Revival And Reformation
JESUS pointed out the strengths, which each of the Seven Churches in The book of Revelation had and their weaknesses and sins, which they needed to overcome. To each of the churches in Asia Minor, Jesus dangled rewards they would receive, if they overcame their challenges, “to him who overcomes...” To overcome, we must lay aside the weights and the sins that hold us back from progressing.
We must put on the whole armour of God and must be ready to fight the fight of faith, if we desire to overcome. We must put on the whole armour of God, which includes the armour of truth, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. The other armours include the blood of the lamb and the holiness garb, among others. We overcome not by our strength but in the power and grace of He Who overcame at the cross. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” ( Romans 8: 37 NKJV). As one commentator wrote, “The overcomers in each church in Asia Minor did so, not by their actions— rather their actions are an indication of their identification with the Overcomer, Jesus Christ ( John 16: 33; 1 John 4: 4). John indicates that those who overcome do so by way of their relationship with God: I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. ( 1 John 2: 13) [ Emphasis added]. Those who overcome do so by trusting in Christ and His sacrifice, remaining unwavering in their faith, even when faced with death ( Rev. 12: 11). They inherit all things because of their position in Christ as sons of God ( Rev. 21: 7).” As predicted by Jesus and the Apostle Paul, the times we live in are perilous and uncertain ( Matthew 24: 12,13; 2 Timothy 3: 1- 4). The daily happenings will task the wills and capacities of Christians, and men would require divine grace and abilities to survive. As Jesus forewarned, “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” But he who endures to the end shall be saved” ( Matthew 24: 12- 13 NKJV). So, the Church must teach and prepare believers on how to overcome these End Times.
Paul said to the Corinthians that “all things” belonged to them. “Therefore, let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours” ( I Corinthians 3: 21, 22 NKJV). Is that so? Are all things theirs for real? Did Paul mean that all things belonged to the Christians in Corinthian who were immature and carnal? ( 1 Corinthians 1: 7, 1 Corinthians 3: 1- 4). Are all things theirs simply because they belonged to Christ or were there conditions? John provides an answer to this conundrum, when he says, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son” ( Revelation 21: 7 NKJV). Yes, Jesus has paid the price for all things, yet we have to overcome before we can inherit all things. This is not to say that we possess all things by works. No, it simply means that all things belong to those who persevere by faith like Jesus did ( Hebrews 12: 1- 2).
Without doubt, God has given us all things through Christ, but we must persevere to appropriate them ( Romans 8: 32). Satan works relentlessly to rob us of our inheritance. contact: pastoracukachi@ gmail. com
FOR several weeks, we have been taking about reasons why relationships especially courtship fails to metamorphosed into a holy wedlock. Actually, we have talked about so many reasons but today, we want to consider one of the most critical of them, which is pre- marital sex or sex before marriage. The truth is that several people do not even know that this is wrong at all. Some erroneously believe that once they start courtship or once they are getting married they are free to have sex together. Worse still, some even believe that the lady must be pregnant before they can get married to her. It is nothing but an expression of moral bankruptcy and gross ignorance, which pervades our society today. Aside the fact that it is morally wrong, it is also not Biblical and without any doubt, it is one of the major reasons why many relationships no longer result into marriage. It is nothing but building on a wrong foundation and walking in flagrant disobedience to the Word of God. We can avoid sex before marriage, regardless of the moral decadence of this generation. We were taught many years back that it was a very big shame or a reproach on the entire family, when a lady is not found as a virgin after wedding.
Today, people celebrate monumental moral decadence in the name of civilisation. Whether you are a man or a lady, God wants you to keep your virginity till you get married. That is one of the greatest gifts you can give your spouse on your wedding night. Some men erroneously assume that they can live a careless life before marriage, since they cannot be pregnant, but they do not remember the fact that having children outside wedlock can be a catastrophe and it can be very shameful. In fact, having sex around as a man outside wedlock is like a rehearsal for divorce in your future and what you sow is what you reap. There are men that had been forced to marry against their will or choice because they got someone pregnant. Some men will never love to consider a lady for marriage, once they see her as a sex partner. Just like the popular adage, “why buy the cow when you can get the milk free.”
Conversely, some ladies erroneously assume that they can get a man committed or force him or tie him down or keep them to themselves with sex. What some of them do not really realise is the fact that there are many men today who are just Casanova. They are just hungry and thirsty for sex, but they are not in any way prepared for the responsibility of marriage. All they are looking for is to have sex with a particular lady a few times, and then they will look for an excuse to discard their victims and move on to the next casualty. They do all those things with all impunity because some do not really know the consequences, while some simply take delight in hurting ladies. Some also take undue advantage of matured Singles who are desperately in search of who to marry. That is why no single should appear desperate, no matter your age. People can smell your desperation and they are ready to take advantage of you.