The Light Bearer For The World Ministry

Sub-Topic: The Forsaken Basic Doctrines Of The Christian Faith In Contemporary Times And The Consequences Which Follow

Isaiah 28:9-18, Jeremiah 7:1-11, 20-24

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:10-18.)

As we continue with this series of study under the second sub-topic — The Forsaken Basic Doctrines Of The Christian Faith In Contemporary Times And The Consequences Which Follow — we can say that the opening text from the book of Romans vividly captures its essence.

Its essence is that Christendom has substituted the true doctrines of Jesus Christ with a totally different, self-serving set of teachings which gratifies the flesh, but not the spirit. As a result of this departure from God’s Word, the church has fallen from grace — except for a few remnants who are still standing by God’s mercy — and therefore has lost her true identity.

The fallen church today identifies more with the world than with Christ her Lord and Saviour: they dress like the world, live like the world, and also follow every trending path like the people of the world, instead of following the example Christ and His disciples set for those who would follow in their footsteps.

Prophet Isaiah wrote: “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9.)

From the writings of the Prophet in Isaiah 28:9-18, we shall formulate three questions to help determine what God expects of us as His Church and how our failure to adhere to it has resulted in the sorry state that we have found ourselves in today. The questions are as follows:

1. What is the place of strict Bible-based doctrine teaching among both new and old converts in the church? (Isaiah 28:9-13.)

2. How faithfully have we aspired to truly and correctly teach those pure Bible doctrines to believers in Christ? (Isaiah 28:14-15.)

3. Is the state of the church today a blessing or a curse from God? (Isaiah 28:16-18.)

Let us explore the first question:
1. The place of strict Bible doctrine teaching in the church

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus Christ orders us to “Go ye therefore, and TEACH all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: TEACHING them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Whether we are dealing with the old and steadfast believer in Christ or with the newly saved believer, the place of strict Bible teaching can never be overemphasized in the Church because God’s Word, truly and purely taught, is the life of the soul. If you compromise it with just a little carnality, then you have only a church full of spiritually dead members.

It is remarkable to note what Jesus Christ said to Satan in Matthew 4:4: “….It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”.

We must understand that this statement is a cardinal doctrine of Jesus Christ, given to Him by God Himself, which is that God’s Word is the source of spiritual life and power that gives life to the believer.

Read also the following scriptures: John 6:63; 5:38-39; Romans 10:17.
“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

So, to rightly understand and to accurately teach the Word of God to the church is the secret of spiritual strength and of a warm relationship with God.

Therefore, any alteration to this delicate balance of knowledge of the Word and the accurate teaching of it falls short of the acceptable standards of sound Bible doctrine, and would definitely affect our ability to connect with God and draw from Him the power to live as His children.

The departure from sound Bible doctrine is one area where Satan exploits the church the most by raising up false teachers and/or preachers who distort the truth of the Holy Scriptures, because he knows how effective a false doctrine is in ruining a church’s (or individual’s) relationship with God.

However, to help us avoid this satanic pitfall, the Holy Spirit has already forewarned the church of this impending danger so that we are without any excuse if we decide to follow anyone who preaches what is not strictly in line with the doctrines of Jesus Christ and of His early followers, which are contained in the Holy Bible.

See 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; Matthew 24:24; Lamentations 2:14; 1 Timothy 4:1-2.

2 Peter 2:1-2 says:
“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of”.

The best way to avoid being deceived by false prophets is to carefully and dutifully read, teach and cause to be committed to memory the basic doctrines of the Holy Scriptures in our local churches, in the careful and meticulous manner presented in Isaiah 28:9-13.

“Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little…” (Verses 9-10).

Prophecy is good but it must be strictly judged by the written word of God in the Holy Bible to ascertain that it is truly of God.

We have to understand that prophecy is not just about the revealing of a hitherto hidden truth or a declaration of what shall happen in the future: even sorcerers do those things, so how can we tell a genuine prophet from a Bible-wielding sorcerer dressed like a preacher?

Let us bear in mind that the Bible’s standard is no longer strictly adhered to in some corrupt churches, so in those places anyone can just stand before the congregation and begin to say anything in the name of prophecy, which catches their fancy, knowing very well that their itching ears would compel them to flow along with it.

Probably, with this scenario in mind, God spoke in the book of Micah 2:11 just to show us how much more trust people have put in prophecies than in His written Word which is infallible. Thus:
“If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.”

This is an error!

But how can we tell a genuine prophecy from a false one?

Well, to avoid doubt, we must probe the prophecy deeper than just the obvious truth it seems to reveal, and rather dwell on what the prophecy aims at or seeks to achieve in the audience.

A prophecy which is not relevant to the current heartbeat of God cannot be from Him. Prophecies move in line with the seasons of God’s move in the Church. Therefore, if while there is a need for a revival and a spiritual awakening — as we can now see is evident in the Church today — but a prophet, a preacher or a teacher of the word is busy sweating and spewing saliva, talking about prosperity or any other thing not in line with that spiritual need, it would be considered a prophecy out of season, and much doubt would be cast, not only on its validity, but also on its source.

Lamentations 2:14 says:
“Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.”

This is exactly what seems to be happening in the backslidden churches today: they do not talk to the people to warn them about the consequences of sin and how Jesus Christ can set them free from that bondage. All they like to do is to prophesy about the good things of life which they’re sure that their audiences are itching to hear, and this makes it seem as if God is more interested in splashing riches and wealth on people who don’t even know Him or have any desire to experience His saving grace. This is an error! A departure from the doctrine of the Holy Bible!

God’s primary concern is the salvation of sinners and the discipleship of believers. Whatever has the potential to deny them these (like the deceitfulness of riches, the vanity of fame and the idolatrous grip of wealth) He could withhold from them until such a time (if ever) when it could be proved that they cannot be lured by those temporal things of the world anymore.

God is more interested in the weightier matters of righteousness, holiness and truth, without which it is not possible for anyone to see or enter into His Kingdom, and every doctrine taught in any church, which pledges allegiance to Jesus Christ, must reflect this truth.

Jesus Christ emphasized this in Matthew 23:23 when He said:
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”

When the weightier doctrines of the Bible are shunned by the Church in favor of the lesser ones, the church suffers: her spiritual growth becomes stunted and backsliding becomes rife; spirituality gets sacrificed for materialism and the vision for heaven may, by and by, become replaced with the quest for financial and material survival.

This is what we see happening right now! It is what we must seek to address by reverting to the strict teachings of the basic doctrines of the Holy Bible. We (both the new and old believers) need it to be able to truly connect with the real power of God for a loyal walk with and a fruitful service to Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Let us now take on the second question:

2. The present role of Christendom in faithfully and correctly teaching the doctrines of Christ.

Isaiah 28:14-15: “Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men that rule this people which are in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves…”

I believe that if Christendom is called to question as to their role in faithfully and correctly teaching the doctrines of the Bible to believers in Christ (especially new converts), they’d no doubt be found to be wanting in this regard.

Just as the passage quoted from the book of Isaiah above says, some preachers have scorned the true God and have rather trusted in the lies of Satan, and have taught their adherents to follow in the same footsteps. What they teach is hardly reconcilable with the age-long sound doctrines of the Holy Bible, which only the upright in heart and true in spirit have labored to uphold and propagate all along. See: Titus 2:1-15.

“But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine: That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, and sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things”.
Titus 2:1-4, 7, 10.

To what extent have we been seen to be carrying out the instructions of God’s Word in our churches today?
We have become so overly sensitive to just two prevailing needs. These are not even mentioned in the text above as part of the doctrines that we are supposed to teach, and they are:
A. The need to miraculously get rich and/or prosperous without breaking a sweat and,
B. The need to fight and wish death to all those who are perceived to be threats in the way of getting the prosperity we seek by miracles.

Christ didn’t even teach us that. He never fought any man, and His faithful followers didn’t either because they knew it was not a fight against “flesh and blood.” They only wrestled in prayer against “principalities and powers, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.”
They won their enemies to Christ through prayers and an exemplary service of love to the lost. That was their doctrine, bequeathed to them by Jesus Christ. It was a doctrine of nonviolence; a doctrine of tolerance and prayer for the adversary.

“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12:17-20.)

Saul the persecutor and waster of the brethren was conquered that way; Elymas the sorcerer (Bar Jesus) was convicted and humbled that way; Simon, another sorcerer, was converted that way, the Macedonian Jailer was converted that way, too. The list goes on! That was their doctrine.
They sought the prosperity of the souls of men. They left people better than when they first met them.
What then can we say about today’s church and the brethren who fellowship therein? Are we sincerely desirous of walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and of His holy Apostles and Disciples? No. We fear such total and uncompromising commitment to spirituality might lead to poverty and ridicule before unbelievers. But how come we have such ideas? It’s simple to tell that it’s because we want to win the riches of the gentiles but not their souls; that’s the profane doctrine of the fallen churches of Christendom, who have received a commission of the Lord to win the lost, but who would rather covet their luxuries instead and hide the truth of the gospel or salvation from them.
“They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?”
(Isaiah 5:8-9.)

No doubt we need to change this sorrowful narrative by seeking God’s intervention in bringing a person-to-person revival, until each Christian’s personal revival affects the person next to them.
We’ve prayed for far too long for a world-wide revival without any results to show for it, all because that’s not how a revival begins: A worldwide revival begins with one Christian relentlessly crying for a personal revival.

Hosea 10:12 says:
“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.”

But if we keep trusting in the deceptive, misleading and profane doctrines that the fallen churches have been spewing out on their congregations, while at the same time applauding our wealth and riches as a sign of the divine mercies of God (not minding the stark reality of the spiritually impoverished souls we see both on the pulpit and in the pew) then we must await the judgment of God which is reserved for the unrepentant. Whoever has eyes can clearly see the ominous signs of God’s judgment looming over the backslidden churches today.

“Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it? But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone. They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” Jeremiah 5:21-23, 28-29.

May we truly repent and return to the teachings and practice of the truth of God’s Holy Word.

This leads us to the third question:

3. The state of the church today: A blessing or a curse from God.

Isaiah 28:16-17:
“Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgments also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.”

Ask, if you will, any of the prosperity preachers who cruise around towns in limos and fly around the world in private jets, if the church is blessed, and they’ll say to you, “brother, the Lord has been good to us, hallelujah!”
However, the prosperity of the church is hardly the right yardstick for measuring how good God has been; it is the prosperity of the work which He has commissioned us to accomplish that actually is.

No doubt the church has seen tremendous increase in membership and sizes of its auditoriums in our times, but certainly not in the quality of spiritual life that its members boast of, because just a physical look at the attires of the people filing in or out of churches today will tell you where their treasures are.
They wear what the angels would be ashamed to look at.
These days the emphasis on dressing is on outward beauty, and it is not a secret any more that beauty is now judged by how daring a person is disposed to exposing their nakedness.
Tight fitting clothes which exposes the outline of the naked body, or some slits or generous necklines, which exposes certain sensitive parts of the body that are better covered with shamefacedness than exposed to the lustful eyes of whoever cares to look upon them. That’s the new definition of beauty.
Now, that’s what we can see outwardly: only God knows the level of depravity hidden within the heart. But suffice it to say that the level of carnality which we see outwardly is only a bit of the inner workings of the heart which contrived them.
Those are the people we are supposed to present to Jesus Christ as His bride when He returns to reap the fruit of His Labour in us. They are a people that have long forgotten the Biblical admonition to be modestly attired and beautified with godly virtues.

1 Peter 3:3-4 admonishes, thus:
“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

The male folks are not spared this moral decadence either; for while they may easily escape this dress code scrutiny, they will not do so with regards to their weaknesses in terms of material possessions. We know how some of us would not dare come to church if our car breaks down because we shouldn’t be seen using a public vehicle as that would hurt our ego. Some might even change their local church because their aging vehicles have been outclassed by the much bigger and better ones brandished by their competitors.
Some would avoid fellowship for as flimsy an excuse as not having any money to offer when others would dance to the altar to do so. But does God really care after such things?
Of course not!
If there’s a prosperity that God delights in, more than any other, it is the prosperity of the souls of those for whom He gave the life of His Son in order to redeem them to Himself. That’s where all of a person’s effort should be directed at because that’s what counts more with God. As for the rest, God will add to whatever is lacking to us financially and materially to the proportion that our spiritual maturity to handle them allows.

Revelation 3:17-18:
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

God’s judgment is on the churches who have forsaken the doctrines of His word in favour of the world and its allurements.
Take a look at the world’s scenery and see how Satan has dominated almost everything to our shame and confusion. His servants rule over the affairs of our nations and make laws which are a slap to our claims of being “victors and conquerors”.

See how the church has been manipulated by Satan to support same sex marriages and some other shameful deeds which, only a decade or so ago, we never dreamed could ever happen.
All these are not blessings from God, but His judgment upon the backslidden church, and this because we have refused to hold onto the truth of His word. We need to return to God and repent wholeheartedly.

Joel 2:17:
“Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?”

The consequences of abandoning the teachings of sound Bible doctrines in our churches are what we are observing in the churches of Christendom today and in the world at large.
There’s no doubt that the prosperity and motivational preachers have no voice beyond their congregations because out there in the world they are not respected any more. Some of them are on the wanted lists of security agencies not only for the more popular financial crimes associated with them or thier ministeries, but also for other crimes like ritual killings and promiscuous behaviors. They’re now seen more as deceivers and looters of people’s wealth than as preachers and soul winners.
Today only a very few men of God still command respect from the world.
Need we any more proof that we stand in danger of being completely abandoned by the very God we profess to serve? Are the present signs not ominous enough for us to know that we are losing His grace and favour?

These signs seem to be saying to us, as God once said to the fallen nation of Israel in Hosea 5:15:
“I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early.”

There’s the need for us to arise, like the prodigal son, and return to God in repentance and say:
“Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”?
Luke 15:18-19.

But will He accept the repentant soul? Of course He will. However, to begin with, we must first see beyond our illusion: all this living big and talking big about worldly achievements must first stop. God is interested only in a broken and contrite heart that’s deeply sorry for its prodigalities and willing to begin afresh to walk in His way, in Spirit and in Truth.
Let’s forget about the mad drive for fame, riches and wealth, and face the issues of holiness, truth and righteousness in the church and in our personal and private lives.

TO BE CONTINUED.

INTRODUCTION

Christianity is centred on the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Saviour of all who believe in Him and live according to His teachings. In essence, no one can claim to be a practising Christian if they do not know the basic teachings of Jesus Christ well enough to be guided by them in their everyday lives. This fact becomes easily understandable when we realise that Christianity is supposed to be a way of life. The point here is that you cannot fully live a life you know little or nothing about.

It is with this view in mind that I feel the Lord is leading me to undertake the task of expounding the Holy Scriptures in this series of studies under the title _Understanding the Basics of the Christian Faith._ The sole aim is to help both those in the Church and those in the world at large who desire to know the ways of God more accurately, providing them with the opportunity to do just that through this series of doctrinal teachings, so that they may order their lives accordingly.

The study is going to be quite lengthy. Therefore, I have decided to break the series into subtitles to be taught piecemeal, in order to avoid discouraging those who may not be able to endure reading lengthy literature. Accordingly, I shall divide the study into three major subtitles, namely:

_1. A Brief History of the Teachings and Lifestyle of the Early Followers of Jesus Christ_

_2. The Forsaken Basic Doctrines of the Christian Faith in Contemporary Times and the Consequences That Follow_

_3. Revisiting the Basic Bible Doctrines of Jesus Christ Bequeathed to His Church_

Furthermore, each of the three major divisions of the study outlined above will be further subdivided into smaller parts, where necessary, to make the teachings easier to handle.

It is my hope and prayer that readers will find this study material immensely beneficial to their lives as they follow the study with open and unbiased minds, in Jesus Christ’s mighty name. Amen!

SUB-TOPIC 1: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE TEACHINGS AND LIFESTYLE OF THE EARLY FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST

*Jeremiah 6:16*
_“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” But they said, “We will not walk therein.”_

This series of teachings, which we are beginning, has become very necessary for the Body of Christ, given the unfortunate turn of events in the ecclesiastical circle in these days.
Since the good old days of the early Church, the shift in emphasis from spiritual priorities to material interests has deeply marred the Christian faith, _“which was once delivered unto the saints”_ *(Jude 1:3).* So much so that what is mostly practised as Christianity today in some churches bears no resemblance at all to what we read in the Holy Bible, both in the accounts of the life and activities of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and in those of His first disciples and all the Bible saints in general.
The only resemblance we can point out without mistake is the use of the names of Almighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ, which have endured throughout the ages, from the creation of the earth until now.
But should this be a surprise to the true Christian? Has this not been foretold by the Holy Spirit since the early days of the Church, during the time of the holy apostles of Jesus Christ?
The only surprise for us is that these words are being fulfilled in our time, yet very few preachers care to draw their congregations’ attention to them. This is necessary to awaken believers to the reality of this sure prophecy and help them avoid being carried away by the tide of this evil end-time apostasy.
The Holy Scripture says:
*1 Timothy 4:1–3*
_“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in_ _hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”_
However, as the opening Scriptures of this study admonish us, God is calling us to turn away from the various forms of religious services and ceremonies that mortal men have multiplied for themselves in defiance of the only Way, who is Jesus Christ. He is also calling us to seek the old and enduring path which, if we faithfully follow it, will give rest to our souls. The only way to do this successfully is to return to the doctrines that Jesus Christ taught His early disciples and to imbibe the virtues of their simple yet deeply reverent and godly lives. These virtues characterised their daily lives and ministries and enabled them to serve God faithfully.
Of this exemplary life and Christian service, the Apostle Paul wrote in *1 Thessalonians 2:3–11,* thus:
_“For our exhortation was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile: But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth_ _our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been_ _burdensome, as the apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the_ _gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto His kingdom and glory. For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.”_
While it is clear to all who have eyes to see and ears to hear that the pattern of sound doctrine and godly living portrayed in the Scripture above is almost non-existent today in most local churches, it is still—and indeed should be—the desire of all who truly want to live for God to keep searching for the true way to heaven among the many false ways that man has created for himself to compete with the only Way that God has revealed to the whole world. That Way is Jesus Christ, and there is just one feature that enables us to recognise whether we have truly found this Way: it gives rest to the soul, not to the flesh. See again *Jeremiah 6:16:* _“Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”_

The rest referred to here is not necessarily freedom from physical labour, life’s challenges, or the responsibilities that come with living in this world. Rather, it is the spiritual rest that comes from finding and following God’s way. It is the peace, assurance, and inward satisfaction that come from a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This rest must not be confused with the pursuit of worldly comfort, material possessions, personal gratification, or human recognition. While these things may provide temporary pleasure, they cannot take the place of the spiritual rest that God offers to those who walk in His way.
As the Holy Spirit clearly foretold in the last sentence of the Scripture above, man has consistently declined to follow God’s chosen way to eternal life and rest in Christ Jesus.
But for those who are willing to follow the good way, we must search for it in the Holy Bible and see how the early Christians lived and served God acceptably.
In doing this, however, we would first do well to ask ourselves some questions so that we may have a clear point of reference in our search for the acceptable way of serving God today.
The questions are:
How did the early saints of God and the disciples of Jesus Christ serve God?
What did they do differently from what we are doing in our own time today?
Are we better off or worse off in comparison with their exploits for the Kingdom of God?
These are the questions we will seek to address in this first phase of the study. Below are some points to consider in answering them.

1. Their Way of Life and Service to God

In answer to the first question, the account of the Holy Bible shows that the early Christians lived simple but very focused, godly, Christ-like lives.
Although they mingled with the people of the world when and where they had to, it was clear that they had no time for the pursuit of the world and its ungodly values.
Their relationship with the people around them did not mean that they adopted the ungodly attitudes, values, or practices of the world. Rather, they lived among others while seeking to maintain their commitment to God and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Their example shows the distinction between living in the world and allowing the ungodly values of the world to determine one’s conduct and priorities.
Thus, their interaction with people was not an excuse to compromise their faith. Instead, they were expected to remain faithful to God while conducting themselves in ways that reflected the godly character and teachings of their Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Their commitment to heralding the coming Kingdom of God and the salvation of His Christ, Jesus, the righteous Saviour, meant that they had little or no time to compete for or struggle to achieve dominance in any affair of a less noble cause than that of God’s heavenly Kingdom.

*Galatians 2:20*
_“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”_
There were rich Christians *(1 Timothy 6:17; Colossians 4:1; Acts 10:14–15),* but the riches they possessed had no chokehold on their lives, quite unlike what we see today among some wealthy people in Christendom, some of whom would even deny their faith in Christ for financial or material gains.
But it was not so with the early Christians. For instance, Joses was a rich man who used his money so generously in God’s work that the apostles gave him the surname Barnabas, which means son of consolation *(Acts 4:36–37).* We can only imagine how much consolation and encouragement he brought to God’s people through the use of his wealth and riches, thus demonstrating the character reflected in the name given to him by the apostles.
Again, Onesiphorus was another faithful Christian who showed great care for Paul while he was in prison, using his resources to minister to him *(2 Timothy 1:16).*
Also, Philemon was a man of substance who personally cared for the needs of the saints of God *(Philemon 1:7).*
Similarly, Dorcas (or Tabitha) was a woman of substance who made garments for widows and cared for those in need *(Acts 9:36, 39).*
There were also educated Christians among the ranks of Christ’s early followers, such as Paul the Apostle, Zenas, and Luke. Zenas was identified as a lawyer *(Titus 3:13),* while Luke was a physician *(Colossians 4:14).*
Paul, on the other hand, received his education under Gamaliel, a respected teacher of the Jewish law *(Acts 22:3).* Although this passage does not expressly identify Paul as a lawyer, his training under Gamaliel gave him a thorough grounding in Jewish law and its interpretation. In this sense, his education may be understood as comparable to legal training, although it should be distinguished from the modern profession of law.
These are just a few examples of people whose abilities, resources, and personal achievements could be put to use in the service of God.
We can clearly observe that these Christians were not commended merely for the things they possessed or for their personal achievements. Rather, their lives were characterised by good works through which they used their resources, abilities, and achievements to serve others and bring glory and honour to God.
Self-seeking and self-glory were not the focal points around which their lives revolved. Rather, they pursued holy and peaceful lives through faith in Jesus Christ, demonstrating good works among men as evidence of the new life they had received from God.
Scriptural references: *2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews* *12:14–17; 1 Peter 1:13–17; Philippians 2:3–7; 3:7–11.*

*Philippians 3:8–9*
_“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”_

2. Their Expectation of the Imminent Return of Jesus Christ

In answer to the second question, concerning what the early Christians did differently from what we are doing today, we do not have much to say, because the Scriptures clearly show that the early Christians genuinely expected the imminent return of Jesus Christ to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. This expectation shaped their daily lives and made them sober, watchful, and vigilant in their Christian faith.
However, in contrast to the Christians of our own era, it is unfortunate that we have largely lost that expectation of Jesus Chtist’s imminent return for the Church and have consequently become overtaken by the cares of this life. This is the direct consequence of taking our eyes off Jesus Christ.
We have allowed ourselves to be carried away by our own sense of timing, reasoning that two thousand years of waiting for Christ’s return is far too long. This erroneous reasoning has weakened the faith of many today, causing them to become less watchful and less vigilant than they used to be. But it would be a grave mistake for a Christian to consider it wiser to stop waiting patiently for Christ because of the length of time involved. To do so could lead to becoming lukewarm, backslidden, and eventually cast into hellfire, where such people would pine away for eternity, continually awaiting a deliverance that would never come.

*Revelation 14:11–12*
_“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”_

This passage highlights the seriousness of remaining faithful to God in the face of spiritual deception and opposition. It contrasts the fate of those who worship the beast and receive its mark with the patience and faithfulness of God’s people, who keep His commandments and maintain their faith in Jesus.
Although the passage specifically addresses the worship of the beast and the reception of its mark, its emphasis on the patience and perseverance of the saints reinforces the importance of remaining steadfast in our faith. In the context of this study, it serves as a reminder that Christians must not allow prolonged waiting, worldly distractions, or spiritual complacency to weaken their commitment to God.
The expectation of Christ’s return should therefore be reflected not merely in what we profess to believe about the future, but also in how we live today. It should inspire holiness, faithfulness, vigilance, and perseverance, regardless of how long we may have to wait.

Preachers now encourage members of their local churches to settle down and compete with the people of the world in acquiring whatever portion of the world their fancy catches, much to the detriment of their faith in Christ’s imminent return.
Nothing brings this sad development more forcefully to light than the celebration of temporary worldly achievements above spiritual ones. People throw parties when they build houses, buy cars, get promoted, win big contracts, or graduate from college. Yet, it is rare to see such celebrations held for spiritual achievements, such as when a person is born again or achieves victory over a longstanding battle with a besetting sin.

*1 John 2:15–17*
_“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”_

This imbalance in what we celebrate calls for a reassessment of our spiritual priorities. There is nothing inherently wrong with rejoicing over legitimate achievements such as graduation, marriage, employment, or the acquisition of a house. These may be occasions for gratitude to God. The problem arises when material accomplishments receive greater recognition than spiritual growth and godly living.
Christian families and congregations should therefore learn to recognise and celebrate spiritual milestones as well. These may include genuine repentance, reconciliation between estranged believers, victory over sinful habits, growth in Christ-like character, commitment to prayer and the Word of God, and faithful service to others.
Such recognition should not be intended to glorify individuals or encourage spiritual pride. Rather, it should give thanks to God for His transforming work in people’s lives and encourage others to pursue spiritual maturity. In this way, the Church can help restore the proper balance between appreciating God’s blessings in our earthly lives and valuing the eternal realities of His Kingdom.
We can also see this misplaced emphasis in the use of God’s tithes and offerings to purchase luxury cars and private jets for ministers and to build vast church auditoriums, sometimes while hungry people and lost souls remain neglected. Although church buildings, transport, and other ministry facilities may serve legitimate purposes, the expenditure of church resources should be guided by wisdom, moderation, accountability, and the priorities of God’s Kingdom.
Where excessive spending on luxury or unnecessary projects takes precedence over the needs of the congregation and the wider community, the Church must seriously reconsider its stewardship. Some of the money spent on such things could instead be used to support evangelism, care for the needy, and meet the immediate needs of poor foot soldiers of the Cross, whose personal and family needs, if adequately addressed, could enable them to serve God more effectively and reach more souls.
The issue, therefore, is not simply whether a church owns an impressive building or provides its ministers with necessary facilities. Rather, it is whether the resources God has entrusted to the Church are being used responsibly and in a manner consistent with the Gospel it proclaims.
Church leaders must remember that financial resources entrusted to them are not merely for the advancement of personal comfort or prestige, but also for the fulfilment of their spiritual responsibilities. Sound stewardship requires that the needs of the congregation, the welfare of the poor, the work of evangelism, and the teaching of God’s Word receive appropriate attention.
Looking away from the imminent return of Christ has contributed to this sorry state of affairs in the Church. Anyone who fails to recognise the danger of allowing worldly interests to overshadow spiritual priorities risks becoming blind to important spiritual realities concerning God’s Kingdom.

*Revelation 3:17*
_“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.”_

This lack of vigilance today has set our era far apart from that of the early Christian Church, just as the prudence of the five wise virgins set them far apart from the five foolish virgins and their indiscretion *(Matthew 25:1–13).*
The urgent call to the Church today is to awake from our slumber and divorce ourselves from the illicit romance we have been having with the world. The salvation of our souls should matter more to us than our fleshly comfort if we are truly as wise as the early Christians. At the very least, this should be one sterling quality that we exhibit, but which today’s Church clearly lacks, notwithstanding our false claims to superior spiritual and academic enlightenment.

*Luke 21:34–35*
_“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.”_

*Luke 21:36*
_“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”_

May God deliver today’s Church from its woeful spiritual state, in Jesus’ name.

3. Are We Better Off or Worse Off Than the Early Church?

Lastly, in answering the third question concerning whether the present-day Church is better off or worse off than the early Church, do we need to look any further than the wealth of evidence we have already presented in answering the first two questions?
The majority of our local Churches in which we take so much pride have been backslidden for a long time. Both their leaders and their members are deceiving one another and being deceived by the devil.
The distorted views held by many church leaders and members today clearly testify that we are not truly serving the same God as the early Christians did, despite our constant claims that we are walking in their footsteps. I am sure they would cry out in alarm in the streets of God’s heavenly city if our blasphemous claims were ever allowed to reach their holy ears.
There is nothing being done in some churches today that even resembles what was done in the early Christian Church. The only thing that clearly links some of today’s churches with the early Church is the name of Jesus Christ, which both call upon. Even in this, however, there is a clear distinction: the early Christians called upon the name of Jesus with true and pure hearts, whereas many Christians today do so with hypocritical hearts.
*2 Peter 2:1–5*
_“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction._
_And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of._
_And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not._
_For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly… “_

WE ARE WORSE OFF!
We have missed the purpose of our calling in Christ!
We must return to the Lord Jesus in repentance and thereafter learn the elementary principles of repentance from dead works, faith in God, and good works in everyday life. This has become necessary because we seem to have lost all these.
The Scriptures remind us that repentance from dead works and faith towards God are among the foundational principles of the Christian faith. These principles must not be neglected if we are to return to the acceptable way of serving God.

*Hebrews 6:1–2*
_“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”_

This passage identifies repentance from dead works and faith towards God as foundational Christian teachings. However, the purpose of laying this foundation is not for believers to remain at the elementary stage of their faith, but to progress towards spiritual maturity.
Therefore, if we have departed from the teachings and practices that characterised the lives of the early Christians, we must return to the Lord in genuine repentance and renew our commitment to the fundamental principles of the Christian faith. This renewal should be evident not merely in our words or religious activities, but also in our daily conduct, our service to God, and our relationships with others.

*Hosea 6:1–2*
_“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.”_

The call to return to the Lord in this passage provides an important lesson for the Church today. When we recognise that we have departed from God’s ways, we must not remain content with merely acknowledging our spiritual condition. We must respond with sincere repentance and a renewed determination to know and obey Him.
Returning to the Lord involves more than expressing regret over our failures. It requires a genuine change of heart and direction, demonstrated by a renewed commitment to His Word and a willingness to walk in His ways.
The promise of healing and restoration in this passage also reminds us that spiritual decline need not be the end of our story. When we turn to God sincerely, we place ourselves in the position of seeking His mercy, correction, and restoration.
Therefore, the Church must return to the Lord Jesus Christ, recover the foundational truths of the Christian faith, and renew its commitment to the godly principles exemplified by the early followers of Christ.

_TO BE CONTINUED._

A Message for Both Christian Ministers and Church Members

2 CHRONICLES 7:14

2 Chronicles 7:14: “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (NKJV).

Our spiritual standing with God is proportionate to our prosperity in the economy of heaven, and it must be assessed based on how willing (or otherwise) we are to allow His work of redemption to be fulfilled in our lives.

Our ecclesiastical callings or duties in the church, or outside it, do not automatically mean that we have a good relationship with the Godhead. However, our commitment to living a sin-free life is a more reliable indication of such a relationship.

Romans 14:17: “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men” (NKJV).

Though identified as God’s people in the Scripture above, the Israelites were nevertheless admonished to turn from their wicked ways and seek God. This might mean that they had, at one time or another, gone astray and that God’s admonition had therefore become necessary to restore them to fellowship with Him.

Sin, no matter how small, can cause a serious breach in a Christian’s relationship with God. A person may still retain their religious titles or public recognition but lose their standing with God unless they repent and turn away from that sin.

It is not uncommon to find some children of God falling into sin and then making futile attempts to cover it up, but to no avail. Whatever is concealed from people cannot be concealed from God and may eventually be exposed.

Matthew 10:26: “… For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (NKJV).

To such persons comes God’s admonition to turn away from their wicked ways, seek His forgiveness, and obtain His mercy.

1. WHY REPENTANCE?

«”Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.” (Isaiah 52:11).»

If we must continue the Lord’s ministry of calling the lost to repentance, whether from the pulpit or through our personal Christian lives, then we too must have repented of all sins. Carrying on this work without a proven testimony of genuine repentance could prove fatal in the end.

«”Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devil? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:21–23).»

Our love for God, our ministry, and the people among whom we live should move us to turn away from every sin so that they will not be deceived.

A thorough spiritual breakthrough can come about only when sin is gotten rid of. A holy life will lead to a spiritual breakthrough, as seen in the following Scriptures: Acts 2:41; Acts 8:6; 2:6, 7; 12:3, 4; 3:7; 6:7b; 19:17.

Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people” (NKJV).

Sin brings reproach to the life of anyone who lives with it. No godly ministry can thrive while tolerating even the least sinful act, just as no personal relationship with God can flourish in sin.

«”He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”»

2. WHAT SHOULD WE REPENT OF?

The greatest hypocrite is the one who knows their sin yet pretends not to.

Judas was an apostle, but he was covetous. Eli was a priest, but he tolerated the sins of his sons. Like Achan, some people take things consecrated to the Lord and convert them for their personal use, such as church money and property.

Some people can be as envious and rebellious as Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Others backbite against God’s servants, as Aaron and Miriam did. Some are as greedy for gain as the prophet Balaam, who, for the sake of money, taught King Balak how to entice the Israelites into immorality. Some tell lies like Brother Ananias and his wife, Sister Sapphira. These are some of the sins we should look out for in our lives and repent of wherever they are found.

Psalm 139:23–24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (NKJV).

We cannot be so good at recognising and condemning sin in others yet fail to see it in our own lives, unless we simply do not want to see it!

«”Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” (Matthew 7:1–3).»

There are other areas of our lives, particularly concerning our Christian duties, that call for close scrutiny today. This is especially important because our personal ambitions sometimes tend to overshadow our primary calling and duties as Christians.

We need to repent of our reluctance to preach the Gospel publicly and of forsaking our first love and passion for the lost!

Nowadays, some of us think it is old-fashioned to witness for Christ publicly to the lost, but it is not! Pride is what keeps many Christians from doing so.

Proverbs 24:11–12: “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” (NKJV).

3. WHEN SHOULD WE REPENT?

«(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

(2 Corinthians 6:2)»

After acknowledging sin, one should repent immediately. Any delay might be fatal, for “now is the accepted time … of salvation.”

For fear of imminent death, Peter denied Jesus Christ right in His presence without shame. However, when he realised the gravity of his sin, he turned back to God in repentance and sought forgiveness. If we also make it a habit to repent immediately and forsake any sin into which we may have fallen, God will forgive us and renew our spiritual strength.

However, when we reluctantly or deliberately postpone repentance to some other convenient time, without considering the great sorrow and grief this causes God, we may be unconsciously demonstrating our love for sin or our fear that our secrets will be exposed through confession. Whichever the case, it only shows how unworthy of God’s love we are proving ourselves to be!

John 14:23–24: “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (NKJV).

Repentance is proof of man’s love for God, just as His work of redemption is proof of His love for mankind. Therefore, those who sincerely and honestly repent of their sins prove that they still love God, but those who keep themselves from committing sin prove that they are truly living in the love of God.
May we receive God’s abundant grace to enable us live in love with Him by the demonstration of a pure and holy life. Amen.

(Part Two)

Having concluded the first part of this series, we shall now embark on a deep exploration of the second part below.

2. PURPOSEFUL PLANNING AND PERSISTENT PURSUIT OF SET GOALS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FOR THE YEAR 2027, IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

a. Uncommon Business Ideas for God’s Children
b. Financial Breakthrough and Prosperity for Diligent Christians
c. Partnership with Christ in Church Growth and Financing

A. UNCOMMON BUSINESS IDEAS FOR GOD’S CHILDREN

Exodus 35:30-35; Daniel 1:1-21; Proverbs 4:5-9.

“But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
Deuteronomy 8:18.

One particular Sunday during fellowship in my local assembly, Jesus Christ our Lord spoke through prophecy and promised to “prosper anything you lay hands on…”

It is amazing that the prophecy came a few days before this study. This is no coincidence; it is just proof that God is in full control of what we preach and teach here. He knows that the next Bible study will be centered on acquiring good and uncommon business ideas that God will use to turn our finances around in the right direction for prosperity. So, He has promised beforehand to bless those business ideas we shall receive from Him, as well as the existing ones we presently already have.

If God has to bless anyone, there has to be a medium through which He would cause the blessings to flow. Below are some instances:

1. The widow of one of the sons of the prophets and her empty vessels. 2 Kings 4:1-7.
2. The widow of Zarephath and her scanty meal. 1 Kings 17:7-16.
3. The little boy with his five loaves and two fishes. John 6:5-13.

From the instances above, the LORD used what was available to the people to cause enough blessings to flow into their lives. Most of the time, we ask for God’s blessings without first making available the means by which He would cause us to receive the blessings. It is our duty to present what we want Him to bless.

It is very easy for God to bless us once we have the right platform through which we can receive the blessings because all the riches of heaven and earth belong to Him. Psalm 24:1; Haggai 2:6-8; 1 Chronicles 29:13-16.

By the term “right platform,” we mean a legitimate, honest, and achievable business plan or idea. The problem most people have is that they conceive a business idea that is not workable, either because it is not viable in the area where they ply their trade, or else it is beyond the purchasing power of their targeted customers. We must understand that God will not force anyone to buy from us what they do not want, or make them go bankrupt because His children must sell stuff! No! More likely, He will cause you to find favour and enjoy patronage from them above your competitors if you sell what they want and at the price they can afford.

It doesn’t really matter how small your capital may be at the beginning; what God wants is just a medium for your blessings to come through. Once your ways are right with Him and your platform for His blessings is ready, you should expect the following:

1. Divine guidance in making wise business or investment decisions.
   Isaiah 30:21.
2. Steady growth of your capital base as you diligently serve Him with true commitment.
   Job 8:5-7; Proverbs 13:4; Romans 12:11.
3. Divine favour and patronage above your competitors.
   Genesis 30:25-43; 26:12-22; 39:1-6.
4. Divine protection for your investments even where others have failed.
   Malachi 3:11.
5. New visions and fresh ideas whenever the current business fad or trend tends to go out of vogue.
   Isaiah 43:19.

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B. FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH AND PROSPERITY FOR THE DILIGENT CHRISTIAN

Proverbs 6:6-11; 13:4; Romans 12:11.

Our Father in heaven wants us, His children, to be like Him.

When our Lord, Jesus Christ, said, “…therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” He meant more than just moral perfection because, besides moral perfection, God is also perfect in all His ways. So, we can broaden that scripture to include other areas of our lives where God demands that we strive for perfection. However, for the purpose of this study, we shall focus on just three of these areas. They are as follows:

A. Moral Uprightness
B. Vocational Ingenuity
C. Attitudinal Excellence

Before we treat the points above piecemeal, we would first draw some inspiration from the life of our Father, Almighty God, and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is all too easy to conceive of the members of the Godhead as sitting leisurely in the glorious domain of their heavenly kingdom, with angels and heavenly saints hustling about to do their bidding.

Yes, angels wait on God and His Son, Jesus Christ, but none of the angelic beings even gets to be as busy as the Godhead. See John 5:17-21.

“…But He answered them, My Father is working until now, and I myself am working.”
John 5:17.

We understand from the testimony of Jesus above that the Godhead is always at work, taking care of celestial administrations and running over the affairs of mankind on earth. See 2 Chronicles 16:9; Hebrews 4:13; Daniel 2:20-22; 4:17; Psalm 50:1-23; Genesis 18:20-21; Matthew 28:19-20.

The industry that goes into the perfect coordination of all the beehive of activities in all the realms of existence reveals to us how hardworking our God and His Son have always been. In fact, Psalm 50 aptly captures God’s administration of governance over all of His creations, in all their realms, in this single verse:

“He summons the heavens above, and the earth, to judge His people.”
Psalm 50:4.

As His children, God has ordained that we also should exhibit a likeness of the same diligence, industry, and hard work in all that we do, because that is the guarantee that He would crown our efforts with success.

“The Soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing. But the soul of the diligent is made fat.”
Proverbs 13:4.

Heaven does not celebrate sluggards or encourage laziness. Proverbs 6:9-11; 21:17. God will not help you with things you obviously can do well yourself; He would more likely offer help to the helpless, but even at that, the helpless person must be ready to seek for and accept this help from God.

As earlier said, we would be looking at just three areas of our lives which, if well groomed to acceptable standards with God, can enhance our capacity to achieve financial breakthrough and prosperity. They are as follows:

A. MORAL UPRIGHTNESS

Matthew 5:43-48

One of the secrets of success in business is moral integrity; people want to trust whosoever they would do business with. It follows, then, that a businessman or woman who is morally corrupt would sooner or later lose customers. Below are some critical areas of our lives that should be subjected to strict discipline so as to achieve the moral uprightness that could win the trust of both existing and potential customers:

a. Trust:
If you make God your trust, then people will trust you. Wealth and riches come from God, and He gives them to those He can trust. Therefore, avoid all corrupt practices in business. Proverbs 15:6, 27. Do not help customers to defraud their employers (or anyone, for that matter) in any way.

b. Politeness:
Proverbs 15:1, 28; 1 Kings 12:1-19. A Christian must be polite to both the well-behaved and the unruly customers. When it comes to doing business, the buyer has more options than the trader. So, endure them politely in order to keep them and enjoy their patronage.

c. Love:
Matthew 5:43-48. Have genuine love for everybody. Be concerned for your customers’ well-being more than you are for their patronage. Naturally, people respond to love by wanting to be where they get it.

d. Integrity:
Proverbs 20:6-7. Be dependable. Be transparent in all your business dealings with your customers. They will come again.

e. Truthfulness:
Proverbs 12:19, 22. Do not lie about your selling prices. Give people the right to buy where it is cheaper for them.

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B. VOCATIONAL INGENUITY

Proverbs 6:6-8; 24:3-4.

Do not go into any kind of business simply because other people have succeeded in that field. Rather, choose a business field that you are well suited, trained, or qualified for. Selling goods and/or services successfully would take more than just finding the right market; you must also be able to beat your competitors to enjoy more patronage. This is where professional ingenuity comes in handy. Be good at what you do, and you too will enjoy good patronage. Like the proverbial ant, know the difference between seasonal and all-weather goods.

“Which having no chief officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer, her provision in the harvest.”
Proverbs 6:7-8.

You must also know where to source for goods at a cheaper rate and how to convey them at less cost in order to maximize your profit. You must also be wary of goods and products that are considered banned or contraband by the law; they could be susceptible to seizure and litigation, thus bringing about loss in business income and capital.

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C. ATTITUDINAL EXCELLENCE

Your attitude (or disposition) towards running your business is equally as important as your set goals for achievement in that business.

Your attitudinal excellence or liability can make or mar your business in the following ways:

a. Laziness

This can come in two ways, namely:

i. Physical Laziness:
This is the lack of diligence or determination in carrying out any daily or periodic physical actions required to achieve set goals and/or objectives, like rising up early at the proper time to pursue your spiritual, family, or business goals for the day. A lazy person will not do these things in good time. They may just lie or sit idle and waste away precious time. Proverbs 6:9-11; 20:4; 21:25; 26:15.

ii. Mental Laziness:
This is the lack of diligence in carrying out a good plan or decision, like unnecessary procrastination of good business plans.

Examples: Investing in stocks when the prices are good or starting a small business which could help economically.

Generally speaking, mental laziness is the failure to put good plans or thoughts to work until the opportunity to do so is lost or past its season. Proverbs 26:14, 16; 13:4. All forms of laziness must be dealt with in order for us to achieve good results in our businesses.

b. Lateness

Opening our shops or offices late for business can have some negative consequences on our sales. Once existing or potential customers get fed up with such an attitude, they are bound to leave and seek more diligent sales outlets.

c. Customer Satisfaction

Do customers leave your shop satisfied, bored, disappointed, or even angry? The state of mind in which a customer leaves your shop will determine whether they will come back or not. If your attitude towards serving them is charming, you’ll not only put the goods they want in their hands, you’ll also put a smile on their faces. Proverbs 27:17, 19.

Below are some principles to follow to help you give your customers maximum satisfaction:

1. Have a welcoming smile for every customer, whether they’re big-time spenders or just penny-worth spenders; who knows in which direction the tides might flow tomorrow?
2. Try and manage your disappointment with customers who ask endless questions about prices of goods, end up not buying anything, and leave you with the frustrating task of returning your goods to the shelf. If you wish them good luck at the next shop they go to (you might just be the only one doing this!), I bet they’ll come again next time and buy to please you too.
3. Do not let your shop run out of stock. You must keep a good record of goods supplied and sold so as to know when to start the process of replenishing stocks before they are exhausted. In the event that you do not have what a customer needs, it would be more prudent to send and fetch it from a neighbour’s shop than to let them go there themselves, because that might just be their last visit to your shop.
4. Take proper care of the expiry dates of your goods and set an alarm in your mobile device’s calendar to give you an advance warning. Selling an expired product to a customer might harm them and make you liable to litigation and/or loss of patronage.
5. Finally, put God first in all your business dealings. His place in your life must never be occupied by any business pursuit at all. There must be time for everything: time for your business, time for your family, and time for your God. Ecclesiastes 3:1.

“…. Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”
Romans 12:11.

The End.

LUKE 14:25-35

Another year is fast approaching, and with it comes so many expectations, responsibilities, and commitments. However, how well prepared we are (or otherwise) to successfully handle these challenges will, to a large extent, be dependent on the lessons we have learned (or failed to learn) in the preceding years of our lives, especially in 2026, the year we are just about to exit.

It goes without saying that good things don’t come easily; they are, more often than not, the outcome of a carefully laid-out plan for success, coupled with prayers and faith in God, our Father. If we have failed to realize this principle or have neglected to follow it in the preceding years of our lives, then now is the time to come to terms with reality and embrace wisdom in planning for the coming year, 2027. Proverbs 1:20-23; 2:1-9; 3:13-18; James 1:5-8.

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him”. James 1:5.

Before embracing the coming year, wisdom demands that, as a church and also as individual Christian members of God’s church, we must first evaluate our performance in the previous years, especially 2026, to see how we have fared so far. This will, in turn, help us to make purposeful plans for a fruitful and victorious 2027, through the help of our Almighty God, who has so ordained it from the beginning. Genesis 1:26-28; John 15:1-8.

“Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples”. John 15:8.

This study will run under two sub-topics, namely:

1. Personal Evaluation of Our Christian Commitments for the Year 2026.

We shall expand this first sub-topic using the following five (5) points:

a. Time Management
b. Church Attendance
c. Contributions to Church Growth
d. Financial Commitment to God’s Work
e. Personal Impact in the Lives of Fellow Church Members.

2. Purposeful Planning and Persistent Pursuit of Set Goals and Achievements for the Year 2027.

We shall also expand this second sub-topic using the following three (3) points:

a. Uncommon Business Ideas for God’s Children
b. Financial Breakthrough and Prosperity for Diligent Christians
c. Partnership with Christ in Church Growth and Financing.

Having begun this study with an overview of what the study would look like, we shall now begin a piece-meal, in-depth study of each of the two sub-topics and points already highlighted, beginning with the first one below:

1. Personal Evaluation of Our Christian Commitments for the Year 2026 in the Following Areas:

a. Time Management: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Time Management is the act, or process, of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency, or productivity within a limited amount of time. This is so because time itself cannot be managed; it is fixed. So, you can only manage the activities within the boundary of the time God has given for your life to begin and end.

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven; A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted…..” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2).

Our lives are timed from the very beginning of our conception to that moment we cease to live on this earth, whether by natural death or the supernatural catching away of the saints to glory, otherwise known as the rapture, whichever comes first. Wisdom begins with the effective utilization of this knowledge for doing God’s revealed will and achieving His defined purpose for our lives.

Within the fixed time of your life, God expects you to discover and fulfill the following:

1. Firstly, and most importantly, is to know Him as the only true God and to believe in His Son Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul. John 17:1-3; 1 Chronicles 28:9.

“And this is eternal life, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent”. John 17:3.

Unfortunately, for most people, Satan tactfully delays them from gaining this knowledge early, until most of their lives are wasted in unproductive pursuit of worldly ambitions and sinful pleasure, which counts for nothing as far as God’s purpose for their lives is concerned. This is a wake-up call for parents to raise their children early enough in the nurture and fear of the LORD. Proverbs 22:6.

2. Discover your place in God’s plan and purpose for His creation.

Noteworthy is the fact that every person created by God has a specific role to play in God’s plan for His creation; otherwise, He would not have made them (or caused them to come into existence).

What is your place in God’s big plan for His Kingdom and all His creation? Part of the time of your life must be dedicated to finding the answer to this question.

From a careful reading of 2 Timothy 1:7-9 and Romans 8:28-30, it would seem that we were made, commissioned, and released from heaven to earth with a mandate to accomplish certain duties for God within a fixed time. You must, therefore, find out and fulfill your mandate while your time still runs!

3. Develop yourself sufficiently to effectively carry out God’s purpose for your life.

Unfortunately, most people fail here and waste their entire lives fulfilling their personal pursuits until death calls. Your education, your skills acquisition, personal discipline, and every laudable achievement in life are all worthless if they are not being harnessed for the effective discharge of God’s purpose for your life concerning the business of His Kingdom. 2 Timothy 2:1-26.

All of the above would require effective management of the limited time allotted to our lives if we must be fulfilled Christians by the time we leave this world.

4. Finally, after achieving the three objectives above, you should dedicate your entire life to fulfilling them. John 4:31-38; 2 Timothy 4:5-8.

Every born-again person who walks (or has walked) the earth is caught up (or must have been caught up) at least in one of these four stages of existence. Unfortunately, those who are not born again cannot invest time in discovering God’s ordained purpose for their lives yet because that is not possible without a spiritual relationship with Him. But equally sad is the truth that some (if not most) Christians are not fully utilizing their time to God’s glory; they are either investing it in the wrong pursuits, or they are not serious with the use of their time in the right things they have invested it in. We must take a cue from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave much attention to spiritual matters than to His physical, bodily needs.

“Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” John 4:34.

The highlight of what has been said so far in the first point is as follows:

Under the first point titled Time Management, we held that time has a fixed value and, therefore, cannot be managed; rather, the activities for which the time is set out would be the focus for management. And we identified four activities tied to each person whom God has created and sent into this world, to be as follows:

1. The quest to know God. John 17:1-3.
2. The quest to find out His plans and purposes for our lives. Jeremiah 1:4,5.
3. The task of sufficiently developing oneself to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for one’s life. 2 Timothy 2:15,20-21.
4. The determination to carry out God’s known plans and purposes for one’s life and to fulfill them satisfactorily. 2 Timothy 4:6-8; John 4:34.

We shall now continue with the study under the second point below.

b. Church Attendance

Hebrews 10:19-25; Acts 2:41-47; 5:12-16; Psalm 122:1; 42:1-4.

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD…”. Psalms 122:1.

Church attendance is very important, as it creates the forum for the unity of true believers and gives them the opportunity of knowing and understanding each believer’s unique spiritual abilities and talents, the exercise of which brings mutual edification and spiritual growth and maturity among the members of that church. 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:7-16.

“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as Pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…” Ephesians 4:11,12.

In the light of the Scriptures above, we (I mean every true Christian with a conscience) can now see how disturbing and disrespectful to God a believer’s absence from church activities can be, except for some unavoidable reasons.

Deliberately absenting oneself from participating in church activities, or favouring some personal engagements above that, must be seen as a deliberate denial of our services to God, who saved us by giving up His Son for our sake. Below are some grim consequences of church absenteeism:

1. It shows how ungrateful the absentee is to God, who keeps him alive and provides for his needs. Psalms 103:1-5; John 21:15-17.
2. It exposes the lack of true love for Jesus, who left heaven and its glories to attend to us on this vile world of sin; would it, therefore, be asking too much to also endure always being in His presence for fellowship? Philippians 2:5-8; 2 Corinthians 5:14,15.
3. It shows how unwilling we are to diligently serve God by the use of the gifts and talents He has imparted to us by His Spirit. 1 Timothy 4:14,15; 2 Timothy 1:6.
4. It shows how unconcerned we are about the progress of the gospel work for which Jesus Christ laid down His life. 2 Timothy 4:9,10; John 9:4,5.
5. It exposes our lack of sacrifice for heaven’s sake, whereas others sacrificed everything (including their lives!) so that the church should keep marching on to future generations, of which we are one. Matthew 16:18; 2 Corinthians 6:3-10; 2 Corinthians 9:19-23.
6. Lastly, by this act of unjustified absenteeism, the absentee denies the LORD the opportunity to perfect the work of grace that was begun in their lives at the moment of their salvation encounter with God; for it must be understood that we do not only come to church to minister to others and also be ministered to by them, but, above all, to appear before the LORD and allow Him to work in us and make us more and more like Jesus Christ. Galatians 4:19; John 15:1,2; Hebrews 3:12-14; Psalms 51:7-12; 1 John 1:7.

“…..what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ…” 1 John 1:3.

c. Contribution to Church Growth

1 Corinthians 3:1-15; 2 Corinthians 6:1-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.

Church growth is the spiritual, numerical, and structural expansion of the body of Christ, made possible through the collective contributions of each individual member thereof. Ephesians 4:11-16.

Although this growth is attained through the collective contributions of each member of the church, yet it is the personal drive of each member for this growth that makes it possible; this, also, is the basis for God’s evaluation of our works in order to give to everyone a reward deserving of their personal contributions. Revelation 14:13; 1 Corinthians 3:8-15.

“Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour”.
1 Corinthians 3:8.

God has brought us together as one body so that He could provide a platform to each of us for the demonstration of His grace and gifts bestowed on us, which also, as earlier said, provides the basis for individual rewards here on earth and forever in heaven. Matthew 19:27-29.

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:12.

Having said all that, it should now be the earnest desire of the true child of God to make the most use of every opportunity available to them to further the growth and expansion of the body of Christ, which is the church. Below are some tips especially formulated to help us to achieve this:

1. We must awake to the fact that God brings us to the church to give us the chance to earn His trust, His rewards, and His Kingdom. Although salvation is freely given, yet the blessings or rewards emanating from that relationship with God are bestowed only on His faithful and diligent children whose works are deserving of it. John 9:31; 14:21-23; 4:34-38; Matthew 25:14-30.
2. We should each have a personal drive towards promoting the church to outsiders and inviting them to our weekly activities, that they might be saved also. 1 Peter 2:11-12; 3:1-6; Philippians 2:14-15; Matthew 5:13-16; Colossians 4:5-6; Romans 10:1.

“One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, we have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus…”
John 1:40-42.

3. We must learn to employ the common strategies we see daily in the secular world in getting people interested in attending our church fellowship.

Some of those corporate strategies are as follows:

a. Employees promoting their goods or services and wooing potential customers to patronize them.

b. Companies rebranding their products and services to give them an edge over competitors.

c. In some exceptional cases, we even see business owners resorting to fasting and prayer to God over slow business growth; we certainly can do better for the church.

d. Employees or business owners being nice to customers so as to encourage their continued patronage. We can do the same to newcomers in the church and win their hearts to Christ.

e. Business owners beautifying their shops, offices, or business premises to make them attractive to potential or regular customers. We can do the same to the house of God and make it as physically attractive as it is spiritually.

4. Lastly, we must endeavour to pray and fast for the unity and growth of our church regularly, while also striving to be the change we are expecting to see in our fellow brethren. John 17:11-23; Romans 12:4-21.

d. Financial Commitment to God’s Work

Psalm 50:1-15

When we talk about the Christian’s commitment towards offering financial support to God’s ministers and for furthering the work of the gospel, we are actually not doing so on the basis that God needs our money or property for Himself; but, rather, we do this in the light of the following Scriptures:

1. That God owns all things, visible or invisible, in heaven or on earth. This implies that man is just a custodian of whatever they own. Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Chronicles 29:10-17.

“… A man can received nothing, except it be given him from heaven”. John 3:27.

2. That in the pursuit of the establishment of His Kingdom on earth, God involves the services of trusted and chosen men, women, groups of persons, or organizations, and plans out a means by which He could empower them financially and materially, to enable them use those financial and/or material resources for the support and expansion of His Kingdom here on earth. Deuteronomy 8:11-18; Exodus 10:24-26; 3:21,22; 11:1-3; 12:35,36; 35:4-29.

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: For it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth:” Deuteronomy 8:18.

3. That in whatever way God uses us to raise money for His services, whether through the possession of a good business acumen, a rewarding career, an excellent, well-paying job, a life that attracts favours, or gifted hands and talented minds that easily render services that pay handsomely, we are to understand that the purpose for this blessing is, first of all, for the progress of His Kingdom and, then, for our own benefits. Malachi 3:10; Proverbs 3:9,10; Ecclesiastes 11:1,2; Proverbs 11:24,25.

“Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine”. Proverbs 3:9,10.

If we are careful to observe this divine plan of the flow of financial and material resources from God to man, and then to the church, we would keep this channel of God’s blessing open always, far beyond the reach of Satan, demons, and their agents. Malachi 3:11,12.

But where we selfishly withhold God’s blessing to ourselves and thereby cause a breach in this divine flow of resources from heaven to earth (through us) and then to the church, for the expansion and propagation of the works of God’s Kingdom, there’s bound to be trouble.

It is not uncommon for Satan to lure some people into praising themselves for the financial or material blessings they have, only because they think that their successes are the results or fruits of their own labours. How sadly mistaken! We must consider that much toil, good opportunity, intellectual prowess, or good connections do not always translate into prosperity; it is God who gives the blessing—for a divine purpose. Ecclesiastes 9:11.

“…The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skills; but time and chance happeneth to them all”.

Below are some accounts in the Bible where such misleading thoughts resulted in God’s wrath and judgment:

1. Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 2:37-38; 4:28-37.
2. Eli’s house. 1 Samuel 2:27-36.
3. The Israelites. Malachi 3:7-9; Hosea 2:8-13.

“For she (the nation of Israel) did not know that I gave her corn, and wine and oil and multiplied her silvers and gold, which they prepared for Baal. Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness”. Hosea 2:8,9.

But today, God is eagerly advancing His Kingdom on earth and raising up financial partners who would faithfully channel His resources, sent from heaven, through them and to the Church. There are souls to be won, needs to be met, helps to be rendered, and ministers of the gospel to be financially supported, motivated, and encouraged to continue with the good work they’ve been doing for Jesus Christ.

Heaven is filled with resources of all kinds, ready to be disbursed to men, women, groups, or organizations here on earth for onward transmission into the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but unless God certifies us as faithful, He wouldn’t make us one of these channels.

“Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful”.
1 Corinthians 4:1,2.

The issue here is not so much what you think you have, but rather what God would commit in trust to your hands if He can depend on you.

Below are some Bible accounts where God used trusted persons as channels of His blessings for the gospel:

1. The centurion: Luke 7:1-10.
2. The early church: Acts 4:32-37.
3. Tabitha: Acts 9:36-41.
4. Cornelius: Acts 10:1-6.
5. Epaphroditus: Philippians 2:25-30.
6. Lydia: Acts 16:14,15.
7. Onesiphorus: 2 Timothy 1:16-18.
8. Paul’s supporters in Rome: Romans 16:1-16.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shown towards his name in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister”. Hebrews 6:10.

e. Personal Impact In The Lives Of Fellow Church Members.

MATTHEW 25:31-41

“And the king will answer and say to them, truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”
Matthew 25:40

The church is like a nursery where the children of God are catered for and prepared for His service until such a time when they are matured and perfected for His Kingdom. How old or how new we are does not really determine who takes care of the other in the church, because we all need this care, whether we are matured Christians or just babies in the Lord. See 1 Corinthians 12:18-27.

“That there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.”
1 Corinthians 12:25

Whereas the new Christian in the church draws a lot of encouragement from the maturity and experiences of the older Christians, they (the older Christians) also draw so much inspiration from the daring, childlike faith of the new converts. In this way, a healthy state of interdependence is created among the members of the body which, if sustained, would keep the church strong and united in Christ.

The church that neglects to bring in new converts will lack the benefit of the warm, dynamic, and daring faith often associated with such new converts in Christ. Similarly, the church that refuses to grow in Christian maturity and discipline will lack the benefit of the experience needed to grow and move victoriously against the opposition of Satan and his agents. Acts 9:17-20, 22, 26-28, 31; Acts 18:23-28; Acts 11:19-26.

From the Scriptures above, we see how newly converted Paul invaded the dreaded synagogues with the gospel of Christ, a place the older Christians had kept away from. For all the risks he subjected himself to, they could not kill him. We also see how zealous Apollos was better prepared for greater service by Priscilla and Aquila, who were older Christians. So also, we see mature Barnabas sent to encourage the new converts at Antioch, but he later went back to bring in newly converted Paul. Together, their combined virtues resulted in a yearlong revival that saw the conversion of many souls and the growth of the church at Antioch. These things were made possible because the brethren, old and new in Christ alike, complemented one another’s efforts in the church, each impacting the life of the other positively and encouraging one another to greater service for the Lord.

Below are some other ways we can positively impact our fellow members in the church:

1. Godly Visitation
   Acts 15:36, 40, 41

The aim of Christian visitation is to strengthen the brethren being visited. Idle talk must be avoided. Titus 3:9; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; 2 Thessalonians 3:11.

Visitations must result in godly impacts.

2. Biblical Encouragement
   Acts 11:19-24; Acts 9:26-28; Hebrews 10:19-25, 35-39; Acts 14:21-22

We must inspire hope in the heart of the discouraged, using the Scriptures as the basis for the confidence we have.

3. Sharing with the Needy
   Acts 4:32-37; Acts 11:27-30; Matthew 25:34-40; James 2:15-16; Luke 3:10-11; Deuteronomy 15:11-15

Sharing must be done sacrificially; having enough for yourself must not be the basis for helping the next person in need.

4. Standing Firm in Support of One Another
   Romans 12:15-16; Philippians 2:1-4; Acts 12:1-17

When we stand in support of one another in the church, our faith will remain strong. The problem of one member should be the clarion call for all members to rally around them in support. 1 Corinthians 12:26

5. Being the Example We Want to See in Others
   1 Timothy 4:6-16; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 4:16-17; John 13:1-17

“Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 7:12

There’s nothing that impacts other people positively more than the observable, exemplary Christian life that is demonstrated by other Christians around them. We may preach, teach, and pray all we can, but if our practical living does not reflect it, it is hardly likely that anyone would take us seriously. Therefore, we must first be the change we expect in others; then they will become the change they see in us.

“For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”
John 13:15.

To Be Continued.

Psalm 15:1-5; 24:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-12; Hebrews 12:14; 1 Peter 1:13-17.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”. John 14:27.

There is a peace to be had, which transcends the limits of a robust bank account, material wealth, a successful career and, indeed, everything that goes with being happy and successful in accordance with this world’s standards.

It is the peace that comes from a pure heart and a godly character, which only Jesus Christ can give, through the forgiveness of sin and preservation of the heart from further defilement by His continual presence inside of it.

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his Holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully”. Psalm 24:3-4.

“Clean hands”, in the context of the Scripture above, is a metaphor for good character or good works; such works that cannot be impugned by evil motives, selfish ambitions or glory seeking, which are vices associated with the unconverted, sinful heart of man. The connection between the condition of the heart and the human character (or works of the hands) is clearly defined in the Holy Bible, God’s Holy Word. See the following scriptures for instance: 2 Kings 22:16,17; Jonah 3:3-10; Luke 6:45; 1 Corinthians 3:13-17; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4; Revelation 20:11,12.

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaketh”. Luke 6:45.

From the explanation given above it follows, then, that a peaceful and pure heart is the result of a holy character, made possible by a consistent works of righteousness. Any claim, or self assurance, of a peaceful and pure heart, without the outward
manifestation of a holy character must be seen as a false claim by all true, God-fearing believers in Christ.

It is easy for Satan to deceive anyone into thinking they are acceptable before God but what should actually give us such confidence must be a proven godly character, or works, that is outwardly manifest for all to see. Though Korah, Dathan and Abiram claimed that they were holy and in harmonious communion with God, yet Korah was full of bitter envy against Aaron, and had a covetous heart for the High Priest’s office (Numbers 16:8-11); Dathan and Abiram, on the other hand, were a duo of rebellious men and instigators of discontent among the Israelites. They had no respect for Moses the servant of God (Numbers 16:12-14).

They were all destroyed by God for the sinners they actually were; their self appraisals notwithstanding. See Numbers 16:19-35.

“For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth”. 2 Corinthians 10:18.

Read also the following: 1 John 3:21; 4:17; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2; 1 Thessalonians 2:9-12.

“Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you that believe”. 1 Thessalonians 2:10.

From the analogy drawn in the story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, we can see that it is possible for man to be deceived into thinking himself to be what he is not. This is that point in the true Christian’s life where they should be very careful and unassuming.

Our judgment of ourselves should be sober, humble and in consonance with the truth of God’s Word, while bearing in mind that it is what God says of our conduct that stands as His final verdict in the end. See Romans 12:3; Luke 16:15; Isaiah 57:15; 1 Peter 5:6.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to the fruit of his doings”. Jeremiah 17:9.

We shall consider the following points to help us understand the teaching better:

1. The Hidden Vices Of The Heart Which Damns The Soul.
   Jeremiah 17:9; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Mark 7:21-23.
2. God’s Way of Exposing And Dealing With The Vices Of The Heart.
   Deuteronomy 8:2; 1 Peter 1:6,7; James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:4-13.
3. Peace And Purity of Heart: The Sure Way To Heaven.
   Matthew 5:8,9; Galatians 5:22-26; Psalm 15:1-5; 24:3-6.

The human heart is the object of a great contention between the Kingdom of God and Satan. This is so because the heart is the place where man conceives, accepts or rejects decisions, which in turn either brings him under God’s control or Satan’s. The Spiritual Kingdom which gains control of any heart owns that person until it is wrested from it by the other Kingdom; either by the unforced rhythm of God’s grace or the unfortunate malicious coercion and deception of Satan and his many agents. Unfortunately Satan’s strategy seems to appeal more to most people because it is entirely based on deception, to which the unregenerate heart is easily susceptible, as also revealed in Jeremiah 17:9.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to the fruits of his doings”.

Today we shall be studying under the topic:
1. The Hidden Vices Of The Heart Which Damns The Soul
Jeremiah 17:9; Galatians 5:19-21; 1 Corinthians 3:1-3; Mark 7:21-23; Proverbs 4:23.

“Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life” Proverbs 4:23.

The scripture above aptly captures the essence of a righteous life. The question to ask, though, is; what should we guard our hearts against?

As we grow from childhood, teenage, adolescence and all through to adulthood, we develop habits from what we see, hear, touch, feel, taste, think e.t.c. All of these help to shape our character which in turn gives each of us our distinct personality. But who influences what we see, hear, touch, feel, taste, think? God’s Kingdom or Satan’s? Most people started out pretty well with Satan as their greatest influence, so that by the time they are old enough to make decisions their hearts are already conditioned to make the wrong, sinful choices which further estranges them from the Holy God in whose image and likeness they were supposed to have been created. Read Genesis 6:1-12; Romans 3:10-18; 1:21-32.

“And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually”. Genesis 6:5.

Satan tries to have an early lead in the lives of people so that he could influence their outlook at life. His common tools in executing this strategy are: violent movies, pornography, romantic movies or literatures (telenovella), immoral music videos, worldly music, worldly fashion, love of money… to mention but a few. It is needless to say that a life influenced by Satan falls under his lordship, unless rescued by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:1-9.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience..” Ephesians 2:1-2.

Even when we have been forgiven our sins, at repentance, as evidenced by the following scriptures: Colossians 2:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:18,19; yet the Satanic influences of our past life still bears heavily on our hearts so much that if we are to be spared a relapse into sin, that evil fountain in the heart, from which all those unrighteousness is spewed, must be dried up. This, however, cannot be done without our co-operation because God works on us only to the extent that we allow Him, so that He would be justified in either rewarding or punishing us based on our individual decisions.
2 Corinthians 5:10; Colossians 3:23-25; Romans 14:12.

The process by which God dries up the fountain of sin from the heart and makes it a spring of life is variously called conversion, sanctification or circumcision of the heart. This is quite different from repentance; for whereas repentance deals with the forgiveness of sins, conversion on the other hand deals with the restoration of godly character back into the heart which over time had been grossly corrupted by satanic influences and sinful practices. God forgives our sins when we repent and confess them, but He changes our characters when, after repentance, we completely surrender our entire life to Him and live each day by faith in Him alone, through Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at some examples from two scriptures:
“…..Verily I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter the Kingdom of heaven”. Matthew 18:3
These words were spoken by Jesus Christ to His disciples who had earlier on repented of their sins and forsaken all to follow Him; but they had yet to deal with their ungodly characters which often contradicted their repentance. Matthew 18:1-2.

Now, let’s look at the second scripture below:
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord….” Acts. 3:19.

This admonition above was given to persons who had yet to repent from their sins, therefore there was the need both for repentance and conversion of the heart.

Below are five salient points to help us understand the topic more clearly.

1. Repentance deals with the sins manifestly committed. Luke 3:1-3; Acts 19:4; 2:37-38

2. Conversion deals with the character embedded in the heart of the repentant sinner, whose sins have been forgiven. This is the point where regeneration of the fallen nature should begin in earnest, as God, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of the Christian, works to restore them back to the newness of life in which man was originally created. John 3:3; Matthew 18:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:1-3.

3. Conversion or sanctification of the heart is necessary in order to deal with the hidden vices of the heart which satanic influences, over time, had deeply entrenched in the character of the now repented sinner. This work of grace removes besetting or habitual sins. Hebrew 12:1

4. The hidden vices of the heart, if left unattended to in the manner explained above, could be likened to a sleeping evil waiting to be awaken. Repentance is not an end in itself, but a means to an end, which is newness of life in Christ. For a man’s life to be adjudged as new, it must be free both of the manifested and hidden sins. We are more likely to confess the manifested sins and make no effort to deal with the hidden vices of the heart, which actually gave rise to those sins: this is a no win situation because we could easily relapse into sin again. Mark 7:21-23; 1 Peter 2:1-3.

“But it happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire”. 2 Peter 2:22

5. The Lord wants us to be converted and become like innocent children whose heart within is pure and their works without are done with no pre-meditation to do evil. Until we are such we cannot say we are truly born again. If our sins have been washed away yet we do not press on to be rid of the corrupted nature that breeds sin, we would still lose the kingdom of God.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”. John 3:3

GOD’S WAY OF EXPOSING AND DEALING WITH THE VICES OF THE HEART. Deuteronomy 8:2, 1 Peter 1:6,7; James 1:2-4; Hebrews 12:4-13.

We ended the first sub-topic with the Lord’s call to all Christians to be converted and become like innocent children, whose heart within is pure, and their works without are done with no premeditation to do evil. This can only become possible as we surrender our lives entirely to Jesus Christ, granting Him exclusive rights to do as He pleases with us, wheresoever, howsoever, through whomsoever and by whatsoever means He chooses. Where this selflessness is achieved, the Lord begins the work of regeneration of the soul in earnest. Colossians 3:17-24; Galatians 2:19-20.

“I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

If God were to make our bad habits and characters to simply vanish on the day we repented of our sins, then, there would be no basis for ascertaining who is a righteous person, or who is not; the place of trials and temptations, as tools for establishing obedience and conformity to God’s word, would’ve been defeated.

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptation; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-5.

At repentance, it is as though the penitent sinner receives God’s forgiveness on the agreement they would pursue a course of living that would ensure the practice of righteousness for the rest of their lives. John 8:10-11; Romans 6:1-2.

To the extent they are committed to doing this God helps them, not only in granting them the daily grace needed, but also in revealing the hidden vices of their heart in ways only His divine wisdom can devise. Luke 2:34, 35; Deuteronomy 8:2.

“Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:35.

How does God do this? Well, by allowing us to pass through and respond to the trials, temptations or unfavourable conditions or circumstances that are associated with everyday life, He gives us the opportunity to know the bad character that lies hidden within our hearts so that we could, through the grace He richly supplies, bring them to Jesus Christ in prayers (If we choose to) for destruction.

“…For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8.

“…Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5.

The goal set to be achieved here is a peaceful and pure heart, devoid of the clamour, rancor and agitations that is characteristic of the unrepentant and converted heart. Whereas the natural man sees temptations or trials as an avenue to indulge the flesh, the Christian who has repented of their sins should see them as an opportunity to deal with the tendency to commit sin, by partnership with Christ. Below are six (6) salient points to enable us understand this partnership with Jesus Christ better:

1. Jesus Christ teaches that those who must be perfected and freed from the vices of their heart should learn to give up any rights to seek a redress from offenders. This is so because He seeks to help us overcome our sinful emotions rather than to pacify or gratify them.

“For I through the law am dead to the law that I might live unto God.” Galatians 2:19

The Scripture above reveals a most interesting principle for a selfless Christian living, which is the key to dealing with the hidden vices of the heart. We must understand that all human conflicts emanate from the assertion of their individual or collective rights as guaranteed to them by the natural or constituted laws. As a rule, therefore, if you must avoid any manner of conflict with anyone, you have to train yourself to forfeit your right to seek a redress from them; bearing in mind that what may seem like a loss here is actually a spiritual gain which is of greater value. Matthew 5:38-48, Romans 12:17-21; 1 Peter 2:21-23; 3:8-12.

2. Emotions like jealousy, malice, envy, anger, wrath, covetousness, lust, etc, can be aroused by the things we see, hear, touch, feel, perceive or think upon. The object of such provocations or temptations should not be our focus: rather the emotions they arouse in us should be the target for subjugation. Those objects causing the provocations only serve to let you know you are capable of such sinful emotions, which is not the normal life for a born again child of God. For instance, you cannot go about chasing away indecently dressed persons from the street in order to be freed from lust. It would be easier that you allow God to deal with the lust in your heart as you surrender that area of your life to Him in prayer, coupled with fasting. The same goes with anger and other sinful emotions: you cannot stop people arousing them in you, but you can ask God Almighty to give you a heart that is free of such emotions, so that you cannot be moved by the motions of sin. Colossians 3:5-8; Psalm 141:1-4.

“Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.” Psalm 141:3,4.

3. A Christian must not consider other persons as enemies. Even those who hate you are only giving you the opportunity to practice the art of unconditional love, which is God’s kind of love for the sinner. John 3:16; Romans 5:6-10; Matthew 5:43-48.

“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same?” Matthew 5:46

When we treat others as enemies because that is their approach towards us, we only succeed in nurturing the vices of our own heart, which otherwise should be removed in order for us to be perfected for God’s kingdom.

4. Learn to appreciate God for the unfavourable circumstances which He allowed to come your way, because by them you can learn the virtue of endurance, which mostly is the forerunner of God’s blessings. Philippians 4:11-13; Deuteronomy 8:3; 2 Corinthians 12:6-10.

“And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

5. Learn to accept criticism with meekness because you might just be under a test for pride, ego or self righteousness. Romans 12:10,16; Mark 15:3-5; Luke 23:33-39.

“For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to; but to think soberly according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3.

6. Finally, we must understand that a Christian has no rights or privileges to seek or pursue outside of the grace of God. To truly surrender your life to Christ is to relinquish your claims to anything He will not expressly give or permit you to have. Consequently we must always seek to know His will concerning anything we intend doing. Where that is denied us, we would not risk suffering disappointment or harboring hatred against some perceived oppressors or suppressors, knowing that God’s will had been done. Philippians 4:4-7; Psalm 37:3-11.

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:6.

As we round up this study, we shall be doing so, naturally, under the last sub-topic below.

3. PEACE AND PURITY: THE SURE WAY TO HEAVEN.
Matthew 5:8,9; Galatians 5:22-26; Psalms 15:1-5; 24:1-6.

Unless we understand why the human heart is “…deceitful and desperately wicked…” we wouldn’t see the reason why we should always submit ourselves to God, through Jesus Christ, for Him to help us overcome the evil vices bound up inside of it.

If we keep justifying our sinful acts as part of that human nature we claim we cannot do without, we would only be strengthening the malicious plans of Satan and his agents against our souls; for it is evident that they would stop at nothing (except against the power of God through Jesus Christ) in their effort to lure the soul to hell fire and eternal damnation.
On the other hand, if we realize our helplessness against these satanic vices of the heart (as this study seeks to help us to) and we turn to God, through Jesus Christ, for the destruction of those sinful habits and characters, we would surely be reformed, refined and regenerated back into the image and likeness of God, which was the actual initial nature we had at our creation before it was lost in sin. See Genesis 1:26,27; 3:1-24; 6:1-6; Romans 3:10-18; 23-26; 8:1-11.

“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11.

We, as Christians, have mostly gotten God’s plan of salvation wrongly, and have institutionalized that error into the very fabric of the doctrine of salvation by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

The very fact that most professing Christians end up in hell, rather than in heaven where they had thought they were bound for, must raise this question in the hearts of well meaning Christians: is God’s plan of salvation for man a failure?

No! It is not a failure; rather we the beneficiaries have failed to follow the laid down principles for the salvation and regeneration of the soul, as clearly revealed in the Holy Bible by God Himself, through the Holy Spirit. This plan, if followed carefully and in total submission to Jesus Christ, would lead the penitent sinner to eternal light and everlasting life in heaven.

“And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3.

Our mistake stems from the fact that we think the plan of God for our salvation must be spontaneous; that a man says a few words of penitence and everything falls into place for him, and the next minute he is a saint. However, the scripture teaches quite differently on this. To illustrate: if falling into sin is the outcome of a person’s decision, would coming out of that same life of sin not be also? Man chooses to live in sin, and he must exercise that same will also if he must stop living in sin. God only supplies the grace which helps man to actualize his desire to depart from sin and live for Jesus Christ in righteousness, truth and holiness of life. Grace, therefore, is the catalyst which helps anyone to live in holiness as the true child of God that they desire to be, in the midst of this sinful world.

Should there be no willingness on man’s part to depart from sin, then God would find no basis for the exercise of His mercy in granting man this grace for the salvation of his soul. John 3:16; Philippians 2:12-26.

“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. Verse 12.

The scripture above does not suggest a spontaneous but a progressive work of grace aimed at bringing the repentant soul into deeper experiences of God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ, which ultimately leads to a total transformation of character and therefore, a new way of living which God had ordained for all who would have peace and purity of heart before Him and before all men. 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:11-32

Having said all this, however, we must now try to balance the delicate and confusing issue between salvation from sin (repentance and forgiveness) and eternal salvation of the soul (final redemption or glorification of the soul). The first one is the free gift of God to whoever is ready to accept and confess Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour. No works are required as pre-requisite to obtaining this salvation from sin because, at this stage, the sinner is not capable of any righteous act good enough in the eyes of the Holy God from whom he seeks forgiveness; so he must come through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. John 3:16-18; Ephesians 2:1-9; Colossians 2:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Acts 16:29-34; Romans 10:8-11.

But, on the other hand, the final salvation or eternal redemption of the soul (that was previously saved from sin without works) must be by a proven life of righteousness, truth and holiness; John 8:30-32; Hebrews 3:14; 10:35-39; 6:9-1; Matthew 24:13.
This is where the Christian’s journey to heaven really begins. Ephesians 2:10.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Having said all that have been said, the next question to ask is, what is God’s plan in helping fallen mankind to be restored back to His image and likeness, so He could live in peace and purity of heart with God — now on earth and forever in heaven?
For us to correctly answer this question, we must first understand the concept of salvation by grace, through faith in Christ our Lord, which is as follows:
Salvation, as a concept, represents that general idea of the work, or process, of God’s saving grace in man, which begins with genuine repentance from sin, then conversion (or sanctification) of the heart, then justification by the manifestation of a life of consistent good works, and, finally, glorification of the justified soul at death or at the rapture of the church — whichever comes first.
Ezekiel 36:25-27.

All of those works of grace must be fulfilled in a person’s life before they can be said to be truly saved. However, the experiences could come as a one-off work of grace (as it was with the thief on the cross Luke 23:39-43) or as a progressive work of regeneration, as we continue in our daily walk and services with Jesus Christ for a lifetime. God alone determines how we each experience His grace. Hebrews 3:14; 10:35-39.

Below are five (5) salient points that would help bring this to our understanding:

1. REPENTANCE: “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you”. Ezekiel 36:25. God’s grace only works for us when we exercise faith in Christ’s ability to forgive and wash away our sins. Therefore, our relationship with God begins when our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus.

In the early days of their earthly ministry both Jesus Christ and His disciples were emphatic on the place of genuine repentance as a condition for acceptance into God’s Kingdom. Matthew 4:17-23; Luke 3:1-9; Mark 6:7-12; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 5:30,31; 2 Corinthians 7:9,10; 2 Peter 3:9; Ezekiel 36:25.
“And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name (Jesus’ name) among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem”. Luke 24:47.

2. CONVERSION OF THE HEART: Ezekiel 36:26.
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh”. Ezekiel 36:26.

The second step in our relationship with God is the conversion of the heart. This is that process of the work of grace that transforms the heart of the person whose sins have been forgiven and washed away with the blood of Jesus Christ; it is converted (by grace coupled with that person’s willingness to submit their lives totally to Christ) from a heart once filled with sinful, satanic vices into a heart filled with the virtues of Jesus Christ’s life.

Conversion of the heart is the same as being born again, or being sanctified because it denotes a genuine newness of life. Matthew 18:1-3; John 3:3.

3. JUSTIFICATION: Romans 5:1-2; 8:1-2; Ezekiel 36:27.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death”. Romans 8:1-2.

The third step in our relationship with God is our justification. Whether we become justified or not depends on whether our hearts have been converted in the manner discussed in (2) above or not. Justification is an act of God; it is not something you can do for yourself but, rather, something God does for you by virtue of your standing before Him. It is that work of grace by which God deems us as having fully satisfied His requirement for acceptance as His children, through our faith in and total obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”. 2 Corinthians 6:17,18.

4. GLORIFICATION. Romans 8:28-30.
The first three steps in our relationship with God as discussed above, which are: Repentance, Conversion of heart and Justification are all works of grace that must of necessity be perfected in the life of the Christian before he could be glorified. Whereas these three works of grace take place during the Christian’s life time here on earth, glorification of the soul takes place after death or at the rapture, which ever comes first.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 51-53;
1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 7:9-17;
2 Timothy 4:6-8; Revelation 3:5.

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels”. Revelation 3:5.

The cumulative effect of those first three works of grace in the life of the Christian is peace and purity, which lead the way to the Believer’s future glory in heaven.

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” 1 John 3:2,3.

THE END

Acts 4:12; Matthew 10:21–22, 24:9, 13; Hebrews 3:14; Matthew 16:17–19; Hebrews 11:35–40; Acts 14:19–22; John 4:38.

Christianity today is practiced with a considerable amount of liberty in most countries. Even in some countries where the Christian religion plays second fiddle to a major religion, the right of citizens to freely choose to be Christian faithful is recognized and protected. What a privilege! But it was not always this way from the beginning. In fact, we can rightly say that the freedom of association with the Christian faith was purchased with the blood of millions of men, women, and even children who chose to die a painful death in defence of their faith in Christ as man’s only hope of salvation (Acts 4:12).

The early Christians prevailed, not with the arms of flesh, but with uncommon sacrifices and patient endurance. They were not religious zealots, fanatics, or extremists, as some unjustly accuse them. They didn’t want to die. Most of them had children, aged parents, or relations to care for. Some had barely started living their lives, but they were faced with a choice—either to renounce Christ and live or to pledge allegiance to Him and die.

Before this happened, Jesus Christ had already warned His followers in advance when He said:

“……And brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parent, and cause them to be put to death.

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved…….”

“Then shall they deliver you to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake……But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Matthew 10:21, 22; 24:9, 13).

There was no mention of any help. No promise of any exemption. The stakes were high, and the consequences grim. The decisions were carefully made, and the determination firm.

“For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14).

We shall consider this teaching in three parts, namely:

1. Creating a foundation for an enduring church.

2. Sustaining the legacy of Christ the Saviour.

3. Maintaining the standard until Christ returns.

For the two thousand and some fraction of years the New Testament church has been in existence, we can roughly estimate that 3½ years were spent by Christ in building the church (Matthew 16:17–19).

For an estimated period of 1,467 years, the early church, through much trial, persecution, and loss of lives, sustained the legacy of Jesus Christ, the meek and selfless Saviour of mankind (Hebrews 11:35–40; Acts 14:19–22).

For the remaining 500 and few years that have spanned the time of the Reformation of the church to date, we, the contemporary Christians, have had the task of maintaining the Christian standard thrust upon our shoulders.

Today, there is a relative calm and quietness; no Sanhedrin, no Inquisition. Nobody dominates us to our hurt with regard to the Christian faith. We are reaping what others had sown with their lives and watered with their blood. Jesus said:

“I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labour” (John 4:38).

1. CREATING A FOUNDATION FOR AN ENDURING CHURCH

“And I also say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

In conceiving a blueprint for the church, Jesus Christ had two things in mind, which are as follows:

1. That His church should be built on a rock. This typifies strength, ruggedness, and stability, which are characteristic of any structure with a solid foundation. See Matthew 7:24–25.

2. That the gates of hell should not prevail against it. This typifies resilience of character—that no matter how Satan, demons, or men rage and fight against her, the church will always come out victorious.

From the foregoing, it appears clearly that Jesus Christ foresaw that the church would be tried and tested, and that by her victory she would be proved worthy of the glory for which God has predestinated her. This is in line with the prophecy of Zechariah found in the Bible book of Zechariah 13:7–9, which indeed concerns Christ and the church. Jesus confirmed that this will be fulfilled.

“And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered…..” (Mark 14:27).

Now, from the above, we can state out the following facts as they concern God’s plan for the church right from the beginning:

1. That she is called to be different from the world and its system of doing things—John 17:16–19.

2. That because the church will be opposed to its system and practices, the world will hate and persecute her bitterly—John 17:14; Revelation 12:13, 17.

3. That the suffering arising from this persecution will actually help Christians in the following ways:

  
   i. To put no confidence in the flesh—Philippians 3:3; 1 Peter 4:1–2.
  
   ii. To help us realize that all the seeming good things that the world offers in return for a loose and carefree life are actually a snare; for why will it persecute the church if indeed the church is losing out on the good things it offers?
  
   iii. That in realizing the above fact, the church should be focused only on heaven, having known she has drawn a line between herself and the world—Philippians 3:20–21; Colossians 3:1–2.
  
   iv. That having made up our minds about getting to heaven and knowing it is our only hope of eternal life, joy, and lasting peace, we should strive to enter it, even at the cost of our very lives—Philippians 3:7–14; 2 Timothy 4:1–2, 5–8.

On the whole, we can conclusively say that God’s plan for the church is to have her refined. The death and resurrection of Christ are likened by the prophet Zechariah to the striking of the shepherd (Zechariah 13:7). After Christ’s ascension to heaven came the fulfillment of that context of the Scripture as a whole.

“And I will turn my hand against the little ones (compare with Luke 12:32) and it shall come to pass, that in all the land, says the Lord, two parts in it shall be cut off and die but the third shall be left in it (compare with Acts 8:1–4). And I will bring the third part through fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will test them as gold is tested: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them; I will say, they are my people: and they shall say, the LORD is my God” (Zechariah 13:7b–9).

What the natural man considers as weakness is indeed strength to the spiritual man. A church that is at the receiving end of the world’s hatred, venom, and whatever evil that fits its fancy, without so much as a cry of protest, may be considered by most as weak and unpopular. This, however, is not the truth. True strength lies in the church’s resilience of character; that is to say, come rain, come shine; come sword and burning; come bonds, come imprisonment; come what may! Yet the church remains invulnerable. She still towers above the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18).

This was the intent of Christ: to build an enduring church. He built one with His life:

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps, who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously..” (1 Peter 2:21–23).

And for those who would follow in His steps, the Holy Bible declares solemnly:

“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake…” (Philippians 1:29).

Christ is the founder of the church and indeed the Head of the church. He laid the foundation for an enduring church, which no being may alter (1 Corinthians 3:11).

By His principle, only those who are ready to follow His steps are recognized by heaven as members of His church. This way, the issue of a mixed multitude in heaven is dealt with once and for all, without the slightest compunction.

“But ye are come unto mount Zion and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are written in heaven and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirit of just men made perfect…” (Hebrews 12:22–23).

We have discussed the first point of our topic, which was “CREATING A FOUNDATION FOR AN ENDURING CHURCH.”

We have identified the plan and purpose of Christ for the church, which we discovered to be as follows:

1. That it should be strong, rugged, and have a solid foundation.

2. That it should be resilient in character.

The above points being the “plan,” we subsequently outlined the “purpose” to be as follows:

1. That the church, just like Christ, should be made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 2:10; Philippians 1:29).

2. That the persecutions and suffering should make the church put no confidence in the flesh (Philippians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 9:24–27; 1 Peter 4:1–2).

3. That the world and its god, Satan, should be exposed to the church for what they truly are (1 John 5:19; 2:15–17).

4. That having thus crucified the flesh and kept itself apart from the world, the church should be focused on heaven and strive to enter into it at all cost (Colossians 3:1–2; Philippians 3:7–14).

Now, by the grace of God, we shall continue with the study by discussing the second point, which is:

SUSTAINING THE LEGACY OF CHRIST THE SAVIOUR

Before delving into this very important point, let’s ask ourselves these equally important questions:

1. What was Christ’s legacy for the early church?

2. To what extent was this legacy sustained by the church?

3. Are we, the latter church, in any way bound to this legacy?

This part of the teaching will revolve around these very important questions, as they hold the key to unlocking God’s mind and revealing His will for the church today.

A legacy is defined as a situation that exists now because of events, actions, etc., that took place in the past.

In answering the first question, we will simply fall back on the Holy Scriptures, which contain the Gospel of Christ, the Acts, and the Epistles of the early church. The Gospel is the basis of faith for the universal church of the living God, while the Acts and Epistles of the early church are the expressions of this faith.

Through the Gospel, we see the life of Christ—His vision, mission, and the passion with which He both began and ended His earthly ministry. This is the basis of our faith. Of this ministry, Peter would later say:

” …the word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus, He is Lord of all ….how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did… whom they killed …Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who all ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead …” (Acts 10:36–41).

Apostle Peter says, “and we are witnesses of all things which He did…..”

A legacy, having been defined as a situation that exists now because of events, actions, etc., that took place in the past, it follows then that the testimonies of Christ’s witnesses (the early church), as contained in the Bible book of Acts, and the Epistles, were the legacies of Christ for the church. These testimonies were the expression of their faith, on which their hope of eternal life through Christ was built.

Below are a few of these witnesses and their testimonies:

Paul the Apostle

” …for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes ..” (Romans 1:16; compare this with Acts 14:21–23; John 4:31–34).

He would not be persuaded to stay away from Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit revealed the fate that awaited him there (Acts 20:17–25; 21:8–14; compare with Matthew 16:21–27).

Apostle Peter

“But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (2 Peter 2:1–2; compare with Matthew 23:13).

Peter went ahead to denounce the evils of false prophets and their doctrines (2 Peter 2:15, 18, 19; compare with Matthew 23:13).

These witnesses of Christ upheld His teachings and practices. True believers, though few, still do so today. This is Christ’s legacy for the church.

The second question now becomes easy to answer. The early church sustained this legacy to the extent that the world found them repulsive, as it had previously found Jesus Christ to also be (John 15:18–15). In narrating the ordeal of the early church, Paul the Apostle wrote these words:

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not destroyed, always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:8–11).

They could have let down their guard and been at peace with the world, but then that would have been a betrayal of faith and a destruction of the legacy of Christ the Saviour of which they were the custodians. Jude confirms that this was the driving force behind the early church’s steadfastness:

“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints…” (Jude 1:3).

To “contend” simply means to “fight,” to “struggle,” to staunchly resist any attempt at destroying our faith. The Christian’s contention is not done with the arms of flesh—see 2 Corinthians 10:3–5; Ephesians 6:10–18.

In contending for the faith—the legacy Christ left for them—they drew the line of separation between themselves and the world. The result of this uncompromising stand was a severe persecution spanning about fourteen (14) centuries (Hebrews 11:35–38; 2 Corinthians 11:23–33).

They were not fanatics who wanted a shortcut to heaven by martyrdom. No! It was love for God. Consider the words of Paul the Apostle:

“for if we are beside ourselves, it is for God;…..for the love of Christ compels us, because we Judge thus: that if one (Jesus) died for all, then all (the church) died; and He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:13–15; compare with John 15:13).

We shall answer the third question fully in the next part of the study, but suffice it to say now that we, the latter church, are bound to this legacy. We are its custodians today!

But what is wrong today? Why are there no persecutions like before? Has the present church tamed the kingdom of darkness? Is the god of this world now repentant? No! Satan will always be the enemy of the church until Christ returns. He gains nothing by being otherwise, for his condemnation is without a remedy (Jude 1:6).

Lest we be deceived, it is important to state that the devil has now adopted a new strategy because his experience with the early church seemed to have taught him a valuable lesson: that the blood of a child of God is seed. Where any is spilled, much more are born. He seemed to have  realized that physical violence cannot kill faith because it is a spiritual element.

The devil still fights against the church today with even more aggression than before but, sadly, we hardly recognize his presence because he has changed his strategy. The devil has crossed the old boundary set by the early church and has mingled with the present church. He is now the enemy within. study
“…for such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works”.
(2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Satan has joined himself to the church today. He has his own “anointed” ministers and prophets; Musicians and worship leaders, to mention but few. It takes a discerning mind to know who the “enemy within” is. More than ever before, the enemy, Satan, is claiming more victories over souls. These are evil days indeed! The Bible terms it the “Perilous Times”.

“But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come; for men will be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy….having a form of godliness, but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The gospel is hardly ever preached anymore: most of today’s preachers prepare their audiences for a life of abundance here on earth at the expense of their soul. The scripture brands this negative trend “Doctrines of Demons”.

“Now the spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”.
(1 Timothy 4:1-2).

Today the rising cost of living and high rate of unemployment are no co-incidences. They were designed by Satan (the temporal ruler of the world, its commerce and economy) as a platform for the prosperity gospel that has now dominated most local churches. Satan’s strategy is simple- a people living in an era of economic uncertainty will readily accept a gospel that offers prosperity as a reward for all of its faithful. The irony is that this type of teaching is not the legacy that Christ left for the church.

Satan knows that the church that trades spirituality for prosperity will gradually become complacent and rot away. This is the sad story of most local churches today. Whether we survive this perilous times or not depends on how each individual Christian obeys the words of Christ bekow:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

*3.MAINTAINING THE STANDARD UNTIL CHRIST RETURNS:*
We are now going to consider the last point of this study. We have treated the first two points, the highlights of which are as listed below:

– That Christ founded an enduring church (Matthew 16:17-19).

– That he laid an example for the church to follow by how he lived, preached and ultimately gave His life for the cause of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of sinners of this world.

– That Christ ascended back to God and left for the church a legacy of faithfulness, whole hearted commitment, patient endurance and holiness towards the cause of God’s Kingdom (Ephesians 5:25-27).

– That the early church sustained this legacy, even though for an estimated period of 1,467 years the church sealed its faith and testimony with the blood of those who fell among its rank (Hebrew 11:35-40; Acts 14:19-22).

– That Christ still demands from us (the latter church) the same commitment He demanded of the early church. (Revelation 2:8-11; Mark 13:34-37).

Even though we still have isolated cases of persecutions against Christians in some places, across the globe, we can still say with all sincerity and certainty that the church today is privileged to see the days of peace, which the early church had prayed, laboured and died hoping for. There are no more burn-fires to incinerate innocent Christian faithfuls to ashes. No more dungeons to rot in. No more swords that put to a painful end the blossoming lives of youths who dared to be different from the world and its sinful practices. More than ever before we are allowed to practice our faith without let or hindrance. More than ever before we stand a better chance of conquering the world for Christ.

Jesus said:

_“I sent you to reap that on which you bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and you are entered into their labour” (John 4:38)._

Others have laboriously built the church – some with their own lives. It’s like everything has been presented to us on a platter of gold. All we need do is to maintain the standard already attained to by the early church, for it is almost impossible to think anyone could improve on it.

However, the irony is that we seem to be doing the very opposite of what they’d expect of us- we are not improving, but degrading the standard set by the early church!
Due to her peace and prosperity (which could not have been made  possible but for the early Church) the Church today is lazy.

The peace and freedom we have today should actually encourage the church to do more for Christ, but instead it would seem we are taking time off to share the loot of conquest. Such dangerous complacence! Would the gates of hell watch without seizing upon such foolish laxity? If the church is lazy then it should realize that Satan is not. A church feasting in the midst of a spiritual warfare is no match for the merciless, apostate angel, Satan. And in case we are slow of understanding, it is pertinent to say that today Satan has crossed the bounds set by the early church. He is now the enemy within. Our present condition can be compared to that of the church in Sardis, to whom Christ sent the warnings quoted below:

_“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead…for I have not found thy works perfect before God…” (Revelation 3:1-2)._

Suffice it to say that our complacent state notwithstanding, God still demands that we maintain His standard. His banner must once again be lifted high; for the gates of hell should never prevail against the church! For this to be possible we must revive from our stupor and face up to reality. We must come to grips with the following facts, namely:

– That the church is still in the midst of war and therefore cannot feast now (Ephesians 6:10-13)

– That the Kingdom we seek is not of this world, and it is yet to come. Therefore we cannot risk the displeasure of Almighty God by embracing the god of this present sinful world, and his kingdom (Luke 4:5-7).

– That the primary objective of Christ is not to grant us an indulgence with the world, but to save us from the world (John 17:14-16).

– That God’s will for the church now is the evangelization of the world. After this will Christ’s Kingdom be established in the earth, and for a thousand years the church will rule and reign with Christ in this present earth. Only then may we indulge ourselves in feasting, merriment and to bask in the prosperity of Christ’s Kingdom (John 17:17; Matthew 24:14; Revelation 20:4-6).

The early church held unto the facts outlined above even unto death. And for them it was written (and to us, too, if we emulate them) in the Holy Scriptures:

_“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13)._

THE END.

2 Peter 3:10–18

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night… seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness… wherefore, beloved… be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace without spot, and blameless.”
2 Peter 3:10, 11, 12, 13, 14

It may be news to some unspiritual and worldly-minded people that this world might come to an end at any time, but it shouldn’t be so to the watchful and vigilant follower of Jesus Christ, unless they have dropped off their cross and relaxed their commitment to Him.

That the day of the Lord is near at hand is a fact that resonates in the heart of every Christian who is alive in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This awareness produces an unforced personal desire to examine oneself for both godly virtues and sinful flaws: godly virtues, on the one hand, because that is God’s requirement for our admittance into His everlasting Kingdom in Heaven; and sinful flaws, because they would be the undoing of anyone who harbours them in their lives. They cannot hope to see God in the beauty of His holiness while still being dressed in the sinful garb of worldly life.

God has long set the standard that only the “…pure in heart… shall see God” (Matthew 5:8), and that without “…peace with all men, and holiness…” of heart before God, no man or woman shall see God in Heaven’s eternal city of joy, peace, and abundance. Hebrews 12:14

What must we do, then, if we must transit successfully through these evil days of this end time and into the glorious and joyful days of God’s redeemed saints in His heavenly Kingdom? The Holy Scriptures give us answers to this: 1 John 3:2–3; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 12:14–15; 1 Peter 2:11–12; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11.

“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:3

We shall expand this study to include the following sub-topics:

1. Satan’s Efforts to Draw Away Souls in This End-Time — Matthew 24:10–12; 2 Timothy 4:3–4; 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12.
2. God’s Call to Vigilance and Resistance Against Satan and His Kingdom — 1 Peter 5:8–9; 2 Timothy 4:5; 2:3–4; 1 Timothy 6:11–14.
3. Personal Renewal and Revival in Hope of Christ’s Soon Return — Romans 12:1–2; 13:11–14.

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1. SATAN’S EFFORTS TO DRAW AWAY SOULS IN THIS END-TIME

Matthew 24:10–12; 2 Timothy 4:3–4; 2 Thessalonians 2:6–12

That the world is experiencing a moral meltdown can be seen in how brazenly sin is being practised by so many people in this end-time period. The days of good morals seem to have gone for good. Today, the practice of good morals is viewed by the majority of people either as a weakness of character or as a sign of not being civilised.

Satan has convinced a lot of people to see the practice of sin as an expression of their liberty to live free from any restriction, whether by man or by God. But, alas! Little do they know that to live at liberty from the control of God’s Word is to live under spiritual bondage to Satan. The Holy Bible has long lamented this deplorable state of sinful man with the expression: “For many have turned aside after Satan.” 1 Timothy 5:15

The proliferation of sinful entertainment, sinful fashion, sinful religious practices, and sinful vocations, all in the name of earning a living, yet without shame, has destroyed the conscience of many. We need a spiritual renewal today more than ever before!!! See Matthew 24:10–12; 1 Timothy 4:1–2.

“Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? Nay, they were not at all ashamed; neither could they blush…” Jeremiah 8:12

The mad rush for the things of this world is a clear indication of who is in charge in the majority of people’s lives: Satan!

People may flaunt church membership and some spiritual titles as evidence that they are Christians, but unless they can prove this by a life free of the moral decay we see around us today, they must sadly own up to the fact that they have fallen into the hands of Satan, the deceiver and spoiler of the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:6–12; Revelation 12:9

“…and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9

Satan is alive and well in the world, and every believing Christian must be wary of this fact. The mad rush for easy religion and entertaining sermons is a testimony to the activities of Satan and his host of deceiving spirits among the people of the world. We must be watchful. 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Timothy 4:3–4.

“…And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
2 Timothy 4:4

Every gospel which seeks to give you more hope of a better life on earth than in Heaven is a “fable,” as the Scriptures put it. Jesus Christ did not die to give you the world—not at all! But Satan has manipulated so many preachers to think and preach this way. We need to be renewed and cleansed from those erroneous doctrines because Satan is using them to draw men and women, boys and girls, away from God in this end-time. We must rise up and be on our guard against Satan!

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2. GOD’S CALL TO VIGILANCE AND RESISTANCE AGAINST SATAN AND HIS KINGDOM

1 Peter 5:8–9; 2 Timothy 4:5; 2:3–4; 1 Timothy 6:11–14

God calls us to vigilance and resistance against Satan and his agents, as this is the path to our spiritual survival.

1 Peter 5:8–9:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (NKJV)

The mounting pressure on the Christian to conform to the sinful world, much against God’s warning, must be resisted and refused by all whose desire is to live in Heaven with members of the Godhead, the holy angels, and all saints.

The fight for our admittance into Heaven must be sustained head-on against Satan every day we live, until Jesus Christ calls or takes us home. We must resist every urge to compromise our good Christian virtues for a worldly and loose life. We must be ready to let go of anyone or anything that is a pawn in the hand of Satan to make us fall into sin. Now is not the time to fall from grace; not for anyone or anything!

2 Timothy 2:3–4:
“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.” (NKJV)

Satan and his agents have devised some subtle means by which to lure the unsuspecting Christian into sin and, therefore, quench their zeal for God’s Kingdom. It is the Christian’s duty to identify those things which wage war against their commitment to God and to avoid them.

1 Peter 2:11:
“Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” (NKJV)

We must give more priority to the things that help us to serve God faithfully, and whatsoever detracts from that must be staunchly resisted and fought against with all our might.

1 Timothy 6:11:
“But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (NKJV)

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3. PERSONAL RENEWAL AND REVIVAL IN HOPE OF CHRIST’S SOON RETURN

Romans 12:1–2; 13:11–14

Whatever a person consciously does with their physical body, especially something bad, has the power to affect their soul forever, unless they call upon God in prayer to help alter the course of their lives again. So, in effect, our eternal destiny is being programmed by us through our daily activities, whether for good or for bad. The Holy Bible has this to say in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Galatians 6:7–8:

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. That everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”

The Scriptures above should provoke deep thoughts in our hearts as to how far or near we are to God and His Kingdom, based on the kind of life we have been living. Have we been consciously living according to God’s revealed desire in the Holy Bible, or according to the cravings of our carnal and sinful lusts?

For the purpose of clarity, we shall mention below some of the common fleshly lusts which negatively affect the soul, and then the spiritual virtues which positively affect the soul:

“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery (Sexual sins among married persons), fornication (Sexual sins among unmarried persons), uncleanness (which can either be physical-like masturbation- or emotional- like bad and sensually arousing thoughts-, and their likes), lasciviousness (anything considered shameful to do because it is against God’s word and clear conscience), idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance (not straight forward, and unnecessarily difficult to get along with people), emulations (competitions), wrath, strife (quarrelsome) seditions (rebellious and trouble makers), heresies (blasphemies), envyings, murders (killings of both living humans and aborting of unborn babies) drunkenness, reveling (worldly and sinful pleasures and entertainments), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19–21

To live in one, more, or all of the above sinful vices is to be destined for eternal separation from God into hellfire. But we can, however, change our orientation through genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, and then experience the renewal and transformation of life which only He can give to anyone who wholeheartedly follows Him.

Galatians 5:22–24 talks about this new life, thus:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, (unconditional love with pure and holy intents) joy (which comes from the heart as a result of its purity), peace (as a result of God’s presence in our heart), Long suffering (endurance which is possible in all situations because of our hope in God to handle our situations in His own way and at His own time), gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (the ability to tolerate people and situations calmly without taking offence): against such there is no law, and they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

In the Scriptures above, the negative human character (Galatians 5:19–21) and the positive ones (Galatians 5:22–26) affect our relationship with God and our readiness for His soon-coming Kingdom, either favourably or adversely.

We shall now shift our focus to how we can identify our true position before God and what we should do to better enhance our chances of going to Heaven at last, through a renewed and revived Christian life and godly character.

We shall consider three (3) points to help with this.

A. KNOWING WHO YOU ARE

Self-discovery is the first step towards ordering your steps, or your life, properly and acceptably to God.

Because of our love for ourselves, we are prone to judging our lives too leniently, even where it is obvious that we are not right before God. Speaking about this self-love, the Bible has this to say:

“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it…” Ephesians 5:29

We would always like to view ourselves in the most generous and least critical manner, and to impute righteousness to ourselves even where we are not deserving of it.

Proverbs 20:6 says: “…Most men will proclaim everyone his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”

See also Luke 18:11–14; Isaiah 65:5.

However, if we would know who we truly are and be able to see ourselves as God sees us, then we must allow His Word to be the mirror by which our true selves are revealed. See Psalms 119:105, 130; Proverbs 6:23.

B. JUDGING YOURSELF STRICTLY BY GOD’S WORD

“For the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrows, AND IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART.” Hebrews 4:12

The Word of God speaks truth only. Those who love the truth align their lives with God’s Word, and that way they can easily detect the lies of Satan hiding behind any of the many facades with which he subtly presents them to the unsuspecting.

Therefore, by reading and meditating in the Word, God helps us to know what’s right to do and what’s not.

Psalms 119:9–11:

“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules.
I have tried my best to find you–don’t let me wander from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT

C. ACTIVATING GOD’S RENEWAL PROCESS IN YOUR LIFE

2 Peter 1:1–11

We are now bringing the study to a close by considering the third and last point, titled Activating God’s Renewal Process in Your Life. 2 Peter 1:1–11.

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue and to virtue knowledge. And to knowledge temperance, and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity…” 2 Peter 1:5–7

One of the main reasons why we mostly fail to get the expected spiritual renewal and revival we so much long and pray for is simply because we heap tons of prayer points about this to God but will not as much as lift a grain of sand’s weight of responsibility towards this end. God is a facilitator of what we desire and pray for; we are the main actors! When we act towards what we desire, then God facilitates it, and we get the results in our lives. See James 2:17–26; Hebrews 11:1–6.

“…Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17

From the opening Scriptures of this last point, we can see that the verb “add” was consistently used; it is an action word! We are supposed to go to a kind of virtue shopping in God’s heavenly storeroom and choose the spiritual fruits and virtues which we lack, and allow God to facilitate the purchase and implementation of them into our lives through Jesus Christ, His Son.

“Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24

Below are some practical steps towards obtaining spiritual renewal and revival as we await Jesus Christ’s return to rapture us:

1. DAILY SEARCH AND MEDITATION IN GOD’S WORD

Acts 17:11–12

All the virtues we need in our lives are stocked in the Holy Bible; it is the one-stop shop for the Christian who wants to be enriched with holy virtues and spiritual beauty, as is revealed in 1 Peter 3:3–4.

“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price.” 1 Peter 3:4

By reading the Holy Bible regularly, we would become accustomed to the lives of the Bible characters revealed therein and learn from their virtues, while also avoiding the mistakes by which they were overtaken in their moments of weakness.

In the Bible book of Colossians 3:16, we are admonished to allow the words of Jesus Christ to dwell in us so richly that they flow out of us naturally to address every situation in our daily lives. Faith begins with the reading of God’s Word and will be sustained by it if we continue with the reading culture all our lives.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

2. CONTINUOUS PRAYER AND FASTING HABIT

Luke 18:1–8; Acts 6:4; Colossians 4:2–6; 1 Thessalonians 5:17–18

“And in the morning rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” Mark 1:35

Prayer is very important for our spiritual health; without prayer, our relationship with God will suffer. Prayer provides us with a continual platform for interacting with the Godhead, to wit: God the Father (2 Chronicles 20:1–4, 21–22), God the Son (Acts 9:8–12), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:31).

All of these members of the Godhead long for our company in prayer, that they may affect our lives positively.

3. PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL (EVANGELISM)

Matthew 28:18–20; 2 Timothy 4:1–5; Romans 1:16–17

Telling people about your faith in Jesus Christ is a great way to maintain your relationship with Him. Jesus is mostly active among those who win souls. God has no business interacting with people who have nothing doing for His Kingdom. If God finds you to be a useful vessel in His service, it is certain that He’d do all He can to keep you renewed, revived, and ready for His coming Kingdom.

“And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen!” Mark 16:20

THE END

Luke 12:13-48

A careful look at the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, while He was here on earth, will help the believer better understand what is important, or not, to God as we navigate our way to heaven through this chaotic world.

We are so prone to losing focus or misplacing our priorities when it comes to making the daily choices of life, which either set us on course for heaven or off course for hell. Therefore, learning from the only One who successfully traversed His way through earth to heaven without any faltering step or failing vision should naturally be the goal of the heaven-bound Christian.
God Himself recommended Jesus Christ to all who desired to know the way to heaven when He said, “…This is my beloved Son: hear Him.” Luke 9:35

Listening to Jesus, whether from the pages of the Holy Bible or through the voice of the Holy Spirit, has always proven helpful to those who have practiced this as a daily routine. Except for infants or children who died under the age of accountability, everyone else who successfully navigated their way to heaven did so by listening to and following the Word of God; and this ‘Word’ is Jesus Christ Himself. John 1:1-4, 14; 17:1-3; 12:26

“And this is life eternal: that they might know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” John 17:3

In today’s study, we shall be looking at the exemplary life Jesus lived on earth as He prepared to fulfill His mission on earth and to ascend back to heaven in triumphant victory. If we carefully study His life, we will notice that three things were characteristic of it. They are as follows:

Firstly, He never lost sight of His vision or His mission by getting caught in the web of worldly pursuits or ambitions. He repeatedly announced His mission statement to all who heard Him. Matthew 18:11; Mark 9:31; 10:45; Luke 9:44, 56; 19:10; John 4:31-36
“For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

Even though He lived among those who were willing to make Him King and proclaim Him Lord, yet He preferred the way that would lead to His crucifixion because His vision for the redemption of mankind was to be fulfilled only that way. John 6:14, 15

Secondly, He did not compromise with the world for the riches or pleasures it offered. Matthew 4:8-11; Luke 9:57-58; 16:13-15
“And He said to them, ‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.'” Luke 12:15

He was the Lord of the earth and could have had anything He wished for, but He chose an austere life so He could be the perfect sacrifice for the redemption of lost mankind. He was unselfish and humble. For His triumphant ride into Jerusalem, He borrowed a donkey, even though He could have easily ridden there in kingly glory and pomp if He had wanted. Matthew 21:1-6

Thirdly, He was faithful to the end in doing the will of God who sent Him. Even in the face of bitter persecution and opposition from the religious leaders and followers of His day, He still remained faithful to God’s Word. He sought no easy way to accomplish His mission of redemption for mankind. He embraced the only way — the way of the cross. Mark 14:32-36; John 6:38

“And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.'”_ Mark 14:36

When Pilate subtly sought to release Him at the trial, He remained silent and uncooperative with him because He knew what the Father wanted done. Isaiah 53:6-11
“I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” John 17:4

In the same vein, if we must transit successfully from this world to a glorious entrance into heaven, we must imbibe these virtues from the life of Jesus Christ by:

1. Maintaining the vision of our call in Christ
2. Taking our attention away from all worldly allurements and easy living
3. Finally, remaining faithful to God till the very end of our lives on earth

To help us achieve these lofty goals, we will further expand the teaching under the following headings:

1. AVOIDING WORLDLY PURSUITS THAT KILL OUR VISION Luke 12:13-31
2. TAKING PRACTICAL STEPS THAT HELP US FOCUS MORE ON HEAVEN Luke 12:32-40
3. AVOIDING CARELESS AND UNWATCHFUL ATTITUDES IN OUR DAILY LIVING Luke 12:41-48

In the first part of this study, we laid emphasis on the exemplary life Jesus Christ lived while on earth. The excerpts are reproduced below:

Firstly, He never lost His vision for His mission by getting caught in the web of worldly pursuits or ambitions. He repeatedly announced His mission statement to all who heard Him. Mark 10:45

Secondly, He did not compromise with the world for the riches or pleasures it offered. He was the Lord of the earth and could have had anything He wished for, but He chose an austere life so He could be the perfect sacrifice for the redemption of lost mankind. He was unselfish and humble. Matthew 21:1-6

Thirdly, He was faithful to the end in doing the will of God who sent Him. Even in the face of bitter persecution and opposition from the religious leaders and followers of His day, He still remained faithful to God’s Word. He sought no easy way. He embraced the only way — the way of the cross. John 6:38; Mark 14:36

By these examples, Jesus laid the foundation and rules of living for those who would follow in His footsteps all the way to heaven, where He now waits to welcome them to eternal life and glory.

“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:11

To help us live a life worthy of God’s Kingdom here on earth and, ultimately, in heaven, we shall look at this study in the order outlined below:

1. AVOIDING WORLDLY PURSUITS THAT KILL OUR VISION FOR HEAVEN
Luke 12:13-31

In the scripture passage above, two characters come into focus:
a. A man who wanted to acquire material wealth. vs. 13
b. A rich man who wanted more wealth. vs. 18-19

The first man interrupted a sermon to make his demand concerning his father’s wealth. His state of mind is revealed to be far removed from the issues of God’s Kingdom, which was being preached at that moment.

The second man was so satisfied with his strategy for managing his wealth for a lifetime, without realizing that death could come calling at any moment. Both of these men represent the two categories into which Satan lures people to the detriment of their salvation and entrance into God’s Kingdom.

First, he keeps them busy searching for wealth, and when that is acquired, secondly, he preoccupies them with the rigors of growing and maintaining the wealth for a lifetime.

“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26
1 Timothy 6:6-12, 17-19; Proverbs 23:4-5; 27:24

2. TAKING PRACTICAL STEPS THAT HELP US FOCUS MORE ON HEAVEN
Luke 12:32-40

It is interesting to note that God’s instruction toward the use of riches we acquire is quite the opposite of what we are used to as natural humans. The natural man wants to hold on to riches, while God advocates the disbursement of it to the needy.

The disparity lies in the fact that whereas God wants us to come back home to Him at the end of our lives, we on the other hand are more willing to hold on to earthly life and, therefore, spend our lives preparing to live long and prosperously on earth as if it is all there is to live for.

The Lord Jesus gives us the following practical steps to help us break free from this illusion:

a. Do not accumulate riches here on earth.
Keep what you need and distribute the rest to the needy around you. It is unrighteous to save money you do not immediately need to use when all around you there are people living in poverty and want. Proverbs 24:11-12; Deuteronomy 15:11
“For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” Deuteronomy 15:11

b. We should be ready to leave this world without prior notice.
For this to be possible, our lives must be free of worldly attachments. We should be able to dispense with anything — even life itself! Matthew 10:39; Luke 12:35-38; Philippians 1:20-23

“For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” Philippians 1:23

c. We should not leave this all-important issue of our eternal destiny to chance. Luke 12:39-40
We must diligently pursue our goal of pleasing the Lord by the services we render to Him, and to people around us, with a view to drawing heaven’s attention to ourselves. 2 Chronicles 16:9; Malachi 3:16-18; Hebrews 6:10-12

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have shown toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” Hebrews 6:10

In the second part of this study, we focused on embracing practical, daily Christian living as a sure way of making adequate preparation for the kingdom of heaven. The best assurance you can ever get about making it to heaven at last comes from living the life of heaven here and now on earth; for we must practice now on earth the life we shall live in heaven forever.

We outlined three points for consideration:

1. Avoiding worldly pursuits that kill our vision for heaven
2. Taking practical steps that help us focus more on heaven
3. Warning against careless and unwatchful attitudes

Having explored the first two points in our last study, we shall now explore the last point.

3. WARNING AGAINST CARELESS AND UNWATCHFUL ATTITUDES
Luke 12:41-48

Whether we are driving, riding, or walking on foot, the only way to avoid going off course is by carefully watching the way we go. This is also true about our spiritual journey to heaven. We could run into potholes or, worse still, crash off the road if we become careless and unwatchful.
Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“But watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry…”
2 Timothy 4:5

But the question is: What should we watch and be careful for?

a. Watch Out For The Signs And Times Of The Lord’s Coming
Luke 12:40-44; Matthew 24:4-7; Philippians 3:20-21

“Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” Matthew 24:42

Every true Christian must be time-conscious. To be otherwise minded is not a good sign at all. When we bear in mind how much the Lord expects of us, and what little time there is for us to live and fulfill our call before He comes or before we die, then we would definitely treasure every second of our life and strive to put it to good use.

If what is happening around the world is anything to go by, then we can be certain that the return of Jesus Christ might just be around the corner. He will come soon! What this means for the Christian is more preparation and labor for God’s kingdom; and time is a major factor here!

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20

b. Watch Over Our Character And/Or Habits
Luke 12:45-46; Galatians 5:7-9; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, 15:33-34; 1 Peter 2:1-3

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1

It is surprising how easily we learn bad characters or habits. The same cannot be said about good morals. Every Christian interested in making heaven must watch carefully what goes in and around their lives. Bad contents in television, movies, cell phones, social media, and immoderate fashion, etc. are all potential breeding grounds for bad character and habits.
When we invest our time and money more in these than in the kingdom of God, then it is obvious we have become spiritually leavened!

c. Watch Out For Satan And His Numerous Agents
Luke 12:47-48; 1 Peter 5:8-11; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 1:3-4, 16-21; Matthew 24:10-13

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

More than ever before, Satan and his host of agents are on the prowl, infiltrating Christian homes and congregations, to turn away as many as they can from the way to heaven. We must constantly be on the watch.
Satan is not interested in stopping preachers from preaching, or Christians from going to church, as long as what they do is not in accordance with the will of God. His agents are in the church, in our offices, business premises, neighborhoods, etc., to ensure this happens.

“Whom resist, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” 1 Peter 5:9

In concluding this study, I want to ask the reader the following questions:

1. Are you serious about living with Jesus Christ and God the Father in heaven for eternity?
2. If you do, then, has this desire for heaven positively affected the choices you make in your daily life?
3. Do you deliberately allow God’s Word to moderate your habit?
4. Do you feel your need for God’s intervention in helping you live a holy and victorious life each day?
5. Do you have that inner witness of the Holy Spirit that you’re truly on course to heaven?

If the answers you give to the questions above are a consistent ‘yes’, then you must keep at whatever you’re doing to get this far! Just keep praying and striving for perfection in your daily walk with God. Soon the celestial curtains would be drawn to either reveal the Lord descending from heaven for His Church, or you ascending up into His outstretched arms at the fullness of your days here on earth. Whichever comes first, just be sure that you’re ready!

MICAH 6:6-8

Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?” (NKJV)

The world is running towards an inevitable end. We are all players on the great stage of life, and sooner or later, the Lord will draw close the curtains of the stage, and every actor and actress will await the final verdict of the great Judge.

The propounding, profession, and proliferation of strange, unscriptural practices in the church today, and the resultant confusion, may give the impression to many that anything goes with God as long as the name “JESUS” is being invoked. What a sad mistake!

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Too many cooks have spoiled the ecclesiastical soup, and the ill savor now, more than ever, calls for divine punishment. But infinite mercy and unfailing love, which God Almighty alone truly gives, calls us to:

Firstly, Attention; Secondly, Repentance; and Thirdly, Reconciliation with our God who is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness…” Habakkuk 1:13

If you would be made worthy of acceptance before the LORD, then He requires you to do the following:

1) PAY ATTENTION: Proverbs 4:20-27; Psalm 90:10-12.

From the cradle to the grave, man keeps himself occupied with the world around him or is otherwise kept occupied by the unseen forces of nature, whether good or bad. The resultant effect of such mental preoccupation is the tendency for man to forget that he has an appointment with God at the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ someday — may be sooner than he even realizes!

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad”. (NKJV)

The clarion call to us all right now is to pay more attention to our relationship with God (if we already have one) or to start considering how to begin one (if we don’t have one with Him yet).

“Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:24-27

Stand at attention! Take some time for a moment and ponder these salient points:

1. Where am I heading to? Proverbs 16:2, 25. Do you feel that you have a sense of direction towards heaven? Or are you only preoccupied with your own worldly pursuits, while relying on your own instinct for guidance?

2. Who is leading me in my life’s journey? Joshua 24:14-15. Is it God or your own ambition? Can you see beyond your earthly dreams?

3. How much time have I spent going this way? James 4:13. So far, are you gaining or losing ground? What results do you have to show that suggest you have lived a heaven-oriented life?

4. Is there a hope and a future in this direction? Jeremiah 29:11. Do you feel spiritually secure walking this way?

5. How much time do I have left in this journey? James 4:14. Do you feel that time is still on your side or not? Do you have a sense of spiritual accomplishment or failure?

“The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away… So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:10, 12

God calls you to attention. Your soul is of more value than anything you could hope to gain in this world, now or in the future, assuming you have enough time left.

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:26

Your life is like a lighted candle exposed to the wind. If it survives being quenched by the harsh wind of life, yet it must burn out someday; so make the most of it, heavenward, while you can.

The hands of God’s mercy are extended to mankind, but a boisterous and insensitive soul would pass them by, unnoticed, and head for a Christless eternity.

“Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy.” Jonah 2:8

2) EMBRACE GOD’S CALL TO REPENTANCE: 2 Chronicles 7:12-14; Joel 2:12-17; John 9:39-41

In dealing with the second point of this study, which focuses on repentance, we must approach the issue in the spirit of humility and with a simple, childlike faith; for only then can we truly see our need for repentance.

To the self-righteous Pharisees who scoffed at Jesus’ mission to help the spiritually blind sinners to see (John 9:39-40), His response to them was simple: “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.” John 9:41.

God’s promise of forgiveness and restoration will be effective only “…If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways…” 2 Chronicles 7:14

The Bible defines repentance to be a turning away “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.” Acts 26:18

Here, in this study, we are dealing with repentance as it concerns God’s children, though it may apply to anyone who has not met with and surrendered to Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Savior.

In the Scriptures above, God’s call to repentance was to “My people,” which refers to a people under a covenant relationship with God Almighty. The emphasis here is to stress the point that unless a born-again Christian walks in God’s will and according to His Word, he or she is not in harmony with God Almighty, and they will ultimately lose that “…grace of God that brings salvation…” (Titus 2:11) unless they turn to Him in repentance again.

Satan hardly tempts the matured Christian with those deeds that are manifestly sinful. He would rather employ a more subtle means, which in this case is the sin of omission.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus Christ rebuked some religious leaders who took pains to observe some religious duties while omitting some others; He said to them:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone”. (NKJV)

Below also are some things that God’s children have omitted and are still omitting to do today:

1. Failure to win souls — Matthew 28:19-20; Daniel 12:3; John 21:15-17

2. Failure to intercede for others — 1 Timothy 2:1-4; Genesis 19:17-33

3. Failure to fast and pray — Mark 9:28-29; Acts 6:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Joel 2:15-16

4. Failure to visit the brethren — Acts 15:36; Matthew 25:43

5. Failure to read and meditate on God’s Word — Joshua 1:8; 2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 1:1-3

6. Failure to forgive offenders — Mark 11:25-26

7. Failure to carry our “cross” — Matthew 10:34-39

8. Failure to correct those in error — Galatians 6:1; 1 Timothy 5:20

9. Failure to support God’s work or to give our tithe — Malachi 3:10-12; Exodus 22:29; Proverbs 3:9

10. Failure to help the needy — Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:8; Hebrews 13:1-3, 16

11. Failure to rely on and listen to God — Proverbs 1:23-33

Sin, in whatever shade or color it comes, whether in OMISSION or COMMISSION, is still a transgression of God’s Word, and the consequences are the same.

God requires immediate repentance while the grace to do so is still in rich supply. Grace, we must understand, is for a season, and mercy for a time. Who can appease the anger of the Righteous Judge when, at death or after the rapture, His grace is withdrawn and bitter judgment is lavishly bestowed on the unrepentant? Revelation 6:12-17

Wisdom calls for a change of heart and disposition if our repentance must be genuine. Failure here would be failing in our covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

“The wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools.” Proverbs 3:35

There is a great, daily influx of unrepentant souls into hell. Some went there out of ignorance, but others, sadly, out of procrastination. Why wait until mercy is beyond reach?

“Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55:6-7.

So far in the first two points of this study, we have talked about taking out time to “PAY ATTENTION” to some very serious issues of life, and to turn to God in “REPENTANCE” in those areas where we have been found wanting in our walk with God.

In point three (3), which is the final part of the study, we shall talk about the need for RECONCILIATION with God Almighty.

3) ACKNOWLEDGING THE NECESSITY OF A RECONCILIATION WITH GOD

Isaiah 1:1-18; 44:22; 43:25-26; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

What is reconciliation? Very often, we confuse repentance with reconciliation, or juxtapose the one with the other as though they mean one and the same thing. A close examination of the two concepts, however, would reveal that they are different, albeit indispensable, one to the other.

Whereas repentance means turning away “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18), reconciliation, on the other hand, means a restoration of our battered relationship with God Almighty. At repentance, we can hear God say,

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25

But at reconciliation, we can hear Him say,

“Come now, and let us reason together…”
“Put Me in remembrance; let us contend together; state your case, that you may be acquitted.” Isaiah 1:18; 43:26.

Forgiveness of sins at repentance is not an end in itself, but a means to an end; which end is our reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ.

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them…” 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

The reason we sometimes relapse into sins we have previously confessed, in all sincerity, is because we did not pursue reconciliation with God. This is what God’s Word warns against when it says in 2 Corinthians 6:1:

“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

Reconciliation with God, as a basic scriptural tenet, must be seen as that line in the plan of salvation where, soon after repentance, you ask yourself the following questions:

1. Now that my sins are forgiven, what does God expect of me? John 8:10-11; Mark 5:18-20

John 8:11 “…And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (NKJV)

2. What must I do to make my repentance genuine? Luke 3:8-9; 19:8-9; Colossians 3:1-3

Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth”.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; *old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. (NKJV)

3. How do I go about rebuilding my battered relationship with God? Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 3:15; John 8:31; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 2 Timothy 2:4

2 Corinthians 6:17,18 “Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the LORD Almighty.” (NKJV)

4. How do I forestall a relapse into sin and maintain a constant fellowship with God? Psalm 1:1-6; 119:1-11, 105; Luke 18:1; Isaiah 40:28-31; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Psalm 119:11,105:
“Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You…Through Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way… Your word is a *lamp to my feet And a light to my path”. (NKJV)

Some people today are aware of what God requires of them to do in order to be among His chosen vessels, but they lack the willingness and commitment to obey Him. You, however, must make a difference, dear reader.

Jude 1:20, 21:
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life”. (NKJV)

To the short-sighted and shallow-minded person, the pursuit of this world’s pleasures — of whatever kind! — might seem to be more thrilling and adventurous than living a life of strict compliance with God’s Word now, in hope of a reward in heaven someday. They, it seems, would rather have their fill of pleasure now, and rather gamble with their chances of ever getting into heaven, than do otherwise. But have they ever realized that the price of a fleeting moment of sin is the eternal loss of one’s soul? Will God wait forever to show mercy to anyone who will not turn to Him in repentance? Do they ever care to find out what God requires of them?

Hebrews 2:3: “What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak..” (NLT)

The End