Author: joeachi

An Expose’ On John 14: 16-17.

Jesus Christ promised His disciples that He’d send them the Holy Spirit after His ascension to heaven to be with His Father, God Almighty. However, while the average Christian faithful generally thinks that the Holy Spirit, on His arrival, will automatically dwell in the Believer’s heart, a careful consideration of the Lord’s words show that the Holy Spirit will come to the Believer in two stages, depending on their response to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let’s reproduce Jesus Christ’s words in John 14: 16-17 below and carefully dissect it and bring out the truth enshrined therein, which has eluded so many of God’s children and may also put to jeopardy their hope of going to heaven to be with Jesus Christ and His Father forever.

John 14:16-17:
” And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth WITH you, and shall be IN you. “

The two words, which are at the heart of this expose’, are WITH and IN. They are both prepositions.
Our Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ, could have simply said that the Holy Spirit would be WITH the disciples or IN the disciples when He comes down to the earth from the Father, but He didn’t: rather He demonstrated clearly by those two words that the Holy Spirit would connect with them in both ways.
To better understand the context of that scripture, it will be necessary to explain those two prepositions, namely:

• With: indicates association, accompaniment, or instrumentality (e.g., “I’m going with him”)
• In: indicates location, direction, or involvement (e.g., “the book is in the bag”)

If you incorporate the dictionary meaning of those prepositions above into the words which Jesus Christ spoke in John 14:17, you will begin to understand how God actually meant the Holy Spirit to connect with His children. For instance, when Jesus Christ said that the Holy Spirit would be WITH His disciples, He simply meant that He would accompany or associate with them in their walk and work for God, with no regards to their personal virtues and/or level of commitment to God . This is more like a collaborative effort by two different persons on the same work. This preposition does not denote intimacy in the Believer’s association with the Holy Spirit; rather, it simply connotes a sense of duty. By this divine arrangement every born-again child of God is entitled to have the Holy Spirit with them in order to guide them in their walk and work with God, whether that walk or work is pleasing to God or not is immaterial to His presence with them as long as they have not renounced their allegiance to God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Another better way to explain this relationship is by using the last sentence Jesus Christ spoke in verse 17 of the scripture under review, which is as follows:
” … but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. “
Very clearly, Jesus Christ was telling them on the first half of the sentence that they had already experienced the Holy Spirit, and that in fact He was WITH them at that material time of His conversation with them: FOR HE DWELLETH WITH YOU meant that the Holy Spirit was already accompanying and/or associating with them like in the works they had earlier performed for God in the following instances below:
1.Luke 9:1-2:
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.
And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”

2.Luke 10:1, 17 :
” After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”

Let us, however, consider the second half of that sentence and see what it reveals.
The phrase AND SHALL BE IN YOU describes a future and more intimate and personal experience which none of Jesus Christ’s disciples had experienced at that material time that He was having the discussion with them.
Whereas their first experience of the Holy Spirit was as a result of their association with Jesus Christ, the second experience, which is deeper, was to be as a result of each person’s personal commitment to Him and the work which He had entrusted to them. In this second experience there was to be nothing like a blanket or corporate anointing of the Holy Spirit, as it was the case with their first experience: here each man was to experience Him on a personal basis because the Holy Spirit, when the time comes, was supposed to be IN them. This was the reason why in Luke 24:49 Jesus Christ strictly charged them as follows:
” And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. “

Are you wondering why I’m taking the pains to break down this scripture? I promise you that very soon you will see reason with me! As I’m writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God I can tell you that much of what we have heard being taught to people in the local churches of Christendom is nothing but an adumbration of the real message of the Holy Bible on the person of the Holy Spirit and His connection with God’s children: whether this is due to careless ignorance or wickedness compromise, we must agree that the teaching on the person and ministry of the Holy Ghost in the church has not been properly handled by God’s ministers for a long time now, and the resultant effect is there for any concerned child of God to see! Some of them are as follows:

1. These days we often witness some noisy and rowdy sessions of praying in tongues with no accompanying power of the Holy Spirit. See 2 Timothy 3:5: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

As a matter of fact, speaking in tongues nowadays has become a symbol of spiritual status, to some Christians, instead of the evidence of the Holy Ghost’s fullness and power. They flaunt it during prayer sessions as evidence of their spirituality, even when they are deeply aware that their lives are bereft of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power! They cannot boldly declare with Prophet Micah and say:
“But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. “ Micah 3:8.
No, they cannot bring sinners to conviction by virtue of their own personal lives because they’re not faithful in their walk with God; however, they would gladly put up an outward show of spirituality to make people think that they’re all aflame with the Holy Ghost fire and power. God is calling all such persons to repentance today!

2. Another disturbing observation are the powerless and unconvincing messages from the pulpits which leaves the congregation wondering why they came to church at all! A Holy Ghost-filled preacher’s message is bound to produce the opposite result! John 16:8 : “And when he (the Holy Spirit) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 : “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
   That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Having said all that, I must also be quick to point out that a spiritually vibrant church is not always as a result of a spiritually disciplined and gifted Pastor, even though that is the basic requirement of God for all Ministers of the Gospel. Of course the, pulpit should exude the raw power of God at anytime and at any day, not necessarily because of the personal Spirit-filled life of the local preacher alone, but because of the truth which the whole church stands for and upholds consistently. If for any reason the preacher is not there to deliver, God, whose Word and truth the church consistently honours, should be there to show Himself strong and mighty on their behalf, irrespective of who takes the place of the preacher. This is so because the church’s spiritual success is not solely tied to her local Pastor’s life but to the presence of Jesus Christ our Lord who walks in the midst of His churches as Lord, head and defender, as we see vividly portrayed in Revelation 2:1.
The truth just revealed above, while heart-warming and relieving to the children of God who are genuinely concerned for the progress of the church in her battle against the gates of hell has, nevertheless, been misunderstood and relied upon by some compromised preachers as proof that God is still with them even when their errant lifestyle and character screams the very opposite!
When Jesus Christ said His Spirit would be WITH and IN His disciples ( the church), it was to ensure the continuity of His presence with His church in the following way:
The Holy Spirit, through God’s supreme command, is given to the church to be WITH her, while through His Grace and mercy He is gifted to live IN anyone who separates themselves from sin and all unrighteousness to serve God in true holiness.
So, if the Holy Spirit cannot live in anyone because they’re not holy, yet He must remain with them on the outside because He has a duty to guide and direct them as long as they have not renounced their faith and allegiance to God and His Son Jesus Christ. I will, sadly, explain to us how Satan has deceived some Christians to use this Grace as a license for continuing in their sins; however, when God visits their sins upon them, He will swiftly do so without any consultations with them, unless they repent at once!
No doubt, we must have seen God’s evident power manifesting in ministries where , by our own spiritual judgments, we think that it ought not to be seen. Let me share a personal experience to help explain this.
Some years ago, during a revival and deliverance church service, I was confronted with a situation where I needed the manifestation of God’s power to urgently handle the issue at hand, but I knew deep within me that I was not in tune with the Holy Spirit at that material time as I was ordinarily supposed to be. Actually I had carelessly sinned against God earlier on, and although I had asked Him for mercy, I was having a hard time regaining my spiritual composure again because the Holy Spirit was seriously grieved and that left me with an empty feeling in my heart.
This was what actually happened during that revival and deliverance service: while I was ministering, the devil suddenly attacked a child with a violent convulsion. His eye balls rolled and the pupils disappeared into the sockets and the child went limp and looked as though he was dead. The mother was hysterical and there was pandemonium around the section of the pew where this was happening.
As I have already said, I wasn’t feeling that much Spirit-filled since when the program began. As a result of this I simply lacked the spiritual boldness required to confront such a situation, so I began to pray silently for God’s help and then asked everyone to calm down as God was in control of the situation. Then they rushed with the child to the alter to meet me as I was already praying, trying to draw back the Spiritual strength I felt had left me. But as they approached the altar something remarkable happened: the power of God hit the mother of the child, as she approached me, and spun her around before she was quickly caught by others members. Luckily, a spirit -filled sister was the one holding the child otherwise she would have flung him into the air and , thus, worsen an already delicate situation. The power of God touched that limp child and he revived instantly. All of this didn’t last more than five minutes. Halleluyah!
Thereafter the revival and deliverance service went on joyfully with the assurance of God’s presence and power. But in the midst of all this I was greatly humbled. Some people may have thought that they saw a “powerful man of God” taking charge of the situation that day, but I know for sure that I saw a merciful God standing strong for His church at a time when His servant was vulnerable. And because I know the truth, I did not justify the sin I had earlier committed before that program by citing that spectacular display of power as an evidence of immunity for my carelessness. I knew that God was WITH me right there on that podium, though not necessarily IN me, and that He fought that battle to glorify His name and save that child.

Such things still happen with the ministers of God, but how many of them have rightly distinguished truth from error at the time of such happenings? I have heard some people say, in the defence of some manifestly compromised ministers of the gospel, that if God was not with them how could they do the mighty works and miracles that manifest in their programs!
Well, God knows better; but I also know God’s Word, that He could intervene in the church for His name’s sake alone!

“Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord GOD, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. “
Ezekiel 36:32.

How often have God’s servants ridden loftily in the chariots of His own glory over a miracle that had nothing to do with their spirituality; either because they had fallen into sin or were lacking faith in God when it happened, and yet they didn’t humbly admit it but rather usurped that power and glory for their own gratification!
How often has arrogance and pride blinded some sinning Pastors or ordinary believers into thinking that because they still see the signs and wonders around them, then it must be that their sins are tolerable!

” And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:23.

Dear friend be warned that God’s Spirit can work WITH you and yet not necessarily be IN you.
Do I hear you question whether it makes any difference? But yes, of course, it does! God’s Kingdom is greater than any one person and His mission to get every willing sinner into it is so important that He will not abandon it because one man has sinned! God will move anything and anyone to glorify His name and His Kingdom even if it is just so that one soul could be saved. Yes, He would go to that length even if it means manifesting His power WITH some unlikely vessel with whom His Holy Spirit has no portion or dwelling place. The point is simple: God can use anyone to achieve His purpose, and that not because they’re necessarily worthy! God’s ministers must be careful with this attribute of God so that they do not ascribe God’s manifestation in their ministry to their holiness or worthiness!

“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell IN you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Romans 8:9.

” Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
2 Timothy 2:19 .

God’s enduring love, patience and presence WITH the unworthy Christian is not intended to give them comfort in their unrighteousness, but to give them a beacon of hope that He is still within reach of true communion with them if only they can amend their ways and return whole heartedly to Him.
Take, for instance, the case of the lukewarm and backslidden Laodicean church in the book of Revelation 3:14-22 ; although Jesus Christ the head of that church could no longer be IN the midst of them because of their terrible spiritual state, yet He was still WITH them from without, asking to be let in once again provided they were willing to repent.

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come IN to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20.

In conclusion, let me do a recap of the main issues of this expose’, which are:

1. God’s Holy Spirit is sent to be WITH anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and personal Saviour.
2. If they live a consistent life worthy of God’s own standard of truth, righteousness and holiness then His Holy Spirit will live IN them.
3. Having the Holy Spirit of God living IN His children is the ultimate purpose of God for sending Him to them as He is the seal of their final redemption.
   Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
4. That the proof that anyone belongs to God is seen in the evident manifestation of the character ( fruit) of the Holy Spirit IN their life. Galatians 5:22-24:
   “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
   Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
   And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
5. That the absence of these fruit/character of the Holy Spirit in the life of anyone is sufficient to conclude that they do not belong to God Almighty, the fact notwithstanding that they could perform some signs and miracles because of the presence of the Holy Spirit WITH them.
   Matthew 7:22-23:
   ” Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?
   And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Romans 8:9:
   “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell IN you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
6. The ultimate goal of every child of God should be to have the Holy Spirit live IN them by completely surrendering their lives to God in truthful, righteous and holy living. MAY ALMIGHTY GOD GRANT THE READER THE GRACE TO THIRST AND HUNGER FOR A GENUINE EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, IN JESUS CHRIST’S MIGHTY NAME

2 Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

What does it mean to be in Christ?
What does it feel like to be in Christ?
What are the identifying marks of the life that’s immersed in Christ?

Marilyn Baker sang:

Jesus, you’re changing me
By your Spirit you’re making me like you
Jesus, you’re transforming me
That your loveliness may be seen in all I do

You’re the Potter and I am the clay
Help me to be willing to let you have your way

Jesus, you’re transforming me
As I let you reign supreme within my heart

I think the ageless lyrics above capture the very essence of being in Christ; it is to have Him living in us and reconstructing our broken lives back to what it was meant to be from the beginning before it was marred by unbelief and sin.
So many people have trusted in religious piety and/or rigorous spiritual discipline to help them experience harmony with God, but to no avail because spiritual redemption is far beyond the ability of a mortal being. The only One who can restore the lost soul of man to its original glory and, thus, reconcile man to Himself again, must be the only One who has the blue print of the soul’s original design. GOD IS THAT ONLY ONE!
He is willing to restore the lost soul back to harmonious fellowship with Him again as it was from the beginning before the fall of man.
However, the last stanza of the lyric holds a very important truth that is fundamental to this transforming work of grace in the heart of anyone who believes in and submits to Jesus Christ. It says:

Jesus, you’re transforming me
As I let you reign supreme within my heart

What a great revelation!
God can do nothing to help the unyielded heart to achieve the newness of life He wished for them because they’ve not granted access to Him to work on them. God is a gentle Man who never barges into the heart that’s unwelcoming to Him; this is where the seeker must take charge for themselves and decide whether they want Him to come in or not. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus Christ says: ” Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears me and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with me. “

This is a great opportunity for anyone who’s interested in beginning a new relationship, or reviving a dying one, with Jesus Christ.

So many people have expressed their frustration at not being able to live the Christian life. Some have almost accused God for giving up on them because they are still unsaved after so many unfruitful efforts at getting reconciled with GOD.
To all such person’s, the last stanza of the song admonishes them to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ completely!
TO LET HIM REIGN SUPREME WITHIN THEIR HEARTS.
They must be willing to trust Him completely with their lives, without holding back on anything.
This is where sincerity and trust is advised because with God you’re not dealing with someone from whom you could hide anything; in fact Hebrews 4:13 say this of Him:
“Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. “

Your sincerity is under test Whenever anyone approaches God for forgiveness and reconciliation with His, He knows if they’re truly sorry for and are done with their sinful living. He sees right through into their hearts so that if they’re truly ready, He begins His transformation work at once!
Some folks take Him on a hide and seek frolic, trying to keep one sin or the other unforsaken, though confessed, until the grace extended to them is exhausted in vain and they fly away at death to face the horror of a Christless eternity.

Jonah 2:8: “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”

There’s hardly anyone willing to surrender and forsake all their allegiances to sinful practices, who will not at once experience God’s forgiveness and a life changing transformation. However,the onus has always been on the sinner to prove that they are ready for God’s salvation; but as for God He is already ready!

2 Corinthians 6:2 : (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation .)

Will you dare to submit your heart wholy to Jesus Christ and be saved?
I can assure you that He’s already waiting; He’s just a prayer away!

Broadly speaking, current statistics show that between 80% – 85% of the world’s Population ( 6.56 – 6.97 billion people) identified with a religion, while between 15% – 20% (1.23 – 1.64 billion people) do not.

While it is difficult to give an accurate statistics of those who are sincere with their religious beliefs, it is nevertheless safe to opine that, given the zeal and fervor with which most people pursue their religious duties, the majority of them are. But whether it is the majority who are or not, sincerity itself is not the actual thing to hold on to when we want a strong assurance of God’s acceptance of our devotions to Him. This is true because sincerity of purpose is not the sole litmus test for ascertaining the rightness of any purpose. To put this in perspective: a person can pursue a wrong cause with all sincerity without realising their error until they’re proven wrong by some cogent and verifiable means.
When you look at the religious landscape of the world, you see so much in the activities of most people that show how sincere they are with their beliefs. In fact, most people believe in their religion more than in any other thing they know or do: just consider some of the things that people do or abstain from doing because of their religious beliefs and you’ll understand how deeply and sincerely convinced they are about the rightness of their beliefs.

I remember an incident very many years ago when I was just about ten or eleven years of age: it was on a Good Friday, prior to Easter Sunday, and a much older family friend had taken me to their home. He was a Muslim, so he didn’t understand the significance of that day to me, and I on my part had momentarily forgotten that as a catholic ( at that time), I was not supposed to eat meat on that day. So I was entertained lavishly with some Hausa traditional cuisine garnished with ram meat, which was rare to come by in the eastern part of Nigeria where we both lived at that time.
Honestly, I enjoyed myself and thought it was a good meal until the thought suddenly struck me that I wasn’t supposed to eat meat that day.
My parents had brought me up as a devout Catholic, so it was to be understood why the realization of what I had just done eating that food brought so much fear and sorrow to me.
I thought I had failed God. Even worse, I thought I had actually eaten the flesh of Jesus Christ because that was the tactic used to keep children away from meat in those days: they said that anyone who ate meat on a Good Friday had actually eaten the body of Jesus Christ whose crucifixion and death is commemorated on such days.
Well, I caused a scene in that house when I came out of the room and forced my index finger down my throat in order to induce me to vomit the sumptuous meal I had just eaten.
My host and his mother came to my aid thinking I was in some kind of trouble, but after I had explained that I was fine but for the fact that I had eaten meat, which my religion forbade to be eaten on that day, they let me be.
I’m sure it was an embarrassment to them that I behaved that way after they had taken the pains to entertain me, but I equally felt embarrassed at myself because I thought that I had recklessly desecrated a religious ritual that was held in high esteem among Catholics at that time ( I do not know if they still observe it because I have ceased to be a Catholic for almost four decades now ).
The Muslims, the Hindus, the Judaists, and the faithful of some other religions equally have taboos peculiar to their ways of worshiping the deities in whom they believe, and the sincerity of purpose with which they carry out their piety leaves no one in doubt of their conviction that they are in the right way.
But is sincerity of purpose actually enough proof that God accepts us?
I do not think so.
Unless what we are sincere about is entrenched deeply in the truth of God’s Word in the Holy Bible, we might be sincerely mistaken about our beliefs.

The Gospel of John 8:32 says: “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Taboos, dogmas, harams,, or whatever kind of restrictions which religion or tradition places on their adherents hold no value before God unless they reflect the truth of His Holy Word, and the only way to know that they do is by subjecting them to the highest and strictest rigours of Biblical verification devoid of bias and guided by honesty to God alone before Whom we either stand or fall, and to Whom we shall render an account of our attitude towards His commandments.

“I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unreputable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:”
1 Timothy 6:13-14 .

We may have spiritual leaders whose duty is to guide us in the right way to worship and serve God, but we must always verify that their religious duties over us are strictly carried out in compliance with the Word of God because they are also imperfect humans just like us, and failure to hold them accountable for leading and teaching us strictly according to God’s Holy Word, the Holy Bible, will certainly be detrimental to our hope of living with God and Jesus Christ in heaven forever. To this end we must imbibe the wisdom of King David who wrote in Psalms 16:8 the following words which give us a great insight into the kind of relationship between him and God Almighty. He said:
” I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”

In much the same way, we must set our focus on God through His Son Jesus Christ, and not on any man or woman, no matter their religious influence or charisma, as that is the only way we can be sure to remain unshaken in our faith.

The sincerity of our faith must be based on the truth of God’s Word which we know and practice; it should not be based on the lifestyle or personal conviction of a clergy who is a mere mortal person. No man is good enough to be the role model for God’s people unless they are strictly following in the footstep of Jesus Christ our Lord and personal Saviour, who we must all aspire to be like.

” Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. “
Hebrews 12:2.

John.17.16:
” They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world”. (NKJV)

OUR LORD , Jesus Christ, said the words quoted above some days before He returned to heaven.
It was part of a long prayer which He offered to God on behalf of His followers of that present time and the future ones: He said they were not of this world.
A few lines down this recorded prayer He made a request to God, specifically in verse 24:
“Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world”. (NKJV)

It makes sense that He should make that request on behalf of His disciples since He had earlier said that they were not of this world.
But, having said the words above, it is pertinent to ask this heart searching question: do Jesus Christ’s disciples really want to go to heaven to be with Him as He had requested to God that it be granted to them?
I have not seen so great an opportunity treated with such unseriousness as this one! Today the body language of most professing disciples of Jesus Christ suggests that they’d rather welcome an invitation to travel to a dream earthly destination than to heaven. Actually, some of them pray, fast, and work hard to save enough money to make this dream come true. But as for the invitation to travel to heaven and be with Jesus Christ…?
You can be the judge of that !
I can’t remember receiving a prayer request for that in recent decades. But I’ve heard of so many prayer requests for a visa to travel overseas! Why is this so? Is it because we think that heaven will not be worth our expectations after all? No, I do not think so because we are aware that heaven is supposed to be the most beautiful city ever built. In fact it is to be understood that the One who made the universe in all its glorious beauty must live in a much more better and grandier place; and that is quite correct!
So, why are His invited disciples not eager to go there? Why do they vehemently defy any suggestions, either from their own hearts or from others, that they’d soon go to be with the LORD in heaven? Why do they wish themselves a prolonged existence in a world that they so very often cry out to God to help them survive, even when they know that He’s eagerly waiting for them to join Him in heaven? Have we lost our love for heaven? Do we fear that we are not yet prepared enough to make the journey?
The legendary musician, Peter Tosh sang: “EVERY BODY WANTS TO GO TO HEAVEN, BUT NO BODY WANTS TO DIE”.

The fear of death might be a factor for this “heaven-phobia” amongst the very ones for whom that pleasant celestial city has been built.What an irony that we so much desire to be with Jesus Christ and yet fear to take the step in that direction which leads home to Him!
What fuels such unhealthy fears in God’s own elect? Do we realize what grieve this causes God; that so much has been prepared for our home coming but we are not in the least prepared for the journey? But why shouldn’t we be? It is a no brainer that we’d be better off with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven than we’d be in this world, even with all its treasures and riches at our disposal.

What fuels the fear of death?
Sin does!
Sin makes anyone unworthy of the Holy City of God to which we His children have been given the opportunity to inhabit for eternity. If this is the case, why do we not deal with the issue of sin more decisively and, thus, save ourselves the horror of living with the fear of death once and for all?
I know a few disciples of Jesus Christ, both in contemporary times and in the historical times of the early church, who were not afraid to die. I had a friend, Brother Anthony, who on his death bed admonished that no one should weep for him because he was sure of where he was going to in death. He died shortly after those words. But before then, he had shared some wonderful personal encounters with angels and a trip to heaven. He was my bossom friend in Christ, and we had spent so much time in prayers, fellowship in the word and evangelism while serving our Lord Jesus Christ. He had shared one of such encounters with me shortly before his death. He told me of an angelic visit to his bedside which resulted in a journey to heaven in a celestial craft. He told me of a great mansion in heaven, the floor of which he thought was too good for him to tread on until he was told by the angel that it belonged to him!
Surely, such a disciple would not be afraid of death, which is the veil that he must pass through to enter into the joy and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.
My beloved mother’s last words before she breathed her last were: ” Lord, I know that I will see your glory”.
I know those were not words borne out of some wishful thoughts, but by a certainty which came from a dedicated life of services to God, and choices which reflected His will for all the years I had known her till her dying day.
I know of a dear elderly sister whose last night in the hospital bed was spent in a prayer vigil until when at few minutes past 7 am the next morning she said:
” Lord, into your hands I commit my spirit, soul and body”.
Then she closed her eyes in death at once. Surely, she was not afraid to die!
I know of Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul’s accounts of their impending death; they were not afraid to embrace death!
Peter said:
2Pet.1.14 – “But the Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that my days here on earth are numbered and I am soon to die.
2Pet.1.15 – So I will work hard to make these things clear to you. I want you to remember them long after I am gone. “
That was a joyful way of announcing his passing which was soon to happen. He didn’t ask for prayers from fellow faithfuls to avert his coming death. He had no reason to because it was the Lord’s will and he was prepared for it. There was no sin to obscure the glory that was set before him!

In the same vein, Apostle Paul also announced his impending call to glory with much hope and no fears!

2Tim.4.6 – “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near .
2Tim.4.7 – I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”

Brethren, we have a journey to prepare for. It is the journey to our eternal home in heaven.
Heaven is to be desired more than the world in which we now live in, but the greatest joy -killer is sin! There’s no way that you can experience the thrill of meeting with God and His Son Jesus Christ if you’re still wining and dinning with the world and it’s ungodliness. Jesus Christ said that no one can serve two masters at the same time; neither can you pledge allegiance to God and Satan at the same time! The one who owns your heart dictates the trajectory of your eternal destination. Who is it – God or satan?
While we might, by default, claim that God orders our way, can we truly substantiate this claim without the slightest compunction? Does our conscience accuse or excuse us? Do we feel the cold sweat of fear or the warmth of ecstatic joy whenever we are confronted with the reality of death? Whichever is the case, there’s one truth we cannot over look: we must all eventually die as long as time continues!

Heb.9.27 – “And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment,” .

Matt.24.42 -” So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. “

Philippians 1:20-21 :
“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

You have an appointment with God. Jesus Christ requested it. You have to prepare and be ready for it because it cannot be cancelled. In God’s own time you shall be summoned to embark on the journey back home to heaven.
Whether you’re prepared or not you must be taken! So, why not be ready?

2Cor.5.10 – For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies. –
2Cor.5.11 – It is because we know this solemn fear of the Lord that we work so hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.

MAY WE HAVE A GLORIOUS HOME CALL IN GOD’S DUE TIME.

Joseph Dominic Achi.

             HEBREWS 3:7-14. 

As great as God’s Grace is, and as much sought after as it is among those who seek redemption in God, through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, yet we must know that Grace has limits.
Having said this, I must be quick to add, though, that this limitation is not in its power to save the sinner but, rather, under the condition in which it can save them.
People say so much about Grace but make so little of it! They ask for it more than they are willing to submit to its rhythm. This is so sad.
No doubt God wants all sinners to be saved, so He ordained it such that “.. where sin abounded, grace did much more abound..” Romans 5: 20.

What, though, is Grace, and why does God give it to us in so much abundance?
Grace is that divine impartation which enables its recipients to live, do, or act as God expects them to. Without Grace, we could never live up to God’s expectations. Grace is God’s divine enabler for fallen mankind, and it is given to them in a measure which surpasses the weight and/or power of their sins, so much that they could live above those sins, which once ensnared them, unless they’re not willing to do so.
God’s Grace is given to us so much in abundance that no person could be condemned to eternal damnation for want of it.
Titus 2:11 KJV emphatically states that “.. the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to ALL MEN ..”

No man, living or dead, can deny that they’ve encountered God’s Grace, yet we see so many sins and compromises every day, even among those who claim they have been saved by this same Grace; albeit Grace can save the greatest of all sinners and convert the blackest of all hearts! Grace is not limited in its power to save the sinner, but the sinner must want to be saved from their sins!
In the business of redemption, there is no compulsion. There’s no invasion of a person’s privacy. God simply deals with whoever is willing to receive His Grace without any conditions; this is where we have the limitation factor!
Until all men come to the realisation that God is not out to pursue any sinner, wrestle them to the ground and inject His saving Grace into their sin troubled soul, more and more people will keep dying in their sin and going to eternal hell fire even when there’s so much of God’s saving Grace in the world than there is sin!
How I wish that the tables were turned, and that Grace now pursues and overtakes the unwilling sinner! That way we would have more saints and less sinners. That way hell would shrink and the coast of heaven would be enlarged!
This, however, is just a wishful thought ; it will be unrighteous for God to save a sinner who does not want His salvation. Any one who is still in love with their sin cannot be saved by Grace, no matter how fervently they have prayed for it. Anyone who wants to enjoy the blessings of Grace through the merits of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary must also of necessity be willing to imbibe the virtues of His resurrected life; until this is fulfilled, Grace is limited to them.
2 Corinthians 6:1 says:
“We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. “

Anyone who is waiting for God to spoon-feed them with Grace is not yet hungry for salvation; a hungry and thirsty soul would seek it with all earnestness!

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
Matthew 5:6 .

In the chorus of her song titled GRACE GREATER THAN ALL OUR SIN , Julia H. Johnston aptly captures the prevalence of Grace on sin, thus:
” GRACE, GRACE
GOD’S GRACE
GRACE THAT WILL PARDON AND CLEANSE WITHIN
GRACE, GRACE
GOD’S GRACE
GRACE THAT IS GREATER THAN ALL OUR SIN . “

But today we witness the prevalence of sin, both in the church and in the society at large, not because of a lack of God’s grace, but because people are no more hungry and thirsty for what’s right in the eyes of God; yet this is the condition for the operation of God’s saving Grace!

Grace has a scope within which it operates to benefit the saint as well as the sinner. Based on this scope the sinner who wants to be saved must demonstrate by deeds that they really need God in their lives, while the saint who wants to remain saved must also demonstrated in the same way that they’re done with sin for good!

” But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : “
Matthew 3:7-8.

The sinner must run to Jesus Christ for salvation from their sins, while the saint must run away from the sins which Jesus Christ has saved them from. Unless they do this, Grace is limited to them.
No one can enjoy the blessings of Grace outside of its scope of operation.

” For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men ,
Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts , we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.. “
Titus 2:11-12 .

The time is short; the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand! We must awake to this solemn fact and avoid the delusion that we still have a long time to wait before Jesus Christ’s return.
But what if He tarries? Will that revoke the sentence of death which has been passed on to us from our first parents, Adam and Eve? Of course not! People die every day and anyone could be the next victim of hell unless they died enwrapped in the saving Grace of God, through Jesus Christ.
The watchword for this hour is “BE READY FOR JESUS CHRIST’S RETURN”, and there’s no better way to be ready than to be saved by Grace now!
No one needs to die a Christ-less death and be eternally lost when there is enough Grace to atone for their sins!
Provided you do not limit the rhythm of God’s Grace, it can cover the multitude of your sins and lift you above the reaches of sinful lusts and desires with which Satan tempts the whole world.

” Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end..”
Hebrews 3:12-14 .

MAY WE NOT RECEIVE GRACE IN VAIN‼️

Joseph Dominic Achi