What Does It Mean To Be A Christian?

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

• I AM A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE OF JESUS.
• The Christian is a new creation, not an amended creation, not a refurbished creation, not a repaired creation, not a patched creation but a new creation. That is a mystery.
• The Christian is someone who is in Christ, who is born again, who has received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who says 'Yes' to Jesus every second of the day. 
• A Christian is a minister of reconciliation and has a ministry of reconciliation.
• A Christian is an ambassador for Christ. 

Who is Jesus Christ?

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:15-18)

In speaking about Himself, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)

Jesus is not a way, He is the Way. Without Him we are lost which is why He said that without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5) - "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:4-5 

The true Christian acknowledges Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Seeking salvation without submitting to the lordship of Jesus is equivalent to trying to eat your cake and have it. It is simply impossible. You see, for anyone to continue to receive the benefits of salvation, Jesus must have preeminence in that individual's life by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We all need Jesus: Why?

• Because He died on the cross to set us free from the bondage of sin and the devil. He is the only One who was qualified to die for our sins. He died, was buried and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). He is alive and is coming back again. He is the Lamb of God and the Lion of the tribe of Judah. His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary was perfect and complete.

Our Sinful State:

We are sinners by nature and without Jesus, sinning remains our lifestyle. We cannot stop sinning without Jesus. 

• "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." -  Isaiah 64:6 
• "'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," - Romans 3:23 
• "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 
• "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 

The born-again Christian may sin but he or she no longer commits sin as a lifestyle. He or she is redeemed from the bondage of sin and the devil.

Discipleship:

The true Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Acts 11:26, "And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch." (Acts 11:26). Quite interesting that disciples were first called Christians in Antioch and not the other way round. We seem to have overemphasised the lesser of the two terms. Many people will claim to be Christians but very few will want to be identified as disciples of Jesus. Why? Because discipleship is demanding, it calls for death to self, it implies total surrender to Jesus; every disciple is a slave of our Master Jesus. The slave has nothing in this world, holds on to nothing in this world, recognises the sovereignty of God and says, 'Here I am, send me'. Is that you? 

Some people seem to think that God owes them a favour. Actually God owes no one a favour. Our relationship with Him is predicated on divine principles: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8). Good success comes from giving the Word of God the rightful place in our lives. The true Christian does not seek to modify, minimise, disregard the Word of God. He or she is not selective about the precepts of God and never seeks to misinterpret God's Word. God is love and He loves the sinner and the saint but He is also a righteous Judge and the soul that sins must die a spiritual death because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The disciple of Jesus embraces the Word of God, hook, line and sinker and grows stronger as he or she abides in Jesus day after day.

Self-Examination:

Are you a true Christian? Is Jesus Lord of your life? If so, have you surrendered everything to Him? Hear what Jesus said, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!....He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:24-25, 37-39)

The plan of God for the disciple is that he or she should be conformed to the image of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). He is our perfect example. What is your status in this regard? Furthermore, Jesus made it absolutely clear that anyone who loves anything (family, finances, status, profession, influence, applause, titles, etc) more than Him is not worthy of Him. Many love the gifts more than the Giver who is God Almighty. That will not suffice. Check yourself. What is your love-meter reading with regard to Jesus? Do you love Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind , and all your strength? Partial love will not do. The disciples of Jesus takes up his/her cross daily and follows after Him. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS.

Finally, are you ready to die for Jesus? May the good Lord give you grace to ponder over this message honestly and empower to make necessary changes if there are  issues. Have a blessed day.

Do You Love God?

"And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it? ” So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’ ” And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”' (Luke 10:25-28, NKJV) [Emphasis, mine]

God definitely requires that we love Him unreservedly. It is not a suggestion, it is a command. No excuses are acceptable. No exceptions are tenable. The command is simple, straightforward and unambiguous. Interestingly, there are many individuals who give all sorts of excuses for not loving God with their whole being, but who do not hesitate to demand this and that from God. Someone once said, Jesus is the Master, not a MasterCard. It is simply incomprehensible how anyone can expect God to be at their beck and call and not be committed to loving Him unconditionally. There is something seriously wrong with that mindset.

Jesus stipulated what is required to demonstrate love for God. He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15). Short and simple! Keeping God's commandment is a strong indication of love for Him. Remember that Jesus is the Son of Man, the Son of God and God the Son. (John 1:1) So, the question arises, Do You Love God? The Bible says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13). There is no alternative to obeying the commandments of God. We are to obey God's commandments not our amendments of His commandments, not what we think His commandments are saying but HIS COMMANDMENTS (hook, line and sinker).

There are two commandments I want to focus on today:

"...Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15, MEV)

"...All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen." (Matthew 28:18-20, MEV)

Basically, Jesus commands His disciples to preach the Gospel to all creatures and make disciples of all nations. The mandate is local, national and international. How do you measure up? You don't have to be a pope, bishop, apostle, prophet, or even an evangelist to preach the Gospel. Let me state, without fear of contradiction, that no one can truly claim to love Jesus if His commandments are ignored, disregarded, or given only partial attention. Fortunately, in the West and other regions we still have a window to preach the Gospel. In many other countries, 'Christians are being persecuted and attacked' (Open Doors). We are to GO and preach the Gospel and thereby make disciples.

One fact that we have to embrace is this: If we do not preach the Gospel now and make disciples, we will lose that privilege sooner rather than later. The bottom line is (as hard as it may sound), we are no use to God if we refuse to preach the Gospel. In fact, it will be a demonstration of presumptuousness for us to expect God to hear our prayers if we disobey Him. The Bible says, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry." (Psalms 34:15). The righteous are those who are born again and who walk in holiness and in righteousness, obeying the Lord wholeheartedly. 

So, would you say you love the Lord? It is fair to say that we have all fallen short of God's standards but our imperfections are no excuse for sinning. We must return to God, rededicate our lives and march as soldiers of Jesus to possess the land for Him. God is with us, not against us. Hallelujah!

Please engage in the noble task of evangelism. Call upon your brother and your sister and organise evangelistic events in twos, threes or more. Tell the people that Jesus loves them, that He died for their sins, was buried and on the third day rose from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Jesus is alive and He saves all those who will come to Him in repentance and receive Him as their personal Lord and Saviour. God bless you as you reach out by faith to the lost. Have a blessed day.

The Sin of Israel

"But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel. Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water. Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. And Joshua said, “Alas, Lord God , why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all—to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?” "(Joshua 7:1-9, NKJV) 

The outcome of the first battle between Israel and Ai was unexpected. About three thousand men of Israel went up against the people of Ai confident that it would be a technical knockout, so to speak. They hardly expected to encounter much resistance, talk less of defeat. 36 men of Israel were killed by the men of Ai and they pursued Israel across the terrain. The defeat of Israel sent shock waves through the camp of Israel. The Bible says that the heart of the children of Israel melted and became like water. It was as if they were watching a fantasy movie or a mirage sweep through their camp. Yet, it was real. How did this happen? How did they get there? What went wrong?

We have to consider the fact that previously the children of Israel overran Jericho; the walls of Jericho had tumbled down by the mighty power of God injected into the sounds of trumpets and the praise of His people. It was a spectacular and magnificent display of the irresistible power of God. The Bible says consequently, "So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country." (Joshua 6:27). However, soon after that mighty victory, Israel suffered a humiliating defeat. God allowed it to happen because sin was found in the camp of Israel and God is no respecter of persons. 

Thank God for Joshua who discerned that there was a spiritual problem which led to a physical defeat. He sought the face of God in humility, knowing that God knew what the problem was and that He had the solution for the problem. Quite remarkable! No undue assumptions were made. No reckless declarations or decrees were sounded. No presumptuous statements were voiced in the face of what was a catastrophic defeat. The prospect of their other enemies hearing of such a humiliating dismissal by Ai and the possible consequences of a renewed effort by them towards the obliteration of Israel was too much to even think about, let alone give some credence. What a defeated nation they had become in just a short space of time!

Do we think God has changed? Do we realise that God will punish His people if they compromise, indulge in idolatry, become consumed by the temporary, flashy things of this world? In Christendom, we hear some people say that God is transferring the wealth of the wicked to the righteous. Really? Is this a Scriptural principle? Did Jesus ever mention anything like that? Why are we obsessed with financial wealth? We seem to be striving for the very things the unbelievers strive for except that we wrap our desires with misquoted, misinterpreted portions of Scripture. That is not going to change anything and God does not need to dispossess the wicked and unbelieving folk to supply our needs. As Joshua sought the face of God, God responded, 

“Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you." (Joshua 7:10-12)

Eventually, it was discovered that Achan coveted the spoils of war and hid them in his tent. Those things were accursed and the sin of Achan brought defeat upon Israel. It is quite revealing that God held Israel responsible for the sin of Achan. Israel was guilty, not just Achan. Achan brought death to his family and disgrace to Israel. Have you identified the sins of your nation? Have you gone before God in repentance? Or have you dissociated yourself from the deplorable spiritual situation in which we find ourselves today? Sure enough, many believers are serving the Lord honourably but our nations are dying. Many nations are on the brink of collapse. Unrighteousness runs rife in many nations. The truth of God's Word is discounted, minimised or trashed as nonsense and many believers are comfortable with the situation. They are afraid of speaking the truth for fear of this or that. The big question is: Who do we fear most - man or God? The reality is that if we do not come before God in true repentance, we should be prepared for God's judgement. God will never condone sin. Righteousness exalts a nation and sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34).

Achan and his whole family were stoned to death and thereafter Joshua and the men of Israel secured a resounding victory over Ai. There are lessons to be learned, one of which is the fact that there is nothing hidden from God and that He is no respecter of persons. He will punish severely those who deliberately contravene His commands, especially those who should know better. Let us come before God in genuine repentance, wait upon Him and get instructions from Him as to what we should do. There is definitely an accursed thing in the camp of God's people. God will reveal what it is if we humble ourselves before Him. God is the same, yesterday and forever. The biblical principle of repentance holds even today. God says, today:

"...if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Would we  humble yourself before God, pray and seek His face, and turn from our wicked ways? Bear in mind, God was addressing His people, not Gentiles at that time. Today this passage of Scripture is applicable to believers. The destinies of nations are in our hands, so to speak. Arise, brethren, arise. Let's come together in prayer and intercession (in our homes, in our churches, in our communities) before our gracious, merciful and faithful Father through Jesus Christ our Lord and He will abundantly pardon. Have a blessed day.

Man's Propensity To Disobey God

"Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord ! I have performed the commandment of the Lord .” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak on.” So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel? Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord ? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord ?” And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord , and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord , He also has rejected you from being king." (I Samuel 15:13-23, NKJV)

The story of King Saul is an interesting but very sad one. God anointed Saul king over Israel, gave him authority and influence over the children of Israel, and gave him specific instructions with regards to the enemy of the Israelites, the Amalekites. The instructions were as follows:

"Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' " (I Samuel 15:3). 

Simple, unambiguous, and straightforward but Saul would not obey. He had to have his way. He faced the same problem man has today, the propensity to disobey God and the inclination to gratify self. Even though the Amalekites were closely related to the tribe of Ephraim, they were relentless enemies of Israel, a thorn in their flesh. When the children of Israel left Egypt on their way to the promised land, Amalek ambushed them. It was now time for God to punish them and He gave Saul that responsibility. What an honour it should have been for King Saul to have simply obeyed God! What a privilege he had to show God that he loved Him! You see, all that Saul cared about was his self-image - what people would think of him, what he wanted them to think of him. For Saul, the opinion of the people carried more weight than the commands of God. Incidentally when God punished Saul, the people could not save him. God is sovereign, loving, caring, patient but a consuming fire and we should not mess about with Him.

Interestingly, Saul felt that he had obeyed God. He thought that partial obedience is acceptable before God. He was wrong. Blatant disobedience, partial obedience and delayed obedience all belong to the same category - DISOBEDIENCE. In the 21st century, many Christians think they can get away with partial obedience. That is not possible. We should take heed to obey God fully and without hesitation. 

Disobedience has always been man's problem. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and plunged man into sin and darkness. Cain disobeyed God and killed his brother Abel. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their sin. With regards to them, God said,  “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (Genesis 18:20-21)

This was after the flood, which God sent to destroy the whole of mankind except Noah and his family. Hear what the Bible says about the people who lived in Noah's time, "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Genesis 6:5-6) 

Then we have the case of the children of Israel believing an evil report and disregarding the promises of God. 'But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature." (Numbers 13:31-32). The children of Israel cried all night and sought to go back to Egypt. They rebelled against God in disobedience despite the pleas of Joshua and Caleb who reminded them of God's promise to give them the land of Canaan. Disobedience caused the children of Israel to wander in the wilderness for forty years. Are you living in obedience or disobedience? 

Disobedience to God's Word is sin. In Christendom today, many are living in disobedience - partial obedience and delayed obedience and they justify their behaviour by stating that we are under grace not under law. In addressing this misconception, Apostle Paul wrote by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1-2). The abundance of God's grace does not justify disobedience, neither does it not condone or excuse or tolerate sin. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) fell down dead in one day because of partial obedience. They sold their property and presented part of the proceeds, pretending it was the whole amount. Yes, they donated some money but it was not enough to save them. They were guilty of deceit and disobedience. There was nothing wrong in keeping the money for themselves but they wanted to give a false impression while basking in it. That was twisted thinking that had partial obedience as its foundation.

Moses did not enter the promised land because, in his anger, he disobeyed God (Numbers 20:8-11). God told him to speak to the rock before the eyes of the children of Israel. Before he hit the rock, "...Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him." (Numbers 20:9). Moses obeyed God up to a point, but that did not prevent him from being punished by God for refusing to obey Him fully. 

Are you toying with the idea of partial obedience? Partial obedience gives the impression that there is commitment even though the obedience is incomplete. The flesh revels in the prospect of picking and choosing parts of God’s Word and His commandments and leaving other parts that are 'too demanding or challenging'. For the carnal man, it’s always about convenience; for the spiritual man, it is always about sacrifice. The aim of partial obedience is to ride the fence with the erroneous mindset that both opposing views/lifestyles (the flesh and the Spirit) can be pacified. It has been said, 'You can't eat your cake and have it'. Surely, when we try to offer less than 100% commitment to God or try to offer excuses for not doing things God's uncompromising way, we portray signs of partial obedience and/or delayed obedience. God's commands are not up for debate or a procrastinated response. Now is the time to respond wholeheartedly, humbly and radically unto God and in total obedience to His Word. And, by the way, straddling the fence leaves one in a state of precarious balance!

Let me end by saying that the fact that some people seem to be getting away with disobedience does not, in anyway, diminish the consequences they will experience in due course and in God's timing if they do not change. Samson never thought that a day of reckoning would come and when it did, it was like an avalanche. It left him helpless, disgraced, ridiculed and a pathetic shadow of his former self. He lost his eyes but in his final moments the lack of physical sight gave way to deep spiritual reflection. May we lose all that stands in the way of serving God unconditionally. May we say like Esther, 'If I perish, I perish' (Esther 4:16). Esther embraced the possibility of death because she knew that anyone who approached the king without being summoned would face death. That was the law of the land. However God gave her favour because she was willing to let go (lose her life) and let God. You see, when you focus intensely on God, the glamour of this world loses its appeal to you. May we respond to God's bidding selflessly, courageously caring less for our welfare but more for the glory of God in Jesus' Name. Obedience to God must be total and unrelenting. Have a blessed day.