The secret of Christian living and victory

The most important thing for any person is to be transformed into the image of Christ. 

Romans 12 says we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we might be able to know what is the good, acceptable and perfect will of good for our lives. It’s almost like living on a 30, 60 or 100 fold blessing. Good, acceptable and perfect. 30, 60 and 100. With the measure that we are transformed is the measure that we will move into the degrees of the levels of the will of God. 

The Caveman Experience

1Sam 22:1-2  And David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And his brothers heard, and all his father's house, and they went down to him there.  And every man in distress, and every man who had a creditor, and every man bitter of soul, gathered themselves to him. And he became commander over them. And about four hundred men were with him. 

In the passage above we discover that David went to hide in a cave when he was persecuted by Saul even though he defeated the bear, the lion and Goliath! He was destined to be the king of Israel and yet he hides in a cave. The people that gathered around him in the cave were not people of importance but people who were distressed, who were in debt and with bitterness pushed around by life and in a mess.

The Lamb of God

Adult Sunday School - Part 15 - Revised for Easter

The story of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God runs through the whole bible. It is not as if God suddenly realised he made a mistake by making man, and now he has to redeem him. He made plans for the redemption of man when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I will therefore talk very little about the manifestation of the Lamb in the New Testament and take the prophecies in the Old Testament to turn your eyes on the Lamb of God.

Easter 1 - What is Easter?

What happened on Easter? Why is the Resurrection important?

Easter Sunday is the day of rejoicing that follows the sorrow of Good Friday. For Christians, Easter is the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It bears witness to God's enduring promise of eternal life. As the climax of Holy Week, Easter is a time of hope and assurance. It is humanity's turning point from destruction, to glory and salvation.

Jesus died to pay the penalty of death that we deserve for our sin, was buried, and rose with a glorified body, gaining victory over death and the grave. When we put our faith in Him by believing through faith alone in Christ alone, we have the promise of one day having a body like our Lord’s and reigning with Him in heaven.

Who is the Centre of your world?

 James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

Are you?

Salt and Light: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Philippians 4:13

The Divine Conspiracy

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard helps us rediscovering our hidden life in God. A Powerful, Thought-Provoking Guide to Living the Life Jesus Intends for Us.

Is Jesus part of your daily life—here and now? Or, by failing to take him seriously, have you relegated him to the realm of the "hereafter"? In The Divine Conspiracy, biblical teaching, popular culture, science, scholarship, and spiritual practice are weaved together to capture the central insights of Christ's teachings in a fresh way and show the necessity of profound changes in how we view our lives and faith.

Psalm 39

Dialogue with and atheist - Part 4

What is an atheist really

GLC:        Hi Atheist, interested in another session with me, about things material and immaterial? Or shall I say physical and meta-physical? Or what about this one ... carnal and spiritual?

Atheist:   You have this funny effect on me - I detest you, but still I cannot help but listening to you - the same effect as people like Dawkins and hitchens have on Christians.

GLC:        I do not mean it to be a sort of punishment, but rather an excursion into realms and domains where you would feel ill at ease, but still domains which exist. I know you are a materialist, and that you only believe in physical things, but leading a life of bondage in only one domain must cramp your lifestyle immensely.

Adult Sunday School

Did you enjoy or "Adult Sunday School Series? 

Follow this link to view the entire series!

The University of Adversity

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not  in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body" (2 Cor. 4:8-10).

It's hard to find anyone in Christian history who became a great leader without earning an advanced degree at the University of Adversity. John Bunyan (1628-1688), the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, grew up in poverty and taught himself to read. As a young man, he struggled with feelings of not being forgiven by God and was tortured by visions of eternal punishment. His devout wife helped him to overcome his fear, but then, while she was still in her twenties, she died of a sudden illness. In his grief, Bunyan devoted himself to preaching. The English government, however, repeatedly imprisoned him for preaching without a license.

God has a plan!

Do you ever feel that you are just floating along with no purpose or goal? Do you know that God has a specific plan for YOUR life?

JEREMIAH 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Dialogue with and atheist - Part 3

Gravity of the situation.

GLC:        Hi Atheist, I did not know that you would come back for another session of our dialogue. You looked very perplexed last time.

Atheist:   You left you too much to think about, although I cannot get myself to think where you got it wrong - but wrong you surely got it. So I might redeem myself today with some fresh new arguments.

GLC:        And speaking of redemption. Why would you want to redeem yourself. Where did you get lost or lost your faith or your self-composure. I thought that only Christians looked for redemption.

Dialogue with and atheist - Part 2

Less tangible objects.

GLC:        Hi there, Atheist, where are you hurrying to?

Atheist:   I am off to some business at the bank.

GLC:        Why did you all of a sudden remember to rush off to the bank just when you saw me?

Atheist:   I do not like you Christians. You think the world belongs to you. Everywhere you have people in high places trying to dictate policy along Christian principles, which the rest of us do not like.

GLC:        You are not perhaps talking of some church going people who wish to force their church dogma onto you?

Atheist:   Yes, exactly.

Wise words of Life and Love

The following pieces are not from scripture and please do not regard it as such. It only gives us some insight into some aspects of Love and Life, as described by a very wise man, and has meant a lot to me in my life.

It is taken from 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran.

The Lamb of God

Adult Sunday School - Part 15- The Lamb of God 

The story of Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God runs through the whole Bible. It is not as if God suddenly realised he made a mistake by making man, and now he has to redeem him. He made plans for the redemption of man when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I will therefore talk very little about the manifestation of the Lamb in the New Testament and take the prophecies in the Old Testament to turn your eyes on the Lamb of God.

However, we start with the New Testament.

The Last Judgment

Adult Sunday School - Part 14: The Last Judgement

This used to send shivers up my spine, but not anymore - and you can prepare yourself for this to take the sting out of it. But sure as we live, there will be a Final or Last Judgement of the World. It will be like a court case for individuals and nations, and it is easiest to think of it in terms of a court case on earth, as what we have on earth is based on a justice system instituted by God for Israel.

The basis for any such a court case is the presence of a judge (Jesus Christ), an accuser (Satan), an accused (me and you), witnesses (anyone we wish to call), and the Law (Mosaic Law and the Bible). We all know the procedures which will be followed. Satan will bring in an accusation against us, we will plead guilty or not, and if we plead innocence, we will need to defend ourselves with suitably prepared witnesses and arguments in terms of the Law (and the rest of the Bible).

I stand in awe - part 2

Who manages the Salmon Run

In this blog we will relate the natural phenomena called the salmon run, a phenomenon so carefully and scientifically orchestrated that it defies human understanding. At the core of this story is the question - who manages this run, as it can only take supernatural management and organizational skills that can ensure it runs so smoothly and scientifically correct, although some aspects of this is not even understood properly by us.

The atheists on the other hand will maintain that it is driven by random events, and that what is to be done is stored within the cells of these fishes. If you give it enough time anything is possible and time will make it perfect.

New year, New Beginnings: Zaccheus

Luke 19:5-9 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, "He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”