Of God and Mankind

Hebrews 12:2 (AMPC)   “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”   Dear people of God, when a preacher of the gospel is involved in a scandal, it is usually a sad and shameful event in the sense that it brings great dishonour not just to the Church, the body of Christ ,  but also to our Leader, Founder, Saviour, Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.   In fact, for a Christian who is a new convert or one who takes his pastor as a model of Christian discipline, it is not just discouraging but could lead the person to lose his or her faith and break away from the Church back into unrighteous living.   The person m...

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (AMPC)   “FIRST OF all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men,   2 For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way.   3 For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior,   4 Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth.     Dear people of God, in the first part of the post under this title few days ago, we saw how it is that Christians must pray if God is to respond and act on our behalf on this earth.   We also saw that the necessity for prayer is borne out of the fact that where no pra...

  James 5:13 (AMPC)   “Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray. Is anyone glad at heart? He should sing praise [to God].”   Dear people of God, a number of times, I come across social media comments where someone says it is not prayer to God that is required to solve problems in this world but action by humans.   The comments about not needing to pray to God is borne purely out of ignorance. The proponents of such comments base their point on the Truth that God is Omniscient (knows everything) and so He is aware of the problem s  of this world and so if God refuses to do anything, then that is God’s will.   Again, this is another wrong statement borne out of ignorance.   God gave man this world at the beginning and God gave man authority over the world – Genesis 1:27-28. Through deceit by satan, man disobeyed God’s commands and sinned, then lost control of the earth and ceded his God-given authority to satan.   ...

Proverbs 22:22-23 “ 22 Rob not the poor [being tempted by their helplessness], neither oppress the afflicted at the gate [where the city court is held],   23 For the Lord will plead their cause and deprive of life those who deprive [the poor or afflicted].”   Dear people of God, by the grace of Almighty God, I have a spiritual daughter God used me to convert to Christianity some years ago.   From time to time, we would discuss the Word of God over the phone and she would tell me how her mum had been oppressing her and asking her to come back to her former congregation, which she has vehemently refused because she has come to know the Truth found only in Christ Jesus my Lord.   Sometime in the middle of April 2019, I spoke again to this lady after a long while and she told me how her mum had continued to refuse fending for her and how things had become quite difficult for her financially.   I discussed concerning tithes with her and she acknowledged tha...