Come and Die

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: (Romans 6:1-5)

Dead to Sin: This is not a reference to the believer’s ongoing daily struggle with sin, but to a one-time event completed in the past. Because we are in Christ (Rom. 6:11; 8:1) and He died in our place (5:6-8), we are counted dead with Him. This is the fundamental premise of Romans chapter 6, and Paul spends the remainder of the chapter of the chapter explaining and supporting it.

Not Under the Law but Under Grace (6:14). This does not mean God has abrogated His moral law. The law is good, holy, and righteous; but it cannot be kept, so it curses. Since it cannot assist anyone to keep God’s moral standard (see Romans 7:7-11), it can only show the standard and thus rebuke and condemn those who fail to keep it. But the believer is no longer under the law as a condition of acceptance with God – an impossible condition to meet and one designed only to show man of his sinfulness – but under grace, which enables him to truly fulfill the law’s righteous requirements.

Romans 6:1 – Shall we continue in sin….. Paul rightly anticipated that skeptics might reason, “If salvation is based entirely upon grace, won’t this encourage them to sin even more?” Certainly not! (v. 2) - this literally means, “may it never be….., by no means). This is a strong repudiation in the original Greek.

Romans 6:3-4 - baptized into Christ Jesus. This is not necessarily a literal water baptism, but a metaphorical immersion of person into the work of Christ – that is, completely united and identified with Him, “so as to alter a person’s condition or relationship to his or her previous environment condition” (according to Weust). In the same way that we were united with Christ in His death and burial, so too is His resurrection; this speaks of regeneration – a new creation!

True joy, peace of mind

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!" (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

True joy, peace of mind, happiness and fulfillment in life is a function of your relationship with God and not in the abundance of things which you possess or your "accomplishments and successes in life"! This is the ONLY reason why you will still find strength to rejoice in the Lord God your salvation.

Wishing you and yours a fulfilled and peace-full weekend!

chisomaga.ezeocha@shell.com

Rick Warren

A brother sent this to me. It is a blessing to me and I wish it will also bless you as we continue to pray for Rick's wife. You can a link to his PurposeDriven Website in the links section down right.

This is an absolutely incredible interview with Rick Warren, author of "Purpose Driven Life" His wife now has cancer, and he now has "wealth" from the book sales. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

"People ask me, "What is the purpose of life?" And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call. The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

I am more than enough

“My blest child do not fear, as you pass through storms and waves I am the One that leads you in your way; I am the One by your side to carry you through when you are weak, Just walk with Me, for I’m the God that is more than enough
	“Jehovah Jireh, I am more than enough, Yesterday, today the same, forever more; I give to you My covenant, I give to you my promises For you to know I am the God that is more than enough
“Why do you fret, why do you fear, I’m not dead, I am alive Why do worry when I am by your side; I am the One that feeds the sparrows, I am the One that clothes the lilies Trust in, trust in me and don’t complain “I am the Way follow me, I am the Shepherd of your soul I will lead you besides the waters of rest; Are you confused? Follow me, Or discouraged? Follow me And you will know I am the God that is more than enough “When problems, troubles assail, please always remember My rod and my staff will comfort you; Though it seems there is no way, I am there to see you through Trust in me, trust in me and don’t complain
	“And you will know I am the God that is more than enough Just walk with me I am the God that is more than enough” ©Copyright. Wings of the Dove Songs (Chris (Ogidi)1998)

Child-Upbringing

I promised to post four points in child-upbringing and here are they:

1. Lead your child to the Lord. Teach him to know God and to develop a love relationship with Him. This will lead him through life even when every other thing has failed. The greatest inheritance you can keep for your child is a rich relationship with God. Not insurance nor money. That was what the Patriarchs kept for their children. A friend of mine who is a medical doctor was sharing with me and my wife yesterday; he said that he is not worried about his children. Not because he has millions in his bank account but because he knows that God will take care of them. His own father died when he was four years old and yet he and his siblings are well to do today. More so, his children have better foundation than he had. Let your children learn to put their trust in God. Knowing God helps your child develop godly principles for living. It cultivates his values and perspectives about life. When last did you challenge your 3-5 year old child whether he has given his/her to the Lord Jesus Christ? Never assume they know the Lord just because they participate in family prayers. They must be led to the Lord Jesus Christ.
2. Teach your child to love knowledge. This will help him face the challenges and seeming competitions in life. It creates in him the desire to excel. What propels people in life are desire and dreams and these things can be nurtured in the young mind of a child.
3. Teach him to love hard work. Today a lot of young people hate hard work. They aim high but don’t want to work hard. This has led to all kinds of compromises, vices and delinquencies. The recent wind of 'prosperity preaching' are not helping matters at all. If your child knows that he has to work hard in life so as to become all that God wants him to be, he will excel in all that he does.
4. Practice what you teach them. Let them see the principles you are teaching them being lived out practically by you. They will believe it is possible. Let them see that you love the Lord. Let them see how you love your spouse (Who is their parent also). Let them see that you love your family and other people. It grooms them for their own family. Let them see that you help the needy and not covetous or married to your wealth. Even when they are led astray, your life will become a good challenge to them and a key to their restoration.

I believe that these are not exhaustive but they form the foundation for raising children that will have good success in life, even if God calls you home in the middle of their days.

A Victorious Christian Family

Any family that wants to be victorious has a few things to pay attention to:

Grow together in their relationship with the Lord. This is the basis for good success in marriage. One who is more spiritual works hard to impact the other. The husband/father leads.

Recognizes that family life is spiritual warfare and are ready to fight it. They recognize that the devil fights every institution God has instituted and they are ready to work hard for their marriage to work. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to think that your partner is a mistake. You are as compatible as you can be.

Overcomes the petty problems of marriage and are ready to walk in victory. When a family allows accusations like, “you don’t love me anymore” to cause serious problems in the family, it’s because they have lost focus on victory.

Learn the proper management of the finances and blessings God brings their way and wisdom to use them to God’s glory. Wealth and money never satisfy. Prosperity is not just the amount of money you have but the kind of heart and mentality you have toward the issues of this life. A victorious family has learnt how to live in God’s abundance in whatever state they are in.

Have discovered God’s purpose for their family and are fulfilling it. For every union, there is a unique ministry (Caring, Praise & Worship, Teaching, Writing, Counseling, Pastoral, etc). This becomes one of the bases for joy and happiness. Without it, you will always get engulfed and distracted by the petty problems of marriage. These petty problems can actually grow so big that the marriage relationship is threatened; however, the sole cause is because the family has no vocation, cause or ministry they are engaged and committed to.

Stands together in spiritual warfare and do not give a place to the devil. Headless families are the ones where the husband/father of the family is not at hand to lead in the spiritual progress of the family.

Each individual takes his/her proper place and fulfills his/her role. Everyone understands that his/her is very important to the success of the family. No one is over laboured spiritually, physically and emotionally. All hands are on deck as it concerns domestic cores, child-upbringing, finances etc.

Raises their children in the nurture and fear of the Lord so they don’t become a curse and a disgrace to the Name of the Lord but a blessing. Children must be helped in these four areas:

• Develop spiritual values.
• Teach them moral values. Let the child know that there are consequences for every kind of living. You reap whatever you sow. Let them learn to take responsibilities in their little way and be able to develop moral judgment from where wisdom fro choice making will evolve.
• Teach them economic values. The fact that you can afford it does not mean that they deserve it. They should know that you don’t always get whatever you want in life.
• Teach them good habits. Habits are easy to form but very difficult to break. Let them know how to make right decisions. Teach them prudence, respect and accountability. When they grow up, they will not leave it.

In my next posting, I’ll give us a list of four points in child upbringing. Remain blessed!

Love

These are gleanings from 1Cor.13: 1-13

If I don’t live a life of love:
Nothing I say will matter
Nothing I believe will matter
Nothing I know will matter
Nothing I give will matter
Nothing I accomplish will matter
Rick Warren

Great thought

The key to success in marriage is not finding the "right" person. It's learning to live with the person you found. Love is a decision not a feeling. Enjoy your marriage.
Alozie Echeonwu

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This video clip is inspirational

Take a few mins to watch this clip. This 5 mins could change your life forever.
And may God bless you as you do that!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o35Az7XKpI

Evidence for "young" Earth

A friend e-mailed this article to me. And I think some of their theories are quite persuasive.

Evolutionists would have us believe that the Earth is 4-5 billion years old. While they are busy preaching that everywhere, they will conveniently ignore data that do not support their theory. Here are some basic facts that you can use to challenge their "faith".

Source Evidences from space
The Sun:
Measurements of the sun's diameter over the past several hundred years indicate that it is shrinking at the rate of five feet per hour. Assuming that this rate has been constant in the past we can conclude that the earth would have been so hot only one million years ago that no life could have survived. And only 11,200,000 years ago the sun would have physically touched the earth. Also, if the sun were indeed billions of years old, then it does seem a bit odd for its magnetic field to have doubled in the past 100 years, but this is what the evidence suggests.

Short Period Comets:
Short period comets revolve round the sun once every hundred years or less.19 With each revolution they lose 1-2% of their mass. After several hundred revolutions they disintegrate. At present there are over 100 short period comets in our solar system, many of which have periods of less than 20 years.20 Comets are believed to have originated at the same time as the solar system.21 New comets are still being discovered. Whether these are new creations is uncertain. Evolutionists have come up with theories to explain the existence of comets, and how new ones are being added to the solar system. One is called the Oort Cloud theory, named after J. Oort. It is a hypothetical cloud that surrounds the solar system and which is said to extend past the orbit of Pluto. The other theory is called the Kuiper belt theory. It is directed at short period comets, as opposed to to Oort Cloud theory, which is directed at both long and short period ones. The existence of short period comets is a strong indication that our solar system is quite young (i.e. less than 10,000 years old) otherwise they would have burned out long ago.

Evidences from Earth:
Helium in the Atmosphere: Helium is a byproduct of the radioactive decay of uranium-238. As uranium decays, the helium produced escapes from the earth's surface and accumulates in the atmosphere. As time passes, the amount of helium in the atmosphere increases. Scientists have estimated the amount of uranium in the earth's crustal rocks. From this they estimate the amount of helium that should be produced, and from these they can calculate how much helium is being added to the atmosphere over a given amount of time. They also know how much helium is in the atmosphere. If we use the same assumptions that radiometric dating experts make (i.e.: no initial daughter/byproduct -- in this case helium -- in the earth's early atmosphere, a constant decay rate, and that nothing has occurred to add to or take away the helium), then the earth's atmosphere is at most 1.76 million years old.

Carbon-14 in the Atmosphere:
Carbon-14 is produced when radiation from the sun strikes Nitrogen-14 atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere. The earth's atmosphere is not yet saturated with C14. This means that the amount of C14 being produced is greater than the amount that is decaying back to N14. It is estimated that a state of equilibrium would be reached in as little as 30,000 years. Thus, it appears that the earth's atmosphere is less than 30,000 years old. In fact, the evidence suggests it is less than 10,000 years old. Some of these estimates place the atmosphere's age at 50,000 years, and others at 100,000 but they each pose serious problems for the standard evolution-based scenarios.

Evidences from biology Eve's Mitochondrial DNA:
Mitochondrial DNA is different from nucleus DNA in that it has "only 37 genes, compared to the estimated 100,000... in the cell's nucleus..." It is also different in that it is only passed on from the mother or at least, so it was once thought; however that is now very much in question, as is brought out in the Links below. In 1989 scientists said that they had compared the Mitochondrial DNA of various different races of people and concluded that they all came from a single woman (they called her Eve) who lived from 100,000-200,000 years ago. This story was widely reported in the press. A few years later scientists actually measured the rate of Mitochondrial mutations and discovered that they changed about 20 times faster than was earlier reported. This means that Eve did not live 100,000-200,000 years ago but rather only 5,000-10,000. This greatly revised date is very close to the Biblical account of (the literal) Adam and Eve. Unfortunately for those who want the whole truth, this didn't make the headlines. The Demise of Mitochondrial Eve

Population Growth:
Today the earth's population doubles every 50 years. If we assumed only half of the current growth rate and start with one couple, it would take less than 4,000 years to achieve today's population.

Direct Dating of Dragon Bones:
By evolutionary reasoning, dragon bones only occur in the so-called Cretaceous, Jurassic, or Triassic eras. According to the geological time chart such creatures (i.e. dinosaurs) died out between 65 and 220 million years ago. What is not well known about these eras is that they are based upon the theory of evolution -- which requires extremely long periods of time. When evolution-biased scientists say that they "know" such things, they not telling the truth. And while they may, in fact, believe such things; however, if they were honest they would admit that such "dates" assigned to these eras are highly questionable. So how can we date dragon bones? One piece to the puzzle is the fact that many dinosaur bones are not per mineralized (i.e. turned into stone). This means they can be directly dated by the Carbon-14 method, the exact same way a mammoth or Neanderthal bone is dated. This has also been done at least 30 times, by various laboratories in the United States and Europe, and the dates indicate that dinosaurs were alive from 9,800 -- 50,000 years ago. This author discussed this with Paul LeBlond, Professor of Oceanography at the University of British Columbia. Dr. LeBlond said that any C14 date over 5,000 years is highly questionable. Therefore, despite what popular publications may report, we can establish that all mammoths, Neanderthals, or other bones "dated" over 5,000 years by the C14 method are likewise "highly questionable." If we accept any, then we must accept them all (including the dinosaur dates) -- which are incompatible with evolution-based "ages" associated with the Geological Time Chart. However, the very fact that many thousands of dinosaur/dragon bones contain organic material at all is a strong indication that these creatures became extinct in the recent past.

The Christian and His Health

Topic: The Christian and his health
Text: 3 John 2
Introduction
Oxford Advanced Dictionary defines health as “the state of being well and free from illness both in the body and in the mind”. Elder John in 3 Jn.2 stated, “I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers”. God is interested in both your physical and spiritual health. There must be a balance in the state of health of both, for you to fulfill God’s desire for you.
There are some factors which may affect your health as a Christian positively or negatively. This study will try to address some of them. The intent is that you take some practical steps to enhance and improve your state of health. When you are healthy, you save yourself, family and church of stress; physical, emotional trauma as well as financial expenses. This study recognizes that it is God who gives us good health. At the same time we have to partner with Him by observing basic health principles. The focus is more on our physical health.
Study Questions:
1. What is health?
2. a) What is the will of God concerning your health as a Christian?
b) What is your personal experience with reference to question 2a?
3. Discuss practically the roles the following play in determining a Christian’s health and the implications
i. Knowledge. Hosea 4: 6. Why do we eat? Are there some basic factors to be considered in making choice of what we eat and how eat them? Discuss.
ii. Food/Water. (Gen.1:29-30; 9:30; Ps.104:14; 2Kings 20:7)
iii. Environment. How should a Christian react to his environment?
iv. Heredity. There are traits we inherit from our parents. Can a Christian do anything to shield himself from health problems that run in his family? Discuss
v. Routine Medical Checkup. Should a Christian go for routine medical check up? Discuss.
vi. Exercises (P.E). Should a Christian spend his time doing sports or physical exercise? Discuss the benefits of exercise.
vii. Taking Food Supplements. Is it right for a Christian to take some food supplements?
viii. Rest and Relaxation. Do rest and relaxation play some roles in determining a Christian’s health? Do you have rest in your life program? Discuss some practical ways a Christian can achieve rest and relaxation in the midst of our crowded and busy schedules.
4. Discuss how the following affect the life of a Christian.
a) Ignorance
b) Poverty
c) Tight Schedules
d) Lack of self control
e) Presumed faith which violates basic medical principles
f) Taking advise from non-medical personnel
g) Lack of rest
5. a) Are there some practical steps I can take to improve and better my state of health as a person?
b) What practical steps can the Church take to improve and enhance the health of her members? Discuss.
Conclusions:
This study has tried to identify some factors which may affect your health positively or negatively. It has also discussed some practical steps that could be taken to enhance your health physically. Some of the steps may not be very easy to practice initially, but since health is wealth which everybody wants to acquire it worth it, as far as it is right and does not run contrary to the will of God. Begin today to take some practical measures to enhance your health and that of your family members, and you will latter on be happy you did.

The Lord will make a way for you.

This short piece was taught us by a sister. i hope it is going to be a blessing to you.

I know the Lord will make a way for me
I know the Lord will make a way for me
If I live a holy life, shun the wrong and do the right
I know the Lord will make a way for me

I know the Lord has laid His hands on me
I know the Lord has laid His hands on me
I can feel His mighty power, every moment every hour
I know the Lord has laid His hands on me