Study the Bible - The Most Important Element in Bible Verse Study

Here's the most important thing you need to know when it comes to understanding the Word of God:
You can't.
Well . . . not by yourself, anyway.
I find that a lot of people feel like they can just pick up a copy of the Holy Writ and start reading it with full comprehension. Many treat the scriptures like some sort of giant, leather-bound fortune-cookie. They pick up the Bible, dust it off, and randomly begin reading expecting the wisdom of the ages to be implanted into their lives.
It doesn't work that way.
In fact, there is a word for this kind of approach - bibliomancy. Bibliomancy is divination by interpreting a passage picked at random from a book, especially from a religious book such as the Bible. This can lead to results that range anywhere from the ridiculous to the dangerous. Imagine someone randomly connecting the following verses of scripture:
(Matthew 27:5)
Then Judas . . . went out and hanged himself.

(Luke 10:37)
". . . now go and do the same."

(John 13:27)
. . . "What you do, do quickly."
What we need to realize and accept is that there is a proper way to study and apply the scriptures. In this day of tolerance we're afraid to say that somebody's interpretation is wrong. Faith is a very personal thing and conventional wisdom says that we should not question someone's religious experience. But, the truth is that not every one is correct in their approach to the Bible.
In future articles we will be discussing proper methods of Bible study. Things like context and culture must be considered along with literary styles and the author's intent. But for now I want to just touch on the number-one, all-important, necessary ingredient for understanding the Bible. Without this component, it is impossible to grasp the things of God, and the most learned among us become fools. It's found in this one simple verse:
(1 Corinthians 2:14)
But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
Notice what this verse says about the natural man, without the Spirit of God:

• He does not accept the things of God

In fact, he considers them foolish. This would naturally lead him to mock the truths of God as well as those who follow them.

• He cannot understand the things of God

Natural man - no matter how intelligent or sophisticated - will never be able to understand the things God because they are spiritually evaluated. Those who idolize human intellectualism will find this hard to accept, but this is actually the way God delights in doing things.1 Corinthians 1:27 NLT
(27) . . . God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
In attempting to comprehend God and His Word, don't miss this basic principle:
Understanding the things of God begins with being submitted to the Spirit of God. When you approach the scriptures with humility, the Word of God will open up to you.

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The Purpose of Christian Missions - Seven Essential Tasks of Effective Christian Missions

There are many important responsibilities applicable to Christian missions. Yet, of all that can be listed, there are seven essential tasks that are most central. This article outlines and briefly discusses the seven main points pertinent to Christian missions.
Christian Foreign Missions exists to:
1. Exalt the Name of the One True God
2. Exemplify the Body of Christ
3. Evangelize Unbelievers
4. Educate Disciples
5. Establish Local Church Bodies
6. Equip and Empower National Leaders
7. Encourage the National Church as Co-Laborers in Christ
Exalt the Name of the One True God
First, Christian missions exists to exalt the Name of the One True God. Christians believe there is only one Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all living things. He made every human being to be special, unique persons with eternal value in his sight. To exalt His Name means to glorify God or, in plain terms, to make God look good and attractive to others. Certainly, others have the right to reject God, but they should never reject him because of the unseemly character of a mission group or team member.
Exemplify the Body of Christ
Second, Christian missions is about exemplifying the Body of Christ. To exemplify Christ's Body means to model the kind of loving fellowship that comes from knowing Jesus and walking together in God's Holy Presence. Christian missionaries are far from perfect, but as a group they exist to demonstrate to others around the world a type of support and camaraderie that does not exist in the secular world. Christian mission teams are envoys or ambassadors that represent the Kingdom of God, a place of refuge, a safe harbor from the storms of life. To exemplify the Body of Christ means to value each member along with their special quirks and peculiarities and to help each other thrive to God's fullest potential. As such, team members seek God together and when conflict arises, as inevitably it will, they are quick to talk through differences, forgive one another and walk forward together, hand-in-hand.
Evangelize Unbelievers
The third essential task of Christian Missions is to evangelize unbelievers. Unfortunately, the term - evangelize- has a bad connotation, as it gives the picture of a Christian hammering a non-Christian over the head with a Bible until they cower into submission and - pray the sinner's prayer.- However, in this context, the term - evangelize- simply means - to tell the good news- of God's great love for them. To testify about Him, who He is and what He has done.
If there is only One True God, then it is an imperative that Christians, including Christian missionaries, tell others about Him and how they can have a relationship with Him. Telling others the good news also includes telling them about God's Son Jesus Christ, his loving sacrifice on the cross in order to pay the penalty for our sins, and how Jesus conquered death by resurrecting on the third day.
Perhaps, it should be written that telling the good news does not mean shoving Christ down another person's throat. Not even the most persuasive person can make another person a true believer by coercion. Christian's are called to be loving, kind and cordial. It is God's task to convince others to believe; it is the Christian missionary's task simply to present the good news in a loving manner.
Educate Disciples of Jesus Christ
The fifth purpose of Christian missions is to educate disciples. To educate disciples means to teach the new believers how to grow in their faith and knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. The main source of teaching should be the Christian Bible. New believers should be taught or trained in the basic fundamentals of Christian faith and practice, including how to:
- Worship God
- Read and study the Bible
- Pray for themselves and others
- Fellowship with other believers
- Deal with conflict
- Forgive themselves and others
- Tell others about God and Jesus
Establish Local Church Bodies
Another task germane to Christian missions is to establish local church bodies or to start new church groups. Christians were never meant to live their lives in isolation. Each person has been uniquely created to function within a wider organization of believers. The reason this is so is because each human being is finite in his or her abilities. No one is good at everything. Christians need one another to balance each other out and to help each other thrive to their optimum potential. The Christian Bible tells us that each member of the Christian family has been given unique spiritual gifts to aide in the administration of the church. The goal is to establish a place of loving fellowship where fellow believers can worship God and support one another in their relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
It should be noted that establishing a local church does not mean making the church in the likeness of American or Western cultural norms. Each culture has its own unique expression of what it means to do church. Missionaries should allow national believers to explore what doing church means in their own cultural context.
Finally, one part of the task of establishing a local church body is to teach and train them in administration of the church. This includes guiding them through the process of:
- Defining their own vision for the church,
- Writing out guidelines for church discipline
- Learning how to handle church finances.
Equip and Empower National Leaders
A sixth purpose of Christian Missions is to equip and empower national leaders. The ultimate goal of Christian mission teams is to work themselves out of a job. Many missionaries lack faith and trust in God to keep His church going when they leave. Christian leaders are often too slow to let go of the reigns of leadership to national believers. It seems a bit ironic that these missionaries, who trusted God enough to leave home and family to go to a strange land far off, are not able to muster enough faith in God to raise competent leadership in their stead. Even so, leadership development is a central task of the Christian mission team.
Encourage the National Church as Co-Laborers in Christ
It is not a proper objective for Christian mission organization to remain on soil forever. It is another imperative that mission teams define an exit strategy, clearly defining what a mature national church should look like and how to back out when the appropriate time comes. However, this does not mean that the relationship has to end. In fact, the seventh purpose of Christian missions is to encourage the national church as co-laborers in Christ. Such encouragement can come through letters or periodic visits. When a mission organization has exited from a foreign field, the national church and or one or more of the local bodies will have periods when they will experience hard times. It is not the job of the mission group to jump back over and re-take the reins, but rather to be there for moral support and encouragement.
There are many important responsibilities applicable to Christian missions. Yet, of all that can be listed, there are seven essential tasks that are most central. This article has outlined and briefly discussed the seven main points pertinent to Christian missions.

Biography of Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King Jr was one of the most prominent advocates of the Civil Rights movement during the 1960s. In contrast to some civil rights activists Martin Luther King generally promoted a non-violent strategy of social change. (This policy of non-violent resistance drew inspiration from similar campaigns by M.Gandhi in India's Independence struggle. For his efforts he was awarded the Nobel Peace prize in 1964
Early Life
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta on 15 January 1929. Both his father and grandfather were pastors in an African-American Baptist church, King would also later follow them into the ministry. M.Luther King attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, (segregated schooling) and then went to study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University. It was at University that King became more aware of the civil rights struggle and he took the opportunity to study Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent strategy for social change. In 1953 King married Coretta Scott, who herself had many artistic and intellectual talents. The following year King became pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A defining moment in the civil rights struggle was to a large degree instigated by M.Luther King who was the president of the Montgomery Improvement Association.
It began on 5 December 1955, when Rosa Parks a civil rights activist refused to given up her seat breaking the strict segregation on Montgomery's buses. King inspired black residents to launch a bus boycott which lasted well into 1956, this gained substantial media coverage and in Dec of the following year the United States Supreme Court declared the segregation unconstitutional and the buses were desegregated.
Civil Rights Movement.
Following the success of this action the civil rights movement gained strength. King and other minister founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957. There was often disagreement about how to proceed with different groups pursuing different strategies. This split would become more significant in the 1960 with substantial disagreements with groups such as Black Power and Malcolm X' Black Nationalist groups.
Speeches of Martin Luther King Jr
Martin Luther King was one of the world's greatest orator. His deep and powerful voice was able to captivate audiences. His speeches caused him to become one of the most well known civil rights leaders. In 1963 he was named as Time's man of the Year. It was in August of 1963 that King delivered his famous and iconic "I have a Dream Speech". The speech was given at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C during the 250,000 march for civil rights.
Last Years
However his opposition to the Vietnam War in the later part of the 1960s caused friction and strained relations with the Johnson administration. It also led the FBI to seek to undermine King's leadership.
In April 1968 Martin Luther King delivered his final address "I've Been to the Mountaintop" whilst supporting striking sanitation workers in Memphis, The next day, 4 April 1968, King was assassinated.
To this day, King remains a potent symbol of the African American civil rights movement. His speeches offer a striking exposition of some of the ideals of the civil rights movement.

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The Rev Dr Martin Luther King, Jr

Dr. King was originally named Michael King on his birth certificate, but his father, who was also named Michael King, had a mission in mind for him. So the elder King changed both their names to Martin Luther King - and the birth documents were appropriately switched around - so his son could be called "Junior." Some people say they were both actually named Michael Luther King, so it wasn't that much of a "stretch."
When the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. died, his name was not held in dispute - except by white nationalist supremacists. They still are attempting to discredit him, calling him a liar, saying he was sexually ill, and that he was a communist sympathizer. However, for all intents and purposes, this cool icon of human rights turned out to be hard to track down, albeit the FBI kept close tabs on him throughout his entire adult life.
He was fortuitously surrounded by an entourage of black people most of the time, who carefully maintained his history, and several well written biographies have been published about him. Also, he was often on television, the radio, and in magazines and newspapers, espousing and encouraging the causes of civil and human rights, and world peace.
MLK was a vital figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concerns and sparked the consciences of the general wide world of religious, political and philosophical ethics. The spontaneous movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his vast courage and almost selfless devotion. And his causes did not appeal only to blacks; he also was able to reach out to white people, Jewish people, poor working people, and many others.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations was constantly hot on his trail, trying to tell him to sit down and shut up. This was due to several underprivileged space cadet illegal laws that must have been one long road to nowhere, except for possibly insane asylums or concentration camps. The FBI even tried to drive him into suicide through his own wife, which fortunately they both found rather laughable. This was because both their lives were one long attempt on them, although they secretly enjoyed times of lovely peace and prosperity, managing to have a small family of four children.
Being the acknowledged leader of the Black American Civil Rights Movement, he was duly (or unduly) contacted for forms of sexual and racial harassment. While performing his duties, he was constantly under siege by a strange variety of government agencies, religious groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and powerful churches in general, and many significant others. These were all leftovers from the times of the European Inquisition to some extent, which included the ridiculous and hideous persecutions of many people. The descendants of those dreadful times threatened the lives and safety of Dr. King and his family on a daily basis.
These threats involved such things as kidnapping, extortion, harassing family members by phone and mail, physical and psychological torture, and being assassinated. This sort of daily mistreatment was exposing Dr. King deeply to some weird lifestyle patterns, and otherwise harming the psyche of a rapidly maturing young and well suited gentleman.
However, spirituality issues were stuck being a particular forte of his, so he handled this pretty well, using anger and slightly vitriolic speeches against his enemies. Some may argue that indeed others had to suffer, but unfortunately, he was perfectly willing to do so with them as long as the world, insane and racist as it was as the time, turned upside down. In one famous speech, he referred to the valleys becoming mountains, the hills opening out, and the level plains become splendid. He was able in his speeches to sound pompous and arrogant in one moment, and like the nicest and most profoundly majestic being you've ever heard from in the next.
Most of his speeches had a "preachy" attitude, which eminently suited his Baptist upbringing and standing in the church, and his oratory has been called beautiful, wonderful and completely incomparable to anyone else's. However, microphones and the technology of the times were used to magnify his already boisterously loud voice to almost godlike proportions.
He also headed many political actions in addition to giving speeches concerning human rights, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, where people kept from riding city buses to end racist practices, and he led many lengthy marches in the South of civil rights workers. This included the 1963 March on Washington, D.C., where he gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Presidential Mall. Millions of his enthusiastic supporters were involved, and the event was televised on all channels.
These all bore an influence on his expanding ways of prescient thought, which nowadays includes continuing acts of humanity such as the Rainbow Coalition, headed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Therefore, this general direction Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life took is still making major impacts on people's lives, enabling his influence to extend far into the distant future. The man was a major Negro meteor who "ignited" the life forms of this entire planet with the fires of his earthy Baptist spirit. His charismatic leadership inspired men, women and children, canaries and fictional characters, the very young and the very old, in this nation and around the world. Excerpts of his speeches have been sent into outer space as a representative of some of the best our planet has to offer.
In general, the life of this young man was an improvement upon the spartanly reported upon times of the original Martin Luther, a German who nailed a protest upon the door of a Catholic Church in the middle of the night. Considering the punishments he was subject to, this act was a lot braver than it sounds. Anyone could have turned him in, but he wanted to found the Protestant Church, being of religious bent himself. He spent some time in the lower hierarchy of the Catholic Church, but wasn't satisfied with its practices; thus the posting on the church door.
He then had to go underground and into hiding. The church of the time was able to find him, and he kept some contact with it, trying to talk them out of their torturous ways, which involved burning people alive at the stake and lengthy imprisonments. They eventually caught up with him with two men in a small room, and assassinated him, too. Thus the original Martin Luther was also killed for his beliefs, radically inspiring our modern day hero.
In short, this may appear overall to be the continuing adventures of the same man in some strange and peculiar ways. Let's face it; the original Martin Luther had to endure the self same acts of potential persecution, but not so much on a world stage. It was the same dire threats of torture, and as far as I am aware, far worse ones such as the dungeon, the rack and the iron maiden. People were tough during those days, but he still had to go into hiding to get the new church founded, though the old one finally killed him.
Our present day Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, where he excelled. In spite of the odds being against him, being a proven genius, he graduated from high school at fifteen. This put the lie to Negroes not having any brains. Next he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta, Georgia, from which both his father and grandfather graduated. Purportedly many of his degrees involved acts of plagiarism - such as having other people write his term papers. It looks like he was capable of writing his own work, but being in a hurry politically, probably out of concerns about being assassinated and not being able to get the job done in time, he had others write for him. He had to be a kind of a "speed demon" in his own way, to get the job done as swiftly as possible.
He also had to derive his political base and tactics in a hurry. The coalition that MLK built and based his career upon seems to have been derived from the list of the group of people that the Ku Klux Klan was persecuting, fighting with, or otherwise trying to keep under control in America. The KKK used extremely perverse methods on diverse groups of people to try to keep our country in a "peaceful" state - that is, peace defined by their meaning of the word, which generally meant doing nothing to offend white people.
This is not a case exactly, however, of good guys versus bad guys. It's more a sad matter of war, where diverse groups and cultures of people had conflicts and were at sore odds with each other. For example, the KKK had been involved in the Indian Wars with Native America, where they fought for white people's controlling land interests. In the case of racism against blacks, they wanted the reinstitution of slavery, which was very unlikely. For the sake of plantation ownership, they wanted to enforce racism. Dr. King didn't mind performing hard work, but he was prepared to die to end such depraved working conditions as plantation slavery - forever.
His Baptist Church career was probably the greatest influence upon his life, besides racism and working for civil rights. His grandfather began the family's long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father served from then until the present, and for eight years, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. acted as co-pastor.
After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955.
In Boston, while they were both attending school, he met and married a gorgeous, sophisticated, well bred and charmingly auburn haired woman, Coretta Scott, a colored lady of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments who mostly studied music and the fine arts. She turned out to be an avid speech giver, too. He was somehow - due to mystery reasons only known to God - "mostly black" next to her, as in the traditional romantic model of a dark man and a light woman, "the field gent and the house lady." Two sons and two daughters were swiftly born into their growing family, and they also now have several grandchildren.
Dr. King is purported to be the original source of the concept of "Somebodiness," which symbolized the celebration of human worth, the conquest of rituals of subjugation and the promotion of people's unique and precious talents and abilities. This all inclusive "attitude problem" of his gave primarily black people in general hope and a sense of dignity, although many other kinds of people have benefited from it.
His philosophy of nonviolence was derived partially from Mahatma K. Gandhi's nonviolent army's struggles with the British Raj, and Henry David Thoreau's theories of nonviolent politics through being jailed. He preached in many of his famous speeches that all human life has worth, and that it's wrong to take anyone's life, no matter their actions. His strategies for rational and non-destructive social change galvanized the conscience of American nation, drastically reordering our modern day priorities.
Items such as organizing unions, reparations for African Americans and affirmative action programs for everybody were formed from Dr. King's many works, and every attempt has been made to implement them. He appealed to the blue collar working people of this country the most, working through the Democratic Party, which wanted to run him for President, and offered him their nomination at one point in time.
But during his relatively brief political career, he was considered to be "an illegal person" in multitudinous and nefarious ways. The FBI and the US government made every attempt to prove that what he was doing was illegal, immoral and was undermining the fabric of American society. But he finally won the hearts and minds of the public, and even the authorities had to bow to the wisdom of his ideas, striking down the "Jim Crow" laws which had kept black and white people apart for over four centuries.
His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dreams for a new way of life are deeply intertwined with the American experience, and now are easily accessible across the World Wide Web. Persons of many nations and children who have never heard of his life before can now study him. Also, I have definitely found an association between this gentleman and the ancient Hindu deity Ramah, which has something to do with the sun. Maybe somehow he symbolizes or was one of our original African leaders of human beings. I thought I saw a vision of him once, telling me that I'd known him since before I was born. Who knows? It's hard to imagine a man who plagiarized his term papers being a god, though.
Perhaps more people like you should read about this "plagiarist" who organized as much of humanity as he possibly could to react against social injustice. I guess the major complaint about him wasn't his plagiarism, but the fact he had to perform his major political actions during a time of severe strife in our country, which was known as the Viet Nam War. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a general in an "army" of peace and love, sort of the original hippies, which preached that violence was a thing that "We Shall Overcome." We can all go for that, but due to serious overpopulation and wartime problems, he was forced to invert that army upon Washington DC. This was against our first Catholic President, upon whom the Protestant Dr. King lost no love, although President Kennedy was a liberal and sided with him in a number of cases. There is a report that once when JFK was on TV, Dr. King bent down in front of the screen and said - the f word "you!" - at the President - quite clearly.
The good and youthful doctor was not above using colorful language, and was known like JFK to be a womanizer. He even frequented ladies of the evening, only seeing black ladies. He supposedly treated them with the greatest of respect, however. Being a virile young man without a lot of time at his disposal, and without religion having a "narrow" impact on his conscience, he clearly wanted to live his life - while also always getting the needed social changes done.
Therefore, he had no choice whatsoever but to subjugate the President of the USA to the views of a nation of people who needed jobs, welfare reforms, better medical care and social justice. It seems to have simply timed out that way, and not been a planned attack during the Viet Nam War times. Some people think he was a Communist sympathizer, however.
The theory has been advanced that many of the problems he was addressing had to do with racial segregation definitely leading to an entire population of "colored" people being lead offstage to an unknown place. This could have been concentration camps eventually, or something rather like that in the American South. Obviously, such things as isolated curfews for blacks, segregated restrooms, enforced seating in the backs of buses, lunch counters in separate restaurants, and segregated facilities and areas in cities - plus other such "crimes against humanity" - were opposed by this consummately witty business suited superhero and his crowd of reasonably moral civil rights workers.
Yes, he was the Superman of his own nescient ethical attack, having been born into the same era of time as that ever popular children's character. He was even a speed demon who was forced to constantly break the law, getting arrested and thrown into jail, dashing around from city to city, parading his crowd before the camera - while always on the run. Like Superman and Batman, and other such superheroes, he was seen by the authorities as competition. They freely persecuted him before finally relenting and changing American laws to reflect civil liberties - and stop arresting black people for acts such as trying to marry white people. People like him are responsible for me and my husband being able to get married, as he happens to be brown and I happen to be white. Our beautiful light skinned daughter would have labeled "deficient" and "unnatural" by the authorities, before Dr. King helped stop such idiocy.
To me, he will always be a kind of man in the moon who never got there. His sex life will be forever questioned, every move he ever made was photographed and reported on, and in general he was one of the lifestyle trendsetters of his times. Many people think that when he was finally assassinated by James Earl Ray, probably a KKK hit man, he was almost grateful for the rest. He did say he was not the slightest bit afraid to die, and the night before he was shot, he said he was going home, back to the Promised Land, and that although he was angry, he was not worried.
However, he was an earnest lover of life who wanted to go on to run for President of the United States. This would have been, however, under conditions of the Separation of Church and State which entirely precluded his ever managing to get there. This had to do with the general subjugation of black people in America, and how the laws had only allowed them to become higher level officials by joining churches, thus precluding their being able to run for political offices such as the Presidency. Some people have thought that he could have simply dropped his ministerial titles once he attained the Presidency, and become President Martin or Michael King.
MLK was brilliant, dashing, handsome, and romantic, a charmer even when severely overweight. I remember that he had the cutest little mustache. He definitely died while having those "dark good looks," cutting as fine a figure as his beautiful young wife. When his corpse was photographed, he was still handsome, with a look of surprise written across his features, as if he died wondering why people persecuted others. There is a single crease across his left temple from a bullet, but he was shot in both the neck and spine, almost instantly killing him.
He died one year short of forty, the same age as Malcolm X died. It is a strange coincidence, but Malcolm X, a Moslem Black militant and hero to black separatists and Moslems worldwide, was a few years his senior. They were both fighting to get the rights of black people to be recognized in general, and they were frequently photographed together. Although they had different approaches to civil rights, they shared common interests.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was especially concerned over the welfare of black Americans, so he used his charisma and ability to get as much media attention as possible for all of the people in the Movement. Some think his speeches were a little lowest common denominator, designed mostly to appeal to the masses and not intellectuals, although he probably only sincerely wanted everyone possible, not just black intellectuals alone, to completely understand what he was saying. Also, I believe he was appealing to the interests of school age children, the future of society. He spoke of their "holding hands," which turned out to be an earlier political action of his, where he and several adult protesters had held hands. He was forever looking to the future, and the possibilities of freedom. I suppose we shall need all types of people here on Earth, one way or another, in groups or uniquely, to create a lasting peace.

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Manifesting the Kingdom of God on Earth

Building in accordance with the divine blueprint
It is of cardinal importance for the corporate body of Christ to be established in the present day truth. Let us properly define the concept of present day truth. Present day truth can be defined as the word that God is emphasizing in the current epoch. (Bill Scheidler). However, present day truth is not a new truth, but the truth that God is reverberating in this epoch. With that being said, I am totally convinced that God is calling the church to return to the ancient landmarks of our forefathers. Ancient landmarks can be defined as the original pattern or modus operandi of building the kingdom of God on the earth realm. God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle according to the divine blueprint revealed to him on the mountain.
We are going to explore three vitally important steps of building the kingdom of God on the earth realm. Three steps of manifesting the kingdom;

1. Downloading the pattern -Spirit
2. Decoding the pattern- Soul
3. Building the pattern- Body

I want us to shift our attention towards the scriptures even as we explore this subject in detail. The principle is that, understanding the book of Genesis is the genesis of understanding. The book of Genesis serves as the seed plot of the Bible. It is in the book of Genesis where we derive the theme of the Bible and the original purpose of God for mankind. My approach is to systematically explore each step at a time in a quest to provide a step by step approach of how to manifest the kingdom. In as much as man is a spirit has a soul and lives in a body, the kingdom of God is threefold. There are three dimensions of the Kingdom of God namely;

1. The kingdom within- Spirit
2. The kingdom amongst- Soul
3. The kingdom upon- Body

Genesis 1:1-3 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
Let us properly dissect the above portion of scripture. Bear in mind that there is one God who reveals himself in three distinct personalities i.e. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Let us revisit the account of creation. The Bible says that the Spirit of God was hovering upon the face of the deep and God spoke the word. The principle is that, when God creates, He creates to reveal himself. We see the three persons of the Godhead in the creation account. God (the Father) spoke the word (Christ) and the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) was hovering upon the face of the deep. We need to understand the roles played by each person of the Godhead in the creation account. Let us properly decode Genesis 1.
This is what transpired. God (the Father) spoke the word (the Son) John 1.1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". Christ then serves as the pattern and the divine blueprint that man ought to follow. The Holy Spirit was responsible for decoding and translating that which was spiritual into the physical. There is a divine protocol that has to be followed before the Kingdom of heaven can infiltrate the earth realm. The same modus operandi was followed in the conception and birth of Jesus Christ. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 1:18-20
.Note how Jesus was born. The scripture says that the Holy Spirit overshadowed the womb of Mary and she conceived as a result. Bear in mind that in the book of Genesis the Spirit of God was hovering upon the face of the deep. According to Strongs concordance the Hebrew word for moved is 7363 rachaph which translates flutter, move, shake. A primitive root; to brood; by implication, to be relaxed -- flutter, move, shake. Now the primitive root of the word "rachap" is to brood. The word brood simple means of a bird sitting on eggs to hatch. It is noteworthy that there is a parallel relationship between the account of creation and the conception of the Messiah. The common denominator is that the Holy Spirit played a major role of birthing the spiritual into the natural. The principle that we can extrapolate from the above scriptures is that, the Holy Spirit plays an integral role of manifesting the kingdom of heaven on earth.
"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." Romans 1:20.
The principle that is extracted from the text above is that, the invisible (spiritual things) are understood through the visible (the physical). We need to note that the spiritual cannot be translated into the physical in the absence of the person of the Holy Spirit. The golden rule is that, the spiritual cannot come into the physical unless through the body. Mankind connects to God through the spirit because God is a Spirit and he connects to the physical world through the body. It was impossible for God to circumvent this principle despite the fact that He has all the super powers to do so. That is the primary rationale behind God manifesting in the earthly realm through human flesh. John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."
It is evident from this text that God took the form of a human being to gain legal entry into the realm of mankind. The point that I am trying to drive home is that, there is a protocol that ought to be followed for the kingdom of heaven to manifest on the earth realm. Let us properly define the kingdom. A kingdom is "the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose, and intent, producing a culture, values, morals, and lifestyle that reflect the king's desires and nature for his citizens." (Myles Munroe). For the purpose of this article, we are going to premise our case on this definition of the kingdom. The word kingdom is made of two words namely king + dom- domain. Now every Kingdom has a king and every king has the domain. In the kingdom of God, God is the king and the earth is the domain. Isaiah 66:1.
Steps of manifesting the kingdom
I would like to provide a systematic approach to how can we incarnate the kingdom of heaven whilst we live on the earth realm. The question that most people are asking is that, how can the kingdom of God be manifest on the earth realm and by whom? I want us to focus on the three steps of manifesting the kingdom mentioned in the introduction of this article in responding to the questions raised.

1. Downloading the pattern-Spirit

It is of cardinal importance for us to comprehend the nature of the king in our quest to manifest his kingdom. Note the process that God followed in the building of the tabernacle of Moses. The primary step was the downloading of the pattern. God called Moses his servant to the top of the mountain in order for him to download the pattern of the tabernacle. Bear in mind we said earlier that when God build, he build in order to reveal himself. Let us go back to our definition of the Kingdom. We said a "kingdom is a governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose and intent." Therefore, it behooves us to understand and know the will, purpose and intent of the king (God).The principle is that, every time God builds, he follows a pattern (Christ).
I have studied the entire Bible; it is evident that God follows a pattern every time he builds something. Bear in mind that in the account of creation God used the pattern to create the heaven and the earth (Christ). John 1:1, Hebrews 1:2. Understanding Christ (blueprint) is imperative to us because everything that we build here on earth should conform to our pattern and standard (Christ). The question is, how can we download the pattern? The answer to this question is simple; the word of God serves as the ultimate blueprint that we ought to follow. Bear in mind it is written of Christ in the volume of the book (Bible).Hebrews 10:7. It behooves us to acquaint ourselves with the word of God in such a way that it is embedded and inculcated in our everyday life. The word of God (will, purpose and intent of the king) should produce a culture, values, morals and lifestyle that reflect the nature of the king (God). Bear in mind that mankind is a spirit has a soul and lives in a body. Therefore, each step depicts an aspect of a human being.
Downloading of the pattern is associated with the spirit dimension of a mankind. My premise is that the Word of God serves as the divine language, culture, values of the kingdom of God. With that being said, it has to cascade to the dimension of the soul before it can be entrenched in our earthly culture. The divine culture cannot be translated into the earthly culture without going through the soul dimension. Recall we said earlier that mankind connects to God through the spirit. The rationale is that God is a Spirit hence mankind connects with Him via the spirit and not the soul or body. The soul dimension serves as the bridge between the spirit and the body. Downloading the pattern is also associated with the prophetic ministry.
The fundamental role of the prophetic is to download the divine blueprint and pattern to be followed by individuals and by the corporate body of Christ. Note that all believers are prophetic but however, not all believers function in the office of the prophet. With that being said, every believer should be able to hear and discern the voice of God (pattern) concerning their lives. Let us go back to the tabernacle of Moses. When we study about Moses, we trace his lineage from Levi the son of the patriarch Jacob (Israel). The tribe of Levi had the grace configuration of the prophet in that they ministered in the presence of God. Moses in particular was functioning in the prophetic office. The scriptures say concerning Levi, "And of Levi he said, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one." Deuteronomy 33:8. We need to bear in mind that the Thummim and the Urim mentioned in the text above were the ornaments of the priests under the Levitical priesthood serving as the roadmap and navigation system to the priests.

2. Decoding the pattern- Soul

Decoding the pattern is the secondary step to be followed in manifesting the kingdom of God on the earth realm. The essence of this stage is about understanding and assimilating the pattern downloaded in the first stage deliberated above. To decode simply means to understand better that which was encoded. Often times, it is difficult to comprehend the divine language, culture, values, morals and lifestyle downloaded above. The spiritual is always encoded, making it impossible for the natural human being to understand. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Corinthians 2:14. Let us go back to the book of Genesis. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7.
Let us interrogate this text. We see God forming man out of the dust of the ground- but however, man was not a living soul until God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Ruach). Bear in mind that God created man in his image (Divine Nature Activated) in Genesis 1:26 but man was not yet a living soul until Genesis 2:7.The principle is that, the spiritual can only be converted and translated into the physical via the soul. It was after God breathed into man the breath of life that man became a living soul. It is in the soul dimension that the spiritual is processed into the physical. Simply put; the nature of God was manifested on the earth realm through the living soul (Adam). Let us explore the three dimensions of mankind by studying the first Adam.

• Spirit- Genesis 1:26 - man was created in the image of God
• Soul- Genesis 2.7- God breathed into man and man became a living soul
• Body- Genesis 2-7 God formed man of the dust of the ground

The personal will, purpose, intent, values, culture, morals and lifestyle of God was embedded and entrenched in the life of Adam. The desire of God in this season is for his personal will, purpose and intent to be embedded and entrenched in his people. That is the only way that the kingdom of God can be manifested on the earth realm. Paul corroborated this sentiment in the book of Romans chapter number 12 verse 2 "And be not conformed to the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind". Let us properly dissect this text. It is noteworthy that metamorphosis can only take place in the soul dimension and not the spirit and body dimension. The principle that is highlighted by this text is that people can only incarnate the kingdom of God through the renewal of the mind; remember that mind forms part of the soul.
Recall our definition of the kingdom.. A kingdom is "the governing influence of a king over his territory, impacting it with his personal will, purpose, and intent, producing a culture, values, morals, and lifestyle that reflect the king's desires and nature for his citizens." Let us dissect this definition to excavate the hidden nuggets of truth.

• King;- God is the king
• Territory; the earth is the domain of God according to Isaiah 66:1
• Governing influence; colonizing the earth with the gospel of the kingdom
• Impact; affecting the earth with the divine nature
• Personal will, Purpose and Intent; nature of the king(God) manifested on the earth realm through mankind producing
• Culture, Values, Morals and Lifestyle; the nature of the king (God) manifested in the soul and physical dimension.

It is evident that the nature of God can only be manifested through the soul-mind, will, purpose and intent of mankind. With that being said, mankind is able to partake in the divine nature through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the bridge between the spiritual and the physical. We learned from the book of Genesis that that the soul is the infusion of the Spirit of God and the physical(flesh).Simply put, the dust of the ground + the breath of God= Living soul. The soul is the mid-point between the spiritual and the physical realm. The spiritual realm cannot meet with the physical realm except through the soul. In as much as the first Adam entered into the physical realm through the soul, the last Adam (Christ) entered the physical realm through the soul. "And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us" John 1:14.
Let us go back to the tabernacle of Moses. Moses downloaded the pattern but however, he did not translate the pattern into something physical. The decoding stage is associated with the apostolic. The primary function of the apostolic is to translate the spiritual into the physical through the soul dimension. I have studied the life and grace configuration of Judah the son of Jacob (Israel). Through my study, I came to the conclusion that; Judah possessed an apostolic grace. My premise is that the Messiah is from the lineage of Judah, the tabernacle of Moses was built by the tribe of Judah, the tabernacle of David was built by Judah, the temple of Solomon was built by Judah and the rebuilding of the temple of Solomon was built by Judah. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass." Exodus 31: 1-4.
It is evident from this text that the tabernacle of Moses was built by Bezaleel who is from the lineage of Judah. Judah has the grace to translate that which is spiritual into the physical (tangible).

3. Building the pattern(Christ)

The last stage in our model is building in accordance with the pattern. Simply put, this stage is all about revealing and manifesting the pattern (Christ) in our everyday lives through our lifestyle and everything we do. At this stage the divine culture, values, morals and lifestyle is in embedded and deeply entrenched in us. This is the ultimate stage which I call colonization. When the kingdom within becomes the kingdom amongst and the kingdom amongst becomes the kingdom upon. At this stage the invisible is understood through the visible, the spiritual through the natural. Romans 1:20

Prayers for the Living of These Days

Christians know the value and power of prayer and at moments we wonder what life would be like if God had not made this provision for our communicating with Him. All through Scripture, men and women alike called upon His name in good times as well as times of severe testing. In His word we find strength that we did not know was possible and power for living that we did not know we could experience. Though many deny it and others defy it, prayer does get God's attention and He relishes in our coming to Him. Prayer glorifies God and acknowledges our helplessness without Him.
May you find strength and be empowered through His word and prayers from my soul.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Luke 11:1.Father in heaven, I love you more than I can express in mere words. I want to know you with all my heart and soul. Help me to surrender myself so that I may be in constant touch with you. Teach me how to pray prevailing prayers and how to commune sincerely with my Savior. This I ask in the saving name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2.
Almighty and eternal God, who destined your only begotten Son to be Redeemer of the world and willed to be appeased by his precious blood, I praise your holy name. All glory, laud, and honor belong to you alone and to you alone do I offer this prayer of praise and thanksgiving. I thank you most Holy Father, for the grace of venerating the price of my redemption and of discovering in it the virtue it contains. May I live out my days on this earth in such a way that I bring honor to you forever and ever; through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night...' Job 35:10.
O God of grace and God of glory, help me to sing your praises even as tears fall during the darkest hours of my midnight. I give all my cares over to you, blessed Lord, thanking you for the blessed availability of your Spirit to sustain me. Give me grace and strength to persevere and an obedient heart to do your will; through the merits and mediation of our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2.
O God, light of the world, help me to always give priority to the eternal values which make life worth living. Grant that I not succumb to the drumbeat of the world. May the Spirit of Wisdom save me from all false choices, that in your light I may see light, and on your straight path I may not stumble; through Him who died and rose again, your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5.
Dear God of wonder and ancient of days, when I stand in the light of your love, my true self is exposed. In your light, my sins are revealed and my life shaken. Thank you gracious Lord for stripping me of this false self and bringing a wonderful change of healing and restoration into my very soul. This I pray in the saving name of our crucified and resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:21b, 22.
Almighty, Everlasting God, confiscate from me even a hint of pride that keeps me from truly acknowledging your sovereign supremacy. Cleanse me of all parasitic influences that would invade my spirit and soul that I not become open prey for corruption. As a poor sinner saved by your amazing grace, keep my memory sharply aware of the cardinal truth: you are God and beside you there is no other. This I earnestly pray in the saving name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness." Jeremiah 31:3.
God of all, I bask in the knowledge and experiences of your loving kindness. Though sometimes I have had to swim through turbulent waters and climb rocky mountains, your love for me always manifested in ways unimaginable and unmistakable. Thank you for your steadfast love. Grant, O Lord, that I remain forever cognizant of your undying faithfulness and, when all is said and done, find a place in your kingdom where I will sing your praises throughout all eternity; in the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18.
Sovereign Lord, I trust you in all things. Even the mysterious and puzzling and tragic become but vehicles of your spiritual power. Walk with me through my pain and through the difficult situations I am called upon to experience. Grant that I be a living reminder to the world of your love and redeeming power. All glory and praise to your holy name; through the might of Jesus Christ our everlasting Redeemer. Amen.
I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. Psalm 118:17.
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, I give you my most humble and wholehearted thanks for the gift of life and all your goodness and loving kindness. I thank you for my creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life. I ask kind Lord that you endow me with a sense of all your mercies, that my heart may be genuinely thankful. Grant that I show forth your praise, not only with my lips, but in my life, by giving up myself to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all my days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:39-40.
Father God, I cannot survive this journey without you. The road is too rough to tread and the mountains too high to climb. Help me to hold fast to my faith in you. Give me the strength and courage to not resign under pressure. Keep near to me as I live the Christian life, trusting in the sufficiency of your abounding grace; in the name of our crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/69416

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

The gospel is among the most widely celebrated themes in all Christianity. Ironically, differing gospel messages are printed in literature, broadcast on television, preached from the pulpit, and solicited door to door. In our modern age, competing denominations have advanced a gospel of grace, a gospel of salvation, a gospel of peace, a health and wealth gospel, a social gospel, and even gospel music.
However, while enormous attention has been focused on what various religious leaders have proclaimed, few have truly understood Christ's gospel of the Kingdom of God. In fact, religious leaders have deceived millions of sincere men and women regarding Christ's message to mankind. Certainly, they talk about Jesus, His life and His death, but they ignore the profound message that He preached.
Ministers lure members into their congregations by teaching that by professing belief in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, one gains an almost effortless and automatic ticket to salvation. By this, they lead followers to believe in Jesus, but they don't teach them to believe the message that Jesus preached
The Gospel Jesus Preached
During His ministry, Jesus Christ powerfully and passionately preached a message about the Kingdom of God. This gospel was to be the motivating hope of true Christians. It was to be their reason for being. But tragically, few have understood it. What was this gospel that Jesus preached?
After years of silent preparation, Christ launched His ministry in Galilee. There, speaking with urgency and authority, Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God was coming: As Mark writes:
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
This profound message affected people in different ways. A few were inspired by His words, some were bewildered, and others actually felt threatened. Nevertheless, His declaration of the Kingdom was relentlessly consistent. As Matthew records Jesus to say:
Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand... and Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues the gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 4:17-23).
When the crucifixion of Jesus drew near, He entrusted the gospel of the Kingdom to His disciples. They were to continue to preach His vital message of hope. In fact, He explained, that this gospel of the Kingdom was to continue to be preached right up to the very end of the age. As Matthew writes:
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).
After Christ's resurrection, the apostles traveled to local cities and faraway nations, preaching Christ's message. They taught that we must have faith that Jesus is the promised Messiah. We must believe that His Kingdom will reign on earth, and that to be a part of that Kingdom, we must repent of breaking God's commandments, be baptized, and strive to overcome our human nature and live a Godly life.
The Original Corruption of the Gospel
The disciples faithfully preached Christ's gospel, but it was not long until Satan began his work of corrupting this message. A mere twenty years after Christ's crucifixion, the apostle Paul found himself forced to battle false teachers who had infected new Gentile converts with the idea that, to become a Christian they must first become Jews by being circumcised. Combating this, Paul wrote to the brethren in Corinth, warning them:
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him (II Corinthians 11:4).
A Modern Counterfeit
Paul confronted a growing perversion of the gospel in his day. It was one which required Gentiles to be circumcised and keep Jewish ceremonial laws. While few would ever be fooled by such a message, many must now combat another perversion of the gospel.
In the heresy widely preached today, thousands of false ministers propagate a gospel in which the focus is only about the life of Jesus. This teaching purports that Jesus lived a perfect life for us, and died to pay the penalty for our sins. While this may be true, they then add a heretical twist by teaching that all one must do is believe on Him and they will live forever in heaven.
In their theology, there is no longer a need to keep any of God's laws. They promote the idea that belief in the life and death of Jesus as our Savior alone grants people eternal life. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary is an example of this common belief. The Editors write:
One may conclude that the facts of Jesus' life constituted the Gospel, which was interpreted and applied to suit the occasion on which it was preached (P. 319, Article Gospel).
Certainly the facts of Jesus' life are part of the Gospel. Christ's life has deep and profound importance. The behavior He displayed and the events surrounding His life are essential to understanding the example we are to follow. Further, His death and resurrection make eternal life possible for believers, but the facts of His life are not the complete gospel. They certainly were not the focus of Christ's ministry. They were only a part-only the beginning of the gospel of the Kingdom of God that Jesus and His disciples preached!
Believing in the facts of Christ's life, death and resurrection is a prerequisite to the Kingdom. However, those who preach that this is all that is required are giving individuals a false sense of comfort. They teach followers that by accepting these facts, they will go to heaven when they die, but such a message is actually damnable! The consequence of such belief is that many mainstream Christians are left with only a sentimental concept of Jesus as a God that exists primarily for their comfort. Vast numbers trust that if they give their heart to the Lord, He accepts them just as they are. They think that since Christ's death paid for their sins, all they have to do is profess belief and this makes them "born again." They imagine that the kingdom is set up in their hearts and that eternal life in heaven is guaranteed, but this is far from the truth.
Is Belief in Jesus all that is required?
Promoting the belief that Christians only need faith in Christ's sacrifice does an enormous disservice to believers. It creates a false sense of security that can never be realized. Belief in Christ's atonement is absolutely essential, but it is only the foundation of what is required.
Consider that the devil recognizes the power and the majesty of God. He understands and believes in the life and sacrifice of Jesus, but he has chosen the side of darkness, and purposely violates God's law. In that context, the apostle James reminds us of this vital truth, stating:
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble, but wilt thou know O vain man that faith without works is dead (James 2:19-20).
Belief in Christ is essential, but truly believing must be reflected in a conviction to change our way of life! It will result in subjecting our will to God so that we can harmoniously live forever in His Kingdom. Genuine faith will function as a catalyst, promoting change in our character and producing the lasting fruit of obedience to God's law. No matter what your local minister, pastor, or priest might say, the Almighty is the one we should listen to and He is perfectly clear on this point. Certain "works" are a prerequisite to attaining God's Kingdom. Absolutely nothing in His Holy Word ever contradicts this truth!
Without this kind of life-altering faith, our religion is in vain. It is empty of substance and useless! Jesus warned that some would profess just such a belief in Him, but their faith was unacceptable. He warns:
These people draw near to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain they worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:9).
The gospel of the Kingdom demands much more of us than mere lip service! It requires repentance-a change in the way we live. It requires that we overcome sin and our own human nature. This gospel of Christ insists that we quit behaving in ways that continue to break God's law. We must begin to actually keep the Ten Commandments (Mat. 5:17-19, 19:16-19). The gospel Jesus preached demands that believers prepare for the Kingdom of God by actively practicing the way of life that will be taught and lived in His Kingdom in the world to come.
The Gospel of the Kingdom Changes Lives
The gospel of Jesus Christ captivated and motivated His followers to such an extent that they became dramatically changed people. They grew to become individuals totally committed to obeying God. They were willing to give up everything if necessary for Christ and many of them did. They felt honored to suffer persecution, torture, and even the loss of their lives to preach this message of God's Kingdom to others! Why would they be so willing to endure such things?
The answer is that after Jesus was resurrected, He visited His disciples and taught them about the Kingdom of God. Then, after the day of Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit. Finally they had a clear picture of His message. They now grasped what the Kingdom was all about. The disciples became radically changed by what they saw and what Jesus taught them after He was raised from the dead. It is this that made such a tremendous difference in their lives. Luke records that Jesus:
Shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
The disciples saw Christ in His resurrected state. They then realized the reality of the resurrection. They witnessed His glory, the majesty that they would one day inherit. Very likely, Christ taught them intimate details of the Kingdom, and it finally began to make perfect sense.
They now understood what Christ meant when He said, "seek ye first the Kingdom of God" (Mat. 6:33). They were filled with a profound hope that deeply motivated them. They became totally convinced that the entire world would one day come under God's rule, and that man would experience all the joy and happiness that God intended for us to have from the beginning. Armed with their faith in a far better and glorious world to come, the disciples went forth into a hostile world and they preached the gospel of the Kingdom with enormous hope and joy.
We Need the Kingdom of God
In the history of mankind we have seen very few years of peace. Since 3,600 B.C. the earth has seen 14,000 large and small wars that have resulted in the death over more than 3.5 billion people.
this last decade we have witnessed attempts at ethnic cleansing, genocide, hideous terrorist acts, and massive killing in racial wars. Everyday man is faced with the terrifying threat of a suicidal nuclear war. As Jonathan Schell writes in his book, The Fate of the Earth, should nuclear war break out, there would
The world today also suffers from rampant diseases. Pollution is out of control in most industrialized countries. In addition to this destruction that man inflicts upon himself, our planet is constantly experiencing convulsions in the form of natural disasters. There is only one real and lasting solution-a superhuman solution. It is the coming Kingdom of God!
There is Good News
As the proverb states, "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country" (Pro. 25:25). The gospel of the Kingdom of God is truly "good news" from afar.
This fantastic message of hope began long ago and is documented by literally hundreds of prophecies throughout the Old Covenant. Throughout these writings, intimate details are shared about the coming Messiah and the Kingdom that He will eventually establish on earth.
Just before the Savior would be born, the angel Gabriel came to the priest Zacharias with exciting news. This righteous spirit being informed him that he would have a son whose name would be John, and that he would be a precursor to the prophesied Messiah:
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings (Luke 1:19).
Later, this same angel came to Mary, who was espoused to Joseph, and revealed additional details of the coming Messiah:
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary; for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-34).
The amazing good news is that Jesus Christ was born for this magnificent purpose: to be a King over a literal Kingdom. One day very soon, He will return with power, glory, and magnificent majesty to rule the world in righteousness. As the Almighty God, He will set His hand to correct every problem man has created on this globe.
Christ's Good News is the Kingdom of God
The prophet Isaiah foretold that a Son would be given, and that God's government would be conferred upon His shoulders (Isa. 9:6). This is the good news that the angel proclaimed to Mary. She would bear the Messiah, and her child would one day sit on the throne of David to rule over a Kingdom which would never end. He will bring peace, harmony, happiness and prosperity to all. It will be a virtual utopia for all of mankind.
Most of those holding to the Jewish faith realize that the Messiah was to rule over Israel, but the full truth is that His heavenly government will expand to include the earth and eventually the entire universe. One of the most wonderful aspects of this good news is that Christ's divine rule will bring heavenly counsel that will be able to solve all of mankind's overwhelming problems and difficulties.
This message of hope originated with God the Father (John 8:28). It was the prime subject that Christ preached throughout His ministry. It is directly referred to over one hundred times throughout the New Testament and is indirectly referred to in nearly every sentence uttered by Jesus. Regarding all of the necessities we as mortal beings need in life, Jesus says:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
Christ's message did not emphasize His life, and death. His gospel primarily consisted of God's communication to mankind of an incredible divine government that would be established on earth-THE KINGDOM OF GOD!
Jesus spoke of a future government. But this new establishment will be composed of leaders that are resurrected saints. They will be spirit beings who will possess the very character and integrity of God. Such leaders will be capable of discerning the hearts of men, and posses the ability to judge righteously. They will always act in love and they will serve in the best interests of all concerned.
This is the good news! It is the gospel of the glorious Kingdom to come. It is the core of God's message to man, and one of the primary reasons Christ was sent. As Jesus said:
... I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent (Luke 4:43).
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom... (Matthew 9:35)
The prophesied Kingdom of God is the common thread woven throughout all that Jesus taught. For example, when He gave the Sermon on the Mount, He openly spoke of it. Christ reminded His followers that the poor in spirit were blessed "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He taught that the meek "shall inherit the earth." He explained that those who are persecuted for righteousness sake will ultimately receive the Kingdom (Mat. 5:3-10).
Then again, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, the Savior taught them that the Kingdom was to be an integral part of their daily thoughts and communion with God. Jesus trained them to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done." He also told them that they should pray, "...For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Mat. 6:10-13).
The Kingdom consumed Christ's thoughts. It was His magnificent obsession. He lived and died in order to bring the children of God into that coming Kingdom. His divine rule is the most glorious hope that mankind will ever envision. It was this good news that inspired His followers to continue preaching that same gospel message throughout every age.
The Apostles Preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
Christ had commanded His apostles to preach the same gospel that He powerfully proclaimed. That proclamation was the Kingdom of God to come. Luke records Christ's words, saying:
Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick (Luke 9:1-2).
At a later point, Christ sent out another group, this time seventy strong. They were sent forth in pairs to serve a specific purpose and to perform miraculous acts. Luke explains:
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come (Luke 10:1).
Christ told these seventy to go out and spread the good news of His coming Kingdom. They were to do so, not only by words, but by divine healing which was to be a reflection of what that Kingdom will bring. Jesus instructed them to:
Heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you (Luke 10:9).
Christ's reign will usher in a new era of restoration. He will reclaim the earth and fashion it to conform to the way God originally intended. In so doing, He will demonstrate His awesome power to restore, comfort, and heal mankind. The blind shall see, the lame walk, the dumb speak. Water will flow in arid lands and the desert will blossom like a rose (Isa. 35:5-6).
Later in His ministry, Christ commanded His disciples to go into the world preaching the gospel to every creature (Mat. 24:14). His disciples obeyed these orders and went forth bringing His message of enormous hope to various nations.
From Christ's day down to ours, this message has been preached, and it will be proclaimed right to the end. In fact, Jesus said that before He would return and establish the Kingdom on earth, this gospel message must be announced to the entire world. Matthew records Jesus to say:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).
As the early Church faithfully fulfilled their commission to preach the gospel, they encountered enormous opposition. Persecution first broke out in Jerusalem, and in order to escape, many fled the area. Philip, one of the newly ordained deacons, fled into Samaria. There he preached the gospel of the Kingdom and many were converted:
But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women (Acts 8:12).
The apostle Paul said that he was one born out of due season. By this, he meant that he was converted after Christ was resurrected, and likely personally taught by Jesus in the desert of Arabia (Gal. 1:11-12). Even so, Paul continued to preach the same gospel of the Kingdom. This is demonstrated by one occasion when he was forced to leave the brethren he had faithfully served. He wrote:
And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more (Acts 20:25).
Finally, the apostle ended up chained to a Roman guard, imprisoned, and waiting to face the Roman emperor. Even while enduring such hardship, Paul could not, and would not, stop preaching the gospel of the Kingdom. As Luke recorded:
Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him (Acts 28:30-31).
Thus we see that Christ preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. His disciples continued to preach about the Kingdom of God. The twelve apostles preached about the Kingdom and Paul preached this same message of hope. But what exactly is the Kingdom? What will it be like? When will it come? How will it come? And-how vast will it be?
We need to know the answers to these questions. However, In order to answer them, we must first understand what the Kingdom is not!
Is the Kingdom in the Hearts of Men?
Some believe that the Kingdom Jesus spoke of is not a literal Kingdom, but it is more a feeling that God places in peoples hearts. Is such a teaching true? Is God's kingdom no more than an emotional feeling? Those who teach this support their belief by a statement Christ made to the Pharisees. These religious leaders demanded that Jesus tell them when the Kingdom of God would come. He answered them saying:
...The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21).
What does this verse really mean? Did these Pharisees somehow have the kingdom within them? Consider that Jesus could not possibly be saying that the Kingdom of God was in the hearts of these men! Christ said that these religious leaders were hypocrites. He called them the blind leading the blind. In fact, this group of men literally wanted to kill Jesus (Mat. 23:15-19; John 8:37). They were enemies of God's Kingdom! Would Christ tell these heretical religious leaders that the Kingdom of God was in their hearts? The obvious answer is no.
In addition to that fact, the Bible refers to man's heart over nine hundred times, and upon careful examination of each scripture, there is virtually not a shred of evidence supporting the view that God's Kingdom dwells in man's heart. As the prophet Jeremiah explained:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
Jesus, Himself spoke about the heart of man and he most certainly did not teach that the Kingdom was in the heart of sinners. Instead, Christ clearly said:
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies (Matthew 15:19).
Since these Pharisees did not have the Kingdom within them, what exactly did Jesus mean? The answer is that the word "within" is a term used to convey various aspects inclusion. A person may dwell "within" the walls of a building. One sits "within" a car while driving to work. While standing in formation, each person is "within" a group of people. With this in mind, it is easy to understand what Jesus meant by His statement. Christ is the King of the coming Kingdom, and He was "among" or in the "midst" of these men that He spoke with. Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of the New Testament explains the meaning as follows:
The RV margin (has) "in the midst of," (and this) is to be preferred; the kingdom of God was not in the hearts of the Pharisees.
As Vines illustrates, Christ was stating that the Kingdom was "in the midst of" this crowd of Pharisees. Since Jesus is the vital part of that Kingdom, His statement was true. Most Bibles with marginal notes also indicate that the word should be "among," and therefore the point Christ made was that He was the earthly representative of the Kingdom of God. He is the King of that Kingdom. He was right there in their midst, and yet they did not recognize Him. Of course, they could not see this truth. Christ's true identity could only be spiritually discerned, and Jesus had said that these supposed spiritual leaders were blind!
The Kingdom is not within the hearts of individuals. Christ's very next words were directed to His disciples, and He explained to them that the Kingdom would come externally-visibly:
And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it. And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them. For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day (Luke 17:22-24).
The apostle John also wrote:
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen (Revelation 1:7).
Christ revealed that His return to establish the Kingdom would be visible, like the rising of the sun which cannot be hidden. Christ will come with myriad angels and ten thousands of His saints. Every eye on earth will see Him (Jude 14, Rev. 19:12). He will literally descend to the Mount of Olives, and begin His rule from Jerusalem (Acts 1:9-11, Zec. 14:4-16).
Rather than telling the Pharisees that the Kingdom of God was in their hearts, Jesus warned these men, who were His antagonists, that their hearts and minds were so spiritually darkened that they could not comprehend what was right before their very eyes. The Messiah that they claimed to seek, the one they wanted to deliver them, the King of God's Kingdom, was standing right there. He was "among" them. He was in their midst-and they knew Him not.
The Kingdom will be on Earth
Heaven is now the place of God's realm, but Christ is going to bring that Kingdom to this earth. As Jesus said:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:3-5).
In some cases, believers read the term "Kingdom of heaven" and believe that the Kingdom will be IN heaven. This is not the case. Christ says the Kingdom OF Heaven. By this Jesus meant that heaven is the source of the Kingdom, and He will bring it to the earth. Yes, the Kingdom is presently in heaven. Jesus Christ rules with the Father from Heaven right now. However, Jesus will bring His power, majesty, laws, statutes and judgments and He will rule right here on this earth. For this reason, the Scripture clearly states that Christians are going to inherit the earth. The saints will rule with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-4). The Bible nowhere states that they will rule with Jesus in heaven!
In other Scriptures, Jesus plainly said that no man has ascended up to heaven (John 3:13). Further, before He ascended to the Father, Jesus told His disciples they could not come where He was going (John 13:33). The Scriptures also states that David will be made king and rule over all Israel when Christ returns. However, Luke writes that "David is not ascended into the heavens" (Acts 2:34).
There is absolutely no Scripture in all the Holy Bible that promises heaven as the reward of the saved. Yet, most people have blinded their minds to these plain statements from God Almighty. Instead of focusing on the truth, they have carelessly accepted the unsubstantiated claims of preachers that teach them that they will go to heaven.
Jesus repeatedly said that He would leave this earth and that at the end of the age He would return to set up His Kingdom and rule over the entire world. The Scriptures also state that the faithful saints will rule with Him for one thousand years. But where exactly will they rule? Notice the prophecy in which the saints who have inherited the Kingdom sing to Christ, saying:
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth (Revelation 5:10).
The resurrected saints will rule on this earth. Christ will bring them with Him when He takes over the kingdoms of the world. He will rule in righteousness, restore His law, and bring peace to this world. This is the good news. This is the message of enormous hope that Jesus preached during His ministry. It is the message that His apostles preached after His resurrection, and is the message His church still preaches today. It is no less than the gospel of the Kingdom of God!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1809596

What Really Happened When Jesus Died?

This is one of the biggest questions of all. What sort of answer you would give? The Christian faith centres on Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. It was he who died on that cross outside the old city of Jerusalem, and it is he who, three days later, God raised up, never to die again. To be brief, here is an answer is one verse from 2 Corinthians 5:21, 'for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.' Let's unpack these words.
1. MADE SIN WHO KNEW NO SIN
The apostle Paul wants to make sure the Christians at Corinth understand why Jesus died - and I don't mean the medical reasons, like loss of blood, or because Pilate, the Roman Governor, gave in to the crowd - yes, those are some of the outward circumstances. But here in a few words, we see God's purpose in Jesus' death. The identity of Jesus and what he accomplished by his death are of supreme importance.
Here we learn that God the Father placed his own Son in an awful position, not against Jesus' will, for he went freely to the cross. But that God did this to achieve something, that otherwise would never have happened. At the cross: two most amazing things took place: God 'made him to be sin'.
The first few words describe how God treated his own beloved Son as he died for sinners and carried their condemnation. Jesus was made to 'be sin'. That doesn't mean he was made to do something sinful - never. But he was made an offering for sin, a sacrifice, to endure God's holy wrath against sin. Jesus was willingly treated as a condemned sinner by God his Father.
In one sense these are terrible and shocking words, to see that this is happening to heaven's best - the eternal Son, who is the express likeness of the Father's glory - through whom God the Father made all things - but here also is glory - here is love 'vast as the ocean'! God so loved that he gave his only Son.
And the second expression about he 'who knew no sin' is God's estimate of the moral character of his Son, the Lord Jesus, as he offers himself to bear sin's judgement. These words mean no sin ever entered his heart or mind - his human nature was not tainted by any sin. He was sinless and morally righteous. This is a vital qualification of the one Saviour of sinners - that he was not one of them himself.
2. FOR OUR SAKE
In these words we learn that God's action in Jesus' death was on behalf of others. We have seen that Jesus died, offering himself to pay the punishment for sin. Now we see how it is that we may be saved from God's just judgement of our sins. For whom did Jesus die? -For other's sins. He had none. The words are clear - Jesus died 'for our sake'.
He died for all of God's children - all of the people of God-given faith in both OT times and in this present age, from Jesus' resurrection right up until he comes again. That is all who turn in repentance and faith in him, all who are born of his Spirit - a huge number beyond counting. Many must still come - maybe you will be one of them. All are enabled to say 'he loved me and gave himself for me!'
Now this is important; while Jesus' death is sufficient for endless worlds of sinners, it is effective in saving only those who repent of their sin and turn and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. These become 'new creations in Christ', and are 'reconciled to God'. Make sure you seek the Lord and his great salvation!
3. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
These words are the result of Jesus who knew no sin being made sin for our sake - do you see the 'so that'? All who in are in this new position 'in him', become 'the righteousness of God'.
This is a wonderful blessing received by all who are 'in Christ' and 'new creations' (2 Cor. 5:17). This is how God now views all who trust in his Son. You see, if Jesus was treated as a sinner and carried the judgement we deserved, our sins were put to his account and he paid by dying for them, so we might go free. But there is more; this is why I said this righteousness is a wonderful blessing. For Jesus was not only without sin, he also kept God's law perfectly; he was perfectly righteous in God's sight. Now, as well as our sins being put to Jesus' account, HIS perfect righteousness is put to our account! This is a double blessing.
Jesus pays the great penalty we deserve for being sinners, and as if that wasn't enough, in his resurrection, he puts his righteousness to our account. This is the gift of right standing with God, a position in God's sight that we receive by being 'in Christ'.
So, in answer to the big question about what happened when Jesus died - he was made sin for us, so that we might receive the 'righteousness of God' and receive a perfectly acceptable right-standing with God. Salvation is a gift - he not only bears the penalty of sins, he also places his positive righteousness to the account of all who will turn to him!
Make sure you not only know the answer, but that you receive the free gift of salvation offered to all.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9062203

Weeping for Jerusalem

In the reading we heard from Luke's gospel a few minutes ago, Jesus wept. Does that surprise you? After all, Jesus and God are one in the same. Well, it's not really a surprise because Jesus was also human, so he had human needs and emotions, including sorrow. This was not the first time he wept. He wept shortly before he raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.
In this passage from Luke, we heard how Jesus wept over the future of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. Jesus also wept because He knew the real tragedy of the moment. He had just entered Jerusalem in triumph. He knew this moment of glory would not last. He knew that the joyous reaction of the crowds was superficial and would not last. He knew that the city would be destroyed, and indeed it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Jerusalem's destruction was God's judgment for their failure to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
From the time of David onward, Jerusalem was the centre of Israel and of her religion. But as Jesus looked at it, the temple was no longer a place of glory, holiness, and wonder but a picture of the terrible decay in the Jewish religious system.
The rejection of Jesus by the Jews was predicted in the Old Testament, but Jesus was still saddened by their rejection. This likely reflected God's heart as he thought about how the Jews rejected His prophets. Jesus was also thinking about His Second Coming and the coming of the kingdom. The things that make for peace were the things that would lead the Jews to salvation. Because they did not realize that Jesus was the long-promised Messiah, they did not realize the way to salvation.
Ironically, Jerusalem means "City of Peace." Jesus wept because of the great privileges that were being abused. He wept because of the great possibilities that were rejected. He also wept because of the great punishment he knew was coming on the city and the people. Jerusalem had abandoned its faith, rejected the Messiah, and would be laid to waste with terrible judgment. This was their day opportunity. Jesus made himself available to them, but they nailed Him to the cross.
From the time of David onward, Jerusalem was the centre of Israel and of her religion. But as Jesus looked at it, the temple was no longer a place of glory, holiness, and wonder but a picture of the terrible decay in the Jewish religious system.
Jerusalem represents all of our hometowns. Have you ever wept or shown concern for your own hometowns? We could weep for our neighbours who don's know how to have the peace of Christ. They don't know the cure for the loneliness that results in destructive patterns. If we knew the heartbreak in our hometowns, we would weep too. Every city and town can be blessed with Jesus' presence, but the leaders must invite Jesus into the city or town before God's peace can be experienced.
In some ways, we are like the Jews. Do we realize it when God does somethings special in our midst? How many people in the world today know God, even though God created the world around us? How many people know God even though the Bible reveals His plan for our lives?

Breaking Sinful Strongholds

Text: Galatians 5:19-21.
Galatians 5:19-21 refers to the works of the flesh or the acts of the sinful nature (NIV): this is a list of sinful actions. The list is not intended to be comprehensive as indicated by, "and the like" (21). Paul issues the sobering warning "that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God" (21). He prescribes the antidote to overcome the acts of the sinful nature: living or walking by the Spirit, which also includes the practice of the fruit of the Spirit (16, 22-23). If Christians fail to guard their hearts, they can find themselves doing the works of the flesh. Mental and spiritual strongholds can develop to the extent that sinful behavior becomes compulsive.
Adultery
Paul begins by mentioning the sin of adultery. This can be defined as voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse. According to Jesus, adultery goes beyond the physical act of sexual intercourse and includes looking at a woman lustfully (Matthew 5:28). Adultery also includes emotional attachments, turning to another person for the emotional satisfaction that should only come from your spouse. Some of these emotional attachments will eventually lead to sexual affairs.
There can be various reasons why people commit adultery. Some men are dominated by lust; their wandering eyes lead them to take incremental steps toward adultery. Some persons are bored in their marriage and feel that they have to do something to "spice" up their life, to break free of the monotony. Some are disappointed and dissatisfied in their marriage; perhaps the husband does not spend quality time with his family; perhaps the woman is career driven and at night is too tired to meet her husband's sexual needs. Some persons feel that their marriage is over, so even before there is a separation or divorce, they feel that it is alright to begin dating someone else. Additionally, some persons justify adultery by saying that they are no longer in love with their spouse; rather, they have found someone else. It doesn't help that secular society at times excuses and encourages adultery by its overemphasis on sex, hedonistic living (doing what feels good, rather than what is right) and humanism (you are the center of the world type of thinking). Regardless of the reasons, adultery is always wrong; it is always sinful; it is always demonic.
Some people may think of adultery as just "stepping out," a casual mistake that can be easily remedied or should just be simply accepted as the reality of life. The harsh truth is that there are serious consequences of adultery. The most important consequence is that our relationship with God is affected and can even be broken. Any person who continues to sin presumes on the grace of God. God will not be mocked; what a man sows, he will reap. If he sows to the sinful nature, the Bible says that he will reap destruction (Galatians 5:8). The victim of adultery is often emotionally devastated: he or she feels betrayed; there is anger, depression, resentment, bitterness, unforgiveness. The wounded spouse may retaliate by having an affair as well. Children are also negatively impacted; they may be asked to take sides. The wounded spouse may tell them all the sordid details. This leaves them divided, conflicted, angry and confused. There are many other consequences that affect the home, the work place, career, church. With the church, it is particularly devastating when the adulterer is a pastor. While there are intense temptations out there in our world, we can never justify giving into those temptations.
The best way to deal with adultery is to prevent it from happening in the first place. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." Galatians admonishes us to live by the Spirit and we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (5:16). The first key to preventing adultery is to have a strong personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are truly full of the Holy Spirit, then it will be extremely difficult to give into temptation and to moments of emotional weakness. If we are going in the wrong direction, the Holy Spirit will be faithful to convict us; our consciences will be open to His conviction. Another way of preventing adultery is to have a strong marriage that is mutually satisfying. This involves having devotions (the couple that prays together stays together) communicating with your spouse (both talking and listening), times of romance, frequent expressions of love, sexual intimacy, honesty and other such actions that strengthen the marriage.
Part of preventing adultery is fixing yourself, that is, dealing with the issues that make you vulnerable to an affair. This means dealing with insecurity and emotional weakness. The Bible tells us to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23). We must also know ourselves by knowing whether we are attracted to someone other than our spouse. We must take immediate steps to kill those thoughts and feelings. It is necessary to avoid risky situations that could potentially lead to an affair. For example, we should avoid flirting: no, it is not a playful or innocent activity. We should avoid being alone with the opposite sex, especially in intimate types of situations such as taking the person to lunch and going to the person's house when no one else is there. We should also avoid excessive interaction with any one person through phone calls, texts and social media. These actions can stimulate strong feelings of attraction. Finally, I would recommend that you be accountable to other persons. Adultery strives in secrecy; by being open and honest with others, you will have people who will pray with you and who can help you if illicit feelings develop.
Fornication
Another work of the flesh is fornication, which is immoral sexual activity and intercourse; it includes taking pleasure in pornography and other lustful practices. In times past, one of the main sources of pornography was "dirty magazines." Now pornography is easily accessible through the internet. Any person can do a quick search and have access to thousands of sites with every type of sexual deviance imaginable. Many persons are addicted to pornography; they find themselves unable to stop searching for and finding pleasure in the images. The addiction is not only insatiable but also degenerative: persons look for more vulgar and risqué pictures that may include orgies, sadomasochism (S&M), homosexuality, pedophilia and bestiality. Some persons really want to be free, but find themselves trapped, which leads to frustration and feelings of worthlessness. They may even determine that there is no cure, so they could as well give into the cravings.
Fornication includes a number of activities such as fondling, oral sex and masturbation. Some persons may have a problem with masturbation but may not have a problem with pornography; however, it still is the spirit of lust that is controlling. For dating and courting couples there is that perennial challenge of how far is too far. Influenced by the world, persons increasingly go deeper and deeper into sexual activity. It is important to remember that God is holy and calls His people to holiness. The best thing is to stay away from physical contact until marriage; it may be old fashioned but it works.
There are various reasons for fornication, of course none of which are justifiable. As alluded to, there is the pressure of our culture. The world has no qualms about the acceptability of virtually every form of fornication. Our teenagers are exposed to various media that tell them to indulge with the only caution of covering up (condom use). Many persons, particularly our youth, want to fit in. There are some women who feel that their "biological clock" is reaching its death throes, so they find whatever man is willing so they can have a child. There are emotional issues - feelings of insecurity, low self-esteem, wanting to be loved - that lead people into sexual activity. There may be a lack of boundaries, for example, boys and girls freely mingling, getting overly familiar with each other. Then there are those men that feel they must prove their manhood by bedding every woman they can find.
There are several dangers of being involved in premarital sexual activity. The most critical of which is breaking our fellowship with God. Fornication is a sin and sin inevitably separates us from God when it is not confessed and repented of. Fornication defrauds another person; it takes away their potential for intimacy with another person. It leads to the establishing of soul ties that result in demonic influences operating in our lives. Fornication can lead to unwanted pregnancies, which could lead to the rejection and abuse of children. It could lead to abortion as persons decide that they don't want to be saddled with the responsibility of raising a child or they are ashamed to face their family, work place or the church. Fornication can result in shame and guilt that can negatively impact future relationships or marriage. It is imperative that we understand that we can keep ourselves pure in spite of strong sexual desires.
Uncleanness
Uncleanness covers a number of sins including sexual sins, evil actions and sinful thoughts and desires of the heart. The word is used in Jesus' criticism of the religious leaders of His day who outwardly appeared to be holy but internally were sinful and wicked (Matthew 23:27). People who have uncleanness in their heart are hypocritical and deceitful. Paul admonishes believers not to yield to uncleanness, which leads to iniquity, but to yield to righteousness, which leads to holiness (Romans 6:19). Impurity in thoughts leads to impurity in speech and in actions.
Further, uncleanness is something to be repented of (2 Corinthians 12:21). Believers must also have pure motives for all that they do in contrast to unclean motives. For example, some people do ministry as a performance, to impress others and to be seen of men. Jesus warned His disciples not to pray in order to be seen by men (Matthew 6:5). Believers need to remember that we live in a sinful and unclean world. This means that most things in our world are suspect, that is, containing principles and values that contradict the truth of Scripture and the purity that God requires. This includes the world's conversation, media and educational system. To truly understand and live out purity, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit, spend quality time hearing the voice of God through the Scriptures and must obey what God commands in His Word.
Lasciviousness
Lasciviousness can be defined as sensuality; it involves following one's passions and desires to the point of having no shame or public decency. It is referred to as lewdness, wrong use of the senses and lustful pleasures. Sensuality can be expressed in the way persons dress - the wearing of tight, short, revealing clothing. Christians need to remember that current fashions can be part of the sinful world system. Just because it's in vogue does not mean that Christians should wear it. The Bible still admonishes us to dress modestly. If the clothes being made are too sensual, then we may simply need to have them made. It is better to live to please God than to compromise with worldly values.
Sensuality also includes seductive body language such as excessive touching, lustful looks and invasion of persons' personal space (being too close physically to a person). It also includes flirting with a person other than your wife (if you are married). Flirting is always wrong and can send the wrong signals to another person. Some persons flirt with the intention that it doesn't actually get into emotional and physical ties; however, this is like playing with dynamite and hoping that it doesn't explode. Flirting can lead to attraction, which can potentially lead to having an affair. Sensuality also includes sexualized conversations and lewd jokes (it's amazing some of the vulgar jokes that Christians tell, listen to or send by social media).
Some passions and desires are ungodly, and then there are some that are legitimate but when influenced by the flesh and the devil can get out of control. For example, the desire for sex is a legitimate desire if it is properly satisfied in the context of marriage. However, the excessive desire for sex leads to fornication and adultery. The desire for food is necessary to satisfy a basic need, but an over preoccupation with food leads to gluttony. The desire for success and prosperity can degenerate into greed, controlling and manipulating others, contention, striving for position and materialism.
There is the myth of "freedom" that somehow under the covenant of grace believers are at liberty to do whatever they want. Unfortunately, we can be products of our culture and the world system more than we are products of the righteousness and kingdom of God. This is why the apostle Paul urges us, "to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:1, 2). The enemy's subtle deception is to make us like the world so that there is nothing really distinguishing us as Christians; this renders our testimony ineffective. Reputation matters: Christian leaders are to have a good testimony as should all Christians.
Idolatry
Idolatry can be defined as the worship of spirits, persons or graven images. It includes trusting in any person, institution or thing as having equal or greater authority than God and in His Word. Idolatry is seen in where we invest our time, talent and treasure. Unless we have come from an animistic or occult background, idolatry in the Western church tends to revolve around things and people. Perhaps one of the main manifestations of idolatry in the West is greed - the perennial lust of materialism. Another form of idolatry is self - the dethroning of God and the enthroning of the self life, a life influenced by the worldly philosophy of humanism. Humanism places man at the center of everything, leaving no real room for God except as a compartment of man's life.
There are two aspects of idolatry in the West that I would like to address. One of the two is church idolatry. God intended the local church to be an important means of equipping the saints, and we should be faithful and loyal to our church. Church idolatry includes seeing our church as the only church. There is an overemphasis on the local church and a de-emphasis of the universal church - the church of God worldwide. Because we only see our church, we tend not to see that God has only one church of which we are a part. There is a spirit of pride and superiority in these churches: we are better than other churches because we have more business people, more doctors and lawyers, more ministries, more money and the list can go on. Church idolatry is also characterized by the rejection and alienation of those who have left the church: the feeling is that once you have left, you are an outsider, even though some of those persons would have made significant contributions to the growth and development of the church.
An idolatrous church may operate with cultic tendencies. For example, church ministry is considered more important than family and marriage. I have seen people actively involved in church ministry, doing whatever the church leadership mandated at the expense of the breakup of their marriage. Though God should come first, family second then the church and its ministry, the order typically becomes church, God then family. With these misplaced priorities, it is no wonder that there is much confusion in some churches. The church may control various aspects of people's personal lives; there are no boundaries; people may look to the church to give them detailed guidance for their lives rather than depend on the leading of the Holy Spirit, common sense and wisdom. Idolatrous churches often use guilt to drive people to action. In some instances, the church does not have an idolatrous culture and the leaders of the church may simply be serving God, but persons may simply act as if the church is their source of salvation.
The second of the two forms of idolatry that I want to address is pastor/minister idolatry. The fivefold ministry has been given for the equipping of the saints, to empower them to do the work of the ministry and most importantly to help Christians be like Christ. Ministers are expected to operate in humility and serve the people while setting an example in righteous living. However, some people idolize their pastors. Some of this is encouraged by ministers who are either insecure or influenced by a spirit of worldliness: they have succumbed to the spirit of pride, the same spirit that caused Lucifer to be evicted from heaven.
The idolatry of pastors is seen in accepting without discernment everything that the pastor teaches or advocates. It is true that ministers have the responsibility to teach us the Word of God, but they are fallible and can make mistakes, especially if they have not taken the time to properly prepare themselves in prayer and study. Even then, ministers can still misunderstand the counsel of God. Believers are encouraged to test everything; we are to be like the Bereans who diligently studied the Word to ensure that they were receiving the truth (Acts 17:11). Paul warned the elders of the church of Ephesus that false teachers would arise from among them (Acts 20:30). Some followers ascribe deity like status to the pastor, putting the pastor on a pedestal, the high place where only God should sit. They treat the pastor as if he is the only "man of God," as if there are no other ministers. The feeling is that the pastor cannot sin, and there may be an ignoring of the sins that the pastor has committed: members may rationalize his shortcomings. We should respect, honor, reward and submit to our pastors, but we must not worship them.
Witchcraft
Witchcraft includes such things as sorcery, spiritism, black magic, worship of demons and the use of drugs to produce "spiritual experiences." Sorcery can be defined as the "use of supernatural power over others through the assistance of spirits" (thefreedictionary.com). One of the aims of sorcery is to control and manipulate others so that you can get what you want from them. Another aim is to bring loss or destruction to someone else. This may include causing persons to get sick or to die; for example, a woman may want another woman's husband and may resort to sorcery to get her out of the picture. Such a person may claim to be a Christian operating under the mistaken notion that the man is "God's will" for her. They may pray to "God" for Him to intervene in their favor. Such carnal prayers can be answered by demons, who the Bible says can masquerade as angels of light.
Spiritism is the belief that the dead communicate with the living. This can happen innocently enough as the product of grief when a person has recently lost a loved one. However, there are persons who practice communicating with the dead not realizing that they are communicating with demonic spirits. Spiritism occurs all over the world, but particularly occurs among those cultures who believe in ancestral spirits. Some spiritists believe in reincarnation - that the dead come back to life in the form of a different person or animal. Black magic is considered to be magic used for evil purposes. This presupposes that magic can be used for good purposes - so called white magic. However, both forms of magic are demonic because they involve the use of spiritual powers outside of God.
Satan wanted Jesus to worship him (Matthew 4:9). Jesus' response was, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only" (Matthew 4:10). There are people who choose to worship the devil and his demons rather than choose to worship God. Paul indicates that the worship of idols or gods other than the true and living God is simply demon worship (1 Corinthians 10:20). The use of drugs to produce spiritual experiences was evident in the psychedelia of the 1960s where drugs and rock music were used simultaneously to give people a religious high. It is evident in Rastafarianism, where rastas believe that marijuana is necessary to create the spiritual consciousness needed to connect with Jah. Any such activity is demonic and will lead to being influenced and controlled by demons.
Witchcraft also includes involvement in Masonic lodges, so called "secret societies." Unfortunately, the secret is out, as lodges actively recruit persons to join and persons indicate their involvement by the symbols on their ring or vehicle. The lodge appears to be another civic organization, no different from Kiwanis or the Lion's Club. However, the truth is far more sinister. Simply put, Masonic lodges are really occult in practice and ideology. A search on "Masonic lodge Christian perspective" will bring up various articles that give insight as to why Christians should avoid this deception of the devil.
Witchcraft is being heavily promoted through various media such as television, movies and music. For example, the Harry Potter series, both the books and the movies, heavily promote witchcraft and espouse the concept of good and bad witchcraft. For years, some rock and heavy metal music promoted the demonic. Even some of the album covers and names showed the emphasis on the occult. Some of the current music videos by various artistes in different genres promote the demonic. Our children aren't simply being entertained, they are being demonized by media that is anti-God and pro-satan. Christians also need to be aware of the various symbols that are used in witchcraft and the occult such as the five pointed star, the peace symbol (the upside down, broken cross) and the unicorn horn. Symbols and objects can be means of demonic oppression.
In the Old Testament, Balaam was a pagan prophet who used divination to contact various deities. At the same time, he was also able to contact Jehovah, the one true God. Rather than abandon divination to worship God only, he became syncretistic combining both divination and prayer to connect with God. Some persons practice syncretism merging faith in God with the use of witchcraft. Voodoo, for example, is syncretistic. Another example is the Spiritual Baptists who incorporate African ancestral and Christian worship. Syncretism is often found in people who have come from an animist background. Christians in the Western world are not exempt. Some of them look to horoscopes for guidance or practice various forms of New Age such as Reiki and yoga.
Witchcraft involves the use of satanic power to achieve a particular result. This may explain why some persons identify control and manipulation as tools of witchcraft. The devil is not omnipotent, but he does have power, power that is used for malevolent purposes. It is important to remember that the devil is a deceiver. He can make the use of his power seem like something benevolent, at least for the first (white magic versus black magic). However, anything that originates from the devil, regardless of how innocent it seems, is evil and destructive. The devil also does counterfeit miracles through false prophets. Should we be skeptical of the miraculous in churches? No, but we should be discerning to recognize what originates with God and what comes from the devil. Jesus told us to watch out for false prophets and that we will recognize them by their fruit (Matthew 7:15 - 20). Their prophecies are false and misleading; they teach false doctrines and they live ungodly lives (either secretly or openly).
Conclusion
These are some of the works of the flesh that can become strongholds in the lives of believers. We have to understand what's at stake. There is a real enemy who wants to destroy our lives by various means, but there is a loving God who gives us the power to overcome the devil's devices and to live free. The real key to breaking free and staying free is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Jesus has already won the victory. Everything that we need for life and godliness has already been provided.

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