"There is a God, He is alive. In HIM we live and we survive. From dust our God Created man. He is our God, the great I AM.”. A. W. Dicus

Probably one of the most difficult and unattainable things to do is to define God. HE surpasses every thinkable superlative. Clearly stated, without faith it’s impossible to please HIM: for who comes to God must believe that HE IS and that He rewards those who diligently seek HIM. Yes, God IS (Heb. 11:6). HE made all things and HE does sustain all things-being the author of life. God knows the stars by name, God’s word and commands are established forever, all thoughts and intents are just before HIM, our steps are ordered by HIM.

Actually these are only a minuscule of God’s acts. Suffice to ask, however, the following pressing questions. How can one think of the demise of God? And why will HE die? What could possibly kill God?

Well, a quick sweep through the day God died will possibly explain the above suspense. On that day:

• Forgiveness and Justice were offered and executed respectively. Luke 23:34

• Salvation was procured for all and Paradise promised. Luke 23:43

• True horizontal relationships were epitomized. John 19:26, 27

• The consequence of sin being separation (both physically and spiritually) was clearly sounded. Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34

• Thirst (not to mention unbearable deprivation) for mankind. John 19:28

• The safest hands were introduced. Luke 23:46

• “It is finished” was the last cry- the cry of victory. John 19:30

God has handled all the impossible ones for us. HE has answered the previous dilemmas. He did not sparing JESUS for our sake (Rom. 8:32). The question must thus be- have you responded to God’s love by completing HIS plan for you? HE loves us to have done all these, and we would not let HIM down.

By Faith in Jesus, Repentance from sins, Confession of Jesus as LORD/ Son of God, Obedience in Baptism by immersion, the gates of a new life are opened to us. Matt. 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-16; Act 2:36-38.

The GOD who died, Jesus (John 1:1), is alive forevermore and is ready to help you today. 2Cor.6:2.

Faith: Share yours through His Word || More

"For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good news so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ”. (NLT) Ephesians 6: 15-16

Bible reading: Ephesians 6: 13-18

No one can best equip us for battle like our Lord Jesus Christ. And as a perfect example to us, He advises us to equip ourselves with His word. We must WEAR THE GOOD NEWS AS SHOES, ever ready to tell others of his words. Colossians 3: 16 says “let the message about Christ in all its richness fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives…”. We see that Christ was able to defeat the devil with the word of God (Matthew 4: 1-11- temptation of Jesus). Let us not forget that, the devil can also quote the scriptures and interpret it to suit him so we ought to let Christ dwell richly in us and prepare us for this battle. Constant evangelism, teaching and sharing of His word with others prepare us for success in the battle

In addition to telling others of Jesus, we must have faith in God. Put on THE SHIELD OF FAITH. A shield has various uses, for example, it protects a fighter from any arrow thrown at him. In Hebrews 12: 2, we are to focus on Jesus Christ, who is the author and finisher of our faith. Our faith in Christ can move mountains and stop any arrow thrown by the devil. The challenges may come but our hope in God’s word builds in us a strong Faith capable of winning the battle. Romans 10: 17 shows us how to build our faith. As we hear God’s word and share it with others, we build faith in the Mighty Power of God.

As we battle, lets us remember that, the just will live by FAITH and God will not take delight in one who turns away (Hebrews 10: 38). God bless you for being a soldier for Christ. May He help us all as we remind each other to keep our armor on always and be battle ready to conquer our enemy.

Create the opportunity || More

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (NIV) Matthew 9:35-38

I think few people would argue that Jesus was one of the greatest evangelists. I must admit that this is an area that I struggle with personally although by God’s Grace I believe I am slowly improving. The reasons I struggle might be the same reasons you struggle; I am a passive person and am not quick to assert my beliefs in conversation. I also dislike conflict and because of that I fear that sharing the gospel might upset someone and cause an argument. Although these are valid points, we must still remember that we are all held to the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

As we try to live out this command from Jesus I would like to start with how we can create opportunities to share the gospel with those around us. These ideas are very basic but I believe that over time, if we persevere, we will have many chances to share our faith. The first point is taken from Matthew 9:35 of our scripture reading: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages…” We see here that Christ wasn’t sitting at home hiding from the world and neither should we. Be the person who says hello on the street, visit with people at work or school on lunch break, join a sports team or visit with other parents when you take your kids to sports or other activities. You won’t have a chance to share the gospel if you aren’t talking to anyone!

The second point is from verse 36: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them…” People came to Jesus for many reasons but one of them was because He showed love and compassion to everyone around Him. Matthew 5:16 says “…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” If we show genuine care and love towards others, people will automatically find us different and attractive. Over time you can develop friendships with these people and there will be opportunities to tell them why you are different.

Above all, we need to rely on God for these opportunities. We should pray for help to reflect Jesus love into the world and be willing to create chances to talk to people. We also need to pray for wisdom, courage and strength from the Spirit so that when we get an opportunity we can, as Matthew 5:38 says, be one of the workers in His harvest field. May God help us!

Go the extra mile || More

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (NIV) Matthew 5:38-42

We refer to the saying “go the extra mile” quite often in our day to day speech. It is usually in reference to the attitude of a person who really cares about the task at hand and is willing to make an exceptional effort to do something really well. I would like to share a story from a conversation I had recently with some of my co-workers who are not Christians; I will change their names so they remain anonymous. I hope the story helps us understand that Jesus words in Matthew 5 are still very relevant in our lives today.

My co-worker Mike and I were discussing another co-worker of ours named Jim. Mike said that he thought Jim was a bit of a strange person, but he really liked him because, out of all the people he works with, Jim was the only person who would, without fail, greet Mike every time he saw him in passing at the office. It wasn’t anything special but Mike really appreciated that Jim would always say “Hello Mike! How’s it going?” Mike felt that Jim cared about and respected him as a person and that was something that he appreciated enough to share with me.

This conversation got me thinking about my walk as a Christian. Mike admitted that even though Jim was a bit of a strange guy, he was able to see past that because of his genuine caring attitude. As Christians we will no doubt be seen as “strange” by the world around us but this conversation helped me to see that an attitude of love will still make us attractive to those around us who need to hear the gospel. Jesus exhorts us to “go the extra mile” for a reason and that is because we will stand out if we do so. It may take a while but I believe if we continue to show love (even in small ways) to those around us we will open up opportunities to share the gospel. Small acts of love make a difference in a world that is big on hate.

Hebrews 12:14 says “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” This verse makes me think about another saying we use a lot: “Actions speak louder than words”. As we strive to share the gospel let’s remember how important it is to live in a way that reflects the love of God into the world and pray for opportunities to share with those around us.

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