KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:12 KJV” While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

The Lord explained from our key scripture that He had kept all that the Father had given to Him, except the Son of perdition. This was Judas, who betrayed the Lord Jesus, and later hanged himself. A few questions arise out of this portion of scripture. Some questions that arise are;

1. Did God plan that Judas should betray the Lord Jesus and later hang himself?

2. If this is so, would God judge him for his actions?

3. If this is also the case as said above, then evil workers are determined before time, and would it be right for God to judge evil workers? These are a few questions that have bothered many and some have even concluded that men should not worry about a righteous God to judge the entire world.

May we consider the first premise upon which the subsequent arguments are developed or determined? It says God has ordained for Judas to betray the Lord Jesus. Please let’s get this fact clear, God has a foreknowledge of all things, yet He does not determine the actions of men. God has given each person a free will. What does God say about the actions and choices of men? Deut 30:19 KJV “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:” In that same passage He says in verse 15 that ” See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;” It is the prerogative of men to choose which way to go. God has always known the actions of everyone as well as the ultimate destination of everyone, but He does not influence the actions of men. He may only come to change the course of action of an individual or a group of people when another human intercedes for Him to interfere. In the light of this Judas, was very responsible for His actions.

Dear reader, never blame God for your actions. This same scenario is applicable to Adam and Eve’s fall. God knew about the turn of events, but He did not cause it to happen the way it did.

THOUGHT: GOD KNOWS ALL THINGS, BUT HE DOES NOT DETERMINE THE ACTIONS OF MEN.

FURTHER STUDIES

Rom 2:6 KJV” Who will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:”

Rom 2:9 KJV” Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:12 KJV “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

We continue with the Lord’s prayer for His disciples. He said He has been able to keep or preserve them through the Father’s name. This is a very important lesson for all pastors, church workers as well as every soul winner. Most of the souls won are easily allowed to go back into the world. Most churches would have been very large if they had been able to keep most of the souls if not all of them. God the Father is the one that adds these souls to the churches. Some churches have devised very efficient systems to track and follow up these souls.

The Lord Jesus was very good at following up on the disciples. Just consider the night He left alone to pray. (Matt 14: 23-31) At the fourth hour, which was about 3 a.m. He walked on the water to meet with the disciples, who were having a very tough time with the waves and the storms. He came to them at that odd hour. He kept visiting the disciples over a period of forty days before He left for heaven. He also prayed much for them. The Lord never approached His work in a casual way. He gave every task, His best attention.

Every soul is very important to the Father, and every church must give everything it takes to keep them, and not lose any. The very first requirement is love for the souls. Love would always go to any length to fulfill what it seeks to do, no matter the cost of it.

Always make sure the new soul is visited within the first forty-eight hours of his or her visit. If she or he can be visited because of distance, then make contact through your mobile phone.

Let a church member maintain a consistent follow-up, at least once a week, as he or she is encouraged to come to church.

Get him or her baptized into the Holy Spirit and water baptism, as soon as practicable.

THOUGHT:  SOULS ARE VERY PRECIOUS, DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP THEM.

FURTHER STUDIES

Mat 16:26 KJV” For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

Phi 4:1 KJV” Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:11 KJV” And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”

The Lord prayed to the Father, asking Him to keep them through His name, and that, they may be one. True strength is a function of unity. Any form of division or disunity would mean their doom, as well as total failure. The Lord requested that the disciples become one as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one. There can always be unity when partners put away personal pursuits or ambitions to accept the ideals that make the group one.

Apostle Paul cautions the brethren in Philippi to maintain one accord. Phi 2:2 KJV” Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind”. He added that the earlier request would be possible if they did the following;” Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Many pastors are to stop serving for their ego, but solely to glorify the master. Every selfish ambition must be killed. The church must always know we have a common enemy, that is Satan and his cohorts, one Lord as well as one main task, that is to establish the kingdom of our Lord in the hearts of many who have not come to that knowledge.

We must not fight one another, but our real enemy. We must be submitted to our master and not to our ego. Finally, we must be committed to doing our one main task, saving souls and not comparing ourselves to one another. Never get satisfied with whatever you might have achieved, but keep on winning more. When people stop working for God, they work for the enemy. That is when Christians, speak against other denominations and compare themselves with others. This is missing the mark. Do everything to maintain our unity.

THOUGHT: OUR UNITY, REVEALS WE ARE OF GOD

FURTHER STUDIES

Phi 2:2 KJV “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

John 17:21 KJV” That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Joh 17:12 KJV” While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.”

The Lord continued His prayer as He said, He has kept the disciples by the Father’s name. This implies the name of the Father had a preservative and protective ability. Numbers 6: 27, shows us one of the blessings that the name of the Father does. Num 6:27   KJV” And they shall put my name upon ⁴ the children of Israel, and I will bless them.” The name of the Lord on the Children of Israel means they are His. No one could do them any harm. The Lord also said He would keep blessing them so long as His name remains on them.

What name of the Father was given to the disciples?  I believe the name given to them for their security was the name Jesus. Jesus means Jehovah is Saviour. Acts 4:12 reads “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Jesus is that saving name and it was the name that preserved the disciples from that evil one. Remember that, when the master was with them, they were sent to heal the sick. They came back with the following report. Luk 10:17 KJV” And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.”

The name Jesus is still the preservative name over the body of Christ that exempts us from satanic or demonic harassment.  The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, “Behold I have given you power or authority, to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” This authority was in His name. Now that the Lord offered His life to die for our sins, as well as obtaining for us an eternally legal authority on behalf of all those who believe in Him. When the Lord was alive, they used His name as a borrowed one, but after His death and resurrection, His victory over Satan became our victory, since we overcame Satan together with Him, through baptism, and so we have gained a legal right to His name. This is the name that preserves us and unites us as one person. The church is one person, Jesus Christ. This is a mystery.

THOUGHT: NEVER ATTACK YOUR FELLOW BELIEVER, FOR WE ARE ONE THROUGH HIS NAME.

FURTHER STUDIES

Eph 4:3 KJV” Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Acts 4:12 KJV” Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: Jonh 17:11 KJV” And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”

During the Lord’s prayer to the Father, He said, Now I am no more in the world. Was He telling a lie or what did He mean? This was a faith language. He was calling as real and present that which was to occur in the future. Faith sees as real, that which is anticipated to take place in the future. Let’s consider how the scriptures describe the way the Father does it. Rom 4:17 KJV” (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.” The Father calls those things which have not happened as though they have happened.

The Lord Jesus was a man of great faith. He was seeing Himself out of this earth, even though He was still present on this earth. Faith in God always takes possession of what is anticipated to happen in the future. The bible defines faith as follows: Heb 11:1 KJV” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ” Your faith is the evidence or proof that what you hope to get is with you.

How does this show forth itself? It manifests as an assurance or confidence in the heart but expressed in words. It is the expression of that assurance that our Lord Jesus was referring to in His prayer, and that actually consummated His faith. Rom 10:10 KJV” For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.” In expressing your faith, confessing what you have believed is very vital. God justifies you when you believe the truth in your heart, but when you say what you have believed then you are bringing to the open, what has taken place in your heart. Always speak out what you believe to make your belief real. If you are afraid to boldly say what you have believed, then you never believed in the first place.

THOUGHT: FOR RESULTS, BELIEVE AND SAY WHAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED

FURTHER STUDIES

2Co 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;”

Heb 13:6 KJV “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:9 KJV” I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.”

The Lord after making certain statements about his relationship with his disciples came to the point of making prayer for them. Everyone needs the help of God in every life engagement. Satan and his cohorts are constantly seeking for opportunities to stage an assault or to lead the people of God, into error and thereby, legally take advantage of them. The Lord told His disciples to pray always and not to stop. Intercession gives God access to help those who may find themselves in various conditions that they may not be able to stand. In this very prayer, He said He is not praying for the world. This meant His focus for that moment was mainly for the men that He had raised to continue with the mission He started. We must always pray specifically on certain desired topics. It is not proper to pray aimlessly. Praying for fellow believers is very needful. The scriptures say bear ye one another’s burden Gal 6:2.

Intercession is a priestly ministry of every Christian. The Church is a kingdom of Kings and priests. Rev 1:6 KJV “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” As priests, we make intercessions for all men. A lot of evil and negative works would be terminated if most Christians were committed to this intercessory ministry. The bible says if we desire to live in peace and in honesty, then we must pray for the leaders and all persons in authority in our nations. Most people are only concerned about themselves and their families. This is rather unfortunate because, in the event of any unrest in the nation, everyone would be affected.

THOUGHT: A CONSISTENT MENTIONING OF CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS IN OUR PRAYERS, WILL GO A LONG WAY TO   HELP THEM IN SPECIAL WAYS.

FURTHER STUDIES

1Ti 2:1 KJV “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”

Isa 59:16 KJV And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:7 KJV” Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.”

The Lord reveals a very important truth in our opening verse, about getting to know spiritual realities. He said now the disciples know that all that the Lord Jesus had was given Him by the Father. This point explains how one gets into spiritual realities. Spiritual or scriptural realities grow with time as well as committing to that truth. John 8:31, 32 KJV” Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Lord explained that, If the disciples continued, stay with the teaching that He had been giving them, then are they His disciples, and they would know the truth, which would make them free.

Knowledge always comes through fellowshipping. When one stays with a truth and relates with it over time, he would definitely come to terms with what God says about it. This clearly suggests that those who do not pay attention to the word, meditating and reflecting on it, would not come to know what God is really saying. This clarifies the point that one may be informed about a piece of the word of God, but until he is ready to continue meditating, and reflecting on the truth he will not know it. Time is not a determinant of whether one gets to know scriptural truth, but rather how much that person commits himself to the word, over that time period.

Dear one, do something about your spiritual status, by committing more attention to all that you have been hearing. The disciples came to the reality of who Jesus was because they continued with Him. All those who came among the twelve but left too early will not know who He was.

One may ask, what about Judas who betrayed Him? Did he not know who He was? When one beclouds himself in certain wrong ways, He will not get to know what God has for him, about a particular reality. Judas was very covetous about money, so he was just interested in stealing money (John 12:6). This is what scripture says, 1Pet 2:1,2 KJV “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:” From these verses until one has put away the wrong attitudes he would not know the real import of scriptural truth.

THOUGHT: TO KNOW GOD AND HIS WAYS, TURN FROM ERROR, AND GIVE ATTENTION TO HIS WORD.

FURTHER STUDIES

James 1:21 KJV” Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. “

Acts 17:11 KJV” These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:6 KJV “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.”

The Lord prays to the Father and He is not only asking but developing the reasons for which He makes His request. Remember the scriptures call on us to come to the Lord and reason with Him Isaiah 1:18. Reasoning with the Lord in prayer, helps you to see where you might be wrong and the reasons why the Lord must answer you.

In that particular verse, He said He had mentioned the Father’s name to the disciples and that they had kept His words. Please note He did not say He gave them any physical thing, like wealth, or any such thing, but said He gave them the Father’s words. This He said they had kept. All that the Father has for us is wrapped up in His word. The worlds were framed up by the word of God. In the word of God is the wisdom of God. The scriptures say nothing in this life was made without the word. The word is our light in this evil, dark world. You can never be a miserable man and not make a real impact in the lives of men if you choose to keep the word of God.

The Lord called His disciples to make them fishers of men. This was not to take advantage of men but to be light for many in darkness. They were to carry the power of God to heal the many who were in darkness. Apostle Paul presented what the Lord called him to do in the following verse Acts 26:18 KJV” To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.”  All these were to be possible because they kept the word of God.  God’s word is God’s most treasured item given to men, cherish it above all things and you will be cherished above every other thing.

THOUGHT: KEEP THE WORD TO BE THE LIGHT IN THIS LIFE.

FURTHER STUDIES

Deu 28:1 KJV ” And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:”

John 14:21 KJV ‘He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:5 KJV” And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

I read a debate between a Christian and one of another faith. The man asked the Christian to give one verse in the scriptures where the Lord Jesus testified of Himself as God. I think our key scripture vividly says so. He prayed and asked the Father to glorify Him with the glory He had with Him, from the beginning, before everything was created. This verse shows that He is one with the Father. Everyone’s status is qualified by the glory He has. The glory could be described as a rank in the military. To have the same rank as another means you are at the same level. There is no superiority of one over the other.

The Lord Jesus, when He came into this life expressed on a number of occasions His dependence on the Father as well as the Father holding the final knowledge and authority over certain things. For example, in Acts 1:7 KJV” And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” He said it was in the Father’s power to decide on that matter. This He said so because He had earlier laid down His reputation, or glory as God, so He could become a man, and suffer death for the sins of all men. Phi 2:6,27 KJV “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” This scripture also explains why He spoke as if He was inferior to the Father on many occasions.

Dear readers our Lord Jesus is God. He existed in eternity past as the word of God. This truth is very important to one’s salvation. If you do not believe that Jesus is God, then you are lost in your sins, because you have not believed in Him for who He is. He saved us with His divine blood. Refusing to accept Him as God makes you reject that divine blood that saves us.

THOUGHT: JESUS BLOOD COULD SAVE US BECAUSE HE IS GOD

FURTHER STUDIES

John 1:14 KJV” And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

1Jn 5:20 KJV” And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 17:4 KJV “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

In our key scripture, the Lord declared He had finished the work the Father gave Him, and fully glorified the Father. What must one do in order to complete his assignment?

We will take the points in turns.

1. You must have a great sense of fear for God, and so maintain a burden to do and complete your task. 1Cor 9:16 KJV” For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”

2.  Understand there is only a limited time frame and so have a sense of urgency to do God’s work.  John 9:4 The Lord said, “The night is coming when no man can do any work.”

3. Be fully convinced that there is life after here. We would be rewarded or judged for whatever we did in this body. Our life here is what will determine what life hereafter would be.  Heb 9:27 KJV” And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

4. Serve the Lord joyfully and cheerfully. Deut 28:47,48. Joyful service makes you give your best, and the Father is pleased with every cheerful servant.2 Corinth 9:7

5. Serve the Lord Sacrificially. Sacrificing is willingly giving out that which is dear and precious unto you. Sacrifice makes you give out your total effort thereby achieving your best. John 12:24.Jesus gave His life

6.  Serve the Lord lovingly. John 8:29 KJV” And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”  You will always receive the best from the Lord.

 7.  Many have the perception that the church is a place of meeting needs and not a place to give service or fulfill a divine assignment.  Throw away such a mentality, knowing the church is God’s body on the earth to execute what He would have done.

8. Always keep in touch with the Holy Spirit in prayer to know what He has for you always. Mark 1:35

THOUGHT: SINCERELY SERVING GOD IS THE ONLY MEANINGFUL WAY TO LIVE

FURTHER STUDIES

Dan 6:3 KJV “Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.”

John 8:29 KJV” And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”