November | 2012 | The Beginning of the End

Dead Works

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Ephesians 9: 14)

Normally we think of dead works as being another term for sins. Certainly this is true, for such works result in spiritual death. Furthermore, they are works which are performed by spiritually dead persons (Ephesians 2: 1, 2).

It is possible, however, that works which are good in themselves may actually be regarded by God as dead works. God of course requires good works of all His people (Galatians 6: 10). These good works are an expression of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5: 22, 23). But good works which are improperly motivated are not acceptable to God. Our good works can never be the basis for God’s acceptance into His family, for it is ”not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3: 5). When we rely upon our good works to gain acceptance before God, then these works of righteousness are regarded by Him as filthy rags.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ time serve as an excellent example of men who are guilty of such dead works. In the familiar story of the Pharisee and the publican, the Pharisee prided himself in the fact that he fasted regularly twice a week and that he was faithful in paying tithes. These were commendable works in themselves, but the Pharisee found himself rejected by God because they were not done out of love but out of a feeling of superiority and piety which would put the publican to shame (Luke 18: 9-14).

The Pharisees not only thought to win the favor of God by their good works, but they also thought they would thereby win the favor of men. They made a public display of their almsgiving, their praying and their fasting (Matt. 6: 1-18).

Why we perform certain good works is more important in the sight of God than what good works we perform. True Christianity is based on the inner motivation of the heart.

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Posted by omitusa on November 25, 2012 in christianity

Christian Stewardship

22 Nov

Stewardship is responsibility. It is the grateful and responsible use of God’s gifts. As believers we are God’s stewards. All we have comes from Him and belongs to Him. Even the time, talent, material possessions or wealth belong to God and are to be used for His service.

There are some of us that use God’s gifts for selfish ambitions and to exploit others. Our selfish culture says, ”If I don’t own it, why should I take care of it?”. Joseph did not satisfy his own wish when he was in charge of Potiphar’s house. If he had not been responsible, he wouldn’t have prospered. He understood God’s will; that was what enabled him to live by a higher standard.

In God’s Kingdom, ”those who are trusted with something valuable must show they are worthy of that trust” (1 Cor. 4: 2 NCV). To illustrate this, Jesus told the story of a businessman who entrusted his wealth to his servants while he was away. When he returned he evaluated and rewarded them accordingly: ”…’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ” (Matt. 25: 21). The real test of our faithfulness is not how we treat the big things, but in how trustworthy we are in very little things. Those who are unjust in little things will be untrustworthy in the big things.

We have to remember that responsibility would be meaningless if there were no giving of account, no day of reckoning. ”We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5: 10). There, we must give account of what we have done with the gospel and its blessings, with the Holy Spirit’s gifts and everything God has entrusted to us.

God commits His resources to us and expects us to manage it as good stewards. Only if we are faithful will He commit to us true riches which will be our eternal inheritance. We have an earnest of our inheritance in the Holy Spirit which we receive now (Ephesians 1: 14). But the fulness of that inheritance is ”reserved in heaven for us” ( 1 Peter 1: 4). Do we desire God to trust us with the riches and glories of heaven, with crowns and a throne? Then let us show that He can trust us here with money and material possessions of this world.

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Posted by omitusa on November 22, 2012 in christianity

Remember…!

22 Nov

Fading away like the stars of the morning,
Losing its light in the glorious sun;
Thus would we pass from the earth and its toiling,
Only remembered by what we have done.

We must all stand before the judgement seat of Christ to give an account of everything we have done. Do you use your time, talents and resources to win souls for Christ or for your selfish gain? Are you bothered with the lost sheep and the dying world?

Many people will be filled with regrets on that fateful day. Those that refused to accept Christ and Christians who did not bear any fruit would want another chance but alas, it would be too late! (John 15: 2, 5-6) Remember there is a day of reckoning. Your live here on earth would determine where you’ll spend eternity. It would be so sad for one to suffer on earth and be cast into hell.

Just as the multitudes said to Jesus: ”what shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”, so are we to ask Him the purpose He created us and to always pursue after it. We have a responsibility before God; and that is to evangelize. Although we all don’t have the gift of an evangelist, but we’re called to ”do the work of an evangelist”.

Remember: you will only be remembered for the things you have done, the souls that you led to Christ!

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Posted by omitusa on November 22, 2012 in Salvation

The Presence of God

14 Nov

God’s presence is all a man needs to be sustained in this perverse world. Christians are faced with many battles from hell because Satan is so furious, knowing that his end is near. That is why the Bible said that ”we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6: 12).

The forces of hell are unleashed upon Christians in this end time. We should not be intimidated by their supernatural manifestations. Rather, we are to put on the ”whole armor of God” (Eph. 6: 13). One way to do this is to be in God’s presence continually. God desires that our souls be imbued with strength and glory that radiates from Him; so that when we come in contact with the world, we will reveal the glory that is in us. The Bible makes us to understand that the nations tremble at the presence of God (Isaiah 64: 12).

When Elijah stood before Ahab, he was his old great, bold, self again- no longer daunted and panic-stricken by Jezebel. His assignment to bring the prediction of Ahab’s awful end might indeed strike fear and fresh terror into his own heart as he utters it. But he is another man since he has been in the presence of God in the Sinai Desert. The frenzied queen may again vow vengeance as she pleases, Elijah will not shrink from duty. The vision of Horeb- the wind, and the earthquake, and the fire- proclaims in his ears, ”JEHOVAH liveth! .”

Nothing will strengthen a Christian’s courage like time spent in the presence of the Lord. When God reveals a fresh vision of Himself and His power, we are infused with power, strength and boldness to accept even the most dangerous tasks. When we discover timidness in our hearts, it is time again to go to the secret place and receive strengthening from the Lord.