No partiality with God

(Act 10:34-35) “So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

I wonder how many Christians have actually understood the tome of this statement "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality“? Peter is bold to speak on behalf of his understanding of God’s character in this area. We have a tendency to expect partial favouritism in many areas of our lives depending on our standing with differing individuals. A father provides for his children and if the crunch is on surely the son will find favour over a stranger even if they are caught in the same sin. Two men break the same law and if a father has it in his power to free only one, who will he chose? Surely his son will find favour. Is this not the way we are wired?

What is the author’s intention, what is it that we must realise with Peters statement?

Let us explore further…

We must examine the history of God’s dealings with His people to understand what is implied. God made a covenant with Abraham and with it came a promise; “When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly."” (Genesis 17:1-2) – When examined we learn that there were those from the seed of Abraham who were claiming the same privileges as the faithful, those who applied themselves to the call of God in a righteous manner as opposed to those who lived as they pleased and therefore felt they deserved the promise of God with all the same privileges even though they were far from Him. Peter tells us they will not be excused for their lifestyle just because they came from Abraham’s seed. Although God’s covenant was with the Jews, not every Jew will be blessed of God. Only the faithful will receive the promise.

I wonder how many Christians live with the same mind-set. I too have been guilty as charged and I repent of this type of reasoning; we cannot live as the heathen lives and expect to be covered by God’s favour. We have been bought with the blood of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ died to set us free and therefore if we reason as one who counts His sacrifice as a small thing, we are playing with fire and when we take fire to our bosom we shall suffer burns. The Christian mentality that is robbing so many of the blessings of God as we are lead to believe that we can live as we once did and still find favour from God is a very dangerous approach. We must strive against sin and search out God’s graces to overcome all opposition. The scripture is clear on a particular point, there will be those who claim to be Christians but continue to live and run with sin as their confederate. Please do not misunderstand my point, I am not for one minute suggesting a holier than thou attitude, we stand justified in the finished work of the cross and nothing else will justify us before God. But it is clear that there are those that claim to be Christians but in fact are not. Where do we fit in with relation to those individuals? We must be sober with our deliberation. We all struggle in one area or another but we must put our hands to the plough and fight against sin in every area of our lives that moves us in the opposite direction to God’s holiness. We cannot rest in defeat if there is something robbing us of our victory in Christ.  

These are the words of our great Saviour and it addresses those who claim to be Christians but in fact are not. It is not enough to claim something if in fact the evidence proves another thing all together; “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:19-24)

Much of my life has been filled with many bad choices throughout my lifetime; nevertheless they too have taught me and still teach me to put on the mind of Christ. We cannot claim son-ship on a simple confession when in fact our lives depict a totally different story. We must seek out God’s graces to be changed by the blood of our Saviours glorious sacrifice and we must not rest until we are blessed by our great God and Father.

Signing off

Tyrone   

                   

Studied...

To understand someone or something it must be studied well to uncover the debts of their substance; what makes something or someone tick. A Swiss clock pulsates with precision as it keeps time, it has been put together with such accuracy and Swiss Watchmakers are renowned for their exactitude in this field. Their workmanship has stood the test of time. Most of us can relate to that reality as we have heard, witnessed and even possibly handled one of these exquisite products. However many individuals will never be privy to the privilege of owning such a masterpiece. It is beyond their financial means. Only the rich are able to wear and own a genuine Rolex. Nevertheless we all have some ability in understanding quality when carefully examining it in contradiction of a fake replica which looks to trick someone into believing a lie.

Religion is no different, many cults pretend that they have the answer to life and what they propagate is nothing but lies and some may even believe that they have the truth while others understand the errors associated with their practices, whilst others are simply deceived; they believe that what they have is the truth when in fact it is no more than a sneaky trick which has been orchestrated by the powers of darkness. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the only true God and He alone has the capabilities of saving those lost to sin. There are many replicas’ that claim to be God but are in fact deceitful lies and traps that keep us from finding true liberation. No different to a vaccine; religion with all its trappings is filled with false ideals that move us further from God and deeper into our sin. We need the true serum to avoid the disease of deception, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ and every other claim to save us from our sin is hocus-pocus and outside of Christ all will eventually face the drum roll of God’s judgement. In Christ alone and through Christ alone will we find escape!

Why the Lord Jesus Christ? Because the Lord Jesus humbled himself to the point of death, he died on a cruel Roman cross to pay the price humans couldn’t, and he lived a righteous life without ever breaking one of God’s commandments and therefore He is the only one with the power to forgive. Because God is righteous (blameless to sin) He could not accept any other sacrifice for man’s sin that would have enabled Him to forgive us for our sin. But now it has been made possible to find forgiveness in and through the one who knew no sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. God the Father commissioned his son to lay down his heavenly authority and to live as a man; God became a man and lived in subjection to the laws of the flesh without ever committing a single sin. Just imagine the immense pressure he faced daily. The prince of the power of the air, Satan and all his followers looking to trip him up and get him to fail, he didn’t! Praise His name! No other individual has ever lived out their lifetime not breaking the commandments that God gave to Moses and this is why the bible is very clear on how we are to find God. One Saviour achieved that act and no one else has come close; salvation comes from God and not from man’s attempts to be better.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9)  

With that clearly understood and for those who have accepted Christ’s sacrifice for their own sin. An honest acceptance of our own depravity and a need to be saved from ourselves will leave us truly grateful and indebted to our God. But there is another deception that looks to creep up on the saved after salvation and we must put on the full armour of God to defend against such presumption, God help us in this area of our lives.

The more we “do” in what I will call “dead works” (an act that seems positive but in fact is dead and takes us further from God) looking for justification before God; our own attempt to find favour from God and to be accepted by Him. False religious cults propagate such a message and these types of acts only make us more proud as self-righteousness sets in moving us in the opposite direction of the way, the truth and the life. The bible is very clear that God gives grace to the humble and He resists the proud. If I do anything in order to find favour from men, if I give to those in need and make a big show of it, what will that do for my ego? It will make me self-righteous if flaunted. Pride is a wicked enemy and he must be kept at bay at all costs.

Let me leave you with this encouragement…

(Romans 8:37) “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes us, “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Take your sins to Christ’s cross, for the old man can only be crucified there: we are crucified with him. The only weapon to fight sin with is the spear which pierced the side of Jesus. To give an illustration-you want to overcome an angry temper, how do you go to work? It is very possible you have never tried the right way of going to Jesus with it. How did I get salvation? I came to Jesus just as I was, and I trusted him to save me. I must kill my angry temper in the same way? It is the only way in which I can ever kill it. I must go to the cross with it, and say to Jesus, “Lord, I trust thee to deliver me from it.” This is the only way to give it a death-blow. Are you covetous? Do you feel the world entangle you? You may struggle against this evil so long as you please, but if it be your besetting sin, you will never be delivered from it in any way but by the blood of Jesus. Take it to Christ. Tell him, “Lord, I have trusted thee, and thy name is Jesus, for thou dost save thy people from their sins; Lord, this is one of my sins; save me from it!” Ordinances are nothing without Christ as a means of mortification. Your prayers, and your repentances, and your tears-the whole of them put together-are worth nothing apart from him. “None but Jesus can do helpless sinners good;” or helpless saints either. You must be conquerors through him who hath loved you, if conquerors at all. Our laurels must grow among his olives in Gethsemane. (Charles Spurgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

A high calling

When we are sure of something it most definitely puts a different spin on the reality of that truth. Take a man who is schooled in the art of any trade and put him against a novice in the same field and it will be clear to see a difference in workmanship. The novice will fumble at the task while the professional will get the job done with ease and precision.

With a similar principle established in my mind pertaining to salvation I would like to consider our application as believers for the task at hand. We have all been given the same instruction, get the job done! What is the contract that needs conquering? Simply put; forgetting what is behind, let us move in a new direction, which will bring about a confidence in our Redeemers finished work. Is the evidence of salvation alive in our lives? Not only as a truth for the history books but have we been changed, can sinners and saint testify to that transformation. The saint as he glorifies God for the witness in our life with the unrepentant sinner watching and waiting for us to slip up so that they may pounce and find justification for their own sin; excusing themselves whilst accusing others of the exact same sin. We have been called to a very high calling, our Saviour left us with a phenomenal example to follow. We will slip and fall along the way; nevertheless we must become schooled with the fruits of the Spirit as a way of life. We must make them our objective and they are; - “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

If we take time to unpack all of Christ’s fruits we will see that they stand up against any scrutiny when the law is used to find fault. The law will cast no accusation against a person with this demeanour. Let us therefore make it our objective to find grace throughout the day to become more proactive in finding them as a way of life, God help us is my cry! Theory must not remain a concept it must begin to become our authenticity, especially in today’s day and age with so much hate infiltrating our society. We are the salt of the earth! What then is needed from us?   

    

Let us learn for the best…

A classic example would be the calling out of the twelve disciples; it was such a radical shift in their careers it surely brought about much discussion in the lives of so many. And yet without their commitment to Christ’s gospel how would the message have fared? Now I do not want us to reason with blinkers on, God is Sovereign and He will bring to pass whatever He chooses to, that is obvious! After all He spoke the creation into existence! Nevertheless He chose to use men to further the proclamation of His gospel and scripture teaches us this truth; “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise." (Luke 3:8-11)

Salvation is a free gift, it is not of works, we cannot earn salvation this is what religious cults look to teach the ignorant, we cannot earn entrance into the portals of heaven on our own merits that is impossible, we are so tainted with sin, it needed the hand of God to rescue us in and through the finished work of Calvary. Most, if not all should have understood this by now. My concern is this, having understood the “free gift” of God; it’s what we do with it once we have it that will determine so much in the future. The Apostles have left us their legacy and we should look to their example if we are to mimic them in any way. How was it that they started out? We cannot hang onto particular pieces of our lives if we are to be pliable in the Master’s hands. If we have any resistance in particular areas of our lives we have already begun to move with a dangerous crowd and just like the children of Abraham, we may begin to say we have the free gift of salvation and begin to allow our gift to gather dust and before long it is buried deep within a hole. We need to repent in every area of our lives that looks to rob us of our freedom in Christ. Testing every nook and cranny of our selfish lives to see how willing we will be to let go and those areas that need work will quickly become evident…

 Jesus said to Simon Bar Johan, follow me! What was his reaction? “Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Mark 1:16-18)

Can you see the willingness to surrender all? They left their livelihood and followed Christ, they ventured into the realm of the unknown. Such a scary thought for most of us, but faith demands these kinds of responses. Instead of hoarding our clothes why not give to those that need? It is obvious we are trapped in that kind of area of our lives. We must learn to surrender all for God to be glorified in our lives, yes some will mock, and so what! I heard the preacher say at my Fathers memorial, that we can test how committed to Christ we actually are by how many people outside of Christ treat us with aversion. We can no longer run with the crowds, we must come out and be separate if we are to be of any help to those dearest to us.

Our brother Peter teaches us this valuable lesson; “Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;” (1Peter 4:1-4)   

            

Many of us may have blotched in these areas of our lives, it’s time to let bygones be bygones; find forgiveness from the one who has the power to forgive, but let us no longer run in the crowds we once ran, for some of us it took the pig’s pen to understand this valuable lesson, nevertheless God is merciful and full of grace and for this I thank him, Praise the glorious name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Storing up treasures...

After a very successful and well received funeral with many old faces surfacing from deep within the crevasse of Don’s past life and now with the still of the morning denting my thoughts with uncanny ease as I reflect on so many things and all at the same instance. “Be still” I say and focus! Look to Jesus, call on Him and you will hear the still small voice of God the Holy Spirit giving my thoughts traction as He always does. He is faithful and true, but one must look to Jesus, seeking Him out as the first point of call; believing that He is not only capable but willing and able to meet every one of our needs. Not our selfish wants, let us not make that mistake. Whatever is needed for today which will equip us to find the joy of the Lord regardless of the day’s challenges?

Why do we so easily forget to get our priorities straight, Jesus first and the rest to follow…? When has anyone of us ever gone on a holiday without preparing for it? We fill up with gas, check the pressure in our tires, pack what we think will be needed and off we go excited for what lies ahead. God help us to clean out the cobwebs that obscure our sight of what really counts; storing up treasures for eternity. But for this to happen we must be committed to the gospel, no differently to a person committed to any worthy scheme. It must become our objective to reach this goal as we look to fill up our trunks to overflowing. So how do we do this?

We must from the outset be committed to our Saviour and His will and not our own wants. We must learn to lose our life in order to find it! More of Him and less of ourselves, this is such an obtrusive thought and we instinctively look to dispel it before it can take root. Sin has taken care of that, but Christ has defeated sin and we now have the mind of Christ. If in fact we belong to Him. Going without so that others may have must take root in our thought process for us to begin to grasp the call that God has placed on our lives. It is here that we will find the joy of the Lord and His peace will cause us to sing, “It is well with my soul”! Only then will we be able to echo the words of our brother Paul; “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8)

Do not let our independence and the lies we have been taught throughout the throes of life rob us of this privilege which is ours in Him. We must lose our lives in order to find it! This is true liberation not independence storing up treasures in this life for our retirement.

Yesterday’s memorial service was such a beautiful reminder of this truth, we must get to know Him at every expense regardless of the cost, and we must become spendthrifts to make this our own reality. Time is short let us spend the remainder of what we have left wisely, as we boldly place all we have on our great Saviour’s finished work as nothing else will stand the test of time, for it will wither and it shall perish.

I beseech everyone who names the name of the Lord to seriously consider what I have penned as we provoke one another to good works in Him. Forgetting what is behind let us press on to the mark of the high calling of God which is found in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone

       

A valuable lesson we must learn

Working my way through the Bible as a story from cover to cover instead of “snippet reading” (reading portions of scripture, learning from them and then applying the lessons piece by piece) it takes on a slightly different emphasis. It unfolds the history of God’s dealings with His creation and one of the prominent actions seen is “God gives and God takes away”. He is Sovereign and in perfect control of all things. Life tends to let us believe that we are in control, which is an obvious deduction, we get up, we eat, we sleep and we play when the need arises. We choose! But we can only operate within the bounds of our circumstances and who determines that? Can a man without feet walk like everybody who has them? What about a family going about their independence with all of homes comforts, one doing this and the other that when a catastrophic tornado sweeps across their path, who determines that outcome?

We may be capable of making day to day choices but it is God who opens and shuts the doors to our existence, let us never forget that! For when we do we become independent and no longer dependent on Him; that my friend is a very ominous place to live. It is easy to lose your way with this reality but just as easy to find it again. Call out to the One who has it in His power to give or to take away and He will hear your cry, just so long as you come to Him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Without Him as our cornerstone we may think we are in control but we would be wrong. Wisdom would not accompany us on our travels, she would remain afar off, but folly and his friends would be our supports.

This is why this verse carries so much weight; “But seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”” (Matthew 6:33-34)

We must be constantly reminded that God determines our surroundings and the conditions of our lives, no one else! If you are troubled and discontent with life, take it to God in prayer and find His grace to carry you through as nothing else will amount for much, even if on the surface it appears as a blessing. Look at the story of Job and it will soon become apparent of God’s control. Satan did not have “ad hoc” liberty to do as he pleased; it was by permission only and for a specific purpose. Job suffered immensely but ultimately brought our God great glory! This then is our purpose to glorify God through our lives. God gives and He takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord, Amen and Amen!

What lesson were the Israelites meant to learn throughout scripture? Dependency upon their God, not independence upon themselves; we too must learn the same valuable lesson, for when that becomes a way of life for us it will be well with our souls. It is when we wrestle to have more than we have that life becomes bitter and twisted and before long our environments may change drastically to teach us a better way.

Society has been hoodwinked good and proper, and we are so far from the pressing issues of eternity and so narrowly focused on the here and now that even the Christian has lost his sight with this reality. It has always been like this throughout history, just read the Bible as a story and it will some become obvious. But look at this beautiful encouragement; “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:12-19)

Let us not be fooled into thinking that independence is not a sin, it is full of idolatry and shouts of pride scream from our independence as people pat us on the back with congratulations as we make a success of life at the expense of our dependency upon our God. I wonder how many of us have got it wrong with our children and helped the devil with his deception? Let us learn to be content with what we have, find rest in our Saviour, He has done it all… praise the name of Jesus! Father God may your children find rest in you is my cry, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone     

            

A freewill offering

(Psalms 54:6)  “With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;”

This may well have been a Psalm of David and his heart towards the Lord at a specific time in his life; however our God had planned a rescue for mankind long before this. He is the greatest of leaders, our God leads by example…

The hearts of men with the root of evil that lives within them and the sin that so easily besets people’s actions is so far removed from God’s character that it is not allowed to rule in His presence. This is an obvious truth that is easily understood from scripture. In fact even though our Saviour the Lord Jesus “knew no sin” (he never broke one of God’s laws), when He had paid the punishment for our sin God turned His back on His own Son, because He is so pure and holy that He is not willing to share the same space with sins wickedness, light and darkness cannot co-exist!

Do you see the love of God evident in this act of mercy for a people who had long forgotten Him as sin had blinded their vision of what is true and what is in fact a lie? God the Father sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity to forfeit His life so that the gulf that then separated mankind from God could once again be bridged, just as it was prior to the fall in the Garden of Eden.

God the Father willed a rescue for mankind, God the Son seconded it and God the Spirit paved the way. It was not an easy thing for the man Jesus; in fact we understand that at times it was very painful; temptation was so unembellished that there was a time when the Lord Jesus prayed earnestly for that cup of mankind sin to pass, it never did, and He drank it all! In fact it was so severe upon his body that be began to sweat drops of blood through the pores of his skin. Why would God the Father allow this? Simply understood so that we may be rescued from our predicament because of our sin and once again have an intimate relationship with a holy God, whereby we could address him as Father God. Just like our great grandfather Adam had once done way back in the beginning. Christs sacrifice was no light thing! It was savage and brutal and He did it because of His love, understanding the reality of our hopelessness if He did not act with mercy. Therefore, all who would learn to believe on Him may escape the death that they deserve; He did it so that our sins may be forgiven. Regardless of how vial your sin may be, God is rich in mercy and has made a way of escape for all who would confess their sins to Him, pleading for His mercy, this is now on offer for all who still breathe and live on this planet.

When we consider what God has done for mankind, my jaw drops, I am gobsmacked and with the current passing of my father Don, it is a bitter sweet emotion that we as a family now experience. He is in a place of tranquillity, Donald sees the One who died for Him and tears must be steaming from his face in awe and adoration for our blessed Redeemer and our Glorious Father who consider us, mankind such a rebellious, ungrateful species and yet because He is perfect in love He chose to save us, bless His name now and forever more, Amen!

As I witnessed my father Don lying on the floor with my brother administering CPR to him in hope of resuscitating him, when we finally realised that he had run his race, there was an astonishing calm and peace that came over the three of us, my mom, Ryan and I. His struggle was over and God had taken him home. How many families have that reaction when losing a loved one? I thank God for his abundant mercy for saving a family like ours, most certainly a witness of God’s grace. Such a mixed bunch and not without its share of sin playing its part in our lives and yet God through a man Malcolm Harris way back in the early eighties chose to bring him across my parents path and from that a church sprung to life and it still lives today, the mercies of God who can fathom them?

Signing off

Tyrone        

Salvation

Salvation is filled with hope and yet if we are without hope how real are our efforts. Does a man whom begs bread believe he will never receive help, I do not think so. He begs in hope that his belly may be filled. This is a common scenario that we can all relate to. Our days are filled with this type of reasoning. We work looking to receive a salary in order to survive and then some. If a man is stranded on a deserted Island he will look to put parameters in place for his rescue. He will stockpile wood just in case he needs to signal a ship or plane. He will also explore the Island looking for water and food supplies, these are common instincts that we all have in one form or another.

The problem we have is when we do not realise our predicament, if we believe all is well and we have no need for deliverance; we will carry out our daily activities as we did the days before. Tell someone at sea that the vessel they are on is about to sink and watch them grapple for anything that will assist to keep them nourished and afloat. But until then they will never have a need for that mindset. They will bask in the sun drinking their sun-downers as they enjoy their freedom. Deception allows us to believe a lie and then it will be too late. Miss out on a life-jacket or a lifebuoy and before long you will tire and drown if you are lucky, if not you may be eaten by sharks and the like. These are troubling thoughts but we have all entertained them. Why then do we not entertain more pressing issues like life after death? To be honest most have considered this reality, every time we attend a funeral that reality is questioned. But for most it will be too late. Judgement now awaits their eternal destiny.

I have heard great men of God speak of the “love of God” and how he loves everybody. I have thought long and hard on this perceived notion. “God has so loved”, that is clear from scripture... The Lord Jesus Christ is the life jacket and life raft, but there is a response needed from every individual if they are to be rescued. They must reach for the jacket or get in the vessel; if not they will perish!

Does God love everyone? God’s love is on offer for everyone, but unless you embrace His generosity you remain outside that covering. Can I prove this from scripture? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18) – Can an individual be covered by God’s love if they do not believe in “HIM”? The answer is quite obvious, look! “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already”. Reject the free gift of God (Him) and you can never be covered by the love of God!

Ok what about this truth then; “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) – As sinners, God has shown us His love, “Christ died for us while we were still sinners”, and in other words we were not looking for salvation, as our sin had blinded us.  God loved His enemies, you and me. However the act of what Christ has accomplished on Calvary has happened, he died and rose again. We cannot live in that mindset that God is love, which He is and reject what is on offer, the sacrifice of His Son and claim to be covered by the love of God! That is false!      

I do not lie and speak the truth, no other religion, no other philosophy, nor will any other ideology other than the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ be able to save you from what is to come. God will judge humanity for their sin and if you are not covered by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ you will be found guilty of your sin and be charged by the highest authority in the universe, God the Father will pass a sentence that will condemn you to hell, a place of torment for all eternity. These are the facts according to the scriptures.

Let’s face it who likes to consider such depressing realities? But then again who would ever welcome a ship sinking, especially if you are on it!

Salvation is on offer to everyone who will embrace it, these are the facts, but you must understand that you need to be saved from your sin; Jesus has paid the price and regardless of how far you have been deceived by the lures of sin God did love so that you may be saved. Will you embrace His mercy? I thank God for His mercy in my life and thank Him for His love for me as He sent his Son to die for my sin. I will and I am embracing that free gift with outstretched arms as I know without Christ’s gracious rescue I will end up in a place of torment for all eternity.

Do not be fooled into believing that without a proactive response from your side, believing in God’s provision, as you denounce any other religion that opposes Gods provision for salvation, in and through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ that it will be well with your soul in eternity, because it is a lie! And then it will be too late!

Today is the day of salvation and God’s abundant love is on offer for all who still breathe...  

Signing off

Tyrone     

       

Like Him...

I was asked the question just the other day, “why does God allow so much suffering and why doesn’t he stop the devils influence?” Who can know the mind of Christ? The Apostle Paul says “we now have the mind of Christ!” "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Corinthians 2:16) - Paul makes reference to His understanding but in like fashion we too (believes) have been saved by the same Spirit and therefore we also can claim spiritual understanding. Obviously the depth of perceptiveness varies from person to person depending upon the gifts God has given them and the time spent studying God’s Word. All will have a portion of spiritual understanding, if not they have not been saved!     

Salvation is a wonderful occurrence in a believer’s life, so many delightful things happen. Our eyes are opened and we cry “I can see”! We were once blind and groped about in the dark seeking out the meaning of life but now with this amazing understanding life begins to fit into its correct boxes. Sure we may not have all the answers but we are sure of this, there is life after death and we are now on a journey well-worth pursuing.

The realization of God’s amazing grace penetrates our lives and we sing with vigour. Hope is realized and we find a new drive for that which is still to come for the believer, we will spend eternity with our God! How wonderful the thought that one day I will be in the presence of almighty God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and I will be singing praises to Him for I shall see Him for who He is and in all His glory. I will gaze upon my Saviour and be able to handle Him without any fear of disintegration; I will have a body like His! Pain and aging will no longer play its part. Our vision will no longer be marred as we look into the spiritual realm trying to make head and tails of things not yet fully assumed. We shall be like Him, Wow! - Really? You better believe it for God has so declared it!

“Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1John 3:2)

I am saddened when I look into the mirror of my life and see how easily I am distracted, forgive me Father God! I urge you to renew a right spirit in me and make me more diligent in seeking your will for my life. Help me lose my life so that one day I may eventually find it and be a sweet smelling savour in your nostrils. I also pray for all who believe that you raised Christ from the dead and confess Jesus as Lord!

Help us all understand the depth of what the Apostle John has to teach us; “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1John 3:3-8)  

      

 Signing off

Tyrone

Easter on the horizon

­(John 6:40) “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

If God has determined that even if the so called atheist says that there is no God it is obvious all they prove is that in fact they are liars. How so one may ask? God has proved His existence through the creation of our world; “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20) – We must now conclude that every living soul that has graced this planet is without excuse and will never be able to say I never knew you existed when they face judgement. In fact we can even take it further than that, it is not enough to make statements like; “I know there is a greater power out there somewhere, whoever that may be”. The creation of the world and all that is in it proves His “eternal power and divine nature”. We all have a mechanism within in us that informs us of whom God actually is, we may remain blind to this reality until we find life in Christ, until we are born again but we certainly have an itch that needs to be scratched, I remember clearly asking myself from a young age, “what is the meaning of life”. It is that niggle I refer to and we all experience it in one form or another.

With that established what is the Lord Jesus through the Apostle John teaching us?

I have lived long enough and gleaned through enough scripture to know that if God wills something nothing will stop that from happening. If it is God’s will that a remnant of mankind will eventually enter through the gates of heaven with a reward of eternal life, it will happen! So who will then enter through these gates? It is clearly spelt out in the text, those who look upon the Son and believe in Him. It is not enough to look, we must look and believe!

We are approaching the Easter weekend and many will celebrate this occasion but not all will embrace it believing all that it stands for. It is not enough to think about a historical event, go to church and say to family and friends that I go to church twice a year, Easter and Christmas and then claim that you are a believer. You are not!

To believe means that you embrace everything the Lord Jesus Christ stands for including all that He has done for mankind and especially that He died to justify mankind and pay the price for our sin. Justification simply means, just as if we had never sinned. This is what Christ achieved for all those who have looked upon Him and believes in Him. But it cost Him dearly, He had to die and bleed for those who now confess Him as their Lord! It was no light thing to bear the brunt of our sin, it cost our Saviour His life and it was a humiliating death, crucifixion! And yet the power of salvation lies in the gospel. God the Father has invested everything into His Son the Lord Jesus Christ and was satisfied with His atonement on our behalf of every sinner that confess their sin before God, acknowledging their sin as unacceptable before Him and seeking out His forgiveness. Understanding that Christ died in our place, we should have been crucified but because of God’s love He made a way of escape for mankind, repent and embrace His provision and you shall be raised up on the last day, reject God’s provision, look upon Jesus this Easter and then look away and you will be found wanting on Judgement Day!

It will never be enough to just look upon Calvary as so many people did as they stood at the foot of the cross watching Him die. You need to embrace, cherish and love everything Christ stands for. And you must believe that without His sacrifice you deserve hell because of your sin, we all do, but God who is rich in mercy has found a way to forgive us of our sin by sending His son to die in our place! Do you believe this? Do you accept it? If so then confess your sin before a Holy God and He will raise you up on the last day, He has so willed it!

Signing off

Tyrone 

       

The longer I live...

­The longer I live, the more I consider and the further I examine, the clearer my understanding becomes with Satan misleading objectives on mankind. He is the prince of darkness and although he looks to lead all down a garden path with lots of delicacies that are filled with lies and rotten to its core; it is though his subtleties that I begin to understand this a little purer; “we are not ignorant of his devices”. He may outwit many but when God by the power of the Holy Spirit begins to reveal the wicked ones technique, his traps are not so easily disguised for the seasoned traveler. From the beginning, way back in the Garden, he looked to highjack what God said and he still looks to capture all of God’s great accomplishments and fill them with distorted lies. The celebration of Easter and Christmas is no different. He does not do this sounding a trumpet! He slinks in the shadows subtly twisting the truth feeding off the sinful natures of mankind to lure his victims. However, even though we may have the Easter date wrong, let the truth be told Jesus did die and He rose again from the dead. Even though chocolate Easter egg hunts look to distract the minds of people from what actually took place, they will never change what really happened. Jesus did die in the place of sinners and all who look to Him in repentance for their sins will find forgiveness.

I am not for one minute professing to be a professor with a doctorate when it comes to the “Fathers of lies” craftiness, but what I will say is that I know enough to understand that he will always challenge the Word of God looking to create doubt in the minds of the foolish. Even the scholars can be split on many meatier portions of scripture. I have lived enough and am able to look upon my physical scars that remind me of my rebellion growing up as a child of God; sin taking hold of my instability and ensnaring me with lying unsatisfied lust that could never be quenched, leaving me on a number of occasions in the pigs pen. But God, who is rich in mercy, has always come through for me and patiently waited for me to learn the lesson of the hour. For this I will always be grateful even when Satan looked to utterly destroy my faith, my Saviour stood by my side as I was taught the error of my ways, until I came to my senses and returned to my Father with a broken and contrite heart, kicking myself as I asked the question, “how on earth did I end up here?” The answer in hindsight was always obvious!

Sins taps, entice our senses, and if caught without God’s armour we are vulnerable, falling into the ambush of sin. The Apostle John puts it like this; “For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1John 2:16) – In other words worldliness does not come from God but from the devil. We are correctly taught that if a brother does not work, he does not deserve to eat. But even this is twisted as worldliness begins to take priority in believer’s lives at the expense of their commitment to the body of Christ. Our existence here is all about the will of God our Father and the way Satan looks to stop that process is by high jacking the Words of God. Looking to cause doubt in the hearts of the young, vulnerable and even at times those who should know better.

Questions that deviate from the accomplishments of Christ work upon that cruel Roman cross, giving other alternatives when in fact there is no alternative whereby a person may be saved, other than the work that the Lord Jesus Christ achieved for us by dying for our own sin. It is simple for God has shown it to us through His Word; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) – Everything outside of this truth is a LIE, LIE, LIE! And it is governed by the father of lies, Satan!

Because of our sinful natures we may sadly fall into sin when we shouldn’t but we have no excuse entertaining that which is contrary to the Word of God, that my dear friend is very dangerous ground. I am not implying that there won’t be times when we don’t understand the depth of the text, but when we question the obvious that is a NO NO! This is Satan’s objective and it always has been. He lures people to challenge the Word of God! The buck must stop with the unadulterated Word of God. We don’t always have to understand the text to believe it! God has said it so believe it!

If God has said it, it will come to pass!

Bless the name of Jesus now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone       

        

      

"Seek and you shall find"!

“Seek and you shall find…”

This is a common phenomenon that every living soul can relate to. If we lose an item it is normal to seek it out and the greater the value the firmer the search.

The bible instructs us with this encouragement; “And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9) - However who ever seeks out something that has never been lost? It is obvious to conclude that the greater the value the more vigour we put into the search and when we understand that our life depends on us retrieving the article needed, we will summon whatever and whoever we need to find that which was lost.

Let us break this down; we will never seek out something that isn’t important to us; lose five cents climbing a mountain, who in their right mind would retrace their steps, burning all that energy trying to find it, for the return does not warrant the search. But lose a diamond ring and all will be rallied and every possible inch of the mountain will be searched out until that which was lost is found. Principally we need our minds to relate to every precious gift God has given us. The grander the assessment the harder the hunt; I am slowly starting to understand that it will be evident to ourselves and others whatever we place as priorities in our lives. Both hidden and the seen can be explained like this, “You shall know a tree by its fruits, does an orange tree bear pears?” In like manner does a Christian take for granted what he has been freely given? I suppose because of our sinful natures we err in many areas along life’s journey, but of this I am sure; whatever is of importance to us will be searched for if lost!

If we find that our conscience begins to be seared in any areas of our lives, what can we do to remedy our situation? King David was the one to lead the way and this was his cry after falling into sin with Bathsheba; “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalms 51:10) – We must approach the throne room of grace looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith to help us seek out that which we lost along the way and we will only ever do that if we realise what we have lost is invaluable to us.

So you say that at one stage in your life you were a Christian, but today you say you are not so sure, and then I have this to say it was never really real to you and I would implore you to fall on your knees and cry out to Jesus asking Him for mercy.  You may be like many Christians that have lost their oil for their lanterns, today is the day like never before to go and seek out oil for the night is coming and without oil it will be impossible to find your way. And there will come a time that we will all need that oil, so this then is my cry; seek out that which is lost! But before we misunderstand what that may mean, we needn’t seek out wealth and food and raiment as that type of energy is misguided and it carries with it no eternal return; “And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” (Luke 12:29-31)

Seek that which will go from this life into the next…

Signing off

Tyrone

   

   

The Fiery Trial...

(1Peter 4:12) “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”

The authenticity for the Christians daily walk is not about an easily go lucky phenomena with the banner of  blessings in the form of wealth and prosperity flying above our heads as if we had finally arrived, that is a lie and not accurate according to sound doctrine. We are at war! And hard pressed on all sides, if not then we must question our standing in our claim of salvation. Therefore it is imperative that we learn to stand with our allies in unity helping one another along life’s journey. Unity in love for the truth of God’s Word will stand us in good stead and it will be well with our souls. There can be nothing worse than feeling alone and deserted. Even the Lord Jesus reminds us of this desperate position; He stood alone for a time whilst paying the price for our sins, they were not His as He had no sin, however this was His experience; “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"” (Mark 15:34) – Our Saviour endured this emotion first, so that we could go free; praise His name now and forever more, Amen!

With this thought in mind let us learn to stand together in our relationships and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Where else will we receive comfort if not from those in the trenches with us? We must understand the enemy will always look to bring division, let us not be ignorant to this. Did you know that a church in love resembles a mature church; “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ...” (Ephesians 4:13-15)

It may be time for you to repair those broken bonds that you once had with family and church members; it is time for us like never before to be counted amongst the saints, but for us to be successful we most positively need each other. It must begin at home! We will be tested in these areas of our lives but when we find the grace of God to get us through the trial it will be sweet. Let us therefore pray for fortitude for one another ultimately bringing glory to our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Bless our Saviour now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone     

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread"

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread“! I have not often heard this cliché quoted and yet it most certainly has come across my ears more than once. Its source Alexander Pope used back in 1709 in one of his poems, “An Essay on Criticism”. Without having read his poem, most, if not all would understand the kernel of what it means. Not that any angel was ever consulted giving their stamp of authenticity regarding the validity of that quote. But this could well have been written 6000 years ago, in the Garden of Eden, but then it could have read; “fools rush in where the foolish angels live”. Sin the common denominator! Not foolish with the “ABC’s’” but rather disobedient to the voice of God’s perfect wisdom; they disobeyed His commands. They thought they knew better! It’s too late for them now but not for us. As humans we can still right our wrongs if we still have breath. The mercies of God, who can measure it, praise His name now and forever more, Amen!

On reflection, how often have you asked yourself the question, why on earth did I do that? I know I have! And yet God has allowed certain things to come across our paths to teach us many lessons, with grace and mercy high up on His agenda. We often ask the question why? Well it could just be that you acted foolishly! Then again you may have been blinded by your own sin and missed the lesson completely. As my understanding starts to deepen on how my life is unfolding, I am persuaded that God is in perfect control even when we aren’t. We think the world revolves around us when in fact everything we see exists because of Him. And when God has allowed a man to pen something that has stood the test of time; a quote written in the Bible, we must learn to prioritize His Word above everything else in our lives. That includes our emotions and uncertainties that look to tells us a different story. If God has allowed it to be penned in the “Good Book” it will carry His authority, so when He allows the Apostle Paul to say; “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) - It carries no other meaning, its good even when we see it as bad. However this only applies to those who have been called according to His purpose. If you remain on the fence to God’s call or you reject the gospel then this does not apply to you, it cannot! Calamity may bring about your ultimate destruction. But it will never defeat the Christian, it may bruise and scar him, but never defeat him, praise the name of Jesus!

As I was watching a news related program last night it was obvious that most believe we are capable of superseding the Word of God, no differently to the way Satan tricked Eve into believing that lie so long ago.

Let me explain…

If we increase our knowledge about climate control we will be able to put things in place that will ultimate save earth and preserve our existence. Efforts are being made to achieve this goal like never before. This is the question I pose to you and the world, answer me this; if God has declared something will it happen or can we swing what He has said causing a different outcome? For He has said; "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.” (Isaiah 65:17) or put another way and possibly easier to understand; “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” (Revelation 21:1) – Here then is my question, will man’s endeavours save our planet or will God eventually destroy it? Does mankind have more authority than the Word of God? How ridiculous that would be, puny man trying to outwit God and yet it is happening! It is a very simple reality; put the Word of God first in all you do and it will end well with your soul. This world will pass away, regardless of mankind’s efforts; God will make a new one, far better than this solitary planet and all those who trust Him and His Word first shall be part of that new world.

Talk about irony we are sending data capturing devices into the sea to learn about climate control and God will destroy this world and create a new one without a sea!

In conclusion who will you believe, I have made up my mind! Praise the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt amongst us as a man. The Lord Jesus left the portals of heaven to pay the price for our sin so that some would be saved from that type of reasoning and learn to trust His Word above every other opinion.

Signing off

Tyrone

  

  

  

Justification!

(Act 17:4) “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas…”

 Persuasion is a word that carries with it a lot of weight. It is powerful, meaningful and has finality attached to it. It speaks volumes and leaves no wriggle room for any form of distortion on what is said. “For I am persuaded”, can mean nothing else! It does not suggest that I might believe something if I see more evidence or it invites me to taste and then I will be convinced. “For I am persuaded” means exactly that! No ifs or buts, no more evidence required…

Why do I spend time writing a blog many may ask? “For I am persuaded” that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life; regardless of opinionated differences on this truth, from all different walks of life and religions. “I am persuaded” that Jesus Christ is the only true God who has the power to save sinners from their predicament, every other religion is a lie, a decoy to misguide the masses into following God’s enemy, deceiving those blinded by their own sin. Satan has been so successful that even organizations that fly a Christian flag have been hoodwinked into placing their own corrupt efforts above God’s perfect work in and through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! They too have missed the mark completely!

If a person wanted to arrive at a required destination, a specific address, they would need to be given accurate directions, or their trip would be chaotic. How many times have you keyed in an address into a GPS device and then been sent on a rabbit hunt, especially in a country like South Africa with so many boomed roads. Going in circles and ending up in the same location, yet no nearer to arriving at your destination. Something was off! In this instance satellites cannot locate a boomed road and therefore it sends you down a road that has a dead-end. Religions do exactly the same thing; you think you are on track to please God when in fact you are doing anything but that! The Roman Catholic Church is such an organization. It puts people under pressure forcing them to confess to men and then being pardoned by a man not God. We all need God’s forgiveness and that can only ever be achieved on a personal level. It is between you and God! And this is how we shall all be judged one day, one on one. Do not be fooled into believing that you can earn an entrance into heaven on your own merit, this is a lie from the very pit of hell and “I am persuaded” that there is no other way to find favour from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Now the Muslims believe that Abraham was their father, but neither Isaac nor Jacob had anything to do with their claim and their religion. They believe in another God and he is not the God of truth! Of that “I am persuaded”! So then what is needed for those who do not have the same conviction? You must acknowledge your sin before the great “I AM” and confess to Him and Him alone, seeking out His forgiveness and then the light switch will be triggered. Only then will you be persuaded!

Here are the words of a man who once believed that to follow Mohammed’s instruction was the only true way to ensure his salvation, with death as the only assurance of entering paradise. The Jihad’s believe that if you die under Mohammed’s instruction found in the Koran, you will be guaranteed an entrance into paradise, “I am persuaded” that is a lie! 

Here is part of this man’s testimony who once believed that lie; Al Fardi was a man born in Saudi Arabia and he was taught that he would be punished if he doubted any of Islam’s laws. His religion taught him that you had to work for salvation. The bible in Hebrews chapter six teaches us that this type of mentality is no more than a dead work and it will never free the individual. You will always strive to please God but always find disappointment in your efforts. The only way man will ever find forgiveness for their sin is in and through the sacrifice of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the price for sin and no one else will ever accomplish what He has. Islam teaches a lie and Al Fardi came to this realization in spite of the prophet Mohammed teaching that the only way to be assured of heaven was to be martyred.

He came into contact with a Christian family in America with the intention of converting them to the Muslim faith, but it wasn’t that easy, they were Christian. Today He is a Christian and declares that message! God had mercy on Him and He now is able to declare the truth. He has an interesting story and it was refreshing to hear about his conversion. It was this verse that came to me whilst listening to his testimony; “And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9)

The mercy of God who can measure it!

Signing off

Tyrone