Praise for His handiwork

Friends,

One of the fallacies of the church is that a person is saved because the Lord "knew" that he or she would ... fill in the blank. The person would eventually ... become a responsible parent; shake loose from the chains of addiction; become a dedicated philanthropist; devote their talents and gifts to the service of the Church. Take your pick. This idea has been repeated, in various forms, for centuries.

But even though Christians have picked up on this idea and promulgated it throughout the world, it is still untrue; it still contradicts the Word of God:

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.
Ephesians 2:8-9 [NKJV]

If our salvation is dependent upon something that we do -- either in our past, our present or our future -- then we have nullified the effect and power of grace. It's simply not possible to adequately describe how wrong, dangerous and blasphemous such a notion truly is.

A man is saved only because of the work of Christ.
Without His saving grace, we are able to do nothing of eternal value. Nothing that is good and pleasing to the Lord.

Altruistic works are fine, but if they lack the power and authority of Christ (which ALL non-believers lack), then they lack any eternal value.

The humility of recognizing that nothing you or I have done or will do changes our election Christ will have a natural and wondrous result: We will acknowledge the amazing work that Jesus has done for us and in us. And we will join with all the angels in praise to the Glorious King of kings!

Be encouraged, Jose

God first

He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30 (NKJV)

Likened to what we can describe today, the disciples of John the Baptist cornered their leader, Pastor or Bishop (John in this case) and queried him that the one whom he was with earlier at the other side of the Jordan (Jesus) was baptizing and pulling great crowds and doing great exploits. This turn of events made John's disciples worrisome and pondered why our Lord was getting all the attention.

John answered ... "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven". The moral of the story is that nothing in our lives must compete with the place of Christ in our lives. We must never forget our mission as God's children here.

Anything that decreases Christ in the life of a person is dangerous. Christ must increase and we must decrease.

Be encouraged,

Afolabi

Trust God not man

Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.
Jeremiah 17:5-6 (NKJV)

The words according to prophet Jeremiah hit the core of our mistakes and narrow human perceptions. Our mind is very good at using visible and physical situations to make humanly logical conclusions. This is so true of our present & materialistic driven world. We can easily tell from what we see - which person, organization, nation, etc will or can produce help or assistance. How wrong!!!!!

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NKJV)

When we take our mind and focus away from the source and giver of all good things, we miss ‘good’ when it shows up because our mind and eyes most times only look at the external. But trusting God brings assurance, peace of mind, strange boldness & confidence (to the unbelieving world). When the drought comes, you only get to hear about it because the provider have already met your needs . It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.

Be Encouraged,

Afolabi

Tended by God's Hand

Friends,

In the Old Testament, the Lampstand symbolizes how the Lord illuminates His Word and Law. It was hidden in the Most Holy Place, and gave light to the room in which the Ark of the Covenant resided. It shone on the wall and revealed God's judgment upon Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans (see Daniel 5). When the LORD introduces the Lampstand, He gives specific instructions as to how it was to be tended and replenished with oil by the priests.

Later in the Old Testament, we read that Zechariah had a vision in which the Lampstand appeared, flanked by two olive trees ...

Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?”
Zechariah 4:11-12 [NKJV]

There are no human priests tending the Lampstand in Zechariah's vision. Instead Almighty God has placed, by His Own Hand, two olive trees on either side. The LORD has taken direct responsibility for illuminating His Word to His prophets and His people.

This is an important lesson for all of us who are called to be Christ's followers. No longer can we abdicate our responsibility for discerning the will of God by believing that only "certain" people can understand it. And no longer can "certain" people claim that revelation is theirs and theirs alone. Revelation has been ... and is being given ... by the LORD.

Seek it, brothers and sisters, and hear the voice of Christ!

Be encouraged, Jose

With Understanding

Friends,

There are so many activities we undertake somewhat mindlessly. We don't usually think about breathing, or walking, or chewing. We just breathe, walk and chew. Sometimes we don't even think about our driving. When we're off to work, we get there on some sort of auto-pilot, perhaps not even remembering any details of our commute. This kind of automatic activity is quite useful in many ways. But not in all ways ...

For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
Psalm 47:7 [NKJV]

In this verse, the word "understanding" comes from the Hebrew word sakal. It means, according to Strong's Concordance, to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper. So then, to praise God with understanding is to be purposeful in our praises, to be fully aware of our words and thoughts. It means that we are most certainly not to recite words and sing songs mindlessly.

This weekend, brothers and sisters, you may have an opportunity to join others in corporate prayer and worship and praise of Almighty God. When you do so, be fully present and aware of what you are doing. You are preparing a place for God to abide, for He abides in the praises of His people. Do so with sincerity and great joy. Do so with great reverence and joy. Do so ... with understanding.

Be encouraged, Jose

New Bible Studies posted

Friends,

New Bible studies have been posted on the Bible Study Audio web site. These are powerful teachings, essential for understanding how the Lord is changing us, His people. I pray you are blessed by them.

Be encouraged, Jose

Drunk while Waiting

But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. Luke 12:45-46 [KJV]

Since Christ has not returned yet, we have had some opportunity to put off doing things that He has required of us. We procrastinate on our calling and do things that non-Christians are doing. As we become distracted with the cares of the world instead of the cares of the kingdom, we are susceptible to the opportunity to be caught up in worldly values and be in line for punishment instead of reward.

Don't be deceived, Christ will return. We do not know when, but we know that we can only serve while we are here. Let us not be drunk, distracted or non-attentive while we are waiting. Let us all be diligent in our work and our calling to spread the Good News of Christ.

Be Encouraged,

Martin