Please read Isaiah 22:20-23 and 9:6,7. Isaiah says that Shebna, the chief steward to David’s house will be violently removed from his office. Shebna is called ‘a shame to his master’s house’. Jewish history says that he betrayed his king. In his place, God installs Eliakim. His name means ‘God will rise you up’ or ‘the Resurrection of God’. The fulfilment of his name applies to Jesus Christ. God gives Eliakim the substantial authority and responsibility that Shebna had. He “shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” This is the same promotion as with Joseph who said: God “has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Gen 45:8). For both Eliakim and Joseph, their authority as ‘fathers’ was exceeded by only their kings.

The keys of the house of David were placed on Eliakim’s shoulder. Keys are signs of authority and power. Note that Eliakim is not an ordinary door keeper. He is the chief steward over the royal house of King David. The keys in his hand represent all authority to invite or to drive away any person from the palace. The king trusts him with his life! God promised to David that his descendants will be kings. “For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel” (Jer 33:17). This is a prophesy that is fulfilled in Christ, who as a Man, came from the lineage of David. In Christ we are all priests and kings and carry the keys of His Kingdom.

In his position as second-in-command, Eliakim served as the ultimate gatekeeper, granting or denying access to the throne room using his discretion. He could open the door, and no one could shut it. Having the door opened meant access to the king’s presence, and thus to the God-given authority, favor and royal blessings, as well as to all the resources of the treasury and storehouse. But if Eliakim shut the door, he blocked all that access, and no one (except the king) could overrule his decision. It was a highly privileged position. As you see, God doesn’t tolerate men like Shebna, who was more interested in personal fame than fulfilling his office with humility and faithfulness.

Our Lord confirms the authority of Eliakim to open and shut doors at his discretion. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you” (Rev 3:7-9). The false believers, men like Shebna, members of the synagogue of Satan, are liars and losers. Jesus gives the keys to the believers in the church in Philadelphia because though they have little strength, they are faithful in their works to serve Him. They keep God’s Word and do not deny the name of Jesus. Lesson: the revelation of the power of the keys in God’s Kingdom is given when we honor God’s name and obey His Word. Amen!

“Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:15-19).  Jesus is laying the foundation of His church, which is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone” (Eph 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new institution. Jesus is giving them the authority to open the doors of heaven and invite the world to enter. It is important to understand how, biblically speaking, one enters the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said that, unless one is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3). One is born again as the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to bring about new life in a dead sinner. The sinner must repent and believe in Christ crucified and resurrected.

Salvation is by grace and thru faith in Jesus who died on behalf of sinners. Faith in the heart must be openly proclaimed to prove salvation. “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom 10:9,10). So, the faithful preaching of the gospel is the key to the kingdom. An open door means an opportunity to preach the Gospel, to make progress in life and ministry, without using force.  In both the Old and New Testaments, keys symbolize power and authority. You use the key to open or to shut a door. The delivery of the keys of a city, or to a person, symbolizes the handing over of the authority to that person.

The Church is ‘the headquarter’ of the Kingdom of God. Jesus personally promises Peter a certain authority. This is a personal reward for his good confession. This promise was fulfilled after the Day of Pentecost. At this time, it was only promised, not actually activated upon Peter. The actual gift of the power of the keys given to him, and to the other apostles, took place after Resurrection (Jn 20:22, 23).  The Apostles received the authority from Jesus, to operate in His name. They will use the keys to open or to shut, to approve or not, who is entering and who is rejected from entering the kingdom of heaven. In particular, it concerns acts of repentance and forgiveness of sins. Believers use the keys of the Kingdom like ambassadors give visa to people to enter their country or reject their applications for visa. This authority is always in total agreement with the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, who is in heaven. The Kingdom keys have the power to open and shut doors without using physical force. That power belongs to God the Father. “Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand” (Deut 32:39). The “power of the keys,” has two branches – legislative (authority to make laws) and absolving (authority to release from guilt, to forgive).

1=Peter exercised the legislative authority of the Kingdom keys as he opens the door to three groups of people: the Jews, the Samaritans and the Gentiles. Jesus commanded the disciples to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). The Gospel spreads by the preaching of God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. The first group was the Jews in Jerusalem. Peter preached his first sermon to them on the day of Pentecost (Ac 2:37-39). By preaching the Gospel, Peter opens the door to all the Jews who repented of the sin of rejecting and killing Jesus. Peter promised them that if they repent, they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Three thousand Jews entered the Kingdom that day. The Holy Spirit came and baptized them, proof that they are now saved. Peter leaves the door open for all will do the same in the future. Later, Peter goes to Samaria and preaches the Gospel. The Jews and the Samaritans hated each other for centuries. But Peter, the Peacemaker, opens the door to the Samaritans to also enter the Kingdom (Acts 8).

It was also Peter’s action that admitted the Gentiles to the privileges of the gospel. Peter preaches the Gospel to the centurion and his family. They believed and got baptized with the Holy Spirit and in water (Acts 10). Later, at the Jerusalem council, Peter convinced everyone that there is no need for the Gentiles to be circumcised (like the Jews), saying that they too are saved by Grace and thru faith in Christ, just like the Jews. With one word Peter waved away the need for the Gentiles to obey the ceremonial Jewish Law to become saved. This is the legislative authority of the Kingdom’ keys (Ac 15:7-11). Peter opens salvation door to the Gentiles. This dramatic event is part of the history of the church, and this new law now stands forever.

An example of Peter shutting the door of the kingdom in the face of a false believer is his rebuke to Simon the Sorcerer. “Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God” (Ac 8:20, 21). Peter rejected his application for visa to enter heaven!

2=The absolving power of the Keys is related to forgiveness of sins and church discipline. It manifests in acts of binding and loosing in prayer. “To bind” is to forbid, to pronounce unlawful, to arrest, to constrain, to prevent the person from escaping. “To loose” is to let go, to declare lawful; to let go from a cage, to fly away, or to be free. Simply said, to bind means to arrest, to loosen means to set the victim free.  

Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt 18:18). Specifically, it relates to the authority to forgive or not. “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:23). The “power of the keys” has also been understood as the authority to exercise discipline using the act of excommunication in cases of rebellious unrepentant members of the church (Matt 18:15-17).

So, the keys of the kingdom are God’s gift to His people to declare heaven’s verdict on who will and will not enter the kingdom based on their response to the gospel. All who faithfully preach and teach the gospel can exercise the keys under the authority of Jesus Christ Himself. The Keys are the teachings of Jesus! When you preach the Gospel, you use the Keys to open heaven or to shut it down. Knowledge withheld or ignorance of the Gospel shuts the door to men to enter. “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered” (Lk 11:52).  God’s will is that sinners be granted access to heaven through the righteousness of Christ. Consider Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees: If the gospel message is distorted or ignored, or if unrepentant sin is not adequately disciplined, the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven are being shut in people’s faces. The apostles were not to usurp Christ’s authority over individual believers and their eternal destiny, but they were to exercise authority to discipline erring believers and, if necessary, excommunicate disobedient church members. Based on God’s Word, believers today can declare an unrepentant sinner to be unsaved (“bound”) and a repentant believer in Jesus Christ to be saved (“loosed”). The binding or the loosing, based on one’s rejection or acceptance of the gospel, reflects heaven’s perspective on the matter. In heaven, Christ ratifies what is done in His name and in obedience to His Word on earth.

There was a school of prophets at Bethel. Elijah, followed later by Elisha, were mentors there (2Kings 6:1-7). The students needed a bigger hostel. They were ready to build the house, to do the manual labor. But they wanted their Master, Elisha, to go with them. They appreciated the presence of the old Prophet. Elisha could sit in the shadow of a tree by River Jordan and teach them God’s Word of pray for them. You see that at that time, the prophets were not wealthy. They had to borrow their tools. Elisha rejected the money offered by Naaman. It is a great blessing when younger Christians desire the presence of elderly servants of God. They knew that Elisha had more wisdom and experience than them. ‘An old man sited on the ground sees farther away than a young man who climbs an iroko tree’ (Naija proverb). Elisha agreed and went with them. It is beautiful when pastor and congregation serve God together in the unity of the Spirit! Suddenly, one of the young men, as he was cutting down a tree, lost the iron head of his ax in the water. Jordan river is muddy, and the ax could not be seen again. He panicked because it was a borrowed head. The young man did two things that saved him from this crisis. First, he immediately ‘cried out’. He did not hide his mistake. He could have pretended that all is well and continued to work with only the wooden stick. Many Christians are too proud to confess their sins, that they need help or prayer. If this young man used the wooden stick to work, he could have greatly slowed down his work. Also, when the metal ax head is later found, the wooden stick will be too damaged to fit in. The second good thing this young man did was to go to the old prophet. He knew that Elisha has more wisdom, more experience. Selah!

Elisha asked him: where is the exact place where it fell? Lesson: When you commit sin, there is a moment in time when you chose to rebel. There is a moment in time when you chose to resist the voice of the Holy Spirit. You must visit that painful and shameful moment. Many refuse to do so. They hinder the recovery miracle. Lesson: humble yourself; tell God and your pastor where I started to go astray. It is a place and moment in time. It is important to visit the beginning of your sin. Go to the Cross. Christ crucified for your sins. That is the place where the lost shall be found. The heavy iron head is a symbol of our sins. The story here is a symbol of baptism in water. You die in the mud of sin, and you rise by God’s power. The ax is a symbol of power for the ministry. “As iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion]” (PV 27:17; AMP). This power can be lost through disobedience, love for the world, and lack of prayer. “If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed (with less effort)” (Ecc10:10; AMP).  Selah!

Just the way Moses cut a tree and threw it into the bitter water to make it sweet (Exo 15), Elisha also cut a stick and threw it into the river. Suddenly, the iron ax head floated to the surface. Elisha told the young man: Pick it up for yourself. There was no need for the man to swim into the muddy waters and get injured. All he had to do was to stretch his hand and take back his lost blessing. Christ is the Head of the Church. If you disconnect from the Head, you will sink into the mud of sin. You can’t work for God with only a stick in your hand. That stick represents the power of the flesh. Jesus said: “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (Jn15:5). But once you reconnect with Christ, you can do all things thru Him who continually strengthens you (Phil 4:13). Lesson: God is the God of miracles. He has the keys to every closed door. He helps us even with the little things. In Christ, the lost shall be found. The prodigals will come back home. The power of resurrection can locate and retrieve your lost blessings. The same power is the key to pay off any debt, to bring you out from poverty and shame, to build a house for you. Just believe! The work of God never stops! The worship of God continues forever! Worship the Lord!

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God… “Blessed [spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they will [express His character and] be called the sons of God” (Matt 5:9; NKJ; AMP).

A peacemaker is a person who helps others solve a conflict and reach a peaceful solution. If two countries are engaged in a long war, peacemakers might help negotiate a ceasefire. Ambassadors and mediators are peacemakers. Some people don’t care about peace. They are troublemakers. But all believers are commanded to live in peace with others. “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men” (Rom 12:18). Jesus blesses the peacemakers.To make peace in a time of war is much more difficult than to maintain the peace achieved. There are differences between peacekeepers and peacemakers. For example: peacekeepers operate under the authority of the Law. They punish anyone who is seen as a threat to peace. They sacrifice righteousness, even kill men to keep peace. They want peace by force. They can even compromise their conscience and spiritual values to maintain peace in the land. But Biblical peacemakers do not keep peace at all costs. They operate under the greater Law of Agape Love and Divine Wisdom. Purity of heart and motives is never compromised in the process of making peace. Purity is first, peace is second. “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jam 3:17,18). Peacemakers produce a harvest of righteousness in the land. Peacemakers are all humble. They love people. They do not withdraw from their communities. They are active in society and wise in their relationship with people. They are not easily discouraged by problems. They are always hopeful that peace can be made. There is a difference between unity and coexistence. Peacekeepers use threats of violence, or the presence of physical power, to maintain peace. But peacemakers, thru prayer, and by God’s Grace, aim at the root of the problem: the hearts of people, starting with themselves. Glory!

Peace is defined as a state of calmness and quietness; freedom from worries, fear, anger, obsession, and oppressive thoughts; mutual harmony between people and nations; no fighting and no war. When you are at peace with yourself, you are content with the way God created you, even with your weaknesses and flaws. In a state of peace people live and work together happily, without disagreements. In both Hebrew and Greek, the word ‘peace’ also means prosperity, health, favor with God and men. Christ is our King and our Peace. He shed His Blood on the Cross to reconcile Jew and Gentile, to make them one Body, in Him, before God the Father. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation” (Eph2:14).

Jesus told His disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). In both Hebrew and Greek, the word ‘peace’ also means property, health, and favor with God and men. To be troubled means to be agitated, disturbed, angry. The word ‘afraid’ means to be a coward, to be timid, and to shrink back. Like Agape Love, peace is bold like a lion. Jesus was clarifying the difference between worldly peace and godly peace. Many people do not have peace of mind. “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. 21 “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked” (Isa 57:20,21). The world has external peace connected with beauty, wealth and social status. The worldly man believes that he creates his peace. When money and youthful strength go away, that peace is scattered. But for the believers, peace starts with a right relationship with God, thru Christ. This peace is God’s gift to His children. It is deep spiritual calmness

free from the changing circumstances. Peace is freedom from worries and protection of mind and emotions (Phil 4:6, 7).

“Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God” (Matt 5:9).

The scripture is taken from the Sermon on the Mount, preached by our Lord Jesus Christ. The word ‘Blessed’ means to be truly happy, to be congratulated and honored by all. In this world, it is common to hear of wars or rumors of war. The root of these tragic events is sin in man’s heart. Man is born a sinner. In his heart, there is wickedness, selfishness, jealousy, greed, pride, sexual immorality and many other sins. The natural man loves to quarrel and cannot make or maintain peace. Jesus said that natural men love darkness and hate the light (Jn 3:19). Sinners love trouble. They see it as entertainment. They hate peace. They see it as boring.

To be a peacemaker you must be a child of God, a citizen of the Kingdom of God. A new heart, a new perspective of life must guide you to appreciate peace with God and peace with men. The Jews imagined that the Kingdom of God is a military kingdom, and the Messiah King is an army commander. They rejected Jesus because He looked too peaceful and gentle for them. Jesus came from heaven to reinstate God’s Kingdom. When the people saw that Jesus could feed thousands, they decided to make Him King ‘by force’. But Jesus withdrew from them. They did not know Him, and they did not know the type of Kingdom He came to establish. He said tom Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (Jn 18:36). To see and enter the Kingdom of God you need the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Selah!

No matter how educated, having good moral character, or being very religious, no unbeliever can be a peacemaker. According to the Bible, the only person who can be a peacemaker is the born-again, Spirit filled. He is not just a nice person who hides from trouble. He is a spiritually mature believer. He hates division and quarrels. He loves peace with God and peace with men. He knows the price paid for peace on earth. He knows that Jesus died to set men free from the punishment on sin. He actively looks for opportunities to make peace when there are divisions. His heart is free from selfishness, envy, jealousy and greed. He is fearless, dead to self, and totally free from self-interest. This is a high level of sanctification. If a man is not dead to the flesh, he will be too self-conscious. He will try to protect his reputation. He will be defensive during arguments. That is why a carnal Christian cannot be a peacemaker. A peacemaker is not always looking to gain fame for himself. He is morally neutral. He is not on the side of any man. He is on the side of Jesus. He behaves like Jesus. He knows that he was a sinner. Therefore, he has nothing to lose or to protect. You insult him and he keeps quiet. His desire is not to defend himself, but to give glory to God in everything he says or does.

Peacemakers actively involved in ministry are quite rare to find. A peacemaker is a special person, a blessing to humanity. He knows when and how to talk. He is sensitive, discreet, and wise. He never speaks wicked words that directly or indirectly hurt others. He does not intimidate or manipulate. He speaks words of grace that build others up. He is emotionally intelligent. The peacemaker knows his Bible. He uses God’s Word to guide his thinking and his decisions. If he sees an opportunity to make peace between two people, he is ready to suffer so that peace is achieved!!! He loves bringing people together, “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:2, 3). The Holy Spirit helps him and gives him favor with men. He is like Jesus. If Jesus was trying to defend His rights as God, He would not have died on the Cross for sinners. But Jesus humbled Himself, becoming a servant, to save men from sin. Jesus died to make peace between God and man, and between men themselves. The sacrifice of death to self is necessary to become like Jesus, our Prince of Peace.

The peacemakers are called ‘sons of God’. The word ‘called’ also means ‘owned’. As a peacemaker, God will own you. To owe it means to belong to God, to love and protect, to possess, to control, or to treasure. God will manifest His presence with you. He will cover your mistakes as you try your best to find creative ways to bring peace into this dark world. God highly rewards the peacemakers. Selah!

THIS IS A DAY OF GOOD NEWS (2 Kings 6:24- 33; 7:1-20)

This is a wonderful story of resurrection power and supernatural provision. During a time of great famine, God opened the windows of heaven and saved the people in the city. The King of Syria attacked and surrounded Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom. Food became scarce. The Jews do not eat donkey meat. It was forbidden in the Law of Moses. But now, the people were so hungry that they killed their donkeys. The donkey’s head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a cup of dove’s dung used as fuel for fire was sold for five pieces of silver. These are exorbitant prices. It was the law of supply and demand in action. If a product has a high demand and low supply, the price will increase. If there is low demand and high supply, the price will decrease. Market balancing occurs when demand and supply intersect to create a stable price. The people were so desperate that they became cannibals. Mothers and fathers lost their feelings of love towards their children. Just to survive, they killed their children and ate them. This is part of the curses send by God against His rebellious people (Deut 28:52-57). The King of Israel (Joram, perhaps) was totally helpless. This is a picture of total disaster, of death reigning in the city. Only God can help now!

There were four lepers who were sitting outside the the city gate. Because of their leprosy, they could not enter the city. They discussed their options: if they enter the city, or stay at the gate, they will die of hunger. The only option is to surrender to the enemy. Is the Syrians pity them, they will live. If not, they will kill them. Between death and death, they decided to surrender to the enemy. hey discovered that all the Syrians ran away and abandoned everything, their tents, food, weapons, horses, gold and silver. Imagine the joy! God fought their battle, and they did not even know it. God prepared for them a table on the midst of their enemies. They ate and drank wine. They hid some of the treasures. Then they felt guilty. They declared that this is the day of good news. Good news must be shared with others. They told the king’s officers about the story. Initially. There was joy in the whole city. Death has been defeated. The only man who did not partake from this celebration was the king’s chief of staff. Elisha prophesied that the next day, the price of food would go down to normal. But he doubted the prophet’s words and God’s power to open the windows of heaven. The next day, as the people found the treasures of the enemy, the price of food items dropped immediately. The chief of staff saw the miracle but could not partake in it. He was trampled to death by the mob who joyously ran to share in the bounty.

Spiritually, this is a story about sharing the Gospel with a dying world. In Greek, the word ‘Gospel’ is ‘euangelion’. It simply means ‘good news’. Once we become saved, we are supposed to do evangelism. Good news is not to be hidden or stored. It is to be shared. If you repent and believe the Gospel, you shall enter the Kingdom of God. If like the chief of staff, you reject the Gospel, you will die and go to hell. May we be willing to accept Jesus Christ and His Gospel and be saved!

Lessons: God is the God of miracles! God is a God of Grace. The king and the people inside Samaria were rebellious against God. That is why the curses of disobedience came upon them. But God still intervened by His Grace. The lepers went to the enemy to find mercy. The Syrians did not invite them, but they went anyway. How much more we should go to God, who invites us to find mercy and grace in time of need. God does not fight with spears. He fights with His Word. The Syrians heard the noise of battle, and they ran away. God can defeat any enemy, spiritual or physical. Trust Him! God cares for the needy! God supplies seed for the Sower and bread for the eater. Not to share in the good news is called the sin of silence! God’s Word in the mouth of His prophet cannot fall to the ground, powerless. Both in mercy and in judgment, God’s Word must be Fulfilled! Help is closer than you imagine! Help was at the gate! By God’s grace the rejected Lepers become saviors and heroes! God can use anyone, anytime! Worship the Lord!

DO NOT WORRY! (Matt 6:25-34)

This passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Our Lord addresses the issue of faith, and its enemies, which are worries and doubt. As you can see, our Lord gives these matters serious attention. We should do the same. There is a close connection between the way we regard money and how we worry in this life. ‘Little faith’ is immature faith. The Christian believes that he is saved but he struggles with doubts when he prays about the blessings associated with salvation. We often see money as a god (Mammon). We think that money has the power to give us a better life. The natural man loves money and gathers his treasures on earth. He uses money to buy food, clothes, medicine, so that he will have a longer and happier life. Jesus uses the word ‘therefore’ to connect man’s attitude about money with the worries about his life. In other words, Mamon produces anxiety, but God gives faith and peace! The Kingdom of God is not built on intimidation, oppression, or fear. Earthly kings or rulers enjoy intimidating others. They think that oppressing people is the way to rule. On the contrary, King Jesus rules by God’s Word and delivers you from fear and anxiety. His will is that you too be totally free from doubt, fear and anxiety.  Selah!

In Greek, the word ‘worry’ means being over-anxious about something, distracted, caring too much about something. To worry means to live in a constant state of unhappiness because of the problems you have or because of bad things that might happen in the future. Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress. It is an uncomfortable feeling of nervousness or worry about something that is happening or might happen in the future. Fear and anxiety are related but also different. Fear concerns the present and anxiety is mostly connected with the future, with the danger you see or imagine to be ahead. Anxiety, the fear of the future, are negative emotions that prevent God’s Word and love to mature. “The worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful” (Mk 4:19; AMP). The word ‘to choke’ means to crowd upon, to strangle, or to drown. Anxiety feels like drowning in the ocean. It is a terrible feeling that weakens the body and mind.

We are born with a sinful tendency towards anxiety. We worry too much about money and the things we can buy with money. We think too much about things that are temporal. We fall into the trap of thinking that the Kingdom of God is made of earthly things like ‘eating and drinking’. We imagine that we can ‘sponsor’ ourselves to become Kingdom’ citizens. With that mind-set, we miss the powerful revelation of the Kingdom of God. We minimize the revelation of the price paid on the Cross by our Lord, to set sinners free, so that they become kings and priests. We reduce the glory of God the Father and the glory of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. Anxiety is an extremely negative emotion. It can become an addiction, a spiritual stronghold in the mind. It is spiritually poisonous, and it damages your faith in God. It divides the mind. It produces doubt. A double minded man is like a man who has ‘two souls’. He is unstable, confused, and frustrated. God ignores his prayers (Jam 1:6-8). A double minded man lacks the discretion and the true wisdom of God. He loves to argue with himself and others. He does not have settled principles. He moves led by his emotions, easily influenced by public opinion. He cannot be a faithful friend. One day he is good and the next day, he is bad. He is a hypocrite. He is confused. One day he prays to God, then another day he prays to something else. One day he has hope to go to heaven and other day he fears that he may go to hell. He prays, but he does not wait for God to answer. He always changes the topic of his prayers. He punishes and troubles himself. This man needs deliverance. But a mature Christian has only one ‘mind’. In any situation of life, he always goes to God in prayer. He has no other god. He is settled in his mind about his identity in Christ. He has the assurance of his salvation. He is free from anxiety and doubts.

The Lord Jesus commands that we should not worry about life, the body, food, or clothes! The Lord does not say that we should have a passive attitude about the things of this life. He does not say that we should be lazy, and never think or make plans about the future. He points to the birds. God the Father feeds them. But, at the same time, these birds ‘work for food’. They fly everywhere to find worms or seeds to eat. They do not store food for tomorrow. They wake up every morning trusting that God is still alive and will provide food for them for that very day. Jesus says that as God’s Children, we are more valuable than birds. God is our ‘heavenly Father’. For example, if a man takes care of his pets or animals, he will surely not neglect his own children. The birds don’t have faith. They have a survival instinct. That is how they look for their food. They do not know that it is God who gives them food. But as God’s children we live by faith. God appreciates and rewards faith. Faith in God is strong and active. Living by faith does not mean to be lazy. Each morning, we pray for health for our bodies and for the provision of our daily bread. Faith and our works combined are the secret of godly successful living. Selah!

Taking the birds as an example, we also are to work for food, for clothes to wear, and to pay bills. In fact, God’s Word says this: “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2Thess 3:10). Our Lord reminds us that Life is a gift. It is God’s gift. No man decides to come to this earth by his own power. God created all people, one by one. The deduction is that if God created you, then He will take care of you. To create something from nothing is harder than to keep that thing who is already created. Jesus says that if God created you, He would not abandon you because He created you for His purpose.

It is strange to see how much of our energy is used in worries about temporal things. Even the Christians think, talk, argue about the price of food and clothes. Jesus says we should look at the birds. This is a simple fact. God feeds them. But man’s way of providing food and clothes is different than that of the birds. Man must work so that he can eat. God told Adam: “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread” (Gen 3:19). Here, The Lord compares the birds with men so that we can see the lower and the higher. Jesus says, if God provides for the birds, who are lower in the level of creation, how much more God will provide for men, who are made in the image of God and have faith to believe in God? This is wise thinking: Compare things and conclude. For example, the Bible says: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom 8:32). If God gave us His Son to die for our sins (the higher price), He will surely give us food to eat (the lower price). Jesus is saying: Work but don’t Worry! To work is good! To worry, it is sin! The root of worry is doubt, pride, and rebellion. You need to repent of it.

Another reason why you should not worry about your life it is because The Gentiles seek after material things. All unbelievers live in fear, anxiety and doubt. But we must be different! If the Christian worries about food and clothes, he demotes himself to the level of the unbelievers. Jesus said that God the Father knows all your needs. Once you stop your anxiety, God will start being anxious for you! Don’t drag tomorrow’s pain into today. It will become anxiety and depression. God gives us a portion of His mercy, grace, wisdom, strength, and provision only for today. If you worry about tomorrow, the burden for today will be too much for you to bear. When you go to sleep this evening, have faith that God will still be God in the morning, when you wake up. Lesson: Jesus does not want you to worry about your life!!! Re-surrender your life totally and unconditionally to Jesus Christ, the King of kings! Live by that faith!

Anxiety or worry connects with the future. Our Lord uses verbs to describe the future. The Christian who worries is a Christian who doubt God’s sovereign care over his future. He may have faith for things concerning today, but he is not sure that God will help him in the future. He doubts the scriptures reveal God as the Master of the future. Listen to God: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). Only God knows the future. But He really knows it because God gives us the future. “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (Isa 46:10; NIV). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). Selah!

What is the cure for this anxiety? Doctor Jesus recommends the activity of seeking the Kingdom of God and its righteousness. Practically, it means to enthrone Jesus as King over every circumstance. You cannot stop anxiety by yourself. The only way to defeat it is by using your strength to seek the Kingdom of God. The greater revelation you have about God’s Kingdom, the more you shall live in the Freedom, Provision, Peace and Joy that He provides. Why do people worry about food and clothes? Without food and clothes, you lose the pleasure of eating and the compliments you receive for dressing well. Being naked in cold countries can kill you. Life is not only about experiencing natural pleasures. If we worry about food and clothes, we have forgotten the greater, eternal things. Life is fulfilled by knowing God, being saved and going to heaven. Jesus said that the Lilies are beautiful. But they do not work for food. They drink the water God supplies thru the rain. As you can see, God loves to make beautiful things. That is why the grass is green, the sky is blue, and the flowers have many colors. Learn to enjoy your life on earth every day! Be good and do good. In that way, you will never be worried about tomorrow. Selah!

Jesus says: “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”. He says that Life is more important than food. God will keep you alive until His purpose on earth for you is fulfilled. To worry is useless. If you worry, you cannot prolong your life. Worry may even shorten your life. He uses this figure of speech referring to the length of life. In other words, by worrying you cannot add one hour to your life. It is a fact that medical science and the doctors’ skill cannot prolong life. We think that living in a big city that has good hospitals gives us a better chance to live longer. But this is just an imagination. In any country and in any hospital, it is a fact that people die. Sometimes, the same sickness kills one and the other survives. Life is a gift from God. He determines when life starts and when life ends. Our lives are in the hands of God. If we trust God completely, worry has no place in our hearts. May our life and love give God all the glory! Amen!

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil 1:9-11).

This is one of Apostle Paul’s prayers. If you study them, you discover that each prayer is intelligent, passionate, unique, and powerful. He always prays with both his mind and with his heart (his spirit). His prayers are based on deep understanding of doctrine and application to the present need. He always thanks God for the good he sees in the church and encourages the weak believers in the assembly. He is a balanced Christian. Paul’s first request is that God will grant the Christians in Philippi that their “love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment”. He acknowledges that the believers over there know how to love God and others. But their love must grow, become deeper, more mature, abounding in practical insight, and producing fruits of righteousness (of good behavior). In Greek the word ‘abound’ means to overflow, or to excel above all. Mature Love has this unique manifestation of an excellent wise spirit. The word ‘excellent’ means to be the best quality, unsurpassed, lovely, noble, royal, and a wonderful leader. Love chooses God’s will in every matter. Love is the world champion. Love always wins the gold medal. No other gift or skill rivals love in creativity, strength, perseverance, courage, and wisdom. The enemy of the best is not the bad, but the good. Love is the only power that can oppose sin and evil face to face and fight it to finish. Lovers never give up! Love abides forever! Love is even greater than Faith and Hope! Love never fails (1Cor13:8,13).

Mature, fruitful love multiplies in two ways: ‘in knowledge and discernment’. Love changes both the mind and the heart. Knowledge means truth, doctrine, or revelation. We must study God’s Word to understand how God loves. We look at the price Jesus paid for love. Like Jesus, we chose to live a life of sacrifice. We apply the Bible doctrines in our daily lives. Paul prays that we see how intelligent love is. Many Christians are ignorant of God’s Word. They make mistakes and blame it on ‘love’. For example, a Christian man says that he fell in love with an unbelieving girl. He wants to marry her saying that God will ‘understand’. He uses love as an excuse for being disobedient to God’s Word. But Agape Love is not selfish, foolish, wasteful or childish. Love is extremely intelligent and has a ‘PHD’ in human relations!!!

Love must also grow in discernment. This is the second ‘fruit’ of mature Love. Discernment is the skill, the power to see what is hidden, what is not evident to the average mind, and to find the excellency ‘behind the scenes.’ It is the ability to judge circumstances and people well, according to what God shows you. Love’s discernment manifests as excellent sight and pure vision. Only Love sees the best inside the worst of men. Love has the eyes of an eagle. Love sees the difference between what is true and what is false, between what is right and what is wrong. This discernment is extremely powerful. It’s God’s opinion in any matter. Discernment is to have the mind of Christ, to think Biblically. By testing we find the true value of someone. “Test all things; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1Thess 5:21,22). “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1Jn 4:1). This ‘testing’ is Love’s discernment to always make the right decisions!

To love is not easy. There are many snares in the path of love. Discernment is valuable in making decisions. Discernment grows only by the study of God’s Word and prayer. For a believer, discernment is not a luxury, but a necessity. “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:12-14). The more you apply discernment, the greater your love and your wisdom will be, and the less mistakes you will make in life.

“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right” (Charles Spurgeon). Love fine-tunes our emotions. For a baby Christian, discernment starts with the insight to know the truth about himself. An immature Christian has difficulty in knowing his own soul. He does not see clearly the difference between the works of his flesh and the fruit of the Spirit in him. He is still selfish. His decisions are based more on self-confidence than on agape love. He can be deceived. But the mature Christian sees himself clearly. He is humble and not afraid to take risks to love. Unfortunately, discernment is an area where most Christians stumble. They make legalistic decisions based on fear, doubt, or confusion. Their Love is still immature. Discernment is clearly manifested in those who are pure in heart because they see God (Matt5:8). If you see God, then you will see the truth in all situations. You will live in freedom. You will have peace with your decisions as you practice love.

Discernment is also a great weapon in spiritual warfare. The Bible commands that we should discern the strategy of the devil before we attack with prayers. “Lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2Cor 2:11). “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1Jn 4:18). Love and fear are opposites. Love brings people together. Fear separates them. The word ‘perfect’ means to be whole, complete, fulfilled, lacking nothing good. It also means to be trained, accomplished, and skilled to successfully bring a matter to an expected end. When Jesus died on the Cross He said: “It is finished!” (Jn19:30). He perfectly brought the work of salvation to an expected end. Fear relates to torment. The word ‘torment’ means punishment, serious pain and suffering in the body and especially in the mind. The victim becomes weak and feels like dying. We are told that Hell is a place of torment (Lk 16:23, 28). Therefore, fear is a sample of hell on earth. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2Tim 1:7). Perfect Love is the ideal Love. No one of us can achieve the fulness of this Love while on earth. But we strive towards it. May God help us!

Practically, the best way to show love to another is not to buy a gift, but to pray for him (her). Prayer based on spiritual discernment is the best gift you can give to anyone, if he is poor or rich. To pray that a Christian may know and experience the overflow of agape Love, that he may love another and produce fruits of righteous behavior is an eternal investment paid in your heavenly treasure. Money cannot buy these gifts. This is the practical purpose of the preaching of the Gospel. The Christian must prove his love not only in times of peace, but especially during painful conflict. A mature Christian is extremely sensitive to what is of God and what is evil. This capacity grows with time, as the Christian pays the price for fruitful love. May our eyes be opened to that which pleases God, who is Love Himself! Amen!

WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2Cor 5:20). “(Pray) for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Eph 6:19, 20).

An ambassador is King’s (President’s) highest-ranking representative to another nation. An ambassador is a strong leader, not easily discouraged, a good manager and communicator, a successful negotiator, and a respected representative of his country. His duty is to influence the country where he is posted with the good will of his King. He studies the people in the country where he is posted. He helps the citizens of his own country who live in the diaspora. He is totally committed to his king. When speaking in public, he never gives his personal opinion in any matter. He only voices the opinion of his king.

An ambassador never becomes a citizen of the country where he works. That means betrayal. He is totally protected by his King. He is well paid. His King pays for all his expenses while he is on duty. He is not voted for by people. He is appointed by his King. None can arrest him. Based on international law, ambassadors have diplomatic immunity. They have the right to resist their random arrest while on official duty. If he is suspected of a crime, the host country will not arrest him, but it can expel him. His King is the only one who can call him back from duty. The ground of the embassy belongs to his country. (For example, when a Nigerian living in France enters the Nigerian embassy in Paris, he is on Nigerian soil. Nigeria has 109 missions, 76 embassies, 22 high commissions and 11 consulates globally).

Ambassadors must navigate complex political and cultural landscapes while representing their country’s interests. This requires a high level of emotional intelligence and the ability to handle difficult conversations and negotiations with wisdom and skill. Ambassadors are special people. They have leadership qualities. They tend to be artistic, intuitive, discreet, sensitive, articulate, original, and expressive. They are enterprising, adventurous, ambitious, extroverted, energetic, confident, and optimistic.

God has always used men to represent Him, to speak in His name. For example, at the burning bush, God called Moses to be His servant, prophet, and His ambassador to Egypt. Moses was well educated in the best universities of Egypt. But now, as an old man of 80, living as a shepherd in the desert for 40 years, Moses has lost his confidence that he could represent Jehovah. He argues with God saying that he is not qualified for such a high position. God encourages him saying that He will be with Moses in and out of Egypt. “Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say” (Exo 4:10-12). God tells Moses that because Pharoah will reject him, Egypt will be punished and let go of all the Jews living there. Soon, about 2 million Jews who were slaves, left Egypt as free people.  Who is like unto Thee, Oh, Lord! Lesson: God does not call the qualified. God qualifies the called! Selah!

The Greatest Ambassador of God is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God the Father sent God the Son to earth, to become a Man, to teach men His will, and to die for them. He came as the King of God’s Kingdom. He came as the Ambassador of heaven, speaking on behalf of God the Father. Thru the Holy Spirit, Jesus had access to all the resources of heaven. He said that He does not speak His words and He does not do His will. Jesus, the perfect Ambassador of heaven, only speaks His Father’s Word and does His Father’s will. “Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. 29 And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (Jn 8:28, 29). “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (Jn 14:10-12). Jesus is our Example, Mentor, and King!

In Greek, the word ‘ambassador’ means an elderly person, a senior citizen, the King’s representative. As Christians, we are servants and ambassadors of Christ to all the nations. It is the highest privilege. We preach the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected. We manifest agape love to all. This work is a mystery. God uses us to advance His Kingdom to the ends of the world. We are totally protected by Christ. He provides us with all that we need. As ambassadors, we do not advertise ourselves. We lift the name of King Jesus, speaking only God’s Word! “We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake” (2Cor 4:5). King Jesus prepared us as His ambassadors saying: “Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say” (Lk 12:11,12). He gave us full authority in His name, to bind and to loosen. Jesus said: “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:21-22). As ambassadors of the Prince of Peace, we need to be filled with His Spirit, expanding God’s Kingdom. Rejecting us means rejecting our King! To represent King Jesus is the highest privilege given to man! May we always please our King in the work He gave us to do! Amen!

Questions: When people look at you, what impression do you give? By your words and deeds, how do you represent God’s Kingdom to others? Look at yourself, examine yourself. Do you give the impression that all you are interested in are the things of this world? Are you so experienced in cooking, or in the latest fashion style, in the latest news in politics, or the gist of Nollywood? Or do you have the revelation of eternal life, standing as a signpost, faithfully pointing people to the Lord! May we be found faithful! Worship the Lord!

WEALTH IN THE KINGDOM

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:19-25)

Jesus spoke about wealth more than about any other social issue, including marriage, work, sex, politics or power. This is a difficult subject to preach and hard to listen to. But we must give our attention to it, examine ourselves and repent if necessary. Jesus exposes the sin of loving and trusting money. This attitude has no place in God’s Kingdom. All unbelievers are greedy, and selfish. They hoard money and possessions. This is natural for them because they do not believe in a God who cares for men. Christians should be different in attitude and behavior. But even the Christians fall into the sin of greed. These days, wealth is displayed and advertised openly. For example, to sell an expensive car, the advert says: ‘Imagine yourself at the wheel’. Trying to imagine that you may fall into the sin of covetousness. Someone asked a question: ‘What are you willing to do for one million dollars?’ Half of the people said that they are ready to spend time in jail, divorce, or never see their best friend again. May God open our spiritual eyes to see the truth that sets free! Amen!

King Jesus commands us, the believers, the citizens of His Kingdom how to make and handle wealth. First, we are told not to lay (or store) our treasures on earth. The reason is that they will surely be lost, either gradually in this life (thru rust, moth or by thieves) or at death. “As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, to go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor which he may carry away in his hand” (Ecc 5:15). This is a fact: storing treasures on earth is never safe. To save is wise. King Jesus redirects our desire to save. He said that we should ‘lay up for ourselves’ treasures in heaven, where none has access to destroy or steal. This is a fact: storing our treasures in heaven is safe forever. Jesus does not forbid us to work hard, save money or plan regarding money or property to be used in the future. The Bible commands us to work hard and save. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children… ” (PV 13:22). We are told to study the ant because she works hard, to store food for the winter (PV 6:6-8). We are commanded to work hard, to take care of our responsibilities, to save money and to be generous. “A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion… He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor” (Ps 112:5, 9). “There is one who scatters yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. 25 The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself” (PV 11:24, 25). “He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor” (PV 22:9). “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9 As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad; He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever” (2Cor 9:6-9). God provides wealth and the wisdom to manage it, for our good and for His glory! Selah!

God commands blessings on those who are generous and invest in God’s work on earth. When we give money to God’s work and to God’s people, we show thru our actions that our King is good. Generosity is a proof that we are saved, and we are citizens of God’s Kingdom, where there is no lack. Greed is a sign of unbelief or backsliding. By giving to others, we worship God; we remove the hindrance that stops the river of grace coming from heaven to earth, being a channel of blessings to others. God in return promised to bless us the more.

Jesus said that where we deposit our treasures, there our hearts will go to. If you store your treasures on earth, your heart will be earth bound, and you will be filled with doubts and anxiety. If you lay your treasures in heaven, your heart will be set on heaven. You will be filled with hope, faith, peace and joy, having the assurance of your salvation. You will not fear the devil or hell anymore. How do we store our treasures in heaven? By studying the Bible, prayer, by loving God and our neighbors, by paying tithes and offerings for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom on earth, by helping the poor, the sick, the weak, the elderly and the prisoners. This is a fact: the only safe place to keep our treasures, is heaven, for God’s protects them. This is God’s Word: “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]” (Col 3:2; AMP). Examine your spiritual focus!

It is true that people love money. But it is also true that wealth alone does not satisfy. “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its gain. This too is vanity (emptiness)” (Ecc 5:10; AMP). Why then men think that money can be a god to compete with Jesus in their hearts? What is the powerful attraction of Mammon? The word ‘Mammon’ means money, or riches, especially when you love, admire, and lust for them. Mamon is a god that demands people to trust in wealth, social status, and fame. Mammon is not like our God. He is like a god among other gods. He is not jealous! He does not mind part-time worship, combined with adultery, selfish ambition, and love for power. Even as a secondary god, Mammon has the power to corrupt the heart and the mind. The point of entrance for Mammon is the eyes. The lodging place is the soul (the mind and the heart). Jesus says that the eyes of the believer must be good. In Greek, the word ‘good’ also means pure, generous, whole or healthy. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be filled with light, truth, and divine health. If your eyes are bad, there is spiritual darkness in your mind. The word ‘bad’ also means evil, wicked, or jealous. What you see affects the health of your body and your mind. For example, Jesus said that adultery starts with the lust of the eyes. Its ‘virus’ enters the mind and makes it restless. The body becomes weak and sick. In the same way, through the eyes, Mammon can negatively affect the soul and the body. If you gaze long at your neighbor’s expensive car, or house, your eyes become evil or jealous. This jealousy leads you to dream of sinful ways to make more money. This is a warning to protect your eyes. Be careful and wise! Do not look too long at seducing adverts for material things that do not belong to you. You can appreciate a nice car but be careful not to covet it. There is a thin line. Learn to keep your eyes on Jesus! Learn to discipline your eyes! Be careful with the videos or pictures on the internet. Pornography has the power to pollute your heart. In the same way, expensive, luxurious things the rich people boast of can temp you. This is a simple sign that you may be under the influence of Mammon: If your little son asks for a bicycle, then you answer: ‘we cannot afford it now…’. The answer is a sign that Mammon influences your mind. Money is your master telling you what you can afford and what not you cannot. The better answer may be: ‘this is not the time to buy a bicycle’. To be protected and free, the power of the Cross must work in you! “So put to death and deprive of power the evil longings of your earthly body [with its sensual, self-centered instincts] immorality, impurity, sinful passion, evil desire, and greed, which is [a kind of] idolatry [because it replaces your devotion to God]” (Col 3:5; AMP).

As you cannot be greedy and generous at the same time, so you cannot serve Mammon and God together. A slave belongs to only one master. Many people look at Jesus as their boss in the office. They think that they can have three jobs, and three bosses at the same time. But King Jesus is not your boss. He is the King of His domain and demands total allegiance. He provides all that you need according to His riches in glory. A righteous man never needs to beg for food. King Jesus searches your eyes and your heart. The cure for evil eyes and stingy hearts is Loving God and loving your neighbor. Jesus said: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk 12:30, 31). To love God with all your heart, be sure that your heart is in love with Jesus. To love God with all your mind it means to meditate on God’s Word. To love God with all your strength, it means to use your natural and spiritual power to invest in eternal things, in obeying God’s Word to deposit your treasures in heaven. This is the only way you can live a good, clean, peaceful, joyful life in this difficult world. This is the price to pay for the ideal testimony to have favor with God and man. In the absence of this wisdom, you will surely become anxious and troubled, no matter how much money you have stored in the bank.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear now!  

THE EMPTY VESSELS ARE NOW ALL FULL (2Kings 4:1-7)

This is a touching story of how God supplied much needed help thru His prophet Elisha. A woman who was married to a prophet in Israel came to Elisha, desperately asking for help. Her husband died and left her and their two sons poor. He borrowed money and now, the creditor came to take his money or the two sons as slaves. The prophet did not make plans to take care of his family. That was no good. But the good thing, according to his widow, was that ‘he feared the Lord’. The Word of God promises blessings upon a man who fears the Lord (Read Psalm 112). Here we see that a man who fears the Lord is celebrated by heaven and earth. He is a worshipper of God. His family and children are blessed. He is a fruitful man. God’s light of revealed truth comes to him even during spiritual darkness. He is kind, loving, generous, and discreet. He is strong, courageous and fearless, a true spiritual leader of men. His reputation among angels and men is established. His heart is established. Wealth and riches are found in his house. His descendants are mighty on the earth. They are champions and heroes. The enemies of the righteous man are totally disappointed and defeated. These are mighty promises that this widow should have known. But the reality was that she and her sons were poor. She went to the prophet Eisha having just two things: faith in God’s Word in her heart and a little olive oil in her house. This little treasure was more than enough for a miracle. Elisha tells her what to do. She borrows many vessels from her neighbors. Behind the closed door, she pours the little oil and miraculously, she fills all the available vessels. She sells the olive oil. She pays off the debt and uses the rest to live well with her sons. This is a story of miraculous supply which is found in the realm of God’s Kingdom.

Lessons:

*God is alive! God does miracles! God is merciful! Nothing is impossible for God!

*God is our Provider! He answers prayers, especially desperate prayers of faith in His promises.

*When you are in trouble, seek God’s wisdom thru fasting and prayer. Ask a mature Christian that you trust for prophetic word and prayer!

*The Bible commands that we treat widows, orphans and needy with kindness. The creditors are wicked! Only God can save us!

*Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit and joy! It was used as fuel for the lamps, to anoint kings and priests, and for the healing of bodies.

*Elijah’s prophetic word to the widow in Zarephath was that the oil in the jar will not run dry (1Kg 17:16). Elisha’s word to the widow was that the oil would pour and fill all the empty vessels. Both prophecies are symbols of God’s fountain or blessings that never runs dry!

*Jesus said that when we pray to God, we should do it in the secret place (Matt 6:6). Shut doors and open hearts are the key to answered prayers and miracles. Publicity, desire to be seen by men, to achieve fame in the religious world, interrupts the flow of the Holy Spirit.

*Have faith in God’s Promises found in the Bible. God’s Word is settled in heaven. It must manifest on earth. Circumstances bow to God!

*Trust and obey God’s commands! Do what He says! Cooperate with God. Do the little you can, and God will do the rest!

*Humble yourself! Ask for help from other Christians, your spiritual neighbors.

*Be ready to give to God the little (oil) you have so that God can use it to bless you and others! Little (oil) is much when God is in it!

*Gd gives you the wisdom and power to make wealth! God also gives you the wisdom to manage your wealth!

*God does not waste His resources. He never gives too little, in such a way that you cannot solve the problem. He never gives too much!

*God does not only save you from poverty, slavery and death. He keeps you alive to testify to His glory!

*God helps you thru miracles of provision to pay your debt. The only debt that cannot be paid in this life is the debt of Love (Rom 13:8). Jesus died to pay our debt to God, for “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6:23). Therefore, we too must pay the debt of love to Jesus, by preaching His Gospel (Rom 1:14).

*Remember to testify to God’s mercy, goodness, and power! Give all the glory to God! Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (42)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (10)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; Psalm 112:1-10; John 21:15-17.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

Question: what is the difference between human genuine love and agape love? Human love can be as strong as death. Many unbelievers have loved others and sacrificed their lives for them. But there is a vital difference between human and agape love:

*The Source of Agape love is found in the Cross. Christ died for me. He loved me first. Therefore, I love others. Human love is based on the flesh, on emotions, which can fail anytime. Agape Love proceeds from the Will. Phileo Love proceeds from emotions. Selah!

*The Power to sustain Agape Love is through the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart. It never fails. Human love is sustained by emotions and personal commitments which can fail anytime.

*The Goal of Agape Love is to give glory to God. The goal of human love is to make humanity ‘a better place’. The goal is earthly.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! The concept of the Kingdom has almost been lost. Most people do not understand the authority of the King in his domain, and the blessings of the subjects. This is because most countries have other types of government: democracy, communism, or dictatorship. God invented the concept of Kingdom so that it is easier for us understand His plan and purpose for men.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:26-28). God created the human beings to populate the earth. He created them male and female. He created them in His own image and likeness. God blessed man and gave him authority over the earth. “The heavens are the heavens of the LORD, But the earth He has given to the children of men” (Ps 115:16; AMP). God did not give authority to men over the heavens. God commanded man to subdue the earth. The word ‘subdue’ means to control something by force and discipline, to master or to overcome it. To subdue someone, it means to establish superiority. Practically, God commanded man to master the earth by planting and producing harvests, by digging into the ground and bringing out gold and diamonds. Because of man’s rebellion, the earth was cursed to produce thorns and thistles. Now, it is harder for man to work, to master the earth, to produce harvests (Gen 3:17-19). It is only in Christ that there is redemption for man and for nature. Christ, as we understand our position as Kings and Priests, we can produce harvests, to prosper supernaturally like never before. Praise the Lord!

God gave them ‘dominion’ over all the animals. The word ‘dominion’ is a Kingdom Word. It means to have sovereign authority, absolute power to rule, to control or master another. Even at creation, before sin entered, God’s plan and purpose for them was to be kings in their domain, to be royal priesthood in Christ. Man was to rule and reign over all the animals, but not over one another. When Adam sinned, he lost a Kingdom. Jesus came to live and die, to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He is now the King of kings! What makes the Kingdom of God different from any other kingdom, is that all its citizens (subjects) are the relatives of the King, and they are all kings themselves! What a privilege to be the royal priesthood in Christ!!! Glory!

The word ‘Kingdom’ comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He did it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and dress, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior, something small, narrow, and negative. It is a grand concept, fit for the King of kings to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit must give you the revelation! Selah!

THE ESTABLISHED HEART (Psalm 112:1-10)

This is God’s sure promise to us: “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself” (Deut 28:9). In Psalm 112, we find a heavenly royal banquet of spiritual food. This is the ideal Christian testimony, having favor with God and with men. Christ is our Righteousness. He died to save our souls from the condemnation, guilt, pollution, and shame of sin. Righteousness is defined as the right standing before God. Practically, it manifests as being good and doing good to the glory of God. Here we see that a righteous man is celebrated by heaven and earth. He is a worshipper of God. His family and children are blessed. He is a fruitful man. God’s light of revealed truth comes to him even during spiritual darkness. He is kind, loving, generous, and discreet. He is strong, courageous and fearless, a true spiritual leader of men. His reputation among angels and men is established. Even his enemies agree that this one is a righteous man, favored by God. To have an established heart and confirmed testimony is our portion in Christ! Glory to God!

“Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments”

It is always good to praise the Lord! The proud man praises himself. The righteous remembers to praise the God of His salvation. The believer not only fears the Lord, but also loves the Lord. He is a respectful and responsible son. The religious unbelievers like to listen to Bible stories, but they hate God’s commandments. It is not the rich, handsome man who is blessed. We do not read that God blesses the man who fears in general … but the one who fears GOD! The object of fear is most important. It is the child of God who loves the Bible. He becomes “bold as a lion” (PV 28:1). He does not fear “evil tidings” (Ps112:7). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (PV 9:10).

“His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, and his righteousness endures forever”

It is better to leave behind godly children than money in the bank. The descendants of the godly are ‘mighty’. In Hebrew, the word is ‘Gibor’. It means to be a champion, a wealthy man of valor, or a courageous man of war. It is a fact that the children born in homes where both parents are committed Christians have an advantage over other children. They know God’s Word and feel God’s presence. Many of the great men and heroes from all nations come from a Christian background. The blessings upon the descendants are both spiritual and material. God not only gives wealth, but He helps the righteous man to manage his wealth. When riches increase, he does not get proud. He is not deceived by material wealth. He uses it to bless others. In the Old Testament, God’s blessings upon the descendants were counted as the greatest blessings. Both God and His child have something in common: Their “righteousness endures forever” (Ps111:3). God uses this man to do good things that are rewarded eternally. God takes care of his needs and protects his legacy. “The memory of the righteous is blessed” (PV10:7). This is a mystery, how, for a long time, people remember the godly with love in their hearts!!! Selah!

“Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous”

Most men admire the sunsets, but few wake up early enough to see the sun rising. Each sunrise testifies to light’s victory over darkness. God promises to reveal His truth and light to the righteous man. In all circumstances, during attacks of the enemy, sickness, persecution, bereavement, or loneliness, the Christian has hope and peace. To him, depression is a foreign language and confusion is a stranger. He manifests agape love to all, friends or enemies. Pain does not make him rude or selfish. He is always kind to people. God’s light of revelation increases daily. “The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day” (PV 4:18; NIV). The future for the child of God is better than his past or present!

“A good man deals graciously and lends; He will guide his affairs with discretion”

A Christian is good with money!!! Lesson: to have a generous heart you need a good mind. God blesses him materially. He is wise when helping people. He is not wasteful and not greedy. He uses money as a spiritual weapon for blessing others and helping them to be free. He never gives too much and ends in poverty. He never gives too little in such a way that the recipient cannot benefit from his gift. The gift of money mixed with prayer, given by a godly man, is powerful and effectual to help others in their times of need. The lesson we learn in poverty is patience. The lesson we must apply in riches is generosity.

The righteous man is discreet. Discretion is a form of wisdom. It is the skill to behave well, in a quiet humble way, not attracting much attention to yourself. It is freedom of personal choice. You do what you plan to do. None manipulates or intimidates you. You speak and behave in such a way that you do not embarrass yourself or others. Discretion tells you when to say yes and when to say no. Like Jesus said, when doing good, your right hand does not know what your left hand is doing. Discretion is the queen of good behavior. The steward needs discretion when working for his master. He knows the mind of his master. Knowledge or wealth, without discretion, is like a sword in the hand of a mad man. When working for God, Discretion becomes power, protection, and progress in life. Selah!

“Surely, he will never be shaken; The righteous will be in everlasting remembrance. He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; He will not be afraid, Until he sees his desire upon his enemies”

The Righteous man will never be shaken, slip or fall. His testimony is secure. Security is necessary for happiness. His testimony and his memory are protected by God. He is not afraid and does not expect bad news. These may come but he does not welcome them halfway. He is not intimidated or anxious by negative stories. The reason for this strength and peace is total faith in God. His heart is steadfast, prepared, made ready for any possibility. The word ‘steadfast’ means to be like a nail, firm in its place, staying in one position for a long time, constant, and not changing suddenly. His heart is established in the Lord.  To be ‘established’ means to be strong and confident; to have a deep foundation, like a house built on the Rock or be like a tree planted by the river. To be established means to be approved and honored by people as the right person in the right place. This man cannot be uprooted or fired from his place. He increases in strength, wisdom and resources. It never gets weaker. He is fearless, strong and courageous. He is a pillar in God’s house. He perseveres in battles until he sees his desire upon his enemies. Because he is a man of grace, his desire is that his enemies repent and surrender to Christ. He does not take pleasure in private revenge. But if the wicked continue in their evil way, the godly man will witness their downfall.

“He has dispersed abroad; He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor”

God blesses the righteous man with material blesses. This man is not selfish. He loves to share with others, especially with those who are in need. His generosity is a matter of principle. He gives out of a deep well of agape love expecting nothing in return from men but trusting God for His reward. This man is our hero. Everything he does has eternal value. His reputation as a servant of God is approved by God and cannot be damaged by evil people. His memory is blessed! The horn of an animal is a symbol of power. It is a container filled with olive oil, to anoint kings and priests. It is a trumpet that sounds the victory sound. The horn is like a bank, filled with gold. The horn is also a sign of maturity. The mature Christian shall be honored by all for his spiritual strength, consecration and resources.

“The wicked will see it and be grieved; He will gnash his teeth and melt away; The desire of the wicked shall perish”

After describing the righteous man, we are reminded that not all men are like him. In this world, there are evil people who take pleasure in hurting others. Like their master, the devil, they desire to steal, kill, and destroy. But their evil plans are powerless against the righteous. The wicked see the righteous blessed and envy them. But the same wicked cannot see their own desires fulfilled. God knows all men. God rewards all men according to their works. This is a reminder that there is a final judgment and a hell. May we examine ourselves. May we be found in the Kingdom of God, where there is Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit, and eternal life in Christ alone! Amen!

THE SUCCESS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Over the years, God sent prophets who told the people of Israel that one day, the Messiah King will come. Great kingdoms like Babylon, Persia, and Greece, rose and fell. They all played a part in the history of mankind. But God decided to send Jesus during the time of the Roman Empire. Though not perfect, it was the best model to understand God’s Kingdom. God never makes mistake. His timing is perfect. The Roman Empire had a King (the Ceasar) who desired good for all the people. He invested much in the economy. There were human rights, safety, peace, and prosperity. The Jews hated the Romans and refused to submit to them. But the truth is that the Romans were fair to the people they conquered. When Jesus spoke about His kingdom, men understood what He was talking about, because they saw examples in the Roman Empire. An Empire is an expansive territory, a group of countries, that are under the control of a single ruler (king).

During its peak, the Roman Empire was the most successful empire. From the time of Augustus, who became the first Roman emperor in 27AD until the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180AD, the Empire expanded and prospered like no other. The empire doubled in size, from Great Britain to the North of Africa. A quarter of the world population belonged to the Roman Empire. New righteous laws were instituted. For example, Augustus decreed that all the soldiers in the Roman army should be paid their pensions not by their military commanders, but directly from the public treasury in Rome. This law made all the soldiers have peace of mind about their retirement and not afraid of manipulation from their senior commanders. Augustus created a governmental system that could investigate and punish corruption found in the governors who exploited their position for personal gain. Once the Roman army conquered a territory, if the local king submitted to Rome, and agreed to pay taxes to Rome, then he will remain in charge of his domain. The people in the conquered territory were treated well. They were not forced to change their customs or their religion. This kind attitude towards kept peace in the Empire.

Augustus destroyed all the oppressors. He killed all the pirates on the Mediterranean Sea. He built big ships and encouraged free trade on the Sea. Under Augustus alone, Rome built 50,000 miles of new roads that eased the movement of troops, information and goods. These roads were well built. Many of them are still used till today. Rome built bridges and ports. Water flowing through Roman aqueducts allowed cities to prosper. The Romans gave citizenship to good locals. Most people learned Latin, took Roman names, changed their hair styles, fashion and customs to be like the Romans. Life was better and happier. Every city had their own amphitheater where they did chariot races. For the first time in the ancient world, the Romans built public baths and toilets. Using a mixture of volcanic ash, lime, and seawater, The Romans were the first to use concrete and built mighty structures. The Colosseum in Rome still stands to this day.

The Roman army was very well organized. This is the first army that trained its soldiers. There was discipline, new improved weapons, and good strategy. For almost 200 years nobody could defeat the Roman army.  At its highest the Roman army was made up of half a million well-trained soldiers. Only men were allowed to be soldiers. A soldier had to be at least 17 years old, and at least 1.6 meters tall. The soldiers trained very hard. They were forced to walk 20 miles daily, rain or shine, using full armor. Any soldier who disobeyed his commander or was found sleeping on duty was punished with severe flogging or even sentenced to death.

Roman society was divided into citizens, non-citizens and slaves. Citizens had many rights, including the right to vote (only male citizens had this right) and the right to a fair trial. Except for treason, the Roman citizens could not be sentenced to death. Non-citizens could earn their citizenship if they achieved something special, such as faithful service in the army. But the life of a slave was difficult. They were considered the property of the family they served and could be beaten for little or no reason. Latin was the main language of the Roman empire. Women, whether citizens or not, had very few rights in Rome. They received a very basic education and were expected to take a traditional role in the household, preparing and cooking meals, making clothes and raising children.

As we have studied the Roman Empire, we deduce that in the Kingdom of God there is economic prosperity, order, discipline, peace, joy, security, justice (sin is punished), hope for greater things, submission to authority, creativity, respect and love among people.   

DESTROYING THE STRONGHOLD OF POVERTY

“How long will you lie there, you sluggard?  When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man” (PV 6:9-11; NIV).

This is a warning given especially to the sluggard. A sluggard is a habitually lazy person, who loves sleep and hates work. In the Bible, poverty is described as an armed robber that attacks you in the night, when you sleep! Do you love sleep? Sleep is a good servant, but a bad master. Do not take sleeping pills! Too much sleep is a sign of sickness, depression or laziness leading to poverty. Do you fear armed men coming to attack you at night? The attack of poverty is worse than an attack with EK47. Poverty is a spiritual bandit. It attacks when you relax too much, when you are not watchful and prayerful (ask Samson, he will tell you..) Once poverty pounces on you, it will chain your feet, your hands, your eyes and your mind. You become its prisoner. It will carry you to its smelly dungeon and steal all your dreams. It will kill the wonder, the romance of your worship. You will not be able to make progress in life. Your hands become too weak to work. Your mind becomes too tired to think well! You become easily bored, restless, blind to opportunities to invest, foolish, fearful, and confused, especially when it comes to financial decisions!

The subject of material prosperity and poverty is something that interests everybody. Right now, I am speaking only to believers in Christ. As children of God, we must have the mind of Christ. We must view everything thru the eyes of Christ, as it is revealed in the Bible. We must avoid and reject the worldly way of preaching prosperity. As Christians, we do not love money and we do not hate money! We love God and hate the devil! This is a fact: There are more ‘poor people’ in this world than the ones called ‘wealthy’. But poverty is relative. A hut in your village may be a palace in my country. Let me be more practical… There is something called ‘poverty mentality’. It is a spiritual evil stronghold in your mind, the devil’s seed, possibly planted in your youth. If you water it with anxiety and doubt, it will become a harvest of lack. Even if you work hard, you will always be in need. Even when you have money, you feel poor. As a child of God, you need to discover this evil plantation, uproot it and destroy it. God’s Word has greater authority than any idea, imagination or theory in your mind! This stronghold affects the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate. It is a spiritual wall that forms a hindrance in your mind when you want to think about material prosperity in life! That is the danger! Selah!

These are some of the characteristics of poverty mentality type of stronghold in the mind:

*You hate spending money. You feel guilty after spending more money than you have planned.

*You think that opportunities to make money are limited. You think that material success is temporary and hard to achieve.

*You are anxious when trying to start a business. You feel it is too risky.

*You stay passive or neutral. When it comes to finances you choose to follow than to lead others to a greater level of prosperity.

*You fear that you’ll never be able to save money.

*You are silently jealous of others who have more money than you.

*You love being on a form of welfare plan and you do not plan to stop it; you love receiving ‘free money’ and ‘palliatives’ from others.

*You daydream about being wealthy, winning the lottery, thinking that one day ‘you’ll hammer’ (Naija) but you can’t visualize it clearly.

*Your mind-set concerning money is to eat and enjoy and not to plant! You are a consumer and not a creator!

*You have an inferiority complex when it comes to your finances.

*You see the world through the lenses of the poor people who hate the rich! For example: If a poor man driving keke enters in front of a car and injures himself, you tend to blame the owner of the car just because he is richer!

*You see wealth as a mysterious stranger who is mocking you from afar! For you to stay poor is more comfortable; The path to stay poor is easier than the ‘wohala’ of struggling to make money!

Let’s pray: “Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for the revelation of the root of this poverty mentality and bondage. We take the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, and we destroy every chain or stronghold binding our minds concerning God’s material blessings. Holy Spirit please take control! Open our eyes to see the freedom and the blessings we have in Christ, as citizens of God’s Kingdom! We destroy all yokes of bondage, all wrong ways of thinking! From this moment on, by the grace of God, we shall make spiritual and natural (visible) progress in life! Our testimony is to the glory of God! The long-waited season of change has come! We arise and shine for the glory of God is risen upon us! Thank You Father God! In Jesus’ name we pray, amen!”  Worship the Lord!

PENTECOST OPENED THE ROYAL ETERNAL TREASURE OF AGAPE LOVE

Before the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, agape love was still a stranger to the apostles. Jesus talked often about Love. He told them about the God the Father’s Love for Him and for them. He talked about His own Love towards them. But it is interesting to observe that not one of the apostles told the Lord: “Jesus, Master, Lord, I love you”. They worshipped and honored Him but could not express their love in words. After the Resurrection, when Jesus met with them on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and prepared breakfast for them, the topic of love was brought again. Jesus wanted to reinstate Peter after his painful backsliding. He did it through Love. Three times Jesus asked Peter: “Peter, do you love me?”. Three times Peter answered Him, “Yes, Lord, You know that I love you”. During the first two questions, Jesus uses the word ‘agape’ for Love. But Peter could not rise to that level. He answered using the word “phileo”, which is a friendly type of love, a lower level of love. The third time, Jesus lowers Himself to the level of Peter. Like him, Jesus uses the word “Phileo”. Peter is grieved, hurt, sad, that Jesus is still asking about love. Sadly, Peter answered saying “Lord, I love You” still using the Greek word “Phileo” (Jn 21:15-17). Lesson: to love with agape love, you need to be born again and Spirit filled! Selah!

How does Jesus restore a backslider? How does Jesus disciples a weak believer who has failed in his commitment? Three times Jesus asks Peter about Love. “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come!” (1Cor 16:22). Lacking Love is a curse. Love is the way to disciple a believer and to help him repent! Love never fails! Love is the greatest!

Here you see that even the great Apostle Peter could not rise to the heights or Agape Love before the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit came as Wind and Fire. The Wind separates the wheat from the chaff. The Fire burns the chaff. In Greek, the Word used for Holy Spirit is ‘Paraclete’. The word ‘para’ means ‘to be beside’. The word ‘kaleo’ means to call or to come to your side. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the Christian’s truest and most faithful Companion and Friend, walking beside him, giving him strength, wisdom, comfort, guidance, and encouragement, every moment, especially felt during the challenges of life. Praise the Lord!

The Holy Spirit fills the Christian, helping him to become like Jesus. The Holy Spirit doesn’t bypass the personality. He uses it. He polishes it and transforms it to become a new creation. The mind becomes sharper. The memory (remembering God’s Words) is alive and never fails. Emotions follow the mind. Love manifests as a sound mind. The Holy Spirit makes the Christian zealous, creative, spontaneous, and free. The Holy Spirit brings new thoughts into the mind. The believer acts on them without advance preparation. He experiences hot, pure and deep emotions for Jesus and for people. The flesh is dead. Each believer becomes unique. None imitates the others. Only the Holy Spirit can create such original, unique people. They manifest an unquenchable, untiring love for others. Love does not wait for the recipient to appreciate it. Love is not tiring to love. Before Pentecost, the disciples were not capable of loving with such profound intensity. Their souls could not contain such fire. After they got filled with the Holy Spirit, their very souls were given strength and protection to contain this fire of agape love. Like the burning bush, they burn, but are not consumed. This is a miracle. Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (41)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (9)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; Matt 13: 47-52; Acts 5:12-32

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

Question: what is the difference between human genuine love and agape love? Human love can be as strong as death. Many unbelievers have loved others and sacrificed their lives for them. But there is a vital difference between human and agape love manifested by the child of God.

*The Source of Agape love is found in the Cross. Christ died for me. He loved me first. Therefore, I love others. Human love is based on the flesh, on emotions, which can fail anytime.

*The Power to sustain Agape Love is through the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s heart. It never fails. Human love is sustained by emotions and personal commitments which can fail anytime.

*The Goal of Agape Love is to give glory to God. It is heavenly. The goal of human love is to make humanity ‘a better place’. The goal is earthly.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! The concept of the Kingdom has almost been lost. Most people do not understand the authority of the King in his domain, and the blessings of the subjects. This is because most countries have other types of government: democracy, communism, or dictatorship. God invented the concept of Kingdom so that it is easier for us understand His plan and purpose for men.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:26-28). God created the human beings to populate the earth. He created them male and female. He created them in His own image and likeness. God gave them ‘dominion’ over all the animals. The word ‘dominion’ is a Kingdom Word. It means to have sovereign authority, absolute power to rule, to control or master another. Even at creation, before sin entered, God’s plan and purpose for them was to be kings in their domain, to be royal priesthood in Christ. Man was to rule and reign over all the animals, but not over one another. When Adam sinned, he lost a Kingdom. Jesus came to live and die, to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He is now the King of kings! What makes the Kingdom of God different from any other kingdom, is that all its citizens (subjects) are the relatives of the King, and they are all kings themselves! What a privilege to be the royal priesthood in Christ!!! Glory!

The word ‘Kingdom’ comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He did it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and dress, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior, something small, narrow, and negative. It is a grand concept, fit for the King of kings to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit must give you the revelation! Selah!

“O kingdom of God, of everlasting blessedness, where youth never grow old, where beauty never fades, where love never waxes cold, where health never fails, where joy never decreases, where life never ends!” (St. Augustine, 354-430, AD)

THE PARABLES OF THE GREAT DRAGNET AND THE HOUSEHOLDER (Matt 13:47-52)

Parables are little stories that illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. The human brain is wired in a such a way that we remember a little story easier than if someone argues with us or preaches just moral principles. Jesus used parables a lot, to reveal and to hide truth.

The parable of the great dragness is a warning parable of Jesus. God’s Kingdom is like a big dragnet cast into the sea. The net has weights on its borders to go deep and rest at the bottom of the sea. There are at least 24 types of fish in the Sea of Galilee. If you want to catch a particular type of fish, you use a special bait. But this dragnet catches all types of fish. Some fish were good, and others were bad, some clean and others unclean, some alive and others dead. The fishers drew the full net to the shores. They then separated the good fish from the bad. The good fish were gathered into vessels, for the pleasure of the Master who made the sea and sent His workers to cast and drag the net. The bad fish was destroyed, The preaching of the Gospel is the great net. Jesus said: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt 4:19). This command was to make the disciples evangelists. The parable of the net is a judgment parable! Selah!

The sea represents the world, humanity in general. “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues… 18 And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth” (Rev17:15,18). The great harlot called Babylon the Great, is a symbol for the devil, who reigns over the kings of this earth. Once the King’s servants preach Christ crucified and resurrected, many people, good and bad, ‘enter’ its net. Many people are attracted by the Good news of Salvation. They become members of the visible church. The kings of the earth who are under the devil see that Jesus won the battle and now surrender to Him. Jesus is the King of kings. Amen! The truth is that all men are born sinners. They all need salvation. None is good. But in this parable, men are divided in ‘good and bad’ according to their reaction to truth. The good ones, hearing the Gospel, humble themselves, repent and totally surrender to King Jesus. They now become ‘just’. The bad ones are the religious unbelievers. They too are attracted by the offer of salvation in Christ. But they refuse to repent. They do not change. They do not love. They are hypocrites. From being bad, they now become ‘wicked’. The net is not pulled in until it is full. This parable is talking about the future judgment at the end of the age.

This work is seen especially ‘at the end of the age’. Like wheat and tares, the good and the bad stay together for a time. But when the angels separate the people, it becomes clearer who is good and who is bad. The light of God shines on all. The bad ones cannot hide anymore. They will publicly insult God, Christ, the Bible and leaders of His Church. There will be many surprises. Not all who are members of the visible church are citizens of God’s Kingdom. The revelation of the kingdom of heaven forces individuals out into the open, where they manifest for what they really are. The radical truth of the gospel is like a net passing through the restless humanity. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the ultimate reality, the fundamental secret of life eternal. Whoever is caught in the net of truth is forced to declare himself out into the open to reveal whether he is bad or good. You can see this process in your own experience, or in the record of church history. The gospel has this radical character about it. It separates people into two groups: the saved and the lost. Selah!

Jesus said that this separation of the just from the wicked will be accomplished by the angels. This work is not done by men because men can be deceived. The angels are the soldiers protecting the boundaries and the citizens of God’s Kingdom. Angels are always active, but most of the time their activity has been behind the scenes. Some things happen in our lives which cannot be explained by common sense. Miracles are often a manifestation of some kind of angelic activity. This will increase at the end of the age. Increasingly, we will see in the church people divided into either evil or good. It will become plain to all. As we draw near the end of the age, evil will become more and more difficult to hide. It is going to be harder to pretend to be a Christian. People will no longer be able to hide behind some form of outward religious righteousness. Exposing the bad is to destroy them and allowing the good to remain for the harvest of God.

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats” (Matt25:31,32). Here you see King Jesus sitting on His throne. The holy angels who separated the wicked from the good are with Him. He separates the people as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. The ones who welcomed Him into their hearts and lives are blessed. Those who rejected Him are cursed and sent to hell fire. Once again, we must listen to Jesus’ words and the warnings of Scripture. If there is no judgment, then there is no need for salvation. That would mean that many of the wicked in this life would get away with their wickedness and it means we live in an unjust world. But God’s kingdom is a kingdom of justice, and so, yes, there is a day of judgment coming. Selah!

Remember the parables are designed both to conceal and reveal. The parables are meant to conceal the truth from those whose hearts are hardened towards God. And they are meant to reveal spiritual truth to those whose hearts are open towards God. This revelation is a warning. A day of reckoning will come in which God will separate the true believers from mere pretenders, and those found to be false will be cast into hell.  Weeping speaks of remorse and sorrow; gnashing of teeth speaks of frustration, torment, and anger. Jesus is speaking!

From this parable we understand that God’s Kingdom has two components: a visible and an invisible one. It gathers within it not only true subjects of the kingdom but also others like Judas, Ananias, Sapphira, Demas, and others who were in the Kingdom, but the Kingdom is not in them. The visible church is still a mixed multitude. There are essentially two separations in this parable: the first is by the net and the second is on the shore. The good fish are those who were once sinners (bad fish in the sea) but had faith in Christ and God justified them. The bad fish rejected Christ in the sea and on the shore. As faithful, holy, and spiritual beings, the angels will separate the good from the bad. Swiftly and exactly, they will separate men according to God’s standard. What a perfect separation that will be! Not one wicked person will make it into heaven; not one of God’s saved people will accidentally be lost in hell. None can beg the angels! All that matters is what orders the Lord has given to the angels, and Christ is revealing that to us here. At the final judgment truth shall be seen!

After Jesus died and resurrected, He told them: “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 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” (Matt 28:17-20). They knew that their work is to preach the Gospel and to teach the Bible. Bible teachers and preachers are blessed! We must teach men the commandments of King Jesus and how to obey them. This is the great commission to make disciples and obedient citizens of the Kingdom. The presence of King Jesus with us, to the end of the world is our only protection and provision. The presence of King Grace is more than enough for any challenge in life. The Holy Spirit teaches us all that we need to know. He leads us from victory to victory until the end of time. Worship the Lord!

LESSONS:

*There is hell!!! Christ is very graphic while describing hell as a place of torment for both body and soul (Matt 13:50). There will be darkness, fire, suffering, screaming, gnashing of teeth and endless torment. Jesus is Agape Love. He warns us of hell more than anyone!

*There is a final judgment on sin! God is the Judge of all! “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb9:27)

*We must examine ourselves! “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2Cor 13:5, 6).

*We must humble ourselves. We must see ourselves thru the eyes of God, not thru our own opinion. Pay the price to be holy! The Bible makes clear that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord (Heb. 12:14).

After telling the disciples the parable of the great dragnet, Jesus asked them: “Have you understood all these things. They said to Him, “Yes, Lord”. They did not understand all the mysteries of the Kingdom and their work as servants, but they understood enough for now. Then Jesus tells the disciples: “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old”. In the Old Testament, the scribes were godly men who copied, studied, and taught the Bible to their students. The best example is Ezra, who was from the priestly family of Aaron. “Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given… For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:6,10). Jesus said that the scribe who understands the revelation of the Kingdom of God is a Bible teacher. He is like a wealthy ‘householder’, or Master of his house, which is filled with treasures, containing things new and old. In Greek, the word ‘householder’ is ‘despotes’, which is the root of ‘despot’. A despot is a ruler, or a king, who has absolute power in his domain and uses it sometimes in an oppressive way. Jesus is the original Master of the House. All sinners see Jesus as a Tyrant, or a Despot. But God has already decided that all men, good or bad, must bow their knees to Jesus, and worship Him as God King of kings!

Lessons: We are the citizens of God’s Kingdom. We have access to the treasures of the royal palace. We bring these treasures out and share it to men. Whosever receives and surrenders to Christ, will be saved. Whosoever rejects the offer of free salvation, will perish in the fire. The old and new treasures are the revelations of God’s Word. In other words, both the Old Testament and the New Testament are important. They are both the Word of God. The hidden prophecies in the Old Testament, are now made plain by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The ‘old’ scriptures come with fresh power because of the Holy Spirit’s new revelation about Christ and His Kingdom. The newer teachings do not replace the old teachings. Rather the new teachings complete them and fulfill them. Jesus said: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt 5:17) A teacher of the law who only knows the Old Testament can only teach the law. But those who know the New Testament also teach faith in Christ and God’s grace given to us in his Son Jesus. Notice that Jesus puts the new treasures before the old treasures. The ‘New’ comes first because we are New Testament people. Notice the owner doesn’t keep the treasures in the storeroom, but he brings them out for others to see. We are called to share what we learn with others. You learn about God’s kingdom not just for yourself but to share these things with others.

Once you witness revelation upon revelation of the scriptures, it is a sign that you have entered the Kingdom of God. When God wants to bless a person, a church or a nation, He starts to release new revelations of old truths. The Sower sows the seed into the ground and expects a harvest. But here, the Lord says that we should not sow into the ground but ‘bring out’ from the treasure of God’s House and sow into others. By sharing revelations of God’s Word, you don’t waste them. You invest them into souls for the increase of God’s Kingdom. You become like a tree of life for many. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise” (PV11:30). By preaching and teaching God’s Word, you plant treasures into others. By paying the price to have fresh revelations of old truths, you open savings accounts in heaven, for you and for others. You tap into the realm of eternal riches of God’s glory that no money can buy. Glory!

Lessons taken from the parable of the net: All people hear the Gospel. God knows your heart. There is a judgment ahead. God will judge all people by their response to the Gospel. None can hide. None can escape. Jesus is coming again. When He comes, this world will end. God’s great dragnet will sweep through the earth, and none will escape. All people great and small will stand before the throne and be judged according to their works (Rev 20:11-15). The punishment for sin will be serious and severe. Those who reject Jesus will experience eternal pain, mourning and regret. Only those whose names are found written in the Lamb’s book of life will be saved. And so, now is the time to make your decision about Jesus. It will be too late after you die or after Jesus returns. Now is the time for salvation. When Jesus returns, that will be the time for judgment. Have you trusted Jesus for salvation? If not, I urge you, I encourage you, I invite you, I welcome you – come to Jesus today. He loves you. He died for you. He is waiting for you. What are you waiting for?

CHRIST, THE PRINCE! (Ac 5:12-32)

This is a wonderful scene in the early church. It shows us the power of the Holy Spirit manifested through the disciples. They were arrested for teaching the people that Jesus is the Savior and the Prince (King) of His Kingdom. The Religious rulers hated this message because it exposed them as fake. They believed they are the saviors and princes of Israel. They put the apostles in prison. But an angel freed them telling them to continue to teach the Gospel. Their deliverance was a miracle. The angel could not preach. Preaching is the privilege of saints. The angel commanded them to continue teaching the people about Jesus. The religious rulers arrested them and warned them not to teach in the name of Jesus. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly declared that they must obey God (and His angel) rather than men. He accused them directly of killing Jesus by ‘hanging Him on a tree’ (a poetic expression referring to crucifixion). He said that Jehovah God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand to be Prince and Savior. In His name, the people of Israel must repent of sins. Peter declared that they were witnesses to these facts, together with the Holy Spirit who came in the name of Jesus.

Here you see the citizens of two kingdoms opposing each other. The kingdom of this world, whose prince is the devil, was represented by religious rulers. On the other side, the Kingdom of God, whose Prince is Jesus Christ, was represented by Peter and the disciples. Face to face, two kingdoms and two ways of life, temporal and eternal, human and divine. It is the battle between death and life, law and grace, darkness and light, bondage to sin and freedom in Christ. Here you see side by side human history and God’s history. When Jesus was born, most of the people in Jerusalem ignored that event. For them, Jesus was a small baby born to a poor couple. But in the history of God, the King of kings was born on earth. God was introducing His own Kingdom un the midst of the kingdoms of this earth. Herod, the fake king of the Jews panicked. He killed many children just to kill baby Jesus. But He failed to do so. Jesus came to live and die, to be Savior and Prince to those who will believe in Him. Those like Herod who reject Him, will die eternal death.

Study the citizens of both Kingdoms, as they confront each other. Peter and the rest of the apostles were ready to die for their King. They could not stop praising Jesus and continued to teach all people that Jesus is Savior and Prince. But the Pharisees are spiritually blind, proud, stubborn, and foolish men. Everyone in Jerusalem knew that a man called Jesus, who did many miracles, who declared that He is the Son of God, and King in his Kingdom, was crucified between two thieves. These were facts, not stories. But the religious rulers refused to face the facts. They did not know how the cripple man was healed. They refused to believe in Jesus and in His miracles. Unbelief is proud and willingly blind. After the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., these Pharisees, and Herod dynasty, disappeared from the earth. Selah!

The center of the revelation was Jesus Christ, the King of His Kingdom. The religious rulers rejected Jesus as the Savior of men. They totally ignored Him as the King of kings. Even today, many Christians know and confess Jesus as their Savior. It is true that when you encounter Jesus for the first time, you meet Him as your Savior. But you must press on to have a deeper revelation of Him. They are ignorant that Jesus is much more than the Savior of sinners. Humanly speaking, Jesus came as King, in the lineage of King David. But Jesus is the Son of God. He came as the King of His Kingdom. He came with the authority of heaven. God the Father exalted Him as Savior not only of sinners, but of the whole universe. The creation itself has been affected by the fall of man. The creation itself is waiting to be saved from the ravages of sin and rebellion. The whole creation, visible and invisible, must bow before its Creator, Savior and Prince. This is the purpose and will of God the Father, who “made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth” (Eph 1:9,10; AMP). Christ is the King of God’s Kingdom.

As he was dying, the thief on the Cross, received the revelation that Jesus is not just an innocent victim but the King of His Kingdom. He said: “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Lk 23:42,43). Jesus was beaten almost beyond recognition. But the thief’s eyes got open to see the King in His glory and beauty! Hallelujah!

“The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself…” (Deut 28:9). This is the promise of God: if you diligently obey God’s Word, He will establish you as a holy godly) person. Selah! To establish it means to have a strong foundation, or deep roots. It speaks of being strong and enduring any storm of life. To establish it means to be recognized and admired by all as successful. It means that your life and memory will continue for a long time. As Christ is the King of His kingdom, so the child of God becomes established in His name! Glory!

Everything and everyone, in heaven and on earth, must bow to Him. Jesus Christ is the only Person who can successfully rule all things and keep order and peace in the whole universe. No other is qualified to be the King of kings! Christ alone has the right to be called Prince! He alone can write His Law in people’s hearts. He alone has the authority to call sinners saying: “Follow Me”, and they follow. He alone promised to build His church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. All civilizations, empires and kingdoms of men, can only force men to bow by force. Christ alone makes men bow by the power of His Love. One day, Jesus will come back again, to destroy what He has defeated. All men will see Him seated on the throne. All men shall be judged by Him. King Jesus shall rule forever! “Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice” (Isa 32:1). Worship the Lord!

‘Crown Him with many crowns,

the Lamb upon His throne.

Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns

all music but its own.

Awake, my soul, and sing

of Him who died for thee,

and hail Him as thy matchless King

through all eternity!’ (M. Bridges)

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (40)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (8)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; Col 1:13, 14; AMP; Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 18:15-17; 1Sam 3:1-21;

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! The concept of the Kingdom has almost been lost. Most people do not understand the authority of the King in his domain, and the blessings of the subjects. This is because most countries have other types of government: democracy, communism, or dictatorship. God invented the concept of Kingdom so that it is easier for us understand His plan and purpose for men.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:26-28). God created the human beings to populate the earth. He created them male and female. He created them in His own image and likeness. God gave them ‘dominion’ over all the animals. The word ‘dominion’ is a Kingdom Word. It means to have sovereign authority, absolute power to rule, to control or master another. Even at creation, before sin entered, God’s plan and purpose for them was to be kings in their domain, to be royal priesthood in Christ. Man was to rule and reign over all the animals, but not over one another. When Adam sinned, he lost a Kingdom. Jesus came to live and die, to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He is now the King of kings! What makes the Kingdom of God different from any other kingdom, is that all its citizens (subjects) are the relatives of the King, and they are all kings themselves! What a privilege to be the royal priesthood in Christ!!! Glory!

The word ‘Kingdom’ comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He did it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and dress, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior, something small, narrow, and negative. It is a grand concept, fit for the King of kings to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit must give you the revelation! Selah!

TRANSFERRED UNTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty]” (Col 1:13, 14; AMP).

All believers in Christ are ‘rescued’

 and ‘transferred’ (or ‘translated’) people. In Greek, the word ‘rescued’ means to deliver from danger or destruction; to drag away a victim from fire or from lion’s mouth. The word ‘transferred’ means to translate, to carry away from one place to another, to relocate. It is a picture of refugees who ran from war zones and were given new land to settle. We are not just saved from the prison of sin but given a new home in the land of liberty. These two actions are different, but they go together. Jesus saved us from the ghettos of the world and gave us a home in His Kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Now, our Savior is our King. A new behavior is now expected from us. All God’s children are prepared for heaven while they live on earth. This preparation is called imparted righteousness or sanctification. Once, we were slaves to the devil. We have been bought by King Jesus from the slave sin market. This purchase was made with His Blood shed on the Cross. Now, we are the willing subjects and lovers of King Jesus. We are in the Kingdom of God’s Beloved Son (or the Son of His Love, or the Son on whom His Love rests). Agape Love is the power engine for both the rescue, the settlement, and the growing in grace in the Kingdom of God. Words are not enough to praise God for this great salvation. Praise the Lord!

As believers, we have been carried away by the Lord Jesus Christ, from the power of darkness into the Kingdom of God, to receive a new identity, standing, and status before God. The power of darkness refers to the devil and the demons. The devil does not really have a kingdom. It is an illegal Kingdom. God’s judgment upon Babylon, the Prostitute, Jezebel, the so called ‘queen of the world’, is sure: “Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For you shall no longer be called The Lady of Kingdoms” (Is 47:5). The powers of darkness are totally defeated at the Cross. But God allows them to still manifest for a time. They will be destroyed at the second coming of Christ. The power of darkness manifests as bondage to sin, sickness, suffering and death. As sinners, we could not

deliver ourselves from these unbreakable chains. Jesus had to die on the Cross to set us free. Glory to the Lamb upon the throne!

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1Pet 2:9). The word ‘marvelous’ means something to wonder at.

The Kingdom of God is a real Kingdom. It is the spiritual domain where God’s rule and law is obeyed and where God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is the supreme King. A kingdom is not made of random people. Like the members of the body, all the citizens of God’s Kingdom are part of the Kingdom. They all worship and love their King. Each believer is connected directly to King Jesus and connected to the other believers. It is an unbreakable holy network. This connection is based on love, which is the first commandment in the Kingdom. All citizens gladly submit to King Jesus and to one other another. This submission is also powered by agape Love for Jesus. Love is the proof that we fear and honor God the Father. We are “submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph 5:21). Selah!

THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matt 18:1-5).

“Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to Him and said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 17 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it” (Lk 18:15-17).

King Jesus describes the character necessary to receive ‘entry visa’ into the Kingdom of God. “You must be born again!” (Jn 3:3). To be born again it means to become ‘like a child’. What is the meaning of that? Great teacher Nicodemus did not understand this word. To be ‘like a child’ describes not only a citizen of the Kingdom, but also a leader among men in that Kingdom. In the world, if you ask people, who is the greatest in a family, a community, or in a church, they will bring out the most handsome, best educated, best speaker, best dressed man among them. Remember that men look at “the outward appearance but God looks at the heart” (1Sam 16:7).

The words ‘child or children’ appear almost 2000 times in the Bible. Adam and Eve never had a childhood. Adam was made a perfect man and Eve was made a perfect woman by God. To be a parent, is a gift from God. God loves and protects all children. Ruben warned his brothers when they decided to kill Joseph. He said: “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us” (Gen 42:22). Jesus’ warning against pedophiles is terrifying. He said: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matt 18:6).  Children are God’s gift and reward. “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth” (Ps127:3,4). For the Jewish women, barrenness was seen as punishment from God. In Israel, the boys and the girls were taken care and educated by their mothers. As they grew, the girls continued to stay in the house. The mother would teach her daughters until they got married. After the boys grow a little, they will be trained by their fathers. The children grew to love their parents, especially their mothers.

Observe what King Jesus is doing: the disciples were struggling for positions of authority in the Kingdom. Each thought that he was more qualified than the others to lead. Then Jesus called a little child and ‘set him in the midst’ of the disciples. He was not a special child, well dressed, well mannered, who was the best in his class or in the synagogue. No! He was an ‘ordinary’ child, playing around. I imagine that his clothes were dirty, his fingernails not clean, his nose was running… He was just a child. Jesus says that this child is a type of the greatest citizen in His Kingdom. The disciples looked at the children as having low social significance, low value. They thought that Jesus should not waste His precious time with the children. But Jesus corrected them. He told the disciples that the children represent the citizens and the ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. What did He have in mind? What are the attributes of a child?

*First, a child is just a child. He is natural, open-minded. He has nothing to hide. He is curious. He asks questions. A child simply loves you. A child loves to dream, to imagine things. A child is creative. A child does not pretend. He is not a hypocrite, not a traitor or a seducer. He is born a sinner. That is true. A child learns to behave badly to survive in the world of sinners as he is growing up. But a little child has the innocence of mind and heart, that reminds us of God. A child is poor in spirit; therefore, theirs is the Kingdom of God.

*Children have joy. They are happy with little things. They are happy because they are not anxious about the cares of this world.

*Children have faith. They tend to trust others and become influenced by them. They are not bitter. They do not doubt any good person they meet. They trust the adults. Children are fearless. If the father or mother tells his child ‘jump into my arms’, he jumps.

*Children have hope that the future is better than the present. They came to Jesus expecting good. They were not disappointed.

*Children are humble. They know that they are little in size. Their power is limited. They know that they are vulnerable. Their hands are empty as those of a beggar. That is why Jesus can take them by hand of give them gifts.

*Children do not get tired of playing. They are a symbol of Christians who persevere. We do not get tired of praying and praising Jesus.

*Children do not discriminate. Study the behavior of people. Adults behave differently according to their culture. But all children, all over the world, behave in the same way.

*Children are teachable. A child’s character can be molded to become a good person. They desire to change for the better. Two things influence us in life. One is hereditary and the second is the environment. Between the two, the environment is stronger. Take a child from the ghetto. Train him with love and care, and he will become a good person. Many of the adopted children in Christian families prove this fact. Adults change much slower than children. A child changes faster! A child can improve his behavior!

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Lk 10:19). Jesus delegated His authority to His ambassadors who were like children. This is hard for us to understand. Remember that once a child becomes born again, his eyes are opened to the reality of God’s Kingdom. He can pray and worship God even better than the adults. They are filled with the same Holy Spriit. There is nothing like ‘mini’ Holy Spirit. In Christ, there is no male nor female. Also, there is no adult, no child. We are all one in Christ! Never look down on a child! Pray for him!

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1Cor13:11,12). Children are immature in their understanding of life. Thru the study of the Bible, prayer and mentoring of the parents, they become spiritually mature. God invented marriage. God created men and women to have children. Often, the children are wiser than the adults. A child can lead his parents to the Lord. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them” (Isa 11:6). When King Jesus entered Jerusalem, the religious men withdrew. But the children joyfully praised Him. When adults were blind, the children saw the glory in King Jesus and openly praised Him. “But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?” (Matt21:15,16). Glory to God!

Jesus did not say that we should be childish or foolish. He said we should be ‘child-like’. A childish spirit is selfish, unloving, impatient, cruel, demanding and vengeful, but a child-like spirit is kind, gentle and forgiving. God doesn’t tell us to be childish, immature men. Too many men are boys in a man’s body. They are terrible as friends, husbands (or wives). God teaches us to be like little children when we are adults. The Holy Spirit is not childish. Children lose their trust in their parents when they see adults behaving like them. Some sins hinder this desire to please Jesus, to have a child-like attitude: bitterness, anger, doubt, unforgiveness, hypocrisy, anxiety, and hardness of heart. These strongholds are common among religious people. May God deliver us! May we never lose our wonder of King Jesus!

“Old men and old women shall again sit In the streets of Jerusalem, Each one with his staff in his hand Because of great age. 5 The streets of the city Shall be full of boys and girls Playing in its streets” (Zech 8:4, 5). This is a prophetic picture of God’s Kingdom. Families are united and happy. There is a sweet unity between the generations. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Children are not hiding in the house. They are not afraid to play in the streets. There is righteousness, peace and joy in the city. This is a picture of revival. May it come, Lord!

GOD SPEAKS TO CHILDREN AND USES THEM IN HIS KINGDOM (1Sam 3:1-21)

This is the story of God’s calling the boy Samuel to prophetic ministry. Samuel may now be about 8-10 years old. God calls Samuel four times before He can speak to him. Samuel did not know God’s voice. It means that Eli the priest was not a good teacher. He did not tell Samuel that God can speak to children like him. Why? Because like many adults, Eli himself did not believe that God can speak to children. Hannah left her first son at the temple so that he can learn how to serve God. But Eli was not a good father or mentor. This is a warning to all parents and pastors! God Himself came and ‘stood’ by Samuel to speak to him. This is wonderful!

At that time, In Israel, religion was strong. But religion was mixed with immorality. At the same time, there was no revelation of God’s Word. There was spiritual darkness over the land. But little Samuel loved God and His Word. That is why God speaks to him. God is patient with Samuel when He sees that he does not understand His voice. This is God’s Grace! This is Agape Love. Samuel loves Eli. The first time God spoke, Samuel ran to Eli. He thought it was Eli speaking. After God spoke His judgment upon the house of Eli, Samuel waited until morning before telling Eli the painful news. Lesson: it is not easy to preach the truth, God’s judgment on sin. God trusts small boy Samuel with preaching His Word when even adults fear to do that. Lesson: God always judges sin! God speaks to those who love His Word! God spoke to Moses only when ‘he turned away from the flock to look” (Ex 3:4: AMP). God’s Word brings revival to the nation.

Finally, the boy Samuel is a wonderful example of what it means to be child-like, a citizen and leader in the Kingdom of God. When God spoke to him, he immediately answered “Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears” (1Sam 3:10). May our hearts and ears be open to God. Day or night, may we listen to God’s voice! May we trust and obey God! May we preach the truth is love, even when it is uncomfortable. May we love God’s Word! May God use us to ignite revival in the church and in the nation! In Jesus’ name, amen! Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (39)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (7)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; John 11:1-48;

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! The concept of the Kingdom has almost been lost. Most people do not understand the authority of the King in his domain, and the blessings of the subjects. This is because most countries have other types of government: democracy, communism, or dictatorship. God invented the concept of Kingdom so that it is easier for us understand His plan and purpose for men.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:26-28). God created the human beings to populate the earth. He created them male and female. He created them in His own image and likeness. God gave them ‘dominion’ over all the animals. The word ‘dominion’ is a Kingdom Word. It means to have sovereign authority, absolute power to rule, to control or master another. Even at creation, before sin entered, God’s plan and purpose for them was to be kings in their domain, to be royal priesthood in Christ. Man was to rule and reign over all the animals, but not over one another. When Adam sinned, he lost a Kingdom. Jesus came to live and die, to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He is now the King of kings! What makes the Kingdom of God different from any other kingdom, is that all its citizens (subjects) are the relatives of the King, and they are all kings themselves! What a privilege to be the royal priesthood in Christ!!! Glory!

The word ‘Kingdom’ comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He did it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and dress, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior, something small, narrow, and negative. It is a grand concept, fit for the King of kings to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit must give you the revelation! Selah!

JESUS IS THE KING OF KINGS

Immediately after Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan, He started preaching. “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 4:17). This is the first royal command: Repent! Why? Because the Kingdom of heaven is at hand! The words ‘at hand’ mean ‘coming close, it is near’. Jesus commands all men to repent! In Greek, the word ‘repent’ means to think again, re-consider, think differently. Repentance applies to sins or to a wrong course of action. To repent it means that you stop going the wrong way, you turn around (180 degrees) and you now move on a new path. It is a matter of re-thinking. Jesus commands this repentance in connection with the Kingdom of God. He knows that we have a wrong concept of Him as the King in His Kingdom. Until we understand God’s purpose of establishing His Kingdom on earth, and setting His Son as King, we have not repented yet. Selah!

God created Adam and Eve in His own image and likeness. He created Adam as man and as king. It was the same with Eve. Both were kings and ambassadors of heaven to earth. God gave them ‘dominion’ over His creation (Gen 1:26-28). ‘Dominion’ is a Kingdom word. They had control or dominion over all the animals God has created. The devil deceived Eve by saying that if she eats from the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, she will become ‘like God’ (Gen 3:5). But she and Adam were already ‘like God’. Her ignorance of her identity was the cause of her fall. She obeyed the serpent, the devil. Adam also disobeyed God’s command. This is how sin entered humanity. When Adam fell, he lost not only his fellowship with God, his place in the garden, but also his crown and throne as king before God. That was a major tragic loss. As a sinner, he now became ‘an ordinary man’. He sold his crown to the devil who now became ‘royalty’ on earth in Adam’s place. Our Lord Jesus recognized this and called the devil ‘the ruler or the prince of this world’. “Now judgment is upon this world [the sentence is being passed]. Now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out… I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of the world (Satan) is coming. And he has no claim on Me [no power over Me nor anything that he can use against Me]… about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned” (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). It is painful to see that Jesus calls the devil ‘ruler or prince’ of this world. He deceived Adam to gain this title and position. We see that Jesus respects the fake authority of the devil. Jesus became Man to confront and defeat the ruler of this world. By His death on the Cross, Jesus exposed the devil and his wickedness. By shedding His Blood on the Cross Jesus set free the devil’s prisoners. Salvation is by grace alone, thru faith alone in Jesus Christ alone! To the glory of God alone!

The sinner is commanded to repent from submitting and loving Satan, his master and king. He must forsake his place as a citizen of the kingdom of darkness and come to the Kingdom of God, and of light. When Jesus became Man, He came as the King of His Kingdom. That was His main identity. The Angel told Mary that she will have a son who will be a king on the lineage of David. “Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:30-33). Mary believed that her son called Jesus will be a King whose Kingdom will never end.

When the wise men came to see baby Jesus, they did not see Him as Priest or Prophet. They saw Him as King in His domain. They asked: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (Matt 2:2). They brought Him gifts fit for a King. That is why king Herod panicked and wanted Jesus dead. Jesus came to earth as the King to redeem the kingdom lost by Adam. He fought and defeated the fake evil king, Satan. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1Jn 3:8). Jesus died on behalf of sinners. He took from the devil the keys of life and death. He also took from the devil the throne, crown, and scepter he stole from Adam. Lesson: Once you become born again, your soul is eternally saved.  You also take your position as king and priest unto God. This redemption of our souls and our royal identity in Christ was paid with the Blood of Jesus. King Jesus died to save the other kings. This is the greatest manifestation of Agape Love!

This is the revelation given to Apostle John: “John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 6 and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev 1:4-6). Glory!

Lesson: Because we are selfish, we tend to focus too much on the ministry of Jesus as OUR Savior. We forget that our Savior is not an ordinary Man. He is the King of His Kingdom. Once saved by Jesus, we must bow before Him! Salvation leads to worship! If not, you are not saved! Selah!

THE PERFECT KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of God is a unique Kingdom. Jesus Christ is the eternal King seated on His Throne. It is God’s decree to ordain and appoint His Son to be King in His domain. Men did not vote for Jesus to be king. Men can never vote to remove Jesus from His Throne. His reign is everlasting. “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom” (Ps 45:6). Hallelujah! The Kingdom of God is made of citizens who are all kings and the King’s relatives. Jesus is the King of kings. The Church is the Bride of Christ, and the center of God’s Kingdom. King Jesus takes care of all His subjects. In God’s Kingdom, in the Spirit realm, there are hospitals, police, schools, leaders, administrators, and ambassadors. The citizens have faith that their King died and rose again to save their souls, restore their identity and heal their bodies. “By your stripes we are healed!”, they proclaim! The King provides for all the needs of the citizens. “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). King Jesus is not an oppressor. He is a King Shepherd. “The LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want” (Ps 23:1; AMP). In the Kingdom all the citizens go to school. The Holy Spirit is their Teacher. King Jesus said: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (Jn 14:26).

The citizens pay tax so that the Kingdom’s work is financed on the earth. That tax is called ‘tithe’. Paying the tax is a Law in the Kingdom. It is a form of honor and worship to the King. The King rewards those who pay their taxes. “Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine” (PV 3:9,10). The Kingdom has a prosperous economy. The Law of planting and reaping works in the Kingdom. “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7). “Now [remember] this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to others] will also reap generously [and be blessed]” (2Cor 9:6). The Kingdom has leaders, who are the under shepherds, appointed by King Jesus. These are the leaders in the church. The Kingdom also has ambassadors who proclaim to other nations the glory of their King. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20). By pushing away the forces of darkness, the borders of the Kingdom increase every day. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa 9:6,7). Glory to the King of kings!

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND MONARCHY

King Jesus commanded that we should “Repent!” in our mindset about His Kingdom. Most people today live in democratic countries. That is why it is hard for them to imagine God’s Kingdom. We need to repent from our understanding of Jesus as King in His domain.  

*In a democratic country the people vote and choose their rulers through elections. In a monarchy the king (or the queen) is installed when his (her) father (mother queen) dies. The people do not vote for their king. The pattern of ‘democracy’ was invented by the Greek Philosophers. In Greek, the word ‘democracy’ means ‘the rule of the people’. The word ‘monarchy’ means ‘alone’ or ‘one ruler’.

In a democracy, the laws are written in a Constitution. All the leaders and all the people must submit to the Constitution. In an absolute Monarchy, there is no constitution. The word of the King is the law in that country. In a democracy, the people have the right to free speech. They can criticize their president or their leaders. They can ask that laws should be amended. The leaders are accountable to the people who voted them into their positions. In a monarchy, the people do not have the right to criticize the king. The king is above the law. In a democracy, civil rights, equal opportunities concerning jobs and other social benefits regardless of race or religion are granted by the state. In a monarchy, civil rights are not granted to the people. There is no freedom of speech or religion. What the King wants, that is what everyone does. The King can discriminate against people. He gives gifts and rewards to whom He pleases. The people cannot complain. For now, Democracy is regarded are the most favored type of government. There are about 100 democratic countries in the world. For example, USA, France, India, Nigeria are democratic countries. Because of the lack of freedom of speech, monarchy is not liked by most people in the world. There are 43 sovereign states in the world that have a king (or queen) as head of state. Among them are The United Kingdom, Saudia Arabia, United Emirates, Thailand, Jordan and others. For example, in Thailand, whoever, insults or threatens the King, the Queen, or the Heir-apparent, shall be punished with imprisonment of three to fifteen years!

Jesus said that we must repent from the mindset of democracy to understand the value, authority, and power of the Kingdom of God. This repentance is not an easy process. At the Cross, the wisdom of men proved to be foolishness. “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.” 20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Cor 1:18-25). May our eyes be open to see the King in His beauty, power and glory! Amen!

KING JESUS IS THE MIRACLE PROVIDER 

If you study the life of King Jesus, you discover that He did many miracles. He healed and provided for the needs of many people. His miracles are a sign that the Kingdom of God is supernatural. Faith in the God of miracles is part of the Kingdom mindset.

These are some of the characteristics that we observe as King Jesus did miracles when He was on earth: Most of the miracles were done as a response to His compassion, care and love for needy people. He acted as Shepherd to His sheep. They are ‘mercy-miracles’. The miracles were done to ordinary people. He never did a miracle to help Himself. He never did any miracle before He entered His public ministry. For 30 years, living with His parents, He did not perform miracles. He never did miracles to attract attention to Himself or to attract followers. He refused to do miracles when He saw unbelief in the hearts of men. He did not heal every sick person. He was always led by the will of the Father and by the Holy Spirit. He appreciated genuine faith in people. He granted their request based on their faith. Many took His miracles for granted. They did not humble themselves and were not grateful to Him. He was creative when performing miracles. He could use physical means. But most of the time, the miracles were done by His Word and by His Will. All the miracles were done to the glory of God. His miracles prove that He is Lord and King overall, over the natural and spiritual realm. Praise the Lord!

WHEN LOVE IS SICK (Jn 11:1-48)

This is one of the greatest Agape Love stories. It happened about one month before Jesus went to the Cross. King Jesus was followed by many people. Each one desired a miracle or a gift. There was a simple house in Bethany, a small village near Jerusalem. Together with His disciples, Jesus would often go there to rest and have fellowship. It was the house of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. They were siblings. They were the only family who allowed Jesus to stay without asking anything from Him. They were truly His friends. Martha was the hardworking practical host. Mary was the spiritual prophetic one. Lazarus, the younger brother, was the quiet one. “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus”. From this sentence we see that Jesus loved each one personally. Lesson: Jesus related to each one of us in a particular unique way. Lazarus got seriously sick. The sisters sent a message to Jesus saying: “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick”. They did not command Him to come. They only told Jesus of their need. Their brother was sick. Agape Love does not need to talk too much. A little signal from the heart, a whisper from the spirit is enough. Love understands. But Jesus delayed His coming. That was the hardest thing to explain or bear. Jesus is their best friend, and He loves them. But Love does not always protect from heart ache. Eventually, Jesus came. He met the people weeping and morning. Lazarus was dead for four days. The Jews thought that a resurrection miracle can happen in maximum three days after death. From the fourth day, they believe that the body is decomposed and there is ‘a stench’ of death. Jesus revealed Himself to Martha and Mary as the Resurrection and the Life. Then, He wept. He went to the grave and called Lazarus forth. Lazarus came out alive. Here you see Jesus as Man and God. He wept as a man and called the dead to life as God. Worship the Lord!!!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (38)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (6)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; Matthew 13:31,32; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15;

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! The concept of the Kingdom has almost been lost. Most people do not understand the authority of the King in his domain, and the blessings of the subjects. This is because most countries have other types of government: democracy, communism, or dictatorship. God invented the concept of Kingdom so that it is easier for us understand His plan and purpose for men.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of

the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Gen 1:26-28). God created the human beings to populate the earth. He created them male and female. He created them in His own image and likeness. God gave them ‘dominion’ over all the animals. The word ‘dominion’ is a Kingdom Word. Even at creation, before sin entered, God’s plan and purpose for them was to be kings in their domain, to be royal priesthood in Christ. Man was to rule and reign over all the animals, but not over one another. When Adam sinned, he lost a Kingdom. Jesus came to live and die, to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He is now the King of kings! What makes the Kingdom of God different from any other kingdom, is that all its citizens (subjects) are the relatives of the King, and they are all kings themselves! What a privilege to be the royal priesthood in Christ!!! Praise the Lord! 

The word ‘Kingdom’ comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He did it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and dress, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior, something small, narrow, and negative. It is a grand concept, fit for the King of kings to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit must give you the revelation! Selah!

THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED      

“Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches” (Matt 13:31,32).

Our Lord employed here a symbol which these people understood. The mustard plant was commonly found in the gardens of the people in Israel. The seeds can be eaten raw or as a paste, which is used as a condiment. The mustard leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. The seeds have health benefits. They are rich in vitamins, able to prevent diseases (including cancer), and lower blood sugar. The mustard plants are invasive. They can take over a garden by displacing other plants. The mustard seed has two main characteristics: 1-has a strong smell and taste; 2-is very small in size.

Spiritually, the mustard seed is a symbol of three things: the Kingdom of God, Faith in God and the Gospel. When the Kingdom of God advances on earth, when the Gospel is preached and Faith is rising, because of the harshness of Truth, there is a spiritual disturbance at the beginning. It is like a painful injection given to a sick man. The Gospel excites and changes people. It stirs a whole community, either negatively or positively. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12). In Greek, the word ‘violent’ means an aggressive hunter who is ready to seize his victim. It is the picture of a crowd attacking a city, eager to take possession of it, and to carry away their spoils. Faith in the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected, the revelation of Jesus as the King in His Kingdom, always comes into the heart with force, like an armed robber. This describes the zeal to believe the Good News of Christ crucified and resurrected. There is a zeal to conquer sin and the devil. Our Lord admires the energy of those who want to enter the Kingdom of God, to be saved from the power of sin and to have eternal life. The strong smell of the mustard seed is a symbol of this violent zeal.

By comparing the Kingdom of God with the small mustard seed, Our Lord is stressing the apparent insignificance of the Gospel. It does not look or sound like much. Like the Apostle Paul, you proclaim: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Ac 16:31). That message does not sound very impressive to many people. It is so simple that you can teach it to children. So, the world is not very impressed with it. But if you truly believe it, your heart will change. If you really trust Christ as your Savior, Lord, and King, that revelation is revolutionary. As the mustard seed is small, the entrance of God’s Word looks small. The preaching of the Gospel is done by only few faithful believers. The beginning of God’s salvation work looks so small. It can be discouraging. But the effect is always mighty. The elect chose to enter the Kingdom of a supernatural force. The unbelievers get angry and forcefully attack God’s Word and His servants. There is a force that cannot be explained. Like a storm in the sky, it is the supernatural realm that is involved.  

Small is big when God is in it! Think of it! Jesus was the original Mustard Seed. He was not trained in the theological schools of the day. He was not among the recognized teachers. He was a former village carpenter. He called 12 men to Himself. They became His disciples. One betrayed Him and died. Like the planting of the mustard seed, this is indeed the small beginning of the Church. But soon, the Church grew supernaturally. None could stop its growth. The famous Rabbi Gamaliel advised his colleagues to stop persecuting the Christians, lest God’s wrath rises against them. “And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God” (Ac 5:38, 39).

The small mustard seed is purposely planted by the Sower in the ground. It grows mysteriously. It becomes a tree that has many great branches, in which birds make their nests. The birds find shelter and food in the tree. Some birds a clean and some are unclean. This is a picture of the visible church, which is made of both the saved and the unsaved religious people. For a seed to grow to become a big tree, that is supernatural. It shows the power of God, of the Gospel, of the Kingdom of God. Every true believer becomes a shelter for many people who listen to his words and believe in his prayers. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jam 5:16).

The mustard seed is also a symbol of true faith in God. Jesus said: “for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt 17:20). As believers, we pray to receive ready-made, great, instant miracles. But Jesus says that a miracle can start with a small seed of faith produced by the hearing of God’s Word. Planted in the heart, and watered by prayer, after some time, it produces the miracle you have been looking for. That is why we are commanded not to look down on little things that have spiritual life in them. “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zech 4:10; NLT). To despise it means to have no respect for, to look down upon someone; to dislike something because you think it has no value or it is bad for you. The natural man has no respect for God, His Word, or His Kingdom. The Gospel is foolishness to the unbelievers. But we join Apostle Paul to declare: “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:16,17). Selah!

Remember that the Church started with only one Seed, planted in the ground. That Seed is called Jesus. Before the Cross, our Lord said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (Jn 12:24). Jesus called 12 apostles. One betrayed Him and left. Out of this little beginning, the Church grew. In 150 AD there were already about 40,000 believers. In 200 AD the number of the Christians increased to 218,000. Now, in the 21^st century, Christianity is the biggest religion in the whole world which is made of about 8 billion people. Christianity that began 2,000 years ago in a small country called Israel is now followed by 2.4 billion people. This is the power of God in display upon the earth! His Kingdom has come! Amen!

SOME BENEFITS OF RIGHTEOUS LIVING IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Generally, righteousness means conforming (agreement) to the standard of morality, to what is right or good. It means to be good and to do good. Righteousness means acting in accord to God’s moral law and being free from guilt, shame, or sin. Righteousness is found in Christ alone. It is God’s gift to men, thru His grace and His Love. Righteousness means being right with God and man; in your behavior, words, character, and conscience. God gives men His laws. This is a fact: God never makes mistakes! He is always right and good! Righteousness is a Person. It is part of the identity of Jesus Christ, and we share in it. “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1Cor 1:30). Praise the Lord! 

“Righteousness [moral and spiritual integrity and virtuous character] exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people” (PV14:34). A nation’s real greatness is not found in military strength, beauty of nature, great culture, or magnificent buildings, but in the desire of the people to be right with God, and to obey His commands. Sin is a disgrace, a reproach, an insult, and a national tragedy. Pagan societies are terrible places to live in. Sin is a source of violence, wickedness, sickness, poverty, injustice, corruption, and war. Sin is the shame of sinners. Righteousness is the promotion of the wise. All godly people are humble, hardworking, merciful, helpful, and loving. We pray for revival in Nigeria. Not for empty religion, but for a desire of true righteousness. That is the condition for prosperity and peace in our land.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS – FEEDING THE HUNGRY (LK 9:10-17; Jn 6:1-15)

This miracle is the only miracle that appears in all the four Gospels. It was witnessed by more people than any other miracles. Also, this is the only miracle when all the people partook in it. This is the story: The crowds followed Jesus to listen to His Word and to experience healing miracles. One day, Jesus went to a deserted place. It was after He heard that John the Baptist was killed by Herod. He knew it was a sign for him, to prepare, that the Cross was coming. He needed time to rest His soul and pray to the Father for comfort and strength. This is a spiritual Law: working with people or speaking too much to people drains the spirit. But staying long in God’s presence revives the spirit. Jesus needed balance in His life, between prayer to God and helping the needy. Lesson: we too need the same balance. We should never neglect our quiet times with God, by studying His Word, prayer and worship, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We need God to give us wisdom and strength to fulfill our responsibilities towards our families and other people. Selah!

The crowds followed Him and stayed until evening. Because the place was isolated and it was late, the disciples advised Jesus to send the crowds away so that they can look for food. They never had in mind that Jesus can do a miracle. Surprisingly, Jesus said to them: “you give them something to eat”. They said that ‘a lad’ (young man) had 5 loaves of barley bread and 2 fish. (It is possible that his mother prepared his food pack). It was barley bread. That is the cheaper type of bread only the poor people ate. Just imagine! Amid that crowd, this lad was the only one who had some food. But the disciples expressed their doubts. How can this little dinner feed thousands?

Here you see the voice of doubt and the limitation of man on display. Are we not all the same? Practical people who never think of miracles! Jesus ignored their doubts and fears and commands His disciples to organize the crowd. There were about 5000 men, besides women and children. They should sit in groups of fifty. They all became expectant to receive food. Lesson: Men look for food first before they can sit to eat it. But Jesus wants the people to sit down first, prepare their mind, exercise faith, and then, the food will be supplied. Lesson: God is a God of order. “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints… God wants everything to be done peacefully and in order. When God’s people meet in church” (1Cor 14:33; NKJ; CEV). In Greek, the word ‘confusion’ means mental instability. Confusion means to listen to many voices in your mind, at the same time. A confused man does not understand what is happening around him or what he should do. If he acts in confusion, he will surely make mistakes because he cannot see clearly. Confusion is found when people are selfish or jealous. “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Jam 3:16-18). Confusion is an open door for the devil to enter. He will destroy the peace of mind, the peace of a family or a church. This will lead to division and quarrels. In this spiritually polluted atmosphere, righteousness (being good and doing good) cannot manifest and miracles cannot happen. Jesus brings order and peace into that crowd. They sit on the grass and expect food. Then the miracle of provision happened! Lesson: reject selfishness, envy, confusion! Pray! Calm your mind! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! Have faith! Then the miracle will come!

LESSONS

King Jesus receives the boy’s little lunch: 5 loaves and the 2 fish. He looks up to heaven. He possibly prayed a quick prayer to God the Father. He blesses the bread and the fish. He gives thanks to God and then He breaks them into pieces. He gave the food to the disciples, and they gave it to the multitude. They all ate and were filled. Twelve baskets of leftover pieces were left. Jesus Himself commanded: “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” Lesson: We should not be wasteful! We should appreciate every drop of grace, every little blessing. We should economize our resources, material and spiritual. No miracle should be wasted! The crumbs under the table are still the healing bread for the sick!

This is a miracle of provision. The miracle of multiplication happened in the Hands of Jesus. Lesson: give Jesus your little. Once that little touches His hands, it will multiply. The same little will come back to you as hundredfold. Praise the Lord!

King Jesus is compassionate. He truly loves and cares for the hungry, sick, weak, and the needy. His care for the needy was one of the spiritual magnets that attracted people to Him. It is the same today. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8).  

King Jesus is omnipotent. He is God. He is greater than any human need. God uses what is available, what is given to Him, to multiply and bless others. God can use small things. David killed Goliath with a sling and a stone. Little is much when God is in it.  Jesus used the humble dinner of a boy to feed the multitude. Jesus blessed that boy!

God uses His children to bless others. In this case, Jesus used the disciples to bring order in the crowd, preparing them for a miracle. It was the disciples that brought to Jesus the bread and the fish, the ‘raw material’ to produce the miracle. Jesus used the disciples to distribute the food to the people. Why did Jesus do that? The people were happier to receive the food from men like them. Receiving the provision directly from the hands of Jesus may have created some anxiety to eat the food. Also, Jesus wanted the disciples to learn to do ministry, to be co-laborers with God. To work for Jesus increased their faith much more than if they are only spectators to the miracle.  Lesson: God uses our hands to bless others. Let us work for God!

Because Jesus is God, He thinks like God. But the disciples were thinking like men. Their faith was still small. It was hard for them to see Jesus as the King of His Kingdom. One of the King’s responsibilities is to provide for His subjects. We must have the revelation that Jesus is our King and our provider. The provision was more than the need. There was an overflow of provision. Jesus ordered to gather and keep the leftovers. After everybody ate the food, and were satisfied, they gathered 12 baskets of leftover pieces of bread and fish. King Jesus ordered to keep the leftover food. This is wisdom. God is not wasteful. I read that in the UK, food waste is estimated at 680 million pounds sterling per year. This is some advice given on how to reduce food waste in a restaurant. Audit the food you order, receive and throw away. Based on the type of food left on a plate by the customers, review your menu. Train the staff on how to reduce waste. Advice the customers to take the leftovers home. Give the leftover food to charities. When serving buffet, give the customers smaller size plates. Miracles of provision are wonderful. But by reducing waste, you increase your profit. This is the strategy in the Kingdom of God.

The boy that gave his dinner is not named. We don’t know if he was tall or short, handsome or not. All we need to know is that the boy was available to be used by God. He was sensitive to the needs of others. He prepared for the future. 5000 men came without lunch. But he bought his lunch. He was ready to share. That was not easy. The boy could have sold his lunch to the people. He could have become a rich man in that field. He could have shared his lunch with others and kept some food for himself. But the boy gave it all to Jesus. He was ready to sacrifice his lunch. Why? Because he was ready to partake in a miracle that will increase his faith and change his life forever.  

The boy was sure that Jesus can do a miracle with his lunch. Jesus can do what he could not do. The boy gave to Jesus his barley bread, which means humble bread. He did not just give Jesus 2 big fishes. It was 2 small fish. Lesson: God can use anything we give to Him and He can do something with the little offering. Once the humble food touched the hands of Jesus, it became holy. Jesus gave thanks to God and blessed the bread and fish before He gave it to the multitude. Do you want to be a blessing to your generation? Are you ready to give your whole life to Jesus? If the answer is yes, then Jesus will receive your humble life, bless you, break you, and give you away to bless multitudes. What Jesus did with that boy’s little lunch, He will do it with you!

Because of the miracles of healing and feeding, the crowds concluded that Jesus is the Messiah, the Prophet of God. They wanted to make Him their King by force. But Jesus withdrew from them. No man can make Jesus King. Why? Because only God can make His Son King over all. No man can take the glory of setting Jesus on the throne of the universe. That is the unique privilege of God the Father. Men rejected King Jesus. This is the story of the Cross. But the Father exalted Him above all names in the universe and kings on earth. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of God, and God Himself! Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (37)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (5)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; Matthew 5:3; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 11:29; AMP.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! Selah!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit!   

The concept of the Kingdom has been almost lost. Most people do not understand the authority of the King in his domain, and the blessings of the subjects. This is because most countries have other types of government: democracy, communism, or dictatorship. God invented the concept of His Kingdom so that it is easier for us understand His plan and purpose for men. That is why we need to study it. When Adam sinned, he lost a Kingdom. Jesus came to live and die, to re-establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He is now the King of kings! What makes the Kingdom of God different from any other kingdom, is that all its citizens (subjects) are the relatives of the King, and they are all kings themselves! What a privilege to be the royal priesthood in Christ!!! Praise the Lord!  

The word ‘Kingdom’ comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He did it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and dress, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior, something small, narrow, and negative. It is a grand concept, fit for the King of kings to rule and to reign. The Holy Spirit must give you the revelation! Selah!

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven… Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever] … God blesses those people who depend only on him. They belong to the kingdom of heaven… Blessed are those who recognize they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them” (Matt 5:3; NKJ; AMP; CEV; God’s Word).

This is the first statement our Lord is making when preaching the Sermon on the Mount. It is the foundation of all the other declarations. Here we have the basic description of a child of God, as a citizen of the Kingdom of God. The first word is ‘blessed’. In Greek it is ‘makario’. It is translated as happy, spiritually prosperous, to be envied, admired, and congratulated. It describes a state of permanent happiness, unhindered by circumstances; a state of supreme blessing, given by God, not by man. When God declares you blessed, none can curse!

What does it mean to be poor in spirit? First, it does not mean physical poverty. The Catholic Church is preaching that becoming poor in the natural brings special blessings. One of their best examples is Saint Franciss of Assisi (1181-1226). He was born into a wealthy family. He wanted to be like Jesus. He gave up his father’s wealth to become an evangelist. He chose to live by begging. Many became his disciples. He founded the Order of the Franciscans. It is made of monks who care mostly to the poor. Before entering the order, the monks make three vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience. They willingly chose to let go of wealth, sex (marriage), and personal freedom (they chose to strictly obey their mentors). They deny themselves in this way for the sake of Christ and His work. Their choice is sacrificial, but it is not Biblical. Others say that to be poor in spirit you must deny your personality. You must behave in ‘a religious’ way (you walk slowly and talk quietly). Many admire them but these lifestyles are not Biblical. These patterns of behavior are errors coming from religious spirits. This is not what the Bible calls to be ‘poor in spirit’. Selah!

To be poor in spirit is to be genuinely humble, totally depended on God for your very life. Only the true believers in Christ can be poor in spirit. It’s the opposite of the world’s idea of poverty. The unbelievers do not understand the principle of being poor in spirit. They hate the idea to be dependent of God for their very breath. In the world, people see themselves as self-confident. They trust themselves to become successful, to be seen and admired. Boasting of self is part of the world’s culture. For example, if a man applies for a job and says that without God, he can do nothing, he will surely fail the interview. In the world, boasting of self is the normal way of behaving!

What then does it mean to be poor in spirit? It is spiritual poverty and total submission to God. It is not a physical, visible poverty. It is the way you see yourself before God and His Throne. It is not the way people see you, but the way you see yourself in God’s presence, before King Jesus. Before God, you see yourself as nothing. You can do nothing. You have nothing. You depend on God for everything. You are like a desperate beggar before the King of kings. If the King does not give you food, you will die of hunger. At the same time, you see God as All in all. He is your everything. For example, you have no strength, but God is your strength. You have no wisdom, but God is your wisdom. The man who is poor in spirit, because of the revelation of his nothingness and God’s majesty, he willingly submits to God, in everything! Humble people are submissive people. The man who lives by the Grace of God alone, sustained and filled by God’s Spirit, is the one who is poor in spirit. It is only a child of God who is poor in spirit. Spiritual poverty is a good test for you to know if you are saved or not. Question: how do you see yourself before God, especially when you worship Him? If there is any boasting in your heart about your standing before God, about your salvation, or your achievements, then you are not poor in spirit. You are not a citizen of heaven. Selah!

To be poor in spirit means to be dead to self, completely empty from pride. It also means to be completely free from the selfish ambition to be visibly successful in this world, by using your natural gifts and personal ‘charisma.’  Selfish ambition is of the devil. It disqualifies you from entering the Kingdom of God. Humble people are wise people. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness” (Jam 3:13-18; NIV). We are all born sinners. We are proud, selfish, and envious of others. Pride is an attitude of life by which you elevate yourself above all others. A selfishly ambitious man climbs the ladder of success on the bent backs of others. He is an oppressor, a lonely selfish monster. He knows nothing about love. He cannot be a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

To be poor in spirit it means to correctly assess yourself before the throne of God. You totally depend on God and His resources. You do not depend on your wisdom, strength, or gifts. You know that it is only by God’s grace that you are alive, standing before God, forgiven, and redeemed. You know that without God you are nothing. Jesus said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Your identity as citizen of the Kingdom comes from your intimate connection with Jesus, like the union of the branches and the vine. If you are not connected, you cannot produce fruits and you can do nothing good. Education, wealth, fame, good family background, physical beauty, all these can become great hindrances on the road to humility. Pride is an evil spirit. But Christ can change anyone. There are many well-educated, wealthy people who are poor in spirit. They know that all they have in this life is a gift from God. They are humble, grateful, generous with their time and resources. Their always worship God. Jesus said that only those who are poor in spirit are citizens of the Kingdom. They totally submit to King Jesus. They worship Him and He blesses them. This is a picture of the Kingdom of God!

To be poor is spirit is not the same as having an inferiority complex. It is different from being a coward or having a grasshopper mentality. Being poor in spirit may look like weakness but it is strength from God. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. 8 It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones” (PV 3:5-8). Trusting only God in every situation brings direct guidance from God, divine healing, and supernatural strength. “In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]” (PV 3:6; AMP). Acknowledging God in all things is not just a religious formula. You must engage the whole soul in trusting that God is with you, and by His providence He will help you make fast and easy progress. This is the benefit given only to the citizens of the Kingdom of God, to those who are poor in spirit. Praise the Lord!

Righteousness and Love cannot exist except when there is humility. You cannot be good and do good if you are proud. That is impossible. Love cannot exist in a proud heart. Humility is more than just a quality of character. It is the soil where the seeds of all the other qualities are planted, and they will grow. Just like Agape Love, humility does not come naturally to us. We are all born sinners. We are rebellious and proud. When God created Adam and Eve, they were humble people. But they fell to the temptation ‘to be like God’. The truth is that they were already like God, but the devil deceived them to feel inferior. Once they disobeyed God’s command, they died. The relationship between them and God was seriously damaged. They lost many attributes and benefits. Among those, they lost their humility. This is how pride entered. It is now a battle to be humble. Even after conversion, humility does not come automatically. God creates circumstances to help us humble ourselves. It is part of the process of sanctification. But the Bible commands us to humble ourselves! Selah!

PRIDE AND FALSE HUMILITY

The opposite of genuine humility is pride and false humility. Pride is defined as a belief that you are better than others. False humility is the attitude when you use humility to cover up pride. You pretend to be humble so that people will compliment you. Most proud people do not even pretend to be humble. But some proud people know that humility is a better virtue, admired among men. That is why they learn the skill to appear humble to cover up their pride. This fake (false) humility is the work of evil spirits. It is rejected by God!

These are some signs of false humility:

*You boast about your humility. The true humble people are not self-conscious of their humility. They don’t pretend. They are themselves.  

*You are a hypocrite. talk about how good it is to love, serve and help others, but you do not really practice the things you talk about.

*You have a double life. With your superiors, or in public, you seem humble. At home, or with those of lower status, you are wicked. The people who are truly humble, both in public and in private, have only ‘one face’. They always behave the same!

 *The people who know you the best, know the truth. They say that you are bad, proud, and rude. It is said that you need to stay with a person for at least 6 months before you know their true character. Listen to the spouse or the friends of these people.

*When people try to publicly flatter you, or to lift you up, to boast your ego, you like it, and you keep quiet. You don’t discourage such actions. But people who are truly humble do not accept public lifting above others. They discourage flattery towards themselves.  

*You help others only if you can gain something from that service. Truly humble people help all, even those who cannot pay them back.

False humility is common with false prophets and false brethren. They use it to deceive others. It is a sin before God. You must repent of it. “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 20. Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (Col 2:18-23). Stop pretending! Humble yourself! Then God will bless you! Amen!

TRUE HUMILITY

As a topic of sermons, humility has been neglected in many churches. Most Christians do not know what humility is. To be poor in spirit means to be genuinely humble. Humility is a basic Christian attitude. It is a mental attitude of lowliness, the opposite of pride. The word ‘humility’ comes from the Latin word ‘humilis’ which means low.  Only the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer in Christ can produce this special grace fruit of humility. Humility is defined as having a modest opinion about yourself, about your importance in this world. Another way you can describe humility is submission. Humble people submit to God and to others. Proud people are rebellious against God and others. Humble people are loving. They are true worshippers. They recognize the gifts in others, especially when they are better than their own, and openly acknowledge them. They are not afraid to recognize their limitations. A humble man is not selfishly ambitious. He doesn’t claim what is not his own. Humility is highly appreciated in God’s Word. “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility” (PV18:12). “When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom” (PV 11:2). “By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life” (PV 22:4). God blesses the humble with honor, wisdom, riches, and long life!

EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE POOR IN SPIRIT

*Moses – “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth” (Nu 12:3). *Gideon: “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house” (Jdg 6:15).

*Isaiah said to God: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts” (Is 6:5).

*King David – David depended totally on God when he fought and killed Goliath. After he committed great sins (adultery with Barsheba, killing Uriah, numbering the people of Israel…) David truly repented. David’s greatness and legacy was not in his bravery, even though he was very brave. It was not in the battles that he won, even though he won many. It was not in the glory of his reign, even though he had his share of glory. It was in his willingness to submit to the will of God and to humble his heart in genuine repentance when he sinned.

*Apostle Peter– “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Lk 5:8).

*Apostle Paul was a great man of God. He never recovered from the fact that he was once a great sinner, a persecutor of the church. But he received mercy, grace, and a new identity in Christ. He said: “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8).

The Gospel of the Kingdom preaches Christ crucified and resurrected. The life of King Jesus reveals to us that you must go down before God brings you up. There is a Cross on your back before there are many Crowns on your head. You need to die to self, to sin, and to the world, before God can promote and reward you openly. To arrive at a place of visibility and success without passing through the Cross will end in disaster. “The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools” (PV 3:35; KJ). It is a terrible thing to become successful before God’s appointed time. Saul became king instantly. He did not pass through any trial to become humble. Eventually, he lost his crown. He became a fool (1Sam 26:21). After his death, the crown went to David. King Saul tried to kill him. But he failed to do so. David lived in the wilderness for 14 years, learning to be obedient to God’s Word. He became humble, wise, and spiritual, a true king!

Humility was highly appreciated in the character of the Kings. King Hezekiah got very sick, to the point of death. He humbled himself. God answered his prayer and added years to his life (2Chr 32:24-26). Humility is a sign that God will send revival and blessings upon the Land. God told King Solomon: “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place” (2Chr 7:13-15). May the Nigerian people humble themselves before God!  

THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST (Phil 2:1-11)

Listen to our Lord: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST (renewal, blessed quiet) FOR YOUR SOULS” (Matt 11:29; AMP).

It may surprise us to know that the Almighty God, is a humble God. Humility is a divine and royal attribute. Jesus Christ, The Son of God, is the very definition of humility. Among all the qualities we see in Jesus in His work of redemption, humility shines the brightest. Study how humble our Lord is! It took great humility to leave the glories of heaven and to come to earth, to live in a human limiting body. It took great humility to become a baby, born in a manger, to a poor carpenter and his wife. It took great humility to depend on people for food. Jesus is the Water of Life, Nevertheless, He said to the woman at the well: “Give Me a drink” (Jn 4:7). Finally, it took great humility to go to the Cross; to be beaten and rejected by God and men! All this because He wanted to pay the price for our salvation! We are encouraged to study the Person of Jesus and to be like Him. It is very easy to forget His lovely Person and to only study His words. But the teachings of Jesus, even His miracles and good deeds cannot save your soul. When you repented and became born-again, you surrendered your life to the Person of Jesus, the Lord, not to a doctrine about Him. We are commanded to pay the price to Love God and one another. We are to esteem others better’ than ourselves. This is what Jesus did. He was in heaven. He knew that we are all born sinners and we shall end in hell. We had no helper. No man or angel could save us from the power of sin. The world was in darkness. The devil was the prince of this world. All men were in bondage to the devil. The earth was filled with graves filled with dead men’s bones. There was no light, no love, no hope. If Jesus thought only about Himself, His comfort, His rights as God, He would never leave heaven to come to earth to save us. But He did! This is true love! This is true humility! There is none like Jesus!

Read Philippians 2:1-11. These words are some of the most beautiful words in the whole Bible. Apostle Paul takes us on a journey, to remind us of who Jesus is. He starts from heaven, goes to earth, and ends back to heaven. In few words, this is the Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected. Jesus humbled Himself by becoming a bondservant to God to serve men. Why? To save those who will believe in Him! He went even lower. He became obedient unto death, even the shameful death on the Cross. This was God’s plan for Him. He obeyed God from beginning to the end. He fulfilled God’s Law. God the Father honored and rewarded His Son for displaying this extraordinary humility. Jesus was always God. But this exaltation as God-Man was because Jesus humbled Himself. God honored Jesus to be the Center of the whole universe. He made Him the King of God’s Kingdom. Because Jesus humbled Himself to die for men, all creation must now bow to Jesus and worship Him. This is God’s Law: Both Faith and Humility are rewarded and honored by God! We, the believers, gladly bow before Jesus and worship Him on earth. One day, the heavens will open, and Christ will come to earth the second time. He will come not as a suffering servant, but as King of kings and Lord of lords, to destroy what He had defeated. Those who refuse to bow to Jesus now, will bow by force, even against their wills, when Christ comes again.

How do we worship Jesus? One way is by freely confessing His name. We confess that Jesus is Lord! That Jesus is our Lord! The meaning of the word ‘Lord’ here is the same as God. In other words, we confess that Jesus Christ is Jehovah God!!! By confessing the name of Jesus, we give glory to God the Father. God has decreed that if you want to worship Him, you must worship His Son. We worship God by worshipping Jesus! Trying to worship God and rejecting Jesus, is not acceptable to God. Jesus has triumphed over all evil forces working on earth. He has overcome the power of sin and death. In Him alone we have the hope of eternal life. He is the only way to heaven. God the Father set Jesus in control of the whole universe. He is now the King of the Kingdom of God. After He resurrected, Jesus said: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt 28:18). He now rules and reigns as the King of God’s Kingdom until everything is perfected. Then He will hand over the Kingdom to God the Father (1Cor 15:24, 25). Halleluiah! We worship the Lord Jesus by studying His Word, by praying to Him and by serving Him in the church.

As we can see, humility is originally found in heaven. Anytime the Church fails to show humility, she damages her glory. The 24 elders cast their crowns before King Jesus, who is seated on the throne. They humble themselves before Him. “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev 4:9-11). Amen!

We are told that Jesus made Himself of no reputation (He emptied Himself). That is the greatest humility displayed in the universe. Jesus was totally unselfish. When He became a Man, He did not empty Himself of His deity. He did not exchange His deity for humanity. The incarnation was not an exchange and not a subtraction. It was an addition. Jesus became 100% God and 100% Man. People believed that Jesus was a Man, but many did not believe that He was God in the flesh. Jesus never stopped being God even when He was on earth, living as Man. But when He became a Man, He emptied Himself, He let go of His heavenly glory. When He became Man, Jesus gave up His rights and privileges as God in heaven. For example, He could have called the angels to defend Him, but He did not. He gave up His heavenly riches. He did not use the immense wealth of heaven. He willingly reduced Himself to be a Man who had nowhere to lay His head. Think about this: Jesus humbled Himself… He made Himself low… He became obedient to death. Why? Because God the Father chose Him to be the Sacrifice for the sins of men. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2Cor 8:9). It is hard for us to understand how humble Jesus is. On the Cross, He even gave up His relationship with His Father. He became sin, under the wrath of God. He said: “My God, My God, why did You forsake Me?” No man can go so far. None of us can lose so much. Amazing Love! Undying Love! The King and Lover of our hearts!

Think of this too: Jesus had to learn obedience. As God, He does not obey anyone. But on earth, He had to learn to obey and submit to the authority of His Father. “Although He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:8). On earth, His glory was veiled by His flesh. Occasionally the glory shone through. At the transfiguration, the glory was seen. In His last Priestly prayer, just before the Cross, Jesus prayed: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (Jn 17:5). He was ready to go back to heaven and to take back His visible glory as God and Lord over all!

This world is a dark hopeless place. Nobody knows the future, except God. Knowing that the humble suffering servant called Jesus, is now the Lord of all, that He rules and reigns from heaven, is a great encouragement to all believers. The Love and Humility of Jesus has touched and changed us all. We now want to be like Jesus. We want to pay the price to be loving, humble, and faithful like Jesus. At the right time, in His own way, God will honor us too, by His Grace. “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1Pet 5:10,11). Jesus attracted men by His Life, His humility, His authority of His words, and by truly caring for people! It is the same now! Glory to the Lamb upon the Throne!

Finally, we need to say this: to become truly loving and humble like Jesus is extremely heard. It is man’s greatest testimony. Humility is highly rewarded and honored on earth and in heaven. Humility is the stairway that connects earth to heaven. It is the only way of promotion and success approved by God. Jesus said: “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matt 23:11,12). “But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (Jam 4:6). God rewards humble people by adding more grace to them. This grace manifests as strength, wisdom, righteousness, peace, and joy, honor and favor before God and men. Be like Jesus! Humble yourself! Pride is the ugliest sin of all! Before God, pride is criminal! What do you have that you did not receive from God? Yes, we are God’s children, kings, priests, and friends of Jesus, ambassadors of Christ… but remember that all these titles and blessings are given to us By God’s grace alone. Blood was shed for us to be saved. Unity in the Church is the product of Love and Humility!!! Jesus is not only our Redeemer but also our Example! Let us pray: ‘God, humble us so that one day we may be exalted in Your presence.’ Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (36)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (4)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18; Matthew 5:6; Mk 10:35-52.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Life to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

Apostle Paul reminds us about the Kingdom of God. It is easy to get lost in detail, until we forget the main issue. Matters of indifference are not as important as the central revelation that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). The Kingdom of God is defined as the rule and reign of God done by His Word and thru His Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King of His Kingdom. “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev 19:16). Let us not get distracted by other matters and forget our King!          

The word Kingdom comes from two words: King and Domain. God has always been God. Then God created the spiritual (invisible) world and the physical world (man). He created it for His own pleasure and because He is a Creator. Once God created His domain, He became King over His domain. Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and clothes, and to ignore your life, is foolish. For unbelievers, food, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior. It is not something small, narrow and negative.

The Kingdom of God is the realm, rule, and reign of God, where Jesus Christ is King, advancing on earth, by the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, bringing righteousness, peace, joy, healing, freedom, prosperity, and deliverance, by driving away the forces of darkness. Jesus said: “But if I drive out the demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already come upon you” (Lk 11:20; AMP). As a citizen of heaven, you must experience deliverance, victory upon victory in every area of your life! Amen!  God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, love, holiness, righteousness, power, grace, and Glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, to the atmosphere of heaven, to the worship there, and to the authority of God. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! 

PRACTICING RIGHTEOUSNESS

Generally, righteousness means conforming (agreement) to the standard of morality, to what is right or good. It means to be good and to do good. The righteousness of men is conformity to the laws in the Constitution or according to their culture. God does not accept that. Righteousness is an attribute that belongs to God, our King, Savior, Judge, and Lawgiver. It’s revealed in His laws. “For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us” (Is 33:22). This is a fact: God never makes mistakes! Righteousness means acting in accord to God’s moral law and being free from guilt, shame, or sin. Righteousness is found in Christ alone. It is God’s gift to men, thru His grace and His Love. Righteousness means being right with God and man; in your behavior, words, character, and conscience. God gives men His laws.

Practical righteousness, behaving well, means defeating sin and death. “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway, there is no death” (PV 12:28). “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion” (PV 28:1). Righteous behavior should be jealously guarded, especially from the influence of bad company. “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray” (PV 12:26).

HUNGRY AND THIRSTY FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6)

One of the best definitions of a Christian is one who hungers and thirsts for righteousness. The word ‘blessed’ means happiness. Please observe that the Christians does not hunger for happiness. It is the world who hungers for it. There are many ‘toys and things’ to make a man happy in the world. Even so, as much as man desires to be happy, happiness runs away from him. It is not found by pursuing it. Happiness is a byproduct of righteous behavior. In other words, if you are right with God and man, then you will have joy; you will be truly happy. This is the Gospel. You cannot be filled with righteousness by working for it. But you can desire, seek, hunger, and thirst for it.

What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? This is a fact: only the born-again Christians desires to be righteous! Selah! Only the believer wants to be right with God. This longing to please God, to be free from sin, becomes heavy on his heart. It is like a pain he carries daily, that has no cure in this world. This desire intensifies from one level to another. It rises from hunger to desperation. For example, when the prodigal son became hungry, he went to look for a job. He was hired to feed swine. But during that time, the hunger increased and became desperation. That is when he abandoned his job and decided to go home to his father. Nothing else could make him stay in that strange country that he once loved. Seeing his father before he dies became an obsession that nothing else could satisfy. Therefore, natural hunger leads to finding work and money. Desperation (spiritual hunger) leads to finding God.

Once a believer becomes hungry for righteousness, the spiritual warfare starts full force. The believer becomes desperate and violent in his pursuit of righteousness. “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt 11:12). He starts to hate sin and fights to remove every stain from his character. He hates not only sin in general, but his own familiar sin. Despite that, and against his own will, he finds that he still takes pleasure in committing sin. He knows that by his own efforts, he cannot stop this evil power working in his body. Like a dying man, he prays for the Holy Spirit to help him overcome the power and the pollution of sin; to be free from the bondage of sin. Thirst is more powerful than hunger. The believer becomes more desperate to have victory and freedom against the bondage of sin. He wants to be a righteous, good Christian! God’s promise is that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, with the manifested righteousness of Christ. Seeking God is never in vain! God rewards faith and perseverance!

These are some signs that you are a truly saved, that you seek this righteousness from God, to be conformed to the image of God’s Son:

*Genuine humility. By God’s grace, you now know that your own self-righteousness is useless to impress God. In the past, you used to be proud of yourself, of your religious achievements. You used to congratulate yourself for your work done in church and boast about your success in life. You got angry when people did not appreciate your social status, wealth, or fame. But now, you have been humbled before God. Like with Apostle Paul, all your past success seems like ‘dung or rubbish’ in your eyes (Phil 3:8). Lesson: If you still argue and defend your success and achievements, you are not yet hungry for the righteousness of God. Search your heart and repent!

*A deep desire to repent and change your life. You come to a place where you are tired of yourself. There is a spiritual depression holding you captive. You stop trusting yourself or other men. You stop trusting in money. You have tried all these things. You know what they can do. But now, you feel that none can help you except God. There is a desire to encounter God, to experience a miracle. You read about the great men and women in the Bible and now, you want to be like them. In the past, your idols were millionaires, divas, singers, or actors. Now, your perspective has changed. You want to be like Moses, Samuel, King David, Apostle Paul, Prophetess Deborah, Queen Esther, and others. They are your new mentors. You are truly surprised at the deep change in your soul. Most of all, you want to be like Jesus. He was always so loving, merciful, wise, patient, generous, kind, calm in the mist of troubles, having faith to move all mountains. “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:14). Once you genuinely start to admire Jesus and want to be like Him, the hunger for righteousness has started in you. You are now blessed!

*You have faith to position yourself where the Holy Spirit can fill you. This is your prayer now: “Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face” (Ps 5:8). It is true that you cannot buy this righteousness with money. You cannot produce it by your works. But you are ready to do anything it takes to receive it. For example, blind Bartimaeus could not heal himself but when he heard that Jesus is passing by, he positioned himself on that road and shouted for help. Hannah wanted a son. When Eli, the Priest, insulted her, she was not offended. She stayed at the altar until the same priest Eli, repented of his mistake, and blessed her. The woman with the issue of blood took the risk to be beaten by religious men, for breaking the law. She was supposed to stay hidden, but she passed thru the crowd to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. The widow who was seeking justice went to the same judge again and again, until she got what she wanted. Are you like that? How hungry are you for an encounter with Jesus? To be filled!

This is a fact: all true believers love to go to church. Nobody is forcing them to go to the house of God. They faithfully come and attend the services, believing God for a word, a touch, or a miracle. They eventually get filled with the Holy Spirit and receive their hearts’ desire. But the people who complain that going to church, reading the Bible, or praying, is too much labor, never get anything. Selah!

AS THE DEER PANTS FOR THE WATER BROOKS

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say to me, “Where is your God?”… A white-tailed deer drinks from the creek; I want to drink God, deep drafts of God. I’m thirsty for God-alive. I wonder, “Will I ever make it; arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears; tears for breakfast, tears for supper. All day long people knock at my door, Pestering, “Where is this God of yours?” (Ps 42:1-3; NKJ, TM).

The deer is chased by dogs and hunters. The psalmist is talking about a female deer or an antelope. She is gentle and beautiful. She is now in great danger. She runs and runs. She becomes tired, thirsty, feeling faint in the heat of the day. She longs for water to drink. If she does not find a brook of water, she will die. The thirst becomes a monster. It is stronger and more dangerous than hunger. In the same way, the believer’s soul pants for God. To pant it means to gasp, to breathe hard, quickly and loudly, because of strong physical exercise. 

This is how the Christian feels when he gets thirsty for God. He misses church. But going to church alone does not satisfy his soul. He longs for an encounter, for a personal touch from the only Living God. Here, the psalmist cannot go to the sanctuary. He misses God’s presence. He misses the fellowship of the brethren. He is restless until he goes to find God. Lesson: believers cannot find rest, peace, joy, or satisfaction outside God’s presence. To appear before King Jesus is a dream come true for any believer. It is also the greatest horror for the wicked. The believer longs for God’s presence, to receive a Word, a kiss of Love, a light to guide… The desire to know God is the greatest, purest, of all desires in the human soul. Have you experienced it? Are you like that? Do you long for God’s presence, for His Word? Do you miss cooperate worship or reading the Bible? If the answer is yes, then you are blessed! It is well with your soul!

BLIND BARTIMAEUS SEES HIS KING (Mk 10:35-53)

This is a special story. The only person who was healed and named in the Bible is Bartimaeus. The word ‘bar’ means ‘son of’. He was the son of Timaeus. Jesus just told His disciples that the greatest in the Kingdom is the servant (Mk 10:42-45). Bartimaeus was a beggar. On the social ladder, for the Jews, a blind beggar is as low as a lepper. Therefore, Bartimaeus is a role model for a servant we should imitate. He was begging for food. It means he was not only blind, but he was a poor man. Rich people that are blind do not beg. They have help in their fancy homes. Despite his blindness and poverty, Bartimaeus never stopped dreaming that one day he can see God’s creation, can enter God’s House and see the worshippers. As a blind man he could not enter the temple. But he wanted to enter God’s house. He possibly heard about Jesus, how kind He was, how He healed many people. A mustard seed size of Faith was planted in his heart. He sat on the side of the road, outside the city of Jericho, which is an oasis in the desert. It is situated lower than Jerusalem.  The road between Jericho to Jerusalem was a very busy road. Many travelers and businessmen still travel on that road. Most beggars sit inside the city, not on the road going out of the city. But Bartimaeus positioned himself so that as Jesus was leaving the city, he could reach Him for help. As Jesus and His disciples passed by, with all the noise and the dust, Bartimaeus knew that this is his destiny moment. Jesus was leaving Jericho, on His way to Jerusalem, to die on the Cross. Bartimaeus knew somehow that his opportunity for a miracle was now or never. The people who are healthy, who are not blind or crippled, do not understand the isolation, the painful loneliness, and the frustration of the sick. Many look down on the blind, seeing them as mentally retarded.

Though blind and illiterate, Bartimeus was not a fool. He had a strategy. He calculated in his mind the best time to call the name of Jesus. He was ready to shout as loud as he could, above the noise of the crowd. He decided to call the name of Jesus without stopping. He made up his mind that no man will shut his mouth. He decided not to give up until Jesus hears him and heals him. This faith in Jesus and his stubborn persistence, born out of desperation, is the key to his miracle. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mk 10:47, 48). He addressed Jesus by His prophetic messianic royal name: The Son of David. Then he asked for mercy. He did not ask for money, not even for healing, but for mercy. When told to shut up, he shouted even louder. Bartimaeus was desperate. He was persistent. He had nothing to lose. His shout was like the cry of a baby who has fallen and cannot get up. A mother knows when the baby is crying just to get attention, or when the baby cries because he is in danger. Jesus is more loving than any mother. He heard the cry. He stopped. He commanded that Bartimaeus be brought to him.

This was the moment of destiny! Face to face with the King of the Kingdom. Jesus asked him what he wants. Many people will ask for money, power, marriage or fame. But Bartimaeus was not distracted. He knew what he wanted. He asked Jesus for his sight. Jesus healed him immediately. Jesus said it was his faith that made him well. Lesson: Faith in King Jesus is the key to receive a miracle from God. Faith is another word for being hungry and thirsty to be filled. Faith pleases God. Faith is the helper of the true seeker. Faith believes in rewards from God. “But 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). May we recognize the power of true faith in God!

Once healed, Bartimaeus never went back to Jericho. He did not go back to say goodbye to his family and friends. He celebrated his eyes by looking unto Jesus. He followed Jesus to Jerusalem, to the cross. According to God’s promise: his eyes have seen the King in His beauty and the glory ahead (Is 33:17). He sang: “The world behind me, the Cross before me!” The story of Blind Bartimaeus happened more than 2000 years ago. It is written for our learning. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom 15:4). We too must have faith, patience, and hope as we apply these spiritual principles to our lives. As a poor beggar, Bartimaeus was at the mercy of people. But he wanted the mercy of God. David said it is better to fall into the hands of God than in the hands of men. “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (2 Sam 24:14). Bartimaeus knew that only Jesus can help him. There was no other Helper. People tried to discourage him. But his faith did not shake. He did not stop shouting. He increased the sound of his prayers. Jesus always recognizes the cry of His elect. He called him and granted his request!

When Jesus called Bartimaeus, this call is a destiny moment! It is one thing for you to call upon Jesus, to pray. It is another thing for Jesus to call you! Observe the way Bartimaeus answered the call. He did three things: he threw his garment of begging, he rose, and he came to Jesus! Note that Jesus asked the blind man the same question he asked James and John, few minutes previously: “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mk 10:36, 51). Bartimaeus did not want money, promotions, positions, or gifts. He was a simple Christian. He said: “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight”.  James and John addressed Jesus as “Teacher”. But Bartimaeus addresses him as “Rabboni”, which means master, mentor, coach, my life teacher, and Lord. It is an intimate word of worship and total submission. It is the same word Mary Magdalene addressed the resurrected Christ. “Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher)” (Jn 20:16). Jesus healed this humble man, Bartimaeus, to teach His disciples a lesson in humility, submission and genuine faith. Where the disciples failed, this blind man succeeded. His faith was rewarded openly. He got his sight. His spiritual and natural eyes got opened. Immediately, he became a follower or Jesus.

This story is about healing, about a miracle. This is a reminder: only God can perform miracles. The healing came through the power of faith. What was special about Bartimaeus? Nothing! He was a poor blind beggar. The only special thing about him was his faith. Jesus praised him for his faith. This is the story of a man who was determined to do everything he can to receive his miracle. He knew that he had no power to heal himself. Building his faith, he refused to be silenced by others who had eyes to see. He cried louder and louder to Jesus, the only One who could help him. But even before Jesus called him, he believed that Jesus is the Son of David. The Pharisees rejected Jesus as King. They even said that Jesus has the power of the devil. But Bartimaeus believed the truth about Jesus and shouted with all his strength that Jesus is the promised Messiah and the King of God’s Kingdom.

Once Bartimaeus heard the call of Jesus, he threw his outer garment, his cloak, and went to Him. For a Jew, the cloak is an important piece of clothing. It was a long garment, down to the ankles, sleeveless, a coat worn on top of the shirt. It serves as a covering for the cold weather, or a blanket to sleep on it. The cloak had a great value for any Jew. It could be used as a pledge when taking a loan. God’s law insisted that each man should have his cloak in the evening. “If you ever take your neighbor’s garment as a pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down. 27 For that is his only covering, it is his garment for his skin. What will he sleep in? And it will be that when he cries to Me, I will hear, for I am gracious” (Ex 22:26, 27). The rich men wore expensive cloaks. But Bartimaeus was a poor beggar. His cloak was a poor cloak. He used it to cover himself when sleeping. He also used it to catch money when men gave to him. He threw the cloak and never went back to it. It represented his old identity as a blind poor beggar. He was now ready to follow Jesus. The cloak must change too. Throwing his old cloak was an act of faith, of letting the past go and move into the future.

What are some of the lessons for us?

*When you seek the Kingdom of God, when you chase after Jesus, do not allow the voices of men to quench your spirit! Observe the zeal of Bartimaeus. He was not afraid to lose whatever reputation he had. He wanted a miracle. He became a disturbance to men. He did not care. The people ‘warned’ him to shut up. The word ‘warned’ is also translated ‘rebuked’. It is a strong word. Like Bartimaeus, learn to keep focus on Jesus and ignore the negative voices of those who hinder your encounter with Jesus, to have a miracle. Lesson: when you start praying, there will be much opposition.

*Be ready for the moment of destiny. Be sure you know what you want! Stay focused. You must desire one thing only, not to create doubt.

*Salvation is personal. Seeking God is personal. You need to believe that Jesus will stop what He is doing just because of your cry for help. Believe that Jesus will wait for you! Jesus waited until someone told Bartimaeus He is calling him. Jesus waited until Bartimaeus came. Jesus waited until Bartimaeus answers. I am excited that King Jesus waits for me. He is so patient until I come, to grant my miracle.

*Remove all obstacles that may slow you down from seeking Jesus. Bartimaeus’ cloak was long to the ankles. He did not want to take the risk of falling as he was going to Jesus. Better lose my cloak than my destiny moment.

Finally, Seek God and pray until we have an answer. Once you receive your miracle, follow Jesus! Jesus is not on earth now. But, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is closer to you than your breath. Ask, and you shall receive! If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, if you want to be good and do good like Jesus, you shall be filled with the same grace! Be healed! Be filled with the Holy Spirit! In Jesus’ name, amen! Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (35)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (3)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:16-18 (NKJ); Matthew 5:13-16, 20; 6:1-4 (NIV); Esther 4:1-17.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Life to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

Apostle Paul reminds us about the Kingdom of God. It is easy to get lost in detail, until we forget the main issue. Matters of indifference are not as important as the central revelation that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). The Kingdom of God is defined as the rule and reign of God done by His Word and thru His Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King of His Kingdom. “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev 19:16). Let us not get distracted by other matters and forget our King!                

Let us start with what the Kingdom of God is not. The Apostle Paul says that it is not ‘eating and drinking’. It is not ‘meat and drink’ (KJ). It is not made from material things, man-made, temporal, or perishable items. It is not a collection of some little things that you can buy with money. We often forget the littleness of this material world and the amazing majesty of the eternal God. We forget that all things do not have the same power or value. For example, Jesus said that life is more valuable than food and the body is more than the clothes that cover it. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” (Matt 6:25). To worry about food and clothes, and to ignore your life, is foolishness. But for the unbelievers, food, drink, and clothes are more important than their souls. Here you see that the doctrine of the Kingdom of God is not a matter of indifference. The Kingdom of God is not just a little religious behavior. It is not something small, narrow and negative. The Kingdom of God is the realm of God, the rule and reign on God, having Jesus Christ as its King, advancing on earth, and bringing healing, deliverance, prosperity, freedom, righteousness, peace, and joy, by driving away the forces of darkness. God’s Kingdom is the realm of God Himself, filled with truth, righteousness, power, grace, and glory!  It points to spiritual things, to eternal life, the atmosphere of heaven, the authority of God, and to the worship over there. The Kingdom of God has three basic attributes: Righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit! 

Generally, righteousness means conforming (agreement) to the standard of morality, to what is right or good. It means to be good and to do good. The righteousness of men is conformity to the laws in the Constitution or according to their culture. God does not accept that. Righteousness is an attribute that belongs to God, our King, Savior, Judge, and Lawgiver. It’s revealed in His laws. “For the Lord is our Judge, The Lord is our Lawgiver, The Lord is our King; He will save us” (Is 33:22). Righteousness means acting in accord to God’s moral law and being free from guilt, shame, or sin. Righteousness is found in Christ alone. It is God’s gift to men, thru His grace and His Love. Righteousness means being right with God and man; in your behavior, words, character, and conscience. God gives men His laws. For example, the Laws of nature as the Law of gravity or the Law of motion, are given by God. Apart from these, God has given moral Laws that reveal His righteousness as the King, Judge, and Lawgiver. These laws regulate man’s relationship to God and to one another. Breaking the law of God is sin. By His Righteousness, God punishes sin. “But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. 8 He shall judge the world in righteousness, And He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness” (Ps 9:7,8). Selah!

PRACTICING RIGHTEOUSNESS

Righteousness as a lifestyle leads to life. Death does not exist where there is righteousness. “In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway, there is no death” (PV 12:28). Righteous behavior should be jealously guarded, especially from the influence of bad company. “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, For the way of the wicked leads them astray” (PV 12:26). Apostle Paul confronted those who denied the resurrection, who denied that there is a judgment after death. If these people were right, if there is no hope of going to heaven, then we should ‘enjoy life’ today and forget about tomorrow. To live only for the present, to live only to pamper the body, and completely forget about your soul, that is a deception that weakens the spirit. “If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” 33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame” (1Cor 15:32-34). God commands us ‘to awake’ to righteousness. We see here a man who pampers his flesh, a glutton and a drunkard, who has now fallen asleep. He is like a fool. He must come back to his senses, be revived, becoming sober again. Righteous behavior means self-control, sound mind, wisdom, and peace. The righteous always experience revival and make progress in life!

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven“…  “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So, when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you” (Matt 5:20; 6:1-4; NIV).

These are words of life spoken by Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. They are part of the Sermon of the mount. He thought them for at least two reasons: to teach His disciples how to apply the Word in daily living, and to contrast the righteous behavior with the false religious behavior of the Pharisees. Our Lord contrasts the godly practical righteousness of a child of God with the false religious self-righteous proud behavior which is rejected by God. Our Lord teaches about the right religious behavior; how-to do-good deeds, how to pray and how to fast. These are different issues, but the principle is the same: do everything in the presence of God! Please God and not men or yourself! In that way, God will reward you ‘openly’ (NKJ). The Lord exposes man’s tendency to be selfish. Remember that God sees everything. He judges not only the actions but the hearts, the motives of actions. Because we are born sinners, we tend to do everything, including good deeds, not for the pleasure of God, but for the pleasure of men. The reason why we want to please men is because they will praise and flatter us in return. Pleasing men means pleasing yourself. Jesus said that He does not accept the honor or praises of men. He only seeks the honor that comes from God. “I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?” (Jn 5:41-44). We are to be right and do right just like Jesus.  By God’s grace, we too should not covet the praise or flattery of men. We should seek God’s praise!

God’s Word is a double-edged sword. Reading the Bible is hard because it exposes our hearts. To learn how to love you must learn to examine yourself, your motives in serving God. Ask yourself, why do you want to do good deeds? Sin in the heart is so deep, so deceitful, that it is hard to detect. Religion is a great cover for sin. Many Christians are ignorant of the sin of self-righteousness, selfishness, and pride that dwells in their hearts. In trying to be righteous and do righteous deeds, we must expose the natural desire to be praised by men and to take some credit for ourselves. To practice righteousness is not just a set of rules and regulations. Any good thing you do, if it is not ignited, led, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, it’s of the flesh; it’s sin! God will reject it. Never forget! We live and move in the presence of God. God searches all hearts and motives of actions. It is only the Holy Spirit that has the key to help us do ministry accepted by God. 

ABOUT REWARDS… Some Christians preach that it is sinful to desire rewards from God. But we are encouraged to know about heavenly rewards and desire to have them. Look at the testimony of Moses, the great man of God. “By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible” (Heb 11:24-27). The knowledge of the promise of a reward from God helped Moses to die to the world, and to sin. He chose to identify with Christ and His flock than to be the king of the world in Egypt. It is the reward ahead that helped Moses to endure, to persevere against much opposition from men and demons. The revelation of a reward in heaven strengthens Moses in his faith, seeing the invisible God by faith. Of course, the greatest reward of all is God’s constant presence. God told Abraham:  “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Gen 15:1). The main warning here is not to please men or to desire reward from men. We are to desire our reward from God alone. For example, if I give my son some work to do, and I promise that I will give him a gift, that promise is enough for him to refuse any other payment from strangers and all forms of bribes. Faith in God’s reward is a form of protection for the heart against the love of the world.

Jesus also said that when we do good, we should not announce it with ‘trumpets, like the hypocrites’. Our Lord says that you should be humble even when doing good deeds. Lesson: Do not focus your attention on yourself or on your gift. When you give a donation, do it simply, for the sake or Christ and not for your praise. Our Lord says that when you do good things, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Practically, this means to do all things in a way that people do not know about it. That is easy. But the Lord says that even you should not know what you are doing!!! Selah!  This is to avoid the praise of men, and self-praise too. This command is hard to practice. You need to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit. You need to be dead to sin, to the world, and even to your own fleshly desires to achieve fame. Many believers become proud because they are wealthy and able to help others. It takes humility and self-discipline to do things in the secret place of the Most High God. The danger in ministry is the possibility of coveting the glory of God. That is major sin!

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of helps. God empowers some believers to give from what they have to others who have less than they. This is God’s word about this gift: “He who gives, with liberality… he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity (Rom 12:8;NKJ, KJ). In Greek, the word liberality is also translated as purity, simplicity, sincerity, and singleness of motive. Lesson: when you give a gift to someone, do it simply because God has blessed you and you want to give Him all the glory. A gift given with a secret desire to gain fame for yourself has lost its power of righteousness and godliness. By receiving praise from men, you have blocked your spiritual account. God will not reward you by Himself. Lesson: you cannot receive two rewards at the same time, from men and from God.

Another way to avoid getting proud when doing good is by trying to forget what you have done. Once you do a righteous deed, simply thank God for the privilege to serve Him and to be a blessing. From that moment, the matter is in God’s hands and not yours. After that, forget about it. The next time you see the needy person that you have helped, you treat him (her) with respect, greet him and move on. You do not want to remind people about the good you have done to them in the past. Stop thinking about the good you have done! You should meditate on God’s Word, not upon your past deeds. “Love keeps no records of wrongs”(1 Cor 13:5; NIV). At the same time, Love keeps no record of doing good works. When you do good things, learn to forget about them. Just trust that God sees and knows everything. One day, He will say to you: “Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter the joy of the Lord!” That is all that matters. Your good deeds are an investment towards your future, not to your present life. Your righteous life is a blessing to your family and descendants. To the glory of God!

TESTIMONY

There is a right way and a wrong way to announce helping the needy. For example, in our church, when we are led to help the needy in our midst, we make a simple announcement, about two weeks in advance. This is necessary so that those who want to donate food items can get ready to do so. On the day of distributing the food, we do it simply and orderly, knowing that we are in the presence of God. We share food as a form of worship. We also tell people not to take pictures of videos during the exercise. By doing this, we do not grieve the Holy Spirit through pride. By the grace of God, we give God all the glory, in all things, big or small. Praise the Lord!

When we were building this church, we spent a lot of money. My husband, Pastor Richmond Sisan Leigh and I, decided not to keep accounts in our minds about the expenses. This is to avoid becoming proud. After the building was completed, many people came and asked: ‘How much did you spend to build this church?’  We always answered, ‘we don’t know how much’. This was the truth. Glory!

LET YOUR LIGHT SO SHINE BEFORE MEN

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.  14. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:13-16). These holy words are also a part of the Sermon on the Mount, preached by our Lord. He says that just as salt’s identity is in its saltiness, so light’s identity is to shine. Some products can be used in many ways. For example, water can be used to drink or to take a bath. A car can be used for transport or to sleep in it. But salt and light do not have secondary benefits. If salt has lost its saltiness, it is good for nothing. It cannot be used as fertilizer or as building material. It will be thrown away as dung and trampled by men. It is the same with the light. A light that is covered is useless to men.

Light must shine so that men can see. God’s Word is the light dwelling in the believer. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments” (Ps 119:105,106). A believer shines the light of Christ in him. God commands us to preach His Word. That is a righteous judgment. We must keep it! A Christian cannot hide from being seen or heard. A Christian who hides from men, who is silent, who is shy, is clearly backsliding. To hide your identity in Christ is foolish and dangerous. The devil will assume that you are a child of darkness and will come close to you. A nominal or a backsliding Christian is totally useless to God and man. He knows something about God, but he does not share his knowledge with anyone. Because he knows some scriptures, he is not totally happy in the world. And because he hides in the church, he is not totally happy during the services. The criminals know that the best place to hide is not to go alone in a forest, but to hide in the crowds in the city. Many Christians hide in the congregation because of fear of persecution, afraid less their unbelieving friends will mock them for being Christians. They are ashamed of Christ. This is the Lord’s warning: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels”(Mk 8:38). Our Lord warns the believers that if their love for God does not manifest, does not shine out for men to see, He may take away that light from them. “Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Rev 2:4,5). Selah!

How do we keep shinning our lights for Jesus? During the time of Jesus, people used lamps that had oil and a wick to burn. The lamp needed to be filled with oil constantly. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We need to be filled daily. The wick also must be trimmed daily so that it can burn well. The wick stands for our lives. We must read God’s Word and pray daily. The trimming of the wick means that we should humble ourselves. Like the burning bush attracted Moses, you shall attract people. They come not to see your beauty or your intelligence, but to hear God speaking thru you. It is a temptation to think that people are attracted to your person. People do not need you. They need God’s Word spoken by you. Therefore, a Christian should not be afraid to be seen or heard. But self must be dead on the Cross with Jesus. A Christian is never self-conscious. He has no inferiority or superiority complexes. He is not foolish, and he is not proud. This balance is extremely important when we stand as ambassadors of Christ. We do not draw back in fear from opportunities to speak for Jesus. At the same time, we are not forward or ambitious in our attitude toward men. We do not advertise ourselves through the ministry. Maintaining this delicate spiritual balance is another word for practicing righteousness. May God help us to do it better! Amen!

As a Christian, you cannot live in fear, be shy, hide from men and have the attitude of a monk, or of a grasshopper. You must live in the light, in the open. Being transparent and fearless before men is a proof that you are a mature Christian. By your words and deeds, as a Christian, you will surely attract attention from men. Light cannot hide. You should not desire men’s attention. Let it come by itself. When it comes, God will give you the grace to manage the ‘fame’ in a humble and wise manner. It takes strength to remain humble in the light. He will use your visibility for His glory. Then, He will reward you ‘openly’. Worship the Lord!

QUEEN ESTHER DID WHAT WAS RIGHT (Est 4:1-17)

This is the beautiful story of a Jewish girl, an orphan, who grew in Babylon, among the exiles. Her Jewish name was Hadassah. It means the Myrtle tree who grows in the desert (Is 41:19). But in Babylon, her name is Eshter, meaning Star. By God’s design, she became the queen in Babylon. Mordecai is her uncle and foster father. He told Queen Esther about the King’s decision to kill all the Jews. The king was manipulated by his prime minister, Haman, who hated Mordecai and his people. None knew that Queen Esther was also a Jew. Mordecai tells Esther that she has to go and plead with her husband, the King. Esther had not seen the King for thirty days. She was the Queen, but she was not the only wife. She may have lost the King’s interest. Esther also knew that her husband had a hot temper and made decisions that he later regretted. That was evident in the way he treated Queen Vasthi. Eshter also tells Mordecai that none can go to see the king on his throne except if invited by him. Going uninvited meant death. That was the law. Mordecai tells her that all the Jews depend on her intercession. What was she to do? Is she ready to die trying to save her people?

Put yourself in Queen Esther’s position. If she takes it for granted that her husband will always see and listen to her, that is presumption. Her deed is rooted in pride, selfish ambition, and self-confidence. God cannot reward her for that. If she becomes afraid and refuses to act, she will display the attitude of a grass hoper. Hiding her light, she becomes useless to God and man. In this moment of crisis Hadassah stands as a real queen, a child of God, a royal priesthood, and a citizen of the Kingdom of God. She does the right thing. She displays great spiritual balance. This is righteousness in action. She offers herself as a living sacrifice on God’s altar. She tells all the Jews to fast and pray to God for three days. She is not confidant of herself, but her total trust is in God. Though it is against the Persian Law, uninvited, she goes to see the King. “If I perish, I perish”, she says! Before the throne, she finds fresh favor with the King. In this picture, the king is a symbol of Christ. He stretches his scepter of righteousness, mercy and grace to her. She touches it. She is saved. Thru her intercession, the Jews are saved from slaughter. The enemy, Haman, is dead. Mordecai is promoted and takes his place. Righteousness is displayed: the humble are rewarded with peace, prosperity and good name. The wicked receive their judgment of death.

What changed Esther? It was Mordecai word of challenge: “Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Est 4:14). Suddenly, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Esther found her identity and place in Christ. This revelation became destiny moment. Once she saw herself not as a citizen of Persia, but as citizen of the Kingdom of God, she stood unafraid, ready to be used by God, for His glory. In the Book of Esther, all the women are seen as victims of selfish men. This is the first time that a woman stands for Christ amid men who controlled politics and culture. In Christ, there is no male no female! Esther’s stand to fulfill destiny is the moment that starts the turning of tables. The rich and powerful Haman starts to fall. The persecuted Mordecai starts to rise. Nobody can stop this new arrangement. It is righteousness in action. The Kingdom of God has spoken! Like Esther, may God use us as catalyst for revival. Worship the Lord!     

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (33)/ MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (15)/ THE KINGDOM OF GOD (1)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:12-23; Matthew 18:21-35; 19:27-30; 20:1-16.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Life to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2). We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in God’s Word, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament.

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between believers. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We now study things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. Over the years these things have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not to despise the weak ones. The weak are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Lesson: Matters of indifference should never become central doctrines. We study these teachings so that we behave better, we love without quarreling or causing division in the Body. Selah!

These are some laws of agape Love:

1-NEVER BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ANYONE. DO NOT GRIEVE YOUR BROTHER.

2-DO NOT REJECT FOOD- PRAY! ALL FOOD IS CLEAN AND GOOD

3-NEVER DISCRIMINATE PEOPLE

4-DO NOT MISUSE YOUR FREEDOM TO DAMAGE YOUR GOOD TESTIMONY

5-DO NOT DAMAGE YOUR CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSCIENCE OF YOUR NEIGHBOUR

6-DO NOT LET YOUR GOOD BE SPOKEN OF AS EVIL

7-DO NOT LET BITTERNESS GROW IN YOU

8-LOVE CONTROLS AND LEADS KNOWLEDGE (THE SPIRIT LEADS THE SOUL)

9-THE SAINTS PERSEVERE BY GRACE AND THRU FAITH UNTIL HEAVEN

THE KINGDOM OF GOD (1)

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom 14:17).

Apostle Paul reminds us about the Kingdom of God. It is easy to get lost in detail, until we forget the main issue. Matters of indifference are not as important as the central revelation that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil 3:20). The Kingdom of God is defined as the rule and reign of God done by His Word and thru His Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ is the King of this Kingdom. “He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev 19:16). Let us not get distracted by other matters and forget our King!

To understand the Kingdom of God, we’ll study the kingdoms of this world. These are symbols of the Kingdom of God. An earthly Kingdom is defined as a territory (domain) governed by a King (or a Queen). The King has absolute dominion and influence over the people in his domain. Dominion refers to the authority and domain refers to the territory. Every king is automatically the ‘lord’ or master over the people in his domain. The King is not voted by people. He becomes a King by birth. Because his father was a king, the heir is born with the right to be king after his father dies. The king is totally different than the president of a country, a prime minister, a governor, or a mayor. By right, the king personally owns the land, the wealth, and the people. Remember that kings and property always go together. For example, Jesus is the King and Lord of all. “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Ps 24:1).

Authority flows from the king by his word, which is supreme. The kingdom reflects the glory of the king. If the king is godly, just, honest, the kingdom will be the same. If the King is corrupt and wicked, the kingdom will be the same. The constitution of the country is the covenant the king makes with his people. It expresses the will of the king concerning the people. The King provides all that the citizens need to live a good life. The King is personally responsible to take care of his citizens. That is why many want to become citizens of a good Kingdom. The King can give any gift to any of his citizens. He owns everything, so he can give any privilege, title, or wealth to any citizen he finds faithful. “When the king smiles, there is life; his favor refreshes like a spring rain” (PV 16:15; NLT).

As of 2024, there are 43 sovereign states in the world that have a monarch (king or queen) as their head of state. In Europe there are 12 countries ruled by kings (or queens). Among them are The United Kingdom, Belgium, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweeden, Spain, and Monaco. The Pope is like a king in the Vatican. Some of the Muslim monarchies are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia. In the past, most of the countries in Africa were ruled by kings who were the heads of state. But now, most African countries are republics. A republic is a form of government whose leader is freely and democratically elected by the people, as opposed to a dictatorship or monarchy. There are only three sovereign monarchies in Africa: The Kingdom of Morocco, The Kingdom of Lesotho, and Eswatini (the Kingdom of Swaziland).

King Charles III is the present King of the United Kingdom. His authority is limited. He reigns but not rules. But he still has rights above any other British citizen. For example, because of “sovereign immunity,” King Charles is exempt from criminal and civil proceedings. The law bars the police from entering private royal estates without the sovereign’s permission to investigate suspected crimes. As the British king, King Charles can travel anywhere in this world without an international passport. This is because all the British passports are issued in the name of the King. No other British citizen has this privilege. The King and other members of the royal family can drive as fast or as slow as they please when they are escorted by police officers on official royal duties. King Charles can drive any car without a license plate and without a driving license. This is because all licenses in the UK are issued in the King’s name. The King does not pay inheritance or income taxes. In the UK there is a law against racial and sexual discrimination at the workplace. But the King is exempt from this law. Any person who works for the royal family cannot file a complaint in the court about equal pay, racial or sexual discrimination.

The Bible is the constitution of the Kingdom of God. It expresses the mind and will of God. The people can become citizens of God’s Kingdom not by right, but as a privilege of grace. No one can buy his citizenship. King Jesus’ favor (or grace) to bestow citizenship is always a privilege and never a right. Once a man becomes a citizen of the Kingdom of God, his greatest desire is to please the King; to be in a right relationship with King Jesus. That attitude is called righteousness (Rom 14:17). In the Kingdom of God, King Jesus provides all you need. He said: “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt 6:31-33). The citizens love their King and obey the King’s Laws. They praise Him for His grace, wisdom, goodness, holiness, and generosity. King David said: “I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever” (Ps 145:1). The social culture of the Kingdom reflects the culture of the King. The King’s words and deeds influence the citizens and they want to become like him. That is why a Kingdom’s culture is different than other democratic countries. The Kingdom has an army. The King is the supreme commander. The army secures the territory and protects the citizens. In the Kingdom of God, the angels protect the citizens. “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. 21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all His works, In all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul” (Ps 103:19-22)!

In the past, the Kingdom of God was represented by the nation of Israel. God said: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel”(Exo 19:6). But Israel rejected their King. They crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, who came full of grace and truth. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (Jn 1:11). God said that the Kingdom will be taken away from them and given to other people. This was the topic of Jesus’ parable against the Jewish religious rulers. “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? 43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder” (Matt 21:42-43). The Kingdom or God must be fruitful and glorious. Glory to the King of kings! 

 In the New Testament, the revelation of the Kingdom of God is clearer. The church represents the Kingdom of God.

Jesus started His ministry by preaching repentance, faith in the Gospel and the Kingdom of God. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). The Kingdom of God has two parts: the present time and the future time. The present time started when Jesus came to the earth. He became a man, lived, and died for sinners. He is the King of the Kingdom. All those who by God’s grace repent of their sins, and have faith in Christ crucified and resurrected, become born again. They become citizens and enter the Kingdom. In the future, Jesus will come back to earth again, not as a suffering servant but as the Victorious King of kings. He will destroy that which He has defeated on the Cross. The Kingdom of God will then be fulfilled. “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev 11:15). With the mixture of wheat and tares, the Parables of Jesus describe the present time of the Kingdom of God, and not the future when all things are fulfilled. Selah!

THE PARABLE OF THE WORKERS (Matt 19:27-30; 20:1-16) 

Jesus spoke this parable to teach people about the Kingdom of God. The parable is directly connected to Peter’s question: “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore, what shall we have?” 28 So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first” (Matt 19:27,30). Peter forgot that he was a sinner saved by grace. He now wanted to know what his reward will be for taking his cross to follow Jesus. He was influenced by the rich young ruler who failed the test of love. Jesus corrects him (and the others) by telling them this parable.

Lesson: Agape Love does not make demands. Love does not ask for payment, especially when you owe so much to the Lover of your soul, King Grace. Jesus promises that all who died to the world and sacrificed even the good things of life to follow Him will surely be rewarded in this life and in heaven. But there shall be many surprises. Grace rewards the humble. Love rewards the faithful.  

This parable is about a rich landowner who hired laborers at different intervals, from morning till evening. He made an agreement only with those who came first, that he will pay a denarius a day. In Israel a working day was from 6 am to 6 pm. A Denarius was the usual payment for a day of labor for an unskilled worker. These were jobless men waiting to be hired to do any work. The amount of money was not too small. It was about the same as a soldier in the Roman army was paid daily. The last workers were hired at 5 pm. They only worked one hour. At the end of the day, the Landowner paid all the workers the same amount of money. The ones who came in the morning expected to be paid more, because they worked longer hours. They grumbled when they received the same amount with those who were hired later.

Let us say that in your office, you work the whole week very hard. Then your boss hires a man on Friday morning. That Friday both of you are paid the same amount of money. The newcomer is overjoyed. Will you rejoice with him? Tell the truth! The answer is No! You will be angry. You will feel cheated. This is the reaction of any sinner. Many say: It’s not fair! God is not fair! But this is the atmosphere in the Kingdom of God!

Then the Landowner said: “‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen” (Matt 20:13-16). Clearly, the workers who came in the morning, did not understand the law of the Kingdom of God. They used common sense to arrive at conclusions. In God’s Kingdom, worldly wisdom will always disappoint and clash with the Kingdom’ culture. The rich Landowner is Christ, the King. Here we see that the King has supreme power. He hires workers and he rewards them as He wishes. The King owes everything, both the land and the workers. The King never makes mistakes. He is rich and free to use his riches as He wants. In the Kingdom of God, we see justice, sovereignty, and grace. Jesus is always righteous and just. He said: “You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you”. (Matt 20:4). Jesus is not just righteous. He is Righteousness Himself. He can never do wrong. He can never cheat. He can never lie. He is sovereign in the way he calls the workers and how He pays them. Grace is always there but it manifests especially in the way he pays the ones that come at the 11th hour. They surely received more than they expected.

The ones who came first grumbled. They were not satisfied with the payment. Dis-satisfaction and grumbling are the major sins and a great danger for the believers who have worked for God for a long time. They compare themselves and their rewards with those who repented late in life. The lack of understanding of the laws in God’s Kingdom will disappoint and demote some. The ones who humble themselves and submit to the King, will be promoted, and rewarded. For example, the elder brother of the prodigal son was not happy that the father loved both of them equally. He thought he should receive more love and a greater reward for not backsliding openly. Grace pays the late comers more than they expect. God is happy when a sinner repents, even if it is on his dying bed. The grace given at that hour is amazing, to encourage the soul to enter heaven. Lesson: We should never be jealous on other people’s rewards or gifts, not compare ourselves with others. We should be found to be good and faithful servants to the end! We should not grumble when we don’t understand the ways of King Grace! We should be always grateful for God saving our souls and bringing us into His Kingdom!

IS GOD NOT FAIR? SOME PRINCIPLES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

When you think that God is unfair, study some of the Principles of the Kingdom:

1-God owes everything. God does not owe us anything.

2-God has done much more than we deserve. One denarius was the salary for a solider. If God has done nothing more than saving your soul, it is much more than you deserve!

3-God’s blessings do not depend on how hard we work. He blesses us by His Grace alone. His grace is sovereign! It cannot be bought!

4-Never look down on the 11th hour workers. One day, you can be in that group. When you backslide and need more grace to come home!

5-If you are saved for a long time do not look down on the baby Christians! The spiritually strong should not despise the weak in the faith!

6-Do not compare with others! Do not become jealous, ungrateful, or bitter towards God.

7-Reject the evil spirit of ‘doing business or demanding something’ from God!

8-Do not always look at what God can give to you. Look at what you can do for God, to serve Him better! In this way, you stay humble!

The landowner, was he fair, less, or more than fair? The answer is that he was more than fair. He hired men who will work very little for him (one hour). He paid them the same amount. God is always fair. God does not give us what we deserve. Because we are born sinners, we deserve to die. But God gives us mercy and grace. I have food to eat. I don’t deserve it. It is by God’s mercy. The only thing I really deserve is God’s anger, punishment, and hell. I don’t need for God to be fair with me. I need His mercy. Justice and mercy are not contradictory. Justice goes so far. From that point, mercy takes over. If anyone shows mercy to another, that is entirely to him, if, when, and how to show mercy. God is obligated to show justice but not mercy. He shows justice to everybody, but He does not show mercy to everybody.  “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.” 18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens” (Rom 9:14-18). God chooses to whom He will show mercy.

How does God choose those to whom He will give mercy? This is a great question. But first, remember that there is nothing like ‘luck’ in the Kingdom of God. There is nothing like ‘lottery’ about who receives mercy. In the world people live by luck. That is why many gamble to win money. They depend on good luck. That is why the Christians should not gamble. God choses the recipients of His divine mercy according to His principles that are the laws in the Kingdom of God:

*God shows His mercy to those who ask for it. The Christians pray for healing, protection, or finances. But few people pray for mercy. Why? Because they think they are not too bad. “The tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Lk 18:13). God gives mercy to armed robbers and rapists as they prepare to die. Many criminals became born again in the prison. When they died, they went to heaven. How do you feel about it? Angry?

*God shows mercy to those who will invest it into others. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt 5:7). In the Parable of the unforgiving, unmerciful servant (Matt 18:21-35) we see that mercy can be withdrawn when mercy is not shared to others. The king cancelled the huge debt of millions of naira to a man. But the same man could not let go of a debt of 100 naira that another servant of the king owed him. The king was angry because his mercy did not produce fruits. He revived the debt. The man was sent to prison until he pays the last kobo. This is a very serious matter. This parable also describes the Kingdom of Heaven. Mercy and kindness are highly appreciated. Any sin against mercy is severely punished. Unforgiveness is a stronghold blocking God to show you mercy.  If mercy cannot flow out, it will not flow in. To forgive your enemy is very hard and painful. But it opens the way to God to show you mercy. Selah!

*God will show mercy to those who will not take it for granted. Let us say a man is caught in adultery. He got infected with a venereal disease. He cries to God for mercy. God heals him and helps him to restore his marriage. Few months later, the same man commits adultery again. And he cries for mercy again. He is a fool. “As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly” (PV 26:11). God does not show mercy to fools. After saving the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said to her: “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (Jn 8:11). Jesus commanded her to repent of her sins. If not, mercy may not be found again! God gives us mercy to help us stop sinning not to continue in sin! “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” (Rom 6:1, 2).

WORSHIP YOUR KING!

The Kingdom of God is not created in this world. The Kingdom of God comes from heaven. When Jesus came to earth, He brought the Kingdom with Him where Truth is in its constitution. Jesus is the Truth! The Kingdom of God is totally different than any other kingdom on earth. You need the revelation of the Holy Spirit to understand the authority of God’s eternal Kingdom. “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (Jn 18:36, 37). Once a sinner becomes saved, he must renew his mind to be able to obey the new laws of this kingdom. He must have the mind of Christ. This is done thru the process of sanctification, by obeying God’s Word by the power of the Holy Spirit.

To enter God’s Kingdom, the sinner must become born again. Conversion is a miracle. Salvation is God’s gift, thru Grace and by faith in Christ crucified and resurrected. Religion does not save a sinner. Jesus told the religious leader Nicodemus: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:3). After you become born again, you need to make progress, to mature as a Christian. The fact that you are saved does not mean that automatically you will know how to behave in all situations. You need to study God’s Word, pray, attend a local church, and serve God in any capacity before you will see changes in your attitude and actions. Agape Love leads the way. The Body of Christ is One! But in the Body, there are weak Christians and strong Christians. The more you pay the price for spiritual maturity, the stronger you shall be as a Christian. Apostle Paul said: “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor 2:6-8). Spiritual maturity manifests as divine wisdom, which is the platform for the display of God’s glory on us. The unbelievers, the rulers of this age, though they are proud of their knowledge, they do not have this wisdom. In their foolishness and ignorance, they crucified Jesus, adding sin upon sin. They are out of the Kingdom of God.

Question: are you born again? Are you a citizen of the Kingdom of God? Is Jesus Christ your personal Savior, Lord, and King? Then humbly bow down and worship Him forever! Acknowledge His amazing Grace and unfailing Love! This is the worship of heaven: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Rev 5:13). Worship the Lord!    

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (32)/ MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (14)/ THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:12-23; 8:28-39; 1 Cor 8:1-13;

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Life to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2). We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in God’s Word, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament.

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between believers. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We now study things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. Over the years these things have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not to despise the weak ones. The weak are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Lesson: Matters of indifference should never become central doctrines. We study these teachings so that we behave better, we love without quarreling or causing division in the Body. Selah!

These are some laws of agape Love:

1-NEVER BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ANYONE. DO NOT GRIEVE YOUR BROTHER.

2-DO NOT REJECT FOOD- PRAY! ALL FOOD IS CLEAN AND GOOD

3-NEVER DISCRIMINATE PEOPLE

4-DO NOT MISUSE YOUR FREEDOM TO DAMAGE YOUR GOOD TESTIMONY

5-DO NOT DAMAGE YOUR CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSCIENCE OF YOUR NEIGHBOUR

6-DO NOT LET YOUR GOOD BE SPOKEN OF AS EVIL

7-DO NOT LET BITTERNESS GROW IN YOU

8-LOVE CONTROLS AND LEADS KNOWLEDGE (THE SPIRIT LEADS THE SOUL)

THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS

“If your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died” (Rom 14:15). “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1Cor 8:9-13). “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Cor 13:4; NIV).

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints was initially defined by the Church Fathers, like Augustine, but came to light fully during the Reformation, thru the great theologian John Calvin. This doctrine brought division in the church. That is why we include it among the matters of indifference. It was greatly opposed by many Christians but brought greatest joy to other believers. Because of it, the Christian martyrs went to their death with joy. We shall study it now so that we have peace about the possibility that by own sins or mistakes, we may ‘destroy’ another and send him to hell.      

In our relationships with the brethren, there is the danger of ‘destroying a brother’ because of our choice of food, or any item of the matters of indifference. The strong in the faith may insist on his freedom to speak or to do what he wants. But his liberty may turn into license and a stumbling block that makes the weak one fall into sin or backslide. For better or for worse, our words, attitude, and actions, influence others. You are not free to say or do just anything you want to do. That is not freedom. It is called License, and it is sin. The word ‘License’ comes from a Latin word meaning ‘freedom to act’. It means a formal permission to act given by a legal authority. For example, you need a driving license to drive a car. Doctors need medical license to practice medicine. But licentious behavior is sin. It is excessive freedom, abusive disregard for rules of personal conduct. It includes sexual sins. Both freedom and license express themselves as personal powers. They seem alike but there is difference between them. Love is the difference. Freedom is the power to do what is right, within the boundaries and responsibilities of Love. License is the power to do what you want, ignoring all boundaries and responsibilities of Love. Freedom builds character and loving relationships. License is totally selfish and destroys communities, families, and churches.

True freedom is always connected with love for others. You don’t want to say or do something that becomes a stumbling block for others, to make them fall or backslide. Careless words and actions cause hurt and confusion in relationships, even in the church. We must study the possibility that our words or deeds may make a weak brother fall into sin and ‘perish’. This is a serious warning! But the truth is that no man can make a Christian go to hell. From the beginning to the end, salvation is God’s work. But these words are a strong warning that we should behave responsibly in our relationships with others. We should not grieve a brother to the extent that he thinks about backsliding, especially because of these matters of loving indifference. Love should always be the primary motive in all our relationships, in church and outside the church. The strong in the faith should restore a backslider, not make one. For God judges all motives and actions. Selah!

Generally, Perseverance is defined as continuous effort to achieve success, in spite of tiredness, difficulty, discouragement, or delay. Simply said, perseverance means ‘not giving up’. In Latin, perseverance means ‘to abide by something strictly’. In other words, to achieve success or the fulfillment of your dreams, you need to stay focused and to be strict with yourself. For example, wining the marathon race requires perseverance, discipline, a sense of purpose, a desire to be a champion, and a hero. You must pay the price to achieve that success. You must develop good stubbornness, faith in yourself, moral strength, and courage. The greatest enemy of perseverance is discouragement and doubt. A double minded person will give up during hard times. He starts the race but will not finish it. Selah!

Spiritually, Perseverance is defined as the continuous activity of the Holy Spirit in the believer, by which the work of divine Grace that has begun in the heart will continue unto perfection. The believer cooperates with the Holy Spirit thru the process of sanctification. Despite trials and temptations, he matures spiritually. Without the internal work of the Holy Spirit, the believer will give up holding on Jesus. In that sense, the word Perseverance applies first to the Holy Spirit who helps the believer live by faith in Jesus until he enters heaven. God perseveres so that His child can persevere. This is the secret power that sustains each believer until he arrives in heaven. Glory!   

Apostle Paul says: “I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return]” (Philip 1:6; AMP). Salvation is by Grace alone, and thru faith in Christ alone. It is King Grace that starts ‘the good work’ of faith in Jesus. It is King Grace that leads the believer until his faith becomes perfect and rewarded. Grace starts and Grace ends. Supported by God, the believer’s faith works in between. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Philip 2:12-16). Perseverance in the Christian race depends on total submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit and by ‘holding fast the Word of life’. Apostle Paul has total faith in God’s Grace, Power, and Love. This work of grace manifests as perseverance until ‘the day of Christ’, which is His second coming. But for the individual Christian, the work of grace ends at the moment of his death. The enemies of this perseverance are the sins of complaining and disputing. Complaining is a matter of the heart. The believer must obey God’s Word with joy and without doubts or grumbling. Disputing means arguments. It applies to our relationships with others. Lesson: Do not grumble! Do not quarrel! Do not become a stumbling block to others. Both inside your heart and among men, stay in the grace of God and persevere as you run your race towards heaven, to the glory of God!

The churches are divided concerning this doctrine. Some believe it and others reject it. It is easy to misinterpret this doctrine. Many oppose it. They refuse to preach it saying that if a believer is sure of ‘making heaven’ he will become spiritually careless, proud, and lazy. He will take the grace of God for granted. Apostle Paul addressed those who took God’s grace for granted. He said: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Rom 6:1, 2).

Note that it is not necessary to believe this doctrine to become saved. Over the centuries, the Christians have argued about it. Their most anxious questions are these: ‘Can a true believer in Christ lose his salvation? Can a child of God miss heaven and end in hell?’ These are extremely important questions to consider. About half of all Christians believe that a child of God can lose his salvation and end in hell. The others believe that a Christian may backslide for a season, but God will restore him to the right path and will surely go to heaven.

There are two famous theologians who strongly and openly argued about this doctrine. Each one has many followers. The first is John Calvin (1509-1564). He was a French theologian, pastor, and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He believed in the doctrines of the sovereignty of God in election, the depravity of man, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. He said that man is born spiritually dead. He cannot desire salvation. The only people who will be saved are the elect, those chosen by God before the foundation of the world. They alone respond to God’s effectual call who brings them to repentance and salvation. He said that salvation is only by grace and thru faith in Christ and the saints always persevere to the end. This is because God is working in them to will and to do of His good pleasure. He said that a child of God can never lose his salvation because it is the gift of God, and it is irrevocable.   

The second famous theologian is a Dutch man called Jacobus Arminius (1560-1609). He argued bitterly against the teachings of Calvin. He believed that man has a free will to repent or not. He believed that election is conditional. The faith of the believer determines his stand with God. He believed that a man can be born again but thru sin, he can lose his salvation.  He believed that all believers have full assurance of salvation with the condition that they ‘remain’ in Christ. Therefore, perseverance is conditional. He said that all believers are graciously empowered by Christ and The Holy Spirit to overcome temptations. He said that the security of salvation depends on the believers if they continue in the faith.  As you can see, Calvin exalted the Grace of God, and Arminius the faith of man!

The term ‘Perseverance of the saints’ doesn’t appear in the Bible, but God’s Word clearly teaches this doctrine. The doctrine affirms that God protects and preserves the Christians, also called ‘His saints, or the holy ones’, for eternity. God causes their faith to persevere to the end of their lives when He calls them home to heaven. God safely preserves each Christian’s inheritance in heaven according to His almighty power, great mercy, and grace. All believers receive an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and will never fade away. Salvation is not by their own efforts or ability to live sin-free, but as a gift from their Savior. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1Pet 1:3-5). Such an inheritance can never be lost nor taken away. God secures it in heaven forever. Perseverance is not the work of man, but a gift given by God to His children to empower them to persevere in faithfulness to Christ to the end of their life. In other words, once you are saved, you are eternally saved. If you say that you were once saved but you’ve lost your salvation, it means that you were never saved. True Christians may fall badly and backslide for a long time, but they can never totally fall from grace and end in hell. Selah!

“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame” (Heb 6:4-6). Some scriptures seem to say that a true believer can lose his salvation. But that is not true. It is possible for a sinner to become religious, to say he is a Christian, and still be lost. The Holy Spirit can touch a sinner for a season so he can experience ‘the powers of the age to come’ and still there is no conversion. For example, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, King Saul behaved as a prophet, but he was never converted (1Sam 10:9-11). It is possible that the eternal Holy Spirit can do ‘temporary work’ in the hearts of sinners. Pray for discernment! 

But there are other scriptures that clearly teach that a true believer cannot lose his salvation. Jesus says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one” (Jn 10:27-30). The words of Jesus are categorical. The sheep of Jesus are the born-again Christians. They belong to God the Father who gives them to God the Son. Jesus declares that no one can ‘snatch’ them out of His hand. He keeps them eternally safe. He gives them eternal life. These promises are not conditional on man’s godliness. He clearly says that the true believers ‘shall never perish’. He is the good Shepherd. He knows how weak the sheep are. Even if the sheep goes astray, she cannot be lost eternally. Thru the spiritual mystical union with Christ, all true believers are already in heaven. Heaven is sure for God’s children. “They, whom God has accepted in his Beloved [Jesus Christ, His only Son], effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally, fall away from the state of grace; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved” (Westminster Confession of Faith)

This is God’s Word: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 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. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Rom 8:28-30). This is the so called ‘golden chain of redemption’. God “foreknew us, predestined us, called us, justified us and glorify us”. It is God’s purpose to save men thru Jesus Christ. All the verbs are in the past and not in the future. Not a single link in this chain can be missing or broken. According to God’s eternal purpose, He has ‘foreknown’ you to go to heaven.

Observe the power of Grace in salvation! “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:8, 9). Salvation is not by works. It is not by our keeping the Law. It is not a reward we can earn or un-earn. It is not something we can gain or lose. It’s a gift given by God, by His grace. This revelation is the heart of the doctrine of the Perseverance of the saints. If there’s even one thing that we must do at any point to earn or keep our salvation, it ceases to be a gift and becomes an earned wage or reward. “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt” (Rom 4:4). If it is possible to keep ourselves in the faith by our power, by doing good works, then we can boast about ‘making heaven’. We can say: “Look what I’ve done! I’ve kept myself saved.” But if our persevering in the faith is by God’s grace and power alone, from start to finish, we only have Christ to boast, as it should be. “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Cor 1:31). The strength and faith to persevere to the end is not the means to enter heaven. It is the proof of God’s grace working in us, as we go to heaven, and it is for His glory alone!

Jesus Christ died on the Cross to save us. Now, in heaven, the Resurrected Christ is our eternal High Priest. His eternal intercession keeps us in the faith, helps us to persevere to the end. “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:24, 25). Our salvation is ‘to the uttermost’, which means eternally. In His high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed to the Father: “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. 26 And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (Jn 17:24-26). Jesus asks the Father that all His sheep, the true believers, should be with Him in heaven, to behold His glory and to experience the Agape Love the Father gave Him. The Father can never refuse any prayer of Jesus. Amen!

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:35-39). In Greek, the word ‘separate’ is the same as divorce. Our Lord said about marriage: “6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt 19:6). In other words, Christ will never divorce His Bride. That means you! Nothing can separate us from the eternal love of God in Christ Jesus!

BACKSLIDING

Backsliding is a fact. It happens when a child of God disobeys God’s Word and sins. He leaves the safe way of Grace and now tries to live by his power, by obeying the law. These are some facts about backsliders:

*All legalistic born-again Christians are backsliders. Many of those who are weak in the faith are actually backsliders.

*Every backslider is deceived about sin. The devil can only succeed thru deception. Be warned about religious deception!

*Every backslider is confused. When committing sin, he is happy and unhappy at the same time. A backslider may deceive himself by loving the world, but he cannot overcome the constant longing to go back to God, to the Bible, and to the church. That is why he is sad.

*A backslider can’t lose his salvation. Even when committing sin, he remains God’s child. When he dies, he goes to heaven. But he loses peace of mind, the joy of his salvation, the benefits of going to church, opportunities to do ministry and rewards on earth and heaven.

*Every backslider will eventually repent and come back to God, even if it is on his dying bed. If a backslider dies in open sin, totally rejecting Christ, even when face to face with death, it means he was never saved. He is not a backslider. He lived and died as a sinner.

In case you are worried… These are some signs that you are saved: you have a growing desire to read the Bible, to pray, have fellowship with other Christians. You hate sin and you do warfare against the devil. No Christian is perfect, but these fruits of the Holy Spirit prove that you are truly saved. “The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above” (PV14:14).

These are some examples of backsliders in the Bible. King David fell into serious sin. He committed adultery and murder. But the Holy Spirit convicted him of sin. He genuinely repented and came back to God. He could not stop the consequences of his sin, but his soul was saved with spiritual fruits to prove it. Prophet Jonah ran away from God. But God chased him until he repented and went back to God and to ministry. In the belly of the whale Jonah said: “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple. 8 “Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:7-9). In the New Testament, there is the story of the prodigal son. For the pleasures of sin, he left his father’s house and love. He suffered. He repented and came back to the Father (Lk 15:11-32). Apostle Peter rejected Christ, swearing that he never knew Him. This was a public betrayal of Jesus. When he was being warned of this eventuality, Peter said it would never happen. Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, Satan would have you and sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, so that when you turn, strengthen the brothers” (Lk 22:31-32). Peter fell badly, but he returned. He was restored. His fall was for a season. Lesson: true Christians can have serious falls but never totally and finally fall from grace.   

OUR TESTIMONY

As for us, we believe Calvin’s doctrines of Grace because they are more in line with the truth of the scriptures. We do not follow men blindly. Calvin’s doctrines are not some additions to the Gospel. They stand as pillars of revelation concerning our sure salvation. But we are not ‘Calvinists’. We are ‘Christians’. It is also important to say that you don’t need to know all the doctrines to be saved and go to heaven. But these doctrines help you to better understand God’s plan and purpose for your life, and to have greater understanding concerning your identity in Christ! By the Grace of God, convinced by the Word of God and the witness of the Holy Spirit, we believe that a Child of God is eternally saved and cannot lose his salvation. A Christian can commit sin, but he cannot become a sinner again. True change in conversion is too radical to be undone. Our confession, our faith, is not a matter or religious arguments. It is based on the personal revelation of God’s Word by the Holy Spirit. Truth may be hated but truth always wins! If you have questions, then humble yourself. Be encouraged as you study God’s Word for yourself!  May God open the eyes of your understanding to see the truth and to be set free from religious constricting man-made doctrines! I declare that it is well with your soul! Worship the Lord!

 A FINAL WARNING…

Dear Child of God, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints should not make you careless with your soul. You need to pay the price for spiritual maturity. You need to study God’s Word, fast, pray, and attend a local church to have fellowship with the brethren. The devil is real, and he is your enemy. He cannot drag you to hell, but he will try to spoil your testimony as a servant of God. Now, this is a word of encouragement for the children of God who still struggle with doubts concerning their eternal salvation. As you can see, no man can convince you. Only God can give you peace of mind about your eternal salvation. Study God’s Word and pray for personal revelation. Think of this: For a child of God to lose his salvation and go to hell, God must deny His Word. God must do the following: He changes His eternal will, plan, and purpose for you! He stops loving you. His Grace will not be sufficient for your salvation. God has to say: “I am taking the imputed righteousness of My Son from you, and I give you back your sins!” This is the truth: If the life of Jesus is in you, you are married to Christ. What God has joined together let not man separate. For you to lose your salvation, the Father must separate you from Christ. He must remove the seal and the guarantee of the Holy Spirit given to you! He needs to break His promises to you. The Father will not do that! Perseverance does not mean I will not fall into sin. I fall and rise again! For you to lose your salvation Jesus must stop praying for you or the Father decides not to answer the prayers of Jesus. Both these two possibilities can never happen! Is this perseverance not the most wonderful, good news? Do you need more persuasion? Then pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit of hope! “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion, and power, Both now and forever. Amen!” (Jude 1:24,25). Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (31)/ MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (13)/ THE SURGERY OF LOVE

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:12-23; 1 Cor 8:1-13; Matt 5:27-30.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for humanity. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Life to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2). We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in God’s Word, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament.

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between believers. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We now study things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. Over the years these things have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not to despise the weak ones. The weak are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Lesson: Matters of indifference should never become central doctrines. We study these teachings so that we behave better, we love without quarreling or causing division in the Body. Selah!

These are some laws of agape Love:

1-NEVER BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ANYONE. DO NOT GRIEVE YOUR BROTHER.

2-DO NOT REJECT FOOD- PRAY! ALL FOOD IS CLEAN AND GOOD

3-NEVER DISCRIMINATE PEOPLE

4-DO NOT MISUSE YOUR FREEDOM TO DAMAGE YOUR GOOD TESTIMONY

5-DO NOT DAMAGE YOUR CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSCIENCE OF YOUR NEIGHBOUR

6-DO NOT LET YOUR GOOD BE SPOKEN OF AS EVIL

7-DO NOT LET BITTERNESS GROW IN YOU

8-LOVE CONTROLS AND LEADS KNOWLEDGE (THE SPIRIT LEADS THE SOUL)

NEVER BE A STUMBLING-BLOCK TO ANYONE 

In Greek, the word ‘stumbling-block’ is ‘skandalon’. It means an offence, a hidden snare, a trap-stick to catch animals in the bush. The animal is unaware of the trap because it is covered with leaves and grass. There is a bait hanging there. The animal makes one step towards the bait and touches a stick that moves the trap. The animal is caught alive in the snare. Except a man comes to free it, the animal will be killed and eaten by the hunter. Spiritually, by falling into such a snare, the weak in the faith goes astray or backslides. This Greek word is the origin of the English word ‘scandal’. The word ‘stumbling-block’ has two meanings: the first, is an obstacle on the way, like a tree that fell on the road, and blocking it. The second meaning is deception that leads you away from the road of faithfulness and truth. Both these meanings manifest as ‘verbal traps’ to lure someone in an argument that will end in defeat and destruction. For example, a Lawyer starts an argument with an illiterate man. The lawyer is setting a trap, building a stronghold in the man’s path. The lawyer has no love for the man! Another example of evil is when a pastor starts an argument with a baby Christian. He wins it! Selah!!!

Stumbling blocks always delay the progress of a believer. The strong in the faith is warned not to use his freedom in becoming a wicked hindrance towards the weak. Knowing that we shall all be judged by Christ, we should be careful that we do not offend others with our words and deeds. Do not discourage, intimidate, or manipulate the weak to act in doubt, fear, or against his conscience. Lesson: Do not think only of yourself. Think of others and the effect your words and deeds have on them. As they say, ‘no man is an island’. No man lives or dies to himself. We are all God’s property, and He will judge all we say and do! Selah!

LOVE CONTROLS AND LEADS KNOWLEDGE (THE SPIRIT LEADS THE SOUL)

“Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. 4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. 9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble” (1 Cor 8:1-13).

In this letter, Apostle Paul discusses the different reactions of the Christians to eating or not eating food dedicated to idols. The first thing we learn is that food does not have a spiritual significance. To eat or not to eat is a matter of choice and of obeying your conscience. The strong in the faith have no problem with eating meat that may have been dedicated to idols. But the baby Christians, or the weak in the faith feel guilty when they eat it, when they imitate the spiritually strong and eat it, or when they are forced to eat it. In all these instances their consciences can be wounded, and the fellowship can be hurt. People with wounded spirits tend to withdraw and division manifests in the fellowship. Apostle Paul makes a point that we should pay the price to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the church. He also says that the motive of Love is greater than the motive of knowledge. The ‘heart’ is to lead ‘the mind’. In other words, the spirit should control the soul. Knowledge of the Bible is wonderful, but it tends to make us proud. Is it not true that when you listen to a Christian, or to a pastor, who does not know the doctrines of salvation as you do, you tend to criticize him in your mind. You feel proud of your knowledge. But Love is safer. Love does not become proud. Love is a builder and a helper. Love is humble and stronger than knowledge. Love leads!

Apostle Paul says: “Knowledge [alone] makes [people self-righteously] arrogant, but love [that unselfishly seeks the best for others] builds up and encourages others to grow [in wisdom]” (1Cor 8:1; AMP). He separates knowledge (theory) from the divine wisdom of Love that knows how to apply the knowledge. Knowledge alone without love for God and man is like a big balloon. It is impressive but it can explode anytime. There are many very intelligent people who cannot love anybody. They are geniuses in their field but bankrupt as husbands and fathers. Love keeps us humble and fruitful. The conscience warns us when we build empty balloons of pride and encourages us to love others and help them along the way. Lovers lead thinkers!

Concerning eating food dedicated to idols, Apostle Paul addresses especially the believers who are strong in the faith. They know God’s Word. They know their identity in Christ. They know that idols are nothing and all food is clean. They walk in strength, faith, and freedom. They are free from fear or doubts. Their consciences are free from condemnation or guilt. But there remains a danger: they may not walk in love. Lesson: It is easy to ignore love when your knowledge and faith are strong! You must be sensitive to the signals of both love and faith. Listen to both your mind and your heart! Faith connects with God. Love connects to both God and people. You may love God, but you may not love your neighbor as you love yourself. Be careful in your relationship with people, especially with the weak in the faith, who generally are the difficult brethren. Love for people should not be sacrificed on the altar of faith, knowledge, and success in life.

For better or for worse, our words, attitude, and actions, influence others. You are not free to say or do just anything you want to do. That is not freedom. It is called License, and it is sin. The word ‘License’ comes from a Latin word meaning ‘freedom to act’. It means a formal permission to act given by a legal authority. For example, you need a driving license to drive a car on the road. Bars need a license to serve alcohol. Doctors need a medical license to practice medicine. Licentious behavior is sin. It means excessive freedom, abusive disregard for rules of personal conduct. It includes sexual sins. Both freedom and license express themselves as personal powers. They seem alike but there is great difference between them. Freedom means the power to do what is right, within the boundaries and responsibilities of Love. License is the power to do what you want, ignoring the boundaries, and responsibilities of Love. Freedom builds character and loving relationships. License is totally selfish and destroys communities, families, and churches. True freedom is always connected with love for others. You don’t want to say or do something that becomes a stumbling block for others, to make them fall or backslide. Careless words and actions cause hurt and confusion in relationships and in the church.

By insisting on his freedom of action, the spiritually strong can wound the conscience of the weak. In Latin the word ‘conscience’ is made of two words: con (means together with) and science. In other words, conscience means ‘to know something together with God’. The conscience is a major component of the human spirit enabling us to know the difference between right and wrong, between God’s voice and the devil’s voice. An active healthy conscience influences the will. These are the three basic functions of the conscience:

*Telling us what to do at this present moment.

*Making us feel good (happy) when we do right.

*Making us feel guilty (anxious) when we do wrong.

*The Conscience separates truth (true doctrines) from lies (false doctrines).

*The Conscience convicts of religious sin and hypocrisy when you do not practically apply the truth that you know.

The strong in the faith know the truth: the so-called gods are fake. ‘The idol is nothing in the world and there is no other God but One’. For the Christians, there is only One God. He is the only Trinty God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus made all things, and we live in Him. The believers in Christ are free to eat meat offered to idols because the idols are nothing. They can’t influence the meat. But the weak in the faith are afraid to eat such meat. Their conscience is weak and defiled. They still live in a form of bondage concerning the things connected with idol worshipping. They are afraid that eating meat offered to idols may affect their health.

The spiritually mature have a good conscience, clean, free of offence or guilt. Apostle Paul said: “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day… This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men” (Ac 23:1; 24:16). This should be our desire too! A good conscience is sensitive to truth and free to speak. It has perfect peace and confidence as a Christian. It is free from guilt, shame, anxiety, or inferiority complexes.

A guilty conscience manifests as fear, anxiety, depression, misdirected anger, suspicion, withdrawal, lack of appetite, sleep disturbance, bitterness, loneliness, or busyness. When the flesh is active, the conscience is suppressed and damaged. When the Holy Spirit fills the believer it produces spiritual fruits like Love, Joy, and Peace. These fruits set him free from any law against him (Gal 5:19-23). That is why the conscience is free, healthy, active, strong and at peace with God and self. These spiritual fruits are the only perfect protection against guilt, doubts, and fears. A believer who is Spirit filled is the only person that you can safely trust with the needs of your soul. He is gentle and wise, loving and patient to pray for you and to counsel you rightly. Be careful when choosing a life partner, friends, mentors, and pastors. Anyone who walks in the flesh is dangerous to others and to himself. Selah!     

Let us take the example of eating meat that may have been dedicated to idols. The Jews had strict ceremonial and dietary laws. All their food, especially the meat, needed to be approved by the priests that it was lawful. In every city, the Jews had their own butcher and their own markets. They never went to the common market to buy meat or vegetables. But the Gentiles did not have such laws. They could eat any meat, including pork, but some feared the meat coming from the temples. When the Jews or the Gentiles became saved, they still carried these fears in their minds. The decision to eat or not to eat was not based on God’s Word, but on their fears and doubts.

The only way for the weak in the faith to be free, is to teach them God’s Word. Truth sets free. Also, remember that the conscience can be trained. It gets stronger and purer by God’s Word and prayer. The truth is that you can influence your conscience, either for good or for bad. Alcohol, illegal drugs, can weaken the conscience allowing the man to make decisions that he will later regret. These drugs affect the emotions, the memory, the mind, the way reality is perceived. Alcohol, drugs, reduce the feeling of guilt produced by the conscience. The man is emboldened to continue in sin, taking God’s grace for granted. These addictions are dangerous not only on the body, but they affect the mind and the spirit. These are spiritual laws: Respect your conscience and the conscience of your neighbor. Always listen to your conscience and obey it. Never argue or disobey it!  Never force or manipulate your neighbor to act against his conscience. That is a spiritual crime. Never tell him to imitate you when you see that he still has fears and doubts. Do not argue with him. Be patient, gentle, and wise with those who are weak in the faith. Do not insist on your opinions, especially concerning these matters of indifference. 

THE SURGERY OF LOVE

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matt 5:27-30). These are the eternal words spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ. He proves that the religious Pharisees are wrong in their interpretation of God’s command: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exo 20:14). They try to obey the letter of the Law but ignore the Spirit of the Law. That attitude is always wrong. Our Lord explains the right way to obey God’s command.

These scriptures refer to the sin of adultery. But we can glean wisdom to apply in all situations because we are all born sinners. Adultery stands for fake sinful ‘love’. It is the enemy of Agape Love. The Pharisees knew the Ten Commandants. They studied God’s Laws in the Old Testament. They were religious people. They tried their best to live a good life. What was their problem? They did not know the doctrine of sin. They were ignorant of the power, and the deception of sin in their own hearts. They treated sin as being only a matter of external deeds. They did not know that sin is deeply rooted in man’s heart. A sickness may manifest in different ways, but the sickness is deeper than all the symptoms. You can give medicine to stop the symptoms, but the sickness remains, and the man is not yet cured. The saints of old used these words: ‘The sinfulness of sin’. This is to describe the depth of ugliness and danger of sin in man’s heart.

In Greek, the word sin is ‘harmatia’. It means ‘to miss the mark’, to make mistakes, to go astray. A good definition of sin is this: falling short of God’s glorious standard of holiness and being far away from His saving presence. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). To ‘fall short’ means to come too late, to be inferior in quality, to be unapproved by God. Sin separates man from God! “But 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). God hates sin and always destroys it! These are some of the attributes of sin: Sin is Powerful! Sin is Deceptive! Sin can only be defeated and eradicated thru faith in the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected. As a child of God, you must hate sin. “You who love the LORD, hate evil!” (Ps 97:10). If you do not understand the doctrine of sin, you will not understand the reason why Jesus came and died for sinners. Minimizing sin the way the Pharisees did, makes you an unbeliever or a traitor to Jesus. Be careful!

Jesus said that if your right eye or right hand leads you to sin, pluck it or cut it off. To protect love, Doctor Jesus recommends radical surgery. Why did He say that? It is a reminder that sin is merciless, and a deadly poison. It spreads until it kills its victim. For example, if a patient has a gangrene on his hand, the doctor may need to amputate the hand to save his life. During the time of Jesus, men thought that the right hand is more powerful than the left one. They also believed that the right eye sees better than the left eye. Now, both hands and both eyes are gifts from God. Therefore, Jesus says that if a good gift from God leads you into sin, then remove it. Anything that makes you go away from Jesus, from truth, from the way of salvation, destroy it. Your soul is more important than your body. Anything that has the power to destroy your soul or your conscience, look at it as an enemy and separate from it. That includes loving family and friends. “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple” (Lk 14:26, 27). God has blessed us with families. We love our families. But the Agape Love for Jesus must be greater than the love for any man. The only way to fight for agape love is to bear your cross and follow Jesus. Refusing to die to sin and self, is the reason why Jesus cannot admit you into His school of the Spirit. He cannot teach you the truth. If you chose to keep your family, you will lose the Savior. Selah!

Jesus said that adultery is more than the physical sexual act. He said that adultery is connected with covetousness. The same God who said: you shall not commit adultery, also said that you should not covet your neighbor’s house and wife (Ex 20:14,17). Covetouness is defined as a strong desire to have the things that belong to another, especially wealth and pleasure. It is related to greed, jealousy, and sexual lust. The pharisees knew about the law against covetousness but they never applied it. Jesus exposes their shallow religion. They were proud that they did not commit adultery with their bodies, but their hearts were filled with wicked ugly imaginations. Apostle Paul said that he too did not know the power of the sin of Covetousness until the Holy Spirit exposed it to him thru God’s Law (Rom 7:7-12).

Jesus said that adultery, like bitterness, dwells in the heart. It is a secret sin. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matt 15:19, 20). Sin resident in heart defiles a man. Sin makes him unloving, wicked, polluted, ugly, and dangerous. For example: people love to read on the internet about affairs, divorce, and other sexual stories. They love to gossip about famous people who live immoral lives. Why? It is because they love these stories. They find them entertaining. People hate some sins like murder, but they love sins like fornication. All sins are terrible. They kill and destroy. God hates all sin. We must hate them too. Selah!

God is Love and God is Jealous over His Love. This is His command: “you shall not worship any other god; for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His]” (Ex 34:14; AMP). God is impassionate. This word means to be filled with very strong emotions, to be excited, passionate, and fiery. These emotions manifest thru words and actions. The opposite is to be indifferent, detached, cool. Many people tried to explain that God is not emotional with His creation. That He is not jealous. But we are told that His name if El Qanna, the Jealous God. Love is patient and tolerates many things but not idolatry. If God is indifferent to our worshipping idols, it means He does not care for us, He does not love us. But we are told that God loves us! That is why God is not cool when it comes to idols! Selah!

‘The Israelites are commanded to destroy every monument of idolatry, however curious or costly; to refuse all alliance, friendship, or marriage with idolaters, and all idolatrous feasts; they were reminded not to repeat the crime of making molten images. Jealously is called the rage of a man (Pr 6:34} but in God it is holy and just displeasure. Those cannot worship God aright, who do not worship him only’ (Matthew Henry commentary).

The only way to fight and defeat the power of sin is thru the greater power of Love. And that power comes only thru the Holy Spirit. You must be born again. You must confess your sins to God. Ask for mercy and forgiveness. God hears the prayer of a truly humble man who has faith in His Son. Salvation is by Grace alone, thru faith alone, in Christ alone. After salvation, the process of sanctification starts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, thru faith in God’s Word, fasting and prayer, you daily kill every sin in your heart. “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom 8:12,13). Flesh is where sin dwells. Do not even think about satisfying the sinful desires of the flesh. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom 13:14). Do not supply the flesh with what she wants. You know your weaknesses.

For example, if you were involved in adultery, do not ‘witness’ to prostitutes. You must physically avoid some people and some places that are dangerous for your Christian life. Another example: You had a fleshly relationship with a boyfriend in the past. He has broken your heart. Since you became a Christian, you have made peace with him. He invites you to his wedding with another woman. It is better not to attend that wedding. It is hard not to remember the pain and not to judge him in your heart. God commands His children: “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” 18 “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2Cor 6:17). Love does not discriminate but love separates itself from sin.

This is an old story I read in a book. There was an African chief who was angry with one of his slaves. The slave stole some food. The chief ordered that the slave should be killed. An English missionary was told about the crisis. He ran to the chief and begged for mercy on behalf of the guilty slave. The chief refused to listen to his plea. Then the missionary offered money and gifts. The chief said that he can attack another tribe in the forest, kill the people, and take their money and gifts. He said that he wants to see ‘blood flowing’ before he can have peace. Then the chief ordered one of his guards to shoot an arrow in the slave’s heart. Suddenly, the missionary stretched his arm and covered the slave’s chest. The arrow entered his arm and blood gushed to the ground. The chief was satisfied. He then gave the slave to the missionary as a gift. The slave served his new master faithfully until he died. He became saved and went to heaven. Glory!

Do you want to go to heaven? Good! Think now like a heavenly citizen. You want to see God on His throne one day? Good! But to see God, your heart must be clean! “Blessed are the pure in heart. For they shall see God” (Matt 5:8). May we appreciate the grace of God more and more. Fight for your testimony. Be jealous over your name as a Christan, or as a pastor. Remember your soul. Do not sell your birthright for a plate of stew. Pay the price for spiritual maturity and Love. It is worth it! Worship the Lord!

LOVE IS THE NEW COMMANDMENT (30)/ MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE (12)/ ESAU I HAVE HATED

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘Love is The New Commandment’. Her main scriptures were taken from the books of Romans 14:12-23; Genesis 25:1-11,19-34; 27:27-41; Hebrews 12:15-17; Romans 9:13.

THE AGAPE LOVE OF GOD

Love is the greatest word in the Bible. In Greek, there are three words for love. Eros refers to sexual love. Philio refers to friendly attachment. Agape means unconditional sacrificial love. In the New Testament, the word Love appears about 200 times, and it is almost always ‘agape’ love. This Love is not just a feeling. It is the highest, most pure form of love, born not out of natural attraction or obligation, but a willful choice and a command to be obeyed.  It is the unselfish, pure, powerful, and sacrificial love that desires the best in another person. This love is best expressed as the Fatherly Love of God for human beings. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn 3:16). This is the Gospel: God the Father sent God the Son to become a Man and die on behalf of sinners. The unbelievers may be religious, but they do not know this agape love. Love is a gift given only to the children of God, who are saved by grace and thru faith in Christ. This love saves and restores humanity in the face of sin and death. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (Jn15:13). Because we are born sinners, agape love does not come naturally to us. Agape love requires faithfulness, commitment, courage, strength, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice. Agape love is the magnet God uses to attract the world to Jesus! It was so in the early church, and during all the revivals in the history of the Church! To know the measure of Love you must know how much Love gives. Just think of this Love: God the Father gave us His only begotten Son, to save us! God the Son gave up His Live, His Blood, to pay for our sins! There is no greater Love than that!!!

MATTERS OF LOVING INDIFFERENCE

The Book of Romans is a masterpiece. It is considered the best Book in the Bible and the greatest piece of literature in the world. It is written by the great Apostle Paul. Many great men of God became born again by studying this Book. It contains the major doctrines of the Gospel. In the first 11 chapters, the Apostle writes about the doctrines of salvation. From chapter 12 to the end, he writes the application of these doctrines. The first two verses in chapter 12 are the basic scriptures on the application of doctrine. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom 12:1,2).  We see that the Christian life is a life of sacrifice for the sake of Christ, to give glory to God! By faith in God’s Word, our minds are renewed and transformed. From starting as ‘babies’ in Christ, we become strong in the faith. Becoming spiritually mature is the aim for every believer. Agape Love is the engine of this transformation. The New Law of Love takes over obedience of the Law as found in the Old Testament.

In chapters 14 and 15 we find the practical application of the Gospel especially in the relationships between believers. Theologians call these principles ‘matters of indifference’ or ‘grey areas’. These are important teachings, but they are not essential to our salvation. They apply to the type of food Christians eat, the mode of dressing, the type of entertainment, the types of baptism, the type of prophecies, the importance of days and how we celebrate our faith. The major doctrines of the Bible cannot be argued about.  As Christians, we all must agree on the major doctrines in the Bible, but we can lovingly disagree on these matters of indifference. If something is forbidden, it is sin. There is no need to discuss it. For example, the Bible says that adultery is sin. We cannot debate that. We now study things that are not clearly forbidden in God’s Word and our attitude to them. Over the years these things have bought much confusion, pain, and division in the Body. The church is made of many believers; some are spiritually strong, and others are spiritually weak in the faith. The first lesson we must learn is that the Body is One!!! The strong ones are commanded not to despise. Not to look down on the weak ones. The weak are commanded not to judge the spiritually strong. Lesson: Matters of indifference should never become central doctrines. Any form of division and segregation based on your Bible knowledge is wrong. We study these teachings so that we behave better, we love without quarreling or causing division in the Body. Selah!

These are some laws of agape Love:

1-NEVER BE A STUMBLING BLOCK TO ANYONE. DO NOT GRIEVE YOUR BROTHER.

2-DO NOT REJECT FOOD- PRAY! ALL FOOD IS CLEAN AND GOOD

3-NEVER DISCRIMINATE PEOPLE

4-DO NOT MISUSE YOUR FREEDOM AND DAMAGE YOUR GOOD TESTIMONY

5-DO NOT DAMAGE YOUR CONSCIENCE AND THE CONSCIENCE OF YOUR NEIGHBOUR

DO NOT LET YOUR GOOD BE SPOKEN OF AS EVIL

“Therefore, do not let what is a good thing for you [because of your freedom to choose] be spoken of as evil [by someone else]… Don’t let your right to eat bring shame to Christ… Don’t you dare let a piece of God-blessed food become an occasion of soul-poisoning! (Rom 14:16; AMP, CEV, TM).

Love is not a people pleaser, but it is sensitive to the feelings of others. Please remember that something you may consider good may be interpreted as bad by others. Be sensitive to your environment, to other cultures and ideas. For example, the missionaries are trained to understand the culture and habits of the people to whom they minister. Being carless in this area becomes a stronghold that hinders ministry. This is an example: an American evangelist said that he was preaching in Pakistan. There was no pulpit on the platform they built. After reading God’s Word, he put the Bible on the floor. The people became restless and stopped listening to his preaching. Why? Because in their culture, a holy book like the Bible or the Quran should not be on the floor where people can step on it even accidentally. The evangelist apologized and carried the Bible in his hand until they bought a pulpit. Another example: in Europe, if you invite someone to dinner you expect the visitor to keep to the time. More than 10 minutes late, is considered rude and apology is needed. I heard that in some countries in South America, lateness is part of the accepted culture. Even church’ services start late, and people think is normal. In Nigeria, if you give a gift to someone using the left hand, people get offended and sometimes openly correct you. It is not the same in Europe. Lesson: Love is sensitive to people’s feelings and cultures. We do everything to the glory of God and to save others. If our eating, manner of dressing, or speaking, does not give glory to God and does not spread love to others, so that they can be saved, then we are wrong. A thing can be right in itself and still be wrong in some situations. Love wins over our arguments of being right!

The Body of Christ is One! The Gospel is one! The Spirit is one! But believers are not all the same. Some are strong in the faith and others are weak. The strong in the faith have paid the price for spiritual maturity. He knows the difference between the major doctrines and matters of indifference. He knows the power of love and walks in it. The strong in the faith has more flexibility and room for humility. He can submit to some laws just for the sake of Christ and the Gospel. But the weak in the faith are more rigid and judgmental. It is the strong in the faith that has to first pay the price for love before the weak will follow. The strong in faith is willing to reduce his freedom to connect with another who is weak in the faith. Lesson: Don’t wait for the weak in the faith to understand or accept your freedom, especially in these matters of indifference. For example: if you visit a family of vegetarians, don’t eat fried chicken in their presence. Your appetite for food can be satisfied at home but not in public. Your appetite for food has blocked the way for you to minister Christ to them. Satisfying your stomach, you have damaged a good thing called ‘testimony’. The weak in the faith see you now as a fake Christian who does not love. You have gained a chicken and have ‘lost’ a soul. You have filled your belly with the food of your choice, but you have grieved a brother. You have lost more than you have gained. Lesson: always remember God! Spiritual things are more important than temporal things. Your testimony as a child of God is more important than your appetite for food. Even if it is your right to eat chicken, you are damaging your good testimony thru pride, or carelessness. It takes a long time to build a good name and a good testimony. Be jealous over these and protect them. Love says: to win souls has a greater value than to win an argument. “The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity]” (PV 11:30; AMP). Selah!

Penny-wise and Pound-foolish. Pounds and pennies are English currencies. A pound is made of 100 pennies. This popular saying means to be extremely careful or stingy with small amounts of money but careless or wasteful with large amounts. It describes something that is done to save a small amount of money now, but that will cost a large amount of money in the future. This attitude describes a foolish person. It means you lose more than you gain. You give too much attention to details, and you lose the bigger picture. Calculating the small profit of today, you miss open doors of opportunities ahead. It is a form of distraction that will cost you time and money. For example, a woman saves money when buying food for the children but goes to buy a very expensive dress; a man marries a humble hard-working economical woman but spends a lot of money on girlfriends. A businessman applies for a contract. There are other competitors. He should send his quote by FedEx, which is safer and faster. It is also more expensive. He decides to save money on transport and sends it by simple post office letter. At the end, his letter arrives too late. He has lost the contract. This is another example of foolishness: when building a house, you need a strong deep foundation. That is expensive. But the house is stronger and last longer. Building a big house on a shallow cheap foundation is foolishness and waste. Lesson: do not cheat yourself!   

Do not allow your good to be spoken of as evil. Good can be your testimony, your marriage, your family, your ministry etc. Protect what you consider to be an asset to you, and the good name that you hold. Be careful how you choose your battles! Love yourself and others! It is possible to be very concerned about your life and totally ignorant on the effect you have on others. The strong willed and opinionated people get easily distracted and quarrel with others. They may win the argument but lose their reputation or their testimony. The husband and wife can quarrel over a minor issue. Each one wants to win the argument. But in this type of battle there are no winers. Only the devil wins at last. By quarreling they lose their peace of mind, their respect for each other, the joy of marriage and their testimonies as children of God. Trying to win an argument you can do much damage to yourself and to your family. Lesson: love is the standard and leader! Obey the voice of Love! “Follow the way of love… Let love be your highest goal… Love should be your guide” (1Cor 14:1; NIV, NLT, CEV).

THE ROOT OF BITTERNESS

“See to it that no one falls short of God’s grace; that no root of resentment springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled; 16 and [see to it] that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no opportunity for repentance [there was no way to repair what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], even though he sought for it with [bitter] tears” (Heb 12:15-17; AMP). “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled” (Heb 12:15; NKJ).

The story of Esau is a great warning to us. He was a fool. He was a bitter man that God hates, and man hates. We study his life to learn from his terrible mistakes. God, who is Love, said: “As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated” (Rom 9:13). Question: what does Love hate?  Esau was the older son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, who is the father of faith. His name means ‘red’ because he was born with reddish hair on his body. He was ‘a man of the field’, a skillful hunter. His twin younger brother Jacob ‘was a mild man, dwelling in the tents’. He was the son of a wealthy man. God blessed both Abraham and Isaac, spiritually and materially. After his father’s death, as the senior son, it was his right and privilege to inherit the wealth of his father and the spiritual leadership in the family. But he rejected that. This is the painful story of a very foolish son.

One day, coming from the field, tired and hungry, he found his brother Jacob cooking lentils stew (beans porridge). He told Jacob that he is hungry enough to die. Jacob suggested a deal. To pay for the food, Jacob asked Esau to give him his birthright. Without thinking about the consequences of his action, Esau agreed. He ate the stew and sold his birthright. He gained material blessings by selling his spiritual blessings. He gained little and he lost much. To understand the value of his loss, let us study the blessing of the birthright in that culture.

The birthright was a great spiritual blessing. It gave the elder son two thirds of the father’s wealth, the responsibility of spiritual leadership in the family, great privileges, and honors in the community. The senior son will be the priest and pastor of the home. For example, Abraham had Ishmael as his first son. But he was the son of his flesh. Isaac was the first and only son of promise. God rejected Ishmael to inherit the privilege of having the birthright. After Sarah died, old Abraham marries Keturah. He has other sons with her. But even before he dies, knowing of the danger of competition for the birthright, Abraham gives gifts to his sons and sends them away, far from the family land and Isaac. Abraham was told by God: “in Isaac your seed shall be called” (Gen 21:12). The birthright has the approval of God in the matter of family survival and destiny. The family line must be kept pure because the approved seed that the Savior will be born in it. Anyone who rejects faith in God and spiritual blessings, will be excluded from the privilege of inheriting the birthright.

Isaac was a wealthy man. As the elder son, Esau was entitled to the honor of being the family head after their father dies. He was also entitled to receive a double portion from his father’s property. For a bowl of stew, he sold all these blessings. Esau “despised his birthright” (Gen 25:34). The word ‘despise’ means to belittle, to show contempt, to scorn his privileges as a senior son. In other words, Esau had no interest in spiritual things. He loved the world! He loved material things! He rejected God and the spiritual blessings! Selah!

Look at the attitude of Esau on that fateful day when he sold his birthright. It is like nothing big happened. No big deal! He had to regret. The birthright to him was like a broken toy he does not need. “So, he (Esau) swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus, Esau despised his birthright” (Gen 25:33,34).

He did not remember this incident until some time later, Jacob deceived him and took Isaac’s fatherly blessing. Isaac was old. He wanted to bless his sons. He loved Esau more because he brought him ‘bush meat’. Rebecah loved Jacob more. She remembered the word of prophecy from God that the older will serve the younger. Deceitfully, she helps Jacob receive the blessing of the father. When Esau comes with his meal prepared for Isaac, he discovered that he was too late. He was cheated. He wept bitterly. He accuses his brother Jacob of deceiving him two times. That was a lie. When he lost his birthright, Jacob did not deceive him. He sold it! Esau is a liar! “And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept” (Gen 27:38). He weeps because he was cheated not because he was truly repentant. He cries not to God but to his father. To him, his father is his god. Esau’s name is not associated with God in the book of Genesis. Isaac blessed him at last but does not use God’s name as he did when he blessed Jacob. Isaac has already pronounced the blessing of spiritual leadership upon Jacob. He declared that all his brothers, including Esau, shall submit and serve Jacob. Esau wept bitterly but could not change the decree! History proves this to be true. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. To the believers in Christ, He is God the Father. The Jews, and the Christians are the promised descendants of Abraham. The descendants of Esau were called the Edomites. They hated and fought the people of God. King Herod was an Edomite. After Jesus died, they disappeared as a people from the face of the earth.

Esau sold his birthright and the position of leadership in the family. He forsook the privilege to have the Messiah coming from his lineage. The prophecy given to their mother Rebekah came to pass: ‘The older shall serve the younger’ (Gen25:23). Easu was truly sorry for his mistake, but it was not a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and to salvation. His worldly sorrow led to anger and bitterness against Jacob. He now made plans to kill his younger brother like Cain killed Abel. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 11 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). Lesson:Repentance is done unto God and in the name of Jesus. There is no regret in it. It brings peace. Like Judas, Esau only had remorse. He regretted his action but did not care about grieving God. Jesus said: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mk 8:36).

Esau is the first man in the Bible who rejects the grace of God. Esau had no character, no love for God. To have the privilege of the birthright was a matter of faith. Esau had no faith in God. He sold his birthright for food. Lesson: it is possible to gain temporary pleasures and lose eternal rewards. This is the warning of God’s Word! In the Book of Hebrews, Esau is called a fornicator and a godless man. He was a polygamist. He married two pagan women who brought ‘grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah’. Trying to repair his mistake, Esau then married Mahalath, the daughter of Ismael, adding her to his former wives (Gen 26:34, 35; 28:9). Esau had no interest in God and spiritual things. To be a fornicator and godless man, it means that he was a spiritually adulterous man. He worshipped idols. He possibly worshipped his father, Isaac, who loved him more than Jacob. He also worshipped himself and his achievements as a skillful hunter. He was a man of the world. Lesson: Godless people do not fear God. They ignore or hate spiritual things, and anything about faith in God.

Esau is called a bitter root, a troublemaker, who defiles many. Esau became jealous on Jacob and hated him all his life. Bitter people do not forgive. The saddest person in the Bible after Judas may be Esau. Bitterness is a deep spiritual sinful stronghold. Bitterness spreads and affects families and churches. “The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy” (PV 14:10). Bitterness is hidden in the heart. The battle starts at an intimate deep and place. It stays hidden for a long time. None can help us win the battle but God. Often, we are not ready to confess and repent of it.

Bitterness is ungrateful. Bitter people do not appreciate God’s grace and spiritual blessings. They always want more, especially material things. Bitterness comes when people are not satisfied with God’s provision and look for idols. God hates bitterness and warns against it. “You saw their abominations and their idols which were among them—wood and stone and silver and gold); 18 so that there may not be among you man or woman or family or tribe, whose heart turns away today from the Lord our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations, and that there may not be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood; 19 and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart’—as though the drunkard could be included with the sober” (Deut 29:17-19). Bitterness is unresolved anger. happens when we despise the chastisement of God. Bitterness happens when we replace faith and love with stubborn unbelief. God uses discipline to build godly character in us. Unbelief produces the poison of bitterness. Bitter people are liars and the father of liars.

“By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come” (Heb 11:20). Esau lost his birthright not his sonship in the family. Later, Esau and Jacob reconciled. God blessed Esau financially but not spiritually. Lesson: you can be the son (daughter) in a godly family and still not be blessed by God. Seek spiritual blessings not just a place in the family. Esau despised his birthright. He showed contempt for that which his fathers loved. He did not see the birthright as a blessing but as a hindrance to fulfill his fleshly desires. That is why he sold it. Esau is an example of using the things of God to accomplish the things of man. Esau realized his mistake only later. But it was too late to retrieve it. He now has entered the list of men who refused to accomplish the will of God and fulfill destiny.

Spiritually, Faith is ‘handed down’ to us as our birthright (Jude 1:3). The Word of God is our blessed birthright. Some appreciate faith and surrender to Christ. They become children of God and leaders in the Body of Christ. Others, like Esau, reject this faith and live worldly to their last breath. It is possible to call yourself a Christian, but you sell your faith in Christ. You betray the true Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected and preach other ‘gospels.’ Lesson: be careful with your spiritual inheritance, with your faith in Christ. Be jealous over your testimony as a Christian. Value and appreciate the testimony of other Christians. Never help anyone to backslide or to compromise his faith. Esau wept for his wrong choice, but he did not repent. The lust of the flesh is extremely strong. The flesh is impatient. It wants satisfaction now. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can deny the flesh. Lack of self-control hinders God from blessing you! Learn how to say no to the flesh. Learn to die to the flesh, so that you can please God and be blessed by Him.  Repentance is a gift of grace from God. Thank God if you are able to repent of sin.

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there” (Jam 3:13-16).

Bitterness makes you a liar. It builds a stronghold of envy, selfishness, confusion, pride, and foolishness. Bitterness spreads like a virus. What do you know about your bitterness? People can hurt one another. This happens in marriages, families and even in the churches. Bitter people end in divorce. Many people leave the church because they are bitter. God’s discipline is a sign of love. Rejecting the pain of discipline, you reject His love and end in bitterness. Anytime you say that if I don’t have this pleasure I will die, you follow Esau’s path.

SIGNS OF BITTERNESS

*Bitter people are moody, angry, hold grudges, are ungrateful, have depression.

*They lie and gossip. They try to play the victim to attract attention so that people care for them.

*They speak about God but do not trust God. They worship idols (men, money…)

*They are jealous on others and angry when others are happy. They are selfish, hurt others with words and are easily offended.

*They are sick with chronic often incurable diseases.

*They hate the Christians, Church, Bible, and God.  

In Hebrews 12:15, the root of bitterness springs up. In Greek is describes a little plant just coming up from a seed. Lesson: Bitterness starts little, and it develops. The earlier you detect it and repent of it, the better. Be careful with little grudges, or little jealousy. Selah!

JESUS’ WARNING OF LOVE

“I have told you these things so that you will not stumble or be caught off guard and fall away… I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]” (Jn 16:1, 33; AMP).

Just before the Cross, Jesus told His disciples that His words are a warning for them, not to be ignorant, trapped and fall away from the faith. This is the same word in Greek ‘scandalizo’. It means a stumbling block. He just told them two things: the world will hate them because it hates Him and the Holy Spirit will come to fill them, to witness against the world, so that they know the truth and be encouraged. He also told them that His words will bring them perfect peace. The world cannot give peace and cannot take it away from them. He has defeated the world. We share in His abiding victory. The hatred of the world cannot conquer the agape love in our hearts, the peace and joy from the Holy Spirit. The only protection we have as believers against the world’s hatred and deception is God’s Word, God’s Spirit, and the authority in the name of Jesus! No man protects us. God’s grace is enough!

Do not reject God’s good plan for your life! Be grateful and receive it! Esau sold his birthright because of hunger of just few hours. Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights to defeat the devil who is the author of all anger and bitterness. He said: “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). Worship the Lord!