The Apostle Paul exhorted the church at Corinth with this greeting, "to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:" (1Cor1:2). And yet when we read the rest of his letter, we find that there were loads of issues in that church. They were arguing on who was the better leader - Paul or Apollos; some were bringing lawsuits against other brothers in the Lord and there was even a case of a brother sleeping with his father's wife (stepmother).
Now, in such a situation, I would have begun the letter by coming straight to the point and reprimanding the lot; but now Paul. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, he exhorted them to their rightful position as called to be saints and sanctified by the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we know our rightful place, the squabbling and bitter rivalry will end. When we truly realized that our sanctification had nothing to do with what we have done or who we are on our own merits but that it had everything to do with the shed Blood of our Lord on the Cross, we will want to go out there and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, set our lives right.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 6:1-7 how, knowing who we really are - redeemed and washed in the precious Blood of our Savior - we would not want to go out there and sin so that grace may abound more. No, I am not saying that we will not sin but I am saying that even when we have sinned, we know we have been forgiven and therefore not have to feel condemned. The devil simply loves to leave us wallowing in our sins and the longer we linger there the less likely we would turn back to our Lord and be reconciled to Him.
So the solution for us in our daily lives is to daily recognize that we are the sanctified of the Lord and face the challenges of the day with thoughts of His redemptive power in our lives and then even when we have failed, to continue to hold fast to the fact of our sainthood in Christ.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Reason to Glory in Christ - Romans 15:17
Ever had the experience that you are happy but you cannot finger the reason? you just had a good feeling about everything but you cannot explain it, humanly speaking?
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:17, "Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God." What was the reason why Paul was able to glory in Christ? Whenever we read the conjunction 'therefore' we should go back to the verses before the word and see the context given. From verses 8-16, Paul wrote how Jesus was sent to the circumcision (Jews) and that the Gentiles were included because of God's mercy. He also spoke about God's commission to him to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
There are many things in life for which we received and enjoyed that were not meant to be except by the grace of God. Indeed mankind did not deserved a second chance after Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden but Abba Daddy is the God of Second Chance. Read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and one will recognize a few names in there that, humanly speaking, should not be there at all - Tamar, the mother of Perez slept with her father-in-law Judah when he did not allow any of his remaining sons to marry her after her husband died; Rahab was a prostitute; Ruth was a Moabite and not a Jewess and Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah when King David slept with her - but Abba Daddy chose them to become a part of the ancestry of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Certainly there are many things in our daily lives that had come along our paths but we just cannot fathom them; that does not preclude them to be legitimate. For some of these they may remain a mystery to us and maybe you might want to write these down as questions to ask Abba Daddy when you get to heaven; certainly I would not spend too much time arguing or reasoning within myself the reason or rationale behind many of these things. I just want to adopt the line that Paul did - I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 15:17, "Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God." What was the reason why Paul was able to glory in Christ? Whenever we read the conjunction 'therefore' we should go back to the verses before the word and see the context given. From verses 8-16, Paul wrote how Jesus was sent to the circumcision (Jews) and that the Gentiles were included because of God's mercy. He also spoke about God's commission to him to be an apostle to the Gentiles.
There are many things in life for which we received and enjoyed that were not meant to be except by the grace of God. Indeed mankind did not deserved a second chance after Adam sinned against God in the Garden of Eden but Abba Daddy is the God of Second Chance. Read the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and one will recognize a few names in there that, humanly speaking, should not be there at all - Tamar, the mother of Perez slept with her father-in-law Judah when he did not allow any of his remaining sons to marry her after her husband died; Rahab was a prostitute; Ruth was a Moabite and not a Jewess and Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah when King David slept with her - but Abba Daddy chose them to become a part of the ancestry of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Certainly there are many things in our daily lives that had come along our paths but we just cannot fathom them; that does not preclude them to be legitimate. For some of these they may remain a mystery to us and maybe you might want to write these down as questions to ask Abba Daddy when you get to heaven; certainly I would not spend too much time arguing or reasoning within myself the reason or rationale behind many of these things. I just want to adopt the line that Paul did - I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
One Body in Christ - Romans 12:5
Whether you like me or not, we are all one Body in Christ. The Lord has made all of us His family and as His family we all belong together with all our likes and dislikes and in the course of our daily living, He, through the Holy Spirit, will cause us to change, firstly in our Spirit and then in the physical realm. Everything starts with the Spirit realm and once that is settled, the physical will manifest itself naturally.
When God did His creation work, all He did was to declare in the Spirit realm what He wanted to see and what He declared became His creation. When there was not even a glimmer of light, He declared, "Let there be light" and there was light. In fact this light that God spoke in His creation power is still continuing on forever. Astronomers are still discovering new universes each day and they have yet to tell us how big or deep is the heavens; my apologies, they would not be able to tell us because they can never know. Only God the Father knows and I am telling you that His creation power is still proceeding nicely. By the way, astronomers tell us that there is a strange area in the direction of the north that they cannot explain for it looks like a brightness about it like God's throne room and this is not the Sun in our galaxy.
So now that we have established that we are one body in Christ, we need to accept each other and respect our individual differences but recognizing we are Family. Is it not amazing that God uses our everyday examples to show us His truths? In our families, even though we have individual personality traits, we do not criticize our siblings but we grow up together and learn to love each other. So it is with the Family of God.
When God did His creation work, all He did was to declare in the Spirit realm what He wanted to see and what He declared became His creation. When there was not even a glimmer of light, He declared, "Let there be light" and there was light. In fact this light that God spoke in His creation power is still continuing on forever. Astronomers are still discovering new universes each day and they have yet to tell us how big or deep is the heavens; my apologies, they would not be able to tell us because they can never know. Only God the Father knows and I am telling you that His creation power is still proceeding nicely. By the way, astronomers tell us that there is a strange area in the direction of the north that they cannot explain for it looks like a brightness about it like God's throne room and this is not the Sun in our galaxy.
So now that we have established that we are one body in Christ, we need to accept each other and respect our individual differences but recognizing we are Family. Is it not amazing that God uses our everyday examples to show us His truths? In our families, even though we have individual personality traits, we do not criticize our siblings but we grow up together and learn to love each other. So it is with the Family of God.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Truth in Christ - Romans 9:1
One day Jesus was teaching in the Temple when the Pharisees and the leaders came to Him and threw a prostitute before Him for His pronouncement of guilt to test Him. Jesus knowing their motives, did not condemn the woman but redirected the question back to the accusers asking them to cast the first stone if they could look within themselves and know for a certainty that they had no sin. John 8 reveals to us that none of the accusers were able to cast a stone since they all had sin in them and one by one they all left Jesus and the woman alone in the Temple ground. And Jesus, turning to the woman, pronounced her sins as forgiven and told her not to sin any more.
In the same chapter, we read of Jesus teaching the crowd about Himself and prophesying about His death, how he would suffer for our sakes and in John 8::32 we read, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." What did Jesus mean by that statement? I submit to you that He was making reference, in this context, to His mission on Earth - to die for our sins and that there is forgiveness in Him when we turn to Him in faith. Certainly the Pharisees did not understand that and that is why they could not be saved; the prostitute, coming to the end of herself, embraced the Truth (personified in Christ) and was given a second chance.
That is why I believe the Apostle Paul wrote with such agony in Romans 9:1, "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit" when he remembered his own countrymen how they had missed the whole truth of what Jesus had come to do for them and how they had rejected their only hope for them (and us).
In the same chapter, we read of Jesus teaching the crowd about Himself and prophesying about His death, how he would suffer for our sakes and in John 8::32 we read, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." What did Jesus mean by that statement? I submit to you that He was making reference, in this context, to His mission on Earth - to die for our sins and that there is forgiveness in Him when we turn to Him in faith. Certainly the Pharisees did not understand that and that is why they could not be saved; the prostitute, coming to the end of herself, embraced the Truth (personified in Christ) and was given a second chance.
That is why I believe the Apostle Paul wrote with such agony in Romans 9:1, "I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit" when he remembered his own countrymen how they had missed the whole truth of what Jesus had come to do for them and how they had rejected their only hope for them (and us).
Monday, January 21, 2008
No Separation for Believers in Christ - Romans 8:39
When we realized who we are in Christ and stand in His finished work for us on the Cross, we cannot help but enjoy His blessings over our lives. Such is the blessing of 'no separation' that the Apostle Paul wrote about in Romans 8:38-39.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Yes, Paul started the chapter (Romans 8:1) with the acclamation that there is therefore 'no condemnation' for those who are in Christ and now he ended this chapter (the original Greek bible never had chapter separations) with 'no separation' and in between, he spent the whole chapter expounding on the rights of a child of God and introduced to us the work of the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, if only we know what a privileged position we have in Christ and how secured we really are in the hands of the Father, we would be more victorious in our daily living. Each day, when we wake up and open our eyes, we need to remember who we are in Christ - sons and daughters of Abba Daddy - and to thank Him for the blessings for the day (I suggest we take small steps and do that daily first before we take bigger strides and go by leaps and bounds).
And begin to see the work of Abba Daddy over our lives in blessing us with every blessing in the heavenly places and then we end the day reflecting on all the blessings He had bestowed on us and we thank Him for them to His praise and glory. Amen.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Yes, Paul started the chapter (Romans 8:1) with the acclamation that there is therefore 'no condemnation' for those who are in Christ and now he ended this chapter (the original Greek bible never had chapter separations) with 'no separation' and in between, he spent the whole chapter expounding on the rights of a child of God and introduced to us the work of the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, if only we know what a privileged position we have in Christ and how secured we really are in the hands of the Father, we would be more victorious in our daily living. Each day, when we wake up and open our eyes, we need to remember who we are in Christ - sons and daughters of Abba Daddy - and to thank Him for the blessings for the day (I suggest we take small steps and do that daily first before we take bigger strides and go by leaps and bounds).
And begin to see the work of Abba Daddy over our lives in blessing us with every blessing in the heavenly places and then we end the day reflecting on all the blessings He had bestowed on us and we thank Him for them to His praise and glory. Amen.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ - Romans 8:2
After my last post, someone posted a comment at the bottom and did not identify himself. Well, I am afraid I cannot respond to whoever it was that posted the question as I do not wish to respond to anonymity. So, if you wish to have your question addressed, may I suggest that you leave your name and email address so that I can get back to you personally to address your comments/ questions.
Today, I want to continue on my series on the blessings that Believers have in Christ.
Romans 8:2 - "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Immediately after touching on the blessing of no condemnation, Paul then went on and brought up the next blessing - that we have this Life that the Holy Spirit brings to us when we give our hearts to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. You see, when the Spirit comes upon the Believer, he/she is no longer a the same person as he/she was before Salvation came into his/her life. That is why the same Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
When a person receives Jesus into his/her life, that person starts afresh on the new journey. He/she used to be headed aimlessly (spiritually speaking) before Christ came and the ultimate end-journey will be eternal separation from God, the Source of Life. But praise be to Jesus this new life that he/she has found permits him/her to enter into the privileged fellowship with the Holy Spirit and where the Spirit is, there is Life. That is why Romans 8:2 boldly declares that we have the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ.
Indeed, a lot of the blessings will become ours to enjoy when we realized how blessed we are in Christ. I am not saying that the blessings are not there; indeed, they are already there but we do not get to enjoy them if we do not know that it is there. It is just like you had a billionaire relative who had passed on and left you a great fortune but because you are ignorant that such an inheritance had indeed been laid out for you and that all you have to do is to step into the lawyer's office where the will is administered and show proof that you are indeed the beneficiary, you will continue to live life as you are - in a state of lack. Until you lay hold of the inheritance, you will not be able to enjoy life the way you were meant to do. How sad it will be.
But praise be to our Lord Jesus who not only paid the price, died and left us that great inheritance but is now also our Advocate and Solicitor to ensure that the rightful owners of the inheritance do get the blessings that were intended for us. Don't you just want to thank and praise Him that all these had been made possible. Hallelujah!
Today, I want to continue on my series on the blessings that Believers have in Christ.
Romans 8:2 - "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Immediately after touching on the blessing of no condemnation, Paul then went on and brought up the next blessing - that we have this Life that the Holy Spirit brings to us when we give our hearts to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. You see, when the Spirit comes upon the Believer, he/she is no longer a the same person as he/she was before Salvation came into his/her life. That is why the same Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
When a person receives Jesus into his/her life, that person starts afresh on the new journey. He/she used to be headed aimlessly (spiritually speaking) before Christ came and the ultimate end-journey will be eternal separation from God, the Source of Life. But praise be to Jesus this new life that he/she has found permits him/her to enter into the privileged fellowship with the Holy Spirit and where the Spirit is, there is Life. That is why Romans 8:2 boldly declares that we have the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ.
Indeed, a lot of the blessings will become ours to enjoy when we realized how blessed we are in Christ. I am not saying that the blessings are not there; indeed, they are already there but we do not get to enjoy them if we do not know that it is there. It is just like you had a billionaire relative who had passed on and left you a great fortune but because you are ignorant that such an inheritance had indeed been laid out for you and that all you have to do is to step into the lawyer's office where the will is administered and show proof that you are indeed the beneficiary, you will continue to live life as you are - in a state of lack. Until you lay hold of the inheritance, you will not be able to enjoy life the way you were meant to do. How sad it will be.
But praise be to our Lord Jesus who not only paid the price, died and left us that great inheritance but is now also our Advocate and Solicitor to ensure that the rightful owners of the inheritance do get the blessings that were intended for us. Don't you just want to thank and praise Him that all these had been made possible. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
No Condemnation in Christ - Romans 8:1
The Book of Romans was not the first letter written by the Apostle Paul although the Holy Spirit placed it immediately after the Book called Acts of The Apostles. However it is written to build up the faith of the young church at that time and hence is full of teachings. In Romans 7 Paul wrote about his struggle with the Law and how he could never measure up to the demands expected from it and he ended the chapter with the cry, (Romans 7:24-25)
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
And then, with a triumphant cry of joy, he declared (Romans 8:1)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,* who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Indeed, now that Christ Jesus our Lord had paid the full price for sin (with His very Life), there is definitely no more condemnation. God is a just and righteous God and He WILL NOT and CANNOT judge the same sins that had been fully paid at the Cross on each one of us. To do so would mean a double jeopardy and you and I know that would be a miscarriage of the Law.
Now would you not be excited knowing that for the Believer, there is definitely no more condemnation for sins because of the Person of Christ and that is a blessing indeed!
24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
And then, with a triumphant cry of joy, he declared (Romans 8:1)
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,* who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Indeed, now that Christ Jesus our Lord had paid the full price for sin (with His very Life), there is definitely no more condemnation. God is a just and righteous God and He WILL NOT and CANNOT judge the same sins that had been fully paid at the Cross on each one of us. To do so would mean a double jeopardy and you and I know that would be a miscarriage of the Law.
Now would you not be excited knowing that for the Believer, there is definitely no more condemnation for sins because of the Person of Christ and that is a blessing indeed!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Eternal Life in Christ - Romans 6:23
Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (NKJV)
So firstly we have redemption in Christ, then we are made alive to God in Christ and today we learn that the gift of God to us is eternal life in Christ Jesus. What exactly do we understand from this?
Mankind is created differently from plants and animals; we have a spirit just like God has a Spirit and our spirit is meant to live on forever - whether in the company of God our Creator or away from Him in eternal damnation which is death. In the scriptures, the terminology for physical death as we know it for a Believer is not death but 'falling asleep'. When we close our eyes and breathe our last breath, we go into a sleep only to wake up on the other side in Heaven; hence the term 'falling asleep'.
However, the same is not true for a non-believer. For the non-believer, physical death is really death as when he wakes up to find that he had just entered into an eternal separation away from any connection to the Source of Life. So in essence, the wages (what is deservedly the outcome) for sin is death.
Romans 5:17 tells us "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (NIV) Death is the natural consequence awaiting all mankind but to the one who had received Christ into his/her life, that state no longer applies as the price had already been paid for by Christ (God Incarnate) Himself on the Cross and now we can enjoy our new state - eternal life - which in itself is His gift to all mankind to whoever who step forth and receive Him into their hearts.
So I encourage you.. take that step and enter into His eternal life.
So firstly we have redemption in Christ, then we are made alive to God in Christ and today we learn that the gift of God to us is eternal life in Christ Jesus. What exactly do we understand from this?
Mankind is created differently from plants and animals; we have a spirit just like God has a Spirit and our spirit is meant to live on forever - whether in the company of God our Creator or away from Him in eternal damnation which is death. In the scriptures, the terminology for physical death as we know it for a Believer is not death but 'falling asleep'. When we close our eyes and breathe our last breath, we go into a sleep only to wake up on the other side in Heaven; hence the term 'falling asleep'.
However, the same is not true for a non-believer. For the non-believer, physical death is really death as when he wakes up to find that he had just entered into an eternal separation away from any connection to the Source of Life. So in essence, the wages (what is deservedly the outcome) for sin is death.
Romans 5:17 tells us "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ." (NIV) Death is the natural consequence awaiting all mankind but to the one who had received Christ into his/her life, that state no longer applies as the price had already been paid for by Christ (God Incarnate) Himself on the Cross and now we can enjoy our new state - eternal life - which in itself is His gift to all mankind to whoever who step forth and receive Him into their hearts.
So I encourage you.. take that step and enter into His eternal life.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Alive to God in Christ - Romans 6:11
The way the blessings in Christ appear in the Bible is not a reflection of the importance each subsequent blessing has over the previous blessing. It is just a chronological order that the Holy Spirit placed within the Bible although I get the feeling that He placed them the way it is done now as a building block in faith.
Being 'Alive to God in Christ" is one of the most important doctrine that we can find in the Scriptures. If the answer to being alive to God is to be found in Christ, then the opposite is true - as far as God is concerned, death is there when Christ is not in the picture.
An interesting observation is that wherever the Gospel of Christ had gone to, there is progress and the lives of the people are set free. Ever seen photographs of people in the dark parts of Papua New Guinea or Africa or even in the Amazon area of South America? If you look into their eyes, you cannot help but will notice that their eyes do not sparkle. Why? They do not have the joy of life and therefore sadness surround them all the time.
So, let the truth be know that there is life as far as God is concerned when we have Christ in our lives; never allow the devil to steal that truth away from you. Yes, life has its challenges but when we look away from our daily problems and be thankful for what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had accomplished for us on the cross, hey our problems do not seem to be so big after all. They will actually shrink in proportion to our faith. Try that some time and you will learn to be "alive to God in Christ". I know because I have been there and still am.
Being 'Alive to God in Christ" is one of the most important doctrine that we can find in the Scriptures. If the answer to being alive to God is to be found in Christ, then the opposite is true - as far as God is concerned, death is there when Christ is not in the picture.
An interesting observation is that wherever the Gospel of Christ had gone to, there is progress and the lives of the people are set free. Ever seen photographs of people in the dark parts of Papua New Guinea or Africa or even in the Amazon area of South America? If you look into their eyes, you cannot help but will notice that their eyes do not sparkle. Why? They do not have the joy of life and therefore sadness surround them all the time.
So, let the truth be know that there is life as far as God is concerned when we have Christ in our lives; never allow the devil to steal that truth away from you. Yes, life has its challenges but when we look away from our daily problems and be thankful for what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ had accomplished for us on the cross, hey our problems do not seem to be so big after all. They will actually shrink in proportion to our faith. Try that some time and you will learn to be "alive to God in Christ". I know because I have been there and still am.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Redemption In Christ - Romans 3:24
Interesting to note that the first blessing in Christ is redemption. In Romans 3:24, we read "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
To have a better appreciation of verse 24, we need to read the blessing in its context;
Romans 3:21-26 (New King James Version)
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all (and on all) who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Here the Apostle Paul wrote that we, through faith in Jesus Christ, received His righteousness because of the redemptive work of our Savior and as a result, we are justified by Him. God is a just God and He cannot let any person off lightly unless he pays the price. Well, in our case, Jesus came and paid the price for us and now we are redeemed and we belong to God. That is why we can now call Him Abba Daddy to His glory. Amen.
To have a better appreciation of verse 24, we need to read the blessing in its context;
Romans 3:21-26 (New King James Version)
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all (and on all) who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Here the Apostle Paul wrote that we, through faith in Jesus Christ, received His righteousness because of the redemptive work of our Savior and as a result, we are justified by Him. God is a just God and He cannot let any person off lightly unless he pays the price. Well, in our case, Jesus came and paid the price for us and now we are redeemed and we belong to God. That is why we can now call Him Abba Daddy to His glory. Amen.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Our Position In Christ
The 48 golden boards in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle were there to reflect the glory of the Lord as He sat on the Mercy Seat above the Ark of the Covenant.
Interesting enough, in the New Testament, we are told that God raised us together and made us sit together in the heavenly places 'in Christ' Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Ever thought what we will be doing seated there? Enjoying His Presence and worshipping Him. Now it is also intriguing that the Paul used the phrase 'in Christ' in his letters to the churches 48 times to describe our privileged position and therefore it is useful to find out what we stand to benefit 'in Christ'.
Over the next few days, I would like to examine a number of these collectively and so you would need to bear with me as I begin that series of posts; so keep coming back and enjoy His blessings on you. Hallelujah!
Interesting enough, in the New Testament, we are told that God raised us together and made us sit together in the heavenly places 'in Christ' Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Ever thought what we will be doing seated there? Enjoying His Presence and worshipping Him. Now it is also intriguing that the Paul used the phrase 'in Christ' in his letters to the churches 48 times to describe our privileged position and therefore it is useful to find out what we stand to benefit 'in Christ'.
Over the next few days, I would like to examine a number of these collectively and so you would need to bear with me as I begin that series of posts; so keep coming back and enjoy His blessings on you. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
The golden boards in the Holy of Holies
Over the past few days I had been thinking of the word of the Lord for New Creation Church members - 2008, a year of manifested blessings - and the Lord drew my attention to our position in Christ.
When God gave Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle, He was very explicit with the details because in those details, we can get a glimpse of the love the Father has with His Beloved Son. Of particular interest I had can be found in the Holy of Holies and that has to do with the 48 pieces of acacia boards overlaid with gold.
Exodus 26:15-30
15 "And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright.
16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board.
17 Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side.
19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons.
20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards
21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards.
22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards.
23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle.
24 They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners.
25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver--sixteen sockets--two sockets under each board.
26 "And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle,
27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward.
28 The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end.
29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold.
30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
It is interesting to note: -
1. the boards were made from acacia wood; this is the hardiest of wood that can be found in the dry areas of the middle east. Wood represents mankind in the bible and we are created to be able to withstand hardiness.
2. the boards were overlaid with gold; gold in the bible represents divinity and so when mankind had been enclosed with the divinity of God, we can stand in His presence.
3. there is no physical light within the Holy of Holies; the only light that can be found there is the glory of God that radiated from the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant.
4. there are a total of 48 boards standing side by side - that's the picture of the church universal standing together to testify of the glory of the Lord.
So from here we can understand the function of the golden encased acacia boards - to reflect the glory of the Lord. So church we are called to reflect the glory of the Lord in our lives.
When God gave Moses the instructions for building the Tabernacle, He was very explicit with the details because in those details, we can get a glimpse of the love the Father has with His Beloved Son. Of particular interest I had can be found in the Holy of Holies and that has to do with the 48 pieces of acacia boards overlaid with gold.
Exodus 26:15-30
15 "And for the tabernacle you shall make the boards of acacia wood, standing upright.
16 Ten cubits shall be the length of a board, and a cubit and a half shall be the width of each board.
17 Two tenons shall be in each board for binding one to another. Thus you shall make for all the boards of the tabernacle.
18 And you shall make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards for the south side.
19 You shall make forty sockets of silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under each of the boards for its two tenons.
20 And for the second side of the tabernacle, the north side, there shall be twenty boards
21 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under each of the boards.
22 For the far side of the tabernacle, westward, you shall make six boards.
23 And you shall also make two boards for the two back corners of the tabernacle.
24 They shall be coupled together at the bottom and they shall be coupled together at the top by one ring. Thus it shall be for both of them. They shall be for the two corners.
25 So there shall be eight boards with their sockets of silver--sixteen sockets--two sockets under each board.
26 "And you shall make bars of acacia wood: five for the boards on one side of the tabernacle,
27 five bars for the boards on the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the side of the tabernacle, for the far side westward.
28 The middle bar shall pass through the midst of the boards from end to end.
29 You shall overlay the boards with gold, make their rings of gold as holders for the bars, and overlay the bars with gold.
30 And you shall raise up the tabernacle according to its pattern which you were shown on the mountain.
It is interesting to note: -
1. the boards were made from acacia wood; this is the hardiest of wood that can be found in the dry areas of the middle east. Wood represents mankind in the bible and we are created to be able to withstand hardiness.
2. the boards were overlaid with gold; gold in the bible represents divinity and so when mankind had been enclosed with the divinity of God, we can stand in His presence.
3. there is no physical light within the Holy of Holies; the only light that can be found there is the glory of God that radiated from the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant.
4. there are a total of 48 boards standing side by side - that's the picture of the church universal standing together to testify of the glory of the Lord.
So from here we can understand the function of the golden encased acacia boards - to reflect the glory of the Lord. So church we are called to reflect the glory of the Lord in our lives.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
A Fresh Start To A New Year
Indeed, over the past two days (yesterday and this morning), I have already signed two Instructor's Agreements with two US-based organizations to help them teach courses that they want to offer in Singapore and possibly in the region.
It is interesting because I don't have to do any marketing, don't have to do any administrative matters related to the courses and all I have to do is to prepare the lessons at my own time and to present myself as the instructor for the days allocated; what a blessing and easy to fulfill. And then this Friday I am meeting a brother from church who is going to organize other types of courses for me in Singapore. There is already one friend who had started to prepare the paperwork to launch some of my courses.
And looking back, I must admit that the Lord had been gracious and He had gently shown me His blessings in areas which I had ventured into in the past but with no success and now He is directing me to other areas to concentrate on. Well, I am still learning and I want to experience His daily Manna for my life. I have realized that His Manna is always fresh and on-time and all I have to do is to wake up every morning and learn to go out and to gather the Manna sufficient for the day. Anything more will turn rotten in due course.
It is interesting because I don't have to do any marketing, don't have to do any administrative matters related to the courses and all I have to do is to prepare the lessons at my own time and to present myself as the instructor for the days allocated; what a blessing and easy to fulfill. And then this Friday I am meeting a brother from church who is going to organize other types of courses for me in Singapore. There is already one friend who had started to prepare the paperwork to launch some of my courses.
And looking back, I must admit that the Lord had been gracious and He had gently shown me His blessings in areas which I had ventured into in the past but with no success and now He is directing me to other areas to concentrate on. Well, I am still learning and I want to experience His daily Manna for my life. I have realized that His Manna is always fresh and on-time and all I have to do is to wake up every morning and learn to go out and to gather the Manna sufficient for the day. Anything more will turn rotten in due course.
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