UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 11, 2023.

SUBJECT : UNDERSTANDING THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM!

Memory verse: "He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13 vs 11.) 

READ: First Corinthians 2 vs 6 - 16 :

2:6: However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.

2:7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,

2:8: which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

2:9: But as it is written, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

2:10: But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

2:11: For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.

2:12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

INTIMATION:

The mysteries of the kingdom are the knowledge that is outside the range of unassisted natural apprehension, and can be made known only by Divine revelation, and is made known in a manner and at a time appointed by God, and to those only who are illumined by His Spirit. In the ordinary sense a mystery implies knowledge withheld; it’s Scriptural significance is truth revealed. Hence the terms especially associated with the subject are “made known,” “manifested,” “revealed,” “preached,” “understand,” “dispensation.” 

The definition given above may be best illustrated by the following passage; “the mystery which has been hidden from all ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints” (Colossians 1 vs 26). The mystery is used of: (a) spiritual truth generally, as revealed in the gospel. (b) Christ, who is God Himself revealed under the conditions of human life, and submitting even to death, but subsequently raised from among the dead, that the will of God to co-ordinate the universe in Him, and subject it to Him, might in due time be accomplished, as declared in the gospel.

(c) the Church, which is Christ’s Body, that is, the union of redeemed men with God in Christ. (d) the rapture into the presence of Christ of those members of the Church which is His Body who shall be alive in the earth at His Parousia—His second coming. (e) the operation of those hidden forces that either retard or accelerate the kingdom of God. (f) the cause of the present condition of Israel. (g) the spirit of disobedience to God. (h) the ways of God in grace.

These mysteries; the secret or hidden truths of the kingdom reign of God were being revealed to those who were willing to listen and learn. However, for those who would not listen to Jesus, the truth concerning the kingdom reign would not be revealed simply because they would not listen to Jesus. 

God revealed the eternal plan of salvation to all men through Jesus. Through the grace of the gospel that was revealed on the cross (Titus 2 vs 11), God is able to establish our hearts in Christ Jesus. Therefore, it is upon the foundation of the event of the death of Jesus for our sins and His resurrection for our hope that we spiritually stand justified before God (see First Corinthians 15 vs 1 - 5). Upon the foundation of the fact of the gospel event we are emotionally assured that we will be raised in the end to walk with Jesus in a heavenly environment. 

Before the world was created, God had planned the events of the cross and resurrection. The mystery of the gospel (mystery of the kingdom), however, was not revealed to man until the coming of Jesus. Neither was it revealed to Satan. If the gospel event had been revealed to Satan, then he surely would not have moved the people against Jesus to have Him crucified. The fact that Jesus was crucified is evidence that Satan had no idea that the cross was indeed the plan of God to make Jesus the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. 

The mystery (also known as the mystery of Christ) was the eternal plan of redemption that God has now revealed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It was not revealed in times before the coming of Jesus. It has been revealed in these times in order that men might understand God’s plan that all men be reconciled to Him through Jesus (See First Corinthians 2 vs 10 - 13). The mystery of Christ (God) is God’s plan of grace that was revealed on the cross for the salvation of all men. It was unknown until it’s revelation to the apostles by the Holy Spirit. 

The humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ in other to accomplish His mission on earth reveals the heart of the gospel “the mystery of godliness” (the secret of how we become godly). Jesus incarnation (Manifested in the flesh—Jesus was a man) is the basis of our being right with God. His resurrection showed that the Holy Spirit’s power was in Him. We can’t please God on our own; we must depend on Christ. As a man Jesus lived a perfect life, and so He is a perfect example of how to live. As God, Jesus gives us the power to do what is right. It is possible to live a godly life through following Christ. 

God’s “hidden wisdom” was His offer of salvation to all people. Originally unknown to humanity, this plan became crystal clear when Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection proved that He had power over sin and death and could offer us this power as well. God’s plan, however, is still hidden to unbelievers because they either refuse to accept it, choose to ignore it, or simply haven’t heard about it. 

All Christians ought to open their mouths for Jesus. It is the obligation of those who have been washed with the blood of the Lamb to proclaim to all an answer for their problem of sin and death. The fact that one has been saved out of his spiritual death in sin by the grace of God obligates him to proclaim the mystery of Christ to others. With the knowledge of the grace of God comes the responsibility of sharing God’s grace. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You have revealed Your eternal plan for our redemption through Jesus Christ Your Son who came as a propitiation for our sins. Endue me with the revelational knowledge; my eyes of understanding being enlightened to know the reason and hope of Your calling, and the riches of the glory of Your inheritance in the saints, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Servant Leadership Of The Husband

 Did you know that God held Adam responsible for Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden? That's because Adam did not lead and maintain his home as a servant leader. If you are a husband or father, do you think that you are the dictator of your home? If so, then you have a lot to learn. 

When a dispute erupted among the disciples about who was the greatest, Jesus said, “But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves. (Luke 22:26-27). Jesus then demonstrated His leadership by washing His disciples’ feet (see John 13:11-17). A leader serves. 

Your wife is not there to serve you. You are there to serve her. Ephesians 5:21-23 says, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body."

A LIVING SACRIFICE

 Paul said, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2). 

The reason many people do not have a ministry or know the will of God, the power of God, or the anointing of God, is because they are not willing to be a living sacrifice. An altar is a place upon which something dies. Do you know what that means? That means that when you die, you have no more rights to yourself. You die to yourself. If you are married, your spouse belongs to God. If you have children, your children belong to God. If you have a car, a home, or a business—they all belong to God. Your ambitions, desires, goals, and dreams belong to Him. 

What does Paul mean when he says our sacrifice is to be holy? It means we are to completely die to ourselves. The word “holy” is related to the word “wholly.” God will not accept half of you on the altar. You are to present all of yourself to Him. 

Are you willing to present yourself as a living sacrifice to God today?

LET THE LOVE OF THE FATHER BE IN YOU!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JANUARY 10, 2023.

SUBJECT: LET THE LOVE OF THE FATHER BE IN YOU!

Memory verse: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (First John 2 vs 15.)

READ: John 5 vs 41 - 45:

5:41: I do not receive honor from men. 

5:42: But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you.

5:43: I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own Name, Him you will receive.

5:44: How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor from the only God?

5:45: Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust.

INTIMATION:

The love of the Father is unfathomable; the love that gave in exchange an asset of inestimable value for something completely worthless. The love of the Father for the whole world made Him gave His only begotten Son—Jesus Christ—as a propitiation for us, and He sacrificed His life, died a shameful and painful death on the cross to pay the debt (the wages of sin) we owed, that we may have life, not just life but abundant life. Whenever I imagined God’s demonstration of His love for me, I always felt a shiver ran through my spine. 

What assurances it gives to the heart when we come to know that the Father loves us so much so that He gave His only Son, in whom He is well pleased, to die in our place for our sins, when He knew no sin. He loves us even as He loved Jesus, that He is vitally interested in us as He was in His Son when He walked the earth. Jesus revealed the extent of the care and love of the Father for us when He said:

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who come to Me I will by no means cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day” (John 6 vs 37 - 39).

You and I are in the Father’s will. Jesus said He would not lose even one person whom the Father had given Him. Therefore, anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior is secure in God’s promise of everlasting life. Jesus will not let His people be overcome by Satan and lose their salvation. Out of the sincere and unparalleled love He has for us, He has promised and we, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1 vs 6).

Jesus Himself is “the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12 vs 2), and He who began a good work in us continues it throughout our lifetime and will finish it when we meet Him face to face. God’s work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. The Christian process of growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus, continues until Christ returns.

It’s not unusual to sometimes feel as though you aren’t making progress in your spiritual life, especially when you misstep and fall into sin. Do not condemn yourself when it’s obvious that, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus...” ( Romans 8 vs 1). Sincerely confess your sin and restore your fellowship with Him, knowing that, “If you confess your sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (First John 1 vs 9).

When God starts a project, He completes it! God will help you grow in grace until He has completed His work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won’t give up on you. He promises to finish the work He has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God’s promise and provision. Don’t let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to Him.

As Christians, the Father’s kind of love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us by the Father (Romans 5 vs 5). This love has God as its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments. Also, this love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered; it ought to have no boundaries just as God’s.

The Father’s kind of love seeks the welfare of all (Romans 15 vs 2), and works no ill to any (Romans 13 vs 8 - 10). It seeks opportunity to do good to all, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6 vs 10). Love is considered something we owe, because we are permanently in debt to Christ for the lavish love He has poured out on us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by fulfilling our obligation to love others in turn. Because Christ’s love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love our neighbor. We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love; listening, helping, encouraging, giving, and so on. 

Therefore, examine yourselves and gauge the quantum of the love of God in You. What will be your answer when you stand before Him, to a question such as, “My child, have did you use the My love poured out in your heart?” when you stand before Him. You can start now to prepare your answer in deeds. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with the grace and the love of the Father, that I may love like 

Christ and be a true ambassador of Him in deeds and works in this world, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

REPENT AND DO THE FIRST WORKS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 09, 2023.

SUBJECT: REPENT AND DO THE FIRST WORKS!

Memory verse: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place - unless you repent." (Revelation 2 vs 5.)

READ: Matthew 3 vs 1 - 2; 4 vs 17:

3:1: In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,

3:2: and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

4:17: From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

INTIMATION:

Repentance means “to turn,” it is the state of being penitent, implying a change in behavior, turning from sin toward God. It is to be sorry for, or wish to have been otherwise, what one has done or left undone, it is a change of heart, and make a moral u-turn from sin to God in humility.

Jesus started His ministry with the message of repentance, and this underscores the importance of the message, and the relevance of its timing in our relationship with God. The first step in turning to God is to admit your sin. Then be sorry for it, and ask God (only Him forgives sin) to help you. God will receive you and help you live the way He wants. It is the nature of our 'Loving, and Ever Merciful Father' to forgive your sins, hence His call to us to repent. 

Consequently, in our memory verse, Jesus tells us to, "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place - unless you repent." And, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (First John 1 vs 9).

Your confessing your sin frees you to enjoy fellowship with Christ. It eases your conscience and lightens your care. God wants to forgive us, hence He allowed His beloved Son to die just so He could offer us pardon. When we come to Christ, He forgives all the sins we have committed or will ever commit. We don’t need to confess the sins of the past repeatedly, thinking that God will hear us by our many words. Confess your sin and believe God for forgiveness; “He that promised is faithful, and will do it.” 

Repentance happens inside with a cleansing that isn't seen right away when confession of the sin is made. True repentance is revealed in changed attitude. It does not end with words of confession, lest it would be mere lip service. It must lead to corrected behavior and changed attitude. When you sin and are truly sorry, confess this to God, ask His forgiveness, accept His grace and mercy. 

Then, as an act of thankfulness for your forgiveness, make the needed corrections. No matter how evil you have been, it is never too late to humble yourself, turn to God and ask for forgiveness. God puts no limit on the number of times we can come to Him to obtain mercy, but we must come in order to obtain it, recognizing our need and asking Him to help. Because we have a tendency to sin, repentance is the true measure of our spiritual sensitivity and makes us valuable to God.

Repentance has too sides; turning away from sin, and turning toward God. To be truly repentant, we must do both. We can't just say we believe and then live any way we choose, and neither can we simply lead a morally correct life without a personal relationship with God, because that cannot bring forgiveness of sin.

Our Ever Merciful and Loving Father is at your door knocking, calling you to repent, and do the first works. If you hear His voice do not harden your hearts. In turning to Him remains a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

Prayer: My Heavenly Father, ever Merciful and Loving, I am a sinner. I cannot help myself. I repent of my sins, and I come to you now, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Strength and my Redeemer. Forgive me my sins. Be my Lord and personal Savior. Cancel my name in the book of death, and write my name in the Book of life. From henceforth I am yours forever, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen!

PRAISE THE LORD!

Praying In Emotions Or In The Name Of Jesus?

 Praying In Emotions Or In The Name Of Jesus?

Have you ever wakened in the morning and just not felt like praying? Perhaps you didn’t sleep well and just can’t get your motor running. Your mind is fuzzy and you say to yourself, “If I were to pray today, it would be a charade.

I just don’t feel like praying.” Or maybe you wake up with an upset stomach and don’t feel well. Then you go to the medicine cabinet. After a while you start feeling better and say, “Well, I believe it’s time for prayer.” You start to pray and you have wonderful time–glorious fellowship with God in prayer. I want to ask you a question. Were you on praying ground more after you took that medicine than before? Not at all. 

Do you think God was in those two tablets? Would God have heard your prayer even if you didn’t feel well when you prayed? Of course He would, unless you came with your own emotions. Friend, prayer is not answered because of how you feel. But if you came in the name of Jesus, prayer is answered because you have prayed in Jesus’ name. It’s not how you feel. It is His name that gets your prayer through. Don’t clasp your hands in prayer filled with the brass of your emotions. 

Come with both hands filled with the worth of Jesus and in the name of Jesus, that the Father would be glorified. Hebrews 13:15 says, “By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.”

THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 08, 2023.

SUBJECT: THE CALLED OF JESUS CHRIST!

Memory verse: "Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1 vs 6.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 28 - 30:

8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

8:29: For whom He foreknow, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

8:30: Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called: whom He called, these He also justified: and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

INTIMATION:

The called of Jesus Christ are the Christians who are invited by Jesus Christ to belong to God’s family, and to be saints (to be holy), set apart, and dedicated for His service. In being reborn into God’s family we have the greatest experience of love and the greatest inheritance. And because of all that God has done for us, we strive to be His holy people. What a wonderful experience of what it means to be a Christian!

The calling of Christ is a calling of an appointment or election to apostleship, to preach about Him. Each Christian has a job to do, a role to take, or a contribution to make. One assignment may seem more spectacular than another, but all are necessary to carry out God’s great plan for His world and for the Body of Christ. Therefore, as the called, be available to God by placing your gifts at His service. Then as you discover what He calls you to do, be ready to do it, and do it with all your might.

As the called of Jesus, your attitude should be of a complete dependence on and obedience to Christ. Our willingness to serve and obey Him enables us to be useful and usable servants to do work for Him—work that really matters. Obedience begins with identifying yourself with Jesus, discover His will and live according to it, and consciously turn away from conflicting interests, even if these interests have been important to you in the past.

God’s unparalleled love—His nature, He commended toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, and through His death, called us and reconciled to Himself. And we have been justified by His blood, and will be saved from wrath through Him if we believe. To those who believe, these are the called, and God has given them the ministry of reconciliation that they would continue His work of reconciliation on earth as His ambassadors.  

In obedience to this call. Christ promised to be with us always till the end of the ages (Matthew 28 vs 20), and all things will work together for our good in the end. Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill His purposes. Note also that the promise is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called by Him, that is, those whom the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ, and turn completely to God.

God’s ultimate goal for us is to make us like Christ (First John 3 vs 2); “He also predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8 vs 29). As we become more and more like Him, we discover our true selves, the persons we were created to be. And in the end, we would be glorified at His appearing. 

How can we become like Christ? By reading and heeding the Word, by studying His life on earth through the gospels, by spending time in prayer, by being filled with His Spirit, and by doing His work in the world. It’s noteworthy that the four gospels are Jesus introducing the Father, and the epistles are the Father introducing Jesus and what He did. They also introduce the sons and daughters of God to the world.

From the passage we read today, we understood that God’s purpose for people was not an afterthought: it was settled before the foundation of the world. People are to serve and honor God. If you believe in Christ, you can rejoice in the fact that God has always known you. God’s love is eternal. His wisdom and power are supreme. He will guide and protect you until you one day stand in His presence.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank you for what You wrought for me through Christ, and Your calling me to serve Your purpose on earth. Endue me with the spirit of raw obedience to You, and give me the grace to serve with the best in me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!