Came From Nothing

Being Christian is to know how to live in moderation.

Titus 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Disproving the belief of the many that being godly is gain.

1 Timothy 6:5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Let us therefore examine ourselves if we are still in the faith and that Jesus is still in us.

2 Corinthians 13:5 5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.

For if Christ is in us, we are hoping for what is still unseen by us.

Romans 8:24-25 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

If we wait for it with patience and composure then it is not wise to think that abundant or comfortable living is the result of being godly.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

Multitude Of Sins

The soul that sins is the soul that dies.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Let us therefore be wise in choosing whom to follow because following a blind leader does not exonerate the blind soul. Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

Matthew 15:14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.

Do what is lawful and right, and must kept all God's statutes and observed them, that we may surely live.

Luke 9:25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

James 1:15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

But, Woe to the man that cause people to sin.

Matthew 18:6 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Blessed is he who brought back someone who wanders away from the truth.

James 5:20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.

Pure Religion

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

The helping of one another, the love, the caring & the compassion is a must for every brethren who is inside the Church of God.

2 Thessalonians 1:3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,

2 Corinthians 8:14 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality.

Taking care of your own family is a prerequisite before one can take care of others outside the home or the Church of God.

1 Timothy 3:5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);

In this manner, Pure religion left no street children or menace of society for the government to take care of. Henceforth, One can perfectly rule a nation only when he is under the rule of God?

Without Faith

There are three (3) kinds of sins committed by man.

First: The sins of commission - Those who walk not in spirit and fulfilling the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Second: The sins of omission - The coward whose works are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot.

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

Finally: The sins committed by unbelievers - like Cain whose offerings are done without faith.

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hebrews 11:11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

What is then the gravest sin among the three (3)? They are all sins with the same destination - the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

Revelation 21:8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

Fire From Heaven

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him.

2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.

When the lawless one will no longer be held back and will be taken out, there shall arise false christs and false prophets.

Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

The coming of the anti-Christ is through the activity and working of Satan which will be revealed and will proclaim himself that he is god.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Beware of this lawless one who is the anti-Christ with all power, signs, and lying wonders. Take note and remember these deceiving miracles.

Revelation 13:13-15 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.

Imagine a fire coming down from heaven and a talking image of the beast that must be worship? Who can resist this great deception? Unless you are warned of its existence. There will be affliction, distress, and oppression beyond what the world has ever seen, or will see again.

Matthew 24:21-22 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

In this period of time, look up in the sky! Jesus is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

As of this date, no one who claims to be god or the son of god, can show great sign of making fire coming down from heaven to earth in the sight of men. Still no one, but be ready when it come.

Big Brother

Jesus Christ told us that not everyone is called a brother.

Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

He being the first born son among us.

Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

For we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus as many of us were baptized through Him. Giving us the authority to call our brethren "brother" as Peter called Paul.

2 Peter 3:15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

The reason why we are commanded not to call anyone father for we are all brethren.

Matthew 23:8-9 But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.

Though in a relationship, even in a brotherhood, there must be hierarchy - a symbol of authority.

Matthew 23:11-12 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Any reaction to whom most people called "most holy father" or "reverend father"?

Without Blemish

I wonder why the burnt offerings made unto God are without blemish. God is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

Leviticus 22:19 you shall offer of your own free will a male without blemish from the cattle, from the sheep, or from the goats.

The offerings are to be eaten by the children of Aaron.

1 Corinthians 9:13 Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar?

Leviticus 6:18 All the males among the children of Aaron may eat it. It shall be a statute forever in your generations concerning the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Everyone who touches them must be holy.

The offerings that comes from the good heart of the giver makes the children of Aaron holy or without blemish.

Matthew 23:19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?

All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Live such good lives among the unbelievers that they may see your good deeds and glorify God.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

The gifts, the giver, the recipient of the gifts must therefore be without blemish to become holy in the eyes of God.

Fall By Calamity

The righteous died at younger age but the unrighteous are hard to fall. I often heard this saying when I was still young from folks in our locality that one survived in an accident because he is a bad guy and one did not because he is good & kind - with matching shaking of the head.

But reading the Scriptures proved otherwise.

Proverbs 24:16 For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

Certainly, people judged on the outside of a man compared to God who search the heart and mind of every man.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 “ The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

Knowing therefore that for being righteous, one may fall seven times and rise again, can we not persevere to become such & not fall by calamity?

For Edification

Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The assembling together of believers is a way of building up the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

In sports like weight lifting, one requires a proper work out that will cause the growth in the muscles of the body to build up.

Ephesians 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

For any group of sports to win, they must work out and play as a team. All geared towards perfection with a single purpose of creating a sure plan on how to win the game.

1 Corinthians 14:26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

Whether in Religion or in Sports, irregular attendance makes anyone a loser.