1 TIMOTHY 1:1; Commissioned by God

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KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:1 KJV” Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

Apostle Paul introduces himself by the mandate he has from God. He says he is an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word apostle is the Greek word ‘apostolus’, which means one delegated to fulfil a mission. It also means a messenger or one sent forth with orders. Paul did not send himself. In Acts of the Apostles 26:16,17, the Lord said the following to himAct 26:16 KJV” But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things. Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;” In the preceding verses, the Lord appeared to Paul and instructed him to take the gospel to the gentile world. This task was keenly executed by him to the letter. Rom 15:19 KJV “Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Speaking about the journey from Jerusalem to Illyricum can be compared to traversing the whole of Africa, for example, from Cairo in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa. Although not every one of us may have the same apostolic mandate as Paul had, every Christian has been commissioned to go to his world and share the good news with all that we encounter.

Secondly, he said he is an apostle through the command of God our Saviour. Please take note of the fact that God is called our Saviour. In Titus 1:3, the apostle Paul reflects on the fact that God is our saviour. Tit 1:3 KJV” But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;” The bible clearly establishes that our lord Jesus is our saviour. Mat 1:21 KJV” And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins”.The name of the Lord Jesus means Jehovah is saviour. This statement clearly reveals that Jesus and God the Father are one. Let’s consider a prophecy of Isaiah concerning Jesus, which states the following: Isa 9:6 KJV” For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. From this verse, we see that the Lord Jesus is called the everlasting Father. This statement reveals that the father is one with the son. The Lord Jesus is the creator of the Universe.

Apostle Paul refers to our Lord Jesus as our hope. This statement refers to the ultimate return of our Lord Jesus. This is our hope, and our activities must be done in the light of His coming 1Jn 3:3 KJV “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Paul reminds Timothy that he’s got to maintain the hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This consciousness would make you serve diligently and uprightly as well.

THOUGHT: JESUS IS GOD AND YOU MUST LIVE IN EXPECTATION OF HIS RETURN

FURTHER STUDIES

1Ti 3:16 KJV “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Act 1:11 KJV” Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Book Study: 1st Timothy, a little background about 1 Timothy

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KEY SCRIPTURE:1Ti 1:1 KJV” Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;”

In our next series of studies, we will be studying various books of the bible. The import of this is to help the child of God appreciate the truths of scripture in a very simplified way, so he or she can easily apply it to his or her life, as well as being able to teach others.

Timothy was the son of Apostle Paul in the Lord. 1 Timothy 1:2 KJV” Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”Timothy was the pastor of the church of Ephesians. As a young minister, he faced a lot of challenges, pressures, and conflicts from the church and its surrounding culture. To counsel and help him out of the difficulties he found himself in, Apostle Paul sent this personal letter.

History tells us this letter was written in 64 AD, probably just before his final imprisonment in Rome. We learnt from Acts chapters 25 and 26 that Paul appealed to be tried before Caesar during his trial in Jerusalem. He was sent to Rome as a prisoner. Most scholars believe that Paul was released about AD 62( possibly because the statute of limitations had expired) and that during the next few years, he was able to travel. During this time, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus. Soon, however, Emperor Nero began his campaign against the church. It is believed that during this time, Paul was imprisoned again and eventually executed.

As his characteristic style is, he begins his letter to Timothy by stating that his apostleship is by God’s command. In verse 2, he established his relationship with Timothy. From here, he begins his fatherly advice, warning Timothy of false teachers( 1 Tim 1:3-11). He then urges him to hold on to his faith in Christ ( 1:12-20). He then moves on to talk about public worship and emphasises the importance of prayer( 2:1-7). He talked about order in the church meetings( 2:8-15).In chapter 3:1-16, he majored on the qualifications of a minister or a pastor. This led to the qualifications of other church leaders, elders, and deacons.

In chapter 4:1-16, he speaks again about false teachers, telling Timothy about how to recognise them and respond to them. In the next chapter, he gives practical advice on pastoral care to the young and old. ( 5:1,2), widows ( 5:3-16), elders ( 5:17-25), slaves ( 6:1-2). Apostle Paul concludes by exhorting Timothy to guard his motives ( 6:3-10), to stand firm in his faith ( 6:11-12), to live above reproach ( 6:13-16), and to minister faithfully (6:17-21)

In all these, we learn that every Christian must pass on the truths of scripture to a protege or a growing Christian, by systematically teaching him or her to know the general counsel of scripture as well as how to apply it to his day-to-day experience.

THOUGHT: TEACH THE YOUNG AND BE READY TO BE TAUGHT.

FURTHER STUDIES

Joh 21:15 KJV” So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.”

Mat 11:29 KJV” Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

DO NOT STOP PRAYING TO BE COUNTED WORTHY TO ESCAPE THE TRIBULATION

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Luke 21:36 KJV “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of MAN”.

The Lord Jesus in the above scripture instructs all children of God to pray always and not to give up, that they may be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would come on the world, and also to stand before Jesus Christ. This statement is quite amazing. Many have taught that once a person is born again, their access to heaven and the subsequent escape from the tribulation that would befall the world becomes automatic. We learn from our key scripture that we must pray without ceasing, so that we would be counted worthy to escape the troubles that would come into the world. I have realised that this prayer point is not one that most Christians do pray about. Well, the Lord Himself instructs us to pray this way and not to stop.

Why should we be praying to be counted worthy? The Bible said the following about Jesus. Heb 5:7 KJV” Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; ” The Lord knew He would die and be resurrected on the third day. Despite what He knew, it was a fact that He had to pray ceaselessly and passionately so he would be saved from death. The point is, God is legally not permitted to do anything on this earth until men call on Him. (He gave the dominion of the earth to man, Gen 1:26-28). Satan would want to hinder every established predicted event. Prayer must ascend to heaven to stop him. In the life of the Christian, nothing happens automatically. Everything must be requested or contested through prayer. It is no wonder the Lord Jesus said, “men ought always to pray and not to faint” (Luke 18:1).

Dear child of God, please take heed to the Lord’s advice. Pray with passion about the need to be counted worthy to escape the tribulation. I can conclusively say that every Christian, in addition to living rightly, must pray passionately that he or she would be counted worthy to be raptured when the Lord appears in the clouds. Don’t be discouraged in praying to be counted worthy to escape the tribulations coming on men.

PRAYER

Thank you, heavenly Father, for your great mercies towards all mankind. I pray that you continually show mercy on me and on as many who call on you in truth. I pray we would be counted worthy to escape the trouble that would befall humanity and also to stand before our Lord Jesus. In Jesus’ name, I have prayed.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 18:1 KJV” And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

Romans 12:12 KJV Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, CONFESSING THE WORD 2

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:23 KJV ” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

The word of God is the highest authority in the universe. For all things are upheld by the word of His power (Heb 1:3). Declaring the word of God in actual fact is exercising dominion on the earth. The reason the Spirit of God calls on us to hold fast to our confession is that it is the devil’s greatest desire to stop the Christian from making confessions in faith. Satan is absolutely helpless in the face of the man who believes the word and boldly confesses it. The truth is that the man who believes the word and boldly confesses it is just like God Himself declaring His words. In confession, you act like the sound of an echo. An echo is just a resounding of the original words. It is never a new word, but the original which is resounded. Your belief receives the power, and your mouth triggers it.

Satan would do everything to keep you from maintaining that confession. Satan cannot operate in the God realm or in the realm of reality. He functions in the flesh realm. Where the Bible calls it, lying vanities. Jonah 2:8 KJV” They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy”. Just decide never to function from the natural plane, but to believe the word and to say what the word says. No matter what happens or what you see, do not be discouraged in maintaining your confession. Your confession must be bolder and stronger in the face of contrary evidence.

Remember that the Lord Jesus is the high priest of our confession. Heb 3:1 KJV “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus”; As the high priest, he has a special duty to appeal to the Father on the basis of our confession of the word. When we fail to affirm the word, but rather say what the enemy tells us he is doing, we limit Jesus from playing His role as the high priest of our confession. He cannot appeal to the Father when our words do not resonate or go in line with what the word says. Purpose in your heart to believe the word and continually say what the word says

CONFESSION

God has spoken, and I affirm it as a truth. I am born of Him, and His Spirit in me dominates this world with His power. I do not live by what I see or by what I feel. I live totally by His word, by declaring boldly what He has said.

FURTHER STUDIES

Hebrews 13:5 KJV Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me”.

2 Corinthians 4:13 KJV We, having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED, CONFESSING THE WORD 1

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 10:23 KJV” Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

The above key scripture is a direct instruction telling us to hold fast to our confession of our faith. We should never be discouraged or give up on declaring what we believe. Please note that the word profess is the same as to confess.

It means to speak in consent or to say the same thing. It is a translation of the Greek word ‘homologia’, which comes from two Greek words, ‘homo’, which means ‘same’ and ‘logos’, which also means ‘word’. Homologia means ‘same words. To confess means to speak in line with the word of God.

Confession is a seal on our faith. Rom 10:10 KJV” For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. Our hearts believe the word, and that makes us justified or righteous
before the Father. When we confess what we have believed, it is like appending our signature to an agreement. Without the signature, the agreement is not executed. This is the reason the Bible says that when we make our confession to that which we have already believed, we are saved. Whenever we make a confession in line with the word of God, we fully establish whatever the word has said in that light.

Our key scripture says we must hold fast our confession, that is, we must never stop saying the things the word has said in relation to our faith. He added that God is faithful who promised. God cannot deny himself. Hebrews 6:18, put it this way: it is impossible for God to lie. This implies whatever God has promised is certain to come to pass if we do not get discouraged in signing forth what we have believed in our hearts. To sign what we have believed is to confess or speak out what we have believed, and we cannot be denied our answer.

CONFESSION

I continually hold fast my confession without wavering. My confession completes my faith and delivers into my hands what God has said.

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 4:14 KJV “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession”.

Hebrews 3:1 KJV ” Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;”

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED BY ANY LIFE SITUATION

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Judges 6:12 KJV “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, the man of valour.

The children of Israel came under severe oppression from the Midianites due to their disobedience to the word of God. Each time they raised their crops, ready for harvesting, the Midianites came and made away with everything. Gideon was so fearful and discouraged to the point that he hid himself by the wine press. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and saluted him as follows:” The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour”. Gideon answered him as follows.

Judge 6:13 KJV “And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? And where are all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, “Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?” but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites”.

HIS answer showed how discouraged he was. Dear child of God. You may be going through a season of defeat and be filled with total despair. The Lord says he has not left you. He calls you a mighty man of valour. In another event, Peter went fishing with some of his friends. They caught nothing. They sat washing their nets. I could imagine how defeated and discouraged they felt. (Luke 5:1-6) On this occasion, the Lord used their canoe to preach. Afterwards, he led them to go back into their failed and disappointed business. Luke 5:4 KJV” Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught”. Peter said, “We have toiled all night but caught nothing yet at thy word, we would let them go with the net”. They caught a record catch. In times of difficulty and failure, it is the word of God that counts.

In Gideon’s story, the angel said, “God was with him.” The Lord led him, and figuratively, as one man, he defeated the Midian army and totally delivered the Israelites from oppression. Dear brother or sister, your condition may be bad and deplorable, but don’t throw in the towel in despair. The Lord says you are a mighty man because he is with you. Hebrews 13:5 KJV” Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”. The Lord has not left you, and that makes you the majority. You must boldly declare the Lord is on my side, and I am more than a conqueror. Like Peter, believe God’s word and act positively again. You would make a record win or triumph that would forever amaze you. Don’t be discouraged.

CONFESSION

In the name of the Lord Jesus, I am a mighty man or woman of valour. God is with me and in me. I can’t be defeated. I have overcome through Christ Jesus. The angels of God continually bring me help and provisions. I am gloriously blessed in Jesus’ name. It is well with me.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV” Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place”.

Hebrews 1:14 KJV” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation

DON’T BE DISCOURAGED, DOING THE WILL OF GOD

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KEY SCRIPTURE: :1 Samuel 13:13 KJV” And Samuel said to Saul, thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now, would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever”.

King Saul and the armies of Israel were on a battlefield against the armies of the Philistines. A sacrificial offering had to be made unto the Lord before they went into that battle. Prophet Samuel had told Saul to wait till he came to make that sacrifice. Saul waited for a week, and the men of Israel had started scattering because of the enemies. King Saul, in the light of the pressure on him, decided to make the sacrifice himself, something he knew very well he was not supposed to do. The Lord said to Saul, through Samuel, that because he had not been patient to wait for the will of God to be perfected, the throne had been taken from him and given to another man.

When it comes to doing the will of God, never attempt to help God. King Saul wanted to help God by offering the sacrifice that Samuel should have done. Some people could not wait for God to bless them with a baby, but rather went for other women to get babies for them. Abraham and Sarah agreed to help fulfil the will of God by taking Hagar, Sarah’s maid. The result was Ishmael, of whom the Bible described as follows: “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren”. (Gen 16:12).

We are all aware of the descendants of Ishmael and the absolute fulfilment of this prophecy even in our days. In the fullness of time, Sarah, although very old, got pregnant and gave birth to Isaac.

Dear brother or sister, never get discouraged in waiting for God. The Bible said that when we allow patience to have her perfect work, we would intend to be perfect and would not lack anything. (James 1:4) The will of God is God’s perfect standard for a victorious life. When men fail to do the will of God, they always end up with negative repercussions. The youth in courting must wait for the marriage to be blessed before sex. The cause of the poor foundation of most marriages is the inability of the man and woman to refrain from premarital sex.

Dear one, as we know, God is never slack concerning His promises or instructions. He is a perfect God who is very much aware of whatever He tells us to do or wait for. For no matter how ridiculous waiting for His instructions may seem, it is always the perfect act to do. In the final analysis, you would know that you did the best thing by waiting for his will.

CONFESSION

The way of God is the path of life. I continually live to please the Lord, and I am ready to wait on him, no matter how long it takes. Doing His will is life.

FURTHER STUDIES

Prov 3:5 KJV “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”.

Prov. 14:12 KJV” There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”

DON’T BE DISCOURAGED EXPECTING OUR LORD ‘S RETURN 2

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:30 KJV “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”.

Among the many things that we have to be concerned about and expect to happen to us, is the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. No child of God must feel discouraged in expecting the coming of the Lord. The Lord says we must watch and pray so that we would not be overtaken by surfeiting, drunkenness, and the cares of this world (Luke 21:34). Indeed, that which makes people lose awareness of the coming of the Lord is when their hearts are overtaken by the things of the world. Remember Lot’s wife. Her heart was so much in Sodom and its lust that she could not go on with her husband, but had to look back and so, she became a pillar of salt. Refuse to let the world stay in your heart, and your heart in the world.

The following are some of the reasons why the Lord will come back, and so we must keep expecting His return. Expecting his return helps us to live right. 1 John 3:3 KJV “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure”.

1. The coming of Christ is to bring man into God’s original program for creating him. To live in peace, without sin, sicknesses and in perfect relationship with the father. REV 21:4

2. The coming of Christ is a moment for God to reward all His Children who have lived faithfully for Him (James 1:12)

3. He is coming to judge all the ungodliness and unrighteous of men. (Rev 20:11) The wicked shall not go unpunished.

In the light of the above, the Bible has given definite statements that tells us about the certainty of His coming.

Matthew chapter 24 speaks mainly on the second coming of our Lord Jesus. The Bible lists the following, which almost all have come to pass, with just a few happening or yet to happen.

1. False Christ

2. Wars and Rumors of wars

3. Conflicts among nations

4. Betrayal of brethren

5. False prophets and teachers

6. Iniquity abounding

7. Love of many waxing cold

8.The gospel spreading across the globe

9.Pestilences, famine and natural disasters in divers’ places

10. The introduction of the microchip on the forehead or the right arm also fulfills the scriptures prediction of the anti-christ who would rule a major portion of the world. Rev 13:16

All these must put us in a state of expectancy of his return. Do not allow any man, situation or challenge to make you stop expecting the Lord’s return. Keep yourself pure from being defiled by the world.

CONFESSION

I have the hope of Christ eminent return. I keep myself pure and work hard to expand His reign in the hearts of men.

FURTHER STUDIES

Revelations 13:16 KJV” And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads”:

Revelations 21:4 KJV” And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

DON’T BE DISCOURAGED EXPECTING OUR LORD ‘S RETURN 2

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KEY SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:30 KJV “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”.

Among the many things that we have to be concerned about and expect to happen to us is the second coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. No child of God must feel discouraged in expecting the coming of the Lord. The Lord says we must watch and pray so that we would not be overtaken by surfeiting, drunkenness and the cares of this world (Luke 21:34). Indeed, that which makes people lose awareness of the coming of the Lord is when their hearts are overtaken by the things of the world. Remember Lot’s wife. Her heart was so much in Sodom and its lust that she could not go on with her husband, but had to look back, and so, she became a pillar of salt. Refuse to let the world stay in your heart, and your heart in the world.

The following are some of the reasons why the Lord will come back, and so we must keep expecting His return. Expecting his return helps us to live right. 1Jn 3:3 KJV “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure”.

1. The coming of Christ is to bring man into God’s original program for creating him. To live in peace, without sin, sickness and in perfect relationship with the Father. REV 21:4

2. The coming of Christ is a moment for God to reward all His Children who have lived faithfully for Him (James 1:12)

3. He is coming to judge all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. (Rev 20:11) The wicked shall not go unpunished.

In light of the above, the Bible has given definite statements that tell us about the certainty of His coming.

Matthew chapter 24 speaks mainly about the second coming of our Lord Jesus. The Bible lists the following, which almost all have come to pass, with just a few yet to happen.

1 False Christ

2 Wars and Rumors of wars

3 Conflicts among nations

4. Betrayal of brethren

5. False prophets and teachers

6. Iniquity abounding

7Love of many waxing cold

8. The gospel spreading across the globe

9. Pestilences, famine and natural disasters in diverse places

10. The introduction of the microchip on the forehead or the right arm also fulfils the scripture’s prediction of the anti-Christ who would rule a major portion of the world. Rev 13:16

All these must put us in a state of expectancy of his return. Do not allow any man, situation or challenge to make you stop expecting the Lord’s return. Keep yourself pure from being defiled by the world.

CONFESSION

I have the hope of Christ’s imminent return. I keep myself pure and work hard to expand His reign in the hearts of men.

FURTHER STUDIES

Revelations 13:16 KJV” And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads”:

Revelations 21:4 KJV” And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS

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KEY SCRIPTURE:2 Peter 3:9 KJV” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”.

The message about the soon return of our Lord Jesus is preached all over, yet a number of people somehow doubt its reality. The scriptures rightly predicted the kind of words men would be saying in the last days.” And saying, where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continued as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2nd Pet 3:4). The Lord tells us never to follow the thinking of these scoffers. A day to the Lord is as a thousand years, while a thousand is as a day. What men call years gone by is nothing before the Lord, and we should never allow the supposed failed expectation to influence anyone from looking forward to his return.

In recent times, matters have been made worse by those who predict the rapture of church by giving specific dates. All these turns to discourage and even overthrow the faith of some weak individuals.

Our key scripture teaches us that God is not slack, concerning His promises, but he is longsuffering to us-ward, so none should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The promise of the Lord’s coming is very clear and emphatic throughout the Bible. Acts 1:11 KJV” Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven”. These are clear, unambiguous statements that leave no doubt in one’s mind.

There are a lot of Christians who know of these things, yet they do not fully expect him to come soon and doubt whether He would come at all. Their believe is seen in their actions and how much they labour for the Lord in anticipation of the His return. The Lord advices us to watch and pray so we would be counted worthy to escape all that would be coming on the world (Luke 21:36). If you get discouraged in the coming of the Lord, then you have lost faith in the validity of the bible and sadly lost faith in God. You have therefore lost your salvation; this means if you die today you would end up in hell. The implications of getting discouraged in the second coming of the Lord are very serious and terrible.

o not allow the spirit of anti-Christ to take hold of you.

CONFESSION

I believe in God and totally ascribe to the validity of the Bible. Jesus is coming back again to rapture the church, and I believe that. I am expecting His return any day, and so live in that light.

FURTHER STUDIES

2 Peter 3:3 KJV “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.

Luke 21:33 KJV” Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares”.

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