Ephesians 1:7,8 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
We all owe a debt that we cannot pay. Jesus came to pay a debt that He did not owe. The Son of man came to give His life as a ransom for many. The word redemption here in verse seven means "a ransom paid in full." We as a result of the fall and because of our sin nature have been taken captive by Satan and death. The wages of our sin is death and so there was a ransom that had to be paid in order that we might be freed. This ransom payment was much more than a million dollars, or a billion dollars. Truly the ransom payment was priceless, no amount of money in the world could satisfy the debt. These verses tell us redemption is through his blood. The only source of payment that was good enough for the ransom to be paid in full was the precious blood of Christ. 1 Peter 1:18,19 says, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" Jesus came to pay sin's ransom and offer a way out for ALL people! Limited atonement is heresy! 1 Timothy 2:6 says, " Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Jesus blood was shed as the payment for the sin of the world. 1 John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. Jesus Christ gave His life and shed His blood in order to pay the ransom that each of us owe. If we reject His offer and do not apply His payment to our account then we must pay it ourselves in hell forever and ever and ever. Don't reject His payment, sign the back of that check and be forgiven, set free and delivered from death and hell! Now when a person accepts Christ's ransom payment, that person has been purchased with His blood. Once that blood ransom payment has been accepted then the debt is satisfied, which results in the forgiveness of sins. We have a rich God! He is the only one who can pay the ransom and when our ransom is paid by Him we are justified. Salvation is absolutely free to us because it is the riches of His grace that offers us a ransom payment. In Romans 3:24,25 it says, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Because of the riches of His grace we abound or have in excess the blessings of wisdom and prudence. God has tipped us with wisdom and prudence. Jesus not only paid the bill, but He also left a tip. Hallelujah what a Saviour that truly paid it all and then tips us with wisdom and insight to live as His adopted child!
Monday, May 27, 2019
Saturday, May 18, 2019
A Predestined Adoption - Part 2
Ephesians 1:5,6 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
As we have previously said it is important to keep God's divine order intact. That order is as follows: First Foreknowledge, Second Election, Third Predestination. Why is this the right order? Remember predestination is God carrying out what He has already determined or chosen. Predestination is an action of God but before an act there has to be a decision or a choice. Now we come to the crux of the matter what was behind God's choice or God's election? Foreknowledge. Before the world was created, before Genesis 1:1, God existed in eternity pass. Since God was perfectly existing with ALL of His attributes, then before He ever performed one act, foreknowledge existed. Foreknowledge has to be first. God's foreknowledge is inextricably linked to His Omniscience and therefore an attribute of God. In other words it is a part of His nature, it is who He is! Foreknowledge is first! Before the world existed, before God did any act, He already knew each and every believer by name. God simply had prior knowledge of who in their own God given free will would choose to believe given the chance. Now listen, it is impossible for God to go against His nature. God could only elect and predestine in agreement with what He foreknew. God never did elect and predestine someone unto adoption who chose not to believe, nor could He. God acted in total agreement with what He knew beforehand. Foreknowledge was first! Election and predestination stem from God's foreknowledge. God did not randomly choose who to elect and predestine. No man is a robot pre-programmed by God to believe or made to believed. Calvinism is heresy! It is God's good pleasure and His will to adopt all those who believe and accept Christ. It praises the glory of His grace. His unmerited favor upon us is exalted due to the fact that we are accepted. The reason that a Holy God can accept sinners is because they are in the beloved. In Matthew 3:17, the Father's response to Jesus baptism was: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." As believers we are in Christ and for that reason are accepted and valued in the sight of God. When we in our own free will believe on Christ we are accepted in Him by the Father. The Father accepts us as His own due to the righteousness we have in Christ. Listen to me now, this world is in a mess! Every individual has a genuine need for love and acceptance, but people go to all the wrong places to find it. It is only in Christ where we can find true love and acceptance! What this world needs in order to deal with the rejection that we all have experience is found in the person of Jesus Christ! He is the answer! Dear Christian friend don't find your identity in your appearance, performance or possessions. Find your identity in Jesus! God accepts those in Christ! What an adoption. Now as adopted children we can experience the love of the Father, which is perfect love. No rejection! He accepts me in the beloved!
As we have previously said it is important to keep God's divine order intact. That order is as follows: First Foreknowledge, Second Election, Third Predestination. Why is this the right order? Remember predestination is God carrying out what He has already determined or chosen. Predestination is an action of God but before an act there has to be a decision or a choice. Now we come to the crux of the matter what was behind God's choice or God's election? Foreknowledge. Before the world was created, before Genesis 1:1, God existed in eternity pass. Since God was perfectly existing with ALL of His attributes, then before He ever performed one act, foreknowledge existed. Foreknowledge has to be first. God's foreknowledge is inextricably linked to His Omniscience and therefore an attribute of God. In other words it is a part of His nature, it is who He is! Foreknowledge is first! Before the world existed, before God did any act, He already knew each and every believer by name. God simply had prior knowledge of who in their own God given free will would choose to believe given the chance. Now listen, it is impossible for God to go against His nature. God could only elect and predestine in agreement with what He foreknew. God never did elect and predestine someone unto adoption who chose not to believe, nor could He. God acted in total agreement with what He knew beforehand. Foreknowledge was first! Election and predestination stem from God's foreknowledge. God did not randomly choose who to elect and predestine. No man is a robot pre-programmed by God to believe or made to believed. Calvinism is heresy! It is God's good pleasure and His will to adopt all those who believe and accept Christ. It praises the glory of His grace. His unmerited favor upon us is exalted due to the fact that we are accepted. The reason that a Holy God can accept sinners is because they are in the beloved. In Matthew 3:17, the Father's response to Jesus baptism was: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." As believers we are in Christ and for that reason are accepted and valued in the sight of God. When we in our own free will believe on Christ we are accepted in Him by the Father. The Father accepts us as His own due to the righteousness we have in Christ. Listen to me now, this world is in a mess! Every individual has a genuine need for love and acceptance, but people go to all the wrong places to find it. It is only in Christ where we can find true love and acceptance! What this world needs in order to deal with the rejection that we all have experience is found in the person of Jesus Christ! He is the answer! Dear Christian friend don't find your identity in your appearance, performance or possessions. Find your identity in Jesus! God accepts those in Christ! What an adoption. Now as adopted children we can experience the love of the Father, which is perfect love. No rejection! He accepts me in the beloved!
Monday, May 6, 2019
A Predestined Adoption - Part 1
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Here in verse 5 there is a continuation of thought on the teaching of Divine Election. So let's review. God chooses or elects according to His foreknowledge. (1 Peter 1:2) At this point we should define the word foreknowledge because there are some Calvinists who like to give it a different definition than what it actually means. Some inaccurately equate foreknowledge with forelove as a way to get around the true Bible teaching on Election. Foreknowledge simply means a prior knowledge or to know beforehand. In order to properly interpret scripture God's divine order must be kept intact: First foreknowledge, Second election, Third predestination. God determines who to sanctify (verse 4) and who to adopt (verse 5) based on His foreknowledge. God divinely elects to sanctify and adopt only those whom He knew before hand would trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Now in the current verse we are looking at there is, "A Predestined Adoption." Let's first define predestination. Predestination is God carrying out what He decided based upon His foreknowledge. All believers were destined by God to be made saints (sanctification) and to be made sons (adoption.) The Calvinistic false teaching says that God predestines some to believe. That's heresy! God does not predestine some to heaven and some to hell. Notice verse 5 again, "Having predestinated us (believers) unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ...clearly only believers are predestined to adoption by receiving Jesus Christ. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:". It is absolutely clear that God would only adopt us as children due to the fact He knew we would accept His Son Jesus. When we believed and received Jesus Christ, God gave us the ability (power) to become the sons of God by giving us the Holy Spirit. Notice Romans 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. God has simply predestined that all who would receive Christ would be adopted. Again in Galatians 4:5,6 we have these words: "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." How exciting it is to know that God has adopted me into His family! Now I am a joint-heir with Jesus Christ and He is my Brother, Savior and Friend! I'm so glad I am a part of the family of God, for I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. As a result of "A Predestined Adoption," I have every right to call God the Father, "My Daddy!" Amen!!
Here in verse 5 there is a continuation of thought on the teaching of Divine Election. So let's review. God chooses or elects according to His foreknowledge. (1 Peter 1:2) At this point we should define the word foreknowledge because there are some Calvinists who like to give it a different definition than what it actually means. Some inaccurately equate foreknowledge with forelove as a way to get around the true Bible teaching on Election. Foreknowledge simply means a prior knowledge or to know beforehand. In order to properly interpret scripture God's divine order must be kept intact: First foreknowledge, Second election, Third predestination. God determines who to sanctify (verse 4) and who to adopt (verse 5) based on His foreknowledge. God divinely elects to sanctify and adopt only those whom He knew before hand would trust Jesus Christ as Savior. Now in the current verse we are looking at there is, "A Predestined Adoption." Let's first define predestination. Predestination is God carrying out what He decided based upon His foreknowledge. All believers were destined by God to be made saints (sanctification) and to be made sons (adoption.) The Calvinistic false teaching says that God predestines some to believe. That's heresy! God does not predestine some to heaven and some to hell. Notice verse 5 again, "Having predestinated us (believers) unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ...clearly only believers are predestined to adoption by receiving Jesus Christ. John 1:12 says, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:". It is absolutely clear that God would only adopt us as children due to the fact He knew we would accept His Son Jesus. When we believed and received Jesus Christ, God gave us the ability (power) to become the sons of God by giving us the Holy Spirit. Notice Romans 8:15, For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. God has simply predestined that all who would receive Christ would be adopted. Again in Galatians 4:5,6 we have these words: "To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." How exciting it is to know that God has adopted me into His family! Now I am a joint-heir with Jesus Christ and He is my Brother, Savior and Friend! I'm so glad I am a part of the family of God, for I have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. As a result of "A Predestined Adoption," I have every right to call God the Father, "My Daddy!" Amen!!
Friday, April 26, 2019
Divine Election
Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Now let's carefully examine our next verse in Ephesians chapter 1. This verse says, According as he (God the Father) hath chosen us (saints, believers) in him (Jesus Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we (saints, believers) should be holy and without blame before him (God the Father) in love: (sanctification as saints.) So what is this verse saying? It is saying that before the foundation of the world God chose to sanctify His saints; those who believe on Jesus Christ. Notice what this verse is not saying. It is not saying that God picked certain people before the foundation of the world to save them. Some like to interpret this verse like this: According as he hath chosen (to put) us in him before the foundation of the world...that's not what it says, so don't add to scripture!! This verse is simply saying that before the foundation of the world God chose to set apart ALL believers as saints. That's it. God did NOT elect certain people to be saints, but rather God simply sets apart those who in their own free will believe on Jesus, to be His saints. Before the foundation of the world, this is called foreknowledge, God already knew who would be in Him (Christ) and chose to sanctify or set apart all those who are in Him (Jesus.) Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ puts you in Him and then God does the making of you into a saint. God gives man the free will to choose to believe and in return God makes those who believe, saints by sanctification. God never forces anyone to believe. God does NOT predestine people to believe. God does NOT predestine some to heaven and thereby send others to hell. God does however, predestine to make saints out of believers, but God does NOT elect certain people and pre-program them to believe. Calvinism and Sovereign Grace are false teachings! You were not chosen before the foundation of the world to be a believer. YOU decided whether or not to believe! God chose to save those who would believe. It is God's foreknowledge that tells Him who will believe and thus God elected or chose you as a believer in Christ to be sanctified. Divine Election is only possible through sanctification of the Spirit and only those who believe can be sanctified. Notice what 1 Peter 1:2 says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." This verse is teaching that through the blood of Jesus Christ we are saved and then sanctified by the Holy Spirit. God elected us through sanctification of the Spirit, which He had prior knowledge of before we ever were cleansed by the blood of Christ. Much more will be said about the proper view of predestination and the false teachings of Calvinism. Let me just warn you to be aware of this Calvinistic false teaching that hides behind the label Sovereign Grace! God does not make anyone believe or not believe in Christ. God's Divine Election is only for those who have already believed.
Now let's carefully examine our next verse in Ephesians chapter 1. This verse says, According as he (God the Father) hath chosen us (saints, believers) in him (Jesus Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we (saints, believers) should be holy and without blame before him (God the Father) in love: (sanctification as saints.) So what is this verse saying? It is saying that before the foundation of the world God chose to sanctify His saints; those who believe on Jesus Christ. Notice what this verse is not saying. It is not saying that God picked certain people before the foundation of the world to save them. Some like to interpret this verse like this: According as he hath chosen (to put) us in him before the foundation of the world...that's not what it says, so don't add to scripture!! This verse is simply saying that before the foundation of the world God chose to set apart ALL believers as saints. That's it. God did NOT elect certain people to be saints, but rather God simply sets apart those who in their own free will believe on Jesus, to be His saints. Before the foundation of the world, this is called foreknowledge, God already knew who would be in Him (Christ) and chose to sanctify or set apart all those who are in Him (Jesus.) Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ puts you in Him and then God does the making of you into a saint. God gives man the free will to choose to believe and in return God makes those who believe, saints by sanctification. God never forces anyone to believe. God does NOT predestine people to believe. God does NOT predestine some to heaven and thereby send others to hell. God does however, predestine to make saints out of believers, but God does NOT elect certain people and pre-program them to believe. Calvinism and Sovereign Grace are false teachings! You were not chosen before the foundation of the world to be a believer. YOU decided whether or not to believe! God chose to save those who would believe. It is God's foreknowledge that tells Him who will believe and thus God elected or chose you as a believer in Christ to be sanctified. Divine Election is only possible through sanctification of the Spirit and only those who believe can be sanctified. Notice what 1 Peter 1:2 says, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied." This verse is teaching that through the blood of Jesus Christ we are saved and then sanctified by the Holy Spirit. God elected us through sanctification of the Spirit, which He had prior knowledge of before we ever were cleansed by the blood of Christ. Much more will be said about the proper view of predestination and the false teachings of Calvinism. Let me just warn you to be aware of this Calvinistic false teaching that hides behind the label Sovereign Grace! God does not make anyone believe or not believe in Christ. God's Divine Election is only for those who have already believed.
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Heavenly Blessings
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
When Paul addresses these "Faithful Saints," he reminds them of the special blessings they have due to their testimony of being a saint who is faithful. Our faithfulness to the Lord brings about many blessings in our lives. Notice Proverbs 28:20 which says, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." God rewards our faithfulness with spiritual blessings that can only come from Him above, in heavenly places. As a saint we have the blessings of being saved, sealed and secure. God looks at us and see's the righteousness of Christ and He has given us the Holy Spirit as our seal and has promised to keep us saved. Psalm 97:10 says, "he preserveth the souls of his saints;" thank God for eternal security. True spiritual blessings come from just being saved. We are seated in the heavens as a result of being in Christ and get to enjoy all the spiritual blessings that accompany salvation. The joy, the peace, the power, the victory and on and on we could go with the benefits of such great a salvation! However, in addition to the blessings that come with salvation, we find in Psalm 68:19 "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah." Every day our great God dumps out a truck load of benefits from heaven upon His saints. These blessings from Heaven and the eternal blessings of the Spirit make for a truly blessed life. We use to have a couple who attended our church that wore t-shirts that said, "To blessed to be stressed!" I like that. As we deal with the stressful events in life, the blessings of God overshadow them all. As faithful saints who tithe we have a promise that we can count on, for Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." The Christian who is faithful to church gets a blessing! The Christian who is faithful to tithe gets a blessing! The Christian who reads the Word of God gets a blessing! Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." What a great, generous and magnificent God we serve! It's time that we count our blessings one by one and we will surely see that our God has sent some Heavenly Blessings our way! Amen. God is good!
When Paul addresses these "Faithful Saints," he reminds them of the special blessings they have due to their testimony of being a saint who is faithful. Our faithfulness to the Lord brings about many blessings in our lives. Notice Proverbs 28:20 which says, "A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." God rewards our faithfulness with spiritual blessings that can only come from Him above, in heavenly places. As a saint we have the blessings of being saved, sealed and secure. God looks at us and see's the righteousness of Christ and He has given us the Holy Spirit as our seal and has promised to keep us saved. Psalm 97:10 says, "he preserveth the souls of his saints;" thank God for eternal security. True spiritual blessings come from just being saved. We are seated in the heavens as a result of being in Christ and get to enjoy all the spiritual blessings that accompany salvation. The joy, the peace, the power, the victory and on and on we could go with the benefits of such great a salvation! However, in addition to the blessings that come with salvation, we find in Psalm 68:19 "Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah." Every day our great God dumps out a truck load of benefits from heaven upon His saints. These blessings from Heaven and the eternal blessings of the Spirit make for a truly blessed life. We use to have a couple who attended our church that wore t-shirts that said, "To blessed to be stressed!" I like that. As we deal with the stressful events in life, the blessings of God overshadow them all. As faithful saints who tithe we have a promise that we can count on, for Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." The Christian who is faithful to church gets a blessing! The Christian who is faithful to tithe gets a blessing! The Christian who reads the Word of God gets a blessing! Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." What a great, generous and magnificent God we serve! It's time that we count our blessings one by one and we will surely see that our God has sent some Heavenly Blessings our way! Amen. God is good!
Friday, April 12, 2019
The Faithful Saints
Ephesians 1:1,2 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Paul when writing to the church of Ephesus called the born again believers in that church "the saints." There has been confusion over the term "saint" over the years, primarily because of the false teachings of the Catholic church. If you ask someone to name a saint, they tend to think in terms of a select few devout figures in the history of Christianity. However, when the Apostle Paul addresses the members of the church of Ephesus, he calls ALL believers "saints." The moment a person is born again his title is changed from Mr. Sinner to Mr. Saint. When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church he said in verse 2 of chapter 1, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours::" The simple truth regarding who a saint is found in the operation of initial sanctification. When you were saved God sanctified or set you apart from being a sinner to being a saint. Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." When you were saved, you were washed, sanctified and now are no longer view in God's eyes as a sinner condemned, but rather a saint sanctified. When God's children assemble together at church it truly is when the saints come marching in. In addition to addressing the Ephesian congregation as saints, Paul complements them for their faithfulness: "and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." The church of Ephesus was made up of "faithful saints!" This is what we need today. We need church members (saints) who are faithful to ALL the services of the church. We need church members who are faithful to read their Bible. We need church members who are faithful to praying, witnessing and tithing, The greatest ability is dependability, but most church members you can no longer depend upon. If God's saints that have been saved by the blood of Christ would just be faithful to the mission of the local church then we would see a great move of God in our churches. Faithfulness is not dependent upon whether it's convenient! True faithfulness is when something else interferes with your obligations to the Lord and yet you still choose the Lord. That's being faithful. Hebrews 10:25 says, "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." It's getting late! The return of Christ is near so get to church! Let's be faithful! Our churches need "The Faithful Saints" to stand up and come marching in!
The Apostle Paul when writing to the church of Ephesus called the born again believers in that church "the saints." There has been confusion over the term "saint" over the years, primarily because of the false teachings of the Catholic church. If you ask someone to name a saint, they tend to think in terms of a select few devout figures in the history of Christianity. However, when the Apostle Paul addresses the members of the church of Ephesus, he calls ALL believers "saints." The moment a person is born again his title is changed from Mr. Sinner to Mr. Saint. When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church he said in verse 2 of chapter 1, "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours::" The simple truth regarding who a saint is found in the operation of initial sanctification. When you were saved God sanctified or set you apart from being a sinner to being a saint. Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." When you were saved, you were washed, sanctified and now are no longer view in God's eyes as a sinner condemned, but rather a saint sanctified. When God's children assemble together at church it truly is when the saints come marching in. In addition to addressing the Ephesian congregation as saints, Paul complements them for their faithfulness: "and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." The church of Ephesus was made up of "faithful saints!" This is what we need today. We need church members (saints) who are faithful to ALL the services of the church. We need church members who are faithful to read their Bible. We need church members who are faithful to praying, witnessing and tithing, The greatest ability is dependability, but most church members you can no longer depend upon. If God's saints that have been saved by the blood of Christ would just be faithful to the mission of the local church then we would see a great move of God in our churches. Faithfulness is not dependent upon whether it's convenient! True faithfulness is when something else interferes with your obligations to the Lord and yet you still choose the Lord. That's being faithful. Hebrews 10:25 says, "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." It's getting late! The return of Christ is near so get to church! Let's be faithful! Our churches need "The Faithful Saints" to stand up and come marching in!
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Why Pray? - Part 5
Christians ought to be happy, joyful people. Christians should not live defeated, unhappy lives! God promises that Christians can have fullness of joy all the time by praying. John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. God desires to give us the things that will truly make us full of joy. When we pray we can be at peace and full of joy knowing God will only give us that which is good for us. Let's be thankful during this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour. Joy to the World the Lord has come and because He has come we have access through Him to the throne. Prayer is the secret of constant joy, the secret really of having the fullness of joy. A rich, satisfied life for the Christian depends on how much and how we pray. If you pray and get things from God and have the desires that He has given you fulfilled, this is the way to be full of joy. Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Day by day you can live the victorious Christian life, full of happiness and joy when you bow the knee in prayer to God. Prayer is the secret of the fullness of joy and yet another reason why we should pray. Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. Are you spending time at the throne of God in prayer? When you come into His presence through prayer, the great benefit that you leave with is fullness of joy! He has made us glad! We should be the happiest, joyful people in all the world! Amen! Get praying!
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