God loves you!

God loves you!

God loves you!

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!

Beloved, it is with great joy in my heart that I share the love of God with you.  My dear beloved, God loves you!

  

The Word of God says:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

    My dear beloved, it does not matter who you are, where you are from, or what you have done--God loves you!  And He wants you to come to the knowledge of His love for you and be saved.

    Do not worry, my dear beloved, about what you have done or said or thought, for there is nothing you have done, said or thought, that has not been done, said and thought before.

    Everything that you have done has been done by someone else before you, and some of these

people have now accepted God’s offer of forgiveness, so all that they have ever done, God

has forgiven them.  And not only that, God has also forgotten all their sins! Hallelujah!

“For we ourselves [ that is, all of us, who have now accepted God’s offer of forgiveness]  were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,  not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7)

     And you too, my dear beloved, can be forgiven by God today, this very hour!  All you have to do is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior.

Why do you need Jesus?

Because God, the Creator of the universe and everything therein, has created us to live forever in a perfect world full of love and goodness in His presence, without pain or death.

    Then the first man, Adam, sinned against God, and brought judgment unto himself and his children.   For according to God’s counsel and righteousness, the wages of sin is death:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

    When Adam sinned against God, he died spiritually.  Now, since every man is a direct descendent of Adam, every man and woman is born dying.  But through the mercy of God and by His grace in Christ Jesus, we may have life,

life more abundantly, right here on earth, and eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.

The gift of God

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

    Beloved, we are all descendents of Adam and Eve, and because we were all born after the fall (that is, after sin entered the world), none of us is perfect.

    For our faults and failures, whether small or great, are sins that separate us from the presence and righteousness of God.

    Therefore my dear beloved, the Word of God states clearly that there is none of us who is righteous.  For all of us, through faults and failures, have sinned against God, and have fallen short of the glory of God, which is righteousness and holiness.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Romans 3:23)

     So God became a Man, a perfect Man--Jesus Christ--who unlike us, was not conceived by the union of a man and a woman.

But while a young woman was still a virgin, Christ was incarnated by the power of God’s

Spirit, into this virgin’s womb, and through this young woman, God was born a Man into the world.

Why?

    Because according to God’s counsel and righteousness, since a perfect man has sinned, a perfect man must die.

    Now since we are all children of Adam, who became a sinner, we are, all together with our father Adam, sinners by default (this is also called original sin).  So none of us qualifies to save himself or others.  None of us can be born, nor live, sinless lives.

    But thanks be to God, who is rich in love and mercy, who sent forth His Son Jesus Christ into the world, to be born of a woman (yet without

sin, because of His miraculous conception), to take our sins, sins Adam and all his children have committed, upon Himself, and pay the penalty of sin for us, which is death.

Now this Jesus has already come into the world, and has already died for you and me and for everyone else in the whole world.

    Now His blood, death, and resurrection provide the basis for reconciliation with God.

That is, through Jesus Christ, we all can experience a restored and renewed relationship with God.

God’s invitation and promise:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him [Jesus Christ] should not perish but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

   My dear beloved, this invitation is extended to everyone in this world, no exception, forall have sinned.  He who has stolen and he who has killed, and she who has committed adultery and

fornication, and he who just thought evil, are all the same, for all have sinned.

    But the promise of God is that:

“…whoever believes in Him [Jesus Christ] should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

What is it that you must believe about Jesus Christ?

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—(For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless

death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which

came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense

death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)  Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”  (Romans 5:12-19)

My dear beloved, glory be to God for our Lord Jesus Christ.   Amen!

    This is what God wants you to know and to believe: we are all born sinners whether we like it or not.  We do not have the choice nor the power to be born sinless.  We are born sinners whether we agree or not.  This is called condemnation (original sin): the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve are made sinners through Adam and Eve’s sin.

     But unlike condemnation, the gift of justification--that is, to be made righteous

without works--we have a choice whether or not to believe and accept.  Because Adam disobeyed God, we are all born sinners; yet even so, because Jesus Christ our Lord has obeyed God unto death, we can all be made righteous by believing in Jesus, that He has indeed obeyed God on our behalf.  In believing, His obedience is credited to us in the form of righteousness.  Hallelujah!  Glory be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

    My dear beloved, though we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, those who believe that Jesus Christ has paid the penalty of

their sins on their behalf, will not perish with those who do not believe, but will receive God’s promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

    To believe on Christ means to believe Him with our minds, confess Him with our mouths, commit to Him with our hearts, and most of all, to trust Him enough to give Him our lives.

 “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised

Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  (Romans 10:9) 

        All you must do is believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of living God, and that He died on the cross for all your sins, and that God raised Him from the dead.

    Once you have believed, you must repent, confess, and forsake all your sins by God’s grace, and ask God to forgive all your sins in Jesus’ name, and cleanse you from all your sins with the blood of His Son Jesus Christ.

    And God will forgive you all your sins and cleanse you with blood of Jesus, and you willbecome a new creature, a new person.

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the

blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  (1 John 1:7)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (1 John 1:9)

    My dear beloved, if you hear the voice of the One who died for you, please open your heart

so that the Lord Jesus may come in, for He is at the door, knocking on your heart’s door.

 “Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”  (Revelation 3:20)

    My dear beloved, do not allow this opportunity to pass you by today.  Yes, today is the right time.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.  Today and even right now is all you have.  Surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.  And testify that God indeed is Loving and Merciful.

Here is His invitation for you today, right now, this very day, this very hour:

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

Do not allow this invitation to pass you by today.   Yes, today is the right time.  Yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.  Today, and even right now, is all you have.   Surrender your life to the Lord Jesus and give Him all your burdens and He will lift you up.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”  (2 Corinthians 6:2)

Please hear God’s voice TODAY.  Tomorrow may be too late!

“While it is said: today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts…”  (Hebrews 3:15)

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  (Romans 10:10)

“For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”   (Romans 10:13)

    Beloved, you can call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ right now and be saved!

You can open your heart right now by offering this prayer meaningfully:

Dear God,

I believe You love me.

I believe with all my heart that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,

I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and that God raised Him from the dead.

I come now before Your throne of grace and confess that I am a sinner.

Please forgive all my sins in the name of Jesus Christ, and cleanse me of all unrighteousness with the blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

I repent and confess all my sins, and I promise to forsake all my sins by Your grace.

I believe all my sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name.

I now ask Jesus to come into my heart.

I hereby confess Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal Savior.

I hereby break any covenant or agreement I have made with the devil or any of his agents,

knowingly or unknowingly. I break this in the name of Jesus.

I believe that I am free, and I accept Jesus’ promise of eternal life.

Now I ask Jesus to come into my life as my Lord and Savior.

Please help me to live for Christ alone from this day forward.

I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen!

If you’ve offered this prayer, please let the person, church, or organization that gave you this booklet know about it.  

Please see their contact details below:

 Or feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to send you a free bible and some information to help you with the first steps of your new Christian life.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you, now and forever, Amen.

If you would like to receive a free Bible, a free book, or if you would like to receive a free Bible correspondence course.

Please feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to send you a free Bible and some information to help you with the first steps of your new Christian life.

Please write to the following address with your request. Please state which language you prefer.

Divine Light Ministry
P O Box 38670

Faerie Glen

Pretoria

South Africa

0043

Email:

aampta@gmail.com 

Sms:

0834337096

Fax:

086 762 6788

Divine Light Publishing

Publishers and distributors of Christ-centered Bible based literature.

“Let there be Light” (Genesis 1:3) & “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32)

Day 40 The Holy Spirit

Day 40

The Holy Spirit

“Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight.  We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.”

(2 Corinthians 5:5-9)

The Holy Spirit is the 5^th Treasure

     The Holy Spirit is the 5^th treasure that you must guard with your life!

My dear beloved, God our Father has given us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee that we indeed have eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. For though we are still on this earth, the Spirit is our comfort and our hope that we will be delivered from this cruel world on that Great Day of the LORD!

God has given us His Holy Spirit to lead us unto eternity so that we should no longer be tossed to and fro by the wicked one and all the trickery of men, but rather that we should look above from where our help comes; that we should no longer be earthly-minded, but heavenly-minded, by following the Spirit as the Spirit leads us; that indeed we may be the children of God.  For if we are not led by the Spirit of God, we are not the children of God, as obedience to the Holy Spirit is the mark that we are the sons and daughters of God:

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”  (Romans 8:14-17)

                                                                                                                     

Therefore, let us make it our aim to be well-pleasing to God by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us, for if we do not have the Spirit of Christ leading us, we do not have the Spirit of Christ in us.  And if we do not have the Holy Spirit, though we may be called Christians, we do not actually belong to Christ:

“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”  (Romans 8:9)

My dear beloved, let us treasure the Holy Spirit, which is our guarantee that indeed we are saved, by casting away all the works of darkness.  For if the Spirit indeed abides in our hearts, let us, therefore, cleanse our hearts by casting away all our evil ways.

Let us also not rebel and grieve the Holy Spirit with our stubbornness by continuing in sin, refusing the Holy Spirit’s reproof, and rejecting the Holy Spirit’s help to guide us out of sin:

“Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”   (Ephesians 4:25-32)

                                                                                                                 

For if we rebel and grieve the Spirit of the living God, we establish ourselves as enemies of God.  Now do we really want God as our enemy?  Certainly not!

“But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit;
      so He turned Himself against them as an enemy,
      and He fought against them.”   (Isaiah 63:10)

Let us, therefore, put away this casual attitude toward God which is so prevalent in this current generation.   Let us fear God from our hearts, not merely with our lips, for if we fear God only with our lips we shall die.

“Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?”   (Hebrews 10:28-29)

My dear beloved, let us repent, not with lips, but from the heart, cutting ties with all works of darkness.  Let us fully surrender unto the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit leads us unto salvation by the grace of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen!

Let us also not resist the Spirit of God anymore, as others did:

“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.”  (Acts 7:51)

Nor let us lie to the Holy Spirit, as others have:

“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself.’”  (Acts 5:3)

Let us, therefore, serve God with godly fear and reverence, doing the will of God from the heart, allowing His Spirit to lead us--not the flesh, not men, and not the devil.  We must be led by His Spirit, which God has given us to establish us in His grace, as a guarantee that we are His children. We will live in this cruel world for a little while, but Christ, who is coming, will come and He will not delay!

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Understanding the ministry of the Holy Spirit

A)  The Abiding Presence:

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.”   (John 14:16-17)

B)  The Teacher and Reminder:

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”   (John 14:26)

C)  The Testifier:

“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.”  (John 15:26)

D)  The Convicter:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.”   (John 16:7-8)

E)   The Guide, the Voice of God, the Prophet:

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”   (John 16:13)

F)   The Glorifier of Jesus Christ our Lord:

“He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14)

G)  The One who reveals Jesus Christ our Lord:

“All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”   (John 16:15)

H)  The Source of Power:

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8)

I)    The Witness to Sonship:

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”   (Romans 8:16)

J)    The Helper in Prayer:

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”    (Romans 8:26)

K)  The Inviter:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”  (Revelation 22:17)

As you can see, my dear beloved, it is impossible to be a Christian without the Holy Spirit.  It is impossible to work for and with God without His Holy Spirit!

                                                                                                                

Finally, my dear beloved, just as no one knows what is in the heart and the mind of a man, but his spirit, even so God has given us His Spirit to guide us that we may know what the perfect will of God is.  For the Spirit searches all things, yes, even the deep things of God, and makes intercession for us.  God reveals them to us through His Holy Spirit.  Hallelujah!

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”  (1 Corinthians 2:10-12)

Let us, therefore, be submissive to the Holy Spirit!  And if you are not certain that you have received the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus commands us to ask:

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”   (Luke 11:9-13)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,

 and the love of God our Father,

and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you,

 now and forever more.

Amen.

Meditation:  God has sealed us by His Holy Spirit and has given us the Holy Spirit into our hearts as a guarantee that we are saved!

Prayer points:  Lead me, oh Holy Spirit, teach me, correct me, empower me, and help me to do the will of God!  I pray in Jesus’ name.   Amen!

Commitment:  I submit myself unto You, Spirit of the Living God.  Please lead me unto salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Amen!

Day 39 The Ministry

Day 39

The Ministry

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” (John 15:8)

Your ministry is the 4^th Treasure

      Your Ministry is the 4^th treasure that you must guard with your life!

My dear beloved, unlike the popular belief, your biggest ministry is not to preach to crowds, to run crusades, to form churches, or to bring thousands or even millions to Christ.  In fact, you can do all these and yet fail to fulfill your ministry.  In truth I tell you, the biggest ministry of your life is yourself, to conquer self in you, to bring your flesh to the cross and crucify it with Christ that you may no longer walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit.  You must make a conscious decision to crucify the flesh with Christ; to put self aside; to do no longer things according to your will; to surrender your will into total submission to Christ; in order that His will may be done and not yours!  Until you make this decision, you are not ready to serve God!  Oh, you can serve churches, you can serve organizations, you can serve men and women, and you can even serve yourself, but God is not there, my dear beloved.  God’s ways are not our ways.  Therefore, God must work in us before He can work through us.  He first must deal with the self in us, for the flesh is in perpetual enmity with God.  They cannot work together! 

You are the vessel that God desires to use for His eternal purpose; however, the flesh also wants to control you so that you may do the works of the flesh!  Now, to whomever you surrender your will, will lead you to bear certain fruit.  If you surrender your will to the flesh, you will produce the works of the flesh.  If you surrender your will to God, you will produce the fruit of the Spirit!

 

 “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.”  (Galatians 5:19-21)

If you are doing the above, you have submitted your will to the flesh.

Please check out selfish ambitions which is the weapon that the devil has been employing lately to entice us to do the will of the flesh.

Now, this does not mean that you cannot preach!  You can preach a powerful sermon, but perhaps there is a woman in the congregation just waiting for you to finish preaching so that the two of you may commit adultery.  Again, you can preach powerful sermons, yet you cannot stand the brother next to you.  Therefore, your preaching does not impress God, for even the devil can quote Scriptures.  Some preach out of envy; selfish ambition; out of self or pride; for honor, recognition, riches, money; or to be called pastor, prophet, reverend, bishop, or apostle.  We find that, especially in our current generation where titles are so important, often if you call a man of God by his name alone without his title, he will not answer!  Are we therefore not carnal?  That is why preaching is not included in the fruit of the Spirit, because we can use the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for our own selfish ambitions!

“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains.”  (Philippians 1:15-16)

My dear beloved:

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

                                                                                                                        

For the Lord Jesus knows all those who are His:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”  (Matthew 7:21-23)

My dear beloved, let us therefore not be of those to whom the Lord will say “I never knew you!”  Rather, with fear and trembling, let us handle the Word of God in spirit and truth, doing the will of God from our hearts.

The Lord Jesus said:

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”  (John 15:8)

It is clear then, that God is glorified when we bear much fruit, but often we mistakenly “bear fruit” such as preaching; leading big crusades; evangelizing; baptizing  people as a result of our preaching; bringing others to church; praying for others; and casting out demons.  And yes, these things we are commanded to do!  However we thank God for His Word that reveals to us what His true fruit is!  Amen!

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”  (John 15:1-2)

Here, the Lord Jesus tells us that we do not bear fruit of ourselves; the fruit is rather a result of God’s work in our lives.  Now we know that God works in us through the Holy Spirit.  If a person does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, that person cannot produce the fruit of the Spirit, for it is God who works in us through the Holy Spirit for us both to will and to do His good pleasure, or in other words, to bear fruit.

“For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  (Philippians 2:13)

Because we bear fruit as a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the Bible calls it the fruit of the Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”  (Galatians 5:22-23)

There are nine varieties of fruit, and not one of the varieties is preaching.

So then, God is glorified when:

·        We love Him with all our hearts, and we love others as we love ourselves!

·        We are joyful in the midst of problems and uncertainties because by giving us the Holy Spirit, He has given as a guarantee of eternal life.

·        We have peace in the midst of trials and tribulations because we trust Him!

·         We are longsuffering, extremely patient with others and ourselves and most of all with God, trusting that God knows what is best for us.

·        We are kind.

·        We are good.

·        We have faith in Him, believing that He is able to supply all our needs.  And we are faithful with what He has entrusted us with, including ourselves.

·        We are gentle.

·        We exercise self-control.

“For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.” (Ephesians 5:9)

AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”  (2 Corinthians 5:20)

My dear beloved, our ministry is to reconcile people to God; however, before this happens, we must be reconciled to God ourselves so that we may be true ambassadors for Christ!

HOW TO BE A TRUE AMBASSADOR OF CHRIST:

 A) With the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is an inlet that comes through faith, a gift from God!  So we must learn to listen, surrender, and submit ourselves to God through the Holy Spirit, so that God may use us as He wishes, according to His purposes; so that His work may be done in us and through us; and finally, so that His Word may be spoken through us.

B) Through Your Life

Do not tell people that you are a Christian; they must see it for themselves, through your lifestyle, your behavior, your conduct.  And most of all, they must see it through your character, which is the best sermon you can ever preach.  Then, because of your life, many people will turn to God.  When you live an effective Christian life, God will work through your life to bring His lost children to His Heavenly kingdom, that they may have life also.

C) By Your Love

Do not talk love: give love and show love. This was one of the most powerful tools our Lord Jesus used during His ministry on earth.  He did not choose whom to love, He loved everyone unconditionally, and the result is that many people felt welcomed and comfortable around Him, especially sinners. So if we are our Master’s disciples, we must copy the unconditional love exhibited in our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Genuine love is the greatest weapon into any one’s heart.”  (Ramos Talaya)

D) With Your Words

Please choose your words very carefully because what you say can make or break your ministry.  Always stick to the truth, the Word of God, rather than your own interpretation of the Word of God.  And make sure that your words are always, always, in one accord with your lifestyle.  As they say: “PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH!”

E) With Your Service

We must develop a servant’s attitude.  We are here to serve, not to be served.  This is one of the biggest lessons Christ taught His disciples.  It does not matter what your profession is; your status; your level of education; or your position, race, gender, tribe, or country.  In the kingdom of God, everyone is a servant and the greatest of all is the one who serves.  Once you have developed this attitude of a servant, you will realize that there is more pleasure in serving than in being served in the kingdom of God.

F) With Your Money

This probably is the most potent when it is used wisely.  Money is power!  No doubt about it!  So your money is important in the kingdom of God.  When you give your money for the kingdom of God, a lot of things can be achieved.  We must give because it costs money to build a temple; it costs money to feed the poor; to clothe the naked; to shelter the homeless; to send a missionary; or to pay a preacher or an evangelist to go preach the gospel.  All this costs money.  So, we must be faithful to God with our money.  After all, everything we have comes from His hand--even all our money belongs to God.   As you give, so shall you receive.

G) By Your Prayer

This is the most important one: we must develop a steadfast prayer life, a two way communication with God.  Because even though we can share the gospel with someone, only God can convict a person through the Holy Spirit, and only God can change that person’s heart.  Therefore, we ought to spend a lot of time in prayer for all our brothers and sisters, for all our ministries and projects.  The good thing about prayer is that prayer is universal; you can pray for anyone, from anywhere in the world, at anytime, and God will hear and answer all your prayers.  How wonderful is that. Thank You, LORD, for prayer and for faith.  Amen!    

Please remember when you pray that prayer is a two way communication. When you pray, therefore, you must allow God to answer while you pray. Pray and be still and allow God to reply, similar to a conversation with your earthly father.   May the God of peace bless your heart, in Jesus’ name.  Amen!

Finally, my dear beloved, to bear much fruit is to surrender our will to God, which is a very difficult thing for us to do.  This is a constant fight between the flesh and the Spirit, for they are contrary to one another.  And it is my sincere prayer that our flesh lose the fight and that God’s will be done in all our lives!

Therefore, my dear beloved, surrender all to God, those secret things that you hold close to your heart, the ones you enjoy the most.  Surrender all to Jesus our Lord.  Make God first in your life.  It means that you must let go of  everything in conflict with the will of God.  Shun all forms of evil, especially the secret ones with which you can get away, the ones no one will ever know about!  When you are presented with an opportunity to do evil, and you choose rather to do good for Christ’s sake, you bring much glory to God.  For we are God’s epistles, written with love for good works.  Amen!

“Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”  (Philippians 1:11)

“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.  Amen!

Meditation:  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit.  So you will be My disciples.

Prayer points:  Help me, oh LORD, to do Your will, oh my God!  I pray in Jesus’ name.   Amen!

Commitment:  I surrender all unto You, oh Lord Jesus.  Let Your will be done and not mine.  Amen!