Book: "Pastor Lukas' Church"

I read this book a few months ago. God used it to touch my life. I contacted the Author – Emma N. J. Nwosu and he magnanimously allowed me to post it here so that people from all over the world can download it FREE. It is an e-copy and in adobe reader format. It is a short book of 38 pages which you cannot keep down, once you start reading, until you have gone through it.

It is my prayer that God will bless your life and give you a testimony after reading this book. The Word of the Lord is scarce in our generation and hearing from God is rare. Many people talk and we hear a lot of voices but only a few speak for God. The best message in churches today prepares the people for this world instead of preparing them for eternity. Today, faithful life means having worldly wealth; living in victory is when everything is working your way and you are living a life of ease; if things do not work well and fast for you, there must be something wrong with you; every suffering is a curse from the ancestors or an attack from the enemies; criteria for being a leader is the type of car you have; you have the pastor’s ears if you are considered rich; the only important person in a church is the pastor and his family; if his needs are met, even when many members of the church are in poverty and hardship, everything is ok and God is pleased with you; we use members’ tithes and offerings to build schools and hospitals but the same members will not have the privilege to send their wards and children to the same schools and hospitals because they cannot afford it; our boastings starts here and ends here etc.

Indeed if God does not do something now, our generation is in trouble. In fact the next generation we are raising will be in much more trouble because their faith cannot stand through storms and the test of time. The basis and premise upon which they build their faith is wrong, false and worldly. Look at our Christian fellowships in higher schools where Papas and Mamas have Personal Assistants, servants and those that carry their ‘heavy’ Bibles for them.

I believe that God will steer up revival in your life and church after reading this short book. Look at part of the epilogue of the author:

“So many after reading this book called me with the question, “Did this really happen? Is it a true life story”. To all of them I have always replied, “That should not be the question. The question should be, “Could this really happen?” To this I wish to say that it is happening every where in the world today.
A clear study of this book will help you discover yourself in this story. If you are not Pastor Lukas, you may be Bishop Frank. If you are not Perpetua you may be Madam Clara. If you are not Cynthia, you may be Susana. If you are not Radon, you may be Kenon and even Chief Olu.
For sure you are in this story, no matter who you are. That is why you should go through it again and after, do some praying. Obviously this book has come not to condemn you, but to help you sit up as a Christian.
Heaven and hell are real. Where are you heading to?”

If you need help, counseling or prayers, you can contact the Author:
Tel: 234 - (0)803 5724 526
E-mail: Praynetunit@yahoo.com

Or contact this blog through our email: evergreenword@gmail.com

Click here to download. Remember you can equally download The New Birth if you do not have a copy yet.

Finishing Strong: As you run the race of life, have the vision of the finish line

What does it mean to finish strong?
It means that you will come to the end of your life with a strong and close relationship to Christ. It means that, unless God has taken your wife ahead of you, you will be married to the same woman that you are today. It means that you are a man who is in the Scriptures and living the Scriptures. It means that you are a man who has fought some battles for the kingdom and has the scars to prove it. To finish strong means that you are leaving your children and grandchildren the priceless heritage of a godly life.

Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong (Oregon, USA; Multinomah Publishers, Inc., 1995) Pg 215

As I and my wife wish you all Merry Christmas, I pray that we celebrate, keeping our eyes on the finish line of the race of life so that we are not distracted from the Lord Jesus. He stands at the end of the journey waving and encouraging us to move on and make sure that we finish strong no matter what.

Who discipled Apollos?

“24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor b and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Acts 18:24-26 NIV

We were going through this passage in our Morning Devotion when suddenly a voice asked me this question: who discipled Apollos? I couldn’t answer the question because there is no other place in the Bible prior to this time when Apollos was mentioned. I couldn’t see who he came into contact with before he became a Christian. In fact, this passage is his introduction. However, I started to meditate over the question, relating my lessons to our church of today and began to see that there are a lot of young ‘Apollos’ all around us today. Some are already in positions of authority while others are exhibiting several gifts of the Holy Spirit and are held at very high esteem. Now look at how Apollos was introduced:

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor b and taught about Jesus accurately

He came from one of the major cities in the Roman Empire, Alexandria in Egypt. Obviously, that was where he gave his life to Christ. Nobody knows the number of years he attended church or the positions he occupied, but it’s obvious that for him to be vast and have ‘a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures’ and ‘had been instructed in the way of the Lord’ shows that he was not a recent convert. He must have gone through the Beginner’s Class or what some people call Follow-Up/Discipleship Class. He must have sat under his pastor’s ministrations so many times. But in spite of all these credentials, I still wonder why is it that he knew only the baptism of John. Why is it that he needed the way of God to be explained to him more adequately?

So what happened? He seemed to have come to Ephesus with missions in mind and probably with the blessing of his church in Alexandria. He continued to Corinth and was greatly used by God, but that was after his encounter with Priscilla and Aquilla. The credential He had been instructed in the way of the Lord seems to be part of the referral letter that he came with from his church. But, how come that he knew only of the baptism of John? So I ask again, who discipled him? Who brought him up? Who was his pastor?

For Apollos, he was fortunate to meet seasoned men like Aquila and Priscilla his wife, who brought him to the house, sat him down and explained to him the way of God more adequately. Apollos took some time out to learn, but for a lot of people today, they have run very far with half-baked theology. Their doctrine is warped and they are shouting around. The gospel that gave birth to them was ‘inaccurate’ and they continue to spread inaccurate gospel. If you listen to some of them, you discover that they do not understand the basics of the gospel of Jesus. They talk about Jesus they have not experienced and are not willing to allow rule as Lord in their lives. They are speaking very boldly and with fervor but both their experience of God and doctrine are not definite and are inaccurate. A generation that has these set of people as the ones that dictate doctrinal direction for the church is really in trouble. Unfortunately, many of them are already in positions of authority and think themselves as something and no longer listen to counsel.

THE RACE

THE RACE

Defeat! He lay there silently, a tear dropped from his eye.
“There’s no sense running anymore - three strikes,
I’m out - why try?”
The will to rise had disappeared; all hope had fled away,
So far behind, so error prone, closer all the way.
“I’ve lost, so what’s the use,” he thought,
“I’ll live with my disgrace.”
But then he thought about his dad who
soon he’d have to face.
“Get up,” an echo sound low,
“Get up and take your place.
You were not meant for failure here,
so get up and win the race.”
With borrowed will, “Get up,” it said
“You haven’t lost at all,
For winning is not more than this-
to rise each time you fall.”
So up he rose to win once more, and with a new commit,
He resolved that win or lose, at least he wouldn’t quit.
So far behind the others now, the most he’d ever been,
Still he gave it all he had and ran as though to win.
Three times he’d fallen stumbling,
three times he rose again,
Too far behind to hope to win, he still ran to the end.

They cheered the winning runner as he crossed,
first place,
Head high and proud and happy; no falling, no disgrace.
But when the fallen youngster crossed the line, last place,
The crowd gave him the greater cheer for
finishing the race.
And even though he came in last,
With head bowed low, unproud;
You would have thought he won the race,
to listen to the crowd.
And to his dad he sadly said, “I didn’t do so well.”
“To me, you won,” his father said.
“You rose each time you fell.”

And now when things seem dark and hard
and difficult to face,
The memory of that little boy helps me in my race.
For all of life is like that race,
with ups and downs and all,
And all you have to do to win – is rise each time you fall.
“Quit! Give up, you’re beaten,” they still shout in my face.
But another voice within me says,
“Get up and win that race.”

AUTHOR UNKNOWN


Steve Farrar comments before the poem, “All you need to know to pick it up is that it’s the story of a young boy competing in a race he desperately wants to win. He had fallen three times. And each time his dad has urged him to get up and win the race.”

So, no matter where you are or how you think you have fallen, get up! Dust yourself and start again. Keep going. “It’s not over until you win”. Make sure you cross the line with and in the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether you ran, walked, crawled, or was carried across. Finish strong and win the race – it doesn’t matter your position!

Steve Farrar, Finishing Strong: Going The Distance For Your Family (Oregon, Multnomah Publishers, 1995), 23

TENANTS NOT OWNERS

“9 He went on to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12 He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out. 13 "Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.' 14 "But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. 'This is the heir,' they said. 'Let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. NIV Luke 20:9-16

“When Jesus gave the parable of the tenants, the teachers of the law understood that he was speaking against them. (v.19). the owner of the vineyard is God; the vineyard is Israel; the servants are the prophets and priests that God sent to Israel; the son was Jesus himself and the evil tenants were the religious leaders.” AD 2010 Daily Guide, Scripture Union Nigeria. P.151.

It is true that this parable focused on Israel and the religious leaders of the day, but as I look around in the church today, I see the same picture playing itself. For them, it was Israel, but for us today it is the church. The genuine servants of the Master, the Son who is the true heir and religious leadership are all still relevant today.

It is unfortunate that some of us in leadership have established ourselves so strong that we behave as if we are the owners of the work. We carry ourselves as if we have absolute powers and can do whatever we want irrespective of what anybody thinks about it, forgetting that we are all tenants who have limited time in this work. Inferiority complex and insecurity make us fight every other servant that we feel is a threat to us. We see the fringe benefits that come out of the work as solely our own. We determine who gets what because we have the powers today. So today, we see all kinds of oppression and wickedness in the body of Christ even among leaders themselves. The same way worldly politicians manipulate and compete for powers is what we see among us Christians. No wonder, we cannot set any pace for our politicians, instead they set the pace for us. If they set Vision2020, we equally set Vision2020. If they set 7 Point agenda, we set 7 Spiritual Point Agenda. If they set a celebration of Silver Jubilee, we equally declare a Year of Jubilee.

All the pictures I’ve painted above are even mild when compared to the fact that we have kept the Son, the Owner of the work out of His work while we go about as the owners. The church is now like some people’s personal property. Some people think that they are the king makers, the movers and shakers of the church. We do these while we kept the Son outside the church. We do not want to listen to His Holy Spirit neither do we consider His words to be the ultimate authority. We forget that we are tenants.

My consolation is that no matter the kind of position we are privileged to occupy today and the powers we may wield, our tenancy will always expire and the Owner of the work will come one of these days for accountability. I can hear the Lord asking us today what He asked the people in this passage: "What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

Church of obedience as opposed to a Church that is self-governed

‘The decision in favour of a Church of obedience as opposed to a Church that is self-governed is necessarily and unavoidably imposed upon us by the fact that the Christian Church cannot reflect on its own being, or live by it, without seeing itself confronted by the Lord, who is present to it as its real Lord, with a real authority which transcends its own authority. Its Lord is Jesus Christ. He has called it into life and He maintains it in life. In Him it believes. Him it proclaims. To Him it prays.’ K. Barth, Church Dogmatics, I/2, 576.

This statement by K. Barth is outstanding especially in this age where there are lots of re-definitions. In the church today, we see lordship as if it rests intrinsically in a certain person and has no reference to Jesus Christ who indeed is the Lord of the church. Members are taught not to ask questions concerning how the exercise of the so called ‘lordship’ conforms to both the Word of God as they know it and the character of the church’s Lord as they understand it.

When a church is self-governed without reference to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Lord of the church, it operates just like every other secular institution in the world applying worldly principles. In the eighteenth century, Hooker talked about the authority with tree-legged stool of scripture, tradition and reason. This is a very unfortunate postulation which some liberal theologians hold very dear to heart because it helps them to question every thing the scripture says and tend to conclude that scriptures have no absolutes. In the first place, it is a misplacement to hold the scripture at the same authority level with the traditions set by men and the reasons generated by the fallen man. Being saved does not change the fact that we are fallen creatures with all kinds of limitations. It is only when we leave this world and enter into His perfection that we can truly be free from the fallen and fallible nature we inherited from the Fall. The place of the authority of the scriptures must be at the apex of the authority hierarchy. All other authority must draw from it. In contrast, a self-governed church tend to elevate tradition (as defined by them), and reason above the authority of the scripture.

A church of obedience is ‘constrained’ by the instructions in the word of God. Its liberty is within the bounds of the scriptures. The bible becomes the final authority for faith and practice. Hence, its behaviour is weighed by the scale of what the bible says. If Jesus is Lord at all, then His authority must be absolute and His words unquestionable. As obedient followers, we are only to obey. No man in the church of obedience has absolute powers no matter his/her designation.

Finally, let me mention that the bible is not a ‘secret book’ which you must have some ranks in church before you understand it. Just as Cranmer laid out in one of the homilies, no man can fall into error if he/she approaches the bible prayerfully and with all humility so as to understand it and know what his Lord wants him to do. No wonder the recommendations that the bible be read in churches whereby people just listen to what the Holy Spirit says to them. The picture being painted today as if members of the church need ‘intermediaries’ between them and God in order to know the mind of God is alien to what we see in scriptures. The Borean Christians are a good example of people who went home and searched the scriptures to make sure what Paul was preaching to them agreed with it. Paul instead of rebuking, commended them. They did this without any ‘intermediary’. There is room for teachers but every redeemed child of God has access to what God is saying in the scripture and is supposed to order his/her life accordingly.

When we all place the authority of the scriptures above all and strive to know what the Lord of the church is saying both individually and collectively, we can set out to obey Him and order our lives according to His instructions instead of governing ourselves by our own means. Like K. Barth concludes, ‘Its (The church’s) Lord is Jesus Christ. He has called it into life and He maintains it in life. In Him it believes. Him it proclaims. To Him it prays”

I heard of Thee but now I have seen

"I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes" Job 42:5-6

Job was a man of God who served Him faithfully with his family. God was proud of him and boasted with him before the devil and that became the beginning of Job's troubles. Problems he never bargained for ensued because God wanted to prove a point to Satan - 'My servant, Job is perfect, upright, God-fearing and righteous'. One amazing thing is that God was the One that raised the matter and not Satan.

God was right! Job went through his ordeal faithfully. He had his ups and downs but he prevailed. He stood strong and withstood all the devil's arrows to break his faith. God won because His servant remained faithful and He was proved right. The devil lost totally.

However, there is an amazing thing that troubles of Job produced in his life and that is our focus. At the end of the trials, he was not just better because he had double blessings, his revelation of God changed. He saw God. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee". Thank God for the troubles that draw men closer to God.Because he saw God, he was equally able to see himself through God's perspective. He saw his sin and self righteousness. He repented and abhorred himself.

For many, their good name and 'image', titles and 'trophies' etc are still relevant to them because they have not seen the Lord. People are still on the throne of their lives because, though they have been in church for years, they have only been hearing about God but have not seen and experienced Him. If you see God, you will have no option than to bow and worship. People make issues and hinder God's work because of their pride and self centeredness.

The question is, have I experienced God? The revelation of God I have, is it by hearsay or a personal encounter with God? God bless!

The dire need for workers

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matt.9:36 NIV

There is always this challenge whereby God will be looking for men in the midst of men. He will be looking for leaders in the midst of leaders and workers in the midst of workers. In Ezekiel 22:30, God said, “I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one” NLT. Before this conclusion, from verse 24-29, He listed some of His discoveries in the course of His search for a man.

From our text, the Lord Jesus Christ “felt great pity” for the people who had many problems and were scattered and didn’t know what to do or where to go to for help. They were like sheep without shepherds. The interesting thing here is that this was happening at a time when there were “shepherds” in the land – teachers of the law, college of priests, the Sanhedrin, scribes and other interpreters of the law.

For us today, the situation is not really different. The condition of the sheep has not changed and God is still looking for shepherds. There are many reasons, more of distractions, why there will be men around and yet God will still be looking for someone. However, the pertinent challenge is personal. Will I make myself available for God? Will I be willing to make adjustments, even costly ones – a significant shift from my self centeredness, and allow God to use me?

Is it Christ or our denominations?

“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.” 1 Cor 1:23-24 (KJV)

Have you wondered why it is difficult to see in our churches what the apostles saw after the resurrection of the Lord Jesus? Have you wondered why transformed lives are rare to find among those who respond to our messages?
If we want to experience what the apostles experienced, we must sit back and ask ourselves, what is it that they did that we are not doing? And what is it that they did not do that we have immersed ourselves in today?

Everything we do is supposed to revolve around Christ. Our lives are to revolve around Christ. He is the One that God has given to be our Signpost and Landmark in this race of life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We look up to Him as our example. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith…” Heb. 12: 2. We are to fix our eyes on Him as the Author, Pioneer, Leader, Instructor, Finisher and Perfecter of our faith. He has left for us an example and Peter admonishes us to follow in His steps. (1 Pet.2: 21). God is raising a people that will conform to the image of His own Son and He has made Him the firstborn among many brethren. (Rom.8: 29). He is the One we are to emulate and not any person else. At the end, our lives will be measured by how we conformed to Christ. Today there are many ‘heroes’ and ‘untouchables’ in many denominations that members are focused upon as examples. They stand and speak as if they are gods which are above human laws and scrutiny. Actually, everything centers around them. The denominational barriers do not allow members to interact with other members of the body of Christ. The ‘sheep’ belong to them. The church ‘fishes’ are all theirs for exploit. Indeed, they are the center of attraction. But that is not the way God planned it to be. He planned it that Christ will be the center of whatever we do in our churches and our lives must revolve around Him.

Not just our lives, but also our message and preaching must center on Christ. God has not left us here to preach any pastor or overseer, no matter how ‘powerful’ or ‘holy’ that man may be. The existence of denominations means that we will always have different understandings on some issues. However, the central and common focus must be Christ. The apostles preached Christ. What do we preach today? Saul, immediately after his conversion in Damascus preached Christ in the synagogues (Acts 9: 20). From our text above, we see that Paul and his team preached Christ. When persecution scattered the disciples, Philip went to Samaria and preached Christ (Acts 8: 5). We saw the result of such preaching in verses 7 – 8. There are some people that their message is, “which church do you attend?”, “come to my church, my pastor is very powerful”, “if you come to our church, all your problems will be over” etc. There are some churches that if anything happen to their pastor or overseer today, everything will collapse. We preach men of God. We preach our denominations as the best. We preach everything except Christ. We invite people to the pastor instead of inviting them to Christ. We present our churches instead of presenting Christ who alone can save. He is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The message around Christ is simple and not confusing but the teachings around any other thing or person in the church can lead astray and focus people wrongly, oftentimes throughout their lifetime. It is only the Word of God that brings eternal results.

Inasmuch as our lives and messages must revolve around Christ, our service and the motive of our ministries are to revolve around Christ also. It is true that several people answer Christians for many reasons, also, many people serve God in churches for many reasons. Of course, if the pastor of a church is serving God for the wrong reason, most likely, the members of the church will also have wrong motives for serving God. A man sometime ago wrote a book, “The man God uses”; but today we want to serve the god man uses – a god man can direct at his own will to solve his problems and accomplish his lusts. A Christo-centric service is one that is done ultimately to bring glory to Christ and to bring about God’s purpose in Christ to come to pass.

There are many reasons why everything about us must revolve around Christ. All human systems will one day collapse and they cannot stand the test of time but one built around Christ will last forever. When Christ is not the center, people will have wrong focus. They will have their focus on something else apart from Christ. When Christ is not the center, people will spend their lifetime serving the denominational organization without serving Christ. May we not wake up one day in eternity and suddenly discover that we have wasted our lives here on earth serving and protecting our denominations without serving God’s purpose. It’s all about Christ and not about our denominations!

The Prosperity Non-sense

God is a good God and blesses His children with every good gift according to His discretion. However, there is madness all around us today whereby prosperity is preached as if it is the beginning and the end of the gospel of Jesus. People fail to realize that the Old Testament has to be understood and interpreted through the eyes of the New Testament. In the OT, God focused on an earthly inheritance for the nation of Israel - Canaan. But in the New Testament, the emphasis is on spiritual inheritance - heaven. Jesus talked about '...in my Father's house are many mansions...' John 14:1-4. Paul wrote to Timothy '...I have ran the race, I have kept the faith. It now remains the crown of life which God has prepared for me and for all those that love Him...' (paraphrased)
Hence, in the list of the people of faith in Heb 11, after listing those that received miracles, down from vs 38, there began another list of those that were persecuted and killed. Yet the Bible declares, "..All these died in the faith..."
Why are we doing this injustice to the cause of Christ and presenting Christianity as if it only has promise for this life alone? Why are we being this unfaithful to the Word of God? Why are we presenting Jesus as if He died just to give us bread and wine for our pleasure? Why are we being this unfaithful to our brethren who are suffering persecution for their faith as if they are stupid and have a faith that does not work?
The 'health and wealth gospel' is a half-baked gospel full of confusion and lies that will only succeed in tying the souls of men down to the affairs of this life. May God deliver us from this non-sense.

A celebration of life: Glenn Penner passes on to glory

I have read materials from this great man of God and his balanced views on persecution and Christian suffering for some years now since I came in contact with The Voice of the Martyrs. His ministry was like swimming against the tide.
In a generation where suffering is viewed as ungodly and Christians are pressured to pursue the world and its pleasures. Glenn tried to present the Scriptures, the way it is. Indeed, thank God for his life.
May God help us to finish strong also.

The report is here.

Please pray. These persecutions are real.

Many of us that live in places where there are no much religious crises may not understand what these brethren are going through. But put yourself in their shoes for once and please pray!

Seven people killed in Egypt

At least seven people were killed in the town of Nag Hamadi in Quena province, Egypt on January 6 when gunmen opened fire on churchgoers exiting a Christmas Eve midnight mass service. Christian Copts in Egypt observe Christmas on January 7. At least nine people were also injured in the attack, three of whom are in critical condition. The shooting was reportedly in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Muslim girl by a Christian man, which sparked violence in November (click here for the story). The lead shooter has allegedly been identified but at last report had not been arrested. (Sources: AP, AFP)

Pray for peace and stability in this area. Pray that Christians will respond to this violence with Christ-like love. Ask God to comfort those mourning the loss of loved ones. Pray for healing for those injured.

For more on Egypt's suffering Christians, click here.

Also in Nigeria:
More violence have continued after some moslems attacked Christians as they were coming out of the Church after a church service. Just look at this story here. And here.

Please let continue to pray for the families of those who lost thier lives and fast recovery of those injured.

He cares! He loves you!

Are you sick and discouraged, weak and weary, facing trials and trouble that seem more than you can bear? Then remember these 5 glorious facts from Mal.3:3

“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness”. (KJV)

1. HE CARES – You are precious to Him “as silver and gold”
2. HE CLEANSES – The fire purifies and “purges them”
3. HE CONTROLS – Yes, the fire is under control. “He shall sit as a refiner”
4. HE COMFORTS – He’s with you in the fire. “And He shall sit” by the fire.
5. HE KNOWS – Be assured He knows when the work is done. He looks for His image. Climb upon the pinnacle of faith with Job and cry, “when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold”


It’s easy to trust God when there is no trouble, but it is more needful when trouble comes.

I just got these from some notes I made sometime ago either listening to a message or reading a book but I feel it's going to be a blessing to you. Face the year with faith in God that, "He who began the good wok in you will finish it" Phil.1:6. God bless!

New Book: The New Birth

Download now

This is a book I just finished putting a final touch to it and it is up for free download. I only request that if you use it on a website, please link back to this site. If you want to print it anywhere for distribution, please write me for permission.

Preview:
"Jesus Christ told Nicodemus, who came to him in the night, that he must be born a second time. The Jewish leader was confused, just as many are still confused today. He began to ask questions trying to understand the meaning of being born again after the first natural birth. What made it a very serious matter was because the Lord Jesus gave it as the only condition for both seeing and entering the kingdom of God. If you are not born a second time, you cannot see or enter the kingdom of God."

What happens when we receive the New Birth?
We are made alive
All our sins are forgiven
We have salvation and assurance of eternal life
We have Victory over our old sinful lifestyle.
Joy and peace of God
Members of God’s family
We have safety from the attacks of Satan and his followers

"There are two types of decisions – positive and negative decisions. There are no middle lines. Procrastination means that you are still in your sinful condition and not yet ready to get born again. You can either accept the new life that Jesus Christ offers to you free of charge now or you reject it. Each of the decisions has its implications and consequences. God loves you and wants you to choose life and live. We live with the choices we make in life. This choice however is for eternity and you cannot have the opportunity to change it once you die."

Download now

There are somethings we will understand only when we meet Him.

Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly;
Shall God unroll the cancas
And explain the reason WHY.
The dark threads are as needful,
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned. ----Selected

No matter what is your experience, you can trust the heart of the Master. He knows what He is doing in your life and He cares for you! He has not promised to give every explanation down here. Oftentimes, I think that even if God begins to explain some things to us, we may not have the capacity to understand.
However, bye and bye, we will understand when we meet Him. Cheers and welcome to AD2010.