His Death, My Gain

Jesus’ death was the end of a period of intense physical and spiritual suffering. Jesus was beaten, flogged till He was bloody, and mocked with a crown of thorns. In that condition, He was made to carry His own cross. Then Jesus was executed in a painful and prolonged way. Jesus died when He knew the work He had come to do was accomplished. He had come to earth as human being, to take on himself the sin of humankind. He paid the price for our sin. The he died.

Before Jesus death and resurrection, if you break any of the laws given in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy (even one time) then you are guilty and not allowed into heaven and so  condemned to an eternity away from God. Jesus loved you so much that he suffered the horrific torture of men, died and went to Hell and back to allow your guilt to be forgiven and your debt of sin cancelled. Jesus was, and is, the only person never to have broken any law; living a sinless life but was killed as a sacrifice for us all.

Dead for 3 days, Jesus conquered the power of death and was given the position of Heavenly Judge. You will see Him when your body dies. He has already taken your place for your guilt, (your sin past, present and future); He already paid your penalty and owns your life but allows you free will to choose to accept this priceless but free gift i.e. access to heaven as a perfect and sinless person, or to reject it. His love for each of us means He does not want you to reject His offer. This is amazing grace!

So many people think that becoming a Christian demands you stop enjoying life. In reality you begin to see what life is all about and even when doing nothing you still enjoy it. You become a full person with knowledge and confidence.

However bad you think your life has been so far - giving it up to Jesus (by asking Him  "Jesus forgive me - please change me - I am so sorry for all I have done against You") is all it takes to be transformed.  He will use your bad for good and you will never be the same again. Go and tell someone! Smile! Enjoy new life!

The Needed Connection

At key points in His ministry, Christ emphasized His equality with God in the clearest possible terminology. The strongest affirmations of His deity employed the name for God used when the Father first revealed Himself to Moses--"I AM" (Exodus 3:14).

Jesus had already said, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12); "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35); "I am the Way" (John 14:6); and "I am the Door" (John 10:9). Now, the night before His death, He tells them, "I am the true Vine." Like the other great "I am" passages recorded in the Gospel of John, it points to His deity. Each one is a metaphor that elevates Jesus to the level of Creator, Sustainer, Saviour, and Lord--titles that can be claimed only by God.

The word true, here, is used in the sense of real, genuine. He really and truly gives what is emblematically represented by a vine. The point of the comparison or the meaning of the figure is this: A vine yields proper juice and nourishment to all the branches, whether these are large or small. All the nourishment of each branch and tendril passes through the main stalk, or the vine, that springs from the earth. So Jesus is the source of all real strength and grace to his disciples. He is their leader and teacher, and imparts to them, as they need, grace and strength to bear the fruits of holiness.

From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for a Christian temper, disposition, and life. We must honour God, and do good; this is bearing fruit. The unfruitful are taken away. And even fruitful branches need pruning; for the best have notions, passions, and humours, that require to be taken away, which Christ has promised to forward the sanctification of believers, they will be thankful, for them.

The word of Christ is spoken to all believers; and there is a cleansing virtue in that word, as it works grace, and works out corruption. And the more fruit we bring forth, the more we abound in what is good, the more our Lord is glorified. In order to fruitfulness, we must abide in Christ, must have union with him by faith. It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples, constantly to keep up dependence upon Christ, and communion with him.

Let it shine

There are two types of light in the world. We can perceive one, both, or neither! When we are born into this world, we perceive physical light and by it, we learn of our Creator’s handiwork in the things we see. However, although that light is good, there is another Light, a Light so important that the Son of God had to come in order to both declare and impart it to men.

Jesus said, ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.’” The allegory used by the Lord in this verse speaks of the light of His Truth, the light of His Word, the light of eternal Life. Those who perceive the true Light will never walk in spiritual darkness. 

Light is beautiful and mysterious—like God. It is one but can be separated into many colours. No one knows if light is made up of particles or waves. In addition, light has many functions that makes it a good symbol for Jesus. Light helps us see things. Jesus gives us the truth about God and about life, our origin, and our destiny. Light guides us as we travel. Jesus guides us safely through life to our heavenly home. Light promotes growth and life. Jesus brings us everlasting life. Light warms and comforts. Jesus welcomes us and calms us. Light prevents crime. Jesus is goodness itself. Light dispels darkness, which stands for evil. Jesus pierces the darkness of sin and death and conquers them. All the darkness in the world cannot put out one candle flame. Jesus cannot be overcome by evil. 

Jesus promised. “Whoever follows me will have the light of life.” This is a possession and a continuing experience. Jesus is the light. To have Him is to have the light of life and all that light brings. Having the light of the world is more than knowledge, more than will power, more than belonging to a certain religion. It is more than knowing about Jesus or knowing His teachings. It is having Jesus Himself as a radiant, energetic, revealing force in your life.

It is a dangerous thing to suffer from spiritual blindness. Today is a good day to examine your own life. This begins with an invitation for the Lord to shine His light in every corner of your life: thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and actions. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you your own spiritual blind sports. Seek God’s life-giving light by readily confessing your sins and asking for forgiveness.

Finally, ask the Lord to empower you with His Holy Spirit to let His light shine through you among your family members, friends, and others who still walk in spiritual and moral darkness. 

Personification

Jesus’ existence did not begin with His birth or conception, but He pre-existed Creation, as made by Him and for Him. Jesus was both with God and God Himself. That such a divine Person exists is taught throughout Scripture, starting in Genesis. The plurality within the Godhead makes it possible for God to be intrinsically a ‘God of Love’.

In Jesus, God took on human nature, so He could die for our sins as a fellow human, taking the penalty we deserve for our sins. In fact, this was planned from Eternity; right from the foundation of the World. When Jesus took on humanity, this was an addition to His divine nature, not a subtraction of His divinity.

This addition was indeed an emptying, since as a human being, Jesus was subject to all the things that humans are subject to, such as hunger, tiredness, and temptation. The only difference is this, not only was He without sin, He was incapable of sin. And like all humans, He was also subject to death. Indeed, this was the whole reason He came. 

However, because Jesus never lost His divinity, no one could have killed Him if He had not laid down His own life. This is why He bowed His head first, and then gave up His spirit on the cross; the usual order would be to die and muscles go limp and the head collapse. In His divinity, He could not die.

God created us and therefore owns us, and has the right to make the rules for us. He has set a perfect moral standard of which we fall short (Romans 3:23). He is perfectly just, so must punish moral shortcomings. Since our shortcomings offend His infinite holiness, the punishment must also be infinite. Either we must suffer such punishment, or else a Substitute must endure it in our place (Isaiah 53). This Substitute must fulfil two conditions: (1) He must be fully human to substitute for humanity and (2) He must be fully Divine to endure God’s infinite wrath (Isaiah 53:10), since a mere creature could not withstand it.

An ideal mediator between two groups should ideally be a member of both. Thus, Jesus is such a mediator, because He is the only member of both groups: ‘God’ and ‘man’. Moreover, since the Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), this Substitute had to die to pay for our sins.

Therefore, we must never lose sight of the truth that Jesus is God incarnate. He is the source of grace and truth. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is the One who make it possible for us to know the Father. Let us worship Him as Lord and God.

Leaders Domain

Leaders Domain

Job vacancies always has a part of it that specify qualification for the position advertised. The purpose for listing the qualifications is to ensure that only those who have the training, experience or temperament would apply.

God is seeking candidates to fill openings in His kingdom. Through the centuries, He has called willing servants to follow Him into full-time ministry and lay leadership. However, God does have requirements for those entrusted with such responsibilities.

Make no mistake… God created you to be a leader. The enemy never relents in making people feel they are not fit to be leaders. The real question is what does God think about you being a leader, how does God see you…? In Eph. 2:10, Paul said that we are God’s masterpiece. Not only are you God’s masterpiece He has great plans and work for you. You have much influence in life than you know. You are a leader.

As a leader, you must set the right kind of example. There is always someone watching you. It is a basic requirement that a Christian leader is accepting Christ as Lord and saviour and being filled with the Holy Spirit to bring about transformation from within. A Godly leader accepts weaker members of the body and helps them along the way.

A Godly leader has no followers or people that sing their praise, all they have are people following Jesus and he/she as the leader tries to lead them in that direction. For a Christian “A good leader motivates, doesn't mislead, doesn't exploit.’’ (Proverbs 16:10 MSG).

Godly leaders share their roles with others in the body of Christ, as they are able. Some lead with their natural abilities - given by God; others, by demonstrating behaviours that please God, some through wisdom and knowledge, received from God, impart with grace to others skill and understanding , some by encouraging others, some others by exercising the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The list goes on, each leading in a different way. All are unique according to God’s will and all have fundamental but specific directions on how to follow Jesus’ lead effectively.

Godly leaders do not retain the ‘position indefinitely’. Jesus wants all of us to share the burden of leadership according to our abilities and the gifts God gives us. Whether we like it or not, the body of Jesus Christ is not made up of lone rangers, each racing ahead at whatever speed and with whatever result each can achieve. We cannot achieve perfection alone; we must help one another toward the goal. We must do it together or we fail.