Doing Good Today

"Question"

I came across a journal about helping the hurting of course there was no better example than the parable of the good Samaritan(Luke 10:25-37)..-putting into consideration the way things were at the time of Jesus there is a big disparity with current times and people take advantage of those helping them.

It is clear we have been called to a life of servanthood. But what should we do so that our services may not be taken advantage of?

"Answer"

Let us know that Ephesians 2:10[1] calls us His Workmanship for good works.  We are encouraged by the Scriptures to do good!

Titus 3:8 "This is a faithful saying...that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works..." Maintaining is a daily routine, something you do as a matter of duty – when you feel it and when you don’t. Matthew 5:16 talks about other giving God the glory when they see you good works.  So, what is the motivation of our doing good?  Is it so that we can be seen by men? Certainly not! Our deeds may attract the attention of men, but our motivation is that we are not men pleasers by God pleasers!
Ephesians 6:6 implying on servants and masters admonish the believing servant not to do their duty with eye-service, as men-pleasures doing the will of God from the heart.
Our good ought to be done in sincerity of the heart – so our deeds appeals to the motives.

I admire politicians in our county, when they do good – they must publicize it.  Reason, they owe it to their constituents.  However, for us who believe when we do that good deed let us follow the example of the Good Samaritan.

First it an answer to lawyer who was testing our LORD – Luke 10:25. He gave a right answer from Deuteronomy 6:5. He still wanted to justify himself and so, he is given the right illustration:

The Priest, the Levite represent those that know the law and keep it – but they ignored the needy person!  The Samaritan was considered in that day as the one who does not know the law – He ends up keeping it and then some!  The man who fell among thieves was in need!  James 4:17 says “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

Also, the Good Samaritan did good expecting NOTHING in return – He gave a pledge that he could come back after his business and settle the needy man’s bill!

For us, it is a clear sign that we need to do good because it is right to do.  Do good simply because you are God’s workmanship for good in this world.

Secondly, if there is evidence or signs that it is going to hurt the one you are helping – then wisdom is needed.  The reason is that helping can also hurt, especially when you continually give fish to a needy person instead of showing them how to fish.  This can be explained further in a book “When Helping Hurts”.

Thirdly, you may never know the motives of those who may in turn want to take advantage of you. Use your discretion, ask God for wisdom, use common sense and your general knowledge – to make a decision whether to or not to engage!

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[1] Eph 2:10 “For we are His Workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”.

Essentials For The Season

ESSENTIALS FOR THE SEASON:
PRAYER, LOVE, SERVICE

1 Peter 4:7-11

⁷But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. ⁸And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” ⁹Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer is essential

Peter admonished the believers that the end is at hand, the imminent return of Christ for His church is near!  This means that there is shortness of time remaining, and so a motivation for you and me to live for and serve Jesus Christ.

Prayer is of high priority during these times of COVID-19 too.  This time has become an end for others. Prayer is essential in suffering, it requires to be clear, reasonable, sober communication with God.

 "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

Love is essential

A Christian’s unselfish love and concern for others should be exercised to the point of sacrificially giving for others’ welfare.  Even while we see and accept the fault of others.

Proverbs 10:12
“Hatred stirs up strife,

But love covers all sins.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“⁴Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

This week our encouragement is for each of us to take up our phones and call some in your household of faith, and then some in your family or networks.
One, find out how they are fairing on,

Two, share a scripture or spiritual principle
Three, pray with them
You are doing this with a consideration for love for that other one, prayerfully considering what opportunity lies therein for service as God’s workmanship.

Equipped for Service – verse 10

1 Peter 4:10 tells us,
“¹⁰As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

We who believe should be diligent in using our spiritual gifts.  Each gift is to be used to serve or minister to others.

Let us keep this in mind, that God has equipped us for service.  That as we serve:

1.      Each Christian has received a gift.

2.      The gift is a result of God’s grace.

3.      We are responsible for the use of that gift.

4.      We should use the gift for the benefit of others and the glory of God.

5.      We should serve through God’s strength.

Realize that you have been equipped for good works!
Think of that saint – that believer you are concerned about. Think of that relative that has been affected by the COVI-19 scenarios.
That elderly person in your rural area that you want to protect from the effect of the virus – consider what to do, go ahead and fulfill the doing.

"We should serve through God’s strength."

Galatians 6:10

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

As we close,
Prayer is essential, Love is essential and you are Equipped for service.

It is your turn to call and find how (put their name down) is doing, share a scripture with them, and pray with (put their name) and as you ponder follow the spirits leading as to how to serve or minister to them.

Let us pray,

Dear Lord Jesus,
We thank you for the season that is in front of us.  We thank you that it does not hinder us from considering the opportunity that lies before us for fervent prayer.  A prompting from You to serve and minister to others, truly knowing that each of us has a gift – we are equipped to serve and minster!
Lead us now, that you may be glorified among us in Your name,
Amen!

Fallen! What is the Remedy?

Fallen! What is the Remedy?

Question: Both you and I know that nobody is good to the core and we can’t reach levels of perfection, no matter how we strive we find ourselves giving-in. Now, despite the fact that nobody can be really perfect, should we really just sin because there is repentance? Majority of today’s generation know who Jesus is but are lost in sin. What is the remedy?

My friend Dr. Raymond Hundrey, referring to the first chapter of Genesis and sin says that when God created the universe, he “saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). The word good is the backbone and foundation of all other beliefs in Judaism and Christianity.  It is the Hebrew word tov, and it applies to everything in God’s creation. Tov has a dual meaning: first it is something that is according to God’s will, and secondly, what is best for human beings.

To illustrate this point.  The distance God placed between the earth and the sun is exactly as He wanted it to be, and it is also best for human beings.  If the earth was closer to the sun - then we would be roasting. If it were further from the sun, we would be the chosen frozen. God has made the distance between earth and sun precisely according to His will and that distance is the very best for us human beings.

What is the point of all this? The idea that God’s will is best for us is the basis of placing our trust in Him.  If God’s will be the best, it would be foolish to violate it.  Since God wants the best for us, we trust him with our lives and everything.  However, Satan came to Eve and tried to pull the two meanings of tov apart[1].  He told her that if she wanted the best thing for her life, she should do the opposite of God’s will.  That is always Satan’s ploy: do what God has said not to do – and the deception is that it will be good for you[2]. Satan still uses this trick on us today to get us to go against God’s will.  Often that is all it takes!

Another illustration. A water resist wrist watches manual states that it should not be worn more than 200 feet below water.  The owner of the watch has the liberty to ignore that warning and dive down to 300 feet in the ocean.  In that depth the watch will explode as the pressure builds. Those who made the watch know how it functions best.  If you listen to them, the watch will serve you well, if you don’t it will be destroyed.

God is like that. He made us. He knows how best to function[3].  If we listen to Him and follow His will, we will see positive results in our lives and live in satisfaction, fulfilment and blessing[4].  If we choose to oppose God’s will, we will suffer the negative consequences of frustration and self-destruction.

A fundamental decision we make is this: Do we really believe that God’s will is the best for us and that disobeying his will is destructive for us? This one decision is the bedrock of your personal faith.  If we believe that His will is best, we will trust, seek, obey and believe Him. If we believe that violating His will is the best thing for our lives, we will distrust God, ignore, disobey, or doubt Him.  We are totally free to make that choice – but the consequences are set by God.  Trust leads to relationship and joy; distrust leads to separation and self-destruction.
It is that simple!

~excerpted from Answers to life’s toughest questions by Dr. Raymond C. Hundrey

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[1] Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

[2] Genesis 3:4,5 “Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

[3] 1John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

[4] John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Hope For Today - Easter Message

The discussion with Pastor Andrew on Easter Sunday, 12 April 2020 over Zoom! Thank you all for attending the meeting and making it interactive. Thank you Steve for the two hymns that reminded us about the Hope we have in the risen Christ. The refrain from the first hymn is:

Jesus paid it all.
All to Him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Question 1: What do we celebrate at Easter?Some people I asked say we celebrate the death of Jesus Christ.  What do you say?
Gilberto: We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead by the glory of the Father.
Romans 6:4,5 "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,"

Question 2: Why is this so important?
Chiya: That we have an assurance of eternal life with God when absent from this life! It provides every Christian with the Hope of an eternity with God in Heaven. 

Question 3:What does it mean that Jesus Christ came back to life?
Washington: We need to know that Christ’s resurrection brings us an assurance that we also can overcome just like our LORD also did.

We encourage you to read 1Corinthians 15 and Romans 6 for your private study.  Let me share a few verses from 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
“³For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”

This is the summation of the Gospel message that Christ died for our sins, He was buried in the grave and He rose again from the dead on the third day – that is the reason we celebrate his resurrection each Sunday we meet together as believers.

Lastly, How does this give us Hope for today?
“Romans 6:5

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

Romans 6:10

For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

Romans 6:11

Likewise, you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You and I have by faith been united together with Christ, and are abelt to live for God through the risen Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus died once and for all for your sake and my sake!!

In closing,
1Peter 1:3,4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Reading through the underlines,
The God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, has begotten us, to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, to an inheritance, that does not fade away, reserved in heaven, kept by the power of God through faith – to be revealed in the last time! This is our hope in resurrection!

COVID-19 Moments

This is a tough moment to be in! Each of us is going through their own concerns, fears and or sufferings through these COVID-19 moments. Not being able to go to church and to fellowship, have prayer, to encourage and be encouraged, to serve and be served is quite difficult as it is.

In the backdrop of these initial thoughts, how does one go through these sufferings and concerns? I wish I had all the answers.  I take comfort from the Bible's hall of faith in Hebrews 11 which starts with Abel and Enoch (Hebrews:11:4,5). Verse 6 on of my favorites, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him...".

As you and I experience these unpleasant moments, let us know our doctrine! What Biblical truth gives us hope and confidence that God is good, in control, and able to stop this!  Secondly, go through an experience of being one that suffers well - let me explain. How are you responding to these moments? Are you exuding hope or hopelessness, faith or doubt? May God help us to strike a balance and lean more on the hope and faith side.  Let us be willing to fully give to Jesus all our care for He cares for us - (1 Peter 5:7)

Romans 8:37 says "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Our role model overcame, let us learn from Him! As we listen to people who are going through their unpleasant, fearful or difficult moments.  Help them in their areas of faithlessness, vulnerabilities.  Turn these into moments of hoping and trusting in God!

Psalm 143 would be such a place to direct them, Romans 8:28, Hebrews 11 and many more places in the Word of God with a purpose to show that:
(1) God is Sovereign  - He will accomplish His good purposes no matter what!
(2) God is Good! He is on the throne and intending good for His children. Even if the situation doesn't look good - He is Good!