FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 2

ALL HAVE SINNED

Called to God’s Kingdom

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.1Thes. 2:12

Why Redemption?


“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come” (Rom. 5:12-14).



So far we have touched on God’s foresight and provision for Adam’s deviation from the path of glory set before him, I would like us to briefly look at the circumstances that surrounded Adam’s fall and will do this by looking at a section of Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life:

 The Choice That Confronted Adam
 God planted a great number of trees in the Garden of Eden, but "in the midst of the garden"--that is, in a place of special prominence--He planted two trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was created innocent; he had no knowledge of good and evil. Think of a grown man, say thirty years old, who has no sense of right or wrong, no power to differentiate between the two! Would you not say such a man was undeveloped? Well, that is exactly what Adam was. And God brings him into the garden and says to him, in effect, Now the garden is full of trees, full of fruits, and of the fruit of every tree you may eat freely. But in the very midst of the garden is one tree called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil"; you must not eat of that, for in the day that you do so you will surely die. But remember, the name of the other tree close by is Life.' What, then, is the meaning of these two trees? Adam was, so to speak, created morally neutral--neither sinful nor holy, but innocent--and God put those two trees there so that he might exercise free choice. He could choose the tree of life, or he could choose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.


Now the knowledge of good and evil, though forbidden to Adam, is not wrong in itself. Without it however Adam is in a sense limited in that he cannot decide for himself on moral issues. Judgment of right and wrong resides not in him but in God, and Adam's only course when faced with any question is to refer it to Jehovah God. Thus you have a life in the garden which is totally dependent on God. These two trees, then, typify two deep principles; they represent two planes of life, the Divine and the human. The "tree of life" is God Himself, for God is life. He is the highest form of life, and He is also the source and goal of life. And the fruit: what is that? It is our Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot eat the tree but you can eat the fruit. No one is able to receive God as God, but we can receive the Lord Jesus. The fruit is the edible part, the receivable part of the tree. So--may I say it reverently?--the Lord Jesus is really God in a receivable form. God in Christ we can receive.


If Adam should take of the tree of life, he would partake of the life of God and thus become a 'son' of God, in the sense of having in him a life that derived from God. There you would have God's life in union with man: a race of men having the life of God in them and living in constant dependence upon God for that life. If on the other hand Adam should turn the other way and take the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then he would develop his own manhood along natural lines apart from God. Reaching a peak of attainment as a self-sufficient being, he would have the power in himself to form independent judgment, but he would have no life from God.


So this was the alternative that lay before him. Choosing the way of the Spirit, the way of obedience, he could become a son' of God, living in dependence upon God for his life; or, taking the natural course, he could put the finishing touch to himself, as it were, by becoming a self-dependent being, judging and acting apart from God. The history of humanity is the outcome of the choice he made.

Adam's Choice The Reason For The Cross


Adam chose the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and thereby took up independent ground. In doing so he became (as man is now in his own eyes) a fully developed' man. He could command a knowledge; he could decide for himself; he could go on or stop. From then on he was "wise" (Genesis 3:6). But the consequence for his was death rather than life, because the choice he had made involved complicity with Satan and brought him therefore under the judgment of God. That is why access to the tree of life had thereafter to be forbidden to him.


Two planes of life had been set before Adam: that of Divine life in dependence upon God, and that of human life with its independent' resources. Adam's choice of the latter was sin, because thereby he allied himself with Satan to thwart the eternal purpose of God. He did so by choosing to develop his manhood--to become perhaps a very fine man, even by his standards a perfect' man--apart from God. But the end was death, because he had not in him the Divine life necessary to realize God's purpose in his being, but had chosen to become instead an independent' agent of the Enemy. Thus in Adam we all become sinners, equally dominated by Satan, equally subject to the law of sin and death, and equally deserving of the wrath of God.


From this we see the Divine reason for the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. We see too the Divine reason for true consecration—for reckoning ourselves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God in Christ Jesus, and for presenting ourselves unto Him as alive from the dead. We must all go to the Cross, because what is in us by nature is a self-life, subject to the law of sin. Adam chose a self-life rather than a Divine life; so God had to gather up all that was in Adam and do away with it. Our old man' has been crucified. God has put us all in Christ and crucified Him as the last Adam, and thus all that is of Adam has passed away.


Then Christ arose in new form; with a body still, but in the Spirit', no longer in the flesh'. "The last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor. 15:45). The Lord Jesus now has a resurrected body, a spiritual body, a glorious body, and since He is no longer in the flesh He can now be received by all. "He that eateth me, he also shall live because of me", said Jesus (John 6:57). The Jews revolted at the thought of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, but of course they could not receive Him then because He was still literally in the flesh. Now that He is in the Spirit every one of us can receive Him, and it is by partaking of His resurrection life that we are constituted children of God. "As many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God... which were born... of God." (John 1:12, 13).


God is not out to reform our life. It is not His thought to bring it to a certain stage of refinement, for it is on a totally wrong plane. On that plane He cannot now bring man to glory. He must have a new man; one born anew, born of God. Regeneration and justification go together.

He That Hath The Son Hath The Life


There are various planes of life. Human life lies between the life of the lower animals and the life of God. We cannot bridge the gulf that divides us from the plane above or the plane below, and the distance that separates us from the life of God is vastly greater than that which separates us from the life of the lower animals.


In China one day I called on a Christian leader who was sick in bed, and whom, for the sake of this story, I shall call Mr. Wong' (though that was not his real name). He was a very learned man, a Doctor of Philosophy, and one esteemed throughout the whole of China for his high moral principles, and he had long been engaged in Christian work. But he did not believe in the need for regeneration; he only proclaimed a social gospel.


When I called on Mr. Wong his pet dog was by his bedside, and after speaking with him of the things of God and of the nature of His work in us, I pointed to the dog and inquired his name. He told me he was called Fido. Is Fido his Christian name or his surname?' I asked (using the common Chinese terms for personal name' and family name'). Oh, that is just his name', he said. Do you mean that is just his Christian name? Can I call him Fido Wong?' I continued. Certainly not!' came the emphatic reply. But he lives in your family', I protested, Why don't you call him Fido Wong?' Then, indicating his two daughters, I asked Are your daughters not called Miss Wong?' Yes!' Well then, why cannot I call your dog Master Wong?' The Doctor laughed, and I went on: Do you see what I am getting at? Your daughters were born into your family and they bear your name because you have communicated your life to them. Your dog may be an intelligent dog, a well-behaved dog, and altogether a most remarkable dog; but the question is not, Is he a good or a bad dog? It is merely, Is he a dog? He does not need to be bad to be disqualified from being a member of your family; he only needs to be a dog.


The same principle applies to you in your relationship to God. The question is not whether you are a bad man or a good man, more or less, but simply, Are you a man? If your life is on a lower plane than that of God's life, then you cannot belong to the Divine family. Throughout your life your aim in preaching has been to turn bad men into good men; but men as such, whether good or bad, can have no vital relationship with God. Our only hope as men is to receive the Son of God, and when we do so His life in us will constitute us sons of God.' The Doctor saw the truth, and that day he became a member of God's family by receiving the Son of God into his heart.


What we today possess in Christ is more than Adam lost. Adam was only a developed man. He remained on that plane, and never possessed the life of God. But we who receive the Son of God not only receive the forgiveness of sins; we receive also the Divine life which was represented in the garden by the tree of life. By the new birth we receive something Adam never had; we possess what he missed.

Watchman Nee’s The Normal Christian Life:

I our next post we shall look at the "only Begotten Son" the "Tree of Life" through whom we have divine life. What a wonderful foresight the Master Planner has, to percieve that Adam's choice could only count for disobedience. for now we pray:

Holy Spirit, help us in our realisation of, or analysis of “being in Christ Jesus," to look more to that wondrous secret work of The Father by which we were united to Christ.. Quicken our mind to see that, at the back of our turning, and believing, and accepting of Christ, there was God's almighty power doing its work--inspiring our will, taking possession of us, and carrying out its own purpose of love in planting us into Christ Jesus. Help us to enter into the divine side of the work of salvation, where we learn to praise and to worship with new exultation, and to rejoice more than ever in the divineness of that salvation we have been made partaker of. So that at each step we review, the song will come, "This is the Lord's doing"--Divine Omnipotence working.



You might say – "how do I; and Why do I have to know and experience this Father you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can get to know Him.

Admit your spiritual need.


We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.

John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life’s greatest high.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Called to God’s Kingdom - Part 1

ALL HAVE SINNED

Called to God’s Kingdom

"That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory". (1Thes. 2:12)

Why Redemption? Why PLAN B


PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph. 1:3-12 emphasis added)

In the last section we looked at the original eternal purpose which could be summarised in the words of Watchman Nee:

“The glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and “The glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

In our analogy of this eternal purpose, we have looked at PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6; we will now, in this post take a look at the consequences of Adam’s original sin that brought about, if I may say “a temporary deviation” on this plan A as stated in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”.

Now, I had a very valid question asked about the last post with regards to the use of the phrases Plan A or Plan B. I will quickly address this question phrased as: “What Plan B!? It was always plan A from the get go!”

Yes the questioner is right. It was always Plan A from the beginning and so it will be for eternity. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified”. Rom. 8:29,30

I have used the term plan to indicate the different stage of this journey of "the children of God" having the image of the "first begotten Son"– it is not in any way aimed to imply that God changed His mind along the way or anything to that effect. Looking at the title we have given to this early part of Romans 1 - FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER, I will like to confirm as in our last post, the omniscience of this great God of ours. Now the dictionary gives us the meaning of the three key words in this phrase as



Master:

• A person with the ability or power to use, control, or dispose of something.
• Eminently skilled in.
• Carrying on one's trade independently, rather than a worker employed by another.

“He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5).

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof “ (Psalms 19:1-6).

The heavens declare His Glory and the firmament exhibit His mastery. Imagine the mastery He displays daily with the workings within the firmament; the sun and the moon know the exact time for each one to appear and withdraw itself at any point on earth; they are never late nor too early or call in sick for work except on an occasions when the Lord wants to show his omnipotence .

“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day” (Joshua 10:12-13).

When He spoke in the beginning and man came to being He meant exactly what He said –

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Gen. 1:26-28).

Yes! He spoke and it was done NOT that “it can” or “it could” or even “it shall be done” BUT “it was done”. All provisions made for all eventualities.

"Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast". (Psalms 33:8-9)


Foresight:

• Care or provision for the future; provident care; prudence.
• The act or power of foreseeing; prevision; prescience.
• An act of looking forward.
• Knowledge or insight gained by or as by looking forward; a view of the future.
• Surveying - a sight or reading taken on a forward point.

When God brought Adam into the Garden of Eden, and put before him the “tree of life” of which he (Adam) was permitted to eat from; and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” of which he (Adam) was not permitted to eat from. God being omniscient would have known that Adam in his human nature had the propensity to eat of the restricted tree. It is possible to have created Adam with the full capacity to obey God’s instruction to the letter; but then there is no true obedience without the freedom to disobey.

So our God in His infinite foresight (encompassing all that the definition of the word can be), had already made a provision for Adam’s possible choice and the consequences that may follow -

“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world “ (Rev. 13:8).

“Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18).

“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10).



Plan: 

• A scheme or method of acting, doing, proceeding, making, etc: developed in advance: battle plans.
• A design or scheme of arrangement: an elaborate plan for seating guests.
• A specific project or definite purpose: plans for the future.
• To arrange a method or scheme beforehand for (any work, enterprise, or proceeding).

God’s perception of Adam’s propensity to disobey, as I said earlier, made it necessary to provide for corrections so that the ultimate plan, PLAN A, the eternal purpose is achieved -

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure (Isa. 46:9,10).

This He did through His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour -

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? (Heb. 1:1-5)

So that through Him the temporary deviation caused by Adam’s disobedience can be rectified; and the original plan of having many sons through the “only begotten Son” Who has now become the “first begotten Son” can be achieved –

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Just like Peter said of Jesus, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, have been taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed (Acts 2:23) -

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29,30).

This contingency plan He had already made before He put Adam in the Garden of Eden -

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34).

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:3-4).

So the use of the phrases PLAN A or B only illustrates the provision that the Lord had made form the very beginning.

That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.1Thes. 2:12

God’s Kingdom is the domain, the realm where due to His attributes as we touched on in the last post, He exerts or exercises His power so that He may manifest, express or display His glory.

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord". (Eph. 3:912).

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ gave us a hint on the importance of why we need to “walk worthy” of God in other to dwell in this domain or realm; when He urged us to vehemently seek the Father to help us fight against the one thing that can render us unfit for this realm - sin.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen (Matt. 6:13).

If God has deliberately in His own infinite wisdom and mercy (1 Cor. 2:7-9), made us who He foreknew and had pre-destined and called to believe in (John 3:16) and be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ; And even from the beginning had also made provisions for any eventualities by justifying us through the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8); just so that we can be partakers of this mystery of exercising or exerting His glory (Rom. 8:29-30): Then the word OBEDIENCE shows it’s prevalence again.

Sin is the bane of this call to walk with God; just as obedience is what keeps us on track. Imagine taking a dog that will not obey you for a walk in the park or even more so a dog competition or horse race with a dog or horse who will not obey your instructions. C.H. Spurgeon said:

“You are God’s creature, and yet you have rendered to Him no obedience! You would not keep a horse or a dog that did not do you some service, or follow at your whistle”.

Sin, brought about by disobedience is the cause of deviation from the eternal purpose. This original sin by Adam caused the deviation from PLAN A as described in Ephesians 1:3-6. Adams choice to eat of the forbidden “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, when sin came in it found expression in an act of disobedience to God.

“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19)

So the first man’s disobedience to God’s instructions brought about a change in the rules of the game if I may use that terminology -

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. (Romans 3:23)

In our next post we will continue our look at The travails of Adam and the solution provided by the second Adam, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Meanwhile we pray:
 

Lord Jesus, never let me shut You out - Amen.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - He alone is God; And He is God alone. Part 2

THE ORIGINAL PLAN –The Glory of God Eph.1:3-6

He alone is God; And He is God alone. Part 2

"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31).

We are still looking at the Eternal Purpose as mentioned by Apostle Paul in these early verses of Romans 1 (Vs. 1-7). In this post we will conclude on why He “Fainteth not, neither is weary”; and “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength" because He alone is God; And He is God alone. We will also conclude PLAN A of the eternal purpose – The Glory of God (Eph. 1:3-6)

To remind us the eternal Purpose is:

PLAN A – The Glory of God - Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: PLAN B2 –Back on Track - That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. (Eph. 1:3-12 emphasis added)

“According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:4)

Watchman Nee, in The Normal Christian Life said:

“To man sin leads to condemnation and hell; To God sin leads to forfeit of Glory”

God wants us to walk before Him blameless and His attributes puts Him in a position to adequately check how blameless we are and when we are found wanting, He is equally more that equipped for the task of putting us back on track. What a Master Planner He is; to have seen from the foundation, the very beginning that man (in the first Adam) could make a mess of things and jeopardise the original plan of the Eternal Purpose and made a PLAN B. The next set of attributes are:

God is Omnipotent - “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth” (Revelation 19:6). He has the ultimate power to do whatever He wills. God’s nature limits His will and as such He cannot do anything that is contrary to His being God, such as sin or ignore sin - "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face" (Psalms 89:14). There is nothing He cannot do except that which is contrary to His nature. There is no power that can confront Him or His children that is beyond Him: With His power he conquered sin and death. That’s why King David concluded - “God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God. Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work” (Psalms 62:11-12). “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, with men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

This is the reason why we can have cast iron believe in His promises and when the enemy comes with his trials, we are able like Job to focus our attention on Him and not our own power to overcome and say: “I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job 42:2):

God is Omnipresent – As with His infinity He fills the whole of creation which makes it possible for Him to be present everywhere at once - “Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:23,24).

What a relief this is – to know that The One who watches over us can be anywhere our adversaries are at any point in time – “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

His presence everywhere means He is there even when man sins and no one is present and there is nowhere we can hide to sin that He is not present. The Psalmist observed – “If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Psalm 139:8).

God is Omniscient – Like God’s omnipresence, His Omniscience means that because He knows all things that can be known in the past, present, future, nothing can escape His knowledge – “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:4-5): “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:10).

Just as He knows everything that can be known of all creatures great and small, even the number of hair on everyone’s head – “Known to God are all his works from the beginning of the world” (Acts 15:18). He knows our intensions and motives for all our actions. No surprise man keep trying to build a database that is as big as God’s (man’s struggle to “DO IT WITHOUT GOD”), but then – “The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men” (Psalm 33:13).

God is Love – God’s love for us is just as and backed up by His attribute of being immutable – it cannot be wholly comprehended by man except through His Son Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. A.W. Tozer in “I talk back to the devil” tells us of the connection between God’s love and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit when he said:

“Brethren, it is well for us to remember that as human beings we can never know all of the Godhead. If we were capable of knowing all of the Godhead perfectly, we would be equal to the Godhead. For illustration, we know that we cannot pour an entire quart of water into a vessel which has a capacity of less than a quart. So you could never pour all of the Godhead into the experience of any being who is less than God Himself.

A similar kind of illustration was used long ago by ancient fathers in the church as they argued for the trinity of the Godhead. They pointed out that God the eternal Father is an infinite God, and He is love. The very nature of love is to give itself but the Father could not give His love fully to anyone not fully equal to Himself. Thus we have the revelation of the Son Who is equal to the Father and of the eternal Father pouring out His love into the son, who could contain it, because the Son is equal with the Father. Further, these ancient wise men reasoned, if the Father were to pour out His love into the Son, a medium of communication equal to both the Father and the Son would be required, and this was the Holy Ghost. So we have their concept of the Trinity –the ancient Father in the fullness of His love pouring Himself through the Holy Ghost who is in being equal to Him, into the Son who is in being equal to the Spirit and the Father”

God is love and that’s why the greatest power that man can possess is love – “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). But then real love (God’s agape Love) in the world we live in today would make anyone look naive and stupid; real love as described by Apostle Paul - "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned" (in I Tim. 1:5). The goal of our command is love; that comes from a PURE HEART, GOOD CONSCIENCE AND SINCERE FAITH.

If you look at these 3 components of love:

Pure heart - Hold no evil whatsoever against anyone.

Good Conscience - knowledge shows what is right or wrong, but it is the conscience that approves of what is right and disapproves of what is contrary to it.

Sincere Faith - no matter how bad it looks in reality, I have this hope that it shall be well – “substance of things hoped for; evidence of things not seen”.

To have these 3 qualities in the world we live in today qualifies you as being excellently naive. But then it is these three qualities that equip any living being with LOVE, that is the greatest power on earth. Jesus warned us when describing the end of the ages: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt. 24:12.). It is also said that “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1John 4:18).

I have come to see the act of walking in love as one that can be compared to tightrope walking. Walk it through without falling, everyone applauds; but when the reality of learning to walk in love as in training for a tightrope walk show, you will sometimes fall off the rope at different points along the journey, and people will naturally jeer – it is a lowly point to be in, a point where one is vulnerable, a point where the ungodly sees a chance to take advantage, a point where you realise that –“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

But as the saying goes “practice makes perfect” – Until we are able and have perfected the act of walking that tight rope (walking in God’s Agape Love) without falling off along the way; we just have to keep moving on; practicing how to walk in this wonderful attribute of our creator putting into consideration the advise of His Son Jesus Christ when He said “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” Matt. 10:16.

I Tosin, personally would rather be misunderstood to be naive than lack the power of God.

SO WHEN WE REALISE THAT:

God is Holy- This is the pure loving nature of God separate from evil.
God is Life – He is the essence of the breathe of life
God is Spirit – It is impossible to see Him with human eyes, but through the eye of the spirit
God is Infinite – He is, if I may say, interwoven into all things.
God is Immutable – God cannot change because He is the beginning and end ‘Alpha & Omega’
God is Omnipotent - He has the ultimate power to do whatever He wills.
God is Omniscient – He knows all things that can be known in the past, present, future, so nothing can escape His knowledge
God is Omnipresent – He fills the whole of creation which makes it possible for Him to be present everywhere at onc
God is Love – God’s love for us is just as His attribute of being immutable, it cannot change.

THEN WE CAN SEE WHY:

"Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isa. 40:28-31).

What are you going through at this point in your life? Do you feel God cannot see your troubles? Or even if He sees them, He has decided to turn a blind eye? Or even worse still He is powerless to do anything about them? We all go through this but the solution is to always wait on Him. When we put our focus on who our God really is, the grace to trust Him is bestowed upon us; "Thou wilt keep him in Perfect Peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee" (Isaiah 26:3). Then we can be rest assured that when we wait upon Him, we can never, I repeat “never” be disappointed. Ray C. Stedman asks about Isa. 40:28-31 in “WHO IS LIKE OUR GOD?”:

How many thousands through the centuries have taken those promises literally and found that to "wait upon the Lord" does this very thing. It all hinges on that one word, wait. Wait! The hardest word to learn in the language for some, especially young people. Wait. Let God work. The Hebrew word has a note of expectation about it: expect God to work, wait in expectation that God will move. It takes time, you cannot have it overnight, but they that wait upon the Lord shall find their own strength renewed. They shall find their spirit mounting up like the eagle in its flight, their souls able to run the gamut of emotions. They shall never be weary. And they shall walk (in body) and not faint.

What a wonderful God we serve.

Now that we have briefly touched The Glory of God, and some of the attributes that qualify Him to possess and pass on this glory, we will go on to look at PLAN B - The Gospel of Christ - "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" (Eph. 1:7-9)

If PLAN A implies that we are Called to God’s Kingdom “That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory” (1Thes. 2:12);

Why Redemption? Why PLAN B. This we will look at in our next post.

Until then Heavenly Father, for you have said in Your word: “For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not” (Isa. 30:15); "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" (Psalms 37:7); we pray that You will please multiply your glorious riches in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ unto us and fill us with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding that we may be able to seek that stillness of soul that will empower us to wait on You; so that we may have the confidence to say –“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalms 62:1-2).

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - He alone is God; And He is God alone. Part 1

THE ORIGINAL PLAN – The Glory of God Eph.1:3-6



He alone is God; And He is God alone. Part 1
 
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31).
 
As we see before our very eyes, the warnings as given by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ about the end of the ages (Matthew 24) being played out; I will today like to say a word or two about some of the difficulties that confronts a person who finds him/her self in the situation Jesus warned us about when He said:

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Some many people today still go to Church even more than twice a week or so but deep down inside they are beginning to ask the questions – is these all real? Am I getting anything from this? How do we deal with this situation? There is only one way to deal with the situation and that is to arm ourselves with the true knowledge of who our God really is.

Ray Stedman observed in The Olivet Discourse of Jesus 1963:

"How then shall we characterize these events He (Jesus) outlines which are to occur in the intervening time before the end of the age is reached? They are of enormous importance to us for we live in this time before the end. If, as we have seen, the dominant note of this discourse is to warn against the allure of the false, the glamour of the phony, and to indicate the ease by which the uninformed may be led astray, then it is immediately evident that in these intervening events He is listing the perils of the age. These are the threats to faith, the powerful forces by which men and women, observing the events of their day, may be misled into confusion and error. These perils to faith are forces, deceptive in their character, which will mislead men throughout the whole course of this intervening time. They make it difficult to believe, they act powerfully upon men's minds to turn them from the unseen spiritual kingdom to depend only upon the things of sense and time. Each peril, when once introduced, runs on to the end of the age."

These perils only have one and only one pre cursor, ‘Man trying to do it his way APART FROM GOD’ Just like Adam and Eve did. Looking at the whole situation even as a Christian could make a person ask if God is seeing all what is going on, and if he does, what is He doing about it? Or even, what can He do about it? Is He still in control? Who or what holds the earth together in the first place? Who is in control of the earth?

These questions (when asked by a Christian) could be concluded to be a sign of weariness or worst still unbelief: But the basic truth containing fundamental answers to these questions, are to be found in a sound understanding of who our God is. You know as a child you would think your dad is well able to have a fight with everyone else’s dad and win – until the day you meet someone whose dad is probably a heavy weight boxing champion; then even as a child, you start to think rationally.

This knowledge of our God which reveals His overall omniscience and absolute sovereignty in all aspects of His creation puts us on the right track– like the Prophet Isaiah asks:

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. (Isa.40:28)

“Fainteth not, neither is weary” How can He be? If he is Spirit, life, infinite, immutable, the truth, love, eternal, holy, immortal, invisible, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent.

I will pick up on a few of these attributes to show why He “Fainteth not, neither is weary”; and “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength".
              
God is Holy-
This is the pure loving nature of God separate from evil. This is our goal, to pursue this great attribute of God –“Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16–25). For “this then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5). “Wherefore we labour that . . we may be accepted of Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:9)

“We Labour” – against the instigations; then followed by the accusations of the enemy of our soul; we labour in this 21st century, where the enemy daily perfects his devices to make us walk in the opposite direction to the holiness and righteousness of God; but our loving Father, instead of unleashing His wrath, the manifestation of His holy, moral character against sin upon us at a time when we fall short (unlike man’s unholy anger, it is neither impersonal nor acts on impulse); gives us the opportunity to consider our ways and confidently take hold of His word and confess that: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:1-2).

Then we can face our accuser and exclaim: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me” (Micah 7:8). Oswald Chambers captures this better -

“Wherefore we labour . . . .” It is arduous work to keep the master ambition in front. It means holding one’s self to the high ideal year in and year out, not being ambitious to win souls or to establish churches or to have revivals, but being ambitious only to be “accepted of Him.” It is not lack of spiritual experience that leads to failure, but lack of labouring to keep the ideal right. Once a week at least take stock before God and see whether you are keeping your life up to the standard He wishes. Paul is like a musician who does not heed the approval of the audience if he can catch the look of approval from his Master.


Any ambition which is in the tiniest degree away from this central one of being “approved unto God” may end in our being castaways. Learn to discern where the ambition leads, and you will see why it is so necessary to live facing the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says – “Lest my body should make me take another line, I am constantly watching so that I may bring it into subjection and keep it under.” (1 Cor. 9:27.)


I have to learn to relate everything to the master ambition, and to maintain it without any cessation. My worth to God in public is what I am in private. Is my master ambition to please Him and be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how noble? ”

We pray Holy Spirit, that You will continually knock on the door of our heart and prod our conscience to remind us of the need to daily compare what we are in private to what we are in public.

God is Spirit –
It is impossible to see Him with human eyes – His sending of His only begotten Son demonstrates His existence and desire to be sought by His creatures. “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”. (John 4:24)

God is Life –
He is the essence of the breathe of life; it is a gift from Him that is (if lived in fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ) is not interrupted by physical death but attains perfection and full reality in eternal fellowship with Him the giver. God is unlike idols; He is the creator; He created His worshipers and not created by His worshipers - “But our God is in the heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not: eyes have they, but they see not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not: They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not: neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like unto them; so is every one that trusteth in them. O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield.” (Psalm 115:3-9)

God is Infinite –
He is, if I may say, interwoven into all things. It is said of His Son Jesus - “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” (Col. 1:15-17): “The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:2-3).

King David observed - “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded.” (I Kings 8:27). That’s why – “Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:24): If this is the case – “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).

God is Immutable –
Change takes place by moving from one point or state to another – it has a beginning and end; God cannot change because He is the ‘Alpha & Omega’ (the Beginning and the End); He exists from eternity to eternity. “But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end” (Psalm 102:27): “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. (James 1:17)

Have you listened to Him say:
“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed” Malachi 3:6.

Because:
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).

In the next post we will find out why “Fainteth not, neither is weary”; and “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength".



We pray Holy Spirit, that You will continually knock on the door of our heart and prod our conscience to remind us of the need to daily compare what we are in private to what we are in public.

FORESIGHT OF THE MASTER PLANNER - Journey From Mere Dust To Divinity

THE ORIGINAL PLAN – The Glory of God Eph.1:3-6


Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory – Journey From Mere Dust To Divinity

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Col.1:26-27.

I remember when I was a child and I used to have this fascination about the hidden secret, or cryptic truth that makes a human being function. I used to stare continuously at people to try and ascertain what made them speak, see, hear, breathe. Although these are simple biological processes to someone who has a bit of knowledge of biology; to me as a child it was something that needed to be discovered. So knowing then that God was the creator of every human being I tried to analyse, I would raise up my index finger when my analysis hit the boundaries of the knowledge I was equipped with as a child. I raised the index finger to confirm that, there is only one Almighty GOD, and he is the only supreme being and the creator of the world (Being brought up in a Muslim family and this I believe was a Muslim thing). I have since then asked untold number of questions and had untold mysteries concerning This Almighty God that now as an adult (due to so much curiousity as a child) I have gotten used to not using my right index finger for anything other than what is directly connected to God. (Please if there are any religious folks reading this post; this is not a doctrine – just a personal thing).

There is nothing in this world that man knows everything about; the dictionary describes mystery as anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown: the mysteries of nature. Or, as any affair, thing, or person that presents features or qualities so obscure as to arouse curiosity or speculation. Ray Stedman explains it thus:

God understands us so thoroughly that he has hidden mystery in everything in life. We do not know anything fully. There is always an element we don't understand. Even terms we commonly use, such as love and joy and life itself, are basically mysterious to us. We know they are absolutely essential to our existence, but we don't know what they are. We struggle constantly trying to understand what are the great realities they represent.

This is true in every area of our lives. Even physicists tell us that, hidden away in every physical manifestation of the world and universe around us, is mystery. The quantum theory, upon which much of modern physics is based, and which has unleashed the whole realm of nuclear fission, has at its heart, say the physicists, a principle of indeterminism, a hidden principle. It states that we never can discover fully the truth about anything; there is an element of hidden information about every subject we go into.

We are ever confronted with mystery. It is mystery which makes life entrancing, fascinating. And God understands this. It is why the Scriptures say, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the glory of kings is to search it out," {cf, Prov 25:2 RSV}. God knows that we all want to be kings, that we are made to reign. And the glory of kings is to discover that which has been hidden.

Apostle Paul got some of these hidden information this time concerning our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:32) and made it known to the Church:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ): Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; Eph.3:3-5

That this mysteries, this many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects, through the church, might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere.

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Eph.3:9-11

We as Christians have to vigorously seek to know and in turn pass on these mysteries {1 Cor 4:1 RSV}; Ray Stedman continues:

The "mysteries" are the sacred secrets that God knows about life, which men desperately need to know. Think of this! This is what Paul says we Christians are -- beginning with apostles, and including everyone who names the name of Christ -- we are servants of Christ, and stewards, responsible servants, given the responsibility of dispensing the mysteries of God, of helping people understand these great secrets which explain life and make it possible to solve the difficulties and problems of our human affairs. To us is committed this responsibility. This is how Paul sees himself -- as a steward of the mysteries of God.

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles

Now as Apostle Paul goes on to tell us in verse 32 of Romans 3 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” sin is supposed to qualify us for the wrath of God; but He has instead of wrath prepared us unto glory. Watchman Nee explains:

“In Romans 3:23 we read: “All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God”. God’s purpose for man was glory, but sin thwarted that purpose by causing man to forfeit God’s glory. When we think of sin we instinctively think of the judgment it brings; we invariably associate it with condemnation and hell. Man’s thought is always of the punishment that will come to him if he sins, but God’s thought is always of the glory man will forfeit if he sins. The result of sin is that we forfeit God’s glory: the result of redemption is that we are qualified again for glory.

God in His omniscience, have total and absolute control concerning His purposes. From the beginning to the very end

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory. Rom. 9:21-23

Ray Stedman explains:

What Paul is saying in all this is that God may have purposes and objectives that we do not see. And doesn't he have the right to do it? And what if one of those objectives is not only to display his power and his wrath by allowing and permitting man to oppose him and to resist him, but also to display his amazing patience and longsuffering this way? Did you ever think about that? Did you ever think of how, for centuries and centuries, God has put up with the snarling, nasty, blasphemous, accusing remarks of men, and has done nothing to them? He has listened to all the cheap, shoddy, vulgar things that men say about him, and allowed them to treat him with hostility and anger and never does a thing but patiently endure it and put up with it. Paul says, "What if God does all that. What if it takes that kind of a display of the wrath of God and the patience of God to bring those of us whom he chooses to himself?" Something has to appear to us that makes us understand God. We are not being forced to come to him, we are drawn to him. Therefore we have to respond, and something must make us respond. Is it not the wrath of God and the patience of God that draws us on?

It is relatively easy to teach or listen to these mysteries of God but they don’t easily bear fruit. Apostle Paul prayed that - “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints”. Eph.1:18.

Ray Stedman observed in Turned On By Prayer:

It isn't enough simply to teach truth. It isn't enough to spread doctrine. It isn't enough to have a Bible class in which you are getting the students to learn certain facts from the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul, and the other great leaders of the early church, understood man much better than that. You never get the whole man until the heart is moved, until the eyes of the heart are enlightened, until truth is moved from the head down to the heart, and thus it has gripped the emotions. Then the will is properly motivated. Then the person begins to grow tremendously.

So what an encouragement this is to a ministry of prayer! Pray for one another. Pray for the class that you teach. Pray for your children -- that the truth they are learning, both at home and at Sunday school, will become vivid to them. How many times have we allowed them merely to learn factual matters, and have never prayed about it, and then wondered why the truth doesn't seem to affect them very much. Pray for your father and mother -- that the truth they are learning may change their hearts so that they will be easier to get along with. Pray for your husband, pray for your wife -- that this enlightenment of the heart may come. See how Paul understands this and how he stresses it with us. He says, "For this reason ..." there is no use teaching you this truth unless I also pray for you, unless prayer changes your life so that you are 'turned on,' so that your hearts come alive with the truth of God." And, if we do the same, we will understand that God has designed truth to make its appeal to the whole of our humanity, the whole being, the whole man, and we will become whole in Christ.

It is these prayers that we pray for one another concerning the mysteries of God especially that strengthens us internally -

That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Eph.3:16.

It is this prayers that also bring in the comfort that is the fruit of unity –

“That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge”. Col. 2:2-3.

Christ in you, the hope of glory

Prayer:

Our Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for this revelation of the way we are made. Thank you for the wisdom of the Apostle Paul, who knew that you can't simply pour out so many facts, write them down in a letter, and expect to have people grasp them and live by them. There must be the bending of the knee, the opening of the heart, the imploring of the Spirit, the bathing of the truth, the Word, in prayer, so that it becomes vital, living, attractive, compelling. Lord, help us to pray for each other. We need this truth greatly today, and we pray that you will drive it home to us with clarity and with power, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Enough is REALLY Enough

All things work together for good to them that love God.


“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.
 
Apologies, we have not had another post since 03/01 due to the fact that some urgent issues had to be addressed, we will get back on the Roman Highway this week.
 
How great is our God, last Friday, I had to travel out my city to London for a protest march against injustice and bad governance in my country and due to the fact that on my way back I needed to catch the last bus at 3.00am from my city centre to my place, I decided to leave London earlier. As my ticket was for 11.30 pm to arrive at 3.30 am (by which time the last bus from Manchester city centre would have left), I decided to see if I would be allowed on an earlier coach from London; but despite there being some space on the 6.30 pm coach, the ticket lady declined to let me on and even marked my ticket so that there was no way I could leave before 11.30pm.
 
I felt so bad and decided to hang around for 5 hours. And then just about 1 hour later all the passengers on the coach I was not allowed on were brought back into the station because the coach that was taking them had broken down; so they had to be brought back for another coach to take them. As the new coach was bigger than the one that broke down they had to allow me to travel with them (with free coffee as well).
 
This was around 10.00pm which meant I could still make it back to Manchester for around 2.30 to catch the last bus. But a change of drivers and some traffic on the way delayed the coach and we didn’t get to Manchester until 3.30am (30 INUTES LATE FOR THE LAST BUS). Although the delay presented me with the chance to discuss the gospel with the passenger sat next to me.
 
But guess what! On arriving at the bus stop, the bus was still there – some guy from somewhere had done something that broke the window of the bus and the controller had to call for a replacement bus which meant every one have to wait for like 30 minutes for the replacement bus to arrive.
 
As I got on the replacement bus I just thought “HOW GREAT IS THIS OUR GOD” and just “HOW MUCH IN CONTROL OF ALL THINGS HE IS” “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28.
 
I could say sorry to those that were delayed on the coach from London and bus in Manchester but:
 
"The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." Proverbs 10:22 

"WHAT A MIGHTY GOD WE SERVE"

 

What a mighty God we serve

What a mighty God we serve

The angels bow before Him

Heaven and earth adore Him

What a mighty God we serve.

God  Bless

“Come to me”

http://www.sabaothmin.org/page_1256606716398.html

Come unto me, ALL YE that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

As the Holiday period has drawn past and we find ourselves in another decade and year; with so many people haven already broken New Year resolutions made 48 hours ago; one cannot help but think about the inability of man to live a morally just life by himself.

Just before the holiday we saw in Copenhagen, the plotting and scheming of men in another phase of their quest to make us believe that man can exist without God; that instead of man worshipping God (The Creator), he should instead (indirectly) worship the earth (the creation); thus in the process hand over more reign (in this case sovereignty of nations and peoples) to the enemy of God; the serpent as Adam and Eve did in the beginning.

“Worshiping the earth” not necessarily just in the sense of worsening climate conditions and decimation of natural resources (all which need to be addressed as we even have to account for our stewardship of these gifts): But also the ever worsening rat race of self centred aggrandisement; "me myself and I" – The ever increasingly deadly pursuit of wealth, fame, knowledge, power and position that is dangerously wearing man out.

I just want to briefly say something about man’s deviation from the lofty and free provision of the Master planner as evidenced from the invitation made by our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ in Matthew 11:28 - “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” - much needed rest from the rat race so many in our world today are trapped in; rat race that makes the people that are supposed to be led and even more worrying those that are supposed to lead the people engage in a perpetual shadow chasing of wealth, fame, knowledge, power and position that is or in most cases stripped them of every pinch of personal convictions.

Our world today is in dire need of a prompt acceptance of this straight forward invitation like Charles Spurgeon puts it in the sermon Powerful Persuasives (No. 3502) {Click here to read sermon}:

So sweet an invitation demands a spontaneous acceptance. Come just as you are. "Come unto me," saith Christ. He does not say, "Come when you have washed and cleansed yourself." Rather should you come to be cleansed. He does not say, "Come when you have clothed yourself and made yourself beautiful with good works." Come to be made beautiful in a better righteousness than you can wear. Come naked, and let him gird thee with fine linen, cover thee with silk, and deck thee with jewels. He does not say, "Come when your conscience is tender, come when your heart is penitent, when your soul is full of loathing for sin, and your mind is enlightened with knowledge and enlivened with joy. But ye that labour, ye that are heavy laden, he bids you to come as you are. Come oppressed with your burdens, begrimed with your labours, dispirited with your toils. If the load that bends you double to the earth be upon your shoulders? just come as you are. Take no plea in your mouth but this—he bids you come. That shall suffice as a warrant for your coming, and a security for your welcome. If Jesus Christ bids you, who shall say you nay?

Charles Spurgeon in further went on to say:

This must be your cry if you are to be accepted at all. Come, then, ye that labour, ye horny-handed sons of toil. Come ye to Jesus. He invites you. Ye that stew and toil for wealth, ye merchants, with your many cares, labourers ye are. He bids you come. Ye students, anxious for knowledge, chary of sleep, burning out the midnight oil. Ye labour with exhausted brains; therefore, come. Come from struggling after fame. Ye pleasure—seekers, come; perhaps there is no harder toil than the toil of the man who courts recreation and thinks he is taking his ease. Come, ye that labour in any form or fashion; come to Jesus—to Jesus alone. And ye that are heavy laden; ye whose official duties are a burden; ye whose domestic cares are a burden; ye whose daily toils are a burden; ye whose shame and degradation are a burden, all ye that are heavy laden, come and welcome. If I attach no exclusive spiritual signification to these terms, it is because there is nothing in the chapter that would warrant such a restriction. Had Christ said, "Some of you that labour and are heavy laden may come," I would have said "some" too. Howbeit he has not said "some," but "all" "that labour and are heavy laden." It is wonderful how people twist this text about.

It not surprising that someone could say “what makes Him think he can give anyone rest?” or even “who is He to give anyone rest?” These Questions, as they could be asked by the morally deficient individual, or even the morally astute person; can also be asked by those who want to please God by their own works.

For the believer who want to please God by their own works Spurgeon says point them to Christ and nothing else; he went on to say:

To trust in a crucified Saviour is the way of salvation. Let him leave everything else and fly away to Christ, and look at his dear wounds as he hangs upon the cross. I am afraid many people are detained from Christ by becoming entangled in the meshes of doctrine. Some with heterodox doctrine, others with orthodox doctrine, content themselves. They think that they have advanced far enough They flatter their souls that they have ascertained the truth! But the fact is, it is not the truth as a letter which, saves anybody. It is the truth as a person—it is Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life, whom we need to apprehend.

ANDREW MURRAY deals more with this in ABIDE IN CHRIST

{Click here to read ABIDE IN CHRIST}:

Spurgeon answers these questions with these points:

1. HE IS THE APPOINTED MEDIATOR.


The Father hath delivered all things into his keeping. He is the authorised Saviour

All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Matthew 11:27

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth. Rev. 3:7

This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:11-12

2. A WELL-FURNISHED MEDIATOR


Sum up all that the sinner wants, and you will find him able to supply you with all. pardon; change of heart; be purged from the love of sin; wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. It is all in Christ.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

3. HE IS AN INCONCEIVABLY GREAT MEDIATOR.

He is too excellent for our puny understanding to estimate his worth. None but the infinite God can comprehend his value as a Saviour

All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Matthew 11:27

4. HE IS AN INFINITELY WISE MEDIATOR.

He is a mediator who understands both persons on whose behalf he mediates: He understands you And He knows God's requirements.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 3:36

Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Romans 7:12

5. HE IS AN INDISPENSABLE MEDIATOR.


Christ knows the Father; no one else knows him, save the Son. There is none other that can approach unto God. It is Christ for your Saviour, or no Saviour at all. Salvation is in no other; and if you will not have Christ, neither can you have salvation.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6


Meanwhile, seek to be set free trap of the rat race today and seek the righteousness then the REST that really counts:


The Spirit of God is working; in all the devastation we see before us, the love of Christ remains a constant tangible presence of compassion and love. He sends His angels to comfort us, a gift from the Father above. So rest in the comforting knowledge in the promise that always rings true: That God the Father is ever present, protecting and ministering to you.

You might say – "Why do I have to know and experience this Father you are going on about" Here is why, when and how you can be ready by getting to know Him.

Admit your spiritual need.

We all are sinners: nobody likes that title “SINNER”, but the bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.

What is the result of sin?

In Romans 6:23 we read “The wages of sin is death…” in other words, every sin is another step towards death. One thing that we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell; one can send himself there by rejecting the truth.

Since we can never measure up to God’s standards by our own strength; God has reached out to mankind.

John 3:16-17. In Romans 5:8 we read, “God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It is Jesus, after all, who is the source of life’s greatest high.

What must a person do to accept this gift?

Simply receive it! Matthew 11:28 states –“come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me” Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life to give you peace, change you for the best. John 1:12 says: “For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God”.

If you haven't already received Christ as your Saviour, don't put it off another day! Take time right now to invite Him into your life. Confess your sins. Receive His forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. You might pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. Thank You for giving me eternal life. Help me to live my life in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. I look forward to living forever in Heaven with You. Amen.