HOW DEEP THE FATHERS LOVE FOR US
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:15-17
After preaching to a mother and her 14 year old son, I asked him whether he would like to give His life to Christ and his response was "mum what did I do?". Like this 14 year old, when the gospel is preached to people they usually wonder if they have done anything bad or worse they say " I am not as bad as the other person". What they fail to realize is that "all have sinned" by nature and by action. By nature because the bible says "in sin did my mother conceive me" and by action because the bible says " all have sinned ". The bible says that "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.". Since sin is universal the sacrifice for sins had to be universal! God gave Jesus Christ for all of us! For "He(Jesus)is the propitiation( atonement i.e. the one who has sacrificed Himself) for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:2
The story below is about a father who sacrificed his son for the safety of a lot of passengers on a train-whats funny is that the passengers were oblivious as to what had happened and so just continued with their lives. However one woman on that train who was addicted to drugs somehow turned her life around after her trip on that train. And for the father, who painfully lost his only begotten son, seeing that woman's life changed brought about unspeakable joy! The father seems to say " my son's death was not in vain!" Youth the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross will be in vain in your life, if you choose to continue in sin. Please give your life to Christ today.
J.E.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
And they left their nets...
Let go
"And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." Matthew 4:20
One great lesson life has taught me is that "nothing is permanent".
Fashions come and go, presidents come and go, sport stars come and go and the list continues. The bible clearly states that " the world passes away" and that "we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we will take nothing out".Therefore we ought not to have "heart attachment" to anything in this world. In light of this truth- when it comes to following Jesus we must follow Him and leave behind the things of this world!The disciples left their nets when Jesus called them to follow Him, the woman at the well left her water pot when she encountered Jesus, the blind man left his garments when he was called by Jesus. Whats the point? The point is that as Christian youths Christ must be number 1 in our lives and every other thing 2nd place. Hear the words of Jesus "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
Please share your thoughts on the things we leave behind in order to follow Jesus.
"And they straightway left their nets, and followed him." Matthew 4:20
One great lesson life has taught me is that "nothing is permanent".
Fashions come and go, presidents come and go, sport stars come and go and the list continues. The bible clearly states that " the world passes away" and that "we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we will take nothing out".Therefore we ought not to have "heart attachment" to anything in this world. In light of this truth- when it comes to following Jesus we must follow Him and leave behind the things of this world!The disciples left their nets when Jesus called them to follow Him, the woman at the well left her water pot when she encountered Jesus, the blind man left his garments when he was called by Jesus. Whats the point? The point is that as Christian youths Christ must be number 1 in our lives and every other thing 2nd place. Hear the words of Jesus "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Mark 8:36
Please share your thoughts on the things we leave behind in order to follow Jesus.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
What should I listen to? Part I
Music,Music, Music
Have you noticed that ear-plugs have become more popular than belts! Today you are most likely to see a youth with an ear-plug attached to an mp3 player or iphone than a belt round his waist. Why? because music is a major driving force when it comes to self expression. In fact music has been a major factor in shaping the way people think, act, dress and express themselves.
So as a Christian youth what should I listen to? who should I listen to? when it comes to music does It really matter what or who I listen to? What about gospel rap and heavy metal "christian" music?
What the bible says:
"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" Ephesians 5:19
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."Colossians 3:16
Insn't the bible complete!!! I know it is for it has answered the question - "what should I listen to as a Christian youth?". The bible says ( notice the pattern in the two verses ) we should listen to:
i. Psalms
ii. Hymns
iii. Spiritual songs
Now before I sound too legalistic - let me explain briefly what these passages mean ( since there was no radio, Mp3 player etc in the bible days ) - the verses say Christians should both speak and admonish each other in music i.e. Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs. When someone sings to another we have two parties ;a singer and a hearer.One is singing while the other is listening, So these verses tell us what to sing and what music to listen to.Christians were to sing and listen to each other back in the bible days. The point is that what you listen to is what you sing!what you take in is what you bring out, get the point? Ok, this is what I am trying to say, these verses reveal:
1. What music a Christian should listen to
2. What music a Christian should sing
3. Who ( musician or band )a Christian should listen to.
I'll explain more on Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual song in part II of this article and also write on "who" we're supposed to listen to but for now take note that in a nut-shell the kind of music a Christian should listen to should be:
i. M - Meditative not senseless murky noise (Psalm 30:4)
ii.U - Uplifting not depressing (1 Samuel 16:23)
iii.S - Spiritual not worldly & carnal (Ephesians 5:19)
iv. I - Inspirational not uninspiring (2 Chronicles 20:21)
v. C - Christ centered not man-cantered ( Psalm 115:1, Colosians 3:16)
-J.E
So what are your thoughts on Christian music?
Have you noticed that ear-plugs have become more popular than belts! Today you are most likely to see a youth with an ear-plug attached to an mp3 player or iphone than a belt round his waist. Why? because music is a major driving force when it comes to self expression. In fact music has been a major factor in shaping the way people think, act, dress and express themselves.
So as a Christian youth what should I listen to? who should I listen to? when it comes to music does It really matter what or who I listen to? What about gospel rap and heavy metal "christian" music?
What the bible says:
"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" Ephesians 5:19
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."Colossians 3:16
Insn't the bible complete!!! I know it is for it has answered the question - "what should I listen to as a Christian youth?". The bible says ( notice the pattern in the two verses ) we should listen to:
i. Psalms
ii. Hymns
iii. Spiritual songs
Now before I sound too legalistic - let me explain briefly what these passages mean ( since there was no radio, Mp3 player etc in the bible days ) - the verses say Christians should both speak and admonish each other in music i.e. Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual songs. When someone sings to another we have two parties ;a singer and a hearer.One is singing while the other is listening, So these verses tell us what to sing and what music to listen to.Christians were to sing and listen to each other back in the bible days. The point is that what you listen to is what you sing!what you take in is what you bring out, get the point? Ok, this is what I am trying to say, these verses reveal:
1. What music a Christian should listen to
2. What music a Christian should sing
3. Who ( musician or band )a Christian should listen to.
I'll explain more on Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual song in part II of this article and also write on "who" we're supposed to listen to but for now take note that in a nut-shell the kind of music a Christian should listen to should be:
i. M - Meditative not senseless murky noise (Psalm 30:4)
ii.U - Uplifting not depressing (1 Samuel 16:23)
iii.S - Spiritual not worldly & carnal (Ephesians 5:19)
iv. I - Inspirational not uninspiring (2 Chronicles 20:21)
v. C - Christ centered not man-cantered ( Psalm 115:1, Colosians 3:16)
-J.E
So what are your thoughts on Christian music?
Friday, October 3, 2008
Winner
Winner
What an interesting word, the word "winner" conveys a sense of finality. The word puts a full stop during any game or battle. Once a winner is declared, the battle is over.
1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 57 says "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." As a Christian youth you might wonder why it seems that you daily struggle with sin! It may come in various forms such as lying, cheating, lust, disobedience to parents, wordliness and so on. However , before you start condemning yourself, lets look at what the bible says about our struggle, it says in Galatians 5:17 that "...the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Simply put the bible is saying that there is a struggle within every one of us! The struggle between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. The struggle between good and evil , the flesh and the Spirit, betwen your conscience and your desires! Many of you must have seen cartoons portraying the devil of the left side and an angel on the right side of a persons head, the devil yells at him to do evil while the angel whispers to him to do good!. Ever feel like that?
Despite our daily struggles there is good news! The good news is that you don't have to struggle any more, don't get me wrong, temptations will come but ( remember our verse in 1st Corinthians ) thanks be to God who continues to give us victory ( declares us the winner ) daily through Christ Jesus. In a nut-shell if you give your life completely to God and hand over all your struggles to Him - He will make sure that you win daily. Can the devil defeat God? Can the devil defeat Christ in you? Can the devil defeat you? The devil has to pass through God, then Jesus and then the Holy Spirit before he gets to you.
Pray to the Lord and ask Him to declare you the winner every day and He will.
J.E
What an interesting word, the word "winner" conveys a sense of finality. The word puts a full stop during any game or battle. Once a winner is declared, the battle is over.
1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 57 says "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." As a Christian youth you might wonder why it seems that you daily struggle with sin! It may come in various forms such as lying, cheating, lust, disobedience to parents, wordliness and so on. However , before you start condemning yourself, lets look at what the bible says about our struggle, it says in Galatians 5:17 that "...the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Simply put the bible is saying that there is a struggle within every one of us! The struggle between doing what is right and doing what is wrong. The struggle between good and evil , the flesh and the Spirit, betwen your conscience and your desires! Many of you must have seen cartoons portraying the devil of the left side and an angel on the right side of a persons head, the devil yells at him to do evil while the angel whispers to him to do good!. Ever feel like that?
Despite our daily struggles there is good news! The good news is that you don't have to struggle any more, don't get me wrong, temptations will come but ( remember our verse in 1st Corinthians ) thanks be to God who continues to give us victory ( declares us the winner ) daily through Christ Jesus. In a nut-shell if you give your life completely to God and hand over all your struggles to Him - He will make sure that you win daily. Can the devil defeat God? Can the devil defeat Christ in you? Can the devil defeat you? The devil has to pass through God, then Jesus and then the Holy Spirit before he gets to you.
Pray to the Lord and ask Him to declare you the winner every day and He will.
J.E
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