Chapter 1:12-16

James 1

JAMES 1

12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

YOUR TO BLAME!

We battle three things every day, the world, the flesh and the devil.

Temptation is all around us, can God take that temptation away?

Well he could, if you want to live in a monastery or on a desert island by yourself, even in those places you would be tempted in one way or another.

No, he doesn’t take away these temptations, he gives us the power to defeat them, with the sword of the spirit in our hands and the holy spirit in our hearts.

If we overcome temptation, we will receive the crown of life, what a reward that is.

God is not the author of temptation; Does he allow us to be tempted? yes, but in those situations, he gives us the strength to overcome it.

Temptation starts slowly, it’s like this:

There is a casino, you have to walk past every day, at first you walk past it, then you gaze into the window, then you go in and look around, then you are gambling, see the progression. Psalm 1 outlines this, we are more and more passive and this leads to sin, bringing forth, not physical death but spiritual death, look at Adam and Eve and look at Samson.

We need to be proactive against temptation, lets go back to our casino scenario, what we need to do, is to find another way so that we don’t walk past that place of temptation.

Many men will say, “oh, I’ve had an affair, with this woman, it’s Gods fault that she came to my office”. If you are tempted in this situation, change jobs, don’t be inactive but proactive. 

It’s like porn on your computer, many men blame God or their wives, when in reality, it’s their lust and fornication, get rid of your computer and be accountable to other men. Confess your faults to one other as it says later in James, stop blaming God and everyone else.

These verses in 1 Corinthians 10 sum it up:

13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

God will give you a way of escape, but look at verse 14, you have to flee from idolatry, if you are tempted by some women at work, change jobs, if you are addicted to porn, then be accountable to others, don’t be inactive but proactive against sin, it may start small, but it will mushroom and it gives birth to only one thing and that is death.

Do not err on this point brothers and sisters.

Paul said to Timothy:

2 Timothy 2:22

Flee also youthfullusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Not only must you flee these lusts, but you must you must follow righteousness and seek God in repentance.

You will overcome and the prize is a crown of life.

God bless you

Keith

Chapter 1:9-11

James 1

JAMES

CHAPTER 1

9 Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10 and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass[c] he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also, will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

THE RICH AND THE POOR

Christianity is the only faith, that is counter cultural. You can be as poor as a church mouse so to speak and yet be rich as a billionaire in spiritual things, see Ephesians 1.

One of the things, it does, is that it puts money in its proper place. It puts riches in it’s proper place, we need money to live, but we don’t need riches.

It is often said, that you cant take your money with you, but why would you, all the money in the world, can’t buy you into heaven, no amount of money, could buy you the things and the glory that are in heaven.

No amount of money can win you salvation.

When it talks about humiliation here, it talks about if you have money, you have to lay it down at the feet of Jesus. The rich young ruler and others in the gospels refused to lay it down and it cost them, their souls. 

It is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, but when he is humiliated and lets everything go for the sake of the gospel, he is exalted, he is blessed. Because he will now have what money cannot buy.

Amen

God bless you

Keith

Chapter 1:5-8

James 1

CHAPTER 1

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

WISDOM NEEDED NOW

Wisdom is a great gift from God, Solomon asked for it and received it.

In Proverbs 1, it says:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
    fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Psalm 111 says:


ThefearoftheLordisthebeginningofwisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!

God graciously gives us wisdom to deal with everyday circumstances, we are told later in James 3, what true wisdom is:

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

How do we endure and handle trials? When trying times come, how do we handle them?

We ask for wisdom from God and he will give us the wisdom to get through these things. But we ask in faith, we have to have a complete and utter trust in God and this must come with no doubt.

Sometimes when faced with a situation, we ask for God’s wisdom, but then we try to figure it out through the world’s wisdom, this is being caught between two minds, we cannot be two minds. We cannot afford to have one foot in both camps.

Christians need to completely and totally trusting in the Lord. Otherwise, we will be like a wave on the sea, God cannot give wisdom to us, unless we trust him 100%,  God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom, do not mix.

For the believer, it is either one or the other and I know what kind of wisdom I want, and that is God’s wisdom.

Ask God for his wisdom, act in faith and believe that he will give it to you.

God’s wisdom, will enable you to overcome trials and to see them in the right perspective, it clears the mist and allows you to see them in the divine perspective, but man’s wisdom, only sees them from man’s perspective

God bless you

Keith

Chapter 1 vs 2-4

James 1

CHAPTER 1

2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[b] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

FAITH BEING PROBED AND PRODUCING

James doesn’t waste time getting to the point, does he?

Faith is a key word in this book, he outlines this further in Chapter 2 and throughout the book. You say that you have faith, well, where’s the evidence.

In the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11, the people there had their faith tested, Abraham in Genesis 22, Moses by the children of Israel and many others.

All trials and tests we go through are to make our faith real, they are not meant to destroy it, they are meant to strengthen it, that is why James can tell us to count it all joy, in modern terms, to count, every trial as a blessing.

God knows every trial we go through, he is sovereign over every trial and is in control of every situation, he is with us, indeed one of the reasons, we can count it all joy, is because our Lord is with us through that trial.

The more trials we go through, the stronger we become, the first ones hurt, we wonder why, but as we stand against these, we are able to move on and to become steadfast and strong, it is like exercising a muscle, the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.

Trials and tests are God’s training ground, they are God’s proving ground for his children, we go through them, because we are his sons and daughters and not bastards. Hebrews 12 and Romans 8.

Remember, we can count it all joy, because they are true evidences of our faith, they mature and grow us and because finally, they prove that we are His.

God bless you

KK

JAMES THE MAN

James 1

James chapter 1

James, a servant[a] of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

JAMES THE MAN

So, who was this man, James?

He was the half-brother of our saviour; he was the natural offspring of Mary and Joseph. Jesus of course was born supernaturally through the holy spirit.

He was the leader of the Jerusalem church; much is written about him in the book of Acts.

HE HAD A POWERFUL EXPERIENCE

In Mark chapter 3, James, his mother and his brother and his mother thought Jesus was mad, so what happened. The answer is the cross and resurrection of Jesus, this is a life changing experience. Every person who comes into contact with the above is never the same. People like Paul and James, who think Jesus is mad, are now slaves of Jesus Christ.

HE HAD A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP

Everyone like James who comes into contact with Jesus, comes into a personal relationship. Christianity is about a relationship, it is not about religion, it is the only faith, where you can have a personal relationship with God, why because God steps down into human history.

HE WAS PERMANENTLY TRANSFORMED

When people come into contact with Jesus, they are totally transformed, James was changed and millions have been changed over the last 2,000 years.

So, who is James, He is you and me. 

Jesus changed the life of James and he can change yours too.

God bless you

KK

Be an “I Will” Christian

Psalms 3

Be an “I Will” Christian

“With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word… Psalm 119:13-16.”

Of all the psalms, this one is one of the best because it talks about God’s precious word.

Why don’t we have the same attitude the psalmist had in this beautiful psalm? He says, “I will.” He makes a commitment to the Word of God. Someone has testified that only half of Christians read the bible every day. These things should not be.

We need to make a commitment to the reading of the Bible. Rest assured, the devil will put any obstacle in your way to stop you from reading and meditating on scripture; even Christian service.

The Bible is the greatest treasure trove in the world. It is our spiritual food. You shouldn’t just read the Bible but meditate on it throughout the day.

Let God’s truth drip into your spirit. Let it take up residence in your mind; let it encompass your whole being. You may have heard this writing before (I don’t know the author, but I sure agree with him):
:
The Bible contains . . .

the mind of God,
the state of man,
the way of salvation,
the doom of sinners, and
the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy,
its precepts are binding,
its histories are true, and
its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise,
believe it to be safe,
and practice it to be holy.

The Bible contains . . .

light to direct you,
food to support you,
and comfort to cheer you.

It is . . .

the traveler’s map,
the pilgrim’s staff,
the pilot’s compass,
the soldier’s sword and
the Christian’s charter.

Here too, Heaven is opened — and the gates of Hell are disclosed.

Christ is its grand subject,
our good is its design, and
the glory of God is its end.

The Bible should . . .

fill the memory,
rule the heart
and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently and prayerfully.

The Scripture is . . .

a mine of wealth,
a paradise of glory,
and a river of pleasure!

It . . .

is given to you in life,
will be opened at the judgment,
and be remembered forever.

The Bible . . .

involves the highest responsibility,
rewards the greatest labor, and
will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents!

Let’s all be “I WILL” CHRISTIANS!

Make a daily appointment to dive into the word of God!

God bless you, Keith 

Breaking or closing the box

Noonday 2

Breaking or Closing the Box

“And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she broke the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her. And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? She hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whomsoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come a forehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them… Mark 14:3-10.”

Look at the contrast here between the woman and Judas, both had boxes or bags. One used their box to bless and one used it for himself and indeed complained when that box was broken in service to Christ and for Christ. So often we are like Judas, we see someone giving wholeheartedly to the work of God and we say what a waste, it could be used for such and such a thing.

This woman was commended by Jesus; indeed, his words are so true, this woman is now one who shared with millions around the world as a dynamic example of selfless service.

We have the treasure of Christ in earthen vessels, so can I ask you this question? Do you break your box of perfume or do close your box? We have treasures of the perfume of Christ, to share with the world. In another passage the perfume fills the whole house.

Remember that the perfume of Christ cannot reach a needy world, if you don’t break the box. We have the good news of Christ, but do we share it or do we hide it? 2 Corinthians 4:6-7: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”

Have you broken the box that you have containing the gospel or are you keeping the perfume of Christ, to yourself? 

God bless you, Keith

The Power of One

Noonday 2

The Power of One

“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance… Luke 15:7.”

The gospels record many accounts of Jesus preaching and teaching to thousands of people during His ministry on earth. In fact, the word “multitude” occurs 40 times in Matthew’s gospel. But His most powerful experiences came when He was ministering to the individual. Consider the following examples:

Nicodemus John 3
Woman at the well John 4
The leprous man Luke 5:12-14
The woman with the issue of blood and Jairus’ daughter Luke 8:40-56
The thief on the cross and the centurion at the cross

The early church also reached large crowds, but also touched individuals:

The Crippled Man Acts 3
The Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8
The Philippian Jailer, Lydia and the Young girl Acts 16

In Luke 15, Jesus teaches us that the lost have value in the kingdom of God. Heaven’s greatest celebration is not over the multitudes who know Christ, but over the one who comes to Him in faith.

Do you know of someone who needs to respond to Christ’ gift of salvation?

Consider this: You would not have come to Christ, if someone hadn’t prayed for you and shared the gospel; Not only can you pray for the one, you can share the gospel with the one.

Let’s pray and then share the gospel and then let the precious Holy Spirit do his work of grace.

How can we reach the world? One sinner at a time.

Think of how many souls we could reach if each one of us would take the time to share the Good News with one who is lost.

Which One will you pray for? Which One will you share the gospel with?

God bless you, Keith 

Only Jesus

Keith's page 1

ONLY JESUS

I have just had another birthday, life goes fast doesn’t it, the older I get the more I focus on what is truly important.

So many things are calling for our attention, so what is important?

Life goes very quickly; it is over in a flash. I wonder where all those years have gone, it seems like yesterday that I was 16.

What is truly important today?

Jesus asked some of the most penetrating questions anyone has ever asked, he asked:

Who do you think I am?

This is the question everyone must answer.

The answer to this question will define you, it will not only define you here on earth, it will be the deciding factor to where you spend eternity. 

What is your answer to this question?

The apostles said in Acts 4, Now is the appointed time , now is the day of salvation.

The writer of the book of Hebrews said harden not your heart.

Jesus offers you life, don’t put him off, don’t put him aside and don’t harden your heart.

For those of you, who have trusted Christ and him alone, there is an ongoing relationship. Once you are his, it is the start of a relationship that will go on for eternity.

What are you living for believer?

Here are some reasons, why I should be living for Jesus

I HAVE A MANSION

People often say I have many flats/houses, many people in the world say look at my house isn’t it brilliant, but all I can say, look I have a mansion John 14:1-6.

I HAVE A REWARD

We have a reward, Paul is striving for a heavenly reward, look at Philippians 3 and 2 Timothy 4. We see so many people get rich and have many rewards, we may envy them, but we have no need to envy them, we will have the most amazing reward for our service to Him.

I HAVE AN INHERITANCE

We have an amazing inheritance, that will not rust or be taken away, so many people have money in the bank, but we have treasure that will never fade away 1 Peter 1.

I HAVE ETERNITY WITH GOD

We have our Jesus, we will be with him for eternity, whatever we go through here on earth, in terms of persecution, suffering etc is worth it, because of the glory we will have when we spend eternity with him in his heavenly home. Romans 8

What matters to you believer?

What will be the legacy you will leave?

Will your legacy be one of spiritual or monetary value?

I want my life to count for God,  I want to remembered for the grace of God in saving a sinner like me.

Whilst here on earth, I want to do two things:

I WANT TO KNOW HIM Philippians 3

I WANT TO MAKE HIM KNOWN MATTHEW 28:19-20

Make your life count, if you have never trusted Christ, trust him today, if you are serving him, strive for that heavenly crown, for your heavenly reward.

Because LIVING FOR AND LOVING JESUS IS THE ONLY THING THAT TRULY MATTERS

GOD BLESS YOU

KEITH

I can do all things

Keith's page 1

John 15:5

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, 

and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: 

for without me ye can do nothing.

I can do nothing to save myself

It is only through Christ

Through his saving work upon the cross

He saved me through his supreme sacrifice

I can do nothing to satisfy my deepest longing

Only Christ, can give me living of waters

Filling my life and flowing out of me

Supernatural rivers of joy

I can do nothing to forgive others

It is only by looking at the cross

At the One who has forgiven me

Can I forgive the people who have caused me hurt

So much forgiveness, has been given me

I have to forgive as Jesus did

I can nothing to love my enemies

Seeing the hurt they have done to my soul

But I hear my Savior’s words

Father forgive them, and I must follow his word

I can do nothing to love and serve Christ

But He gives me a job to do

To bring light, life and love into people’s lives

Sharing His love to a dark and depressed world

I can do nothing to love my wife

But I know that Jesus loves her so

And He calls me to selfless sacrifice

and to love her as He has loved the church

I can do nothing to share His gospel

I am slow in speech and in tongue

But like Peter, Christ gives me the speech 

To share His gospel and to reach out in love

In my own strength, I can do nothing

But in His strength

through his spirit

I can do All things

Philippians 4:13

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.

Without Christ, I can do nothing

All these things, I cannot do in my own strength, 

but in His strength and being filled with His Holy Spirit, 

I AM ABLE TO DO ALL THESE THINGS!

written by Keith

Why I am a Christian

Witnessing for the KIng

WHY I AM A CHRISTIAN

So, I am not an atheist, I am a Christian!

You may be saying, but there is no evidence for God, yes there is.

Why do I believe in God, why Christianity?

First let’s look at the influence of Christianity. 

It is a faith that is:

Counter Cultural, it is the one faith, the culture may say one thing, but Christianity says another. It does say that we are to obey government and the authorities, but it teaches that we need to go against the flow of society and to live as lights in the world. The people of God are the salt and light of this world.

It breaks country barriers, no other faith is in every country in the world, the same faith is in China, USA, Uk and Egypt. The faith of these people in different lands is the same, it is the only true global faith.

Atheists say, where is God? if there is a God, where is He? Christ came to earth, lived on earth and died the death you deserve. God has shown his compassion and care for us.

God has sent his Son for us, he cared enough to come. So where is God? He has come and lived amongst us for thirty years,  and died for us. How much care and compassion do you want?

Christianity is the only faith, that centres on a person. It centres on Christ. You may be an atheist, but you cannot deny that Jesus was a historical person.

What made him different? What has made millions of people give up their lives and follow him over the last 2000 years?  

CS Lewis said, that Jesus was either a Liar, Lunatic or Lord. He was one of the other, you cannot ignore the man of Galilee. 

He had a supernatural conception

He lived a perfect life

He said words that were beyond belief

He dies a terrible death

He rose from the grave and defeated death

He changes lives

Christianity centres on the cross, every other so-called religion seeks to reach up to God, but Christianity has God reaching down to man. The cross is central, no other so-called prophet like Mohammed or Buddha has done anything to deal with man’s sin.

Christianity calls for change, a radical one that it calls Conversion. It starts with the Holy Spirit convicting men/women of their sin and calling them to repentance. Christianity is the only faith that changes the human heart, it has brought about change in millions of people, who were thought beyond help. It has transformed Murderers, Drug addicts, Prostitutes and the like.

It also breaks the cycle of sin, man is trapped and has no way out, we go on living day to day and then we die, the atheist says, we have seventy years if we lucky and then we are no more. If that is the case and they are right, what is the point of life?

Jesus said, I am come that they might have life and have it in abundance John 10:10. He offers life with a capital L, not just here in this life, but he opens the way to heaven, he alone can give us peace with God and eternal life.

The greatest proof of Christianity is the resurrection, all the 

other so called great religious leaders such as Mohammed, Confucuis and Buddha, they are just a heap of dead bones, but the tomb of Jesus is empty, as the angels said on that first easter morning:

HE IS NOT HERE

He lives in the hearts of his people, he alone offers hope to people, what does Islam offer, try hard, pray five times a day and you may have a place in heaven.

Jesus says come unto me and I will give you rest, you come to me and you will have abundant life, not just in this life, but eternally.

Does it cost?

Of course, anything worth having does.

It will cost you:

your pride

your sin

But let me tell you, like the man who Jesus said found a pearl of great price in a field, he sold everything to buy that  field.

Jesus is the pearl of great Price, knowing him is beyond every ounce of gold on the planet and more.

The message is clear, Jesus came and died and then rose again, defeating death and will come again. It is a true message; it couldn’t be any clearer. The bible speaks with clarity, creation speaks with clarity, people with changed lived speak with clarity.

The clock is ticking, we all have a limited time on this earth, the most important question, we face is this:

What we will do with Jesus?

As CS Lewis said he is either a liar, Lunatic or he is Lord. 

As an atheist, you can’t get away from this fact, one day you will die. Are you scared, you bet you are!. But Jesus has defeated death and the grave and he offers life, the one you refuse to believe in loves you and went to the cross for you.

God’s command is for everyone to repent, man’s greatest need is peace. Peace with God. Man’s burden is sin, it is like pilgrim in Pilgrim’s Progress, he carries it around, it burdens him. There were many people who tried religion and good works to get rid of their sin, but the only place, sin is dealt with, is at the cross of calvary.

Paul has a great discourse, with the learned men of Athens, here is what he says:

:

Acts 17

,27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 

 but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Is God calling you, time is passing. Acts 4:12 says, today is the day of salvation. In Hebrews we read harden not your heart. 

It’s up to you, please carefully consider the evidence.  I write this because of deep care for people, I am saved only because of God’s grace and mercy and can write this and say like Paul Romans 1

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek

God bless you

Keith

ARE YOU GROWING WEARY?

Prayer need

ARE YOU GROWING WEARY?

From: Ron Hawks

“Not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up…Galatians 6:9.”

Most people who come to Christ come when they are facing difficult times. They come when they are in great need. They are hoping for change in circumstances and/or within. Why don’t people come to God when they are in a “good space?” It’s probably because when things are good, we tend to be content with our self-reliance. We call out to God when relying on ourselves isn’t working anymore.

Life can still be tough – even when we rely on God. The apostle Paul encourages those who are living in Christ to “Not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Why would people who have learned to rely on Christ become weary in doing the right things? It’s because we all are prone to lose focus.

It could be that we really want to see things change as a fruit of our good work. We keep our eyes on the change we hope for, and when we don’t see it we become weary and depleted. “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” (Proverbs 13:6) It can happen to any of us. When we don’t see the change (fruit) we want from our labors, we can wear out.

However, we would do better to focus on doing the right things … for the Lord. It is better to serve the Lord in worship, rather than as a means of change. Yet, in honest, doing rightly rarely provides enough incentive to sustain us over the long haul.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, He is our prize and the reward for our labors. Let’s work for Him (His delight), in Him (His power), and with Him (in Relationship with Him). When we live with Jesus – the things, the changes and even the results of our labor fade in prominence. He becomes the “why,” He becomes the “how” and He becomes the “treasure.” Jesus lived focusing on His relationship with His Father, and He has opened the same kind of relationship for us. “For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) The joy was in being with His Father – the ultimate joy was in sitting down with His Father.

You may already be feeling some weariness this fall – don’t worry, that’s natural. However, this could great time to sharpen your focus. You will receive a bountiful harvest of deeper relationship with the Lord and all the fruit He produces if you will content yourself in His presence and keep pressing ahead. He is the reward – and He will reward you – it’s a promise!

Pressing on in Him with you,

Pastor Tom

Reliance

Prayer need

RELIANCE

From: Karen Parrish

“For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light…Colossians 1:9-12.”

I have read this verse many times, and have often thought, there is no way I can walk in a “manner worthy”, because I am a sinner saved by grace. However, as I reread and digest it, it comes to me that if Christ lives within me, and the Scripture says He does, this is an area that I have to depend totally on Christ for this walk.

How do I do that? I have shared with you before that I use to be a “control freak”. I wanted to control everything, not to be mean and controlling, but to protect myself! I have come to learn that human control usually ends up poorly, and I could give you many examples of that.

Since, I now allow Christ to live through me, I depend on Him for ALL my decisions. That means I talk to Him, as I talk to you now. I ask Him questions for answers; I share my concerns and insecurities with Him. I am brutally honest with him, he knows my feelings anyway. I read His scriptures, I praise Him and I thank Him for creating me.

The more I rely on Him, the more I realize His great love is for me in ways I never thought possible. I heard for years, how much God loves us, but as I depend and rely on Him more and more, I experience His love more and more. The beauty of this is that I have a “peace that passes understanding”, and a freedom that is hard to describe.

There is not a good work I can do, except Christ does it through me. The knowledge I receive from Christ, as I depend on Him more and more, is often knowledge I had never even considered, and so I know that this is wisdom from Christ.

Dear brothers and sisters, my prayer for each of you, is that you will rely on and trust Him more and more in ALL areas of your life.

Don’t wait until you are older, as I have done. Let Him be your total source and the peace and joy you will receive will be reflected through you and all you do. In addition, you will experience His love that can’t be measured!

Just knowing He is there for us during the good times and the bad, allows me to be comforted sooner. It also helps me to know those trials are coming to Him as well as me, and we are never, ever alone!

I can honestly say those trials that we all go through, are not as painful, knowing He is enduring them with me. Knowing His love dwells within me, enables me to love others as only He can love through me. All I have to do is know who I am in Christ and who Christ is in me! Praise God for whom ALL blessings flow!

PROMINENT POSITION

Prayer need

PROMINENT POSITION

From: Ron Hawks

“We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do…Ephesians 2:10.”

Sometimes it feels like you are not getting anywhere. You may be working hard, being faithful and even bearing more weight than those around you. Yet, few seem to notice your work, your abilities or your investment. At times like this, you start to wonder about the future – whether you will ever be seen or heard for what you really are. You may ask what you need to do to get noticed, appreciated and/or rewarded.

Strangely, we find James and John – two of Jesus’ closest followers – in a similar situation. (Mark 10:35-45) They, quite possibly with the input/influence of their mother (Matthew 20:20-28), decided they wanted to take their future into their own hands. They flat out asked Jesus to secure places of prominence for them in His Coming Kingdom. This seemed like a brazen request to the other disciples, though one that may have been in their hearts, too.

Jesus’ response included an interesting idea. He said that these places of prominence “belong to those for whom they have been prepared.” This points to a theological truth with which some have difficulty. God has specific plans and preparations for people. When He said He knew the plans He had for Israel (Jeremiah 29:11), He meant it. The prophecies in Scripture are simply a foretelling of the plans God had/has plans to unfold in the future. God’s “foreknowledge” is perfect and accurate. Thus the apostle Paul can write, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

We need not worry about our future – or anything for that matter. (Matthew 6:25; Philippians 4:6) God has good plans for us. Ours is not to try to create our futures or claw our way into them. Instead, we are to discover and discern what God is doing and planning – and simply align our lives and cooperate. This removes the often-accumulating weight of worry from our shoulders. It can release us from needless striving.

If you are working hard, but not being recognized, or if you wonder if you will ever amount to much, remember that your heavenly Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. He has prepared some assignments for you – for which you are a perfect fit. Don’t get caught in the politics and competition for position. Focus on following His lead. Be bold to obey faithfully. He will take you where you need to go and help you become who you need to be.

Trusting God for the future – with you,

Pastor Tom

WHEN LIFE IS HARD

Prayer need

WHEN LIFE IS HARD

From: Ron Hawks

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me…Philippians 1:29-30.”

Do you ever feel like you can’t catch a break – like people and circumstances are constantly raising their hands against you? This is part of what life is like sometimes. Life on earth is difficult. Sometimes, even for long periods of times, life can feel oppressive – and bring suffering. Understanding this reality can be helpful – everyone suffers, and everyone needs to learn to persevere.

Unfortunately, many people of faith are baffled when they hit difficult patches. They subtly or blatantly believe that their lives should be easier because they have faith in God. This is wrong theologically and unhelpful for praxis. Jesus’ life was difficult, and it grew more difficult as He continued in His faith. The Apostle Paul’s life was also difficult. Yet, rather than being perplexed by his difficulties or feeling sorry for himself, Paul invited his spiritual son and apprentice to “join him in suffering like a good soldier in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:3) Persevering through hardships and suffering is an important part of life. Christians don’t get to avoid it; instead, they get to go through it with the presence and power of the Lord within them.

The anguishes and distresses of life can feel imprisoning, like the chains that literally bound Paul as if he were a criminal. Though he was bound, he wanted Timothy to know that the Word of God can never be chained. (2 Timothy 2:9) We will suffer in many ways; this is part of the order of this age. But God’s Word is never chained – it/He (Jesus is God’s Word – John 1:1, 14) is unstoppable and unrestrainable. The Truth of God may appear to be chained for a moment, but He is always active – and often most powerfully in the dark, when we feel most tied up.

As Jesus is the Word of God, so His resurrection power accompanies that Word. This power goes beyond reason and human striving. The Word of God, this Seed of Truth, is imperishable and indestructible. (1 Peter 1:23) So, there is always hope when you are aligned with God’s Truth. You may experience sufferings of many different kinds, and your circumstances may lead you to feel despondent and despairing; but there is always hope. God’s Word will help you prevail.

James goes a step further, encouraging us to consider our suffering and trials (and even the temptations that surround our trials) with joy, recognizing that they are tools in God’s hands to deepen our faith and build our ability to persevere. (James 1:2)

Are you suffering in any way? Does your spirit feel bound? Take heart … the Word of God cannot be chained. His truth in you – your loving obedience to that Word – will break the chains in due time, in the name of Jesus! Place your hope in the power of God’s Word – it/He provides strength that outstrips circumstance.

Placing my hope on God’s Word with you,

Pastor Tom

Jan Moser

CF DEVS

Prevention 

By Jan Moser

    During several recent Winter Storms with low temperatures (actual) in the teens, we wanted to avoid frozen and burst water pipes, to prevent the incredible mess – not to mention the time-consuming damage repair and dealing with insurance companies (no offense to the caring people working diligently in that field, severalof whom we know). So at both home and church, we have always practiced preventive measures such as dripping faucets, turning up heat a little higher than usual and leaving sink cabinets open during the coldest part of the night. As long as we retain electricity, all is well. Like the old saying reminds us, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

    The same is true of our spiritual walk. If we keep up with our daily Bible reading and our worship, we will have better access to the Bible verses in our hearts and minds, when we need them during a difficult situation. 

    If we form our closest friendships with fellow believers,  we will not have as many temptations, or difficulties with saying no to someone when they pressure us to do something that violates our consciences. 

   When we pray (and ask good friends to, as well) ahead of probably challenges, we can have words and action plans prepared before a worrisome topic or situation occurs. 

    Can you think of more helpful preparations?

     May we all ensure that our spiritual foundation is strong and ready. 

Luke 6:47-48, MSG “These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on. If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last.”

Deborah durrett

CF DEVS

Encounters

(By: Deborah Durrett)

         Life is full of encounters. Having been taught to give others the benefit of the doubt until there was a strong reason to question people and situations, I am more inclined to listen but not come to a quick conclusion. If there is not enough information, then more should be gathered-particularly after a brief encounter. With birdwatching, it is normal to gather intel over the course of several quick rendezvous. In the last ten days, I had occasion to cross paths with one of the many hawks frequenting our area, with some very similar features. With the crossover in size, shape, and color, I was left with doubt about my initial impression of it being a Red-tailed hawk.

“If you judge other people, then you will find that you, too, are being judged. Indeed, you will be judged by the very standards to which you hold other people.”Matthew 7:1-2 VOICE

       The first sighting was noticed by my husband as we took our first lap during a neighborhood walk. The bird appeared to be standing at attention-almost looked like a statue. It was next to the front of a group of azaleas that resembled a hedge, just beneath the front windows of the house. With no time for a photo, I scanned it with my eyes, trying to note color and size in my mind, in order to check my Merlin Birding APP after we returned. All indicators then pointed toward at least four possible hawks. The second interlude was actually a flyby – and nearly a collision – as the bird flew at a semi-downward trajectory and then rolled a bit, to slide between myself and a neighbor, as we chatted out front of our house. If we had not each taken a step – her to her side and me back a bit – one of us may have made contact with it. This added a clue of a potential juvenile bird working on flight patterns. The wingspan also helped narrow down the options of the main four hawks around here. But we still did not have enough information to reach a conclusion. The third approach was an audible cry, clearly from a bird of prey. We sat on our deck while having a hot morning beverage, and the distinctive and boisterous“kik kik kik” or “kek kek kek” had me standing to my feet, looking for a visual on what I knew was a Sharp-shinned hawk. To come to the most plausible conclusion, I needed to have as many pertinent facts as possible through methodically paying attention to details with each encounter.

“Beloved, let us [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves [others] is born of God and knows God [through personal experience].” 1 John 4:7 AMP

       Similarly, when we interact with others as representatives of God’s teaching (particularly those who know Christ and follow Him, but also in a similar spirit with those who have yet to know Him), we should seek wisdom to relay the right knowledge at the right moment, to leave others with a taste of the hope of the salvation God wants to impart to His children. Keep in mind that sometimes, it is not always words from the mouth, but actions that witness to others. Also, at times, it is much easier said than done, yet if we do our level best to be kind and not jump to conclusions without facts in evidence, then we can be the best witness possible at perhaps a very difficult time for another person. 

        Birds do not take things personally as humans can and will. And I have had some family situations that made the front page of a local paper more than once, so on some level, I know how messy and challenging living can be. What I have taken from those situations is that sometimes, we need to step into someone else’s shoes for a minute, and consider how a misplaced comment about another’s life could affect them down the road. And when we take things out of context, we can get it all wrong. 

         Then there are also scenarios we experience firsthand, that develop in such a way that it is quite clear there is a problem needing a solution-a ‘red-flag’ serious thing, but we are not necessarily to be in the midst of it. If we need to, we should call for professional assistance. Additional scenarios without direct knowledge are those for which we must “wait and see,” and if you pray, do so! Some relationships that were once meaningful, or did not go further, happen that way for a reason. So if someone shows you signs of that not being a good idea, believe it – and let it go.

“If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that ‘every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,’ as the scripture says. And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.” (Deuteronomy 19:18 NIVUK describes this as a false witness/liar.) Matthew 18:15-17 GNT

        Hopefully, we can spend more of our lives encouraging and caring for people on many levels – as friends, co-workers, survivors of various situations, loved ones and neighbors. It is my goal to make every encounter count! Join me, please. 😊

“Help each other with your troubles. When you do this, you are obeying the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to do this, you are only fooling yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have done anything to be proud of. You must each accept the responsibilities that are yours.” Galatians 6:2-5 ERV

Jan Moser

CF DEVS

Going in Circles

By Jan Moser

Earlier this year, Richard and I were staying in a nice hotel, staffed by dedicated people. But they could not help us with what was keeping us awake until 3 a.m. On a public road less than a mile from the hotel, dozens of motorcycles were circling ceaselessly and loudly for four hours. Local police came and went. We finally were able to sleep, but not very restfully before a five to six-hour drive home!

Aren’t our spiritual lives sometimes like that?  Even we longtime, mature Christians can get stuck and not make any progress in a situation or in our growth. We continue to have the same lack of faith in certain situations, the same frustrations, the same repeated prayer requests to trusted friends. Sometimes, the initial causes are out of our control; however, our responses ARE within our control-with God’s help! 

Let’s ask God to show us what we need to do, to break out of our circling, and to make progress on the path that He has provided for us. He is willing and ready to help us! And we can help our sisters and brothers, encouraging each other as God intended!

James 1:5-6, The Message

“If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, NLT“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.”

Deborah durrett

CF DEVS

Fleeting Comfort

By Deborah P. Durrett

Have you ever noticed that as we are in these earthly bodies, it’s difficult to not remain in some kind of continual motion? We move about in various ways as we sit, stand, or lie down. Even as we sleep, there is a certain amount of movement that goes on as we rest. If we remain in one place too long physically, then we get a sore neck, loss of circulation, an achy back and the like. So when we get settled in to relax at a concert, take a drive, or get a good night’s sleep, our comfort is really only fleeting.

I was thinking about a verse, in particular, in which God asks us to be still, and wondered how he thought that was possible. Well, he’s not necessarily speaking physically, so much as spiritually. We’re always going to have to keep moving, in these bodies designed to move about and rest briefly, and begin again as we follow his leading to fulfill his will. When we quiet our minds and allow God to be our comfort, then we can leave discomforts behind us.

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10, KJV)

The word still, in the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, breaks it back to the Hebrew word Raphah in 7495. Prime root mend, heal, repair or make whole. So when we stop thrashing about, spiritually speaking, we will be made whole. Even if we can’t stop tossing and turning in our sleep, or we fidget in our chairs at a long meeting, we are still able to achieve the goal of stillness when we allow our minds to rest in the love of our Father. What a blessing it is to know our Father in Heaven’s love is not fleeting, nor is our opportunity for comfort in his care.

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39, KJV)

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:7, KJV)

Sincere Love Empowers Your Purpose

Pastor Johan

Sincere Love Empowers Your Purpose

“Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying and incorruptible love.”. Ephesians 6:24 (AMP)


The plan of the enemy is to undo everything God has done in your life, and to distract you from accessing all Jesus has made available to you through the finished work of the cross. Thankfully, you can wise up to his deceitful tactics and keep him under your feet, while you progress in faith and step into all God has for you in this life. You do this by proactively making use of everything Jesus has placed at your disposal. You have the Word of God! When you meditate on it and obey its instruction, it will clearly lead you in the right direction. You have the Holy Spirit living in you; walking with you; at the ready to fill you with new, overcoming power every day. In all this, remember: the sincerity of your love for the Lord is the foundation. When love is sincere, our obedience to God’s will springs from that love relationship and sustains us. It energizes and enables us to live this empowered life of faith and purpose in Him, while keeping the devil under our feet – where he belongs.

You Have God’s Word on It!

Pastor Johan

You Have God’s Word on It!

“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the [whole] person; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”Psalm 19:7 (AMP)

God’s Word is perfect. There is nothing lacking or incomplete in it. It’s rock solid and dependable. When we receive it into our minds and hearts with the right attitude, it goes to work bringing life and restoration to every part of us. So what is the right attitude we should have when it comes to God’s Word? To begin with, we need to see it for what it is. It’s an extension of God Himself… Which means it’s the ultimate truth and it cannot fail. It’s also alive with God’s love and power. When we read it, no matter what the world looks like around us, no matter how we are feeling at the time, God’s Word has the power to comfort us, build a sure hope inside us, and overwhelm us with perfect peace. It really becomes an anchor to our souls. What’s more, we can fully trust it to do its transforming work in us, moulding us into the character of Christ. Psalm 19:7 says the testimony of the Lord is sure. His testimony is His sworn statement; that validates the credibility of His written Word. This means we can believe God’s written word will do all it says it will do in us, because we have God’s own spoken Word on it. Embrace God’s Word today – let it restore, perfect and transform you – you know it will, because you have His Word on it!

JR MILLER

Grace gems

Sermons without words!

(J.R. Miller)

“Each one should remain in the situation which he was in, when God called him.” 1 Corinthians 7:20

When you are tempted to complain and resist the difficulties of your circumstances, and the limitations of your place in life — remember that Jesus, even with all His divine life and all His great powers, for thirty years found room in a humble peasant home, for worthy living and for service not unfitting to His true exalted character.

If you can do nothing but live a true Christian life which is patient, gentle, kind, pure — in your home, in society, at your daily occupation — you will perform a service of great value, and leave many blessings in the world. This kind of life is a little gospel — displaying the wonderful story of the cross of Christ, in sermons without words!

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation — whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:12

JAMES SMITH

Grace gems

I am going to vomit you out of My mouth!

(James Smith, “Daily Bible Readings for the Lord’s Household”)

“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold—or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold—I am going to vomit you out of My mouth!” Revelation 3:15-16

The Lord Jesus hates lukewarmness! He would rather we made no profession of religion at all—than to profess—and then not practice His precepts!

He loves to see His people zealous—and it is a shame to us, when we are dull and lifeless in His ways.

It is to be feared, that many professors do not realize that their ‘indifference’ is a sin! They think that having professed Christ, if they just attend to a few religious duties, and creep along in a certain religious course—that this is enough. They are never hot—and they do not really like to see others on fire for the Lord.

Professor of religion, Jesus says, “Be hot—or be cold!“
Be altogether a Christian—OR throw off your vain profession!
Do not wear the Christian name—only to dishonor it!

Professing Christian—are you hot, or cold—or lukewarm?

CHARLES SPURGEON

Grace gems

The Exclusivity of the Gospel

Charles Spurgeon, et al.

(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

The message of the gospel stands as a divine declaration of absolute truth in a world that hates absolutes. In an age intoxicated with pluralism and compromise, few doctrines are more offensive to human pride than the exclusivity of the gospel. Yet Scripture is crystal clear: there is only one way to be reconciled to God, only one Mediator between God and man, and only one name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). This is not bigotry or arrogance, but divine revelation. The exclusivity of the gospel does not reveal God’s narrowness, but His mercy–for He has not left the world in confusion, but has clearly revealed the only way of salvation in His Son.

The Scriptural view of salvation rests upon three foundational truths. Together, they display both the gravity of man’s condition, and the glory of God’s grace.

1. All people without exception are lost sinners and in need of salvation.

The gospel begins with the bad news. Every man, woman, and child enters this world under the dominion of sin and the curse of damnation. “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God” (Romans 3:10–11). Sin has corrupted every faculty of human nature–the mind is darkened, the heart is hardened, the affections are perverted, and the will is enslaved. Humanity does not merely need forgiveness; it needs spiritual life. “You were dead in your transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

All stand guilty before the bar of divine justice, and the sentence is eternal condemnation. Man cannot climb to God through morality, good works, or religion. All human virtue is tainted, all human merit is worthless, for “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

This first foundational truth strips man of every excuse and leaves him speechless before God. It prepares the heart to receive grace. Until a sinner sees that he is utterly lost, he will never value the Savior. Until the soul feels the depth of its ruin, it will never cling to the Redeemer. The exclusivity of the gospel begins with this: that apart from divine regeneration, all mankind is hopelessly lost.

2. There is no salvation without conscious faith in Christ.

The second foundational truth proclaims that salvation is found in Christ alone. “I am the way and the truth and the life,” Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Every other so-called path to God is false. Every other foundation is sand. Jesus did not die to make many ways possible, but to open one way to God–through His sin-atoning death.

He is the exclusive Redeemer because He alone met the demands of divine justice. On the cross, He borethe sins of His people, endured the wrath they deserved, and cried, “It is finished!” His resurrection is the Father’s declaration that full payment has been made and accepted. Therefore to seek salvation outside of Him, is to reject God’s provision and insult His grace.

Here the words of the apostle Paul ring with terrifying solemnity: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” (Galatians 1:8–9)

These verses underline the seriousness of tampering with the gospel. Paul does not leave room for multiple  paths to Heaven. He twice pronounces a curse–anathema–upon anyone who alters, dilutes, or distorts the message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

This second foundational truth, illuminated by Galatians 1:8–9, reminds us that the exclusivity of the gospel is not a secondary issue–it is the essence of Christianity. To alter it is to forfeit salvation itself.

From this passage flow several solemn principles:

(1) The gospel’s purity must be guarded.
No message, no teacher, no experience, no dream is above the written Word of God. Even an angelic revelation is to be rejected, if it departs from Scripture. Truth does not evolve. The gospel proclaimed by the apostles remains the only saving message for all generations.

(2) The gospel’s exclusivity must be proclaimed.
To say that Jesus is one of many ways, is to preach “another gospel.” To teach that moral effort or human goodness contributes to salvation, is to deny grace itself. There is only one gospel–and it centers on the crucified and risen Savior who alone saves sinners by His grace.

(3) The gospel’s enemies must be exposed.
Paul’s words remind believers that the gravest threats to Scripture truth often come from within religious circles. False teachers preach “Christ,” but not the biblical Christ. They use the language of grace, yet deny its substance. The church must therefore test every spirit and measure every message by the Word of God.

(4) The gospel’s authority must be submitted to.
If the true gospel alone saves, then every human philosophy, every religious sentiment, and every self-invented spirituality, must be rejected. God’s truth is not subject to man’s opinions. The gospel commands repentance and faith, not negotiation and compromise.


3. There can be no faith in Christ without first hearing the gospel message.

The third foundational truth reveals the necessity of gospel proclamation. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the message about Christ” (Romans 10:17). God has ordained that His saving gospel be made known through preaching, teaching, and witnessing. He could have saved men through visions or nature, but He has chosen the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

“How can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:14). These rhetorical questions leave no doubt: there is no salvation apart from the hearing of the gospel. Sinners cannot believe in a Savior they have never known, and they cannot know Him unless someone tells them.

Therefore, the exclusivity of the gospel compels evangelism. If Jesus is the only Savior, and His gospel is the only saving message, then Christians must speak with urgency. Silence is cruelty. To know the truth that saves and to withhold it from others, is unthinkable. The narrowness of the way, demands the breadth of our witness.

Conclusion

The exclusivity of the gospel is not a man-made doctrine–it is the heartbeat of divine revelation. It humbles man’s pride, glorifies God’s grace, and exalts Jesus as the only hope for a lost world. All are sinners, none can save themselves, and only conscious faith in the crucified and risen Savior brings forgiveness and spiritual life.

Galatians 1:8–9 thunders across the ages as God’s unchanging verdict against every counterfeit gospel. It warns us that to corrupt the gospel is to be cursed; to cling to it is to be saved.

You must be saved by faith in Jesus Christ, or be lost forever. There is no other gate, no other way, no other door. All roads do not lead to Heaven. Some lead to perdition. Only one road has the blood-stained footprints of the Savior upon it.

JOHN MACDUFF

Grace gems

The joys of that eternal banqueting house!

(John MacDuff, “The Night Watches“)  LISTEN to audio!  Download audio

(You will find it helpful to listen to the audio above, as you read the text below.)

“He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love!” Song of Solomon 2:4

“HE brought me!” All of grace! He justifies! He glorifies! The banqueting house is entered with shoutings, saying, “Grace, grace unto it!”

Believer, contemplate the journey ended, the course finished, the victory won. Seated at the marriage feast of the Lamb in glory, guest talking to guest with bounding hearts-recounting their Lord’s dealings on earth-the watchword circulating from tongue to tongue, “He has done all things well!”

Angels and archangels, too, will be participants in that banquet of glory; and bright seraphs, who never knew what it was to have a heart of sin or to shed a tear of sorrow. But, for this reason, there will be one element of joy peculiar to the Redeemed, into which the other unfallen guests cannot enter-the “joy of contrast.” How will this present world’s “great tribulation” augment the bliss of a world at once sinless and sorrowless! How will earth’s woe-worn cheek, and sin-stricken spirit, and tear-dimmed eye-enhance the glories of that perfect state, where there is not that symbol of sadness, nor the solitary trace of one lingering tear-drop!

My soul, seek often to ponder, in the midst of your days of sadness, the joys of that eternal banqueting house! “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain!”
One moment at that banquet table,
one crumb of the heavenly manna,
one draught from the river of life,
and all the bitter experiences of the valley of tears will be obliterated and forgotten!

Look upwards even now, and behold your dear Lord preparing for you this glorious “feast of fat things!” “Do not be troubled. There are many rooms in My Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me-where I am!”

RUTH BRYAN

Grace gems

My Ishi!

(Gleanings from the Inner Life of Ruth Bryan)

“You will call Me Ishi–(my husband). Hosea 2:16

“You will be called Hephzibah–(My delight is in her)
. . . for the Lord will take delight in you.” Isaiah 62:4

Christ is most precious. He is my Ishi! I, His Hephzibah!
What love! What wonders, for a worm so vile! But He has
borne my vileness away–and is Himself my loveliness!

Christ, the Beloved of my soul, is my perfection, and His
blood is my purity. However great my guilt, His precious
blood is more than a match for it all. This has been like
solid rock to my soul. “Praise the Lord, O my soul!

ROBERT LEIGHTON

Grace gems

Dig into these golden mines!

(Robert Leighton)

Let this commend the Scriptures much to our diligence
and affection–that their great theme is our Redeemer,
and redemption wrought by Him. They contain the doctrine
of His excellencies, and are the lively picture of His matchless
beauty. Were we more in them, we would daily see more of
Him in them–and so of necessity love Him more. But we
must look within them–the letter is but the case–the
spiritual sense is what we should desire to see.
We usually huddle them over, and see no further than
their outside, and therefore find so little sweetness in
them. We read them, but we don’t search them as He
requires. Would we dig into these golden mines, we
would find treasures of comfort which cannot be spent,
but which would furnish us in the hardest times!

“My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands
 within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your
 heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and
 cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for
 silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you
 will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge
 of God.” Proverbs 2:1-5

THOMAS BROOKS

Grace gems

God’s love-letter!

Thomas Brooks

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.
 Or you may want to WATCH the Video.)

The Scripture is God’s love-letter to men.

Here the lamb may wade, and here the elephant may swim.

The blessed Scriptures are of infinite worth and value!
Here you may find . . .
  a remedy for every disease,
  a balm for every wound,
  a plaster for every sore,
  milk for babes,
  meat for strong men,
  comfort for the afflicted,
  support for the tempted,
  solace for the distressed,
  ease for the wearied,
  a staff to support the feeble,
  a sword to defend the weak.

The holy Scriptures are . . .
  the map of God’s mercy—and man’s misery,
  the touchstone of truth,
  the shop of remedies against all maladies,
  the hammer of vices,
  the treasury of virtues,
  the exposer of all sensual and worldly vanities,
  the balance of equity,
  the most perfect rule of all justice and morality.

Ah friends, no book befits your hands like the Bible!

The Bible is the best preacher.
This book, this preacher will preach to you . . .
  in your shops,
  in your chambers,
  in your prayer-closets,
  yes, in your own bosoms!
This book will preach to you both at home and abroad.
It will preach to you in all companies.
It will preach to you in all conditions.

By this book you must live.
By this book you must die.
By this book you shall be judged in the great day!
By this book you shall be saved—or by this book you shall be damned!

Oh, therefore . . .
  love this book above all other books,
  prize this book above all other books,
  read this book before all other books,
  study this book more than all other books!
For he who reads much, and understands nothing—is like him who hunts much, and catches nothing!

Speaking of the blessed man, David says, “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night!” Psalm 1:2

“How I loveYour law! I meditateon it all day long!” Psalm 119:97

TIMOTHY

Guest Devotions

FROM TIMOTHY AN AFRICAN CHRISTIAN

My Apologies to You, Lord:

I really do not even know where to begin in a place of an over-full heart. But let me try to start. I am sorry. Truly, deeply, and with all my heart, I am sorry.

And as I take the time to write this letter, I find myself burdened by all my failings and take them before you not to hide or excuse them but to ask for your forgiveness.

God, I know how I failed you in so many instances in a single day. The times I take you for granted, forgetting to thank you for all the blessings bestowed upon me, are countless, because I so easily get fixated on the lack of what I don’t have rather than offering thanks for what I do.

Throwing You out, I end up getting caught up with my plans, my wants, my problems, and so on. I know You are always there, yet I continue to try and live on my own strength, crumbling once more and again.

Dear Almighty God, I am sorry for speaking when I should have kept silent and for hurting others with the words I said or the actions I took, for pride, anger, impatience, or doubts.

Forgive me for the time wasted in petty affairs and for those things that are of no importance, and for forgetting that this is not about me, but about You.

Forgive me, Lord, for the many times when fear, anxiety, and gloom sat too high in my mind against Your urging me to trust in You. For silencing the quiet moments for prayer. For shutting out the chance to read your Word, or not really listening when you spoke to my heart.

God, thank you for your blessings. May your strength, power, and protection be with us.
Timothy

CHAPTER 1:15-26

Acts 1

Reading Acts1:15-26

The Forgotten disciple

We know little of Matthias, after this snapshot, we hear nothing about him.

We know in verse 21, that although he wasn’t part of the inner group of apostles, he was closely  associated with them and saw everything that happened. So he was a man who stayed the course, he did not leave, when many so many were leaving.  Probably this is why he was chosen, because he could be trusted.

Can the same be said about you?

Secondly, he was chosen to be a witness to the resurrection.

Here was a man who was like the apostles who had seen the miracles Jesus had done, but also he was a witness of the resurrection.

Today we are to be witnesses of that resurrection, Jesus truly rose from the dead, it is not a figment of the apostles imagination.

These twelve men and others were going to tell the world that Jesus lives.

We don’t know where Matthias ended up, but we know that he played a full role on the day of Pentecost and was imprisoned at least twice for his faith, all of the apostles except John died a martyrs death, so we know that this forgotten apostle gave up his life.

Many people in the church live in the background, they are not at the front, but serve consistently behind the scenes.

Maybe you think, just because your name is not well known that you have been forgotten, but it hasn’t. God sees all your service and will reward you in due time, with a crown of life.

JUST LIKE MATTHIAS

Tell people of the resurrection of Jesus, that he is alive.

God bless you

Kk

CHAPTER 1:VS 10-14

Acts 1

ACTS 1

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

WE HAVE A JOB TO DO

Jesus had gone, the disciples were left alone.

They had been promised the Holy Spirit to empower them, but it had not yet come.

They were sad obviously that Jesus had left them, but the angels asked them and asks us:

Why are you gazing into heaven?

As believers, we have a job to do. Jesus is coming back and our job to share the gospel and to proclaim it to the whole world.

We are to look for his glorious appearing, but also, we are not to waste any time, simply gazing into thin air and wasting our time on trivial things that don’t matter.

Jesus will come again, let it be our aim to bring as many with us as we able..

Share the gospel,  this should and has to be our main purpose for living.

Let’s make sure we don’t gaze at worthless things and focus on our main job

SHARING JESUS WITH A NEEDY WORLD.

God bless you

Keith

ACTS 1

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. 14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

Why was the early church so successful?

Was there some magic formula?

Yes, the Holy spirit was poured out on the early church, but there were three things that the early church had, which we need to have.

Biblical unity

Throughout the gospels, we see the disciples as a competing force, one or the other wants to be at the forefront. They all were seeking the place of honour, but here they were in unity. God blesses unity, he does not and will not bless disunity within his church. Isn’t it time to stop all our petty squabbling and arguments? We act like spoiled children sometimes, I once heard about two deacons who fell out about what colour paint they should have in the sanctuary, this is pathetic and is evident in most churches nowadays.

Prayer

This is a powerful weapon; they were praying when the holy spirit fell. We spend too much time talking and not enough time praying. The early church was a praying church, why aren’t we?

Study of the word

To preach the word and to share the gospel, you have to know the word, you must spend time digging deep into the word. They were people of the book, not many books, we read so many self-help books, instead of the one book that can truly help.

When we have our focus on these three things, then maybe God will bless us.

God graciously blesses his church, when the church puts its focus on the right things, then it can have success and change the world.

God bless you

Keith

CHAPTER 1 VS 8

Acts 1

ACTS 1：8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

DYNAMIC WITNESSING

We saw in the first devotion, that we aren’t to be worried about when Jesus will come. It’s interesting that Jesus hasn’t even ascended back to heaven and the disciples are trying to find out when He is returning.

What is the key word here? It is BUT!

Jesus recommissions the disciples. Remember in Matthew 28, He said all power is given in heaven and earth to Him, and now that power was to be given to the Apostles and Disciples.

What would of happened if the disciples had gone directly to the temple and started preaching? Nothing would of happened, because the Holy Spirit wasn’t given to them yet!

It’s great to look into the Greek here. “Power” is the word dunamis, which is where we get the English word, dynamite. Remember, that we don’t just have a message that is powerful, but one that is ABSOLUTE DYNAMITE!  A message that shatters nations and empires.

The second Greek word is maturos. This is the word for “witnesses.” We get our English word, martyr from this; nearly all the twelve disciples became martrys, all except John.

God had a plan: first the Jews, then Samaria and then the Gentiles. God knows what He’s doing and we have to follow His leading.

Notice also that the power was personal, “ye shall receive power,” that is still the case today. We have the same power, that dunamis living inside of us. Why is it living inside of us? Because we are to be bold witnesses for Christ; we are to do the same things as the disciples did! They said they were there to tell what they had seen and heard Jesus do. It is our purpose to tell what Jesus has done in our lives.

May we be witnesses just like the disciples were to all Jesus said and did…Amen.

Filled with dynamic power.

GOD BLESS YOU

kk

Devotion 2

Chapter 1 verse 8

 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

IT IS FOR US

This is surely one of the most amazing promises in the whole bible, but so often we think that it was a special anointing that was just for the disciples, it applied for them, but it doesn’t apply to us.. now.

But it is truly for us, it for us., right here and now in the 21st century.

The promise still rings true, the same dynamic power that was given to the disciples back in first century Palestine is still available to us, right here and right now.

The promise of power is the same and the commission to reach the world is still the same, some of you will witness in your own backyard, some further afield and some go to the uttermost ends of the earth, wherever you share the gospel, the urgency still stands.

The call to be his witnesses is still the same, you have the Living holy spirit inside of you.

Are you being a witness for him, wherever you are?

God bless you

Keith

CHAPTER 1 :1-7

Acts 1

Acts 1

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

4 And while staying[a] with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

THE FURTHER STORY

Acts starts where the gospels finish, what Jesus said to the disciples especially in John 13-17 was now going to come true. Jesus had gone to the cross, redemption had been done, now what?

How was God going to reach the whole world, well he would start with 120 men. God doesn’t need many to do his work, 120 men totally trusting in Him and filled with the holy spirit, are more than enough.

Why did the work succeed?

They obeyed the commands he gave them, as we look through this book, we see that the church walks closely with God.

He showed them many proofs, they must have had many questions, their minds were settled, they knew the truth of 2 Timothy 1:12

12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me

In other words, the apostles did not believe blindly. They had seen the resurrected Jesus with their own eyes, so their faith became extremely firm.

They waited for God’s time, they must have been excited, but they waited for God’s time. They were in step with the spirit of God.

All this led to success in the work of God. Acts is a how to book, how do you serve God, how do you preach the gospel. how do you address authority and how to give your testimony.

Let’s dive in to this wonderful book

God bless you

Keith

ACTS 1

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

THERE SOME THINGS YOU NEED NOT KNOW

In life, there are some things we shouldn’t know, or to put it another way, it’s better not to know certain things.

I wonder if we know the date and time of the second coming?  How wonderful it would be if we knew the day of Christ’ return…right?  Maybe it would change the way we live and share the gospel.

Jesus is the One coming back, and even He doesn’t know the time he is coming back。

Look at the cults, nearly every cult proclaims they know the date of Christ’s second coming, and they have been made to look very foolish.

But we are given clues, yes in passages such as Matthew 24 and others.

But our primary focus is one of watching and serving God. 

The ten virgins are a prime example. Only five trimmed their lamps; many people inside the church will be caught unaware when Jesus comes again.

What will happen if he finds the Christian in adultery or doing something he/she shouldn’t? Do you think he will be taken and raptured?

We shouldn’t worry when He will return; Our focus should be on living our lives as if He could return at any moment. That means serving God and living lives of holiness that please Him.

GOD BLESS 

KK

REPENTANCE BY KENNY MCCLINTON

Bible words

ulsterchristians.org

Repentance: a change of mind – about God and sin. (Matthew 3:2)

The Psalmist said, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I MIGHT not sin against Thee.”  You see, he (Ezra in this case) was a Godly realist, not some self-righteous, self-deceived, hypocrite.  He knew he would sin, but desired deeply that he might fight against sinning by the help of God the Spirit and the Word of God.  Praise the Lord!  (Psalm 119:11)
(1 John 1:8) (Jeremiah 17:9) (Psalm 130:3-8)

Yet, repentance from our sin is continually required on a daily basis – even AFTER our original Repentance unto Salvation in Christ Jesus and in Him Alone.  (1 John 1:8-9)

Definition of the term:  To repent means to completely change one’s mind concerning our attitude to God and sin; to make an about-turn from sin to follow God; to cease from following hard after selfish sin; and to turn to follow hard after true Godliness; to cease from being a WILLING slave to sin, and begin to try to be a WILLING servant of Christ Jesus. (Hebrews 12:14) (Psalm 51:1-13)

As the Scriptures teach: “Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned, for Thou art the Lord my God…”. (Jeremiah 31:18)  We are ‘turned’ thus, and then, once turned, we continue to turn to God daily, and away from the world, the flesh, and the Devil.  (Romans 8:1-14)

Repentance:  Repentance unto life Eternal is a saving grace wrought in the sinner’s heart by God the Holy Spirit – through the means of God’s Word (i.e. the Gospel of Christ’s Cross). (John 16:8) (Romans 10:17)

It is an awakening of the DEAD sinner to a sense of peril to his/her soul of the Eternal Torment of Hell, and to his/her guilt before God’s Holy eyes.  (Psalm 9:17) (Habakkuk 1:13)

Repentance awakens the sinner to a deep concern towards his/her sins, and the odiousness of such sins when compared to the absolute sinlessness of God’s dear Son, Jesus Christ. (Job 42:4-6) (Hebrews 4:15) (1 John 1:5)

Repentance: Repentance is not mere remorse (self-pity!), but a clear realization of God’s wrath against sin, and of God’s grace and mercy towards sinners who are called of God to repentance and receiving of Christ Jesus as both Saviour and Lord. (Luke 1:46-50) (Isaiah 6:1-7)
Consequently, the repentant sinner so grieves for, and hates, his/her sins, that he/she turns away from them, and turns instead in obedience to God – proposing and endeavouring, to the very best of his/her ability, to walk in fellowship with God; in the way of God; as manifested in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Zechariah 4:6b) (1 John 1:1-7)

This is to ‘…walk not after the flesh…’ in daily practice, ‘…but after the Spirit…’. (Galatians 5:16-26) (Romans 8:1-10)

Repentance:  Repentance is absolutely necessary for the sinner to be saved!  It does not MERIT pardon; but, pardon is not be had without it! (Luke 13:3) (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Repentance is therefore, clearly proven to be of God’s free grace – it is freely given as an unmerited gift to whomsoever God, in His Sovereignty, elects to grant it.  (2 Timothy 2:25-26)

Repentance:  Repentance involves seeing and feeling sin to be not only deadly to the soul, but a filthy and hateful thing in God’s pure sight! (Ezekiel 18:27-32)

All who seek to serve God, must therefore, seek to put away sin DAILY – by humble confession to Him Alone; and by being continually washed from daily sins by a daily, ‘…washing of the water of the Word…’.       (i.e. daily Bible readings and confession of sin to God)  It is what the old Puritan believers called, ‘Keeping short accounts of sin with God.’.    (John 15:3) (Philippians 3:12-14) (1 John 1:8-10) (Ephesians 5:26)

Progressive Sanctification:  In the above manner we are progressively sanctified from daily sin in our lives as Christian believers – in relation to our actual naturally sinful STATE.  Just as we have been Absolutely sanctified in our, ‘…once for all time…’ STANDING, in Christ Jesus, by the precious Blood of His Cross.   (Hebrews 10:10) (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Obedience is the direct result of true repentance.  (James 1:22)

Repentance:  Repentance then, leads progressively to the great Scriptural doctrine of Conversion (i.e. ‘…old things passing away, all things becoming new, in Christ Jesus)  (2 Corinthians 5:17) (Revelation 21:4-5)

The Holy Bible becomes our daily looking glass, our personal mirror.  We read the Word, and the Word shows us where we go wrong, and how to keep ourselves clean for the Lord’s use. (Hebrews 12:14) (Psalm 119:105) (John 17:17)

A Practical Point of Repentance:  Repentance does not make a sinner incapable of committing sin!

Note King David’s experience.  (2 Samuel 11:1-17)  He committed the sins of adultery and murder AFTER he was appointed King; AFTER he was anointed of, and chosen by, God! (John 15:16)

Read the apostle Paul’s own words of detestation of the sin yet within his OLD NATURE after he was gloriously saved; AFTER he was chosen to be a minister for God!  (Romans 7:14-25) (Acts 9:1-20)

Yet, both REPENTED from their sins; and repented CONTINUALLY for their sins, no doubt, ever after until the day they died.  (Psalm 51:1-13)

Conclusion:  We who are born again of the Spirit of God, and redeemed by the precious Blood of Christ Jesus, first repent from sin and are saved; then we make repentance a daily practice in our lives for Christ.

We must keep ‘short accounts…’ with God concerning daily sins, and enjoy close fellowship with a thrice Holy Lord God; and with all believers of ‘…like precious faith…’.  (Psalm 16:11)

Sin separates us from close fellowship with God – repentance leads us nigh to Him and to other sincere believers.  (Isaiah 59:1-2) (James 4:6-10)

God blesses the repentant sinner’s soul.  Hallelujah!  What a Saviour!  What a Sovereign!  What a Lord God!  Amen. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

This therefore, is the Scripturally sound Reformation doctrine of true Repentance.  Believe it.  Rejoice in its truth.  Teach it to others – and the Lord God shall bless you Eternally in His truth.  Amen.

REGENERATION BY KENNY MCCLINTON

Bible words

ulsterchristians.org

Regeneration:  a change of nature – from God (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Definition of the term: To regenerate is to bring NEW LIFE to; to cause to be Spiritually reborn; to quicken (or give life to) that which is DEAD; to impart a new nature from God (i.e. which means believers have two natures when born again, the old nature and the new!). (Ephesians 2:1)

Regeneration:  This is a work of creation, performed by God alone in the breasts of His elected people.  (Ephesians 1:3-6)

We are passive in this act of God’s grace.  As fallen creatures, we have no power to originate this miracle of new life – “…Salvation is of the Lord!”   Praise God for His grace!  (Genesis 5:3) (Jonah 2:9) (John 6:37;44)   (John 15:16)

Mankind was CREATED in the image of God – a tripartite being i.e. three parts. We were created body-soul-spirit, just as God is Father-Son-Spirit.  (1 Thessalonians 5:23) (Genesis 1:26-28)

The body relates to the dust from whence it came.
(Genesis 2:7) (Genesis 3:19)

The soul relates to, or communicates with, other like human souls i.e. each other.

Created mankind’s spirit was the unique part of Adam/Eve which enabled them to communicate with God the Creator – BEFORE sin separated them from our Holy God.  (Genesis 3:1-24) (Isaiah 59:1-2)

Born Vs Created:   Every person born of woman (as opposed to being originally created by God), therefore, since that time in Eden’s Garden are born sinners; we fall short of God’s perfect standard of righteousness.  (Romans 3:10; 22-23)  (Psalm 51:5)

Why is this so?  Because God told our forefather, Adam, that if he ate of the forbidden tree (nothing to do with sexual relations!) on that very day, he/she would ‘…surely die…’. (Genesis 2:16-17)

Now, we know that it was not physical death God spoke of here! How do we know? Because Adam lived after the Fall until he was 930 years old!  (Genesis 5:5) Therefore, we realize that the Lord God spoke of SPIRITUAL DEATH.  Adam/Eve were smitten by spiritual death the moment they sinned in disobedience to God.(Ezekiel 18:4) (Romans 6:23)
Sin made them hide from God’s Holy Presence (Genesis 3:9-10)  The DEAD human spirit desires no fellowship with the Lord God.        
(1 Corinthians 2:11-16) (Isaiah 53:2)

He that was created SUPERNATURALLY became merely NATURAL due to committing sin against his Creator God. (Romans 7:14-24)

Thus it follows that, all BORN of Adam/Eve since then are begotten in Adam’s sinful image. (Genesis 5:3) (Job 14:4)  We are born spiritually dead – a body; a soul; and a dead spirit!  (Ephesians 2:1)

That is why Christ taught us, “Ye must be born again!”  We must be Spiritually regenerated!  (Titus 3:5)

This can only be done by God the Holy Spirit Himself. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) We are thus regenerated into Christ’s Body – the true Spirit-born Church. (John 3:3-8) (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Regeneration is therefore seen plainly to be the free gift of God to Hell-deserving sinners. We cannot WORK our way to Heaven!  (Ephesians 2:8-10) (John 3:16)

God’s Means of Showing Grace:  (Acts 4:12) (John 14:6)

The means God has provided for us to be Regenerated (or saved) are two-fold – prayer and the Word of God. (2 Timothy 2:1-5) (Jeremiah 33:3)

Prayer:  No one can really PRAY unless the Holy Spirit enables (or inspires) us to pray. (Romans 8:26)  We can recite useless, ‘…vain repetitions…’, but we cannot actually pray by God the Holy Spirit and according to His will. (James 4:3)  God, therefore, makes His people’s prayers to be both inspired and to be heard.  (Psalm 19:14)

God, the Holy Spirit’s first ministry to us is to convince (or convict) the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of Judgment to come.  (John 16:8) Prayer is thus our true means of fellowship with God – we speak to God in prayer. (Psalm 91:15)  (Revelation 20:11-15)

The Word:  No one can be Regenerated, ‘born again’, without first reading, or hearing, God’s own inspired Word – the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) (2 Peter 1:20-21)

This doctrine can be more clearly evidenced in the Old Testament illustration of Ezekiel’s valley of dried bones.  (Ezekiel 37:1-10)
The dry bones represent all who are DEAD in sin and trespasses; all who are unregenerate; all who are not ‘born again’ of the Spirit of God! (Ephesians 2:1)  Read how the Lord told Ezekiel to “…prophesy upon these bones…”. (Ezekiel 37:4)  Paul reveals unto us the fact that, “…faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) (Hebrews 6:1;6)  Then, after the preaching of God’s Word, the dry bones are breathed into and come alive!  Hallelujah! (John 3:8)  This the miracle of Spiritual Regeneration.

We ‘hear’ God’s call due to God-given faith, and receive Eternal Life as the gift of God’s grace.  Conviction of sin, and our desperate need to be saved, are revealed only through the Word of God contained in our Bibles. God speaks to us by His Word.  (James 5:16) (Colossians 4:2)

We are encouraged to preach the Gospel also! (2 Timothy 4:1-5) (Matthew 28:19-20) (Mark 16:15-16)

Why are we inspired to preach the Gospel?  So that the Lord can use His means of Regeneration grace to the full; and reward our labours for Him in the Salvation of precious and immortal souls. (Daniel 12:3)
(Proverbs 11:30)

What a great and gracious Saviour!  Amen!  (Hebrews 7:25)  Hallelujah!  These Bible truths surely make us free!

Conclusion:  This, therefore, is the great Scriptural doctrine of Spiritual Regeneration.  We receive a new nature from God which remains obedient to His Commandments, and helps us daily to battle against the desires of our own carnal natures; fallen natures which shall always be at enmity against God. (John 14:15) (Romans 8:7)

The Spiritual battle is continuous! (Exodus 17:8-16)  But, the Victory has already been won for us at a place called Calvary; won by the all righteous Christ Jesus, the Son of the Living Lord God.  Amen.  And praise be always to His Almighty Name!  Glory to God in Christ Jesus!  In the risen Jesus we have Regeneration Life Eternal.  (Romans 7:14-25)

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH BY KENNY MCCLINTON

Bible words

ulsterchristians.org

Justification by Faith: a change of standing – before God.

Definition of the term:  To justify means to legally acquit, to declare righteous; it is the opposite to condemn.  (Deuteronomy 25:1)
(Proverbs 17:15)

Our God Almighty is a Holy and Righteous God. (Habukkuk 1:13)
(1 John 1:5b)

As born sinners (Psalm 51:5), mankind is therefore born guilty of sin in God’s Holy eyes, and to remain a Holy God, the Lord God Jehovah is duty bound, by His own pure Holiness, to punish sin and to condemn all sinners to an Eternal Hell! (Psalm 9:17)  No sin can enter Heaven!
(1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

Justifying is the Judge’s Act:  To receive Justification therefore, if one is being tried in the dock of a court, means that the accused (you and I!) receives the verdict of ‘not guilty’ from the judge. (Isaiah 43:9;25-26)

In Scripture, God is the Righteous “…Judge of the whole earth…” (Genesis 18:25), and His dealings with the sons of men are constantly described in forensic (legal) terms.  (Psalm 119:71-72)

Righteousness:  True righteousness (full conformity to God’s Laws) is what God requires of men and women, and He shows His own Righteousness as Judge in taking vengeance on those who ‘sin’, or ‘fall short’ of His perfect standard.  (Psalm 7:11) (Isaiah 5:16) (Acts 17:30-31) (1 Peter 4:1-5) (Romans 14:11-12) (Exodus 20:3-17)

Therefore, since we know from Scriptures that there is ‘…none righteous…’ (Romans 3:10), since ‘…all have fallen short…’ of the Righteousness of God (Romans 3:22b-23), it follows that al born of woman since Adam are born under God’s Holy condemnation of sin!  All, of course, but the altogether Righteous Son of God – the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise His Name!  (Hebrews 4:15) (2 Corinthians 5:21) (1 Peter 2:21-24) (1 John 3:4-5)

All mankind, therefore, except Christ Himself, are born guilty, Hell-deserving sinners! (Psalm 14:1-4)
There are no ‘big sins’ and ‘little sins’ in God’s Holy eyes.  SIN IS SIN! (James 2:10)
We are double guilty of sin.  We are doubly condemned by the Righteous Judge!  How?  Well, first we are guilty of inherent Adamic sin
(Genesis 5:3), and then again, of the actual sins we naturally commit! (Romans 7:14-24) (1 John 1:8)
There remains, therefore, no hope for any sinner if God’s Righteous verdict goes against us.  ‘…our God is a consuming fire…’.
(Hebrews 10:30-31) (Revelation 20:10-15)

Question 1:  If all are born sinners, all fall short of God’s Righteous standards (i.e. Christ’s perfection) (Matthew 6:33), then, ‘What must I do to be saved?’ (Acts 16:30-31)  How can the born sinner be JUSTIFIED? (i.e. just-as-if-I’d-never-sinned) (Job 14:1-4)

Answer 1:  “Ye must be born again!” (John 3:3-8) (1 Peter 1:18-25)  We must be given a new birth from God Above, we must be regenerated by God the Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 37:1-10) and enter into the Body of Christ (i.e. the true church) (1 Corinthians 12:12-27)  Christ must enter into us, and bring His Spiritual banquet of blessings with Him. (Revelation 3:20)  We thus, ‘…die daily…’ unto self, and live daily unto the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:31b) (Galatians 2:20)  Yea, more!  Jesus lives His resurrected life in us, through faith.  (John 14:6) (Leviticus 17:11) (Jon 10:10)  Hallelujah!  Amen!

We cannot work our way towards Justification – it is done through faith, the gift of our Sovereign Lord God. (Hebrews 11:1;6) (Ephesians 2:8-10) (Psalm 115:3)

Question 2:  How, therefore, can we receive faith to be justified before a Holy Lord God?

Answer 2:  One place only – “Faith cometh by hearing (or reading) and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)  We cannot be saved (or justified) without first hearing the Word of God – the glorious Gospel of Christ’s Salvation Sacrifice at the Cross for sinners. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) (Acts 4:12)
Who will ever seek to saved, if first they are not made aware that they are indeed lost? (John 16:8) (Luke 19:10)

It is therefore, perhaps easier for an actual thief, and actual murderer; an obvious sinner, to hear and receive the Gospel Truth and be saved!
(Psalm 51:1-13)

Nice old ladies and gentlemen; church-going, ‘good-living’ persons, who have never seemed to do harm to anyone in their lives; these poor people are the hardest to reach with the Gospel!  Why?  Because they don’t really believe they are indeed vile sinners in God’s pure eyes!
(Revelation 3:14-19)

Thus, they die and open their eternal eyes in a Christ-rejecter’s Hell!  Why? Because they never really sought to be justified before God – in Christ Jesus!  They rely on their own assumed righteousness to get them into Heaven.  Thus, they reveal their disbelief of God’s Word – “…none righteous…”.  (Romans 3:10)

Conclusion:  All those sinners, who by simply taking God at His Word, and receiving Christ Jesus as both Saviour and Lord, are born again: declared not guilty; deemed sinless in their STANDING before God’s Righteous Throne (Exodus 12:13) (Isaiah 1:18); imputed (i.e. put to their account) the Righteousness of Christ Himself! (Psalm 32:1-2)  Hallelujah!

We thus manifest true trust in Christ’s Righteous ATONEMENT upon Calvary’s Cross; His suffering in our place; for we who are blessed with faith to believe and to keep on believing (i.e. the continuous verb ‘believeth’ and ‘cleanseth’).  (John 3:16) (John 1:7)  Praise God!

Therefore, when a born sinner REPENTS (i.e. turns away from sin and turns fully to follow God) and receives Christ by faith – he/she is born again of God and declared fully JUSTIFIED in God’s Holy sight.

This is the great Reformation/Protestant doctrine of JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.  Learn it!  Teach it! Believe it!  Be blessed with the joy and liberty of its truth.  Amen.

WHY I AM NOT AN ATHEIST

Witnessing for the KIng

PSALM 14

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

    there is none who does good.

PSALM 53

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;

    there is none who does good.

WHY I AM NOT AN ATHEIST

When someone repeats themselves, you need to sit up and take notice. 

Well in two of the wonderful psalms , God repeats himself. We have many today, who call themselves atheists, and it is to them, that I address this message.

In the Hebrew, the true meaning is:

THE FOOL HAS SAID IN HIS HEART, NO GOD

So, let’s get this straight, you aren’t an atheist, you are an idolater. You are someone who worships an idol, which is anything that takes the true place reserved for God and you won’t let it go.

Romans 1 verses 18-32, gives a clear outline, why people are idolaters, they love sin and they won’t let it go.

At the start, let me, pull no punches, the evidence is clear and I wish to tell you, Why I am not an atheist, by the end of this message, you won’t be either.

First of all, I don’t believe in Chance, Atheism is strongly linked to evolution, which says that we came about through some explosion many millions of years ago.

That is like looking for a ten-dollar bill in a stack of hay, the chance of finding it is so remote, you wouldn’t waste your time even trying. 

Secondly, I don’t believe in chaos, if there was an explosion, all explosions, lead to chaos, they leave everything in disorder, look at the order in the world, the earth is spinning on its axis, if it moved off its axis a small amount, we would be all burnt alive by the sun rays. We have seasons, we have order in our universe. We have order and not disorder.

Look at the evidence:

Creation and the cosmos

Atheists believe that we have slowly evolving over millions of years, that we came from monkeys or that we climbed out of the sea. Look at the beauty of creation, look at a flower, so many beautiful flowers/animals and birds, brightly coloured. Do you think, this just happened over millions of years?

Yes, I believe in intelligent design, because all designs need a designer. God created all we see around us in six literal days, he did it all, I know it astounds the mind, but our finite minds are unable to grasp this, it is almost too wonderful for words. Look at the human body, everything, we even have the most advanced waste disposal system, God thought of everything.

Look at the cosmos, it would take us 1000 years to reach the end of our galaxy flying at the speed of light, and there are many millions of galaxies, did they happen by chance?

Look at man’s conscience, man is the pinnacle of creation, he is the only one, with a moral conscience, he is capable of regret, of compassion, he/she has emotions. Again, I ask you, did these unique features come about by chance or evolve over millions of years.

Look at man’s chasing, every single people group, worships something, there are people all over the world, that worship trees, spirits, rivers and animals, why?. There are tribes in deepest China, that worship nature, everyone seeks something to worship, even so-called Atheist’s worship something, even if it is themselves!

Because they know deep inside them, that there is something else, something outside them.

Look at Man’s crisis, he surely is in trouble, the deeper he/she goes and the further we go into history, the worse it gets. History goes from one disaster to another, every one worse than the last. Wars and disease are now man’s daily battle, it is like a chain weight around his neck. What disaster will it be next? Covid has surely shown man’s complete impotence, he is helpless, but still, he seeks to handle things on his/her own, he/she refuses to hand things over to God and acknowledge who God is, and that he has made a complete mess of things.

It would mean man would have to humble himself, and believe me, he is far too proud to do that!

Look at man’s condition, man hates the S word. He/she hates the word sin, every atheist, right at the bottom of them, will tell you, that there is no God, because they want no moral responsibility.

If there’s no God, like they argue, there is no judgement, we can live how we like, but there is a God and there is judgement Hebrews 9:27

These are the facts, look around you, look inside of you.  You have all the evidence, The uniqueness of the universe, the uniqueness of man, his utter helplessness and his deep need.

I am not an atheist, because every time, I see a flower or an animal, I see God’s hand, every time I see another human, I am reminded that they are uniquely created by God.

Why believe in something like atheism, that gives people NO HOPE?

Let’s eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die, but there is more to life.

There is a purpose and that is a God who created you and loves you.

I am a Christian, I wasn’t always a Christian, something or someone changed me. I met and know the Living God.

He is a moment-by-moment reality, it is not some religious fantasy, I know his presence, I have seen and am seeing his power, not just in my life.

In my second message, I will share Why I am a Christian.

God bless you

KK

WHY?

Keith's page 1

1 Corinthians 1

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,[c] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,

WHY?

I often think on this question, WHY HAS GOD SAVED ME?, after all, in my family, both my brothers are smarter and better looking than me, one is a business owner, another one was able to communicate effectively with many different people.  I am not business savvy or an able oral communicator.

My nephews and nieces are intelligent and clever people, one nephew is a PHD, another is a computer whizz, so why did God choose me?

You look at the people God choose, twelve disciples, who if you were being honest, you wouldn’t touch with a barge pole! They were a motley group of low life’s, but filled with the power of God, they turned Jerusalem and ultimately the world upside down.

So why does God choose the so called foolish things to confuse the wise?

It got me to thinking, and so I asked the question WHY

Below is a little poem/prose, that asks  the question?

WHY?

I know that he has saved me

From sin and from death

My only question is Why?

1 John 5:12-13

He has given me grace and mercy

Things that I do not deserve

My only question is WHY?

Ephesians 2:4 and Ephesians 2:8

He has called me by name

To serve him day by day

My Only question is WHY?

Isaiah 43:1

He has loved me with an everlasting love

His love will never leave me or forsake me

MY only question is WHY?

Jeremiah 31:3 Hebrews 13:5

He has saved me from the pain of hell

Saved from the fire of the second death

My only question is WHY?

Revelation 2:11

He has saved me, so I can say

I know my redeemer liveth

My  only question is WHY?

Job 19:25

He has saved me, so I can know

Without a doubt, that I am saved.

My only question is WHY

Romans 8:31-39

He has saved me, out of the pit

And placed my feet on the rock

My only question is Why?

Psalm 40:1-4

He has saved me, and called me his son.

Allowing me to approach his throne with confidence.

My only question is WHY?

Hebrews 10:19-22 and Romans 8:14-17

He has saved me, and given me the robe of righteousness

Christ’s righteousness is now mine.

My only question is WHY?

Isaiah 61:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

He has saved me, and given me peace with Him.

Through Christ, my sinless substitute

My only question is Why?

Romans 5:1

He has saved me, and given me a place in heaven.

My name is in the lamb’s book of life

My question is WHY?

Revelation 21:27

He has saved me, nothing can separate me from him

For time and eternity

My only question is Why?

Romans 8:38-39

He has saved me, and he has justified me

Now I am declared righteous, through his precious blood

My only question is WHY?

Romans 3:24, 5:1 and 8:30

He has saved me and graven me on the palms of his hands

Never will he forget me

My only question is WHY?

Isaiah 49:16

He has saved me, and rescued me from his righteous wrath

That I fully deserved because of my sin and rebellion

My only question is WHY?

Romans 5:9

I have no further questions

As I have all the answers

They are given in his word

By strong and faithful promises

Given by the living God

That stand the test of time

And will never ever fail

God’s promises are like a rock

That s immoveable

Thanks be to God, that I know the answer to the Question

WHY

There is no human reason that God choose me, I know that he has set his love upon me.

Thanks be to God.

One day, we will not ask Why.

When we gaze into our Saviour’s face, we will know the answer to the question

WHY?

Thanks to God, who has saved me.

If you are reading this, and haven’t yet trusted Christ, please read the following verses.

Romans 10

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Belief in the finished work of Christ and confession of Christ are essential ingredients of Salvation.

We need repent, believe and confess.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Please take time to read the stories of how three thousand souls on the day of Pentecost and how the Philippian jailer, in Acts 16, had their question answered.

Both asked

What must we do to be saved?

But you know the answer?

The question is:

Will you do as they did?

Acts 2

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Acts 16

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer[e] called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Thousands upon thousands every single day from every country, come to faith in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection.

God’s offer is open, but one day it will close, it’s time to trust Christ.. tomorrow may be too late.

HE IS AND WILL BE

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This is a poem written in response to a song by City alight, please listen to the song below

He is and will be  

Malachi 3:6   1 Thessalonians 5:24

Faithful,  Gracious and Merciful

Is our God who never changes

He and He alone is the one I trust

All my hope is based on Him

And what He has promised in His precious word

If He says something in His word

He is faithful to do it

His promises are backed up by his very nature

The only true God

Who keeps covenant for generations

The true God who cannot lie

His promises are backed up by the testimonies of thousands of believers

From Abraham to the present day

Gods’ promises and are steadfast and immoveable

He does not change,  His mercy,  love, and grace stand secure

Day to day, year to year, they remain constant

Based on the solid rock of His word

For me, they are life transforming

I know like Job that my redeemer lives

And that He can be trusted

Despite my doubt and despite my wandering heart

My redeemer gives me what I don’t deserve

That’s why, He is worthy of all glory, praise and honour.

Because I know that he has been faithful true and gracious, throughout my life and will be till He calls me home.

Then I will sing with millions of saints

Worthy he has been and worthy now is the lamb 

to receive glory honour and worship for evermore

He is my Redeemer

He is my Sustainer

He is my Saviour and sin bearer

He is my deepest desire

Jesus is worth it,  

because He is worthy

Amen

All glory to God

NANJING PHOTO FILM

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NANJING PHOTO FILM

I have only seen excerpts of this film, but what I saw made me sick, it is heartbreaking.

My heart goes out to the people of Nanjing, innocent people were slain, but as the gospel says 

Where sin abounded, Grace even more abounded.

I love the city of Nanjing and it’s people.

GENESIS 18

That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

The film called Dead Man’s Rights has made a great impression on me. I am a foreigner who lives in the city where these terrible events took place, all the way back in 1937.

I have lived here since 2012 and live every day with the Chinese people. During this time, I have walked all over Nanjing, I have walked all round Xuanwu Lake, the centerpiece of Nanjing, and I walked on the impressive city walls.

So what can we, as Christian believers, learn from this film?

The first thing is that we realize that man is out of control because of his sinful heart and his rebellion against God.

Jeremiah 17 says:
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Man is the highest piece of God’s creation, but he acts like the lowest. He parades his sin and rebellion as a trophy.

Sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death. In James 1, it says:
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Romans 1 is a devastating critique of man’s condition. Listen to these sobering words:
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Many times, it says, God gave them over, literally, he said, you want to go this way, go ahead.

The second thing is that the gospel is desperately needed; it is the only answer to man’s depraved and broken heart.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only solution to man’s heart problem. Man needs a new heart as outlined in these verses from Ezekiel 36:
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jesus said to Nicodemus (John 3), Peter said to the Jews on the day of Pentecost, and Paul to the Philippian jailer in Acts 16: you need to repent and trust Christ and Him alone for salvation. It is only through trusting Christ that we can be rescued from a life of sin and misery (Psalm 40:1-3).

The gospel changes not only individuals but cultures. It is cultural and yet counter-cultural; it challenges the deep-rooted prejudices within societies and transforms them with its radical power.

The gospel also brings forgiveness. When you have been forgiven from all your sin, you can then truly forgive. This film will bring to life great hatred because one nation will not face up to its past, and another finds it hard to forgive. The gospel deals with the past; it wipes the slate clean for people.

Forgiving people from the heart is probably the most difficult thing to do, but it releases you from the pain. 

The gospel also brings people together. God saves people not on the basis of country of origin, skin color, age, or background. He saves them because of His great grace and mercy through Christ. He is bringing together people from every country, language, and people group for His glory.

In Heaven there will be millions of Chinese and Japanese there will be no more anger between them, Christ brings all his people together, the Lord will save from every nation and culture.

There has been great suffering inflicted by one country on another. The suffering runs deep, but the gospel brings people in contact with the suffering servant who went through terrible suffering for us. He is completely able to empathize with our suffering; He knows everything we have gone through (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The gospel is one of eternal justice. People are brought into contact with the One who sees everything perfectly and who one day will deal out perfect justice. Did those people in Nanjing get real justice?  NO

One day they will. Everyone will have to give account, and everyone will be judged with perfect justice.

Hebrews 9:
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Revelation 20:
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

So, the gospel is the answer, but what lessons can we learn from this sorry episode?

Three hundred thousand innocent people were killed in a short time; terrible and evil atrocities were committed, but 250,000 people were saved. Foreigners in Nanjing, including Germans, British, Americans, and others, started a safety zone where many people were saved.

In today’s world, we have the chance to invite people to come to Christ; He is their safety zone, He alone is their refuge. How many people have you invited to the safety zone of Christ?

The ark was a place of safety, and Noah was a preacher of righteousness, but no one accepted the offer. Everyone thought Noah was nuts: “It’s going to rain? It hasn’t rained for years, don’t be so crazy.”

It should teach us to pray. The Japanese people number 120 million, but less than 1% follow Christ. My friend Michael tells me it’s a very difficult mission field; the ground is very hard.

Also, pray for the deep wounds of the Chinese people to be healed. There is deep pain for this country; wounds take time to heal, but through the healing balm of the gospel, they can be healed.

What did we learn? We learned that although man seeks to bring disaster and pain, God can bring love and grace through the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

The gospel brings hope, it brings healing, it allows people to have new hearts and gives them the ability to forgive.

It teaches us that the greatest need of the hour is to share our glorious gospel; time is of the essence.

In closing, remember these words of the Apostle Paul from Romans 10:
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

The walls of Nanjing are very high, they are very wide, indeed at some points 5 -8 cars can drive alongside each other.

Ezekiel 62:6 and Ezekiel Chapter 33 say we are watchmen on the wall, we see the enemy coming, we have to warn the people.

Likewise we have to warn the people around us about the coming of our  Lord again, time is running out.

2 Corinthians 5:8-15

LET US TELL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, THAT THERE IS REFUGE TO BE FOUND IN CHRIST AND ONLY IN CHRIST, THAT THEY CAN BE FORGIVEN AND GIVEN A NEW HEART, A NEW START, A NEW LIFE AND LIVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD AND HIM ALONE

AMEN

Keith

THE WILDERNESS YEARS

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This is the story and my testimony of my wasted years, one thing, you will get from me, is my honesty. May this testimony inspire and challenge you. My name is Keith Hobkirk, I am a simple Christian servant of the Only true God, who redeemed  from sin, death and hell. I hope my story touches you life.

MY STORY                       

I am going to be seventy soon (well in 2029), just before my sixteenth birthday I trusted Christ as Saviour, but he never had total control of my life. My wilderness years were between 1986 and 2001, from the ages of 27 to 42. These were the best years of my life.. I cry with pain often because of this.

Most of my life, spiritually speaking has been wasted, why because I didn’t obey God, I went my own way, did my own thing.

Life lived not being obedient to God for the Christian is wasted. You have him as Saviour, but never as Lord.

I trusted Christ, but have spent most of my life sadly fighting against him, rather than living for Him.

Has he restored me?

Yes, and he is my everything, I owe God everything, without Him, I am nothing.

My story is a warning, to any of you, follow God with your whole heart, never take your eyes off Jesus.

The devil comes to kill steal and destroy, he has taken some of the best of my life, deceiving me that I could live without God.

Don’t let him fool you Christian, keep your eyes fixed on Christ.

I cant change the past, but I can do two things.

I can warn others of the mistakes I made and then live like never before for my Saviour and Lord.

I am restored and completely forgiven, but the sadness still remains.

William Borden once said

No reserves

No regrets

May you live for Him, without reserve and having no regrets

In Christ

Kk

IS JESUS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR?

Simply Scripture 1

REVELATION 3

20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 

22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

IS JESUS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR?

This is the final letter to the seven churches and is probably the most severe. This church was rich beyond measure, but Jesus had a terrible verdict on this church.

When I came to faith this verse was used, but it doesn’t relate to salvation. Indeed, it is both an invitation and a rebuke to the church.

Why should Jesus be standing and knocking on the door of the church? Surely the handle of the church is on the outside, and doesn’t Jesus have the key?

If He had either, then surely, He wouldn’t be standing outside knocking. It is because He wanted His church to invite Him in, but sadly, like this church, many of today’s churches lock Jesus out of their lives.

Surely if someone knocks at the door of your house you let them in! So what are the reasons Jesus has to knock? Here are several:

Each of the five churches that are criticised in these chapters in Revelation have a reason for not opening the door.

The Ephesian church had left their first love. They wouldn’t open the door because they didn’t want to show Him the extent of their sin and falling away. Basically, they were ashamed to open the door. The Ephesian believers started off burning all their books of enchantment and witchcraft, but maybe this was slowly creeping into the church again? Are you afraid to open the door because you have fallen from your first love, though once you would have gladly opened the door, however now the door stays firmly shut?

A church or an individual believer doesn’t usually slam the door shut on the Lord… we close it one push at a time. It starts with the something small. Maybe you prayed for one hour per day, but now you only pray for 10 minutes. Maybe you read your bible and loved to dig into the word every day, maybe now it’s every week or maybe you read your bible just on Sunday or on bible study night. You still carry your bible, and everyone sees you with it, but do you currently read and obey it?

The church at Ephesus had everything right and they were active in sharing the gospel, they discerned error and would not tolerate false teachers and they were doctrinally sound.. yet they had one thing wrong…they had left or abandoned their first love, the flame of passion had been put out, what was once burning passion for Christ, was now only a flickering flame. 

Are you/ Am I like that?

I know that I although I love the Lord, it is not with the same passionate first love I had.

It’s like when you fall in love, your whole life is consumed with the other person, it’s the same with Jesus. When you become his, there is something radical that happens in your life, a new love.

Have things crowded out your first love?

It could even be good things such as ministry and preaching, all these things are good, but they are not the best. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, he said she had the best part. Luke 10:38-42

The church at Pergamum had a serious problem with false teachers. So why would they open the door? If you have false teachers in your church, they are not likely to answer the knocking of Jesus on the door. False teachers will never answer the door to Jesus! Why? Because they will be exposed by Jesus. False teachers will not answer the door to Jesus, they do not want their churches or their followers to learn about Jesus.

The church at Thyatira had a real problem with sexual sin, as it was rampant in that church. Let me ask you… if a church or an individual is full of sin, will it open the door? No, it will keep the door closed. Look at what Adam and Eve did after they sinned: they hid themselves. Psalm 32 says:

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity;

   I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Is your life or the life of your church full of sin? If it is, then you will find it very hard to open the door. You don’t want to expose your sin to the piercing stare of the Lord. You try and hide it, but Jesus sees everything and knows everything. Do you think by keeping the door closed, that you can hide your sin?

The fourth church was Sardis: the church that had a great name, and many people called it alive, but in the opinion of Jesus it was dead. How many churches say this? We are alive, but whose opinion is that?

In fact, they are dead. That is why Jesus is knocking at the door. He is trying to wake the church up, but how can dead people open a door?  Do people think you are alive? The question isn’t what people think of you, it’s what Jesus thinks of you. You need to wake up from your spiritual sleep and deadness and open the door, because Jesus is knocking.

The final church is probably the worst culprit. Why was this?

The Laodicean church had everything, so their door was closed. If you have everything in your house and a door-to-door salesman comes to your house, do you open the door to him/her?. No… because you already have everything.

So many churches today think they have everything, and they do. They have programmes, great buildings, great sound systems, great worship teams, but they lack one thing, and that is Jesus. The door is closed on Him, He knocks on the door.

Maybe you have everything, but again in whose estimation?

In all these churches, there is one remedy and it is this… REPENT.

If you have lost your first love.. you need to repent.

If you have false, teachers invading your life or life of your church.. you need to repent.

If you have sin, in any shape or form in your life, or in the life of your church.. you need to repent.

If you are dead and lifeless and need to wake up.. you need to repent.

If you think you have everything and need nothing.. then you need to repent.

But the promise to all who do truly repent and open the door to Jesus is intimate fellowship with Him. Some of us are fearful to open the door, because we are frightened to let Jesus see what is behind the door. But Jesus knows what is behind the door! He sees right through the door! He sees your heart believer, and you cannot hide anything from Him.

So repent, open the door and have intimate fellowship with your Saviour.

The church and the individual Christian need to open the door to Jesus. He must not be shut out of our lives, or out of our churches. He wants and desires for us to put Him at the centre of our lives.

Don’t leave Him knocking at the door… let Him in.

God bless you,

Keith

LETTERS Y AND Z

Alphabet U-Z

WE ARE GOING TO YONDER CITY

REVELATION 21

1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

In pilgrims progress, the pilgrims are constantly looking for the heavenly city, their eyes are always directed to heaven.

Our eyes, have also to be focused towards heaven, we travel on this road towards the heavenly city and we travel on it, knowing that at the end of this road is something beyond description.

This is what keeps us going, sometimes the road is incredibly rough and steep, and the one thing that does keep us focused and hopeful, is that one day, we will see our Saviour and share his glory.

When someone asks, where are we going?

We say, ” we are going to yonder city”

We are going to see our Saviour.

Our eyes and our focus, have to be on heaven.

The glories of heaven are one of the greatest motivations for us, the glories of heaven are so amazing.

Romans 8

18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

The glories of heaven, are among the greatest motivations to us, the glory of heaven is totally awesome.

If we are going to Yonder City, another thing we must do, is to take as many people as we can with us to this glorious place. 

We must grasp the glories of heaven; 

Praise God.

Are you going to Yonder city?

KK

REVELATION 21

21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

ZION’S CITY

We come to the end of the alphabet, and for Z, we are going to finish at our final destination.

Pilgrim, Hopeful and Faithful went on the way to the celestial city, a city that is beyond words, please read the rest of chapter 21 to be totally awed.

This is the thing that keeps us going, this is the blessed hope of Titus 2:13

13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Going along the way is awesome, but it is tough, there is a blessed hope, the hope of the believer is to see his/her Saviour.

When life got to its hardest point, in Doubting castle, Pilgrim plucked a key out of his bosom called Promise.

One of the promises on that key ring is this:

JOHN 14

14 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

Rejoice Christian, you are going home. One day you will see your Saviour and all pain and sorrow will cease.

As we end this series, let’s rejoice that we are home.

God bless you

Keith

LETTER X

Alphabet U-Z

THE X FACTOR

John 7:38

King James Version

38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

JOHN 14

16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you anotherComforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

JOHN 16

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

There was a TV talent show many years ago in the UK that was called the X factor, it was a singing show, which unknown singer had that extra piece they called the X factor?

Every Christian has an X factor which is the Holy Spirit.

Let me say from the outset, that the Holy spirit, is fully God. He was there at creation, he was there at Jesus baptism, he was there at the cross and it was through Him that Jesus was raised from the dead.

He was poured out at Pentecost, he can be grieved Ephesians 4, he can be lied to Acts 5:1-11, in this passage, he is clearly identified as God. He is part of that unique mystery called the trinity, we see the trinity in action, working as one, in creation and in redemption.

The Holy Spirit lives in each and every true born-again believer, indeed it is him, who lifts the veil from their eyes about sin and about their need of Christ.

The job of the Holy spirit is to reveal Christ to us, he is to uplift Jesus, by opening up our eyes to the truths of scripture, I have no ability to understand any of scripture, it is only through him, that I am able to share it. It is the Holy Spirit, who moved people to write the Holy Bible.

He lives in us to sanctify us unto God, to make us more like Christ, that is why there is a daily battle going on between the flesh and the spirit Galatians 5:16-17 and Romans 6 and 7.

That is why in Romans 12；1-2，we are told to renew our minds, so that we can be transformed, the Holy Spirit uses Gods word to transform us.

Daily, we need to filled with the Holy Spirit, he lives within us, but we have to sow to the spirit, we have to starve the flesh and let the Holy Spirit, work in our lives, we need to stop blocking him by our anger, bitterness and evil speaking. Ephesians 5:18 Ephesians 4:17-32.

God’s Holy spirit can be blocked by our complaining attitude, we are told to give thanks for everything 1Thessalonians 5:18, if we are constantly complaining, then it blocks his work.

The Holy Spirit, is not just the X factor in our walk, it is in our witness. When we share the gospel, we can talk and talk to someone, we explain in detail, we share many bible verses, but somehow, they just don’t get it. The Holy Spirit is the illuminator, he and he alone, convicts of sin, righteousness and judgement, in other words, he makes the sinner aware that he is guilty before God, that Jesus is the only way to God, that is through the righteousness of Christ that we are saved, and that the terrifying consequences of sin is death and eternal separation from God.

When I was saved all these elements came to fruition, as I was made aware that I was a sinner and that Jesus was the only way to salvation.

The Holy spirit gives the Christian the X factor in his walk with Christ and in his witness for Christ.

。

The fruit of the Holy spirit is outlined in Galatians 5:22-23and in Colossians chapter 3:12-17

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit is like Jesus says in John 6, living waters flow out of you.

Your walk will be close to the Lord, your witness will be active as people are brought to the Saviour.

The great command is

Be filled with the spirit

Constantly being filled every day,  don’t block him, unleash his power in your life.

He is the comforter, he is our confidant, our confidence, he is the one who lives within us. Jesus has not left us, he has given us another comforter

The Paraclete, the one who comes alongside us

He is our X factor.

Praise God

God bless you

Keith

LETTER W

Alphabet U-Z

WHAT ARE WE TO DO WHILST WE ARE WAITING ON EARTH?

EPHESIANS 5

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Do you want to get to heaven, as Paul did?. But had to stay on earth

Philippians 1:23

King James Version

23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

We are citizens of heaven, we long for that place, but we are needed here on earth, until the Lord sees fit to call us home, so what are we to spend our time doing?

We are to redeem our time, not waste it, lets look at some of the things we could be doing.

WORKING 2 Corinthians 6 :1

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

We are not here to be idle; we are workers together with God, this is a joint venture, we are his co-workers. Yes, we are unworthy servants Luke 17:10, but we are God’s instruments to serve and reach a world that needs to know Him.

In Galatians 6 and 2 Thessalonians 3, we are told not to be weary in well doing, in other words, keep doing good, keep serving others, keep on serving God.. don’t stop even for a minute.

WATCHFUL ISAIAH 62:6

Isaiah 62:6

King James Version

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

A watchmen is constantly on the lookout, even the slightest hint of danger, they report it, nothing gets past them, they see everything.

Jude said that people had crept into the church without people noticing, maybe the watchmen were asleep or distracted?

Are you keeping watch?

If you are a pastor, are you keeping watch over your sheep? Are you guarding the flock of God?

Ordinary believer, are you watching out for false doctrine spreading in your church and are you watching over young believers in your fellowship?

WORSHIPPING

What will we be doing in heaven? Worshiping and praising God.

We ought to be a worshipping people, our hearts should show forth the glories of the Lord. Let’s get focused on heaven by worshipping God on a daily basis, as that is what we will be doing in heaven. Let’s have a real heart for worship, adoration and praise to God.

WITNESS ACTS 1:8 MATTHEW 28:16-20 AND COLOSSIANS 4:2-6

Our greatest honour is to share the gospel, to be used by God to bring another person to Christ, is awesome. This is probably the main reason, we are here, not to make money, not to satisfy ourselves but to reach others. 

This must start with our families, we have to touch our families for Jesus, many households are divided, a mother trusts Christ but the husband doesn’t. This is so important, so many women in China, put church first, but they have the wrong priority, its family first.

WARNERS

We need to be Warners, people are going to a Christless eternity, are you a watchman on the wall, if you are and then you see danger, but don’t see anything and the wall gets broken down, you are guilty. Ezekiel Chapters 3 and 33

WARMERS

Are you a warmer?

What is a warmer?

Do you open up your home to fellow believers?

Is your home a haven for Christian friendship and fellowship?

When people meet you, do you warm them or repel them?

Are you a Christian, that makes others feel comfortable and warm?

WARRIORS INVOLVED IN WARFARE  2 TIMOTHY 2:3 COLOSSIANS 4:12 2 COR 10:4-5 EPHESIANS 6:10-18

We are in hand to hand combat, as a:

Soldier

We are all soldiers in God’s army, we have armour, we have weapons. Whilst we are here on earth, we will spend our time in spiritual warfare, remember Christian, you are in a war. In Pilgrim’s progress,  Pilgrim had many battles with the enemy, he was equipped with armour, why because he was to experience daily spiritual warfare.

Prayer warrior

Epaphras was a man who battled fervently in prayer, he was a fervent prayer warrior. Our prayers are a dynamic spiritual weapon,

Are you a fervent and passionate prayer warrior, like Epaphras was.

What are you doing with your time on earth?

We are to se our time in God honouring activities, like the ones mentioned above, if we do this, we will sure be:

REDEEMING THE TIME

Remember use your time well.

Don’t waste your life on trivial things, invest your life in eternal things.

God bless you

Keith

LETTER V

Alphabet U-Z

THREE V’S FOR VICTORY

1 JOHN

1 John 5:4

King James Version

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Psalm 24

King James Version

24 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

5 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah.

TITUS 2

Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

How can we live in today’s world?

We can be conformed to the world or transformed by God’s spirit; we have a choice.

So how are we to live in today’s world:

The first way, we have to live in today’s world is:

VIRTUOSLY

We live in a dark and dangerous world; we are to live holy lives in a world that is sinful and dirty. In psalm 24, we have instructions on how we are to live in respect of our actions and words.

In 1 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, there are many verses that tell us, how to live in today’s world, one of the things that is interesting is that the word Sober is mentioned several times especially in Titus 2.

We are told not to be drunk with wine in Ephesians 5:18, we are to be sober. We cannot watch if we are drunk. A drunk man wants to sleep, all he is interested in is the next drink.

But we have to be constantly watching, denying worldly lusts, the way to live is to follow Titus 2:12, to live soberly, righteously and godly lives in the midst of a perverse and evil generation, cleansing our minds through the continual washing of the word of God in our lives Psalm 119, Romans 12:1-2 and Colossians 3:16

VISIONARY

Secondly, we must be visionaries, in several ways.

Isaiah had a vision of the glory of God in Isaiah 6, we must have a deep and full relationship with God, time must be spent in God’s presence, through intimate fellowship with the Father Matthew 6:6.

That will create a deep and passionate vision for the lost, Isaiah had this vision of God, but it wasn’t so he could stay in that situation, the call to him was, I want someone to go, who will go for us.

Vision for God’s work and vision for God’s glory are inseparable, they come together. We need to have a vision to reach out with God’s word, We need to have a vision of God in all his glory but that vision and encounter, must drive us to worship and to sharing his glory with a needy world.

VICTOROUSLY

We have the victory in Jesus, ultimate victory belongs to us.

Revelation 12:11

King James Version

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Ultimate victory belongs to us, but also daily victory belongs to us. We are able to overcome the world, these wonderful verses in 1 John are so relevant to us:

1 JOHN 2

13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.

14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

1 JOHN 5

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We are victorious, we follow a victor, Jesus defeated sin and the devil, we will trip up daily, we will fail, but the more we become the image of Jesus by soaking ourselves in his word, we will have the victory.

Are you living a virtuous life?

Are you living a visionary life?

Are you living a victorious life?

God bless you

kk

LETTER U

Alphabet U-Z

UNDERSTANDING THE BATTLE

EPHESIANS 6

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Christian, you are in a battle!

Some Christians seem to think that the Christian life is a daydream, that we are here on earth to eat, drink and be merry, when the opposite is true, they seem to want to let everyone else fight the battles whilst they live a life of ease, they seem to want to come to Church once on Sunday, another thing ticked off their to -do list.

What we have to understand is that we are in a battle, a wrestling match, it is hand to hand combat with an enemy, we cannot see, it is a spiritual battle fought not with earthly weapons, but with heavenly ones.

Do you really understand what you are involved in:

The environment

Today’s world is not a good place, it is a world full of sin and here’s the bad news, it’s going to get a lot worse. For the Christian, it is a place he/she is not comfortable in. If you are comfortable in this society, then I suggest you are not truly saved 1 John 2:15-17.

To be in love with the world is to be against God, you cannot be on both sides at the same time, you are on one side or the other Exodus 32：26 and Joshua24：15.

This world stinks with the stench of sin, it is everywhere, it permeates every nook and cranny, it is infectious disease, which has one answer and that is the blood of Jesus.

Christian, you need to be aware that this world is not a holiday camp, but a battleground.

Your example

You have the greatest example in the world, your precious Saviour, he came down to earth and defeated Satan through hs death, but it took all he had. Do you think it will take us anything less?

Many believers throughout history have fought against the evil devil, but again it takes all they have, it is not for the halfhearted. Look at the example of Jesus in the garden, he sweated great drops of blood, look at what the apostle Paul went through for the gospel.

Jesus was the author and finisher of our faith, he finished the devil for good, but it took everything he had, it took his life. We need to understand it may take ours. Hebrews 12:1-3 Colossians 2:11-15

Our eyes

Hebrews 12

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Our eyes need to be focused on what has gone before, before anyone goes into battle or a war, old battles are studied and analysed.

But we can look to the ones who in the bible, who actually won battles, not only that, we can focus on the Lord Jesus who won the ultimate battle at the cross and through his resurreuction, we always need to focus our eyes on Jesus.

Endurance

2 Timothy 2

3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

A soldier goes through difficult training, the roman soldiers of Paul’s day, didn’t have a cosy bed to sleep in. They had to sleep under the stars.

What are you willing to give up and endure for the cause of Christ?

Energy

2 Timothy 2

4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

What is your energy being spent on?

You cannot fight on the battlefield if you are constantly playing till 2am on your cell phone. 

Our enemy

Satan is very powerful, but although he is, his power is limited.

Look at the example in Job chs 1 and 2, he can only as far as God allows him and no further. He is portrayed as a roaring lion, but a roaring lion, who has a very long leash, controlled by God.

After he tempted Jesus in Matthew 4, he had to leave him, he couldn’t touch him. 

We need to remember that although the devil can hurt us, he can

only do to us, what God allows, God is sovereign and will only allow us to be tempted to a level we are able to stand, he will always give us a way of escape. 

Our equipment

In Ephesians 6:10-18 and 2 Corinthians10:4-5, we have our equipment laid out for us.

My question is this:

Do we keep our equipment in tip top shape? Every Roman soldier, would take pride in his equipment.

His sword would be sharp and polished, are we studying and meditating on the bible every day?

Shield of faith, are you acting in faith on the promises of God every day?

Prayer, are you fervently coming before the throne of God every day?

Or are you letting your Armour go rusty?

When some Christians want to put their Armour on, they can’t, because it hasn’t been used for so long, they don’t know how to use it. They don’t know how to act on the promises of God or to use the sword of the spirit effectively.

Make sure you do!

Extraordinary God

Do you fully understand his extraordinary power?

I don’t think we do to be honest. Paul in his two great prayers in the book of Ephesians in Chs 1:15-23 and 3:14-21, tries to give us a flavor of the power of God.

When we realize a little of how all powerful God really is, we would have no fear, no doubt and we would have victory all the time, but we don’t, we are fragile humans.

We need to realize that we are filled with all the fullness of God through his Holy Spirit, the same one that raised Jesus from the dead, the same on that filled the disciples o the day of pentecost.

Let us understand these things:

Our environment is a sinful world

Our example is a wonderful Saviour

Our enemy is a defeated foe

Our equipment is made for us to to use

Our Extraordinary God has and will give us the victory

Our eyes must be focused on Jesus

Our endurance must be to the end

Our energy must be put into the right things.

Amen

God bless you

KK 

LETTER T

Alphabet N-T

TRUTH TELLERS

JUDE 3-4

3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

PHILIPPIANS 2

Philippians 2:16

King James Version

16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Truth matters. amen

We live in days that are very dangerous, scripture is being undermined at every turn, the authority and sufficiency of scripture is being taken lightly.

Jude says that false teachers and I want you to take notice of this word, unnoticed. 

That is an interesting word, how people creep into your house.

You can leave your door a little bit ajar, many churches have left their doors a little bit ajar and now many false teachers are hiding in the church. One compromise has led to another, one small sin has led to another. Look at the five churches in Revelation chs 2-3, they started off well, but they left their doors ajar.

The second way, they crept in, was because they were asleep. Jesus says how does the thief rob the house, he binds the strong man of the house, in the following verses we see this:

Matthew 12

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Mark 3:27

King James Version

27 No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.

Many churches are unaware of the danger, they are asleep. The strongman of the house has been bound, and the thief who is Satan, who comes to steal, kill and destroy. Who is the strongman, it’s the pastor, the pastor has departed from the truth and is engaging in error and false teachers have crept in and now the church is in uproar.

The church needs to do things with the truth:

Firstly, it must not hold fast to the truths of scripture, in this contemporary culture, this is seen as outdated, we must hold fast to the truths of God’s word, despite the surrounding culture saying otherwise.

We must be led astray for the latest church growth fad, we are told how to build an effective church in the book of Acts and how to rebuild the broken down walls in Nehemiah, why do we need to resort to the books of today’s so called Church experts and their Purpose driven books, when we need to hod fast to God’s word and not Man’s. When it comes to God’s truth, we should be say no compromise, even if that sets us at odds with society.

We need to be fully awake, some are sleeping, indeed many churches are sleepwalking, the enemy sees them as easy pickings and they are now no use to God at all, they are neither hot nor cold, and we know the Lord does to that church. Revelation 3:14-21

We cannot share the gospel, we cannot tell the world of the gospel, if we don’t hold fast to its truth. Over 50% off American evangelicals don’t believe the word of God, they don’t hod fast to the truth.

How can they share something they don’t believe?

Before we can hold some forth, we have to hold it fast. To hold fast, means that we are not shaken, nothing shakes our belief in the word of God, we know that it is the power of God unto salvation, we know it is quick, powerful and sharper than any two-edged                                                                     sword Hebrews 4:12-13

Let us hold fast to the truths of God’s word, so that we can hold it forth to a needy world.

The world wants to see a church that believes what God says, if we don’t believe it, how can we expect the world to, maybe this is the reason, so many Christians don’t witness.

How can you share in something you don’t truly believe in?

Time to awake out of sleep and time to close the door, it is time to hold firmly and steadfastly to the truth and then and only then, can we share it with clarity and power.

May God help us

God bless you

KK

LETTER S

Alphabet N-T

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

Reading John 13:1-5 Philippians 2:5-8

We enjoyed being served, many people serve us. They serve us at the restaurant, at the supermarket  and at the gas station.

We are servants, but not to an earthly master. We are servants to a heavenly master, we have his example in his life, especially in John 13,  there is the benchmark for us.

So to sum up, what service means, here is an acronym to help us understand it.

S  is for Selfless service

Christ did not come to be serve, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Service is not about you, it is never selfish, it is always selfless. When we serve people, we will do anything, there is nothing we won’t do for people. After all Jesus served us, he washed the disciples feet, the lowest form of service, he gave us this amazing selfless example. Service to others is not about exalting yourself, but exalting Christ.

E is for everyday

Serving people is not a one off thing, it is a continuous thing. It is a life trait, it is something we do and we love doing. We are not to be weary of well doing. 2 Thess 3:13 Galatians 6:9

R is for reverent service

Our service to God must be reverent, whatever we do is to the glory of God. We are to serve God in a way that brings him glory 1 Cor 10:31.

In Ephesians 6, we have this verse:

Ephesians 6:7

King James Version

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Everything we do is for God, we are serving others, as if we are serving Christ.

Are you doing the washing up at church?

Do it if Jesus was going to use that plate or cup.

V is for virtuously

Luke 17:10

English Standard Version

10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;[a] we have only done what was our duty.’”

Even when we serve, pride is probably our biggest enemy. We think oh look at me, I’m doing such a good work here, arent i good. But in fact, we are nothing but unworthy servants. Pride kills service, in fact pride makes us unfit for service, pride can be a service killer, remember to serve with a virtuous heart. Psalm 24

I is for instant service

Have you heard the pastor plead week after week for someone to do that job or this job in church, People are reluctant to come forward to service, But we should be instant in serving the Lord, when the Lord gives the call to serve in some area, we should be ready and willing to go, we should be like Isaiah, who said Here I am send me.

C is Christ centred Service

Everything we do must be centred on Christ, when we serve people, it is to show Christ’s love and compassion to that person or group. We serve because he first served us, he gave us a living breathing example of what service was like.

E is for encouraging service

There are many one another’s in the New testament, one especially is to stir up one another to faith and good works Hebrews 10:24.

When we serve others, it is meant to encourage others to grow in their faith, Paul was served by many people, look at the three people, who served him, in these verses in 1 Cor 16：

17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.

They are great examples, they did not come to be refreshed by Paul, but they brought refreshment to him. Have you encouraged another to serve God? Have you encouraged one who is in the service of God.

Remember service is:

SELFLESS

EVERYDAY

REVERENT

VIRTUOUS

INSTANT

CHRIST CENTRED

ENCOURAGING

May you serve God with all these things in mind.

God bless you

Keith

LETTR R

Alphabet N-T

REACH OUT WITH THE GOSPEL

COLOSSIANS 4

3 At the same time pray for us, too, that God will open a door [of opportunity] to us for the word, to proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear [and speak boldly and unfold the mystery] in the way I should.

5 Conduct yourself with wisdom in your interactions with outsiders (non-believers), make the most of each opportunity [treating it as something precious]. 6 Let your speech at all times be gracious and pleasant, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each one [who questions you].

1 Thessalonians 3

  Finally, brothers and sisters, pray continually for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be honored [triumphantly celebrated and glorified], just as it was with you;

We often hear of an opportunity economy, every political statement from whichever party you listen to, says, we are here to create opportunities for people.

As Christians, we have constant opportunities to share the gospel, we are called to reach out and tell people thee wonderful news of salvation through faith in Christ alone.

Every day we meet many people who seem ok on the outside, but in reality are in deep pain. God brings people across our path every single day, he gives us opportunities to share the gospel, whether by words or Christlike actions.

Look at verse 5 and 6 of Colossians 4, we have to treat every person, we talk to or meet as a precious opportunity. Every person is different, they are unique, they will all different needs, but God will bring people across your path, who you are able to share your testimony and life story with us.

We do not reach them, just by preaching at them, our words and reactions, are to be seasoned with salt. Are our words gracious and pleasant? Do your words and actions drive people away or draw them nearer to Christ?

In letter Q, we talked about being ready to answer people about your faith. I often remember, sharing the gospel and the person concerned just didn’t get it, however simple I made it and how many times I explained it. Remember that once you didn’t get it once, so be patient and gracious.

Sharing the gospel is the most amazing privilege, Jesus reached down and then he reached out, to the poor, helpless and needy.

We are to be to be ready to reach out to a needy world, God will bring people across our path, who we can share with.

Pray that every day, God will give you doors of opportunity and when he does, seize the opportunity and reach out with Christ’s love.

 A final illustration, years ago in the park, I met a Chinese man, who spoke good English, he was fascinated by me, being English. But what we started talking about was not spiritual, it was Henry the eighth and his six wives, then we moved onto spiritual things.

That my friend, it is reaching out and taking every opportunity.

Be part of God’s opportunity outreach!

God bless you

KK

LETTER Q

Alphabet N-T

QUESTIONS QUESTIONS QUESTIONS

1 PETER 3

15 But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect.

People are always asking questions, what happened, who am I and why am I here, are some of the commonest questions asked today.

As a Christian, you have the answer to all of life’s questions, that is Jesus.

In his lifetime, Jesus was asked many questions, the pharisees asked him if he was the Son of Gid, sadly they didn’t like the answer.

God asked a very important question in the garden of Eden, again man did not want to answer, so he went off and hid himself. The question God is asking you is:

Where are you?

Are you trying to hide from God?

There is no hiding place.

Another vital question that you have to answer is this one from Matthew 16

Now when Jesus went into the [c]region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they answered, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or [just] one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.” 

This is the most important question anyone  can answer, your eternal destiny depends on your reply to this question.                                                                                                      

Who is this man Jesus?

He claimed to be God in the flesh?

In Romans 10, it says this:

9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will not be disappointed [in his expectations].

The answer is to say, Jesus is my Lord. To believe in your heart and confess it with your mouth.

To those who have trusted Christ, now is the time to ask your friends and family, what do they think of Christ, it is time to confess your Saviour before men, it is time for believers to confront the world with the reality of sin, judgement and salvation.

Remember the verse in 1 Peter, when we are asked to give a reason for the hope that lies within us, have you an answer?.

To do this, you have to soak yourself in the word of God, your whole being must be immersed in God’s word.

Could you answer a Muslim?

Could you answer an atheist?

People are asking questions, you have got the true answer Jesus?

A final question, if someone came up and asked you on the street:

WHY ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?

Could you answer them from the bible?

God bless you

Keith

LETTER P

Alphabet N-T

PRAYER AND PRAISE ARE POWERFUL PRIVILEGES

PSALM 73

28 But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.

PSALM 34

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Of all the privileges of being a Christian, the ones of bringing our prayers and praises to God, are on the top rung of the ladder.

Before we came to faith, we were alienated from God, we were unable to reach him, let alone talk with him, but now because of the sacrificial death of Jesus, we are able to approach God and call him our father. Hebrews 10:19-22

Prayer is not just talking to God and bringing our requests, it is part of it, we are not to come with a big shopping list. God is to be praised first, why because he deserves it, before we ask for anything from him, surely it is right to thank and praise him for all he is and how much he has given us.

Prayer changes things, but so does praise, why? Because it takes our focus off ourselves and places it on God.

Jesus outlined how we should pray in Matthew 6, Paul prayed for each of the churches he founded in passages such as Philippians 1:9-11 and Ephesians 1:15-23. In Philippians 4:6-7, we are urged to bring our requests to God, in Psalm 62, we are told to empty our hearts in Prayer and in ! thess 5, we are told to pray without ceasing.

Prayer is a wonderful privilege, so why is the prayer meeting, the worst attended meeting at virtually every church?

God answers the prison cell  prayer in Acts 12 and 16, he sends revival through prayer 2 Chronicles 7.

Praise to God is best illustrated in the book of Psalms, there are so many psalms that tell us, what to praise   and how to praise God.

We are to praise him for the following reasons:

：

For who he is 

For what he has done for us

For what he has given us

For salvation and all that entails

Prayer and Praise are linked, one place we say them working in conjunction with each other, is in Acts 16:

祷告与赞美是相互关联的，《使徒行传》16 章就是一处体现它们

25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Prayer and Praise have dynamic power, both of them working together, not one in isolation, we praise God for who he is and what he has done for us and then we know that when we pray we can come in a bold manner knowing that he will answer us, according to his will.

God is worthy to be PRAISED.

GOD is pleased to hear both our prayers and our praises.

GOD loves to hear our PRAYERS

In the summer, I was going round the ruins of Huntingdon castle, this was the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England from 1650-60 and a godly man, there was a stone at the castle, which had these words on it.

HE NEVER LEFT FOR BATTLE EXCEPT THROUGH THE HARBOUR OF PRAYER

We should never go into daily battle, without prayer. In Ephesians 6, we have the Christian’s armour, one is usually overlooked and that is prayer. We need to have our armour on, but if we do not pray, it’s worthless. Samson shook himself, he said I will go out as before. How often do we do that?

Every day before we go out let’s pray.

Let’s always take advantage of these two awesome privileges, let’s pray without ceasing and may God’s praise be continually in our mouths.

Murray Mcheyne said this on prayer

A man is what he is on his knees – nothing more, nothing less

Operation world Page 301

Are you a man/woman of prayer and praise?

These two things should define a person, when Ananias said in Acts 9, how will I recognise Paul, it was told him behold he prayeth.

Does that describe you?

Psalm 34 starts with the phrase I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise is continually in my mouth.

Are you defined by your attitude of praise?

Is your mouth filled with praise?

Do you pray without ceasing?

May we always be a prayerful and praising people.

For his glory alone

God bless you

KK

LETTER O

Alphabet N-T

THE ONE ANOTHERS

John 13

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

 Over fifty times in the New testament, we have these one another’s, these speak clearly and concisely to us in a  way we can understand.

We will do a series on these one another’s in due course, but here, let’s make some general comments about them.

First of all:

They are direct commands to obey

These special phrases are given not as options to us, but commands to obey. Jesus said, if you love me keep my commandments.

John 14:15

King James Version

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Some of these commands especially relating to forgiveness and being patient, run against our natural inclination.

Not only are they direct commands, they are demanding commands.

As we have already said, the flow of the world, says that we should care for ourselves, but lots of these commands challenge our mindset to think of ourselves first.

These commands demand change, they demand radical discipleship, if these commands were only obeyed by the church, then the world would sit up and take notice of us.

Not only are they direct and demanding, they dissect all our thought patterns, the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. Hebrews 4:12-13.

They are there to transform our thinking Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, we need to constantly cleanse our minds, letting the pure water of the word flow through it. Colossians 3:16.

They are also distinctive commands, commands such as love one another and be patient with one another, are not found anywhere else.  These things make Christians distinct.

What does Christ say, they will know you are Christians by your love for one another, this is what makes Christianity unique. It  is not like Buddhism or Islam; it has a deep and dynamic command system that radically transforms the heart.

These commands should be our delight, in Psalm 119, the psalmist says, I delight to do thy law. The commands of the Lord are not some burden to us, they are there to set us free.

Imagine, if we obeyed the command Forgive one another, how much freedom would that give us.

Are the one another’s your delight?

Finally, they are dynamic, they are life changing. Any church or individual who fully embraces all these one another’s in their life and the life of the church, will be transformed.

These commands cover the whole sphere of your Christian walk, they cover your personal walk, they cover your walk in church.

Please go and find a good bible concordance and find out how many of these one another commands, there are in the NT.

It is an exciting journey for you and one that will transform your life, please find out all these wonderful commands and then test yourself.

Say: Let’s take the command to Love one another.

Am I loving people?

Am I loving everyone equally?

Test yourself and see if you match up.

Are you obeying the one another’s?

If you do, it will totally transform your life.

God bless you

KK

LETTER N

Alphabet N-T

NO NO NO!  TO THE DEVIL

EPHESIANS 4

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27 Neither give place to the devil.

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

The devil is the Christian’s enemy, he hates God Ezekiel 14, but he can never hurt God Genesis 3:15. So who does he go after, that’s right, he goes after the Christian and the Church.

Every weapon he can muster is targeted on us, we are in the firing line so to speak. He truly, has it in for us, he is like a roaring lion:

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaringlion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

He wants to devour us, he is seeking those he can devour, how does he do this:

In this passage, we have some of the weapons that the devil uses to trap the  Christian, do you notice that he uses our emotions, he gets us to be angry, that’s an emotion, it isn’t a wrong emotion, if it’s focused on the right thing, Jesus was angry at what was happening in the temple, but he did not sin.

Every trap that the devil lays in this passage, is answered by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, God wants you to give no place to the devil, here’s how you do it.

In verses 24-25, we have to put something on and take something off, it is like morning and evening, in the morning, you put on new clothes, you take off the old clothes, this is the same with the Christian. 

COLOSSIANS 3

7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

The putting on and taking off is a continuous thing, just like the filling of the spirit Ch 5:18, every day and indeed every moment, we have to be taking off our old clothes and putting on new clothes, how can we do this:

Romans 12 tells us:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are to be moulded by God’s word. How much time do you spend in God’s word each day? Now compare how much time you spend playing on your cell phone and watching rubbish on TV?

We need to have our minds cleansed, by God’s spirit using God’s word, this is the only formula.

We need to:

Colossians 3

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

We need to let the word of God dwell in our hearts and lives, to dwell, means to take up residence, we are to welcome it, it must be the primary guest in our hearts.

SAY THIS AS YOUR READ YOUR BIBLE

Word of God I welcome you, speak to me as I meditate on your truth.

As we meditate on God’s word, it will bring overflowing joy, we will sing aloud of our God and it will touch our fellow believers.

Remember, the devil hates to hear Christians praising God, why? Well it reminds him of his previous job!

So let’s examine, all the weapons the devil uses and God’s answer.

Lying, everyone tells lies or untruths, so how can we stop this, by speaking truth Ch 4:15 Zechariah 8:16. The more we grow in grace, the more love we have for God, we will grow to be like him

2 Peter 3:18

We are now in a unique fellowship of like minded believers, people who love the truth, being with them will rub off on you.

Anger, how can you be angry and sin not? Surely this is impossible? Jesus was angry at the things, his Father was. So must we be, are we angry at our sin and are we angry at injustice, this is righteous anger and not sin.

Many people let anger fester, they let it hang around for years, and it destroys their lives Psalm 37:8, it means that we have to let it go, don’t let it fester. If you have an argument with your wife/husband, do you let it last for days?

Be angry at the things God is angry about.. sin and wickedness.

Laziness, God created work, it is not his will, that people do not work, You work for your own benefit, but also you work so that you can share with others Acts 20:35 Luke 3:11

Corrupt speech. we are not to use our mouths to curse but to comfort Colossians 3:8, our mouths are to be used to edify and not to break down.

Bitterness, Anger, Clamour etc, James 3:16-18 James 4：11

These things left unchecked will give the devil open house in a Christians life and in the life of the church, the devil thrives on this kind of thing, it is his meat and drink, the more anger and resentment, he can sow, the better it is for him. What is the answer?

We are angry and resentful against people who have hurt us.. amen, I won’t talk to that person, because they sat in my seat that I’ve sat on in church for twenty years!.

God’s answer to this is deep and passionate Christian love, forgiveness being the start.

Has anyone upset you?   Forgive them from the heart.

Has anyone been bitter  and angry towards you? Be tender hearted towards them.

Why must I forgive you may say? Well how many sins, has Christ forgiven for you, when he saved you? He washed all our sins away, he did not hold any sins to our account, he took on all your sin.

But I can’t forgive you proudly say, what if Christ had said the same thing. We deserve hell and eternal punishment, but we have received grace Ephesians 2:1-10 1 Timothy 1:12-15. God’s gracious has been freely given to us, we need to give grace to others, even though they don’t deserve it.

If we leave an open door for the devil, what does that do?, well it breaks our fellowship with God and grieves the precious Holy Spirit, it hurts him, wounds him and says to him, I don’t need you.

How many times, have I and you grieved God’s spirit?, In my case it is many hundreds of times.

But God has given us guidelines on how to say No to the devil. When the devil comes knocking with any of these temptations: 

Anger, Laziness, Bitterness etc, have a sign up saying:

I GIVE NO PLACE TO YOU DEVIL.

May God give us the strength to follow his precious word, it is there to help and guide us. Psalm 119:105

GOD BLESS YOU

KK

PAKISTAN PART 12

Asia 1

MUSLIM PEOPLE

Over 200 million Muslims are unreached in Pakistan, please pray for these following groups, please click the following links to learn more about these groups

Sindhi Sama

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18164/PK

Awan

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16264/PK

Bawaria

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16347/PK

Dhobi

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17519/PK

Jat Jakhar (Muslim traditions)

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/21508/PK

Kamboh (Muslim traditions)

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17581/PK

Jat Ponwar

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/21751/PK

Thathera (Muslim traditions)

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17693/PK


Rajput Khabbal

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22449/PK

Perna (Muslim traditions)

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17664/PK

Hajam

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19655/PK


Pashtun Omarzat

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22244/PK

PAKISTAN PART 11

Asia 1

SINDH

The Hindu peoples in this area are responding to the gospel, please pray for the following people  groups

HINDU PEOPLE GROUPS

AGER

Please pray that they would be free from the spirit world and witchcraft

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19163/PK

Chamar

Pray that their hearts would become open to the gospel

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16561/PK

Arora

They need to trust Christ

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16239/PK

Charan

A rich people who need Christ

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16571/PK

PAKISTAN PART 10

Asia 1

BALOCHISTAN

An area that has few believers, but recently there has been the first flowerings of people movements, please pray for the following:

PEOPLE GROUPS

UZBEK

Please pray the Holy Spirit would move in mighty power

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14039/PK

Thakkar

Please pray for these few people to come to Christ

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18245/PK

Baloch Sadozai (Sardaar Zai Rind)

Pray that these people would come to faith

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22052/PK

Dehwar

Pray for more workers to go to this people

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19441/PK

Brahmin Audich

Pray for this small group of people to come to faith

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19929/PK

Badhai

Please pray that pride would be removed, these people need to be humbled to come to faith

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16332/PK

Baloch Mohammad Shahi

Pray that these people would come into contact with true Christians

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22038/PK

Pashtun Kakar

Please pray for a move of the Lord in all these people groups

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22188/PK

PAKISTAN PART 9

Asia 1

KHYBER ( FORMERLY NORTH WEST FRONTIER)

A chaotic and mountainous region governed by Pashtun tribes and sharia law.

Probably the hardest place to be a Christian on earth, there are a few isolated believers and even fewer fellowships.

Please pray for these small buds to grow and blossom.

PEOPLE GROUPS

TURKMEN

Please pray for resources and labourers for these people.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/15654/PK

HOTAK PASHTUN

Thank God bible translation is in progress

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22177/PK

Kuchi Afghan refugee in Pakistan

Pray for these dear people who are refugees

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22100/PK

Pashtun Mangal

Pray for a move of God amongst the Pashtun people

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22225/PK

Rajput Khaimkani

Please pray for the establishment of a church amongst this people

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20409/PK

Pashtun Salarzai

Pray that the holy spirit would move amongst this people

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22261/PK

Pashtun Mohammadzai

Please pray that relevant media would be available in the Pashtun language

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/22233/PK

PAKISTAN PART 8

Asia 1

PUNJAB

The Fertile plains of the Punjab contains the majority of the Christian community but it also has the largest number of unreached people groups. Most of the Christians are nominal and from the poorest caste groups. Please pray that the church would become mature and mobilised.

Lahore is the major city and it is a melting pot of all the major people groups in Pakistan, but it is 95%Muslim.

PEOPLE GROUPS

Ahmadi

Need to come to faith, please pray.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19477/PK

Bohra

Please pray for salvation to come to this group

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16494/PK

Yadav

Need a move of the spirit of God

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16187/PK

Shaikh

A few have trusted Christ in this group, please pray for a church to be planted amongst them.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18084/PK

Qassab

Please pray for the establishment of a church amongst them.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17919/PK

Mussali

Please pray that they would find freedom in Christ.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17714/PK

Daudpotra

Please pray that these people would be free in Christ.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19440/PK

COMMUNING WITH YOUR BELOVED

Family Focus

COMMUNING WITH YOUR BELOVED

I want to share on a subject that is very difficult for many of us to even talk about, and that is the sexual part of marriage.

In the Bible, there is a whole book given over to this subject and this is the Song of Solomon. Now some people think it is an allegory, a picture of Christ’s love for the church and yes, it is. This is not a book to be avoided, many Christians say “how can this be in the Bible?”, but it is so beautiful. God has graciously placed this book in His Word, there is so much advice from the world about sex,  God wants you to go to his word to learn the truth from HIM about sex, why go to the tv and the internet to find out, when you can find out from the author himself!

But it is a vivid picture of a healthy and vibrant physical relationship within marriage. Yes, within marriage, any sexual relationship outside of marriage is wrong and sinful, therefore sex before marriage and affairs by either partner outside marriage is wrong, amen.

When you read the Song of Solomon, you realise that it is such a tender love poem, between two people who love each other deeply. This is summed up in Chapter 8, in these wonderful words. 

6 Set me like a seal upon your heart, like a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy is as hard and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead). Its flashes are flashes of fire, a most vehement flame [the very flame of the Lord]!

7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man would offer all the goods of his house for love, he would be utterly scorned and despised.

You see how powerful, true and pure sexual love is within marriage, it is a powerful flame BETWEEN two people (one man and one woman), one that has been put there by God.

。

That flame cannot be put out by many waters, usually water can put out flames, but in this case, it can’t, that is how powerful true and pure love within marriage is.

Sex was created by God, the sex act was created by God, sexual desire and sexual emotions were created by God and the man’s and woman’s sexual organs were created by God. When he created all things, all things were very good, including sex. Sadly, sin marred all these good things.

But he also created the marriage union, he meant all these things to in the unique context of a one-man one-woman marriage covenant.

When a married couple have healthy and enjoyable sex within marriage, God says that is very good. He gave it not just for procreation but for excitement and enjoyment for the married couple within a secure marriage covenant, sex outside marriage is strictly prohibited by God.

The married couple in the Song of Solomon tell each other that they love each other, they are passionate not just in their affection, but in their words.

They also love each other bodies, they focus on every part of their married partners bodies, so tell your wife or husband that she/he is beautiful in every aspect of their appearance.

In Proverbs 5, we have some beautiful verses, especially to husbands.

18 Let your fountain [of human life] be blessed [with the rewards of fidelity], and rejoice in the wife of your youth.

19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant doe [tender, gentle, attractive]—let her bosom satisfy you at all times, and always be transported with delight in her love.

Let me say that the sexual relationship outlined in the Song of Songs, this is the model for a passionate and powerful sexual relationship, one that satisfies each partner.

It is not a green light to do anything that would trample on your marriage partner, by forcing your needs upon them. Consideration of the other partner is at the centre of the sexual relationship within marriage.

What it does, is to picture a beautiful and tender marriage, filled with such passion and energy.

It is about enjoying each other and putting each other first. Remember that God has given each married couple this unique gift of sex.

If you want some words to sum up marriage and the sex act within marriage, they would be

PASSIONATE,PERSEVERING, PURSUING AND PRICELESS.

I have added two more things that it is

PERMANENT AND POWERFUL

There is another P that you and your husband have to be together and that is PRAYERFUL.

Problems will happen and famine times will happen, but you need to go to the one who invented Sex, not go to your friends. God is your best sex counsellor,although your pastor and trained counsellors can be used by God.

One of the most beautiful verses in the Song of Songs is in chapter 2

16 My beloved is mine and I am his!

This is how you should treat your husband/wife.

Your husband/wife is a precious gift from God as is sex within marriage. Remember that God is happy when he sees deep intimacy within marriage between a man and a woman. he speaks 

IT IS VERY GOOD, if GOD says it is very good, then you should not say any differently. amen.

Please read the Song of Songs with your husband/wife.

Pray together, seek God together, and if you are not being faithful to your wife and husband, either with your eyes or your physical body.. then YOU NEED TO STOP. YOU ARE IN SIN.

May all you who are married, enjoy sex.

Here are some ideas to do this:

Pray before you start intimacy

Be alluring/smart/clean for him/her

Bring them a present

Tell your marriage partner. that she/he is so beautiful/handsome

Just tell them you love them for being themselves

Spend time with them. just sharing and talking before the act..

Sex is meant not just for the procreation of children. it was given by God for men and women to enjoy, after when Eve was brought to Adam, his reaction was probably WOW AND HIS EYES POPPED OUT OF HIS HEAD!!!!

Love your marriage partner, enjoy every part of the union God has given you for his glory,. because He says it is very good. amen！

God bless you

KK

PAKISTAN PART 7

Asia 1

Kashmir

Many serious natural disasters  have taken place in this region, which is disputed with India and China and compassionate relief given by Christian groups has opened many doors for the gospel.

The call is for Evangelists and Missionaries from Pakistan and other Asian countries to go and  reach out in this harvest field. Please pray for the people groups below, the links give you more information than I can ever do.

Kashmiri

There are NO believers in Pakistan, but there are some in India, please pray they would reach out to their neighbours.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/12558/PK

Rajput

Some Hindu Rajput have come to faith but no Muslim Rajput, these people are more open than other Muslims.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17667/PK

Jat

Open the eyes of these precious people Lord.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17571/PK

Arain

May there by some of these people rejoicing in heaven.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16228/PK

Dhund

These people need help with water management and animal medicine, please pray for the calling of workers in these areas

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16717/PK

Pashtun

Please pray for the production of relevant media content on video etc.

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14256/PK

Bengali

Please pray that these people would be reached by means of development  programmes

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13761/PK

ALBANIA PART 3

Europe 1

ALBANIA PART 3

The Bektashi are Muslim but regarded as heretical by the Sunni Muslim majority, but there is the start of a church as a few have become believers.

The Vlach area group linked to the gypsies and there has been some fruit from ministry amongst them.

The Gorani have seen some come to faith, please pray for establishment of strong churches.

The Rufai are bound in witchcraft and superstition, please pray for the breaking of these bondages.

Kosovar Albanians are virtually all Muslim with 1,000 believers. in twelve small churches. Please pray for the growth of these church and the planting of others.

Albanians in Macedonia and Montenegro number over 1 million, with very little outreach to them. Please pray for the calling of workers.

Many Albanians have moved to such places as Greece, UK, Netherlands and USA. Please pray that these communities would be reached with the gospel and Churches planted

People group links

Prayer cast

https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/albania

Greek

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11942/AL

Gorani

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18765/AL

Vlax Romani

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/14567/AL

MICROSCOPIC OR TELESCOPIC

Simply Scripture 1

MICROSCOPIC OR TELESCOPIC?

PSALM 119

9 Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.

10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.

11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.

12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.

Of all the earthly treasures we have, the word of God is probably the greatest.

So how do we read and study it. Christians use different methods, some read thee bible once per year using various schemes, some just read the bible in large chunks, such as five chapters per day.

Some read randomly, they don’t follow any scheme, they read in John one day and Psalms the next, is that helping them?

I used this method for many years and to be honest, did not grow in my faith very much, I had favorite passages that I constantly read, which kept me away from the books I felt were difficult, such as Job, Jeremiah, Joel and Ezekiel ( this last one is still a struggle!)

Now I am using a method, that could be of help to you.

When I read a book such as Acts, which I will start next month, I will read the whole book, splitting into sections to gain an overview (telescopic) and then read it slowly, taking as long as it takes (microscopic), examining it section by section.

The bible is a treasure trove, it is full of rich diamonds, which we often miss, it is a book to dwell on, it is a book to be meditated upon, it needs to be examined closely and carefully.

Let me make a suggestion, say you are reading Revelation, read all of it, splitting it into sections, and then take time to read it slowly.

Use a good commentary , go online and seek to find Matthew Henry’s concise commentary or the reformation study bible.

We miss so much, for the first time, I have read the psalms one by one, some of these I have never focused on, Oh yes, we read all the popular ones such as Psalm 23 and 51, but have you ever read psalms 12, 38, 75 and 148

but we forget the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4:

16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Thomas brooks said these wise words:

Bible reading…

by Thomas Brooks–

https://www.gracegems.org/2001-1/bible_reading.htm

“Remember that it is not hasty reading,but serious meditation on holy and heavenly truths,that makes them prove sweet and profitable to the soul.

It is not the mere touching of the flower by the bee that gathers honey, but her abiding for a time on the flower that draws out the sweet.

It is not he that reads most, but he that meditates most, that will prove to be the choicest, sweetest, wisest, and strongest Christian.”

I say a big amen to that, it is not how many pages you read, it is how much does the bible affect your life.

In Nanjing, we are surrounded by mountains, the most famous being purple mountain, when you climb to the top of that mountain, you can see the whole of Nanjing including Xuanwu lake, that is the telescopic view , but it is only when you get down to ground level, can you experience the full intimacy of the Lake.

You can explore every path, every hidden corner. I have walked round the lake several times, but every time I do, I find something new.  That is like reading the bible, when we put a microscope to scripture, you see it’s full glory and we constantly amazed as Gid reveals new things. The bible is inexhaustible, we can never plumb its depths.

I remember I tool three weeks to study John chs 1-3, there was so much it.

Christian, it is good to read many chapters at once, there is nothing wrong with it, but to get the nuggets out of scripture, you must dig deeply and this takes time and effort. 

I am a Christian devotional writer, I hope people read what the Lord has shard with me, but what I write and share are primers for you to go away and dig some more.  

Have you ever done a word study. following a word through the bible. You could start by doing the word Redeemed or Redemption, or choose a word for yourselves.

You need to study the bible for yourself, relying on others and picking up someone else’s manna is not good, we are to dig deeply into the word of God for ourselves, not rely on some teacher or pastor, these again are useful, but they are only primers to drive you deeper into the word.

Poem by Keith

Search the bible, meditate on it’s truth.

So, its transforming power has free reign in your life.

The power of the word gives light to your path

The authority of the word gives meaning to life

Fall in love with God’s word.

Let it become your greatest treasure and deepest pleasure.

Let me run to it and never away from it

Knowing that it is the book of books

Written by the King of Kings

To bless and comfort his children

May we fly to the word.

The final word goes to Don Fortner

Bow to the Word

by Don Fortner

https://www.gracegems.org/2001-1/Bow%20to%20the%20Word.htm

I bow to the Word of God.

There are many good creeds, confessions, and catechisms written by men, clearly setting forth the gospel of the grace of God; but I do not pin my faith to the writings of any man,or any group of men, no matter how much I may admire them.

The Word of God alone is my rule of faith and practice.

I bow my will and my reason, my experience and my feelings, to the Word of God. I do not understand all that is written in the Scriptures; but I believe it all.

I bow to the authority of Holy Scripture.

I do so unreservedly.

Let men call it bigotry, ignorance, or whatever they may, I am not even open to the consideration of any thought, idea, or evidence which contradicts the Book of God.

God bless you

KK

HARRY IRONSIDE

Poets corner
Altogether Lovely
Oft I am asked why Christ I love,
And what He means to me;
I answer, “He redeemed my soul.
By dying on the tree.”He came from heav’n to rescue me,
My load of sin He bore;
And since I’ve learned to know His love,
My dread and fears are o’er.And now He lives in glory bright,
And pleads my cause on high;
And soon He’ll come and take me home,
Where pleasures never die.Refrain:
He is altogether lovely,
Yes, the fairest of the fair,
Chief is He among ten thousand,
And with Him I’ll glory share.
—H. A. Ironside (1876-1951);
Copyright 1935 by George S. Schuler

UNKNOWN AUTHOR

Poets corner

Only One Life, ‘Twill Soon Be Past
by Author unknown

ivy
Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, the still small voice,
Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave,
And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, a few brief years,
Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill,
living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.When this bright world would tempt me sore,
When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way,
Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.Give me Father, a purpose deep,
In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife,
Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.Oh let my love with fervor burn,
And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone,
Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.Only one life, yes only one,
Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call,
I know I’ll say “’twas worth it all”;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.
  —Author unknown

This poem has been attributed to C. T. Studd, but I have found no conclusive

STEP BY STEP

Poets corner

Step by Step

Psalm 119:57-64

The Lord has been my portion,
I promise to keep His Word;
For there is no distortion,
From the first time I had heard.

I entreated His favor,
Entirely with my heart;
He’s gracious as my Savior,
His promises I impart.

When I think about my way,
I turn my feet towards His Law;
So, I do not disobey,
That I will avoid a flaw.

I hasten and don’t delay,
In keeping His commandments;
So that I don’t go astray,
Results from my amusements.

Though the wicked ensnare me,
Your Law I do not forget;
They open my eyes to see,
And assist me not to fret.

At night I rise to praise you,
Because of His righteous rules;
For righteous judgments are true,
I’m unlike the other fools.

I’m a friend to all who fear,
Of those who keep His precepts;
Those who honor and revere,
And love the righteous concepts.

The earth is full of His love,
Full of His mercy and grace;
He teaches statutes thereof,
His affection does embrace.

Copyright © 2026 Richard Newton Sherrer

FAITH HOPE LOVE

Poets corner

Faith, Hope, Love

Faith, Hope, Love

Faith thinks on what the Lord has done:
It goes to Calvary,
It sees God’s love through Christ His Son
And all through history.

Hope thinks of what the Lord will do:
It sees eternity,
It holds each promise made as true
And lives for what will be.

While love responds to both each day:
It worships fervently,
It serves with joy and keeps God’s way
In bold humility.

Our faith will one day turn to sight,
Hope to reality,
But love will last in heaven’s light
For all eternity.

Christina Joy Hommes

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians 13:12-13

used by permission

see more of Christina’s poetry: https://vibranthope.com

GOD

Poets corner

God

I didn’t make the God I serve
Or form the One I worship
I can’t decide the things He likes
Or grant to Him His Lordship

I cannot choose what He believes
Or counsel Him in wisdom
I don’t decide what He accepts
Or help adjust His system

I can’t decide the things He’ll choose
Or redefine His nature
He doesn’t ask what He should do
Or care about my censure

He isn’t taught and doesn’t change
All-knowing, ever present
He’s self-existing, holy, good
Eternal and transcendent

I’m in His image not my own
For He alone has made me
I bow to Him, not Him to me
He’s God – forever worthy

Christina Joy Hommes

“O 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 hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto Him again? For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Romans 11:33-36

used by permission

“see more of Christina’s poetry: https://vibranthope.com

DR KENNY MCCLINTON

Ulster Christians

The Persistence of the Ungodly    Psalm 78:17-22

Text: “And they sinned yet more against Him by provoking the Most High in the wilderness…Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His Salvation.”

Psalm 78:17;22.

Good morning, Alarmed Christian!  It seems like each day you and the author open our eyes after sleep, we become alarmed at the increase in sinfulness we encounter in the lives of those all around us; it is as though Satan has caused them to fall into a deep trance from which they shall never recover until they open the eyes of their sous in a Christ-rejecter’s Hell.  Oh, that the souls of our nations would awake from their sinful sleep!  Oh, that our nation’s rebellion against all things Christian, pure, and Godly would cease!  Have mercy, Holy Lord God, and quicken these souls that lie like Spiritually dead and dry bones in this ever-growing valley of vile sin

Read Ezekiel chapter 37, verses one to ten, and catch the vision of today’s sinful nations.  Only Spiritual Regeneration can deliver ungodly nations from certain doom.

Verse 17. “And they sinned yet more against Him. It was bad enough to mistrust their God for necessities, but to revolt against Him in a greedy rage for superfluities was far worse. Ever it is the nature of the disease of sin to proceed from bad to worse; men never weary of sinning but rather increase their speed in the race of iniquity.  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 333)

Charles Haddon Spurgeon has such a wonderful way of setting forth clear truth and defining it as he goes.  This was another reason why I decided to try to reintroduce his wonderful and powerful Treasury of David to this 21st Century church world-wide.

Note: Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19 June 1834 –31 January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the “Prince of Preachers”. He was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia.)

Sin: Mankind sins naturally, because we are all born natural sinners, in Adam’s fallen image. (Genesis 5:3) (Psalm 51:5) (Romans 3:22-23) However, Scriptures warns over and over again about mankind committing ‘wilful sin’, and this is the rebellious sin here mentioned in Psalm 78.  They sinned wilfully against God.  Their disobedience was a wilful rebellion.

“He does not say that they sinned only, but that they sinned against God. And they sinned yet more against Him, namely God. Against what God?  Against Him Who had delivered them by great and unheard-of wonders out of Egypt, Who had led them as free men across the Red Sea with a dry foot, Who had continued to lead and to protect them with pillars of cloud an fire by day and night and had given them to drink abundantly of water drawn from the arid rock.  Against this God, they had added sin to sin.  Simply to sin is human, and happens to the saints even after they have received grace: but to sin against God argues a singular degree of impiety.”  (Wolfgang Musculus, 1497-1563)

Think now, alarmed Christian!  Let your alarm sound against the personal sins you and I have committed AFTER we have been saved – it will be a good remedy against the blight of self-righteousness. We should all cry out with the apostle Paul, “O wretched man that I am!”.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  (Philippians 4:8)

 Verse 18. “And they tempted God in their heart. Christ cannot die again, and yet many crucify him afresh, because such would be the legitimate result of their behaviour if its effects were not prevented by other forces.  The sinners in the wilderness would have had the Lord change His wise proceeding to humour their whims, hence they are said to tempt Him.” (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 334)

Sinful mankind is often defined as having eyes bigger than our bellies.  Greed is sin.

Verse 18. “…Asking meat for their lust. God had given them meat for their hunger in the manna, wholesome, pleasant food, and in abundance; He had given them meat for their faith…But all this would not serve, they must have meat ‘for their lust’; dainties and varieties to gratify a luxurious appetite.  Nothing is more provoking to God than our quarrelling with our allotment, and indulging the desires of the flesh.”  (Matthew Henry, 1662-1714)

These rebellious sinners were most persistent in their tempting of the Lord God – there would be little mercy shown them, once a God of righteous judgment chose to react. The arrogance of such vile, rebellious sinners only seems to increase, as God’s merciful hand is restrained from punishing their rebellious, and often gross, sin.  Nothing has changed today.  For example: legal rights to protect homosexuals, has only paved the way for arrogant and public parades of the gross sin of Sodomy; sin that the Living Lord God has proven He detests.  Fire and brimstone rained down upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when God’s patience was pushed to its Holy limit.  Our Lord God is unchanging, immutable, watch out!

“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination (vile sin).” (Leviticus 18:22)

“And likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet (a fit reward) (monkey-pox? Aids?)” (Romans 1:27)

Thought: Main reason for gross sin: “Because they believed not in God, and trusted not in His Salvation.” (Psalm 78:22) Gross sin is caused today, by persistent unbelief!

Dr C.K. McClinton

Ulster Christians Ministry

www.ulsterchristians.org

JOHAN LOURENS

Pastor Johan

The Word – a Firm Foundation

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 

A solid foundation of the Word of God in our lives will determine our reaction and disposition to life and its circumstances. Think about the events that have taken the whole world by surprise of late. Every nation under the sun was shaken. The reaction of many Christians has been proof they never had the right foundation. Some were completely disillusioned and ran in stark terror to “isolate” themselves; while others looked to government leaders for help and guidance. The Bible says the Church is the authority of Jesus in the earth (Luke 10:19). It says the increase of God’s kingdom rule and peace here will never end while we occupy earth (Isaiah 9:7). And Proverbs 4:18 declares that the path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter until it reaches its full strength and glory in the perfect day! The truth of the matter is no matter what evil lashes against this earth, God’s children will always be triumphant and victorious, carrying His authority on this earth. The only thing holding us back from this reality is our ignorance to the truth of God’s Word. Never underestimate the power and authority we carry while we are hidden in Christ Jesus and live rooted and grounded in His Word. Wake up to understand its importance in your life and let it set the standard of victory you are supposed to live in. Make God’s Word the firm foundation of your life.

SCRTACHING THE SURFACE

Simply Scripture 1

SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

PSALM 119 

97 Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.

Over the past year, I have been struck that the best way for me to move forward in my walk with God, is to read the Bible in short segments.

I am currently reading the psalms one by one, making notes on each one. Earlier this year, I spent ten days in John chs 1-3, now I am not seeking to glory himself in doing this, this is what is working for me at the moment.

You know we are told to study 2 Timothy 2:15, let the word dwell.. or take up residence  Colossians 3:16 and meditating on God’s word Psalm 119:99.

Let me give you two illustrations, a number of years ago, we went to Oslob in the Philippine’s to dive with whale sharks, my wife and daughter dived with them and I sat on the boat and saw them, but not as close up as they did. Let me ask you, which one of us, had the best experience? Surely that was the one my wife and daughter had as they came face to face with these wonderful creatures. This is like bible reading, we need to go up close and personal with the word of God to dig out it’s treasures.

My friend Adam, loves to scuba dive. If he went to the Great barrier reef in Australia and used a jet ski to skim over the surface of the reef, would he of seen the reef?. Only when we went below the surface could he truly see the reef in all it’s beauty. Again it’s like our bible reading, are we prepared to ride on a jet ski or are we prepared to scuba dive and go below the surface.

My aim is for you to go below the surface  and dig out the treasures from God’s word.

I often say about God’s word, we have our own personal gold mine, so why do we stick a sign on ours that says.. unused. To get gold you must dig for it, you must take time and it takes time and effort.

Most Christians spend more time on social media that they do studying the Bible.

When reading the Bible:

Pray open my eyes to see your beauty

Pray that God would speak a personal word to you

Meditate on a particular verse or promise throughout the day

Take notes of what you have learned

If you have learned something, share it with your wife, pastor or friends.

The Bible is like no other book, it cannot be rushed, it is beyond any other book. Let it’s words, it’s promises, it’s truth, take up residence in your heart.

Get yourself off Facebook and get your face in the book.. amen

God bless you

KK

NUMBERS DON’T COUNT

Simply Scripture 1

NUMBERS DONT COUNT 

JUDGES CHAPTER 7 

2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

As a finance major, I love numbers,  at school I hated maths, so obviously I took business and accounting qualifications at college!

But numbers don’t and can’t tell the whole story. Since I have been writing in 2003, sometimes I have been consumed by numbers.

How many replies have I received?

How many hits has my website received?

How many people are in my group?

To be honest this has been my Achilles heel, when it comes to ministry, you know social media can be a great trap for the Christian worker.

In times past, I have been on up to twelve social media groups, and that doesn’t include Facebook, but now I am on JUST ONE

So often we want to be on all these groups, just to say:

” look at all these groups we’re on, we must be spiritual”

I remember I was on one group called bible study on a platform, it had 1138 members, but no one posted for two-three years, what is the use of that?

This is the case on most social media groups, in China, we don’t have Facebook, here it is called WeChat, I have two groups, many friends have up to 50 and above.

Numbers to God are not important:  

In the Welsh revival of 1907, Evan Roberts and ten women were used of God to bless the whole world.

In the Hebrides revival in Scotland, God used two old ladies and Duncan Campbell.

The revival in the USA in the 1850’s started with a prayer meeting that started with 7 people in it’s first week.

In the book of Acts chapter 2, 120 unlearned fishermen were filled with the Holy Spirit and this led to the salvation of 3,000 souls.

In Judges 7, 32,000 came to help Gideon, but this was too many. 

Twenty two thousand disappeared because they were afraid, Gideon had told them the situation, you are going to war.

In today’s world, we can tell our contacts on all our social media groups about our situation, and the people will not respond or respond with fear. It is time to break free from these people, they will bring you down.

What would of happened if Gideon had taken these people with him to battle?

But still that wasn’t enough,  there were now 10,000 but that was still too many.

So God had a test for the ten thousand, he asked them to drink from the brook.

Have you even seen a dog lap water?

Although they lap from the water, they are aware of the slightest sound, they are always alert to any danger.

These are the people who you want on your side, they are always alert, always focused.

When I came to China, I had over 2000 on my email address book, I had many social media groups, now I have two WeChat group and less than 150 email contacts.

Does God need great numbers, no?

My pastor in the UK, Mark Johnstone said we live for an audience of one, it is not about numbers, it is about HIM.

You may say ” well I need to be on all these groups, to share the gospel”.

Recently the Lord has challenged me to get out from behind my computer, it is easy to sit behind a computer and share on this group or that group.

Here in China, it is difficult to share the gospel, near Helen’s mother house is a community square, where we have had many good conversations with people and met several believers. I do not say this in pride, indeed when Helen says, come and share, I am reluctant and have to be dragged out of the house.

Ray Comfort of Living waters says ” he goes out to witness dragging his feet, but after witnessing, he comes home clicking his heels”.

Do you know that less than 5% of Christians share the gospel actively on the street, they think that the church will do it, if they invite a person to church, I’ve done my duty.

Soulwinning and discipleship is the job of the individual believer, if every believer, won one soul to Christ and trained him up, we would win our community and country to Christ.

Now some of you are called to share on social media groups etc, but many of you have up to 50 groups, especially in China, it’s time to get off these groups, and get back to the word, prayer and witnessing to the world.

There are many instances in the New testament especially, that show one to one witnessing, especially look at the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.

God said in Matthew 28, go into all the world and share the gospel, he did not say Go into every social media groups and share the gospel.

Many of these Christian social media groups are very insular, they are reaching out to believers, very few unbelievers will come to a Christian social media group.

The first two of the words gospel is GO, it is not go onto social media.

No wonder we are so weak in prayer and knowledge of the word, it’s because we are constantly posting on social media.

Get off these groups and get into the word and onto your face in prayer.

。

Numbers don’t matter, less is more to God. This is a lesson, I am constantly learning.

GOD BLESS YOU

KK

SO WHATS THE DIFFERENCE

Witnessing for the KIng

Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Jesus

So what’s the difference?

These were all great moral teachers, but one is different to the others, Jesus is different and unique because of the following reasons.

But it is important to note that Jesus is not merely “different” than these men: He is King of kings and Lord of lords.  Here are some more reasons why Jesus is more than just a great teacher.

1. Jesus is the Son of God

In Matthew 3, Jesus was baptized by in the Jordan by the prophet John the Baptist.  As He came out of the water, the heavens opened and His Father spoke saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16). There is no other person in human history whom God refers to as His Son.

2. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary

Jesus is the only One who was conceived by the Holy Spirit.  In Luke 1, the Angel Gabriel appears to the Virgin Mary and declares to her that she had been chosen to give birth to the Son of God. 

3. Jesus died for ME

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that “He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”  Jesus is the only One who was willing and able to give His life for you and for me.  And it is His blood, and His blood alone that makes atonement for sin and makes us right with the living God.  

4. Jesus rose from the dead

Jesus is the only One who rose the dead.  Confucius, Mohammed, and Buddha died and they are still dead.  In Matthew 28, we have one of several accounts of Christ’ resurrection.  Mary goes to the grave of Jesus, expecting to anoint His body to slow the pace of decomposition.  However, she is met by an angel who tells her that He is not there, but that He is risen from the dead.  She then meets her Saviour who is resurrected!  Her sorrow over the death of Christ is immediately replaced with the joy of knowing that He has risen. And it is His resurrection that sets Christianity apart from every other religion on earth.

 5. Jesus is the only way to God.

There are some that say there are several ways to get to God.  Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father, except they come through me.”  If you want to know God, you must go through Christ.  How do you do that?  By asking Him to forgive you of your sins, repenting of your sin, realising that you can’t save yourself and throw yourself on his mercy and grace.

How does God save us?  He saves us by grace through faith.  Ephesians 2:8-9 say, “For by grace are you saved through faith, and not the of yourselves.  It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast.”

What will you receive when God saves you?

You will receive life in abundance, you will have God’s Spirit living inside you as you go through life to guide and comfort you. You will have a new Christian family and you will have the assurance of heaven and eternal life. That abundant life starts here on earth as you have fellowship with God as your relationship with Him has been restored. There are millions across China and across the world, who have made this commitment and as someone who made it 40 years ago, it is the best thing I have ever done.

Are you ready to receive Jesus?  Say this simple prayer:

Father God, I realise that I am out of fellowship with You, because of my sin and I come before You, to ask that You would forgive my sin, because of the shed blood of your precious Son on the cross. I repent from every evil way and give my life over to You to use in any way You see fit. Thank You for making me a child of God and I will live for You and You alone. In Jesus name, amen

If you prayed that prayer, here is what you should do next:

Pray… Talk to God about everything.

Read the Bible. Start in the Gospel of John or Luke.

Fellowship… join with your brothers and sisters in the faith on Sunday and during the week.

。

Share… tell others what has happened to you.

Baptism… be immersed in water.

God bless you

Keith

ALBANIA PART 2

Europe 1

ALBANIA PART 2

Continue to pray for the work of bible translation.

Every home for Christ gave literature to every home in Albania a few years ago, please pray that this would bear fruit.

Transworld radio and Words of Hope are broadcasting daily into Albania, again pray for the establishment of churches through this

Prayer cast

https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/albania

People groups

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/11880/AL

Please pray that many Albanians would come to faith and become disciples of the Lord.

Aromanian

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/10431/AL

These people need to find true faith in Christ, free from decades of false roman catholic legalism

Gorani

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/18765/AL

These people have a few Christians amongst them, please pray it would grow into an active church

Egyptian Balkan

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20676/AL

This small group is discriminated against, pray they would find security and identity in Christ.

PAKISTAN PART 6

Asia 1

PAKISTAN PART 6

Continue to pray for the calling of more and more workers, not only national believers, but also from other Asian countries.

Pray for the calling and training of more and more Pastors and church workers. Many pastors are under pressure, they are in deep need of fervent prayer as they serve God in an alien environment.

The church is in desperate need of resources to help them mature and grow.

Many peoples do not have the bible in their own language, may the introduction of AI, help the translation process and may all of Pakistan’s people, have access to the scriptures.

Many groups are printing and distributing Christian literature. Please pray that it would be relevant and directly aimed at the Muslim majority.

Please use the prayer cast video below:

https://prayercast.com/prayer-topic/pakistan

People groups

Baloch Rind

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/20260/PK

These people need more water wells to irrigate their land. Please pray that Christian agencies  would help in this respect, but most of all, they need the water of life Jesus. Please pray for them.

Arora

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16240/PK

This Muslim group have a deep respect and tolerance for other religions, please pray that they would be attracted by the gospel.

Deaf

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19007/PK

Pray that many deaf people would be ministered to by churches and agencies.

Channgar

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/16585/PK

May the Channgar see the power of Christ’s love, this people group need to see the glory of God.

Gujar

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17549/PK

Pray for this forgotten people, that they would come to trust Jesus

Kalru Jat

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/21738/PK

These people need health facilities, please pray that Christian workers would provide this

Jhinwar

https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17572/PK

Please pray for the establishment of strong churches among not only this people group, but upon all mentioned above.

PSALM 66 AND 22

Psalms 1

PSALM 66

16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

THE CHRISTIAN’S CLARION CALL 

Salvation from sin and having a relationship with God is truly the most amazing thing that can happen to anyone. I know that becoming a child of God on 15th, February, 1975 was the defining moment of my life, and I know that becoming a Christian is also the defining moment of many who are reading this devotion.

One of the reasons we are to tell (testify) what God has done for us among his people, is that it encourages them to press on. There is something about hearing how another person came to faith or how another believer is growing in grace. It is amazing to our souls to hear these (Testimonies)things. 

We should always seek to encourage our fellow believers, by telling them, what blessings God has given us. We must share how God has opened up his word to us and spoken to us directly.

When was the last time you encouraged people in your church or an individual brother or sister in faith, by telling them, what God has done for your soul?

God has done so much for you.. share what He Has done for you.

Whilst you are about it.. tell the world, what He has done for your soul. Let the world know that Jesus has changed your life.

Many cities in China such as Nanjing and Xian, have high walls. When the watchman saw or sensed danger, they warned the people by shouting or some kind of signal.

The great wall has watchtowers close together, to communicate with each other, they used smoke signals to do this.

We are in our spiritual watchtowers, we need to sound the clarion call of Come to Christ.

God bless you

Keith

PSALM 22

24 for he has not despised my cries of deep despair; he has not turned and walked away. When I cried to him, he heard and came.”

HE HEARS BECAUSE HE KNOWS OUR PAIN

This psalm is called the suffering servant psalm. It is probably the greatest prophecy about the death of our beloved Saviour.

Please read it and find all the prophecies about our Saviour.

What a verse we have in verse 24.

Jesus is our high priest.. he is the one who completely understands whatever trial, we are going through. In the book of Hebrews chapter 2 and 4 we have these words:

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

What Jesus experienced throughout his life, He faced and overcame every single temptation that we will ever face, and through his death and resurrection, he defeated sin and death and its power forever.

Let us go back to our text in Psalm 22, when we cry out to Him, he hears. Believer cry out to God; he will hear you. Your high priest will not walk away, he will come to you.

He will do this, because he has been through everything you are going through.

What a wonderful assurance this is and should be to us.

Cry out believer.. Jesus hears and understands and he will come to you, you may be in total despair, but don’t despair.. CRY OUT TO HIM AS HE WILL HEAR YOU AND HE WILL COME TO YOU.

God bless you

Keith

PSALM 1

Psalms 1

PSALM 1

GOD SEES EVERYTHING 

Psalm 1

The first Psalm is wonderful and I wish to share some things about it.

Here is the way temptation can strike. It starts off slowly, but as we see in these verses it can spiral out of control and then we fall into sin.

Walking – Proverbs 1:15

It is not “walking” that is wrong, but it is a reference to who we walk with and what we listen to that matters. We need to be very careful with what we fill our minds with and who we have as our friends. We are to be in the world, but not of it: John 17:7-17. We must feed our minds with the right type of food to keep it healthy: Philippians

Standing

Once we start to stop and ponder sin, it will take control. How often do we (or I), look longingly at some temptation? The result of giving in to it leads to death in a spiritual sense: Romans 6:23, and even physical death at times. We become submissive and inactive as it says in the Psalm. We stand and look earnestly after this or that pleasure. Be careful, Christian, what you see and what you watch.

Sitting

Please note the lessening of activity here, when we are walking, we are actually doing something, but then we become dormant. There are thousands of Christians who have started off well, but are now back in the clutches of the world, because like Demas, they have loved this present world: 2 Timothy 4:10. You have been warned, believer.

In verses 2-3 we are given the answer. And that answer is to fill ourselves with God’s word! Not just to read it, but to meditate on it, and to do this on a continuous and regular basis. Remember that these writers did not have the New Testament to read, they had just the Law of the Lord, but it was so refreshing to them.

That means they were refreshed by reading the books of the Law, like Chronicles and Leviticus. Do you find the word of God lifeless or life giving?

In Verse 3, the man who does this is compared to a tree. Can I ask you a question? Have you ever tried to move an oak tree that is many years old? It is unmovable, the roots of that tree go down deep. Indeed, we are like trees and we are fed by the living waters or word of God, which is in Christ Jesus and His word.

This is why we are told to be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord: 1 Corinthians 15:58. How rooted and grounded are you in the word of God? Are you still taking it in milk form: 1 Peter 2:2 or in meat: Hebrews 5:11-14 and 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.

In the New Testament, Paul says that we must feed on THE WORD in verses such as Colossians 3:16, and we must never fear temptation as Jesus has overcome the world and the devil: Hebrews 2:14-18 & 1 Corinthians 10:13.

Jesus has defeated the devil through his word: Matthew 4:1-12 and made a mockery of all of the devil’s power. He has given us the same authority, so let us use it and go forward to victory!

Verses 4-6 show what happens to those who choose to disobey God. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:23: For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through [in union with] Jesus Christ our Lord.  God knows the way of the righteous and He sees everything that happens to them.

Verse 6, for the believer, is wonderful. Your Father sees everything that has been said to you and about you, and any actions that people take against you have been seen by your heavenly Father. He takes note of all these and He will reward or punish the people responsible. You may look, believer, at people who are doing well because they are exploiting others and doing evil things: Psalm 73.

 Nothing is unseen, believer,. no one does anything in secret. ALL things will be exposed on judgment day. The Lord looks on these people and considers them chaff that the wind blows away.

Be grateful for His grace and study His word and beware of walking, standing, and sitting with sinners.

God bless you,

KEITH

PSALM 139 VS 23-24

Psalms 2

PSALM 139

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts![c]24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting![d]

THE PRAYER OF THE TRUE CHRISTIAN

How should we pray?

Here is a good way?

All through the psalm, we have seen that God knows all about us, but still the psalmist prays like this:Search me.. look into every are of my life, all areas of my life are open to youTry me.. put all my motives to the test, and the tests are your holiness and your word.

We are to take into captivity every thought that is against the Lord.See if any grievous way in in me. Look at the whole direction of my lifeLead me.. a humble cry of the believer, he wants to be lead in the right wayThe true believer is completely open and honest with God, he leaves no area of his life closed, because he/she knows that nothing is hid from the Lord.Lord look into every area of my life, you know my sitting down, you know my rising up.

I thank you know all about me as you created me, you made me wonderfully in my mother’s womb.Again the last word is from Matthew Henry：(1.) The way of godliness is an everlasting way; it is everlastingly true and good, pleasing to God and profitable to us, and will end in everlasting life. It is the way of antiquity (so some), the good old way. (2.) All the saints desire to be kept and led in this way, that they may not miss it, turn out of it, nor tire in it.

GOD BLESS YOUkk

PSALM 139 VS 19-22

Psalms 2

19 Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

    O men of blood, depart from me!
20 They speak against you with malicious intent;
    your enemies take your name in vain.[b]
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with complete hatred;
    I count them my enemies.

TRUE HATRED

Not all people will have the same attitude to God as we do. Indeed, there are many people who hate God, yes hate God.

Surely people don’t hate God, people are just not interested. When we share the gospel, the reaction from people is just to refuse, surely, they are just busy. No, they are against God, they hate him. 

Before we were saved, we were haters of God, we shook our fists at God in rebellion.

People fight against God, they speak against God with malicious intent, they curse God, they revile God.

Remember this, that anyone who is outside of Christ is God’s enemy, but this is the wonder of salvation, when salvation happens, we who were once enemies became his friends, and yes his sons and daughters.

These people are atheists, they don’t believe what the psalmist believes, they don’t believe that God has created them. They believe that we came from some process, they rage at God, people like Richard Dawkins rage at God, they say that God hates people, when they hate God.

These people are to be pitied, hell awaits these people.

What do we do with these people, we pray for them, we continue to share the gospel with them, even if they reject us.

Matthew Henry says this

He detests them (v. 21, 22): “Lord, thou knows the heart, and canst witness for me; do not I hate those that hate thee, and for that reason, because they hate thee? I hate them because I love thee, and hate to see such affronts and indignities put upon thy blessed name. Am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee, grieved to see their rebellion and to foresee their ruin, which it will certainly end in?” Note, Sin is hated, and sinners are lamented, by all that fear God. “I hate them” (that is, “I hate the work of them that turn aside,” as he explains himself, Ps 101 3) “with a sincere and perfect hatred; I count those that are enemies to God as enemies to me, and will not have any intimacy with them,” Ps 69 8

God bless you

KK.

PSALM 139 VS 17-18

Psalms 2

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

    How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
    I awake, and I am still with you.

WALKING ON THE BEACH

My home town of Morecambe back in England is by by the sea, it has lots of sand.

The psalmist says here that the thoughts God has towards us are more than the sand of sea, Have you ever tried to count the grains of sand on the sea shore?. That’s how many thoughts God has towards you and me.

We cannot imagine this, but we are on God’s heart all the time, he is constantly caring and looking out for us, we are loved by Him. You imagine this, the creator of the universe is constantly thinking about you.

These things are precious to the believer, the words of Jeremiah come to mind in chapter 29 of his book:

 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[b] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope

Every thought God has is for our good, it is to bless us.

Verse 18 finishes with a note of thankfulness, I awake and am still with you, every morning, our first thought should be, the Lord has given me another day of life, another day to praise and to serve Him

Matthew Henry says:

He acknowledges, with wonder and thankfulness, the care God had taken of him all his days. 17, 18. God, who knew him, thought of him, and his thoughts towards him were thoughts of love, thoughts of good, and not of evil, Jer 29 11.

Constant at all times: “When I awake, every morning, I am still with Thee, under thy eye and care, safe and easy under thy protection.” This bespeaks also the continual devout sense David had of the eye of God upon him: When I awake I am with thee, in my thoughts; and it would help to keep us in the fear of the Lord all the day long if, when we awake in the morning, our first thoughts were of him and we did then set him before us.

GOD BLESS 

KEITH

PSALM 139 VS 13-16

Psalms 2

PSALM 139

13 For you formed my inward parts;

    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]

Wonderful are your works;

    my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

    the days that were formed for me,

    when as yet there was none of them.

WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?

That’s a question millions of people are asking these days, many think we came from monkey’s, many think we evolved but still many more have no idea of their earthly parents.

They don’t know who their parents were, they might know one of their parents, but not the other.

You weren’t there at the moment of your conception, but God was.

All that time, you were in your mother’s womb, he was intricately weaving you into his image. You are fearfully and wonderfully made; you weren’t and aren’t a mistake.

These are very comforting words for everyone who feels unloved, who feels unwanted. Some of you maybe came from very unfortunate circumstances, maybe you came from the results of rape or were told, like me that one or more parents didn’t want them, well let me tell you this;

GOD WANTS YOU AND LOVES YOU

You are wanted, you are treasured and you were made gloriously as a unique human being. God saw all your days, he created you for a purpose and that purpose was for you to know HIM

God knew you even before you were born, to me that is amazing, it thrills my soul and gives me so much joy and hope.

God bless you

KK

PSALM 139 VS 6-12

Psalms 2

PSALM 139

vs 7-12

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?

    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning

    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

    and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

    and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

    the night is bright as the day,

    for darkness is as light with you.

NO PLACE TO HIDE

In the bible, there are many people who sought to hide from God, Adam and Eve come to mind.

But this passage reminds me, especially of Jonah, he tried and failed to run from God.

I wonder if Jonah was reciting this psalm as he was in the belly of the whale.

He was after all dwelling in the uttermost parts of the sea, he had literally taken the wings of the morning and surely the darkness was covering him.

I loved the play hide and seek, when I was young, I often thought the place I hid would never be found, but sure enough I was found.

Likewise with Jonah and with us, we cannot hide from God, in the earlier verses we saw, we can’t hide any of our thoughts from God, neither can we hide ourselves from God.

If you are hiding from God, don’t, he will find you. If you are trying to resist God by running from him.. don’t.

Don’t run from his call to service and especially don’t run from his call to salvation.

Amen

Keith 

PSALM 139

vs 6

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

ITS ABOVE MY HEAD

We think that we know everything, man thinks he has all the knowledge, when in fact, he knows nothing.

To a believer the verses 1-12, can be summed up in this verse.

All the facts about God, it is too much for me to comprehend, to understand. We can and will never get our head around it, but it is a reality, because we know the one, who knows us completely.

Even though it is beyond our understanding, we still trust God, even though we can’t see him or understand his ways, that is true faith.

The knowledge of God is above me, it is beyond my comprehension, but I know that I can trust him, although I can’t fully understand.

One day, we will see clearly, we will see him face to face, we will not be seeing through a glass darkly.

The knowledge and fear of God truly is the beginning of knowledge.. true knowledge.

God bless you

KK

PSALM 139 INTRO AND PART 1

Psalms 2

Introduction

A PSALM FOR YOU AND ME

This psalm is awesome, I come to it, with a deep sense that what I am going to share, will benefit some people.

This is one of the psalms, that speak deeply to our hearts, I know it speaks deeply to me.

Let me explain why it speaks to me:

I had good parents and two older brothers, about 11 years older than me, I was a late arrival in many ways. My father was desperate for a girl after having two sons, but I came along.

I got the feeling that although I was loved, there was always a little disappointment, indeed in later years, my mother told me, she didn’t want another child. 

Although my earthly parents might have had a little disappointment over me, my birth was no mistake, this psalm sets out the comfort and love that God has for us.

So many people feel rejected, maybe you do, rejected by family, there are many people, who have been cold shouldered or called the black sheep of the family by other family members

You may not know where you were born, you may not know who one or more of your parents were, but God saw all that and the amazing fact is that he loves you, it is for those people that this psalm is written

Let me assure you, that you are not a mistake, God was there at your conception, he knew you before you were born, he knows everything about you and yes although he knows everything about us, and get this..

HE STILL LOVES US

If you have no family, if you are rejected by your family, God says that if you are his:

You are my son or daughter.. you are my child..

Amen

God bless you

Keith

HOW BIG IS GOD？                                      

vs 1-5

 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.

HOW BIG IS GOD？

Do you wonder how big God is?

He knows everything, he sees everything, he knows every word we speak

We are worried about data protection in our age, are all my details safe?

Recently I had a conversation, yes conversation with an AI software, yes amazing. I asked him all types of questions and he answered me quickly and with such clarity.

But AI pales in comparison to the knowledge of our all-powerful God, AI is a programme, it is not personal, but in our all-knowing God, we have one who knows everything about us. AI is good, but it cannot have a personal relationship with us, like our God has.

Doesn’t that just blow your mind, whatever AI does, it doesn’t even come close to the knowledge of our wonderful and great God.

Well, there is someone who knows all about you, it is God. To me this is a comfort, he knows all about me, he sees everything I do and hears everything I say. Every action of mine is seen by him.

It is also a challenge to me, as we know God is watching us, would we do all the things we do?

Would we see the things we, see?

Would we say the things we say/

The attributes of God are to be studied, because they show us what God is like, he is omnipresent, he is all seeing and he is all knowing.

That works itself out into our daily lives, if God is always watching us, we would live in a different way.

We live in the way we do, because we have no understanding of who GOD really is and his attributes. We think that God is like us and we can get away with it, but he is on a different level entirely. 

Be sure that nothing is hid from Him:

Ryle says this

Do nothing that you would not like God to see. Say nothing that you would not like God to hear. Write nothing that you would not like God to read.Go to no place where you would not like God to find you. Read no book of which you would not like God to say, “Show it to Me.” 
Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, “What are you doing?

Adam and others thought they could hide their sin, remember that God sees, hears and knows everything.

That is a true antidote to sin.

Amen

KK

PSALM 23 PARTS 5-6

Psalms 2

PSALM 23

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil

my cup overflows.

THE LORD OF HOSTS

This psalm becomes more beautiful as it goes along, Not only is the Lord our Shepherd and our guide, He is our provider.

He provides us with everything we need, I am reminded of the beautiful verses in Ephesians 1: 3-14, where every spiritual blessing that God has made available to us, is laid out like on a table.

God not only blesses and provides for us, He does it right in the middle of a doubting and disbelieving world. In the middle of persecution, in the middle of trial, right in front of the enemies’ eyes, God lays out His blessings to us.

He anoints our head, remember David being anointed by Samuel to be king, He anoints us because we are kings and priests in His kingdom, we are God’s children, His special possession.

Our cup overflows and so it should, we have the blessing of God on our lives, we have feasted at the Master’s table, this is to remind us that one day, we will sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Provision is for now. oh yes, but one day, there will be a time, when we feast WITH our Lord. He prepares the table for us, He knows exactly what we need, it’s glorious to know that our Shepherd, does this for us.

Let me again finish with words from Matthew Henry:

1.) That he had food convenient, a table spread, a cup filled, meat for his hunger, drink for his thirst.

 (2.) That He had it carefully and readily provided for him. His table was not spread with any thing that came next to hand, but prepared, and prepared before him.

(3.) That he was not stinted, was not straitened, but had abundance: “My cup runs over, enough for myself and my friends too.’’

GOD BLESS

KEITH

part 6

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord   forever.

THE LORD WELCOMES US HOME

We are His sheep, the sheep of His pasture, we have followed Him here on earth, we have seen the goodness and the mercy of God, throughout our daily lives, they have been new every morning Lam 3:22-23 .

We have this promise, but it is not just for heaven. Because we have the Lord as our Shepherd, His goodness and His mercy, will follow us, or chase after us, all the days of our earthly life. We will DWELL in God’s house, not just on earth, but also more gloriously in Heaven, this is the important and precious promise, for all those who can say the Lord is my Shepherd.

If you can say the first line of the psalm with confidence, then you can undoubtedly say the last line of the psalm with a powerful and unshakeable confidence. One day, we will see our Saviour, we will be with Him for eternity, we will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever and we will say:

Glory and honour and power belong to the Shepherd and Redeemer of our Souls.

Let me leave the last words, again with Matthew Henry:

 it shall be new every morning (Lam. 3:22,Lam. 3:23 ) like the manna that was given to the Israelites daily. (5.) The certainty of it: Surely it shall. It is as sure as the promise of the God of truth can make it; and we know Whom we have believed. (6.) Here is a prospect of the perfection of bliss in the future state. So, some take the latter clause: “Goodness and mercy having followed me all the days of my life on this earth, when that is ended, I shall remove to a better world, to dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, in our Father’s house above, where there are many mansions. With what I have I am pleased much; with what I hope for I am pleased more.’’ All this, and heaven too! Then we serve a good Master.

GOD BLESS YOU

KEITH

PSALM 23 PARTS 3-4

Psalms 2

PSALM 23

VS 2-3 

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.[a]

 He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness[b]
    for his name’s sake.

THE SHEPHERD’S LEADING

We have seen that the Lord is my shepherd and that he is our provider.. Now let’s look in more detail at what he provides and how he leads.

Please note the key word here, it is HE。 Not only is HE the Lord, but he is the leader.

A shepherd seeks to give his sheep certain things;

 Food; all of us need food to survive, sheep like grass, so the pasture that the shepherd finds for them, is called green pasture, it conjures up the image of a lush green pasture filled with lots of grass for the sheep. Likewise, the Lord leads us to a place that is filled with all good things for us, he is an expert at leading us to the right place.

Water; All of us get thirsty, we need water. The shepherd seeks a place where there is water, and not just any water. These are still waters and this speaks of a place of security. 

Rest; We all need to rest, sheep are always on the move, so the shepherd seeks a place of rest for his sheep, likewise the great shepherd of his sheep, seeks and finds a place, where his sheep can be revived and can rest.

 The Right Path;

The shepherd leads his sheep on the right path, he does not and will not lead them into danger and likewise, our shepherd, will not and cannot lead us into danger. He knows the best way to go and he leads his sheep on the right path.

Why can we trust him to lead us?

For his name’s sake, because God is who God is. He is faithful, true to his sheep.

We were sheep without a shepherd, but now we are in the care of the great shepherd.

Trust Him to lead you

He is willing and eager to lead you, HE will lead you safely and in security, he leads and wherever he leads, we need to follow.                           

God bless you

KK

Psalm 23

4 Even 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.

The Loving Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd is a truth that applies to God’s people in every situation. We face every enemy in the knowledge that God is with us and stands by our side. 

The greatest fear of anyone is death, fear of this fact grips millions of people, they seek remedies to prolong life, to avoid the fact that one day, they will die. Many will die alone, but not the believer, he/she does not fear this evil. 

Why because the One who is guiding him/her, is the very one who has conquered death and the grave, Jesus Himself.

Matthew Henry says this:

[1. ] It is but the shadow of death; there is no substantial evil in it; the shadow of a serpent will not sting nor the shadow of a sword kill.

[2. ] It is the valley of the shadow, deep indeed, and dark, and dirty; but the valleys are fruitful, and so is death itself fruitful of comforts to God’s people.

[3. ] It is but a walk in this valley, a gentle pleasant walk. The wicked are chased out of the world, and their souls are required; but the saints take a walk to another world as cheerfully as they take their leave of this.

[4. ] It is a walk through it; they shall not be lost in this valley, but get safely to the mountain of spices on the other side of it.

We know that our Saviour will guide us by His rod and His staff, He will guide us through many dark valleys, even the darkest one of death. We can fully trust our Shepherd; He has been through the valley before us

Again, Matthew Henry states:

The good Shepherd will not only conduct, but convoy (protect) His sheep through the valley, where they are in danger of being set upon by the beasts of prey, the ravening wolves; He will not only convoy (protect) them, but comfort them when they most need comfort.

His presence shall comfort them: Thou art with me. His word and Spirit shall comfort them—His rod and staff, alluding to (suggestion of) the shepherd’s crook, or the rod under which the sheep passed when they were counted (Lev. 27:32 ), or the staff with which the shepherds drove away the dogs that would scatter or worry the sheep. 

The rod was to fight wild animals and the staff to direct the flock, now we have the word of God, the sword of the Spirit to fight off wild animals Ephesians 6 and the inner guidance of the Holy Spirit to guide us at all times.. hallelujah.

The Precious word of God, which contains all the promises of God and the Blessed Holy Spirit, will be and is our comfort. They are our assurance, we are sealed by the Spirit, we are HIS.

Jesus assures us that none of His true sheep will be lost, Paul states that nothing can separate us from the Love of Christ.

Nothing will take you true believer from out of the Father’s hand, not death, not tribulation. Nothing can separate you from Jesus.

 God bless you

KK

PSALM 23 PARTS 1-2

Psalms 2

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd.

MY SHEPHERD

This is probably the best-known psalm of all the wonderful 150, people can often quote this verse by verse.

We are going to see how the first words, play out in practice.

The author, well who better than a shepherd, David knew about being a shepherd and the Holy Spirit used his experience to write these inspired and blessed verses. 

He starts out with this statement, the Lord is my shepherd, he was an expert in shepherding sheep, but here he was acknowledging that it is the Lord who was His shepherd.

Everything flows from our relationship with the shepherd, he provides for us, he protects us and gives us all blessings.

But it starts, with this question; Is he your shepherd?

The whole thrust of this psalm, is the relationship between the shepherd and his sheep, it is an intimate and personal one. Have you an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord and are able to call him.. my shepherd.

Sheep are very disobedient creatures, they wander all over. I remember when I used to drive back to my home town of Bradford, I had to drive over the moors and  the roads got very narrow and sometimes sheep would run out into the road or refuse to move, you had to sound your horn to avoid them, so we are surely in need of shepherding.

We have the best shepherd, Jesus and I would encourage you to study the passage John 10:1-18in conjunction  with this psalm.

The reformation study bible says this:

 The image of God as shepherd is inexhaustibly rich. The shepherd stays with the flock (Is. 40:11; 63:9–12). His sheep are totally dependent upon him for food, water, and protection from wild animals. In the New Testament, Jesus is revealed as the shepherd of His people (John 10:11, 14), fulfilling the prophecy that God will come to shepherd His people (Ezek. 34:7–16, 23).

God bless you

Keith

1.The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want

NEEDING NOTHING BUT THE LORD

In the first devotion of this series, we saw how personal, the Lord was. He was my shepherd.

Being a shepherd was a lonely business sometimes, David had to look after the sheep on his own, there must have been times that he ran out of food for himself, but he like us, knows that the Lord and him alone is his provider.

When we know the Lord is our shepherd, we will never be in want, because our Father knows what we need, even before we ask Him.. amen.

When we ask him, he will give us the right thing at just the right time. I have seen God provide, so many times during my time in China. He brings students to the class, the right students, the right number at the right time.

We can trust God, because he is our shepherd, the sheep have complete trust of their shepherd, if we do the same, we will be able to say:

I shall not want or I shall never lack any good thing.

As we will see God provides:

ALWAYS AND ABUNDANTLY

Amen.

God alone is our Jehovah Jireh.. our provider, not the church or your friends, although he uses these two avenues.

God provides everything for his sheep. Praise his holy name.

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8:35-39

Romans 8

ROMANS 8

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

NO SEPARATION

Apart from our beloved Saviour, the person who has suffered most for the gospel of Christ, was the Apostle Paul.

Everything that man could throw at him, was thrown at him. He suffered beatings, was whipped, was placed in prison and he was stoned till he was near death.

If anyone could ask this question it was Paul.  If anyone could give the answer then it was him.

In Verse 37 the word Nay means No, nothing at all can separate us from God’s love, nothing that man can do to us, will separate us, nothing that the devil will accuse us of will separate us from His love.

Remember who he was writing to, and he is quoting directly from Psalm 44:22, he is writing to the church in Rome, where Christians were daily been eaten by lions and under severe persecution. To them these words, must have been the most amazing comfort and likewise they are of the same comfort to us.

Remember that we cannot be separated from God’s love, He has set his love upon you believer, you are his beloved son/daughter, and nothing will ever change that.

In verse 37, Paul states that we are conquerors through Christ, we have victory over sin, over death, over circumstances and over the devil, not because of ourselves.. but because of one person and his sacrifice on Calvary.

AND HIS NAME IS JESUS

AMEN

Keith

ROMANS 8

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

FULLY PERSUADED

WOW.. what a finish to these verses.

Paul states once again the theme running through these verses that nothing or nobody can take his salvation from Him.

He was an educated man and it took a vision from God to open his eyes, Paul before his conversion had been persuaded that these Christians were awful and that their faith was a disgrace, but here he is fully persuaded that the gospel is the truth.

This is what happens when someone meets God in a personal way and comes to trust Jesus. They become fully persuaded.

These words are the ones that every Christian can say, every one of you who is reading this and trusts in Christ, can repeat these words and know them to be true.

The question is are you fully persuaded?

Believer have you the same confidence that nothing can separate you from God’s love.. You need to believe these words and let them go deep into your spirit.

Maybe you have never trusted Christ as your Saviour, you aren’t persuaded at all, you can be, God offers salvation to all who are willing to humble themselves and admit that they are a sinner and come and kneel at the foot of the cross and ask for forgiveness.

Matthew Henry says this

A direct and positive conclusion of the whole matter: For I am persuaded, v. 38, 39. It denotes a full, and strong, and affectionate persuasion, arising from the experience of the strength and sweetness of the divine love.

Mr. Hugh Kennedy, an eminent Christian of Ayr, in Scotland, when he was dying, called for a Bible; but, finding his sight gone, he said, “Turn me to the eighty of the Romans, and set my finger at these words, I am persuaded that neither death nor life,” etc. “Now,” said he, “is my finger upon them?” And, when they told him it was, without speaking any more, he said, “Now, God be with you, my children; I have breakfasted with you, and shall sup with my Lord Jesus Christ this night;” and so departed.

In His closing letter to Timothy, Paul said these words

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless, I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Job said these words in Chapter 19 of his book

25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth

Can you say these words.? I know that I can.

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8:33-34

Romans 8

ROMANS 8

33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

WITHOUT CHARGE

Paul starts this amazing chapter, with the words

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

To be justified in Christ, is to be like one that has never sinned. Note is does not mean that we will never sin again, but that we have Christ’s righteousness, it is nothing at all to do with ourselves.

Let me illustrate, If I drive very fast in a car and break the speed limit, the judge says you will pay a fine of $1000 and someone comes and pays that fine and says, I will take the rap for Him and that offence is counted to me.This is what Christ has done at the cross, he has taken my sin and instead of it being on my account, it says paid in full by his blood and sacrifice.. Amen

If we go back to Zechariah chapter 3, we see Satan in his role as accuser of the brethren, he stands in God’s courtroom, but the charge sheet against us is empty.

Likewise, with Job, after the first two chapters, where was Satan.. nowhere. It was God who justified Job and God who justifies us.. Amen

Satan cannot lay one finger of accusation on us, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t try. He is constantly slandering and accusing us, but we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. We have his white robe of righteousness.

In Ephesians 6, it is put very well.

14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness

The breastplate covers the front and the back of the soldier, it is one of his most important pieces. For the soldier it is essential and also for the Christian. 

A Christian is a justified sinner, he is one to whom God can say

I see you just as if you have never sinned.

No one can lay a charge against you; the charge sheet is empty and it is because it has been paid full in full by Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary

What wonder and what glory …AMEN

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

NO CONDEMNATION

Paul starts this great chapter by saying there is Now No Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.

When Sin came into the world, through the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, man came under the condemnation of God. 

Man had over him a death sentence, man was under a curse. He was alienated totally from God.

But Jesus has become a curse for us, as it says in Galatians.. Cursed is everyone that hanged on a tree.

Jesus took our place, he stood in the place of us, taking our condemnation and God’s wrath, and both of these things were placed on HIM.

The hymn writer says this

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood

Paul puts this beautifully in Ephesians 2

12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:

 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

The death and resurrection of Jesus remove God’s condemnation from us, but also there is the ministry of Intercession, that he does for us. 

What a tremendous comfort to the Christian that Jesus is constantly praying for him/her.. Amazing

We are not under God’s condemnation and curse.. we are free

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8:31-32

Romans 8

ROMANS 8

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION?

Romans chapter 8 is an absolute masterpiece in the rich tapestry of scripture and it paints a vivid and beautiful picture.

As Paul brings this chapter to a climax, he asks this amazing question.

What can we say to these things, what things you may ask? Well, the first 30 verses of the chapter to be precise.. The answer is to shout HALLELUJAH.. amen.

Read Verses 1-30 of this chapter and the only answer is one of unending praise, wonder, amazement and joy, that God would justify you, call you his son and daughter.

The second question is this, If God is for us, who can be against us?  Again, Paul leaves it up to us, to answer the question, and the one answer is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING OR NOBODY.

Christian you have to look in the light of scripture and see what God says. God says you are under no condemnation, that you are his child, that he hears your prayers and that the present suffering you are going through is just a little pinprick compared to the glory that will be revealed in heaven.

God stands in your corner believer, he is your rear-guard, your strong tower, your refuge and your all in all. He says that you are justified before Him through the blood of his Son shed on Calvary. He has graven you on the palms of his hands.

It is time to shout Hallelujah to the first question and to say nothing or no one to the second.. amen

As ever I refer to the great bible commentator Matthew Henry

The ground of the challenge is God’s being for us; in this he sums up all our privileges. This includes all, that God is for us; not only reconciled to us, and so not against us, but in covenant with us, and so engaged for us—all his attributes for us, his promises for us. All that he is, and has, and does, is for his people. He performs all things for them. He is for them, even when he seems to act against them. And, if so, who can be against us, so as to prevail against us, so as to hinder our happiness? Be they ever so great and strong, ever so many, ever so might, ever so malicious, what can they do? While God is for us, and we keep in his love, we may with a holy boldness defy all the powers of darkness. Let Satan do his worst, he is chained; let the world do its worst, it is conquered: principalities and powers are spoiled and disarmed, and triumphed over, in the cross of Christ. Who then dares fight against us, while God himself is fighting for us?

God bless you

Keith

ROMANS 8

32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

A FREE GIFT

If we look back to Genesis 22, we see the picture of Abraham obeying God regarding Isaac his son. What God said to Abraham was that he had not withheld his son from God. Isaac was the special son and his true treasure but he didn’t withhold Him from God.

We now go forward over two thousand years and see that in the same way, God did not withhold his Son to be our Saviour. He knew it would lead to his death on the cross.

He gave his son to be delivered in to the hands of the Jewish rulers and the Romans. He gave the ultimate gift to us. His SON to be our Saviour.

Why then do we doubt God when He doesn’t give us what we want?  If God gave us everything our hearts required then believe me, we would be in a very sorry state. He gives us all things, but those things which are needful and will lead us closer to HIM. Sure, he blesses us with material gifts, but the spiritual gifts he gives us, will never fade away amen.

Never doubt God, he gave up the most precious thing he had, his Son. for us.

He did not spare him, God the father’s heart was broken at the cross, some of you have lost a child, which is heart-breaking, maybe you can understand the true pain of the father’s heart.

Believer, He gave you Jesus. And he gives everything that amounts to life and godliness.

Jesus.. what a gift.. amen

If God has given us salvation through Christ, giving his son for us, do you think, he will withhold any good thing from us?. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift.. amen.

 The reformation study bible says this:

He who did not spare his own Son. Paul’s words are an effective echo of the Septuagint (Greek translation) text of Gen. 22:12.

gave him up. The phrase is used elsewhere of active participation in the judicial condemnation of Christ (Matt. 20:19; 26:15, 16; 27:2, 18, 26; cf. Is. 53:6, 10).

for us all. Even for the worst of us who now believe (3:9–18; 5:6–8). Once more, as in 5:9, 10, Paul reasons from the greater to the less: for God to give His Son to die for us was the supreme gift, guaranteeing the subsequent gift of everything else that we need for our full and final glory (v. 30).

God bless you

Keith

PSALM 63

Psalms 1

Thirsting for God



O God, you are my God; with deepest longing, I will seek You; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs and sighs for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. So, I have gazed upon You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…Psalm 63:1-2.”

What a way to start this psalm? I hope we can all echo this first statement—what an incredible thing to be able to say. Many people say O God, but there is a second part to the statement that isn’t there. “YOU ARE MY GOD.” A Christian is the only person who can genuinely make this remarkable statement; I pray and hope you can say the same YOU ARE MY GOD!

When you can say the above words, you want God in all His fullness because this is the true Christian’s longing. Nothing but God can satisfy the true Christian; to the true Christian, the world has lost every bit of its glamour. You see, there is no water in the land that can truly satisfy the child of God; he/she yearns for the real water only God can give.

What is your deep longing? Are you still longing for the things of the world, or are you longing after God himself? When we come to church, do we come to seek God and Him alone? We talk to our friends, sing a few hymns, listen to a sermon, and then go. Do we gaze into the eyes of our Savior?

When was the last time you went to God’s house and saw his power and glory? Indeed, do you long to see it? Are you craving for the water of life, like David was?

God bless you. Keith 

PSALM 85

Psalms 1

THE THREE R’S

“Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease [forever]. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger [and disfavour] and spread it out to all generations?  Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?  Show us Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation…Psalm 85:4-7.”

At school, we had the Three R’s: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic.   Here in this Psalm, we have the heart cry of every believer concerning how we are to pray.   Well, here we have an example. We should pray to be restored, in our relationship with God.

Every time, we sin, we should come quickly to the throne of grace to receive mercy, because we do not want God to be distant for long.  Any Christian misses the unique fellowship, they have with the Father as the Psalmist says in the above passage. He/she prays so that the anger of God against the sin, is taken away.

The Christian prays to be revived.   He/she has a great need and that is to have a fresh and vibrant touch of the Lord. We long to be filled with the power and glory of God. Every Christian longs to be revived.   Do your prayers have a yearning for revival?

Third, the Christian wants to be restored and revived, so that He/she can rejoice. Who does the Christian rejoice in? Do you rejoice in the blessings God gives us…that is good?  But the main thing we need to do is rejoice in God himself.  How much time do you take rejoicing in God?   His glory, his attributes?   Ask for Restoration, ask for Revival, and then you can Rejoice in God.

God Bless You,

Keith

PSALM 70 AND 118

Psalms 1

Let God be magnified 

PSALM 70

4 Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified. 

ARE YOU MAGNIFYING GOD?

What a wonderful verse. Amen.

This psalm of David is to bring to remembrance.  

What are we to remember?

We are to remember to seek the Lord

We are told to rejoice in the Lord

We are told to love thy salvation

We are to continually tell everyone about our wonderful God

Are you doing all of the above?

Why are we to do all these things?

Set forth in the last few words of the verse, is the reason.

Let God be magnified.

We are to take a magnifier to the name and the glory of the Lord and to magnify it, to a world that seeks to disregard God. The world seeks to make God smaller, but it is our role to magnify the name and glory of the Lord.

By your life, are you magnifying the Lord or making him smaller? Your life, will either draw people to God or drive them away from Him.

If we do the four things listed above, then we will surely magnify our God.

God bless

keith

Psalm 118

6The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can [mere] man do to me?

The majority of One

Christians in the world today are in the minority, it seems we are outnumbered, but one person with God is in the majority

Many people in the bible have been outnumbered Joshua, Gideon and Abraham were hopelessly outnumbered, but they succeeded because God was on their side.

Look at the odds that Gideon had, 300 against thousands and yet he won.

The reformation study bible says this about this verse

118:6 The Lord is on my side. This is the heart of the covenant of grace: God siding with His redeemed. The implication for the psalmist is that he has nothing to fear from anyone because God is in control. Victory is not guaranteed by superior forces or weapons; it is a gift from God.

This verse downplays the power of Man and extols the power of God and this is how we are to look at every situation, we are in a majority, because God is on our side

Thanks God 

KK

PSALM 32 PART D

Psalms 1

PSALM 32 VS 8-11 

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;    I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 

9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,    or it will not stay near you. 

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,    but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. 

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,    and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! 

JOYLESS OR JOYFUL 

A person who is forgiven is the happiest man on the planet, pure joy fills his/her heart. 

Look at what they are able to do, they are able to instruct others, we are able to relate our experiences to others, we can share the joy of being forgiven with others, it is truly something we can share.. amen 

We who are forgiven and upright in heart, can be glad, we can shout for joy. We can praise the God who alone gives us forgiveness, this is the greatest feeling in the world to be forgiven, the psalmist just shouts it out. 

Are you glad you have forgiven? 

If you looked at many Christians, you wouldn’t realise it, they are so sad, not like the psalmist in verse 11, they are not glad in the Lord and shouting for joy. 

Are you glad in the Lord and shouting for joy because you have been forgiven? 

Are you instructing others, because you have been forgiven? 

Why do you think people are so sorrowful today? 

Because they have no forgiveness, people crave forgiveness, this is man’s greatest need, he has sin like a ball and chain round his foot. 

We have the words of eternal life, what are you doing with them? 

Believer, you have forgiveness, shout it out, be glad, tell the world that the steadfast love of the Lord surrounds those who trust in Him. 

The joy of forgiveness is amazing, if you know it, it’s time to SHOUT AND SHARE IT, to a needy and hurting world. 

 Matthew Henry says this, and it is a great confort to hear these words

Here is a word of comfort to saints, and a good reason is given for that too. (1.) They are assured that if they will but trust in the Lord, and keep closely to him, mercy shall compass them about on every side (Ps. 32:10), so that they shall not depart from God, for that mercy shall keep them in, nor shall any real evil break in upon them, for that mercy shall keep it out. (2.) They are therefore commanded to be glad in the Lord, and to rejoice in him, to such a degree as even to shout for joy, Ps. 32:11. Let them be so transported with this holy joy as not to be able to contain themselves; and let them affect others with it, that they also may see that a life of communion with God is the most pleasant and comfortable life we can live in this world. This is that present bliss which the upright in heart, and they are only, are entitled to and qualified for.

GOD BLESS YOU 

KK 

PSALM 32 PART C

Psalms 1

PSALM 32 VS 5-7

I acknowledged my sin to you,    and I did not cover my iniquity;I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah 

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;surely in the rush of great waters,    they shall not reach him. 

7 You are a hiding place for me;    you preserve me from trouble;    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah 

 COME, CONFESS- DON’T COVER

We saw in verses 3-4, the pain that unconfessed sin causes the believer, his whole body is in agony, his/her spiritual life is in a mess.

To be in fellowship with God, we need to do certain things, we need to remember that first of all, when we fall, we have an advocate with the father 1 John 2;1-2.

We need to remember that we need to yield our members to Christ, so that sin becomes less and less in us. Romans chs 6-8

To acknowledge our sin, means to have the same attitude to sin that God has, sin is absolutely disgusting to God, it is us saying, yes, I have failed and now I think of sin as disgusting, it becomes an affront to me.

Acknowledging our sin, means coming to terms with ourselves and humbling ourselves, it means getting rid of all our pride and arrogance.

In Chapter 1 of the Book of 1 John, we are given a great treatise of sin and how to deal with it, covering sin, means we are not living in the light, but acknowledgement and confession means we are living in the light. In chapter 1 verse 9, we are given a great promise, but also a great command.

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The reformation study bible commentary, puts it like this:

God’s forgiveness is given as soon as we admit our need of it, not on the basis of any acts we have done to earn it, but solely because of His grace. The free gift of forgiveness carries with it purification from unrighteousness. God accepts us as righteous because He imputes to us the righteousness of Christ. That is, the very righteousness of Christ our sin-bearer is reckoned to our account.

We need to come to the cross and confess, we don’t have to be afraid, look at Adam and Eve in the garden, they hid themselves, letting sin go unconfessed leads to further trouble, one little sin leads to bigger sins and soon it is out of control.

We can come and confess, because God is a hiding place for us, he is our Father .. amen.

The invitation is there, God is your hiding place, don’t hide your sin, go to the Father and make him your hiding place.

There is forgiveness, if you have fallen and let me tell you, you will.

Come and confess.. don’t cover your sin and iniquity.

God bless you

KK

PSALM 32 PART B

Psalms 1

PSALM 32 

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.

4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.

WHEN SILENCE IS NOT GOLDEN

We saw in the last devotion on this Psalm, that there is real joy and blessedness in having sin forgiven, likewise there is deep pain in having unconfessed sin in our life, sin left unconfessed makes the true believer absolutely miserable and unhappy, not until it is truly confessed, can this misery be taken away.

There was a song many years ago, that was called Silence is golden, and indeed it is good that we keep quiet sometimes.

Being silent, when it comes to confessing sin is not golden though, for several reasons.

First of all, we can’t hide things from God, he sees absolutely everything. Sometimes I do something and then the next time I read my bible, here is a verse or passage that puts its finger right on the point of my sin and the holy spirit convicts me and then I confess it and can be restored to full happiness and relationship with God.

We need to realise that to live in sin is to live in complete misery, Christians who live in sin and are trapped in unforgiveness are probably the most miserable people on earth, look at the state of David in verses 3-4, he was an emotional and physical wreck, he was roaring, he was totally out of control and worst of all the hand of the lord was heavy upon him.

If I have unconfessed sin in my life, then I am almost impossible to be around, until I come in repentance to the foot of the cross and humble myself under Gods mighty hand and confess it. Please read 1 John 1;1-2;2

The joy of true communion with God is matchless, Christian, don’t throw it away because you are stubborn and refuse to come to the throne of grace and seek forgiveness, there is a place of plenteous mercy ready and waiting for you.

Please read the rest of the Psalm and also psalm 51, David did not confess his sin with Bathsheba for one whole year, for his court officers, they must of been treading on eggshells, but Nathan was brave enough to tell the truth, sometimes we also need someone to crack the eggshell and make us aware of the gravity of our sin.

Do you have unconfessed sin in your life? If you are anything like me, you will be like a bear with a sore head…pretty unbearable to live with.

COME TO THE CROSS

Be like the man in verses 1-2, who is blessed because his sin is forgiven, but remember to be forgiven,  you have to come and confess and then you can be clean.

God bless you

KK

PSALM 32 PART A

Psalms 1

PSALM 32

VERSES 1-2 

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit, there is no deceit.

WHO IS TRULY BLESSED?

We ask who is truly happy and blessed?

We have many motivational speakers who seek to make people happier, religions that seek to make people happy or blessed. but it is only in the bible and in the person of Jesus Christ, that men and women be truly blessed and find the deepest happiness.

Man has a deep and ongoing problem and that is sin, it taints him, taunts him and has torn him away from God. Sin is a disease that is worse than Covid, as everybody has this disease and the result of sin is death and separation from God. Through Jesus we can find forgiveness, through his precious blood and his sacrifice on the cross. Amen. The bible has three words here that mean doing wrong;  sin, transgression and iniquity, here they are dealt with one by one.

When God dealt with sin, he dealt with it completely, the cross of Christ, dealt with all three aspects detailed here.

Transgression is individual sin, each and every individual sin we have ever committed is forgiven, when God saves us, he forgives all of our sin, how glorious and wonderful is that.

Our sin, which means missing the mark has been covered, Paul quotes this in Romans 4;7. What is that covering? It is the precious blood of Christ. In the Old testament, the covering was the sacrificial system, but now there is a better covering and covenant Psalm 85;2. We now have the righteousness of Christ credited to our account 2 Cor 5;17-21

Iniquity means a sinful lifestyle, but God remembers that no more, our past to God is completely forgiven and forgotten. Look at Psalm 103, what God does is incredible. Please read this Psalm, it shows that God deals completely with Sin.. all of it.

So, we are forgiven, what happens? We live a life that is pleasing to God, a life that is empty of deceit.  His/her sin has been dealt with … amen.

Forgiveness given by God as a free gift,  frees us from the power of sin, it breaks the bonds of sin, and allows us to live in a way that is pleasing to God.

Although we are free the power of sin, we are not free from it’s presence, our flesh is still active, but now we have the power to overcome it, through God living in us through his Holy Spirit. One day, we will be completely free of sin, when we will be in heaven with Christ.

Have you been forgiven?, if you have, then you are truly blessed.

If you are reading this and haven’t been forgiven, then there is mercy and grace waiting for you. Come to the cross, the only place where sin can be washed away.

God bless you

kk

PSALM 62:8

Psalms 1

Pour out your heart before God


“Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us… Psalm 62:8.”

Psalm 62 is such a wonderful psalm and this verse is one of my favorites. It has two wonderful commands. The first one is just awesome, you know brothers and sisters, we are commanded to trust God at all times. The second one is wonderful as well: pour out your heart before Him. Here is my question, How empty is your heart?

Have you poured out your heart before Him? We are often told that God knows everything and yes, he does, and therefore he doesn’t need to hear it from us. But the opposite is true. He wants to hear the deepest longings of your heart; he wants to hear from you personally. God doesn’t want you to run to other believers or even your pastor. Although that can be helpful, God wants you to run to Him first.

When was the last time, you spent time just sharing with the Lord on an intimate basis? And this doesn’t have to be you talking all the time, it means listening too. You know Jesus wants to take your burden. He says come unto me and I will give you rest.

God needs and loves to hear from you. His desire is the same as in the Garden of Eden; fellowship with men and women. Remember he knew Adam and Eve had sinned and yet GOD still wanted fellowship with them.

My deepest and blessed times of fellowship with God were when I just shared openly with Him. You know we can pour out every secret to him, because we can trust Him, he is not going to share it with anyone else. He is completely trustworthy. Empty your heart believer, come to throne of grace and give him all your troubles, all your pain and let Him deal with it. Have fellowship with Him and trust him with your heart.

God bless you

 KK

LETTER M

Alphabet H-M

THE LETTER M 

PSALM 119 

15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.

48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in thy statutes.

78 Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.

148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word.

When we think of the word meditate or meditation, it has a picture of some eastern mystic babbling some crazy words, but this is not what true meditation is.

It means to mull over or think deeply about something, in Colossians chapter 3, we have these words:

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

To dwell with us, means it lives deeply within our hearts, it is a welcome guest in our lives and meditating on the word of God, allows us to have a spirit that is filled with wisdom and worship. Look at verse 16.

When we read our bibles, we are not to read it, just to turn the required number of pages on our bible reading scheme, we are to meditate on particular verses. Recently I took ten days to read John chapters 1-3, because it is so deep, you cannot go too fast.

Joshua was given sound advice by the Lord, as he entered the promised land.

Joshua 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Meditate on it day and night you say, we can’t do that. Well what is the job of the holy spirit, he will bring you remembrance of these things, of what things, of the things of Christ.

Often he brings to my mind a verse of scripture, a promise, a challenge or a rebuke.

Paul is giving pastoral advice to his protege Timothy, in Chapter 4 of his first epistle, he says:

11 These things command and teach.

12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Paul was telling Timothy to meditate on these things, especially to doctrine, we all want to be so practical, have you ever meditated on deep doctrines such as the Deity of Christ and the Trinity.

Again to meditate, we must take time to do this, put down your cell phone, turn off social media and do a bible study. Find a quiet place, get out your bible and drink deeply of the word of God.

One of my favourite things to do is to get my Bible and notebook and say Lord, what do you have to say to me.

God’s wants and is eager to speak, but we have to set aside time for him to do it, remember he spoke to Elijah in the still small voice,

Can you hear him?

Have you taken time to meditate on his word?

We need to stop rushing away from God’s word, we treat it like a hot potato sometimes, as soon as we pick it up, we want to put it down.

By meditating on his precious words, this is how we grow.

I challenge you.

Take 15 minutes each week to meditate on a Bible verse or couple of verses.

Let these verse dwell or live in your heart.

Make them welcome.

God bless you

KK

LETTER L

Alphabet H-M

THE LETTER L

WHATS YOUR LEGACY?

We are all here for a short time, we are blessed if we live past 80.

Cd Studd said:

Only one life, will soon be past, only what is done for Christ will last.

Life is so short, we fritter away time so easily, I know I sit on my cell phone, watching some funny video or doing something wasteful, we are told in Ephesians 5:

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

How can we create a legacy for the next generation.

We can mentor and train people in our church?

Christian parents and especially Christian men, you can lead your children to the Lord.

When we leave this earth, what will your legacy be?

Charles Spurgeon, was one the greatest preachers, who ever lived. He has left a treasure trove of hi writings, which are still blessing millions even after all these years.

Everything you do, whether good or bad, will be tested by fire, look at these verses in 1 Corinthians 3:

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

What will be burnt up and what will be gold and precious stones?

What legacy are you leaving your children?

What will people say after you die?

Have you trained anyone in the things of Christ?

Or are you going to be saved by fire vs 15, you will be saved, but the reward will be lost.

It’s time to stop wasting your life on trifles and create a legacy for your children.

The best legacy is to share Christ, I want to take as many Chinese as I can to heaven with me.

May the passion of your heart be that you share the gospel, it’s the only thing that matters.

God bless you

KK

LETTER K

Alphabet H-M

THE LETER K

TO KNOW HIM AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN

PHILIPPIANS 3

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

COLOSSIANS 4

3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

2 THESS 3

Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

The words at the top sum up the Christian life. People ask, what is the purpose of life?

Why does God save us?

When we are first saved, we have a basic knowledge of God, over the years, we will grow in that knowledge 2 Peter 3:18.

Paul who by now, was a mature believer was still saying, I want to KNOW HIM, this is his deepest desire, he reminds me of Caleb in the OT, who says at age 80, give me this mountain, give me the hardest part of the work.

I am retired, having reached a certain age, but I pray i never retire from the Lord’s work, you do have a retirement date, when Gid decides to take you home, until then, keep working and keep striving to know God.

To know God is the best thing, to bring others to the same knowledge is beyond words, you know as I write and share, I pray that something of my deep love for God rubs off on people, maybe someone will come to know Christ better through me.

Moses trained Joshua, Jesus trained the twelve apostles and Paul trained Timothy, Titus and many more.

Our heart cry should be I want to know God more, and our vision should be to pass on that knowledge to others, either by mentoring ones in your church or sharing the gospel to people around you.

May you know Christ and  make him known.

God bless you

KK