Three things Ephesians 6 v10 -20) New Years day

 As we enter the new year ,I would like to mention  three things,that I feel are very important for all Christians ,including myself,I'm not sure if I mention them before ,.even if I had,I want to mention them again

                                                              'The first one'.

The apostle Paul writes the following ,'But one thing I do : forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead' (Philippians 3 v13 )The apostle had a long history ,full of so many things,he wrote 14 epistles if you count Hebrews,which I do,a tremendous achievement by any standard.He established a number of churches, suffered so many things in his effort to spread the gospel,of course he also had discouragements . But he does not linger on those things,he refuses to dwell on them,he does not become a prisoner of the past,nor should we. Unfortunately many of us are so caught  up with past that we do not move forward,

                                                               'The second one'

 It is very simple yet very challenging, 'Pray,Pray,Pray',  in Ephesians 6 v 18-20 the apostle Paul  mentions prayer 5 times.each bring a challenge to us,a challenge we need desperately to rise to.Make the coming year a time of communing with God,tell Him everything.

                                                                  'The third thing'

Last but not least,don't starve your soul,read the word of God, memorise the word,get to understand the word of God ,use the available helps to do that,and most of all  rely on the Holy Spirit. The word of God is food for your soul,so don't starve it. Our Lord Jesus said 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word  that comes from the mouth of God' (Matthew 4 v 4.)

Why, ( John 13 v 7)

In 1Corinthians 13 v12 we read, 'Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete,but then I will know everything completely,just as God now knows me completely'.In many ways we know many things and understand many things,but in spite of that there are so many things we don't know and understand. Many things are hidden from us,why did this and that happen .There are many unsolved mysteries in life, death ,pain ,loss, etc,and the inevitable why, raises it's head,when certain tragedies happen ,and we want to know why,and then we turn from faith to leaning upon our  understanding,and so we start to turn away from God.Many people stumble over the why not been answered. The hymn writer William Cowper wrote,God moves in mysterious ways,we can sing these words,but are we willing to accept what we sing,that is the question. The last verse  reads,'Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His work in vain; God is his own interpreter,and He will make it plain'.The fact is,that only in heaven  will we know more fully. We will never have perfect knowledge ,even in heaven,for only God is omniscient.

The in between time (2 Peter 3 v 3- 13)

Christmas day is come and gone ,soon it will be the new year,in a way the world has been living in an in between time,it began just over 2000 years ago, a child was born  grew up to became a man,and then ministered for about 3 and a half years,and then died on a cross,rose again remained 40days  and then went back to heaven from wench He had come.And so the in between time came unto being,the next  big event  will be His coming back again.It feels like it will never happen,whats keeping him from coming?. Peter writes that where will be people,he calls them scoffers,who will say,'Where is this ''coming '' he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation''Peter declares that the present heavens and earth are preserved for fire ,which will user in judgement and destruction of the ungodly.Until that happens we are to live godly lives.The day of the Lord will come like a thief,God does not want people to perish,and perish they will,if they have not Christ as their Saviour. This old tired earth and the heavens will be no more ,those who are His  will dwell in a new heaven and a new earth , where righteousness dwells.

                                                           'Will you be ready?'                  

Change ( 2 Corinthians 3 v18)

 The only person who never changes is God,because He is perfect,so He doesn't need to change,but it goes without saying everyone changes to some degree. I am a Christian a long time,but I still need to change in fact it is part of what being a Christian is all about,in Romans 8 v29,we read ,'For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of' his Son'. Now that is unimaginable yet that is God's  purpose for every child of God, he knows we cannot do it in our own strength,so He has given us His Spirit to help us,and His precious word to guide us. Let me say this none us will be the finished article until we reach Heaven. A quotation from  Louis Berkhofs book a summary of Christian Doctrine,(it is a very profitable little book) 'Sanctification and Perseverance' Sanctification may be defined as that gracious and continuous operation of the Holy Spirit by which He purifies the sinner, and enables him to perform good works.We will always have to contend with sin, characterized by a constant warfare between the flesh and the Spirit ( Galatians 5 v17),which leads us unto the importance of  Perseverance in truth and in holiness, aided by the Holy Spirit.

                                            'So what's it to be ?change for the better or the worse?'

He is a Saviour. ( Luke 4 v 16 -19 )

 I was out walking and I met Sunny,this the second time I met him,he is a Muslim, I sought to witness to him.He spoke of Jesus the prophet,he made light of the differences as to whom Jesus really was,saying that he was not the Son of God,but  he believed Jesus was coming back again. I just said one thing,that mankind needs is a Saviour and that Jesus was that Saviour. Do pray for Sunny,that he mind find the real Jesus the Saviour of the world.It appears to me more and more that many ministers don't believe that Jesus is a Saviour. Albert Einstein, a secular Jew,deeply admired Jesus as a historical figure calling Him a 'Luminous figure'' whose personality'' pulsates in every word'' of the Gospels,seeing Him as a profound teacher, distinct from mythical heroes'.Likewise Mahatma Gandhi deeply respected Jesus,calling Him ,''one of the greatest Teachers of mankind,'' and that was all..Our dear Saviour was the Son of man,truly human,and the Son of God,truly Devine, but He was more ,on the cross He died that we may be saved.

                                                        'Mankinds deepest need is a Saviour

                                                         and that Saviour is Jesus'

So thats that ? ( 1 Corinthians 15 )

 I recently visited a friend, he is 90 and is bedridden,he has  carers who attend to him everyday.I have known him a long time,he was very musical,he and his wife used to minister in song,he would also preach God's word,he also was a elder in a local church.He also was a fellow Irish man ,he played football when he was young and still had an interest in his team back home.But now he cannot do very much for himself.So thats that? no by no means, One day I hope soon,the Lord will take him home to be with himself, that will be wonderful, what a day that will be for him,and indeed for every believer.On that day he will have a heavenly body a body that will know no change,no sickness, instead of a perishable body he will have a imperishable body, instead of a mortal body ,he will have an immortal body.

                                                    'The sands of time are sinking,

                                                     The dawn of heaven breaks;

                                                     The summer morn I've sighed for,

                                                     The fair sweet morn awakes;

                                                     Dark,dark hath been the midnight,

                                                      But dayspring is at hand,

                                                      And glory,glory dwelleth

                                                      In Immanuel's land'.

                                                      

                                                     

Why did He come? ( John 3 v 36)

 Just an afterthought as regards Christmas ,as I watched the carol service on TV,and listened to the Bishop of Westminster giving an address,I asked myself a question,why did he not tell those present,and those watching on TV ,the real reason why Jesus came into the world.millions of people were watching. Possible he didn't think it appropriate, with the royal family there,so very sad,so terrible.Let me explain the reason why Jesus came, on the platform of the church building I attend ,there was a nativity scene ,and above it there was a large cross,to me it appeared very symbolic.When Jesus came into this world He lived under the shadow of the cross,in John 12  v32-33 , we read,'And I,when I am lifted up from the earth,I will draw all men to myself,He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die'. The question is why?1 Peter 2 v24 tells us,'He himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross' ,this means He bore the punishment for our sins Isaiah 53 v10.He bore the wrath that we  who believe in Him would not experience the wrath of God. John 3 v36 reads,'Whoever believes in the Son of God has eternal life,but whoever rejects the Son  will not see life,for God's wrath remains on them'.That is why He came,he came into the world to save sinners.

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