Author: joeachi

Mal.3.16 – “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him.
Mal.3.17 – “They will be my people,” says the LORD Almighty. “On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child.
Mal.3.18 – Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” NLT

A JEWEL is defined as “a precious stone or a piece of hard, shining mineral cut into shape and polished for use as an ornament for beautifying the body or the home.” Below are some examples of jewels depicted in the writings of the Holy Bible:
“And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst…” — Revelation 21:19-20 KJV

God’s kingdom is beautified with some of the rarest jewels of inestimable value, as we have seen in the quoted portion of the Scriptures above. But God’s greatest jewels are the redeemed souls of the people who have accepted His Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and personal Saviour, even as we have read in the opening text above. God says of them:

“And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” — Malachi 3:17 KJV

We can understand from the text as a whole that God is making up His jewels from among the people of the world, and His selection process is still ongoing. He will choose from among the peoples of every nation and tribes of the earth, and the process will be free and fair because God is not biased toward anyone. See Romans 2:11; Colossians 3:25. His eyes are constantly roving throughout the earth in search of people who are upright in heart and godly in their character, that He may make them part of His collection of precious jewels, to be redeemed at last from this sinful world and translated into His eternal and glorious heavenly kingdom. As a redeemed soul, you must show yourself capable of good works, through the available grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, that you may be among God’s chosen jewels.
“For his eyes (God’s) are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.” — Job 34:21 KJV
“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong on behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him…” — 2 Chronicles 16:9. KJV

Below are three (3) sub-topics for the purpose of expanding the study for a better understanding:
1. GOD CHOOSES HIS JEWELS BASED ON THEIR WORKS.
Malachi 3:16; 1 Corinthians 3:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-10
God looks out for those whose works are acceptable to Him and encourages them to keep up with what they do. They stand a chance of becoming His treasured jewels, whose names He would command to be written before Him for an everlasting record in the Book of Life in heaven.
“And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God… I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” — Revelation 2:18-19 KJV
As for those whose works are less than acceptable to Him, God gives them a warning to change their sinful habits and unrighteous works so that they could be among His chosen jewels.
“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: … I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot… 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…” — Revelation 3:14-18 KJV

2. GOD TESTS AND PROVES HIS JEWELS BY TRIALS AND HARDSHIP
Zechariah 13:7-9; 1 Peter 1:3-8; 4:12-16
The jewel that shines the brightest is the one on which the craftsman had spent much time polishing it to perfection. Even so, God looks for an opportunity to work more on our lives in order to bring us to perfection, provided we do not deny Him the opportunity, which, sadly, we often do without realizing it.
“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people; and they shall say, The LORD is my God.” — Zechariah 13:9 KJV
Trials and hardship help the righteous to re-evaluate their lives in order to refocus, re-strategize, and re-launch their lives into serving God better than ever before. See Hebrews 12:6-11; Revelation 2:8-10; Philippians 3:3
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” — Revelation 2:10 KJV
Patience and endurance in the face of trials will keep us steadfast in the race to heaven and cause us to shine the brightest as God’s own chosen jewels.

3. GOD WILL REWARD HIS TRUSTED JEWELS WITH ETERNAL LIFE
John 10:27-29; Revelation 21:12-14; John 14:1-3; Hebrews 10:35-39
“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him; but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” — Hebrews 10:37-39 KJV.

It may seem like it’s been a long wait for the return of Jesus Christ to take us to heaven, but no matter how long the wait has been, God’s Word assures us that it will soon be over and the Lord will come to take His chosen jewels with Him to heaven. The most important thing for us now is not the long wait, but what we should be doing while waiting for the Lord’s return. See 1 John 3:1-3
“And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” — 1 John 3:3 KJV.
Our waiting time should be spent mostly in:

1. Pursuing a holy and righteous lifestyle. — Hebrews 12:14
2. Praying, studying the Word of God, and preaching the gospel. — Acts 6:4; 2 Timothy 2:1-2, 15; 4:1-5

“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” — John 13:17

Matt. 18:32 – “Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.
Matt. 18:33 – Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?'”
Matt. 18:34 – Then the angry king sent the man to prison until he had paid every penny.
Matt. 18:35 – “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” NLT

Today’s teaching is on the topic of forgiveness, which is now a rare virtue in a hurting, vengeful, and fault-finding world where people look for just anyone to blame for their pain. But, the current situation of the world notwithstanding, our text vividly captures the essence of forgiveness from God’s own viewpoint. He forgives us so that we can, in turn, learn to forgive others. As we practice the virtue of forgiving others for whatever wrongs they have committed against us, God also holds open for us the door to His heart, where we can always find full forgiveness for our own trespasses.
Matt. 6:12 – “…and forgive us our debts, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.”
The Lord’s Prayer above makes it clear that we can only ask for God’s forgiveness on the condition that we have also forgiven those who have trespassed against us. However, we must be careful how we practice forgiveness because it must meet certain criteria for it to be acceptable to God.

1. FORGIVENESS THAT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE WITH GOD:
Matthew 18:35
Forgiveness is a sacrifice; therefore, any forgiveness that is not done with a sacrificial spirit may not have been properly done. Forgiveness is a conscious decision aimed at refraining from the vengeful desire to do any act or say any word to another person that their attitude or action toward us deserves. In exercising forgiveness, we deny ourselves the right to seek redress for any wrong done to us. Although this may not always be easy to do, that is exactly what God’s Word commands us to do in this new dispensation of grace.
In contrast, however, during the old dispensation of the Law, it was proper to seek redress for damages done to one’s person or body because the Old Testament law prescribed “a tooth for a tooth” or “an eye for an eye” as a system of justice. However, Christ’s ministry changed that and instead prescribed forgiveness, even for those we think are undeserving of it.
Matt. 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'”
Matt. 5:39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matt. 5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Matt. 5:41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.”
From Jesus Christ’s admonition above, it follows, then, that the common impulsive attitude of first giving vent to our anger before pronouncing forgiveness to our offenders is not acceptable before God on the simple grounds that it was not done sacrificially with love. The only exception to this rule, though, would be in the case where we are not the beneficiaries of such a show of anger. For instance, when we are angry at what is offensive to God, just as Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the priest of God, did, then the anger would be considered justified, provided we do not allow it to continue after our point is made.
Num. 25:11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them.” (NIV)
Eph. 4:26 – And “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry,
Eph. 4:27 – for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil.” NLT

Where we choose to satisfy ourselves by releasing the thunder and volcano within us, we have in effect denied our trespassers the benefit of our forgiveness. In such a case, the sentence of Holy Scripture is clearly spelled out.
Mark 11:26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.” (AMP)

2. FORGIVENESS AS PRACTICED IN THE SCRIPTURES
Having now seen, from the foregoing, the dangers of maintaining an unforgiving attitude, we will do well to fall back to the Scriptures and get ourselves acquainted with the practice of the early saints as it regards forgiveness by studying how they practically applied that principle in their own lives.
The martyr Stephen, as he was being brutally murdered by the people he had wanted to save, did not cry out to God for vengeance against them but pleaded for their forgiveness (Acts 7:54-60).
So, also, in Hebrews 11:36-38, we are given a glimpse of the horrible life which our predecessors were forced to live by unbelievers and the backslidden religious leaders of that time. When strong, able-bodied brothers in the Lord would not retaliate against their persecutors, we can reasonably conclude that their actions were a result of their deep understanding of the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:43-44: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” NLT

Unless we have reached the point in our personal lives where we can honestly say, without fear of being contradicted by our conscience, that we have obeyed Christ just like the early Christians did, we have not practiced forgiveness as God would have us do.

3. FORGIVENESS AS A TOOL FOR WINNING OTHERS TO CHRIST
Love is something you do. There is no better way to show love to your trespassers than by forgiving them unconditionally. An old, popular Christian hymn says, “they will know we are Christians by our love.” More than anything else, forgiving others when we are suffering as a result of their actions tends to melt their hearts and bring them to repentance.
The crowd that cheered and jeered as Jesus Christ hung in agony from His cross was not the same that left the scene of the crucifixion after He had uttered His last prayer for their forgiveness before He died. See Luke 23:20, 21, 33-37, 44-48.
Luke 23:48 – “And when the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw all that had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.” NLT

Paul the Apostle gave wise counsel when he said:
Rom. 12:19 – “Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, ‘I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,’ says the Lord.
Rom. 12:20 – Instead, do what the Scriptures say: ‘If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.'”
Rom. 12:21 – Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.” NLT

In practicing the counsel given above, however, we must avoid the error of weaponizing forgiveness against anyone. By that I mean that the end goal of showing kindness to those who offend us should not be to make them feel ashamed or regret their actions against us. It should rather demonstrate our love for them. This is also the reason why God forgives us: that we may know that He still loves us, our sins and shortcomings notwithstanding. This is the reason we must also forgive others, their offenses and uncharitable deeds against us notwithstanding!
Matt. 5:44 – “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!
Matt. 5:45 – In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust, too.” NLT

When we preach that God loves a cheerful giver, it also includes those who give forgiveness cheerfully!

Evidence abounds not only in print, audio, and visual media, but also from the events of everyday life, that the Rapture, which will herald the coming of the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth, is quite at hand. The strivings among the nations, one against the other, and the degradation of nature, are some of the obvious signs which Jesus Christ had earlier warned His disciples to look out for in judging the imminence of the Rapture and His eventual second coming to rule over the earth.

“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines and pestilences, and earthquakes in diverse places…” Matthew 24:7.

Jesus had not only given us the signs to look out for, but also what preparations to make against the yet unknown day of the Rapture. He said to His disciples:

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh.” Luke 21:28.

Below are some of the areas that the children of God should make adequate preparations as they await the events of the rapture:

1. Have a Modest Plan for Your Life. 1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12; 1 Timothy 2:1-3
“…that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” 1 Timothy 2:2b; Luke 21:35.
Keep it simple. Do not get yourself entangled with the things of this life so much that they will demand too much of your attention and time to manage. Remember, you have your soul’s eternal destiny to worry about and your future with Jesus Christ in heaven to prepare for. So do not allow the temporal things of this world to spoil your chances of gaining the eternal ones of heaven.
Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose.” AMP[lest]

2. Be Earnest in Prayer. Psalm 55:16, 17; 5:7; 28:1, 2; Hebrews 5:7-10; Luke 22:39-44; Jeremiah 29:13
“Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared…” Hebrews 5:7.
Keep praying, not only when you need something from God, but mostly because you want to have and maintain fellowship with Him. You might just be having one of those intimate prayer fellowships with Him one day when the celestial trumpeters will give that distinct blast that will herald the Rapture of God’s saints — and you inclusive — to heaven.
Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Mark 13:33 “Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” NKJV

3. Constantly Study the Bible. Acts 17:10, 11; 2 Timothy 2:15; John 5:39
“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:39.
Read the Holy Bible as if your entire life and hope of heaven depend on it, because it actually does. Let the Word of God guide your steps in the dangerous terrain of this treacherous world because you cannot be too sure what is right to do unless your knowledge of God’s Word comes in handy. Those who presume to navigate life’s complex roads purely on their own initiative, without the light of God’s Word, are bound to fail!
Psalm 119:9 “How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules.”
Psalm 119:10 “I have tried my best to find you — don’t let me wander from your commands.”
Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” NLT

4. Be Always Spirit-Filled and Spiritually Conscious. Galatians 5:16, 22-25; Romans 8:1-2, 9-17; Ephesians 4:30
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30.
If you want to be Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, then you have to be on good terms with the Holy Spirit; your life must be conducive for Him to live in. As He is holy, He must, therefore, find your life holy to dwell in also.
One identifying mark of those who are on course to heaven is that they carry the presence of the Holy Spirit, not only in the over-hyped tongue speaking, but in the mostly unsung holy character, which cannot be mistaken for anything else but that it is the very life of God in them!
Galatians 5:22 “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”
Galatians 5:23 “gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.”
Galatians 5:24 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”
Galatians 5:25 “If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” NLT

5. Be Ardent in Evangelism. Mark 6:7-13; 2 Timothy 4:1-2; John 4:23-24; Romans 10:14-16
“And they went out, and preached that men should repent.” Mark 6:12.
Witnessing to people about the redemption story: how God loved us and sent His Son Jesus Christ to make atonement for our sins, which had hitherto separated us from Him (Isaiah 59:2, John 3:16); how He is transforming sinners into saints as they believe and accept His Son Jesus Christ as the Lord and Saviour of their life (2 Corinthians 5:17); how He is preparing a place for them in heaven, with the promise to return to earth to take them to be with Him in heaven forever (John 14:1-3); that is the primary assignment which Jesus Christ has given to everyone who believes in Him.
Matthew 28:18 “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.’”
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:20 “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” NLT

6. Be in Constant Fellowship with Other Believers. Malachi 3:16, 17; Hebrews 10:23-25
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25.
Keeping in touch with those who practice the Christian faith in truth and sincerity, through church meetings and scheduled visitations, is one sure way to keep yourself spiritually connected, edified, and positively occupied with the things of God while waiting for the Rapture to take place.
Malachi 3:16 “Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and loved to think about him.”
Malachi 3:17 “‘They will be my people,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘On the day when I act, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient and dutiful child.’” NLT

7. Have Occasional Personal Retreats. Mark 6:30-32; Luke 4:42
“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.
Withdrawing yourself, once in a while, from the hustle and bustle of your daily activities, in order to wait on God for personal renewal and spiritual refreshment, is a must for every heaven-conscious child of God. This is important because it is often so easy to get too occupied — even with spiritual activities — to notice that we are missing out on some intimate moments with God, like waiting to receive direction for tomorrow from Him, or just wanting to know the next task He has for us to do for Him.
God wants to spend time with us in order to prepare us for the Rapture, but unless we create that time for Him, it will not be possible for Him to easily fulfill that desire.
Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles, they run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind.” MSG

8. Subject Every Doctrine to Rigorous Biblical Scrutiny. 2 Timothy 3:14-17; Ephesians 4:14, 15; Isaiah 8:20; Mark 7:6-13; 1 Timothy 4:1-2
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20.
What you hear and believe becomes what you practice. What you practice becomes your spiritual identity before God and mankind. Your spiritual identity determines your eternal destiny. So, be careful where you attend fellowship and who ministers to you. This is about your eternal destiny. As you would not consciously allow a quack doctor to attend to your health issues, so you should not allow just anyone to guide your spiritual destiny unless you have proven confidence that what they believe, preach, and practice is totally in line with God’s Holy Word.
Luke 8:18 “So be sure to pay attention to what you hear. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But to those who are not listening, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.” NLT

9. Be Careful Who You Partner With In Life Or Ministry. 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Acts 20:28-30; 1 Peter 5:1-3; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 18-21; 2 Timothy 2:22
“Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.” 1 Timothy 5:22.
You are as good — or otherwise — as the company you keep. Keeping the right friends or having the right partner can add a boost to your hope of heavenly candidacy for the Rapture of the saints.
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.” AMP

10. Render a Good Account of Yourself to All Men. Acts 20:17-38; 1 Timothy 4:12; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Peter 2:11, 12; Matthew 5:13-16
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12.
What people see and comment about your life might just be a true reflection of how you stand before Almighty God also. So, try and give a good account of yourself wherever you are.
Acts 24:16 “So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” NIV

We may not really know the day and time of the rapture of the saints, but knowing that we are daily preparing ourselves for this event can be very comforting to us and inspiring to those who look up to us for hope in a dying and soon-ending world.

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

I am continuing this literature with the fifth (5) and last point, having written the first part up to point 4 titled Why The Splitting Of God’s Redemption Plan Into Two Phases Became Necessary. Please, follow me as I explore the fifth point.

5. What All Of This Means For Us Today
In rounding up this work, it is imperative to let the reader know that I have tried my utmost best to avoid being tedious, by trimming down the number of words I needed to use, in order to win their interest, while also at the same time doing justice to this literature by furnishing the reader with enough scriptural proof so that their conviction on the subject would be absolutely based on God’s Word alone. What I have eventually ended up with can best be described as an abridged version of what I would otherwise have written were this to be a fully detailed work.

But, be that as it may, I have kept until now what I would consider the most poignant aspect of the expose, and it has to do with the tragic twist which Satan has subtly introduced into some people’s perception of the redemption project of God. Since knowing that he cannot stop God from carrying out His redemption plan for mankind, Satan has inspired and commissioned an army of false prophets, preachers and teachers to craftfully distort the teaching on the subject of redemption in a way that will be misleading to mankind. Although Jesus Christ and His immediate disciples had earlier given the Church the warning of this impending evil, yet it is sad to admit that, in recent times, the success rate of this satanic campaign to propagate a misleading redemption gospel is alarming. However, and that happily, God has also promised His faithful children that Satan’s efforts would be defeated, nevertheless, and his loyalists judged and punished.

2 Thess. 2:9 – “This evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.
2 Thess. 2:10 – He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them.
2 Thess. 2:11 – So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.
2 Thess. 2:12 – Then they will be condemned for not believing the truth and for enjoying the evil they do.” NLT

God has faithfully played His own part in re-opening the way back to His Kingdom, through His redemption road map, to anyone who is willing to faithfully accept and follow it.

Our part now is to diligently study the Holy Scriptures in order to properly acquaint ourselves with the truth it offers with regards to the subject. This has become necessary because the message of God’s redemption through Jesus Christ has been deliberately compromised through some subtle means, which only a diligent study of the Holy Bible, and prayer for God’s guidance on the matter will help unravel.

I have no doubt that there are a lot of sincere people out there who have already accepted, or are really desirous of accepting God’s redemption through Jesus Christ, but unless they’re well guided by God’s Word, they might just be listening to the wrong preachers. To such persons I will recommend that they do the only sensible thing that the scriptures below suggest:

Isa. 8:20 “Tell them, ‘No, we’re going to study the Scriptures.’ People who try the other ways get nowhere — a dead end!” (MSG)
Acts 17:11 – “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. _They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth.”_ NLT

Below are some important guides to help the sincere seeker of God’s redemption to successfully navigate through the maze of satanic doctrines which is keeping a lot of people religiously active but, sadly, very far from being truly saved.

1. Avoid Treating Salvation As A Quick Fix Formula To Be Recited
God wants to be intimately connected with the sinner. No one becomes saved because they casually recited the “sinner’s prayer”, even as important as that may be. Every part of the process leading to the salvation of the sinner has its rightful place and time, and must be taken seriously. God respects our choices; no one should be pre-empted into making a decision to accept His redemption when they’re not convinced that they want to do it. The preacher may preach his sermon and make a plea for the sinner to repent and turn their lives over to Jesus Christ. However, that’s as far as they can possibly go: the Holy Spirit will have to finish it up by convicting the sinner of their sin, while also helping them to see their need for God’s forgiveness and salvation. If this happens (as it is bound to happen where the truth is sincerely and faithfully preached) the outpouring of grief and regret over their sins will be noticeable.

Acts 2:37 – “Peter’s words convicted them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’
Acts 2:38 – Peter replied, ‘Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’.”

However, there have been some sad cases where people had been assured that they’d be blessed with finances, or good health, and so on, if only they’d repeat the sinner’s prayer. Well, that may be alright to do if their initial intention in approaching God’s altar was to ask for His forgiveness and accept His redemption; otherwise, using repentance as a leverage to get God’s blessing will not result in a genuine redemption of the soul. The next point below complements this truth.

2. Do Not Seek The Physical Blessing Above The Spiritual New Life
Forget about the much-hyped prosperity gospel as it does little or no good to anyone who wants to be truly redeemed. Do not get me wrong – God has a plan to prosper His children, but only after their redemption has been guaranteed. The proponents of the prosperity gospel will hardly dwell much on that fact because their speeches are focused more on acquiring wealth to live the best life money can afford now. However, a closer look at the gospel of Jesus Christ will show that such a view is not even contemplated in God’s plan for this first phase of His redemption project; it belongs to the second phase. But this does not mean that God will not take care of His children now before the consummation of the second phase, which is the restoration of redeemed mankind’s lost glory and prosperity in the new heaven and new earth; it just means that He will restrict that care to just their needs, not their wants. There’s a world of difference between the two, namely:

i. A person’s needs are those things that are essential for their daily survival and functioning. They’re the basic necessities of life — the continued deprivation of which could jeopardize a person’s existence. God’s Word focuses on just two of them, namely: food and clothing.
1 Tim. 6:8 – “So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.”
In the Holy Bible God’s Word promises to meet those basic needs, (not our wants) if we give priority to seeking His Kingdom’s interest.
Matt. 6:31 – “So don’t worry about having enough food or drink or clothing.
Matt. 6:32 – Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs,
Matt. 6:33 – and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.” NLT

You’ll have noticed already that the emphasis above is on those two basic needs of mankind and, even at that, God still says we should not freak out when they seem to be lacking because He’d supply them to us.

Consider also Apostle Paul’s admonition to the Christians at Philippi below:
Phil. 4:19 – “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” NLT

Notice also that the promise made is to supply our needs. However, in contrast, let us consider below what God’s Word says about wants.

ii. A person’s want is any thing they desire in order to improve the quality of their physical life, the deprivation of which can only cause some temporary inconveniences or disappointments, but certainly not a threat to their existence. While some of our wants are tolerable with God, however, man’s disposition towards acquiring them might not be. For instance, the excessive desire among mankind for riches, fame, beauty, fancy clothes, lavish vacations, luxurious lifestyle (the list goes on!) are just some of the wants the mind craves for. However, they’re not part of the basic needs of life; rather, they’re the desires which feed the lust and pride of the unregenerate mind of the unredeemed person; it is akin to that same spiritually unnecessary desire which the deceptive words of the devil diffused into the mind of Eve at Eden, which led to her corruption.
1 Tim. 6:9 “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.” (NIV)

The Holy Bible seriously warns against indulging those desires because they’re a distraction to the first phase of God’s redemption plan for mankind, which is mainly the restoration of mankind’s corrupted spirit back to a semblance of God’s image and likeness. God wants the redeemed Christian to be mainly focused on seeing the accomplishment of His work of grace in their life, while trusting in Him to take care of their needs. But if we follow the error of the prosperity gospel, by craving for the gold and glory of this present sinful world (which indeed God plans to give us, but in the future fully restored new world) then we’d still remain corrupted and be thrown off His plan for good. That’d be very, very sad!
Rom. 8:8 – “That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.”

If we truly love God’s plan of salvation for us, we’d follow it all through faithfully, not minding the sacrifices it requires.
1 John 2:15 – Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you.
1 John 2:16 – For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world.
1 John 2:17 – And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.” NLT

Let’s put the view above into context: imagine that a house with people inside is on fire and a rescue effort is being launched; what do you think would be the rescuers’ first instinct?
To save the people, of course! Once they’d achieved that, then they could shift attention to the house itself. But would that move mean that the house is not important also? Of course not! It simply means that on the scale of preference, the occupants’ lives come first. In much the same way God wants us to be focused on the redemption of the soul over and above the gratification of the body as this is the priority in His scale of preference, with regards to His redemption project. If the soul is redeemed in this first phase of the project, it will eventually successfully transition into the second phase, in God’s new world, where all the deprivation it had earlier endured would be more than compensated for.
2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Cor. 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
2 Cor. 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (NIV)

3. Do Not Compromise On Holiness
Heb. 12:14 – “Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” NLT

Holiness is the absence of corruption in the God-image and God-likeness in which God created mankind. We know, however, that earlier on from the beginning sin had brought corruption upon them. So to be holy, therefore, means to be transformed into God’s image and likeness once again.
Lev. 20:7 “Set yourselves apart for a holy life. Live a holy life, because I am GOD, your God.” (MSG)
You’re under probation: from the first day you turned your life over to Jesus Christ for redemption, until the day you leave this world (either by natural death or by the rapture of the church), heaven counts on you to work out, on your own part, God’s redemption plan for your own salvation. Your personal choices play a very important role here.
Phil. 2:12 “Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ).” (AMP)

Those who eventually transition into the next phase of God’s redemption plan (from this sinful and chaotic world) would be the ones whose lifetime on earth was carefully spent in alignment with God’s will, purpose and plan for them. Such a life would include the scrutiny of both your inward and outward, or public and secret life. It will affect your choice of friends, entertainment, adornment, career, etc. Simply put, living a holy life means living entirely for God’s glory, and not for your own pleasure.
Col. 3:17 “Let every detail in your lives — words, actions, whatever — be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.” (MSG)
In essence, whatever God’s Word does not approve of is not right to do for the person who wants to be holy.

Satan has raised preachers who strongly preach against the need for living a holy life, wrongly stressing that God’s grace, as a covering for man’s shortcomings, has taken care of that. At first that might sound right and reassuring, but wait! Does it agree with the scriptures of truth, by which we are made wise for the salvation of our soul? 2 Timothy 3:15. I do not believe that is the scriptural view of the workings of God’s grace. That’s almost the same thing as saying that because you have a laundry soap, or detergent, stored up in your house, your clothes would never get dirty anymore, no matter how careless you are wearing them. Grace is not an immunization against sin but, rather, a divine empowerment with the knowledge to not sin.
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
Titus 2:12 It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,” (NIV)
If Grace immunizes against sin, as some Preachers seem to make it look, then there’d be no more need to watch against being contaminated with the sins of this world, as we are being admonished throughout the Holy Scriptures. But no! Grace is not a safeguard against sin as vaccines are against diseases. Grace, instead, teaches you to stay holy after you have been washed clean from your sins.
1 John 5:18 “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” (NKJV)

In conclusion, I want to say that the above three sub-points under this fifth final point, are not the exclusive things to watch out for against the wiles of Satan, but they’re some of the most important. If anyone starts off wrongly in the redemption road to salvation, chases around the temporal blessings they see, and lives an unholy, unprincipled loose life, they’d no doubt miss out on God’s road map to redemption.

With much prayer and sincere longings, the Holy Spirit will guide the genuine Seeker into more truths.
The End

Gen. 1:26 “God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
Gen. 1:27 God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female.
Gen. 1:28 God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” (MSB).

The scripture above reveals God’s original blueprint for mankind. It was a great idea conceived entirely for the benefit of man. When He eventually made the first man and woman, they reflected the exact manifesto of that blueprint: they were perfect in His own estimation!
But we know the age-old story that soon followed, of how Satan corrupted mankind, God’s crown creature, and took over the dominion of their habitat, thereby causing moral rot and chaos in the whole earth. And, to a large extent today, we are still in that sorry state of depravity, even after the great redemption project, which graciously came to us by the mercy of Almighty God, through His Son Jesus Christ, had been set in motion. The Holy Bible speaks of this redemption plan in the words below:
Heb. 2:14 – “Because God’s children are human beings–made of flesh and blood–Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death.”
Heb. 2:15 – Only in this way could he deliver those who have lived all their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
Heb. 2:16 – We all know that Jesus came to help the descendants of Abraham, not to help the angels.
Heb. 2:17 – Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to be in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. He then could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.” NLT

The corruption of man by Satan affected them in two ways, namely: Firstly, it affected their God-like image. It stripped them of their God-like glory, which connects them to His divine life, thus leaving them in their base, vulnerable form of ordinary flesh. This, in essence, is spiritual death. It is the God-emptiness that every sinner presently feels, and must continue to feel unless they are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Gen. 3:7 – “At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves.” NLT

Secondly, it affected their God-like nature or likeness. They were stripped of their inherent ability to, like God, exercise dominion over their natural habitat. Nature would no longer recognize their authority over it because they had none anymore.
Gen. 3:17 – “And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.” NLT
This greatly impacted mankind’s ability to rule the earth and all of the created things in it, as God does in heaven.
The fall of man resulted in the withdrawal of God’s presence with them because they had relinquished their world to Satan. They lost the peace and joy of the paradise in which God placed them. Instead of the spiritual elevation which Satan promised they’d achieve, what history recorded, rather, was a tale of wickedness and immorality all over the earth.
Gen. 6:4 – In those days, and even afterward, giants lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with human women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes mentioned in legends of old.
Gen. 6:5 – Now the LORD observed the extent of the people’s wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil.
Gen. 6:6 – So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart.” NLT

It would have been an easy thing for God to completely destroy the fallen race of mankind and the entire earth, out of existence, in order to forestall the unfortunate and inevitable outcome of what Satan’s dominion over them would eventually result in (as we can see in today’s world), but He did not. Such a decision would not only have denied man of God’s mercy and forgiveness, but would also have handed Satan, God’s arch enemy, the much needed validation that he could defeat God’s purpose. So, the situation at hand, then, was what necessitated the plan of redemption which was aimed at making an atonement for mankind’s sin, and restoring them back to their original nature and habitat according to God’s original plan from the beginning.
So, from the foregoing we can see that the main goal of the redemption is in two fold, namely: Firstly, to restore mankind back to God’s image and likeness, through a spiritual rebirth.
Ezek. 36:26 – “And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart.
Ezek. 36:27 – And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.” NLT
Secondly, to restore their natural habitat back to its original glory.
Isa. 65:17 – “Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth–so wonderful that no one will even think about the old ones anymore.” NLT

Although that redemption plan has now been fully and successfully activated, one might still wonder why mankind still seem to be under so much control of Satan, with the propensity to do so much evil. Well, we must understand that although God’s redemption project for mankind is totally free for all of them, yet it is activated in individual person’s life strictly on a need basis. So the seeming prevalence of depravity among humankind is not because the redemption project has failed to yield any results but, rather, because some people still love their present fallen, sinful life more than the original God-life they had lost, which God’s redemption promises to restore to them. And God will not give to anyone what they do not desire and ask Him for.
John. 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John. 3:17 – God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.
John. 3:18 – There is no judgment awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God.
John. 3:19 – Their judgment is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil.
John. 3:20 – They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished.
John. 3:21 – But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.” NLT

However, notwithstanding the fact that sin still prevails in our world today, yet many people have greatly benefited from God’s redemption over the millennia of years past; they were cleansed from their sins, were restored back to fellowship with God, and once again bear His image and likeness, but not in exactly the same way and manner as it was from the beginning, when Adam and Eve were made in glorious bodies. The reason for the difference is simply this: that a physical restoration of the human body, now, to its initial God-like glory cannot be compatible with the present degenerated nature of the earth; it will only be possible after the restoration of the earth, which is the second phase of God’s redemption plan.
So, the restoration of mankind’s initial glory is, for now, intended to be more a spiritual thing than physical, as 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 shows below:
2Cor. 4:6 – “For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Cor. 4:7 – But this precious treasure–this light and power that now shine _within us is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.”_ NLT
In a very simple language, the scripture above says that every redeemed Christian now carries God’s glorious likeness within, that is in their spirit man, even though their outward appearance may still look their very own old self. However, when the period of the redemption of the soul of man is consummated, and the time of the restoration of God’s creation begins, we shall physically manifest the glorious image and likeness of God, as when God made Adam and Eve. This is what God’s redemption project is all about for now. It is still an on-going project, even though it has been fully set in motion; and we the beneficiaries (that is anyone who is genuinely born again) are eagerly waiting for when it will be fully implemented. Please, read Romans 8:15-25, but also consider the excerpts below:
Rom. 8:15 – “So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family–calling him “Father, dear Father.”
Rom. 8:16 – For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.
Rom. 8:17 – And since we are his children, we will share his treasures–for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Rom. 8:18 – Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.
Rom. 8:19 – For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are.
Rom. 8:20 – Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse.
Rom. 8:21 – All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” NLT

There is going to be a time of restoration of God’s creation to its original form, and in accordance with His original blueprint. Jesus Christ also alluded to this coming event when He talked with His disciples (and to us too!) in Matthew 19:28-29 in the manner below:
Matt. 19:28 “Jesus replied, “Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel.
Matt. 19:29 “And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields–whatever–because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life.” (MSB)

From the foregoing so far, I want to formulate some salient points for consideration, which will be aimed at pointing out some error in the modern day Gospel preaching that is subtly leading many unsuspecting people away from the hope of eternal life in God’s Heavenly Kingdom. It is necessary to do this at this critical time of our waiting for Jesus Christ’s return because Satan has raised his own army of false teachers, preachers and prophets for the sole purpose of misleading people from enjoying the benefit of God’s great redemption project, which has been fully paid for and set in motion by the sacrificial death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. Since Satan could not stop that happening, he has been bent on seeing that very few people get redeemed and restored at last to their original place in God’s grand plan for His Kingdom.
Below are five points to help us navigate through God’s work of redemption, and the complexities associated with Satan’s efforts to rob man of its benefit. It is my sincere hope that at the end of this expose` you’d have become more enlightened and made aware of the pitfalls to avoid as we await the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to usher us into the next stage of God’s grand redemption plan.

1. Understanding The Two Phases Of God’s Redemption Plan For Mankind.
The Holy Bible begins with the account of God’s creation of the physical heavens, the earth, and all living things, in Genesis chapter one. Thereafter Chapter two reveals the order of administration instituted by God in His new creation, with man, His crown creation, receiving the blessing to be the head of all that He had created. After that Chapter three reveals the coup staged by Satan to unseat mankind from their place of authority in their God-given paradise. However, because His initial works were compromised, God immediately implemented a temporal measure to mitigate the damage caused by Satan’s subjugation of mankind and his habitat: He reversed His earlier blessings on humankind and the earth; He cursed them! Read Genesis 3:1-19, but consider the excerpts below:
Gen. 3:17 – “And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit I told you not to eat, I have placed a curse on the ground. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
Gen. 3:18 – It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
Gen. 3:19 – All your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return.” NLT

This measure taken by Almighty God above was meant to wind down the earth, its inhabitants and their governments because His original plan was not meant to accommodate the parallel government Satan had ultimately created (as can be seen in the scripture below) when he subjugated mankind in their habitat.
Luke. 4:5 – “Then the Devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luke. 4:6 – The Devil told him, “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them–because they are mine to give to anyone I please.
Luke. 4:7 – I will give it all to you if you will bow down and worship me.” NLT

Although mankind fell from grace, yet there were still a sizeable number of them who still remained loyal to God up to this day; these sought to run a government loyal to God while Satan, on the other hand, ran a government in opposition to Him. In His Wisdom God has allowed the two opposing government to run together, as we can see in Jesus Christ’s Parable of the Tares and the Wheat, in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
Matt. 13:40 “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
Matt. 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
Matt. 13:42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Matt. 13:43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (NKJV)

God’s tolerance of the excesses of Satan and his followers today is by no means a sign of weakness; it was a temporal measure which He had put into place while a permanent plan of a total redemption was being birthed, as the scripture below reveals.
Isa. 65:17 “Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten.” (MSB)

2. The First Phase Of God’s Redemption Explained
The first step God took in His effort to redeem mankind from the hand of their captor, Satan, was to make an atonement for their sins. This is the most important aspect of God’s plan of redemption as it deals entirely with the salvation of the soul of fallen mankind: if this cannot be achieved, then the second phase would be totally unnecessary. To this end a temporal means of atonement for sin was initially instituted through animal sacrifice, until God’s perfect Sacrifice should be made ready. Then enters Jesus Christ, God’s perfect sacrifice for sin!
John. 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (NLT)
1Cor. 15:3 – “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me–that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.” NLT

With the coming of Jesus Christ mankind was given a choice to return back to God through the reconciliatory atonement made by the offering of the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Lamb, when He died on the cross, and rose again.
This first stage of the redemption plan is still running today. It will, however, come to an end when the Church is raptured to heaven, and this can happen anytime from now.
2Cor. 5:17 – “What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
2Cor. 5:18 – All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him.
2Cor. 5:19 – For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.
2Cor. 5:20 – We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!”
2Cor. 5:21 – For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” NLT

3. The Second Phase Of God’s Redemption Explained
The second phase of God’s redemption plan is for the future restoration of the heavens and the earth, which presently are under the curse of God. When God, through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, would have established His Kingdom, in the new heaven and the new earth, after the rapture of the church, then this final phase of the redemption of God’s creation would have been consummated.
Rev. 21:1 – “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
Rev. 21:2 – And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband.
Rev. 21:3 – I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.
Rev. 21:4 – He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.
Rev. 21:5 – “And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making all things new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”

4. Why The Splitting Of God’s Redemption Plan Into Two Phases Became Necessary
God is a righteous Judge. If He was going to deal fairly with the ugly situation mankind brought upon themselves and their habitat, by taking sides with Satan against Him, (See Genesis 3:1-23) then it would have to be in a justifiable manner that will clearly show that justice was served and God’s righteousness, as an unbiased Umpire, upheld in the whole process, to wit:
a. The process must be impartial; both Satan and mankind must be granted equal opportunity to have audience before God’s holy court. To this end, the following allowances were made:
i. man could seek redemption from Satan’s tyranny by calling upon God, the Judge of all creation, for salvation. Genesis 4:26: “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. _At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.”_ (NIV)
Ps. 18:6: _”In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.”_ (NIV)

ii. Satan could show cause why mankind should not be granted redemption, or salvation, from his dominion. Job 1:6: “One day when the angels came to report to GOD, _Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them.”_ (MSB).
Psalms 109:6: “Send the _Evil One to accuse my accusing judge; dispatch Satan to prosecute him.”_ (MSB)
Read also Job 1:1-12; Revelation 12:10.

b. The process must also be unforced:
i. Mankind must choose to be redeemed; they cannot be forced into making that decision against their own free will as that will seem to be a counter-coup staged by God to deprive Satan of a loyal servant (it should be noted that mankind, of their own free will, pledged allegiance to Satan at the garden of Eden).
Deut. 30:19: – “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!” NLT
ii. Similarly, Satan cannot be allowed to prevent mankind from accepting God’s redemption at whatever time that they’re inclined to, or to tempt them beyond God’s allowable limits in that regard.
1Cor. 10:13: “For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.” (AMP)[always]

c. The first stage of God’s redemption plan must have to run its full course to a designated end, at which time God would pass His judgement on mankind, both the living and the dead, with regards to the choices they’d ever made. Those who chose His redemption would be justified while those who didn’t, but kept their allegiance to Satan, would be condemned. Read Matthew 25:31-46, but consider the excerpt below:
Matt. 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
Matt. 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
Matt. 25:33 “He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Matt. 25:34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world…
Matt. 25:41 Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels…
Matt. 25:46 Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (NIV)

The scripture above depicts how the end will come upon those among mankind who neglected, or outrightly rejected God’s redemption. They’ll never transit into the second phase of God’s plan of redemption. But for those who accepted God’s redemption work, which was accomplished through His Son Jesus Christ, the second phase opens up to them with exciting promises and great privileges in a world where Satan, his army of demons and all the wicked will never set foot again.
Dan. 7:9 – I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire,
Dan. 7:10 – and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened.
Dan. 7:13 – As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence.
Dan. 7:14 – He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal–it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
Dan. 7:27 – Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. They will rule forever, and all rulers will serve and obey them.” NLT

To Be Continued

As the clock ticks away the hours and the days of our life fly past, timeless eternity draws near and the burden of where we would live eternally rests heavily on our soul.

Many have trod the path in which we now walk, and if Christ tarries, many more would follow after us. How they ended their journey, or how they would, and how we would end ours, too, on the other side of life is the most important personal issue that rests in the heart of any person who is conscious of the eternal places of the afterlife: heaven or hell.

“…Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Matthew 25:34,41,46.

Those who have gone before us have had their chances and those who will follow after us will have their own chances, too, but for now we are having our own chances to conduct our journey to heaven, each person in the best way they believe would earn them a place in the Kingdom of God.
There is only one way, though, by which all who travel faithfully therein would end up in God’s kingdom. He is Jesus Christ.

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” John 14:6.

The scripture above is not a new revelation to most people, anyway, as Jesus Christ has been widely preached as Lord and Saviour for over two thousand years now. But, perhaps, it may be new to someone out there; but the disturbing news is how reluctant we are to follow this “Way” (Jesus Christ) to a happy ending in heaven.
Today’s study will seek to help us identify the hindrances to walking with Jesus Christ, and how to overcome them.

1. SHOW SUFFICIENT INTEREST IN FOLLOWING JESUS CHRIST 
John 1:35-39; John 11:7-16; Luke 9:57-62; 22:31-33

In most cases of Christians who lost the Kingdom of God and ended up in hell, it is not that they didn’t receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, but whether, over time, they were able to sustain that initial interest in following Jesus Christ continuously is the pertinent question to ask.

“And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father…and another also said, Lord, I will follow thee, but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house”_ Luke 9:59,61.

There’s hardly any acceptable excuse for refusing God’s invitation, no matter how well thought out it may seem. Matthew 22:1-5; 19:16-22; Proverbs 1:20-33.
If our zeal in following Jesus Christ daily equally matches our desire to make heaven at last, we would definitely achieve meaningful progress in our relationship with God.

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” Matthew 10:38.

2. KEEP FOLLOWING JESUS EVEN WHEN OTHERS WILL NOT 
John 6:66-69; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Matthew 24:10-13; 2 Peter 2:1-2; Romans 8:35-39.

“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour” John 12:26.

It is a fact that people sometimes get discouraged following Jesus Christ, but more disturbing is the fact that some of these people get discouraged because of others who will not serve God in truth. This is spiritual childishness, or simply, a convenient excuse for uninterested people to walk away from Jesus Christ. For instance, why do we not see this happening in the secular world? When have we seen people resigning their appointments because one or two of their colleagues are inefficient? When have we seen companies folding up simply because some other companies doing the same business are not competent? Do they not rather see other people’s inefficiency or lack of competence as an opportunity for their own skills or good qualities to be noticed? Why do we not translate this into spiritual reality?

“Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” Matthew 26:33.

As our faith requires some complimentary works in order to be honoured by God, so also serving Him requires followership in order for it to be acceptable with Him. Romans 12:1-2; 8:1-6; 1 John 2:4-6.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”
Romans 8:1.

The true test for serving God is followership. This is the point of separation between the Christian who know what they want and where they are headed to, as against the ones who are simply observing a religious obligation.

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” John 8:31.
Where others fail to follow Jesus Christ because they cannot bear to walk in His footsteps, that is where the faithful follower distinguishes themselves by proving they are truly committed to Jesus Christ for a lifetime.

3. LET YOUR LOVE FOR JESUS BE YOUR MOTIVATION IN FOLLOWING HIM EACH DAY
John 21:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. 
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” Romans 5:5.

It is amazing what extent humans, even animals too, could go in proving they are in love. In the romantic love vocabulary there’s hardly anything like convenience or discouragement, unless where the fires of true love were never kindled, or its embers are slowly dying.

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be condemned”
Song of Solomon 8:7.

If we could dare to fall in love with Jesus Christ as we are prone to do with mere, temporal, earthly beings or things, we should, no doubt, eventually arrive at heaven’s blissful city with no doubt as to our suitability for admittance into its eternal glory; for then would no excuses ( no matter how pressing) have been too important as to stand in our way! Anyone who has a relationship with God will immediately agree that we have been created with the capacity to love Him more than we could love anyone or anything else — even ourselves!. Matthew 10:37; 19:27-29.
“And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life”_
Matthew 19:29.

Nothing fosters a closer relationship and an enduring love as much as constant communication or fellowship. This is as true in all our physical ties with people as it is in spiritual ties with God also. We are responsible for whether our love for Jesus Christ is growing or dying, and the health of our love for Him determines the strength and quality of our followership.
“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me”.
John 14:21, 24 .

It is not possible to love Jesus Christ and the world within the same heart. 1 John 2:15-17; Matthew 6:24.
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” Matthew 6:24.

Enthroning Jesus Christ in our heart each day, without any rival, is the sure way forward to heaven, and the following daily activities would prove to be of immense help in doing this:

1. A ceaseless prayer life: Luke 18:1-7; Luke 6:12; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17. 

   “Pray without ceasing.”
The Christian who has cultivated and nurtured a disciplined prayer schedule will, no doubt have discovered that it has brought them closer to Jesus Christ.

2. A disciplined fasting schedule: Joel 1:14; 2:15-18; Jonah 3:5,10; Zechariah 8:18-19; Acts 13:1-12 .

” As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them”. Acts.13.2.
Fasting is to the human spirit what physical exercise is to their body. As a constant exercise keeps the body fit, grows the muscles and improve their reflexes, so also constant fasting increases the awareness and sensitivity of the human spirit to the spiritual realities surrounding them.

3. A continuous study of God’s Word: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:1-3; Deuteronomy 17:18-19; Psalm 119:9-11; Acts 17:10-11; John 5:39; 2 Timothy 2:15.

The Holy Bible is God’s instruction to mankind on how to navigate life’s complexities while maintaining a right standing with Him all through. Without the Holy Bible’s guidance, no one can live for, or walk with God as He want them to.
“… Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. 
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”.
Psalm 119:9,11.

4. A sustained practice of preaching, visitation and personal evangelism:

2 Timothy 4:1-2; Acts 8:4-8; 15:36; 2:44-47; 4:33; 20:17-24.
Getting involved in the ministry of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost is the best way to walk with Him. Jesus Christ lives in those who truly and faithfully evangelize lost souls and follow them up until they are spiritually  mature and also become His true followers.
I’ve always told anyone who cared to listen that if they want to find Jesus Christ anytime, He’s always available in the evangelism fields.
“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen”.
Mark.16.20.

Dear reader, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I want to thank you for committing your time to reading the messages I post in this platform. I want you to know that it gives me joy anytime I explore the statistics section and notice an increase in the number of readers following my messages from across the world. It means so much to me. Thank you for being one of those highly esteemed readers. May God bless you with more outpouring of His love and grace to help you know and serve Him more, in Jesus Christi’s name. I want to also use this opportunity to make a passionate appeal to you, that after reading each message you should also endeavour to share it, or the link to the website, with your friends, family and colleagues. This is so that they can also benefit from the messages . I’ve also discovered that some readers do not know that there are more messages in the archive section at the foot of the page. For clarity, after getting to the end of any messages scroll down towards the end of the page, and you’ll find the archives. Please, visit that section and see the list of messages available since December last year. . Please, read and share; it is a duty to God and mankind. God bless y’all.

(Clearing The Smoke Screen Experience) Part Four.

Postlude

People have an innate need for the Lord. God put it there. Nothing else can fill that need except Him. But do they understand that? If they don’t, then someone has to tell them that if they keep ignoring the need for total surrender, commitment, and consecration to Jesus Christ through genuine repentance and forsaking of their sins, then that need will remain unfulfilled and they will remain unsaved.

Many have taken the initiative to warn sinners of their dire condition outside the grace of God, but of that number, some have not helped the lost sinner at all! They have led them farther away from the hope of salvation—maybe ignorantly, but certainly to their detriment.

2 Pet. 2:1 “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.”
2 Pet. 2:2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
2 Pet. 2:3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.” (NIV)

In wrapping up this literature, I’d like to do a brief exposé on the distorted Born Again sermons which have promised so much to adherents but have yet to deliver the cravings of their souls for freedom from sin. This presents a scenario where the sinner cries for liberty from sin, but the preacher prescribes a remedy that cannot work.

2 Cor. 11:3 – “But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.”
2 Cor. 11:4 – “You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.” (NLT)

When God sent Jesus Christ to redeem mankind from their slavery to sin, He didn’t just mean to deal with that problem partially but completely. The concept of being Born Again, as set forth by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in John 3:3, is meant to be understood and preached exactly as the term itself denotes: a total transformation from one state of affairs to another. In this case, it is the liberation of the soul from the dominion of sin to the perfect liberty of a holy life through the grace of God. If this is not happening in anyone’s life, as divine providence has planned it, then there’s definitely something wrong—not with the plan itself, though, but with its administration by the preacher.

1 John 3:4 – “Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God.”
1 John 3:5 – And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, for there is no sin in Him.
1 John 3:6 – So if we continue to live in Him, we won’t sin either. But those who keep on sinning have never known Him or understood who He is.
1 John 3:7 – Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: when people do what is right, it is because they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.
1 John 3:8 – But when people keep on sinning, it shows they belong to the Devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil.
1 John 3:9 – Those who have been born into God’s family do not sin, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they have been born of God. (NLT)

The scripture above aptly captures the essence of being Born Again. The message is straightforward to the point: freedom from sin and Satan.
This experience has eluded so many sincere seekers, not because they’re not serious about being born again, but because they’re not being taught well on the subject. Below are some common misconceptions about the Born Again experience, which keep people in their sin while promising them liberty.

1. Eternal Security
   Proponents of this view usually rely on certain scriptures to preach that once a person gets saved, they remain saved no matter what they do with their lives afterwards. But nothing could be farther from the truth!

Let me reproduce below one of the scriptures that they usually manipulate:
John 10:27 – “My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:28 – I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me,
John 10:29 – for my Father has given them to me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me.” (NLT)

Some years ago, a family joined our church. During a teaching session one Sunday, the head of that family asked a question which was deliberately targeted at contradicting my teaching. By God’s grace, I cleared the doubts he raised and restored confidence in the teaching. Little did I know at the time that he was a theologian studying for his PhD. I decided to invite him to meet me at the church on a free day so I could find out more about his views on the scriptures, given his remarks the other day. At the meeting, his view was that once a person gets saved, they’d forever be saved no matter how they lived subsequently. He quoted the scriptures above, particularly verses 28 and 29, relying heavily on the phrases “…I give them eternal life” and “…no one can take them from me.”

While those words are the truth, what validates them is verse 27, which spells out the condition to be fulfilled before the promises in the two following verses could be enjoyed by anyone. While focusing on the promises, he forgot, or neglected, to consider the condition precedent! Let me break it down:
John 10:27 – “My sheep recognize my voice (connotes a relationship with Jesus Christ); I know them (confirms His acknowledgment of the existing relationship), and they follow me (proves obedience to His will, which governs that relationship).”_

If at any time those conditions are breached without prompt recourse to genuine repentance and total forsaking of the offence, the preceding benefits would become null, void, and of no effect anymore. The sheep which strays away from the shepherd’s care risks being mauled by wolves, so also the child of God who wantonly strays back into the world after their repentance and reconciliation with God. No doubt, God allows us the liberty of choice as to who to pitch our tent with: Him or Satan. But there are consequences!
Heb. 10:38 – “And a righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”
Heb. 10:39 – But we are not like those who turn their backs on God and seal their fate. We have faith that assures our salvation.”

2. Another false assurance which some preachers give to desperate seekers who cannot stand anymore their continued rising from and falling into sin is that no one is perfect. Well, that is correct, but only to the extent that no one can make themselves perfect; but God can and does make people perfect! The issue here is not so much about our ability to live a perfect and holy life as it is in allowing God to perfect our life Himself and make it holy.
   Eph. 5:27 “That He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and faultless.” (AMP)

No one has the right to discourage anyone from seeking a higher life of holiness in Christ simply because they have been unsuccessful at it themselves. The opportunity is there for anyone who’s willing to pay the price in personal consecration to God, commitment to doing His will, and death to self.
Gal. 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (NIV)

The two instances above should suffice to convince anyone who is willing to live an honest and holy life that God also demands it of us, and that without it we cannot hope to be accepted into His heavenly family and Kingdom.

How, then, can a true seeker be genuinely born again? Below are some simple and practical steps to know and follow:

1. You must know that God actually wants you to be born again—that’s why He sent Jesus Christ to make it possible for you. It is His plan for you!
   John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” (NLT)
2. God wants you to know Him, to believe and accept His Son Jesus Christ as the only One to whom He has given authority to grant salvation (cause to become born again) to anyone.
   John 17:3 – “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth.” (NLT)
   This cannot be possible without first acquiring accurate knowledge of who God is and what His plans are for you through Jesus Christ His Son. This means that you have to read the Holy Bible in faith and also attend Christian meetings where the Word of God is accurately taught.
3. As God’s word confronts your sins, do not hesitate to renounce and confess them while asking for God’s mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ, the One whom He has designated for this very purpose.
   1 John 1:8 – “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.”
   1 John 1:9 – But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” (NLT)
4. You must strive to strengthen your new relationship with God by endeavoring to live practically according to the principles of His Word, the Holy Bible. You should keep at it, prayerfully and deliberately, until the Christ life (being born again) becomes manifest in you.
   1 John 1:5 “This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in Him.”
   1 John 1:6 If we claim that we experience a shared life with Him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim.” (MSB)
5. You must make Jesus Christ known to others who might also need His salvation by sharing your own story with them. You owe God this debt of gratitude. Doing this regularly will help confirm your faith in Jesus Christ, your newly found Lord and Saviour.
   Mark 5:19 – “But Jesus said, ‘No, go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things the Lord has done for you and how merciful He has been.'”
   Mark 5:20 – So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to tell everyone about the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.” (NLT)

The above is just a model to follow. However, in actual fact, God cannot be restricted to a formula: He works in amazing ways to bring His salvation to the one who genuinely seeks rest from their sins.
Matt. 11:28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]” (AMP)

But whatever He does to grant anyone salvation will eventually align with His Word as shown in the model above.

The End.

Ps. 51:1 – “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.
Ps. 51:2 – Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.
Ps. 51:3 – For I recognize my shameful deeds—they haunt me day and night.
Ps. 51:4 – Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just.
Ps. 51:7 – Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Ps. 51:9 – Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.
Ps. 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me”. — NLT

Acknowledgment And Repentance.

The realization of one’s guilt may sober their mind and bring about a spiritual awakening, but only genuine repentance will bring about God’s forgiveness and mercy. This is so because conviction is easier to experience, as God does not need anyone’s permission to convict them of their sins. But in dealing with repentance, however, that is where the difficulty lies because God does not save anyone except with their cooperation; after their spiritual awakening, they have to honestly acknowledge that they need to repent of their known sins, and have a genuine desire to be saved from them, before He can reach out to them in mercy and love.
Jer. 3:13: “Only acknowledge your iniquity and guilt—that you have rebelled and transgressed against the Lord your God and have scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice, says the Lord”. (AMP)

It is, however, a common thing to see that some people who had earlier acknowledged their sins would still let Satan convince them that the timing was wrong for genuine repentance. It is a sad surprise to hear the manner of such excuses which keep some of those convicted hearts from genuine repentance and reconciliation with God. Some want to achieve success in their career before getting serious with God. Others first want to be married before abandoning their promiscuous life and turning to God. Yet others want to get rich before repenting of their financial crimes and receiving Jesus Christ into their life. And so on. They give God conditions for repentance as though they’ve had a bargain with Him to freeze their time on earth, and to keep it from running, until they are done achieving their goals and/or fulfilling their ambitions. In other words they view genuine repentance and reconciliation with God as a huge distraction to those set objectives. Needless to say, they have given priority to their worldly pursuits while abandoning God’s call to repentance. Well, God has no such time for an impenitent sinner; His grace was not designed as a license for the sinner to continue in their sin until repentance is possible! Whether anyone repents or not, their time on earth ticks away relentlessly, bringing them closer to God’s judgment.
Titus 2:11 – For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people.
Titus 2:12 – And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God,
Titus 2:13 – while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed”. NLT

Considering that we are the ones who need God’s intervention, and that He has graciously given each one of us a time frame within which to seek and find it, we should be eager to seek reconciliation with Him because our life on earth does not continue indefinitely: a little delay here and there may lead to eternal condemnation and punishment in hell fire. God may be patient with the sinner but there is a limit within which they must respond to His patience and love. Whoever genuinely repents of their sins gets saved, but those who refuse must face His judgment nevertheless!

Ps. 7:9 – “End the wickedness of the ungodly, but help all those who obey you. For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.
Ps. 7:10 – God is my shield, saving those whose hearts are true and right.
Ps. 7:11 – God is a judge who is perfectly fair. He is angry with the wicked every day.
Ps. 7:12 – “If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow”.
Ps. 7:13 – He will prepare his deadly weapons and ignite his flaming arrows”.

But why would anyone keep the Savior waiting? Why would anyone give more priority to the temporal gains of this fleeting life while abandoning the eternal riches of a forgiven and cleansed life, which God, who cannot lie, offers to all who turn to Him in genuine repentance? Can there be any justifiable reason for such neglect and spurning of God’s mercy? Should we not, rather, acknowledge our shortcomings before God, and return to Him in repentance?
Heb. 3:12 – “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
Heb. 3:13 – You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God”. NLT

Galatians 1:6-7: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Which is not another; but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

The Departure.
The opening lines in my prelude to this literature were a paraphrase inspired by the lyrics in the gospel song titled People Need The Lord, written by Greg Nelson and Phil McHugh in 1983. That song captures the essence of what I’m writing in this literature, and it will form the fulcrum on which it revolves.
Because we were created by a higher being (Almighty God), we have this innate desire to associate with Him; nothing else can truly replace that. People know that they need a Saviour to save them from their limitations; we all have limitations, but only those to whom it really matters seek God’s intervention. Do you?
Ps. 61:2 – “From the ends of the earth, I will cry to you for help, for my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
Ps. 61:3 – for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.” NLT

However, it is not everyone who responds to that natural need for God; some even ignore Him. Others deliberately move headlong into uncertainty, with their load of care, avoiding the very thought of finding help in the Saviour, Jesus Christ, because they view such a decision as weakness; they would rather figure out a plan for their self-help. But is depending on Jesus Christ really a weakness? Is it a shame to turn to one’s Maker for the very help they know is beyond their own reach? Why do people have such a mindset? Why do people view religion as a weakness? Why do some people have such an uncharitable view about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Why would anyone keep carrying the heavy load of sin and guilt they are not supposed to carry anymore? Is it because they disbelieve that the atonement for our sins paid by Jesus Christ’s blood is real? Who is working behind the scenes to rob mankind of their right to seek solace in a Saviour who’s willing to accept them as they are? Did I hear you say Satan?
Rev. 12:9: “And the huge dragon was cast down and out – that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him.” (AMP)

Yes, you’re right, but he’s just a deceiver whom anyone can resist unless they have found his deception too good to ignore for the reality that God loves and cares for them; and that’s the sad reality with most people! Mankind’s complacency is their own undoing!
Satan is guilty of deceiving mankind, but then mankind is also guilty of spreading that deception, too!
I listened in total shock as a very popular bishop of one of the Pentecostal churches in Nigeria publicly declared in a YouTube video that God has not called them to preach about heaven and hell. He said that even though they believed in the existence of those two spiritual dimensions, one of which is where a sinner or a saint must ultimately spend eternity, yet he insisted that God didn’t call them to preach that! So, in essence, he was saying that they don’t talk to people about that in their sermons because they’re not obligated to. What can be more proof of a departure from God’s way than that?! For the avoidance of any doubt it is imperative to note that the basic message in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that of reconciliation with God which leads to eternal life in Heaven for those who believe, and a warning of eternal condemnation to Hell for those who depart from God. The preaching of those basic truths of the Gospel is the duty of every child of God. It is unfortunate for anyone to want to hide under the facade of a specialized call in order to deny their unfortunate members the benefit of this very important truth. How else can they be warned of the consequences of a Christless life without mentioning Hell fire, or of the hope of eternal life with Jesus Christ without mentioning Heaven? In His Gospel Jesus Christ mentioned Hell 11 times and Heaven more than 50 times; should a wilful departure from His lead in this matter not be construed as a departure from the truth? Whose agenda is this really? Who are its targets? It is bad enough that Satan has a choke hold on man’s innate desire for God, but it is even more tragic that man himself supports the devil with their recklessness.
Jer. 2:12 – “The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay, says the LORD.
Jer. 2:13 – For my people have done two evil things: They have forsaken me–the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” NLT

Complacency makes people keep forsaking the God whom their innermost being screams for! They think “I’m fine,” so they stop fighting to be free from Satan’s lies, stop seeking the true way to eternal light and life, and try to stop feeling the weight of a life without Jesus Christ. The innate need is still there, but they’ve numbed it. That’s the smoke screen doing its job!

Job 36:5 – “God is mighty, yet he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.
Job 36:8 – If troubles come upon them and they are enslaved and afflicted,
Job 36:9 – he takes the trouble to show them the reason. He shows them their sins, for they have behaved proudly.
Job 36:10 – He gets their attention and says they must turn away from evil.
Job 36:11 – “If they listen and obey God, then they will be blessed with prosperity throughout their lives. All their years will be pleasant.
Job 36:12 – But if they refuse to listen to him, they will perish in battle and die from lack of understanding.
Job 36:13 – For the godless are full of resentment. Even when he punishes them, they refuse to cry out to him for help.” NLT

Programs keep running, songs keep playing, but nobody’s desperate for God anymore. We mistake our much involvement with church activity for being born again.
People drown their innate desire for God with work, vibes, hustle, and they call the forcefully silenced conscience “peace of mind” when it’s really just a temporal anesthesia. Jesus Christ warned about it in Revelation 3:17:
“You say, I am rich… and do not know that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”
That’s complacency; a wrong diagnosis of one’s self, and it makes a man think he needs better circumstances. The truth is he needs a new birth, because the problem is innate. Only Jesus Christ can truly fill in the God-shaped vacuum in the lost sinner’s heart. But will they come to Him? Will you now?
Isa. 53:6: “All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own…” NLT

To Be Continued.