John 1:12-13

THE GREAT MYSTERY!

(February 10, 2023) S. Sam Selva Raj shares …

Paul made a dramatic statement in Ephesians 5:32: ‘This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.’

God’s church is the fellowship of saints. In the gospels and first 10 chapters of Acts, those who followed Jesus were called ‘disciples.’ The early church grew and in Acts 11:26 those followers were now called ‘Christians.’

Faithful Christians will –

  • Not lie, or deceive others or be treacherous.
  • Talk open mindedly to other Christians.
  • Follow Jesus’ model, walking in His footsteps.
  • Reflect Him under all conditions.
  • Not deny Jesus when affected by circumstances.
  • Never misuse God’s ministry for their own profit.

One of the greatest mysteries to many is the fellowship of Christians and God.  The reality is that those who are born again through Jesus are God’s children (John 1:12-13). 

Every truth needed for anyone to live a victorious life in this world is hidden in this secret relationship. But people (sadly even some Christians!) are trying to discover other ways to find joy and peace to progress in their lives, ignoring this relationship.

Jesus revealed His great love for us in redeeming us by His sacrifice on Calvary (Romans 5:8). He is our Saviour who overcame death and rose from the dead! Over the centuries people have hated Jesus’ church and persecuted it. This fellowship of God’s children has experienced terrible sufferings and opposition… even today!   

(more…)

EXCUSES THAT COULD KEEP YOU OUT OF HEAVEN 

(November 05, 2022) Richard Winter highlights that there is no excuse for concealing wrong actions!

On the spur of the moment one day, my good friend Ray and I decided to ditch school and play golf. It was an easy decision; the golf course was behind a pine forest right that was itself behind our high school and we wouldn’t be seen from the school.

So Ray and I rode our bikes through the pines, retrieved some old clubs and balls from the golf shed, and took off our school blazers and ties that identified our school – and away we went.

We had only played five holes when conscious struck us, and we decided we’d better go to school. So, ties and jackets back on, we cycled down the hill and joined others who were going into the next class, hoping that no one had missed us.

What we didn’t know was we were seen ditching school by a passing driver who went to our school office and reported us! Suddenly an announcement came through: ‘The two boys seen riding through the pine forest this morning – come to the office.’

Well, Ray and I stood up and off we marched. But not bravely, we were really scared and everyone was watching us. What could we say, as we were ushered into the principal’s office – we were completely rumbled.

‘Excuses’ don’t excuse!
There it got scarier. The principal kept doing whatever he was doing, writing apparently. Occasionally he would look up, glare and start writing again. Minutes went by and soon we were perspiring!

(more…)

ABRAHAM’S OFFSPRING

(June 12, 2021) Robert McQuillan responds to a question that comes up occasionally…

Dear Dr Robert
I think I heard a preacher mention briefly that not all Israelites are Jews and not explaining.  Did I hear correctly? Maybe I just heard wrongly… or can you explain a bit more. Stan

Dear Stan

No, you heard correctly. But, let me share some background…

Old Testament characters such as Abraham are often referred to as Jews (especially in old movies). The reality is that Abraham was originally a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13), and the term ‘Jew’ was not used until after the return of the exiles from Babylon (Ezra 4:23).

This term – Jew – is from the Hebrew word Yehudi, meaning from the ’Kingdom of Judah.’ It indicated a ‘worshipper of one God’ and related to returning exiles – Israelites, mainly from the tribe of Judah but also including some Benjamites (In Esther 2:5, Mordecai is referred to as a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin). This was years before the other ten tribes of Israel had been taken to the old Assyrian empire.

(more…)