Grow up into him in all things!

(Ephesians 4:15) “Grow up into him in all things.”

Did you know that according to the Apostle Paul love never fails? Love never ends [fails (the Greek word “epipto” which means to drop away; specifically to be driven out of one’s course; figuratively to lose, become inefficient)]. (1Corinthians 13:8)  Now we know the love of man often fails, or we would not see so many divorces throughout the world. After all isn’t the reason we get married, because we love someone and they love us back…

On the evidence of this graph, I was about to pen that times had changed and this lure was a lot worse than periods past. But if I was to reason like that my head would be in the clouds and full of pigmented imagination. Sexual immorality has always played its part throughout time. Even Sodom and Gomorrah was a city that God destroyed through judgment because of their wickedness and it was a result of their warped lust. We also see in the time of the Corinthian Church that the Greek culture was full of love feasts. Sexual orgies part of their culture! Let me spend some time on misguided lust as it has had its part to play in my life, why else would I be HIV Positive; we also know that God has so designed us that we are attracted by nature to the opposite sex. A man is attracted to a woman and for this reason; “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24) 

It therefore is good for a woman to leave her father and then to be cleaved to a man as they two become one flesh. Marriage has been God’s design from the beginning. This is no longer the normal way of thinking amongst the masses, but I wonder how many apparent Christians understand this principle. “The two shall become one flesh”! Satan no doubt understands the significance of this truth as we can witness throughout scripture how he has lured those into fornication through adultery and fornication and it is still rife amongst us today.

Technology has not helped as we all have access to the lures of this lust through this medium. I know as it has ensnared me over time and I know I do not stand alone. Nevertheless this is what the scripture has to say about this very serious topic; “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two will become one flesh."” (1Corinthians 6:15-16): - We also know; “The eye of the adulterer also waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me'; and he veils his face.” (Job 24:15); - We think we will get away with secret sins, but God sees all! I suppose it is one thing to actually fall in a sexual act with someone other they ones wife, but even if we look upon a woman with intent we have committed adultery. This is what the Lord Jesus taught and with it comes a stern warning!

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5:27-29)

Let me then be clear, I have fallen many times in this area of my life, both in actuality as well as with lustful intent. Nevertheless we can never try justifying our actions as acceptable, we must repent and seek the throne room of grace to overcome if we have been and are still being lured by this trap. May God give us strength to fight this on-going battle so many face. Nothing is and will ever be hidden from our great God, Jehovah God. Our great King, the Lord Jesus Christ has paid the ultimate price for our sins and we now need to look to Him to put off all that hinders.

Some have overcome and we praise God for them, we know that the Apostle Paul was clear in this matter; “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!” (1Corinthians 6:15)

Having now established where we should be and the mind of Christ on this matter I come back to my opening statement, “Love never ends (fails)”. God is love and He is perfect and someone who is perfect can never make a mistake. We may make many mistakes throughout our lifetime, but not God.

So if you now have His Spirit, you are known by Him and you are His Son then heed the warnings look to Him to overcome whatever your struggle may be, I have but highlighted just one facet of life and there are many we could discuss but know this God will never fail. Let me leave you with these very encouraging words from a dedicated brother of the Christian cause…

“Grow up into him in all things.”

- Eph_4:15

Many Christians remain stunted and dwarfed in spiritual things, so as to present the same appearance year after year. No up-springing of advanced and refined feeling is manifest in them. They exist but do not “grow up into him in all things.” But should we rest content with being in the “green blade,” when we might advance to “the ear,” and eventually ripen into the “full corn in the ear?” Should we be satisfied to believe in Christ, and to say, “I am safe,” without wishing to know in our own experience more of the fulness which is to be found in him. It should not be so; we should, as good traders in heaven’s market, covet to be enriched in the knowledge of Jesus. It is all very well to keep other men’s vineyards, but we must not neglect our own spiritual growth and ripening. Why should it always be winter time in our hearts? We must have our seed time, it is true, but O for a spring time-yea, a summer season, which shall give promise of an early harvest. If we would ripen in grace, we must live near to Jesus-in his presence-ripened by the sunshine of his smiles. We must hold sweet communion with him. We must leave the distant view of his face and come near, as John did, and pillow our head on his breast; then shall we find ourselves advancing in holiness, in love, in faith, in hope-yea, in every precious gift. As the sun rises first on mountain-tops and gilds them with his light, and presents one of the most charming sights to the eye of the traveller; so is it one of the most delightful contemplations in the world to mark the glow of the Spirit’s light on the head of some saint, who has risen up in spiritual stature, like Saul, above his fellows, till, like a mighty Alp, snow-capped, he reflects first among the chosen, the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and bears the sheen of his effulgence high aloft for all to see, and seeing it, to glorify his Father which is in heaven. (C.H.Spurgeon)

Therefore; “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.” (Matthew 5: 29)

My prayer Father God is that you would help all of us deal with the tares of life, glorifying your name.

Signing off

Tyrone

    

 

He remains faithful!

(2Timothy 2:13)  “If we are faithless, he remains faithful-- for he cannot deny himself.”

It was a rough night last night, I bit my tongue, slapped myself in the face walking up and my leg throbbed. Yet even through that is seemingly a bit of useless information, I am excited on the condition of how my mind reasons. Even with these distractions my mind ticked over looking for biblical truths to help equip me to find obedience to God, my Heavenly Father.

I may hear or see something and my mind looks to examine it against the Word of God; it seems to be instinctive, and this excites me as it was not always like that of late. It was however stronger when I was a babe in Christ; soon after salvation so much around me had a bad stench to it. I noticed it mostly through Hollywood in the way they manipulate our reasoning though blockbusters with their under toned messages; keeping people's eyes off Christ and getting people to believe a liar. It is a conditioning tool that has its part to play in Satan’s economy. Without wanting to overplay their role, I suppose everything in life that does not lead us to Christ and His conditioning will leave us bare and expose to so many different lures and we know that once sin is conceived it brings forth death.

Therefore we must be on guard against those initial thoughts that look to trap us. It is like cheese in a mouse trap. Before long if we continue to let certain patterns in our lives dominate, it is our conscience that ends up seared; I do not speak about other people’s ethics or how they see you and look to place you under bondage about a liberty you may or may not have in Christ; “…For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience?” (1Corinthians 10:29)   

But I speak of something that we in ourselves have always once believed to be wrong and unacceptable but now accept it as the norm. This is where the individual’s conscience has been seared. I know as it has happened to me. But unless we seek God’s face and His graces how will that ever change?

This then is the thought that excites me this morning; God is love, His word is true and He looks out for His children but if we remain faithless He cannot deny Himself.

When the Word of God then teaches us; “Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me."” (Romans 10:20): - However, now that we have been found and have His Spirit we have sons privileges. And so when the Lord Jesus makes a statement like this it should bring with it great excitement; “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. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"” (Luke 11:9-13)

Although this portion of scripture makes specific reference to the Holy Spirit it is the mind-set of the individual I wish to highlight. Do we ask truly believing that God hears our prayers and more than that gives us what has been requested? Do we really believe that He has ears to hear? OF course He does! Even to reason like this is bordering on blasphemy, forgive me Father God! But I know my own heart in this matter. Because some have perverted the application of this teaching by looking for goodies, prosperity and the like does not mean there is any less weight to it. Look at the man Elijah; “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.” (James 5:17-18)   

If we therefore learn to put on the mind of Christ with our application in our prayer life imagine this glorious world as it unlocks to the realm of seeking, finding and receiving. Let us not make the same mistake so many make and have made; “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3)

If we therefore ask anything in accordance to the will of God we better believe we will receive it, all we need resolve is seeking out the will of God for our lives. We must spend time studying the scripture and pay no attention to the luring voice that lurks in the dark alleys alongside the Celestial road.

This is a walk of faith!

Signing off

Tyrone    

The importance of prayer!

(1Peter 3:12) “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.”

I wonder sometimes how the coincidences in life have their part to play in our lives, is this what we believe and do we think that at times that some events were just a coincident? I do not believe in chance as everything has been mapped out, in details beyond our own comprehension and yet we are totally responsible for everything we do.

The reason I mention this train of thought is I got an email from a friend and brother on prayer and its importance for our ongoing sanctification and then this morning I decided to let another speak through my blog; I went to Charles Spurgeon’s daily devotion and this is what he has to say…

“Thy paths drop fatness.”

- Psa_65:11

Many are “the paths of the Lord” which “drop fatness,” but an especial one is the path of prayer. No believer, who is much in the closet, will have need to cry, “My leanness, my leanness; woe unto me.” Starving souls live at a distance from the mercy- seat, and become like the parched fields in times of drought. Prevalence with God in wrestling prayer is sure to make the believer strong-if not happy. The nearest place to the gate of heaven is the throne of the heavenly grace. Much alone, and you will have much assurance; little alone with Jesus, your religion will be shallow, polluted with many doubts and fears, and not sparkling with the joy of the Lord. Since the soul-enriching path of prayer is open to the very weakest saint; since no high attainments are required; since you are not bidden to come because you are an advanced saint, but freely invited if you be a saint at all; see to it, dear reader, that you are often in the way of private devotion. Be much on your knees, for so Elijah drew the rain upon famished Israel’s fields.

There is another especial path dropping with fatness to those who walk therein, it is the secret walk of communion. Oh! the delights of fellowship with Jesus! Earth hath no words which can set forth the holy calm of a soul leaning on Jesus’ bosom. Few Christians understand it, they live in the lowlands and seldom climb to the top of Nebo: they live in the outer court, they enter not the holy place, they take not up the privilege of priesthood. At a distance they see the sacrifice, but they sit not down with the priest to eat thereof, and to enjoy the fat of the burnt offering. But, reader, sit thou ever under the shadow of Jesus; come up to that palm tree, and take hold of the branches thereof; let thy beloved be unto thee as the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, and thou shalt be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. O Jesus, visit us with thy salvation! (C.H.Spurgeon)

This then a typical example of the how God the Holy Spirit leads us into all truth, as He will always lead us to Jesus and no one else. Yet we get confirmation from different sources pointing us in a certain direction and it would be good to pay attention to it, when confirmed by the Word of God.

But I would also remind us that the devil also understands this and will use lures getting us to believe what we think is the voice of God but in fact is not! Always consider the fruit from our actions, are the fruits of the spirit clearly evident; less of self and more of Christ, then we are confident that we walk the right road, but as soon as it become more of self and less of Christ, it then becomes a path we have chosen to detour through, and who knows what is out there waiting to meet us? God Knows!

If it is a sign you are after, this is all I have to say about it; ““An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.” (Matthew 16:4): - What then was the sign of Jonah? He was in the belly of a whale for three day and then spat out on a beach where he then preached to a city that repented and found life. It speaks about Christ’s resurrection; if we have been born again and we understand that God raised Him from the dead that then is the sign, no other sign is needed. If it is any other signs you choose, beware!

But where we are led to certain truths in scripture that pertains to keeping us focused on Christ, do not take it lightly, it is a means to get us to sit up and pay attention and if we heed what we see in the scriptures it will nourish our souls.

Let me now role-play this morning prior to this post; I opened an email and I quote, “Please read this. I have battled with prayer my whole Christian life and I believe it is a type of missing link in my sanctification.” Now my mind could settle with this thought, fair enough that is where my brother is and it is where he lacks in his sanctification process and leave it at that or I could look at my own life in that regard. However when I am looking for a thought to spark my daily blog, I was immediately led to Spurgeon’s daily devotion, and I do not always start there. If and when it tackles the exact same topic, I better take note, if not I will then suffer loss.

This is the voice (sign) we should be on the lookout for and not the heretical Prosperity Gospel and the like. These are the signs that will feed our souls with fatness. The small still voice of God by means of the Holy Spirit, who leads us and guides us to Christ and not some figment of our imaginations. It is amazing how so many years ago I was exposed to that demonic teaching of the “signs of angels”, if one saw a feather and it was white something good would happen but if it was black, one should be on the lookout for trouble on the horizon. Although I have settled on this as a trap and not a help as the Word of God gives us no teaching on feathers and it is only the Word of God that we must and can use as a point of reference for all truth. It nevertheless still plagues my mind and when I see a feather I have to resist where it looks to take my thoughts. Ridiculous I know, nevertheless part of what I personally need to combat. Some bad choice so many years ago still trying to latch on. Now I am sure there are many areas in your life where you will see a similar pattern, and if not then praise God!

My prayer life needs strengthening, that then is what has been said today, and will I have ears to here?

Signing off

Tyrone

Preaching the Gospel!

(Mark 16:15) “And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

Many things in our lives have very little to do with us per say; it may involve us but be totally out of our hands. The air we breathe, the healing and aging process etc. I am aware that my body is designed in such a way that it is able to heal, God has ingeniously put together all their working parts. Although my knee is now painful after my operation, it must feel pain before the repairs is completed and functioning as it once did. There is a great principle we are taught from this type of example; it is pain that helps to teach us to look forward to our hope. The trials of life are painful at times! Now would this have been necessary if Eve had not eaten of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, if sin had no bearing on our lives? There is no point in debating what could have been, let’s stick to the facts of life. Imagine how many people will be reasoning like that throughout eternity; if only I had taken Christ sacrifice seriously, if only I paid attention to what he or she had to say about Him.

So as long as I shall animate, God gives me oxygen to breathe in order to live, there is no need on my part to make an effort to find air to breathe, it is a gift from God and all receive this gift, both those who believe and those who curse God. A person gets injured and the body goes to work and through a process and time it heals itself, were possible; actually amazing when we stop to consider the brilliance of creation, the focal point of God’s creation, mankind.   

The ongoing debate between the Calvinist and the Arminian; although this had its place in my life and in fact actually got me clutching for air as I had to deal with an actualization of being wrong once and now having to readdress my understanding on certain truths according to scripture. Nevertheless, there is no doubt about the brilliance of God’s Sovereignty and how amazing His mind is, Einstein’s mind insignificant in comparison. To be able to unroll a plan from before the foundations of creation, before time began and to cross every “t” and dot every “i” is no mean feat, it is incomprehensible to the human mind and this is why I believe so many Christians struggle with this truth; the “Book of Life”, when was it penned? Forget suppositions, what does the scripture teach? “And all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.” (Revelation 13:8)

This then give us inkling into the brilliance of this awesome God we serve and what He is capable of. God’s sovereignty (supreme authority over creation) at play! Nothing or no one will be able to alter His plan, Satan will continue to try but will ultimately fail. This truth must resonate with us in order to get a grip on so many perspectives through life. Having said that we have been given the ability by God to make choices; “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."” (Joshua 24:15): - Although Joshua’s name had been written in the book of life before the foundation of the world, he still needed to make a choice. The thought that the Hyper-Calvinist likes to live out his life and because it has already been pre-ordained that he no longer is responsible, is ridiculous!

It is this type of mind-set that confuses the carnal mind and we know; “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)

We must now begin to put on the mind of Christ, we must begin to walk by faith and we must trust God and His Word. Some points in scripture are so far reaching that if we get caught up in trying to rationalise them, before long we are spinning out of control.

We must settle on this mind-set; we have been given a choice and if we choose unwisely there will be consequences to our actions. Here is a prodigious example; “The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born." (Matthew 26:24): - And yet, David penned this event would happen many years prior to the event; "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry." (Act 1:16-17) 

However the focus of daily living must shift onto the individual, it is up to us to independently make daily choices; Get them wrong and we will pay the ultimate price, hell will be our final destination.

My conclusion then, some things in life are beyond our control, like the air we breathe! But whether or not we turn to Jesus Christ the Lord finding forgiveness for our sin must be left up to the individual. It is our responsibility even though God has pre-ordained the outcome from before the foundations of the World. The scripture is clear on this! Here are some verses to back up my point and it is our responsibility as workers together in the gospel to present these options to the world…

“For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."” (Romans 10:13)

“And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15): - it is not up to the individual to decide who will and won’t be saved or whose name has been written in the Book of Life from before the foundation of the world, that is God’s domain and it must remain with Him.

Let us therefore be faithful in proclaiming the gospel to all of creation and to then sit back and watch God work according to His good pleasure. Praise the name of Jesus for what He achieved on the behalf of repentant sinners.

Signing off

Tyrone

  

      

How and who will get us home?

(Matthew 24:13) “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Putting on and putting off or putting off and then putting on, which is doctrinally correct? I have arrived at my conclusion, but some imperatives need to be understood with regard to my findings, or rather the bible’s findings. The importance of the Holy Scriptures is to equip the believer with a correct understand of sound wholesome teachings aiding in conforming us into the image of Christ. It is there to teach us to walk obediently before the only true awesome God, our Heavenly Father. “Hallowed be His name”! Doctrine is there to equip us with biblical theory, helping the believer focus on their final goal, heaven. But if we get it wrong we tend to end up in some ditch somewhere. Thankfully it is the Lord Jesus who is working in and through us and even when we end up somewhere we shouldn’t, He continues to work with us.

But if we keep banging our heads against a wall, it eventually begins to hurt unbearably. It is only if and when we find ourselves falling to our knees and crying out to our God and King to come to our rescue that we are eventually set free, that is how it happens at salvation and so too must it continually happen in every area of our lives as we progress into Christianity. The necessity to rely solely on the grace of God is an authoritative and as soon as we take our eyes off this instruction trouble lurks on the horizon.

This I believe could be the biggest let down amongst believers of today, at least amongst those I come into contact with. I have been told by those who know me well, that as a young believer I had a tendency to rely on the grace of God as a license to habitually sin. And I will confess that there is much truth in that, my body is full of scars and my life full of serious consequences, but not serious enough to leave me in some ditch somewhere, praise the name of my great Saviour, the only true shepherd, He is willing to leave the ninety-nine in search of the wondering lost sheep. I have settled on my hero and His name is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Having said that these trying experiences are there as helps to teach us to depend on God’s instruction through His Word and to solely rely on His grace, and I do not mean as a license to continue in sin. God forbid we should settle there! This is not what the true definition of grace is. Grace speaks about favour from God, to be looked upon kindly. But we must understand our need to be looked upon favorably and this is where many Christians tend to lose focus, there is a predisposition to want to take back the reigns. At salvation we all understand this, it may not be immediate, but before long we realize the enormity of what it meant for Christ to die in our place. If not we haven’t understood the work of the cross.

When we look for practical applications in times past it is a good exercise to consider the Children of Israel as they journeyed through the Wilderness toward the Promised Land. There are many similarities between our lives and theirs and there is much we can learn from them. When we reach a crossroads in our lives how will we react? This is what I wish to highlight; God in and through the Lord Jesus is the only solution to all of life, let me explain; When the children of Israel fled Egypt and the Egyptians where bearing down on them they hit a snag, the Red Sea; What do we do in similar situations with difficulties or the combatting of sin in our lives, do we panic and take our eyes off the Lord Jesus or are we swift to run to Him? At salvation it is obvious we look to our God, we call upon the name of the Lord to forgive us for our sins through repentance and we are quickened in the spirit, our eyes are opened, and we are born again. But through the progression of time is this still our resolve? “And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent." (Exodus 14:13-14) – Or does the trial of life become unbearable and we then rely on our own abilities to overcome? Think long and hard on what I am asking. Do we look to make a plan instead of remaining silent in that sense waiting for the Lord to deliver us? We can very often be subtly deceived; when we look to the imperatives in scripture, which is an essential for every believer and our lives. An example would be; “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:1-3)

Get the order wrong and we are no more than a clanging cymbal without any musical tone to it. We end up trying to put off and then put on instead of relying on the source of grace, the Lord Jesus Christ our high priest whereby we may obtain mercy in time of need. We must first put on in order to put off. Put off we must if we are to make it to heaven! But our total dependency must be on the Lord and no other, from start to finish. Many of us lose sight of this simple truth! May God help us to understand!

 “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13) 

Jesus Christ the Lord, the all sufficient atoning sacrifice for all who believe in their hearts that God the Father has raised Him from the dead, after His cruel death by crucifixion and if we confess Him as Lord with our mouths, we are given emphatic instruction that we will be saved. This does not mean that if I use this formula like the soothsayer Getafix from the Asterix comic concocting some magic brew in order to gain strength to escape the enemy that I am safe. But what it does mean is if these words are dear to my soul and God has opened my eyes to their truth, I will be saved! If Christ is Lord in reality and I truly believe that God has raised Him from the dead, I am given a promise, I shall be saved! I must however continue as I began, my sole dependency my always be on the Lord Jesus and nothing else in every area of my life, yes every area of my life. I am not for one minute suggesting that I have arrived as I am still a work in progress as we all are.

God help us to keep this in the forefront of our minds at all times.

I will end with this encouragement; “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:20-21) 

Signing off

Tyrone

The proper time and the just way!

(Ecclesiastes 8:5) “… The wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.”

The law of God was put in place by God through Moses on the top of Mount Sinai when he returned with two tablets of stone with ten law engraved on them, not penned by the mind of a man or with the ink of men but by the finger of God. the only true God, the great I AM, Jehovah God used His finger to engrave His law for mankind into stone, the birth of the written law, the account now recorded for us by Moses in the book of Exodus.

This was no chance meeting, but ordained and called by God, no different to our encounter with God the Father in and through His Son the Lord Jesus. Just as Moses met God in person on top of that Great Mountain, we too must come face to face with this glorious risen Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was such an awesome event that any man of beast that came into contact with that mountain died instantly, except for Moses. Unless one has been invited it would be impossible to stand before a Holy God. It was some meeting and special preparations were set in place…

“On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the LORD to look and many of them perish. Also let the priests who come near to the LORD consecrate themselves, lest the LORD break out against them." And Moses said to the LORD, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, 'Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.'" And the LORD said to him, "Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the LORD, lest he break out against them." So Moses went down to the people and told them.” (Exodus 19:16-25)

Can you visualise this great spectacle, let you mind go and try and picture what was now taking place. On the one hand breath-taking whilst on the other a very fearful incident. Just one wrong move and you were dead! Let us not make the same mistake so many chose to make and that it to minimise this Awesome God. He is so magnificent, that fallen (sinful) flesh and blood cannot stand before Him and look upon Him and live. The tenacity of Moses pleads with God to see Him as He is and what is fascinating is God accommodates Moses request. But God has to hide him in the cleft of a rock…

“And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen." (Exodus 33:17-23) 

Moses insistence reminds me of another great man and that is Jacob, although he was a liar and manipulator on the one hand, he had such a passion to be blessed by God that he was willing to wrestle with and angel even though it left him cripple; “And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:24-28) – Have we?

It’s the tenacity of both these men I ask you to question in your own life, have you been willing to make it your business to be blessed of God and have you come face to face with Him? We know that God has made a way for the whosoever! Although that encounter between God was with Moses and Aaron alone. It is now an open invitation for all. How so? God sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for sin and every sinner that calls out to him will be heard; "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)   

The only question I have is this, have who realised that and have you in that sense asked God to forgive and remember you in and through His Son? We are unless in ourselves because of our sinful states, but because the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered sin on Calvary, He has made a way and He has wrestled with God the Father on our behalves, but we must recognise this truth and call out to Him in order to be bless by God. Have you called out to Him? Religion will not cut it! We must cry out to Him from the very depths of our souls. I therefore urge you cry out while you still have breath.

Wherever you find yourself He is just a cry away, praise the name of Jesus, as He accomplish that which no man could ever achieve, He has open the door to heaven, but thieves and robbers will not be welcomed, there is only one door where we will be allowed to gain access and that is through the person of Jesus Christ the Lord! As He alone has paid the price for our sin!

Once again I leave you with this thought and encouragement; “For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."” (Romans 10:13) – But call you must!

Just as Moses warned his people, I now warn you in “type” of the requirements needed for you to come face to face with God. Brett (Bandit) I pray for you even now.  

Signing off

Tyrone

Christ our only hope!

(Ecclesiastes 8:12) “Yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God.”

Once one is sedated and places under the influence of any mind altering substance, in this case pethidine a scheduled seven drug, it makes it hard to function with pen in hand, one’s thought are fuzzy and apt to drowsiness. It is good to be out of hospital and at home with a clearer mind.  

I am thankful for the overshadowing providence we receive from God our Heavenly Father and only because of the blood of our Saviour the Lord Jesus. Without His covering sacrifice His providence would nevertheless reign supreme, the only difference, we would be bastards and not sons. We would possibly claim God as our Father, but all it would be is “pie in the sky.” We would be subject to His wrath if and when we got in His way, and yet now He is the greatest of Fathers in whom I shall boast. There is no other God before Him; every other gods or similar claims are like chaff in the wind, you can see it swirling in the wind but it has no substance and it is driven wherever the wind takes it. It is not so with Jehovah God, ever “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed and that without acceptation.

Thank you Lord Jesus for making the way open for all who now believed and who continue to call out your name, praise the name of Jesus! He is Lord and He has risen from the dead. No other religion or cult can claim this, as all their claims are empty chatter, lots of word by with no substance. Our great Saviour is the King of Kings; He is the Lord of lords and with that comes a certain truth that will run its course, do you know what that is? Every single person from Adam through to the very last person to be born into this known world prior to its destruction will kneel before the judgment seat of Christ and without exception and they will acknowledge Him as the King of Kings. The Bible teachers this very clearly!

All our lives and the wickedness they carry, failure in keeping God’s law, sin with all its perverse thoughts and the like will be played back if you like without any detail being overlooked. Who gives us this teaching? The Apostles of the New Testament give us inkling’s into various aspects of eternal judgments; even the Lord makes reference to hell on a number of occasions. But it is King Solomon that spells it out very clearly, look at his summation nearing the end of his writings after he puts it all out there. Pay careful attention to the way in which he uses his words; the book of Ecclesiastes leads into a very power conclusion, so pay it earnest heed; “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher; all is vanity. Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:8-14)

So there we have it for all to see in black and white, as real for those that lived back then as for us who live in the 21^st century. The message has not changed; it will not and cannot change, why? Because we speak about a historical account that factually took place some 2000 years ago and just as the One who hung upon that cruel cross, and died for the sins of others also rose from the dead, making away for repentant sinners to escape this ferocious righteous judgment. Back then some were saved by His selfless act of love, and some are being saved by the same act of love today. There is no new story! It will never change; it has been recorded in the heavens and will be remembered throughout the ages and beyond. This story is as real today as it was back then, and an invitation is still on the table for all who still breathe. My question is will you cry out unto the Lord Jesus, looking unto Him as your only hope, for He is your only hope, every other religion and message which excludes repentance through Christ is not from God but the devil. We must rely on His sacrifice to free us from that judgment still to come, it will happen, it is a given! "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; (Isaiah 55:6) 

Do not delay I say and I pray, who cares what others may say, I hope the reality of just the thought of your own sins, both secret and open sins if exposed for all to see will leave you speechless and drive you to a place where you fall to your knees fearing God, this is my prayer for your lives Bandit and Richard, why do you fear what others will think? Cry out to the Lord Jesus and He will respond, only mean it from the depths of though soul.

Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. (Ecclesiastes 8:12)


Repent call upon the name of the Lord while he can still be found.

Signing off

Tyrone

Help from a friend!

I sit on the stoop of the Life Fourways Hospital after what seems to have been a simple operation, the aftermath of pain bearable for a change which is a pleasant surprise. As I am still a little groggy let us stay with someone that would feed us well…

 “Godly sorrow worketh repentance.”

- 2Co_7:10

Genuine, spiritual mourning for sin is the work of the Spirit of God. Repentance is too choice a flower to grow in nature’s garden. Pearls grow naturally in oysters, but penitence never shows itself in sinners except divine grace works it in them. If thou hast one particle of real hatred for sin, God must have given it thee, for human nature’s thorns never produced a single fig. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh.”

True repentance has a distinct reference to the Saviour. When we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and another upon the cross, or it will be better still if we fix both our eyes upon Christ and see our transgressions only, in the light of his love.

True sorrow for sin is eminently practical. No man may say he hates sin, if he lives in it. Repentance makes us see the evil of sin, not merely as a theory, but experimentally-as a burnt child dreads fire. We shall be as much afraid of it, as a man who has lately been stopped and robbed is afraid of the thief upon the highway; and we shall shun it-shun it in everything-not in great things only, but in little things, as men shun little vipers as well as great snakes. True mourning for sin will make us very jealous over our tongue, lest it should say a wrong word; we shall be very watchful over our daily actions, lest in anything we offend, and each night we shall close the day with painful confessions of shortcoming, and each morning awaken with anxious prayers, that this day God would hold us up that we may not sin against him.

Sincere repentance is continual. Believers repent until their dying day. This dropping well is not intermittent. Every other sorrow yields to time, but this dear sorrow grows with our growth, and it is so sweet a bitter, that we thank God we are permitted to enjoy and to suffer it until we enter our eternal rest. (C.H.Surgeon)

Signing off

Tyrone

Our boast can only ever be in the Lord!

(1Corinthians 1:31)  "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

Considering the way my mind works and how it turns over concerning the importance of making it to heaven, I have had an “epiphany”, but not as the deceiver would like us to believe and this example of his cunning; celebration around Christmas is a misguided affair where all get involved, from the Christian to the heathen. Something very wrong with that picture and it took the mind of a child to expose my mistake. Not that I am calling out Christmas per-say but it is a very good example to help highlight this “epiphany”- my revelation that I have received from God the Holy Spirit, the One who guide us into all truth. How have  I arrived at such a conclusion, let me unpack it for you, not that I am compelled too in that sense, but it may help the skeptic understand the concept behind receiving revelation. A simple thought springs to mind, after prayer and constant deliberation around God and His eternal plan. Think on this thought like a bee buzzing around one’s head, not enough to send someone into panic as the stinger of the bee only a distant threat, but enough of a concern to always be aware of its presence. I would wake up thinking on a particular thought and then go to bed wrestling for an answer. A Solution then springs to mind, but after some thoughts, many of them are disregarded as man-centered (a nice idea but just another lure), but when God places a thought into ones rational, you know because you know. So when one begins to unpack it, one finds that it is full of nourishment and very good for the soul. And it can always be backed by scripture.

Like I said I needed the mind of a child to see the answer. Only once I had returned to my first love was I made aware of the significance of a child’s mind. God has in His grace taken me back to the beginning and shown me the simplicity in salvation, lose your way and it becomes complicated. You could say that this verse has become very real to me of late; “At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;”” (Matthew 11:25) 

Let me by the grace of God unpack this life changing thought, and I am willing to go on the record with the conclusions I will now arrive at. It saddens me that we all have believed what I am now about to share somewhere along our journey, but we lose our way! Satan the mastermind behind what I will now reveal, but before we give Him too much credit, know this, it was our great Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ that defeated Him on Calvary’s Hill. Once and for all He has been silence by the blood of the Lamb. These are the facts behind recorded scripture, words penned by men inspired by God the Holy Spirit. The truth of it is that our great Saviour defeated every principality and power that opposed His will and the will of His great Father our great God. He cried, “It is finished!” And yet we still struggle with our walks and often lose our way, why? Because our adversary goes around like a roaring lion seeking to devour those weak in the faith, and not only the weak but he uses a different tactic for the schooled, or more mature. How does he do it? It will always be through some form of deception (the practice of deliberately making somebody believe things that are not true), always! You see it is the truth that sets us free; “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”” (John 14:6): - So then Satan’s objective is to keep us from the truth, which is the only way that will lead us home. Now with that in mind let’s also remember the enemy we have within. The Apostle John says 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. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1John 2:16-17)

What then is the will of the Father? It is very simple, do not complicate it, the answer is to remember HIS SON! What is the will of Satan, to get you to forget, or divert our attention from the truth of His accomplishments? And babes, young believers and more mature men in Christ have been and are still targeted by the devil’s flaming arrows.

The boisterous babe is confident in their God’s ability to look out for them and eventually becomes nonchalant with their carefulness in what they do with their lives in general. They begin to take things for granted. They begin to believe they are bullet proof to sin, but before long they are caught in one of Satan’s traps. To put it plainly they take their eyes off the Lord Jesus!

The young men overcome the evil one, but only when their eyes are fixed on the Lord Jesus and not on their developing muscles and their athletic abilities. They are captivated by Christ and nothing lures them from Him.

The fathers of the faith have remembered Him, I could begin to mention many names of those who we could refer to as our fathers in the faith, and it would begin with Abraham, and end with someone more current like Charles Spurgeon, but all would say the same thing, look to Jesus and live.

Many reformed theologians have a tendency to highlight the importance of living holy lives, but I say if we get the order wrong it may just as well be a pile of straw fit for the fire, we must get the order right, which is look to Jesus first, do not look to be once again enslaved with the bondage of the law, the does and don’ts we as Christians like to conjure up. For if this becomes our unbalanced rational, we play right into the hand of the devil. How one may ask? We do exactly what the Galatian church looked to do, they got circumcised, why? They look for proof by living by the law and this is what Paul has to say about this type of reasoning; "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-11)  

The importance of this topic and its understanding it needs a book to expound it correctly. I hope I have by the grace of God done it some justice.

Let me conclude by simply spelling it out; everything in our lives from start to finish must always revolve around the Lord Jesus, yes everything! If not we soon play into the hands of Satan. We must however get the order right, which is not the putting off and then the putting on which I hear many speak about. They say we must put off sin and then put on Christ, WRONG! Satan looks to get us to reason like this by deceiving us into believing this lie. We must first put on Christ and then we will put off sin, nothing else will do. Look to Jesus and we will live. I am tired of all the mixed messages that send us down a path of destruction. It is all about the Lord Jesus, it has only ever been about Him, and it will only ever be about Him. Of Course the Godhead is glorified when He is given His rightful place, praise His holy name! No wonder the Apostle Paul uses these strong words; “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. For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." (1Corinthians 1:23-31)

For this reason he makes this statement which must also be the banner for our lives as we carry it with us in every area of our lives as nothing else will do, God our heavenly Father will accept nothing less; “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1Corinthians 2:2)

The starting place for all if we have somehow lost our way would be to have the mind of a child. Placing our trust in him like a little child would place his trust in his father.

Signing off

Tyrone 

To be or not to be!

(Romans 3:28) “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

“To be or not to be?” Is a serious question and it covers many dimensions to our lives. We could make our way through every aspect of our lives checking the truth or false boxes off one at a time, but what would be the point? All this would achieve is an attitude of accusatorial or pardoning lifestyles. “To be guilty or not to be”? But as a dear brother recently said it would be good to take at least ten looks at the Lord Jesus to every look at ourselves. It is crucial that we make this reality our own. If not our itch keeps nagging away and the more we scratch the more it itches. The law will never be kept by the works of the law, that itch has no cure outside of Christ. I am slowly starting to comprehend what this actually means. It is Mammoth!  It can get very confusing along the way, if those teaching give out mixed messages. On the one hand we are told to abstain, and to put on the whole armour of God, which we must do daily. But we measure our maturity and at times take it somewhat further as we look to our own works for justification, proof that we are true believers. We know from scripture that a tree cannot produce both good and bad fruit from the same tree. And when that consideration begins to itch it can get very destructive if we start looking inwardly to the exclusion of the ten looks we should be taking at our glorious Saviour and His accomplishments.

It is the law then that accuses us of sin, so when we break it we think on the lines like this, I am guilty! If I was a good tree why would I fall in that area repeatedly? Surely this proves that I am not a true believer! Do we see the downward spiral as it now begins to spin out of control? Hopelessness and despair the order of the day and many are ensnared by this persisting lure. I should not behave like this, why did I do that again? What is wrong with me? Am I brain dead? “Like a dog back to his own vomit”.  

Now this may well be a truthful reflection in part to one’s life, but what pattern is clearly evident? Me, me, and me! It was impossible for those who lived under the law to pass its test without failure, and this included all from Adam to Christ. This was the reason why God sent His only begotten Son to pay the price for the sins of mankind; their inability to keep the law. He accomplished it and no one else! It has not changed now after Christ’s resurrection if we look to the law for justification. We are and will only ever be justified by His achievements. Why then do we now think we can do it without His help? It was impossible and it is still impossible! Let that begin to sink deep as it resonates once and for all as a permanent mindset. It cost Him his life back then to excuse our sin and we will forever need to be excused by His act of mercy into the future, with the worlds that are still to come, they too will know about His great feat. It will never be about what we accomplished but always about His accomplishment! Ten looks at Christ and then one look at self in retrospect, and not the other way around!

Remember the “ten lepers” all where healed but only one turn to the Lord Jesus thanking Him for His act of mercy, the other may have mentioned that He had healed them when asked by others, but it was by the by. It was not so with the Samaritan, he returned and fell at the Lord Jesus’ feet giving Him thanks and acknowledging Him as the one who had cleansed him, whilst the other who now were clean look to the priest (the law) for justification. I hope you see the difference clearly! We will never be justified by the law; “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:27-28)

The sooner we learn this the easier I believe it will be for all to take ten looks at the Lords accomplishment before we begin to look at ourselves for our own justification or disqualification. As a babe in Christ my life changed dramatically, I never gave much thought to the does and don’t that seem to now captivate my mind, all I knew that I had fallen in love with this great God, the Lord Jesus the One who died for my sins. My mind was engulfed with Him and not so much the law. Ten looks at Him to one look at self. Where did I begin to veer off course? Arrogance and pride no doubt playing their part!

We know that the law is good, but is was intended as a teacher to teach us that we are sinners and that because of our desperate state as sinners we needed help, we needed a Saviour, praise the name of Jesus! Now the world, all those who reject the work of Calvary still look to self-justification to be justified before a holy God. It is a futile exercise as it is impossible. Knowing this, why then do we still as Christians look for justification in what we do?

Remember it is at least ten looks at our great Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ before we take a look at ourselves. This I believe then will begin to re-kindle our first love if we have somewhat lost our way.

Signing off

Tyrone

Helps!

(John 4:24) “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

We have many helps as Christians and they all have their place. We have the Spirit, without Him it would be impossible to see heaven let alone get there. We have faith, which would remain man-centered without the work of the Spirit in our lives. How one may ask? Without God’s Spirit as the actual catalyst driving and guiding us individually, we would soon get lost, in fact to be more accurate we may even think that we are on the true Celestial road and on our way to heaven, but in fact we travel a road that has similarities but will eventual lead into a ditch (hell) and not heaven. Can I prove this thought from scripture, or is it just my imagination running riot? I surely can!

Let us see what the Lord Jesus said to those who were trained up in the scriptures, there was a certain man, who was a leader of the Jews, a spiritual leader, one responsible for getting his nation to heaven. And yet he was leading them down a road of destruction, he taught them man-centered philosophy even though he taught from the Holy Scriptures, He taught from the Old Testament, and even though he had a doctorate in theology he was as “blind as a bat”. Why? He did not have the Spirit of God enlightening the truths of God’s Holy Word, in other words the map to heaven was in braille. The blind leading the blind and both destined to fall into the dyke, unless God steps in and enlightens their path. This is how it happens in principle, circumstances and places may vary but unless God the Spirit quickens one’s spirit, we will remain as those who clutches at straws whilst in the dark.

Here is the account of Nicodemus as he tried to make sense of the Lord Jesus’ teaching on this exact subject…

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"

Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? (John 3:1-10)

This teaching is then fundamental, we must start here. Our Spiritual life must have a beginning and that is not when we are christened as infants. That is just another smoke screen to keep us from the truth and it is the same with confirmation. We must find ourselves in “type” falling to our knees and asking God for forgiveness for our sins. It is and must be a personal experience and not simply a religious exercise. Understanding that it is not through penance, or through works that we find forgiveness but only by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If not, we may think we understand heaven and its calling but we are way off the truth, without God the Holy Spirit as our guide we would still be blind even if we read from the same Bible as those who are able to see. This is sometimes overlooked; in fact it is overlooked often. We speak as if we in ourselves have this great ability to change the course of history. We believe we are the ones who come up with brilliant ideas as someone special and we forget to give place to the greatest of teachers, God the Holy Spirit. The pride of man a wicked thing!

Having said that, we still need teachers, who are gifted as teachers by God and not by men, without them we would be lead astray at times to supposition and inklings. We may even get carried away by what we think is the leading of the Holy Spirit. It could well be His voice we hear, but unless what we perceive is confirmed by sound doctrine, we cannot and must not be lead astray by what we think we have received. Why? We have many enemies; the devil roars seeking to devour, while our own flesh leads us down a slippery path and looks to ensnare us in these three areas of our lives. The pride of life, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes; “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): - It is only sound doctrine that will keep us from their entrapment. God the Holy Spirit, without exception always works in tandem with the Holy Scripture, the Bible! It is therefore those gifted as teachers that we must give earnest heed too. Who gifts men as true teachers? It is the person of the Lord Jesus who imparts this gift on to someone and not institutions. An institution may well help equip someone to be more skillful but it is not a given.

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 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.” (Ephesians 4:7-14)

The ability to teach sound doctrine is a gift from the Lord Jesus and not all have been given this gift and in particularly women will not receive the gift of teaching, hear me carefully on this, if not you will be led astray but what they think is true but in fact is not. Why are women not permitted to teach, Paul gives us an inclining to why they should not teach; “I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”  (1Timothy 2:12-14): - If you as a woman do not like this portion of scripture, I would ask you to examine your birth certificate. I only mention this as we are taught that all scripture is there to teach us the ways of God and we must give earnest heed to their wisdoms. I fear for some, I cannot be more specific but as a brother looking out for his family, I have been lead and am now compelled to highlight this truth. I pray it will be well received! Beware of all that is not confirmed by God’s Holy Scriptures, the Bible! And remember that God the Holy Spirit whom God the Father has sent in the name of the Lord Jesus will only ever lead us to the truth; “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24): - And it is imperative that we not only understand this next portion of scripture but that we make it our own; “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15) 

As Christians it is our responsibility to lock hand with one another as we guard against the errors of all that opposes the truth of God’s Word. My prayer would be even though we fail in many areas of our lives, may we never err on the side of that which is not comprehensive, as the Word of God shall endure forever!

Signing off

Tyrone