God never took away your Freedom of Choice!

Last year at church, we did a Bible study series on the power of choice. I have felt impressed by the Lord to bring to our attention some of satan’s new tactics on using our God –given freedom of choice against us. The Apostle Paul warned us of this.

God has never taken our freedom of choice from us. We are free moral agents and can choose who we wish to worship and pledge our allegiance to. Our choice determines our destiny. God has provided for the salvation of every person on this earth, but He will not override our freedom of choice. If we make the choice to serve satan (and there are many varied ways of accomplishing this end), we have chosen our own ruin and destruction and God will not intervene and IMPOSE His salvation upon us.

We need to however, be aware that even though Jesus has made it clear that anyone who serves his own evil desires and the desires of this world is against God, satan often lures us into thinking that we will not fall into this trap.

There are many things in society that are allowable today, that would have been taboo in generations past. The moral base of society has degraded to the extent that we have lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, ethical and unethical. Where before we had God-given moral clarity on various issues of life, satan has introduced “grey areas” and caused us to put reason, logic and the desire for acceptance ahead of what we know in our heart to be absolute Truth. People nowadays will do anything to be accepted, and this includes sacrificing our morals for a relative truth that satan propagates, that in actual fact does not exist. (2 Tim 3:7)

Satan tried to prevent people from knowing God in the Dark Ages by not allowing Bibles to be freely distributed to all men. When the light of the Reformation dawned in the hearts of men, and superseded the Dark Ages, satan realized that his tactics were no longer effective. Being the strategist that he is, he came up with a smarter idea to get us on his side. He introduced “information overload” which is the author of confusion. There is so much information to evaluate today that people have now taken the easier route of surrendering their power of choice and following anything blindly. The wide road to destruction is full of people who are afraid of making a choice, but choose to blindly follow others instead. In doing this, we unconsciously HAVE made a choice – the choice to surrender our true freedom and be part of “satan’s counterfeit Christianity/religion.” It is a religion that is widely accepted because it doesn’t stand for any principles, but instead accepts truth to be whatever you, as an individual, consider it to be.

The Bible is more widely distributed than any other book today, but very few of us know what God is saying to us through His inspired Word. Professed servants of God have been corrupted by satan to deceive the masses, and people who say they’re Christians are actually not! Watch and pray, lest you fall into temptation! (Matt 24:4-8). The signs of Christ's return are being more pronounced every day. God never took away our freedom of choice; He just wants us to make the right decision because He loves us. The Bible describes a generation of people in the last days "who will be ever learning, yet never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth." You don't have to be part of that generation. Choose to know Jesus-the Way, the Truth and the Life! (John 14:6)

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." -2 Tim 4:3-4

"Jesus saith unto Him: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me."-John 14:6

"Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."- 2 Tim 3:7

Scripture refs: Read 2 Tim 3, ch 4:3-4

Looking to Jesus

Last week’s message dealt with the important topic of how to keep strong in faith even in the face of the perceived hypocrisy of others who profess to be part of the Body of Christ. This week’s message expounds further on this critical issue which can often serve either to make or break our own Christian character and relationship to God and our peers, be it in or outside the church environment.

In the world we live in, good role models are few and far between. Although spiritual mentorship has its merits, it also has limitations. Even those who seem to be the strongest disciples sometimes experience moments of weakness as can often be seen in the Biblical accounts. The beauty of being a Protestant Christian is that of realizing that there is but only one true Mediator and Saviour-our High Priest, Jesus Christ Himself  (Heb 4:14-16). Each of us is personally accountable for our own sins and the way in which we choose to conduct our lives. When we stand in judgment before our God and King, we will stand alone regarding our decision either to repent or be condemned. We will not , at that time, be permitted to blame others for our having been led astray as we have all been given the gift of free will which we are at liberty to exercise in making the decisions that will determine our eternal destiny. If we will not be able to blame others in that great day, why should we live our lives blaming each other now? It is high time that each of us takes responsibility for our own actions instead of trying to make scapegoats of others who are mere pilgrims on the same journey as us.

Psalm 118:9 emphasizes that it is better to put our trust in the Lord than in princes. It is better to trust in the unfailing arm of God than in fallen man. He has promised to uphold all who put their trust Him with His righteous right hand. Entreat the Lord for His mercy in dealing with your own sins and shortcomings instead of spending the majority of your time finding fault with others (Luke 6:41-42). Do not be afraid to correct others in the spirit of love as counseled in the Word of God, however do not become preoccupied with pointing out the faults of others while neglecting to work on your own failures lest you end up preaching to others and yourself be a castaway (1 Cor 9:27, Eph 4:15, 32). Always remember that the young in the faith are most likely to obediently take the counsel of those who practice the Word as well as teach it (James 1:22). David first asked God to remove his own transgression for only then could he effectively teach others how to live God’s way (Ps 51:12-14). No one has any desire to listen to hypocrites!

By looking to Christ alone as our example, we will be successful in ridding our churches of the spirit of rebellion and hypocrisy that seeks to destroy our credibility as witnesses for Christ and is a ploy by satan in his efforts to paralyse the kingdom of God. Let Christ be your role model, and teach others to whom you witness and minister to look to Him and not to you. This does not excuse you from your duty to be a good example of wholesome Christian living, but it will really help others to maintain their faith in Christ in the event that you do stumble and fall. Each individual’s relationship with Christ should be based on a personal experience of Him and not on the spirituality of the person who was instrumental in bringing that person to Christ.

Look to Christ, and seek to walk as He walked (1Jn 2:6). He is the author and perfecter of your faith!

"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."- 1 John 2:6

Keeping the Faith

In the world we live in today, it’s easy to find ourselves disillusioned and distracted. However, it was no different in the days when Jesus walked the earth performing convincing miracles, signs and wonders which testified of His divinity. In Matt 14:24-33, we see the well known story of Peter who got out of the boat full of disciples as he desired to walk on water to go to Jesus. This story has been used in countless sermons to illustrate important foundational Christian truths e.g. faith and the fact that Jesus is with us even in the midst of the storms of life. However, the Word of God, when carefully studied, can reveal new truths and insights to those earnestly seeking them. New truths can be learned from an old story!

Like all of us, Peter desired to grow spiritually and to be closer to Christ. He succeeded as long as he kept his eyes focused on Jesus. Today, we face greater challenges than ever before but in order to succeed and attain to greater spiritual heights, we will have to leave our comfort zones behind and desire to walk with the Lord, wherever He leads us.

One of the greatest hindrances to the Christian is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is like the raging waves of the sea that Peter chose to focus his eyes on and when he did, it left him faithless and sinking. When you focus on the hypocrisy of others who call themselves brothers in the faith, you are actually shifting your gaze off Jesus and resting it on man instead. Rev 17:15 confirms for us that waters symbolize people and nations. Therefore, when you choose to feast your eyes on the hypocrisy of others, using their hypocrisy as an excuse to allow yourself to stray from the path the Lord has chosen for you, you have essentially affirmed that you look to man and not to Christ as your role model. There are many professing Christians who leave the faith and forsake the fellowship of the saints because they are searching for the “perfect church”. There is no one perfect church; the church today is made up of imperfect members, broken vessels that the Lord in His grace has chosen to fill with His Spirit and with whom He is still working to make perfect. (Phil 1:6)

When you leave the church that God has established because of the perceived hypocrisy of others, you are basically demonstrating that you regard yourself superior to them! You may find that you are suffering from a serious bout of self-righteousness and pride which in itself is one of the most abominable sins. Why would any person in their right mind leave the only One who can save him because of the untoward behaviour of another who has chosen to go his own way? It begs the question: Did you ever even truly know Christ, because if you did you would not let someone else’s hypocrisy get in the way of your eternal destiny in His Kingdom!

Keeping the faith is a daily choice that you must make. You must choose to keep the connection with Christ alive and strong every day of your life. He has promised that if you abide in Him, He will abide in you, and anything you ask according to His perfect Will for your life will be done for you. Instead of judging others for the hypocrisy and sin in their lives, choose to let Christ’s gaze meet yours. Choose to let the fire in His eyes penetrate your soul and remove all the dross and self-righteousness until you are covered only in His robe of righteousness. Don’t give up-remain steadfast!

Scripture refs: Matt 14:23-31, Rev 14:12, John 15:7

"And when he had sent the multitudes away, he [Jesus] went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.   But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Matt 14:23-31

The Pursuance of Novelty -Part 2

Jesus made a startling statement in Luke 17:26 by drawing a parallel between the times that will mark His return, comparing it to the days of Noah. We therefore need to study the days of Noah in order to understand the times we live in today. Our antediluvian ancestors also lived life in the moment, thinking that they were invincible. Jesus describes their carefree and frivolous existence until the day of reckoning came suddenly upon them. To them it seemed sudden, yet there was ample warning given to them to repent and turn to God-Noah witnessed to the wicked generation for 120 years, but his appeals were largely ignored. We face the same dilemma today. When no one seems to be listening to your message, what do you do? Well, Noah kept on preaching regardless!

Sometimes, it seems like the world is looking for something new when the gospel of grace is right in front of us. The gospel is the old, old story that makes new hearts yet many people refuse to surrender and let God change their hearts. Instead, they seek the thrill of chasing after relative truth that evades them like a stealthy phantom that can never be caught! God made us creative beings, but He never intended for us to be so busy chasing a novel existence and getting bored with everything, that we have no time to spend in His presence and learn of Him. Our pursuance of novelty extends even into the arena of Biblical doctrines and truths. We are in grave danger when we think that we have heard it all before, and we go seeking after a message because it seems new and interesting. There will no doubt be many false prophets and false Christs out there, who will use their own private interpretations of the Scriptures to make things sound very different and attract the attention of those who are not grounded on Christ, the Rock. Jesus Himself warned us about this in Matt 24:24.

Satan’s ploy is to use the same old vices and sins to trap us. The Old Testament records for us the tragedies and triumphs of key figures in Bible history and we notice that the same sins that were their downfall, are ours today! Murder, adultery, licentiousness and immorality abounded then like it does now, yet in our pursuit of novelty we have blinded ourselves to the effects of these heinous sins. We have been desensitized to them to the extent that they are a normal feature of the landscape to us. Human beings, despite their God-given intellect, are slow learners. Just like the Israelites who fell into idolatry over and over again, we repeat the insanity of following a pattern of sin that gets us nowhere but we refuse to relinquish our old ways because we are terrified of change and of total surrender to God. Then, to add insult to injury, we claim that reading about the lives of others in the same predicament as ourselves is boring and not necessary! How can a person understand the New Testament without having a strong foundation in the Old Testament? How can someone appreciate the redemptive work of Christ if he does not first understand the origin of sin? Our neglect of the Old Testament is precisely the reason why some Christians cannot reconcile the justice and mercy of God, as revealed through Christ. Our understanding of the Gospel is incomplete without both the Old and New Testaments.



"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction." -2 Pet 2:1


 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." -1 John 4:1

Run to the Redeemer

When life pelts you with problems

And all around you dances darkness;

When you’re not sure you can carry on…

Run to the Redeemer!

His arms are open wide;

He’s a tower of refuge to those seeking to hide

He said: “Come to me all who labour,

Lay your burdens aside;

I will give you rest and respite.”

When you’re in distress with nowhere to run,

Alone and afraid as friendships fade

When you’re not sure you can carry on…

Run to the Redeemer!

His arms are open wide;

He’s a tower of refuge to those seeking to hide

He said: “Come to me all who labour,

Lay your burdens aside;

I will give you rest and respite.”

When your heart fails for fear,

And deadly doubt clouds your mind;

When you’re not sure you can carry on…

Run to the Redeemer!

His arms are open wide;

He’s a tower of refuge to those seeking to hide

He said: “Come to me all who labour,

Lay your burdens aside;

I will give you rest and respite.”

When the world seems to reject you

And testing trials assail you,

Remember Jesus will never forsake you;

He’s right there by your side

Man of sorrows acquainted with grief,

He’ll turn your cross into triumph

And give you relief!

So just run to the Redeemer!

His arms are open wide;

He’s a tower of refuge to those seeking to hide

He said: “Come to me all who labour,

Lay your burdens aside;

I will give you rest and respite.

Child, I will give you rest and respite.”

This poem/hymn was inspired by the words of Prov 18:10-"The Name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runneth into it, and is safe."

The Pursuance of Novelty-Part 1

As human beings made in the image of a creative and powerful God, we have the innate desire to push ourselves to the limits in our search for novel and innovative solutions to the everyday challenges of life. From the electric light bulb to the telephone, the automobile, the computer and supersonic jets that soar across the heavens, our inventions continue to change the landscape of our world as we know it.

Wise king Solomon said in Ecles 1:9 that “there is nothing new under the sun…” Yet, since his time our world has seen the greatest changes in modern technology. Most of the scientists and great intellectuals of our time are alive today! In his time, armies were considered strong if they had iron chariots-today we face the ever increasing threat of nuclear disaster!

However, some things have never changed! The age-old problem of sin hasn’t changed, and despite our best efforts we are powerless against this scourge of satan on our own. Our pursuance of novelty hasn’t changed either; in fact it is one of satan’s prime methods of propagating his end-time deceptions. He knows we are attracted to anything new and exciting, and he takes full advantage of this. In our haste to discover novel truths, we forget the importance of learning the lessons that only history can teach us. The Lord has let us choose our destiny. Since the day our first parents made their first bad decision, we have been painfully writing our history in blood, sweat and tears. What a pitiful waste if we cannot use this opportunity to look back and learn from the mistakes of our past!

Just as the importance of the subject of history is undermined at public schools, so we find that Christians are neglecting their study of the Old Testament scriptures in favour of the New Testament, saying that things have changed! Yet, the sin problem still exists. We face the same adversary as our Old Testament counterparts did, and we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever! (Heb 13:8) Satan doesn’t even NEED to change his tactics because we still fall for them today! Generals and great military strategists study the work of their adversaries and the history of their nations’ battles to predict the course of future endeavours, but we as Christians fail miserably in this respect and we’re fighting a war for our very souls!

The New Testament itself says that ALL scripture is for our correction, reproof and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). There was once a time when the only scripture people had at their disposal was the Old Testament; if they had neglected to study it, would we have progressed to the extent we have today? 1 Cor 10:11 and Rom 15:4 explain that the Old Testament writings are for our learning and the same lessons will be our test in the times ahead. Just as an apprentice learns his trade from the master craftsman, let us not seek to reinvent the wheel, but let us read and learn from those who have gone before us! In respect of human affairs, there is nothing new under the sun-we know who wins the battle in the end. Therefore, let us stay true to our God!

"The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after."-Eccles 1:9-11

"And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."-Eccles 12:12-13

"Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."-1 Cor 10:11

Out of Laodicea!

The book of Hebrews describes us as pilgrims on a journey to the Promised Land. Some have died while walking the journey, having seen glimpses and revelations of the fulfillment of the promise from afar off (Heb 11:13).

The journey is an arduous one and often we encounter oases of pleasure in the dry, dusty deserts of our lives. However, they are merely fleeting mirages, temporary distractions to keep us from attaining our goal. Jesus warned His disciples against trying to serve two masters, namely God and Mammon (Mat 6:24). He said it is an impossible task, a balance that could never be achieved. We therefore have to be careful that the pleasures of this world do not become a holiday resort into which we check in and never wish to leave!

In this world, it is easy to fall into the trap of seeking fame and fortune and a person is often judged solely on the pride and accompanying pomp of his chosen profession. As a result, many people spend their lives chasing after money, placing all their security and confidence in it. A job becomes not a means for making a living, but the reason for life itself! God gave us the gift of a honest day’s work to keep us out of trouble, but we have turned it into the source of most of our troubles!

As a result of this, we lead mostly sedentary lifestyles and suffer the consequences of poor health. Like the church of Laodicea described in Revelation, we have heaped up for ourselves gold and silver and we think we no longer need God. (Rev 3:17).We put our confidence in the world’s great marketplaces that can implode at any time, instead of putting our confidence in the Lord who was, and is, and is to come!

Our churches have become akin to social clubs, devoid of active service and training in righteousness and compassion. We have become “pew warmers”, having a form of religion and denying the power thereof (2 Tim 3:5). We think that we have done our duty when we have attended church on Sabbath and given our tithes and offerings. We no longer go out into the world as missionaries looking for opportunities to tell others about God while going about our daily tasks as was done in the early church. Instead we leave this to the missionaries on the frontlines and the pastors in the church. We can see the sad results of an inactive laity all around us-people who are not active in the kingdom of God have more time to dabble in sin and more time to succumb to temptation. The world is today “as it was in the days of Noah” when violence and immorality was rife. Jesus said it would be so, shortly before His return. (Luke 17:26-28)

Jesus cautioned us to watch and pray lest we fall into temptation. We have fallen asleep! We are indecisive, neither hot nor cold, yet God wants us to make a decision and take a stand (Rev 3:15-16). Let us pray that God would anoint our eyes with the eye salve spoken of in Revelation, that we may be cured of our blindness and realize our need for Him and our need to work for His Kingdom and not our own!

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."-Rev 3:14-19