The Kingdom of God

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”

Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”  

Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, ‘Look, there is the Son of Man,’ or ‘Here he is,’ but don’t go out and follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes.   Luke 17:20-25 (NLT)

With so many tragedies and mayhem going on around the world now, many would ask where is God in all this? Everyone knows, in one way or another, the world is going to be a very bleak place. But God doesn’t want you to be conscious of the perilous nature of the circumstances. He wants you to live in a state according to His Kingdom.

So what is that Kingdom, you may ask?

Well, as long as you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord, that is where you have already inherited the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ, the very Son of God is that Kingdom, is the very representation of the God the Father Himself. A kingdom is the very realm or sphere in which ONE is dominant, ruled by a sovereign. And in this case, He is the eternal spiritual sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

This means that this Kingdom of God is not some physical place. The Kingdom is Christ, who is within you. So if you want to experience abundance in your life, be conscious first of the abundance inside you. And when Christ the very Life is in you, then you will not fear all the deaths all around you. There will be much chaos in the world, but you will be in peace in the Kingdom.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7

Let’s not live our lives bobbing from one adversity to another. Let us live according to the Kingdom of God, one that is of faith, hope and love; an experience of God’s peace which is so good that we cannot even understand.

When I Need Peace and Contentment

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You that You died and sacrificed Yourself for me so that I could be with You forever. You are my God and Lord of my life. And because You stood knocking at the door of my heart, I can then invited You in and received You as my Saviour. I can finally walk with You and enjoy all the peace You have for me for You are the Prince of Peace. Help me to always remember You are always with me, especially when strife and unrest begin to creep back into my soul. Help me to be mindful that You are my peace, and You have broken down every wall of separation that could ever come between me and Your presence.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. Ephesians 2:8-10; 13-14

Saved By Grace Alone? -No More Mr Nice Guy

I have recently received an unsolicited comment on this site with the above title, “Saved By Grace Alone?”. It suggested doubts on biblical predestination, salvation not by grace alone (but needs more), and doctrines like baptism for salvation, unsecured salvation, and more. Initially, I really didn’t want to have anything to do with it. However, over time I felt nudged that I should share on my opposing views.

This is not something easy to write as I do not take this debate lightly, and I am not formally trained theologically. My indignation will probably show in my writings; so that’s why the “-No More Mr Nice Guy”. I hope my post will not turn out to be too harsh but if you are likely going to be offended, I would suggest that you stop reading further.

For the rest of the readers, here goes…

• God is eternal (Isaiah 57:15). He is not bounded by time and space because He existed before time and space. This is something we cannot comprehend now; but what we cannot comprehend, does not mean it doesn’t exist. God the Father foreknew and predestined us as His children through Christ on the cross, because He doesn’t see time chronologically as we mere humans do.   Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5-6  
  • When we made a choice to follow Jesus Christ, God already foreknew beyond the constraint of time, and predestined to mound us to be like His Son.   For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.   Romans 8:29.

• There is another argument that we are saved not only by grace, but we also need faith for salvation to work; which suggest that grace is offered by God but faith, on the other hand, is offered by oneself. But we have forgotten that everything is by the grace of God, not by one’s works.   For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9   When I was little, I was quite proud to put my dollar into the offering bag during service. But what I didn’t realise then was that I didn’t earn that dollar; my mom gave it to me! In the same way, God show us the grace for salvation through Christ and even gave us the faith to enable us to believe and continue believing (Romans 12:3).
  • Both the grace (for salvation) and faith is a gift, by the grace (undeserved favour) of God!
  • If we think we are good enough to conjure up our own faith, we are missing the point.

• For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.   Titus 2:11   The grace of God has offered salvation to ALL people. Each person has an opportunity to decide and choose if they want to accept the salvation of grace offered.   “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16   
  • Simply put, salvation is offered to everyone, but only those who made a choice to believe in the Son will have eternal life.

• We have to accept although salvation is offered to everyone, but not everyone accepts salvation. It all sums down to the personal free choice whether to take up the salvation offer.   Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. Ephesians 4:18
  • If some people wander away from life God has offered because of their hardness of hearts, it is their own free choice. So be it.

• Looking at Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”     It was argued that Christians have obtained grace by faith; so faith precedes grace; and although grace is available to all men, it is faith through the Lord Jesus Christ make everything works.      => Well, it sounds seemingly correct, but upon closer examination, it is deviously flawed. The argument is putting the cart before the horse.   Faith does not precedes grace and grace is not the cheaper cousin of faith just because it is offered to all men.   For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. John 1:17   You see,  grace came through Jesus Christ. Moses was given, depicting a servant, but Christ is the very personification of grace itself. If Jesus (grace) didn’t come down to earth and didn’t go to the cross, what faith will there be to even begin with?  Therefore, we are justified through faith, because (in precedence) of what Jesus (grace) had done for us. And so because of faith, we have gained a further grace, the undeserved privilege.  If I were to write a formula, it would be:
  • Grace (Jesus Christ) +produce+ Faith +produce+ Grace (undeserved privilege)
  • in short, its grace upon grace.   For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. John 1:16

• Can you lose your salvation in Jesus Christ? No, no and no. A Christian can never lose his or her salvation; nothing – absolutely nothing can separate a believer from God’s love.   And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39     Nothing can remove a Christian from God’s hand (John 10:28-29). God is both willing and able to guarantee to maintain the salvation He has given.     With reference to Galatians 5:4, Paul was just warning the Galatians not to fall back into the old form of law of Moses (Judaism) instead of real essence of freedom in Christ. If they did so, they would fall away from God’s grace (undeserved privilege) of freedom in Christ in the new covenant back into the old covenant.  It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatian 5:1 
  • In the context, fallen from grace in Galatian 5, is never about falling away from (or losing) salvation. It is only about falling from a higher level of grace in the new covenant to an older and lower level, but still within the net of salvation.
  • Therefore, we should be living confidently in secured everlasting salvation that is based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

• Is Water Baptism Needed for Salvation? is a post I have written before and I shall not repeat here and like you to read it yourself. In short, its great to be baptised and everyone should do it because you are relating to Jesus Christ Himself, His death and resurrection, and also being borne a new creation. A fantastic and beautiful experience, to be enjoyed by all believers. But also don’t be frightened by naysayers about your eternal salvation resting on a ritual, whether you are baptised or not. In Mark 16:16, Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
  • Did you read anyone who is not baptized will be condemned? Neither did I.

You see, if God the Father did not first show us grace, providing a way for us by sending Jesus Christ, it will be a dead-end for all of us. Nothing will matter much, faith or no-faith / confess or no confessing. So we are saved by grace alone, Jesus Christ the very personification of God’s grace, and absolutely nothing would be required for salvation other than a simple choice of accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour.

Our repentance and faith is a response to all that God has done for us, not a work or our ability we do or have to “get saved.” We are compelled by the testimony of Scripture to assert that we are saved by grace alone! Any other view of salvation robs God of his rightful glory, belittle the sacrifice of Christ’s work on the cross and gives mere humans room to boast. It is nothing of us but wholly on God, Jesus Christ, our saving grace alone.

Instruction Manual – Biblical Life Instructions

Everything comes with an instruction manual nowadays; be it a simple bread toaster, a mobile phone, to even a remote flying drone. And by simply following the instructions in the manual, with some head-scratching, we can generally achieve the desired result; How to do it, what to do and what not to do. You will probably say, life can be so much simpler if it comes with an instruction manual as well, right?

Actually, there is…

Firstly, the important initial steps (much like first putting batteries in), are found in these basic foundations:

1. God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.   1 Timothy 1:2
2. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled us with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.   1 Timothy 1:14
3. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.   1 Timothy 1:15
4. God our Saviour, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.   1 Timothy 2:3
5. There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone.   1 Timothy 2:5-6

Then, the subsequent instructions to biblical living:

1. Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.   1 Timothy 1:4
2. All believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.   1 Timothy 1:5
3. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear.   1 Timothy 1:19
4. Pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.   1 Timothy 2:1-2
5. Men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.   1 Timothy 2:8
6. Women to be modest in their appearance. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. Women should learn quietly and submissively.   1 Timothy 2:9-11
7. A leader must have a life that is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him.    1 Timothy 3:2-4
8. God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.   1 Timothy 4:3-4
9. Be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Saviour of all people and particularly of all believers.   1 Timothy 4:6-7,10
10. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.   1 Timothy 4:12-13
11. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.   1 Timothy 4:14
12. Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.   1 Timothy 5:1-2
13. Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.   1 Timothy 5:3-4
14. But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.   1 Timothy 5:8
15.  If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.   1 Timothy 5:16
16. Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching.   1 Timothy 5:17
17. Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others.   1 Timothy 5:19
18. All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching.   1 Timothy 6:1
19. True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.   1 Timothy 6:6-7
20. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.   1 Timothy 6:11-12
21. Those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.   1 Timothy 6:17
22. Use money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.   1 Timothy 6:18-19
23. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. Some people have wandered from the faith by following such foolishness.   1 Timothy 6:20-21

These instructions formed the basis or fundamentals and may not be exhaustive; especially considering the modern life and its complexities. Fortunately, we also do have a form of a “Help-desk” – a HELPER, that is 24/7, always there for us; the Holy Spirit, God Himself. We are no orphans, we are never alone on our own.

God Himself is with us!

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.   John 14:15-18

Spiritual Love Breaks

I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. John 15:9

You most probably have taken breaks before; lunch breaks, coffee breaks, and definitely toilet breaks. So do you take time out for spiritual love breaks?

What’s a spiritual love break? Well, like the natural, it’s an ‘overflow’ of thankfulness, knowing God is with us; and God is for us. The Holy Spirit impressing in us on the goodness of God, His righteousness – Christ’s finished work done for us. The sense we never deserved any of such grace but inherited as children of the Most High, nevertheless, because of the Lord’s love. A inner strength to know that we are never alone and troubles are never to big to handle because we have a big God. And obviously, we should just pause from everything we are doing; just let this overflow fill and assure our beings and enjoy – the love break.

We can even do this on a regular basis taking time to enjoy and feed on the love of Jesus our Good Shepherd. Set a time of the day where we can have a time of devotion to feed on God’s Word and His love for us; not that God needs them but in fact, it is us that needs to do this. Contrary to popular believes, our daily devotional time is not for God’s benefit (God is not narcissistic who demands worship – although He deserves them) but we do this for our own benefit; to build ourselves up.

When we can see how big the cross is, how much Jesus Christ had done – His sacrifice on the cross; then any big concerns we may have – are no concern, actually. Cannot explain it better than in Romans 8:

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:31-39

If we are able to remain fixed in God’s Word and His promises, then whatever our circumstances, we will all rise to be champions. The world is getting darker, but despite all these and even against immense odds, overwhelming victory is ours to take! Because through Christ, who loved us; no matter how – we still win!

 

A Reflection In Thankfulness

It’s the end of the year and a time of reflection again.

Truthfully, it is a turbulent year; a year where much had happened and is still happening. For the world, it’s probably one of the worst year for a long time, short of being in a world war. Sadly, tragedies and atrocities abounds; human lives were seemingly valueless and worthless. Bad news on the front page almost every single day. I see the beginning of the end, but yet it is still the beginning.

However, personally, and I believe this for most fellow believers; it is not a year of doom and gloom. We, the redeemed, are in the world – at a bad time, but not of the world and never hopeless. There are always glimmers of lights, twinkles and winks from God-the Father. Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, has always been a primary source of hope simply by His promises in the Bible. The glory of His coming and sacrifice for us… Just for us, that He gave Himself up, that we might be not be only conquerors, but more than conquerors:

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.   Romans 8:31-39

I, too am convinced, God’s love is ever much real and can never ever be separated from us. Even in such perilous times, I am having the best time in my life yet, and it is going to be even better! Join me in this hope, not an empty one; a real promising one by the Son, the new-born King.

If you are unsure, just ask the silent One, that is in you; the Holy Spirit. Just ask Him to rise up and bring glory from within up to Christ, the Son. Joy and thankfulness will surge through because of Christ who loved us. Overwhelming victory is yours! Leap in joy and thanksgiving; allow Him to; give yourself a chance too. Hug your family, spread your love. Keep Christ in Christmas, because we are the very reason He came.

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

– King David @2014

It’s Payback Time

People don’t despise a thief who only steals to fill his hunger;
Still if they catch him, he must repay seven times over—he could end up losing everything he owns!  Proverbs 6:30-31

In Proverbs, we understood that even a thief caught in hunger would need to pay back 7 times, thus losing everything he ever owns. Now, have you ever had your most precious stolen from you?

It may be your health, marriage, finances, or even your loved ones. As a believer, you have a right to expect restoration of the things that the devil has stolen and robbed from you.

But payback time is definitely coming!

If the devil is attacking you in any area, don’t be a wide-eyed doe caught between a pair of headlights. Tell your daddy God, “Father, I will not allow the devil to rob me of my health, marriage, family or finances. These blessings are blood-bought and paid for by Your Son! I will not settle for anything less by the most precious blood of Jesus!”

Claim your right for restoration in Christ Jesus and the Father will hear you. Even if it has happened many years back, claim your restoration and payback! There will be such times of restoration of all things to the body of Christ that His people will only get better, stronger, healthier, and more successful and glorious!

When God restores, even under the old covenant, His people always received much more than what they had originally lost, in terms of quality and/or quantity. How much more will our restoration be under the new covenant because of the shed blood of the Lamb of God!

For the Scriptures say, “Revenge is Mine. I will settle all scores.” Romans 12:21  (VOICE)

It’s payback time!

 

 

 

God is for us!

 

God, the Father is for us; not a maybe, not an if. This is because Jesus Christ, His own Son, was given and sacrificed on the cross for us; not a maybe but a reality. Our God is for us, not against us. It did not depends on His mood, or on our good conduct; but by His very own righteousness, grace and goodness. And if the Almighty who holds the entire universe in His hand- backs you up; who can block you from your divine destiny God has ordained for you.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honour at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Romans 8:31-34

Calvary Vision – What Really Happened Spiritually At The Cross

A really powerful sermon and vision on what actually happened spiritually at the cross when Jesus Christ was crucified.  A MUST WATCH!

You see, at the cross when Jesus Christ was crucified, it was not just plainly a physical punishment that Christ took up on our behalf. More importantly, He also took up spiritually our sins, our condemnation, our curses, our sickness and even our death; that we deserved and absorbed them within Himself. And after the judgement has been passed and absorbed, Jesus the sacrificial Lamb of God, remained intact, instead of being destroyed by the judgement; proving He is greater than the punishment.

And it is by His sacrifice that we are able to call: “Abba Father!” It is by Him, that we can have our victory; our abundant and eternal life.

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2

Hallelujah Lord!