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Truth for the Heaven bound! – (But watch ye at every season, making supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36).

Managing the Gospel Truth

Written By: Pastor John - Jun• 03•12

Characteristics of The Gospel Truth and How To Handle Gospel Truth

This is easily the funniest topic that I have come across in recent times. It is very true that I had a message boiling in my mind, but I never thought of using this title until God popped it my spirit. I had determined to write about the truth of Jesus, and I as was juggling the definition of the word truth in my mind, suddenly the common phrase, ‘gospel truth’ jumped at me. And the more I latched on to the emerging picture, the more I realized that the message was actually the truthfulness of the gospel and its interpretations by men in different time spheres.

Further, I realized that the phrase have become like a swear word that people resort to conclude some expression building up in their minds without being committal. However, since gospel truth remains absolute truth whose reliability must remain unquestionable, it becomes important for one to understand what its nature truly is. Hence, the wording of our title relates to identifying its specific qualifying criteria.

 

Criteria for absolute truth

The criteria that confer gospel truth its reliability to it include facts that one can be test it for objective certainty before confirming its claims based on specific criteria that almost always produce the same results as if it were a scientific fact or law. Such validation eliminates doubts and helpfully encourages one to grow spiritually. In fact, since it concerns the gospel, the reinforcement of one’s faith becomes an advantage freeing one to enjoy the benefits of born-again Christianity.

Another character and criteria of gospel truth is that you must know it. There are enough opportunities for one to access information and other resources these days for lack of knowledge to be an acceptable excuse. This pitches one directly against God who has refused to accept ignorance as an excuse for salvation. The only way provided today is by an acceptance of Christ Jesus as one’s personal savior, anything short of that standard is treated as a denial of God. For instance, not going to church is a sin of disobedience on the part Christians (Heb. 10:25). Many are unaware of such truth; yet, they have access to the Bible. So, opportunities abound to learn and to know the truth about the truth; either in the church, in the library, online in our homes, on radio, TV or movies. Yet, until we know the truth to be tested, all other conjectures are deceptive.

Let us review this conversation between Thomas and Jesus:

The truth must also make sense

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14: 5-6).

Now, until you can positively attest to the veracity of the above statement of Jesus Christ, you are still from locating the gospel truth. The bottom line is that if you must commit suicide by hanging, you certainly need a rope strong enough to carry your weight. If you must have faith in Jesus you need to be sure that he is always reliable, just as he claims.

The testimonies of Paul and the Thessalonians form an illustrative case. The Thessalonians in this case have moved beyond the doubting level. They have progressed into the operational mode where they cause the truth of the gospel to showcase positive results:

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake (1 Thess. 1:5).

In other words, the Thessalonians have tested the gospel, tried it out and confessed it before Apostle Paul could turn round to remind them of their joint witnesses. More importantly however, the point being made is that the gospel truth is a personal choice that the life and times story of Jesus confronts us with irrespective of how long ago that was. That truth is encoded in the offer of a new life, a new beginning for all humanity. All Bible stories demonstrate the same theme, namely; that sins and wickedness of men reach such a tempo that God vows to destroy them. Yet, if men repent, and confess their sins, God is always willing to forgive us. Further, God will make provisions for our new lifestyle in order to tackle our immediate needs and spiritual growth.

Whatever beliefs or lifestyles we may have at the moment, we can still fit into the new drama. Most importantly, using the gospel truth to positively influence once life decisions produces very significant changes in one’s lifestyle and company.

 

Learn this wisdom, Buy this treasure

A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you (Psalm 91:7).

The common finding is that we do not have a problem with the laws, but to observe them bore us. And this is where our problems begin. We start to find excuses to rationalize the laws or the situation. We try to fit the laws into our comfort zones instead of our circumstances. Yet, the same laws have universally been observed over time. And people have been placed on record for keeping the same laws righteously (Heb. 11). Therefore, it is a trick of Satan to appeal to our ego and pride to find an excuse to avoid a behavior that we know is good, that everyone else is sure of, and basically assumes correct. Then, we throw our fingers in air and refer to that spiritual defense, “I don’t believe” or “I am not sure yet”; knowing fully that no one can touch that however much they cared.

This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Tim. 1:15).

This is the gospel truth, and the last free opportunity. After this, the only other chance will cost you your own blood (Rev. 20:4).

 

Truth will be the chief judge (Rev. 20: 11-12)

Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Who “will render to each one according to his deeds” (Rom. 2: 1-4,6).

The truth of God as we routinely apply it to our daily lives remains the standard and the basis for judgment. It does not matter how we have lived our life or whatever else we believe if we reject the truth of God. Even, if it is with our final breadth that we confess Jesus Christ, our previous lifestyle becomes irrelevant o our final destination. In other words, it is the basic belief that governed that lifestyle that will form the truth determining the final judgment of God. Unfortunately, that final judgment is a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ situation with no opportunity for a defense, a rebuttal or an appeal.

To be certain of the ‘Yes’ requires a non-negotiable or irreconcilable submission to the offer of the grace of salvation from all unrighteousness by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

God has enough provision for us to live a lifestyle that evidences separation unto Him. From the moment that we accept this truth, it becomes required of us to diligently follow the rules that He provided for us to live a lifestyle which guides us to our rewards on that last day.

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities” (Acts 3: 19-26).

So, what we choose to believe will not matter on that day. We have been provided enough historical evidence and other apparently circumstantial evidences for us to objectively confirm the veracity of God.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books (Rev. 20:11-12).

 

Will how you lived matter?

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work (Rev. 22:12).

Many religions have their strong moral codes to which the adherents usually comply. In the non-Christian faiths, observing these codes usually result in characters that can be humanly classified as righteous, if not revered for the holiness. The Dalai Lama is a living example. Chairman Mao was another good one. Apart from these international figures, I am sure that we can all quote the names of champions from our local cultures and religions.

Shamefully however, many Christians confuse the grace associated with salvation as a justification for careless behavior. The result is that in the society, one can find a spectrum of behaviors and belief systems, many of which are confused about God will judge these situations on that last day. In fact, the water appears so muddled that many people are very confused about what will be the most important criteria for that judgment on that day.

For instance, considering our time in historic perspectives, will hearing the gospel preached to us before we die count or will it not? Will backsliding and/or subsequent restitution be of any effect? How fair is that to people who believe that they have been pious all along, yet refused to accept the gospel? What will happen to children swept by various accidents? It will be rather unfair to suggest that these questions are not valid intellectual challenges; even the most astute evangelists will pause for a while before offering some answers.

 

God recognizes the issues

Yet, if we look clearly at our scriptures, we have a lot of guidance provided in there for us. for instance, when God decided to send Moses back to Egypt to deliver the oppressed Israelites and Moses was coming up with all sorts of excuses, one God’s answer in that conversation is particularly remarkable. God said:

So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? (Exo. 4:11)

Therefore, God knew that Moses had issues. God recognized that the stammering tongue of Moses was imperfection and a source of embarrassment to him; yet, God had determined to use the same deficiency to advocate the cause of Israel in the courts of Pharaoh from the mind of one (Moses) who very familiar with the protocols of that palace.

More importantly, in this passage God confirmed that He created the imperfections and that He recognizes their existence. Earlier, we had read the account of the His interaction with Noah where God specifically confirmed His creation both clean and unclean animals, as He instructed Noah on the preparations for going into the Ark with his family (Gen. 7: 2-3).

Essentially, this is what entering through the narrow gates instructions of Jesus Christ clarifies for us (Matt. 7: 13-14). It is clear that even as early as the time of Noah, God let us know that He understands that evil, wickedness and unrighteousness exist along with the good and the righteous in this world. Hence, when God decided that the time was ripe to destroy the world, He preserved Noah and his family (Gen. 6:8; Gen. 7:1). The intellectual argument that will challenge the historicity of the Noah story must a tall one. Yet, with the story of Noah arrives the covenant of the rainbow, making the event difficult to debunk (Gen. 9: 13-15).

 

Rewards for your lifestyle

“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame” (Rev. 16:15)

So far, we have assumed that the reader believes the scriptures for forever reasons. However, we continue to insist that it is not unholy to examine the very object upon which of from whom all these claims emerge. For instance, is this covenant of the rainbow as recorded in the ancient writings of Moses believable? One may agree that Moses grew up in the best of schooling environment in the palaces of Egypt (credited with the origin civilization). Yet, this record is about all that we have for its historic veracity. It is very important that science may have a description of this weather effect; yet, the origin remains unexplained. It is my suggestion that we include this covenant as an exhibit in favor of the existence of God.

Our first scriptural quote (Rev. 22: 12) refers to a dangerous warning against being caught with carelessness compromising one’s righteousness as Jesus surprisingly returns. It will be too late to retract form the shame of the carelessness. Yet, in the same vision of John, Jesus talks about all sorts of rewards for all sorts of behaviors including the righteous and unrighteous lifestyles, and categories in between in our human imagination:

He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work (Rev. 22: 11-12).

Apostle Peter in his writings also confirmed this concept when he said:

and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) — then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries (2 Pet. 2: 7-10).

 

Therefore, in all phases of history and their languages God continues to confirm His knowledge of our attitudes, behaviors and characters; essentially, our lifestyles with a promise to reward us at the appropriate time. Yet, that timing is another important issue.

 

God shut the door

Let use Noah as our example once again. Gen. 7:16 makes us realize that after God had separated the righteous people into the Ark of Noah, He sealed them in. later on, when God decided that it was safe and dry, He released Noah to give him a new set of instructions (Gen. 8: 15-16).

Ever since in history we have continued to record unexpected ways that life has ended. We have heard of earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis and the rest of them including nuclear disasters. These are natural occurrences that we have no control over, and whose warnings signs may not give us enough room to escape. If it was Noah that the door of the Ark, he may have been merciful enough to consider some of his old friends that would have come to plead with him to save them, and their own children too. At least, he may have pitied the children and tried to accommodate them as the storm began. But it was beyond Noah this time around, it was God Himself that shut the door.

That is a glimpse to the kind of surprise that Jesus was talking about in the vision of John recorded in the book of Revelations. However, the picture painted is instructive because that is exactly how surprisingly it will turn out when that end comes. Either one dies naturally or in accident, or one is caught up with the Rapture of the saints event or one makes it alive until The Day if God’s Final Judgment. Whichever it turns out to be, it will be beyond human control at that time. We will then be faced with the issue of gratification for how we have spent our lives.

 

Be careful

However, we need to be very careful. This is because even the scriptures recognize that as men we tend to rationalize our behaviors for their so-called good.

All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits (Prov. 16:2).

The danger lies in the yardstick used to measure these behaviors. The scriptures actually reports God Himself saying that our thoughts are continually evil (Gen. 6:5). However, we believe that we are righteous before God or not, we need to remember that the shut will be one fateful day. From that moment one, we will be left to collect our rewards on the other side. Noah did so has it been in principle. That may sound quixotically like the action and reaction equality law? But most importantly, let us take the last word from the wisest of kings, I mean King Solomon:

Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established. The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom (Prov. 16: 3-4).

Watch out!

Pastor John

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Intellectualism about Jesus: Truth for All Series 1

Written By: Pastor John - May• 12•12

Introduction

I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you (John 8:37).

If you are not a pastor or working actively at that level of a religious ministry you may not know that there are millions of books out there. You may not realize that each one is targeted at you, while explaining a point of view or the other about Jesus Christ. Whether you are a Christian or not, you cannot deny the many other media through which you hear about this man daily.

In fact, those of you who have been curios enough to pursue an investigation into the man –Jesus cannot but confirm that certain so-called truths appear like myths since they do not sound defensible to common natural reasoning or even scientific evaluation. Yet, all the literature is about the need to accept or renounce the man Jesus Christ – a deceased Jew as God.

There is no doubt that this can present a significant intellectual challenge. It is a statement of fact that many will not even want to be associated with considering such ideas, so that peers will not take them for fools.

As I continue to interact with college age young adults and emerging financially independent adults, I always sense a tension punctured in the audience when someone volunteers that they find it irrational to release their great lives with all its promises to some esoteric concept of believing in some man whose death further makes Him unaccountable. The above is my nice summary, it does not always come out this gently though. However, these young people find it easier to volunteer the truth as it worries them, and even their parents who have become disenchanted with life.

This is the reason many of the youngsters locked up in jails who are seriously considering giving their lives over to Jesus believe that going to live with grandma is the only way to sustain their spiritual growth. Church attendance had never been on the parents schedule assuming that those ones are not in jail as well, or can still be traced by the young fellows. However, they often remember that grandpa and grandma used to go to church; therefore, that is the only hope of then finding a sustaining congregation that may continue to nurture their spiritual development once out of jail. This is the only that submitting to Jesus Christ as ones savior can make any sense. Without that source of support, you can be sure that the very agents that led them to jail is still waiting for them to return for more life in darkness. Is it not scary that this implies that a whole generation (their parents) is totally out of the picture of those making it to heaven?

Bottom line is that we all need to establish the fact that Jesus Christ physically lived on this earth. We sure know that a Jew by that name lived in Israel about the time referenced, but was this the type of man that is recorded in the scriptures? What is his true story?

Many truly wish to believe but find it difficult to do so. We will be finding out why in this series.

Pastor John

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Intellectualism about Jesus: Truth for All Series 2

Written By: Pastor John - May• 12•12

Was Jesus Christ really here?

Let us start by agreeing that anytime I use the word Christ, I truly mean the Savior or Emmanuel as many people will prefer the reference. Therefore, I am talking about who I believe to be our savior by His offer of the grace of salvation. It is not necessary to get bogged down with whether he is savior of the Jews, everyone, Arabs or white men alone. It is enough for my present purposes to call Him the Savior.

 

I present to you – that Messiah!

That Jesus read out Isaiah chapter 9 in the Synagogue, and then boldly ended the reading with an acknowledgement that He; Jesus was in fact the messiah being talked about in the passage that they just listened to. Anytime that I meditate on this passage and try to put myself in this picture, I cannot but understand why people will become irritated at such impudence with a determination to challenge his right to arrogate to himself a prophecy whose fulfillment intellectually respected Jews were looking forward to. Therefore, the shock and reaction of the people can be understood.

However, we must not forget another historical reference to the fact that this young man was always called to the conference of seasoned rabbis anytime his family made it to Jerusalem from Galilee. He must have made such significant contributions about the time he was 12 years old, because if it was just a matter of the parents annoyed at being delayed, that should not have lasted the test of time in the scriptures. God must have ensured that this apparently innocuous record carried its meaning for us as we seek to understand the trend of events. In other words, the signs have been there all along and Jesus was probably trying to signify to mankind to end the search and get into the business of salvation, or freedom as Israel understood her issues at the time. This is more so as we have little guidance as what happened in the interim before this declaration and especially after the 12 years of Jesus’ age incident.

Even John the Baptist, his relative, a great prophet in his own right also doubted that Jesus may have been The Christ. He sent his own disciples to go and confirm from Jesus if Jesus was The Christ (Matthew 11:2-3). We may also remember the appeal of Nicodemus in the Council to leave Jesus alone on the grounds that if His claims were not genuine, His ministry will frizzle away just like the records show of many others before Jesus (John 7:50-51). So, there were indications significant enough to suggest, if not confirm to keen watchers that the Jesus had messianic properties, but since Jesus did not fit the prototype of the crown prince, it was easy to dismiss these signs.

Nicodemus and Gamaliel belonged to the Jewish Council that monitored the activities of Jesus as part of their oversight responsibilities for Israel. As the ministry of Jesus waxed stronger he continued to display attributes of His deity. Paul, the converted apostle studied as Saul of Tarsus under Gamaliel, and we have historic records of his vehement defense of Judaism including the persecution of the disciples of Jesus Christ in order to dismantle or extinguish the movement that is today referred to Christianity. How Saul became converted and decided to use the Greek version of his name – Paul as the new apostle sent to the Gentiles is also a matter recorded in the scriptures. The point being made is that in spite of all comparisons, a certain man whose name is Jesus, now reigns over all the continents of the earth and in various languages lived at some point in Israel committing earth shaking wonders that merit recording in history.

 

Challenging the history in the scriptures?

The questions that come to mind now will be to examine any challenges of these historical records on some intellectual grounds, or scientific findings that contradict these records. Of course, everyone is encouraged to cross-check the facts; but never forget that the point of that exercise is to reach a decision about whether to take His offer of grace by His death on the cross and submitting your life to His able care henceforth.

The gospel of Mathew 27:50-54 has a wonderful record that if checked out will not only confirm that a man more wonderful than Elijah lived in this world at some time in Israel, but that even in death He wielded so much power. Far away from Golgotha where He was being persecuted, historical records confirm that dead Christians woke up from their graves, cleaned themselves up and walked back home. At the same time, the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem’s Synagogue was exposed as the curtains split open exposing the altar of God in His reserved throne room. A room which only man was allowed to enter once a year now became directly accessible to everyone all year round!

Bottom line is this, you need wipe Nicodemus, Gamaliel, Saul of Tarsus, John the Baptist, Herod the king, and so many other prominent characters off the history books before you can remove the physical evidence that Jesus Christ was here, and as He told us with a message of salvation.

Pastor John

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Intellectualism about Jesus: Truth for All Series 3

Written By: Pastor John - May• 12•12

Is Jesus to be believed?

Role for faith

Faith is the true issue at the heart of the mater; although, we tend to cover up with intellectually-sounding reservations. And truly, it is not faith by itself if not the facts of objective to our lifestyle that our new belief requires of us. We need to make that the object of our conversion is trustworthy. Therefore, we try to make sense of all the scenarios using direct and indirect logic to objectively disprove the sanctity of the Jesus claims.

However, even when these methods fail us, many still feel edgy; they fell unsure and unwilling to submit to Jesus especially as they are afraid of whether the promised support will be there as they change their directions and life pathways towards holiness. Bottom line is that faith is not a physical object t is spiritual and so very ethereal, which makes it appear subjective to the inexperienced.

The scriptures confirm to us that even the prophets searched sometimes extensively to reaffirm their faith in the grace of salvation and its promises:

of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow (1 Peter 1:10-11).

Therefore, it is human to rationalize our moves, especially those who are considering accepting the offer of salvation. What is not helpful is to reject the offer on some grounds intellectual calculations, when in fact it is our mind that refuses to trust the object of the faith. So, the true question should be whether one should believe that Jesus Christ as the Son of God has the right to offer the grace of salvation. Secondly, will I be safe in exchanging my organized natural concepts for this apparently esoteric but powerful concept based on emotions?

Before we look at the other side of the balance which is unbelief, it may be best to remember what the man in the middle says of himself, and which I know will come to reckoning on the day of God’s judgment. Jesus says that He is holy and not only demands perfection:

because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple (Psalm 19:7).

What about unbelief?

Further, if He sets his laws so as to extract perfection from us, then the least we can expect from Him in reward for our trust is His trust. However, let us also look at the outcome of unbelief as a form of indirect logic. The worst that can happen is an eternal life in hell, it will be too late to do anything about it then. However, to choose potential life in hell instead of paradise does not sound logical if one cannot find intellectual justification to call Jesus a liar. In other words, if Jesus could be disproved in those attributes and achievements that continue to be referenced, then it makes common sense to reject his offer of salvation. In other words, the deal is about Jesus and his claims rather than about any of his agents, past and present. For a start, Jesus is the only man that has combined the dusty nature of human flesh and visibly secured eternal glory in spirit without making God fell sorry. No other man is counted as sinless. There must be something believable about Him.

Even though, many of His deeds are said to either have been attempted by others or disclaimed on other grounds to generate doubts in people’s mind, but the miracles of unprovoked resurrection and his crucifixion remain unparalleled. Even the supervisor of the police unit had no choice but to proclaim that Jesus was truly the Son of God (Matt. 27:54). We are talking here about a dying man influencing physically observable events in multiple locations remote from his own location in Golgotha.

The one reason above most others for us to believe is that in all of literature, God proves Himself to be a covenant keeper. He keeps promises.

Pastor John

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Depression is giving in to Satan

Written By: Pastor John - May• 03•12

 Depression is a satanic trick

Introduction

My days are past, My purposes are broken off, Even the thoughts of my heart. Where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it? (Job 17:11, 15)

The character – Job is the biblical standard for despair and unfairness. Therefore, when we get to that stage that we begin to wonder why we are left alone sometimes at night with no one to talk to about our inner feelings, or we get to that manic stage of being afraid to be alone, or when are thoughts processes cannot take us out gloom and doom psychology, Job is a prophet commonly presented to us by Christian leaders as one person who has seen it all. And indeed, he was overwhelmed with grief.

Whose case can be worse and conversely better than Job's?

There are those days that you have put in your best. You have planned, worked hard, and been abused. You have been told that you are incapable of doing well; and yet, it appears that the comments are correct, although unfair. The situation is sometimes so desperate that you cannot see the way forward; you have no one to turn to or trust for help. There is nothing good coming in from the pipelines of hope. However, anyone that takes time to read about Job will know that there can never be any human experience that can beat that of Job.

Worse than Job?

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope (Romans 15:4).

This was the conclusion of Apostle Paul who was not only ministered torture as the chief persecutor of the disciples of Jesus Christ; he also suffered immensely until his death for his anti-social gospel of Jesus Christ. There was hardly any class of jail that Paul did not spend time in.

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons—. Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High (Psalm 107:10-11)

Whatever will make a man scorn the counsel of God must be severe, really deep and severe pain in my view. The psalmist hundreds of years after the suffering of his tribe in Egypt brings us close to the real point about deliverance, but especially the fact that God always had an agenda for those of us who trust Him. It can tough, it can be distressing as we have seen in the case of Job, and all the disciples including Paul, but in the end it takes certain strength to wish Satan away. That strength resides in understand of the ability of God. The God who says that “I AM THE I AM” and yet allowed Stephen to be beheaded.

My point is this, if God promised Abraham that Israel will go into captivity; and that deliverance will only come when the Amorites upset Him badly enough, and history confirms that this is exactly what He did over 400 years after the promise, then He is a God that not only knows the end from the beginning; He is the All-Powerful God just like He says. In other words, He can do anything, but we need to align our aspirations with His wishes. The problem then becomes how to decipher those wishes (Isaiah 45: 18-19).

Moses was cursed numerous times by the Jews; in fact, he almost gave up. Situations degenerated to the extent that he began to doubt that the ‘burning bush’ interaction on Mount Sinai was a true call by God for this mission. He got so confused that he had to challenge God directly about the truth of all the mess (Exodus 5:20-23). He same Moses was besides himself when God delivered Israel by totally destroying the advancing Egyptian army headed the Pharaoh (Exodus 15:1).

There is always a tomorrow

Therefore, however bad it may appear there is always a tomorrow that we cannot totally control. It is only the creator that knows how to glorify His Name in that confrontation. I know this demands a lot of faith, but that is what Christianity is about. That is simply what God has asked us to do – to trust Him only and absolutely. That which we think it’s so unbelievably disgraceful will pass away at its own time, and we can share the story just like the Jews did.

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:5).

We will hit our low points in life, but that is when we become more vulnerable to be caught by the tricks of Satan, because he will attempt to lure us into compromising on our beliefs. The word is that those loved by God have no worry about disappointment. God does not have disappointment in his business vocabulary. God hears our cry for help; He has already sent us an answer to all the problems in this current dispensation in the nature of Jesus Christ. Somehow, he always shows up for those who look up to him.

Remember:

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10).

And the advice of Apostle Paul, the chief prisoner goes:

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Therefore, you have the power to walk away from depression before it hooks you. There is nothing positive that you will gain from it, you need to hang it all to Jesus, and move on with life. The one who owns tomorrow will take care of your needs, embarrassment or not. If you can forgive, someone will forgive you; that is the key to Christianity. In fact, you can claim it as a right, knowing full well, there must be a tomorrow!

Pastor John

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Business of God: Will what you think matter?

Written By: Pastor John - May• 01•12

Summary

Many a times the prejudices that we hold do not allow us to appreciate the new viewpoint being presented to us. So, we look for excuses to weaken the argument being analyzed for us. The Pharisees constituted political authority in Israel in their days. History shows that what we believe in is irrelevant, especially if we cannot discredit historical records. Whatever God has decreed will materialize in its own time.

 Introduction

Many a times the prejudices that we hold do not allow us to appreciate the new viewpoint being presented to us. So, we look for excuses to weaken the argument being analyzed for us. Using some biblical examples let us expatiate on this issue. The Pharisees constituted political authority in Israel in their days. Since, the country’s constitution rested on what we call the scriptures anyway; the Pharisees were at the pinnacle of not just intellectualism, but were the legal luminaries in the society. Therefore, they enjoyed some level of dignified respect in the society. In fact, they formed the authority of last resort on how to live. This would have all been perfect if they believed in what they preached.

Exposing the hypocrisy of the Pharisees

However, Jesus in exposing them showed us that they paraded themselves as constituted authorities on Moses Law, taught it, forced people to practice those laws just because they enjoyed the associated social status; not because they believed it or were ready to practice them (Matt. 23:1-23). Hence, Jesus openly called them hypocrites (Matt. 23: 14, 23). This label from Jesus Christ confirms that they did not truly believe in the traditions that they were enforcing. So, their true beliefs had nothing to do with the Laws of Moses that they taught and enforced. And that is the issue, the conflict between what was taught and people see.

We need to prevailing consider the circumstances very carefully. Jesus as God could discern their beliefs. Irrespective of what the people saw and how they respected the Pharisees were, Jesus was able to point out that they were not honest to the impression that they portrayed. It is also worthy of note that Jesus was in fact teaching about end-time events when He cited this example. In other words, they were truly trapped and caught up, just like we will be on Judgment Day. We should also note that their state of belief was not about being unsure about the Laws of Moses, they just believed in something else; even though, they actively taught the Laws of Moses.

Your belief versus prophecy

Very importantly, their beliefs did not matter when the Lord showed up. The point being made here is that what Jesus told us to expect will happen. Recent history confirms that they will happen irrespective of whether anyone of us believes Him or not. It is better to submit to Him now and wait for Him to prove it!

Let us trip off on some other intellectual discourse. The Bible basically suggests that our flesh was molded from clay that God breathe on. And before us, He had made others animals and fish in the seas; and we just basically came to govern them. Yet, we do eat these animals and plants to restore and maintain our clay/fresh protein, because as science shows they are all made from similar amino acids and so on. However, if I were able to mask the contribution of other senses, and I set up a table for you, the moment the meat touches your mouth, you are able to tell me if it is from a buffalo or crab or even a snail.

Why is this muscular material different from species to species? Are some made from clay, others beach sand, and yet others from desert sand? Or how are they interrelated to the extent that man recognizes that his physiological sanity depends on the consumption of these meats? I mean neither creation nor evolutionary science clearly demonstrate the links between snail and crayfish amino acid to human protein. Yet, irrespective of what you suspect or believe the status quo remains that we eat these meats according to the orders of God at creation, and they serve us protein to our benefit, period.

Similarly, irrespective of what you choose to believe, Jesus has laid down the truth, irrespective of what the principles make sense to us or not. What the Pharisees believed in did not matter when the Lord exposed their truth. If the Chief of Security guarding Paul and Silas (Acts 16) believed that their just praises and worship could break their chains, maybe he would have disallowed them from starting in the first place. Yet, since the worship session was not a silent prayer session, his opinion may have been that it was insignificant and harmless. Otherwise, he would have stopped them but, he left them alone. This is recent history!

 

Your belief is irrelevant to God’s truth

Yet, the Lord used the occasion to prove Himself. His own household received salvation through the experience. In other words, what we believe in is irrelevant, especially if we cannot discredit historical records. Whatever God has decreed will materialize in its own time.

 

Pastor John

Pastor John blogs on practical life issues at the Deception Battlefront and is Director of APGO publishers of Christianity 101, Christian Sacraments, Baby Steps in Christ, Islamic Jesus


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Christians must go to church!

Written By: Pastor John - Apr• 01•12

Christians must go to church!

Introduction

In the first part of this discussion (Christian? – go to Church) we contended that ignorance pervades in the society and people love to exploit that ignorance of the word of God to manipulate the generality of the public to follow their personal agenda by introducing half-truths and false statements that are supposed to derive validity from the scriptures.

a family issue

family needs church

Yet, Christians gullibly accept that position. We also pointed out that many who call themselves Christians do not actually got to Church and therefore, they have difficulty in discovering that either these statements are incomplete or twisted. This is a grand agenda that Satan has successfully used over the years to distract people from the true worship of God, and populates his own kingdom.

It will be beautiful to recollect the following scripture for its relevance because if we do not go to church, how are going to hear the true word of God? And how are going to interpret that word without being manipulated by others who have ulterior motives?

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb. 10:25).

For our non-church going Christians, the issue then becomes how they will appreciate God’s provisions if they are not exposed to the claims. Sure, it is in the Bible, and every Christian has a Bible at home, so goes a defense. Really! Yet, this may be true, after all we all have online access to free Bibles these days. However, if someone lacks the concern to even go to church, how do you trust him to have the time to study the Bible to such depths in his home? In other words, nominal Christians lose both ways.

For instance, verses 9-10 of Psalm 91 are a beautiful eye-opener. Clearly, they show that there is nothing within the purview of mankind that God has not made provision for:

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling (Psalm 91:9-10).


Yet, these provisions carry conditionalities. Disobedience is a satanic trick that encourages us to evade the guidance of God by refusing to learn of His true intentions from church ministers. And it is suggestive that we do not dwell in Him. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that any Christian who does not go to church is cheating himself.

Conclusion

If for any reason one cannot make it to church on Sunday, there are always mid-week activities in most churches. Regularly attending one or two of them helps build one’s faith structures; but more importantly, gives one the grounds to demand of His promises as of right from one who has a son-ship status with Him. Every Christian truly needs to fortify himself with the true word of God, irrespective of age or other circumstances. Our ticket to heaven needs reassurance, while we reinforce our rights to the best that this world has to offer.

Pastor John

Pastor John blogs on practical life issues at the Deception Battlefront, and is Director of APGO America, publishers of Social Misconceptions – a book that discusses the methods by which Satan quietly deceives people.

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Christian? – go to church!

Written By: Pastor John - Apr• 01•12

Christian? – go to church!

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1).

The US Presidential campaign period can be funny to observers who choose not take it too much to heart. It is a period when every American pops up in his or her own list of expectations and minimum standards. So, it was funny the other day when a pastor came on national TV with a list of the minimum expectation from potential Republican Party candidates who were preparing their campaign agenda. Candidates expecting the votes of the evangelical Christian groups needed to prove their commitment to these minimums. Well, it later turned out that the pastor had not done his homework very well, because the population base that he was referring to had dwindled so significantly that it did not hold the type of influencing being tagged on to it.

the cross of Jesus Christ

its truth is in church

Further, less than 72 hours after the pastor’s declaration some influential evangelical pastors began to publicly dissociate themselves from such proclamations or intention to associate their pulpits with national politics. With such disclaimers there arose several other points of disagreement including the true definition of who the evangelical Christians were; and what percentage of them actually make it to the polling booth to vote. In fact, someone joked that if everyone in this constituency alone performed their civic responsibility like dutiful Christians, America should never need to worry about complaints regarding low voter turnout. In fact, we don’t see them in church either!

I just wish that people who claimed to be Christians to National Census officials will realize that they risk being guilty of disobeying the injunction that they need to be seen attending church services. In fact, it may count against them in many ways on Judgment Day!

Pastor John

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Valentine Discussions: Sex and relationships

Written By: Pastor John - Feb• 14•12

Valentine Discussions: Sex and relationships

Do not be deceived one bit about the title, this is another sermon from the mount. Even then, I just needed to clarify for us certain issues that are boiling this season. We as Christians continue to demonstrate that God is not a fool, irrespective of how smart we may pretend to be. When God ordained marriage in the Garden of Eden, sex was part of the package because he ordained fruitfulness and multiplication to the extent of dominating the world with it; as Moses recorded in the first book of the Bible. However, this was not a union of unwed couples; our records suggest that this was a union of two opposite genders for their pleasure and reproduction of type.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Anthropologically, when you look at almost any human society’s cultural history you will discover in native cultures that once a girl begins to show pubertal signs arrangements are initiated to locate her with a man so that he could begin the process o setting up her own family. Therefore, suggestions of uncleanliness of various forms are discouraged. That appears to be the natural order of social organization.

However, right from Genesis chapter 5, you will notice that humans had started to violate these expected norms to the extent that God expressed regret of involving clay part (flesh) in His creative ideas. In spite of these aberrations however, the culture of marrying young virgins of to their husbands survived from those ages all the way to our generations. In fact, census figures indicate that the beauty of our Generation Y includes increasing freewill decisions to remain pure virgins until marriage. Whatever, may be the underlying factor, it is clear that the white veiled gown still carries some meaning for the undefiled.

Therefore, when the Lord God asked man to make a clean break with his parents and to cleave to his wife, it appears to me that God wants us to understand that the family bond is a tough one, and that cleaving to one’s wife takes some working on for one to foment a strength that builds a new family. It takes such dedication in order to escape the distractions of a previously secure for one to achieve such a tough bond that builds another family in love. That is what cleaving to the strange new organism called one’s wife placed under one’s care yet claiming equality is all about. This surely is not an easy task, but history confirms that people have attained great success working it; proving God right.

Talk about I, but if it ever happened in your house that food runs out in the house where both husband and wife don’t have a clue as to where the next will come from while the children are out playing the last short one; then you are getting into the thinking curve of the cleaving bit already. Another take, if you have ever looked at your bedmate with your so much hatred as if you should kill him or her; or at least get up pack some stuff and make a good run; then, we may be making some sense here of the difficulty of the cleaving part of the gluing process. It is an adhesion of strangers, and not a cohesion of like items. Hence, it is open to cracks and splits that foreign bodies can enter and fester in. The junction needs check up and maintenance, if you have not got it yet. Valentine is a great time to forgive and forget so that you can forge on with the work!

Therefore, while it might be alright for a lady to be a ‘porn star’ in her husband’s bedroom, bestiality is extreme form sexuality as we witness it today. That we have these confessions even as late in 2011 among humans is shameful. Yet, you need a spectrum before you can have extreme ends of the lineup. Permissiveness including sexual interactions among unwed couples falls somewhere in that spectrum. You will imagine that with sophistication some of these practices will have faded out, but the truth is that what Moses wrote about as historical record is still found among men today. I hope that we catch the implication; we need to forget giving excuses or finger pointing, and just obey God?

To restate, while sex is ingrained in our genes, it is not a sin or even a dirty act by itself. We get into problems with God when we begin to end the rules of the game. God made it clear that marriage is the basis of sexual intercourse, and ordained it between man and woman for their pleasure and procreation (Gen. 2:24,25).

Happy Valentines Day!
Pastor John

Note: You may review the testimonies concerning bestiality from our evangelical crusades called Apgo Channel when you visit our website.

Director, APGO America
Pastor, Faith Revival Apostolic Church.
International  Coordinator, Apostle Paul Gospel Outreach (APGO) publishers of Christianity 101, Christian Sacraments, Islamic Jesus, Social Misconceptios & Baby Steps in Christ.
An international and widely-experienced dentist, an evangelical pastor, an MBA graduate in Marketing Management and Information Assurance, and owner of a advertising and marketing company based in Irving, Texas.
Currently involved in the marketing of Jesus Christ,  eco-friendly products, and website maintenance.
www.apgoamerica.org

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Deliver Yourself! – Part 3 of 3

Written By: Pastor John - Nov• 22•11

Drugs: Happiness Candy or Cane? Deliver Yourself! – Part 3 of 3

We quickly and conveniently forget that Lucifer was present at our creation. He realizes that the family was established by God as our primary source of immediate social and spiritual support. Since, Lucifer has fallen out of favor; it makes all the sense for him to attack us with deception; such that we are isolated from our major source of strength before he reins in total destruction. When Satan is able to remove our shield of the family environment, we are easily exposed to the devices of his soldiers.

Today, we find nothing strange in the single mother of three working 12 – 16 hours per day, several days of the week. Surely, for such a mother, Sunday church service is a wish hoped to be achieved someday. Certainly, mid-week services are a dream. The children may not know the absentee father or fathers, and the maternal grandparents are also working in order to catch up with their bills. So, where is the family environment that God designed to be embodied in the natural parental love and care, and that is supposed to shield the children from the wiles of Satan?

So, what happens to those whose families that have been so shattered that everyone is lost to his or her own devices? The answer is easy. Anyone who genuinely asks this question indicates that some hope for restitution exists somewhere. He is worried about some solution. Our God says that nothing is too difficult for him to do.

The bottom line is that we all need to find Jesus as our Savior from the tricks of Satan. If we locate Jesus Christ, and truthfully submit to him, we will get directions or connections that will bring the pieces back to their original places for the remnants of the family to come back again. This is the wish of God, which makes it achievable.

Pastor John blogs on practical life issues, and is Director of the Apostle Paul Gospel Outreach (APGO) publishers of Christianity 101, Christian Sacraments, Islamic Jesus, Baby Steps in Christ and Social Misconceptions. 

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