Long ago, I discovered that I was an eagle. But I was afraid of the heights. I knew that God was calling me to go and meet with Him, nest with Him on the mountains of grace and glory. But I played safe. I decided to only admire His beauty from afar. I read books of ‘how to fly for dummies’. I imagined the best but I held tight to what was available to me in my little world. I convinced myself that refusing to fly is called ‘humility’. I was waiting for God to reward me for this…

Until one day… my heart became too small for the cage I put myself in. The tightness over my chest suffocated me. I tried to still be ‘humble’ but I could not. I was limiting God and myself. The moment came when I knew that I have to make a choice: Break my heart or break my cage. I chose to break the cage. My lungs needed to breath the air above. My ears needed to tune in the silence of the blue sky. My eyes blinked with wonder.

I saw my dream come true. The angels were rehearsing and editing the song I composed on earth, while breaking the cage. I was free! I knew that I was free! Glory to the One who has no equal! Glory to my Savior, Jesus Christ!

My people, rejoice with me! And I say again, rejoice!

Marriage “is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph 5:32, 33)

OUR TESTIMONY AS A MARRIED COUPLE

Marriage is more than a marriage certificate. It is more spiritual than physical. The Bible calls marriage ‘a great mystery’. No one can describe it in human words. But one thing is clear: without God, marriage will fail. My husband and I are happily married for 45 years. God alone takes the glory for our strong and happy marriage. We have made many mistakes along the way, and we have learned many lessons from them. The Bible is our ‘marriage manual’. As a wife, it is my duty to know the general principles of life by which my husband ‘operates’. These principles are not legalistic, cold or rigid. As my husband matures spiritually, these ideas change for the better. I have to change too so that there is no ‘gap’ between us. It is like tango dancing… It is my duty to study my husband and analyze his way of life, his strategy of life. I prayerfully listen when he talks. I want to know ‘from where he comes from and where he is going’. I want to know why he says this or that. If I hear something that I consider ‘wrong’, I pray for wisdom, to understand ‘his point of view’. I do not rigidly or blindly insist on my ‘better’ opinion, even if ‘I am right’. What I may see as wrong may be something he considers as good. Many things are relatives. Like my husband says when he preached from Romans 14, these are ‘matters of indifference’. The truth is that family and social background influence our choices.

For example, if my husband tells me how he expects me to behave in a particular situation, if I agree with him, then it is easy, for the two of us. But if I see things differently, it is hard for me to submit to what I consider ‘wrong’. What do I do? As a young wife I used to correct him immediately saying: ‘Sorry, I do not agree with you. What about my way?’ Then we argue to and fro for some time, provoking and becoming angry with one another. It will take a long time to forgive and forget the hurt caused by such arguments. But as time went by, I learned to be more patient with him and with myself. I learned to humble myself and to see things from his perspective too. I now know that I do not have to be right all the time. These days, if he says something I disagree with, I keep calm and quiet. I meditate on his proposal trying to find the good in it and ‘a common ground’. Then I go and pray. I ask God to show me why does my husband sees this matter so differently than me. God helps me to understand him. This is great gain! God helps me to submit and to love him even when it is hard. Marriage is work. Lazy people should not marry. Prayer is more important than food or sex. The reason why I take all this trouble to understand my husband is not because I want to submit and please him only for today. I want to understand him as a person so that things will be easier between us in the future. For me, each pain must go to God in prayer and become a seed of love, for a deeper knowing and appreciation of my husband. Submission is my harvest of wisdom and love. To God be all the glory!

(I wrote this article in 2019. We took the picture same year. In 2020, my beloved husband suddenly went to heaven. I now continue the ministry as a pastor alone. But the marriage principles I described are still useful to any married couple. Thank God for everything. God bless you all!)

This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached the first sermon in the series titled ‘The Ten Commandments’. Her main scriptures were taken from the book Exodus 20:1-26; John 1:17; 8:1-12.  

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS – INTRODUCTION

The Ten Commandments are ten laws that God Himself gave to the ancient nation of Israel thru His servant Moses. These Biblical principles apply to men’s relationship with God and with one another. These basic laws play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christianity. The Ten Commandments appear in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The Ten Commandments are also called God’s Law, or simply, ‘The Law’. They are like ‘instructions’ for electronic equipment. If you want to ‘function’ well in this life, study these Laws and obey them. If all people on earth keep at least one of these commandments, the world will be a better place. But the reality is that because all men are born sinners, they are lawless too. They hate God and His Word. That is why there is individual and national sin, which brings much confusion and sorrow.

The Ten Commandments have influenced the behavior of people and the law system of humanity more than any other document. History has proven that every man who obeyed these commandments and every nation that made them part of their constitution, have become better and more civilized. Every man or nation that rejected them, became worse. This is enough reason for us to study them and obey them. There are some arguments about these Laws. America insists on separation of religion and state. They rejected the display of the Ten Commandments in public places like schools or court rooms. It is said that since they rejected the Ten Commandments the behavior of the people is getting worse.

WHY DO WE NEED TO STUDY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

*The Ten Commandments are part of the Bible!

First, we study them because they are part of the unfailing Word of God. “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). God’s Word is the best Teacher. It has the power to give us faith and hope like no other word. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2Tim 3:16, 17). The Word of God is profitable for growth in grace and knowledge. This is the way we learn how to serve God and do ministry. Most people are spiritually ignorant. They think that they are religious, or that they are Christians, but they cannot quote any of the Ten Commandments.

It is a great mistake to think that because we are Christians, and we read the New Testament, therefore, we don’t need the Old Testament anymore. The truth is that you can only understand the New Testament in the light of the Old. The early church started and grew from the study of the Old Testament. Selah!

*Obeying God’s Law produces spiritual fruit. It is the only way to prove that you are truly born again, and that you worship God!

Some Christians insist that because we are under grace, we do not need to obey the Law now. This is a mistake because Law and Grace are both from God, and each has a different function to perform. “Though a Christian is not under the condemning power of the Law, yet he is under its commanding power” (Thomas Watson, puritan preacher, 1620-1626). Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn 14:15). The only way you can prove that you love Jesus is by obeying His Commandments. No religious unbeliever can obey God’s Commands. It is only in Christ, by Grace and thru Faith you can obey God’s Law. Once you become saved, for the first time in your life you receive the power to obey God’s Law. Jesus said: “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt 5:17). To fulfill it means to obey, to execute, to finish, or to satisfy something. The Law and the Prophets together mean the whole Old Testament. Christ said that He came to perfectly obey God’s Law in the Old Testament. Christ is the only Man who obeyed the Law. Selah!  

*Obeying God’s Law proves that His people are holy, wise, understanding, and different than the world  

Moses said: “Surely, I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore, be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” (Deut 4:5-8). Lawless people are rebellious and foolish. Believers should obey God’s Law. This is how they become loving, patient, and wiser than the world. Glory to God!

THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND WHEN THE LAW WAS GIVEN

God’s people stayed in Egypt for about 400 years. Initially they were free, and they prospered in Goshen. Later, the Egyptians enslaved and oppressed them. God allowed them to become slaves as a punishment because they served the Egyptian gods alongside Jehovah. At the fullness of time, God sends Moses to deliver them. God judged the gods of Egypt with ten plagues. During the Passover night, the people of God are protected by faith in the blood of the lambs sacrificed for them. At last, defeated, Pharoah allows them to go to worship God in the wilderness. About 4 million people leave Egypt. This is called The Exodus. The Egyptians pursue them, to bring them back to slavery. God uses the rod in Moses’ hand to divide the Red Sea. By faith in God, the people pass through the sea as on dry ground. The Egyptians pursue them but the Sea closes on them and they are all drowned. God’s people celebrate the mighty victory of their freedom from slavery and praise God. From this moment on, God shall be known as the God who saved them out from Egypt. Three months later they arrive at Mount Sinai. Here, God gives them The Ten Commandments and other laws. He tells them that if they obey His Commands, they will be His special people. The people promised to obey God’s Laws. “Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 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. So, Moses came and called for the elders of the people and laid before them all these words which the Lord commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do” (Ex 19:3-8).

Moses tells the people that God will come to meet with them on the third day. They must do two things: sanctify themselves (they must wash their clothes and abstain from sexual relations) and they should fear God (not touch the mountain). Thru these laws, God tells them that He is Holy and Sovereign. Lesson: You must be spiritually prepared to meet with God. On the third day God comes down on Mount Sinai, through thundering, lightnings, fire, smoke, thick cloud, and loud sound of trumpets. Moses goes up and down the mountain, a mediator between God and man. In this role, Moses is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. God who gives him the Ten Commandments and other laws. From now on, God’s people have God’s Law. They are people of Covenant. They have the responsibility to study God’s Law and obey it. Ignorance of the Law is not an excuse for disobedience. Obedience brings God’s blessings. Disobedience brings curses and punishments. The Law came without mercy!

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (THE LAW)?

Before we look at the purpose of the Law, let us look at what the Law is not supposed to do.

*The Law is not given to bring man into a relationship with God. Just before giving the Ten Commandments, God has already told them that they are His special people. During the Ten Commandments, God introduces Himself as ‘I am the Lord, your God’. The people of Israel have been in a relationship with God since the time of Abraham. That covenant relationship was by grace and through faith in God.

*The Law of God was not given to save men. Obeying the Law does not take you to heaven. Apostle Paul said: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified” (Gal 2:16, 17). Man has always been justified by the grace of God and thru faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation has always been a gift from God. Obeying the law is called ‘works’. No man can ‘work’ his way to heaven. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:8, 9). Obeying the law cannot save you because that obedience will make you proud and you will boast before God.

The Law of God, the Ten Commandments, in particular, are given to us for the following reasons:

1-To know who God is! His character, what He likes and what He hates. God hates sin! The Ten Commandments are God’s will to make us holy, wise, clean, disciplined, and righteous. God gave the Law, but He did not give men the power to obey it. Only the believers can obey God’s Law.

2-The Law was given to bring the fear of God in man! When God gave the Law, it was with thundering and lighting. Then the people ran away. Moses told them that God wants them to fear Him. “Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin” (Ex 20:20).

3-To know what sin is! The Law reveals the sinfulness of sin. The Law convicts a sinner of sin and of his need for a Savior. The Law must do its work of convicting before a sinner can appreciate the Grace of our Savior Jesus Christ. “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore, by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom 3:19, 20). “They must be slain by the Law before they can be made alive by the Gospel” (Charles Spurgeon).

“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. Therefore, the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Rom 7:7-17).

“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:3, 4).

4-The Law leads us to Christ, to the Gospel! Christ leads us back to the Law and helps us to obey it by the power of the Holy Spirit!

“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Gal 3:19-25)

‘The Law leads to the Gospel and the Gospel leads to the Law’ (Charles Wesley). The Law of God is like a mirror. It shows your stains, but it cannot wash them away. The Gospel of Christ Crucified is the basin filled with water so that we can wash the stains of sin. This basin is filled with the Blood of Christ. As you can see, knowing God’s Law is not enough. We need to obey it! But no sinner can obey God’s Law! The Law is good and holy but the sin inside the heart weakens the will. Knowing the Law does not come with the power to obey the Law. That is why we see doctors who drink alcohol, lawyers who are taken to court, financial gurus who are in debt and pastors who are divorced. They know and teach the Law, but they have no strength to obey it. Power to obey comes only thru the Holy Spirit to the believers in Christ! Selah

5- To restrain sin and evil in the world. The Ten Commandments have influenced human behavior for thousands of years. Thru them, men learn to fear God. Evil is restrained through the authorities that govern the nations. “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore, you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake” (Rom 13:1-5).

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1)

*God gave Moses moral laws (the Ten Commandments and others) and ceremonial laws (for the priests in the tabernacle, how to serve God).

*These are commands and not some vague suggestions. They do not start with the word ‘if’. God demands total and instant obedience.

*These are God’s standards and cannot be adjusted to please men. The Law is the holy will of God. It shows how God wants man to be.

*The Ten Commandments show the great distance between God’s standard for man and man’s standard for himself.

*The Ten Commandments never made a man to be a sinner. The Law only reveals sin in man. The Law does not produce sin.

*These commands are personal. They are directed at the individual and not at a group of people or a nation.

*In the Ten Commandments God introduces Himself as their Savior. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage” (Ex 20:2). 

THE SINFUL WOMAN RECEIVES GRACE (John 8:1-12) GO AND SIN NO MORE!

This is a story of judgment, of confrontation between Law and Grace. Grace wins! The Pharisees caught a woman in the act of adultery. They let the man who committed adultery with her go away and they bring only the woman to Jesus. They want Jesus to judge her. One of the Ten Commandments says: ‘You shall not commit adultery’ (Ex 20:14). God’s Law also says that a person caught in adultery should be stoned to death. “The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death” (Lev 20:10). The Pharisees don’t care about the woman. They want to disgrace Jesus. This is a clever trap. If Jesus says: ‘let her go’ they will accuse Him of breaking the Law of Moses. If Jesus says: ‘stone, her!’ He will break the Law of the Romans who were masters in the land. The Romans did not allow the Jews to condemn a person to death without their approval. This situation brought Jesus under great pressure. But Jesus knew what was in their hearts. They have been judging Him all along. These are some of their accusations: They said that Jesus have not studied theology (Jn 7:15) and that He has a demon (Jn 7:20). They said that Jesus cannot be the Messiah because He comes from the wrong place (Jn 7:27), that His witness is not true (Jn 8:13), and that He is a Samaritan (Jn 8:48).

These Pharisees brought this woman to Jesus to test Him and accuse Him. In this story the Pharisees, filled with anger, self-righteousness, envy, and pride, stand as the judges, not only to the woman but to Jesus. Who is the judge and who is the accused? Jesus stoops down and writes on the ground with His finger ‘as though He did not hear’ them. The same finger of God who wrote the Ten Commandments now writes on the ground. We do not know what Jesus writes. But we see the royal calmness of Jesus. By stopping and writing on the ground, he changes the atmosphere of the scene. His silence has authority. None speaks. None moves. The very presence of Jesus stops evil men. Holding stones in their hands, the accusers wait for Jesus to speak. Jesus needed a Word of wisdom from the Father. He got it. Standing, the Judge of all men now speaks. This is His verdict: “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” The courtroom is now silent as a graveyard. The judges have been dismissed. The true Judge as spoken. Jesus is the light of the world. “The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]” (Jn 1:5; AMP). The accusers now stand accused. Light has exposed the sin in their darkened hearts. They drop the stones and one by one, the older ones first, they leave the woman and go away. All this time, Jesus goes back to write on the ground. He ignores them as they leave. They go away leaving behind a heap of stones. They go away leaving behind their only source of Grace, Truth and Light for salvation. They go away into the darkness from where they came. It is a sad scene. To abandon Jesus and go away is a mortal sin.

Only two people are left in the empty court room: Jesus and the woman. All this time Jesus did not look at the woman. He allowed the Law to finish its work. Now, He stands and looks in her eyes. This is the time for Grace. Jesus is the tender merciful Judge. He pities the lonely, ashamed, frighten and trembling sinner. He wants her to say that no more accusers are left. He says He does not accuse her of this sin. But Jesus also tells her: “go and sin no more”. Grace speaks. Jesus does not condone or cover her sin. His Grace is available to humble men who repent of their sins. He gives them the power to ‘sin no more’. Here you see that Grace does not ignore sin. Grace speaks and acts with total authority because Blood was shed. Jesus died that this woman might be saved. That is why Grace has total authority. This is the eternal Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected. Jesus is the Judge and He is the Savior. “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (2Tim 4:1). Jesus did not condemn but He also did not compromise! Jesus is a Friend of Sinners (Matt 11:19). But Jesus is also ‘separate from sinners’ (Heb 7:26). What a Savior!

The Pharisees thought that Jesus has only two options. To break Moses’ Law or Caesar’s Law. They did not believe that Jesus is God and God is limitless in options. Nobody can trap God! Jesus not only escape their trap, but He changes the tables in this drama. It is Jesus that ‘traps’ them!

By dropping the stones and walking away, the Pharisees have lost the respect of the crowd because they seem to have compromised with the Law of Moses. Jesus gives the woman an opportunity for repentance. His goodness leads to repentance (Rom 2:4). Jesus also reminds her of the Justice of God. He tells her never to do this again. We do not only see the Mercy of God, but we must respond to the mercy of God!

Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (8)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-28; Rom 12:3-8; Psalm 23; John 10:1-16; 24-30.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor can pray and lay hands on a believer, but no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

The gifts or the Holy Spirit are given to edify, beautify, and strengthen the unity of the Body of Christ. Ignorance about these gifts and about the Body of Christ has caused much damage. The Church is described as the Body or the Bride of Christ. Like the human body, the Church has only one Head. That Head is Christ and He is in heaven. The Body is partly visible on earth and partly invisible in heaven.

These are some principles that explain the way the Body works.

*All gifts and ministries are given by the Holy Spirit and are gifts of grace. Each one is unique and essential to the working of the Body. The parts of the Body are many, but they all work together in unity under the direction of the Head. The unity of the natural body comes from the fact that all the body has the same blood vessels, the same blood and the same nerves coming from the brain. In the same way, the Holy Spirit keeps the Body in ‘the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace’ (Eph 4:3).

*The body is one but there are many members. Each believer has a different gift or function in the church. Some gifts are more visible and have a greater value than others. But all are essential to the working of the church. There is nothing like an ‘unimportant’ Christian. Many Christians desire to outshine others with their gifts. They think of their gift as their ‘own personal gift’. But all gifts are just that: gifts to be used to the glory of God and for the edification of the church. All leaders are helpers and servants at heart!

*Just the way no member of the body works independently, so no Christian should be isolated or idle. We all submit to the Head who is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we serve one another.

*Sin in one member affects the whole church. Pride, competition, ignorance, or jealousy are deadly sins that make the church sick and weak.

*It is the duty of each Christian to repent of known sins and walk in the Spirit; to stay spiritual healthy and active; to identify and use his gift in the church. Healthy Christians make a healthy church. May God grant spiritual health, peace, and joy to us and to our local church!   

*Preaching the true doctrines of the Bible, prayers, coming together for fellowship, helping, and caring for one another, strengthen the church.      

The Holy Spirit does four vital things in the church:

1-The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus. This is His main work. He gives the believer eternal life; makes you born again. Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5).

2-The Lord Jesus fills you with the Holy Spirit (the first filling is called the Baptism with the Holy Spirit). “John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk 3:16). “Be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18).

3-The Holy Spirit baptizes you (welds you) into the Body of Christ “By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13). Only the Spirit can make you a member of the Church.

4-The Holy Spirit gives different gifts, ministries, and responsibilities. These are given to strengthen and keep the unity of the church.

No man can save you, fill you with the Holy Spirit, baptize you into the Body of Christ or give you spiritual gifts. Only God can do that. Therefore, the Church is not just a gathering of people. It is not a human invention or man-made organization. The church is not a democracy. It’s a spiritual organism, a supernatural entity. There is only one Head. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Head. There is only one Body, made of all believers, from the Old and New Testament, the ones who have died and went to heaven and the ones who are alive on earth. The Body is made up of many members because each one has a different gift, or work in the Body. God does not command us to produce the unity of the Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can produce that. But we are commanded to keep, to protect and maintain the unity that the Holy Spirit has produced (Eph 4:1-5).

THE GIFT OF LEADERSHIP

“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues” (1 Cor 12:28).

In Greek the word ‘administrations’ means governors, leaders, or managers of an organization; it also means the skillful pilot of a plane or the shipmaster of the ship. Only God appoints leaders in the Church. Leadership is a gift of the Holy Spirit. The brethren who have received this gift have the supernatural ability to speak to people and to organize them, maintaining the unity of the Spirit in the church. Any leader who divides the church is not called by God. Most of them are pastors, teachers, evangelists, and also manifest the gift of helps. The greatest leader of men is our Lord Jesus Christ! “Leaders emerge” (R. S. Leigh).

Generally, a leader is someone who is in charge of a group of people. He gains the trust of others who become followers. He has authority and influence over others so that together, they achieve a common goal. For example, the president is the leader of a country. The conductor is the leader of an orchestra. A leader without followers is not a leader. Leadership in the church is more than a title or an office. It is a gift from God.

These brethren are not just official title holders in the church. They have a gift to counsel people and direct the affairs of the church. These men are wise, responsible, spiritually mature, self-disciplined, patient, focused, courageous, and creative. They do not rule by force. They lead others so that they work better. In the early church, it was clear that God appointed leaders. It was not by voting or by striving. It was by prayer, and through the leadership of the Holy Spirit. These leaders had authority and the rest of the people submitted to their counsels. Rebellion against the leaders was seen as rebellion against God who appointed them. This spiritual order maintained the unity of the Spirit in the church.

There is a close relationship between a leader in the church and the people. We are commended to remember, respect, and help the pastors and the leaders in the church. We are to submit to them, help them, pray for them, and imitate their faith. “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Heb 13:7). “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb 13:17).  “Greet all those who rule over you, and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you” (Heb 13:24)

LEAD WITH DILIGENCE

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:3-8)

In Greek, the spiritual gift of leadership is ‘proistemi’.  This word means to lead, to assist, to protect and to care for others. A Leader is a servant. Leadership is to be done ‘with diligence’. This word means ‘speed’. A leader is to be busy, hardworking, never tired, focused, persevering, careful in all the details of his work and determined to succeed. Therefore, in the church, leaders lead others with passion, joy, zeal, and enthusiasm. A bad leader is slow to make decisions, passive, idle, lazy, ignorant, and careless with details. “Resist the idea of ‘leadership from the rear.’ True leadership is always out front” (Oswald Sanders). “The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor… Work hard, and you will be a leader; be lazy, and you will end up a slave” (PV 12:24; NKJ/ CEV).

LEADING IS A GOOD WORK

The work of a bishop, pastor or leader in the church is ‘a good work’. A spiritual leader must be a godly husband and father. He leads his family well. He must be a serious and mature Christian, humble, faithful, and hardworking. He must be of blameless moral character, not violent, and not greedy for money. He must have a good reputation even with the unbelievers.  Pride is a strong temptation for leaders. “If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Tim 3:1-7).

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men…  And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:8; 3:14). The same word ‘to lead’ is translated here as ‘maintain good works’. Leadership is seen as energetic spirituality and kindness to people. The leader of any organization is extremely important. The followers cannot rise above the level of their leader. As the head is, so that body is. If the leader is spiritual, the congregation will become spiritual. If the leader is a hypocrite, the congregation will be the same.  

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE PERFECT LEADER

Our Lord is the perfect leader. He is also the perfect model that we should imitate. You have to be saved and filled with the Holy Spirit to be able to imitate the Lord. You have to obey His Word and grow in knowledge and grace. The first thing we observe is that the Lord had authority over men because, as a Man, He totally submitted to God the Father. His basic desire was to glorify the Father. He only did the Father’s work and only spoke the Father’s Word. The authority He received from the Father was over all men; the ones who will believe and the ones who will not believe in Him. His authority over men came from the gift of giving Himself for men. He died to give eternal life to sinners. Self-sacrifice was His basic attitude. Lesson: Authority is a product of self-sacrifice. The reward of self-sacrifice is glory. The humble servants become leaders!  

These holy words are from His high priestly prayer: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (Jn 17:1-5).  

Our Lord loved all people, especially the children. He helped the needy and He healed the sick. These are all works of help. He was a Servant-King. He led through kindness and by example. The group of people He greatly opposed were the religious rulers. Lesson: the evil religious spirit is the greatest enemy to true leadership in the Church. Jesus always spoke clearly and with authority. He never spoke in undertones. If He wanted to hide the meaning of His words from some people, He spoke in parables, but He never gave two meanings to one sentence. He was totally free from hypocrisy. He is our greatest example as servants of God and leaders in the Body of Christ! May God help us to follow Him!

A TRUE LEADER IS SPIRITUAL. HE INSPIRES PEOPLE TO DRAW CLOSER TO GOD

These are some basic qualities of a leader in the Body of Christ: first, he is a spiritual person; he has a godly character; he feeds people with the Word of God; he prays for people; he counsels them; he is humble and faithful. A spiritual leader is more than just a person who gathers people and tells them what to do. Thru his words and actions, he is first of all a leader who inspires people to draw closer to God and to be like Jesus. True leaders encourage and inspire others to be future leaders. God inspires men to fear Him! “I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me” (Jer 32:40; NIV).

To inspire means to give someone the desire and confidence that he can do something. To inspire is similar with the word ‘revive’. You inspire another when you encourage him, when give him a fresh idea and the strong desire to do something new. To inspire is to breathe new life into another; to guide another by the power of God. Successful people often trace their success to someone who inspired them to be great. Successful men appreciate their mentors. One of the greatest gifts is to inspire others to have hope! “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess 1:3; NIV).

THE LEADER IS A SERVANT TO ALL

The spiritual leader has a godly moral character. He is a humble person. Both Apostle Paul and James, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus, introduced themselves as ‘servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ”. They were truly humble. A godly leader knows that he did not call himself. He knows that God called and appointed him. That knowledge keeps him humble. Like His Lord, the leader is both a King and a servant.

Our Lord said that the worldly leaders oppress their followers. They desire the followers to worship them. At the same time, in public, worldly leaders want to be seen as humble, kind, and generous to their followers. All unbelieving leaders are hypocrites. Our Lord said: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:25-28)

A spiritual leader has the gift of bringing people together. In the church, people have different gifts, and they are of different social and economic status. The leader has the skill to bring them together in the unity of the Spirit. The leader has the ability to know the true needs from ‘fake’ needs. All true leaders submit to their own leaders and promote the unity of the Spirit in the Body of Christ. True leaders are humble and faithful. They are never selfish, overambitious, or divisive. The test of success of a leader is not seen in material things. His success is seen in how many people he has drawn closer to God!

THE SHEPHERD/SERVANT TYPE OF LEADER

In the Bible, a leader is seen as a shepherd taking care of his flock. The shepherd cares, feeds and protects his flock. He loves his flock, and he is ready to die to protect it. God is seen as a Shepherd. “Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young” (Is 40:10, 11).

The godly leader serves God by taking care of His people. He does not serve because of money. He does it willingly, for the glory of God. His reward is in heaven. “The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:1-4). Christ is called ‘The Chief Shepherd’. He commanded Peter to show his love towards Him by taking care of and feeding His flock (Jn 21:15-17).

The people of God in the Old Testament testified that for 40 years in the wilderness they lacked nothing. “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your trudging through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing” (Deut 2:7). “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell” (Neh 9:21). Lesson: Jesus is my Chief Shepherd. My pastor, my leader, is an under-shepherd. I lack no good thing. Amen!

In the early church, the leaders had servants/shepherd hearts. They felt responsible for their flock. The result is that great grace was given to them all and no one lacked. This is a wonderful picture of godly leadership. “The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need” (Ac 4:32-35).

GOOD AND BAD SHEPHERDS

“I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. I will make a covenant of peace with them and cause wild beasts to cease from the land; and they will dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. And they shall no longer be a prey for the nations, nor shall beasts of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and no one shall make them afraid. I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. 30 Thus they shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and they, the house of Israel, are My people,” says the Lord God.’  “You are My flock, the flock of My pasture; you are men, and I am your God,” says the Lord God” (Eze 34:23-31)

God expects the leaders to behave as good shepherds to their flock. They should feed the flock, strengthen the weak, heal those who are sick, seek the lost, bring back those who went astray, be patient and gentle with the flock. God is angry when the shepherds behave like hirelings; when they feed only themselves and do not feed the flock; when they take the wool from the sheep but do not care for them; when they do not strengthen the weak or heal the sick; when they do not look for the lost sheep, when they rule over them with harshness, force, and cruelty. Because the bad shepherds are careless, the flock is scattered, and the wolves (the enemies) eat them. God vows to remove the wicked shepherds and to punish them.

God promises to give the flock a new type of shepherd, His servant David, a prince of God, a man after God’s heart. David is a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ. True pastors, true leaders in the Body of Christ are appointed and established by God. These God appointed leaders feed the flock with God’s Word and pray for the people. Under godly leadership, there shall be peace and safety in the church. The people are protected from enemies. The people are blessed. The work of their hands is blessed. They shall not be oppressed by the devil’s agents. They shall not be bullied, intimidated or afraid of enemies. They shall not be poor. They shall not beg for bread. They shall not be ashamed of their past sins. They shall be free to serve God who dwells among them. These are covenant promises. Good godly leaders are a sign of blessing from God! Praise the Lord!

Mordecai is a good example of a godly servant leader. “Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad” (Esther 8:15).

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (PV 29:2).

Jospeh is another good example of godly servant leader. During the time of Joseph, God’s people were free citizens of Egypt. Later, the new Pharaoh made God’s people slaves. He had no pity on them. He overworked them to death. He commanded that all the baby boys should be killed. “The Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king. But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became. So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands“ (Exo 1:11-14; NLT). “Like a roaring lion and a charging bear Is a wicked ruler over poor people” (PV 28:15).

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, Forever” (Ps 23:1-6).

Psalm 23 is one of the most loved pieces of literature in the Bible. It is written by King David. The sheep are foolish animals. They cannot find food for themselves. They cannot fight. They easily get lost. They totally depend on their shepherds and his dogs. They are docile and follow their shepherd. The flock was wealth to the shepherd. They produced milk, wool, and meat. They were also used for the sacrifices in the temple.    

The functions of the shepherds (godly leaders):

*They care for their flock. This care manifests as feeding the people with the Word of God and praying for them. The shepherd leads and guides his flock to green pastures and clean water. Leading is caring. It also manifests as restoration of the backsliders. Many Christians go astray. They are deceived by false teachers. Jesus said that when the sheep goes astray, the shepherd leaves the 99 in the care of another and goes to look for the lost sheep. He will not rest until he finds her, and he brings her back into the fold (Luke 15:4-7).  The godly leader does not stop praying for the backsliders until they come back to God. As God uses a doctor to save the life of a dying man, so this praying saves the soul of the backslider. “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (Jam 5:19, 20). This faithful praying for backsliders is part of the duty of a leader, is a manifestation of great love and it is surely rewarded by God.

The resurrected Christ commands Peter to care and feed His flock. This is True Love and leadership! “Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep” (Jn 21:15-17).

The shepherd leader feeds the Lambs with the milk of God’s Word. These are the basics of salvation. Later, as the lambs become sheep, the shepherd leader feeds the sheep with fresh green grass. He preaches the doctrines and teaches the people so that they mature spiritually. In this way, they can protect themselves from the enemy and become leaders of others.

*The shepherd gives water to the flock. In Palestine, water is very precious. The well is covered with a big stone so that nothing will pollute it. The stone must be removed before the shepherd gives water to his flock. Leadership is hard work. “Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth” (Gen 29:3). The water in the well is a type of the Holy Spirit. The shepherd leads his flock to the still clean waters or to the well. The godly leader leads his people to the presence of God, to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. He also leads them to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

*The shepherd pours oil on the head of the sheep. This is a form of healing and anointing. The shepherd shears the wool from the sheep. If not, the sheep will be too heavy and cannot walk well. The godly leader disciplines his people. He helps them to repent from sins, to receive more power to move on. True leaders give the right advice to the people. Godly counselling is a major ministry for a leader. 

*The shepherd is like a midwife. He helps souls to be born. It is only the Holy Spirit who can convert a sinner to become saved. But the godly leader facilitates this process thru preaching the Word and praying for the baby Christian. He disciples the young Christians. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen” (Matt 28:18-20). As a Man, Jesus has received all authority in heaven and on earth, He has the power to rule and reign over all creation. The revelation of His omnipresence and total authority is the source of confidence to the goldy leaders to disciple other believers. Glory to God!

*They true shepherds (godly leaders) lead the flock ‘in paths of righteousness’, away from the world and closer to God. Along the way, they protect the flock through their ‘rod and staff’. They drive away the wolves, the enemies. They help the sheep who fall. The godly leaders lead the people into the presence of God. They help them do spiritual warfare. They discipline the disobedient. They are alert to dangers. Lesson: There is an organic relationship between the leader and the followers, in the unity of the Spirit. People learn to trust their leaders. Trust is not forced. It has to be earned. It takes time. The prayers and the encouragement of the leaders, especially during trials, build this trust. The submission of the people to their godly leader is essential for the maturing of the relationship.

*Godly leaders protect their people. The good shepherd is ready to lie down and close the gate with his body during the night so that the sheep will not go astray, and the wolves will not enter the pen. Spiritual covering is a major blessing. True godly leaders are watchmen at the gate. They see potential danger from afar. They fight for their people. As a young shepherd, David learns how to fight the wild animals to protect his sheep. This was his only training as a fighter. It was enough for him to kill the giant. David told King Saul: “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it” (1 Sam 17:34, 45).

*Godly leaders are courageous and inspire others to be courageous. They take responsibility for their people. Courage is a quality of spirit that enables one to face danger or pain without showing fear. A cowardly leader is a terrible sight. It leaves the followers confused, scattered, afraid and discouraged. A coward runs away from battle. That is the behavior of a hireling and not of a true leader. King Saul was afraid to fight Goliath. All the people of God became afraid. Only David had faith and courage to fight and kill the giant. Selah!

After Moses died, God appointed Joshua to be his successor. God commanded Joshua to be a strong and courageous leader. God said: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9). A leader needs to be strong and courageous in making decisions that will give glory to God and help the people.

*The true leader has the heart of a mother or of a father. Paul said: “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Therefore, I urge you, imitate me” (1Cor4:14-16). “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1).

JESUS IS THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10:1-16; 24-30)

The sheep stay in a pen during the night. The Good shepherd protects his flock. Thieves can scale the wall and steal sheep, especially during the night. There are two types of enemies: the thief (who steals quietly) and the robber (who uses violence to steal). Religious leaders are like these thieves and robbers. Read John 9 and see what they did to the blind man that Jesus healed. They just refuse to celebrate the miracle. They refuse to give glory to Jesus. They rudely interrogated the man about the miracle. He insisted that Jesus healed him. Then they ‘cast him out’ from the synagogue. Later, Jesus finds him and encourages the man. Here you see that these are false shepherds, hirelings, and selfish men. They are totally unfit to be pastors or spiritual leaders. They oppress, they intimidate, and exercise illegal authority over the people. Jesus saw these false teachers and leaders as the greatest threat against the believers. The duty of a true leader is to expose, confront and rebuke the evil spirit of religion and the false leaders. The true Christians, by the power of the Holy Spirit in them, are able to detect false teachers and false teachings. The true believers run away from false leaders. Occasionally, they are deceived and backslide. But not forever. The true Christians do not love sin. They genuinely love truth and God’s Word. Eventually, they find their way back to the fold. They miss the voice of their shepherd. They miss hearing the truth. The Holy Spirit leads them back home.

The false leaders are known by false motives and false methods for doing ministry. The motives for ministry for false teachers are always love for fame and love of money. Jesus said: “No servant 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.” Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk 16:13-15). The methods of the false teachers are always worldly. The world loves political, entertaining, and religious leaders. They offer sermons that only affect the emotions, and not the mind or the conscience. The sermons do not change people. The leaders care for the bank account of the people and not for their souls. They do not preach against sin. They flatter the people. They avoid telling them about the Cross of Christ. False leaders keep men in permanent anxiety about their souls. To have some level of peace about their future, the people pay money and labor to ‘make heaven’. This salvation by works is a false doctrine and it is quite common in many churches.

Lesson: Do not be ignorant of the danger of false prophets! When you go to the hospital, you would not like to meet a fake doctor. When you go to court you would not like to hire a fake lawyer. When you go to school, you would not like to listen to a fake teacher. If all these things are important, how much more important is your eternal soul? The choice of a local church should be a priority for you and your family. I am not saying that you should entrust your destiny to a human being. But keep in mind that there are true leaders and false leaders. Each leader imitates his master and uses his methods. Doctrine determines behavior. It is extremely important to attend a church where the true Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected is preached. There should be no compromise in that area. Jesus is the true shepherd. The doorkeeper is the Bible. The scriptures open only to Jesus!!! True revelation comes only by the Holy Spirit to the true leaders!!!

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He calls His sheep by name. There is an intimate relationship between Jesus and His people. These are the elect of God. The true Christians love truth and honor the true leaders. They run away from deceptive people and liars. The church is like a sheep pen. The true Gospel offers eternal salvation. Once a sinner repents of his sins, and becomes converted, he is eternally saved. He is safe in the hand of Jesus. Listen to what the Lord Jesus says: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 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. I and My Father are one” (Jn 10:28-30). This is the doctrine of salvation, a free gift from God the Father, because of the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross. Salvation is by grace alone and through faith alone. It is the doctrine of the eternal security of the saints. The true leader assures the believer that once in Christ, he is eternally saved. He can’t lose it! The devil cannot ‘snatch’ him away from the hand of the Father of the hand of Jesus.

“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thess 5:12, 13).

DANGERS AND TEMPTATIONS TO LEADERS

The devil knows the value of a leader. He attacks the leaders more than the followers. Once a leader falls, the followers become defeated. “Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered “(Matt 26:31). The leader is more visible than the followers. He must lead by example. These are some temptations that attack the leaders in the church: pride, hypocrisy, excessive anger, lustful thoughts and adultery, love of money and fame, manipulating the people to gain money, desire to control others for personal benefit, being careless with your reputation and testimony, becoming distracted by little things and losing the spiritual focus, greed, cowardice, backsliding, people pleasing, bitterness, and unforgiveness. These are genuine dangers that can destroy any leader. Pray for your leaders!     

DAVID, TRUE LEADER OF MEN (1 Sam 22:1-4; 2 Sam 23:1-4; 13-17)

During the time of King Saul, things became extremely bad in Israel. At that time, David was a fugitive in the desert. King Saul tried to kill him many times but failed to do so. King Saul became worse, possessed by an evil spirit of envy, and hatred against David. With such a leader, many people lost their hopes for the future. Some men decided to abandon Saul and run away into the desert to join David. These men were leaders in their communities, and soldiers. But they became depressed being under Saul. These were needy, desperate men. The word ‘distress’ means someone who is in a tight place, a disabled man. Other men came who were in debt. They took loans to survive but they could not pay them back. Now, the money lenders wanted to kill them. Lesson: ungodly leadership weakens the people. The word ‘discontented’ means a man who is depressed, bitter, and disappointed with his life. These men appreciated David as a true leader. It is possible that King Saul persecuted them for loving David.  About 400 men went to David in the desert. They became known as David’s ‘men of valor’. David did not reject these angry men. He took responsibility for them as their leader. He organized these refugees into a proper army. They were loyal to David and submitted to him, even unto death. They all had the gift of helps. When David became king, they became his servants and soldiers in the army of Israel.

This is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. David was longing to drink water from the well of Bethlehem, his hometown. At that time, David was in serious trouble. King Saul wanted him dead. He and his men of valor were staying in the Adullam cave. He was a fugitive in the desert. Suddenly, he remembered his childhood when he was a shepherd. In the evening he would go to the well near Bethlehem and water his flock. These were sweet memories… Now, David wanted to drink water from the well at Bethlehem… He expressed his secret desire to his men.

Three of his men of valor decided to fulfill their leader’s wish. They took the risk of passing through the army of the Philisties, went to Bethlehem and took water from the well. They came back and gave it to David to drink. David was greatly touched by his men’s love, but he could not drink the water. The water to him looked red, stained with the blood of his dear men. He poured it on the ground, as a drink offering to the Lord. He said that the price of this water is the blood of his men. The water is too precious for him to drink, to satisfy his personal desires. Their love was too much for David. He could not accept that. Only God is worthy of such a sacrifice. This is the reaction of a true worshipper. The best belongs to God. David’s worship was like a rose blooming in the desert.

Lesson: Many Christians miss this precious moment of worship. They drink that expensive water. They satisfy their flesh with some passion, of alcohol, drugs, or sex. The lusts of the flesh make them blind to the opportunity of seeing a diamond in the trash and worshipping God!

David wanted to drink the water from the well of his childhood. But then, he realized that his longing is not for a childhood memory, but for the eternal God who alone can quench the thirsty soul. Later, David wrote: “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore, in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” (Ps 63:1-8).  

The three men of valor are also an example of true worshippers. They did not tell David what they wanted to do. They broke the rules of their commander to make him happy. These were rough men who tasted from David’s romantic holy courage to please God. Their fearless sacrifice is the language of love few men understand. They were once in debt, and disappointed with life. But now, like eagles, they rose to the sky of agape love. They laid their lives to please their leader. Only God could have given these rough men such high desires. King Saul in his palace knew nothing of such a devotion from his paid servants. Nobility is not always found among royalty on earth. It is found where God moves among men, no matter how low class they may be. These men are a symbol of Jesus, who broke thru the devil’s ranks to bring the water of life to us. Jesus said: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn 7:37-39). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt 5:6).

David could not drink this precious water. He poured it unto the Lord, as a sacrifice. By doing that, he overcame the desires to please the flesh. He also worshipped God with the best he had in his hand at that time. He also rewarded the three men with a greater joy than if he drank the water. The men’s labor of love was a sacrifice dedicated to God, who will reward them so much more than David can ever do.

Lesson: there are sacrifices that are too big for us to receive. We have no right to accept such acts of love. The best is always for God. If David drank that water, he would have been a selfish proud man. The devotion of his followers was a test for him as a leader. Many fail this test. They become proud and they accept men’s worship. That is the beginning of their fall.

David could not drink the water because it was stained with blood. God commanded that no man should drink the blood of animals. The Blood of men and animals belongs to God alone. The best we have belongs to God! He will receive it and bless us beyond our dreams. This story makes us remember the greatest sacrifice. Jesus died for us. During Holy Communion, He wants us to drink His cup and remember His sacrifice.

Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (7)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-28; Luke 10:25-42

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE GIFT OF HELPS (HOSPITALITY, MINISTRY, SERVING, GIVING, OR SHOWING MERCY)

“And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that, miracles; then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues” (1 Cor 12:28)

The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing His gifts. ‘God has appointed’. In Greek it means to put in place, to establish, or to ordain.  

A HELPER is somebody who helps, gives support, serves, or assists another who is in need. A helper does not take over the life or the work of another. He comes along when the person is weak or in need and helps to support that one for that time. The helper brings encouragement, strength, labor, or money, to the needy one. For example, when a long train goes uphill, they add a second locomotive at the back to push the train. The second locomotive is called ‘a helper’. Other words for helper are servant, true friend, backup, helpmeet, right-hand man, aide, or assistant. A helper makes life easier for the needy one, so that he can make progress in life. The opposite of a helper is to be a competitor, a controller, an enemy, oppressor, or a bad person. In Greek, the word ‘Helps’ describes one who ministers, who aids, who brings relief to others who are needy. By their words and deeds, spiritually and physically, these brethren do two great ministries: They help the needy, and they assist their superior officers, making their work easier. Through their help, they encourage the faith of others, helping them to make progress in life. Most of their work is done in the background. These are humble and faithful people. They are very sensitive to observe when somebody needs help. They go the extra mile to help others.  By doing these works, they edify the Body of Christ. People describe them as having a servant’s heart. They give more than help. They are ambassadors of Christ because Jesus came as a Servant King. They help the weak, the elderly, sick, lonely, strangers, widows, orphans, and the needy. They pray, encourage, visit, give food or money to them. They belong to the ministry of welfare, hospitality, giving, or showing mercy. Some are called deacons in the church. They also help their pastors and leaders so that the worship continues!

MINISTRY, GIVING, AND SHOWING MERCY

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Rom 12:3-8)

The gift of ‘helps’ is one of the most important gifts given by the Holy Spirit. This is because the needs in the church are so many, both spiritual and physical. The people with this gift do not wait for others to tell them to do things. They see a need and they go to help. They do a beautiful quiet ministry in the church. For example, they pick empty bottles or trash from the church and take it to the dustbin. They clean the church, inside and outside. They do not do it for men to see. They do it for God. They do it with the strength God provides. That is why they do not get easily discouraged. They are happy doing work for God. And God, blesses them. Let me add this… There are so many opportunities for help in the lighthouses. That is where people can get to know each other. When one is sick, the others visit him in the hospital. When one needs to find accommodation, the brethren help him. The believer who has this gift, is genuinely happy to do something for God. Are you like that?    

HOSPITALITY MINISTRY

“Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever!” (1 Pet 4:9-11).

Hospitality means to happily welcome strangers or needy people; to share with others, your home, food, time, and resources. Hospitality is expensive, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous. When you think of the cost you need to pay for hospitality, you are tempted to grumble.

Each born again Christian receives a gift from the Holy Spirit. It is your duty to discover the gift and to use it. The word ‘minister’ means to be a servant, a steward of the different manifestations of the grace of God who supplies the strength so that we minister to one another in His name. Using God’s strength removes the risk of getting tired, or complaining, and gives all the glory to God! We are to be ‘stewards of the manifold grace of God’. During Peter’s time, a steward was a slave. He has no property and no time of his own. He lives and works for his master who takes care of him. The steward has only one desire; he lives to please his master. This is the believer’s highest calling: to live for the glory of God; and by God’s grace and to dispense this Grace received, to others who need it. We are called to serve King Grace and His people. If we speak, let our words be like God’s words. If we serve in any capacity, let us use God’s strength supplied for that purpose. What is the purpose? God is glorified thru our ministry, and we are happy and fulfilled. Halleluiah!   

The enemy to hospitality is ‘grumbling’. To grumble means to complain about something in an angry way. Doing ministry and grumbling at the same time reveals an evil spirit of religion, legalism, greed, and selfishness. This is hypocrisy. It is a sad life. God does not bless this forced ministry. A true Christian loves God and people. He is patient in trials, continues to pray, and serve God. “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality” (Rom 12:9-13). Halleluiah!

ONE THING IS NEEDED (Lk 10:38-42)

Martha, Mary and their brother, Lazarus, were some of the few friends of Jesus. In their house, Jesus and His disciples could come anytime and rest. They did not ask Him to perform miracles. During this visit, we see that the sisters served Jesus in different ways. Mary decided to sit at His feet. That was the position of a student before his teacher. She sat there to listen to His Word. But Martha, was busy in the kitchen preparing the food for Jesus and His disciples. Clearly, she has the gift of help. Frustrated by all the work, she became angry that Mary did not come to help her. She complained to Jesus by telling Him to command Mary to help her in the kitchen. Jesus gently rebukes her saying that her work has made her ‘worried and troubled about many things’. These words mean that Martha became overanxious and distracted by her labor. This is a common temptation with them who help. Jesus said that Mary has chosen the ‘good part’. To listen to Jesus when He is in the house is the one thing needed and it will not be taken away from her.

Lesson: helpers can become lonely, discouraged, or bitter when they do not receive help or encouragement from others. Doing work for Jesus (like Martha) is good. But listening to His Word (like Mary) is better. In this life, we need to combine both ministries. The helpers may become jealous on them who have a more visible ministry, like preaching or teaching. This jealousy will end in bitterness. Reject that! Be grateful for the gift God gave to you. He never makes mistakes. Be faithful in your gift without comparing yourself with others.  A doctor (or a nurse) does not wait for others to help them when they are sick. They learn to treat themselves. In the same way, strengthen yourself in the Lord! Depend on the Holy Spirit for encouragement and strength. In their own quiet way, helpers mature in the faith with fruit proving their moral character.

In the early church, hospitality was a major ministry. Many were poor and few had houses. “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Ac 2:44-47).

The gift of hospitality, or helps, is one of the requirements of being a bishop, or a leader in the church. “A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt to teach” (1 Tim 3:2).

Paul tells Timothy not to neglect his spiritual gifts. The study of God’s Word and diligently using God’s gifts contribute to your spiritual progress. Fear of men and fear of failure are serious hindrances to progress in life. “Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Tim 4:14, 15). “Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:6, 7)

AARON AND HUR- HELPERS OF MOSES (Exodus 17:5-16)

The people complained again that they want water to drink. God tells Moses to go and strike the rock with his rod. The water came for the people. They tempted the Lord saying: “Is the Lord among us or not?” The battle with Amalek answered that question. God was with them!

The Amalekites attacked the people of God. Moses commanded Joshua to lead the men and fight the enemy in the valley. These are people who were slaves. They did not have military skills or weapons. But they had faith in God. Joshua obeyed Moses the way a steward obeys his master. Moses lifted his wonder working rod like a banner to God and prayed. After some time, his hands grew tired. Because of that, Moses could not pray. They observed that when Moses lifted the rod and prayed, God’s people were wining. When Moses’ hands grew weak and he could not pray, the enemy was winning. Aaron and Hur decided to help Moses lift the rod. Moses did not ask for help. They volunteered to help. It is possible that even his legs grew tired from standing. The two men brought a stone for Moses to sit. They helped him lift the rod to heaven. This is how the battle was won. God tells Moses in the hearing of Joshua that from now on, from generation to generation, God will fight the Amalekites. Moses built an altar there and called it Jehovah Nissi, the Lord is my Banner. Lesson: the church is stronger when we help our leaders and one another. Do not be shy to ask or to give spiritual help. Joshua is a type of Christ. He is the Captain of our Salvation (Heb 2:10).

Moses is also a type of Christ who intercedes for us. Amalek’s destruction is a type of the destruction of the enemies of the church.

Moses may be a symbol of God the Father. Aaron, whose name means ‘mountain of strength’, may be a symbol of Christ. Hur, whose name means ‘freedom’, may be a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The three of them, together, in the unity of the Spirit, stayed until sunset, when Joshua defeated the Amalekites with the sword. This is a picture of persistence in prayer until the victory is won. The victory was won the first day of the battle. The rod of Moses was not a sign for the Israelites to see. The lifting of the rod was for God to see and answer prayer. That is why Moses did not stay close to the battle but went up a hill. Moses was praying that God will intervene and by His power, defeat the Amalekites. Moses used His rod as a point of contact for God’s miraculous power. God answered! The victory was decided up on that hill of prayer and worship and manifested in the valley!

When we think of Moses, we imagine him as a strong man, a leader of men, and a great commander. He was. But here, we see Moses as a man who needed help from others and who is not shy in accepting help ‘in public’. Lesson: Many Christian leaders pretend to be so strong saying that they do not need help from anybody. That is a mistake. Pray that God will help you to be humble, and vulnerable if need be. Pray that God will help you cultivate godly relationships with people who will not criticize you but help you in the hour of your need. Pray that God will surround you with godly, faithful, and humble people of prayer. Lifted hands to God is a posture of prayer and worship. When Pharoah asked Moses to stop the thunder and the hail, Moses said: “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s” (Ex 9:29). Moses lifted his hands to God, and he received the power to stop the storm. Raised hands in prayer bring miracles and win battles! Raised hands in prayer remind us that God is our defender.

Joshua fights the battle. Moses has to put some distance between himself and the battle. This is so that he can pray. Joshua fights the physical battle. Moses, the mentor, fights the spiritual, and intellectual battle, which is more difficult. Moses also needs to fight a physical battle, not with the sword, but with the word of God. The temptation of tiredness is great. It is on the hill of prayer that the victory is won. Even Aaron and Hur were involved in physical and spiritual battle. They did not take Moses to the rock. They brought the heavy rock to Moses. Often in life, men like Joshua who fought and won in the valley, receive the greater honor than Moses, Aaron, and Hur, three lonely old men on a hill.

Amalek is Esau’s grandson. These men are symbols of Satan. God cursed them. “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget” (Deut 26:17-19). God’s people attracted the attention of Amalek. Lesson: When you make progress, you attract enemies. It is dangerous to become a Christian. You become a targeted man. Amalek came and attacked them unexpectedly. The Israelites were weak from lack of water. Amalek attacked the people who were at the rear ranks. Lesson: The Christian who slacks is a target of Satan. Don’t forsake the assembly of the saints. There is safety in numbers. God is faithful to His promises. The tribe of Amalek has vanished from the earth.

This was the first time that Israelites needed to fight an enemy. God helps us to leave Egypt. But now, we need to participate in warfare. The battle was hard. It was hand to hand unto death. God’s work must be done in God’s way. Spiritual warfare is hard. You don’t appoint a baby Christian as the captain. The sword was not enough. Moses did not join the army. The spiritual battle determines the result of the physical. Maybe some soldiers complained that ‘Moses should be here with us to fight’. They did not know the value of spiritual covering. There are two parallel battles: physical (visible) (with the sword) and spiritual (invisible) (with the rod, prayer). Most Christian chose only one of the battles. The sword and the rod both are necessary. But the overall result depended on the prayers of Moses. No matter how much Joshua shouts at his soldiers, prayer is still the defining factor. It is always easier to fight in public than in the secret. It is easier to preach than to pray. The stress of prayer made Moses tired. Moses needed Aaron and Hur to help him pray.

Lesson: We all need helpers who pray for us and with us, who encourage us. If you can’t be Joshua or Moses, be an Aaron or a Hur. The battle is the Lord’s! Jesus ‘ever lives to intercede for us’ (Heb 7:25). Every Joshua needs a Moses. And every Moses needs an Aaron and Hur. If you fail to help Moses, it means that you are a traitor. You are on the side of Amalek, fighting the people of God. You see why the gift of ‘helps’ is so important? It helps win spiritual battles in the church.

HELPERS ARE REWARDED WITH THE MANTLE OF THEIR LEADER, FINANCIAL AND SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

The gift of helps and hospitality connects with the supernatural. “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels”(Heb 13:2). Abraham welcomed the three ‘strangers’. He did not know that one of them was Jesus and the other two were angels. He prepared a good meal for them. He received the word that next year the promised son will be born. His hospitality was rewarded with fulfillment of prophecy. Lot welcomed the angels into his house. Hospitality was rewarded with salvation for him and his family (Gen18 and 19). The two men walking on the road to Emmaus insisted to welcome the ‘stranger’ to their house. Then their eyes became open to see that He was Jesus. Hospitality was rewarded with a great revelation of the resurrected Christ (Luke 24).   

Joshua, Elisha, and Phoebe are examples of blessed helpers of God’s people. Paul said: “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Ac 20:35).

Joshua was Moses’ helper.  Clearly, Joshua had the gift of ‘helps’. “Joshua did as Moses said to him” (Ex 17:10). “Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth” (Nu 11:28). God appointed Moses’ assistant to become His successor (Josh 1:1, 2).

Elisha was Elijah’s helper and servant. He too became his successor (1 Kg 19:16-21; 2 Kings 3:11).

“I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also” (Rom 16:1, 2).

Helpers are rewarded with fresh revelation of God, healing, breakthrough and answered prayers! “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am” (Is 58:6-9).

Those who help others are protected and divinely healed by God. “Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed” (Ps 41:1-3).

Those who serve God’s people in secret, will be rewarded by God openly! (Matt 6:1-4).

THE WIFE IS THE HUSBAND’S HELPMEET (Genesis 2:15-25)

The first time the word ‘helper’ is found in the Bible, it is in Genesis 2. God commanded Adam to obey His law and to work in the Garden. Then God said: “It is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him”. In Hebrew, the word ‘alone’ means to be like a branch separated from the tree. In Hebrew, the word ‘helper’ is ‘ezer’. It is the same word as the Holy Spirit, the Helper.  

In Hebrew, the word ‘comparable’ (chenegdo) is a great word. It means a mate, similar in size, shape, quality and disposition, somebody who is a capable counterpart, suitable, and worthy of comparison. It means someone who can stay in front of another. Eve must stand in front of Adam, like a mirror. Adam will see his face in his wife. The woman is not a twin for the man. Man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27).  The wife is made to reflect her husband’s image. The man “is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man” (1 Cor 11:7-9). By looking at his wife, the man sees the truth about himself. He knows who he is and will make the necessary adjustments. This work of the wife, to reflect the truth to her husband, to advise and correct him in love, is a major work of help to him. Please note that God’s creation of the man and his wife, and the institution of marriage, happened before sin entered in this world. What we read here is about the ideal marriage. God made Eve for Adam to help him in fulfilling his destiny. The wife is a helpmeet, designed to help the husband in his spiritual walk, in his business, and in life in general. Just imagine that the husband is the foot, and the wife is his shoe. She must be the exact size and shape if not, he cannot walk well. You cannot put the left shoe on the man’s right foot. Of course, the choice of a wife is more important than buying shoes. The function of the wife is to help her husband in a particular way so that he can become the man God created him to be.

What is the reward for the wife? By helping her husband, she will find fulfilment herself. The wife is like the glue holding her husband, who is like a branch in the vine called Christ. The angels and the animals could not be a helpmeet to Adam. Eve was created for that purpose. God created Eve from a rib of Adam. She is a clone of her husband. God created and brought the wife to the man. God never makes mistakes. Adam and Eve did not need clothes for heat or for cold. Nothing could hurt them. They did not need clothes or jewelry to make them more attractive to one another. They were ‘wonderfully and fearfully’ created by God (Ps 139:14). They were free from fear or shame. God’s light and glory covered them. God said that it is not good for man to be alone. God made man to have fellowship, to talk not only to his superior (God) but to his equal (his wife). The wife was made to be sensitive to his needs and wants. She will be pregnant with his children and make him a happy father. She will be kind and intelligent to help him worship God and fulfill destiny. All that man needs on earth, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, socially, was to be found in his wife. This was God’s gift to man. “He who finds a [true and faithful] wife finds a good thing And obtains favor and approval from the LORD” (PV 18:22; AMP). Successful godly marriage is a great achievement and ministry to the glory of God!

HOW CAN A WIFE BECOME A HELPER TO HER HUSBAND?

*Become a spiritual woman of God! The world has the wrong idea of marriage. God created the wife to help her husband. This is not an inferior role. A helper may have a servant heart, but she is not a slave. For most of the women, to find the right balance is hard. It is a labor of love that takes years to master and enjoy. Dear wife, you need to find your identity and calling in Christ. You cannot help your husband if you are confused about who you are, who God made you to be. Study the Bible, fast and pray that you may believe God’s plan and purpose for your life. The same word ‘helper’ given to the wife, is a word that applies to God. “But You have seen, for You observe trouble and grief, to repay it by Your hand. The helpless commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless” (Ps 10:14). A godly wife is an ambassador of Christ to her husband. In her eyes, the husband sees Christ and who he needs to be. This function of a holy mirror to her husband is a major help. No other person can tell the truth to a man as his wife.  Selah!

*Submit to your husband as unto the Lord! (Eph 5:22). Submission is vital in ministering help to him. The people of the world oppress others. But the Christians, love to humble themselves and serve others. To be a godly wife, you must have a servant attitude towards your husband. Jesus said: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:25-28).

*Become a friend to your husband! You must become a companion, and a true friend to your husband. Pray that you understand your husband. Be interested in his life, business, and ministry. “the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, with whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant” (Mal 2:14). Husband, God calls your wife ‘your companion’. A companion is a helpful faithful friend with whom you spend a lot of time, and you travel together. 

*Be a responsible homemaker. One of the complaints from husbands is that their wives neglect their homes. The house is not clean. The food is not well cooked. The children are not well trained. The wives always ask for money and spend it on things that do not benefit the family. The older women in the church can help to the younger wives. “The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed” (Tit 2:3-5).

*Respect and honor your husband! Even if he is an unbeliever (1 Pet 3:1-6). Another complaint from husbands is that their wives don’t respect them. “Let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Eph 5:33). By helping your husband, you see his weaknesses. It’s easy to disrespect him. Especially if you are a saved and your husband is not. The Holy Spirit helps you to serve and honor your husband at the same time.

*Be sexually active and available to your husband! The third complaint from husbands is that their wives are ignorant of their sexual needs. Both physically and emotionally, men and women are created different. The wife should study the sexual needs of her husband and meet them. This is a great help given to him. Sex is a peculiar means to manifest love in marriage. “Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise, the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Cor 7:3-5). The word of God is clear. The wife should not refuse the body of her husband. Not satisfying his sexual needs creates great conflict in the marriage that nothing else can satisfy. You both need love, wisdom, prayers, and desire to succeed in marriage, including the sexual side of it. A successful marriage is a work of art to the glory of God!

The wives complain that their husbands’ desires are too many. That is why you need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (Jn 14:15-18). The Holy Spirit is called the believer’s Helper. The unbelievers do not have access to this wonderful Helper. Only a born-again wife can be filled with the Holy Spirit to truly help her husband fulfill his destiny. The Holy Spirit ‘abides forever’. The Spirit filled wife brings the forever help to her husband. A wonderful way to find the balance in giving and taking in marriage is to obey Christ’s word: “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matt 7:12). You desire something? Then give that ‘something’ to your husband. Plant it like a seed in his heart. When the harvest comes, you will share in it! Selah!

The wife must know her gift and must desire to be a helper to her husband. Many wives do not desire the gift of helps. They want the gift of leadership. A leader cannot be a helper. Do you want to have ‘the excellent spirit’ of Daniel who always made progress in all situations? Then pray about it and pay the price for it. It is a royal gift. “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones” (PV 12:4).  In Hebrew, the word ‘excellent’ means someone strong like an army ready for battle, someone who is wealthy and of noble character. According to God’s word, there are only two types of wives: the excellent godly ones, who are true helpers to their husbands, and the ungodly ones, who cause him shame and weaken his bones. Choose now, what type of wife do you desire to be? The godly wife wins the admiration of her husband! “Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; So, he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life” (PV 31:10-12). Amen!

THE GOOD HELPFUL SAMARITAN (Lk 10:25-37)

A religious lawyer, trying to tempt Jesus, asked Him a question:” Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”. He was looking at the Son of God who came to die to give sinners eternal life. But the lawyer was proud and spiritually blind. He was thinking that he must work to gain eternal life. He did not know the principle of grace and faith. Salvation is a gift from God. Jesus told his to quote God’s law. He did. He said: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself”. Jesus said: ‘Do this and live’. But the lawyer wanted to ‘justify himself’ and asked, ‘who is my neighbor?’ To answer his question, Jesus told him the parable of the good Samaritan. It is the story of a Jewish man who became a victim to robbery. He was wounded and left dying on the road. Two Jewish men, a priest, and a Levite, passed by, saw the man lying on the road, but they did not help him. The reason is that if they touch a dead man, they become defiled and cannot enter the temple to worship God until they cleanse themselves. Then a Samaritan man passed by. He felt compassion for the wounded man and helped him. He carried him to an inn and took care of him. When he had to leave, he paid the innkeeper ‘two denarii’ and promised to come back and pay the balance. Two denarii are not a small amount. It was the equivalent of two months’ accommodation and food in an inn. We are not told if the victim was rich or poor. It does not matter. It is good to remember that the Jews and the Samaritans discriminated one another. But this Samaritan was moved with compassion to help and save this man’s life. He did not allow religion, tribalism, or politics to stop him from being kind. He facilitated the help who saved the life of an unknown man. He gained nothing materially. He did it for God! The innkeeper was paid to show hospitality to a stranger. The question: ‘who my neighbor is? This is the answer: He who is kind and merciful is your neighbor.

Lessons: Empty religion is an enemy to kindness and to the ministry of help. Where there is real human need, generosity is the appropriate response.  We must love the invisible God and we must help the visible men. All the people are my neighbors. I need to be compassionate to all people and love them. This is God’s Law.  By helping men in need, you help Jesus. He will reward you! Helping the needy is a sign that you are saved and already have eternal life (Matt 25:40-46). Make up your mind that you help others for the sake of Christ and not for any reward on earth. No man can pay you for your sacrificial love to others. Leave the reward with Jesus! Do it as a sign that you love Jesus! Your reward is in heaven! That should be enough for you to go on!

IN CHRIST I DECLARE: THE LORD IS MY HELPER

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Heb 13:5,6).

The Lord is my Helper. I speak with confidence that the Lord Jesus is my Helper. When I am weak, He makes me strong. Worship the Lord!

Our daughter, Jemine Leigh Oakes informed me that today is “Loving Day”. I did not know that. I discovered that it is an annual celebration held on June 12, the anniversary of the 1967 United States Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia which struck down all anti-miscegenation laws remaining in sixteen U.S. states. In the United States, anti-miscegenation laws were U.S. state laws banning interracial marriage, mainly forbidding marriage between non-whites and whites, until the Warren Court ruled unanimously in 1967 that these state laws were unconstitutional. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in the court majority opinion that “the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.” Loving Day is not an officially recognized holiday by the U.S. government, despite attempts to make it so. Loving Day is the biggest multiracial celebration in the United States.

Our daughter, Jemine Leigh Oakes, remembered how her dad and I had to fight to marry. That was in Romania 46 years ago. It is such a long time that I almost forgot about that story. At that time I was not a Christian. But clearly, God’s hand was upon me and my Husband, Pastor Richmond Leigh. What is the lessons? True love never fails! God can never lose! Praise the Lord somebody! Bellow see what Jemine wrote on her Facebook account today:

“Did you know my parents were not allowed to marry? At the time, my dad was studying medicine in Romania (which was communist at the time). The government wouldn’t acknowledge their marriage. They went and camped with friends that stood by them at the steps of the judiciary building doing a hunger strike for days in protest. They fought for their love. And they won!

When I reflect on my own parents’ story, and people like the Lovings that decided to fight for change, I’m encouraged. My parents raised us to love all humankind. So here we are at a pivotal moment in 2020… what will you tell your grandkids about your role in history? I read Proverbs 31:8 again this morning… it says “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak out for justice.”

I am a child of promise. A product of love that claimed the victory. I celebrate #lovingday today with great pride. My parents have been married for 46 years!!! Honoring them and the Lovings today!”

(In the picture, Tali and I, in Venice, about 1975)

(Article written in 13th of June 2020)

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During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (6)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Romans 4:13-25; and Daniel 6

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE THREE TYPES OF FAITH

Faith is defined as complete trust, confidence, and loyalty to God. Faith is faithful. Doubt, fera, and rebellion are the enemies of faith. Faith has two basic components. The first one is intellectual. The believer knows the Word of God and believes it in his mind. Without knowing God’s Word there is no Biblical faith. The second component concerns the heart. The believer trusts God in his heart. For example, you see a bicycle. You know it is a bicycle. But to trust the bicycle you must ride it. If you are afraid to ride it, it means that you don’t trust it. Faith is fundamental for salvation and for sanctification. It is the key to growing spiritually and to experiencing the supernatural. Faith in God is one of the greatest doctrines in the Bible. Salvation, sanctification, using the gifts of the Holy Spirit, working for God, all these have faith as their source. Basically, the Bible describes three types of faith: saving, fruit, and gift of faith.  

* Saving Faith is for salvation of the sinner

This faith is a gift of grace, from God to the unbeliever, who is among the elect and called of God. Salvation is not a reward, and it is not merited. God takes the glory for every sinner who becomes born again. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph 2:8, 9). Salvation makes us humble. There is no boasting about it among men. Christianity starts with receiving this gift of saving faith. Without it, there is no salvation, and there is no Christianity.

*Fruit Faith is for moral character of the believer

Once the sinner becomes saved, he is to pay the price and become a mature believer. He must study the Word of God and pray. The Holy Spirit in his heart will produce fruits in his human spirit. Faith (or faithfulness) is among the slices of this fruit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22, 23). The Fruit Faith is a proof of mature moral character in a believer. As in the natural world, when a tree is planted, it takes time to produce fruits. It is the same with spiritual fruit. It takes time to become a stable and faithful believer, sure of his salvation and exercising faith through prayer or prophecy. This is the only faith that can grow with time.

*The Gift Faith is for believers, to have the power to receive answers to prayer

This faith is a gift given by God the Holy Spirit to a believer. God is sovereign in giving this gift. He can give the gift to a baby Christian or to a mature one. This is a gift of miraculous power to believe ‘the impossible’. The saving faith is of God, but it is divine, supernatural, but not miraculous like the gift faith. “To another faith by the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:9)

Saving faith goes before salvation. Fruit faith manifests after salvation. Gift Faith manifests after the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The saving faith and the fruit of faith work spiritually, giving confidence of eternal life and going to heaven. The gift of faith works miracles here on earth.

THE GIFT OF FAITH DEFINED “To another faith by the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:9)

The Gift Faith is one of the greatest gifts given by God. It is defined as the supernatural extraordinary enablement by the Holy Spirit given to a believer in Christ, to totally trust God in all circumstances, to receive power to produce and receive miracles. This gift makes the believer strong and courageous no matter the challenge. Using this faith gift, whatever he desires in his heart and says it with his mouth, God will give it to him. This faith gift comes with 100 % assurance that God hears, and God will answer. God supplies the faith and God produces the miracle. You only have to speak the word, and the miracle happens. In this gift, God supplies 100% and you supply 0% of the power. It is like the faith of ‘a more than a conqueror’. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom 8:37). A conqueror is someone who fights another of equal strength and defeats him. But a man who is more than a conqueror is someone who is small like David and kills the giant Goliath. The victory gives all the glory to God! This is how the gift of faith works. It makes small people behave like giants. It is called ‘mountain mover faith’ or ‘wonder working faith’. A believer with this gift has 100% faith and 0% doubt or fear. One way to know that you have received the gift of faith is the profound absence of fear when most people experience fear. A believer with this gift sees what God wants to do and believes what he sees. He speaks miracles into existence. He speaks God’s Word in a situation, and he’s not surprised when the miracle happens.  

The gift of faith has a greater value than other gifts because it can be used in any circumstances. For example, the American dollar can be used in all countries. Faith is universal ‘money’ that is recognized and appreciated in heaven and on earth. All believers have the saving faith but not all believers have this gift faith. When the believer receives this Gift, faith comes like an injection into his spirit. Whatever he says, God will take the human words to be His own words and honors them. Then the miracle happens without failing. This gift applies to both positive and negative actions. It works to both blessing and cursing, creating good things and destroying the enemy’s opposition. This gift of faith works with prayer. The believer who has this gift of faith may be quiet. He prays and intercedes for others until they receive the miracles. Believers who have this gift are a great asset to the Body of Christ. This gift is not to acquire fame or wealth. It is for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom on earth. Like with other gifts, the gift of faith is to edify the church, to increase the unity of the Spirit in the Body, to release the supernatural and miracles, to inspire others and to give glory to God! It is the responsibility of the believer to discover and use this gift.

The Gift of Faith produces miracles, but it is different from the gift of working miracles or of healings. The working miracles is more active. It produces the miracle instantaneously. The same goes for the gift of healing. But the Gift of Faith is more quiet, more passive. Faith speaks the word and waits for the manifestation which is supernatural, and it will surely come. Therefore, the gift of faith is a sustained silent miracle. It is a holy process. During the period of waiting, the faith does not shake. The Holy Spirit feeds this faith until the miracle happens. Without the gift of faith, Noah could have been tired of building the boat which took him 120 years. Without the gift of faith Abraham could have given up waiting for the son of promise. FAITH = Forsaking All I Take Him!

God told Prophet Habakkuk: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry” (Hab 2:2, 3)

The gift of faith has prophetic anointing, but it is different from the gift of prophecy which works in the mouth of the believer. It is a vocal gift. The gift of faith is always deeper, for faith works in the heart. From the heart, the mouth speaks the word and God performs it. The believer who has this faith gift is an inspiration to the brethren. He always sees breakthroughs and no hindrance is too much for him. This faith is not something you produce by force. It is not a positive confession, forceful speaking, or wishful thinking. It is the outward act of obedience prompted by the inward guidance of God. Also, this gift is an outward manifestation of power in response to your inward and silent act of listening to God’s heart. The gift faith comes from the Holy Spirit. That which men see as impossible, becomes easy and possible. The Holy Spirit is sovereign deciding who receives this gift. He can give it to a mature believer or to a baby Christian. But the results are always amazing.

Faith always depends on God’s Word. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). It is not just an imagination or wishful thinking. You must study the written Word of God. As you study the Bible, it will ‘speak’ to you. As you hear the Bible’s ‘voice’, faith starts to grow. Studying the Bible, prayer, and listening to anointed preachers, is the only way to increase faith in God. The gift of faith is not the basis for the rest of the gifts. It is independent. But it works with prophecy, healing, working miracles and other gifts.

“You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So, light will shine on your ways. When they cast you down, and you say, ‘Exaltation will come!’ Then He will save the humble person. He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands” (Job 22:28-30). It is by the gift of faith that ‘you declare a thing and God will establish your word’ thru a miracle. This faith is a gift from King Grace. It blesses even the sinner who will be healed or delivered by your spiritual purity and your gift of faith.

BIBLICAL FAITH DEFINED

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]” (Heb 11:1; NKJ; AMP). In Greek, the word ‘substance’ means confidence, assurance, reality, something that was set under to carry the load. It is like the foundation of the house. Faith is sure of her hopes and totally trusts God’s promises for the future.

“Therefore, do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. 36 For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 37 “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” 39 But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul” (Heb 10:35-39). Faith is the power that pushes the believer to move forward. No matter the challenges in life, faith never draws back, never backslides. By faith you are justified before God. By faith you wait to receive the answer to your prayers. By faith you live. Drawing back means death and destruction. God hates that! God is pleased with faith. Therefore, faith makes progress and pleases God.

Doubt refuses to make spiritual progress and God is not pleased with it. Doubt is a great hindrance to receiving answers to prayers. God allows trials to test and purify our faith. Mature faith is combined with patience. This is the road to spiritual maturity, perfection where you lack nothing. “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (Jam 1:2-8). Doubt means listening to two different opposing voices. Faith always listens only to God and obeys His voice. Doubts listens to God, to the devil and to the flesh. Doubt always leads to anxiety, and confusion. God cannot answer a prayer made in doubt because it may be a request coming from the devil.

ABRAHAM’S FAITH

The faith of Abraham was a total faith. It was a saving and fruit faith and also a gift faith. Read Romans 4:13-25.

The Holy Spirit gave Abraham the gift faith to strengthen him in his waiting. This gift faith was given to make sure that the promised son will be born. Abraham’s faith concerning the promised son was not ‘an ordinary’ faith. It is the gift faith that gave strength to Abraham to wait for so many years for the promise of God to be fulfilled. It is the gift of Faith that helped him ‘not to waver trough unbelief’. It was the gift of faith that gave him strength to continue trusting God and to give Him glory. Here you see the reason why we are encouraged to pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially the gift of faith, so that we are able to endure until God’s promise is fulfilled. “And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5). In Greek, the word ‘increase’ means to add to it, to do it again. The words written by Apostle Paul describe the faith of Abraham as a perfect pattern concerning two great things: justification by faith and the fulfillment of God’s promises. This is one of the greatest descriptions of faith in the Bible. These words are written not just as a historical fact about Abraham, but as a lesson for all of us.

God promised Abraham a son and thru that son, he will become the father of many nations (Genesis 15). God said that Abraham’s descendants will be like the stars on the sky or like the sand on the seashore. At the time God promised this great blessing, Abraham was old and had no children. Sarah, his wife, was also too old to have children. God’s words gave Abraham hope for the future. He had faith in the hope given to him by God. Against any natural hope, Abraham chose to believe, to have faith, in the hope given to him by God.

Lesson: God alone gives the true living hope. God alone fulfils the hope that he has given. This is what God told Jeremiah when the political situation with Israel was hopeless. “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. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jer 29:11-13). God gives hope to His child. God wants you to trust Him to fulfill that hope. Your future is connected to God’s hope. Christ in us is “the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). The hope of glory is the hope of resurrection and going to heaven. You need to seek God and pray without ceasing. You need to draw closer to God, to search Him faithfully and passionately. That is the purpose of the hope. Trust God that He will fulfill the promise He gave to you. God gave us a living hope that cannot die (1 Pet 1:3-5). This hope connects with the resurrection power of Christ. It leads to the inheritance prepared and reserved in heaven for us. This inheritance is incorruptible and undefiled; it cannot be damaged or destroyed. It does not fade away because it is not of flesh or temporary things. It is the reward of the Holy Spirit. We have an inheritance that will never be touched by death, stained by evil, or faded with time; it is death-proof, sin-proof, and age-proof. This inheritance is also fail-proof because God guards and preserves it in heaven for us. It is wholly secure. Absolutely nothing can undermine the certainty of our future inheritance. Hallelujah!

Abraham believed God for his living hope, that he will indeed be the father of many nations. The promise came to pass. Abraham is indeed the ancestor, the founder, of the three main religions in the world: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The total number of Jews, Christians, and Muslims as of now, is about 4,3 billion people. We are told that Abraham received the promise by faith alone. Selah!

Abraham’s faith gave him power to believe three major revelations:

*Abraham believed that God’s promise to give him many descendants will come to pass. It is faith that helped him to believe the mighty promise that he will be the father of many nations. See here the power of faith to connect with God’s promise and to sustain it until it is fulfilled.

*Abraham believed that among his many descendants, the Savior of humanity would come. “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ” (Gal 3:6). With eyes of faith, Abraham saw Christ from afar and he believed in Him. Jesus told the religious leaders: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (Jn 8:56). It was faith that helped Abraham see Christ and His plan of salvation. By faith, Abraham became born again!

*Abraham believed that not only the Jews, but even the Gentiles will be saved by faith. Abraham is the natural father of the Jews and the Muslims. But he is the spiritual father of all the Gentiles who believe in God. Jesus said: “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 8:11).

Abraham’s faith:

*Faith believes in God’s Word alone. “he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken” (Rom 4:18). This is true faith. God has spoken and I believe it! Faith does not need people to confirm what God has said. Faith is totally satisfied with God’s Word alone. Selah!

*Faith is not discouraged by what the eyes see. Abraham and Sarah were too old to have a son. But faith he believed God’s word even when the mind could not understand. “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb” (Rom 4:19). Faith does not meditate on the opposition. But faith is not blind. Faith knows that in the natural it is impossible to have the miracle, but faith choses to believe God’s Word. This faith gets stronger with time. Each battle strengthens it.

*Faith does not waver or shake through doubt or unbelief. Doubt listens to many voices, saying yes and no at the same time. Faith listens only to God’s voice and answers ‘Yes, Amen!’. “He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom 4:20). By rejecting unbelief, faith gets stronger. Faith fights the doubts and conquers them. Like Aaron’s rod that became a snake, and swallowed the magicians’ snakes, so faith becomes the master of doubts. Faith is able to give glory to God even before the promise is fulfilled. Faith is a mighty worshipper. Faith makes a man strong and unshakable. Faith makes man a leader of men.

*Faith trust God’s power to do anything. “Being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Rom 4:21).

*Faith is a champion! “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith” (1Jn5:4)

THE FAITH OF MOSES, ELIJAH, AND ELISHA

Moses had the gift of faith. When he pronounced judgment of Korah and his rebellious followers, God did what Moses said. “Moses said: “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, for I have not done them of my own will. If these men die naturally like all men, or if they are visited by the common fate of all men, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord.” Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly” (Nu 16:28-33).

Prophet Elijah said to King Ahab: “As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). God took Elijah’s words personally and there was no rain for the next three years. The gift of faith was fed through prayers. “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit” (Jam 5:17, 18). After the confrontation on Mount Carmel, where God answered by fire and the false prophets were killed, Elijah publicly declared that the drought ends, and rain will come. Elijah went to pray and told his servant to look toward the sea. The servant saw ‘nothing’. Seven times Elijah told him to look. On the seventh time, the servant saw a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising out of the sea’ (1 Kg 18:44). According to Elijah’s faith, the rain came.  

Using the gift of faith, Elisha spoke a word in the name of the Lord over the bad water in Jericho. God performed the miracle and healed the water according to the word spoken by Elisha. The healing of the water was permanent (2 Kg 2:19-22). The same prophet Elisha was insulted for no good reason by some young men. Through a gift of faith, he cursed these mockers. Two bears attacked and wounded these men (2 Kg 2:23, 24). Elisha spoke a word of faith and Naaman was healed of leprosy. This was a combination of the gift of faith, prophecy, and healing (2 Kg 5).

THE FAITH OF SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan 3:16-18).

Daniel’s three friends refused to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol. They knew that the punishment will be death in the furnace. Their words of total confidence and the profound absence of fear prove that God gave them the gift of faith. They knew that God would glorify Himself thru life or thru death. Jesus came into the fire as the Forth Man. Their fearless faith testimony made the king to proclaim that their God is the greatest. “Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this” (Dan 3:28, 29). Immediately, the king promoted them. What a testimony!

JESUS – THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH

Our Lord Jesus Christ is always the best example in everything. We are commanded to look unto Him for help, strength, and faith. “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2). The following are just two examples of the faith of Jesus: Jesus preached in the synagogue in His hometown Nazareth. The people got angry and drove Him outside the town to throw Him down the cliff. But Jesus, totally calm and fearless, passed thru them and went His way (Lk 4:28-30). This is a manifestation of the gift of faith. Then there is this wonderful story of how Jesus walked on the water to save His disciples (Matt 14:22-33). During the storm, the disciples’ faith was put to the test. They were to trust Jesus in the middle of the storm, knowing that they will not die. They could have trusted God for the gift of faith. But they did not. Their personal faith failed them. Jesus called it ‘little faith’. Jesus had to walk to them on water. This is a gift of miracles in display. This gift has a lesser value than the gift of faith. Jesus desires that we exercise faith in His saving power more than weeping and waiting for Him to save us. Selah!  

We are told that faith is the capacity to trust someone or something. For Christians, faith means to trust God. “Though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:2). Here we see that faith is powerful. It produces miracles. It moves mountains. Jesus cursed a barren fig tree with His Word. This is a gift of faith in action. The tree withered from the roots up. Read Mark 11:12-26

Jesus commands the disciples ‘to have faith in God!’. It means to appreciate faith as a principle of life. It also means to pay the price to increase faith knowing that God is pleased with faith, and He rewards it. “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). Jesus commands the tree to be withered thru the gift faith. This gift of faith can shake and remove mountains, both spiritual and physical. When the gift of faith works, there is no doubt at all. God answers all prayers or utterances in His name.  

God sent an angel to save Daniel from the lions. But when His Son died on the Cross, the evil lions killed their victim. There was no angel to save Jesus! But after He died that we might live! This is the Gospel of Christ crucified and resurrected! If you believe it, you are saved!

GEORGE MULLER (1805-1898)

George Muller was an evangelist, a true man of God, who clearly received the gift of faith. He was the founder of the Ashley Downs orphanage in Bristol, England. He cared for 10,024 orphans during his lifetime, and provided educational opportunities for the orphans to the point that he was even accused by some of raising the poor above their natural station in British life. He established 117 schools which offered Christian education to more than 120,000 children. When God put it into his heart to build these orphanages, he had only two shillings (7 Naira) in his pocket. Without making his wants known to any man, trusting God alone, over a million, four hundred thousand pounds ($7,000,000; more than 3 billion Naira)) were sent to him for the building and maintaining of these orphan homes. Through all this, Müller never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt. Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children, further strengthening his faith in God. Müller was in constant prayer that God touched the hearts of donors to make provisions for the orphans. For example, thanks was given to God for breakfast when all the children were sitting at the table even though there was nothing to eat in the house. As they finished praying, the baker knocked on the door with sufficient fresh bread to feed everyone, and the milkman gave them plenty of fresh milk because his cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. Muller wrote: “A brother in the Lord came to me this morning and, after a few minutes of conversation gave me two thousand pounds for furnishing the new Orphan House … “Now I am able to meet all of the expenses. In all probability, I will even have several hundred pounds more than I need. The Lord not only gives as much as is absolutely necessary for his work, but he gives abundantly. This blessing filled me with inexplicable delight. He had given me the full answer to my thousands of prayers during the past 1,195 days”. At the age of seventy, Muller began to make great evangelistic tours. He traveled 200,000 miles, going around the world and preaching in many lands and in several different languages. He continued his missionary or evangelistic tours until he was ninety years of age. He estimated that during these seventeen years of evangelistic work he addressed three million people. All his expenses were sent in answer to the prayer of faith.

QUOTES BY GEORGE MULLER

“Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends. God not only orders our steps, He orders our stops. There was a day when I died; died to self, my opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren or friends; and since then, I have studied only to show myself approved unto God. We should not shrink from opportunities where our faith may be tried. The more I am in a position to be tried in faith, the more I will have the opportunity of seeing God’s help and deliverance. Every fresh instance in which He delivers me increases my faith. God delights to increase the faith of His children. Trials, obstacles, difficulties and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith. When sight ceases, it is the time for faith to work. The greater the difficulties, the easier it is for faith. As long as human possibilities for success remain, faith does not accomplish things as easily as when all natural prospects fail”.

THE FAITH OF DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN (Daniel 6).

Daniel, like Joseph, was blessed by God. The name ‘Daniel’ means ‘My God is the The Judge’. In this story, you see that the decision of the heavenly tribunal overruled the earthly court. Hallelujah! Daniel was 15-16 years old when he was taken hostage and exiled to Babylon. He was 81-83 years old when he was thrown into the Den of Lions. He had lived in a community of unclean people and served under four pagan kings for almost 70 years. Even after all those years the Bible still says he had an excellent spirit. In fact, Daniel’s adversaries themselves admitted that Daniel was blameless. King Darius promoted Daniel. The satraps were regional tax collectors. But promotion is not protection against wickedness. These wicked greedy jealous people decided to kill Daniel. They knew that they could find a fault only in Daniel’s relationship with his God. The satraps flattered the king who was a proud man. Darius thought he is a god. The satraps lied to Darius. They said that all the leaders including the governors have agreed to make a new law. But Daniel was not there. They convinced him to write a decree that for the next 30 days, none should pray to any other god except to Darius. The decrees of a Persian king were unchangeable because he was thought to speak for the gods, who could never be wrong and thus never needed to change their minds! Flattery works only on proud men. Lesson: The devil knows your weakness. “A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet” (PV 29:5).  Daniel knew what was going on. He could have avoided praying for the next 30 days. But using the gift of faith, fearlessly, Daniel continued to pray and give thanks to Jehovah God, as he was doing all these years. Daniel’s life was in great danger. But he did not compromise, did not fight back, or run away. Why? Because Daniel had faith in God! God was the source of Daniel’s security. Daniel did not trust in his political position, status, titles, or wealth. Lesson: Unfortunately, some people who openly profess that God is the source of their security actually have their security elsewhere. Their true colors are exposed only during spiritual warfare. Let us not be like such people but learn to trust God alone for both protection and provision, in good times and in bad times. Lesson: God may save you from trials, but like with Daniel, God may save you through trials. This is for His greater glory!

In the Bible, lions are a symbol of wicked people. David said: “My soul is among lions; I lie among the sons of men Who are set on fire, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword” (Ps 57:4). He prayed that God would break their teeth. “The wicked are estranged from the womb; They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent; They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear, Which will not heed the voice of charmers, charming ever so skillfully. 6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!” (Ps 58:3-6). The devil is like a lion. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 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. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet 5:8-11). Jesus is called the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who destroys all other wicked lions. “But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals” (Rev 5:5).

In this story there are three miracles:

*King Darius had a sleepless night in his palace. With all his wealth and entertainment available, he could not sleep. He discovered that he was foolish, manipulated by his ministers. Even with the crown on his head, he was a weak man. He could not save the best man in his kingdom.

*The fact that Daniel stayed alive the whole night with the lions, without any wound, that is the greatest miracle in the story. In the natural realm, God who created the lions, gave them the appetite to kill and eat. But God intervened and overruled the natural law. The lions may be wild, but they do not kill and eat until God allows them to do it. “The young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God” (Ps 104:21). We are told that Daniel lived with the lions ‘by faith in God’. In the lions’ den, Daniel had two options. He could have cursed the lions so that they die. That could have been a gift of working miracles. The second option was to exercise the gift of faith. In that case, the lions will still be alive, but they will be powerless to kill him. He chose the option of faith. Daniel, “through faith… stopped the mouths of lions… out of weakness were made strong” (Heb 11:33, 34). The gift of faith manifested in Daniel the whole night. He was calm and relaxed when the king was anxious and guilty. Daniel kept the lions alive so that they would eat his enemies. What a story!

Daniel is a type of Christ. “Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him” (Mk 1:12, 13). When Darius asked Daniel how he survived, Daniel said it was God’s angel that made the lions calm. Here we see that the gift of faith trusts God to send angels to rescue from danger or death.

*The third miracle is instant justice. King Darius applied the law and paid life for life. Daniel’s enemies who deceived Darius were sent into the same den of lions. This time, there was no mercy, no faith, and no angels. The lions got their natural appetite back and killed the enemies.

Finally, The king made a decree that the God of Daniel is the only living God who does miracles.  “King Darius wrote: To all peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, and steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, and His dominion shall endure to the end. He delivers and rescues, and He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. So, this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian” (Dan 6:25-28).

Please note that God is sovereign, and He is not obliged to rescue anyone. He may choose which one of His children will live and which one will perish for His glory. Thousands of believers were fed to wild beasts during the Roman persecution of Christians. God’s ways are far different than our ways. Don’t attempt to figure out how God thinks. Just know whether good or bad, God has a higher purpose in everything that happens to us. In this story, God kept Daniel alive, but He did not spare Daniel’s enemies. Together with their wives and children they died in the lions’ den.

Lesson: sooner or later, God will definitely avenge us. During trials, resist the temptation to punish your enemies for vengeance belongs to God, not to us. As Christians, we are to follow the Lord Jesus’ command to love our enemies, pray for our persecutors and leave vengeance on God. Trust God in all situations. God always has a higher purpose. It is because of Daniel staying in the lions’ den that God took the glory. At that time, Babylon was a city with a population of 200,000 people. The population of the entire kingdom would have been ten times more. When king Darius issued the new decree, all of these people came to know the God of Daniel as the one true savior. Lastly, Daniel was promoted even more. The enemies tried to stop Daniel’s progress and promotion, but they failed. They paid with their lives for that. Daniel’s influence continued among men, friends, and enemies. Daniel’s light so shines that people give glory to God!

The lions’ den became the angel’s den! Praise the Lord!

Lesson: Daniel laid a good foundation as a teenager when he decided not to compromise his faith (Daniel 1). His faith stood the test of time. Daniel had an excellent spirit. In Hebrew it means an extraordinary spirituality, an attitude of life that surpassed all others. His life, choices and behavior were blameless. The enemies could not find any fault! Daniel was good, faithful, honest, kind, in everything that he did. He submitted to authority even when the authority was pagan. The three wise men who came from Babylon to see Baby Jesus, possibly have been influenced by Daniel’s testimony more than 500 years in advance. What a testimony! “For by it (by faith) the elders obtained a good testimony” (Heb 11:2).

God works with faithful people. Like Daniel, we continue to pray, study the Bible, and attend church, no matter the trials. Faith and duty work tighter. From Abraham and Daniel, we see that age alone is not a barrier in working for God. The idols of today are success, material wealth, and pleasure. God has not finished with you until He wins! Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (5)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 2 Kings 4:1-7 and John 6:1-15

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE WORKING OF MIRACLES

“To another the working of miracles” (1 Cor 12:10).

A miracle is defined as the sovereign, sudden, supernatural, direct, and powerful action of God manifesting in the natural realm. It is an extraordinary event that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to God alone. Miracles create wonder among the people who witness them. God created the natural laws of His universe. When God intervenes in the natural realm, for a short time, God stops the natural laws He has created. God is not bound by the laws He created. His power is manifested through the miracle. God does not destroy the natural laws He has created. A miracle is something new, like an injection introduced into the physical realm, that is not hindered by the laws. Things men call impossible become possible. “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matt 19:26).

A miracle has no other explanation except the fact that God did it. God can produce a miracle directly or thru intermediaries. Many use the word ‘miracle’ too casually. They say that buying a new car or getting married is a miracle. But the Bible limits the word miracles to God’s work manifested in the natural realm. For example, becoming born again is miraculous but it is not under the category of miracles. That is a supernatural action of God in the Spirit realm. A miracle is God’s action performed in the natural realm.  

The gift of the working of miracles is a gift of the Holy Spirit. God uses a believer to produce a miracle in His name. Miraculous healings are also counted as miracles, but they are under the gifts of healings. Any other miracle that is not a healing, is under this gift of working of miracles. The working of miracles has a greater scope than the gift of healings. In Greek, the word ‘working’ is the same with ‘energy’. It means an action that produces an effect. The word for ‘miracles’ is ‘dunamis’. It means miraculous power. The word ‘dynamite’ comes from the same word. Without miracles, we have no proof that God cares, and that He works on behalf of men, especially when there is a great need or a crisis. It is the existence of miracles that makes the Bible a supernatural book and the church a supernatural Body. The reaction of people to miracles is different and it reveals their hearts. Some love it and others hate it. For example, when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, many rejoiced but others wanted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus, so that the miracle will die. Miracles are parables of grace. They show the compassion of Jesus and His power to save and help. Generally, miracles create wonder among people. Miracles prove the presence and the power of God who cares for humanity. The greatest miracles recorded in the Bible are these: the creation of the universe, the incarnation, the resurrection, and the ascension of the Son of God. In the Old Testament, some of the greatest miracles are the parting of the Red Sea and of River Jordan. In the Gospels, Jesus did 37 miracles. He healed the leprous, the paralyzed and the blind. He multiplied the food to feed thousands. He stopped the storm with just a word. He walked on the water. He changed water into wine. He brought the fish to the fishermen. By doing this, Jesus blessed the work of their hands. The miracles in the Old Testament were more external. In the New Testament, the miracles are more intimate, touching people and their families at the point of their need. 

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MIRACLES? MIRACLES MUST LEAD TO WORSHIPPING GOD!

*TO PROCLAIM GOD’S POWER AND GLORY: The miracles are the official seal of God’s authority, power and glory revealed on earth. None can argue with that. For example, God spoke to Moses thru the burning bush, divided the Red Sea and River Jordan. Elijah went to heaven in a chariot of fire. Elisha raised the dead. Jesus changed water into wine. Miracles are also a revelation of the compassion of Jesus on suffering humanity. The disciples could heal the sick and even brought the dead back to life (Peter brought Dorcas back to life). But they could not change water into wine and could not walk on water by themselves. The miracles prove that Jesus has total control over the nature and over the souls and bodies of men. Miracles are the stamp of authority that Jesus is God. After witnessing miracles, the disciples believed that Jesus is the Lord!

*DELIVERANCE: God performed miracles to free His people from bondage. This is the story of the Exodus. God also did miracles to save His people from great danger or death. For example, God made the lions sleep when Daniel was there with them. Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego survived the fire. Jesus walked on the water and came to save His disciples during the great storm.

*HEALING FROM INCURABLE SICKNESS: Jesus made the blind to see and healed the leprous. These miracles are called the gifts of healing.  

*PROVISION: God did miracles to provide food and water when His people were in need. God provided water from the rock. He provided quail for the people to eat. He gave them Manna every morning for 40 years in the wilderness. The ravens fed Elijah during the drought.

*GOD DISCIPLINES HIS CHILDREN: Zechariah became dumb for a season. Saul was blinded for a time until he repented and became Apostle Paul.

*GOD JUDGES UNREPENTANT SINNERS: God confused the languages at Babel. God blinded the wicked Sodomites. God changed Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt. Thru many miracles God used Moses to judge Pharoah. God used Peter to judge Ananias and Saphira.

*TO CONFIRM THE GOSPEL: Elymas the Sorcerer, tried to turn the governor from the faith Paul was preaching. Paul blinded Elymas for a season. Then the governor believed the Gospel preached by Paul.

*THE WORKING OF MIRACLES ARE A SIGN OF FAITH IN JESUS

“And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mark 16:17-20). The resurrected Christ confirms the preaching of the Gospel with miraculous signs. The miracles confirm the doctrines, and the doctrines lead to miracles. The miracles advertise the Kingdom of God.  Many Christians do not believe in miracles. The evil spirit of religion and doubt has affected many people who go to church. We believe in miracles because we believe in the only Living un-changeable God! Halleluiah!

The best you can do is to seek God, the Giver of all good things, including miracles. Those who only seek miracles are never satisfied!

DIFFERENT WORDS DESCRIBING MIRACLES

*WONDERS

A wonder is an extraordinary event that causes feeling of awe, astonishment, surprise, or admiration. When men witness miracles, they react in a special way. They are touched spiritually and emotionally. They keep the miracle in their memory. They do not forget the miracle. Many were amazed at the power of Jesus who did the miracles. “Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mk 2:12). “And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mk 4:41). “Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled” (Mk 6:51). “And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well. He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak” (Mk 7:37).

*SIGNS

Miracles were events directing not to themselves, but towards God, towards Jesus. The Jews knew that the Messiah would perform miracles and they were waiting for that to happen. But when Jesus came and performed the miracles, many of the religious leaders rejected the signs and the proof that He is the Messiah. Miracles are signs that salvation is supernatural, and that God’s true servant is anointed. “God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Heb 2:4). “Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds” (2 Cor 12:12). “This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him” (Jn 2:11). Miracles are like parables. They point to Jesus!

*POWERS

Power is defined as the capacity to act, to produce something. Miracles reveal the power and the presence of God. “God has spoken once; Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God” (Ps 62:11). These powers bring the higher powers of heaven down to earth. You “have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come” (Heb 6:5). Men are to bow down and worship the God of miracles. If men take the miracles for granted and refuse to repent of sin, God will call them to account. “Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent” (Matt 11:20). In the desert, men wanted to eat meat. God provided miraculously for them. They caught quail that flew low. But as the meat was in their mouth, God punished them for unbelief, and many died (Nu 11:33).

THE AGENTS OF MIRACLES

*GOD

God sent the plagues upon Egypt to punish the idols. Even the magicians recognized that is it God who did these miracles. “Now the magicians so worked with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not. So, there were lice on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the Lord had said” (Ex 8:18, 19).

*JESUS CHRIST

Jesus did many miracles, of healing and helping the needy. The power of the Messiah to perform miracles was prophesied in the Old Testament. Something peculiar about the miracles performed by Jesus was that He never did them for His own benefit. For example, Jesus changed the water into wine to make a family happy. But when He was thirsty, He asked the Samaritan woman for a cup of water. He multiplied the bread and the fishes to feed the hungry people, but He refused to change the stones into bread. He always used His power to help the needy people.

*THE HOLY SPIRIT

God the Holy Spirit participated in the creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:1, 2). The Holy Spirit is the author of the gift of working of miracles (1 Cor 12:10).   

*ANGELS

God delegates His power to angels, who are servants of God. The angels blinded the wicked men at Sodom and Gomorrah. Angel Gabriel was sent to Zechariah to announce that his prayer for a son was answered. Because Zechariah doubted, the angel strokes him to be dumb for a time. The same angel Gabriel went to Mary to tell her that she will be pregnant by the Holy Spirit with the Son of God.  

*MEN

On their own, men do not have the power to perform miracles. That gift, or that power is given by God. There are many men who performed miracles in the name of God or Jesus: Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samson, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul, and Barnabas. These men of God made clear to others that they do not have the power to perform miracles. But they all had faith in God who can perform miracles. They obeyed God. They were humble men of prayer. They gave all glory to God for the miracles they performed.    

*THE DEVIL

The devil is able to perform miracles to deceive people. The Egyptian magicians did miracles. “The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods. And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said” (Ex 7:8-13). The witch at Endor did a miracle by raising a ghost that look like the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28). Simon the Sorcerer deceived people with his miracles (Ac 8:7-11). Faith in the devil and his miracles, is God’s judgment on those who reject truth. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thess 2:9-12). The devil, in the form of the Beast, deceives men with fake miracles. “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast” (Rev 13:13, 14).

MIRACLES PROVE GOD’S POWER OVER NATURE:

Miracles connected with the waters (The Red Sea, the river Jordan, the waters at Marah, water turned to wine, storm over the Sea of Galilee)

Miracles connected with fire (The Pillar of fire, the Shekinah fire, God answers Elijah with fire, the three Jewish men safe in the furnace)

Miracles connected with oil (the widow’s cruse of oil, the vessels filled with oil)

Miracles connected with the sun (Joshua stopped the going down of the sun)

Miracles connected with food (Manna, the jar of flour, feeding thousands with bread and fish)

Miracles connected with natural elements (the flood, rain, hail, fiery serpents, thunder, frogs, lice, locusts, ravens, lions…)

MIRACLES PROVE GOD’S POWER OVER SICKNESS:

God did miracles of healing of boils, blindness, leprosy, withered hands, paralysis, deafness, mental problems, fevers, issue of blood, bareness.

MIRACLES PROVE GOD’S POWER OVER LIFE AND DEATH:

God killed Nadab and Abihu, Korah, Sennacherib’s army, Ananias and Saphira, and Herod. God brought back to life the widow’s son, the Shunamite’s woman’s son, Lazarus, the widow at Nain’s son, and Dorcas.

MIRACLES PROVE GOD’S POWER OVER DEMONS:

Jesus drove demons away from people who became whole. Jesus delivered a man who was possessed by demons called ‘Legion’. The man became whole. He wanted to follow Jesus. “However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled” (Mk 5:19-20). Jesus did this miracle because of His compassion on this suffering man. The miracles prove that God is alive, and He is interested in all human affairs. By doing miracles, Jesus proved His compassion and power. The disciples did miracles to prove that the Church is the Living Body of Christ, a supernatural Body where the Holy Spirit dwells.

THE BIBLE IS A MIRACLE BOOK

The Bible is the Word of God. It is not an ordinary book. God inspired men to write 66 books. The Old Testament and the New Testament are one unit. The Bible has many enemies. They tried to destroy it, but they failed. The Word of God is living and still effectual. People read and believe God’s Word. The Bible has survived thousands of years. It is still the number one bestseller in the world. It has been translated into over 100 languages. The yearly production of printed Bibles is about 30 million copies yearly.  

THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST IS A MIRACLE

The second Person of the holy Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, is a miracle Man. He not only performed miracles, but His birth, life, death, and resurrection were all miracles. He is God and Man. Therefore, He is a miracle among men. The Old Testament ends with the word ‘curse’ (Malachi 4:6). Four hundred years later, the New Testament starts with the words “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matt 1:1). From Curse to Christ! Jesus became sin on behalf of sinners and to free them from the curse of the law. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”) (Gal 3:13). Jesus performed many miracles. This was the way He revealed His divinity on earth. He is God. He had the creative power to do something out of nothing. Many Christians deny the miracles of Jesus. They say that He obeyed a natural law unknown to men. But that is not true. Miracles are divine actions performed on earth above the natural laws God instituted in His universe.

Jesus was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary, thru the Holy Spirit. His conception is a miracle but His birth, is like any natural birth. Jesus lived in Nazareth an ‘ordinary’ simple life. Like His adopted father Joseph, Jesus worked as a carpenter. For thirty years, He was not known as a religious leader and did not perform miracles. The miracles were proof of His identity as God on earth. They were also proof of His compassion.

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd” (Matt 9:35, 36). “When Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick” (Matt 14:14). “Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So, Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him” (Matt 20:32-34).

The main reason why Jesus did miracles is to reveal the glory of God the Father. Jesus was led whom to heal and whom not to heal. It is clear that Jesus did not heal all the sick people at that time. The glory of God was primary as His motive in doing miracles. God’s glory was more important even than the human need. When Jesus heard that His friend Lazarus was sick, He did not run to him to heal him. He waited until Lazarus died before He did the greater miracle of bringing him back to life. “When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (Jn 11:4). At the grave of Lazarus, Jesus did the miracle of bringing the dead back to life, but He did not use His miraculous power to remove the stone that covered the tomb. The disciples did that. Here we learn that God does not waste His resources. What man can do; he must do. What man cannot do; God will do thru a miracle. We should pray to know what our duty is in preparing and cooperating with God for a miracle.

The second reason was compassion for the sick and the needy. He never did miracles for Himself. Both in the wilderness and on the Cross, He did not perform miracles to provide food or water. Jesus did not perform the miracles to advertise Himself. Most of the miracles were done to ordinary people in the presence of ordinary people. From here we see that Jesus’s motives for ministry were totally pure. He is our standard.  

Jesus refused to perform miracles just for religious entertainment or to satisfy unbelief. “Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed” (Matt 16:1-4). “Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing” (Lk 23:8, 9).

Jesus used prayer and thanksgiving when performing miracles. Jesus appreciated and rewarded faith in Him. Even if the faith was little, if it was focused correctly, on God’s Word, that faith was rewarded. The object of faith was more important than the size of faith. The faith proceeded from the needy person or from others who stood as intercessors. Jesus never did miracles just to make people believe in Him and to gather followers. The miracles of Jesus revealed two main things: 1-the power and the glory of Jesus! 2-the terrible need sin has created in men. Sickness and poverty are the result of sins. Jesus died on behalf of sinners, to save their souls. The miracles are to remove the effect of sins upon men’s bodies and their physical needs. All the healing miracles of Jesus were perfect. The healing was instant, and there was no relapse. There was no failure with Jesus. What He wanted to do, He did it perfectly and easily. As Jesus, thru His miracles, revealed His supreme authority over all creation, so the miracles done by the disciples, revealed the supernatural power of the Church.

In this world today, Christianity has the highest numbers of believers, totaling 2,3 billion. It is followed by Islam, with 1,9 billion believers. In the third place we find the unbelievers, the non-religious or the secular people, totaling 1,1 billion. Christianity is the only religion that believes in miracles. The weakness of Islam and the secular group is that they do not believe in miracles. The difference is clear!

GOD’S MIRACLES COME BY FAITH, BY HEARING GOD’S WORD

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so [c]many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Gal 3:1-6)

True conversion is by grace and through faith. Faith comes from hearing God’s Word (Rom 10:17). Sanctification is by hearing God’s Word and by obeying it. The sinful deeds of the flesh are mortified, and the Spirit fills the believer. This is the way of the Cross, of being filled with the Holy Spirit and receiving miracles. The devil makes the believers ‘foolish’, deceiving him not to listen to God but to follow a set of religious rules. Once legalism takes hold, the Holy Spirit is grieved, and the miracles cease. May we lift our eyes towards the Crucified from whom salvation came.

The following are examples of miracles of provision, and material blessings:

ELISHA AND THE WIDOW’S OIL (2 Kg 4:1-7).

This is a miracle done by the prophet Elisha. The reason for the miracle was compassion. It was a miracle of provision, multiplication, and of deliverance. This woman was in great need. Her husband, who was one of the prophets, died and left a great debt to her. If she cannot pay the debt, she will lose her two sons. They will become slaves to the money lenders until the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:39-43). What does she do? The woman goes to prophet Elisha. She has faith in the God of Elisha. This is good! Elisha asks her what she has, and not what she does not have. The woman is really poor. She only has a little oil. That is all. Elisha tells her to borrow many vessels from her neighbors. She should shut the door to strangers until the miracle is done. She should pour the oil in these vessels. The miracle happened as she was pouring out the oil. In Hebrew, the pour means to make a liquid flow in a continuous stream from one container to another. This was the miracle: The oil did not stop until the last vessel was filled. Elisha said that she can sell the oil, pay the debt, and live by what is left.

Lessons: Pray to God. Shut the door to strangers and to entertainment. “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt 6:6). Do not stop praying! “Pray without ceasing” (1Thess 5:17).  Abraham received what he was asking for. The help from God ceased only when he ceased praying (Gen 18).

To pour out your soul means to pray and worship God with all your heart. When the priest Eli accused Hannah of being drunk, she said that she was pouring her soul to God (1 Sam 1:15). This pouring ended in a miracle for her too.

I read that 80% of Americans live from paycheck to paycheck. They do not have any form of savings. There are about 10 million families led by single mothers with children bellow 18. They became single mothers thru divorce or thru the death of their husbands. To be a single mother is hard. But God helps these mothers. For all of us, we need to pray and trust God the provider. God can heal the bodies and the finances. God has the final say. This is a financial miracle. When you are rich or you are poor, money can bring a lot of stress. You need to trust God and trust God’s servants for a word of wisdom and for prayers. This is a spiritual law: financial debt leads to spiritual and emotional bondage. “The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender” (PV 22:7). Pay your debt! Be financially free!

The woman had faith in God and in Elisha. In the natural world, the little oil cannot fill all these vessels. But God can multiply the little that is in your hand. The advice of Elisha sounded crazy. But the woman believed him and obeyed His word. Then the miracle happened. God is our Provider. His name is Jehovah Jireh. He can provide miraculously like money falling from the sky. But often, He wants us to have faith and to cooperate with Him in the performance of the miracle. If the woman mocked Elisha’s advice or if she was too lazy to obey and do the work, she could have remained poor and lose her sons. God used what she identified. God multiplied the oil. Little is much when God is in it. God could have multiplied flour, or salt. But she identified oil. Seek God and His wisdom. God cares for your suffering, and He wants to help you. The woman had faith that by pouring out the little oil, the miracle will happen. She needed to lose the oil to increase the oil. You need to invest to make profit. Greedy and lazy people remain poor. She asked her neighbors for jars. Don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask for help from others. She obeyed God’s word and also worked hard! God changed her story. From a poor widow she became a successful businesswoman.

Lesson: What you have is all you need!

THE MIRACLE OF CATCHING FISH (Lk 5:1-11)

This miracle happened at the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. He used Peter’s boat as a pulpit to preach the Word to the crowds gathered on the shore. Peter was repairing his old nets and he was listening to the sermon. He did not know that soon, using his old boat and his old nets, Jesus will give him a new reason to live. At the end of the sermon, Jesus told Peter: “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net”. Peter knew that Jesus was a former carpenter, now a preacher. Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law for a fever. But Peter did not believe that Jesus is the omniscient and omnipotent God. He complained that the whole night’s labor was in vain. But there was something in the voice of Jesus, he could not refuse. He decided to obey because of ‘Your Word’. Observe that Jesus told Peter to let down the nets (the word is plural). Peter said that he will let down ‘the net’ (the word is singular). This is little faith and partial obedience. When they caught the fish, Peter’s net was breaking. He called for his friends to come and share in the miracle. The fish was so much that the boats began to sink. Peter was convicted of his sin of doubt. He repented and followed Jesus. John and James, his partners, followed Jesus too.  

What is this miracle? You have to believe that Jesus has the power over all creation. By His will, Jesus sent the fishes near Peter’s boat and that particular time. The Bible says that God made man in His image. He gave man authority and dominion over all things He has created. God blessed man. He commanded to be fruitful and multiply. He commanded man to fill the earth and to subdue it, by exercising dominion over all creation. But man sinned and lost this total authority to the devil. Sin, sickness, poverty, and death came into the world (Gen 1:26-28). “You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas” (Ps 8:6-8).

God gave man authority over the creation. Man lost it to the devil. Jesus came as Man with the same authority as Adam had at the beginning. Because Jesus was sinless, He kept His authority over creation. In the story of Peter, Jesus displays his authority over the fishes in the sea. At His command, the fish gathered near Peter’s boat. Peter caught them. In the natural world, the best time to catch fish is at night. Peter worked the whole night but did not catch any fish. Why? The answer is that Jesus drove away the fish so that their labor will be in vain. This is to appreciate the miracle of fishes the next day. The lesson is that we need to trust in Jesus, for the salvation of the soul, for restoration from sin, and for the financial prosperity. Jesus knows where the good business is. God can truly make man poor or wealthy.  This material prosperity may not be according to the world’s advice. God gives us the power to produce wealth. It is for His glory and for our good. If you “say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deut 8:17, 18).

JESUS MULTIPLES BREAD AND FISH TO FEED THOUSANDS (Jn 6:1-15)

This is a miracle of provision, multiplication, and compassion. The crowds were hungry. Jesus receives 5 loaves of barley and 2 small fishes from a boy. He gives thanks to God for the provision. He then multiplies these to feed the multitudes. They all had enough to eat. Jesus then says that they should gather the leftovers so that ‘nothing is wasted’. God does miracles but He does not waste His resources. Remember than things do not need to make sense. If God is in it, even if you doubt, believe God! Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (4)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; John 4:46-54; and Jer 17:14

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE GIFTS OF HEALINGS

“To another gifts of healings by the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:9).

Healing is a great subject in the Bible. Healing was part of the ministry of Jesus. His disciples also healed sick people. The gifts of healings are powers given by the Holy Spirit to heal any form of sicknesses, spiritual, mental, or physical, acute, or chronic, without using any visible means. Healing is defined as restoration back to health of one who was sick. Restoration is a return to the former, normal, original state of health. It also means restitution, bringing back something (health) that was stolen or lost. Sickness is going astray. Health is coming back to the God given state of wellbeing. This is what God says: “Therefore all those who devour you shall be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity; Those who plunder you shall become plunder, and all who prey upon you I will make a prey. For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,’ says the Lord, ‘Because they called you an outcast saying: “This is Zion; No one seeks her” (Jer 30:16, 17). A good verse about recovery of lost health is found in the story of David. The Amalekites have stolen his wives and all his goods. He prayed to God and God answered him: “So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all” (1 Sam 30:8). Many who are sick are too lazy to pray and pursue the devil, to recover their health. They settle for second best. They accept sickness as part of their ‘portion’ in the land of the living. Let us do like David!

Healing through this gift happens without the use of medicines or surgery. The believer who prays for the healing of another does not need to know the name of the sickness, prognosis, or what type of treatment should be used. The Bible does not explain the meaning of this gift. It is difficult to explain. This gift appears only in 1 Corinthians 12. It is the only gift that appears in plural. It seems that there is a gift for each sickness. Some say that the gift was only temporary and now, it does not manifest. Others say it continues to manifest. Jesus healed people miraculously. He gave the power to His disciples to do the same, in His name. Even after the death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven of Jesus, miraculous healings continued to manifest. The gift of healing is not the same as the gift of working miracles, which is greater and wider in scope. Physical healing was a sign of the authority of Jesus and of His compassion. It is a form of advert to attract people to Jesus and to the Gospel. God’s miraculous healing is the only healing that is total, painless, free of charge, without any complications and brings all the Glory to God! Healing happens thru faith in Christ alone. This faith may be supplied by the sick man, by the believer who prays, or it is a combination of both. This gift is not given to become rich or famous. The gift of healing is given by God, the Holy Spirit, who is sovereign. It is given to heal the poor and weak brethren, to strengthen them, to increase the unity of the Body. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in the distribution and manifestation of this gift. The believer cannot control the gift. He must be led by the Holy Spirit to know when the gift will manifest. For example, Naaman was healed of leprosy by the prophet Elisha. But the same prophet could not heal his own servant Gehazi from leprosy (2 Kings 5). The Apostle Paul healed many people but could not immediately heal his friend, Trophimus, whom he left behind sick (Ac 19:11, 12; 2 Tim 4:20).

When it comes to the exercise of this gift, someone who has medical experience has no superiority over others. For example, Luke, the theologian also called ‘the beloved physician’ (Col 4:14), has no advantage over Peter, an illiterate fisherman. The source of the healing is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Jesus Christ, and thru the Holy Spirit. The only method for healing is speaking the Word and prayer! God alone takes all the glory for the healing! For example, both Paul and Luke arrived on the Island of Malta, after the shipwreck. It was Paul who healed some sick people over there. It was not Dr. Luke (Ac 28:8, 9). The exercise of this gift should not make us look down on medical science, and the medical personnel who have helped people greatly over the centuries. It is true that all healing comes from God. But it is good to know that medical science is the world’s way of healing. But God’s way of healing is though miracles, by exercising the Gift of Healing. The medical treatment of sicknesses done by doctors or nurses, using medicines or surgery, is not recommended in the Bible. The Word of God does not recognize modern medical treatment. In heaven there is no sickness. Therefore, there are no doctors, nurses, or hospitals! Selah!

For healing, there are only two ways the Bible recommends that we should us: 1-THIS GIFT OF HEALING and 2-PRAYER OF FAITH!

We obey God’s Word by praying for this gift or by praying for the sick, by laying of hands, and by anointing with oil, which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (Jam 5:14-16). As you can see, James does not tell them to look for a brother who has the gift of healing. He tells them to go to the leaders of their own local church The leaders are spiritually mature brethren. They will pray with faith and God will heal the sick person.

Prayer: “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise” (Jer 17:14)

JEHOVAH RAPHA

This incident in the wilderness reveals for the first time that God is the Healer of His people. He introduces Himself and Jehovah Rapha, God the Healer. “Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore, the name of it was called Marah. And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” So, he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you” (Exo 15:22-26). After God’s people celebrated the crossing of the Red Sea, just three days later, in the wilderness of Shur, they started complaining because they saw no water to drink. They found a pool of water, but it was bitter. The people complained but Moses prayed to God. Prayer is always the key to move on. God tells Moses to cut down a tree planted by the Bitter waters. Please observe that the solution is not far. It is ‘planted’ in the problem. Once Moses cut down the tree and threw into the bitter water of sin, the water became ‘sweet’. The word ‘tree’ also means ‘carpenter’. This is a picture of the Cross of Christ. At the Cross, there is salvation and healing. God tested them to see if they obey Him or not. Obedience to His Word prevents sickness and leads to many blessings. When you are sick, pray for a fresh revelation of God’s Word.

Years later, when he got sick, King Asa failed the test of Jehovah Rapha. “In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa developed a disease in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his illness he did not seek the LORD, but [relied only on] the physicians. So, Asa slept with his fathers [in death], dying in the forty-first year of his reign” (2 Chr 16:12, 13). In this story, King Asa, developed a sickness in his feet. He did not seek God during his sicknesses. He put all his trust in the physicians. Lesson: n all situations, even when we suffer or we are sick, we should seek God’s face through His Word. Godly wisdom is found during times of trials. Then the healing may come. To trust man is a curse (Jer 17:5). During your sickness, if you trust only the doctors, they will take the glory for your healing. But if you trust God alone, then God will take the glory!

JESUS’ COMMAND: PREACH THE GOSPEL AND HEAL THE SICK!

“Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere” (Lk 9:1-6).

Jesus gave His disciples ‘power’ to preach, heal and deliver. In Greek, the word ‘power’ means delegated authority, privilege, freedom, or mastery. It means that Jesus expects His disciples to study how to be successful in ministry. This does not mean to attend a regular Bible school, or medical school. It is a lifestyle, a walk of faith led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. You may start as a spiritual ‘apprentice’, but with time, faithfully applying the Biblical principles, you become a master in the field of faith. Jesus trusts you with His authority over sin and sickness. Jesus promised to pay for all expenses concerning your ministry. The healing must be purely by prayer of faith or through the gift of healing. It applies to all types of ‘sickness or disease’, anything that troubles or weakens the body or the mind. If any man or family rejects the ministry of preaching or healing, it will be a sin against that one. God will call those to account.

Healing the sick, together with teaching and preaching the Gospel is part of the believers’ responsibility. “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Mt 9:35-38). Compassion for the weak and sick is the basic motive of the healing ministry of Jesus. We believers are laborers in His field. We need the same compassion to be like Jesus. Compassion means to be emotionally moved with pity, to feel the pain of another. The word ‘weary’ means to be troubled, frustrated, harassed, or annoyed. The word ‘scattered’ means to be harassed by enemies, to faint from fear, or to shake. Sheep that have gone astray, are under attack by wolves or by sickness. These sheep cannot defend themselves. Their only helper is their Shepherd. That Shepherd is Jesus. We the believers are shepherds under the Great Shepherd. We need compassion, love, and faith to help God’s flock. Pray that more believers take their responsibility seriously and help others.  

PEOPLE’S REACTION TO MIRACULOUS HEALINGS REVEALS THEIR HEARTS

People reacted to the miraculous healings in two ways: some were amazed and gave glory to God. Others gave glory to the devil. The Pharisees attributed the power of Jesus to the devil (Matt 12:22-24). After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees wanted to kill both Jesus and Lazarus (Jn 12:9). Paul and Barnabas healed a lame man at Lystra. The people around thought that they were gods. They wanted to worship them. When Paul discouraged them saying that they are only men like them, they beat them and almost killed them (Acts 14).

PETER HAD THE GIFT OF HEALING

Peter had the gift of healing. He healed the lame man who was asking for money, Aeneas, and brought Dorcas back to life. This gift helped him in his ministry as an evangelist. “Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Ac 3:6, 7). “Peter found a certain man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years and was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Arise and make your bed.” Then he arose immediately. So, all who dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord… 40 But Peter put them all out and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. Then he gave her his hand and lifted her up; and when he had called the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed on the Lord” (Ac 9:33-35; 40-42). Praise the Lord!

THE CROSS IS THE PRICE FOR SALVATION AND HEALING

There is a price to pay for divine healing. The price was paid at the Cross. Jesus died and rose again for me, for the salvation of my soul and for the healing of my body. The devil hates that you should know the truth. Healing removes suffering and destroys the works of the devil. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Ac 10:38). “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8). What are some of the works of the devil? He steals the Word from men’s heart (Matt 13:19); he teaches men to kill and to lie because he is a murderer and a liar (Jn 8:44).  He blinds the minds of people to the truth of the Gospel. He keeps them ignorant to the power of God’s Word to save, heal, and deliver. The devil is the agent of doubt, fear, and unbelief. He blinds men’s minds to the truth (2Cor 4:3, 4). Because of the devil’s works, people become wicked, liars, deceiving one another, spiritually blind and insensitive. They hate God and humanity. What do we do? Take the whole armor of God and do spiritual warfare. As disciples, we pray for the healing of men’s souls, minds, and bodies. The devil will fight back protecting his prisoners. But in the name of Jesus, our victory is sure! Praise the Lord!

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3Jn 1:2-4)

Apostle John wishes the beloved believers good health and prosperity, spiritual and physical. In Greek, the word ‘health’ means sound body, without any corruption (no viruses or parasites). God can allow sickness to discipline us when we are unfaithful to Him. But sound health is better. We need a strong body to do God’s Work. The word ‘prosperity’ means to find help along the way to succeed in business. Knowing God’s Word which is truth, is the sure way to live a good life in this world, to prosper in body, soul, spirit, and business affairs. Selah!  

HEALING IS A SIGN OF FAITH IN JESUS, AND CONFIRMS THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS AND HIS WORD  

*Healing the sick is a sign of faith in Jesus; a sign that you preach the right Gospel, and that you are a co-worker with Jesus in ministry! Jesus said: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen” (Mk16:15-20). Apostle Paul confirms that wherever he went, he preached the Gospel, and miracles followed his ministry (Rom 15:18, 19).

*In the early church, the believers prayed for boldness to preach God’s Word and for miracles to follow their preaching. “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Ac 4:29-31). This request was necessary to confirm their ministries and increase their confidence as servants of God.

*Healing of the body confirms the authority of Jesus as The Savior. Jesus forgives sins, to save men. He also heals their bodies. There was a sick man who was paralyzed. The religious rulers opposed Jesus. Then He said: “But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men” (Matt 9:4-8).

*Healing confirms the Gospel. It is one of God’s methods to prove that Jesus died and rose again for sinners. “But you denied the Holy One and the Just and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all” (Ac 3:14-16).

*True faith in Jesus should be in His Word and also in His works (healings). “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him” (Jn 10:37, 38).

*Healings and miracles were signs done by Jesus to attract people to Him, to listen to His Words. “A great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased” (Jn 6:1, 2).

*Healings are performed so that God is glorified. “Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:12).

HEALING AND THE WORD PLANTED IN THE HEART

Healing in the Bible is always connected with God’s Word and prayer! The more you study the Person of Jesus (The Living Word), the more your faith in His healing increases. This faith is thru the Holy Spirit, and thru faith in the written Word of God! “He sent His word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions” (Ps 107:20). God sends His Word as an injection from heaven! You must receive the injection so that you are healed! This is an unfailing spiritual law: the more you feed on the Word, the more your faith in healing will rise. “The seed is the word of God” (Lk 8:11). For the seed to grow and become fruitful, the seed must be planted in the heart. “Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever” (1 Pet 1:23). God uses His Word that is thought or preached to bring salvation, healing, or deliverance. The Word of God is living, incorruptible, indestructible, and immortal. It brings eternal life. The Word abides forever. The word ‘abides’ means to stay in a spot, waiting for you to believe it. The heart is the field. The seed must be watered with prayer. It will grow. It will produce salvation, healing, deliverance, and other miracles.

God’s Word must be planted in the middle of the heart and kept there for it to manifest the healing. It works on all organs. It becomes health to the whole body. “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life” (PV 4:20-23). To give attention and to incline your ear mean the same thing: to stretch out your head to listen to something important. Do not let God’s Word depart from you. Be careful not to lose it. Watch it because it is a light guiding you through the darkness of sickness. It is your responsibility to keep the Word ‘in the midst of your heart’. The word ‘keep’ means to protect, to surround with a hedge, to attend to. It is your responsibility to protect the Word of God in your heart. Who can steal God’s Word from your heart? The devil. Read the Parable of the Sower (Lk 8:11-15). The devil steals the word from hearts that are not deep, not spiritual. They hear the Word but make no effort to retain of understand what they have heard. So, the Word does not penetrate the heart. The demons love to steal the Word away. If there is no deep root, the Word cannot grow. If there are weeds of anxious care, love of money and pleasures of life, the Word also cannot grow. The only fertile ground/heart where the Word stays and grows is a noble and a good heart. In this good heart, the Word grows and multiples.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life” (PV 4:23). The heart/field is to be kept with all diligence. It is your responsibility to protect your heart from strangers and from Word killing weeds. Out of the heart proceed the issues, the rivers of life. The heart is like a pump, like a fountain. Like the natural heart pumps blood into the arteries of the body, so the spiritual heart. The unconverted heart is the seat of sin. The spiritual heart is the seat of the Word of God. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Lk 6:45). Speak life!

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye (envy), blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man” (Mk 7:21, 22). The word ‘defile’ means to become unclean, and incapable to worship God. A defiled heart is a sick heart and speaks sickness to others. Faith in Jesus cleanses, heals, and opens the heart. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). Faith cleanses the heart and opens the rivers of life to flow to others. This is therefore the path of blessings and healing: Receive God’s Word! Keep and guard it in your heart. Confess the Word by faith! Pray over it! Repent of every known sin. The heart will become cleaner, and the Word will grow. Healing of the body and soul will be the result.  

BY HIS STRIPES, WE ARE HEALED

“Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way” (Is 53:4-6). “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matt 8:16, 17). “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Pet 2:24, 25)

On of the greatest verses about healing in taken from the Book of Isaiah 53:5. “By His stripes, we are healed!” With the eyes of faith, the prophet Isaiah saw Jesus crucified. Please observe that all the words are in the past. Salvation and healing are works that have already been fulfilled. On the Cross, Jesus purchased both the salvation of our souls and the healing of our bodies. We must have faith in both. The salvation of the soul is a greater miracle because it is immediate, personal, and eternal. The healing of the body is less important because it is temporal.  Sin still dwells in the body and sin leads to sickness and death. Peter says that Jesus died and by His stripes we are healed so that we too die to sin and live sanctified lives. The healing is not for its own sake. It is to help with our sanctification. The final healing of the body will manifest when Christ comes back the second time and resurrect our bodies, to be like His Body, spiritual and eternal. On the Cross, Jesus ‘took our infirmities’. It means He received our moral and physical weaknesses. He ‘bore our sicknesses’. He ‘carried away’ our sicknesses.  It is the same verb saying ‘He bore our sins’. ‘By whose stripes, you were healed’. The word ‘stripe’ means wounds or bruising done by scourging.  The word ‘grief’ is anxiety. The word ‘sorrow’ is anguish. He borne and He carried means to be pregnant with grief and sorrow.

“Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified” (Matt 27:26-31)

This is a glimpse of the suffering of Jesus just before He was crucified and died. You can see the wickedness of men, taking advantage of their victim. The soldiers did not have to add their mockery. They did not have to spit on Jesus or strike His head with the reed. But they did that. This revelation is the root of your faith in the healing of your body. Jesus paid for the salvation of your soul with His blood shed on the Cross. But for the healing of your body, Jesus suffered terrible pain, mentally and physically. You must feel His pain to be able to believe in your healing. Selah!

Jesus was beaten and wounded so that we can be healed. He was wounded by the crown of thorns, by the nails in His hands and feet and by the spear of the Romans soldier. The death of Christ upon the Cross was a painful, shameful death. It is His pain that is the source of our healing. That chastisement was for our peace. In Hebrew, shalom, means peace, prosperity, health and wealth, friends, and favor. Jesus suffered on the Cross for our healing, peace, and prosperity. He shed His Blood and died for our salvation! What a Savior!    

THE BRONZE SERPENT

“They journeyed from Mount Hor… to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore, the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So, Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived” (Num 21:4-9).

The international sign for doctors, medicine and hospitals is a snake on a rod. It is taken from this story in Numbers 21. God leads the people on a longer, circular path. They just discover that now, the Promised Land is behind them. They became angry with God’s leading. The word ‘discouraged’ means impatient, or restless. They expected to enter the Promised Land faster. The people started complained against God and Moses. God became angry and He sent poisonous serpents to bite them. Many died. The people repented. Moses prays for them. God gives His prescription: He commands Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten by a serpent and looks to that bronze serpent shall live.  The vision of Christ crucified brings healing and life!

The people got addicted to complaining. God warns them many times, but they still continued. In the past, they grumbled against the manna, God’s bread from heaven. They said: “Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!” (Nu 11:4-6).

Some Egyptians followed God’s people thru their exodus. It was these unbelievers among them that started complaining against the Manna. It is known all over the world that poor unbelievers cannot endure the lack of their favorite food. They miss their Egyptian’ vegetables. They claim that they have lost their appetites for food because of looking at this Manna. They have no faith in God’s Word!

Question: Where do you look? What do your eyes see? If you see God’s Word, then you shall be healed and you shall live!

God judges their sin. Moses prays for them. Then God shows mercy. At the Cross, you see God’s holiness and love combined. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 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 3:14-16). Jesus is the One lifted on the Cross. The sinner needs to look with faith to Christ. Then he will be saved and healed.

Lessons: God is holy, and God hates sin.  Complaining and grumbling are serious sins. Be careful not to become impatient with God’s leading you thru life, especially when trials seem longer than you expected. Be sensitive to the temptation of grumbling. Pray against it! God answers the prayer of an intercessor. We should always pray. God gives Moses the wisdom that leads to healing. There is no natural connection between the bite of the snake and the bronze snake. The only connection is faith in the God who kills and makes alive. The Look of faith unto Jesus is life and healing! This was God’s treatment prescription. It was easy. Just look! It was the same for all, the rich and the poor. The same applied for the bad cases and for the mild cases. It was free of charge. If any man bitten by the snake refused to apply God’s treatment, he will die. If he refused to look at the bronze snake and only look at his wounds, or pay doctors to cure him, that one would die. The Gospel is the only cure for all sinners. Its power is immediate and eternal. Jesus is the only Way to life! Look and Live!

FAITH HEALERS

There are many false brethren who claim to heal by the power of God. These are not even saved. Most are found in the Philippines and Brazil. They claim to perform surgery with bare hands. Many are deceived by these charlatans. Then there are others, who may be saved but they have very few fruits of the Spirit. Their moral character is weak. They are called ‘faith healers’. They claim that the only gift they have is to heal people from physical sickness.  In the early church, the gift of healing was working to attract people to the preaching of the Gospel. There is nothing like healing for healing’ sake. The following are some of the famous American faith healers: Alexander John Dowie, Jack Coe, A. A. Allen, and William Branham. These all had many followers and claimed thousands of healings. They became rich and famous through this gift.  They became proud and died untimely deaths. Most churches that used to sponsor these massive tent crusades got tired of the religious entertainment and the price to pay for the flashy lifestyle of these healers. But these sad stories do not cancel the fact that God gives the gift of healings to believers.

THE HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN’S SON (Jn 4:46-54)

Jesus started His public ministry. The first miracle sign was done at Cana of Galilee where He changed water into wine. He did this sign to reveal His glory. His disciples put their faith in Him (Jn 2:11). This is the story: Jesus goes to Samaria. He does not perform miracles there, but the people believed His Words. He comes back to Cana of Galilee. A Jewish noble man who was living at Capernaum has a need. His son is sick almost to death. He has a high fever. He hears of Jesus that He performs miracles. At this time, Jesus has only performed the miracle of water turned to wine at Cana. But the nobleman believes that Jesus can also heal his son. He immediately travels from Capernaum to Cana to meet Jesus. This distance is about 20 miles. This is the first time we see someone seeking Jesus for a miracle of healing. It is also the first time that we see the direct connection between faith and healing. There were some Jews gathered there when the nobleman came. Jesus said to them: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe”. Jesus was comparing them with the foreigners, the Samaritans, who believed His Word alone, without waiting for any signs of confirmation. “For Jews request a sign” (1 Cor 1:22). A sign is a supernatural event that points to something else. Wonder is a miracle. Jesus was confronting the Jews that their lust for miracles is a proof of their lack of faith in Him. The nobleman called Jesus ‘Sir’. This is true humility. He wanted Jesus to ‘come down’ to his house to heal his son. His faith was real but small. Compare his faith with the great faith of the Centurion and of the Syrophoenician woman, who were both foreigners. Jesus told the nobleman that his son will live. This time, he ‘believed the word Jesus spoke to him’. Having only the word in his heart, he went back to Capernaum. Arriving home, he discovered that his son was healed at that very hour when Jesus said: ‘your son lives’.

IN CONCLUSION…

Jesus cares for the needy humanity. At Cana, Jesus did miracles to bless families. He made wine for a wedding. He healed a man’s son. He brought joy to families! This nobleman hears of Jesus and travels 40 miles to receive his miracle. He received the Word that produced the healing. Faith has feet. Faith seeks Jesus and His healing. That word was enough! Jesus appreciates faith. It is not the miracle that produces faith. It is the faith that produces miracles. Jesus is always sensitive to the faith of the people who desire miracles. If their faith is small, He will increase it. If their faith is big, but not focused, He will help them to adjust it. Jesus could not perform miracles where pride and unbelief were predominant. “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” (Matt 13:58). If faith is small but it is focused on Jesus, it will work miracles. If the faith is big, but its focus is outside Jesus, it will not work miracles. The object of faith is extremely important! It is more important than its size. Faith in God’s Word is enough for the miracle to happen! The nobleman had faith. He was not in a hurry to run back home. He arrived home to Capernaum the next day at 7 pm. It seems that he slept in Cana before going home. His son was healed. This healing has three effects: the physical healing of the son; the spiritual healing of the father and the third effect is that his household now all believe in Jesus. “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). Jesus rewards faith and rebukes unbelief! Religion is a hindrance to faith.

This is a reminder, man’s soul is more important than his body. Even if he is healed from sickness, even if he comes back from the dead like Lazarus, he will still become old and die. But salvation of the soul is eternal. Even death cannot destroy that. Sin is the real problem. Sickness is only a symptom. It is clear that the Bible gives priority to the spiritual problems of man. Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed for 38 years. Later, Jesus found him and said to him: “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (Jn 5:14). Jesus said that something worse than sickness can happen to an unrepentant sinner. Selah!

We are commanded not to be discouraged by the breaking down of the body. We focus on eternal things which are eternal. “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:16-18).

When sick, repent of any known sin. Then pray for healing. If you are still sick, then call your leaders in the church (James 5). We are not told to look and call the faith healers who are traveling from place to place to heal. We are told to call the leaders of the local church we attend. These leaders will pray with faith and anoint with oil if it is possible. Then God will heal the sick person. Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (3)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 13:1-13; 14:1-25; Genesis 40.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – 1 Corinthians 12 (continued…)

*Each believer has at least one gift of the Holy Spirit. It is his responsibility to identify it and use it for God’s glory and for the good of the Body. Once you receive God’s gift, God expects you to use it. You need to increase your skill in using it. The more is given; the more is expected. “To whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Lk 12:48). The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not luxury, nor decorations. They are tools, weapons, and powers from God to be used in ministry! If you receive a gift from God and you are not using it, God will call you to account. God will not withdraw that gift. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable [for God does not withdraw what He has given, nor does He change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call]” (Rom 11:29. AMP). Take responsibility for your gift!

*The spiritual gifts are to be desired and prayed for. When you see a need in the church, and you desire to help, pray that God will give you His gift so that you don’t use your natural resources, but God’s power. All gifts are not the same in value and visibility. But God is one! And the Body is one! Do not be angry, envious or despise another’ gifts. Be grateful to God for what you have received and use that gift! To refuse to use what you have, and coveting what you do not have, that is sin! All believers, no matter your gifts, must care for one another! Selah!

*The greatest gift of all is the Agape Love of God. Love is a gift, a fruit, and a way of life. It is the basis for all success in ministry when using any other gift! “But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor 12: 31; 13:1-3). Without the gift of love, no other gift works well. “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy” (1 Cor 14:1).

*The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for the strengthening and the unity of the Body of Christ. The manifestation of the gifts produces miracles. It is a pity that many believers are ignorant, and many churches quarrel over these gifts. Many churches have divided because of disagreement about the role of these gifts, especially the gift of tongues. We are to desire the greater gifts so that the whole church will benefit, and not only ourselves. Pray with faith. If God gives to you the gift you asked, thank Him! If not, still thank Him! God is sovereign!

THE GIFT OF TONGUES

“to another different kinds of tongues…” (1 Cor 12:19)

The gift of tongues is defined as supernatural utterance of the Holy Spirit in a language that is unknown to the speaker.

*The gift of tongues is similar to the gift of prophecy, but it is spoken in a language not learned by the speaker, and not understood by his mind. Most of the time, even the hearers do not understand the tongues, except somebody with the gift of interpretation of tongues interprets the message. The devil does not understand the message spoken in tongues, but God understands it. After a session of speaking in tongues, the believer feels like he has prayed through! He feels stronger spiritually.

*Speaking in tongues, like all other gifts of the Holy Spirit, is supernatural. It is a miracle. It is not a miracle of revelation of the Word but a vocal miracle. It is a miracle of prayer and worship. If interpreted, it is a prophetic word to the church.

*All people who do not believe in miracles hate this gift and mock it.

*The gift of tongues and the sister gift of interpretation of tongues are the least of all gifts. This is because it helps only the speakers and not the whole Body. They are more common than all other gifts. They are vocal gifts. They cannot be hidden. They are evident to all in the church.

*This gift is most misunderstood by many people. Christians have separated into denominations based on their understanding of this gift.

*The devil has attacked the gift of prophecy and tongues more than all other gifts.

*Like with prophecy, God takes control of the mouth of the believer and speaks thru him. The mind is passive. The mind does not understand what the mouth is saying. But the human spirit is edified and comforted.

*Jesus confirmed the gift of speaking in tongues. He said that it is a sign of faith in Him. Unbelief and hardness of heart are stumbling blocks to any gift including speaking in tongues. “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mk 16:14-18).

*Tongues is a Worship/prayer language. We must worship God in Spirit and in Truth.  Tongues are like drinking wine. On the Day of Pentecost, the people thought that the worshippers were drunk with wine. Baptism with the Holy Spirit has a similar effect. It makes people joyful and strong. “But the vine said to them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers both God and men, And go to sway over trees?” (Jdg 9:13).

*Generally, speaking in tongues should be limited to personal worship language at home or in groups of friends where all understand this gift. 

*God does not force anyone to pray in tongues. Like with any gift, you need to seek it, to desire it. The Holy Spirit brings it to your heart and your mouth, but you need to welcome it and use your mouth to speak it out.

*Tongues are a special intimate communication between the believer’s spirit and God. Praying in tongues edifies the believer!

“For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (1 Cor 14:2-4)

Salvation is a miracle. Often, the believer finds it hard to pray. He is in love with Jesus, but he cannot find the right words to express his love in prayer or in worship. It is this holy frustration that brings him to the place where he is filled with the Holy Spirit. The first filling is called ‘the baptism with the Holy Spirit’. Suddenly, the fountain of the deep floods his soul. He feels strong, one with His Lover. At that time, the usual words in a known tongue were just useless to express newfound love. Speaking in tongues is a natural way of expressing the deep love within. All men become romantic poets when baptized with the Holy Spirit. “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me” (Ps 42:7). Tongues, therefore, are the vocal expression, mysteries spoken by a heart deeply in love with Jesus.

Like the gift of prophecy edifies the church, speaking in tongues edifies the individual believer. The word edifies’ means to build a strong house. Tongues work like an injection of strength in situation of trials that weaken the spirit of man. The strength is a sign that God is pleased when we make time to pray in tongues, to God who alone understands our hearts.

*Apostle Paul prayed in tongues more often than other people. This is not surprising for he suffered more than many others. This is his testimony of Grace actively working in his spirit during trials. “He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:8-10). This mighty mysterious exchange happens when you pray in tongues. The power of resurrection changes the picture and the weak becomes strong. Praying in tongues is like a river suddenly springing out in the desert. “Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals, and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise” (Is 43:19-21). This is God’s promise to do the impossible, to make rivers in the desert, so that the animals will be happy and praise Him. Praying in tongues has the same effect. It feels like a thirsty dying man who drinks water. He suddenly feels strength coming into his body. He knows that he will not die but live and declare the works of the Lord!

*Do not ignore the power of tongues to edify the believer. You can edify the church through preaching, teaching, and prophesying. But you have to learn to edify yourself, thru the study of God’s word, and praying in tongues.  For example, David knew how to strengthen himself in the Lord. “Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God” (1 Sam 30:6). In Hebrew, the word ‘strengthen’ means to bind himself to the Lord, to restrain and conquer his fears and weaknesses; until he become strong by God’s power. It means that David found courage in weakness and encouraged himself. This is the work of Grace found in Christ alone. Praying in tongues strengthens the believer.

*Some people say that God sent the tongues so that we can use them to evangelize the unbelievers. They say that at Pentecost, Peter and the other believers spoke in tongues and the people understood what was spoken. But in the History of the church, tongues have not been used to preach the Gospel to foreigners. Peter himself, after speaking in tongues, preached his first sermon in Aramaic, the language most Jews spoke at that time. He did not preach Christ in tongues. The believers declared in “tongues the wonderful works of God”. In other words, they were worshipping God in tongues. This attracted the attention of people and they gathered to see this new behavior. But when Peter preached to them, he preached in Aramaic. 

*Tongues are like prophecy but spoken in an unknown tongue. Its origin is not in the human will. It is not a human choice. “Prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet 1:21). The believers praying in tongues did not say what they like. Tongues are a gift of God the Holy Spirit. Its origin is heaven. Men speak as ‘moved’ by the Holy Spirit. In Greek, the word ‘moved’ means to carry along, to lead, or to bear. Prophecy and tongues come from the Holy Spirit who moves on. They are a sign that the believer is making spiritual progress that is evident to all.

*Tongues are a sign to the unbelievers. The unbeliever is shocked to hear a man speaks like a baby, in a language that is mysterious and strange. The unbeliever may mock the believer, but he cannot avoid feeling that this is God working in the believer. It surely attracts attention to the unbeliever like the burning bush attracted Moses to go closer, until God spoke from the fire.

*For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding” (1 Cor 14:14, 15).

When you pray in tongues, your spirit prays but your mind, your understanding is passive. It is ‘unfruitful’. You cannot pray in the Spirit except you pray in tongues. You must pray or worship in both ways: with your mind and with your spirit. Each form of prayer has its own function. Praying and singing only in a known tongue will limit your expression. Praying and singing only in tongues is also not spiritually healthy. You must combine these two for the best effects to you and to others. 

*Singing spiritual songs in your heart is done mostly in tongues. ”Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God” (Eph 5:18-21). When you are filled with the Holy Spirit your heart and speech changes. You speak and sing spiritual songs. You become extremely grateful to God. You become humble and submitting to others.

*Praying in tongues is also called praying in the Spirit. “Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom 8:26, 27). The Holy Spirit helps us because we are weak and do not know what to pray about. These groanings of the Holy Spirit in the believer who prays are almost always expressed as tongues.

One of the curses of disobedience is to be conquered by a nation whose speech you do not understand. That is why to an unbeliever, tongues remind him of war, of the killing of the elderly, and the children; tongues are a spiritual sign of poverty and failure. “The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you” (Deut 28:49-51). To an unbeliever tongues remind him of exile, suffering, and poverty.

When used in public, in the church, The gift of tongues should be regulated. It has the same value as the gift of prophecy. It truly edifies and strengthens the church. But tongues must be interpreted. If there is no one with a gift of interpretation of tongues, the believer who speaks in tongues should keep silent. But when used in your private worship with God, tongues do not need an interpretation.

“Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues” (1 Cor 14:39). We are commanded to preach the Word. We are encouraged to desire to prophesy. But with tongues, we are not to forbid them. Many speak in tongues during the time they got baptized with the Holy Spirit. After that, they stop speaking in tongues. Many feel shy about tongues in public. Some have mocked them, and they have been hurt. But we are commanded not to forbid, hinder, or prevent speaking in tongues. Tongues require self-control. If the conditions are fulfilled, praying in tongues is good. Everything must be done in order and peace must reign in the assembly.

TONGUES ARE A SIGN OF BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit most believers manifest that holy experience with the gift of tongues. It is the only gift that proves the baptism of the Holy Spirit Note that not all believers manifest the baptism of the Holy Spirit by speaking in tongues. In the early church, any believer who spoke in tongues, all knew that he has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It should be the same now, but the devil has corrupted this beautiful gift and there are many false brethren who speak in false tongues. The following are some examples of baptism of the Holy Spirit manifested as speaking in tongues:

At Pentecost, the believers spoke with new tongues and people laughed at them saying, ‘what could this mean’?

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance… And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? …  Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine” (Ac 2:1-12)

About ten years later, when Peter went to the house of Cornelius, the new Gentile converts, received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in tongues and magnify, praising God. “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God” (Ac 10:44-46). Tongues are a worship language used to ‘magnify God’. The words ‘to magnify God’ means to enlarge, to increase, to extol or make God great. This was a great audible miracle because these people were Gentiles. They did not know the Old Testament psalms. But suddenly, they were openly praising Jehovah God with tongues and with words of exalted praise.

When Paul went to visit the brethren at Ephesus, he prayed for them and laid his hands on them to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. They spoke in tongues, and they prophesied (in a known tongue). “Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So, they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So, they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Ac 19:1-6)

*The scripture about tongues that Paul quotes in 1 Corinthians 14:21 is taken from the book of Isaiah. “For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people, To whom He said, “This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest,” and, “This is the refreshing”; Yet they would not hear” (Is 28:11, 12). God says that the people of Israel have rejected the ‘refreshing’ message of His prophets. For doing that, God sent them into exile where they will hear orders given into an unknown speech, which is the Babylonian language. They do not understand the foreign language of their conquerors. They suffer punishment through people who speak ‘in tongues’. Paul compares God’s judgment of His people and their painful exile to Babylon, to speaking in tongues. Each time an unbeliever hears a believer praying in tongues, he will not think of heavenly things. He will think of God’s judgment, like living in a land where he is a foreigner among foreigners. Symbolically, to an unbeliever, tongues is the language of a man without God, without family or friends. He will panic and reject the tongues. Only a believer will appreciate and receive the gift of tongues of the Holy Spirit.

THE INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES

“… to another the interpretation of tongues…” (1 Cor 12:10).

The gift of interpretation of tongues is the supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to understand a language that you have not learned.

Some people know more than one language. They can translate from English to French, for example. That is not the gift of interpretation of tongues. This gift is not a translation from one known language to another. It is not a gift of translation word for word. It is a gift of interpretation of tongues. Speaking in tongues is a miracle. The interpretation of tongues is also a miracle. Both are utterances coming from the Holy Spirit and using the mouth of the speakers. Their minds are passive. These gifts are connected but they come separately. Not every tongue has an interpretation. The gift of interpretation of tongues is necessary only when the believer speaks in tongues in a church, or in a prayer meeting. The purpose is so that the church is edified. Praying privately in tongues does not need interpretation. The individual believer is edified even if he does not understand what he is saying.  

*In Greek, the word ‘interpretation’ also means ‘explanation’. An interpretation is a declaration of the meaning of something. It means to clarify something that is hidden. It is not a word for word translation. The interpreter has more freedom to use his own words to describe the meaning of the message in tongues. He can even interpret it through proverbs, poems, or songs. Tongues is like instrumental music. Interpretation is adding words to the music. Together, the instruments and the voices make a beautiful worship song.     

*To Interpret tongues is to explain mysteries. Tongues are received from God. They are a ‘vertical’ divine gift. No man understands the conversation in tongues between the believer and his God. The interpreter of tongues must also be a believer who has access to God’s presence. He receives the interpretation from the author of tongues. Then he can tell people what God speaks thru the message in tongues. 

*Tongues and interpretation are twins. They can live separately but they work better together. They are divine gifts of the Holy Spirit. They bring the atmosphere of heaven down to earth. They should not be despised or ignored. They should be desired and prayed for. It is our duty and responsibility to pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are not for fame or fortune. We are not to become selfish with our gifts. They edify the church and prepare the way for revival. We should not be shy in speaking out, through tongues, interpretation of tongues, or prophecy. “6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:6,7). In Greek, the word ‘stir up’ means to rekindle a fire that is dying down. God gave the fire! It is our duty to keep it burning stronger!

*God conceals and God reveals. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter… God is praised for being mysterious; rulers are praised for explaining mysteries” (PV 25:2; NKJ, CEV). In Hebrew, the word ‘glory’ is ‘kabod’. It means the heaviness, and the splendor of God. God is all powerful and mysterious. Man cannot totally know God. To whom God reveals a little from His riches of glory, that man becomes a royal priest in Christ. Men discover that they are too little in the presence of God. They need to humble themselves because they are totally depended on God. This humility is the result of God’s hiding Himself. Overfamiliarity with God is sin. His mysterious power and grace increase God’s glory. That is why we worship Elohim, God. The kings ‘search out matters, understand and explain mysteries so that they rule over men with wisdom and justice. Men are happy when their rulers fear God, are wise, faithful, and protect them from enemies. The wisdom and the discerning of the good kings increase their honor. This honor is God’s gift to them and to the people under them.   

No man can know God without God’s help and revelation. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut 29:29). God hides Himself by His glory. No man can see God and live. The prophet exclaimed: “Truly You are God, who hide Yourself, O God of Israel, the Savior!” (Is 45:15). God cannot be discovered by man, no matter how intelligent man is. “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Rom 11:33).

*Some people ask, if God sends a message in tongues to the church, and another interprets it, the result is the same as a prophesy. Why does God not just give a gift of prophecy to one believer? That will simplify the matter. First, I am not God. I do not know why God decided to give these different gifts. But my personal opinion is to speak a prophetic word in public requires greater faith and more courage. God warned His prophets not to draw back from prophesying exactly what He is saying. By giving the same message in tongues, the speaker does not know the gravity of the message. And the interpreter may ‘blame’ the speaker for the ‘strong word’. In this way, God can warn, discipline, and say any difficult word even thru immature believers who are shy to speak in public. God’s wisdom is unsearchable! To Him be all the glory!   

HOW DOES THE DEVIL ATTACK THE GIFT OF TONGUES AND INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES?

There are various ways in which Satan works. Generally, he attacks believers when he thinks it will be to his advantage. This includes the time after a great spiritual experience, or right before someone is going to begin a new spiritual venture. He also attacks when believers are weak and vulnerable, either physically and/or mentally. Satan also likes to attack believers when they are alone. The devil attacks the gift of tongues through ignorance or confusion of their value and power. The devil also gives a counterfeit gift of tongues to his agents. If a believer imitates that fake gift, he may speak in tongues, but his tongues do not edify anyone. This is a practical test, if after a session of praying in tongues you do not feel stronger, then it was fake tongues. Just religious drama!  Remember this: true tongues always strengthen you spiritually!

The devil attacks the believers with selfishness and pride. The believer speaks in tongues to attract attention from others. Remember that these gifts are from God, given to strengthen and edify all the believers in a local church. These gifts are not a reward for labor, they are gifts of grace. These gifts do not prove that God has approved your ministry. They are not given to make money or fame. They are gifts given to God’s servants! We are to serve God and the Body of Christ with our gifts. Reject ignorance, confusion, pride, doubt, and selfish ambition! Watch and pray! God will help us stay humble, faithful, and useful to Him!  

MY TESTIMONY

I was saved in March 1986, and Spirit filled a month later. Because I did not attend a church and did not know the Bible, I had no idea that there are gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have not heard of tongues until about 5 years later. I did not understand the gift. I thought that I did not need it. Slowly, the Holy Spirit helped me to see its value. I prayed for it. It did not come immediately. I had to cooperate with the prayer request and truly desire it in my heart. I also needed to surrender my mouth and tongue to God and have faith that He will take control and use it. I did that. Then tongues came. I did not understand what I said, but I felt good, happy, and spiritually stronger. I now pray in tongues and in English about 50-50. When I feel like praying, when the push to pray comes on me, but I do not know what to pray for, I pray in tongues. I continue to pray until I feel the burden has left me. If I did not have the access to the gift of tongues, I will feel very uncomfortable and frustrated, like a man who is constipated (sorry for the example, but as a medical doctor, it is the best I have). Each time I pray in tongues, I forget people and I feel closer to God. It is not a show for men to see and admire. It is an intimate language of love between Jesus and me. I love it! To God be all the glory!

THE CURSE OF BABEL (Genesis 11)

When God made Adam and Eve, He gave them a heavenly language. Even after they had to leave the Garden of Eden, Adam carried with him the language God gave to him. This was the only language humanity used until the Tower of Babel. At that time, men wanted to gather in an unholy unity to rebel against God. The fact that they spoke only one language helped them to gather together. The heavenly language God gave Adam became the source of man’s strength to fight against God. God came down to see what men were doing. He did not destroy the tower. God destroyed the language that kept them together. Men started speaking many languages and could not understand one another again. There are about 7000 languages in the world today. These many languages separate men from one another. At Pentecost, with the birth of the Church, God restored the heavenly language He gave to Adam. That language is the gift of speaking in tongues. This gift unites the believers. God can trust His children with His heavenly language once more. Believers now understand one another in the Spirit. Tongues, therefore, are a blessing to the church, the reversal of the curse of Babel. Praise the Lord!

JOSEPH THE INTERPRETER (Genesis 40)

“And they said to him, “We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” So, Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please” (Gen 40:8).

Joseph was a dreamer and an interpreter of dreams. These gifts are similar with the gifts of tongues and interpretation of tongues. 

Read Genesis 40. We find Joseph in prison. He interprets the dreams of two royal servants. This chapter about dream interpretation seems long. We feel like we do not need it. But God appears here in the center of the chapter. It gives us a glimpse of a true believer living in hard times, but faithful to God and to God’s gift to him. The last time Joseph interpreted dreams it ended in painful rejection and hatred from his brothers. Will Joseph talk about dreams again? Yes! Joseph has forgiven his brothers. He believes that he has a responsibility to stir his prophetic gift of interpreting dreams to men.

Joseph was a gifted man. He was also a faithful man. God gave him dreams and the gift to interpret dreams. As a young man, Joseph had two dreams in which his family was bowing to him. His brothers hated him because their father Jacob loved him more. They also hated him for his dreams and for the interpretation of his dreams. They sold him to Egypt as a slave. He was innocent of Potiphar’s wife’s accusations, but he was put in prison. The prison officer saw that Joseph was gifted in administration and put him in charge of the welfare of the king’s prisoners. Two of Pharoah’s personal servants, the baker, and the cup bearer, offended their master and were thrown into prison. These two men were not ordinary servants. They were high rank personal servants to Pharoah. They each had a dream. They were worried that in prison there was none who could interpret dreams. Interpretation of dreams was the unique work of the magicians at the royal court. Only the king could use them for his personal spiritual needs. But Joseph, a prisoner like them, interpreted their dreams accurately. In three days, both their heads ‘were lifted up’. The cup bearer was reinstated back to his position. The baker was hung and died. happened as Joseph said.

Two years later, Pharaoh had two dreams and no magician could interpret them. The cup bearer remembers Joseph and recommends him to Pharoah. Joseph’s gift of interpretation brings him before the king. He was faithful to stir his gift even when forgotten by men. Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharoah and gave advice how to protect Egypt from the coming famine. None was wiser or more discerning than Joseph. Pharoah promoted him to be the Prime Minister of Egypt. Thru his wisdom, faithfulness to Jehovah God, and to application of his spiritual gifts, Joseph saves Egypt from destruction and his family from death.

Lesson from Joseph: Joseph helped the cup bearer when he was in trouble. But the cup bearer forgot Joseph. Ingratitude is sin. Be humble, and faithful to God! Never forget ‘God factor’. God speaks to men thru His Word, thru dreams, prophesies, or tongues. God gives men the gift of interpretation of dreams, prophesies, or tongues. Joseph was a man of faith and noble character. His gift of interpretation of dreams may seem like a small gift but it brought him before great men. Joseph told them that only Jehovah God can speak and interpret dreams to men. None in Pharoah’s palace could claim such a thing. These gifts are not for sale. But using them faithfully God will open the door for your promotion. Joseph’s gifts could not be used by him. Joseph sees the future of these two men. It is clear to him. But he cannot see his own future. For 13 years Joseph waited in slavery and imprisonment. The man of God knows only what God wants to reveal not what he wants to know! Even when the interpretation is good or bad, Joseph is a faithful interpreter. Lesson: be faithful to God’s Word and vision for your life. Stir the gift that is in you. In God’s time, the gift will make room for you to meet your destiny helper. “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men” (PV 18:16).

The test of obscurity: lessons: God is with you and will not forsake you. Even when men forget you, God will not forget you! How is God showing mercy to Joseph? Potiphar put Joseph in the special side of the prison where the king’s prisoners were. There are times when it seems that we are forgotten by God and man. But God does not forget. True success is not a matter of where you are. True success is a matter if God is with you. God’s blessing is not always connected with pleasant circumstances. You must pass the test of obscurity. All people that God used in the Bible have learned to pass this test. Look at Moses, David, Apostle Paul, and others. Jesus lived in obscurity for 30 years before He started His public ministry. Serve God without self-pity. God blesses us with times of obscurity. The character is prepared in the desert. Serve God always. Be faithful to God to the end! Your hope must be in God alone! God’s Word tests us in obscurity! Your labor for God is never in vain!

“He sent a man before them— Joseph—who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house, And ruler of all his possessions, To bind his princes at his pleasure, and teach his elders wisdom” (Ps 105:17-22).

Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (2)/ Discerning of spirits and prophecy. Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 13:1-13; 14:1-25; Matthew 15:21-28

I HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

“This is what He promised us, even eternal life”(1Jn2:25).

Eternal life is more than life without end. It is more a quality of life than quantity. It is a new type of life, found in Christ alone! As a Christian, I experience it now, even before I go to heaven. It is taking each moment to do God’s will and not mine. Each day is an opportunity to pray and ask God: ‘What is Your plan for today, my Lord?’ Once He tells me, I obey it. New adventures manifest that are beyond my imagination. Each event, good or bad, be sickness or meeting people, become doors to the Spiritual realm that bubbles with life, light, peace and joy. Miracles become as ‘normal’ as my daily bread.   

In the past, as I do my will, life becomes boring and tiresome. But now, as I obey God’s word every moment, He reveals to me new ways of progress, peace, and prosperity I never dreamed about. My life becomes a sweet powerful spiritually romantic adventure with Jesus as my Lord. It is indeed much more than I can ever think or desire on my own. Eternal life is an overcoming victorious and all satisfying life because it is the life of God. This is a fact none can deny: because in Christ I have eternal life, I can never be a loser. I am an eternal winner. I never need a ‘plan B’. This eternal life is a wonderful promise to all His children. Money cannot buy it and man cannot give or take it away from you. If I forget any another thing, I can never forget this: I am a Child of God! I have eternal life! In Christ alone! To God be all the glory!

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – INTRODUCTION

These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by God, the Holy Spirit. They are royal family gifts. By using them we resemble Jesus and God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth. These are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. These gifts are not rewards for labor and are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church. God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones! The gifts give glory to God! They increase the unity of the Body and the manifestation of miracles.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – 1 Corinthians 12 (continued…)

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all… But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills” (1 Cor12:4-7; 11).

There are different gifts, ministries, and activities in the church. In Greek, the word ‘ministries’ is ‘diakonion’, from which the word ‘deacon’ comes. It means a helper, a servant waiting to serve his master at the table. The word ‘activities’ comes from ‘energy’. It means that there are many ways of working in the church to produce an effect. The common denominator is The Holy Spirit, who is the source of all these gifts. 

*These gifts ‘manifest’ openly for the good of all the members in the Body of Christ. The word ‘manifest’ is like a light shining in the darkness. Once the light shines, people see and everybody in the church rejoices. The gifts are not for the profit of only one person. They are not given to make the recipient rich or famous. They are for the benefit of all people in the church. No one should be envious of other people’s gifts. The Holy Spirit knows best who to give to and what particular gift to give, all for the common good and for God’s glory!

*The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. The word ‘sovereign’ means to have the highest power and to be independent of others. Man can pray for the gifts, but The Holy Spirit gives these ‘as He wills’. You see that the Holy Spirit is a Person and not just an influence! Selah!

“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13). The Holy Spirit is One. The Body of Christ is One! But there are many ‘members and many gifts’ in the Body! Even with so much diversity, there is no confusion or division in the Body. The Holy Spirit is the only common Unifier. All the members of the Body need one another for the Body to function well. Some members seem ‘weak’, less honorable, or unpresentable. God gives them special covering and help. Others are stronger and more presentable. They do not need special attention. But all the members are flexible and care for one another. This cooperation between all the members is the explanation why the Body is one! If one part suffers, all others suffer. If one part is honored, all others rejoice and congratulate that one. This unity of the Spirit is supernatural and extremely powerful!

*A common mistake about the gifts is that they represent God’s approval upon the people who have received them. This is not true!

*Finally, the devil cannot counterfeit the fruit of the Spirit, but he can fake some of the gifts. There are false prophets and false miracle workers. The devil loves the gift of prophecy, miracles, and the gift of tongues in particular. Be careful! Look for the fruits and not only for the gifts!

*This is a reminder that all the gifts of the Holy Spirit are supernatural. Be careful not to ignore them or reduce their power to the natural level!

DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

“… to another discerning of spirits…” (1 Cor 12:10).

The gift of ‘discerning the spirits’ is the supernatural ability to know the spiritual source behind prophecies, teachings, preaching, and miracles. The word ‘discerning’ means ‘to pass judgment’ like a judge in his court room. This gift has a smaller manifestation than the Word of Knowledge and the Word of Wisdom. Through this gift, the believer suddenly knows what spirit is behind that preacher, that teacher, that prophet, or that miracle worker. It is not just a form of ‘common sense’, or a natural ‘discerning’ of a situation. It is the ability to know that the person speaks by the Holy Spirit or by evil spirits. The gift is totally supernatural. This gift removes the mask that covers the person. The believer knows and sees the spirit motivating the speaker. It is not a natural gift of fault-finding. It is not discerning the character, attitude, or what a person is thinking. For example, it is not observing that a person is greedy or selfish. It is discerning the spirit behind the person. Only God can reveal such a spirit.

The purpose for this gift is to give power to see the spirit behind the person and to make the right decisions based on truth. It is useful in prayer and deliverance. The discerning of spirits does not immediately result in deliverance. You need to be led by the Holy Spirit to do that. The gifts of prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues have a human component. They are under the control of the believer. But the gifts of the word of knowledge, wisdom and discernment are totally independent of the believer. They come suddenly as The Holy Spirit gives them in His sovereign will. Once you see and you know God’s revealed truth, you are free from deception, and you win the battle!

Some sicknesses are natural. Others are demonic, especially mental afflictions. Jesus applied this gift especially when dealing with evil spirits:

Ex. “He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease” (Matt 10:1).

Ex. A woman is delivered from a spirit of infirmity: “And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Lk 13:11-13)

This gift is necessary to know how to pray, or how to relate to people. For example, a pastor may look good outwardly, but behind the good presentation, there may be an evil spirit of religion. We are too easily deceived by appearances. To know that truth, you need to test the spirits because they are not all from God. To test the spirits, you need time. The gift of discernment of spirits reveals the truth in an instant. Never forget this: the devil is God’s enemy. He uses his agents of darkness to perform miracles. Many are deceived by that. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thess 2:9, 10). Loving God’s Word, which is truth, is the sure protection against the devil’s agents who perform fake miracles to bring you into bondage.  

There are three kinds of ‘spirits’: There is God the Holy Spirit, there are many evil spirits, also called demons, and there are the human spirits. Man has three parts: the body, the soul (his personality) and his spirit. When he becomes saved, the Holy Spirit activates, quickens his human spirit which is neutral in nature. The human spirit can be influenced by the Holy Spirit or by evil spirits. The gift of discernment of spirits gives the believer the power to see what spirit is behind the human spirit: God or demons. Once you see the truth, your relationship with that person changes immediately.

In the story of King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat alliance for war, prophet Micaiah displays the gift of discerning spirits. God opens his eyes to see that the false prophets of Ahab speak by the power of a lying spirit. “Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right hand and His left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab king of Israel to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So, one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ The Lord said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the Lord said, ‘You shall persuade him and also prevail; go out and do so.’ Therefore look! The Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has declared disaster against you” (2 Chr 18:18-22). His prophecy based on the gift of discerning the spirits proved to be true. The gift of discernment gave The Prophet Micaiah boldness to stand and not be intimidated by the royal court false prophets. King Ahab rejected Micaiah’s gift of discernment. He went to war and died the next day.

There are people who are involved in witchcraft. They claim to see spirits behind events or people. Such information is from the devil who is a liar. Reject that! What the witches claim to see, is false information. The gift of discernment of spirits is the real gift that reveals the truth. Selah!

EXAMPLES OF THE GIFT OF DISCERNING OF SPIRITS

*Apostle Paul went to minister to Sergius Paulus, the governor of the island of Paphos. He has an assistant called Bar-Jesus or Elymas. Through the gift of discerning of spirits, Paul suddenly knows that this man is a sorcerer. Elymas withstood Paul, preventing him preaching to the governor. Then Paul withstood Elymas and placed a temporary blindness on him. This miracle helped the governor believe that Paul is a true man of God! “When they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord” (Ac 13:6-12). Here you see Apostle Paul manifesting the gift of discerning the spirits and the gift of miracles. The blindness that came upon Elymas was a miracle performed by Paul. Its purpose was to slow down Elymas in his wicked work of deceiving the governor about salvation in Christ.

*By the same gift of discernment of spirits Paul identifies a (python) spirit of divination in a girl at Philippi. Paul confronts and rejects the demon. The girl became free. “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities” (Ac 16:16-19).

In both these stories, the gift of discernment of spirits prepares the way for the Gospel to be preached.

WHAT SHOULD BE OUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS EVIL SPIRITS?

Totally avoid occult practices. Do not go to places where they invoke evil spirits. For example, do not read the daily horoscopes in the newspapers. They claim to tell your destiny based on the movement of the planets and the stars. This information is not just useless. It is evil and dangerous.  Also, do not attend the so called ‘prophetic’ meetings where the name of Jesus is not honored. Do not listen to people who tell you that they can read your future. Do not go to shrines or ‘native doctors.’ Do not be curious about sin. Test the spirits before you trust men with your soul. Study the Word of God and apply it in your life daily. Fast and pray if you are confused. God will reveal the truth to you! Trust God alone! There is freedom and power in the name of Jesus!

THE GIFT OF PROPHECY

“… to another prophecy… “ (1 Cor 12:10).

Prophecy is a divinely inspired and anointed utterance, in a known tongue. It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit. It is totally supernatural. It comes with heaven’s authority. It changes lives. The way a blind man receives sight, prophecy is a miracle. The effect is as powerful.

In Greek, the word ‘prophecy’ is prophēteia. It means the gift of communicating revealed truth with authority. It also means prediction, which is a statement about the future. In Greek, prophecy means ‘to speak for another’. In other words, when you prophesy you speak for God. Your mouth becomes God’s mouth. For a moment in time, you are God’s spokesman. In Hebrew, the word ‘prophecy’ is ‘naba’. It means to speak or sing under the influence of a spirit. The true prophets spoke under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The false prophets spoke by evil spirits. The word ‘naba’ describes a fountain of water that bubbles up from the earth. It also means to go down, to let drop thick honey or rain from the clouds. The third meaning of the Hebrew word for prophecy is to lift up banners with mysterious words on them. As you can see, prophecy is a speech from God, words that go up, or go down, passing thru a human vessel. The word ‘prophecy’ appears 22 times in these 4 chapters (1 Corinthians 11 to 14). From among the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the word ‘prophecy’ appears more often than all. This is to tell us the importance of this gift and why we are told to desire it.   

Out of all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the devil loves to attack prophecy. The attack comes in many forms. The most common is ignorance. Many Christians are ‘ignorant’ of the value, power and need for prophecy in the church. This ignorance is often a spell from evil spirits. The devil also attacks by producing false prophets. He gives a counterfeit prophetic gift to his agents. These entertain people with stories about the present or the future. These preach false doctrines. They do not honor the Lord Jesus Christ. Many believe them. Later, they discover that they have been deceived. This deception ends in bitterness and regret. The result is that from that time on, they reject all prophecies, even the true ones.

We are commanded not to despise prophesies. To despise it means to reject, ignore, or regard prophecy with contempt. Prophecy seems a useless or a bad thing. It is our duty to test all spirits and to differentiate the true from the false. The true prophecies should be received with thanksgiving as a gift from God. The false prophecies should be rejected. Being careless with prophesies quenches the Holy Spirit. This is a serious sin. The Holy Spirit will stop moving in a church. Ministry is affected. The supernatural signs and wonders cease in the assembly. No more miracles. That is a sad and dangerous situation in any church. “Do not quench [subdue or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit. Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning]. But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good” (1 Thess 5:19-21; AMP).

A false prophet may enter into a trance to be able to prophesy. This trance can be ignited by smoking marijuana or taking some drugs. During the trance, the prophet is only partly conscious of his environment. False prophets are entertaining but extremely dangerous. They cause disorder and confusion in the church. It is not so with the gift of the Holy Spirit. When a believer exercises the prophetic gift of the Holy Spirit, that action does not take over his will or his personality. He prophesies and he remains himself. He can stop the prophetic speech at will. True prophesies unite the brethren in the bond of peace. “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Cor 14:32, 33).

There is a difference between the office of a Prophet and the gift of prophecy given by the Holy Spirit. Any believer can receive prophetic words to give to the church. But not every believer who prophesies is a prophet. There are many believers who prophesy but there are few prophets. In the Old Testament, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, these were true prophets.  In the New Testament, a prophet is a gift given by the Resurrected Christ to the Church (Eph 4:11). But the gift of prophecy is given to the believer. A prophet prophesies more often and more accurately than a believer who has the gift of prophecy. His words affect cities and nations. In the church, especially during prayer meetings, ‘all may prophesy’. But not all are prophets. “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be encouraged” (1 Cor 14:31).

The office of a prophet is second only to that of an apostle. It is intimately connected with the person. But the gift of prophecy is only a tool in the hands of any believer. Many believers who have received the gift of prophecy became proud, selfish, and ambitious. They expect honor from others thinking that they are prophets and leaders in the church. This attitude will always bring trouble at last.  

PROPHECY AND PREACHING

This is another error: many people say that prophesy and preaching the Word are the same. They are not. Preaching is the result of preparing a sermon. The mind and the emotions of the preacher are involved. “Preaching is communicating truth though personality” (Philips Brooks). The preacher follows a pattern he has prepared in his mind. Preaching is done with the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But it is not the same as prophecy. The gift of prophecy may interrupt the preaching of a sermon, but it is separate from it. As the preacher goes on preaching his sermon, suddenly, the congregation has this impression that God is speaking directly to them. The preacher feels a sense of God carrying him and his words. The prophecy is not part of the sermon he has prepared. Suddenly, the wind of the Holy Spirit starts to blow, and His fire starts to burn. A sermon that seems boring, suddenly, it becomes fresh and exciting. The congregation feels the presence of the Holy Spirit and they are revived. Prophecy is always supernatural. The command is to preach the Word, not to prophesy. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2). We are not commanded to prophesy. That is the gift of the Holy Spirit and can come anytime as God wills it.

Like the rest of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, prophecy is a grace gift. Grace is given only to the humble (Jam 4:6). The more you humble yourself, the more you become available to receive this gift. Prophecy is connected with the faith of the believer. Faith regulates the level of prophecy. To prophesy above the level of your faith is sin. “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith” (Rom 12:6). Doubt is a sin. It brings guilt upon the one who prophesies outside the boundaries of his faith. “But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23).

THE THREE MAJOR BENEFITS OF PROPHECY IN THE CHURCH (1 Cor 14:1-5) – BUILD, STIR AND CHEER UP

The gift of prophecy has three major benefits in the church. It is given for the edification, exhortation, and comfort of the people in the church.

*Edification means to build a strong house. The gift of prophecy builds the church, by giving strength to grow spiritually in the unity of the Spirit.

*Exhortation means to stir up, to encourage the brethren in the church. This word is similar to the office of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter!

*Comfort means to cheer up, to bring joy in the time of trouble.  

In other words, the gift of prophecy from the Holy Spirit is given to build, to stir and to cheer the church. Amen!

A prophecy is a sign and a gift given to all people in the church, but especially to believers. Thru prophecy, the believer is encouraged that God is in the midst of the church. The unbeliever is convicted of sin and repents and worship God saying, ‘God is truly among you!’ (1 Cor 14:21-25).

On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down and formed the church, the gift of prophesy was given to many, both men and women. Peter preached his first sermon. He quoted Prophet Joel’s prediction.  “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy” (Ac 2:17-18).

It is possible that you have heard prophetic words in the past. What did you do with them? It takes faith and boldness both to prophesy and to believe prophecy. May we desire to speak for God, so that the church will be strong, stirred and encouraged! Praise the Lord!

A GENTILE SHOWS HER FAITH (Matt 15:21-28)

“Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour” (Matt 15:21-28)

This story of this mother looking for help, for healing of her daughter, is one of the sweetest in the Bible. She was from Canaan, a descendant of the people Israel met in the Promise Land. She was from an accursed race. She was to be killed by Israel. But against all odds, she survived. She is a mother. Possibly, now a widow. Her daughter is severely possessed by an unclean spirit. That means the girl is totally useless, physically, and mentally. The girl was ‘a psychiatric’ case. Even today, there is no medical cure for such an infirmity. The girl needed deliverance. The only Person who can deliver her is Jesus. This woman hears about Jesus. We know that Jesus ministered to people from Tyre and Sidon (Mk 3:8). It is possible that others told her that Jesus is the Savior. He has the power to heal and deliver. She sees Jesus as her last and only hope to help her and her daughter. They both need help. If the daughter is healed, the mother will be free from anxiety and depression. Jesus wanted to rest in someone’s house, close to the region of Tyre and Sidon. These were pagan cities. These are ports in today Lebanon, along the Mediterranean Sea. Queen Jezebel was also from Sidon (1 Kg 16:31).

This woman comes to Jesus knowing that she has nothing to impress Jesus with. She also knew that she has nothing to lose. She is asking for mercy.  She comes crying for help and falls at His feet. She honors Jesus and calls Him, Lord. She also calls Him by His prophetic Jewish Messianic name: Son of David. She is a Gentile woman but, in her heart, she is like a Jewish woman. Through her cries she disturbs everyone. The disciples get angry and urged Jesus to send her away. They do not care for the pain of a pagan mother.  Initially, Jesus keeps silent. The woman does not take that as rejection. She continues with her cries. Then Jesus tells her that she is not in the area of His ministry. The Jews call the Gentiles ‘dogs’. She does not take offence at that. She continues to worship Him and pleading for help. She accepts the negative word ‘dogs’ and answers Jesus that even the dogs need to eat something. Because of this answer of faith, Jesus heals her daughter. How did Jesus heal the daughter who was far away? Just by His will and power. The woman believed Jesus, went home, and found the daughter healed from that hour, ‘lying quietly on the bed’ (Mk 5:30). Glory!

What are the lessons for us?

The woman came to Jesus knowing that He is merciful and all powerful. She totally believed that. She walked to Jesus asking for help. She knew the principle of common grace, that God blesses even His enemies. She was a humble woman. She knew that she is an enemy to Jehovah. She had nothing to offer to Jesus. Like Rahab in Jericho, she came as an enemy who had faith in the conqueror. She knew the Word of God. She believed that Jesus is the Great High Priest who is merciful (to sinners like her) and faithful to God (Heb 2:7). She decided to obey the invitation that was given to God’s children. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). She needed help in her time of need. The word ‘help’ describes the action of frapping a ship. During storms, the sea men go under using chains to tie the ship so it will not scatter. At the throne of mercy and grace we find the merciful Great High Priest who is able to gather the broken pieces of our heart and make us whole. This woman needed the mercy offered by the merciful Great High Priest, Jesus. Mercy is kindness offered to an enemy when he falls into your power. She got that. She got mercy. Her daughter’s healing was a product of mercy.

God rewards the prayer of faith, humility, and perseverance. God rewards prayer made in an attitude of worship. God rewards an attitude of holy ‘boldness’ in prayer (Heb 10:35).  

Lesson: Do not be offended by Jesus! When Jesus called this woman ‘dog’ she ‘barked’ in agreement. She did not argue with Jesus. She believed that He must be right even if He insults her. This is great faith! Do not draw back. Have faith! Even if men reject you, Jesus will help you. He cares for people who suffer. It is wisdom to overlook an offence. “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (PV 19:11; NIV). This woman ignored the offence because she loved her daughter and wanted her healed. Jesus said: “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Matt 11:6). In Greek, the word ‘offended’ is ‘skandalon’ from which ‘scandal’ comes from. The word means a stumbling block, the reason you fall into sin and backslide. The Jews were offended by Jesus; by His birth without a father, by His lack of formal religious education, by His simple appearance in public, by the company of people that followed Him, whom they called ‘sinners’, by His doctrines, especially claiming that God is His Father. They hated His Grace, by which He forgave sinners. They hated it when he said that only by His Blood they can be saved. The disciples of John the Baptist were offended also because Jesus did not fast like their master. Even today, many Christians are offended by Jesus during times of pain and persecutions. They are offended when Jesus keeps quiet and does not answer their prayers. Jesus says that you are blessed, happy, if no matter the trials in life, you abide in Him and His words abide in you.

It is only two times that Jesus recommends people of Great faith and both of them are not Jews. One is this woman and the second is the Centurion whose servant Jesus healed (Matt 8:10). This Gentile woman teaches us that staying with Jesus, even when you do not understand His words or His ways, is still the best place in the universe! That place at His feet, is the place of answered prayers and miracles. May we find the strength to abide in Him always! Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled The gifts of the Holy Spirit (1)/ Wisdom and Knowledge. Her main scriptures were taken from the Books 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 2 Kings 5:1-27

WE ARE FOR SIGNS AND WONDERS

We shall study the gifts of the Holy Spirit as a point of contact for more miracles in our midst. To God be all the glory!

“Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel From the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion” (Is 8:18). In Hebrew, the word ‘sign’ is a flag, a monument. The word ‘wonders’ is a miracle. Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, the Captain of the heavenly army, is the Father of these supernatural children. God’s children are courageous and strong soldiers, just as their Father. They are supernatural miraculous children. Zion is a place of worship. The children are all worshippers, and they make visible progress!

 “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly, I will sing praise to You.” And again: “I will put My trust in Him.” And again: “Here am I and the children whom God has given Me” (Heb 2:10-13). Jesus Christ is Jehovah Sabaoth. He is the Captain of our salvation. As God He is already perfect. But as Man, He was made ‘perfect through suffering’. Our Savior and Captain has suffered on earth and died on the Cross, to gain complete authority as Man, to lead us to glory! Salvation is more than forgiveness of sins. Salvation is a relationship with God. It is becoming one with Jesus. In suffering, in sanctification, in praises, and in faith, we are one with Christ and share in His glory!

God told Moses to use his rod as a point of contact of miracles. “The LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders (miracles) which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and make him stubborn so that he will not let the people go” (Ex 4:21). Doubt sees just a wooden rod. Faith sees the miracle power in it. Doubt uses the rod only to lean on it. Faith uses the rod to separate the Red Sea. Doubt sees just a hand. Faith sees the miracle in that hand. What do you see?

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:2-4). When we become saved, we are not just sinners that have been forgiven. We have been adopted by God. We become truly children of God. We receive the same divine nature as our heavenly Father. The relationship is as real as the earthly relationship of parents and children. But the difference is that our relationship with God is eternal. God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, and His precious promises, so that we may become partakers of His divine nature. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are heavenly miraculous powers given to us so that we resemble our Savior even more!   

“Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 Jn 3:1, 2). In other words, ‘like Father, like son’. We are supernatural in nature. God has given us gifts so that we are like Him. We are the gifted children of the Eternal, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient God!

“Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?” (Heb 2:1-4). We are commanded to meditate upon this ‘great salvation’ paid for by the Son of God with His Blood. The miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit bear witness to this wonderful salvation!

As Jesus was baptized in Jordan, the Holy Spirit came on Him like a visible Dove. He gave Him all the supernatural gifts needed for ministry. Before the Baptism, when He was working as a carpenter in Nazareth, Jesus did not need the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But now, as His public ministry started, He needed them and He used them in full force. The Pharisees became jealous on Him not because of His theology, but because of the supernatural wisdom and power He displayed. “When He had come to His own country (Nazareth), He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” (Matt 13:54). It was the gifts of the Holy Spirit that attracted the people. “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Ac 10:38). Everything Jesus did was thru the Holy Spirit and His gifts.

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 Corinthians 12)

*These gifts are special supernatural abilities given by the Holy Spirit, so that we resemble God, our Father. They are a witness that our salvation is supernatural. These abilities are not natural. The Christian is not born with them. They are not gained thru the study of the Bible or education in general. A pastor or an elder can pray and lay hands on a believer who desires gifts. But no man can give these gifts. They are always gifts from heaven. They manifest the atmosphere of heaven on earth.

*The gifts of the Holy Spirit are Grace-Gifts. In Greek, the word ‘gifts’ is ‘charismata’. The word ‘charis’ means Grace. Therefore, these gifts are not rewards for labor; are not merited. They are free gifts from King Grace! God can give them to baby Christians or to the mature ones!

*The Holy Spirit is sovereign in distributing these gifts. He gives them according to His will and depending on the need in the local church.

*We are commanded not to be ignorant about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. To be ignorant means to lack knowledge or awareness of something that is relevant. Ignorance is never a virtue to boast about! An ignorant man does not know something that he should know. He lacks knowledge that is useful. Other words similar to ‘ignorant’ are to be dumb, foolish, or illiterate.  The opposite of being ignorant means to be educated, experienced, smart, well-informed, or brilliant. Why this warning? It is because many Christians are ignorant about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They don’t know what these gifts are or their value. They think that they do not need them. Many believers do not properly understand their power in serving God. Paul says that in the past, the Corinthians were led by ‘dumb idols’. The word ‘dumb’ means to be mute, speechless, or ignorant. The religious unbelievers were ‘carried away’, led into error by these mute idols. It gives the picture of a young man, seduced by a beautiful but foolish woman. He is led by his eyes. He walks in the flesh and not in the spirit. The young man is ignorant of the dangerous path he has entered. This is the ‘walk’ of all unbelievers. But the believers, “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). Faith comes by hearing God’s word. We should be led by the voice of the Holy Spirit that comes thru the reading, preaching, and teaching of God’s Word. Spiritually speaking, the ears are more valuable than the eyes. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17).

*The gifts of the Holy Spirit do not remove from the basic knowledge of Christianity. The gifts are addition and not subtraction to your Christian life. No one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Paul warns the believers that some things are basic to true faith. They should not be confused by vocal gifts. The Holy Spirit came to earth to glorify Jesus. He can never make anyone insult the name of Jesus. Before He died, Jesus said this: “He (The Holy Spirit) will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:14). No man can believe in his heart and confess with his mouth that Jesus is his Savior and Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the Ten Commandments is not to take God’s name in vain. “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the LORD will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power]” (Ex 20:7; AMP). In Hebrew, the word ‘vain’ means to call God’s name jokingly, and without the due respect for His Person. No matter how great a prophet is, or how much he speaks in tongues, anyone who disrespects the Lord Jesus Christ, is of the devil. This warning is necessary because the gifts can be so attractive that people forget the basics. Doctrine matters! Gifts are an addition to preaching and teaching good doctrine! Selah!

*These gifts are from God, the Holy Spirit. Therefore, they do not come with sorrow or regret. “The blessing of the LORD brings [true] riches, And He adds no sorrow to it [for it comes as a blessing from God]” (PV 10:22; AMP). In Hebrew, the word ‘sorrow’ means hard labor without profit; this is the work of a slave who works without seeing any progress in life. These gifts are not for unbelievers. They are royal gifts for God’s children. These are always profitable to the members of the Body of Christ, and to the recipient of the gift. These gifts connect you with important people. It opens the door for you to meet people who will help, favor you, and become your friends. ”A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men” (PV18:16). “Many will seek the favor of a generous and noble man, And everyone is a friend to him who gives gifts” (PV 19:6; AMP). You become a blessing to many in your generation!

*The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given only to the members of the Body of Christ. Everything God does has a purpose, and it will not fail. That means Christ wants us to have and use these gifts for two basic reasons: for unity and miracles working in His Body. These gifts are different. But they do not divide the Body. They in fact unite the Body. These gifts are profitable to all the believers in the Body. Christ needs us to use them so that the supernatural will manifest in the church. Being ignorant of the gifts of the Holy Spirit limits the manifestation of miracles!

*The fruits of the Holy Spirit are common to all. The Christians have different levels of maturity, but the fruits are the same to all. Because the fruits depend on our paying the price for spiritual growth, in a way, the fruits are not supernatural. But the Gifts are always supernatural.

*Some believers say that once you are born again and Spirit filled, you do not need gifts. They do not press on to receive and function in these gifts. That is a mistake. It grieves the Holy Spirit, and it hurts the Body. The supernatural element is missing in the local church. Even if the pastor preaches the right doctrines, the lack of the supernatural presence of God is damaging to the Body. Because of mistakes in the past, and some extremes behaviors, many pastors fear the manifestation of these gifts. They quench the Holy Spirit thru their fear and ignorance!

*The gifts of the Holy Spirit manifest greatly during seasons of revival!

*See these gifts as the eyes of Jesus, and the hands of Jesus. By using these gifts, you see what Jesus saw when He was on earth. You touch the way Jesus touched the needy and the sick. The power that flowed thru Jesus 2000 years ago, is now available thru the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Gifts always come with supernatural power. They are not just human talents. God gives His power thru the gifts so that heaven will come down to earth. You say that you don’t need these gifts? In other words, you say that you don’t need eyes. You are still alive, but you are blind. Is that the life you want?

*When Peter healed the lame man at the beautiful gate, he was conscious of having the gift of healing. He was confident that this gift was more valuable than silver and gold. Why? Because money is from the earth, but the gift of healing is from heaven. “And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Ac 3:4-7). This gift of the Holy Spirit is what Peter calls ‘what I have’.

*Eagerly desire the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that you bless the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:31; 14:1). The words ‘eagerly desire’ mean passion in pursuing these gifts. If you believe in God, then you believe in miracles. If you believe in miracles, then you believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit!

*There are three basic lists of gifts of God. We find them in 1 Corinthians 12:1-31, 14:1-25; in Ephesians 4:11-16; and in Romans 12:3-8. These lists are not exclusive. The Holy Spirit is very creative in giving gifts that help the Body of Christ!

NINE GIFTS IN 1 CORINTHIANS 12

1-GIFTS OF REVELATION AND INSPIRATION (VOCAL GIFTS)

*Word of wisdom *Word of knowledge  *Discerning of spirits  *Prophecy  *Tongues *Interpretation of tongues

2-GIFTS OF POWER (ACTION GIFTS)

*Gifts of healings  *Working of miracles *Faith

FIVE GIFTS IN EPHESIANS 4 (Eph 4:11-16)

*Apostles *Prophets  *Evangelists  *Pastors *Teachers

SEVEN GIFTS IN ROMANS 12 (Rom 12:4-8)

*Prophecy  *Ministry (serving) -deacons  *Teaching *Exhortation  *Giving money *Leadership  *Showing mercy

THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit” (1 Cor 12:7, 8).

Knowledge is generally defined as knowing facts and truths, in a particular field, acquired through education and experience. The ‘Word of Knowledge’ is different. It is a supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit by which the Omniscient God reveals a truth to you directly from heaven. This knowledge is not general. It is a revelation of knowledge that applies to a particular situation. God knows and sees all things. God tells you something about a person or a situation. You do not acquire this revelation thru your wisdom, the study of the Bible or prayer. Like a flash in the dark night, this word comes to you. Light shines in the darkness and suddenly, you know the truth. For example, you know where a man is, or what is in his heart. This gift is useful in making the right decisions in life, in ministry, and during prayers.

EXAMPLES OF THE WORD OF KNOWLEDGE

*Elisha tells the King about the positions of the Syrian army. When the Syrian king became angry, one of his servants said to him: “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom” (2 Kings 6:12).

*John the Baptist said about Jesus: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29).

*Peter suddenly knew who Christ was. “He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 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” (Matt 16:15-17)

*Peter knew what Ananias and Saphira did in secret. “Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God” (Ac 5:3, 4).

*While on the Island of Patmos, John received word of knowledge about the churches in Asia Minor. He then wrote it in the Book of Revelation.

Because the word of knowledge is from God, using it in ministry humbles you. You give God all the glory for using this knowledge!

THE WORD OF WISDOM

Wisdom is generally defined as the ability to apply knowledge and experience to make the right decisions. The Word of Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the ability to use divine knowledge to make correct decisions according to God’s will. Therefore, the word of Knowledge and the word of Wisdom are connected. Supernatural wisdom is not an increased natural wisdom. It is a separate gift given by the Holy Spirit. Suddenly, you know something, and you also know how to practically apply that knowledge for the glory of God, and for the common good. The Word of wisdom is given by God who is all-wise. The Word of Knowledge shows past events. The Word of Wisdom shows future events. The Word of Wisdom gives the believer a glimpse of the future, of the plan and purpose of God for that future.  Both gifts are divine and miraculous.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor? Or who has first given to Him and it shall be repaid to him?” For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom 11:33-36).

God’s wisdom is deep, rich, and unsearchable. The word ‘deep’ means profound, mysterious. It is not found on the surface of things. It takes great effort and sacrifice to dig the hills to find gold. The casual seekers, the mockers of divine things, can never find God’s wisdom. This wisdom is rich. The word means abundant wealth and prosperity. Men look for money. But God invites us to appreciate His wisdom and to desire it. God’s wisdom is richer than gold. His wisdom is ‘unsearchable’. His ways are ‘past finding out’. God’s wisdom cannot be found by man thru exploration or education. His wisdom has no limit. Only God can give a Word of Wisdom, by His grace, to whom He wants.

“Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure” (Is 46:9, 10).

God knows everything. His knowledge is perfect, the eternal truth. When God judges a matter, He never makes mistakes. He applies the truth in the way that it will give Him all the glory! God’s wisdom never fails because He is the only One who knows the end from the beginning. For example, when Jesus called His 12 disciples, one among them was a traitor. Even from the beginning, Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him. God’s wisdom is connected with God’s sovereign will, and His everlasting purpose for His creation. It manifests clearly in the calling of His elect.

EXAMPLES OF THE WORD OF WISDOM

*The Word of Wisdom is given to warn about future danger. Noah was warned about future judgment with water. He had faith in this word. He built the ark that saved his family. “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Heb 11:7)

*The word of wisdom came to Lot through angels. He believed it. His sons-in-law did not. They were mockers. They perished in the fire (Gen 19)

*Joseph interpreted the dreams for Pharaoh. He gave him a word of wisdom about the future. He told him what to do, to avoid tragedy. Joseph says to Pharaoh: “And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. Then that food shall be as a reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land may not perish during the famine” (Gen 41:32-36). Through this word of wisdom, Joseph became the prime minister. He saved Egypt, himself and also his family.

*All the prophets received warnings and words of wisdom about the future of the nation (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel etc)

*Paul was going on the sea to Rome. He warned the captain of the ship not to go at that time. His word of wisdom was ignored. Then there was a great storm. They all lost hope. An angel of God comes to Paul with a second word of wisdom: “After long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island” (Ac 27:21-26). This time, the captain obeyed Paul. Just as Paul said, the ship was destroyed but all were saved on the Island of Malta. Ignoring a Word of wisdom has consequences. Obeying it ends in safety and victory.

WASH AND BE CLEAN – THE HEALING OF NAAMAN (2 Kings 5).

Naaman was a great Syrian general. Tradition says that he was the one who drew an arrow at random that killed King Ahab (1 Kg 22:34). Hamman became famous in Syria. He was as famous as Joseph and Egypt or David in Israel. His name means ‘pleasant to look at’. Probably Naaman was a handsome man. But he has leprosy. It is like saying that this is a beautiful wife but she is a prostitute. Leprosy was a terrible deadly disease. It disfigured the handsome Naaman. Soon, he had to stop leading the armies. It ended into a slow and painful death. There was no cure for it. During a war with Israel, he had captured a Jewish girl who became his wife’s maid. She told him to go and meet the prophet Elisha who would heal him from this incurable and terrible disease. The Syrian King gave him a letter of introduction to the King of Israel. Naaman went to the King of Israel but was openly refused. No king can heal leprosy! Then Naaman went to the house of Elisha with all his chariots and great entourage. He was waiting at the door when Elisha sent him a word of wisdom! Elisha did not come out to greet him. The prophet’s word should be enough for Naaman. The prophet sent a message thru Gehazi that Naaman should go to the Jordan River and deep himself seven times. Then he will be healed. This is a Word of Wisdom. Naaman was angry that Elisha did not come out to greet him and to do some religious acts. He had his own ideas of what a prophet should do. His ideas were taken from idols. Now, he has to learn that Jehovah and His prophets are different. He could lead an army, but he could not control Elisha. To be healed, he had to humble himself. He obeyed Elisha and he was healed. Elisha refuses payment for this miracle. Gehazi, who is Elisha’s servant, coveted the money and ran after Naaman. He lied to him. Naaman gave him money and some expensive garments. Elisha, through a Word of Knowledge, confronts Gehazi about his sin. He and his family became leprous.

As you can see, there are at least three gifts of the Holy Spirit manifesting. Elisha is a prophet. He receives a word of wisdom for Naaman and a word of knowledge for Gehazi. God told Elisha that Naaman shall be healed in the future if he obeys this word. Because it applies to a future action, it is a Word of Wisdom. In Gehazi’s case, God gave Elisha a word of knowledge about an event that has happened already. The purpose of these two words is to give miraculous power to Elisha, to deal with both situations instantly, and according to God’s will. He healed a foreigner who had faith and he judged a Jew who did not have faith. This is a picture of the church of God. In Christ, there is no Jew, no Gentile. We are all one, saved by Grace and through Faith. Both gifts manifested by Elisha show the power of God in action. After being healed, Naaman said: “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel” (2Kings 5:15). What impressed Naaman was not just his healing but the power of God’s Word spoken by Elisha. Naaman was not only healed physically, but he became saved too. He promised that he “will no longer offer either burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord” (2 Kg 5:17). The prophet’s word and the healing gives glory to God!

These are some lessons:

*The slave Jewish girl was not bitter with her situation. She advised her master who has captured her how he can be healed. She had faith that God will use Elisha the prophet to perform a miracle. Her faith was proven to be true.

*The King of Israel behaves as a man without faith. He gets angry when he sees Naaman’s need. He does not even think of Elisha the prophet.

*Naaman is proud and rich. He comes with money and gifts. When Elisha did not come out to greet him, he got very angry. His pride and anger almost destroyed his chance of receiving his miracle. The clean rivers of Syria stand for human wisdom. The muddy waters of Jordan stand for God’s power. This is the foolishness of the Gospel. He who believes, shall be saved, and healed! Selah!

*Naaman’s servant was humble and wise. He convinced his master to have faith in the word of wisdom from the mouth of Elisha!

*Elisha has no money and no titles. But Elisha has the power of God! That is all that matters!

*This is a proof that God is a God of miracles. Naaman repented of unbelief, pride, and anger. Naaman finally believed. Then he was healed.

*Elisha refused payment from Naaman. He wanted to prove to Naaman that salvation is by Grace, not by works or money. A servant of God should be careful when to receive and when not to receive gifts from people. Selah!

*Gehazi’s greed cost him his health. He received the leprosy that departed from Naaman. His sin affected his descendants. If Gehazi wants Naaman’s money, then he should want his leprosy too. This was divine justice. By asking for money, Gehazi grieved the Holy Spirit and injured Elisha’s testimony as a man of God. Elisha could not heal Gehazi. God always punishes greed and lying. Gehazi lost his health, his testimony, and his ministry. He joined the rank of Ahithophel, Judas, Ananias and Saphira.

*There are two miracles performed by Elisha: one is divine judgment and the other is divine mercy! This is a great contrast between the servant of pagan Naaman (who had faith in God’s Word) and Gehazi, Elisha’s servant (who sold his birthright for money).

*God takes all the glory for the conversion and healing of Naaman and also for the punishment of Gehazi!

*Jesus uses this story to preach about faith. He tells the Jews that a foreigner like Naaman had faith but the Jews who had leprosy did not have faith to be healed. “And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian” (Lk 4:27). The Jews got angry at this word and drove Jesus away from Nazareth. It is possible that Jesus never went back to Nazareth. After living with them for 30 years, they still did not believe in Him. Faith is not a product of familiarity. It is the gift of God.

“Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper” (2 Chr 20:20).

Believe (confirm, support) in Jehovah Elohim, and you shall be established (upheld, confirmed, stand still). Believe in His prophets and you shall prosper (be successful, you will win the victory, you push forward, make progress in life)

Naaman was proud. It was hard for him to trust Jehovah’s prophet. Elisha was probably living in a simple house. He may not have been a wealthy man. But with all his money, fame, and status, Naaman could not find a cure for his leprosy. His boss, the Syrian king could not help him. The king of Israel could not help him too. When the rich and famous, could not help Naaman, it was hard to believe that a poor, simple man like Elisha can help. But trusting in God’s prophets is the key to breakthrough and progress in life!   

Naaman had to experience the withering power of the Holy Spirit. “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the Lord blows upon it; Surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Is 40:6-8). This is the experience of all the saints. Once the Holy Spirit starts the work of convicting of sin, the pride of the flesh starts to ‘fade’. It is an extremely painful experience. Like the wind, the breath of Jehovah blows upon the flesh and its pride-flower falls. The Word of God ‘stands’ forever. The word ‘withers’ means to be disgraced, ashamed, confused and disappointed. The pride of life cannot endure the Wind and Fire of the Holy Spirit. It must bow! But in the midst of this fading glory, one thing stands unshakable: it is the eternal Word of God! Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity! God is no respecter of persons (Ac 10:34).

Generally, God uses people that seem foolish to the men of the world. The message they preach, the Gospel of Christ Crucified and resurrected in seen as foolishness to the world. The worldly wise ask themselves: how can a carpenter who died naked on a cross 2000 years ago be able to save my soul today? Or be able to heal my incurable sickness? They do not see the truth about Jesus. Their wisdom acquired through education and philosophy has failed them. God has destroyed their wisdom and exalted the wisdom of the humble believers in Christ. Why? To humble the proud, so that they shall not glory (boast) in God’s presence!

With all his wealth and fame, Naaman did the right thing. He took the road a sinner must take to make peace with God! First, he did not hide his leprosy. Everyone knew he is leprous. His wife, his household servants, his king, his soldiers and servants under him, they all knew that this man is sick unto death. At that time, leprosy did not have a cure. Leprosy was not just a headache or a toothache. It was like a sin unto death. It was a slow and painful death. Soon, Naaman could not be a soldier again. Leprosy was like sin; it had no human cure. Only God could heal him. But which God? Naaman decided to find that God. He openly came to Elisha. It was not at night like Nicodemus. It was in the day with all people to see. Naaman was not ashamed to seek God for salvation and healing!

God was working in Naaman’s life, but he did not know then. He allowed the leprosy to afflict his body. God shut down any form of help from the wise and the rich. Until Naaman arrived at the end of himself, until he humbled himself, he could find no solution to his problem. God humbled him. He saw his need as a sinner. The Holy Spirit convicted him of sin. Leprosy is a symbol of sin. For as long as Naaman stood proud, in defiance against God, he could not find peace or healing. “God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble” (Jam 4:6). Humbled, he went to Jordan River and dipped in its muddy waters 7 times. Seven is the number of Perfection. It was not the water that healed him. It was the God of Elisha who spoke the Word of wisdom. He got healed, body, soul, and spirit. The guilt and shame of leprosy left him instantly. He has a new mind of peace with God! Here we see that God helps those who cannot help themselves! Naaman had to bow to Jehovah, to the God of the country he has conquered with his army. He could conquer the people, but he could not conquer their God. Naaman had to bow not only to Jehovah God, but also to Jehovah’s prophet, Elisha. Once he humbled himself, the healing was instant! He then openly praises Jehovah God! May his story humble us too! Come to Jesus! Receive His total salvation! Be born again! Be healed! In Jesus’ name! Worship the Lord!

MY PROGRESS IS EVIDENT TO ALL (8 )/ WALK IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled My Progress is evident to all (8 ). Her main scriptures were taken from the Books of 1 Timothy 4:12-16; Gal 5:16- 26; 1 Samuel 1:1-28; 2:1-11.

MAY YOUR PROGRESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:12-16)

Prophetic word: We declare that in Christ, we have entered our Promised Land and our progress is evident to all!

Spiritual maturity manifests as ‘progress’ that can be seen by others. Progress is defined as a slow forward movement towards a goal, to an improved condition in life, on the path to perfection. It means to advance in life, closer to the place where your dreams are fulfilled. The opposite of progress means to go back, to become worse, to sink, to lose benefits, or to waste away. May we pay the price for godly success!

WALK IN THE SPIRIT

“But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]. For the sinful nature has its desire which is opposed to the Spirit, and the [desire of the] Spirit opposes the sinful nature; for these [two, the sinful nature and the Spirit] are in direct opposition to each other [continually in conflict], so that you [as believers] do not [always] do whatever [good things] you want to do. But if you are guided and led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the Law” (Gal 5:16-18; AMP).

In Greek, the word ‘walk’ means to follow, to behave. It is your lifestyle. Walking is progress. The word ‘fulfill the lust of the flesh’ means to gratify, to accomplish, or to please your flesh. The Holy Spirit is always the Leader. You are the follower. Like the sheep follows her shepherd so you must listen, trust, obey and follow the Holy Spirit. This is the holy road to progress and eternal life. For that, you need to know the Word of God! Like a spoiled child, the flesh is rebellious, restless, foolish, stubborn, and never satisfied.  It cannot be led by the Spirit. The flesh moves in the opposite way, out of a natural impulse, and without thinking. It does not care about God or His Word. Selah!

Following the Holy Spirit brings freedom from two terrible unmerciful masters: The flesh, with its never satisfying lusts, and God’s Law, which cannot be totally obeyed by man. It is only the Children of God that can ‘walk in the Spirit’. Flesh is the totality of man that is not under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The body is not evil in itself. But the body is the seat of evil because of its natural desires corrupted by sin. Only the Holy Spirit is able to conquer the flesh. This process is called sanctification. It is done by faith in God’s Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit and under His leadership. The desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit are not just different. They are opposing and contrary. The flesh and the Spirit are constantly at war with one another and there is no possibility of making peace. If one wins, the other loses. It is only the child of God that experiences this conflict between his flesh and the Spirit. It is an unpleasant feeling, but it is a proof that you are born again. Selah!

JESUS HAS DELIVERED ME FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH

“But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:13-25)

When God sent His Law thru Moses, it was not to be a means of salvation. No man can completely obey it. God does not accept partial obedience to His Law. The function of God’s Law is to expose sin. If it is not for God’s Law, man cannot believe that he is a sinner in need of a Savior. In practical experience, it means that once I read the Bible and know God’s Law, my life became worse. Thru the law of God, my mind, my conscience became convicted of sin. I now want to repent, to change. But I discovered that I do not have the power to change myself. The Law convicts me but does not help me and does not have mercy on me. This battle between flesh and spirit starts. For the first time in my life, I now discover that I live in ‘a body of death’. This body is a slave to its lusts. I cannot become free. I do the very things I now hate. I become a hopeless and ‘a wretched man’. I struggle like a man drowning in the ocean. Conviction of sin is a terrible time. The fire of God burns all flesh. All saints testify to that. At last, defeated by God’s Law, I discover my need for a Savior. The Holy Spirit leads me to Jesus. I now see that Jesus died for me, for my sins. I cling to Jesus like a desperate dying man. As I surrender my whole life to Jesus, He reveals Himself to me in His power and His glory! I bow at His feet as a dead man. His Spirit comes into my heart and takes over my life. This is the miracle of salvation. I am now born again! I now have eternal life! Jesus is my Savior and my Lord! From now on, I will learn to walk in the Spirit and crucify the flesh. Glory!

THE WORKS OF THE FLESH

“The practices of the sinful nature are clearly evident: they are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality (total irresponsibility, lack of self-control), idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions [that promote heresies], envy, drunkenness, riotous behavior, and other things like these. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:19-21; AMP)

The works (practices) of the flesh ‘are evident’. In Greek, the word ‘evident’ means to be obvious, visible, shining like a light. The sins of the flesh cannot be hidden. Look for them and you will find them. See the difference: The flesh ‘works’ like a slave, and the Spirit produces fruit like a prince, just by abiding, and without working. The flesh is restless and impatient. The Spirit is calm, peaceful, powerful, and fruitful.

The works of the flesh are divided into four parts: sexual sins, religious sins, uncontrolled excessive sinful emotions, and social sins.

SEXUAL SINS

*Adultery and fornication are sexual acts done outside the bond of marriage. These also include lustful imaginations and pornography. Paul wrote these words about 2000 years ago. God’s Word does not change. Even now, adultery is a serious problem. One out of four marriages end in divorce. Adultery is one of the main reasons for divorce. Before Christianity, the pagan cultures accepted fornication as normal. It was Christianity that brought the idea of being sexually faithful in the marriage between a man and a woman. This sexual purity is revolutionary.

*Uncleanness means to be morally impure. Impurity means something dirty, unclean, a mixture of two components. As there are healthy and sick people, so the Bible recognizes spiritually clean and unclean people. This word describes a wound infected with pus. In the Old Testament, touching the dead, or leprosy made a man spiritually unclean. That man has to live an isolated life so that he will not affect others with his impurity. This is God’s law: Sin pollutes man and makes him unclean. An unclean person cannot approach God. It is only thru union with Christ that are sinner can be cleansed from the pollution of sin. Spiritual and physical sexual purity is needed to come close to God.

*Lewdness, debauchery, or licentiousness means the habitual indulgence in sensuality. It is an addiction to sexual lust. It is a lifestyle of excess, of wild partying. It lacks shame or self-control. It describes someone who does not care about what others think about him. It includes violence, unrestrained sex, drunkenness, and rude talk. It is an unholy behavior. No believer should be found living in debauchery. The prodigal son wasted all his money in ‘debauchery’ (Lk 15:13). Drinking alcohol and drugs can lead to wasted life of debauchery. “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18; NIV). Lewdness is defeated only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

RELIGIOUS SINS

*Idolatry means loving something or someone more than God. It includes worshiping family and friends or making gods in our imagination. It is said that the two greatest idols among men are materialism (love of money) and love of pleasure.  

*Sorcery, also called witchcraft, means using the power of evil spirits for your selfish benefit. Sorcery is used to cause harm to others by deceiving them. It manifests as wickedness, manipulation, or casting spells. There are some people who practice witchcraft habitually. Sorcery in that sense is forbidden by God. But here, sorcery is described as a work of the flesh. That means all sinners have the power to use demons, become wicked and deceive others. This activity of the flesh is done knowingly or not. False prophets, false teachers, use sorcery to deceive others, to trust them and their words. Seducing spirits can attract their victims against their wills. In Greek, the word ‘sorcery’ is ‘pharmakeia’ from which the word ‘Pharmacy’ comes. In the past, people thought that sorcery is like giving drugs or poison to others.

*Heresies is belief in doctrines that the main church rejects. Heresies become sects and cults outside the main Christianity.   

EXCESSIVE UNCONTROLLED SINFUL EMOTIONS

*Hatred is a strong negative feeling of dislike, anger, or bitterness, by declaring another an enemy. It is connected with murder in the heart.

*Contention means strife, lack of agreement and bitter struggle against others, ending in quarrels and fights.

*Jealousies, envies. Envy is a bitter desire to have something that belongs to another- his wealth, position, or success. Jealousy is the fear of losing something or someone that we possess. Envy is connected with covetousness and jealousy is connected with fear.

*Outbursts of wrath describes passionate extreme anger and loss of temper. It manifests as violent quarrel and a desire to punish others.

*Selfish ambition is the proud desire to succeed at the expense of others. The good plan you have in life is all about you and none for others.

SOCIAL SINS

*Dissension, rivalry means strong disagreement of opinions, competition for leadership and refusal to settle. It divides the unity of the church.

*Murder is the unlawful, wicked, or premeditated killing of one human being by another. Murder is a sin against God’s law (Ex 20:13)

*Drunkenness means taking an overdose of alcohol. It affects the mind and the body. The drunkard temporarily loses his self-control.

*Revelry means a noisy, joyful, partying usually accompanied with drinking alcohol, drugs, laughing loudly, singing, dancing, and wild behavior.

Apostle Paul said that “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:21). All unbelievers go to hell. The road to hell is paved with these works of the flesh! A true believer may fall into sin, but he repents and stands again to walk in the Spirit!

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites” (Gal 5:22-24; AMP)

The fruit of the Spirit is the harvest produced by the Holy Spirit in the human spirit of the believer. The Holy Sprit works inside, sometimes faster, and sometimes slower. The fruit affects the character of the believer. The fruit is different from the gifts of the Spirit which are powers given by the same Holy Spirit for the work of God. The fruit of the Spirit is the visible manifestation of Christ dwelling within. Selah!

*LOVE

In Greek, the word love is ‘agape’. This love of God manifests in creation, in the general grace to all, but especially in the death of Jesus on the Cross. It is a sacrificial love manifesting only in the believer, as a desire to worship God and to help others for Christ’ sake. We are commanded to love God and one another (1 Jn 4:11). The opposite of love means to be distant, not caring, or cold hearted. Many books have been written about love but words are not enough to describe it. The greatest love is described by Jesus: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). Jesus Himself did not just preach about love. He had to die to show us what love is! Glory to God!

*JOY

Joy is a blessed calm delight much deeper than what the world calls ‘happiness’. It is specific to the believers and is independent from the circumstances. Joy manifests as spiritual and physical strength. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh 8:10). Lovers are always strong and joyful! Joy is a constant fruit, but it manifests in a greater measure when worshipping in God’s presence or when prayers are answered. This joy cannot be faked. It is extremely powerful. It is magnetic. Somebody said that ‘joy is the flag on top of the soul castle when the King of kings is in residence’. A sad Christian does not exist. He may feel low sometimes, but joy springs again, visible to all. Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation” (1 Sam 2:1). “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps 16:11). Joy is a heavenly emotion (Lk 15:7). Heaven rejoices with sinners are saved. Joy accompanies salvation. A backslider does not lose his salvation, but he loses his joy. King David prayed not only for forgiveness of sins, but for his joy to be restored. “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Ps 51:12).

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing” (Jam 1:2-4). No unbeliever can rejoice during the trials of life. But the believer manifests this fruit of joy, in season and outside season. How can a believer rejoice during trials? He knows that God is with him! He also knows that God has allowed this trial to come for a greater purpose. Pain becomes patience on the way of spiritual perfection and progress in life. God alone produces joy, thru the Holy Spirit in your human spirit. Joy is also a choice. During trials, you chose to respond with peace and joy knowing that you are not alone. God is with you! His presence is all that matters! This joy is not fake. It is real!

*PEACE

Peace is a feeling of rest, of calmness. The world describes peace as the absence of war. But in the Bible, peace is more than lack of trouble. It describes a total wellbeing, living in harmony, being made whole. In Hebrew, the word peace is Shalom. It is a great word. It describes peace and prosperity, favor and friends, health, and wealth. The peace of God is not influenced by the circumstances. It is stronger than them. One of God’s names is Jehovah Shalom (Jdg. 6:24). In Greek, the word peace is ‘eirene’. It describes rest and unity among the different parts. There is no division where there is peace. It also means a state of complete satisfaction. Peace cannot be manufactured by men. It is purely the gift of God and the fruit of God’s Spirit in the heart of His child. There are three types of peace: We have peace with God, peace with men, and peace with ourselves. Peace comes knowing that God is totally in control. The opposite of peace is strife, grudges, quarrels, and troubles. But even in troubles, knowing that Jesus ‘is in your boat’ brings ‘the peace that passes all understanding’ (Phil 4:7). Peace is the road towards spiritual progress and hope of glory! “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Rom 5:1-4). The Cross made peace between God and man. “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col 1:19, 20).

*PATIENCE- LONGSUFFERING

Longsuffering means to be patient like God. It means to endure trials, to suffer long without complaining. During trials, a patient man chose to stay calm and faithful to God. He does not lose his temper or try to seek vengeance. He trusts God for strength and justice. Longsuffering is not weakness. Only those who are Spirit-filled can manifest the fruit of longsuffering, especially under provocation. They do not submit to the outside attacks. They remain calm, trusting God. Longsuffering is connected with mercy and compassion. The opposite of it is to be tired of life and complain. This fruit of the Spirit gives strength to a believer to endure pain, persecutions, and provocation without fear!

God is longsuffering! “Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation” (Exo 34:5-7).

God is longsuffering with men, but His longsuffering has a limit. You see that in destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and in the sending of His people from the Promised Land into exile to Babylon. We are commanded to be longsuffering and kind to others as God is towards men. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph 4:31-32).

*KINDNESS

Kindness is active goodness. It is being caring or concerned for the well-being of others while being gentle, generous, and loving. Longsuffering and Kindness are attributes of agape love.  “Love suffers long and is kind” (1 Cor 13:4). Goodness is internal and invisible. Kindness manifests through acts of help. Kindness is generous with time, effort, and resources. A kind person is a good listener, an encourager and treats others with respect. Joseph treated his brothers with kindness. Boaz and Ruth were both kind people. The Good Samaritan was also a kind man.

*GOODNESS

Goodness applies to moral character. In Greek it means to have an upright heart like God’s. It is a manifestation of being holy. A good person desires to be like Jesus and to be a blessing to others. Goodness manifests itself as being kind, honest, and helpful. “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and great in mercy. The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Ps 145:8, 9).

*FAITHFULNESS

Faithfulness means to be full of faith. It also means to be loyal to God, to His promises, and to His people. Faithfulness means that you trust God as He has revealed Himself in the Bible. You do not depend on what you see. You depend on what God says. All people of faith believed in the invisible work of God. Abraham and Sarah did not see their descendants numerous as stars. But they believed God’s promise and they had Isaac, thru which ‘the stars’ came. Moses did not enter the Promised Land, but he believed what God has promised. Faithfulness means to stay stable and constant in your faith. Faith is both a fruit and a gift of the Holy Spirit. The opposite of faithfulness is to become a traitor.

*GENTLENESS

Gentleness means total submission to God’s will that brings contentment in life. It is also translated as humility, mildness, or meekness. It is not a form of weakness. To be gentle under provocation requires moral strength kept under control. It manifests as thanksgiving to God and being polite and respectful towards men. Gentle people are spiritual and easy to talk to. They are the best teachers especially when there is need for rebuke or correction. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (PV 15:1; NIV). “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted” (Gal 6:1).

“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim 2:24-26). The opposite of gentleness is to be harsh or rough.

God’s gentleness is the source of progress in life. “Your gentleness has made me great” (Ps 18:35).

*SELF-CONTROL

Self-control means will power to keep your emotions submitted to God; to be disciplined and sober, especially during provocation. The opposite is to lack restrain, to be wild in behavior and speech. Self-control means to master yourself. It reveals a champion, one who has disciplined his body and his mind, to win the gold medal. Self-control is the door to true freedom from the wicked destructive lusts of the flesh. It manifests as the joy of the champion with the medal on his neck!  

FRUITS ARE FREEDOM

“Against such there is no law” (Gal 5:23)

All these fruits of the Holy Spirit bring the blessing of protection from the law of God. In heaven and on earth, there is no law against them. Having these fruits releases the believer from guilt, or condemnation. These are the fruits of spiritual maturity, freedom, and progress.  When the unbelievers say they want freedom, what they mean is to become lawless, selfish, and wild. Their so-called freedom is a cover for sin. But that is not true freedom! It is bondage! But the believer is free indeed by the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit. He gladly submits to God’s law, obeying it, and also helping men do the same. They do not abuse freedom. They submit to the law of Christ which is the law of love!

CRUCIFY THE FLESH AND WALK IN THE SPIRIT

“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit]. We must not become conceited, challenging, or provoking one another, envying one another” (Gal 5:24-26; AMP).  

Practically, how do we make spiritual progress? We need to walk in the Spirit and then, the fruits will grow. Our flesh will lose its power to work sinful acts. How do we learn to walk led by the Spirit? Read the Bible, fast, and pray. Attend a living church. Serve God in any capacity in His house. Submit to God and to His delegated authority in your church. As you are busy with spiritual things, the flesh will be tired to ask for attention. Eventually, the flesh will be defeated. The spirit in you will become stronger. This is the royal way of the Cross.

It is important to be aware of the reality of this conflict between flesh and spirit. Do not be ignorant. For as long as we live, there is this internal spiritual conflict. The flesh has its own desires. The devil will take advantage of them. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you need to choose to walk in the Spirit. This conflict is proof that you are saved. The devil does not attack the unbelievers with the same force. Remember your freedom. Also, remember that sinful thoughts are not sins except you chose to welcome them. Temptation is not sin. Falling in the midst of temptation, that is sin.  Do not stop walking in the Spirit. Do not give up on God or on yourself. This conflict is like a marathon. It lasts until your last breath. If you fall into sin, repent, and then you get up. You are a winner! That is your destiny approved in heaven and worked on earth!

The flesh produces ‘works’. This word is in plural. The Spirit produces ‘fruit’. It is singular. ‘The slices of the fruit of the Spirit are united and work well together creating an organic unit. But the flesh ‘parts’ quarrel with one another.

Walking by the Spirit is the only way to make progress in life. As believers we enter into a new way of life. The past is fading and the new life, the higher Christ-life, becomes our portion and destiny. Walking in the Spirit is the only cure to stagnation or backsliding. 

Hagar and Peninnah are symbols of the works of the flesh. Sarah and Hannah are symbols of the fruit of the Spirit.

All God’s promises are given to The Seed, to Jesus. God has no promises outside Jesus! If you have Jesus, by God’s grace, you shall grow like a tree planted by the river of life. If you have Jesus, you will make progress. If you have Jesus, then you have everything you need!

WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them” (Matt 7:15-19).

Jesus warns us about the false religious believers. Who are these people? They are in the churches. They say that they believe the Bible, but they do not apply the Word of God in practical life. They preach an easy salvation and a cheap grace. They avoid some topics. For example, they do not preach about the Cross of Christ, hell, repentance, or self-examination. They preach that Jesus has come to make you happy and wealthy. Listen to this spiritual law: Doctrine influences behavior! Whatever teaching you believe, if it is true or false, it will eventually manifest for all to see. Christianity is a miracle! Jesus said: ‘You must be born again’! These false believers are not born again. They have done some ‘spiritual cosmetic surgery’. They have stopped committing some major visible sins like adultery or drinking alcohol. But their hearts have not changed. They dress in ‘sheep’s clothing’ but inwardly they are still like ravenous – extremely hungry- wolves. This is the danger of hypocrisy!

Jesus said that all men are divided into two groups: good and bad. In other words, there are believers and unbelievers. Symbolically, they are like good trees and bad trees. Each type of tree produces its own fruit. There is no mixture in between. A good tree can only produce good fruit. These are the true believers. They cannot produce bad fruit. They cannot habitually practice wickedness again. The religious unbelievers produce bad fruit. They cannot produce the good fruit of the Holy Spirit. These are like the bad trees that will be cut down and thrown into the fire of hell. They are proud. They are wicked. They do not care if they break your purse or your heart. True believers are sober and joyful at the same time. These fake believers are always superficial in doctrine and behavior. What can we do to discover these people? Jesus warns us to look for the fruit of the Spirit. It may take time. Be patient. Wait! Test a man before you trust him! There is a danger of being deceived and misled by false prophets. But once you find a good tree, submit, and eat from its fruit! Selah!

HANNAH GRACE (1 Sam 1 and 2)

This is the story of Hannah, a woman of God. Her name means Grace. She was barren because ‘The Lord closed her womb’ (1 Sam 1:5). In Hebrew, the word ‘closed’ means to shut down for repairs; to isolate for quarantine. Her husband, Elkanah, married a second wife called Peninnah, possibly to have children. But Elkanah loved Hannah. Each year, they all go to Shiloh, where God’s temple is, to worship God. Peniniah is a wicked woman. She represents the works of the flesh. She provokes Hannah who represents the fruit of the Spirit. Hannah, in great sorrow and pain, goes to pray. The word ‘prayer’ appears 6 times in 1 Samuel 1. See the importance of prayer!

Hannah asked God for a son. She vows to God that her son will be given back to God to serve Him all the days of his life. God answers her prayers. Hannah has a baby boy. She names him Samuel ‘God has heard my prayer’. She brings her son to God! God gives her five other children. Her first son is Samuel, becomes a great man of God. He is a prophet, a leader, and a judge in Israel. God uses him to bring revival in Israel. He anoints the first two kings of Israel, Saul, and David. Outwardly, Hannah was just an ordinary woman. She was a housewife. But thru her faith and prayers, she touches God who opens the womb that He has once closed. Hannah is not a queen but she speaks like a queen. She is not a prophet but she speaks like a prophet. She is a true servant of God! Hannah believes in the power of resurrection. Hannah believes in the power of prayer. She prayed that God remembers her. When she knew that it was God who closed her womb ‘for repairs’ she did not get angry with God. She did not become bitter like Naomi. She prayed to the same God who shut the womb knowing that He is the only one who will open it once the ‘repairs’ were finished. She prayed to God, Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of the armies of heaven. She saw God as the surgeon who will operate on her womb. She had faith that her time on the surgical theater is not wasted, but it is a time of healing for her. This faith helped her to endure faithfully, even when Peninnah provoked her with malice.    

Hannah did what Eli failed to do! She proved that you can love God more than children! She passed the test of a true worshipper. Eli failed to pass that same test. Hannah became the leader of anointing in Israel. Samuel carried her anointing into his ministry. This is a reminder that you do not need to hold an official position or title in the church to become a true leader. The title of a pastor or bishop does not come with the anointing. You have to receive that anointing from God and not from men!

As you can see, Eli, was the high priest at that time but he was a weak man. He is also a weak father. God chastises him for not restraining his two sons, Hophni and Phineas. They were also priests. But their behavior was openly rebellious against God. “So the sin of the [two] young men [Hophni and Phinehas] was very great before the LORD, for the men treated the offering of the LORD disrespectfully” (1 Sam 2:17; AMP). God punished this priestly family. Father and both sons died in the same day. From this moment on, God opened the way for Samuel to step into the spiritual gap and to lead Israel, as a judge, priest, and prophet! Selah!

Hannah’s husband, Elkanah, stands for God. He asked her: “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (1 Sam 1:8). This is God’s voice to the barren Hannah. God wanted her to love Him more than children. Jesus said: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matt 10:37-39). Once Hannah loved God more than her own life, she was ready for her miracle! God remembered her. He gave her Samuel. The dead womb became fruitful! At that time, Israel was backsliding as a nation. Through her son, the nation enters into a new realm. Israel becomes a Kingdom. In that darkness, God uses a simple woman to shine the light of revival in the nation! May this be our story! Worship the Lord!

MY PROGRESS IS EVIDENT TO ALL (7)/ LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled My Progress is evident to all (7)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books of 1 Timothy 4:12-16; 1 John 4:1-11; Ru 2:1-23; 3:1-11.

MAY YOUR PROGRESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:12-16)

Prophetic word: We declare that in Christ, we have entered our Promised Land and our progress is evident to all!

Spiritual maturity manifests as ‘progress’ that can be seen by others. Progress is defined as a slow forward movement towards a goal, to an improved condition in life, on the path to perfection. It means to advance in life, closer to the place where your dreams are fulfilled. The opposite of progress means to go back, to become worse, to sink, to lose benefits, or to waste away. May we pay the price for godly success!

THE PROGRESS OF GOD’S WORD IS EVIDENT TO ALL  

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Is 55:10, 11).

Like the rain and the snow, God’s Word goes forth from His mouth in heaven, and goes down to the earth. Like the rain and the snow, the Word touches the people of the earth and brings eternal life to them. God’s Word is a heavenly gift to men. The Word has power and purpose. It is always effectual. The Word prospers in the plan of God. The Word pleases God in its work among men. God has created all things including the rain and the snow. These are His servants. They have a purpose as they fall to the earth. They will not fail in their purpose. Their work on earth brings praise to God. “Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all the depths; 8 Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word” (Ps 148:7, 8). The rain has no seed. The rain alone cannot produce a harvest. But the rain waters the seed planted, and the harvest will surely come. In the winter, the snow covers the earth like a warm blanket and protects it from freezing. “He gives [to the earth] snow like [a blanket of] wool” (Ps 147:16; AMP). The seed planted in the autumn survives under the snow, and it will grow in the springtime. Therefore, the Word of God protects itself from danger and has the power of resurrection inside. The Word of God is stronger than all obstacles. It is always fruitful. It produces seeds and bread. Seed is for the farmer. The Word of God blesses the worker with more seed. God’s Word blesses the work of our hands and the words of our mouths. The Word is bread for the hungry, for him who is too weak to work.

God’s Word will not go back to Him in heaven ‘void’. In Hebrew, the word ‘void’ means to be empty handed, barren, to have no effect. It means a project that ended in failure. This is God’s revelation. God’s Word does not go back to Him until it has performed the pleasure of God on earth. God’s Word is creative. It is always successful in accomplishing God’s purpose. The Word is never spoken in vain. When the Gospel is preached, God always has a purpose. The elect will repent and surrender to Jesus. They become saved. The unbelievers harden their hearts and reject God’s Word. It is like rain falling on a hard rock. It is useless. But even then, God has accomplished His purpose in the sending of His Word. The hard rock cannot say that it does not know what water is. The unbeliever has no excuse on the day of judgment. He cannot say that God did not extend grace to him on earth. He has to confess that he rejected the Gospel. That is why he must go to hell.

Never forget that! God’s Word always prospers to the glory of God! In Hebrew, the word ‘prosper’ means to push forward. It always makes progress, and it will be evident to all. God’s Word gives life, or it will kill. God never regrets sending His Word. God never apologizes sending the Word. We must faithfully preach God’s with confidence. To the glory of God and to the good of men, for the saving of their souls! Glory to God!

LOVE DEFINED

Love is a strong deep tender feeling of affection and concern arising from close friendship; it is good will towards another. When you love, you like another very much and you desire his good. These are some examples of love: Friends love one another. Parents love their children. The love in the godly Marriage is different and unique. The husband and his wife love one another spiritually, faithfully, romantically, and sexually.

This is the classical description of Biblical agape love: “Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking; it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening]. 8 Love never fails [it never fades nor ends]” (1 Cor 13:4-8; AMP).

If you change the word ‘love’ with Christ, you will find that it is a perfect match. The agape love of God is a product of His Grace. God loves us not because we are good. God’s love is unmerited and cannot be earned. It is by Grace alone. God’s love manifests as kindness, forgiveness, as helping the weak, and as humility that desires the good of others. The best expression of God’s Love is displayed in Christ Crucified. Selah!

In the Bible, love is not just a feeling. It is God’s command; it is a mind and a will actively engaged. Love is expressed through both words and actions. Many Christians know the doctrines, but they do not apply the word they know. Love is always an application of God’s Word. Few are successful in loving people. Why do you think that God commands us to love others? It’s because love is a champion, a leader. “Love never fails” (1 Cor 13:8). In Greek, the word ‘fails’ has two meanings. The first one describes a bad actor who is not received by the audience. The people shout at him, and he leaves the stage in shame. The second meaning describes a rose, whose petals whiter and fall to the ground. In both these pictures you see the sadness of failure. But God’s Word says that Love will not be rejected and will not fall down dead. It will be received by men. It will eternally remain fresh, strong, and fragrant. The more you love like Jesus, the more you shall receive favor from both God and man. If you truly love, you become more than a conqueror. You depart from the realm of failure. You enter the triumphal procession of eternal victory. All lovers are leaders! They alone are able to endure and hope for all things. They alone are able to change the world!   

TEST BEFORE YOU TRUST

“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. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore, they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 Jn 4:1-11)

To make progress, you must drive away the spirit of fear and become filled with power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).  We shall study God’s love. In the Book of 1 John there are three major commandments. The first one is to love God with all our hearts. This is how we know that we are God’s children. The second command is to love the brethren. This is a sure test that we are born again. The third command is to test and avoid false doctrines. In the history of the church, immediately the apostles wrote the New Testament, false teachers appeared and brought in false doctrines. These doctrines are brought by religious evil spirits of ‘Antichrist’. We are warned to ‘test the spirits, whether they are from God’ or not. God’s warning remains standing forever. The spirit of Antichrist is a religious spirit. People who are under the influence of this spirit do not deny Christ openly. They say that they believe in Jesus. They belong to the visible church. They are insiders and difficult to discover. That is why they are dangerous. What do they preach? They preach by the power of ‘another spirit, another Jesus, and another Gospel’ (Gal 1:6,7). They do not preach The true Gospel of Christ Crucified and Resurrected. Something is lacking in their sermons. The most important missing element is that they remove from the glory of the Person of Jesus. To cheat God of His glory is a most serious danger. God does not forgive such a sin. King Herod tried to share in God’s glory, and he died instantly (Ac 12:21-23).

Listen to what God says: “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isa 42:8). Behold a glimpse from the worship in heaven: “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 4:11). As you can see, all glory, honor and power belong to the Lord, the Creator, and the Sustainer of all things on earth and in heaven. Practically, what does it mean to share in God’s glory? It means to be proud, to boast about yourself, about your achievements. Jesus is seated on the Throne. By your words and attitude, you claim a portion from His throne. You want men to worship you too. This is what Lucifer tried to do and he was sent away from heaven. The spirit of Antichrist does not totally deny Jesus, but it lowers Jesus to lift himself. You need the discernment of the Holy Spirit to identify this demon. Many churches are under the influence of this evil religious spirit. The pastors and the congregation are proud. They are a hindrance to the movement of the Holy Spirit in the church. These religious spirits are strongholds positioned to block revival. This is God’s warning: Test before you trust men! Flee from proud pastors! But once a pastor has passed your test, then submit and honor him! He is not perfect but he is a genuine believer and acceptable to God!

This is the Gospel: Jesus is God. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. He took flesh upon Himself and became Man. Jesus was 100% God and 100% Man. Not 50-50. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary. This is called the Incarnation. He became a real Man. During His life on earth, His glory was covered by His flesh. That is why men did not know that He is God. But He revealed Himself to those He called to Him. The spirit of Antichrist preaches an incomplete Jesus. He denies either the fact that Jesus is God, or the fact that He was a true Man. This is an error. For if Jesus is not God, then He did not resurrect. He is still in the grave like all men. If Jesus is not Man, then He cannot save men from sins, because He cannot die in their place. This ‘another Jesus’ lacks the power to truly save men from sins. It is a religious spirit of deception. If you want to know the truth about the spirit of Antichrist, study the Jesus those pastors are preaching. They do not give Jesus the glory due to Him. They do not put Jesus in the center of their preaching. They worship men, religion, miracles, ministry, or money. The ‘other gospel’ is a false powerless gospel that does not save. Be honest with yourself! Ask yourself some questions about the teachers or the preachers you listen to: Do they try to obey God’s Word in their daily lives? Are they humble? Do they repent when they do wrong? Do they put Jesus in the center of their lives? Do they seek the Kingdom of God first, or they seek fame and money. Do they love the brethren? Do they have good marriages, and godly relationships with others? Is their spiritual and natural progress in life evident to all? These are serious questions that need an answer. The testing is done to avoid deception and much pain in the future. Prevention is better than cure! Selah!

KNOWING GOD THRU LOVE

It has been said that Paul was the Apostle of Faith; Peter was the Apostle of Hope and John was the Apostle of Love.  Just to have an idea, Apostle John uses the word ‘love’ 51 times in the First epistle John. In Greek, the word ‘Love’ is Agape. This is not a sexual or a friendly type of love. It is the sacrificial love of God, manifested in the death of Jesus on the Cross on behalf of sinners. Agape love starts with God the Father who sent God the Son to be ‘a propitiation’, an atoning, for our sins. We are told that ‘God is Love’. This is a revelation of the Person of God. It means more than God is loving. God’s very nature is fullness of Love. All God’s deeds are the deeds of Grace manifested as Love. As God is Light so God is Love! This is the reality of our Father in Heaven. When we become born again, we are not only forgiven of sins, the very nature of God is given to us. Our spiritual DNA is changed and becomes holy. Our life becomes different because of the internal change in our spirits. By God’s Power we have been given “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). As believers, we are ‘partakers of the divine nature of God’. We share in God’s nature. We are now children of God indeed. That is why salvation is a miracle and only God can do it. That is why we love like God loves!

Love knows God! Mark this: no unbeliever can love like this. This brotherly agape love is manifested only by God’s children. Experiencing this God’s type of Love is a sign that you are truly born again. This love is returned to God in praise and worship. It manifests practically through loving the brethren. Now you see why loving all people with the love of God is a sign and a proof that you are saved. Jesus said: “You will know them by their fruits” (Matt 7:16). The first fruit of the Holy Spirit in your human spirit is Love. There is no law to condemn a man who has God’s love in his heart. The agape love in your heart is the totally safe shield against any form of accusation, condemnation or guilt. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22, 23).

Experiencing God’s Love is also the best practical way to display the heavenly family traits. The child of God loves like His Father in heaven. He cannot hate people anymore. He suffers when rejected but he cannot hate his enemies anymore. This is a miracle experienced only by the born again believers. The power of Agape Love drives away all fears, ignorance, shame, and guilt. Many Christians know the Bible, but they do not love like this. It is not enough to know the letter without experiencing and applying the Spirit of the Word. That religious knowledge will make you proud. “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]” (1 Cor 8:1; AMP).

Love is more powerful than faith. Love is bold. Love never loses any battle. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word. Love comes by God’s Spirit and matures as we love the unlovely for Christ’s sake. Faith needs open ears. Love needs open hearts, strong hands to embrace and strength to carry the needy. In the natural, you cannot command someone to love! For example, you cannot command a man to love his wife or children. But in the Kingdom of God, love is a command from God and the right answer is ‘Yes, Sir!’ The children of God love others! Lesson: If you are saved and you refuse to love others, even the difficult people, you are breaking God’s law. When you love God and man, you will know God and man! Experiencing and manifesting God’s Love is a major way to believe in the Trinity, to truly know God. The doctrine of Trinity is mysterious to man. Nothing else but love helps faith in this matter. The Holy Trinity remains a theory for all who do not love with God’s love. Selah!

God’s Love alone is able to replace the evil rebellious spirit of Cain in our hearts. Cain was jealous on his brother Abel, and he killed him. “Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen 4:8,9). God commands us to love, care, protect and help our ‘brothers and sisters’. Yes, I am my brother’s keeper!

WHAT MANNER OF LOVE IS THIS?

God is love. His love manifests in many ways. Like a wonderful architect, God created the earth and all living things on it. He created them not only to function as robots, but He added beauty to creation. Look at the flowers, at the sunrise, or at the blue skies. Even on earth, when a man is in love with his wife, he becomes very creative. God is an Artist, moved by love to make all things beautiful. God made man and placed him in a beautiful garden. Even after Adam sinned, God continued to love him. His general grace manifests in giving good gifts to all men, to the good and to the bad.  God’s love is revealed through His Grace and in His kindness to all. “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt 5:45). But the greatest love of God is revealed in the Gospel. This is the love story of God towards man. The love story starts with God the Father. He is the One who planned saving sinners like us. But before you appreciate God’s love you need to know man first. Man is born a sinner. This is our story: We are born haters of God and men; selfish and wicked. We are sinners by birth and by choice. Before we got saved, we wanted nothing to do with God. We did not seek God. We were using God’s world without shame and even spoiling it. And we are not grateful. What did God do? In this world of sin, God sent His only Begotten Son. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. God the Father sent God the Son to this sinful world to save men. This is Love! Men hated Jesus and His words. They persecuted Him, rejected Him, and finally, killed Him on a Cross. Why did Jesus come to this world to suffer so much? Because of God’s Love for us. To be saved, we needed ‘propitiation’ for our sins. This word means ‘atonement’. Jesus came as the needed Sacrifice for us. This is the doctrine of propitiation or the substitutionary sacrifice of God’s Son, who died as the Lamb of God on behalf of sinners. This is the Gospel: Jesus became sin for us so that we can be saved. Nothing else but the Blood of Jesus could atone for our sins. “For He (God the Father) made Him (Jesus Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). The mystery of salvation!

Try to imagine the price paid by both God the Father and God the Son for such a great salvation. Only Love can do that! You are parents. Can you imagine the possibility that you will send your only child to die for your wicked neighbor? Will you not think that the price for that love is too much for you? But this is what God did. Read these holy words: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:6-8). Jesus died while we still hated Him. He did not wait for us to repent before He went to the Cross. He paid the price long before we could understand His love and be willing to bow at His feet in worship. From these words you see that to understand God’s love you must study God’s Word. The subject of God’s Love does not come from some romantic poems, and not even from beautiful worship songs. It comes from knowing the doctrines of the Bible. You need to use your mind before your heart beats the song of love. That is why Jesus said that love means knowing and obeying God’s commands. “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Obeying God’s Word in practice, will manifest God’s love to you!

Out of the overflow of this agape Love from God, we are commanded to love one another. Jesus said that Love will be now the new standard and command from God. Love is the final word in obedience. Just before the Cross, Jesus said to His disciples: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34. 35). Love is the primary subject in the school of the Spirit where Jesus is the Teacher. Love is the badge of honor and the identity card of all His students. This love must be learned and practiced. It is not easy. Love has scars. But refusing to learn the subject of love will close the door to the privilege to be thought by the greatest Teacher in the whole universe. Loving God with all your heart, mind and strength is the first commandment. The overflow of this love will manifest in loving people; even the unlovely. That is why the true test of a disciple and a worshipper, is not just loving God that he cannot see, but loving the people he sees.

LOVE FULFILLS THE LAW OF GOD

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:8-10). Love never hurts anyone! Only a child of God can love the unlovely!

Now, a practical question: How can you love the people you dislike? Look at three Persons: yourself, God and that one you dislike! First, humble yourself! Remember who you were before God met you. God loved and saved you not because you were good but because He chose to do that. God chose to love you because of His Grace. Once you forget yourself and you become proud, you will not be able to love others. Always remind yourself of that first happy day when Jesus saved your soul. Secondly, worship God! Remember who God is, how great He is! Don’t forget how much He has done for you. Remember the price God the Father and God the Son have paid for your salvation. Love is never cheap. Love pays with its blood. Jesus bled to death to pay for your ‘bride price’. You owe Him your body, your soul, and your spirit. He has done what no man could do. All the organs of your body must be used for His glory. For example, we are commanded to run away from sexual sins. “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s“ (1 Cor 6:18-20). Sexual lust is a fake manipulating ‘love’. It is selfish, greedy, wicked, and always destructive. Adulterers are totally ignorant of true love. They cannot even imagine the love of Jesus. Paul commands us to ‘flee’ sexual sins. He gives the reasons why. Paul says that your body was bought by Jesus. He paid for it with His Blood. Therefore, your body is not yours anymore. It has now become the temple of the Spirit of Jesus who died for you. It is reasonable to expect that your body should be used to glorify Jesus always. It is not just sexual sins that defile the body. Speaking in anger, insulting people, quarreling, and all other social sins reflect a lack of love. By doing this, you break the command to love one another. Selah!

Finally, after you have remembered who you were as a sinner and what God has done for you, then you look at that person you dislike. Look again with prayer in your heart and with the eyes of God. See that stubborn person as a victim of Satan. See him as an ignorant man who destroys himself. See him and have compassion for him. With that holy attitude, slowly but surely, love will bloom in your hardened heart and God will be glorified! Love is hard work but oh, the harvest of souls that comes to the wise! Praise the Lord!

LOVE IN MARRIAGE

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So, husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church“ (Eph 5:25-32)

The husband is commanded to love his wife in a particular way. For husbands, love is a command. They cannot choose whether to love their wives or not. Read again: they ‘ought to love’. In Greek, the word ‘ought’ it means to owe, morally to be under obligation. Failing to love your wife is considered failing in your duty as a soldier of Christ! Husband, please meditate about your God given duty! You must love your wife! Your answer should be ‘Yes, Sir!’ The husband’s love is a picture of Christ’s love. It is a sacrificial love. It is a king, generous, wise, ready to help love! It is a love that has hope, knowing that his wife, like wine, will be better as she gets older. In the future, she will be presented to him as a mature fulfilled woman of God!

THE LOVE STORY OF BOAZ AND RUTH

The love story between Boaz and Ruth reveals the love of God in the marriage. The name Boaz means ‘Strength’. The name Ruth means ‘Friend’. Ruth was a poor widow who came to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Ruth was a Moabite who married Naomi’s son, who died in Moab. When Naomi heard that ‘the Lord has visited His people by giving them bread’ she decided to go back to Bethlehem, her place of birth. Her two daughters-in-law followed her. She told them that there is no hope for them in Israel. Orpah decided to go back to her people and her gods. This was ‘common sense’. She leaves the pages of the Bible. But Ruth decided ‘to cling’ to Naomi. The word ‘cling’ is the same word ‘joined’ that God used to describe marriage between a man and a woman (Gen 2:24). This is a covenant word. Ruth pledges her life to serve Naomi until death. She even invoked a curse upon herself in the presence of Jehovah God. She said that God should punish her if she is unfaithful to Naomi unto death. By going to a place where Naomi had no hope for her, Ruth enters the lineage of saints. Ruth/Friend is a picture of the Bride of Christ!

Boaz knew of her pledge to serve Naomi, who was his family member. He was impressed by Ruth’s faithfulness to his ‘cousin’. But in that field, gleaning with the poor people, there is nothing to recommend Ruth to Boaz. He was the richest man in Bethlehem. Ruth was gleaning grains in his field. See their discussions. They both appreciate their kindness to one another. Love is always kind! Listen to Ruth talking to Boaz: “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord; for you have comforted me, and have spoken kindly to your maidservant, though I am not like one of your maidservants” (Ru 2:13). Listen to Boaz talking to Ruth: “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich” (Ru 3:10). Lesson: marry not based on physical appearance! Marry a child of God! Marry a kind, loving, humble, generous person!

Ruth could glean in Boaz’ field because the law permitted her to do so (Lev 19:9). But only Grace could speak kindly to her, protect her, and give her food to eat. Grace and Love came to Ruth through Boaz. A sinner repents not because of God’s wrath, but because God’s Love and Goodness has manifested to him. “Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (Rom 2:4). Glory to God!

This is the story of the power of love and progress grace makes. Just imagine the impact Ruth made in Bethlehem! The Grace that she found and she released! Love protects! Boaz tells Ruth that she will be totally protected in his field. Love is generous. Boaz tells Ruth to eat with his workers. He tells his men to drop ‘handfuls of grain on purpose’ for her to glean. Boaz gives her grain to take to Naomi. Boaz tells Ruth not to tell anybody that she came to talk to him in the night. This is to protect her reputation. Love is creative. Boaz found wisdom to win Ruth as his wife. But the story of Boaz and Ruth is not what you see in Hollywood. It is a different type of story. Thiers was not so much a love match. It was a character match. Nevertheless, it was love.  Love is fruitful. Boaz and Ruth marry. Their son Obed is in the line of King David and the Lord Jesus Christ. The true hero of Love here is another One who also came to Bethlehem. He is the true Kinsman Redeemer. He came from heaven to seek and to find the lost sheep shivering in the cold alleys of sin. He came and died for His own. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). If you want to see the face of love, look at Calvary. Jesus is Lord! To God be all the glory! Worship the Lord!

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled My Progress is evident to all (6)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books of 1 Timothy 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 1:8, 7; Matthew 5:14-16; Judges 6:1-16; 7:7-22.

MAY YOUR PROGRESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:12-16)

Prophetic word: We declare that in Christ, we have entered our Promised Land and our progress is evident to all!

Spiritual maturity manifests as ‘progress’ that can be seen by others. Progress is defined as a slow forward movement towards a goal, to an improved condition in life, on the path to perfection. It means to advance in life, closer to the place where your dreams are fulfilled. The opposite of progress means to go back, to become worse, to sink, to lose benefits, or to waste away. May we pay the price for godly success!

FEAR DEFINED

Fear is a natural, powerful, and unpleasant emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, or pain, whether the threat is real or imagined.  Fear affects the body and the emotions. When under a threat, the body reacts in a specific way. The level of adrenaline increases, the body gets tense, the mind is more alert, ready to fight or to flee. It is a good survival response. But fear has an emotional component too. Each person reacts in a unique way when afraid or worried. But these are some common symptoms: dry mouth, trembling, chest pain, increased heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, or stomach cramps. Fear makes the victim feel overwhelmed, like drowning, like losing control, fainting, or feeling like dying. Fear focuses on something, real or imaginary. Anxiety is a general form of fear that has no particular object in mind. The most common types of fear are fear of spiders, of snakes, of heights, of crowded places where escape is difficult, and fear of dogs. Other fears that affect your life in society are these: fear of poverty, fear of loneliness, of sickness, of old age, of connecting with people (timidity), fear of success, of rejection, or being abandoned (by God or people).

Relationships are some of the most difficult and dangerous works we do on earth. It is easy to be hurt by people. Most people pretend to be someone else. Hypocrisy is rooted in fear. Many are afraid to be themselves in their relationships with others. For example, because you have opened your heart to somebody, and that person hurt you in your vulnerability, you now close your heart to others. You are afraid to connect and be intimate even with your spouse. Another example: you have been successful in life, but you now feel guilty because your success has made others fail. You then decide to remain in the shadows, not making progress anymore. This position is difficult to maintain, and it creates emotional tension and anxiety. You feel that this world does not allow you to fully display your gifts, and creative ideas. You then chose to live ‘a simple life’ of safe mediocrity. But this type of life never brings joy, and it lacks fulfilment. To be free from fears is a great achievement. Only a mature Spirit filled believer in Christ can achieve that!

TYPES OF FEAR

There are different types of fear recognized in the Bible. Some are good and others are bad. These are some examples:

*The holy fear of God. This is the necessary fear and reverence of men towards God, their Creator. It produces godly wisdom. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (PV 9:10).  

*The unholy fear coming from unforgiven sin. It comes from hearing God’s Word but refusing to repent. Adam said to God: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen 3:10). Felix was afraid when Apostle Paul was preaching (Ac 24:25).

*The fear and terror of the wicked towards God. “There they are in great fear, for God is with the generation of the righteous” (Ps 14:5).

*The unbelievers fear God’s obedient people. This fear is to protect the believers. It is a blessing of obedience. “The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you” (Deut 28:9,10).

*The good fear of man, respecting people in authority. “Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Rom 13:3,4).

*The bad fear of men, being intimidated by others. Joshua and Caleb said: “Do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them” (Num 14:9). “The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe” (PV 29:25).

*The bad fear of man as Timidity. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7).

I WAS AFRAID

“Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So, he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Gen 3:9, 10).

The first-time fear entered humanity was in the Garden of Eden. The original sin brought along fear, shame, and guilt. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command. They listened to the devil’s lies and sinned. Fear entered their hearts. Adam thought that by hiding behind the trees in the garden, God will not see him. He forgot that God is omnipresent and sees everything. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, Even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” even the night shall be light about me” (Ps 139:7-11).

Sin was a disappointment to Adam. He thought that by obeying the devil, he will be free from God and His commandments. Lesson: Many people still believe that. They think that by running away from God, from the Bible and from church, they will be free in life. That is a lie and a deception. Only in an intimate relationship with God, your Creator, you can find freedom as a man. Sin always brings bondage. Being right with God, is called righteousness. Righteousness is found in Christ alone and it is the only way to find peace, joy, freedom, and fulfilment in life.

Like Adam, men fear God and hide from Him behind ‘trees’ of worldly pleasures, philosophy, and material prosperity. But none can hide from God. As you can see, God is seeking Adam in the Garden. He will not leave him alone, even in his fallen state. Before sin, God and Adam had a wonderful intimate relationship with one another. Adam was happy and fulfilled. It was not the flowers and the fruits. It was not even his marriage with Eve. It was Adam’s relationship with God, visiting in the cool of the day, in the garden. That made Eden a paradise. Adam never felt naked in God’s presence. God’s glory reflected on him, covered him with garments of light. He felt safe and loved. He felt accepted by God. He felt free to dream and to talk. That was strength to live well! Out of this overflowing power, Adam could love his wife. This was paradise. The devil hated it. He was jealous on Adam. He deceived Eve and Adam broke the command. Sin entered humanity. Since then, nothing is exactly the same. All men have inherited Adam’s sin and fears. We are born naked, ashamed, hiding behind trees, hoping that God will not come to ask us questions. This is the sad story of man. The only way out of it is to become born again, by God’s grace and thru faith in the Gospel of Christ.                           

Eve was deceived by the serpent. When she gives the forbidden fruit to Adam, he takes it. She is not seducing him. Adam raises no questions. He puts no resistance. This is strange. Both fell to the same manipulation of the devil. They were not satisfied with God provision in the Garden. They wanted something more. They wanted more wisdom, and more freedom. They broke the law and they sinned. Immediately, they felt ashamed because they were naked. Light can be clothing for the righteous. Once they sinned, that light went off. That is how they felt ashamed and afraid. After the fall, everything looked worse. Backsliding is shameful. Jesus says: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (Rev 16:15). Sin destroys the covering. It brings fear of punishment, guilt, and shame.

When God created Adam and Eve, they did not experience fear. But through sin, fear entered. Lies always bring fear along. We see that God gave Adam and Eve them much freedom. God allowed the devil to possess the snake and to tempt them. They broke the only law God gave to them. God said: don’t eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Once they broke the law, ‘their eyes opened’, not to more wisdom or freedom, but to the truth that they are now lawbreakers. They have offended their creator and the pastor who married them. This revelation brought fear, shame, and guilt. Before now, they were naked, but they did not feel ashamed. Now, they feel the need to cover themselves. They try to cover their nakedness with aprons made of fig leaves. But this cover is useless. The fig leaves stand for the human wisdom of salvation. It never works. It is not strong enough to atone for sin.

Adam hides behind the tree. That hiding does not work. Adam is afraid. He has never felt that emotion before now. In the past, Adam was happy to meet with God. But now, Adam did not come out happily showing God the fig leaves apron that he had made. He knew that it was not sufficient. The leaves probably covered their genitals. This area is now seen as a most sinful part of the body because sin will spread thru it. That is why they covered it. Why was Adam afraid? He was expecting God to be angry and to punish him. This is how children behave who offend their parents. Adam was afraid that God will shout at him or punish him. But God did not do that. God knew what Adam did. He still comes as before, in the cool of the evening, to have fellowship with Adam, to talk to him as a father and friend. This is called Christophany. It is the Lord Jesus Christ in human form who appeared to them in the Garden. “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn 1:18).

Just imagine this scene… Jesus comes with open arms knowing that Adam has broken His heart thru disobedience, and knowing the mighty price He will pay to restore God’s relationship with man. Jesus asked Adam: ‘Where are you?’ This is not the shout of a military commander. It is the question of a father whose son broke his heart. ‘Where are you, Adam’? Of course, Jesus knew what has happened. But He still asked the question. Why? The question was meant to reveal that Adam has sinned and there is now a gap between God and man. Their relationship will not be the same again. The question requires an answer, which must be repentance from sin. It means man is responsible for his sin. The question also reveals the pain in the heart of Jesus, the Savior will ‘came to seek and save that which is lost’ (Lk 19:10). See the way God confronts sinners: He came personally. He came in the evening when is the best time to relax and listen. He told Adam and Eve the truth in love. God the Father sent God the Son to die for sinners. It is God the Holy Spirit who convicts sinners of sin and guilt. God does not delegate this mighty work of salvation to angels. God is the God of personal salvation!  

Adam replies: I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid: Sin made Adam afraid of God’s presence and afraid of God’s voice. Ever since that time, men run from God’s presence and don’t want to listen to His Word. For the righteous, in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy’ (Ps 16:11). But for the sinner, the presence of God brings bad memories, guilt, fear, and shame. Jesus asked Adam: Who told you that you are naked? Adam could have repented at that moment. Adam should have said like the prodigal son: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Lk 15:21). But he chose not to. Adam blamed his wife for their sin. He even blamed God who gave him Eve as a wife. Lesson: until we take responsibility for our sin, openly confess, and repent of it, we can’t be free from fear!

Please observe that up to this moment, God only talks to Adam. He does not address Eve. This is because Adam was the head of the home and must take responsibility for their sin. Eve gives an explanation, but she too does not repent. At last, God judges them. Here you see grace in action. They will not die immediately. They will live to have children. But they must leave the Garden. They will work the ground and eat its fruits. Then, in the midst of sin, sorrow, shame, fear and failure, God introduces the hope of the Gospel: From the seed of the woman a Savior will come that will bruise the head of the serpent. The Christ who came to judge them in the Garden, will one day die for them! Praise the Lord!

The fear of punishment was Adam’s main fear. This proves that sin has killed Adam’s love for God and for Eve. “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” (1 Jn 4:18). The word ‘torment’ means suffering, chastisement, or punishment. Even now, demons fear future torment. They told Jesus: “And they cried out, saying, “What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matt 8:29). After King Saul disobeyed God’s Word, God punished him thru a tormenting spirit. “Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD tormented him” (1 Sam 16:14; NIV). Saul became depressed, jealous, and afraid of David. Until he died, Saul refused to repent of his sins.  

Love and fear are opposites. Love attracts and fear separates. Fear can only stay in a heart that is not filled yet with perfect agape love. The word ‘perfect’ means mature, or fruitful. This is a known fact: fear of punishment may deter men from committing open sin, but it cannot make them righteous or loving. Only God’s grace can do that!

The devil is not mentioned directly in Genesis 3. But he is there, using the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve. We are told that God created the serpent and man had dominion over it. God created the snake to be ‘more cunning’ that the other animals. In Hebrew, the word ‘cunning’ is not always a negative word. It means to be wise, prudent, or sensible. The devil used the serpent, manipulated, and controlled his God given wisdom. The serpent became a symbol of evil and God cursed it. The serpent/Satan tempts Eve to disobey God’s only command. He does not talk directly to Adam. But Adam sinned and brought death upon humanity. The cure for this sin is nothing less than the Blood of the Son of God!

“Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” (Matt 19:8). Jesus says that thru sin, man’s heart became ‘hardened’. Before Adam and Eve fell into sin, their hearts were ‘soft’, loving, and kind. The hardness of the heart attracts fear of punishment. In Greek, the word ‘hardness’ means ‘lack of sensitivity’. It is a stubborn and wicked heart that refuses to listen to God’s Word. Adam did not obey God’s only law in the Garden. He refused to repent. He blamed Eve and even God for his sin. Through sin, Adam became hardhearted. Like Cain killed Abel, a sinful husband can kill his wife. Therefore, it is better to divorce than kill her.      

GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US THE SPIRIT OF FEAR

“Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:6, 7).

The command ‘fear not!’ is God’s most common command! It is found 365 times in the Bible, one for each day! If something appears many times in the Bible, then it is very important. To reject fear is God’s command. To obey God’s command is possible only thru faith in Christ alone. The unbelievers cannot stop being afraid or anxious. The believers need to do spiritual warfare to defeat the evil spirit of fear. Timothy tended to be afraid of people in general. That affected his ministry. Paul tells Timothy that he should reject the ‘spirit of fear’. This ‘spirit’ is a demon of cowardice, of timidity. It made Timothy shrink from visibility, from responsibility, from doing his ministry among men. Timidity is defined as being easily frightened, to be shy or nervous, to lack confidence, especially when found among men. A timid man lacks courage and confidence in himself. It is a stronghold in the way of progress in life and ministry. Lesson: the desire to hide from serving God is of the devil.

The spirit of fear must be identified, confronted, and rejected. For as long as this demon has access to your heart, you remain weak, selfish, and anxious. The devil attacks with fear before he attacks with sickness or poverty. Fear is one of the devil’s weapons of choice. Once you become free from fear, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit who manifests as ‘power, love and sound mind’. This power strengthens especially the will. Free from fear, the believer is ready to pay the price for spiritual maturity. This agape love rules the former emotions of selfishness and cowardice. Love is a fighter and a champion. ‘Love never fails’ (1 Cor 13:8  ). The sound mind is a mind that is disciplined, that has self-control. The Christian lives in the world and faces trials and temptations. He displays self-control and rejects all sinful things. He is able to avoid and overcome all obstacles, making progress, spiritually and physically. He is not afraid, confused, or deceived. He knows the truth of God’s Word and he applies it daily growing in faith and wisdom. Boldly, ne makes progress that is evident to all!

Before the Cross, the Lord reminded His disciples not to be afraid. The Holy Spirit will teach them God’s Word. “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn 14:25-27). The natural heart is always troubled and afraid. The word ‘troubled’ means to be easily shaken by trials of life. The Holy Spirit gives peace, strength, and courage to face all circumstances and overcome them.

The spirit of fear in the heart of man is the main reason for failure in life. Fear is a mighty stronghold blocking the way to progress. You cannot ignore fear if you desire to experience success in life. Why do men fear? One reason is that man is so small in this big universe. Looking at the sky, living among million of people, man feels insignificant. Life itself is intimidating. Man may pretend that he is someone great, but deep in his heart, he is afraid because he sees no purpose in life. He knows that life is short, and tomorrow is not promised to anyone. He fears the future. He fears death and the judgment of God. These fears are all real and makes men anxious and restless. Man has peace with God, with himself and with others only thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!

COWARDS GO TO HELL

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” “Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev 21:5-8).

The Resurrected Christ promises to make all things new. The pain, sorrow, weeping and fears we experienced on earth will end one day. Thru Christ, we have overcome. We are God’s children, and we shall inherit all things God has promised. The sin that separated God and man in the Garden of Eden, is destroyed. Thru Christ, man and God are reconciled forever. This is a wonderful picture of paradise restored. But not all people will experience this future bliss. The unbelievers cannot enter through the pearly gates of heaven. Among these people who are rejected by God are the cowards and the unbelievers. These sins are hidden in the heart. A coward is a person who lacks courage and easily runs away from opposition, danger, or pain. A coward cannot be trusted as a friend and cannot be a leader. Even the believers may sometimes fail in times of danger. But the cowards spoken here in the Book of Revelation are in bondage to the spirit of fear and unbelief. This is a spiritual state and not some occasional falling. A coward avoids working for God or for man. They are full of excuses when it comes to work. Cowards are lazy. They are afraid to make hard decisions. They always postpone doing the right thing. A cowardly leader is afraid to discipline the people. He avoids confrontation. The cowards fear progress. They do not mature. The greatest damage cowards make is in their contact with people. Relationships are difficult and they take time. A coward does not open his heart. He does not understand people. He makes mistakes, he hurts, and he disappoints people. A coward is a bad loser. Once he fails, he becomes bitter spreading division and hatred among others. A Christian learns to love people. He takes the risk of receiving pain, but he does not hate people. Thru pain and disappointments, the believer perseveres in his relationships with people. A true Christian leader is humble, courageous, faithful, wise, and loving. He loves God and he loves people.

THE FAITH OF GIDEON (Judges 6 and 7)

Gideon is one of the great men of faith in the Bible. His name means ‘great destroyer or warrior’. He is a hero. He was a weak man who became strong thru his faith in God. Some people are surprised that his name is found in the hall of fame of people of faith. But he is there. Read this: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon… who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens” (Heb 11:32-34).

He was from a poor family. He was a nobody in his family, in his tribe. Lesson: God uses nobodies and make them somebodies!

Gideon has many fears and family problems. His father became an idol worshipper. He is afraid of many things: of the Midianites, of his father and his family, and of standing as a man of God. But his faith in God overcame his fears. His only negative stain upon his character was that his prosperity and fame contributed to his downfall later in life. He threshes wheat in a winepress, probably in a cave. This is an example of a useless business. Gideon has lost his hope in God. When God calls him, he complains because of the circumstances. Then God says: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!… Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man” (Jdg 6:12, 16). Lesson: when God tells you “Surely, I will be with you”, that is all you need! But Gideon needs more reassurance and graciously, God gives it to him.

Gideon rejects fear and destroys his father’s idol. This is his first victory as a man of God. His family are afraid to punish him. Having more courage, Gideon calls volunteers to the army. But God says that the people are too many. When they win the battle, they will boast that it was because of their great army. Gideon commands that whosoever is afraid should go home. Twenty-two thousand cowards leave the army. Lesson: cowards may come to the army and hide their fear. But God cannot use those!

After that, God reduces the army to just 300 soldiers. God does not want man to take the glory, so He reduces man’s strength. God encourages Gideon again. Then God gives the battle plan: use torches, trumpets, and human shouts. Like so many times in the past, only God could have recommended such a strategy. It looks so foolish. No human being could have invented this battle plant. But Gideon trusted God! The plan worked! The enemy became confused, and they fought one another. Gideon and his 300 men broke the pitchers, shone their light, and blew their trumpets shouting, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon’. They stood as the enemy ran away. God caused confusion in their midst, and they destroyed themselves. It was a mighty victory. Peace reigned in Israel for 40 years. Gideon became a famous leader in the land.

Lesson: Stand your ground and the enemy will flee! Your weakness is not your problem. You need faith to believe in an all-powerful God. When you trust your wisdom and strength, you start worshipping idols. That is why God became angry and gave Israel into the hands of Midian. God’s Grace in enough! Rejoice and boast in your weakness so that the power of Christ will rest on you! (2 Cor 12:9,10). All you need is found in these five covenant 5 words: “I will be with you!” This is a powerful weakness. This is the weakness of the Cross, stronger than man’s strength. May we always trust God in our weakness! May we have peace in our hearts during trials! May we serve God! May there be peace in our land!

Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 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. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16).  We must do like Gideon and his soldiers. We must break our pitchers and shine our lights in this dark world. Do not be afraid to stand for Jesus. Do good deeds that none can reject. And blow your trumpet. preach the Gospel!

Jesus says that the world in is darkness. The world lives in fear and ignorance of God. Jesus says that the believer is ‘the light of the world’. Light here means the knowledge of truth. The unbelievers too say that ‘knowledge is light’. But their knowledge is only of science or philosophy. They do not know God. They do not believe God’s Word. Therefore, they still do not have light. The believers are the only people who know God, and His Word, which is truth. They are the only people who understand life and who can give wise counsel to others. This is our great privilege to know and share the truth. The youngest illiterate believer in Christ knows more about life than the unbeliever who is a university professor.

The first thing light does is to expose the darkness. Faith exposes fear! “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” (Eph 5:8-14).

Once light exposes the darkness, the evil people will react and attack the light. But they cannot win against it. Light exposes the darkness and shows its prisoners the way out. The unbelievers who repent will come to the light. Thru you, they have seen that it is possible to live a better life and to make peace with God. Light always wins! Light attracts and saves! The proof that you are out of darkness and that you live in the light is that from now on, you love to praise God! “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” (1 Pet 2:9).  Glory to God!

The light is not supposed to be hidden ‘under a basket’. Why are we commanded to shine our light for Jesus? We were created for that. Jesus is light and we are like Him. It is the destiny and function of the light to shine. A light hidden under a basket is the picture of failure. If you say that you are a Christian, but you keep quiet when you are supposed to talk about Jesus, then you are failing in life. Stand and talk. You must openly serve God! Persecutions may come but God will protect you! This is fulfilling destiny. It is a powerful life that defeats all fears. This is how you make progress evident to all. A silent fearful Christian is backsliding. Repent and come out of that foolishness! You become famous but in a good way. You do not attract people to you! You attract people to the Christ in you! A Christian cannot be hidden. He cannot be a nobody. He is created to shine his light, to preach the Word, to praise God with songs and dances. He does good deeds of kindness that cannot be ignored.

Dear Believer, Christ in you is Life, Light and Hope of Glory. The Darkness and its fears are totally defeated in the presence of light. If you are a child of light, you stand for Jesus without any apologies to the darkness. We are more than conquerors. No devil can quench the Life/Light of Christ in us. “In Him was life [and the power to bestow life], and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness did not understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it]” (John 1:4, 5; AMP). The Light is always a mystery to the darkness. The darkness cannot understand or control the light! The Word has come to give us Life and to open our eyes to the Light! “Once more Jesus addressed the crowd. He said, “I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life“ (Jn 8:12; AMP).

Darkness hates the light but has no power to fight it. Darkness and fear shrink from the light and runs away. “This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For every wrongdoer hates the Light and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him]” (John 3:19-21; AMP). Glory!    

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching“ (2 Tim 4:2).

Gideon broke the pitchers and exposed the lights. He then blew the trumpets. They shouted: “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

Lesson: By doing good and by preaching the Gospel, God will defeat your enemies. You become strong in faith and fear runs away. You need both swords combined! God’s sword is His Word spoken in faith! Gideon’s sword is his mouth used for preaching and praying. This is the secret of victory and destruction of fear. The sword of God alone will not work. God has decided to use men to preach His Word. We are weak, but in Christ we can do all things! God and man! Victory is spiritual warfare to His glory! Worship the Lord!

“Good afternoon, Malia!!!!

I trust you are doing well by the mercies of God.

Malia Baba God is Good, Kind, Faithful and true.

His Word, He will never leave nor forsake us is mine and my family’s testimony.

I testify to the glory of King Grace (My Oga kpatata) and to the shame of the devil.

My Husband was due to return to work and boarded his flight. Before they took off, he said that it took 1hour 30mins while already seated for test run of the airplane.

Once they had taken off, 10mins before landing, heavy rain like never seen started and there was thick clouds, all of a sudden the plane plummeted downwards making some passegers displaced, people immediately started screaming Jesus!!! Then he said this cannot happen, Lord take control.

Then the plane tipped to the left side downwards… He said it was not good at all, the pilot started making announcements, and had to fly at a fast rate to cut through the thick clouds.

But to the glory of KING GRACE!!! the next thing he noticed was they landed safely at the airport where they initially took off from. The next day a different plane was used and he arrived safely at work.

Oh Malia, God is FAITHFUL and GOOD!!His Word is Yes and amen.

A day before he left, I was in the bedroom and immediately the Lord laid in my heart to give Him thanks, to rejoice, that God is with him (my Husband) and immediately I started giving God thanks.

My God is the Good God, yes He is.

This song came to me IMELA (When I think about the goodness of God, I’m convinced is not because I am worthy to receive this kind of love that He gives..Imela, Imela, Okaka, onyekiruwa, Imela, Imela, Eze-mo.

Lord I have come to give and return all the glory to you!!! For sparing the life of your Son, my Hisband, you are Faithful, true, your promises are Yes and amen.

Forever grateful and thankful Lord Jesus.

God bless you Malia, for constantly teaching and showing us the royal way of the Cross.

Your daughter… “

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled My Progress is evident to all (5)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Books of 1 Timothy 4:12-16, 1 Peter 1:3 and Exodus 14:13-18.

MAY YOUR PROGRESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:12-16)

Prophetic word: We declare that in Christ, we have entered our Promised Land and our progress is evident to all!

Spiritual maturity manifests as ‘progress’ that can be seen by others. Progress is defined as a slow forward movement towards a goal, to an improved condition in life, on the path to perfection. It means to advance in life, closer to the place where your dreams are fulfilled. The opposite of progress means to go back, to become worse, to sink, to lose benefits, or to waste away. May we pay the price for godly success!

THE DOCTRINE OF THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST  

The Resurrection of Christ, a central doctrine of Christianity, is based on the belief that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on the third day after his Crucifixion and that through His conquering of death all believers will subsequently share in His victory over “sin, death, and the Devil.” The celebration of this event, called Easter, or the Festival of the Resurrection, is a major celebration day in the church. The resurrection of Jesus demonstrates the power of God. It proves that Jesus is truly the Son of God. Jesus was “declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Rom 1:4). It is part of the true Gospel of Christ. The resurrection vindicates Jesus who predicted it. Jesus resurrected and ascended to heaven to be our Great High Priest. The resurrection of Jesus is the pattern for all believers. At the second coming of Christ the bodies of all the believers who have died will resurrect so that their salvation is finally complete.  Faith in Christ Crucified and Resurrected justifies us. Righteousness “shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom 4:24). The Cross was the greatest crime done by humanity. It was also the most necessary act because only thru it, sinners could be saved. “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” (Rom 10:8).

Resurrection is a miracle. During Christmas it is easier to imagine a woman giving birth to a baby. But at Easter you need the help of the Holy Spirit to believe in the Resurrection. Holy Spirit please help us to celebrate Jesus Christ, our Lord!

HOPE DEFINED

Faith in the resurrection gives believers a new living undying hope! Hope is defined as the joyful expectation of the future, a confident desire to obtain what you dream of today and to have fulfilment in life. It is a confident feeling that something good will happen in the future. Faith in God works now. Hope in God applies to the future. Agape love is stronger than both. These three gifts of grace, Love, Faith, and Hope are connected, but are also separate. The natural hope of any child is to be an adult one day. He will be wiser, stronger, and more courageous. “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. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:11-13). It is the hope of all believers to make progress in life and to become spiritually mature. The greatest hope of the Christian is to go to heaven, to be glorified, to see Jesus, to be like Him and to worship Him forever! That is why some have called Hope ‘the homesickness for the future glory’.   

NOW FAITH AND THEN HOPE

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). In Greek, the word ‘substance’ means confidence, assurance, reality, or the title deed of our hope. Both the ‘now faith’ and the ‘then hope’ are not based on our imaginations. These are rooted in the Word of God. Faith is a present mindset that has a vision. Faith’s feet are standing now in the present circumstances. But faith has good eyes to see ahead. Faith sees the future and believes that no matter how hard it is now, God’s Word will be fulfilled at last. Faith believes that your God given dreams will come to pass. Faith is so sure of the future that she decides to become the foundation ‘substance’ to support these dreams, to invest in them until they come to pass. True faith is always hopeful seeing a brighter future. “E go good!” (Nigerian saying).

JESUS IS MY HOPE AND MY FORERUNNER

“We who have fled [to Him] for refuge would have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us. This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells], where Jesus has entered [in advance] as a forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 6:18-20;AMP)

God wants us to have ‘strong encouragement and indwelling strength’ by receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Forerunner and the High Priest of our faith.  A forerunner is someone who goes ahead, to prepare the way for others to follow. In the Old Testament there was no such revelation. Each year the high priest Aaron entered the Holy of Holies with the Blood of the sacrifice. No one else could follow him there. If any man entered in that Most Holy Place, that man dies instantly. Aaron was always alone in the presence of God. He had no followers and no fellowship with the brethren inside there. But when Jesus passed thru the heavens and entered the Most Holy Place, He tore the veil of separation for His children to follow. That is why He is called the ‘Forerunner for us’. There is another definition for the word ‘forerunner’. In the ancient times, when big ships came to the Greek islands and the tide was low, they could not enter the port because of sandbars on the floor of the sea. Then they sent a strong little boat carrying their anchor to the shore. The anchor will be securely hooked on the rocky beach so that the big ship will not drift away with the currents. Later, when the tide is high, the big ship can come inside the port. That little strong boat that carries the anchor ahead is called ‘a forerunner’. Jesus rose from the dead to become our Forerunner and High Priest!      

In Christ I declare: The hope of glory that I have in Christ is an anchor for my soul. My soul is not connected to this earth. My soul is eternally anchored to the presence of God, inside the Holy of Holies of heaven. My life is like a ship that can never be lost, no matter the storm and the wicked ocean waves of this life. I am eternally safe and secure! I know where I am going! When my work is done on earth, I am going to heaven! I have no fears and no doubts about my eternal destiny and destination! Glory to God!

HOPE MEANS WAITING ON GOD. HOPE GIVES COURAGE AND STRENGTH

In the Old Testament, God’s people are encouraged to trust God who is their only Hope. To connect with their hope they must wait for God to help them. For the Israelites, most of their hopes were earthly. For example, they hope, trust, and wait that God will deliver them from their enemies and give them peace and prosperity in the Promised Land. “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint” (Is 40:31). In Hebrew, the word ‘wait’ means to bind together in expectation. Hope is strengthened in the assembly of the believers.

The effect of patiently and faithfully waiting on God with hope, is that the believer does not lose heart, his heart is strengthened, and he becomes more courageous.  “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Ps 27:13, 14). The words ‘I would have lost heart’ mean to despair, or to faint. The opposite of hope is despair. It is the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation. Despair or loss of hope leads to depression. In the US, depression is a major health problem. Almost 10% of the population struggles with depression. These are some clinical signs: felling hopeless, worthless, or guilty. People with depression feel lonely and isolated, even in the crowd. They lose the joy of living. Everything they do requires a great effort. They feel tired always. They have problems with eating and sleeping (too much or too little). Depression is connected with anxiety. People feel nervous, fearful about the future. They get irritable and moody. They manifest bursts of anger and mis-placed aggression. They may decide to alleviate the anxiety with alcohol or drugs. They think about committing suicide. Advice: Depression may be medical or a spiritual attack! Pray to God! Tell your doctor or your pastor about it! Do not suffer in silence! There is hope!

WE ARE SAVED IN THIS HOPE

In the New Testament, our hope is more spiritual, and it is connected with the glory ahead. The greatest hope is to go to heaven, to see Jesus, to be like Him and to worship Him forever. Hope has a purifying and sanctifying effect on the believer. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn 3:2, 3). We are saved by Grace and thru Faith, ‘in this Hope’. Once saved, the seed of hope is deposited in the heart. Each child of God believes that he is saved and has hope that one day he will go to heaven. The trials of life are painful, like labor pains before a child of born. During difficult times, the believer continues to hold on to this hope that even if he dies, God will take him to heaven. He also hopes that when Christ comes again, his mortal body will be resurrected and changed to be like Jesus. The future for the Christian is always better than the present. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to hold on to his hope of heaven and pray in line with God’s will.  “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom 8:20-27).

HOPE IS A LIVING PERSON – CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY

Your hope is a Person. Not any person, but the Lord Jesus Christ. He lives in your heart. He died and rose again in your heart. He lives forever in your heart. Because Christ is in your heart, you are sure that your soul will go to heaven immediately you die. This is your sure hope. Because of this hope, you are ready to endure all things and serve God to your last breath. In the past, the Jews thought that they alone are saved and will go to heaven. But when Jesus came, by His death on the Cross, He opened the door of heaven to all who believed, Jews and Gentiles. This salvation was a mystery in the past. The revelation of this mystery, the hope of glory and of heaven is the strength behind all true ministries done of Christ’ sake. Apostle Paul said: “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily” (Col 1:27-29).

ABRAHAM’S FAITH AND LIVING HOPE

One of the effects of the resurrection of Christ is that it produced a living hope in all believers. Hope is defined as the joyful confident expectation of the future. It is a desire and an expectation that your dreams will come true. It is faith that the Promises of God will be fulfilled in your life. The greatest hope is to be glorified, to go to heaven and to worship God forever in an infinitely deeper relationship. Hope is always connected with the future, with fulfilment and joy. The hope of the believer is not dead. It is living. It cannot die. Oppositions, failures, losses, and the stress of life cannot destroy this hope we have in Christ. Why? Because hope is living and breathing. For the child of God, if hope dies, it shall rise again. The power of resurrection manifests in the grace gift of living hope. When all things are against you, when all hope seems lost, hope still rises and lives. This is the experience of all believers.

For example, Abraham believed that God is able to fulfill His promise that he will be the father of many nations. Abraham, “contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be” (Rom 4:18). Abraham believed in this living hope that cannot die. He knew that in the natural, both him and Sarah cannot have children. They were too old for that. Looking at himself, he knew that there was no hope. Abraham’s hope was not taken from looking at his life or circumstances. It was based on the Promise of God who said that he will be a father of nations. Abraham has faith in God’s promise. God’s word was enough for him. That word gave him faith and hope that just could not die. He strengthens himself against all human hope, and still believes in the hope promised by God. He continues to serve and glorify God. He was not put to shame.

How was Abraham able to go on believing God’s promise for a son for 25 years? It is because he believed two things about God: he believed that God could create something out of nothing, and he believed that God could raise the dead. He believed in a God of Creation and in a God of Resurrection. Anybody who believes these two things about God, will not waver in faith. Abraham trusted God’s character. He knew that God is a God of grace. He knew that he has no power to contribute to God’s work. He knew that his body is dead, and Sarah’s womb was dead too. But he was not discouraged at the deadness of their bodies. He is the father of all who believe in God. In the natural, he is the father or the Jews and of the Muslims. In the Spiritual, he is the Father of faith of all Christians. Faith and hope are stronger than all disappointments of life!

HOPE IS GIVEN ONLY TO THE RIGHTEOUS AND IT MANIFESTS AS JOY

“The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish” (PV 10:28).

HOPE IS MEDICINE TO THE BODY AND SOUL

“I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope” (Ps 16:8, 9)

THE LIVING HOPE

“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” (1 Pet 1:3).

Apostle Peter praises God the Father and God the Son for their abundant mercy towards sinners like him. He says that because Jesus died and resurrected from the dead, we are now born again into a Living Hope. Peter praises God because he knows what God has done for him. At the Cross, Peter’s hope died. At the resurrection of Jesus, Peter’s hope resurrected. This praise is Peter’s testimony concerning his living hope!

PETER BEFORE THE RESURRECTION

Study Apostle Peter before and after the resurrection of Christ. There is great difference in his faith, hope, confidence and anointing for ministry. There was a time in his life when his hope died. But the resurrection of Christ from the dead, revived his hope in Him. Peter’s story is our story too. To understand Peter’s pain and betrayal of Jesus, we need to go back and study Peter, how he failed, and how Jesus helped him to recover. Peter was a fisherman. Like any man on earth, he was born a sinner. He needed a Savior. Jesus called him. He left his fishing nets and followed Jesus. He loved Jesus. He listened to His teachings; he saw Him doing mighty miracles. He tasted the power of His Words. He felt His love and compassion. But just before the Cross, Peter failed Jesus. Let us study him and learn some lessons from Peter.

At the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus became extremely famous. Because of His teachings and miracles, people were impressed, and crowds followed Him. They ‘wanted to make Him King by force’ (Jn 6:15). Peter and the disciples were very excited that such a great Man like Jesus is now their Master. They enjoyed the fame of their leader and had big hopes about their future together in His Kingdom. They dreamed about positions of authority. That went on for some time. Suddenly, Jesus started preaching spiritual things, about dying to self, about the Cross. From that time, many of Christ’s followers drew back. They did not want to suffer. They wanted material blessings and religious entertainment. They were not prepared to sacrifice their dreams of fame in this world. Jesus did not call them back. This change of atmosphere was disappointing to Peter and to the disciples. At this time that Jesus asked them two questions. Peter was the spokesman for the group.

*First question: Do you also want to go away? “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Jn 6:66-69)

*Second question: Who do you say that I am? Jesus asked His disciples, saying, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 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. 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 (Matt 16:15-18).

As you can see, before the Cross, Peter was sure of at least two things about Jesus. This understanding came thru God’s revelation. The first thing Peter was sure about was that Jesus ‘has the words of eternal life’. The second thing was that Jesus is ‘the Christ, the Son of the Living God’. What was Peter’s faith? Peter has heard Jesus preaching to the crowds. He also has heard His teachings in private, to them, His close disciples. Peter felt the power of God’s Word in the mouth of Jesus. When the religious rulers sent army officers to arrest Jesus they too were impressed with His Words and could not arrest a preacher like Him. They went back to the chief priest empty handed and said: “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (Jn 7:46). Peter has never seen or heard a preacher like Jesus. He believed that Jesus was indeed the true Prophet God has promised to send to His people to teach them His Word. God told the people of Israel: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your countrymen (brothers, brethren). You shall listen to him” (Deut 18:15). Peter was convinced that Jesus, his Master, was that promised Prophet/Teacher to Israel. Ans he was ready to ‘listen’ to Him! That was his first revelation!

Secondly, Peter believed that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. To understand the meaning of Peter’s faith that Jesus is the promised Messiah, we need to know something about God. He reveals Himself as the Covenant keeping God. He made a covenant to be the God of a nation called Israel. This was a covenant of grace. God initiated the covenant. The people were not faithful to God, but God continue to be faithful to His covenant promises to them. God called a man, Abraham, and made him to be the father of the nation later called Israel. He promised that Abraham will have many descendants, like the stars on the sky. Though Abraham and his wife Sarah were old, they believed the promise and Sarah had a son called Isaac when she was 90 and Abraham was 100. God confirmed His covenant with Isaac and Jacob. Out of the twelve sons of Jacob, God chose Judah, and promised that a ruler, a king will come from his lineage. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen 49:10). The name Shiloh is another title for the Messiah. In Hebrew it means ‘to whom it belongs’. In other words, the scepter, the throne, and the crown of the King of kings belongs to the promised Messiah. Later, from this tribe of Judah, God chose King David. He promised him that his son will be a king forever. “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son” (2Sam 7:12-14). This is the promise that the Messiah will come thru the lineage of King David. He will be a King whose throne will be established forever. He will build a House for God’s Name. He will be God’s Son. All these promises apply to Jesus Christ. He was conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary who was engaged to be married to Joseph. Both of them were descendants of King David, from the tribe of Judah. Peter believed that Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah King from the line of King David. That is why he made the confession before the other disciples saying: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. It was God the Father who revealed this truth to him.

Peter truly believed that Jesus Christ, His master, is the Prophet-Preacher-Teacher of God and soon, He will be crowned in Jerusalem as the Messiah, the King of the Jews. He saw himself serving King Jesus on this earth. Then what happened? Why did he deny Jesus? Why did all the disciples run away when Jesus was arrested? This is the answer: At the foot of the Cross, their hopes, and dreams to crown Jesus as King and them becoming royalty crashed to the ground and died. Why? Let us find the answer. After Peter had the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus told him that He will build His church. Jesus told Peter that the devil and his gates of hell cannot stop the building and growth of the Church. The revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, will be the strength of the believers. Then see what happens: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matt 16:21-23). Jesus is telling Peter and the disciples that He ‘must’ go to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and be raised the third day. Peter refused to listen to this prophetic word. His dreams and hopes did not include a dead king. Jesus rebukes him saying that he is Satan, who is interested only about the things of men, only about material things, and not God’s spiritual Kingdom. It is good to note that each time Jesus spoke about His death He always added the resurrection. He never spoke about His death as being a victim. He always spoke as a Victor! But the disciples refused to listen to the Gospel. They believed the truth only after the resurrection! 

This is when Peter failed in His obedience to Jesus. It is true that He believed that Jesus is the Prophet and the Messiah King. He trusted in the strength of Jesus. But He refused to believe that Jesus is the High Priest chosen by God to also be the Sacrifice, to die for the sins of His people. The reason why Peter rejected the revelation of Jesus as the Priest and Sacrifice is because of pride. Though he knew that he is a sinner, he did not believe that the only way for a sinner to live thru the Substitute Sacrifice of Jesus. He did not believe in ‘the weakness’ of the Cross.

Lesson: the false Gospel preached by the devil’s agents tells men that Jesus is the Prophet and the King. He has the words and the power to do miracles. But this false gospel avoids the Cross. It does not preach Christ becoming the sacrifice and the Great High Priest of our profession. The devil preaches that if you believe in Jesus as the Prophet and King, you will have wealth and fame. But the devil says nothing about dying to self, to sin and to the world. Peter fell into the religious trap offered by the devil. Many still do so today. Be careful what Gospel you believe!

When Jesus was arrested, the disciples ran away. Afraid for his life, Peter denied him before a servant girl. Peter’s hopes that Jesus will be crowned in place of Herod died in that courtyard fire, as he warmed himself among unbelievers. Peter still loved Jesus. But his hope in his future with Jesus died that night. Jesus prophesied his denial. It came to pass. When the cock crowed, Peter was heartbroken. He wept for his dead dreams and dead hopes. This is the story of Peter before the Resurrection.

PETER AFTER THE RESURRECTION  

After the resurrection, we see a new Peter. The change is dramatic. When the women told the disciples that Jesus has risen from the grave, they did not believe them. “Their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened” (Lk 24:11, 12). In Greek, the ‘words’ of the women is ‘rhema’. This means the special prophetic powerful spoken word of God. Because the disciples were crippled by their dead hopes, they thought that the rhema word of God is nonsense, foolishness or ‘idle tales’. This is always the effect of empty religion. But Peter, sensed something new stirring in his spirit. He did not believe the women, but their words brought new hope in him. He arose from his depression and ran to the tomb. He saw the empty tomb and the linen burial clothes lying by themselves. He did not understand. He marveled to himself. The word means to be shocked, amazed, and greatly surprised. This shock stunned him. The resurrection of Jesus was a big blow to his pride. What he rejected came to pass. Peter needed this blow. By the power of the Holy Spirit his fears and doubts started melting away. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (PV 13:12).

Jesus showed Himself to Mary Magdalene, to the two disciples going to Emmaus and to the disciples in Jerusalem. But we are told that Jesus showed Himself in His resurrection glory to Peter alone. I am sure, that this was a very emotional encounter. Jesus did not forget Peter. Jesus had a talk with Peter even before He went to meet with the other disciples. The disciples said: “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!“ (Luke 24:34). Paul said: “Jesus was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve” (1 Cor15:4-5). Peter received forgiveness of sins in this encounter. Later, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (Jn21), Jesus reinstated Peter as an apostle and a teacher of the Word in the presence of the other disciples.

Do you see why Peter was a changed man after the resurrection? On the day of Pentecost, he preached powerfully that Jesus died and rose again. In the past, he only believed that Jesus is God’s Prophet and King. Now he knows and believes that He is the Great High Priest and the Sacrifice. God has made a new covenant thru the precious Blood of Jesus. We are in Him a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9, 10). Peter now believes that Christ died as the Substitute and Sacrifice for sinners, to become their Great High Priest. We are now ‘a royal priesthood’ in Christ! This revelation feeds hope forever! Halleluiah!

THE EXODUS IS THE PICTURE OF RESURRECTION

“Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Ex 14:13-15).

The New Testament is the concentrated spirit of the Old Testament. The Exodus is a picture of the Resurrection!

This is the story: the people of God have been in Egypt as slaves for 430 years. This period in their lives is a symbol of sin. Man is born in sin and until God comes to free the sinner there is no hope for him. God sends Moses as their Deliverer. Moses is a symbol of Jesus. God judges the gods of Egypt with ten plagues. After that, God tells Moses to kill a pure lamb and smear its blood on the doors of the Israelites. This is the Passover Night. The Angel of death kills the first born of all families in the houses where there is no blood to cover them. Passover is a symbol of the Cross. That night, Pharaoh sends them away. They carry along the wealth of the Egyptians. When Israel entered Egypt, they were only 70 people. Now, they are more than 3 million. They come out from Egypt not as a mad crowd of slaves, but as an organized nation. “The children of Israel went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt” (Ex 13:18). God leads them with a pilar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They stopped at the Red Sea. Pharoah and the Egyptians regret letting their work force go away and they pursue them. God’s people are trapped between the Egyptians, the Red Sea and two mountains, left and right. The people weep and complain. God gives three commands: Fear not! Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord! Go forward! Moses has faith. He stretches His rod, and the waters divide for the people to cross over on dry ground. When the Egyptians pursued them in the Sea, the waters come back, and they all drowned. The people praise God with songs and dances. From here they move forward towards the Promised Land! Praise the Lord!

Lessons: In times of crisis, trust God and fear not! Fear blinds but faith sees the road ahead! Stand still or stand firm waiting for God to speak! Be ready for action. Move forward in your miracle! It is time to make progress and it will be evident to all! As Moses and the people believed the command, the miracle happened. The sea divided into two. The power of resurrection is stronger than sin, slavery, or death. Resurrection makes all things new. God always wins! The devil always loses! Resurrection power always ends in praises! Worship the Lord!        

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled My Progress is evident to all (3)/ Her main scriptures were taken from the Book of 1 Timothy 4:12-16 and Mark 5:25-34

MAY YOUR PROGRESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:12-16)

Prophetic word: We declare that in Christ, we have entered our Promised Land and our progress is evident to all!

Here we see that spiritual maturity manifests as ‘progress’ that can be seen by others. Progress is defined as a slow forward movement towards a goal, to an improved condition in life, on the path to perfection; it also means to increase knowledge, to develop your skills and gifts so that you can apply them better. It means to advance in life, closer to the place where your dreams are fulfilled. The opposite of progress means to go back, to become worse, to sink, to lose benefits, or to waste away. May we pay the price for godly success! In the world, the general progress in life is seen mostly thru material gains. You feel that you make progress when you graduate from school, marry, buy a house, and have children. But in the spiritual realm, the progress is measured by greater faith and more authority. It is heard in your voice and seen in your behavior. It is also called fruitfulness, increase or profit. It affects all who see and hear you. A leader in the home or in the church is expected to make progress. The faster the progress, the more God will use you to mentor others. No leader should remain satisfied to stay stationary, comfortable to be in a place of no growth. In that case, the leader loses the respect of his followers. By leader I mean, all believers, husbands, wives, parents, pastors, teachers and all who have a platform to influence others. Progress or lack of it cannot be hidden for long. It will soon be manifested. Honor or dishonor will be the result. Let us be faithful in the secret place. God will reward us openly!

GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1-11). “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen” (2 Pet 3:17, 18)

BONDSERVANT AND APOSTLE

Apostle Peter was a fisherman. He was not an educated man. When you read His letters you appreciate the Grace of God upon his life. He wrote with deep revelation and passion of intimately knowing the Lord Jesus Christ. He does not teach men how to go to the river and catch fish. He speaks as a true man of God, and a teacher of God’s Word telling men about eternal things that will benefit their spirits and not just their bodies. This is always the effect of God’s grace upon a believer. His desire is to encourage the brethren in the early church and to warn them against spiritual dangers, especially the false teachers. Time has no effect upon these words. Two thousand years later, we can still learn so much from him. He introduces himself as ‘a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ’. He is a servant first before he is an apostle. The word ‘bondservant’ means a slave. The word Apostle describes Peter’s calling to ministry. In Greek, the word ‘apostle’ means ‘the sent one’. An apostle is a personal representative of Jesus, chosen by Him to do a special work for Him. Like Apostle Paul, Peter imitates his Lord who came as Servant/King. This is the pattern of leadership that God blesses. Serving God always leads to progress in life! There is no exception to that!

Lesson: God’s promotion comes when you humble yourself before God and you serve The Lord Jesus, the Living Word. Jesus said: “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (Jn 12:26).

PRECIOUS FAITH

Apostle Peter writes this letter to those ‘who have obtained like Precious Faith with us by the Righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ’. This is the definition of the Gospel and the foundation of the Christian life. Christianity always starts with faith in the Gospel. The sinner must believe that he is a sinner and that Jesus died as his substitute. The perfect righteousness of Christ is now imputed to him. This precious faith means to have total confident trust in Jesus and to be faithful to Him. This faith is living, active, and wonderworking. Therefore, it is precious. In Greek, the word ‘precious’ means to be privileged and honored to believe. Something called precious has great value; it is very expensive because it is rare, hard to find; it is loved because of the sacrifice needed to obtain it. Because it is so special, a precious gift is never wasted or used carelessly. This faith is ‘obtained’ or received. It is the Gift of King Grace. Many people hear the Gospel. But not all believe with this type of faith. The Grace of God works in the elect and they believe unto salvation. Others hear the Gospel but do not mix the word with faith. These become religious unbelievers. They claim to be saved, attend church, but they are not born again. Why is the Christian faith so precious? One reason is that living faith is found in Christ alone, the Master of the universe. There is no saving faith in any other religion. Christ alone is sovereign over this faith. He distributes it as He pleases, by His grace alone. We are justified by faith in Christ crucified and resurrected. We are sanctified thru faith in Christ, in the written word of God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are glorified and receive miracles by faith too. We make spiritual progress also by faith. God is not a respecter of people but He rewards faith in those who believe in His Son, who seek to know Him better. “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). Faith is obtained as a seed. We need to water it with the Word and prayer, and it will grow!

THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IS POWER. IT MANIFESTS AS MULTIPLICATION OF GRACE, PEACE, TESTIMONIES, AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

“Grace and peace [that special sense of spiritual well-being] be multiplied to you in the [true, intimate] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. For His divine power has bestowed on us [absolutely] everything necessary for [a dynamic spiritual] life and godliness, through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet 1:2, 3; AMP).  

“The word ‘grace’ means the unmerited favor of God because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The word ‘peace’ is more than the absence of war. It means the unity of the Spirit that produces progress and prosperity in life. Grace and Peace can be multiplied, increased, and made more fruitful. This increase of grace and peace comes with a better, more intimate understanding of God the Father and God the Son. Jesus describes this spiritual knowledge as ‘eternal life’. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). This knowledge is not just an intellectual ‘head knowledge’, gathering some facts about God. It means to draw closer to God and learn who He is by worshipping Him in Spirit and in Truth. This knowledge increases thru the study and meditation upon His Word and prayer. The false teachers Peter is warning about, they teach a wrong knowledge of God. They are a hindrance to knowing God in a real and deeper way. The spirit of religion has always been the primary obstacle against knowing God thru the revelation of His Word. You become saved thru the free gift of faith in Christ. But to mature as a believer and make spiritual progress, there is a price to pay. Humility and faithfulness are basic attitudes. God gives grace only to the humble. Pride and rebellion are serious hindrances in the path of spiritual progress.

At the point of salvation, the Holy Spirit plants the seed of life in your spirit. That seed is filled with the power of eternal life.  Only God can do that. No man can save another man. Salvation is God’s work. This first deposit will always be there, in your spirit. In it you have everything you need to become like Jesus. Nothing is missing. After that, you need to take responsibility for making the seed grow, until it produces fruits. That is your work. God will help you by His Spirit but He will not force you to grow. You grow and make progress exactly how much you desire it.

The believer is commanded to start ‘adding’ to the basic faith. In Greek, the word ‘add’ means to contribute, to furnish. God builds the house, but you must furnish it. Progress is made when God and you work together for His glory and for your own good! As you can see, there is a price to pay. Spiritual maturity is not easy and not cheap. That is why different believers are at different levels in their spiritual journey. See that the multiplication of peace, grace (favor with God and man) and the manifestation of a godly testimony, these all depend on your deeper knowledge of one Person, Jesus Christ, our Lord. God’s Word must be manifested in your life as godly character, and ministry done in love!

WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING

“So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure. Do everything without murmuring or questioning [the providence of God], so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness], holding out and offering to everyone the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to rejoice greatly because I did not run [my race] in vain nor labor without result” (Phil 2:12-16; AMP). “Therefore, my beloved… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Phil 2:12, 13; NKJ).    

To achieve spiritual progress, God does some things, and we do other things. The harmony between these two works will manifest as spiritual progress. This progress is like a light shining in the darkness of this world. You cannot hide progress. Salvation is not gained by religious works. Salvation is by grace, thru faith in Christ alone. But after you are saved, you must work out (not for) your salvation with fear and trembling. Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He is your guide into truth and into the manifesting of God’s destiny for you. The Holy Spirit is grieved by doubt, pride, rebellion, and murmuring. You must fear God the Holy Spirit. You tremble in His presence, being careful not to grieve Him. The power of God deposited in you ‘works in you’, in your mind and will, so that you make all decisions based on His Word. A stable Spirit-led will is a great achievement in the road to spiritual progress. Once you arrive at the place when you honestly long to please God in all your decisions and actions, then you are a mature Christian. The process of sanctification continues unto you arrive to heaven. Spiritual maturity is greatly rewarded by God. Christ has finished His work for you on the Cross. He said: “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). Having faith in the complete work of Calvary, not waiting for any other addition to that, you now apply this work to your personal life. God has begun the work. You must now furnish it! It sounds simple on paper, but few believers mature spiritually to the place of truly pleasing God in their ministries.

Apostle Paul was writing to the believers at Philippi. They knew that he was arrested, and he was on a death row in prison. They were worried for his life and for the progress of the Gospel. Paul writes this letter to encourage them. He directs them to Jesus, not to himself, to themselves, or their circumstances. He is not just appealing to their emotions. He directs their minds to Jesus. He tells them that the Gospel cannot be stopped because it is God’s work. Paul wants them to remove their attention from himself. He is their pastor and mentor but not their savior. The Gospel he brought to them is not a human idea. It is God’s word that will work in his presence or in his absence.

Lesson: thank God for pastors and Bible teachers in the church. They are God’s gift to the Body of Christ. But we should guard ourselves from being too close or overdependent on people. God used a man to preach, and you believed the Word. But it is God’s Word and not man’s word. We submit, honor, and respect all human authority in the church. But know that salvation does not depend on man. We should learn to keep a holy healthy distance between us and men. That applies also to the husband and his wife. They help one another in the journey of life, but none can save the soul of the other. That work belongs to Jesus alone! Each should depend on God for his/her spiritual progress! Selah!

Many Christians have been confused about this scripture. What does it mean ‘to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’? First we must make it clear that it does not mean to do good religious works so that God will reward you with heaven. Many people have been deceived to believe this false doctrine. Salvation is a gift of grace. It comes by faith in Christ Crucified and Resurrected. It is not a reward. According to the Bible, salvation has three parts: justification, sanctification and glorification. Justification is the act of God. It is God in His position as Judge of all men who proclaims that the sinner who believes in Jesus is set free from the condemnation and guilt of sin. Because God is Holy and He hates sin, Justification is possible only because Jesus died as the substitute for the sinner. Justification is received by faith. It is an one act in time. It cannot be repeated and cannot be lost. Salvation received is eternal. Justification declares that God has forgiven the repentant sinner and has adopted him as His child. Sanctification is different. It is the lifelong process by which the salvation received once, is made manifest in the Christian’s character and behavior. Glorification is the final stage when the Christian goes to heaven. One day his body will be resurrected and glorified. In other words, we have been saved (justified); we are being saved (sanctification); and we shall be saved (glorified in heaven).

In the scripture above, Paul is writing about sanctification and not about justification. God does His work, and we do ours. We are co-workers with Him. We work out our salvation that we have received when we first believed. God starts the work of salvation in your spirit. He then helps you thru faith in His Word and thru the power of the Holy Spirit to make this salvation real and visible. That is manifested progress in life. Paul said: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). In other words, because God has started His work in you, you now continue to work it out with the help of the Holy Spirit.  Before you got justified by faith in God, you were dead in trespassing and sins. A sinner is a dead man. He cannot work any spiritual work. You have seen that you were totally helpless in the matter of salvation. You need God to save you, or you perish. When you surrendered your life to Christ, His grace manifested to you. This is how you become saved! Now that you are made alive in Christ, you must use all your strength to work out your salvation. To become strong, to become a champion, you must pay the price and work out what God has planted in you. Like in the natural, spiritual muscle will be seen in you if you exercise in the spiritual Gym. Spiritual strength manifests as higher fruitful faith and greater authority.

The first thing we see here is that sanctification, is an active work. It takes spiritual and mental energy to study God’s Word, to pray, to behave like a Christian. Many Christians relax after they became born again. They think that as they were justified by faith, so they will automatically mature by faith. Sanctification is by faith in God but it is not a passive faith. You cannot be lazy or careless with your testimony and expect to see changes in your life and circumstances. It is hard work to see progress in life! What is that internal process? The sinner hates God and the things of God. He hates the Bible. “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be“ (Rom 8:7). Once God’s grace manifests and the sinner is declared justified, something happens. The dead man becomes alive. The first thing he does, like a newborn baby, he now hungers after God’s Word. He wants to know God and His Word. This change is deep. No man can produce this change. This is what it means to be born the second time, or to be born again. The baby Christian desires to grow. He starts to pay the price for that growth. He starts to make progress. Have you asked yourself, why do you like to read the Bible? Don’t you know that this is a miracle? There was a time the Bible made no sense to you and you saw it as foolishness. Now things have changed. You now work out what was worked into you by God. You want to manifest this internal change so that others may see Christ in you. God has initiated a work in you. Let this work manifest thru you! God still works in you. He affects your desires and will. He gives you power to love God’s Word and to see its practical application in your life. All godly desires to read the Bible, to pray, to fast, to attend church services, to serve God in anyway at all, are given by God. This is a proof that you are God’s child. God does not give these holy desires to unbelievers. Some unbelievers are religious and attend church. They may read the Bible and pray. But they always use their own strength to do so. They force themselves ‘to make heaven’. They do not feel God’s power working inside them to change them. Eventually, they get tired of pretending. These religious unbelievers are not saved. They are fake Christians. They are many in the churches. But the true child of God never gets tired to read the Bible, pray and attend church. The power of God pushes him on even when he is tired. Praise the Lord!

These are other translations of the same scripture: “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear… So, work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved… Keep on working with fear and trembling to complete your salvation (Phil 2:12; NLT: CEV; GNT)”. To work out your salvation it means to continue what God has started in your spirit. Practically, what do I do? First, you must desire to be like Jesus! You must imitate Christ who submitted His will to God the Father, even unto death. You must reject every form of independent rebellious type of thinking. You must have the mind of Christ! The command to work out your salvation comes immediately after Paul describes the life, death, and exaltation of Christ (Phil 2:5-11). Secondly, desire to hate sin! You must love Jesus and stop loving the world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn 2:15-17). All unbelievers love the world which is the system of men who live like there is no God. The devil is the prince of this world. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you must kill your desire to love the world. God has to be acknowledged in every decision you make. The world must fade away from your heart as you move on towards the glory of heaven. It is only the true believers who are able to die to the world. This is a proof that they abide in Christ forever! This process is done with fear and trembling. I do not fear that I lose my salvation. But I fear God enough to abandon sin. “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). God’s wisdom, knowledge and understanding increase as I die to sin, and to the world. A true Christian is a mysterious contradiction. He is filled with joy, and he is also a sober man. That is why he fears not to offend God in his Christian race. This is the royal way of the Cross, the only way of true spiritual progress that will be manifested to all!

SINS THAT HINDER PROGRESS: MURMURING, QUESTIONING, DOUBT AND UNBELIEF  

Some unrepentant sins block the way to progress. Murmuring or complaining is a private, almost quiet expression of discontent. You are not happy with the way God leads you. This lack of contentment is a silent ungratefulness and rebellion. Your will is not submitted to God’s greater will. The second sin that hinders spiritual progress is ‘questioning’ God’s providence. In Greek the word means to think, to analyze, to reason and to debate with God in your mind. This questioning is related to doubt, to having a double restless mind. God warns us that He will not answer a prayer of doubt. You must trust God even when you do not understand His leading. See doubt as a temptation to sin and backslide.  “Let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (Jam 1:6-8). If you do not see visible manifestations of your prayers, it may be that there is an interference of sin, especially, murmuring, questionings, and doubt about God’s providence. Both murmuring and questioning are sins against God and not against man. These sins manifested in the people of God in the wilderness. They resisted God’s will and moved along grudgingly. It makes man to be ‘stiff necked, resisting the Holy Spirit’ (Ac 7:51). To be stiff necked it means to be stubborn, difficult to be led. In their minds, hearts and wills, these people always oppose the Holy Spirit. They always see God as the enemy of their progress. They are ignorant that their sins are the hindrance to progress, and not God! Selah!

WARNING AGAINST UNBELIEF

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. For we who have believed do enter that rest, as He has said: “So, I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest” (Heb 4:1-3)        

The people who hear the Gospel but remain in unbelief are described as ‘falling short’ of God’s promise to enter the Promised Land, or unto salvation. The words ‘falling short’ mean to fail to experience the promise, missing a wonderful opportunity, or coming too late for the reward. This is a warning against taking God’s Word, His promises, His Grace, and His glory for granted. To take for granted it means that you use something carelessly, without showing appreciation for it. For example, you call the name of Jesus, pray, read the Bible, and go to church with an ungrateful, bitter heart. The Word of God has not opened or changed your heart. The sin of unbelief is still reigning inside. The seed of faith cannot enter into such a heart. We are told that the Word ‘did not profit them’ because they did not ‘mix’ the word with faith. The word ‘profit’ means to help, to add to value, to be useful for something good. The word ‘mix’ means to unite with another, to assimilate or co-mingle. A religious unbeliever has no profit from hearing the Word of God. He stays in the same spot of unbelief. God’s Word cannot help him to do something good with his life. He makes no progress, and his heart is not changed. He heard the Word but refused to mix it with faith. Knowing that many people go to church and hear God’s Word for nothing, makes us to appreciate God’s grace and the gift of this precious living faith!

THE WOMAN WITH THE ISSUE OF BLOOD (Mark 5:25-34; Lk 8:43-48)

This woman has suffered for 12 years from bleeding from her private parts. This was more than a sickness. Mark calls it ‘an affliction or a plague’ (Mk 5:34). In Greek the word means to be flogged repeatedly. She spent all her money and strength on doctors who failed to cure her. This bleeding made her ceremonially unclean. Like a leper, she had to stay away from human society. She could not marry, have children, go to the temple, or attend the synagogue. We are told that ‘she heard about Jesus’ (Mk 5:27). This is how faith starts. “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). She was told how kind Jesus is and the fact that He has the power to do miracles. Jesus was going to the house of Jairus, to heal his dying daughter when this woman came to touch the hem of His garment. Her healing is called ‘a parenthesis miracle’. Her healing was instant. Only two people knew that the miracle happened: Jesus, who felt power leaving Him and the woman who felt the power entering her. The transfer of power connected the Savior and the sinner in a special way. She was a cursed woman. She now became ‘a daughter’ of Jesus. She was healed in her body, and she received salvation and peace in her soul.

This is God’s Law: “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean… Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water and be unclean until evening” (Lev 15:25, 27).

The woman knew God’s Law, that if she touches a man that man will be unclean that day. She needed faith that by touching Jesus, she will be healed. She was taking a great risk by walking in public, in the crowd. For her to arrive at Jesus she has to push her way, touch many men who were around Him. They could stone her to death for spreading ‘the plague’. This gives us a glimpse of how Jesus sees the Law. He was born under the Law. He obeyed the Law. But the Law could not convict Him of sin. After she touched Him, she wanted to hide so that Jesus will not know that He is ‘unclean’ by touching her. If Jesus is unclean, He cannot enter the house of Jairus to perform the miracle of healing on his daughter. This is to show us the power of sin, which spreads like a virus and becomes a plague.

It is possible that this woman was once wealthy and had many friends. Then she got sick. She “suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse” (Mk 5:26). Like with the prodigal son, once the money is gone, all her friends are gone. She is now a hopeless case: sick with an incurable disease, poor, lonely and rejected by men. Who can help such a one?

In her despair, with her last drop of strength, she decided to take the risk of being stoned to death. She encouraged herself. She thought in her mind and kept talking to herself that if she can only touch the garments of Jesus, she will be healed. “For she kept saying, If only I touch His garments, I will be healed” (Mk 5:28; Berean Standard Bible). She did not say just once. She kept saying to herself again and again. This is true persistent faith. The word ‘touch’ means to lay hold of someone, to attach herself to Jesus. She had only a second to do that. This is God’s Precious Promise: “He sent forth His word to heal them and snatched them from the grave” (Ps 107:20; NAB).  

Lesson: How can you touch the Word and be healed? How can your faith become a testimony? The answer is this: You must touch Jesus, who is the Living Word by touching the written Word of God! But how? Draw closer to God and to His Word! “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (Jam 4:8). Repent of doubt and of any hidden sin! How do I draw closer to God? I desire to have a relationship with God. I do it by chasing Him and by submitting to Him! “But as for me, the nearness of God is my good“(Ps 73:28; NASB). This is a spiritual law: if you need God’s help, you need to seek God, to draw closer to Him. “The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2Chr 15:2). Any effort to study the Bible and pray will be rewarded by God!

This woman’s faith was desperate, free of doubt and fear of rejection. She believed two main things: That Jesus is God and has all power. ‘Power belongs to God’ (Ps 62:11). She also believed that Jesus could change her body. “Jesus will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under his control” (Phil 3:21; NLT). She acted and received her miracle even before Jesus spoke a word to her. In a way, she ‘stole’ the miracle from Jesus’ hand. She was disappointed by many physicians. But she now believed that the Great Physician will not disappoint her. Encouraged by no man, she stepped in faith and touched the garment of Jesus. Just the way you touch live wire, power left Jesus and entered her. Her faith was amazing! At the same time, her faith was not balanced. She thought that the power of Jesus flows thru His garment. She did not know that Jesus Himself is the Healer. Many people believe that if they touch the pastor’s handkerchief or are sprinkled with olive oil by a man of God, they will be healed. This woman behaved like that. But Jesus did not rebuke her. He encouraged her faith. By calling her ‘daughter’, He repositioned her faith to His Person. Lesson: many people mock the Christians who believe in secondhand touch of faith. Weak unbalanced faith in miracles is better than unbelief!

In Jesus alone you see this wonderful combination: Power and Pity! He was the most accessible Teacher and Doctor. No ‘middlemen’ to see Jesus! He was rejected by Jews. He preached and did miracles on the streets. See how Gentle the Savior is by calling the woman to come to the open. He did not want the woman to receive the miracle ‘by stealing’. That could have left a shadow on her healing testimony. He commended her faith. He healed her body and saved her soul. From now on, there is no need for her to hide from God or man. Jesus felt ‘virtue’ leaving Him. The word describes God’s power to produce miracles. Her great need and His greater Grace met, and the healing occurred. Lesson: Many people come close to Jesus but do not touch Him with faith! They see worship and miracles as religious entertainment. Faith does not produce the healing. Faith is the hand that takes hold of Jesus who saves or heals you. This healing was immediate and complete. It was also provided freely. How many so-called healers exploit sick people and waste their time and money? But Jesus never did that. Jesus is the Savior and the Lord! He died to save sinners. Salvation is the same! It is by grace and thru faith in Jesus Christ! Worship the Lord!  

MY PROGRESS IS EVIDENT TO ALL (2)/ IT IS WRITTEN AND FOREVER REMAINS WRITTEN

During the Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached a sermon titled My Progress is evident to all/ It is written and forever remains written. Her main scriptures were taken from the Book of 1 Timothy 4:12-16 and Matthew 4: 1-11. She said that spiritual progress comes from successfully enduring temptations. Selah!

MAY YOUR PROGRESS BE EVIDENT TO ALL

“Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim 4:12-16)

Prophetic word: We declare that in Christ, we have entered our Promised Land and we our progress is evident to all!

Here we see that spiritual maturity manifests as ‘progress’ that can be seen by others. Progress is defined as a slow forward movement towards a goal, to an improved condition in life, on the path to perfection; it also means to increase knowledge, to develop your skills and gifts so that you can apply them better. It means to advance in life, closer to the place where your dreams are fulfilled. For example, a student makes progress when after taking a B, he now has an A. Later, he finishes his school, and he also becomes a teacher. This is all progress in life. The opposite of progress means to go back, to become worse, to sink, to lose benefits, or to waste away. May we pay the price for godly success!

In the world, the general progress in life is seen mostly thru material gains. You feel that you make progress when you graduate from school, marry, buy a house, and have children. But in the spiritual realm, the progress is measured by greater faith and more authority. It is heard in your voice and seen in your behavior. It is also called fruitfulness, increase or profit. It affects all who see and hear you. A leader in the home or in the church is expected to make progress. The faster the progress, the more God will use you to mentor others. No leader should remain satisfied to stay stationary, comfortable to be in a place of no growth. In that case, the leader loses the respect of his followers. By leader I mean, all believers, husbands, wives, parents, pastors, teachers and all who have a platform to influence others. Progress or lack of it cannot be hidden for long. It will soon be manifested. Honor or dishonor will be the result. Let us be faithful in the secret place. God will reward us openly!

THE PROGRESS OF JOY AND FAITH IN THE GOSPEL  

The same word ‘progress’ appears two more times in the Book of Philippians. “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear” (Phil 1:12-14).  He also said: “I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith” (Phil 1:23-25). The word ‘furtherance’ is the same as the word profit or progress. Paul says that his imprisonment has advanced and spread the Gospel to the most unlikely people These are the military officers who guard him in prison, in Rome. Paul rejoices in the spread of the Gospel! He also says that he doesn’t know what to choose; to die and go to heaven or the stay and help them. He says that by staying on earth he will help them to mature as believers, witnessing to the progress of their spiritual life with joy and faith. Lesson: Let us be busy working for the furtherance of the Gospel, for the progress of joy and faith among the brethren!

In his letter to the Philippians Apostle Paul encourages them to stay strong and to rejoice. He is in a prison in Rome, on the death row. But he is not worried. He trusts God for his life and for his death. This is a personal letter from a mentor to his students. It is amazing how the Holy Spirit uses these old words to encourage us today. The believers in Philippi were worried because with Paul in prison, they assumed that the Gospel is blocked from spreading. Paul tells them that nothing can stop the Gospel, which is ‘the power of God unto salvation’ (Rom 1:16). The Gospel is like the crowbar used to lift heavy objects; it is like the handle that the pilot uses to drive the ship. In Greek, the word ‘power’ is ‘dunamis’ from which the word dynamite comes. The Gospel has the power to explode and scatter to pieces every sinful imagination and opposition.  Paul said that the military guards assigned to him are now getting converted. Generally, these soldiers are rough men. They are used to kill people. But Paul preached to them and little by little, they believed in Jesus. Study Paul the way he sees God in all circumstances of life. Because He is sure that God is with him even in prison, he does not complain about his life. He does not indulge in self-pity. He is not angry or bitter against God because the preaching of the Gospel landed him in prison. He rejoices in the opportunity to continue serving God. The presence of God with Him is enough to give Paul all the encouragement he needs. These are clear marks of spiritual maturity and progress in the faith. Paul always feels God in his heart and sees Him in his circumstances. This vision is his strength! Like Moses, Paul “endured [steadfastly], as seeing Him who is unseen” (Heb 11:27, AMP). Be careful, once you doubt the love of God towards you, you will backslide. You must trust God even when things are hard, when you do not understand His ways with you.

Two thousand years have passed. Things are different now. But man has not changed. He still battles with anxieties. Life is still difficult. Things have changed but in the Spirit realm, all things are the same. There are still champions and losers. The experience of success and victory over sin and death during the time of the early church, is still available for us now. The same joy we experience now. Paul challenges the believers to live a life fully dedicated to God, to preach the Gospel and endure persecution if it comes their way. This challenge is the same for us today. God gives us strength to evangelize the world. We do so by preaching the Gospel and by living godly lives that shine like stars in the darkness. We must be faithful to God in doctrine and behavior. Then God will use us to save, lead, and mentor others. Any man or woman who is Spirit filled and lives a victorious life is a light to the world. This triumphant life is very attractive. People will come closer to study you. Your testimony is a platform to bring many to Christ. In the early church, the Christians made converts just by being themselves, by being Christians. Their obvious love for Jesus and for one another was magnetic. People became saved by desiring to be like them.

How does Paul encourage the believers? He always directs them to God’s Word. This is a spiritual law: It is by knowing the true doctrine, the spiritual principles of the Bible that you receive encouragement. Paul does not appeal directly to their emptions. That is what entertainment does. It is of the flesh, and it profits nothing. Paul appeals to their spirits and to their minds. They must know and believe God’s law before they receive peace, joy, strength, and wisdom. The reason why so many Christians today live in defeat, are always worried and sad, it is because they do not study the doctrines of the Bible. They read the Bible trying to find some few verses they like, to encourage themselves. They want the blessings without fulfilling the conditions. It does not work that way. That is why Bible studies are so important. It is important to note that the Bible has no hope, no encouragement for the world. The first action an unbeliever must do is to repent of sin and surrender his life to Christ. The Bible reveals the God has a special loving gracious interest toward His children. The promises of God can be fulfilled only in the lives of believers. May we appreciate God and His Word more! May our faith increase until the promises are fulfilled! To the glory of God!          

ENDURING TEMPTATIONS LEADS TO EVIDENT PROGRESS

What is temptation? In both Hebrew and Greek, temptation means enticement to commit sin. Enticement is the act of persuading someone to do something or go somewhere, by offering him something he likes. It means to arouse hope and desire for pleasure with the intent to deceive. It means to seduce someone with pleasure to leave the right path of truth and to go into the path of sin, danger, destruction, and death. Practically, temptation manifests as a strong desire to do or to have something that you know it is sinful.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (James 1:12-16)

God never tempts men to sin!!! God Himself cannot be tempted by the devil. The devil tempted Jesus as a Man, not as God. The devil tempts and God tests. Practically, temptation and testing may feel the same, but there is a difference in motives. Temptation comes that you may sin and become like the devil. Testing comes that you may mature and become like Jesus! God tests His children to purify their faith. He sometimes allows Satan to do the testing. Satan is called ‘The Great Tempter’. His desire is that they disobey God! Temptation is generally external. But the devil weakens man thru internal lust, so that he cooperates with the external temptation. The devil shows the Christian opportunities to commit sin. Temptation is not sin. Choosing the devil’s option during temptation, that is sin. To commit sin the will is involved. The Original sin happened when Adam and Eve believed the lies of the devil and disobeyed God. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus found the disciples tired from sorrow and sleeping.  He said: “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:40, 41). The devil takes advantage of the weakness of the flesh to tempt believers. He opens the door of backsliding. If you enter thru that door, you have sinned. If you turn away from it, you have endured the temptation successfully and made progress!

“Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers, and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing…. “Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him” (Jam 1:2-4; 12; AMP). Temptation must be ‘endured’ successfully. In Greek, the word ‘endure’ means to stay under pressure, to remain steadfast and persevere in your faith during the oppressive pain. It means to totally reject devil’s option of backsliding. Temptation is painful. It is like passing thru fire when the fleshly chaff is burnt, and the gold of faith is purified. Successfully enduring temptation is the royal scar of the mature believers. They receive the crown of life. The very opportunity you have to endure temptation should be counted as joy, trusting God for the successful examination. The only other place the crown of life is promised is in the Book of Revelation. Even there, it is connected with successfully enduring temptation. “Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested [in your faith], and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death [if you must die for your faith], and I will give you the crown [consisting] of life. He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will not be hurt by the second death (the lake of fire)” (Rev 2:10, 11; AMP). Halleluiah!

OLD TESTAMENT TEMPTATIONS

When Abraham was old, God tested him (Genesis 22). This was not a temptation, but a true test of faith given by God. In this story God tells Abraham that he should offer his beloved and only son of promise, Isaac, as a burnt offering. Because he loved Isaac so much, Abraham was tempted to disobey God. But his faith in God was stronger. Abraham obeyed God believing that God has the power to raise Isaac from the dead (Heb 11:19). With the knife in his hand, God stops Abraham from killing his son. God provides a ram to be offered as a substitution sacrifice. Abraham’s faith proved to be genuine. That is why he is called ‘the father of faith’ for both Jews and Gentiles. After passing the test of faith, God promised: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen 22:16-18). God reveals Himself as Jehovah Jireh, God the provider. He promises supernatural fruitfulness, protection, and blessings. Lesson: to be mature, faith must pass thru the fire of affliction. God blesses mature proven faith with great spiritual progress and natural prosperity. This manifests as fruitfulness, victory against the enemies and an overflow of blessings to the descendants.

Joseph was tempted by Potiphar’s wife to commit adultery. He refused saying: said: “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her” (Gen 39:8-10). Joseph saw adultery not as pleasure, but as betrayal against his master who trusted him. He sees it as ‘great wickedness and sin against God’. What was his secret for enduring temptation? Joseph feared God. He took God seriously. He saw himself accountable to God. That is why he was strong and courageous to reject the devil. Old man Job said: “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28). For standing for God, Joseph was punished with imprisonment. In His time, God vindicated him. He became the prime minister of Egypt. Potiphar became his subordinate. Praise the Lord!

King David was tempted by Satan to number his soldiers. He wanted to put his trust and boast about his great army. This act of pride made God angry, and a plague came over Israel. David fell into this temptation. He repented but many died in that plague (1 Chron 21). Selah!

Daniel’s friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image (Daniel 3). The king said that if they worship the idol they will not be killed. Face to face with death, they refused to bow to the man-made idol. They claimed that Jehovah alone is God. For this defiance they were thrown in the furnace. The Fourth Man, our Lord Jesus Christ, was with them in the fire and saved them. Daniel also chose to be faithful to Jehovah God. He continued to pray even after the edict against prayer was given by King Darius. He was thrown into the lions’ den. But God protected him. His enemies who wanted him dead were killed by the same lions (Daniel 6). Lesson: these brethren successfully endured temptation and were all rewarded with promotion and wealth. They are our examples to follow! Praise the Lord!

THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS

“Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple. And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’; and ‘They will lift you up on their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God.’” Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him]” (Matt 4:1-11; AMP).

Jesus’ temptations are unique to Jesus. But we can learn goldy principles from them. First, we see that Jesus took these temptations seriously. He prepared Himself for the temptation. He went there filled with the Holy Spirit. He came out in the power of the Holy Spirit (Lk 4:14) ready to start His public ministry. Immediately after His baptism in the River Jordan, The Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. Between Jordan and Jerusalem, there is the hot and dry Judea Desert. This is where the devil tempted Jesus. For forty days Jesus ate nothing. He became hungry. This proves that He was not only God, but also Man. The devil tempted Him with three questions. Jesus answered with God’s written Word!

To understand this temptation, we must remind ourselves of God’s  purpose for His Son. Jesus said that He came ‘to seek and to save that which was lost’ (Lk 19:10). Immediately after His baptism in the River Jordan, Jesus is ready to enter into His public ministry to call people to repentance, so that they enter the Kingdom of God (Matt 4:17). God’s plan for His Son was to preach about God’s Kingdom. He will also do miracles, acts of kindness towards the sick and the suffering and but not for Himself. After three years, Jesus dies on the Cross, on behalf of sinners, as their Substitute. This was God’s will for Him, to walk the painful royal way of the Cross that led to the salvation of many. The Savior must pay for their salvation with His blood. Jesus was obedient to God and His plan for Him even unto death. God the Father resurrects His Son from the grave. Jesus ascends to heaven as God-Man. He is crowned with many crowns, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. His eternal glory is displayed for all to see. All men must bow to Him. He alone is worthy of all worship (Phil 2:5-11). The devil suspects that God’s plan is to make His Son eternally famous. He was jealous. He wants to destroy it. Thru the temptation the devil offers Jesus an alternative way to become famous. Not the plan of the Father which includes Death and resurrection. The devil’s way avoids the Cross. But Jesus rejects the painless plan of the devil. He remains steadfast in His faith trusting God the Father. That is how He became our Savior and Lord! Glory!

1-The First Temptation (to become a Materialistic Savior)

“After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights, He became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But Jesus replied, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God” (Matt 4:2-4).

The first temptation is to doubt God’s love. The devil speaks with some truth. That is why temptation is painful and hard to endure! Making bread or eating bread is not a sin. As a Man, Jesus decided to obey only God and not to make decisions by Himself. The devil’s idea is that God does not love Jesus for letting Him suffer hunger. The devil wants Jesus to blame His Father for suffering. He wants to separate God the Father from God the Son. He wanted to cause rebellion and division in the Trinity. That could have caused the universe to disintegrate. The temptation is bigger than we imagine! Lesson: you don’t live because you eat. You live because God sustains you. Once God decides that it is time to die, no food can keep you alive. At the hour of death, you see that food has no power to give life.

After forty days of fasting, Jesus’ body is weak. That is when the devil attacks. He suggests that He should make bread to feed Himself and many others. He suggests that Jesus should become a Bread-making Savior. That will attract all the hungry people to follow Him. The devil says “If You are the Son of God…” The word ‘if’ reveals an attack of doubt upon the identity of Jesus. The Father has just publicly declared that Jesus is His Beloved Son (Matt 3:17). To doubt the voice of the Father will make Jesus a spiritual ‘orphan’. That is sin. Lesson: The devil attacks when you are weak. He attacks with doubts to block your prayers (Jam 1:6-8). The same word ‘if’ in Greek can also be translated as ‘since’. In that case, the devil says: ‘Since (or because) You are the Son of God… use your office and anointing to supply men what they need’. This attack is not with doubt, but to use His power for selfish purposes. Jesus rejects the devil’s option by saying: “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone”. He quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy. “God humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut 8:3).

The devil tempts Jesus to make bread that feeds the flesh. But this bread can never satisfy man’s spiritual needs. Man needs The Word of God which is eternal life! Lesson: The flesh is needy, and manifests thru works of darkness. We are commanded to die to the flesh, to make no provision to feed it. “The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom 13:12-14). In Greek the word ‘provision’ means to think in advance how to supply the desires of the flesh. The mind of the Christian is to be inclined towards spiritual things, not things of the flesh. The flesh is like a spoiled child who craves entertainment. Lesson: A little lust, or a little self-pity, spoils much spiritual gain. We need to discipline our minds thru the study of God’s Word, and prayer. The devil reminds you of the desires of the flesh, to attend to them. Keep your eyes on Jesus who rejected that approach. The flesh is never satisfied. Jesus said: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (Jn 6:63). The Word of God and Its promises are not made for the flesh. If Jesus fell to this temptation, He could have become a materialistic Savior. He will feed man with bread and cake. But man in sin still has to get old, die and go to hell. Lesson: The Word of God is Spirit and life. It is designed to feed and strengthen your human spirit and weaken your flesh. You see that the devil’s temptation will only temporarily improve your life. He wants you to ignore death. The so-called ‘Prosperity Gospel’ is dangerous because it uses God’s Word to feed the flesh. Be careful!

2-The Second Temptation (to become a Religious miracle worker Savior)

“Then the devil took Him into the holy city [Jerusalem] and placed Him on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple. And he said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You [to serve, care for, protect and watch over You]’; and ‘They will lift you up on their hands, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall not test the Lord your God” (Matt 4:5-7)

The devil led Jesus possibly in a vision to stand on the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem. He suggested that in the presence of all the gathered worshippers Jesus should jump from there. The devil assured Jesus that according to God’s Word, God will guard Jesus and He will fall down unharmed. This miracle of salvation from death will amaze all the worshippers and they will follow Jesus. Here Satan tempts Jesus with pride and religious fame. Men will see Jesus as a miracle wonder Man. They will follow Him because they see the miracles and not because they trust His Word. The devil mis-quotes scripture from Psalm 91. He did not quote from the Book of Deuteronomy like Jesus, which is God’s law. He quotes from the ‘softer’ Psalms. In this psalm God promises to protect His obedient and faithful children, those who dwell under His wings. God did not promise to protect anyone who takes Him for granted. The devil tempts Jesus to claim the blessings of obedience even when He disobeys. Jesus calls that approach ‘tempting God’. Jesus again quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy saying: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah” (Deut 6:16). To tempt God, it means that you take His grace and kindness for granted. It means to use the promises of God against Him. Lesson: the backsliders try to manipulate God to bless them in their rebellion. But God cannot be deceived!

2-The Third Temptation (to become a Political Savior)

“Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory [splendor, magnificence, and excellence] of them; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever remains written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the devil left Him; and angels came and ministered to Him [bringing Him food and serving Him]” (Matt 4:8-11; AMP)

This time, the devil offers Jesus the whole world, with its fame, amid all its visible glory and beauty. But this gift is not free. There is a price to pay. Jesus must submit, bow down and worship Satan, the giver. Satan always lusted after worship. He wanted to be ‘like God’ (Isaiah 14:14). If Jesus receives this offer, He will become a political Savior. All men will ‘vote’ for Him and worship Him. For Jesus to become honored by men He has to compromise with Satan. This political fame seems cheap. Jesus does not have to suffer rejection from men. He does not have to die on the Cross. But Jesus refuses the offer. He sternly rejects Satan to go away! The word means to depart and die, to withdraw and disappear. Then Jesus quotes again from the Book of Deuteronomy that says: “You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him and shall take oaths in His name. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you (for the Lord your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the Lord your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth” (Deut 6:13-15). Jesus says that God loves Him and is jealous over Him. To serve idols is to insult God. Jesus rejects political success because it is based on idolatry. Selah!  

The third temptation was also designed so that Jesus will doubt God’s plan for Him. God the Father has already promised the nations to Him. He said: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps 2:7, 8). In the hot desert, hungry and weak, it seems that the devil’s offer is faster than to wait for God to fulfill His own Word. Satan says that the kingdoms have been given to him. This is only a half-truth. He only rules the evil in the nations. His power is limited by God. Why? Because “The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein” (Ps 24:1). Lesson: be patient and wait on God and His promises! Halleluiah!  

Finally, the temptation was over! Jesus did not sin! The angels can come to help and feed Jesus. Once He passed the test, Jesus went to Galilee in the power of the Spirit of God. Immediately, He became famous by preaching the Word with authority and driving the demons away (Matt 7:29)! The devil could not take any credit for that fame. This is how He started His public ministry that eventually led to the Cross!

LESSONS FOR US/ HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY ENDURE TEMPTATIONS AND EXPERIENCE SPIRITUAL PROGRESS

Lesson: Temptation is not sin. Falling in the midst of temptation is sin. Fast and pray! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!

Preach the Word! Jesus used the sword of the Spirit, the eternal written Word of God, to defeat Satan! We must do the same! The victory of Jesus over Satan in the wilderness greatly encourages us. His victory here was a sample of what will happen at the Cross. We now know that Jesus is stronger than Satan. Our faith in Jesus and the Word of God must increase!

Lesson: be careful with the people you call friends. You can be kind to all but do not trust all. The devil uses ‘friends’ to temp you to sin. “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Cor 15:33). For example, there is a Christian woman. The devil comes as a rich unbeliever who wants to marry her. He seems generous and kind. He gives her gifts so that she will marry him. She forgets that after the wedding, she has to submit to her unbelieving husband. He will then take back all the gifts he gave to her. Lesson: The devil gives gifts to tempt believers to sin. Not all gifts should be received. Pray before you receive a gift. Remember how the Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the leaders of Israel (Joshua 9). They are a symbol of Satan. Only God’s gifts can truly bless the receiver. “The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it” (PV 10:22). Lesson: reject the sorrow filled prosperity of the devil!

Lesson: salvation is personal. Spiritual progress is personal. Please note that Jesus goes alone to the wilderness to meet the devil. He depends on God alone. There were no disciples or pastors to pray for Him at the hour of temptation. Why did Jesus go alone? It was to identify with sinful man, to become their High Priest and Savior. Jesus lived alone and died alone. He understands every man. “Therefore, it was essential that He had to be made like His brothers (mankind) in every respect, so that He might [by experience] become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things related to God, to make atonement (propitiation) for the people’s sins [thereby wiping away the sin, satisfying divine justice, and providing a way of reconciliation between God and mankind]” (Heb 2:17; AMP). In many countries, the Christians cannot attend churches. The Christians often feel lonely even when they go to church. We trust Jesus who was walked the road of life and death alone. That is why He alone deserves all glory for our salvation! It is also a sign that Jesus is the only Savior. He alone conquered sin, death, and the devil. No man helped Him. No man can share in His glory. Just before His death, Jesus told the disciples: “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:32-33). The peace of Christ is a proof of His overcoming the world and Satan, the prince of the world. After the war, there must be peace. For the mature Christian, the peace of Jesus is his companion daily. It is the proof that he has endured the temptation and has won the battle.

Lesson: After his defeat in the wilderness, the devil left Jesus until an opportune time. He used Peter to temp Jesus not to go to the Cross. Immediately Jesus revealed to His disciples that He has to die and resurrect, Peter ‘rebuked’ Him saying: “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt 16:22-23). Satan will always put the things of men before the things of God. Do not forget! Christianity is Christ. He must always be at the center of our hearts and doctrines. The Bible starts and ends with God! The devil wants to put man in the place of God! Lastly, the devil tempted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to do His will and not God’s will which included the Cross. Jesus defeated the devil each time. By His death on the Cross Jesus defeated the devil eternally. He opened the door of salvation for all those who believe!

Lesson: Jesus obeyed God unto death! We must do the same! Disobedience to God’s Word is never an option! Trust God to turn your pain into praise! “In the days of His earthly life, Jesus offered up both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed] with fervent crying and tears to the One who was [always] able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission toward God [His sinlessness and His unfailing determination to do the Father’s will]. Although He was a Son [who had never been disobedient to the Father], He learned [active, special] obedience through what He suffered. And having been made perfect [uniquely equipped and prepared as Savior and retaining His integrity amid opposition], He became the source of eternal salvation [an eternal inheritance] to all those who obey Him, being designated by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb 5:7-10; AMP). This is the mystery of the Cross. Jesus always obeyed God the Father. But on earth, He had to learn to obey God as a Man. The lesson of obedience was found in the fire of suffering. The place of temptation was His classroom. On the Cross, with His Blood shed. He graduated from the lesson of obedience unto death. As a Man He became perfect. That is why God the Father exalted Him above all others in the universe (Philippians 2). As a God He did not need to learn obedience. But as a Man, He needed to do that. He is our Savior, Mentor and Lord! Hallelujah!   

Lesson: God loves you! God promised genuine godly fame as a reward for obedience (Deut 28:9-14). The devil wants you to forget that. He deceives you saying that God is a harsh master who does not want you to enjoy your life. That is a lie! The devil offers fame and prosperity without the cross, without obedience to God. That fame destroys.

Lesson: Never forget that the devil is God’s enemy and your enemy. Jesus died for sinners. The devil cannot be redeemed. The revelation of Jesus is power for ministry. “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1Jn 3:8)

Lesson: Jesus passed thru temptations to understand you and me. He is now our High Priest in heaven. He hears your prayers. He understands your pains. “For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin” (Heb 4:15, AMP)

Lesson: Jesus was strong during the temptation because He was without sin. All the temptations were extremal to Him. His heart was pure totally dedicated to God. He said just before the Cross: “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]” (Jn 14:30, AMP). We are born sinners. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be free from the lusts of the body and mind! We should desire purity of spirit and body! That purity is strength!

Lesson: God is faithful to help you during temptation! “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:12, 13). God reveals the way of escape only to the humble!

Lesson: Jesus told Peter: “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Lk 22:31, 32). Once you have successfully passed the testing of temptation, use your wisdom and experience to help others gain the victory!

Lesson: Temptation is seasonal. It has a beginning and an end. When the devil finished tempting Jesus, the angels could come to serve Him!

Lesson: Most of the times temptations come from people close to us, thru your spouse, family and friends. You must learn to separate the human agent from the demon behind him/her.

Lesson: In that wilderness, Jesus rehearsed what will happen at the cross. “For though He (Jesus) was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you” (2 Cor 13:4). That same power of strength found in weakness, by God’s Grace, is ours too! This is the secret of spiritual progress and victory over sin!

We conclude by saying, to experience spiritual progress you have to learn how to say ‘Yes, Sir!’ to King Grace and a categorical ‘No!’ to the devil. These are lessons you learn during temptations. You must humble yourself and submit to God to be able to successfully resist the devil until he flees from you! Then God will ‘lift you up’. Promotion and progress shall be manifest to all! God gives more grace. “Therefore, He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (Jam 4:6-10). May the Word of God set us free from the bondages of the enemy! To worship God in Spirit and in Truth! Worship the Lord!

PRAYER REQUEST

I received a letter from a man who wrote on my blog. The subject was how Christians can be bewitched. The text was taken from the Book of Galatians. I do not know this man personally. I do not know where he lives. It does not matter. Please pray for him. He needs help. God will bless you as you intercede for others who need prayer in time of need.

“O, you foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified” (Gal 3:1)

“Hi Mam, first of all I would like to say thank you for the article you wrote regarding the bewitched subject it really gave me insight and knowledge on the subject. If I may say I am really facing disappointment, fear, icthy ears, depression and some of the things you mentioned on the list. I Google the subject as I thought someone I came in contact with might have tried to bewitch me. All of this stared when me and my aunt shared with this girl a house and during that my luck changed and my aunt started seeing things like dirt splashed on our bedroom’s door she would clean it and it always came back so she went home to do some research and she was told the girl we lived with was no good. So, we moved out and since then everything changed our life’s where disturbed we lived in constant fear, nothing is going well I don’t know what she did to us I even stopped going to school like nothing is going well for me.

I don’t know what to do I am home now and I see some splashes on the door I am just so scared to think that the dirt splashed on the doors might be her work even though I am far away from home how is this possible. I don’t understand how can I break through this please help me.

Kind regards

M…”

This is my answer to him:

“Dear M…

Thank you for your letter. I see that you need help. I cannot help you directly, but God can help you wherever you are, even right now. According to the Bible, Christians can be bewitched by evil people. These wicked men or women use occult power to place spells on the believers. You may not like to hear that, but it is the truth.

The first thing that you need is to be sure that you are saved, that you are a child of God. Just going to church is not enough. Even reading the Bible or praying is not enough. A spirit of religion is not enough. You need to be born again by the Spirit of God. That is a miracle only God can do. That should be your first duty; to be sure your soul is eternally saved.

Secondly, you need to deliver yourself from the evil spirit of fear. First of all, the devil attacks with fear, to weaken you, before he does other damage. Stand on the Word of God: “God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power love and sound mind” (2Tim 1:7). Anything God has not given to you, reject it immediately!

Lastly, pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will give you the power to live a victorious life as a Christian. He will give you wisdom. He will give you the courage to stand and fight back. You should not fear a witch. A witch is to fear you! I will pray for you! God loves you! Come back with a testimony to the glory of God!

Love in Christ alone

Malia”