Vision, dreams and sound doctrine - part 1

Visions, dreams and sound doctrine and how do or should they play a role in our daily lives? This is a topic that certainly needs some clarity. The gullibility faced by so many Christians worldwide is of serious concern. The way in which whatever seems to be spurred out of the mouths of whoever has anything to say, so long as they fly a Christian flag, regardless of their teachings seems to be devoured. Babies are the ones that put everything to their mouths. But as we grow we learn to be selective. As Christian we should have the same objective and be like the Bereans (a people in the book of Acts that tested what the apostles taught to make sure they were legit - Acts 17-11), we must test what is being said by all, against the Word of God, the Bible! Please test what I am saying...

The very First question I want us to ask is this? What is the most important lesson in life? And before you read on, think about it and then see what comes to mind… This gives us insight to where we are with our Christian travels.

In my opinion, it must be the aligning of our wills to the Word of God. God’s voice must be our number one priority, and obviously this encapsulates the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle John, the one known as the beloved disciple, the man who had a place of rest reserved for his head on the chest of Jesus. The Disciple of love, starts his gospel with these words and it would be good for us to digest and then allow this to become a mantra for our lives; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  (John 1:1)

We see creation and we are gobsmacked by the beauty of it all. It’s the way God has informed us of His existence - see Romans 1, but for us to shift our attention and place all our energies on the planet at the expense of the Creator is where so many have erred from the potential relationship available to them in and through the finished work of the cross. Creation is not God’s supremacy but rather the evidence of His influence. His power resonates with his voice, it’s only when we do not value His voice as our number one priority to our lives, that we lose our way.

Let us go back to the beginning; “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” God said and it happened, period! Mankind’s power echoes with “stuff”. Money brings with it positions of power, but only in this world, which will eventually be thrown into the fire. We need material to create something, a carpenter needs wood to build a table, God depends upon his Word and it happens, “God speaks” and it materializes. How often do we say something but end up not following through or doing the exact opposite to what we have openly confessed?

How did sin enter the realm of humanity? Sin entered in when Satan the serpent deceived Eve. How did it happen? He challenged the word of God; “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) – Any deviation to God’s word should send out alarm bells in our heads. As it could be a trap to deceive.   

However, until we understand the awesomeness of God's voice in and through His Word, the Bible, we will always be clutching at straws to find motivation for our lives. If it sounds palatable, so many of us are quick to put it to our mouths and swallow, No! We must not comport ourselves like this, it is time to grow up, for the time of great testing for the believer is not far away. The Apostle Peter reminds us that testing must begin with the household of God, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”" (1Peter 4:17)   

With that fundamental truth laid as our foundation, the building blocks we add to our understanding must be reinforced by the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever is declare across social media platforms must be tested against the Word of God, the Bible must be referenced correctly and contextually for us to arrive safely. 

Let me mention a few warnings before we move on…

When God wills something and announces a truth it will come to pass. Do you believe this? “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared…” (1 Timothy 4:1-2)

The Spirit of God teaches us, those who have ears to hear must realise that “some will depart from the faith” and it’s imperative that we are not amongst that number, wouldn’t you agree? How will they be lured? They will devote “themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons”. This is not a possible reality but rather a fact, it will happen, end of story. Liars who have had their conscience seared will spurt out all sorts of garbage for their own gain in this life. We must be warned about them and resist them will all we have.

Another warning that we must observe; “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness (holiness- added), he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.”  (1 Timothy 6:3-4…)

Therefore when a scripture is quoted out of context or twisted in any way we must be careful, we may want to conclude that it’s an honest mistake, and it could be, but it shouldn’t be, if we have given the topic any study at all. At the very least, a red flag must be applied to our understanding.

Yesterday’s on a communal group I am part of, a teaching from Joyce Meyer was shared. She opened her service with Matthew 6:33 and I quote “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you”. The danger of this type of delivery, is that when a part of the verse is left out the meaning takes on a different perspective; In the Bible it reads, “seek ye first the kingdom of God, AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all these things will be added unto you. Now I have referenced 5 different translations and “his righteousness” is penned in all of them. The King James Bible, ASV, HCSB, NIV and the ESV. It would then appear that leaving that out must have been a calculated move. I’ll leave it at that, you must come to your own conclusion.

Father God, please give us eye salve, so that we may see clearly and bring you the due benevolence you so richly deserve. To God be the glory now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Anxiety

(Philippians 4:6) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

There are times in our lives that we who have the Spirit of God know exactly what it is we should be doing but somehow find the resolve within not aligning with the will of God for our lives, this is a place of absolute frustration. I believe we are all the same to some degree when it comes to our struggles within. However, it is impossible to speak on behalf of another without at least having travelled in their shoes for a time. This is why we have a high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who has done exactly that. He has been tempted with the enticements of all who have ever lived and yet without sin. That is an impossible truth to digest, it remains foreign to our natural understanding, and it must be digested through the eyes of the Spirit and faith. A miraculous feat achieved in a natural body.

Anxiety is a real enemy that constantly is fed by our defeat, or at least our perceived defeats. This is why we have to constantly commune in prayer, with thanksgiving, through the finished worked of the cross and in the name of Jesus as we plead our case with our heavenly Father. It’s our means of trimming our sails and just like the sailor navigates the dangers of the sea, we too need to check our bearings and then trim our sails accordingly. But all of our reasoning must be rooted on the correct foundation, our beloved Saviours achievements and not our failures, which when analysed correctly are many. And yet we cannot brush them aside as if they should have no bearing on our lives. That would be like having the spinnaker out when trying to tack.  They are there to remind us how reliant we are upon our husband, the Lord Jesus Christ. When the pressures of life begin to mount, remember this, we have been called to work it out, that by testing we must get on with. It’s about the will of God in our little worlds. What is it I need to do, in order trim my sail and to bring glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Now before we run off at a tangent, and make the error of the Galatian church; “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3) – This seems to be our default switch that we constantly engage when we realise that we have fallen short of the glory of God. It’s the way we are naturally programmed. But it has to change, we must learn to walk in the Spirit. We know that we will never lose our way when the sails of the Spirit is aligned correctly, in fact, did you know it is impossible to lose our approach when we are walking in the Spirit; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) - The only time we choke, is when we allow the reigns of our flesh (the carnal way of thinking) to once again captain the ship, calling out his orders that only ever brings confusion. It’s his voice that we must learn to silence. Now that is a task for each individual. And it’s up to the particular person to work it.

Here are some aids that will help us trim our sails when we lose direction. Our struggles happen on a daily basis and we need to remember that we walk one day at a time. Anything more than this could become too difficult to endure.

·       “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

·       And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

·       Matthew chapter 6 read the whole chapter and focus in on the Lord’s Prayer – spend some time here…

The purpose behind us working it out, hinges on this truth and if we miss it we will always be grappling with misdirection. God has instigated a perfect plan and it’s up to us to derive a place of understanding our roles in His masterpiece. Our journeys are about accepting and then finding grace to implement our part correctly, playing that perfect role He envisaged before the foundation of the world. Pay careful attention to this verse; “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Let’s make this personal as we break this down; through salvation, our born again experience and baptisms both into water and the Holy Spirit, sets us up to achieve the objective, “that we should walk in them”. Walk in what? The good works that God prepared beforehand. We must eventually come to a place of understand our roles in “HIS PRODUCTION”, we have a specific role, but without being swallowed by the magnitude of that thought, know this, all we need to really work out is to make every decision possible with the intent of bringing God glory and the rest will fall into place. Our lives are filled with tests, to see where we stand on the matters of life, and we need to learn to test our own action and how they play their part in God’s masterpiece. Hollywood has Oscars, God has eternal glory waiting for the faithful.

Let me leave you with this though, if some of what I have shared is missed. There is one overarching truth that we daren’t miss, and it is this. In order to achieve our objective, we must develop our relationship with the person of Jesus Christ. He has overcome and He will see us home. He is the Alpha and the Omega. If we find ourselves facing any dilemma, run to Jesus. If He has allowed us to snuggle into His chest, move even closer and finally when the cares of this life look to swallow us up, remember we have a brother that is touched with the feeling of our infirmities, HE UNDERSTANDS!

To God be the glory now and forever more, Amen and Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone

Tribulation

We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. Not a very popular message, nonetheless let’s face it, true Christianity is anything but a popular message. It is a very specific despatch and has isolated itself from any other religion or philosophy, salvation in and through the finished work of the cross, a message where the individual is saved by grace and through faith alone, not linked to our efforts, works have been excluded. In other words salvation from God’s eternal wrath highlighted by the goodness of God, through grace, which means unmerited favour. The mechanics behind the saving of a sinners has many opinionated views across differing Christian organisations. Some declare with immovable boldness that it’s God who saves the sinner, irrefutable deliverance leaving the individual incapable of any other choice, which in part I also believe to be true. Others believe that we are given the choice and we are brought to a place as a sinner and we then have it within our own power to choose or reject God. I partially believe this to be true, we choose, but only once we are given sight, God first and then our response to His unmerited favour. If it was the other way around, I would have something to say about my commitment. I would have reason to boast and it’s very clear that boasting of any sort has been excluded. “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) - Why is this important? Confession to this truth instils in us the awe of God and removes any form of pride that may look to coexist with our spiritual well being. The goodness of God, who can fathom it? The next question we find that rallies for our attention, is why me and not another. Now that remains a mystery? Because we cannot get our heads around a certain truth does not give us licence to fabricate our own opinions. We must be true to the text. However I am at peace, God has settled my mind on the subject, I am confident that He knows what He is doing and I will not question or explain away the reason for His actions. I am simply the clay and He is the potter. Settling on this truth brings with it a tranquil peace. It has truly freed me on what was once a great struggle in my life.

However this does not leave the individual without a choice. We now choose God because He first chose us. I love the Lord Jesus because He first loved me, God first and then our response to His grace. We cannot conclude that we have no choice in responding to God, that would be like putting one's finger into a plug socket with the power turned on and not responding to the shock. It would be an impossible quest. We must not muddle our carnal understanding with spiritual truth, which is a lesson all in itself. It's only through testing our reasoning against the Word of God that brings with it true spiritual alignment.

With that slight distraction out the way, let us get back to the point on hand. The Christian must arm their minds with this truth, tribulation is part of our journey. We will not enter the kingdom of God without the trial of life shaping us. The only time this becomes a problem is when we deny that part of God’s plan for our lives. Reject the trial of life and we will be like the grain of wheat that falls amongst the rocky ground with no depth to its roots. The trials of life will squeeze and we will fall away. Please do not be taken by the false messages propagated by the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Their agenda is an obvious one, it’s all about self-gain. True Christianity is all about self denial.

“Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)  - As spokesmen for Christ, in whatever capacity God has afforded us, it is our responsibility as men to be accurate with our God given ability to project the entire truth behind the gospel message. Misdirection will produce false converts. Obviously, its God who gives the increase, but we better be paying vigilant attention to what the Spirit is saying to the churches and then declare that truth to those we come into contact with.

The message that God will bless us with wealth and prosperity is a false message, some have been blessed and will continue to be bless in that area of their lives, but the overarching message that we as Christians need to understand if we want to continue in the faith is this; “and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  The reason we need this information in our lives, is not to be caught off guard and when we are confronted with these types of trials in our lives we know what we need to do in order to overcome the obstacle, we need to find grace. We need to approach the storerooms of grace that remains unlocked and is freely available in spades for the Christian to indulge in.

The Christians duty is to silence the gainsayer by their example, this is the will of God for our lives. We need to be illustrations though the trial of life to bring HIM glory. Without hope this would become an impossible task, however, we of all people have the greatest of all hopes, one day we will receive a body like the Lord Jesus’ glorified body and we will rule and reign with our God into eternity. We will fly the flag “sons of God”. If that doesn’t spark a will within us to glorify our God, then I question the legitimacy of our understanding to the call God has placed on our lives. Are we truly saved? This question needs to be settled on a personal level, but settled it must be, if we are to endure what awaits the believer just around the corner.

Signing off

Tyrone

Reflections

Reflections… it’s good to be reminded about our past so long as it leads us towards the light. But like any truth in our live we have to recognise the storm in order to value the calm. How would be appreciate the light in our lives if we never understood the darkness? It would never be as grand, who hasn’t fumbled around in the dark looking for something by feel alone? Where have all experience partial blindness in some form or another, but until we are brought into a light so grand that our carnality cannot contain its sheer magnificence, the place where we come to have our spiritual eyes opened, where for the first time, we gaze into the realm of the eternal and every other illuminating experience seems somewhat of an anti-climax. The day when God affords the individual the privilege of looking into the Lord Jesus’ beautiful face. Not to say we see him as He is, a spirit being clothed with His glorified body, the same type of body that every Christian in heaven is waiting for. But we are given the eyes of faith to see without seeing, a sight fed into our understanding that we know what we now see is absolute and without doubt the truth. A certainty where we realise that we have been seeking out this reality for all of our lives. The missing link uncovered, praise God for His genius and the way he has chosen to unearth this truth into a believers life.

 

Faith (sight into God's unseen world) comes by hearing the Word of God. Which gives us an ability to believe that what we are hearing is full of truth and not tainted by the sins of men’s interventions. It feeds that part of us that cries out “I believe, I believe” and only then does our understanding align with what it meant for the Lord Jesus to die and pay the price for our sin. When I unpack the working of it all, I am left with a gaping mouth and a mind that silently screams, “Ingenious”! God is awesome! A message that remains foolishness to the Gentile and a stumbling block to the Jew. The Gentile cannot see it so he will not believe it, he is blinded by his own wisdom. The Jew does not believe that Christ is their messiah and therefore looks for another, someone who will come with a majestic ability to entice with signs and wonders, they await a miracle worker. The anti-Christs hour is not far away, he will deceive with marvellous feats of grandeur. But to the believer, everything aligns in perfect harmony and just like that blind man in the temple, once we encounter our beloved Saviour and we are touched by Him, we run around shouting “I can see, I can see”. To see and understand what we have been saved from. A life of sinful capitulation where our sin has blinded us and habitually driven us from God, until that day arrives, where Jesus enters our lives and as I can vividly recall the happiest day of my life, hands down.

 

Here is a portion of scripture that partially uncovers what I am talking about and to all who are sitting on the fence, I pray that God would use lethargy to bring you to your senses; “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1Corinthians 1:21-25)

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

God is good!

(Romans 3:11-12) “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

The Goodness of God who can fathom it? A rhetorical question and the answer lies deep within His majestic beauty, no one knows, no one understands. However, millions of people throughout the ages, has, at times, caught a marvellous glimpse of HIS GOODNESS. God is good! We don’t understand what it means to be good. We all have our perceived ideas of what “good” looks like, but in comparison to what is truly good, we are clueless. “No one does good, not even one.”  We are worthless regarding our aptitude to please God. This is a hard pill to swallow as it strips us to our core, which reminds us that we are sinners and in desperate need of a Saviour. I understand that the Apostle Paul is referring to individuals under the law and those who use the law to find justification for their lives, accusing other whilst excusing themselves. At times, even the Christian lives here, it is a default action that we need to weed out of our lives if we are to please our heavenly Father.

 

We have been saved apart from the law, the law of God could never save us or any who lived before us. All it did was condemn us, so, to live as if we can find justification for our lives in and through the law of God, is madness. Deception of the highest order at play in people's lives. A simple breach of any one of God’s laws and you are guilty, you will be indicted as a lawbreaker and the punishment of that charge is death. Not of the flesh, we have all broken God’s law along life journey and we still breathe the oxygen He has afforded us. This reference speaks about our eternal deaths. An eternal life without God as our ally and yet a never-ending life of pain and suffering. The Lake of Fire will be the law breakers eternal home. Who wants to end up there, it is a place prepare by God for the devil and his angels and Satan is looking to take as many human victims with him as he can. Why? His defiance toward God.

 

The first reflex retort is, “how can a GOOD God sent people to hell?” I assure you millions will end up there, the Bible is clear on this. The only real question we need to ask ourselves, will we be amongst that number? God has already concluded all under the curse of sin, law breakers and there is no exceptions apart from the God man Jesus Christ, He alone conquered death, a man who live in a flesh and blood body but never breached a single law of God. Thus only qualifying Him  to pay the penalty for mankind’s sin. So, unless we find forgiveness for our sins we will be herded into the cell of the lawbreakers and be judged accordingly; “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:14)  

 

Is this a thought fearful enough to drive us to our knees, crying out to Jesus and probing Him to save us from such a terrible destiny? Where does true wisdom begin? It’s not in education, degrees or diplomas; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10) – Wisdom rests on the degree of our fear for the Lord. Do you believe this? Or is that just a thought that you easily sweep to the side as if that will have no actual bearing on your life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is foolishness to the Gentile and to the Jew a stumbling block. This is an overview of the world’s perception, but where do you fit in? Personally what do you believe?

 

If God is going to send so many to hell, why is He good? God is a righteous God, it’s who He is and he hates sin and loves all that is pure. It is impossible for Him to entertain any form of darkness. It is beyond Him, not to say that He never looked upon the human race with compassion, HE DID! In fact He was so move by our predicament that he sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to earth, to live a life as a man and then die a death he didn’t deserves. Why? So that we could find forgiveness for our sins in and through His finished work. If that isn’t the greatness act of kindness, then I don’t know what it will take to echo a response, “that God is good!”

 

He sent his son to die for sinners and the Apostle Paul puts it like this; “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) – If this reality doesn’t blow your mind, nothing of any eternal benefit ever will. GOD IS GOOD! We, the converted sinner, who through repentance has called on the name of Jesus and been saved from a devastating fate, now has the ability to please God, wow! However without this act of attrition from God it remains an impossible phenomena to please God and every effort will come up short.

 

I will leave you with encouragement and know this if you are reading this I have prayed for you; “For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”” (Romans 10:13)  

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

If Only!

If only!

If only I had… And I will let you fill in the gaps. Life is full of regrets, hindsight the perfect science. And yet our mistakes often teach us so much. Not to say that we aren’t left with the regret “if only!” However if and when God’ affords us the opportunity to come to our senses, we are grateful for the lesson, but until then our lives are full of remorse. This only applies to us while we breathe the oxygen God has freely afforded us. However once that chemical element no long keeps us alive, it will be too late for another stab at getting it right. We have all heard the quote, “we only live once”. A declaration which allows us to be wild and free. However it is our perception to that quote that’s needs evaluating. Some may arrive at a conclusion that we live and then we die and that is the end of that. That is a lie!

 

Deception of the highest order at play in the minds of the simple. Why do I single out those who believe that as the simple? We all come from the same substance, not a similar material but exactly the same stuff, we all have the same makeup. The human race, consists of a flesh and blood body and we all have a hidden part that is often referred to as the soul. It is not hidden from the individual but most certainly from those around us. That part of us that looks for the deeper meaning of life, the voice that is always speaking, the expressions that only you can hear, whether we like to admit this reality it or not, it lives. That part of you that has a need to be connected to God. We all look for that connection, even the atheist has the same desire, apart from this fact, the sin in their lives have so seared that portion to them that they cry; “there is no God”. I believe it is a similar driving force that keeps the sinner from approaching the light and calling upon the name of Jesus to be saved. The Apostle John records some of the Lords insight on how this works; “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”” (John 3:19-21)

 

It would be amiss of me not to be filled with compassion when it comes to the Christians hypocritical behaviour whilst travelling along the Christian road. I know that I have failed miserably in this area of my life, do I fly this flag alone? I think not! Without looking for justification or giving our sin a pass, our journeys are a marathon and not a sprint, most of us have been given a lifetime to work it out. Some learn the lessons the Word of God teaches faster than others. Thankfully God is faithful and extremely patient. Thank God for His longsuffering in a believer’s life. Without it I would already be in the pigs pens eating the husks of life. However, it’s the struggle that teaches us so many valuable lessons, praise God!

 

The soul is the part of us that constantly needs it desires met and so it needs scratching and until you come to your senses and cry out to Jesus to find forgiveness for your sin you will always be rubbing at that itch, and the more you scratch the itchier it gets. We have all been bitten by mosquitoes. It fascinates me how we almost always look for a substitute before we embrace the perfect remedy. I believe that it’s the sin in us that drives us there. That part of us that wants to keep us from the light. The Apostle Paul gives us insight into this in Romans chapter 7.

 

We have lived enough of life to understand that once we die, “if only” will ring out through the throes of eternity if we do not come to our senses. We need to find repentance for our sin and the God man Jesus Christ will save the sinner who repents and called out to HIM from the Lake of Fire. Sadly, millions will end up there, do you believe this? The Bible is clear on the matter. Whilst we have breathe we have hope, so I appeal to you to cry out to Jesus, plead your case to Him before it is too late and those words, “if only” remain glued to your lips for eternity.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone

God rewards those...

God rewards those who diligently seek HIM! But before we get there I suppose it would be good understand “what it meant to the Holy One to bear away my sin.” You may be asking yourselves what on earth has to do with rewards. “Everything” is my retort. If we miss the wonder of what Christ the God man endured in the flesh, to take away our sin, we will always be chasing the wrong reward and hindering the perfect will of God for our lives. We know because the Word of God has taught us, that if we “walk in the Spirit we will not fulfil the lusts of the flesh.” A help to achieve this would be to focus on Christ’s sufferings. Without this knowledge dictating, we will always be half baked with our commitment. Like James says, "you say you have faith but I will show you my faith by my works". Faith without works remains dead. That type of faith tricks us into believing that all is well, when in fact we have miles to travel. I reiterate works can never save us, but because we have faith, workings will then complement our commitment to God our Father, bringing Him the glory in and through our pledge. Everything in life is the opposite way around, we set our sights on a goal and we then work toward it, through blood sweat and tears. We achieve results by our own efforts. This is why walking in the spirit can sometimes be rather challenging. We need to view our spiritual journey through a different lens. Although both the carnal and the spiritual belongs to the individual, they require different applications. Our minds need to be conditioned with this understanding; “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) – They both have their part to play in an individual’s life. Many have worked this out while others still grapple with the idea of “this spirit world”. For many it remains a mystery, even the man that Jesus addresses in this chapter, Nicodemus could not get his head around the idea of what it meant to be “born again” and it obvious to see why. He was thinking with a carnal mind and then trying to understand a spiritual truth with that type of balanced. It’s like trying to mix oil and water, it is impossible. The carnal or fleshy realm requires a logical explanation for us to settle. The spiritual realm is driven by faith and this is the definition of faith; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) - The only evidence we have been given by God to understand HE exists without being “born again” is creation. It’s the awe of creation that should drive us to question a little deeper when it comes to the spirit world and in turn gets us to ask the deeper question, “How do I fit in?” It’s now up to the preacher to point those individuals in the right direction. This is the way God, the Creator of the universe has fashioned it.

 

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14) – And so the cycle continues, for over two thousand years this is how people have been save, born again! This is the way it shall continue right up until God shuts that door. Hopefully this will help you understand the need for those who have been saved to pass on the same information they received from someone else. We have been instructed by God; “freely ye have received, freely give.”  Salvation is a gift, it cannot be earned, nor can it be worked for. However, for us to receive sight into the spiritual world we need to believe before we will ever receive. Our carnal minds will never be able to process this truth. But once we realise that we need God to save us from ourselves and we cry out to Jesus with a contrite heart seeking out his forgiveness for our sin, that door is then opened and we are given eyes to see into the spiritual realm. Our spiritual journey begins and it’s such a marvellous revelation that it seems strange that others cannot see what you see. In fact it is rather mind boggling. However, because we now understand we need to be gracious with those yet on the fringe.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone       

The Gospel

(Romans 1:16) “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

 

The Gospel and the beauty that lies within, there is such beauty there and if only we would dare to enter in. Sadly with the brilliance of God on display, there must also be evil intent that looks to thwart. When mankind ate from the forbidden tree, it unlocked the door to both the knowledge of good and evil. Equally competing to gain victory and it is no different with the Gospel of God. As great and as liberating as the Gospel can be, so too can its message be frustrated to the extent of falsehood. A message that is full of half-truths, tricking someone into a false sense of God’s intervention into their lives when in fact their experience remains superficial. They may even believe that they are born of the Spirit, born again, when in fact nothing truly changes in their lives. They see Christianity as a help to benefit them in this life. A means to lighten their load. True salvation brings with it an abundance of peace but a struggle through life that would be impossible to endure without a daily measure of Gods grace in our lives. Therefore it is crucial to address the Gospel with the merit it deserves.

 

God in His brilliance has place this burden on some who have understood their responsibility to tackle this subject head-on. Its iron that sharpen iron. Take an iron rasp, stroke it across an iron blade and observe. It’s obvious that although the pressure is fierce, they work in harmony to achieve the required result; a sharper blade. We sometimes need the hard truth without the frills of a vacillating love to set us free and bring us to our senses. Please pay careful attention to what is penned, we need to be sure of our understanding of the gospel and how it fits into our lives.

 

Unequivocally Paul Washer is a man whom God has burdened with a deeper understanding on this subject, so I will look to examine some of his findings and then share what I find appropriate. Although the sinners prayer is often prayed by many. Those who have responded to an alter call seems to be extremely encouraging for the rest of those attending the meeting. However, if the message is a dispatch that God will fix your finical woes, those who have responded have the wrong idea of the gospel. And so there are many other reasons why people may respond and come forward. These types of messages are evil because they promise what is good, when in fact it is a lie. A false gospel message has lured them to answer the preachers call.

 

Let us look at what the gospel is and then hopefully you will be able to appropriate it into your lives accordingly. That old adage, if the shoe fits, wear it. If a knife is dull take an iron rasp to it.

 

The gospel means good news and it is a message accomplished by  the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for a fallen people through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Jesus who is equal with the Father and the exact representation of His Father willingly left the glory of heaven. Conceived by the Holy Spirit into the womb of a virgin and then was born the God man, Jesus of Nazareth. He walk this earth in perfect obedience to the law of God. Eventually he was rejected by man and they crucified him. On the cross of Calvary he bore man’s sin, suffered God’s wrath, in other words was punished for our sin and then died in man’s place. On the third day God raised him from the dead, this is the proof that God the Father accepted His Son’s sacrifice as an atonement for mankind’s sin. Jesus paid the penalty for our disobedience, satisfied the demands of justice and pacified the anger of God. Forty days after the resurrection the son of God ascended into the heavens and sat down at the right hand of God the Father and was given glory, honour and dominion over all.

It is therefore imperative that theses truths be highlighted when presenting the gospel message. There is no wiggly room when it comes to our sin. Our sin has offended God, we need to own it and repent, seeking out God’s forgiveness. It’s not an altar call that invites us to try it out as if we are in a fitting room trying on a pair of slacks. How dare we venture down that road, the liberty found in the gospel came with great cost, the death of God’s only begotten Son. It’s only those that acknowledge their sinful state before a Holy God that God will pardon and then declare righteous, not because of what we have done but because of what HE has done. But we must own our sin as the offence that drove Christ to the cross.

 

Paul washer highlights a point that he refers to as one of the greatest crimes committed by this Christian generation is its neglect of the Gospel. “It’s not that the world is gospel hardened but rather gospel ignorant.” On reflection, how true that is. Money preaches and the like spewing out filth and the masses eating it up. Religious organisations accommodating sin as progressive application to entice new membership. GOSPEL IGNORANT! We will all stand before the judgment seat of God and just like the laws of the land, ignorance will not excuse us.

 

The work of God in an individual’s life is miraculous. He causes the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to walk. If you have not had a similar experience, I wonder how real the encounter. I’m not talking about the mistakes we may make along the way, as I know I am chief of blunders. However, I will not cling to the grace of God so that His grace may abound, accommodating my sin, living in a breach to God’s Word and expecting his grace to cover me. Jesus died for it. Do we have a burning desire to find grace to rid ourselves of every offence that nailed Jesus to the cross? If not, have we responded to the correct Gospel message?

 

There is much more to be said on this topic but time does not permit.

 

It’s crucial that you examine where you sand in relation to the correct Gospel message. Why did you respond to the altar call? Are you activity driven of Christ centred? If your blade need sharpening pull out the iron rasp of the correct gospel, fall to your knees, repent and ask for forgiveness and if God steps in, your life will change. You will begin to cry, I can see and begin to seek out God’s grace to right those areas in your life that offend. You will have a desire for Christ.

 

Signing off

 

Tyrone