We Serve A Risen Savior!

This is a very interesting read! We arrived at it after dinner.  Our son needed to get an answer to the question about what our Lord went to do "preaching unto the spirits in prison" found in 1 Peter 3:19

We got looking looking for answers in several Bible verses, also in Matthew Henry, Africa Bible Commentary. We did a Google search for the word "Sheol".  In searching for answers we landed on this blog by Joe Rigney.

Here is the link

Very insightful indeed! It will surely form some meat in some bare-bones sermon I have somewhere! Thank you so much Joe Rigney.

Boosting Your Confidence

Philippians 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:[King James Version]

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"

Each time I am given a chance to speak with a group, I wonder what passage, verse or message to share. I fumble to look for illustrations. Many at times leaving me with the question, "Have I been able to communicate effectively?"

This afternoon I was impressed by one of our ladies. Previously a very timid and shy person. She told me to give her a chance to share the Wordless book to a group of young people at our Fun day! She came joyfully after the session and shared. Her experience was of boys and girls who were thirsty for the Gospel. They had questions and time was not enough to satisfy their quest for answers. Eight young people came Christ!

Dr Molapo says that, "None of us is born confident. A healthy self-esteem is crucial to boost your confidence. Although you cannot change your past, the right decisions and actions you take today will shape your future. We therefore need to work at developing a healthy self-image. I must emphasize that a self-image does not imply pride or arrogance."

I can do all things through Christ...

Johoshaphat's Dillemma

2 Chronicles 20:12
“O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

This verse was a high point in a message I listened to recently! King Jehoshaphat was faced with immense threat of attack from the children of Moab, Ammon and others 2Chronicles 20:1,2. It was a great multitude against Judah!

Like Jehoshaphat our nation has faced the threat of terrorism! God knows the depth and extent that this issue of radicalization has deepened into. Families are grieving the loss of loved ones in the various attacks.  As Jehoshaphat we should learn the secret of his success over the enemy.

1. Only God can truly judge them! - Romans 12:19 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
2.  We have no power against this great multitude. - Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.
3. God's eyes are upon us too as our eyes are upon Him! - 2 Chronicles 16:9 9 “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

As in a previous post Murphy's Law we believe that, in all things God works! His work is for good! His good! In the process we enjoy in His goodness because we are the called according to His good purpose! Because we love Him!

Take courage!

Murphy's Law

I have had tough mornings, days and seasons of dealing with my realities! Lord help me to keep hope alive. So I encourage myself in the Lord.

Hebrews 11:6 "Without faith it is impossible to please Him..."
1 Cor 13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." I therefore will guard the loins of my mind!
1 Peter 1:13* Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
 14* as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;
 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
 16* because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

I identify with what Dr. Molapo says in his book - Taking Charge in times of Challenge, 'Nothing can go wrong' - this is when we must apply Murphy's Law - 'that whatever can go wrong will go wrong!' Leaders must not live in a dream world and make assumptions that because they have a few bases covered they are immune to disasters which may arrive in different guises at different times and different places! Murphy's Law is simply common sense at work.

John C Maxwell puts it this way, "Nothing is as hard as it looks; everything is more rewarding than you expect; and if anything can go right, it will and at the best possible time"

That is why in my present situation I encourage myself in this difficult and dismal scenario; that "All things work together for good to those who love God!
 I love you God! What must happen will happen but for my good!
Does this encourage somebody?

Open My Understanding Of the Scriptures

Luke 24:45Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And ye are witnesses of these things. 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

In this chapter the disciples are beholding the risen Christ! What a joy to us! For the disciples it was different!  They were terrified and thoughts were rising in their hearts.  He had told them that all things that were written about Him would be fulfilled! He'd said that He would raise from the dead after three days, and it was so!

Beloved, Christ suffered, died was buried and rose from the dead on the third day; that you and I would have the forgiveness of our sins. Luke uses the word remission which means the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty.  Jesus took our debt of sin, we were charged to die - Romans 3:23;6:23.  We were destined for the penalty of death - eternally separated from God in a place called hell.  John 3:16 calls it perishing.  That can change for you!

Without trusting in Jesus Christ my friend you are doomed!  However I have some good news for you! We are witnesses that Salvation is possible through Jesus Christ! God forgave me my sins when I was wandering in sin - Romans 3:10 and rescued me from death - Romans 10:9,10.  He sent the Holy Spirit - the promise of the Father to be upon me and in every believer who has trusted in God's gift to the world - Romans 8:16. 

Will you believe in him today? Romans 10:13;17

"I Can Do All Things"

Recently at the beginning of 2015, a couple of my friends and I took a van full of young university students to Powertalks.  It reminded me of my school days!  In school life while I was growing up, some of my school mates were said to have a very high IQ.  Students with a high IQ were the darlings of the teachers.  In Standard III, I was an average kid! We ranked 23 or 24 in our class of thirty-some pupils. Now I recall. 

A fact of life is that, "though some people do well in the IQ tests, it does not give a guarantee that they will do well in lfie".  It does not matter what the experts are saying about you. The important thing is what you believe God is saying about you.  Paul says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".  All things!  The important thing is what you are saying about yourself based on what God says about you in His word - that is faith. So, no external voice has the power to shape your destiny if the voice inside you is louder than the voice outside you.

The School Master!

Chapter 2 in the small book by Ray Comfort about the myth of the Modern Message, was very difficult for me to comprehend! I would recommend every Pastor and Christian with a passion for Evangelism to delve into this message of this shattering publication.

I want to excerpt a paragraph by Martyn Lloyd-Jones on of the most influential preachers of the twentieth century,

"There is not true evangelism without the doctirne of sin, ad without an understanding of what sin is.  I do not want to be unfair, but I say that a gospel which merely says, "Come to Jesus," and offers Him as a Friend, and offers a marvelous new life, without convicting of sin, is not New Testament evangelism. The essence of evangelism is to start by preaching the Law; and it is because the Law has not been preached that e have had so much superficial evangelism.  True evangelism... must always start by preaching the Law."

Hmmmh! Think about that!