Monthly Archives: April 2012

For God made Christ Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him

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For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him

2 Corinthians 5:21

Six hours, one Friday. Mundane to the casual observer. A shepherd with his sheep, a housewife with her thoughts, a doctor with his patients. But to a handful of awestruck witnesses, the most maddening of miracles is occurring.

God is on a cross. The creator of the universe is being executed. It is no normal six hours. It is no normal Friday. Far worse than the breaking of his body is the shredding of his heart. And now his own father is beginning to turn his back on him, leaving him alone.

What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims? They were the most critical hours in history. Nails didn’t hold God to a cross. Love did.

The sinless One took on the face of a sinner so that we sinners could take on the face of a saint!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Are You Too Busy for God

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Are You Too Busy for God

For what is seen is temporary, but what is not seen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18

A woman who attended church occasionally was asked by a friend from her church what she thought about eternal life. She replied, “Are you serious? I don’t have time for that. I have a business to run and three children to raise and believe me, that keeps me hopping.”

Satan‘s influence can surely be seen here. He has made us disregard God in all areas of our lives, and the distance between God and man increases every day. We are too busy, too tired, or too anything else to take the time for communion with Him.

The saddest part about this is that communion with God is the most important part of each day; He is the reason why we have life, and He wants to give us life to the full. Why do we insist on focusing on all the other things instead?

We need to rebuild the bridge to God that Satan has torn down. Start today to live the life God has planned for you-a life that includes all the glory of His bounty…eternal life!

Ask Jesus into your heart today and forever “leave your life of sin” ( John 8:11). Let Satan know that he does not hold sway over your human life or your eternal life. To God be the glory!

Further Reading

God Bless

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

There is a huge separation between God and His creation, man.

Satan has done his best to alienate us from our God, and has left a trail of broken planks on the bridge to Him. We are in the midst of the worst scenario the world has seen, as chaos, war, promiscuity, murder and drug use prevail.

In other words, sin.

Why is it that we have now decided sin is an obsolete idea whose usefulness has long ago vanished? Why do we now think that living a fairly good life is enough to “save” us? What makes us think we can dismiss sin as irrelevant in our times?

Satan’s strategy is to get us to deny that sin and our sinfulness exist, thereby eliminating our need for a Saviour.

Jesus came to save people from their sins (Matthew 1:21); that was His ultimate purpose.

We are under a terrible illusion if we really believe sin does not exist, or that it doesn’t matter. Jesus gave His life so that we could have a relationship with God. His death has spanned the chasm between man and God, and now we can all come to Him in repentance.

Further Reading

God Bless

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God’s Truths Belong To His Children

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Resurrection of Christ

God’s Truths Belong To His Children

Matthew 13:11, “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”

MATTHEW 13:1-13

The Greek word translated “mystery” here, means “something that could not be known by men except by divine revelation, but that, though once hidden, has now been revealed in Christ and is to be proclaimed so that all who have ears may hear it.”

God’s truths are hidden for His children, not from them. God has given an open invitation to everyone to receive the spiritual rebirth which entitles them to the revelation of these mysteries of the Kingdom. But as stated in 1 Corinthians 2:14, a natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned. Therefore, whoever rejects Jesus rejects the source of all wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), thereby reserving the deep things of God for those who receive Jesus and draw on His wisdom through the Holy Spirit. This also safeguards the laws of God, upon which all the universe is founded, from being appropriated and misused by Satan’s kingdom.

In context, Jesus is speaking about those who have revelation knowledge of the mysteries of God. They will receive even more revelation and will walk in the abundant life that Jesus provided (Jn. 10:10; 2 Pet. 1:3). Those who do not receive God’s revelation will lose whatever truth they do have and will go farther and farther into deception. God reveals His truths to us in stages and not all at once (Isa. 28:9-10). Therefore, as we walk in the revelation of what the Lord has already shown us, He will reveal more of His truths to us.

The truths of God are mysterious only to those who do not soften their heart by seeking God with their whole heart. As Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

Related articles
  • The Holy Scriptures (stocktonbiblechapel.wordpress.com)
  • When God Doesn’t Answer Prayer (Reposted with permission of Sabbath Sermons) (thechristiangazette.wordpress.com)
  • How the Wheat and the Tares are Separated (sabbathsermons.com)
  • Question: What Is the Saddest Verse in the Whole Bible? (servehiminthewaiting.wordpress.com)
  • Warnings of False Teaching (defendingcontending.com)

Prayer, the most powerful tool

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Church of Jesus Christ (Zion's Branch) in Inde...

Prayer, the most powerful tool

Psalm 67:2 “That Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.”

We are saved to save others. We are living in exiting days, the biggest harvest of souls ever is about to come in. Prayer is the most important tool for your mission. People may refuse God’s love, but they are defenceless against our prayers.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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At the End of Your Rope is God

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At the End of Your Rope is God

Acts 16:25-26 says: “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bands were loosed.”

Wow! Here we see Paul and Silas in prison, hopelessly bound and facing something beyond their physical strength, their emotional capacity, and their intellectual plans. The power of the devil and the plans of the dragon had been executed against righteous men, but they didn’t let it affect them. They didn’t get bitter. They were not filled with unforgiveness, and they didn’t allow hurt feelings to overtake them. They knew where they were, but in their darkest hour they began to sing and pray. And when they prayed, that prison broke apart. Doors flung open, and the foundation of the prison was destroyed. This is what God is waiting to do in the midst of your hopelessness. Are you at the end of yourself and your own strength? Then you are at the beginning of God. Are you at the end of your rope? Then you are at the beginning of the cross. God is waiting to move on your behalf, so pray!

Don’t wait, but do it right now!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Christ’s Love creates unity out of our diversity

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Resurrection of Christ

World’s Longest Table

READ: Matthew 26:26-30

I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. —Matthew 26:29

On Sunday, July 18, 2010, one of the busiest highways in Europe became what some called “the longest table in the world.” Officials closed a 60-kilometer (37-mile) section of the A40 Autobahn in Germany’s Ruhr region so people could walk and bicycle or sit at one of 20,000 tables set up on the roadway. An estimated 2 million people came to enjoy an event the director hoped would connect people from many cultures, generations, and nations.

This event made me think of an even grander table around which believers gather to share the Lord’s Supper. During communion, we remember Jesus’ death for us as we anticipate the culmination of history at His return.

Just before Jesus was crucified, He shared the Passover meal with His disciples, telling them, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:29).

The Lord’s Table unites everyone Christ has redeemed by His blood “out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). One day, in a scene of reunion and joy, all who belong to Jesus will sit down together with Him at a table that will dwarf the Autobahn gathering. We joyfully anticipate sharing that table together! —David McCasland

Here we gather to remember,
In the breaking of the bread,
Jesus, who for us was broken,
And is now our living Head. —Anon.

Christ’s love creates unity out of diversity.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Staying in Faith

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Staying in Faith

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many
days
Ecclesiastes 11:1

Staying in faith through the entire process is critical to receiving
your harvest. It’s like being on a job and having your boss promise you
that you will soon receive a promotion. You are excited to go to work
the next day, but eventually you get discouraged if it takes a long
time to happen. If you stop going to work, however, you won’t be able
to go into the boss’ office one day and ask, “Where’s my promotion?” It
doesn’t work that way. If you are going to get the promotion, you must
stay on the job.

Likewise, if you are going to receive the harvest God wants you to
have, you must stay in faith. You can’t just say, “Thank you, Father,
for my harvest,” on Monday; “Thank you, Father, for my harvest,” on
Tuesday; and then get to sleeping’ on your reaping’ for the rest of the
week. You must stay in faith. You’re invested!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry

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And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry


1 Timothy 1:12 NKJV

 

It’s your first day on a new job. You walk in with little to no experience and your boss tells you, “I’m taking two weeks off and you’re running the business.” Can you imagine the fear and anxiety that would hit you at that moment? To be given a major task you haven’t been equipped to accomplish would cause anyone to throw up their hands in frustration. When it comes to serving the Lord and ministering to others, God has not left you empty handed. He has equipped you through His Holy Spirit and His Word to engage in ministry in a powerful way.

1 Corinthians 12:7 “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.” NKJV

I’ve often heard it stated that “where God guides He provides.” This is very true. At your moment of salvation, God instills in you a new desire to serve and bless others. With that desire, He also gives you the tools necessary to accomplish this goal. Whether it’s ministering to those in a nursing home or teaching a church of thousands, God will give you the wisdom, strength and ability to do that which He’s called you to do. So, what has he called you to do? Are you walking in His power or standing in your own? Go ahead, take that step. And as you do, the power of God will lead you on an adventure in ministry that will change your life and the lives of those around you.

Life Lesson: Jesus Christ will enable and empower you to minister in His directives.

Dear Father,
Thank You for the gifts and abilities that You have given me. Help me to step out in faith and to use those gifts to bless others and to bring You glory. Teach me to be available to Your call and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Use me today to reach others for eternity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God’s Comfort

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God‘s Comfort

God Of All comfort

Blessed be the . . . God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV

How could Mary bear to watch her Son tortured? Yet how could she tear herself away?

Her entire body must have quivered as though from an electric shock as she heard Jesus calling to her from the Cross. Surely her breath caught as she strained to hear His words, yet He spoke clearly, “‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple [John], ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26-27, NIV). And somehow, even with the horror of the scene before her, and the weight of agony pressing against her chest, she knew everything was going to be all right. She didn’t understand, but in the midst of the anguish only a mother knows as her heart is shattered by the pain of her child, a quiet peace must have stolen its way within when God spoke directly and personally to her from the Cross. God had singled her out, He had noticed her, He had cared for her, and she was comforted.

Blessings

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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