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Wednesday, May 29, 2024

The first integral component of God's grace (cont..)

 

How are we to sustain the gift of eternal life which is the first integral component of God’s Grace?

Remember Jesus Christ said quite explicitly; “This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. 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 6:47-51).

And again Jesus said; “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you 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 indeed, and My blood is (real) drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me (eternal life), and I in him. 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 6:53-58).

Therefore, to those who believe that they have eternal life which was granted to us by the grace of God my question to them is, what it is about Jesus Christ that one must believe in order to have eternal life? Are we therefore feeding ourselves on the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood in order to guarantee eternal life?

 If you do, the question is how often? And has the Lord ordained specific times for His people to feed on Him in order to sustain eternal life?

It is my firm belief that many have unfortunately received this aspect of God’s grace in vain. But truly, these times of ignorance God has 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.

Like the apostle Paul wrote; "I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of our understanding being enlightened; That we may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

I perceived that many have indeed zeal for God, but without knowledge, and God expressed His disappointment to this by saying; “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6).

God's people are being rejected as priests unto God because they are failing to perform their main duty as priests of our God. Because the main duty of a priest is to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore, they shall be holy. And the only way one can be holy, is by eating of the thing by which the atonement was made.

May the Lord have mercy on our souls?

To be continued

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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph

Sunday, May 26, 2024

The five integral components of God's Grace


 The five integral components of God’s grace

We grow up and live in a society where very few people emerge as leaders and the vast majority as followers. In the Christian life however, each one must learn to stand on his/her two feet firmly planted on the solid foundation which is Jesus Christ. Whatever one builds on this foundation, his/her work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work (1Corinithians 3:12-13).

For it is written; “But to each one of us grace was or has been given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7).

Grace is what brought us thus far in life, and it is grace that will bring us to our final destination. Grace is what taught our hearts to fear, and grace relieved us of fear. Grace is God’s unmerited favor, mercy and compassion which He bestowed on humanity as a free gift without man’s input for we have been duly instructed saying: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8).

Nevertheless, we have further been instructed saying; “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:9).

And so, in order for us to have a good knowledge and a better understanding of grace so as not to receive it in vain it is imperative that we know, understand and believe the of grace of God which consist of five integral components which are:

  1. Eternal life

Eternal life is a gift mankind received from God despite our unworthiness as we have been duly admonished saying: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus Christ is the source by which mankind receives the gift of eternal life. For thus says the Lord; “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” The apostle John also wrote saying; “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (Romans 5:23; John 17:3, 1John 5: 20).

The testimony or witness which the Father has given us regarding His Son is that; “There are three that bear witness on earth: The Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one." The Spirit is Christ, the living Man from heaven, the water is His flesh, and the blood is His life.

It is clearly stated that, "if we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1John 5: 8-12).

Jesus Christ who is eternal life gives to all men life, breath and everything else so that men will seek Him, and perhaps reach out for Him, and find Him although He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our existence.

It is by one Spirit we were all baptized or immersed into Jesus Christ at His death and was begotten by Him at His resurrected from the dead. According to the words of Jesus Christ, “I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24).

This He said referring to His body which is the true vine, and we are the branches. The branch that does not bear fruit, the Father who is the husbandman cuts, and the one that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. But for any branch to be fruitful it must remain attached to the vine, because without Him one can do nothing.

So how does a person receive this precious gift of eternal life from Jesus Christ who is the source of life? Jesus said quite emphatically; “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” He again said to Martha; “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 14:6; 11:25-26).

The question is, do we believe this? If we believe this, then the other question is what it is about Jesus Christ as being the resurrection and the life that we believe? And if we say that we believe, how does a person receive eternal life?

To be continued

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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Take heed and beware of covetousness

It is stated categorically; “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.’

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:1-4).

It is because our system is established and operates on Satan’s method of ruler-ship, Jesus Christ had to fore-warned us saying; “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

It is quite evident that our society worldwide is controlled by mammon. Without money to solicit the services of a professional competent lawyer, it is almost inconceivable to find justice in a court of law, regardless of how much evidences and facts one may present in court.

It is quite apparent that without the power of mammon, one who requires surgery or treatment for certain diseases, sickness or accidental injuries may not be that fortunate to survive which somehow portrays God as one who favors the rich, and neglects the poor. Even our modern day preachers are inclined to portray God in this light.

But contrary to their prosperity gospel, the word of the Lord says; “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”

“You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, you shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and the needy, in your land” (Deuteronomy15:7-8; 10-11).

We are admonished by the Lord to, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

The spirit of covetousness and pride is not of God, it originated from the prince of the power of the air, hence the reason why we have been duly admonished saying; “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. For all that is in the world --- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life --- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Living through the COVID 19 pandemic should be a vivid example and experience to everyone as to how fragile and insecure the material things are and how we should be focusing on the spiritual aspect of life instead of the materialistic things, for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? And how fast can someone leave behind everything he/she has worked and toiled for. 

But contrary to their prosperity gospel, the word of the Lord says; “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”

“You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, you shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and the needy, in your land” (Deuteronomy15:7-8; 10-11).

We are admonished by the Lord to, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15).

The spirit of covetousness and pride is not of God, it originated from the prince of the power of the air, hence the reason why we have been duly admonished saying; “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. For all that is in the world --- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life --- is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

Living through the COVID 19 pandemic should be a vivid example and experience to everyone as to how fragile and insecure the material things are and how we should be focusing on the spiritual aspect of life instead of the materialistic things, for what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? And how fast can someone leave behind everything he/she has worked and toiled for.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Seeing the invisible (part two)

2.      Holiness

As we have clearly seen holiness is the product or the result of the true act of righteousness and as clearly demonstrated in the Old Testament which was a copy and shadow of the reality, holiness is derived from, partaking of the things by which the atonement was made for it is written; “Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy” (Exodus 29:32-33).

In our New Testament dispensation the things with which the atonement was made is the sacrificial body and blood of Jesus Christ which is represented by the bread and wine. And as Jesus Christ explicitly said; “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you 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 indeed, and My blood is (real) drink indeed.’

“He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 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 6:53-58).

3.      3. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior

We grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ by studying His word as we have been duly admonished saying; “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

We all need to know, understand and believe that, the invisible inner man is as real and literal as the outer man. Therefore, we are not to lose heart because even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

So in conclusion, the renewal of our inner man day by day is by partaking and feeding on the real spiritual food and to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by studying and meditating on His word.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

Saturday, May 4, 2024

Seeing the invisible

Seeing the invisible

One important thing we as believers should be able to know, believe and understand is that of being able to see the invisible because we have been clearly instructed by the apostle Paul saying; “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans3:20).

One of the most important invisible things that we as believers need to focus on is that of the inner man, the new man which was created in Christ Jesus in righteousness and true holiness and not spending all our time focusing on the old outward man which is perishing day by day but should be focusing of the new inner man which is being renewed day by day.

And so the most significant question to us as believers is how we are to renew the new man day by day?

To know how to renew the new man on a daily basis it is imperative that we first of all know what the nature of the new man is in order to provide the proper nutrients and how to supply it. The nature of the new man as clearly stated in scriptures which is in true righteousness and holiness and the daily renewal is in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him (Ephesians 4:24’ Colossians 3:10).

So then let us look at these three basic things by which the new inner man is being renewed day by day.

1.      True righteousness

First and foremost it is important to note that, there are three different acts of righteousness: There is man’s own righteousness which according to the prophet Ezekiel’ “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness’s are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away” (Ezekiel 64:6).

There is also the act of righteousness which the apostle Paul noted as follows; “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe: For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:21-23).

And there is the true righteousness of God through faith which the apostle Paul stated as follows: “For if by the one man's (Adam) offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life: For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:17-19).

Therefore, this state of righteousness which we are required to nourish daily is the act of righteousness which Jesus Christ did in order for us to receive the gift of righteousness and according to the apostle Paul; “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. 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 6:18-19).

This act of righteousness to which we are now enslaved to is the same act of righteousness that when practice leads to holiness, confirming our new birth and makes us righteous even as Jesus Christ Himself is righteous (Romans 6:19; 1John 2:29; 1John 3:7).

To be continued

https://www.amazon.com/dp/145385777X

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BFP1SMV

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FV4WTWQ

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph