Of God and Mankind

Ephesians 4:11-15 (AMPC)   “ And His gifts were [varied; He Himself appointed and gave men to us] some to be apostles (special messengers), some prophets (inspired preachers and expounders), some evangelists (preachers of the Gospel, traveling missionaries), some pastors (shepherds of His flock) and teachers.   12 His intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church),   13 [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him.   14 So then, we may no longer be children, tossed ...

Exodus 25:1-9 (NKJV) “ 1 Then the  Lord  spoke to Moses, saying:  2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.    3 And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze;  4 blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair;  5 ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood;    6 oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense;  7 onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate.  8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.    9 According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it.”     Dear people of God, the command to give in Church is from Go...

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (AMPC) “ And you shall love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being and with all your might.   6 And these words which I am commanding you this day shall be [first] in your [own] minds and hearts; [then]   7 You shall whet and sharpen them so as to make them penetrate and teach and impress them diligently upon the [minds and] hearts of your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up.   8 And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets (forehead bands) between your eyes.   9 And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”     Dear people of God, a friend of mine told me recently how someone he knew travelled to a European country to survey their schools there because he wanted to send his child over there for high school...

Mark 11:24-26 (AMPC)   “ For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].   25 And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that your Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop.   26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your failings and shortcomings.”   Dear people of God, in the first part of the message on the same topic, we established that the devil is the cause of all evil in this world.   We saw that Christians ignorantly and sinfully blame God for their problems whereas the devil is the culprit who misleads them, keeps them ignorant of God’s Word to know their rights in Christ.   It is ignorance of these rights in Christ that is the bane of many Christians...