True Repentance (part three)

 3. From slaves of sin to slaves of Righteousness

Let us look at some of the admonitions given in regard to this area of repentance /conversion; we have been duly admonished saying:

a.        “Do not present your members (of your body) as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:13).

b.      “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? Note carefully that it is obedience to something that leads to righteousness. And that thing is stated as follows; "Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous" Romans 6:16; 1 John 3:7).

c.         “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness” (Romans 6:17-18).

d.        “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness” (Romans 6:19).

e.       “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness” (Romans 6:20).

f.       “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:22).

This area requires some further expansion for example; the definition of sin which is the transgression of the law, or all unrighteousness: The definition of righteousness, which is the keeping of all of God`s commandments and of course, making a clear distinction between imputed righteousness and the three-fold aspects of practical righteousness; and of course the fruit of righteousness which is holiness.

We however have the consolation which says; “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace,” but this is no justification for one to continue transgressing the law. Because the question is asked: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace?” And the undisputed answer is: “Certainly not!” (Romans 6:14-15).

So the crux of the matter is, one is either a slave to sin, or a slave to righteousness, for, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin (transgressing the laws of God) that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)

I therefore, beg to ask the question, are these changes figurative, metaphoric, or are they literal and practical transformations that must be manifested in the life of anyone who profess to have repented or converted?

Stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

True Repentance (part two)

2.      From serving idols to serving the One and only true God

Repentance or conversion entails converting from serving idols to begin serving the One and only true God as alluded to by the apostle Peter who admonished the people saying; “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21).

One must take into cognizance of the fact that the world did not know God: For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God; the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:19-21).

Therefore, we cannot lay aside the commandments of God and follow the customs and traditions of men because, the Lord cautioned His people to beware of idolatry, saying; “ Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God which He made with you, and make for yourselves a carved image in the form of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4: 23-24).

One very important thing to note with this caution is that, it is confirmed by an everlasting covenant: For thus says the LORD: “ I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you will soon utterly perish from the land which you cross over the Jordan to possess; you will not prolong your days in it, but will be utterly destroyed. And the LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the LORD will drive you. And there you will serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

“But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the LORD your God and obey His voice (for the LORD your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

"For ask now concerning the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether any great thing like this has happened, or anything like it has been heard. Did any people ever hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?

Or did God ever try to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.

Out of heaven He let you hear His voice that He might instruct you; on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their descendants after them; and He brought you out of Egypt with His Presence, with His mighty power, driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is this day. Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the LORD Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the LORD your God is giving you for all time" (Deuteronomy 4: 26-40).

Now, the one way one can be sure that they are not worshiping a false God is when they adhere to the instructions that the LORD gave to His people saying; “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.” And, “The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts.” 'These are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Leviticus 19:30, 26:2; 23: 2, 4).

And let us not forget the fact that, Jesus Christ is the LORD God of the Old Testament and He is the same yesterday, today and forever: Therefore, acknowledging these facts is a sign and demonstration of true repentance or true conversion.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Stay tuned

True Repentance, what does it entails

Conversion or to repent is a term that is widely used in the religious circle, but I wonder how many people have taken the time to ponder and consider the significance of conversion/repentance, and what actually transpires at conversion, and whether it is a real and literal process.

To the majority of people, as far as I can perceive conversion or repent is simply a change from one belief to another, or a change from lack of belief to having faith, but is there something more practical, more profound and literal that takes place at conversion or when one repents, which is openly manifested in the life of the individual who has repented or converted?

I therefore beg to ask the question is the plea to repent or be converted figurative, metaphoric or is it a literal and practical exercise? The irony of truth is, we are supposed to judge ourselves in this matter as we have been admonished saying; “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” And, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? …Unless, indeed you are disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 11:31-32: 2 Corinthians 13:5).

This situation is so real and practical that we have also been given the test result to prove whether or not Christ is in us: The test result reads as follows; “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10).

Therefore, let us now embark on having a better understanding of the significance and profoundness of repentance or conversion, by looking at eight (8) practical examples of what repentance/conversion truly entails. Since many people do not favor long articles, I will endeavor to make them brief and short as much as possible.

1.  From pride to humility

 Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3-4).

Therefore, vanity, pride, egotism are not part and parcel of the new creation which we are destined to become when repented or converted, for at conversion, one is renewed according to God in true righteousness and holiness and so the admonition is that we all be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5, James 4:6). When repented or converted, one must take cognizance of the fact that, we have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer we who live, but Christ lives in us; and the life which we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us. And whatsoever we do, it is neither by our might nor by our power, but it is by the Spirit of God. We must also take into consideration the fact that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us, whom we have from God, and we are not our own? For we were bought at a price; therefore , we are to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which belongs to God.

To be continued

with brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The manifestation of true repentance

With the global pandemic of the corona virus (COVID-19), the universal advice besides the one encouraging everyone to quarantine themselves is to “REPENT”: But what does it means to repent? Is it merely feeling sorry for what is happening! Or, does it signifies something much profound than that?

First and foremost, repentance is synonymous to conversion, it is a complete turnaround for example; if one is heading to the south, he/she must immediately turn around and now head to the north, it is like converting 1/7, where one was over seven and must now be the opposite which is seven over one. It is not merely feeling sorrow for one`s self or the impending situation, but a complete turnaround with no regrets being confident of the choice that has been made.

For example the apostle Paul defines Godly repentance by saying: “Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter” (2 Corinthians 9-11).

Repentance or conversion is not just a matter of lamenting or feeling sorry for the present situation as in the case of Italy, where the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said, “We have lost control, can`t understand what more we can do, all solutions are exhausted on ground. Our only hope remains up in the sky, God rescue your people.” But it is the godly sorrow of transgressing the laws of God.

It is one thing to be wise enough to recognize a problem and seek to find the solution, but it is incomplete without understanding how to resolve the problem as alluded to by Solomon who wrote, “Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding. Exalt her, and she will promote you; She will bring you honor, when you embrace her” (Proverbs 4: 5-8).

There is no doubt that what is happening around the world at this present moment is certainly a call to repentance, but the question is, repenting from what to what?  Is it simply a belief in Jesus Christ to those who did not believe Him! Or is it more profound than that? Remember, Jesus Christ Himself said, "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great" (Luke 6: 46-49).

Repentance therefore, constitutes more than just believing and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, but includes also the principles He has ordained by which man should live.

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Appreciation of the Mystery of God`s will

My humble question to all who claimed to believe in Jesus Christ is, are we truly appreciative of the mystery of God's will which was hidden from men of other ages but has now been revealed to His saints?  The hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8)!
I believe that we need to show more of our appreciation of this mystery by being Obedient to the faith, and fulfilling the purpose for which it was intended. In rendering his benediction the apostle Paul said; “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began, but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic scriptures has been made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith – to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Because of the apostle Paul’s deep understanding of this mystery he wrote; “For this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21).

One cannot do anything to reimburse God for the amazing grace He has lavished upon us, we can only show our appreciation, and express our gratitude to Him by His mercies, to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to Him, which is our reasonable act of worship.

But how can sinful mortal man presents himself holy and acceptable to God? The only way this can be accomplished is by fulfilling our role as priests of the New Covenant. Because as priests our duty is to be holy to our God, because we offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of our God; therefore it is imperative that we be holy.

We are to be as obedient children not conforming ourselves to the former lusts, as in our ignorance; but as He who called us is holy; we also are to be holy in all our conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We should appreciate the fact that, we were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from our aimless conduct received by tradition from our fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for us who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that our faith and hope are in God.

Believers must understand and learn to appreciate this mystery. To the Jews it is a stumbling stone, to the Gentiles it is foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone, and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedientto the word, to which they also were appointed.

Most people can rattle by heart the scriptures found in John 3:16 which reads; “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” But do we truly know what exactly must we believe concerning Jesus Christ in order not to perish, and have everlasting life?

Jesus said quite emphatically; “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.” If we truly believe this statement, how are we to express this belief?

Again Jesus said categorically, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." (John 6: 47, 48, 51).

Therefore, the secret mystery which was hidden from men of other ages, but has now been revealed to the saints is how Jesus Christ would give up Himself as the living bread from heaven, so that one can eat of it and not die.

The sad thing is that, most people are stumbling at the stumbling stone, the rock of offence, because they are disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. Jesus said quite emphatically; “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him" (John 6:27).

So what is that food which the Son of Man has given us, which endures to Everlasting life? The question is, are we feeding on it? This is what Jesus said; “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven --- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:57-58)

So are we truly appreciative of this mystery? Are we fulfilling the purpose for which it was intended? Remember, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

The Lord's work of salvation involves much more than His death and resurrection. It includes also the giving of His flesh to eat, and His blood to drink, which is the mystery of the ages, as exclaimed by the Jews who said' “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?" This also includes Jesus Himself who is our High Priest, seated at the right hand of the Father to make intercessions of our behalf. 

Failure to comprehend and properly apply this mystery is the root cause of problems to many believers and so we have been admonished saying; "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).

Truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent:  A bright and prosperous New Year to all the saints in the light which began yesterday.

Copyright © 2012 by Lucius Joseph

All rights reserved

In Communion with God

Communion or fellowship is the act of sharing: it is the condition of things held in common with others. God’s desire for humanity is that they can share with Him His divine nature.

From the creation of Man God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness,” so God created man in His own image. In the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26, 27).

Unfortunately, the fellowship became tainted because of sin, and man became separated from God (Isaiah 59:1- 2; Romans 3: 23).

But because of the great love with which He loved us, it pleased the Lord to bruise His only begotten Son by whom all things were created, and in whom all things consist, to put Him to grief, by making His soul an offering for sin, so that the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. (Ephesians 2:4; Isaiah 53:10-11; John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17).

And now, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these, He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

However, for man to have communion or fellowship with God, four (4) things are of paramount importance. They are the prerequisites for communion with God, and to share the Life of God.

1. Reconciliation

Which is to renew the relationship man had with God before the fall of man? A huge sacrifice had to be made to pay the wages of sin, which is death. God in His manifold wisdom and love for humanity sent His Son in the form of sinful flesh, on account of sin, so as to condemn sin in the flesh, knowing that His death was sufficient to pay for all humanity’s sins, and reconciled them to Himself. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Hebrews 2:14-15; Romans 8:1-4).

God reconciled humanity to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing or reckoning their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

We therefore, have both the ministry and the word of reconciliation.

The ministry of reconciliation

This is the act of service by which we are reconciled to God. It is the actual sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and the actual partaking of the bread and wine which Christ left to represent His broken body, and His shed blood. According to the Apostle Paul, “I speak as to wise men; judge for your-selves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many, are one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:15-17).

It is the ministry or service of reconciliation that reconciles and unites the body of Christ and this fellowship of the saints is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3).

The word of reconciliation

This is the word Jesus spoke to His disciples saying, “I tell you the truth, unless you can eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For, my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (John 6:53-56).

Then the night before He was crucified He took Bread, gave thanks, and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body” Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26: 26-28).

On Christ’s behalf we implore you; “Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)..

2. Acceptance of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

There is only one mediator between God and man, the Man Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:5). He was taken from among men, and is appointed as High Priest to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins (Hebrews 5:1; 8:3).

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8, 10).

Therefore, our boldness and confidence to enter the Most Holy Place is by the way, the truth and the life which is represented by:

The body of Christ represented by the bread is the new and living Way to the Father

Jesus Christ the Great High Priest, the Word of God, making intercession for us before the throne of grace is the Truth.

The blood of Christ, represented by the wine as the life, for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and God has given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.' (Leviticus 17:11).

It is only when these prerequisites are in place, then and only then can we draw near to God with a sincere heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience” (Hebrews 10:19-22).

The crux of the matter is; God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all: Therefore, if we claim to have fellowship/communion with Him yet walk in thedarkness (sin), we lie and do not live by the truth.” in the same token, “If we claim to be without sin, or have not sinned, we deceive ourselves: Therefore, before coming to God, sin has to be confessed, forgiven, and cleansed. Only by the blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God can we be purified from all sin. (1 John 1:7, 9; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1; 14; Matthew 26: 28).

3 Obedience

Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23). He said again, “If you love Me keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

Now the test by which we know that we love God is by keeping His commandments. For, “He who says, “I know Him” and does not keep His commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3-5). It is important to note also that “The Holy Spirit (the medium by which we have access to the Father) is given only to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32).

4. Holiness.

We are admonished by the Apostle Paul saying, “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

To have communion with God, one has to separate him/herself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. Righteousness has no fellowship with lawlessness, light has no communion with darkness, Christ has no harmony with Belial (useless things without worth); and the temple of God has no agreement with idols” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

As a matter of fact, the main objective for receiving the gift of life is to be holy. for we have been instructed saying; "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

The good and exhilarating news is that, Jesus Christ has made all the provisions for man to have communion with the Father. Alienation or separation from the life of God is only as a result of “Ignorance, and hardening of the heart. (Ephesians 4:18).

But truly, in the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, I therefore, urge everyone to have daily communion with God, because as a royal priesthood our main calling is to offer the Lord the food for His offering at His appointed times.

With brotherly love in Jesus’ name

Lucius Joseph

The Testing of our Faith

In my last article I made mention of the fact that the root cause of this pandemic is the futility of man`s wisdom, it is something that went drastically wrong, but not without premeditation and evil intentions.  First of all, these things are not accidental; they are premeditated but accidentally went wrong during the application. One must first bear in mind the fact that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one and the time has come when the heavens and those who dwell in them are rejoicing because Satan has been thrown down from heaven, but in the interim we have been warned saying; “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelations 12:12)!

What is happening globally today is designed to test of our faith, as to whether we are establishing our faith in the wisdom of men or in the power of God. Believers! We have been given the assurance saying; “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” (Romans 8:28).

.The good about this pandemic for believers is to help us build our spiritual house, for in a great house we are told that, “there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20-21).

Our faith, without which it is impossible to please God, because he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, has to be tested just as gold is tested, because the principal objective of the free gift of life which we all have received it is to build our spiritual house, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

For this reason we have been duly admonished saying: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (1Corinthians 3:16-17).

 Therefore as the future temple of God, our building material has to be tested, and so we have been given the assurance saying, “In this (the trial of our faith) you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith --- the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:6-9).

The testing of our faith is very critical especially in this present pandemic we are now facing which came about due the futility of man`s wisdom, in order that, “that our faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” And so the consolation is, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man supposes that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:2-8).

One cannot afford to be double- minded or unstable in this situation because the option is limited to either having faith in the wisdom of men, or having faith in the power of God. This pandemic is leading to a one world order where everyone will be compelled to take a vaccination which will mutate the genes or chromosomes of mankind, resulting in a new feature or character that will appear suddenly and be inherited.

One very important thing to note is that, when it comes to the obedience to the laws God has ordained for mankind, everyone one wants to claim their human rights, so that everyone is free to walk after the imagination of their own hearts and do what seems right in their own eyes: But please take note of what is going to happen when this one world order will come into effect.

 It is prophesied that; “He (the beast which appears like a two horned lamb but speaks like the dragon) was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Revelations 11: 15-18).

This will be a huge decision that we all will have to make, my humble advice is that, we all take heed to the voice of the third angel who warned us with a loud voice saying, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" (Revelation 14:9-11).

But the question is, are we taking heed! Are we gearing and training our mind to make that one critical choice of not having our faith in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God! The choice is yours.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The Futility of Man`s Wisdom

Today the whole world is facing a pandemic known as the “Corona virus” or a disease called, “COVID 19”. This pandemic has brought a complete shutdown to many countries around the world, has dramatically affected the economy and life style of every citizen in every country globally, causing fear, panic and anxiety. Governments all around the world are instituting stimulus plans and packages to help cushion the economic impact that this pandemic has and will continue to have for a period of time on their citizens.

But the crux of the whole matter is, with everything that are being said and done are we dealing with the cause of the problem! Or are we only dealing with the effects? Dealing with the effects of any problem will never bring about the solution to it. Even the Corona virus/COVID 19 disease is not the problem; it is merely the effect of a problem.

So what is the root cause of this pandemic that the whole world has become victims to? The root cause of this pandemic is, “the futility of man`s wisdom” and what is most disturbing is the fact that we are relying on the same root cause of the problem to come up with a solution to solve the problem: Since when we ever hear that one can out fire with fire! Will a vaccine solve the problem! Or will it bring about greater risk and calamities to the human race?

What then is the solution? The solution is very simple, but quite challenging to those who have not known how to live and walk in the spirit, even to those who profess to be believers. The solution to this pandemic has been simplified by the apostle Paul who long ago said; “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:-5).

Unfortunately, man has placed their trust and confidence in man rather than in the Creator, despite the admonition from David who wrote: “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help” (Psalms 146:3).

 The sad thing is that the majority of us have not been able to make a clear distinction between the wisdom of God and the wisdom of men. The wisdom and the power of God is Jesus Christ as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

`"For since, in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1: 18-21).

The wisdom of men no matter how brilliant it appears to be is futile, because there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Even though they excel in their pursuits because, even the LORD Himself said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:6).

Although, nothing that man proposed to do will be withheld from them, nevertheless, everything they propose to do, will definitely result in disaster. However, according to the apostle Paul; “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. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).

The solution to this pandemic is not to have our faith in the wisdom of men but in the power of God, but the question is how many of us who profess to be believers will be able to do that?  For according to the prophet Isaiah: “Pause and wonder! Blind yourselves and be blind! They are drunk, but not with wine; they stagger, but not with intoxicating drink. For the LORD has poured out on you The spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets; And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.

The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed." Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate."

Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden" (Isaiah 29:9-14).

My people, truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." The impending vaccines will cause more harm to humanity, especially those who profess to be believers.

The question is, will you take heed!

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The church`s admonition to repent

The church the body of Christ should seriously consider the admonition given by the apostle Paul who wrote; “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith: Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? --- Unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

Apart from the leaders and priests of the churches who are charged with five (5) counts of profanity, as declared by the prophet Ezekiel saying; “Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them” (Ezekiel 22:26).

The church itself as a body is being called into question with regards to its own state of affairs. The Lord also has some pressing issues with the churches, which unless they repent of them they will not be protected from the hour of trial which will come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. It is imperative that the churches be made aware of these issues for it is written; “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants --- things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near” (Revelation 1:1-3).

One of the things written in this very important prophecy is the mystery [hidden truths] of the seven churches, and what is remarkable about the seven churches is that the Lord has something against all of them except the faithful church to whom it is said, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie --- indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.’

“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” (Revelation 3:8-13).

Only the faithful church will become the bride of Christ,  as clearly stated by John who wrote; "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife."  And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,  having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.'

"Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.'

"Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.'

"The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass" (Revelation 21: 9-21).

Unfortunately, this is not the case with the other churches, they have pressing issues, and unless these issues are dealt with and repented of, they will not escape the hour of trial which will come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth, and will forfeit the opportunity to become a pillar in the temple of God, and receive the name of the city of God, the New Jerusalem.

Remember, the twelve gates are the composition of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel, the twelve foundations are the twelve apostles, and the walls are those built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, as it is written; "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit" (Ephesians 2:19-22).

The question is where do you fit among the churches? 

Church is charged for profaning the Lord's holy convocations (part 2)

As defined previously, a Holy Convocation is, “A calling together; an assembling by a summons; a number of persons met in answer to a summons.”

So let us now consider the summons to have a holy convocation. The summons has been issued by the Lord Himself who says; “These are the feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations.” The summons is to appear before the Eternal God at a time He has appointed, which are His festivals, and the main objective for the convocation is, “ to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice and drink offerings, everything on its day ---besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, besides your gifts, besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD” (Leviticus 23:37-38).

Again the Lord says; “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.’ And, 'these are the feasts of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times” (Leviticus 23: 3-4).

Now the rationale for the holy convocation is to ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; as it is written “Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, Give to the LORD glory and strength. Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth.” Thus fulfilling His command which says; “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. (Psalms 96: 7-9; Leviticus 19:30).

Remember, Jesus Christ is the Lord God of the Old Testament who created the heavens and the earth, for it is written; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it’, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-5, 14).

It is further stated in scripture that; “He [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:15-18).

Now it is a common belief and a biblical statement that, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” And when He came into the world He said; "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Hebrews 13:8; Mark 2:27-28).

Since Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, the summons to attend the holy convocation at their appointed times is a directive from Him, and when obeyed we are demonstrating our reverence to Him as “LORD.” For thus says the LORD, “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:30; 26:2).

Similarly, when one disregards or hold in contempt the days which the Lord have summoned them to appear before Him, and choose to appear before Him at a time He has not summoned them to appear before Him, is profanity. For thus says the Lord; "When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?

Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies --- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.

Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood (Isaiah 1:12-15).

With all this trove of evidences concerning the Lord’s Holy convocations, what is our personal verdict on the charges laid on the church for profaning the Lord’s holy convocations, and by extension profaning the Lord Himself! Are we guilty! Or not guilty! Let the word of God be our judge. For thus says the Lord; “And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him --- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12: 47-48).

The crux of the matter is , let each individual be fully convinced in his/her mind. Nevertheless,  if we are convinced that Jesus Christ is the LORD, this is what He says, "You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD."
God has overlooked these times of ignorance and has commanded all men everywhere to repent.