Words for Life Articles

The resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ from the dead is the foundation of our faith as Christians.

As Christians if God did not raise Jesus from the dead then we are just wasting our time in a dead faith.

I have however always been fascinated by Peter’s gospel message to Cornelius and his household. Peter begins his gospel message by acknowledging that God is impartial. The good news is not for a certain group of people. The good news transcends race, colour or class. The good news is for everyone.

Acts 10:34-43

34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Peter in his sharing of the gospel message highlights three important things that everyone should know and that is -

1. CHRIST WALKED ON THIS EARTH - We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.
2. JESUS DIED - They put him to death by hanging him on a tree
3. HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD - but God raised him on the third day
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Philippians 2:8

8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

The cross is the symbol of Christianity. It symbolises the crucifixion of our Lord and Saviour. It represents the suffering, public humiliation, the shaming and the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul boast was in the Cross of Jesus, Galatians 6:14

14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel neither was he ashamed of the cross of Jesus.

Over and over again Jesus calls His disciples to deny themselves, pick up their cross and follow Him. Jesus was clear about His followership, who ever wanted to follow Him had to deny self and pick up the cross and follow Jesus. The way of discipleship is the way of the cross.

2 Corinthians 4:7-9

7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed

2020 and now 2021, the world has been turned upside down, not by our gospel but by a virus called Corona. The words such as Pandemic, social distancing, unprecedented times, new normal have all become so popular and commonly used all over the world.

Yet the one word that has always and still bothered me is lockdown. Lock down is very restrictive.

To be lockdown is the confinement of prisoners to their cells for all or most of the day as a temporary security measure.

Or a lockdown could be an emergency protocol to prevent people or information from escaping.

Many countries have seen more than one lockdown and this has had both a negative and positive effect.

For some families it has been very stressful. You are always in each other’s face or space. Depression, stress, loss of finance, loss of jobs and the list goes on.

However, for the environmentalist, they believe the lockdown has resulted in clearer skies, clean water, and clean air.

Some people have used this time wisely and learnt new things. Some have learnt to exercise and go for walks; others have learnt to home school.

For some believers it has created a deeper relationship with the Lord, a deeper studying of the word of God.

Wow! The year 2020 has been an unprecedented, soul searching, eventful and Spiritually challenging for many. Yet a glorious year for as many of us who had believed God for a supernatural harvest.

It has been a year when many have been locked in with God rather than a locked down.

In 2019 the Lord had laid on my heart that 2020 will be a year of supernatural harvest.

One of the thoughts that the Lord had laid on my heart was that He wanted His church back. See below an excerpt from that write up in 2019.

God wants to return His Church back to His glory days, the days of its Power, when the Holy Spirit was allowed to move freely, the days when Jesus was the centre of the Church. God is rebuilding His Church by raising up men and women who trust and obey Him.

On 31^st of December, I had said God wants His Church back and so I was not surprise when our usual Church activities was dismantled by the lockdown.

Acts 4:8-12

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This scripture gives a clarity as to the role and pre-eminence of Jesus.

Peter made it clear to the Sanhedrin that they were not the ones who healed this man but Jesus.

They made it clear that it is only Jesus and Jesus alone who can save.

Jesus is  the saviour of the world.

1 Samuel 14:1

This chapter of the bible emphasizes the victory of the Israelites over the Philistines but the story itself starts with a young man who had the faith and courage to do the unthinkable.

This is the history of a group of discouraged, frustrated, outnumbered and inadequately armed soldiers. With no hope of victory, no hope of escape. Their leader King Saul has run out of ideas and in hiding.

Yet the bible says in verse 23 of chapter 14 …23 So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.

What happened? What was it that changed their situation?

Ecclesiastes 12:13

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Solomon was a wise King; he was a man gifted with wisdom from God. A man who enjoyed life to the fullest. Solomon wrote about variety of things and issues including birds, plants, animals, you name it. This man was blessed with wisdom.

In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon gives a picture of life and how meaningless it is. He goes from talking about vanity, to emptiness of life, he talks about drinking, feasting, enjoying labour and seeking God, yet he concludes the book of Ecclesiastes with this most interesting statement:

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

In conclusion Solomon realises despite his success, wisdom, his gifting and the women, that the whole duty of man is to fear God. This is man’s obligation.