Learn & Grow in the Things of God and the Holy Spirit

Love begins with God. God is true love. Do you know that we love Him, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19)? Herein is love - not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

So you see, He loved us first. When we were living our imperfect lives as imperfect people, He gave His Son as an atonement and sacrifice, as if for us to say, ‘sorry’ for all our past wrongdoings, when we accepted Jesus. So that those who believe in this can start all over again! This is only possible because God is where love starts and how God loved us first.

Do you love God back? As we start our lives all over again, when we truly love God, we keep His commandments (1 John 5:2) and we can keep his commandments because they are not grievous (1 John 5:3). This means His ways are not difficult to follow, if we have a love of God.

And if God loved us while we were in error, we should also love one another (1 John 4:11). And if we can love one another, it means God dwells within us, and His love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12). Those who love God, must love his brother also (1 John 4:21) and overcome hate because whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15). When you believe in Jesus, you receive eternal life and the chance to start your life all over again using love. And this love includes loving your brother.

Finally, if we have God’s love in us and with us, then we have no fear because perfect love casts out fear. The fear of the lack of money, the fear of joblessness, the fear of losing someone, whatever the fear - is tormenting. (1 John 4:18). Fear causes us to worry, fear causes us to make decisions out of fear when we should be making decisions out of love.

Therefore, do you believe God is Love? If you have believed and received God’s love, then walk in love.

“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour” Eph 5:2

“And this is love, that we walk after his commandments” 2 John 1:6

JESUS IS THE WORD

6/4/2023

The Bible says that the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God (John 1:1) and that The Word was made flesh to dwell among us (John 1:14). See, Jesus Himself manifested in the flesh to be among people. He was the one who is The Word from the beginning. This means Jesus is The Word and The Word is Jesus.

Jesus is the Truth working within those who believe
The Word is also Truth. It is not mere saying, a principle, a concept or a guideline. We don’t pick and choose which Words apply in the world today or which is out-of-date. All of The Word is Truth as Jesus says He is the way, the truth and the life and that no man can come to the Father except by Him (John 14:6). When we have The Word in us, we have Jesus within us and to those who are believers, The Word is meant to work in our lives as truths that we follow, transform and change to become like Jesus (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Only by this way, can we come before God to pray or petition for what we want and not by our vain repetitions (Matthew 6:7)

To Abide in Jesus is to Abide by The Word
Jesus said, ‘abide in me and I will abide in you and only by abiding in me can you bear any fruit’ (John 15:4). If we don’t know The Word, it means we don’t know Jesus. When we know The Word, then we know what Jesus requires of us, where to stand in matters pertaining to this world and others will witness the fruit in our words and behaviour stemming from the choice we make because we abide in Him.

Abide in The Word to bear Fruit
Jesus says those who abide by His Words are those who will bear fruit. This means you will bear no fruit if you don’t know The Word of God. The twelve fruits we should bear are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23), righteousness, truth (Ephesians 5:9) and holiness (Romans 6:22). The fruits we bear do not come by our labour or the efforts of our hands. The fruits come through The Word nurtured within us, God and Jesus dwelling in us to bring forth the seed to fruition. The fruits are nurtured by our faith leading to our works of faith.

Faith comes by hearing The Word of God
Having faith is not the same as just believing. It is not a feeling or a knowing. Faith is hearing The Word of God and obeying it (Romans 10:16-17). Because Abraham heard and obeyed, as did Moses and Samuel and David and Paul, it was accounted to them for righteousness; that they believed what God said and acted according to what they heard (Galatians 3:6) This is the righteousness that we are called to obtain today, no longer the righteousness by following the law religiously without changing within. It is a righteousness by following God’s instructions that demonstrates our belief in God. To know The Word is to grow in faith so that we might obtain His righteousness. We are to be doers of The Word, not just hearers who do nothing because the gospel does not benefit those who only hear and don’t do what they hear with faith (James 1:22, Hebrews 4:2)

His Words teaches us His Righteousness
The Word helps to correct our thinking and align according to Jesus. It helps us to separate what is of the world and what is of God because our friendship with the world makes us the enemies of God (James 4:4). When we know Jesus, we have the benchmark to make decisions to navigate life according to the righteousness of God and not according to the righteousness of man (2 Timothy 3:16) We will understand the difference between right and wrong in God’s eyes. We will be able to renew our thinking and prove in our words and deeds to the will of God (Romans 12:2)

To Keep His Words is to Love Jesus
Jesus says that if any man loves Him, he will keep His Words. And if he does so, then God will love him and both God and Jesus will come to dwell in him (John 14:23) If we do now know His Words, how can we keep them and demonstrate our love for Jesus or God by keeping to His Words? When Jesus and God come to dwell within us, then we will hear their voices instructing and reminding us His righteousness

His sheep know His Voice
When we don’t know Jesus, we won’t recognise His voice within us. We won’t know if Jesus is speaking to us or if we are hearing the voice of an evil spirit, a familiar spirit or an unclean spirit speaking to us. (1 Samuel 16:14, Deuteronomy 18:11, Mark 3:30)

Jesus says His sheep knows His voice and that His sheep follow Him (John 10:27) How can we know the voice of Jesus if we don’t know The Word? How can we then follow Jesus and follow His ways? To know The Word is to know Jesus. Only then then can we call Him Lord and obey Him.

Keep His Words and He will do what you ask
Jesus says that when we keep His Words, then whatever we ask, He will surely do (John 15:7)! To keep His Words, is to follow and obey His Words. In this way, we show our love for Him and He will reciprocate by giving us good gifts that He already knows we need or want (Matthew 7:11) In fact those who keep His Words are blessed by God (Luke 11:28)

The Word is the Sword of the Spirit
We are in an unseen spiritual battle and need to put on the full armour of God to fight in this battle (Ephesians 6:11-13) The armour consists of a breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet and lastly a sword. The breastplate, shoes, shield and helmet protect us but the sword is the only weapon in our armoury.

The sword is The Word of God, that is Jesus. (Ephesians 6:14-17) If you do not have The Word of God with you and within you, you have no weapon. Jesus is our weapon. We may be protected by all the other implements but we will have no ability to fight with a sword because we will have no sword or a very small one if we don’t know The Word.

This sword also helps us to discern between what is of the flesh and what is of the Spirit because only to those who walk in the Spirit, will there be no condemnation to death but resurrection to life! (Hebrews 4:12, Romans 8:1)
Jesus Himself stayed the devil with The Word of God, not just because He quoted from The Word of God, but because He lived by The Word of God, that is, He lived by the righteousness of God

The Bread of Life is the The Word of God
How did Jesus live by The Word of God? When the devil tempted Him with all sorts of ideas, Jesus knew God’s benchmark for each and every taunt the devil had for Him (Matthew 4:1:11). Today we hear people say that God told them to do this or that but they haven’t measured what they believe they heard against what The Word of God really says because they don’t know The Word.

See, Jesus did not believe what the devil said. Jesus considered what the devil said and compared it to what is said in The Word of God to weigh what is the truth. By this He defeated the devil not just through quoting The Word of God but by knowing what the devil said was contrary to it. If you are not familiar with The Word of God, you will find it very difficult to avoid the plans of the devil to side track you in your walk with the Lord.

The Word of God cleans us from inside out
Jesus told the Pharisees that they looked clean on the outside but within, their hearts were wicked (Luke 11:39) When a person appears clean outwardly, it does not mean their minds, thoughts or deeds are clean. When we receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we are meant to transform and renew our thinking differently from when we were conceived (Romans 12:2). We are to ‘clean up’ our minds and our ways (2 Corinthians 7:1) and the spiritual soap to achieve this is by The Word. To learn and know what Jesus says about how we should go about our lives, believing and following His ways is how we are ‘cleaned’ or sanctified from this world (John 15:3, Ephesians 5:26)

The Word of God is the seed
Jesus tells us in the parable of the seeds that the seed is The Word of God. It is that, that is implanted into us when we first hear The Word of God but how we nurture it from here on, will be our responsibility. Some hear The Word and are hard-hearted and do not believe. Some hear The Word, believe and rejoice but don’t nurture what they have heard and The Word in them dries up. Others hear The Word but decide they prefer the world instead. All these will bear no fruit. The seed dies with them and within them. (Luke 8:11-15).

The Holy Spirit brings The Word to remembrance
The Word is the great testimony of God. Many, many things are said and taught in The Word. Jesus says the Holy Spirit will help us remember all those things that He teaches us. If you have only learnt a fraction of what Jesus says, then the Holy Spirit can only bring to your remembrance the fraction that you know. The same verses that you know will keep coming to mind but nothing new will be fed to your spirit to grow in your faith and walk with Jesus. (John 14:26)

Turn to God with your heart
Read The Word with your heart. It is the only way to God. It is the lamp that lights up the way we should walk to return to God (Psalm 119:105). Reading The Word with your heart is about getting to know Jesus and God, so that we may become like Him and when we draw close to Him, He will in turn draw close to us (James 4:8).

When we know The Word of God, we will know Jesus and then can we start to recognise that still small voice of His whisperings in our hearts and heads and know that He is speaking to us (1 Kings 19:12). We will experience a relationship with Him. We will see the difference between ‘relationship’ and ‘religion’. Religion is ritualistic and about ‘doing’ things rather than a relationship that enables us in ‘becoming’ who we are called to be. God looks at the intentions of our hearts and not the efforts of our flesh (Jeremiah 29:13) Our deeds by the flesh and good intentions are not the same as our deeds of faith by hearing The Word of God lest Jesus denies us (Luke 13:27, Matthew 25:12, Matthew 7:21)

But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you,
I do not know you.’
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 25:12, Matthew 7:21

And Many False Prophets Shall Rise And Deceive Many

15/2/2021

In Mark 9, John tells Jesus that he and the other disciples stopped a man casting out demons in His name because the man was not following Jesus like they were. Jesus replies that they should have just let him carry on because as long he was not working against them, he is on the same side as them (V.38-40) You see, not everyone that casts out demons is a prophet. Jesus said such people may call him Lord, prophesy or do many wonderful works but He will deny them because they only hear His words but do not do them; they do not follow Him (Matt.7:22-24).

These are false prophets who look like sheep but are wolves inside. The way to recognise a prophet is by the fruits they produce; not whether they speak in tongues, prophecy or cast out demons. You see, the children of God receive the seed of promise of the Holy Spirit by faith to produce fruits. Good seeds produce good fruits and corrupt seeds produce evil fruits (Matt.7:15-20; Rom.9:7-9; Rom.4:13; Eph.1:13). The 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit including righteousness, truth and holiness (Eph.5:9; Rom.6:22) should be evident in the life of a prophet.

Even if a prophet has ever given a word, sign or wonder that comes to pass, it does not mean he will never err. The Lord may use the prophet’s error to test us; whether we follow God or listen to the prophet (Deut.13:1-4) God can use anyone for His purposes, even a non-believer (Jer.43:10). As all gifts and callings are irrevocable (Rom.11:29) and those who believe can cast out demons (Mk.16:17), any supernatural or spiritual demonstration does not indicate a prophet or follower of Jesus.

Both good and corrupt seeds will grow together until harvest time for without the corrupt seeds, the good seeds will not be apparent (Matt.13:30; 1Cor.11:19). But we really ought to be more concerned with our own walk with God rather than judge who might be a false prophet for the Lord knows who are His and the heart of those who are towards Him (1Cor.4:5; 2Tim.2:19). A prophet, like everyone else, is still being sanctified (2Tim.2:21) and we should all be working out our salvation with holy fear and reverence (Phil.2:12) until the day of judgement.

The Holy Spirit Shall Teach You All Things

28/1/2021

Israel broke their covenant with God (Isa.24:5; Jer.11:10) not only because the people failed but also that the leaders offended God. They did not fear God or speak the truths of God. They did not turn people from sin to draw closer to God. As messengers of God, they did not walk in peace and equity with God or had knowledge of the precepts of God. Instead, they caused people to stumble over the law and misunderstand God's plans (Mal.2:5-7). They took to strong drink causing erroneous visions and judgments (Isa.28:6-8) and even slept with helpers of the congregation (1Sam.2:22). Some were violent with their wives yet appeared in grand garments of holy status belying the truth of their marriage (Mal.2:14-16).

God hates hypocrisy but hates it even more in leaders of His people. These leaders honour God with words but have no relationship with Him, teaching doctrines and theologies of men (Mat.15:7-9; Jer.2:8) God was blasphemed among the Gentiles because of such leaders (Rom.2:24) It was so hopeless that God lamented over who would teach His people the right knowledge and doctrine (Isa.28:9).

So what could God do to keep us close to Him? God declared that in future, He would not depend on poor leaders to teach His people or let them get in the way of His relationship with us! He said that He himself would put His laws in the hearts of those who reverence Him as God (Jer.31:33-34; Heb.10:15-17) This is through the Holy Spirit who will teach us all things and help us remember the teachings of Christ, the Word of God that we have learnt (Jhn.14:26)

The Holy Spirit is for those who thirst, ask and believe on Jesus (Jhn.7:37; Luk.11:13; Acts.19:4). By the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are adopted as children of God and unified into the body of Christ to fulfil our calling ((Rom.8:16; Eph.4:4). We only become the sons of God when our lives are led by His Spirit (Rom.8:14)

Are you in a relationship with God? Does He speak to you? Do you hear Him? Make certain you know Him personally and not through another person, teacher, program, organisation or book. Know Him by His Word so that He may lead and teach you Himself. There is no God like Him!

Sin & The Covenant

5/1/2021

As Christians, we believe that the world was formed by God, that His words brought light into the earth (Gen 1:3) We believe God called out the land, waters and the heavens and spoke out the sun, moon, stars, trees and animals into existence (Gen 1:6-26). We believe what we see are made by things we cannot see (Heb.11:3) In other words, we believe in the unseen spiritual realm (Heb.1:11).

Now, God made a covenant with Abraham to be his God and heavenly Father (Gen.17:7). Like a father, God wants to bless Abraham and his generations forever and like a son, Abraham, and therefore his generations thereafter are to obey and honour God's ways. To break the covenant would be as sin against God (Isa.24:5).

After God rescued Abraham's descendants, the Israelites, out of Egypt, they continued doing whatever was right in their own eyes (Deut.12:8). They didn't know they were breaking the covenant or the consequences of it. Thus God gave His statutes for them to understand sin. When God declared His statutes, they became spiritual laws that would govern the invisible spiritual realm forever; like gravity that is unseen but exists.

The old covenant was fulfilled by obeying God's laws and was sealed by the outward circumcision of the flesh. Today, the new covenant is fulfilled by obeying the inward convictions (Jhn.16:8) of the circumcised heart (Heb.8:10) sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph.1:13). When we accept God as our heavenly Father, we also come under the spiritual implications of this everlasting covenant. All the curses of disobedience and blessings of obedience that were decreed by God are still in force (Deut.28).

Though they were God's chosen people, the Israelites did not attain God's righteousness (Roman.10:2-4) because of their disobedience and unbelief (Heb.3). Only 2 out of 600,000 men made it to the Promised Land (Num.14:30). If they who were promised the blessings of God from the beginning were cut off, what more those of us who have only been grafted into the covenant? (Rom 11:21-26).

So listen and obey the convictions of the Holy Spirit that you may walk in the righteousness of God and come into the amazing plans and blessings He has for you.

god's love

20/12/2020

In the beginning, God created man to have a relationship with us for eternity. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, we were no longer righteous by Him and became carnal and spiritually disconnected from God. Eternal life in the spiritual realm ended for man (Gen.2:17).

As time went on, the gap between a holy God and sinful man widened, a relationship hindered because we did not know His ways and thus sin and corruption filled the earth (Gen.6:5). From Adam to Moses, generations returned to earth as dust, unable to go back to God in eternal life (Rom.5:14).

God loved us and still wanted a relationship with us but being full of sin and unrighteousness, how could we draw close to a holy God again? Thus, God gave us His requirements to live by so that we would understand what sin is.

The Israelites agreed to follow God's ways by a blood covenant (Ex.24:7-8). This is like an oath or promise, sealed by the blood of bulls or goats (Heb.10:4). But they kept walking contrary to God's ways, breaking the covenant and so kept sacrificing animals to atone their sins (Isa.1:11-17) They were trying to be righteous by works instead of learning or changing from the heart and perfected the art of animal sacrifice instead of perfecting their walk with God.

Now God knew that we could not attain His righteousness in our own strength, so God spilled the blood of His son Jesus Christ, the most perfect and unblemished lamb to atone for all sins forever, putting an end to ineffectual and religious practices. Jesus died so that His Holy Spirit could be shed for us in a new covenant (Rom.5:5) where God puts His laws into our hearts and mind so that we may become of His righteousness by the Holy Spirit and not by religious works (Heb.10:16-18, Titus.3:5).

God loved us from the beginning; while Adam’s sin separated us from Him, God made it possible, by the ultimate sacrifice of His blameless son, that we might return to Him in eternity (Rom.5:19). God is not interested in religious rituals. He wants a relationship with you. His arm is still stretched out today (Ps.136:12) to receive all who will change from the heart, turn back to Him and walk in His ways (Luk.15:11-31). God’s love.

he came for the sinners

12/12/2020

In biblical times, people saw Pharisees as righteous and dutiful and saw tax collectors as greedy and dishonest. In Luke.18, Jesus teaches on the heart of God with a parable about two kinds of believers praying in a temple.

Jesus said the Pharisee prays, standing tall and proud. He compares himself to the tax collector and boasts that he fasts twice a week and gives tithes. He then thanks God that he is a better man than the tax collector (v.11-12).

The tax collector looks down as he prays. He pleads God to be merciful to him and admits he is a sinner (v.13). Jesus then says that the tax collector is more righteous than the Pharisee (v.14), completely opposite to how people saw them!

Today, we may judge someone who smokes, has a tattoo or does 'bad’ things as a greater sinner than ourselves and judge someone as righteous because they are dutiful or do good works. This is not how God judges because we judge in the flesh and lean unto our own understanding (Prov.3:5) while God looks inside, on our hearts and weighs our intentions (1Sam.16:7).

All of us are sinners who have come short of the glory of God (Rom.3:23). If we think we are worthy and in good standing with God just because we go to a religious building, do good works or give tithes, then we are like the Pharisee. Jesus is not interested in those who pride themselves in being ‘good’. Jesus is interested in the humble sinner whose heart is right towards God, whose heart has been circumcised to the Lord (Jer.4:4).

When Jesus said he came for the sinners and not the righteous (Luk.5:32, Mat.9:13, Mk.2:17), He is saying that He came for those who own up to their sins, who recognise they need God, who seek His grace and mercy and are willing to change. Change comes from within when we yield and surrender our own will and transform by renewing of our minds to come into God’s perfect will for us (Rom. 12:2).

It says in Psalm.25, ‘Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will He teach sinners in the way. The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach his way’ (v.8-9). When we start to acknowledge our sins from the heart, God will show us His will and way for us.

the sin from within

5/12/2020

When God created Adam and Eve, He had hoped to establish a relationship with them for eternity. When they were obedient, they stayed pure and undefiled in the garden (Gen.2:8). When they disobeyed God, the end of their eternal life and the corruption within them began because of their knowledge of good and evil (Gen.2:17). They were banished from the garden and they and future generations, meaning us, could no longer be with God like before. This was how sin began and separated us from God (Isa.59:2).

Now, the knowledge of good is not the knowledge of God. When we know what is good, we may try by our own will and strive in our own strength, to do ‘good’. This can become a heavy burden to carry. Being religious is like that; doing good to appear good instead of becoming righteous according to God by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls this hypocrisy (Matt.23:25-28).

The knowledge of evil works like this; when we know what is evil or bad, we are somehow tempted to choose it. Many people know telling lies or stealing is wrong, but they still do it! That was what Adam and Eve did; they knowingly acted on the thoughts that were contrary to God. Evil is manifested by disobedience; an unwillingness to listen or follow.
Whether doing good or evil, both are set in motion by our own desires, by our own self-will and not by God’s will. The sin within us is when we choose to do what we want, instead of surrendering ourselves and do what God wants.

Jesus said that from within the heart of men proceed evil thoughts (Mk.7:20-23). This is where the battlefield is, where we must bring the thoughts of our hearts that are contrary to God to the obedience of Christ and the word of God (2Cor.10:5, John.1:1).

He that is within us that is greater than he that is in the world is the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:4). He helps us in the battlefield to overcome sin when we allow Him or allow the Christ within us to be risen (Gal.4:19, Eph.4:13).

Jesus didn't do what He wanted. He did what God wanted Him to do (Luk.22:42). God has a will for each of us, a purpose for which we are made and it is His hope that you will come to that knowledge and fulfil your calling (Eph.1:18, 4:4).

chastisement is love

23/11/2020

In today's world, we show love by buying gifts or by doing 'something nice' for someone. People may purposefully spend time together or help someone as an expression of love. When we think of love, we think of romantic songs, candlelit dinners and red roses. Love seems to be a fluffy emotion that also includes the adoration of a famous person or brand. Love revolves around making another feel 'good' and panders to emotions. How much has this carnal and material world influenced our ideas of love? How did we come to think or believe that all these relate to love? Are these instances really love?

God's definition of love is not quite the same. His love is sacrifice, for He sacrificed Christ for our sakes. In doing so, God's measure of love is love beyond what we earn or deserve. And unlike the world, God's love corrects, much like how a good parent corrects a child. Correction may not 'feel' good, but it is certainly one of God's expressions of love.

This correction comes by the conviction of the Holy Spirit as a sense, a knowing or a hearing of an inner voice. When we experience the witness of the Holy Spirit in us revealing our mistakes, it is for us to yield and repent in order to become more sanctified. God chastens those He loves and those He considers as His sons and daughters. This leads us to produce the fruits of righteousness and holiness, which is needed, if we are to hope to ever meet God (Hebrews.12:5-14).

So, rejoice when the Holy Spirit reveals the unrighteousness in your thoughts, words or deeds towards others. It is for your correction. Rejoice, for the Lord regards you as one of His. God perfects us by revealing the truths of ourselves to repent so that we become vessels of honour for His purposes (2Timothy.2:20-26) but we must be willing to receive correction and change our ways.

Remember that God first loved you (1John.4:19) and that He chose you and called you out of the darkness into his marvellous light (1Peter.2:9). God, who is love (1John.4:8) and your heavenly Father corrects you so that you may come into the fullness of Christ (Ephesians.4:13). Be encouraged that in correction, God is preparing you to fulfil His plans for you.

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The Holy Spirit Church for Today

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God is love