At the Bottom of It All

 At the Bottom of It All

In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. (Ephesians 1:4–5)

The experience of Charles Spurgeon is not beyond the ability of any ordinary Christian.

Spurgeon, who lived from 1834 to 1892, was a contemporary and friend of George Mueller and Hudson Taylor. He served the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London for over thirty years as the most famous pastor of his day. 

His preaching was so powerful that people were converted to Christ every week. His sermons are still in print today and he is held up by many as a model soul winner. 

He recalls an experience when he was sixteen that shaped his life and ministry for the rest of his days. 

When I was coming to Christ, I thought I was doing it all myself, and though I sought the Lord earnestly, I had no idea the Lord was seeking me. I do not think the young convert is at first aware of this. 

I can recall the very day and hour when first I received those truths [the doctrines of sovereign, overcoming grace] in my own soul — when they were, as John Bunyan says, burnt into my heart as with a hot iron, and I can recollect how I felt that I had grown, on a sudden, from a babe into a man — that I had made progress in Scriptural knowledge, through having found, once for all, that clue to the truth of God. 

One weeknight, when I was sitting in the house of God, I was not thinking much about the preacher’s sermon, for I did not believe it. 

The thought struck me, How did you come to be a Christian? I sought the Lord. But how did you come to seek the Lord? The truth flashed across my mind in a moment — I should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so?

Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, “I ascribe my change wholly to God.”

What about you? Do you ascribe your conversion wholly to God? Is he the bottom of it all? Does this cause you to praise the glory of his sovereign, overcoming grace?

BELIEVERS’ INHERITANCE IN CHRIST! - PART 1.

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY MAY 13, 2025.

SUBJECT: BELIEVERS’ INHERITANCE IN CHRIST! - PART 1.

Memory verse: "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.” (First Corinthians 2 vs 9.)

READ: First Corinthians 2 vs 7 - 12:

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 the 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 who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

INTIMATION:

When I think of the believers inheritance in Christ, I always feel a chill rush through my spine, because the knowledge is exceedingly amazing. The major problem of believers is the lack of that knowledge, and understanding of the fact. Hence, the devil’s domination of many people. The Scripture, in Hosea 4 vs 6 notes, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.....” In the coming days we shall X-ray our true identity or inheritance in Jesus Christ.

Jesus gave the greatest revelation of Himself, and also, the believers inheritance in Him, to the apostle Paul who, in writing to the church in Corinth in the passage we read today, said that these things have been revealed to us by the Spirit of God who is in the heart of believers. Eventually, the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (See First Corinthians 2 vs 14).

The knowledge of the "deep things of God" refers to God's un-fathomable nature and His wonderful plan —Jesus' death and resurrection, and the promise of salvation to those who believe in Him, who it has been given to know all they need to know to be saved. The mystery of salvation was revealed directly from God. This was the plan of God to save man. It was in the mind of God before the creation of the world (Revelation 13 vs 8.)

The knowledge, however, can't be grasped by even the wisest people unless they accept God's message. All who reject God's message are foolish, no matter how wise the world thinks they are.

This knowledge wasn’t made known to the rulers and wise men of Jesus’ days on His earth walk. The principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, who are under the headship of Satan—the ruler of this world, never in their wisdom, knew Christ's mission. He was misunderstood and rejected by those whom the world considered wise and great. 

He was put to death by the rulers in Palestine: the high priest, King Herod, Pilate, and the Pharisees, Sadducees, and all the Jewish unbelievers. They were dominated by their sense knowledge, and they thought that killing Him will achieve their aim of dominating the world. They had no part in the spiritual wisdom and revelation given to believers in the knowledge of Him. 

Unfortunately, most Christians are in their infancy in the knowledge of “the Truth.” Even many of our leaders have never passed beyond that. They are still dominated by their senses in the flesh. They are big men in the sense knowledge in the flesh. Very little is known by many so called Christians of "spiritual wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him."

The obvious truth is that the believers have been blessed with every spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, which was purchased in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. All that Jesus did and accomplished were for us—the body of Christ. As a Deity, He has no need for them because they are His from the beginning!

To be continued.

Prayer: Abba Father, forever I will offer my praise and thanksgiving to You for all You wrought for me in redemption.Give me the grace to fully harness the heavenly blessings which You have blessed me with in Christ through the revelation of the knowledge and understanding of this mystery, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Why We Should Love Our Enemies

 Why We Should Love Our Enemies

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27)

There are two main reasons why Christians should love their enemies and do good to them.

One is that it reveals something of the way God is. God is merciful. 

He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45) 

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:10) 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32) 

So, when Christians live this way, by God’s power, we show something of what God is like.

The second reason is that the hearts of Christians are satisfied with God and are not driven by the craving for revenge or self-exaltation or money or earthly security. 

God has become our all-satisfying treasure and so we don’t treat our adversaries out of our own sense of need and insecurity, but out of our own fullness with the satisfying glory of God. 

Hebrews 10:34, “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property [that is, you didn’t retaliate against your adversaries], since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.” What takes away the compulsion of revenge is our deep confidence that this world is not our home, and that God is our utterly sure and all-satisfying reward. We know that we have “a better possession and an abiding one.”

So, in both these reasons for loving our enemy we see the main thing: God is shown to be who he really is as a merciful God and as gloriously all-satisfying. 

The power to be merciful is that we have been satisfied with God’s mercy toward us. And the ultimate reason for being merciful is to glorify God, that is, to help others magnify him for his mercy. We want to show that God is magnificent. We want our love, by God’s mercy, to make God look great in the eyes of man.

THE COMMUNION!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY MAY 12, 2025.

SUBJECT: THE COMMUNION!

Memory verse: "For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.” (First Corinthians 11 vs 26.)

READ: Luke 22 vs 17 - 22:

22:17: Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves:”

22:18: for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.

22:19: And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you: do this in remembrance of Me.

22:20: Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. 

INTIMATION: 

The Communion is a Christian sacrament commemorating the Lord’s Supper by consecrating bread and wine. It is a religious ceremony conferring a specific grace on those who receive it. Whatever name your church uses for this event (Communion, Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist) and on whatever schedule you celebrate it, the importance is that through celebrating ‘Communion’ together believers experience the presence of Christ. 

The celebration of Communion: (1) humbles us before God. We confess our sin and restate our need for Christ to guide us. (2) reminds us that we are forgiven. We remember that His shed blood paid the price. (3) expresses our oneness in Christ. We are unified in our faith. (4) encourages us to recommit. We are reminded to pledge ourselves to serve Him who died for us. 

Each name we use for this sacrament brings not a different dimension to it. It is the ‘Lord’s Supper’ because it commemorates the Passover meal Jesus ate with His disciples. It is the ‘Eucharist’ (thanksgiving) because in it we thank God for Christ’s work for us. It is ‘Communion’ because through it we commune with God and with other believers. As we eat the bread and drink the wine, we should be quietly reflective as we recall Jesus’ death and His promise to come again, grateful for God’s wonderful gift to us—the gift of salvation, and joyful as we meet with Christ and the body of believers. 

Christians differ in their interpretation of the meaning of the commemoration of the sacrament (Lord’s Supper, Communion or Eucharist). There are three main views: (1) The bread and wine actually become Christ’s body and blood; (2) the bread and wine remain unchanged, yet Christ is spiritually present by faith in and through them; (3) the bread and wine, which remain unchanged, are lasting memorials of Christ’s sacrifice. 

No matter which view they favor, all Christians agree that the sacrament (Lord’s Supper, Communion or Eucharist) commemorates Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and points to the coming of His kingdom in glory. When we partake of it, we show our deep gratitude for Christ’s work of this on our behalf, and our faith is strengthened. 

Christians participate in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice at the Lord’s table when they eat the bread and drink the blood from the cup, symbolizing His body and blood. Jesus asked His disciples to always partake of the sacrament (Communion, Lord’s Supper or Eucharist) to remember Him. He wanted them to remember His sacrifice, the basis for forgiveness of sins, and also His friendship, which they could continue to enjoy through the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus death for us on the cross seals a new covenant between God and us. The old covenant involved  forgiveness of sins through the blood of an animal sacrifice (Exodus 24 vs 6 - 8). But instead of a spotless lamb on the altar, Jesus offered  Himself, the spotless Lamb of God, as a sacrifice that would forgive sin once and for all. Jesus was the final Sacrifice for sins, and His sacrifice sealed the new covenant between God and all believers. Now all of us can come to God through Jesus, in full confidence that God will hear and save us from our sins.

Although the exact meaning of Communion has been strongly debated throughout church history, Christians still take bread and wine in order to remember their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Do not neglect participating in the Lord’s Supper. Let it remind you of what Christ did for you. However, the sacrament is not to be taken lightly; this new covenant cost Jesus His life. It is not a meaningless ritual, but a sacrament given by Christ to help strengthen believers faith. 

The apostle Paul gives specific instructions on how the sacrament should be observed. (1) We should take it thoughtfully because we are proclaiming that Christ died for our sins. (First Corinthians 11 vs 26). (2) We should take it worthily, with due reverence and respect (First Corinthians 11 vs 27).  (3) We should examine ourselves for any unconfessed sin or resentful attitude and be properly prepared (First Corinthians 11 vs 26). (4) We should be considerate of others, waiting until everyone is there and then eating in an orderly and unified manner (First Corinthians 11 vs 33).

In reality, no one is worthy to take the Lord’s Supper. We are all sinners saved by grace. This is why we should prepare ourselves for Communion through healthy introspection, confession of sin, and resolution of differences with others. These actions remove the barriers that affect our relationship with Christ and with other believers. Awareness of your sin should not keep you away from Communion but drive you to participate in it. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the sacrament of the body and blood of Jesus offered to us in commemoration of Your Supreme Sacrifice on the cross to pay the debt we owed as sinners in need of a Savior. My desire is to partake of sacrament worthily at all times, and that the blessings wrought in the body and blood of Jesus will find full fulfillment in my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Go on to the Meal

 Go on to the Meal

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! (Psalm 34:8)

To you who say you have never tasted the glory of God, I say, you have tasted many of its appetizers. 

Have you ever looked up at the sky? Have you ever been hugged? Have you ever sat in front of a warm fire? Have you ever walked in the woods, sat by a lake, lain in a summer hammock? Have you ever drunk your favorite drink on a hot day or eaten anything good? 

Every desire is either a devout or a distorted enticement to the glory of heaven.

You say you haven’t tasted God’s glory. I say, you have tasted the appetizers. Go on to the meal. Go on to God himself.

You have seen the shadows; look at the substance. You have walked in the warm rays of the day; turn and look at the sun itself — yes, through the protective and sharpening lens of the gospel. You have heard echoes of God’s glory everywhere; tune your heart to the original music.

The best place to get your heart tuned is at the cross of Jesus Christ. “We have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). 

If you want the most concentrated display of the glory of God, look at Jesus in the Gospels, and look especially at the cross. This will focus your eyes and tune your heart and waken your taste buds so that you will see and hear and taste the glory of the true God everywhere.

That is what you were made for. I plead with you: don’t throw your life away on shadows. God made you to see and savor his glory. Pursue that with all your heart and above all else. You have tasted the appetizers. Now go on to the full banquet.

AS YOU GIVE SO YOU RECEIVE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY MAY 11, 2025.

SUBJECT : AS YOU GIVE SO YOU RECEIVE!

Memory verse: "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." (Luke 6 vs 38.)

READ: Second Corinthians 9 vs 6 - 11:

9:6: But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

9:7: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

9:8: And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

9:9: As it is written: "He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever."

9:10: Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,generation,

9:11: while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

INTIMATION:

God has a divine law of giving and receiving. If you want to receive reward for your giving, you need to understand this divine law. Therefore, understand that it is the measure with which you give that determines what you will receive from God. That is to say, "What you give determines what you receive."

In our memory verse, Jesus used the picture of measuring grain in a basket to ensure the full import and clear understanding of His teaching. For instance, a forgiving spirit demonstrates that a person has received forgiveness. If you are critical rather than compassionate, you will also receive criticism. If you treat others generously, and compassionately, however, these qualities will come back to you in full measure. Jesus taught us to love others as ourselves, not judge them.

The measurement here  is relatively not in volume or quantity, but rather in value, or quality. In Mark 12 vs 42 - 43, a poor widow made an offering of two mites, which makes a quadrans, and Jesus told His disciples that the poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury, because others have given out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gratuitously put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. Though her gift was the smallest, she gave more than the others put together in the eyes of the Lord.

The value of a gift is not determined by its quantity, but by the spirit in which it is given. A gift given grudgingly or for recognition loses its value. God desires that your gift be pleasing to Him, the volume or quantity not withstanding. Your gift is pleasing to God when it is given out of a heart of gratitude, and a spirit of generosity. When you give with God's desired motives, the dividend you receive thereto far more outweighs what you have given. The reward to you is in: ‘good measure, press down, shaking together, and running over.’

For instance, King Solomon gave a sacrifice of a thousand cows out of a heart of gratitude and a spirit of generosity, and it was pleasing to God. Rather than give him the wisdom to rule the Israelites he requested, God gave him his petition and added riches and honor. (First King 3 vs 4 - 14). You cannot out-give God. 

A giving attitude is more important than the amount given. A person who can give only a small gift with sincerity of heart shouldn't be embarrassed. God is concerned about how a person gives from his or her resources. God Himself is a cheerful giver. Consider all He has done for us. He is pleased when we, who are created in His image, give generously and joyfully. 

People may hesitate to give generously to God because they worry about having enough left over to meet their needs. Obviously, it is lack of faith in God, and also reflects ungratefulness to Him. The Bible tells us that withholding from God tends to poverty (Proverbs 11 vs 24). God wants to produce tremendous blessings for you, spiritually, physically, and financially. Real giving is an act of faith. Failure to give is unbelief. It is giving place to the devil. Believe God's Word and be blessed. And that is why the saying, "givers never lack."

Prayer: Abba Father, You have imparted Your nature of love in me at redemption. Give me the grace and the spirit of gratuitous and generous giving in reflection of my faith and trust in You, and as Your child created in Your image and likeness, in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen,

PRAISE THE LORD!

A People for His Name

 A People for His Name

“Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14)

It is scarcely possible to overemphasize the centrality of the name of God, that is, the fame of God, in motivating the mission of the church. 

When Peter had his world turned upside down by the vision of unclean animals in Acts 10, and by the lesson from God that he should evangelize Gentiles as well as Jews, he came back to Jerusalem and told the apostles that it was all owing to God’s zeal for his name. We know this because James summed up Peter’s speech like this: “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name” (Acts 15:13–14).

It’s not surprising that Peter would say that God’s purpose was to gather a people for his name; because the Lord Jesus had stung Peter some years earlier with an unforgettable lesson. 

You recall that, after a rich young man turned away from Jesus and refused to follow him, Peter said to Jesus, “See, we have left everything and followed you [unlike this rich fellow]. What then will we have?” (Matthew 19:27). Jesus responded with a mild rebuke, which in effect said that there is no ultimate sacrifice when you live for the name of the Son of Man. He said, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” (Matthew 19:29).

The truth is plain: God is pursuing with omnipotent delight a worldwide purpose of gathering a people for his name from every tribe and language and nation (Revelation 5:9; 7:9). He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the fame of his name among the nations.

Therefore, when we bring our affections in line with his, and, for the sake of his name, renounce the quest for our own worldly fame and comforts, and join his global purpose, God’s omnipotent commitment to his name flies like a banner before us, and we cannot lose, even if we must walk through many tribulations (Acts 14:22; Romans 8:35–39).