:13-19). As you can see, discipline for sin is necessary. If the sin is not punished accordingly, the man will become a bad example as a husband, and many will imitate him. This will pollute the whole city morally. God is a disciplinarian!

There are many examples of chastisement in the Bible. The Lord chastises Jacob while in service to Laban. Joseph chastises his brothers in Egypt. The Lord chastises David for his sin with Bathsheba. The most powerful example of chastisement in the Bible is the way the Lord chastises the nation of Israel over the course of its history. The Lord’s discipline eventually leads Israel back to faithfulness at the end of the age. In the Book of Leviticus 26, you see how God warns His people against rebellion. He promises that He will chastise them with greater intensity if they refuse to repent. “And after all this, if you do not obey Me, but walk contrary to Me, then I also will walk contrary to you in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins” (Lev 26:27, 28). In Hebrew, the word ‘chastise’ means to discipline and instruct, to teach and guide a people back to God. This painful instruction can involve some very hard lessons. It can even mean physical punishment, such as flogging. It always comes with verbal correction. God uses men to rebuke His stubborn child with words and deeds. God promised to chastise His people with plagues, incurable diseases, poverty, bareness, affliction or loss of children, defeat from enemies, constant stress and anxiety of life, and loneliness. If God’s people refuse to repent, the level of pain in chastisement increases, until it become ‘seven times’, which is the perfect number. If sickness, poverty, and loss of all good things do not work, and God’s child refuses to repent, God takes His child home. Untimely death is a form of chastisement. This is a fact: God never loses. God always wins in this matter because God is the perfect and excellent Father! Remember that God can use His Word to chastise us!

Wrong doctrines: Some say that God chastises His child all the time, just to make him to obey. They say that God chastises His children even when they are obedient, to prevent them from committing sins. Others say that God punishes His child for sins committed by others, or for sins committed in the past, before becoming saved. These teachings show God as a Father who is always angry and impatient with His children. These are wrong doctrine creating doubt and anxiety when thinking about God. These false doctrines hinder faith in the assurance of salvation.

Right doctrines: There are consequences for sins committed in the past. But these consequences are not God’s chastisement. God is the Perfect Father. He is longsuffering. He loves His child. God “does not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men” (Lam 3:33). Generally, He leads thru the Word and the Holy Spirit. Once the child rebels against His leading, God talks to the child to convict him of sin, to repent. If the child becomes stubborn and refuses to listen to the voice of God and the warning of his conscience, then God intervenes and chastises His child.

God always makes a difference between His children and other men. He deals differently with the rebellion of His children and the rebellion of the unbelievers. God is the Greatest Gardner. He knows how to cut off unfruitful branches and how to prune the fruitful ones. The result is a greater harvest for His glory! “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (Jn 15:1,2)

To understand God’s ways, you need to know the basics of salvation. A sinner becomes a child of God by His Grace and thru faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. None is saved thru good works. Salvation is not a reward. It is the free gift of God to men because of the sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross. Christ took the punishment and the guilt of sins on the Cross. If you believe that Christ shed His Blood for you, then you are saved. You become a child of God. From that moment, there is no more condemnation for you. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:1, 2). This is fact. God has justified the believer in Christ! This is the work of Grace alone! Because the believer is justified by faith in Christ Crucified, there is no more condemnation for him. The child of God will not meet God as the Judge. Even if he rebels, God’s child will never meet God in the court room. He will always meet God in His house, as his Father. Even when he disobeys, the believer will be chastised in God’s House and not in God’s Court room. The punishment for his sins was placed on Christ on the Cross. The sacrifice of Christ was accepted by God on behalf of the believer. God will never ‘punish’ His child for sins. But God retains the right to chastise His child when he rebels, to bring him back to Him.

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him” (PV 22:15). “Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, and deliver his soul from hell (Sheol)” (PV 23:13, 14)

“Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor 5:5)

The unbeliever is punished by God to restrain evil behavior. He does not repent to become saved, but he will stop doing that evil deed. The unbeliever always meets with God as his Judge, in the court room, The unbeliever does not meet God as his Father, in His house. Both chastisement and punishment look the same outwardly, but they are not the same in the heart of God. God punishes the unbeliever in His anger and chastises His child in love. The effects of chastisement and punishment are not the same. The believer has godly sorrow and the unbeliever manifests worldly sorrow. The first leads to life and the second leads to death. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor 7:10). After his chastisement, the prodigal son returns home to his father, but the unbeliever remains in the world to the end, and then he goes to hell. The believer is always grateful for the discipline of the Father. But the restrained unbeliever remains bitter and ungrateful, holding grudges against God and the men He used to punish him.

THE HUNGER FOR THE WORD OF GOD

One of the greatest forms of chastisement is God sending the hunger and thirst for the hearing of the Word of God. The preaching of the true Gospel will become rare. People will attend churches where they are not saved. The people who cling to their religious idols and refuse to repent will become weaker and weaker. For those who hear the true Gospel, their hunger and thirst has been satisfied. That blessing is life!

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, But shall not find it. “In that day the fair virgins And strong young men Shall faint from thirst. Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, Who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan!’ And, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives!’ They shall fall and never rise again” (Amos 8:11-14)

EXAMINE YOURSELF

“Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks [g]in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor 11:27-32). Knowing that God chastises His disobedient children, we should examine ourselves constantly. This does not mean we live in fear, but it means to be wise in our walk with God. You should know that the devil desires us to rebel against God. Separate yourself spiritually from unbelievers. The word of God says that if we humble ourselves and repent of any known sin, then we shall not be chastised by God. This warning is given especially as we take the Holy Communion. We should take the bread and wine in a ‘worthy manner’. It means to be sober and grateful as we remember the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. Taking the Holy Communion carelessly, jokingly, ignoring a known sin, or without the fear of God, it is dangerous. God shall chastise His rebellious child with weakness of the body, sickness, and even untimely death. The believer shall go to heaven, but he may not have fulfilled God’s plan for his life! Selah!

THE TOUGH LOVE OF GOD

“You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb 12:5-11)

God made a covenant of mercy and grace with David and his descendants. This covenant applies to all believers in Christ. This is God’s promise to us, His children: “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you” (2 Sam 7:14, 15). God treats King Saul as an unbeliever, but He treats David as His child. To an unbeliever, mercy is given temporarily. To the believer, mercy and grace are eternal gifts. There are two warnings given to believers who pass thru God’s chastisement: despising the rod and discouragement during the process. Both these wrong attitudes are rooted in stubborn pride, anger, doubt, and foolishness.

*To despise it means to look down on something; to hate something because you think it is a bad and useless thing. The believer may despise the hand of God who holds the rod in different ways. Men may chastise him with the rod. But behind the scenes, it is God that holds that rod. How does a believer despise the rod? By complaining about the chastisement, that it is useless. He complains that God is not fair to him. Like a naughty child, he says that the stripes are not painful, or that God does not know what He is doing. The rebellious child may refuse to repent and make amends with men. He may feel ashamed of his Father and His ways. He may reject the household of God. He may despise others who are disciplined too, trying to discourage them. Despising the rod of God will only prolong the chastisement. Repent and thank God for the rod! Say with the Psalmist: “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep Your word… I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Ps 119:67, 75).

*To be discouraged it means to faint, to become weak, to abandon the faith, to let go of God during trials. Do not be discouraged like Jonah who wished to die rather than repent! The believer should not be discouraged when His Father rebukes him. Many believers choose to backslide especially during seasons of discipline. They stop praying or coming to church. Jesus said: “we should always pray and not faint” (Lk 18:1). Others lose their assurance of salvation. They now believe that they have lost their salvation. We are commanded not to become worse in times of chastisement but to repent and come back to God. Many listen to the devil’s lies who tells them that God’s chastisement will last forever. They lose the hope that one day, it will end. You need to appreciate God’s care and love for you, especially when you go astray. God is a good Father. He will use chastisement to bring you back to Him. Do not be discouraged! Pray for grace and strength, trusting God to perfect the good work He has started in you! Encourage yourself in God! Learn to be grateful! Thank God for all things, for the sweet and for the bitter. Never doubt His love for you. Nothing shall separate you from the Love of God in Christ Jesus! Remember God! Remember Jesus! Go and stay at the foot of the Cross. The pain is not forever! Once God’s child repents of his sin against God, he will be free. “I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more” (Job 34:31, 32). The purpose for the discipline has been fulfilled! Praise God!

“He sent a man before them—Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his pleasure, And teach his elders wisdom” (Ps 105:17-22). Do you remember Joseph? God allowed him to pass thru much pain. He was betrayed by his brothers. He became a slave and a prisoner. This painful process was under the supervision of God. The pain lasted some years. But at last, the pain was over. God has purified and trained His man to stand for Him in a wicked world. Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt. In that great position, he was now an ambassador for Christ. He saved his family who became a nation. He gained enough wisdom so that he could lovingly chastise his brothers.

Never forget, once you are a child of God, trust Him always, even when you do not understand His ways. God uses pain to bring out praise out of you. “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the Lord my God. Surely, after my turning, I repented; And after I was instructed, I struck myself on the thigh; I was ashamed, yes, even humiliated, Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’ Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For though I spoke against him, I earnestly remember him still; Therefore, My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the Lord” (Jer 31:18-20)

“I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me. O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:1-5).

THE LOST AND FOUND SHEEP

“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Lk 15:1-7)

The religious leaders opposed our Lord. They hated that Jesus was caring for the religious outcasts. They called the thieves, prostitutes, drunkards, and tax-collectors, ‘sinners.’ Because they were religious, they thought that they are not sinners in need of a Savior. Pride made them reject Christ. That is when our Lord spoke this parable of the lost and found sheep. His purpose was to say that all men are sinners, and all men need Jesus Christ, the only Savior and Lord. Jesus revealed His amazing grace and love of His sheep.

There was a man who had one hundred sheep. It means he was a wealthy man. Most wealthy men hire poor shepherds to take care of their sheep. But this man, took care of his own sheep by himself. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows each sheep by name and is ready to die for them (Jn 10:11, 14). One day, a sheep got missing. She left the fold and went into the wilderness. Sheep are born foolish. They get easily confused. No sheep can find its way back to the flock. If the shepherd does not go to look for her, she will die. This wealthy shepherd could have forgotten about one sheep. If it is just money, the loss is small. But the Good Shepherd cannot abandon a sheep, no matter how little or cheap the sheep is. He leaves the ninety-nine sheep in the care of a helper, and he goes into the wilderness to find his lost sheep. The shepherd knows the sheep is a grave danger. The wild animals can kill her; she can fall in a deep valley, or she can die of starvation. A lost sheep is a dead sheep. The Good Shepherd searches for the sheep until he finds her. Please observe the patience and love of the shepherd. He does not give us until he finds his sheep. At last, he finds the sheep, dirty in the bushes, lonely, thirsty, hungry, and shaking with fear. Immediately he becomes happy. His joy starts with locating the sheep, that is still alive. He then carries the sheep on his shoulders. An adult sheep weighs about 100 pounds. It is not easy to carry her. But she is too weak to walk. The shepherd takes the burden of the sheep and carries her back home. The reason why the Shepherd sacrifices himself to seek and find the lost sheep, is one, for his joy and secondly, for the encouragement of the other ninety-nine. The remaining sheep now know that the shepherd loves them enough to save them even when they go astray. From now on, they will have peace of mind and assurance of their safety. They will be careful to obey and stay in the fold. Once home, the shepherd celebrates his victory with family and friends. The sheep on his shoulders is his reward! Jesus said that His purpose of coming to earth was to save sinners. He said: “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10). Appreciate the Grace of God in your salvation! Worship the Lord!

THE FOOLISHNESS OF JONAH

Mar20 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JONAH (2) THE FOOLISHNESS OF JONAH

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Gospel according to Jonah’ (2), The foolishness of Jonah! Her main text was taken from the Book of Jonah chapter 1.

INTRODUCTION

The story of Jonah is more than children’s tale. It is more than an adventure about a great fish. It the revelation of God and His Grace towards men. It is the testimony of King Grace. Simply said, Grace means unmerited favor, undeserved Kindness for the sake of Christ! In the Book of Jonah, we shall find the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected. The study of this Book from the Old Testament will help us see that the Bible is One. In the Old Testament the Gospel is revealed in symbols and shadows. In the New Testament, we see reality of the Gospel. There are many deep revelations here, about salvation and the call of God to ministry. All people can gain wisdom and strength from the study of the Book of Jonah, but in particular the backsliders. Praise the Lord!

WHO IS JONAH?

THE THEME OF THE BOOK OF JONAH – SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!

The Book of Jonah is unique in its way. Everything that you expect turns to be upside down. You expect a prophet to be wise, to listen and obey God’s Word. But Jonah does the opposite. He runs away from God. The distance between Joppa to Nineveh (where God sent him) is about 500 miles. The distance between Joppa to Tarshish (where he was running to) is about 2500 miles. Jonah chooses a longer, much more difficult path than God’s, just because he refuses to obey. This is a lesson for all: the rebellious suffer and punish themselves. He is angry with God. Jonah has a close encounter with two groups of pagans: the mariners and the Ninevites. You expect these people to be wicked, to reject God’s Word of repentance. But the Mariners were kind to Jonah, and they prayed for mercy to Jehovah, the God of Jonah. Jonah went to Nineveh and warned them of destruction. He did not show any mercy in his speech. He did not even call the name of Jehovah. He did not share with them the greatest revelation he received while in the belly of the fish that “Salvation is of the Lord (Jehovah)!” Jonah cried out and said: ““Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4). The word ‘overthrow’ means to be defeated, to be removed from power by force. This message was so simple. Jonah gave them ‘some crumbs’ of preaching. It is like he did not want to preach well. But even with that simple sermon, surprisingly, all the people of Nineveh, from king to the poorest person, they all repented at his preaching. “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed, a greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:41). The lesson here is this: if you repent, God will use your testimony to convict others of the sin of unbelief!

The Book of Jonah is a mirror. We look at it and see the worse part of ourselves. Like Jonah, we are rebellious, stubborn, selfish, proud, hateful, uncaring, and foolish people. The purpose of the Book is for us to search our hearts, repent of our sins and be grateful to God for His Grace!

Jonah was a true prophet who was backsliding. He was running away from God. But none can hide from God. He convinced himself that God will not find him in the place where he will hide. He also thought that even if God finds him, he will be too far from his place of ministry. How foolish! Lessons: For as long as you think that you can run away and hide from God, you are a fool! For as long as you think that you are stronger or wiser than God, you are a fool! Please think of it!

JONAH BECAME A FOOL

Jonah was a true prophet. He was supposed to be wise, but in his rebellion, he became a fool. Jonah believed that God exists. But he doubted God’s Omnipresence, Power, Grace, Wisdom, and His Love for him. He deceived himself thinking that by running away from God he will be free. But to gain his ‘freedom’, he lost so much more. A backslider always loses more than he gains. In his rebellion, Jonah lost great benefits given to all believers. Jonah lost the voice of God. Once Jonah rejected God’s Word, God ‘spoke’ to him thru His works. God sent the storm to call Jonah back. If you refuse to listen to God’s Word, you will listen to His chastisement. Jonah lost his love for God and compassion for men. He did not care about the mariners who were suffering because of him. He did not care if all the Ninevites will go to hell. Jonah lost his desire to have fellowship with God and to pray. The pagan mariners were praying to their gods, but Jonah was sleeping. The captain had to force him to pray. Jonah lost his testimony as a believer and a servant of God. Nobody in the ship respected him for his words. He said that he fears God but by his actions, he denied his confession. He became a hypocrite. Jonah lost his desire to live and the joy of his salvation. He tells the mariners to throw him in the raging sea. He wanted to commit suicide, but he was afraid. He wanted to implicate the mariners. Several times Jonah says that it is better for him to die than to live and serve God. Jonah’s rebellion affected many people. In his rebellion, Jonah became a fool. He discovered that you may run from God, but you cannot hide from God. “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail” (PV 19:21).

THE MARKS OF A FOOL

“The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lord? There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lord is his refuge. Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad” (Psalm 14)

Atheism is defined as lack of faith in God or any deity. It is said that there are more than 500 million atheists in the world. Russia and China contribute greatly to this number. 76% of all atheists live in Asia followed by Europe. Sub-Sahara Africa and South- America have the lowest numbers of atheists. Only 2% of Nigerians say that they are atheists.

*A fool is an unbeliever or a rebellious doubter. If he is saved, he is a man of little faith. He rejects God’s Word and denies the doctrine of God.

Psalm 14 is written by King David. In it, we find the Biblical definition of a fool. “The fool says in his heart: There is no God”. A fool is an unbeliever. The most important knowledge we have is the knowledge of God. The most important relationship with have is our relationship with God. The greatest gift we receive is the gift of salvation, thru Jesus Christ, our Lord. A fool is one who rejects God and His Grace. He rejects the best and loves the worst. Fools cheats themselves! That is a fool!

For a fool to say that God does not exist, he has refused to study the Person of God and His Word. He jumps to his conclusions based on insufficient evidence. The fool ignores the basic evidence that God is alive: his conscience, the natural world, the history of man, and the survival of the church. God created man with a conscience, to know what is good and what is bad. The fool hates the warning and the restrain of his conscience, and the God who put it there. The fool ignores the beauty of creation because it reminds him of God. The fool ignores the evidence of history because God oversees history. Look at the great human achievements. Hospitals, schools, good governments, all these came from the ideas and labor of godly people. Look at the Jews! They are not better than other nations. But God chose them to reveal Himself to them and thru them to other nations. The survival of Israel as a nation cannot be explained without acknowledging that God is with them. Look at the Church! When our Lord died, He left behind few disciples, most of them uneducated and afraid. Jesus promised that He will send the Holy Spirit, the Power from on high. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured down according to the promise of Jesus. The few disciples stood and boldly preached the Gospel. The Word of God in their hearts and mouths became stronger and stronger. The disciples multiplied. Many rulers tried to destroy the church but failed to do so. There is no other explanation than the fact that God sustains it.

*A fool is lacks knowledge, and wisdom. The Bible reveals foolishness as sin to be confessed and repented of. Foolishness relates to unbelief, doubt, and lack of the fear of God. We are born sinners and fools. “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him” (PV 22:15). Our Lord describes the works of the flesh common to all men. “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness (malice), deceit (betrayal), lewdness (sensuality), an evil eye (envy), blasphemy (slander, abusive language), pride, foolishness (reckless). All these evil things come from within and defile a man (make him unclean, unfit to worship God)” (Mk 7:21-23). It is only a child of God that can be free from the works of the flesh. This freedom comes thru the process of sanctification, done by the Holy Spirit and thru the Word of God.

*Fools do not think clearly. They are always superficial in their thinking. They do not understand spiritual things. One of the greatest gifts God has given to man is the mind. But like animals, fools are led by their emotions and basic instincts, and not their reasoning. They are not led by the Holy Spirit. In Hebrew, the word ‘fool’ is Nabal. The word means wilderness, wastefulness. The fool has dried all love for God and all wisdom for life in his brain. Like Nabal, Abigail’s husband, all fools are stingy, wicked, and rude (1 Samuel 25). Nabal was blind to the grace of God in David. But Abigail saw it and honored it. Fools ‘do not good’. Foolishness is madness. If the fool can kill God to prove himself right, he will do it.

*All fools trust their ‘hearts’ and not God. A fool makes decisions in his heart, without God. He is led by his lustful desires, fleshly impulses. He gives too much importance to his heart. By his imagination he has created in his heart a world where he is the king and the god of his domain. He approves of what he likes, and he rejects what he hates. He does not think of the consequences of his actions. He lives for the moment. In his world, God has no place. It does not matter how educated a man is. There are illiterate fools and highly educated fools. One thing is common with them all: they live their lives led by their fleshly desire. The more money they have, the greater fools they become. You see a man who has a PHD, but his personal life is a failure. He drinks, watches pornography, or he commits adultery. There are also religious fools who say with their mouths that God exists. But in their actions, they deny the God they confess. The unbeliever encourages himself in his sin, removing God from His position as the Judge of all men. The fool deceived himself saying that after death, there is no God and no judgment!

*All fools have ‘gone aside’. They are all walking against the flow of the Holy Spirit. God looks from heaven to see if there is any good and wise man on earth. God does not look for wealthy or educated men. He is looking for any man ‘who seeks God, who tries to understand God’. God identifies and encourages any man who seeks God. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb 11:6). But ‘they have all gone aside’. They have left the right path and have gone astray. Anyone who follows them will end up like them, into darkness and destruction. All fools are rebellious men. That is why they are dangerous. Our Lord cursed the wicked religious leaders who rejected Him. He called them ‘hypocrites, blind guides, and fools’ (Mt 23:15:22). This curse establishes the fact that religious foolishness is a signpost to hell.

*All fools are “corrupt” and become worse with time. A fool is actively corrupt in his deeds and unwilling to repent of his wicked deeds. They do not know to do good things. In Hebrew, the word ‘corrupt’ means a waste, evil, something that God hates and will destroy. The fool has made himself corrupt. Corruption means using your position of authority to gain advantage or money from the people you lead. Because fools do not fear God, they are bullies, oppressors, greedy and selfish leaders. They are also cowards. Like the foolish Assyrian Sennacherib said to the people of God: “What makes you think your God can rescue you from me?” (2 Chr 32:14). But Jehovah rescued them by sending an angel who killed the whole army of Assyria. The fools take pleasure in doing wicked deeds. They are proud that they do not pray. Tyrants like Nabal, Haman, and Herod, are happy to persecute and oppress the true believers. The reason why they hate the believers is that somehow, they see the light of God in them and that proves them wrong in their unbelief.

*All fools become worse with time. Without the Grace of God foolishness is an incurable disease. Fools are never truly happy. They shall be disappointed, disgraced, and defeated by God! “Oh, that salvation would come out of Zion!” This has been the cry of all people who need to endure oppression from foolish leaders. Once God ‘comes down’ and miraculously delivers them from their oppressors, that is their vindication. It is more than enough proof that God exists, and that God is with them. Fools never have the last say! God does!

A fool is selfish. He isolates himself, going away from wise people. A fool is angry at the wisdom of the wise. He refuses to learn from them. “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment. A fool has no delight in understanding, But in expressing his own heart” (PV 18:1, 2). Foolishness is not accidental. The fool refuses to fear God and hates instruction. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Pv 1:7). “If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man, The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement)” (PV 29:9; AMP). Sometimes, the only way to detect a fool is during a ‘controversy’ with him. In the court, the foolish man ignores all wisdom. He goes from one passionate extreme to another. He either gets angry or he tries to be funny. He is not balanced in his speech and behavior. At the end, with all that ‘drama’, there is no peace, no resolution. The Judge cannot make a wise decision to end the problem. The controversy, the difficulty remains unsolved. The fool is unrepentant. He has learned nothing from that controversy. The fool remains a fool. “Even though you pound a [hardened, arrogant] fool [who rejects wisdom] in a mortar with a pestle like grain, Yet his foolishness will not leave him” (PV 27:22; AMP). A fool is stubborn. He does not respond to any means, either teaching or discipline. His foolishness has become a second nature to him. Foolishness is addictive like drugs. “As dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly” (PV 26:11).

TWO LANDLORDS, TWO HOUSES, TWO DESTINIES

“Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mt 7:24-29)

Our Lord ends His Sermon on the Mount with this parable: there are two men, one wise and one foolish. Each one builds his own house. From the outside, both houses look strong and beautiful. They each enjoy their lives with their families. One day, the weather changes. Rain, floods, and wind blew and beat each house. Despite these troubles, the wise man’s house stands strong. The foolish man’s house collapses with a great fall. What are the lessons for us?

The wise man is the true Christian. He has a good life on earth, and he prepares for heaven. He builds his house with a deep foundation, anchored on a Rock, which is Christ. That is why when the trials of life come, he is not shaken. The foolish man is the false Christian. He too wants to live a good life with his family, just like his neighbor, the Christian. But he builds his house directly on the sand, without digging for a foundation. When the Christian was digging the foundation of his house, he was laughing at him. He considers the foundation as a waste of time, effort, and money. The foolish man thinks himself wiser than the true believer. Outwardly, he behaves like the Christian. He too goes to church with his family. He too is involved in church activities. He reads the Bible, and he prays. But he never goes deep spiritually. He likes to listen to sermons about the love of God. But he hates sermons about the wrath, the justice of the holiness of God. He hates to humble himself; he hates repentance. His Christianity is more like cosmetic surgery. Behind a spiritual façade he is still proud and sensual. The way he carries himself shows that his heart has not been changed. He remains greedy, manipulative, and rude. The false believer is a foolish man.

The Lord is attracting our attention to the danger of religious self-deception. The false Christian is selfish. The reason why he comes to church is because he has heard about God. He knows that God is good and generous. He knows that God blesses people. He wants to be among those whom God blesses. But he is not truly interested to know God as a person. He doesn’t desire an intimate fellowship with God. What he wants is God’s gifts and blessings, not His fellowship. Digging the foundation for a house is a symbol of hard spiritual labor in the dark. The fake Christian refuses to pay the price for a deeper knowledge of God and His Word. He is a hearer and not a doer of the Word. He does not want to be like Jesus! He just wants to enjoy his life with his family, and he has found that the church is the best environment for that. How sad… He may deceive people, but he cannot deceive God who knows the hearts of men. Eventually, all his efforts to impress men with his Christianity suddenly fails. He does not have hidden resources of faith and strength. The fall of his religion is sudden, and it is complete.

The rain represents the general trials of life: sickness, and losses and disappointments. The floods are a symbol of the world in general. The world is that system that runs without God in the center. The world tempts the Christians thru seduction or persecution. Sometimes, the attacks are stronger, like the floods after the rain. The wind represents the attacks of the devil and his demons. All men pass thru different trials in life. But one thing is sure: All men must face death. The wise man lives well, and he is prepared to die well. The foolish man lives well but he is not ready to die, to meet God and to face the judgment. And that is the greatest tragedy of all! May you take the warning! Examine your foundation! For as long as you breathe there is hope! Come to Jesus! Repent of foolishness! Be wise! Be like Jesus! Worship the Lord!

The Lord warns us to the possibility of empty religion, of foolishness, or deceiving ourselves! Because fools are dangerous let us review some of their attributes: a fool believes he is right all the time, that is why he does not ask for help. He is blind to his foolishness. He behaves confidently. He loves to talk. A fool can be a good ‘lawyer’. He gossips and he flatters others. He hates to listen, and to be corrected. He hates responsibility, accountability, and instruction. He is a bad student. He repeats the same mistakes, frustrating his teacher. A fool is wicked and is not a good friend. If you are convicted of the sin of foolishness, what will you do? Go to the Cross. Repent! Ask God for forgiveness. Be led by the Holy Spirit! Because as a fool you deceived yourself, you loved talking and hated listening, now, do the opposite! “Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath… be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:19; 22)

Once you discover that your ‘friend’ is a fool, what do you do? Because foolishness is like a virus, separate yourself from him immediately. Stop talking to him. He does not listen to you. If it is in your power to do so, remove all responsibilities from him, isolate or demote him. In the last days there will be many dangerous and foolish people… “having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!… Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith… but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was” (2 Tim 3:1-9)

The reason we study this subject is not just theoretical. Fools hate repentance. “It is an abomination to fools to depart from evil” (PV 13:19). Foolishness is dangerous. Making friends with foolish people will damage your spirit. “The companion of fools will be destroyed” (PV 13:20).

The fool takes too much risk with his future. He says that there is no God. He forgets that one day he must die. He cannot control what he will see after death. He does not think of the possibility that he may meet the God he is rejecting now. The foul is gambling with his soul, with his eternal destiny. Look at the believers! The truth is that all Christians live better lives than the unbelievers. Their lives are cleaner, happier, and more productive. Oh, fool! Come to your senses and come to God before it is too late! God is calling you! Come home! Amen!

The Resurrected Christ rebuked His disciples saying: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Lk 24:25-27). Christ said that doubt and sluggish faith are foolishness. He preached to them the Gospel as found in the Prophets, including Jonah. How much I could have wanted to listen to our Lord, the Gospel according to Jonah!

MY TESTIMONY

I was born in Romania. I came to Nigeria in March 1980. I was happily married to Dr. Richmond Leigh. Both of us were medical doctors. We have three children. When I came to Nigeria, I was an atheist. I told everyone that ‘I do not believe that God exists’. I had a crisis conversion in March 1986. I challenged God that if He exists, then in one month, He should ‘come down and manifest Himself to me’. That was my very first ‘prayer’. From the moment I said those words looking to the sky, I lost all my peace of mind. I entered into a cloud of deep depression. I felt like a criminal that has no hope. I saw myself as a sinner and the enemy of God. I saw death as the only ‘solution’ to my anxieties. On the 12^th of April 1986, the Holy Spirit suddenly entered my dying soul. Instantly, I received the will to live, power, peace, and joy. I also received the faith that I am now born-again, a child of God. I started to read the Bible like it was bread to eat and water to drink. As you see, I was the original fool of the Bible. Once I got saved, Christ became my wisdom and my righteousness. To God be all the glory! Worship the Lord!

ARISE, GO AND CRY OUT!

Mar13 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JONAH (1) ARISE, GO AND CRY OUT!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled ‘The Gospel according to Jonah’ (1). Her main text was taken from the Book of Jonah chapters 1:1-17 and 4:1-4.

INTRODUCTION

The Book of Jonah is one of the most criticized Books in the Bible. Over the years, many people said that the story of Jonah is not true. These critics do not believe in miracles. They are not willing to believe that a great fish (or a whale) had swallowed Jonah and he survived in its stomach for three days. As for me, I totally believe the Word of God! There are two main reasons why I believe Jonah’s testimony to be true. The first reason is because it is in the Bible. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16). We must believe ‘all Scripture’ to be God’s Word. We cannot choose some parts and ignore others. The second reason is the fact that our Lord Himself spoke about the Jonah. He said that Jonah’s story is a symbol of His own death and resurrection. “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed, a greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:38-41). The sign of Jonah is the death and the resurrection of Jesus. For these two reasons, I believe that Jonah’s story is true.

WHO IS JONAH?

In Hebrew, the name “Jonah” means “Dove”. It is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Jonah was a true Prophet of Jehovah God. God wanted to use him as an ambassador of peace. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, the King of Israel. “In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash, king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, became king in Samaria, and reigned forty-one years. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord; he did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin. He (Jeroboam II) restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which He had spoken through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet who was from Gath Hepher. For the Lord saw that the affliction of Israel was very bitter; and whether bond or free, there was no helper for Israel. And the Lord did not say that He would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven; but He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash” (2 Kg 14:23-27). King Jeroboam II was a wicked king. But God had compassion on the people of Israel. The Prophet Jonah prophesied that King Jeroboam II will restore some of the territories that belong to Israel and that the Assyrians have conquered. King Solomon conquered the area called Hamath and took it from the Assyrians (2 Chr 8:3). It is not 150 years since the death of Solomon. The Assyrians have taken the city Hamath back from Israel. Jeroboam II re-conquered them according to Jonah’s prophesy. This victory was to the glory of God and for the honor of Prophet Jonah.

Jonah lived in a small town called Gath Hepher, located at the north border of ancient Israel. It was part of the inheritance of the Tribe of Zebulun (Joshua 19:13). (Today, the town does not exist. There are some ruins there, and a stone said to be Jonah’s tomb. The ruins are five Kilometers north of Nazareth). Jonah must have lived between 800 and 750BC. Assyria was Israel’s neighbor in the north. At that time, the Kingdom of Assyria was the greatest power in the world. Its capital, Nineveh, founded by Nimrod, was at its peak. The Kingdom of Assyria was conquered by Babylon in 600 BC. Jonah’s ministry started immediately after the prophets Elijah and Elisha. It is possible that Jonah was a disciple of Elisha. Jonah lives in the northern kingdom. It is now 150 years since the death of King Solomon. The Kingdom was divided. The ten northern tribes are now called Israel. Their capital is Samaria. The people rejected God’s commands and worshipped idols. All their kings were wicked. Jonah lives during the time of King Jeroboam II, one of the most wicked kings. God sent His servants, the prophets, to speak to the people of Israel. Basically, the prophets had two roles: to warn the people to repent and to show them the mercy of God. Elijah and Elisha did that in the past. Now Jonah is to do the same. He prophesies that King Jeroboam II will witness the grace of God and have victory against the enemies. He restored part of the land Israel lost. Jonah knew how to warn the wicked and how God shows mercy. But now, he has to learn who this God is, in a personal way. It is not enough to know the doctrine. You must apply it! The first thing we see is that Jonah struggles with the Grace of God. Jonah knows that God is merciful and kind. That is how Israel survived all the attacks against it. Jonah knows that himself was saved by grace alone, and not by his works. But when God wants to show same grace to the wicked Assyrians, Jonah rejects God’s word. To him, grace is given only to him and his people, not to their enemies. How little Jonah knows about King Grace!

THE THEME OF THE BOOK OF JONAH – SALVATION IS OF THE LORD!

The Book of Jonah is not a prophecy. It is the Prophet’s miraculous story, his testimony, and his relationship with Jehovah God. Jonah’s story reveals the way The God of all Grace deals with His people, even when they rebel against His commands. The greatest revelation in the Book of Jonah is that “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). This is the Gospel of justification by faith, thru grace, and not by works. When God saves His child, He saves him to the uttermost. King Grace is in charge of salvation, from the beginning to the end. The story of Jonah helps us to understand and appreciate the irresistible Grace of God in salvation and redemption. We see that God is all-powerful, kind, patient, and faithful. Jonah is called ‘the worst missionary’. God commanded him to go on a missionary journey to Nineveh, to warn its citizens to repent so that they will not be destroyed. Nineveh was the greatest city at that time with a population of about 600,000. But Jonah runs away from God’s call. He chooses to be thrown into the sea and die than to bless the Assyrians. Jonah hates that God wants to show mercy to their enemies. It is possible that one of the reasons why God sends Jonah to the Assyrians is to rebuke and discipline His people. God has sent many prophets to Israel, but they rejected all of them. God now wants to show His people that the Assyrians will repent at the preaching of only one ‘little’ prophet. God commands Jonah using three words: “Arise, go, and cry out!” For God to say ‘arise’ it means that Jonah was idle or maybe jobless. ‘Jobless’ prophet Jonah obeys God at the beginning. He ‘rises’ from his comfort zone but runs in the opposite direction.

TWO REASONS (NOT EXCUSES) FOR JONAH’S DISOBEDIENCE: IGNORANCE AND HATRED

*The first possible reason why Jonah refused to obey is because of his ignorance of God, His Grace and His ways. God’s command sounded ‘strange’ to Jonah. He could not imagine why Jehovah God will show mercy to their enemies. The truth is that in the Old Testament, Jehovah God manifested His mercy and Grace mostly to Israel. Generally, God did not send missionaries to the Gentile nations, to preach grace to them. Israel witnessed to other nations but not by going to them. The Gentiles who desired to know the God of Israel came to Jerusalem to see the Temple and God in action. For example, the Queen of Sheba came from far Ethiopia to have an encounter with the God of Solomon (1 Kings 10). People like Joseph, Daniel, Queen Esther or Mordecai, were ambassadors for Jehovah. They witnessed to the grace of God in foreign lands, not because God sent them as missionaries, but because they had to live there as strangers. It is true that in the Old Testament, God revealed Himself as the God of all nations, but generally, His Word was limited to Israel. God said to Abraham that “all the families of the earth shall be blessed” thru Him (Gen 12:3). But Israel struggled constantly when God blessed other nations the way He blessed them. It is only after the Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit came, that men and women went as missionaries, going to the Gentiles to preach the Gospel to them. “Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen” (Mt 28:18-20). Our Lord also said: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Practical application: God’s Word and His Ways are extremely different than ours. As children of God, we must trust and obey God’s Word even when we do not understand it. It is better to hold on and pray for a greater understanding and for the grace to obey than to choose backsliding. Faith is stronger than understanding. We walk by faith and not by sight or by our wisdom. Disobedience has terrible consequences. Harden not your heart when God commands you to do something for “obedience is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22).

*The second possible reason why Jonah disobeyed God’s word is hatred of people and of God who created them. Jonah hated the Assyrians and he wanted them dead. He did not want them to be saved. What could be his excuse? The truth is that Assyria was one of the most brutal kingdoms of ancient time. They were extremely violent and wicked. They were like ISIS, a terrorist organization. For example, when they punished a traitor, they will bury the man in the hot sand of the desert up to his neck. They will pierce his tongue with a thorn and leave the man there to die. The Assyrian army moved slowly because the soldiers carried their families with them. When they conquer a city, they will kill all the men and the children. The women they will keep as slaves or wives. When a city was attacked, the people prefer the commit suicide than to fall into the hands of the Assyrians. Jonah’s native town Gath-Hepher, was at the border with Assyria. It is possible that Jonah experienced firsthand the cruelty of his wicked neighbors. That is why when God told him to go on a missionary journey to the Assyrians he refused and ran away. God sent him with a message of judgment. But Jonah feared that the Assyrians may repent, and God will show them mercy. Jonah hated them too much to give them any chance to live. He preferred to be punished by God and even die than to show grace to these wicked people. Jonah prophesied victory to Jeroboam II, a wicked king in Israel, because God told him so. God had compassion upon the people of Israel. That is why He prospered the wicked king. Jonah could accept that because Jeroboam II was an Israelite. But Jonah was not ready to show mercy to the Assyrians, an ‘uncircumcised nation’ hated by Israel.

Practical application: Hatred or people means hatred of God who created them! Hatred is a work of the flesh (Gal 5:20). Pray for the grace to be able, for Christ’ sake, to forgive and love your enemies!

ARISE – GO – CRY OUT!

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up” (Jonah 1:1-4)

The word of the Lord came to Jonah. In the Old Testament, God speaks expressly to His prophets and expects instant and total obedience. In the New Testament, God speaks thru His Word and by the Holy Spirit. For the child of God, obedience brings blessings and disobedience invites discipline. God commanded Jonah: ‘Arise, go…’. Jonah heard the word. He decided to obey partially. He arose and went… but to the opposite direction. After the initial ‘rising’ Jonah goes lower and lower. “Jonah went down to Joppa… and down into the belly of the ship”.

GOING DOWN- DOWN- DOWN

He bought a ticket to a ship that was going to Tarshish, a city in the south of Spain. Jonah did not care where he is running to. He had no business in Tarshish. All he wanted was to be far from God. Two times in one sentence we are told that Jonah flees ‘from the presence of the Lord’. In Hebrew, the word ‘presence’ is also translated ‘the Face’ of God. Jonah did not want to see God’s face anymore. One of the greatest blessings for the people of Israel was that God’s face will shine on them. “The LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance (face) upon you and give you peace” (Nu 6:25. 26). Jonah knew that the face of God brings life out of death, light in darkness, victory in war and favor in any situation. “For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, Because You favored them” (Ps 44:3). In other words, when King Grace looks at you, He blesses you! Jonah was ready to die, to suffer, to forsake all God’s blessings and His Grace, just because of a rebellious proud spirit. Selah! Backsliding is always a tragedy! A child of God does not lose his salvation, but he loses his peace, joy, fellowship with God, opportunities for service and many rewards. “The way of the unfaithful is hard” (PV 13:15). Jonah ran away from God. Many Christians get busy with secular work so that when God calls, they have an excuse that they do not have time. Rebellion is always evil. It is suicidal. There is no gain in it. Running from God never succeeds. It is like running from light. You will only end in darkness.

Practical application: No man can hide from God. Jonah was running from the “God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9). Where can he run to? It is foolishness to run from the presence of God. This is because God is omnipresent. The Psalmist says: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You” (Ps 139:7-12). Rejoice that you serve the Omnipresent God!

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt 5:43-48)

Let us study the general definitions of love and hate.

Love is an unselfish, warm, deep, strong, and tender emotion. Love always manifests in a relationship. Love is ready to sacrifice for the benefit of another. God is Love because God is a Trinity. God cannot love itself. Love must love another. Love is the eternal champion for ‘love never fails’ (1 Cor 13:8). Hatred is the opposite of love. It is a negative emotion, an extremely strong feeling of dislike, mixed with anger, bitterness, envy, and malice. It is a spiritual poison, wicked, ugly, destroying the soul and all relationships. Hatred leads to crime. It comes from feeling as a victim when another has hurt you and you continue to blame that one. Hatred is like holding a live coal in your hand, so that you throw it to your enemy. But it burns you before you can attack another.

This command of our Lord is the climax of behavior for the Christian. As Jonah struggled to love the Assyrians, so many Christians struggle to love the people who mistreat them. We need the Holy Spirit to be able to obey this command. We should desire to pay the price to be ‘perfect’ as our Father in heaven is perfect. In the Sermon of the Mount, our Lord exposes the teachings of the Pharisees as total error. He contrasts these false teachings with the truth. He says many times: “You have heard that it was said… But I say to you…”. The Pharisees thought the people that this is God’s law: “‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy”. The truth is that nowhere in the Old Testament this sentence appears. This is a law the Pharisees made by themselves. The Jews considered themselves as God’s people. Any other person or nation, they considered to be cursed. The Jews called the Gentiles ‘dogs’ and thought of them as more inferior human beings than them. Over the years, this proud attitude brought a lot of hatred and discrimination against the Jews. When the Jews thought of a ‘neighbor’ they only thought about themselves. They never thought of Gentiles as neighbors to be loved, but as enemies to be hated. Jonah never thought that the Ninevites are his neighbors to be helped or loved. That is why he refused to extend grace to them. Jonah wanted that all Assyrians should go to hell. It is the same attitude that Jesus exposes here among the teachings of the Pharisees.

Why did the Pharisees commanded the Jewish people ‘to hate their enemies’? Some passages in the Old Testament, if wrongly understood, may lead people to think that God loves some people and hates others. For example: God commanded the Jews that when they enter the Promised Land, they should kill all the pagan inhabitants and take over their land. God told the Jews not to make friends with the Moabites. God said that if a man kills another, the victim’s family can pursue and kill the criminal, except he hides in one of the cities of refuge. In the Book of Psalms, we read of curses spoken upon wicked people. These are called ‘Imprecatory’ psalms. Imprecation means curses! For example: “Let their table become a snare before them, And their well-being a trap. Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see; And make their loins shake continually. Pour out Your indignation upon them, And let Your wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their dwelling place be desolate; Let no one live in their tents. For they persecute the ones You have struck and talk of the grief of those You have wounded. Add iniquity to their iniquity and let them not come into Your righteousness. Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Ps 69:22-28). These imprecatory psalms are written for people who have been oppressed and violated. It is their cry for justice. If we like it or not, this is God’s Word. In the New Testament our Lord curses some cities, the unfruitful fig tree, and the Pharisees. But at the same time, our Lord said we should love our enemies.

How do we reconcile all these scriptures? The only way for us to understand these apparently opposing scriptures is to see God in His position as Sovereign, the Creator of all things and the Judge of all men. God is holy and just. It is hard to see mercy in God’s Judgments, but God is also Love. God the Father sent His Son to die for some people, called the elect. Only God knows who these people are. The Gospel is preached to all. Believing in Christ means life. Rejecting Christ means condemnation and death. God has the right to bless and to curse. He has the right to condemn all unbelievers. This is God’s right! The problem is that the proud Pharisees put themselves in God’s place. They thought that all Jews are saved by God and all Gentiles will go to hell. They distorted God’s law. That is why our Lord cursed them and condemned their doctrines.

THE COMMON AND THE SAVING GRACE

In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord introduces the principle of Agape Love. He commands us that we should love not only our ‘neighbors’ but even our enemies. We are to hate sin and the devil, and we are commanded to love all men. This is the correct doctrine. It is not an easy doctrine to apply practically in our daily lives. But we must do it. What are some principles of Christians behavior?

*The way we behave towards others should not be a reaction to what these people say or do to us. God is Love and He is kind towards all people. He gives sunshine, rain, and the blessings of life to all, the good and the bad. It is not only the business of the godly that prospers. The business of the wicked prospers too. The people who reject Christ also marry and have beautiful children. This general kindness towards all men is called ‘The Common Grace’. You should not be jealous when the wicked prosper. It is still a manifestation of the general grace of God. But these natural blessings are not a proof that the man is going to heaven. The amazing effectual special Grace of God must call a man to become saved. King Grace works in some people’s hearts, convict them of sin, brings them to repentance and to salvation. They become children of God and citizens of heaven. This saving grace does not work on all men. Men hate this doctrine. They refuse to believe that God saves some people and the others, He allows them to go to hell. Please remember that Grace is the unmerited favor of God! It is God’s choice and sovereign will to save some. May we fear God! May we worship God!

*The way we behave towards others is to be like Jesus! We want to be like our Master! We forgive and love others by choice, because our Lord did that! As a born-again believer you are a new creation! You see everything differently, thru the lenses of King Grace. When people insult you, you do not react with another insult. You show self-control and wisdom. You see that your ‘enemy’ is an ignorant tool of the devil. You pity him, forgive him, and pray for him to be saved. The reason a Christian does that it is because of the Holy Spirit in him, the Spirit of love, wisdom, strength, peace, and joy. Too many people live their lives in bondage to others. They react to what others say or do to them. Is it not true that each time you thought wicked things in your heart was in connection with a person? As Christians we must live in a higher realm. It is called the realm of Agape Love. The greatest example of Agape Love towards enemies was manifested on the Cross. Our Lord prayed: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Mt 23:24). Apostle Paul said: “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink…” (Rom 12:17-21). When Stephen was dying, he prayed for them who stoned him. He “knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Ac 7:60).

How can we practice such love? The only way you can love your enemies is to have the mind of Christ. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. You need to be dead to all self-interest. For as long as ‘self’ is still active, you will fight back defending your reputation or your ideas. It is only by the Cross that you are able to become dead to self. Some people say that you should love your enemies so that they become your friends. That is not what Jesus teaches. If your enemies become friends or not, that is not your problem.

What then is the purpose for such a sacrificial love? It is to display the Grace and Love of the God who saved you to others. You are an ambassador of Christ. That is a great responsibility. Your behavior gives honor or dis-honors your King. This is how the Kingdom of God spreads. This is how revival comes. By living and loving like Jesus; by laying down our lives for the sake of the glory of God! May we be found to be holy and noble vessels for the Master’s use! Worship the Lord!

PROPHETIC SCRIPTURE

“The Lord had accepted Job. And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed, the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold. Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:9-12)

Immediately Job prayed for his friends who misunderstood and condemned him, who behaved as they were his enemies, God blessed Job again, with spiritual and material blessings. By the Grace of God, Job was able to change Pain into Prayer. God accepted that sacrifice and prospered him twice as much as he had lost! We must forgive the people who have hurt us in the past. We must pray that God blesses them. Our prayer is the ‘signal’ accepted and rewarded in heaven. God will restore all that the ‘canker-worm’ has eaten! There shall be supernatural prosperity manifested in our lives! Glory to God! Worship the Lord!

GREETINGS FROM MY GARDEN

Mar12 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen…” (Rom 16:20, 24)

God the Father is the Creator of all things, visible and invisible. He is wonderful! Look at this pink flower in my garden. Red and white are basic colors. Pink is a combination of the two. Pink is a re-creation of colors, a luxury of love just to bless your heart. This humble flower lives only one day. By tomorrow, she is dry. But for as long as it is today, she is happy and grateful to fulfill the purpose for which God has created her! There is no inferiority complex or fear in this bloom. Can you see that?

God encourages me thru His creation. I remove my attention from what men can do and I gaze at only God can do. All the science of men cannot produce a pink flower like this out of nothing. Only God can! With all the economic and social problems around, the pink of this flower still remains pink. It’s color does not fade or become grey for lack of ‘fuel’.

Dear children, God speaks! May you listen! In all things today, remember God, remember Jesus, your Lord. He who woke up from ‘sleep’ and quenched the deadly storm, saying, “Peace, be still!” is still the same, yesterday, today and forever! Worship the Lord!

REVIVAL CHILDREN

Mar6 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

CHILDREN WORSHIP GOD IN OUR CHURCH!

WE PRAY FOR REVIVAL IN THIS LAND!

GOD BLESS NIGERIA!

WORTHY IS THE LAMB!

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

Mar6 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

REVIVAL – THE LIVING WATER (10) –WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH! – THE HARP AND THE BOWL

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled Revival – The Living water (10) Worship in spirit and truth! Worthy is the Lamb! Her main text was taken from the Book of John chapter 4 and the book of revelation chapter 5. “Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” (Jn 4:21-26)

We are still studying the wonderful revelation of the Living Water offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a symbol of eternal life, salvation, spiritual maturity, being filled with the Spirit, true worship, and revival. The simplest definition of revival is a repeat of the Book of Acts! The Living Water is offered by the Lord to the Woman at the well. The Samaritan woman is a sinner. She is also religious. She is seeking for truth, for meaning in her life. Our Lord directs the conversation to the point of the revelation of Himself. Please notice how He gently ‘increases and purifies’ the vision of salvation in her heart. Initially she sees him as a man, a needy man, a stranger, and a Jew. Then she sees him as a Prophet. Lastly, she sees Him as Christ, her Savior, and her Lord! He tells her about the true worship and then, He reveals Himself to her. “I who speak to you am He” (Jn 4:26). This is the exact moment when saving faith is born in her heart. She instantly believes that Christ is the Messiah. This is the moment when King Grace saves her soul! This is when, for the first time in her life, she drank the Living Water! From this moment in time, she is never the same person again! Halleluiah! As we read these words, we sense the power and the holiness of that moment. There is a wonderful anointing on this encounter. We feel it too as we read the story. Heaven rejoices when a sinner is saved. Our Lord said this: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7). We join the hosts of heaven and cry: “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12). Glory to God!

WORTHY IS THE LAMB! (Revelation 5)

The Book of Revelation is unique. It is the last Book of the Bible. It is the Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1). This Book shows us that Christ is God. He is at the center of the universe where He truly belongs. Apostle John wrote it while in prison on the Isle of Patmos. The Resurrected Christ invited him up, to come and see heavenly things. “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this” (Rev 4:1). No man can see heaven without the invitation of Jesus who died for him. The chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Revelation are some of the most important in the Bible. The word that appears most frequently is the word ‘throne’. The word ‘throne’ appears 62X in the New Testament out of which, 47X is in the Book of Revelation. Everything that happens in heaven revolves around the throne of God, that is the center of worship in the universe.

THE SCROLL

In chapter 5, John sees God seated on the throne. He has a scroll in His right hand. There were writings on it, inside and outside. It was closed, sealed with seven seals. This scroll represents the Title deed by which God the Father has made God the Son the owner and controller of the Universe. “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps 2:7-9). In this scroll it is the history of creation and the plan of salvation. The names of all who are saved, all who are in the Lamb’s Book of life, are written there. Not only their names, but their destiny, their blessings, and future rewards. John weeps because none was worthy to open the seals and to read the scroll. For a moment, John experiences the conviction, and horror of sin. No sinner can open that scroll. Not even himself, though he is in heaven. For a moment, John experiences a world without redemption, without a Savior, without Christ. He weeps ‘much’. Sin is the tragedy of mankind. Sin must be punished by death and destruction. Even in heaven, with all the worship going on, John feels the deep despair of sin. That is why he weeps hopelessly.

What is the practical application? For a sinner to be saved, he must be convicted of sin. The Samaritan woman was convicted of sin when the Lord asked her about her husband. None can appreciate the Worthiness, and Grace of the Savior without passing thru the horror chamber of conviction of sin. It is only the Holy Spirit who convicts of sin. His work is to prepare the sinner for salvation. Any other regret or remorse is not acceptable to God. The Holy Spirit will bring you to a point where you see that you are lost, and you are going to hell. You will see your need for a Savior. At your lowest point, the same Holy Spirit will lift you from the miry clay of despair. Have you wept for your sins like John? Do you know something of the despair of being lost in sin? This is a necessary painful work so that you appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf! This is the testimony of all saints!

WEEP NOT IN HEAVEN!

As John was weeping, one of the elders spoke to him: “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals”. It was not an angel that told him to stop weeping. Angels do not understand the pain of conviction of sin and the longing for a Savior. It was one of the 24 elders who sat before the throne of God. “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads” (Rev 4:4). These 24 elders represent the redeemed saints, 12 from the Old Testament and 12 from the New Testament. They symbolize the Church, the Body of Christ. In Christ, the Jew and the Gentile become one new man. Each gets saved thru faith in the Lord Jesus, and by His grace. Each one of these elders was saved because Christ died for them. They are seated closest to the throne of God. They have white robes, a symbol of the imputed righteousness of Christ. They have crowns of God, given to them by Christ, because of their faithfulness in serving Him. One of the elders speaks to John. He tells him to weep no more. What is the reason for this hope and comfort? Somebody was found worthy to open the seals and read the scroll. That extraordinary Person is called “The Lion of the tribe of Judah and the Root of David”. He alone has prevailed! The word ‘prevailed’ in Greek, is ‘nike’. It means to conquer, to be victorious, or to overcome the enemy. Because of this victory, Christ alone is worthy to open the seals and read the scroll. He stands alone in Victory! Halleluiah!

THE LION AND THE LAMB

*The Lord Jesus Christ is called ‘The Lion of the Tribe of Judah’.

Just before his death, weak in his body but strong in faith, Jacob worshipped God and blessed his sons. “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff” (Heb 11:21). He blessed his son Judah in a particular way. The name Judah means ‘praise’. He prophesies that out of Judah (Praise), the Messiah will come. He will be like a Lion, the King of the jungle, totally fearless and strong. This is a symbol of our Lord Jesus Christ, who defeated the power of sin, death, and the devil. All people will obey and praise Him for this mighty victory! “Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen 49:8-10). What is the practical application? As the Lion of the tribe of Judah, Christ gives us strength to stand during trials and persecutions in this life! All the saints have this testimony: During trials of faith, the Lion roared, and the enemy ran away! Also, as a Believer, you need to be fearless like a Lion. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7). We are commanded not to share in the fears of the unbelievers. “Do not fear what they fear! It is the LORD of hosts whom you are to regard as holy and awesome. He shall be your fear, and not man” (Is 8:12, 13).

*The Lord Jesus Christ is also called The Root of David!

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked” (Is 11:1-4). “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.” (Is 11:10). Because of sin, the house of King David, could have disappeared from the history of Israel. If God judged David’s sin with death, there was not a descendant left on the throne. But God did a covenant of Mercy and Grace with David and his descendants. God said that David will be a king forever; that he will always have a son to seat on the Throne. This is a prophetic promise. Our Lord Jesus Christ comes from the Tribe of Judah, from the house of David. While he was a Man on earth, many people called Jesus by His prophetic name: ‘The Son of David’. Isaiah sees that the house of David is almost destroyed but out of its roots, a Branch will come forth. This is the symbol of the resurrection power manifested in Christ. The Holy Spirit who led and strengthened Jesus, as a Man on earth has seven descriptions: The Spirit of Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, the Fear and the Delight of the Lord. As the Branch of David, Christ comes with the authority of a judge. He will punish the wicked and bring peace on earth. Christ as the Lamb tells us to be patient during trials, gentle with our enemies and faithful with our testimonies. The Branch of Jesse brings peace to all nations, including the Gentiles. This prophecy foreshadows the Gospel! John saw Christ as a Lion and as Lamb. This is a combination of strength and gentleness. Men on earth are eighter strong in character or weak willed. No man can be strong and weak at the same time. It is only the Resurrected Christ that perfectly and harmoniously combines strength and gentleness. He is God and Man, King and Servant, The Lion and The Lamb. That is why all creation worships Him! In the Book of Revelation, Christ is called Lion only once, but He is called The Lamb 29 times. That means it is thru the weakness and sacrificial love of the Lamb, thru the power of the Cross, that Christ became worthy to open the seals of the scroll. The salvation, the victory on behalf of His people, was achieved at the Cross where “The weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength! (1 Cor 1:25). The worshippers cry not ‘Worthy is the Lion!” but they cry: “Worthy is the Lamb!”

THE LAMB OF GOD

To understand the heavenly worship, we need to study the title of our Savior as ‘The Lamb of God”. These are many symbols in the Old Testament announcing the sacrifice of the Lamb to release the people of God from their bondage of sin. In the Book of Genesis, God killed an animal to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve (Gen 3:21). The innocent animal died on behalf of the guilty pair. The word worship appears for the first time in the Bible when God tested Abraham. By faith, Abraham was ready to kill his son Isaac but God provided a ram as a substitute (Gen 22). To come out of Egypt, each household had to kill a lamb. The Blood of the Passover lamb smeared on their doors, protected them from death (Ex 12). Later, God told His people that they must sacrifice animals daily for the forgiveness of sins. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, Aaron, the high priest, had to enter the Holy of Holies with the Blood of the Lamb, to atone for their sins (Leviticus 16). From all these examples, we see that worship requires the shedding of Blood, Love expects death. Why? This is God’s law: without the shedding of Blood there is no remission of sins (Heb 9:22). Man was created by God to have dominion, authority, over all creation (Gen 1:28). But man disobeyed God’s law and fell into sin. From that moment, thru one man, sin entered humanity. Man has lost his authority over creation to the devil. Sin is a failure to obey God’s law and a falling short of His glory. Since Adam, all men were born sinners. But Jesus was different! Jesus came as a Man on earth, lived a life of total submission to God’s law. He died as a Substitute for men who believe in Him. There is no other Savior. Jesus died to set men free from the guilt, shame, pollution, and bondage of sin. That is why we praise Him forever!

THERE STOOD A LAMB

John looked and expected to see the Lion on the throne, but he saw the Lamb. “And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Rev 5:6). The Lamb was wounded mortally but it was not dead. Bleeding to death, the Lamb still stood in the midst of the throne. This is a symbol of the power of resurrection, released thru the shedding of the Blood at the Cross of Calvary. The Lamb has 7 horns. The horn means victory power over the enemies. The number seven means perfection. The Lamb, though bleeding to death, stands and prevails over satan and death. The Lamb stands in the midst of the elders. In other words, Christ Crucified and Resurrected stands in the midst of His Church. It is this picture of weakness becoming strength, of death defeated and the resurrection power released, that makes the Lamb to be worthy of worship. It is because Christ suffered and died on the Cross for sinful man, that is why God the Father gave Him the authority to open the seals and to read the scroll. All men, dead or alive, are now under His authority. Finally, The Lamb is capable to rule and reign all humanity, and to fulfill God’s purposes. He is the only One who can bring the world to an end, in God’s time and God’s way. He is the only One who can start a new earth, populated with the people He died for.

THE HARP AND THE BOWL

“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Rev 5:8). In heaven, we see that the Living creatures around the throne of God and the twenty-four elders, who represent the church, they worship God in a particular way. Each has a harp and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. The Harps represent praising and worshipping God with songs. The Golden Bowls full of incense mean prayers and intercession for God’s work on earth. In other words, we sing, and we pray! This combination of singing praises to the Lamb of God and praying for His work on earth has been called by many as ‘The Ministry of the Harp and the Bowl’. It is always powerful!

Here you see the wonderful combination of singing praises and obeying the Great commission to preach the Gospel to every nation in earth. “Sing praise to the LORD, who rules in Zion! Tell every nation what he has done!” (Ps 9:11; Good News Translation). King David declared that God is ‘enthroned’ in the praises of His people. “You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel” (Ps 22:3). The ‘enthroned’ is powerful. It means the King sits on His throne, ruling and reigning during praises. As we praise the Lamb of God, He gives us fresh testimonies. He fights our battles and takes the glory for the victories. Let us praise and pray as they do in heaven! Glory to God!

CHIRST LAY DOWN HIS LIFE THAT HE MAY TAKE IT AGAIN!

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:5-11)

The Father exalted Jesus to the highest position in the universe because of the Son’s choices. Jesus chose to become a man. He chose to have poor parents. We do not choose our parents. Only Jesus did. Jesus chooses to be the lowest servant in a family, the one who washes the feet of others. Jesus chooses to die at thirty-three, a most painful and shameful death. When God the Father saw all what His Son did on earth, He became satisfied. He said: “Here is My Man!” He now gave Jesus, the Man, dominion over the whole universe. Jesus has the authority to rule and reign over all creation forever! A Man is the Controller of the universe! Like the Samaritan woman, call people to see ‘The Man’, the Savior of the world! The Holy Spirit witnesses to this story! Halleluiah!

This is the song of praise around the throne in heaven: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Rev 5:12). Our Lord came to the earth as a baby, weak and needy. Now He receives all power! Christ was poor on earth. Now He receives riches. He was mocked and thought to be foolish. Now He receives all Wisdom. He died in weakness on the Cross. Now He receives all strength. He was ignored and dishonored on earth. Now He receives now the greatest honor. Christ left the visible manifestations of His glory behind when He came to earth. Now He receives all glory! Christ became a curse for us that we may be saved. Now, He receives all blessings, in heaven and on earth!

THE LAMB REVEALED IN THE FUTURE

*The Lamb is wrathful against sin and evil!

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rev 6:15-17)

*The Lamb is worshipped forever, and He comforts His people

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “Who are these arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?” And I said to him, “Sir, you know.” So, he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev 7:9-17)

*The Lamb defeats all enemies!

“These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” (Rev 17:14)

*The Lamb is getting married to His Bride, the Church!

“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” (Rev 19:6-8)

What is the practical application for us? We need to know and understand Jesus Christ as the Lamb upon the throne! We need to study the Word of God and pray for deeper revelation. Apostle Paul was also taken to heaven. The Lord told him that all he needs is His Grace! “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:8-10). The Lamb on the Throne works in our hearts only thru His Grace. He allows trials to come so that we become humbled. Then, He releases His Grace, as God’s strength in our weakness. This Grace is always ‘sufficient’ to stand and overcome all trials!

Worship on earth must be patterned after the worship in heaven. Worship must be done in spirit and in truth. It is only the born-again believers that are the true worshippers. You do not need a special place to go or to take a special bodily position. Worship is in your spirit. Also, you need to know the Word of God, to worship God in Truth! Worshiping God strengthens you! Immediately Jesus opens the first seal, trouble starts. It is called the Great Tribulation. Jesus gave the Book of Revelation to John, so that we are prepared for any trial, present or future. The glimpse of heaven and the people worshipping the Lamb is for our encouragement. We know that Jesus, a Human Being, and our elder Brother, is the Controller of the Universe. For the believers, all suffering is going to end in glory; everything is going to be wonderful. Circumstances come and go. But worshipping God and His Christ is forever! Worship the Lord!

THE DOE OF THE MORNING

Mar5 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

My Book on Amazon! Read it and be blessed! To God be all the glory!

PRAYING IN THE KITCHEN

Mar5 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” (Rom 12:1; TM)

This week my husband and I celebrate 46 years of marriage. This is my simple advice for the younger wives: be grateful to God for the gift of marriage! Many wives confuse spirituality with practicality. They feel that taking care of the home is not very spiritual. They feel used and misused. They develop inferiority complexes. They think that preaching in the pulpit or singing solo in the worship team are the only signs proving that they are women of God. That is not true! The Bible teaches us that there is a practical side to being spiritual and a spiritual side of being practical. For example, as a wife, I pray for my husband and our children. This is clearly a spiritual work. But cooking good meals for my husband is also a spiritual work, highly rewarded by God! When I fry the tomatoes and pepper for the Nigerian stew (as you know, it takes a long time, you need to be patient so it will not get burnt…) I play worship music on my radio and I pray. Cooking in the presence of the Holy Spirit makes me happy and the stew will be tasty. I never feel that my work in the kitchen is a low class type of ministry. Cooking tasty food for my husband is a practical expression of my spirituality and a demonstration of God’s grace to him, thru my kitchen ministry! Like pepper and salt, prayer and cooking they go together! What God had joined together, please do not separate! (You can smile now!) Glory to God!

(I wrote this letter in March 2020. My husband, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh, is now in heaven. I do not need to cook for him anymore. He now worships Jesus, His Savior and His Lord, forever! But the wisdom of how to be a woman of God is still with me on earth. Dear daughters, I pray that you learn from it. To God be all the glory!)

THE GLORY OF GOD IS SEEN IN HIS CREATION

Mar4 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from where the sun rises to where it sets” (Ps 50:1). Halleluiah!

I took this picture yesterday evening, after the rain, about 6:30 pm, from my balcony, Warri/Nigeria!

WATERPOT LEFT BEHIND

Feb27 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

REVIVAL – THE LIVING WATER (9) – FALLING IN LOVE WITH JESUS – WATERPOT LEFT BEHIND

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled Revival – The Living water (9) “Falling in love with Jesus!” Her main text was taken from the Book of John chapter 4:13-42. We are still studying the wonderful revelation of the Living Water offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a symbol of eternal life, salvation, spiritual maturity, being filled with the Spirit, true worship, and revival. The simplest definition of revival is a repeat of the Book of Acts! The Living Water is offered by the Lord to the Woman at the well. The Samaritan woman is a sinner. She is also religious. She is seeking for truth, for meaning in her life. Our Lord directs the conversation to the point of the revelation of Himself. Please notice how He gently ‘increases and purifies’ the vision of salvation in her heart. Initially she sees him as a man, a needy man, a stranger, and a Jew. Then she sees him as a Prophet. Lastly, she sees Him as Christ, her Savior, and her Lord! He tells her about the true worship and then, He reveals Himself to her. “I who speak to you am He” (Jn 4:26). This is the exact moment when saving faith is born in her heart. She instantly believes that Christ is the Messiah. This is the moment when King Grace saves her soul! This is when, for the first time in her life, she drank the Living Water! From this moment in time, she is never the same person again! Halleluiah! As we read these words, we sense the power and the holiness of that moment. There is a wonderful anointing on this encounter. We feel it too as we read the story. Heaven rejoices when a sinner is saved. Our Lord said this: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7). We join the hosts of heaven and cry: “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12). Glory to God!

WATERPOT LEFT BEHIND – CHRIST AND HIS WORK IS THE NEW PRIORITY

The Samaritan woman has an encounter with the Lord. She is convicted of sin, and she truly repents of her sin. The eyes of her understanding got open, and she becomes saved. She now drinks the Living Water. From that moment, she is a new person. She is now born again, a child of God. She leaves the waterpot at the well and she runs to the city. She calls the people saying: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” The result was that they went out of the city and came to Him. The woman left the waterpot at the well. Why? She did not become overexcited and forgot about it. The waterpot represents her former life, the life of sin. It also represents her natural life on earth, the work of her hands. She purposely leaves the waterpot at the well. She calls the men in the city: “Come and see a Man…”. She did not tell them: “Go and see a Man…”. No! She intended to go back with them, to bring them to Jesus! Her waterpot was the point of contact for her testimony. She brought many to Jesus, so that they can listen to Him. She came back to her waterpot. She did not abandon it. She will still do her work on earth, but a greater love has taken over her heart. Christ, His work is now her priority! Family, business, all these can wait! The woman has changed completely. She is not the same person. She has lost her shame and fears. In the past, she comes to the well at noon time. Nobody comes to draw water in the heat of the day. But she comes at that inconvenient time because she wants to avoid the people who criticize her. She has been doing that for many years. But now, she is no longer ashamed of her past of sin. Christ has forgiven her sins. Christ has given her a new spirit. She is now a child of God. She has a new freedom and courage to talk to people.

The Samaritan woman left the waterpot behind as a symbol that her heart is still with Jesus. Christianity is a fallen in love with Jesus. The believer becomes Christ obsessed, and Christ focused. From that moment when the Christian drinks the living water, all other things become secondary. For the Samaritan woman, her waterpot was her identity. She hated coming daily to draw water. Nevertheless, the thing she hated the most was her life. Slavery was her identity. For the first time, she leaves her life behind and moves on to find another life. This losing and finding is possible only in Christ Jesus. No other theory, philosophy or religion can help you move from past to the future, from darkness to light. Christ in her now has become an all-consuming passion. She has fallen in love with Jesus! This power inside, this spring of water flowing from her heart, will define her from now on. The way she will look at God, at herself, at the world in general, all these will be different. Christ has now become her defining passion. Christ is now her priority. She will live to please her Christ and to do His will. His Word will satisfy her, and His Spirit will fill her. The waterpot can wait.

The woman leaves her waterpot at the well and goes to the city to tell the people about Jesus. Her action is spontaneous and joyful. Nobody is commanding or forcing her to leave her watersport there and go to evangelize. This is true Christianity. Why does she run to the city calling people to Jesus? Why is she so quick to do the work of God? First, it is because she is a new person. She has discovered the truth about Jesus. He is the Messiah, the Savior! She has had a glimpse of His power, love, and glory! This revelation is extraordinary to her. She feels compelled by love to share the good news to others. In the past, she saw the people as wicked, mocking and judging her because of her past of sin. Now, she sees them differently. She knows that they too are sinners, thirsty for meaning in life. She identifies with them because she has experienced the power of salvation. She has something to give to others. She has a voice and a message. “Come and see a Man”, she says! The reason for her faith and confidence is because she has met with authority. All people desire to meet with true authority. They want to submit and bow and worship someone who knows it all. That Person is Jesus! Our Lord is the ultimate authority in the universe. Some believe Jesus, worship Him and witness to others. But even face to face with Jesus, refuse to believe. “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen” (Mt 28:17-20). It is only somebody who has experienced genuine salvation, who is filled with the Holy Spirit that has enough compassion for others. That person alone is willing to pay the price to save souls. This is the truth: If you fall in love with somebody, no one will force you to talk about your lover! It is the same in the Spirit’ realm. If you are truly saved, nobody will force you to talk about Jesus! You will tell all people: “Come and see a Man!”

SALVATION IS A RADICAL CHANGE

What are the lessons? All true born-again Christians are radically changed. Christianity is not an addition or an improvement to your former lifestyle. It is called ‘a new creation’. It is a new life. The same power God used in Genesis 1:1 to create the heavens and the earth, God uses to create a child of God. The word ‘create’ means to produce something out of nothing. Men and devils cannot create anything. Only God creates! “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Cor 5:17). Nicodemus was a great religious teacher in Israel. Our Lord called him ‘The Teacher of Israel’ (Jn 3:10). But he did not know the basics of a relationship with God. Our Lord told him: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (Jn 3:5, 6). As you can see, religion and pride are obstacles on the road of salvation. The Samaritan woman became saved before the great Nicodemus. This is the mystery of salvation! It is the power of the Holy Spirit!

This is another lesson: Anytime you see that Christians need to be trained in the Bible school on how to evangelize, something is not right. When Christians need to be begged, or to be manipulated to spread the Word, something is wrong. I am not saying that it is wrong to give some guidelines about evangelism. But if there is human pressure to share the Word about Jesus, that is wrong. This woman discovered that once she became saved, once she drank the Living Water, a new power started working in her. It is the power ‘to will and to do’ God’s pleasure (Phil 2:13). It is that internal power of the Holy Spirit that propels her to evangelize. This is God’s method from the beginning. The Gospel is spread ‘organically’, as man talks to man. God places people around you for this very purpose, that you talk to them about Jesus and His Living Water. That is how Andrew called his brother Peter to Jesus. Andrew “found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus” (Jn 1:41,42). In the same way, Philip brought Nathaniel to Jesus. “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (Jn 1:45, 46). This man-to man method to spread the Gospel was applied throughout the Book of Acts. During the persecution, many believers had to run away from Jerusalem. “Therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word” (Ac 8:4). The word ‘preaching’ does not mean standing behind a pulpit. It is the spreading of the Gospel as man talks to man. Some commentators described it as ‘gossiping’ the Word. We should not gossip about negative things, but we should gossip the Word of God with others! Great crusades have their own value but the personal touch among people is still the best method to bring people to Jesus.

THE DANGER OF RELIGION

The evil spirit of religion is the greatest enemy against true salvation. Many Christians believe the scriptures, but they do not press on to have a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus. Many read this encounter between the Samaritan woman and Christ, but they look at it only as a beautiful story in the past. They are not able to believe that we too, those living in these last days, can experience exactly the same miraculous salvation and filling with the Holy Spirit. They admire the story from afar. They refuse to enter into its revelation. This faith in the scriptures that only applies to history, or to the past, is not true living faith. This is one reason why revival is absent in many churches. Our Lord rejected this religious faith that believes in the Bible but is disconnected to the present reality. Our Lord said to the religious leaders: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life” (Jn 5:39, 40). To have faith in Jesus is not only about the past. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever’ (Heb 13:8). What is the purpose of the scriptures? It is to bring us to the Living Christ, to have an encounter with Him, right now! Faith always works in the present moment! If not, it is not true saving faith! “Now, faith is…” (Heb 11;1).

The evil spirit of religion tells you to go to church, to study the Bible, but you are not able to apply it practically in your life today! Because of that, you cannot experience revival or miracles. Appy this test to yourself: When you read the Bible, do you expect to meet with the Lord Jesus Christ thru His word? Do you expect to hear His voice, to guide and strengthen you, thru His Word? Do you expect His miraculous help now, as you read the Word? Are you able to apply God’s Word to your present circumstances? If not, something is wrong somewhere. Your faith is ‘damaged’. You are either not born-again, or you are backsliding! Therefore, examine your faith, your spiritual foundation! Think of it: what is the purpose of reading this story in John chapter 4 if you cannot apply it to your present life? The Samaritan woman was religious before she met the Lord. But she was still in bondage of sin and thirsty for the living water. The Bible is a religious and historical book. Everything in the Bible is a description of historical facts. But The Bible is more than that! It is the Word of God! Thru its pages, the only Living God speaks to you! The reason you read the scriptures is to connect with the God of the scriptures. If not, you read the Bible in vain. May God open the eyes of your understanding to see the truth and to obey it!

THE LORD JESUS IS ALIVE AND MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO US NOW

Read the Book of Acts. On the day of Pentecost, our Lord sent the Holy Spirit. At that time, the Lord Jesus was not physically present with His disciples. He was with His disciples thru the Holy Spirit. Study the way Peter, John and the others spoke and behaved. They believed that Jesus was with them presently, not like a Man who has died. Faith always believes that Jesus lives and reigns at this present moment! The reason why the Psalmist was not afraid during trials is because he believed that God is with him always. “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Ps 46:1, 2). It is not enough to believe that in the past, God helped David killed Goliath. This faith connected only with the past is not sufficient for me in the midst of a trial. I need to believe that the same God that helped David is with me now, that God is my refuge, my strength, and my very present help in my trouble right now! I must believe that God is the only Living God. He will surely manifest and help me now, in His own special way, in my present trial. The experience of all the believers, in the history of the church is that God is faithful and He indeed manifests and saves them during all trials. Apostle Paul said: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1Cor 10:13). If you have not experienced His faithfulness, His mighty help in each trial of your life, then it means that you are not saved. Examine your spiritual foundation! A Christian believes that Jesus lives and reigns forevermore, and that He is the King of kings right now! A child of God does not live by spiritual memories. The experience you had when you became saved is only the foundation of your faith. You must build on it. You cannot live on past glories! You must grow spiritually! You must continuously drink the free-flowing Living Water!

Read the story of how Stephen died. It should encourage us greatly. Jesus was with him to his last breath. “When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Ac 7:55-60). When the religious leaders were stoning Stephen to death, he saw the Lord Jesus. Clearly, the Lord Jesus was the present help in times of his need. It was the will of God for Stephen to die as a martyr for his faith. His death was not in vain. He died as a champion of faith. Jesus did not save him from physical death because he gave him a greater testimony. Stephen saw Jesus as he was dying. It was not a vision. He was not imagining Jesus. He did not try to remember some scriptures he has memorized in the past. No! He was strengthened by seeing Jesus Himself as He is in heaven right now. The prevailing revelation of Jesus is that in heaven, He sits on the throne. But Stephen saw Jesus standing, as a sign of total encouragement towards him. That is why Stephen received the grace to pray for his enemies and to pass gloriously from earth to heaven. What a testimony! Jesus cares! Jesus is with us to the end or our lives and forever! Selah!

Apostle Paul saw the resurrected Christ on the way to Damascus. This is how he became saved, and Spirit filled. The Lord appeared to him to encourage him during his trials. This is Pauls’ testimony how the Lord spoke to him and directed him where to go and what to do. “Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance and saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.’ So, I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You. And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting [b]to his death and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles” (Ac 22:17-21). Later, The Lord Jesus said to him that the people cannot kill him in Jerusalem because he must go to Rome to preach there too. “The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Ac 23:11). The Lord helped Paul when all men either opposed his ministry or they forsook him. “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words. At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (2 Tim 4:14-18). You can see that Paul has a personal present intimate relationship with the Risen Christ. Do you have this testimony? If you are a child of God, you should! Paul and the other saints were always conscious of the presence of the Lord with them. Their testimony is the proof that they were drinking the Living Water. The assurance of God’s presence was enough for them. They became bold to preach God’s Word. They became mighty warriors in prayer. They were filled with wisdom, peace, and joy! They were not thirsty for the things of the world anymore. This is the true Christianity.

This is a question people ask: Is it possible to feel the presence of the Lord the way the Samaritan woman experienced it? The answer is yes! This is the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ before He went to heaven. “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him. Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (Jn 14:19-23). All the saints agree that this is one of the greatest promises in the Bible. The Lord Jesus promised that He will personally manifest to His obedient worshippers. When our Lord said that He will ‘manifest’ Himself, He meant that He would make Himself clearly known in a special way. He will become spiritually visible and so close that the child of God will be able to ‘feel’ Him. God the Father and God the Son will come to live in the same house with Their child on earth. This manifestation is much deeper than what we receive when we newly become saved. These are mountain peaks of spiritual experiences. They are not for just some special people, but for all the believers who pay the price for such intimate fellowship with the only Living God. Do you long for a deeper relationship with Christ?

How can we find the Lord in this special way? How can we always drink the Living Water? How can we pray for revival? The first thing to do is to seek the Lord always. You must become desperate for Christ, obsessed with Him! Seek Christ in His Word. Seek Christ during the Holy Communion. Expect to meet with the Lord always, especially during the preaching of God’s word and during worship. Fast and pray about your desire to have a deeper relationship with Him. Be willing to repent from all religious attitudes that have no life in them. Humble yourself. Make sure that you totally surrender yourself before God! Repent from pride and doubt! Pay the price for spiritual maturity. “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jam 4:8). Remember that the Lord desires to meet with you and to reveal Himself to you. He loves you more than you love Him! Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Immediately you sense His presence drawing closer to you, forget all things and stand still, waiting for Him to speak. Cultivate this spiritual sensitivity! Read books about other believers, about revival. They will inspire you to pay the price for spiritual maturity. God will help you! Faithfully serve God in your local church! The Lord will reward you spiritually and materially!

Do you desire a deeper relationship with Jesus? Can you say with the Psalmist that you thirst like the deer in the desert, that your deep calls unto God’s deep? “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me” (Psalm 42:1-3, 7). Have you felt this restlessness in His rest, this deep painful longing for the living water brooks of God? Can you live without Christ? Is He your priority? Is He your very life? He only manifests Himself to those He can trust, to the true worshippers who worship Him unconditionally, in spirit and in truth! May we be among the few who pay the price for revival! Worship the Lord!

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

Feb25 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

There are many books written about the leadership. I read somewhere that there are more than 800 different definitions of what is a leader. It is possible that because of so many words, few people know what a true leader is. There are many leaders in different areas: political, social, business, and religious. We are interested only in spiritual leadership. Leadership is a gift of God. It is given to a believer for the benefit of the Body of Christ and for the glory of God.

A spiritual leader is a believer in Christ who is called by God to lead others to Him. He leads them by the power of the Holy Spirit. He inspires them thru the Word of God and his own behavior. God uses His Christian character as a light to draw people closer to him. The Leader leads the people to God, to His purposes for them. The leader does not bring people to his personal dreams or future plans. He leads them to God. He studies the Word of God to find the plan and the purpose of God so that he can lead people to those. This is the key to spiritual leadership: leading people to God’s purposes. God is not bound to the opinions of men about what leadership is. God is not interested in the physical appearance, but He searches the hearts of men to find faithfulness, humility, and a willingness to learn and obey. Popularity is not leadership. True leaders stay faithful to God and obey Him as they lead men into their destiny.

The people of Israel wanted a king like the other nations. That is how God gave them King Saul, who later proved to be unfitted for the throne. Later, God directed Samuel to choose the next king of Israel, King David. The prophet was an old, experienced man of God at that time. But even Samuel could have been deceived by appearances. David’s elder brothers look more royal than him. But God rejected them from that position. God made His choice based on the heart of David and not by his appearance (1Sam 16:6-13).

LEAD WITH DILIGENCE

“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:6-8). The gift of leadership is to be done ‘with diligence’. In Greek, this word means to lead with ‘speed, zeal, and enthusiasm. It means to serve God with all your heart, by taking your responsibility seriously, in leading people to Him. Diligence is a steady, persistent, constant, and energetic effort to accomplish your goal. Simply said, you need to work hard, to try your best to please God by leading men to Him. You press on until you see results. The opposite of diligence is to be careless, passive, irresponsible, idle, sleepy, or spiritually dead.

OUR LORD – THE GREATEST EXAMPLE OF A TRUE LEADER

The greatest model we have in leadership is the Lord Jesus Christ. He did not come to earth to fulfill His plans or personal dreams. He said it again and again that He came sent by the God the Father and to do the will and the work of the Father. The devil tried to make Him do His own will, but Jesus refused and rejected all these temptations. He remained faithful to the Will of God unto His death. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Lk 2:48-52). We need to grow in knowledge and grace like Jesus! We need to increase in favor with God and men! The Lord Jesus did not come to do His will on earth. His relationship with God the Father was His constant source of strength and wisdom. Listen to what our Lord said:

“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (Jn 4:34)

“So, Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (Jn 5:19)

“I can do nothing on my own initiative or authority. Just as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just (fair, righteous, unbiased), because I do not seek My own will, but only the will of Him who sent Me” (Jn 5:30; AMP).

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (Jn 6:38).

It should be our deepest desire to be like Jesus! Because Jesus did the will of the Father to the end, the Father raised Him from the dead and made Him Lord of all. Therefore, like Jesus, true leaders are tested and true followers. Like Jesus, the spiritual leader knows God the Father intimately. He waits for God to move, then he joins in His work. During difficult times, true leaders do not run away like the hirelings. They stay with the people until they have achieved their God’s given destinies. Even when the people are rebellious, they still lead them to God. A good example is Moses. Most people rebelled against God and Moses, and they died in the desert. But God still used Moses as their leader until he died. True leaders have a high sense of responsibility towards God. Examine yourselves! Search your hearts! Do you desire to give God all the glory for your lives and ministries? Then God will provide all that you need, spiritually and physically, for the work of the ministry and for His glory! In Jesus’ name, amen!

(From Malia)

COME AND SEE A MAN!

Feb21 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

REVIVAL – THE LIVING WATER (8) – CONVICTION OF SIN

COME AND SEE A MAN!!!

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled Revival – The Living water (8) (Conviction of sin). Her main text was taken from the Book of John. “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him” (Jn 4:13-30).

We are still studying the wonderful revelation of the Living Water offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a symbol of eternal life, salvation, spiritual maturity, being filled with the Spirit, true worship, and revival. The simplest definition of revival is a repeat of the Book of Acts! The Living Water is offered by the Lord to the Woman at the well. The Samaritan woman is a sinner. She is also religious. She is seeking for truth, for meaning in her life. Our Lord directs the conversation to the point of the revelation of Himself. Please notice how He gently ‘increases and purifies’ the vision of salvation in her heart. Initially she sees him as a man, a needy man, a stranger, and a Jew. Then she sees him as a Prophet. Lastly, she sees Him as Christ, her Savior, and her Lord! He tells her about the true worship and then, He reveals Himself to her. “I who speak to you am He” (Jn 4:26). This is the exact moment when saving faith is born in her heart. She instantly believes that Christ is the Messiah. This is the moment when King Grace saves her soul! This is when she became born again, when she became a true worshipper of the only Living God. This is when, for the first time in her life, she drank the Living Water! From this moment in time, she is never the same person again! Halleluiah! As we read these words, we sense the power and the holiness of that moment. There is a wonderful anointing on this encounter. We feel it too as we read the story. Heaven rejoices when a sinner is saved. Our Lord said this: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7). We join the hosts of heaven and cry: “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12). In our Christian life and ministry, we all need to come to this holy moment. Eternal life bursts forth when truth is revealed as Love who died for us, that we may live! Glory to God!

SIN – THE HINDRANCE TO THE LIVING WATER

Our Lord guides this woman towards Himself, the only source of Living Water. As a sheep following her shepherd, she trusts, and she follows Him. Slowly, she sees that Jesus offers her a much greater life, much more satisfying than what she has experienced. She sees that He offers her something that no man can give to her. She is making spiritual progress. She comes to the point of faith saying: “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw”. This is a prayer. Talking to Jesus is prayer. At this moment, the Lord reveals to her the hindrance. That hindrance is called sin! She is a sinner. She desires a greater life, but she must repent of her sin. The Living Water comes from the Cross! Her flesh must die so that her spirit can live. This is the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected, the only hope for mankind. Glory to God!

As you can see, immediately the woman expresses her desire to drink the free-living-water, our Lord suddenly changes the subject. He exposes her sin. “Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet” (Jn 4:16-19). This is the center of the conversation. We should not be impatient and run over it. Doctor Jesus diagnoses her sickness and the reason why she is not fulfilled in this life. That ‘sickness’ is called sin! She now knows that she sin-sick. For the first time she knows that she needs a Savior who will not judge her for her sin, but who will forgive all her sins. She needs peace with God before she can have peace with men. Later, when she runs to the town to tell her people about Jesus, the first words that come from her lips were these: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.” (Jn 4:29). She did not tell them about worship or the living water. What impressed and excited her the most was that Jesus ‘told her all the (sinful) things that she ever did’. What is the meaning of these words?

The woman has experienced what is called ‘conviction of sin’. We should look at this doctrine closely because without the conviction of sin and repentance no one becomes saved. None can drink from the promised Living water of eternal life. What is conviction of sin? It is the deep work done by the Holy Spirit preparing the sinner to become saved. For the first time in his life, the sinner is aware that he is a sinner and that he has offended God. Before now, the sinner feels good about himself. Even if he sins, he justifies himself calling sin a mistake. He does not see himself as an enemy of God who is going to be punished by God. He sees himself as a good person that occasionally may fall. Once the Holy Spirit ‘locates’ a sinner for salvation, He shines God’s light, God’s Truth, upon him. In that holy glorious light, the sinner now sees the truth, that he is guilty before God, condemned and deserving hell. This awakening of the conscience is purely the work of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord said about the Holy Spirit: “And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (Jn 16:8-11). Our Lord defines sin primarily as unbelief in Him! People born in Christian homes assume that they ‘believe in Jesus’ just because they know something about Him. The truth is that all are born sinners. We are all born lacking faith in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are not aware of this sin until the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin.

The doctrine of ‘conviction of sin’ is hated by all religious unbelievers. It is because of this doctrine that Jesus was hated so much and eventually He was killed by the religious leaders. Read the Gospels and see the opposition our Lord experienced when He was telling the Jews to repent of sin. This is the truth: religion is the greatest enemy to salvation. The religious men are ignorant that they are sinners in need of a Savior. They think that they are already saved by their religious good works. That is a common deception even today!

FALSE REPENTANCE

The doctrine of sin is hated by many people. Few pastors preach about it. They present Jesus as the solution of all problems in life. They say that Jesus is the Savior, but they avoid preaching the Cross. Without repentance there is no salvation. True repentance is a change of mind and behavior when the Holy Spirit convicts of sin. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, any change of behavior is only religion. The spirit of religion is the greatest hindrance for men to be truly saved. Many people experience a superficial form of repentance of sin. That is why there are many ‘Christians’ who say that they are ‘born again’ but in fact, they are not saved. Many churches have a lot of activities but no power to save souls. What a false conviction of sin is? There is a difference between remorse and repentance. Remorse means to feel sorry that you were caught in sin. Repentance is being sorry that as a sinner you have offended God. Just ‘being sorry’ for your sins in general, is not good enough. For example, Judas had remorse for betraying Jesus, but he was not convicted of sin, and so, he did not repent. He committed suicide. Having a guilty conscience, being ashamed of something you have done, or even fearing that God will punish you, all that is still not conviction of sin. Occasionally, the unbelievers experience a guilty conscience when they commit sin, and they feel sorry for that. They try to atone for their sins with some good works. They try to change their behavior, to become more religious. But all these good works are still rooted in the flesh. The Holy Spirit is absent from these religious works. They profit nothing before God. Cults encourage good works as a form of conversion. Many churches are in fact cults. A cult is a religious gathering that follows a man. The people may look ‘Christian’ but they are not saved. They worship their leader. The people have a religious ‘conversion’ but they are not saved. They go to church, read the Bible, pray, fast, and give offerings. But they are not saved. They have never drunk the Living Water. Their leaders are false prophets who try to enter the sheepfold by an illegal door. Their so called ‘Christianity’ lacks the foundation of true repentance. It gives them false hopes of salvation. That is why cults are dangerous and many are trapped inside. But once they hear the Truth, the Gospel, the Holy Spirit convicts them of sin and many run to Jesus!

CONVICTION OF SIN – TRUE REPENTANCE

What then is the true conviction of sin done by the Holy Spirit? First, we need to know the definition of sin. In Greek, there are twelve words translated ‘sin’. For example, sin is called evil, lawlessness, wickedness, deception, slavery, guilt, or hypocrisy. The most common word in Greek is ‘harmatia’. It appears sixty times in the New Testament. This word means ‘to miss the mark’. It is like a man who shuts an arrow but misses the center of the target. The arrow goes astray. Sin is an insult to God! Sin a failure to please God who has a standard of righteousness for all men, how they should stand before Him. His standard is perfect, and it is according to His will. God cannot go down to men’s standard of behavior. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only Man who pleased God and achieved God’s standard of life. Because of Adam’s fall, all men are born sinners. They cannot please God. Because God is holy, He hates it. Sin is punished with death. That is why Jesus died on the Cross as a substitute for sinners. Sin cannot be atoned except thru the death of Christ. This is the Gospel we preach, Christ crucified and resurrected!

Sin is a break in God’s relationship with man. Sin separates man from God. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear” (Is 59:2). Sin hinders man to arrive to glory. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). God made man for His glory. He made man to be like His Son Jesus Christ. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom 8:29, 30). God designed the plan of salvation before the foundation of the World. From eternity God foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified some people. These are the children of God. Because this process is purely by the Grace of God, all the people whom God foreknew will be glorified. In fact, by faith, they are glorified already.

In Greek, the word ‘conviction’ is ‘elenxei’. It means “to convince someone of the truth; to rebuke, to discipline, to accuse, to show to be guilty, or to cross-examine a witness.” Imagine the court of God. You are the sinner in the box. The devil is your useless lawyer. The Holy Spirit acts as prosecuting attorney in the court. He exposes your sin, how wicked your heart is and how much you hate God. The Holy Spirit destroys all your arguments of self-righteousness and convinces you that you are guilty. You must die and go to hell. This process is spiritually and emotionally fearful. Like a Potter and his clay, the Holy Spirit breaks you. The fear of God is now going deep into your soul. You cannot save yourself! You feel like dying, going down and down. Suddenly, at the exact time, God’s time, you see Jesus crucified for you. You finally trust in Jesus! The Holy Spirit lifts you up from the miry clay of condemnation. You feel God’s mercy and grace lifting you up. You feel God’s love embracing you. The battle over your soul is over! King Grace has won! Jesus always wins! Halleluiah!

All sinners who got saved remember this conviction of sin as death to self. Some call it ‘the dark night of the soul’. They saw death face to face. They saw themselves condemned and going to hell. They accepted the verdict of the Judge, that they were wicked sinners and enemies to God. Initially, the sinner depends on the devil, his defending lawyer. He assumes that the devil is God. He is ignorant of the truth. He is deceived by the devil who gives him false hopes. But the Holy Spirit bombards the sinner with truth upon truth. He reveals to him that his lawyer, the devil, is a criminal and eternally condemned. As truth shines brighter, the sinner sees that he is lost. He has lost his case. There is no appeal in this court. God’s court is the highest court in the universe. He now totally surrenders to God trusting in the only Savior, Jesus Christ! At this point of saving faith, the Holy Spirit gives peace and joy. A sinner has been set free. A child of God is born into the Kingdom. There is no other way to be saved. There is no other way to drink from the Living Water. You need to be defeated and die at the Cross, for you to trust and appreciate the Lord Jesus Christ. Death first before eternal life! No other religion gives a sinner access to God. It is only thru Jesus! Only Thru Jesus!

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Cor 7:10, 11). The Holy Spirit convicts of sin bringing you to godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation. The fake ‘worldly sorrow’ leads to death. There is no conviction of sin in worldly sorrow, just a form of remorse and regret at being caught in sin. This godly sorrow is also called ‘conviction of sin’. The Holy Spirit leads on from sorrow, to repentance, and to salvation. This is the road leading to eternal life and to the Living Water. God starts the process, and He always ends it. For his glory! Conviction of sin is terribly painful. But it is ‘the injection’ of the Holy Spirit towards the cure from sin. It is the gift of God. Weeping is always before rejoicing! King David said: “Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning” (Ps 30:4, 5). The weeping led by the Holy Spirit always ends in praise! Halleluiah!

Please observe that the Holy Spirit ‘convicts of sin’ (singular) and not of ‘sins’ (plural). Because of Adam’s fall, we are born sinners. Different sins are the works of the sinful nature. We are sinners not because we commit sins, but because we are born like that. Sin is like a congenital incurable disease. It cripples us, it blinds us, it enslaves us. Because as sinners we do not understand what holiness is, we are ignorant of how much God hates sin. Sin is the root of all our problems. The sins we commit are only branches of a deep root that only God can uproot. At the Cross, when Jesus died, God defeated and destroyed sin. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). God the Father sent God the Son to die on behalf of sinners, as our Substitute. Nothing else and nobody else can save us from the wrath of God, from death and hell. Only Jesus! Only Jesus! That is why we worship Him! “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12).

GOD’S METHOD TO CONVICT OF SIN

What is the method God uses to convict of sin? Most of the time the Holy Spirit uses anointed preaching of His Word, especially the preaching of the Gospel of Christ Crucified and resurrected. The Word of God is a spiritual sword that penetrates the hearts and convicts of sin. “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). Men can argue with religious arguments, but none can block the Word of God preached under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. There is no shield against the Word of God. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Heb 4:12, 13). Once the Holy Spirit convicts you of sin, you feel naked and exposed before God. You see God as your Judge. God the Father is the Creator of all and the Judge of all. But because Jesus lived and died as a Man, to save men, God gave the Son the authority to judge all men. He said: “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (Jn 5:22, 23). Jesus is not only the Savior of men, but He is their Judge!

EXAMPLES OF CONVICTION OF SIN AND TRUE REPENTANCE

People assume that they can repent and become saved anytime they wish. But it is not so. God has His own timing. The Holy Spirit must do this peculiar work of convicting of sin in you before you can be saved. Give Him glory! To be convicted is to feel in your heart the wickedness of sin. This happens when you see God’s beauty, His purity and holiness. When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife to commit adultery, he ran away from her. He saw adultery as a sin not only against Potiphar, his master, but against God! Joseph told his mistress: “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9). You must be convicted of sin and repent of sin before you appreciate God’s Grace and Mercy and be able to worship Him. After David committed adultery and murder, he repented before God. The Lord used the Prophet Nathan to convict him of sin. Immediately David knew that he committed sin not only against men, but against God. He pleaded for mercy. He asked God to give him a new heart and a new spirit. He said: “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight, That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge” (Ps 51:1-4). When Isaiah saw God, he immediately saw himself as a sinner living among sinners. He was terrified before God. He said: “Woe to me! . . . I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips . . . and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty” (Is 6:5). Prophet Isaiah was known as a righteous man. But in the light of God, he saw himself as a wretched sinner who needs mercy. This is the work of the Holy Spirit helping a sinner to repent of self-righteousness and pride.

Read the story of how Peter encountered the Lord. That night they went fishing but caught nothing. Jesus gets into Peter’s boat to preach the Gospel. Later, Jesus tells Peter to go back and fish again. Peter was reluctant to obey knowing that Jesus was not a fisherman. Eventually, Peter obeyed the command. He went back and caught so many fishes that his boat was sinking. Peter’s reaction to this miracle is interesting. “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Lk 5:8). Why did he do that? The Holy Spirit convicted him of sin, especially of unbelief in Jesus. Peter saw the glory of Jesus in his boat! In the light of that glory, Peter saw his sinfulness. This is conviction of sin! It ends in worship and service to Jesus. He and the other disciples forsook all and followed Jesus!

It is the same with the Apostle Paul. He was a religious man, He hated Jesus and the believers. He tried his best to arrest and kill them. One day, the light of the glory of Jesus shines on him. He was immediately blinded. He was convicted of sin on the spot. “As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do” (Acts 9:3-6). Apostle Paul was persecuting the Christians seeking to arrest them. But the Resurrected Christ arrested Paul. He tells Paul that ‘he is kicking against the goads.’ That describes a man who is striving with the Holy Spirit. No man can fight God and win! Convicted of sin, the persecutor of the church became the great Apostle Paul, a bondservant to Christ! Praise God!

Read the dramatic story of how the Philippian Jailer got saved (Acts 16:25-34). Paul and Silas delivered a slave girl from a spirit of divination. Her master was making money from her predictions. He got angry and he arrested Paul and Silas as troublemakers. The jailer put them in the inner cell of the prison. Over there, with chains on their feet, in the middle of the night, they prayed and praised God. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the foundation of the prison. All the doors opened, and all the chains got loosed. The jailer assumed that all the prisoners escaped, and he will be killed for that. So, he tried to commit suicide. But Paul stops him. The jailer falls at the feet of Paul and Silas saying: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Ac 16:30). Why did he say that? Paul did not preach to him. But in that moment, he sensed the presence of God. He was convicted of sin. He now sees himself as a sinner fighting God. He suddenly wants to be saved from his sins. He did not ask Paul: “What must I do not to lose my job or my life?’ No! He asked: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved from the wrath of God? I want to be like you, Paul! I want to have the same joy as you, Silas! I want to drink the living water like you people. I believe that Jesus, your God, is the only God who can save me and my household…” The prison became the place for evangelism! Never despise your problems. King Grace can manifest thru them and save many!

The Samaritan woman at the well sat with the Judge of all men. In a moment, she felt convicted of sin. She believed in Him who alone can save her. She drank the Living water. That is why the first words she spoke to the others was “Come and see a Man who told me all the things I ever did”. The nearer you go to Jesus, the greater the conviction of sin and the need for forgiveness. This is the primary work before any revival. The cry of the true worshipper is “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” (Rev 5:12). The cry of the true evangelist is “Come and see a Man!” (Jn 4:29). May we surrender to Jesus! May we cooperate with the workings of the Holy Spirit! Worship the Lord!

HEART SIFTED AND EXPOSED

Feb18 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power (making it active, operative, energizing and effective); it is sharper than any two edged sword, penetrating… between joints and marrow (of the deepest parts of our nature) exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart” (Heb 4: 12, AMP)

Just like the pregnancy, like the hidden power of life within the womb, the Word of God ingested works without interruptions until it pleases God to behold the final masterpiece. There is Holy activity in my spirit. No rest until there is rest. Peace has a crown and smiles like a queen. Truth is a friend, a father and a judge. Like a bird flies away, leaving behind the sad, sad cage, so yesterday is quietly put to rest. Tomorrow is a sketch of hope’s song. Today is my gift, to fill with God’s presence until the overflow expands it to be more than twenty four hours. There is work going on inside of me. None can stop it and none can steal it. I love how God is good to me. His goodness is power that changes me, beholding His glory!

In Christ I declare:

I am a child of God! I am saved by the Blood of the Lamb, by the Grace of the King of Kings! I trust the Word of God! Even when I do not see much ahead, His Word is still the unquenchable light at my feet! I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus! I gaze long on the eternal things of God’s invisible Kingdom! I only glance at the visible things of this world, for they are temporary! I break any addiction with the infatuation with the material things! I love the Word of God! I trust the Word of God! In all circumstances, in Spirit and in Truth, I will worship God! This is my pledge!

In Jesus’ name,

Amen!

WONDERFUL PRAYER

Feb17 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

“Lord Jesus Christ, I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will. Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low by You. Let me have all things, or let me have nothing. As You wish, Lord! I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal. Lord, Jesus, You are my Treasure forever! And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are mine and I am Yours. So be it! In Jesus’ name, AMEN!”

(John Wesley, 1703-1791)

PREACH THE WORD!

Feb16 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

They say: ‘you are what you eat’. Better said: ‘you are what you hear’.

The pulpit is the center of the world.

Preach the Word!!!

TRUE WORSHIP IS ALWAYS CHRIST CENTERED

Feb13 by Silvia Lia Leigh, MD

REVIVAL – THE LIVING WATER (7)

Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled Revival – The Living water (7). Her main text was taken from the Book of John. “A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” … Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore, the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” (Jn 4:7-10; 21-38)

We are still studying the wonderful revelation of the Living Water offered by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a symbol of eternal life, salvation, spiritual maturity, being filled with the Spirit, true worship, and revival. The Living Water is offered by the Lord to the Woman at the well. The Samaritan woman is a sinner. She is also religious. She is seeking for truth, for meaning in her life. Our Lord directs the conversation to the point of the revelation of Himself. Please notice how He gently ‘increases’ the vision of salvation in her heart. Initially she sees him as a man, a needy man, a stranger, and a Jew. Then she sees him as a Prophet. Lastly, she sees Him as Christ, her Savior, and her Lord! He tells her about the true worship and then, He reveals Himself to her. “I who speak to you am He” (Jn 4:26). This is the exact moment when saving faith is born in her heart. She instantly believes that Christ is the Messiah. This is the moment when King Grace saves her soul! This is when she became born again. This is the moment when she became a true worshipper of the only Living God. This is when, for the first time in her life, she drank the Living Water! From this moment in time, she is never the same person again! Halleluiah! As we read these words, we sense the power and the holiness of that moment. There is a wonderful anointing on this encounter. We feel it too as we read the story. Heaven rejoices when a sinner is saved. Our Lord said this: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7). We join the hosts of heaven and cry: “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12). In our Christian life and ministry, we all need to come to this holy moment. Eternal life bursts forth when truth is revealed as Love who died for us, that we may live! Glory to God!

TRUE WORSHIP IS ALWAYS CHRIST CENTERED

How do we drink this Living Water? By going straight to Him who offers it! Go to Jesus! Go to the Cross! Meditate on the Person of Jesus, who He is, what He has done, especially His death on the Cross! This long gaze on the Crucified brings you the Living Water and will enable you to worship Him! The source of the Living Water, of eternal life and all satisfaction, is not in a geographical place. It is a Person! In the whole universe, it is only the Son of the Living God that offers men the Living Water. You need to desire an encounter and a deeper relationship with Him. Then you shall find this Living water. All teaching and preaching must glorify the Lord Jesus Christ! True worship is always Christ centered. The worshipper’s deepest cry is “Worthy is the Lamb!” (Rev 5:12). The Holy Spirit main’s work is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ! Before going to the Cross, our Lord said this: “He (The Holy Spirit) will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore, I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:14, 15). The Holy Spirit does not glorify (advertise) any man, but Jesus! One of the most dangerous temptations we face is to ignore or marginalize the Lord Jesus Christ; to remove Him from the center of His throne! This is not possible in reality, but it can happen in our minds. The evil spirit of religion can corrupt our understanding of what is true worship. This attitude grieves the Holy Spirit. This is a test for all: Any sermon of song that does not make people to draw closer to Jesus, is a waste of time and energy. It is even worse than a waste. It is idolatry. And God punishes idolatry! Be faithful to proclaim the true Gospel, Christ crucified and resurrected! Be faithful to sing songs that glorify the Lord Jesus Christ! This leads to the salvation of sinners and to true worship. It is the holy approved platform for all true work for God! True worship is genuine ministry approved and blessed by the Father!

JESUS IS THE TIME MASTER

Let us go back to the story of the encounter between the Christ and the Samaritan woman. The Lord is totally in charge of the encounter. He chose to pass thru this Samaritan village because He had this sinner in mind. “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria” (Jn 4:3, 4). At that time, because of racial discrimination, the Jews do not pass thru Samaria. But our Lord ‘needed to go through Samaria’. The word ‘needed to go’ is also translated as ‘it was necessary for Him to go’ thru Samaria. You can see that the Lord knows who are to be saved and goes to them. The Lord sits and waits for the woman to come so that she will be saved. For her, it was an ordinary day. She did not know that it was her destiny day. Observe that it is the Lord who initiates the conversation. At that time, the disciples did not completely understand Christ, but they were learning who He is as they followed him. As a Man, our Lord was tired from the journey and sat at the well. His disciples went to the town to buy food. Between the time they went to buy food and the time they came back a miracle of salvation has taken place. The Lord saved a soul from the bondage of sin and death! Jesus said that His reason for coming to the earth was to finish the work of the Father, to save souls! “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10).

“Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” (Jn 4:26, 27). Our Lord just revealed to the woman that He is the Christ. This is the greatest revelation any one can receive. The disciples were surprised that He was talking with a woman in public because this was against the law of the Pharisees. According to them “a man should not salute a woman in a public place, not even his own wife”. But our Lord was free from these man-made religious laws. At the very moment of the revelation that He is the Christ, the disciples came back. We may feel that they ‘disturbed’ the spiritual conversation, but it is not so. The Lord has finished just talking to the woman. He has opened her eyes. She got saved. Not a second was lost. See how the Lord is the Master of time! Not a word He speaks too early or too late. Not a miracle He does too early or too late. Our Lord is the second Person of the Trinity. In heaven He lives outside time. He lives eternally. But once He became man, to live on earth, He lived ‘in time’. But He mastered time! Men are slaves to time. We are either too fast or too slow. We cannot control or stop time. But even as a Man, our Lord mastered time! That is another reason why we worship Him! “Worthy is the Lamb!”

The Lord Jesus always spoke the right words, at the right place, and at the right time. The following are some examples of our Lord Mastering the time and the circumstances, for His glory!

*Our Lord healed the servant of the Centurion with just a word spoken at the right time. “Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour” (Mt 8:13). Faith believes the Word of God spoken at this particular time! Faith does not postpone believing! “Now, faith is…” (Heb 11:1). Doubt postpones believing! Selah!

*The Lord healed the woman with the issue of Blood. She was sick for twelve years, but she was healed instantly at that very ‘hour’. “Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour” (Mt 9:22).

*Our Lord healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman who had faith in Him. The healing also happens at ‘that very hour’. Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Mt 15:28).

*Lazarus was sick. His sisters called Jesus to heal him. But Jesus delayed His coming. He told His disciples: “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn 11:4). Lazarus died and was buried. Four days later Jesus comes to see Martha and Mary. They both complained that He was too late to heal their brother. Jesus said to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world” (Jn 11:25-27). Martha believes just like the woman at the well. At the tomb of Lazarus “Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!” And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (Jn 11:35-37). Martha, Mary, and the people expected Jesus to prevent death by healing Lazarus. But Jesus performed a greater miracle. He did not prevent death, but He defeated it. Lazarus was called forth and he came out of the tomb alive. The Lord delayed His coming to manifest His power over death. This miracle was truly for the glory of God that the Son of Man may be glorified thru it. We need to trust the Lord and His timing. Delay for a miracle is to increase the glory of God thru it!

MY HOUR – HIS HOUR

Our Lord was always sensitive to time. Every word and every miracle had to happen at a particular time. For example, He gently rebuked His mother for trying to control Him to do a miracle at the wedding at Cana. He told her that each miracle must be done at a particular ‘hour’. Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come” (Jn 2:4). When He addressed His brothers, He made a distinction between them and Himself. This distinction relates to time also. Jesus told them, “Although your time is always at hand, My time has not yet come” (Jn 7:6). Our Lord often said that ‘His hour’ has not yet come to die. “He spoke these words while teaching in the temple courts, near the treasury. Yet no one seized Him, because His hour had not yet come” (Jn 8:20). Our Lord said that He can only be arrested when the hour of darkness has come. He accepted the sins of humanity upon Himself. He now passively goes to the Cross to die, as a Lamb goes to the slaughter. “When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness. Now they arrested Him and led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance” (Lk 22:53, 54). He did not complain during His trial and crucifixion. In the Old Testament the priests were not supposed to torture the animal before it was killed as a sacrifice. But religious leaders tortured our Lord before they crucified Him. This is to prove how much they hated Him!

“He (God) has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end” (Ecc 3:11). God created all things. Sin has damaged man and creation. But Jesus Christ came to redeem sinners and also His creation. This is a lesson for us all: You have a need. You pray and nothing happens. For a long time, things look the same. It seems like God is sleeping. But God works in mysterious ways. Suddenly, there is a movement of the Holy Spirit. What looks ordinary, now becomes beautiful and glorious. God’s time is revelation time. His Grace reveals the beauty hidden beneath. Blessed are those who acknowledge God’s time and wait for the beauty and perfection promised! Because our Lord created even time, He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). Please note that the same Jesus who talked to the woman at the well, He is right now in our midst, and also in heaven. When we go to heaven, our memories will go with us. We shall have fellowship with the Lord and with one another, remembering things we did on the earth. This is our Living Hope!

PRACTICAL APPLICATION: GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT

We all have 24 hours in a day. Some people use these hours to achieve great things. Others waste their time and opportunities. We should learn to do the same. Time management is defined as the process of planning and organizing your time between different activities. The benefits of good time management are these: you always finish your task, you work with no anxiety and at the end, you will have great joy. You stay focused, you work patiently and with peace of mind. You pray before making plans. You pray as you work. You give thanks to God as you finish your task. There is no greater joy than to finish your work. Because you finish your task, you can help others who need your assistance. The opposite is that you waste your time and squander your opportunities. Without a good ‘time management’, you become impatient, easily distracted, anxious, and overwhelmed by pressure. You become a busybody. You work more and you achieve less. A poverty mentality sets in that increases your level of anxiety. Another demon that confuses you about doing the right thing is called ‘procrastination’. This is defined as a weakness of the will to start something you need or love to do. Procrastination is not laziness. Lazy people simply don’t do anything and are just fine with it. Procrastinators, on the other hand, have the desire to actually do something but can’t force themselves to start. Procrastination is the same as sin of omission. “Whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (Jam 4:17). You need self-discipline, strength and courage by the power of the Holy Spirit!

As a Man, Our Lord used His time wisely. There is no greater joy than to say at the end of your life: “God, I have finished your work. I have finished the race’. Our Lord said: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (Jn 17:4). Apostle Paul said before he died: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). You need focus, wisdom, and strength to fulfill destiny on earth. That takes time management. You make plans how long your ‘quiet time’ with the Lord should be in the morning or in the evening. You make plans to study the Word of God and attend church activities. This requires wisdom, faith, and patience. You can do it!

TRUST AND WORSHIP JESUS EVEN WHEN YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HIM

“Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” (Jn 4:26, 27). The disciples were surprised that Jesus was talking to a woman in public. They were even more surprised that He revealed to her deeper things than He revealed to them so far. He was breaking the religious and social etiquette. It is possible that they were embarrassed by that. They wanted to rebuke Him for His freedom to talk, but there was something about Him that humbled them even at that time. They kept silent. That is good. They had to learn to trust Him even when they do not understand Him. This is a lesson for all of us. Jesus is in control of time, events, and circumstances. He leads and we follow. Always! We should learn to keep quiet and pray for spiritual understanding when things seem difficult. Control your tongue like Job! “In spite of everything that had happened, Job did not sin by blaming God” (Job 1:22).

“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, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb 1:1-3). In the past, most of the time, God spoke thru prophets and priests. Since Jesus Christ came to earth, died, and ascended back to heaven, He is the One who speaks to men. God the Father made the worlds thru Jesus Christ who ‘upholds all things by the word of His power’. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious brightness and the express image of God the Father. He is God!

When Jesus spoke, people were amazed. He spoke like no other man. His words had authority and love that could break the hardness of any heart. “When Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mt 7:28, 29). “When the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands!” (Mk 6:2). The soldiers could not arrest Him. They said: “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (Jn 7:46).

We need to learn how to trust Him, His words, and His ways. It is not easy because we are born sinners. But we must accept the truth that He does what He wants because He is God. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Is 55:8,9). King Grace is always in charge of His work. Nothing and nobody can stop His work. He came to Samaria to save this woman. Nobody could stop that! This is a great lesson: Jesus always does surprising things. As the wind cannot be controlled by man, so He is! He told Nicodemus: “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:7, 8). We worship the Lord because He is Man and God. If Christ is only Man, then we cannot worship Him. If Christ is only God, then He cannot save sinners like me and you. He is God and Man. That is why we worship Him. When He came to earth, He left the robe of glory behind. He came as a poor man, a carpenter. It was His choice to leave the external signs of glory in heaven. But take note: He did not leave His personal glory, because He is always God. But His glory was hidden by human flesh. Even so, from time to time, men saw His glory, like on the Mountain of Transfiguration. May our eyes open to see the Lamb upon the throne and to worship Him forever! “Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous (difficult, unique, great) things!” (Ps 72:18).

We need to come to the place of totally trusting Jesus despite the difficult circumstances. We must say with Job: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him… Even though He kills me; I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15; NKJ; AMP). When you understand God or not, trust and worship Him to your last breath. Jesus is the Hope of your glory! He is the only Hope you have! Worship the Lord!

PRACTICAL APPLICATION – WALK AS JESUS WALKED – MAKE THE BEST OF EACH SECOND

We need to learn how to walk by faith, and not by sight, and led by the Spirit, and not by our flesh. This walk requires training in spiritual sensitivity. It is a walk of wisdom. We walk ‘circumspectly’. The meaning of this word is to be wise, alert, and watchful in the face of danger or risk; to be careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences. Watch a cat when she passes thru a dirty wet place. She watches for clean and safe stones and carefully steps on them. She avoids getting dirty as she passes thru. This is what it means to walk circumspectly. Practically, it means to be prudent in all your decisions, how and when to speak and when to keep silent. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:15-18). As we walk led by the Spirit, we do not waste time, and we make no mistakes. We do not speak words or make decisions that we regret later. We learn to control our tongues. We avoid dangers and overcome temptations. We make spiritual progress daily. We become more and more like Jesus! “Whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself” (1 Jn 2:6; AMP). We learn to appreciate our Lord and we worship Him with a grateful heart! Speak only led by the Holy Spirit! Then your speech will heal others and bring joy to your heart! “A man has joy in giving an appropriate answer, And how good and delightful is a word spoken at the right moment—how good it is!” (PV 15:23; AMP). Like our Lord, we need to speak only led by the Holy Spirit. Each word should be ‘in season’ and to encourage the weary. “The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned” (Is 50:4). Worship the Lord!

	Silvia Lia Leigh, MD on MY TESTIMONY
	overcomebyjesus.blog… on MY TESTIMONY
	Silvia Lia Leigh, MD on MY HEART IS AWAKE
	CCrum on MY HEART IS AWAKE

Green Pastures

PS 23:2 ~ He Makes Me To Lie Down In Green Pastures

THEN JONAH PRAYED

MY LIFE LONG PRAYER

YOUR GLORY IS ALL I SEE

CHILDREN WORSHIP GOD

GOD’S CHASTISEMENT OF JONAH

THE FOOLISHNESS OF JONAH

ARISE, GO AND CRY OUT!

GREETINGS FROM MY GARDEN

REVIVAL CHILDREN

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

THE DOE OF THE MORNING

PRAYING IN THE KITCHEN

THE GLORY OF GOD IS SEEN IN HIS CREATION

WATERPOT LEFT BEHIND

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP

COME AND SEE A MAN!

HEART SIFTED AND EXPOSED

WONDERFUL PRAYER

PREACH THE WORD!

TRUE WORSHIP IS ALWAYS CHRIST CENTERED

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Rate this:

Share this: