Isaiah 30:9-10: “That this is a rebellious people, Lying children, Children who will not hear the law of the LORD; who say to the seers, “Do not see,” And to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us right things; Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits”. 

Isaiah was a prophet in Israel during a very difficult period in the history of the nation. They had rebelled against God and were not repentant. Isaiah preached judgment on the nation. But the people did not like it. Look at how God Himself described the people in Isaiah 30:9-10. They wanted Isaiah to preach deceit and flattery. They wanted to be like others.

The same is true of our society today; even in our Churches that have over the years been built on tradition. We want to be like others. We are calling for a new form of teaching, a new form of doctrine, a new form of tradition. Preach to us new things; new ways of life and new morality.

Original photograph by Sandy Chase, via Wikimedia Commons

Hebrews 12:2
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

In our last considerations from these verses, we discussed the Excellency of faith – Hebrews 11:1-3; The Demands of Faith- Hebrews 12:1. This verse, Hebrews 12:2 is very closely related to verse one.

In Hebrews 12:1 – we see all the negative things to lay aside lest they hinder us and weigh us down. It is a case of negative before the positive and this order is emphasized all through the Scripture. There must be turning from the world, before there can be a real turning unto the Lord (Isaiah 55:7); self denial before we can follow Christ (Matthew 16:24); there must be a putting off of the old man, before there can be any true putting on of a new man (Ephesians 4:22-24). There has to be a denying of ungodliness and worldly lusts before we can live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world (Titus 3:14); there has to be a cleansing of ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit before there can be any perfecting holiness in the fear of God (Romans 12:2-3) the principle goes on.

Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

Hebrews 12:1 is a call to constancy in the Christian profession; it is an exhortation unto steadfastness in the Christian life; it is a pressing appeal for making personal holiness a supreme business and quest. In substance, we can compare Hebrews 12:1 to Matthew 16:24; Romans 6:13; Second Corinthians 7:11; Philippians 3:12-14; Titus 2:12 and First Peter 2:9-12. It gives in brief the Christian’s two fold duty: the duty of mortification and of vivification – the putting off of the old man, and the putting on of the new man (Ephesians 4:22-24). Or like someone has defined it: -

Mortification is the process whereby the lusts of the flesh are subdued and kept under; and vivification, is the process by which the life which God has put within us is made to be a well of water springing up unto everlasting life. 

We are enjoined to “run the race that is set before us” and second – “lay aside every weight” and in the third place there is the essential grace of “patience in running” and lastly, the encouragement of “the great cloud of witnesses”.

Hebrews 11:1-3
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” 

Reference: The Many Faces of Faith: Key to God's Treasury by Michael Taylor

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Verse 1)
In this definition, we see the two acts of faith. It is the substance; it is also the evidence. In other words, faith substantiates or gives substance to our hopes, and demonstrates things not seen.

There is a great deal of difference between the acts of faith and the effects of faith. The effects of faith are reckoned up throughout Hebrews Chapter eleven; but the acts of faith are only in verse 1. As the matters of belief are yet to come, faith gives them a substance, a being, as they are hidden from the eyes of sense and carnal vision and reason; faith also gives them an evidence, and convinces men of the worth of them; so that part of these acts belongs to the understanding, the other to the will.

Reading: Revelation 19:1-10

Someone has said; “the last thing to lose is hope”. Without hope there is no life. You can live seven days without food, three days without water, three minutes without air, but less than a second without hope. What then is hope? Hope is the joyous expectation of the future. It is the basis on which life and even resurrection are hinged. What is the Christian’s hope? We shall discuss a number of issues that constitute the blessed hope of the Christian.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, NIGERIA

Four clergymen were discussing the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version because of its beautiful English. Another, the New American Standard Version Bible of 1971 because of its literal and accurate translation of the original Hebrew and Greek. The third likes the James Moffatt translation for its up to date vocabulary. The fourth was silent. When asked to express his opinion he replied, ‘I like my mother’s translation best’. The others were surprised. ‘I didn’t know your mother translated the Bible’ one said. ‘Oh yes’ came the reply. ‘She translated it into life and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw’ -J.C. Mitchell.

Imagine you are watching a farmer plough the field.  You noticed an ant hill will be ploughed under by the farmer on his next time around. You also noticed that the ants were busy building the ant hill. Because you are an ant lover, you run to the ant hill to warn them.

Poppies in July by Demagistris

“And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.”  (First Kings 17:7)

“And it came to pass after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the earth.” So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.” (First Kings 18:1-2) 

The story is told of a German lady who was taken seriously ill and was rushed to the hospital in Britain. In the evening, her husband phoned to inquire how she was getting along and was told that she was ‘improving’. The next day he called again and was told that she was ‘still improving’. This went on for some time. Finally, one night he called again and he was told that his wife was dead. He went to see the doctor and said to him: “Well Doctor, what did my wife die of, - IMPROVEMENTS?”

Many Churches today are dying like that woman, of ‘improvements.’

I stumbled on this article by Patrick Morley and I liked it so much that I couldn't resist the urge to share. It is...

THE BEST ANALOGY TO UNDERSTAND THE EXISTENCE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD I'VE EVER HEARD

A certain Senator in Washington invited the Ambassador from Belgium to his home for dinner.

Now the Senator’s father was a grand old Christian. He sought always to win souls for Christ. So the Senator warned his father to be careful about what he said to the Ambassador when he came for dinner.

Image Source: FreeImages.com/Ben Earwicker | Garrison Photography, Boise, ID

Mark 14:3-9

And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.  But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, "Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor." And they criticized her sharply. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.  For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always.  She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial.  Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her."  NKJV

In the above text we have a beautiful commendation of one who had done what could be regarded by others as very little but what in the eye of the Lord is the best that could be done.

I have worked in the Gideons ministry for several decades now, and I often liken the ministry to the pouring out of precious oil. To some, the expression is 'What a waste! How could you be giving away valuable books free and making no effort to investigate whether they are being read?'. This and similar comments can make the Gideons less enthusiastic and unwilling to work. But, what appeared to others as a waste was, in the eye of the Lord of the Harvest, a commendable work – preparing the Lord for His burial. It was so valued that the Lord placed it on record that wherever and whenever the Gospel is preached it would be spoken of.

In another light, to Mary herself, she had not done enough for the Master who loved her so much to heal her of her demons. What in her eyes was too small, received the Lord’s commendation. So dear Gideon and all other workers in the Lord's vineyard, your labour is not in vain. The Lord knows how to bring to fruition that which we have committed to Him. No job is too little in the eye of God and every job will receive its due commendation from the Lord Himself.

The spirit behind the Gideons ministry and Outreach ministry in general is sharing the love of God and showing appreciation for what the Lord had done for us. He loved us to the extent of dying for us. We can only show Him love by telling others about Him. There is no nobler way of doing it than by your life, your testimony and showing absolute faith in His Word – by giving it to others to discover what you have discovered. We believe that it will never return void without accomplishing its purpose. All who know the Lord’s love should join hands in sharing this love.

The harvest is truly plentiful but the labourers are few. It needs not continue to be few. Come and join in the triumphal song.

In 1986, on Sunday July 6, at about 1225hrs, I was driving from Ore to Lagos on my way back home after a two day visit with my parents in the village of Awo-Omamma. A car driver suddenly overtook me and immediately applied his brakes because he was going to hit a parked trailer. I was forced to apply my brakes as well but my Volkswagen Beetle tumbled four times and ended up in a ditch by the road side. It landed on the roof with all the four tyres up.

Text: Ezekiel 36:21-38

What is Regeneration?

It is the birth of a New Spirit. The Bible says in Ezekiel 36:26-27: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

GO by SethtotheBrown

Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I AM with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. 

Before His crucifixion, Christ had told His disciples that after His resurrection, He would go to Galilee. At the sepulcher, the angel directed the women to announce the resurrection of Christ to His disciples and summon them to meet Him in Galilee. Jesus Himself afterwards appeared to them and repeated this instruction. The eleven - Judas Iscariot now dead - afterwards accordingly reported to the appointed place and with them probably the five hundred brethren of First Corinthians 15:6. The address that Jesus gave to this congregation is the Great Commission. How important are is the Great Commission to You? Your answers to the following questions will determine your extent of commitment to the Commission.

Once an atheist said; “If any man can prove to me that there is God, I shall believe in Him. But I am sure that there is none, and if there is, there is no proof, conclusive scientific proof, to show that He exists.” 

Everywhere was quiet and it looked that his bluff was not going to be challenged until an old man came out with an unpeeled orange in his hand.

Before the audience and under the watchful eyes of the challenger, the old man peeled the orange and proceeded to eat the orange without saying one word.

When he finished eating the orange he turned to the atheist and said: “Tell me, my friend, how did the orange taste?” 

The atheist now furious, answered; “How can I know how the orange tasted, did I eat it with you? How have you proved that God exists by peeling an orange and eating it?”

The old man now replied: “In the same way, how will you know that God exists except you come to Him?”

That is why the Psalmist exclaimed in Psalm 34:8 and 15: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.”

I like my Mother's Translation the best

Four clergymen were discussing the various translations of the Bible. One liked the King James Version because of its beautiful English. Another, the Revised Version of 1881 because of its literal and accurate translation of the original Hebrew and Greek. The third likes the James Moffatt translation for its up to date vocabulary. The fourth was silent. When asked to express his opinion he replied, ‘I like my mother’s translation best’. The others were surprised. ‘I didn’t know your mother translated the Bible’ one said. ‘Oh yes’ came the reply. ‘She translated it into life and it was the most convincing translation I ever saw’
   

A chain is as strong as its weakest link. One bad apple makes the whole bunch stink. [Tweet]

System of rules for conduct; control exercised over members of Church; chastisement (Ecclesiastical); mortification by penance; (were Paul to define discipline I feel convinced that he would have taken this last one for his definition). 

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie.
She said "I love you but I know this other woman loves you too and would love to spend some time with you".

The other woman that my wife wanted me to take out was my MOTHER who has been a widow for 19 years. The demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

Reading: First Peter 1:1-12

The Church in Asia Minor was undergoing persecution, especially under Nero.  The terrible persecution of Christians led to some turning back on or at least question their faith. It was at this time that the great Apostle Peter wrote a letter to the believers. It was a source of great encouragement. You can imagine their excitement when the letter got to them:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied”

Reading: Acts 2

In our increasingly secular society, the Church seems to be losing much of its dynamism and influence. To some people today, the Church is just a word and to some, it is like any other business enterprise. But that is not what God intended the Church to be – the Church should be a dynamic force, a part of the living body of Christ making a difference in our world. Why is the Church not doing this?