Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. Ecclesiastes 12:13

There are many today who have a false conception of the word “fear” used in connection with a healthy respect for the Lord.  The following excerpt puts the true meaning of “fear” into perspective.

Many words in the English language have several strikingly different definitions. For example, anger can mean unbridled temper or it can mean righteous indignation. Love can mean lust or unconditional commitment. Normally we think of fear as an unpleasant emotion tied to anxious concern or outright terror of being harmed. But there is another definition of fear that can lead to something good and wonderful. The fear of God is complete awe and respect for him, a realization that everything he says about love and justice is true. Because God is great and mighty, and because he holds the power of life and death in his hands, a healthy and reverent fear of him helps us to respond to him as we should. This draws us closer to him and to the blessings he gives. ¹

¹ _{Beers, Gilbert; Beers, Ron. The One Year Mini for Men (p. 117). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.}

The Miracles (as presented from the Gospel of John)

The miracles are amazing in themselves and offer mankind ongoing blessings. Scripture shows that:

They are proof Jesus is the Messiah  Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?” John 7: 31

Divided reasoning by the miracles Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”  But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.  John 9:16 

They were used to testify  Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,  John 10:25

They were used as a defence Jesus said to them: “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”  John 10:32 

They are used to stop unbelief and prove Jesus is God’s Son Jesus said: “Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” John 10:38 

They made the Pharisees acknowledge Jesus was performing many signs Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs.  John 11:47 

Used to promote belief “If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” John 11:48

They drew men to seek Jesus “Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him.” John 12:18

They prove that Jesus and God are One Jesus said: “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.” John 14:11

To display God’s Glory When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 

They pronounce Judgement Jesus said: “If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.” John 15: 24

There are many reasons for the miracles!  – From forgiveness, mercy and justice, right down to God’s final Judgement at the 2nd Advent of Christ.

Article by Catherine Jackman

As long as we live we will face temptations. When we don’t allow the Lord to lead us by His Spirit we must acknowledge our mistake when we become aware that we have sinned. From time to time, we may sense the a warning from God’s Spirit. If not heeded, we may next sense guilt and perhaps the shame of slipping back into our old way of living. The apostle Paul noted: For when you were tricked into complacent sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. Romans 6: 20-21

Obedience to God may seem difficult, but let’s look at how God will help you overcome the devil by looking at a few scriptures:

• Let Love Motivate If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  John 14:15-17 NLT
• Keep Alert Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 ESV
• It’s God’s Work You must be even more careful to put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

Jesus is our example. When facing troubles, he would rise early and go to a quiet place and pray for strength. Follow his example — remove yourself from the temptation and immediately ask God for help. Don’t dialogue with Satan. He has strategies of attack to trick and lie and destroy the smartest people on earth. Don’t forget that you have the power of the Holy Spirit within you to prompt you to obey in times of temptation. Paul had advice for this experience of overcoming:

• What God requires, he also empowers. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become entirely committed children of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6: 22-23

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke to the people, He said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

Two Paths of your eternal soul 

There are two paths—the path of darkness and the path of LIGHT.

You get to choose your path.

The path of darkness leads to eternal destruction.

The path of LIGHT leads to eternal life.

You are on the path of darkness; unless you choose the path of LIGHT.

To choose the path of LIGHT, you need to: 

A: Accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

B: Believe in Him and acknowledge that He was born of a virgin, died and rose again.

C: Confess your sins, and you will find forgiveness. 

Remember you are not ‘perfect until you get to heaven’ so that any future sins or mistakes can be confessed and removed as you ask forgiveness in Jesus name.¹

D: Do God’s will and talk and learn about: Jesus, God the Son; God the Father; and God the Holy Spirit and share the choice of two paths. Allow the Holy Spirit to uncover where you need healing and deliverance from any brokenness in your past. This will allow God to prepare you for using the gifts and talents He gave you. Be obedient. Firstly, the great quest is to love God with all your strength, mind, and heart. Stay pure until marriage. Love your neighbour as yourself. ² Continue to pray and ask the Holy Spirit’s power to live for Christ.

¹ Georgette Engel 

² Georgette Engel and Catherine Jackman

Author: Catherine Jackman

What does Jesus’ resurrection mean to humankind — to you and to me?

God has made it clear, that Christ’s obedience unto death, prepares the way for you and me, as believers to also look forward to being resurrected unto eternal life:

• For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

• The men asked, “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead!” Luke 24:5-6

• Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. 1 Corinthians 15:42

Christianity would not exist if there was no resurrected Christ. His resurrection gives us the assurance that we also will be resurrected. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-16)

The power of God that brought Jesus back from the dead can bring you back to life after death if you have asked him to forgive your sins. He will give you new life in him as a believer. Jesus’ death was not the end. Instead, his resurrection was the beginning of eternal life for all who believe in him.

There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 14:2-3)

Theological look at the Resurrection

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing what is right. Titus 2:14

On Good Friday, let’s consider that Jesus died on the cross to spare you and me from eternal punishment and to give us the free gift of eternal life. Thus, our troubles in this world are put in perspective.

We can know that our future—for all eternity—is secure. This gives the believer peace no matter what happens in this life and changes the way we react to the difficulties life throws your way. Our sinful nature no longer controls us; we are free to live as God wants us to live.

• Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Galatians 5:24

• If any of you wants to be my follower . . . put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life. Mark 8:34-35

For a deeper dive into the theology of the cross.

The disciples were to be occupied with proclaiming the good news of Christ’s resurrection. Thus, “the cross” came to be a prominent metaphor of the gospel message – so much so, that Paul could call the gospel “the word of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Penal substitution is the theological doctrine that God inflicted upon Christ the suffering which we deserved as punishment for our sins, resulting in: we no longer deserve punishment. This occurred during the atonement of Christ on the cross.¹  This is the gospel message of the new testament (NT) — that God, out of His great love, has provided the means of atonement for sin through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross.

The saving significance of Jesus’ death, for early Christians, was acknowledged as the antitype of the sacrificial system predominating Israel’s Scriptures since Adam and Eve disobeyed God in Eden. The practice of animal sacrifice in the Jerusalem temple was still occurring during the Passover festival period when Christ was crucified.

• “Christ died for all“ is a predominant motif in variant forms throughout the NT: (see Mark 14:24; Romans 5:6, 8; 15:3; Galatians 2:21; 1 Peter 3:18).

From the sacrifice of animals, the potentiation of the blood of Christ to save mankind from sin is recognized symbolically. “Christ our Passover Lamb” is emblematic of the sacrifice of his life on the cross upon which he died. This is an eternal concept understood by Christians, which relates to the blood placed on the doorposts the night before enslaved Israel left Egypt as a freed people, blood that would save them from the destroying angel of judgment. During the tenth and final plague, God passed through the land of Egypt and struck down the firstborn of every household where there was no blood applied to the lintel of the doorway. The Jews were told by Moses, to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb they’ve sacrificed to Yahweh God — the Passover offering — and so God “passed over” their homes.  (Exodus 12:7-13)

The theological term  Lamb of God symbolizes Jesus’ shedding of his blood to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29, 1:36; Revelation 5:6). The majority of Christians know that the reference to the “Lamb of God” refers to the cross of Calvary where Jesus died to redeem the world from sin — as he bore our judicial punishment there. It is noteworthy that Paul referred to Christ as the rock that was present with Israel in the Exodus coming out of Egypt. (1 Corinthians 10:4) Couple this thought with the fact that Jesus referred to Himself as the great “I am” — the name that Yahweh, Father God, initially gave to Moses in the dialogue at the burning bush when He called him to lead Israel out of Egypt. (Exodus 3:14)

Consider the references to the saving effects of The blood of Christ (Acts 20:28; Romans 5:9; Colossians 1:20). Jesus’ death is presented as a Covenant sacrifice (Mark 14:24; 1 Corinthians 11:25; Hebrews 7:22; 8:6; 9:15), a Passover sacrifice (John 19:14; 1 Corinthians 5:7–8), the Sin-offering (Rom 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21), The offering of firstfruits (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23), the sacrifice offered on The Day of Atonement (Hebrews ch 9-10), and an offering reminiscent of Abraham’s presentation of Isaac (Romans 8:32). The writer of Ephesians summarizes well:

• “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).

Thus, “the cross” came to be a prominent metaphor of the gospel message – so much so, that Paul could call the gospel “the word of the cross” (1 Corinthians 1:18), reminding his Corinthian converts that “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). Hence, Paul would glory in nothing “except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

The importance of the death of Christ for the New Testament church may be seen in the disproportionate space the four Gospels devote to Jesus’ “passion,” — the final week of his suffering and crucifixion, thereby emphasizing his death. Of course, Jesus’ death is not the end of the passion story: the Gospels all conclude with the proclamation of Jesus’ victorious resurrection, vindicating him as God’s chosen one. The death and resurrection of Jesus are two sides of the same coin: as Paul wrote, he “was put to death for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:25).

¹ William Lane Craig – Edited from his essay in the compilation: Raised on the Third Day: Defending the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus, Copyright 2020 W. David Beck & Michael R. Licona, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. Mark 16:17–18 (NAS)

• Apostle Paul’s perception in relation to health was based on the leading of the Holy Spirit giving him insight into the man’s faith – a faith which was focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ, whom I know Paul was preaching about.

• • Acts 14:8–10 (NIV): In Lystra, there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

• • Apostle John’s view of health: 3 John 2 (NIV): Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.

• And healing belongs also to individual Christians today who believe in the apostolic message and continuum of healing. Those who believed the New Covenant message of the apostles after Christ’s Ascension – you and I have a responsibility.

• • Mark 16:17–18 (NAS):  “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name…they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

• • More articles to build faith in the truth that the Lord still heals.

Can any good come from our suffering? A tough question during this long-endured pandemic. Apostle Paul knew about suffering, and he eventually lost his life for the gospel. Can we apply his courage in Christ’s Spirit, to this calamity that we are all in? Since I know it is all for Christ’s good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10