In the Bible God clearly instructs His people to stand up for righteousness, justice and truth. Jesus even highlighted the great importance of pursuing righteousness, justice and truth His sermon on the mount and emphasized that those who get persecuted in pursuit of these should count it all a blessing and rejoice. These three concepts are so very important to God that the Bible presents righteousness, justice and truth as inseparable characteristics of God. In fact, these three concepts of righteousness, justice and truth stem from God, they originate and they exist in God. Without God, there can never be true righteousness, true justice and true and genuine truth.
God is Righteous and Just
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. (Psalm 97:2)
Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments (Psalm 119:137).
The Lord is righteous in all His ways And kind in all His deeds (Psalm 145:17)
God of the Bible is the very source and essence of righteousness and justice. This is in stark contrast to who Satan is. Jesus defined Satan as the greatest of all liars and father of all lies and deceptions. The fact is that God does not only operate in righteousness but that He is righteous and just in His very natural being. He cannot be otherwise. He is light and there is absolutely no darkness, no deception and no turning. He is just and right all the time.
God is the truth and He is always truthful
God is always truthful and all His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without iniquity. He is forever just and upright (Deut 34:4).
God is not like the sons of man who is inclined to lie or deceive. God never lies, nor changes His mind. He is always truthful and always keeps His word (Numbers 23:19).
Furthermore, God is not only truthful but He is the very essence of truth. Jesus declared that He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).
Truth does not exist without God or besides God. Truth originates from God and truth exists because of God. God is the definition and measurement of truth. Therefore, where God is not, there cannot not be truth in its fullness. Only when we know God do we know the truth. When people do not know God or do not regard God, they cannot possibly know the truth.
They may know some relative imitations of truth but without God no one may know the absolute truth.
God is truth and without God there cannot be truth.
Stand for Righteousness, Justice and Truth
Now, since God by His very own nature is righteous, just and truth, we as His children are also called to be likewise and pursue righteousness, justice and truth in our own lives, in the society.
In fact the world’s only chance to see and taste righteousness, justice and truth is through the followers of Christ. Jesus set us as the salt and light of this dark world (Matt 5:13-16) and left us here until His return to be the channels of God’s righteousness, justice and truth.
It is now your calling and God given responsibility to pursue and exercise true righteousness, justice and truth in this world.
Prayerfully think about these words of God:
He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8).
The Biblical Origin of Dominion
The Bible reveals that at the very beginning God created mankind for one great purpose : to have dominion and rule over the entire world and all that God created.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28).
This shows that God created mankind to govern and take good care of the entire world including everything that flies in the sky and that swims in the waters. No part of the world is excluded but all and every part of the world is included in this commission to having dominion and governing the world.
In other words, we can say that mankind exists to govern and take good care of the entire world.
God has specifically designed and created mankind with all the skills and abilities as well as the ability to procreate and raise their own children for this one great task : have dominion over and rule the world for God.
Mankind is not only given the privilege of ruling the world, but he is directly and explicitly instructed by God to have dominion and rule the world.
Man Represents God and Rules for God
God created mankind in His own image to represent Himself and to take care of what belongs to Him. Of course, it goes without saying that the world and all that is in it belong to God as God created all of it (Psalm 24:1).
Mankind is God’s purposefully and explicitly created representative on earth to rule and reign over the entire world for God. Therefore mankind is directly responsible to God in this great assignment of ruling the world. Besides God, no other being is able to hold man responsible or ask man an account of His activities.
Psalm 8 emphasises this great privilege and responsibility of man over all the creation of God on earth. Especially verse 6 says the following: “You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet.”
Man is God’s purposefully created representative and ruler on earth. God put the entire world under the dominion of mankind so that man can rule and take good care of it for God. God owns it and man rules it for God.
Satan’s War Against God’s Rulers
From the very beginning Satan was threatened by mankind since they came into the world to represent God and to rule the world for God. Since the days of Adam and Eve, Satan and his fallen angels did all they could to stop mankind from fulfilling their God given task of having dominion over the world and ruling it for God. They have tried to deceive them, kill and exterminate them, enslave and disable them, destroy their relationship with God, turn them against each other and make them kill each other and many other evil tricks only to stop them from having dominion and ruling over the world.
When Jesus came the entire mankind was in the chains of Satan and no was able to even fulfill their original assignment of ruling the world for God. Instead, Satan promoted to high positions of power those men whom he deceived and controlled.
Jesus died on the cross to set mankind free from slavery to Satan and sin and reestablish the divine connection between man and God. So that man can know their God, recognise their purpose of existence and fulfill their original calling: have dominion over the world and rule it for God.
Soon after that Satan infiltrated the doctrines and theologies of Christian churches and convinced millions of Christian for many generations that Christianity had nothing to do with government, authority and ruling the world but it is only a religious life of separation from all world affairs.
When Godly Man Refuses to Rule
As a direct result of Satan’s deceptions in Christian theology and doctrines, for many centuries, the majority of Christians plainly refused to have dominion over the world and rule it for God. For hundreds of years, some Christian preachers tried to keep believers of Jesus out of all power and authority positions. In fact they even convinced Christians to abandon their lives in the society and go live on a distant mountain top somewhere all by themselves in total isolation without having any effect whatsoever in world affairs and even in the lives of others. They called that holiness and they encouraged all true lovers of God to do the same. At the same time, some other people who were inspired and controlled by Satan and his demons continued to rule the world, make and implement satanic policies, build armies and take nations into wars against each other, promote all kinds of practices to enslave and kill millions of people and even unborn babies generations after generations. While the Christians were busy perfecting their personal holiness, scattered in small groups on distant mountain tops or underground churches, Satan’s servants were ruling the world for Satan and every now and then waging war against Christians to keep them under control. This has been going on since 313 AD when Constantine legalised Christianity to be able to hijack and control it from within. While Christian were only focusing on their salvation and never asking why did God saved them and still kept them on earth. Satanically inspired men were perfecting their grip on power and expanding their rule and reign for Satan. In hindsight, we can now clearly see that Christians long ago abandoned and even forgot about their original assignment of having dominion over and ruling the world for God.
This terrible mistake of Christians in ignoring and refusing to rule and reign over the world affairs for God naturally opened all the important power positions to Satanically inspired godless men. They then gradually but surely took all the power and did all the evil they could imagine without any boundaries.
Today, very sadly, all the international powerhouses such as banks, media organisations, educational institutions, governments and inter-governmental organisations such as The UN, IMF, WHO, any many others, scientific and research organisations such as the NASA, universities, health care institutions, political and non political institutions are all controlled by Satanically inspired people whose aim is to rule the world for Satan not for God. Of course many of these rulers will not openly confess their Satanic objectives but a careful analysis of their lives and the policies and decisions they implement will show who their master is.
When Godly men refuse to have dominion and rule the world, Satanically inspired men will take over the power positions and cause havoc, destruction, devastation, kill, still, murder at will, persecute and even massacre God’s people and do it all over again more and more.
The whole creation awaits for the Sons of God to rule
Under the abusive and murderous rule of these Satanic rulers not only people but the whole creation of God suffer all kinds of abuse and mistreatment. The whole world, including the animal kingdom, plant kingdom and even the mountains and the oceans suffer greatly under the abuse of Satanic rulers and the world becomes more and more a terrible place.
Let's remember, God created the world and all that is in it. God loved it so much that God even created and placed man to govern and maintain it. When man failed, God later on sent His own Son to rectify it. This truth is emphasised in John 3:16 which clearly says that God loved the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son.
Jesus came not only to give eternal life but also to set people free from the chains of Satan so that they can fulfill their original calling: having dominion over and ruling the world for God. When Godly men do not do their job as God’s rulers on earth, the entire world suffers under the abuse of Satan and his puppets. Therefore the entire creation is eagerly waiting for the Sons of God, to rise up, take up their position of authority and rule the world for God. This truth is very well revealed in Romans 8:19: “The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.”
You are saved to rule and reign over the world
God loved the world so much that God created you to rule over it and maintain it for God. When mankind got enslaved by Satan and abandoned his authority to rule the world, God sent His Son to save you and reinstate you as the ruler of the world for God. Then Satan infiltrated the church and deceived Christian for many generations to abandon their calling to rule the world. Then God called me to write this article to remind you of your original calling and responsibility to rise up, have dominion and rule for God.
Here is a logical question: if God’s only objective was to get you to heaven, why did God not take your life as soon as you accepted Jesus Christ as your saviour and save you from this sinful world? Even after you became a believer of Jesus, why is God still keeping you in this world? What is God’s expectation of you? What does God want you to do?
The answers to these questions are found right at the beginning of the Bible and right at the beginning of the story of mankind: have dominion over the entire world, rule over it and maintain it for God because the world belongs to God and you are created by God to maintain it (Genesis 1:26-28).
Furthermore, our divine calling to rule over the world is much more explicitly stated in Revelation 5:9-10
And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.”
The timeless truth of your divine assignment is also emphasised by Jesus in the parable of talents in Matthew 25:14-30. God has created you and even blessed you with all that you need to do the job. Jesus makes it clear that those who get up and do the job will be praised and even rewarded for their work but those who refuse to do what is expected will be rebuked and thrown outside.
You will rule and reign with Christ
From the very beginning of the Bible all the way to the very end of the Bible, mankind is clearly stated as God’s specially created representatives to have dominion over and rule the world for God. It is undeniably obvious that God created man in His own image to represent Him and to rule and reign over the world that belongs to Him.
What I find so amazing is that this God given authority and responsibility of man to rule and reign over the world on behalf of God stretches even into the years of the millennial reign of Christ.
Apostle Paul indicates that when Christ is ruling the world from Jerusalem during His millennial reign we will also rule and reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12).
John the Apostle confirms and says that those who were beheaded for Christ will resurrect and rule and reign with Christ for a 1000 years (Revelation 20:4).
Furthermore, we are even called to judge the world and even the angels as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:1-3.
Conclusion
You are created by God in the image of God, with the dignity and holiness of God to have dominion over and rule the world and all the world affairs for God. This means you are on earth for a mission. Your mission is to rule, manage, and look after this world and all that is in it for God. This of course includes people, animals and the entire nature and even the invisible spiritual entities. As God representative, you cannot do this job with our God on your own. Your personal relationship with God is indispensable and you cannot do without it.
You need to rise and do all that God calls you to do.
Just imagine how the world would be if Godly Christian man and women did the following for the glory of God:
- Get into politics, become presidents, prime ministers and governors implement Godly policies and rule their nations for God, purge out all corruption and evil from their governments and empower governance.
- Become banker, investors, owners and manager of multinational big corporations and use all their power to serve God, employ the jobless and uplift the society, and reject evil, corruption and abuse.
- Become the leaders of international organisations, corporations and universities to implement God honoring values and manage the world affairs for God.
- Occupy all levels of power and influence in the media organization to proclaim the glory of God through all media channels and encourage billions of people to love and serve Jesus.
- Become soldiers, police officers, army generals to combat and keep under control all crime and evil elements so that all people all over the world freely enjoy blessings of God.
- Become a teacher and scientist to research and teach the truth to our children about God, our world, our nature and our calling to serve God, guarding the hearts and minds of our children from the lies of the devil.
These I listed above and a lot more, much much more can be achieved if the people of God just rise up and do what they are called to do: take dominion and rule the world for God.
It is through the crucifixion of Jesus, our sacrificial lamb, that our sins of the past, present and future are forgiven. We are washed clean by His blood and can be in right standing with God (2 Corinthians 5: 21). But if it weren’t for the resurrection, the cross would have no power. In this article, we will discuss how Christ’s resurrection makes it possible for us to know Him and be transformed by Him. We will also take a deeper look into the politics that played a role on the day, resulting in a terrible lie about His resurrection.
Proof that Christ is the King
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. (Matthew 28:1-6)
Without the events on resurrection Sunday, the death of Christ would have been the greatest tragedy the world has ever seen. The devil would have won the war for our souls. Indeed, we would have no reason to believe that Jesus was who He said He was. The single act of His resurrection proves to mankind and all the heavenly hosts that He was no mere man, no false prophet. He rose from the grave, He defeated death. This was the ultimate test of His authority. Life and death are both under His command.
The gates of grace are opened
What does the resurrection mean for the gentile world? In His letter to the Romans, Paul captures the essence of the resurrection to the follower of Christ.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Romans 6: 5 - 8)
Christ was not alone on that cross, all of our sins were with Him. Our old sinful selves were crucified along with Him after which we were resurrected with Him. Our new spiritual selves were raised up with Him. We emerged from the grave as new beings, victorious over death. The only thing we need to do to access this new life, is to give our lives to Jesus.
Once we surrender our lives to Him, something inexplicable happens in us. We are changed, made new. This is not something we have any control over, we hardly understand what happens to us and in us, but we can feel that we are radically different from before..
This moment of our resurrection, our salvation is followed immediately by our sanctification. Sanctification is a lifelong process by which we are made more Christ-like. In a way it is God’s project with the ultimate goal of making us holy, like His son. Like salvation, our sanctification is entirely an act of God. If we try to speed it up, we get as far as hamsters running in a wheel. If we try to resist it, we will experience a burning conviction which can only result in repentance and further sanctification. This miraculous transformation is made possible by the resurrection of Jesus and is triggered by the simple step of surrendering our hearts to Him.
Does it sound too simple? In this world, there aren’t any freebies. Life is hard and it does not owe us anything, we have accepted that. But the most important gift you will ever receive is absolutely free. Our salvation and sanctification is a gift out of God’s grace, made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Am I a child of God or the world?
And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” (Matthew 28: 12-14)
Politics and religion have always been intertwined. The Pharisees bribed the guards to keep quiet about what they had witnessed. The earthquake, the opening of the grave and the angel sitting on the entry rock rattled them. The grave was empty. If this was exposed, all would know that the Pharisees crucified their own promised Messiah. The Pharisees’ rule would be over. This simple bribe birthed a lie that is believed among Jews to this day; that the disciples stole Jesus’ body.
But how was it so easy for the multitudes singing Hosanna, the thousands who witnessed Jesus’s miracles, to just grow quiet? They were the Pharisees’ puppets, without a voice or a mind of their own. By the time of the Pentecost, there were only 120 believers of Christ.
Are you appalled by the spineless Jewish citizens? Before you dismiss them as no better than their Pharisee leaders, do some self - reflection. How willing are you to speak out against evil today, when most of our churches won’t speak out against our government’s corruption? Most of our churches are influenced by national politics. People don’t have the guts to go against the stream and risk social ostracization.
How many of us are willing to believe that God does the unimaginable, that He performs miracles? Sadly, many Christians diminish God’s power by refusing to believe that God is still the same miracle worker that He used to be in the times of the New Testament. They read about miracles as if they were fairy tales.
So if Jesus was crucified and resurrected today, to which camp would you belong? The 120 believers or the fearful silent majority?
Without realising it, most of us are puppets to society. Let’s take a modern day example to illustrate our weakness. Until the 20th century adults were not milk drinkers. Babies would have milk bottles but it wasn’t a part of our general cuisine. All of this changed when American cow breeders lobbied together, planning to make money by hooking people on milk. Television advertisements brainwashed millions into drinking a full glass of milk with breakfast to ensure adequate calcium consumption. The world was quickly taken by milk mania.
People are easily manipulated, just like puppets on a string. We need to be honest with ourselves, would we boldly stand for Jesus when no one else did? Make the choice today to live unto Christ’s purposes and not to the world.
My identity in Christ?
As a born again Christian, your identity is not in this world . It is in Christ alone. Let’s revisit Romans 6 to find out what it means to have our identity in Christ.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6: 8-11)
We know that our old sinful identities were nailed to the cross with Christ and that we were born again by the power of His resurrection. He is alive, not as a human being, but as a glorified king, by God and for God. Just as Christ lives to God, we live to Him. We are His craftsmanship, made for His kingdom and not for the world. Our identities are bound to Him and a glorious inheritance awaits us.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Romans 6: 22)
Our eternal lives begin now and it is very different from our old worldly lives. We already enjoy fellowship with God. Even though we are not original heirs of His promised kingdom to the Jews, we are already experiencing it through our fellowship with Him and the truth He makes known to us. Although we were not God’s own children, we were adopted by Jesus. No longer orphans, we have jumped the line and can experience the King and His kingdom.
Through His resurrection, Christ proved to all of heaven and earth that He is the king. Death cannot stop Him. As His adopted children, we live our lives in Him. Although we still inhabit this world, we are not to be friends with it. Our old lives have passed away on the cross and we cannot return to it. We are resurrected and eternally alive in Christ and for Christ. Therefore we must resist the power of the world and not allow it to control us. Do not be slaves to this sinful world. It wants to hide the truth, like the Pharisees hid Jesus’ resurrection. Instead, be the light which exposes the secrets of this dark world (Ephesians 5: 11 - 14).
This article is summarised by Christine Van Reenen from the semon of Ps Marko Kiroglu on 31 March 2024
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All South Africans have asked this question at one point or the other. Every time we approach another election, our country’s politics become more volatile. Our politicians are corrupt and the infrastructure and economy is collapsing. Life on the Australian coastline becomes more and more attractive. The problems we face, particularly the problem of violent crime, are truly serious problems. Therefore we cannot make light of the question of immigration and no one can prescribe the answer to another. You will not find a straight yes or no answer in this article. Rather, we are going to explore Biblical principles to apply to our individual circumstances.
Live by faith, not fear
“For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Fear is a very real emotion. We struggle with it daily. But if it is not from God, from whom is it? Anything that is not from God, is from the enemy. Fear is the devil’s strongest weapon against us. Although we might never be rid of fear, we can decide not to let it rule us. If we make decisions based on fear, the devil has us in his power. He can manipulate us and pull us away from our purpose in God.
On the other hand “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights” (James 1:17). The father of lights, our God, gives us the gift to combat fear: faith. It is our trust in Him. The knowledge that He is good and in full control, that disables fear.
History's most famous emigration story can teach us about living by faith. God commanded the Israelites to leave Egypt for the promised land. After their journey through the Red Sea and the desert, Moses died. Joshua was suddenly promoted to be the leader of Israelites. He had to lead them into Cannan, a land where frightening giants roamed. No doubt, the devil rejoiced in the fear that Joshua experienced. But God told him, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) Joshua took heart, he was encouraged and strengthened in the knowledge that God would keep them. God promised to be with them. He stopped the waters of the Jordan so they could cross safely and let the walls of Jericho crumble at the sound of their voices. He defied nature and crushed Israel’s enemies.
As followers of Jesus, we should have Joshua’s courage. This courage is not found in our own abilities, but in trusting God. He will protect us. Wherever we are in the world, there He will be with us. He can defeat any enemy. God called the Israelites to move from the safety of Egypt into the dangerous wilderness. In His wisdom, He placed you in South Africa. Wherever God calls you to be, He will be with you.
Pursue God’s will for your life
We are tempted to design our own lives. With air travel, we can make the voyage to greener grass within days. With the reputation of being hard workers, we are sought after by other countries. But we cannot run from this essential truth: As born again Christians we are at enmity with the world. Jesus said to His disciples, “ If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first” (John 18:15). We belong to God and the devil will plot against us. The godless world, under the influence of the devil, will judge us. This is true of every corner of the world. At best we will be treated like outcasts, but in some countries we might even be persecuted for our faith. The devil will orchestrate a plan for our suffering wherever we are, so that we should fail in our mission to serve God.
With this truth in mind, we must approach our futures differently. Instead of asking how we can make our lives more comfortable we should ask how we can serve God where we are. For mothers, it is to faithfully disciple their children in the ways of the Lord. For businessmen it is to bring some of God’s justice and mercy into the world of business. Wherever we are, we can be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. We can counter the corruption and crime in our country by being honest and standing for justice.
Jesus’ audience for the sermon on the mount was worried about money. Jesus redirected their focus to God, assuring them that God is working behind the scenes to take care of their needs. They should use their energy instead to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, (as) all these things will be added to (them).” (Matthew 6: 33). These words still ring true. Instead of worrying about crime and corruption, we should focus our attention on God, His righteousness and His Kingdom.
God has placed you in South Africa. He has a particular purpose for you here, and unless He instructs you to leave, He wants you to stay. Choose to make decisions based on faith, not fear. Your safety and comfort should not determine where you live. Instead, allow God to rule in you and through you. Seek to serve God and live out His purposes for your life. Apostle Paul proclaims; “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.” (Romans 14:8). In the same way in South Africa, we must live, serve and die unto the Lord.
This article is written by Christine Van Reenen.
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Can you mark the moment in your life where hearing the Word of God was no longer dull and dreary, but full of life giving power? You might have been exposed to the Gospel previously, but it had no effect on your heart. It was as though the seeds of the Word of God fell by the wayside where birds pecked it up or were sown among rocks and thorns. The Word had no power in your life and the worries and lusts of the world carried it away. Then one day, it was different. The seeds of the Word of God fell on good ground and yielded fruit. (Matthew 13: 4-9) Your ears were opened, your heart was touched and you received faith. The sermon was not better, the Word of God had not changed, but you did. You received the gift of faith and with that salvation. That heart change was a gift from the Holy Spirit (Romans 10:17) and try as you may, you could not have generated it for yourself.
You cannot generate faith
To understand the mystery of this gift of faith, we will look at another illustration. One day a very famous preacher was preparing to deliver a crusade at a large venue. Chairs were packed out, microphones, speakers and dramatic lighting was rigged for the event. The crowds rushed in in their thousands and the long awaited event began. It was an enormous success. After the preacher drove away in his limousine and the crowds left, the backstage crew was busy packing up chairs. A man rushed in, desperate and out of breath. “What is going on? Where is the Crusade?” he asked. “It is over, you missed it” replied the crew. “I so wanted to be here. What do I do now, how can I be saved?” the man asked desperately. The crew replied, “ Nothing. It is finished.” This echoes Jesus' final words on the cross; “It is finished”. His suffering and dying on the cross was His most important work for us. It was the work of our salvation by the forgiveness of our sins, the gift of our righteousness by His blood. There is therefore nothing we can do. He did it all for us.
Just as a drowning man cannot pull himself by his own collar from stormy waters, so we cannot generate faith within ourselves. It is an act of God, a gift. We cannot buy it or order it. It is God himself who plants the seed of faith in our hearts. One man can stand next to you and hear the same message or prayer, but not be touched by it in any way. There is nothing you can do to convince him, you cannot give him the gift of faith any more than you could give it to yourself. It is entirely from God. You cannot generate it by studying the scriptures or engaging in theological debates.
You cannot brag about your faith
If faith is a gift from God and we have no idea what His criteria is for giving it to us, then we simply cannot boast in it. We must remember that we once walked aimlessly in darkness and can therefore not be haughty and arrogant for having faith now. The appropriate reaction to our faith is abundant gratitude. Knowing that we have nothing to do with our own faith inevitably leads us to wondering why God chose us. As we could not attain it by any works, we do not deserve it. It is out of His abundant grace that we received this gift.
If we tried to generate our own faith, we would lie to ourselves and become slaves to our own lies. We would live according to rules that we do not understand, attend church and pray empty words. Christianity would seem like an endless list of do’s and don'ts and be very laborious. We would eventually grow weary and depressed. Elijah challenged the Baal worshiping Israelites by pointing out how absurd it is that they worshiped a god that couldn't even talk. Indeed, if we would worship a god who could not communicate his love and devotion to us, we would worship a lie that we fabricated for ourselves. We would fall victim to our own propaganda. But unlike Baal, our God speaks. He did it through the prophets and today He does it through His Word and the Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals who our God is, what His purpose for this planet and His followers are. In a sense, the Bible is the written declaration of His goodwill unto us. It is the evidence that our God lives and that He loves us. However, we can only see this evidence before us once the Holy Spirit gives us faith. Without faith, we cannot view the Bible for the truth that it is.
Faith is a beautiful gift from God
The book of Hebrews sheds light on the mysterious gift of faith. It is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). The subject of our hope is God himself. We know that He is for us, that He holds our future. Even if we perish in this world, He has us in the one beyond. We have access to His promises. In a world where seeing is believing, we have assurance in the unseen.
Faith is a gift from God. It is a seed planted in us by the Holy Spirit. If God didn’t instigate our understanding and opened our eyes and hearts, we would read and hear the Word without finding Him in it. We would be like infertile, rocky or thorny ground. The seed of His Word would not penetrate our hearts and bear fruit. Therefore faith is a miracle, a beautiful and mysterious gift from God that we must live out in gratitude. We cannot earn it, and if we try to generate it, we create a false reality for ourselves to live (and suffer) by. We can only be grateful as we are blessed with faith through the finished work of Christ on the cross and the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
This article is summarised by Christine Van Reenen from the semon of Ps Marko Kiroglu on 25 February 2024
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What is the most repeated instruction in the Bible? Don’t reach for your phone, not even Google can answer this question. This instruction is repeated in different words and most often it is implied rather than spoken directly. It is to praise the Lord. Sometimes the words worship, extol, honour, glorify and serve are used as synonyms for praise. In some instances the Bible instructs us to give our lives to the Lord or commands us not to worship idols. It all boils down to praise. In this article, we will explore praise as the purpose of our existence, learn from the examples of Biblical men and women who made a lifestyle of praising Him as well as practical examples of what praise looks like in our everyday lives.
1. We were created to praise the Lord
Nowhere in the Bible are we called to praise God more than in the Psalms. King David repeatedly reminds himself and calls God’s people to do so. You would probably find more than a hundred examples like these:
Psalm 95:6 : “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
Psalm 150:6 : “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 99:5 : “Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!”
King David understood that our holy and mighty God is deserving of great praise. Everything that has breath, referring to humans who received our breath from His mouth and all other living beings, exist to praise Him.
God Himself reveals this intention through the Prophet Isiah:
Isaiah 43:21 : “The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”
But why does God require our praise above all else? He is certainly worthy, but there is more to it than that. For the answer, we need to dig deep into Biblical history.
We know that Satan was already on earth and entered the Garden of Eden in the form of the snake who tempted Eve. Why do you think he was here on earth at the first place? This is because earth was the territory of the devil before the creation of mankind. Satan and a third of the angels were cast from heaven to earth for their rebellion against God (Isaiah 14:12 -17). This is why Satan is referred to as “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). His evil reign was on earth before God created and placed man on earth. God’s plan was and still is to defeat Satan. Out of the dust of the earth on a planet ruled by evil, He created us, a people whose sole purpose is to praise Him. We were placed behind enemy lines to bring light with our praise, to proclaim God as ruler even in the darkness. Our spiritual weapon is our praise.
When we understand the dark history of our planet, we are reminded that we are sojourners and that earth is not our home. We are created for the heavens. Our purpose to praise God on this planet will have eternal consequences.
When we get distracted by the mundane tasks of our daily lives, the grocery lists and tax forms, we forget to live for God. The sun sets and we say our evening prayers, painfully aware that this is perhaps the first bit of time we are setting aside to be with God. Life can pull us away from our purpose, to praise God. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Our praise can be in prayer and song, but it can be so much more. We can make a lifestyle of praise, by focusing on God and turning our hearts to Him even in the midst of our everyday work.
2. God's great people had a life-sytle of praising God
The Bible contains chapters entirely dedicated to telling the stories of men and women who committed their entire lives to praising God. They show us different ways of praising God, by song and prayer, but also by submitting to God’s will and living for Him. Some of them made great sacrifices and got into great danger for staying faithful to God.
David:
We have already touched on the Psalms and the praise of King David. In Psalm 34 we see that he is determined and committed to praising God “ at all times”, it is his primary priority in life. He put this into practice by penning hundreds of Psalms to praise God .
Psalm 34:1-3: “ I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”
King David and his musicians
King David also funded and maintained a 24/7 worship project by the tent of the Lord. He employed musicians to make music with the purpose of praising God without ceasing.
1 Chro 25:6-7: “Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king. Together with their relatives, who were all trained and skillful in the songs of the LORD, they numbered 288.”
Paul and Silas
Acts 16:25 - 26: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.”
Paul and Silas understood God is eternally worthy of praise. Even while they were imprisoned in Philippi and must have felt afraid or even angry, they sang to Him and exalted His name. God rewarded their praise and performed a miracle to free them. It is important to note that these verses do not say that they asked God to free them, nor did they use praise to manipulate Him. Praise to God must not come with agendas, instead our hearts must be in a constant state of praise, regardless of our circumstances.
Mary and Joseph
The young virgin Mary was believed to be between the ages of twelve and fourteen, a child by today's standards. When the angel Gabriel gave her the news that she would soon be pregnant with Jesus, she could have found many reasons to object to her sentence. Instead of being afraid of being cast off by her future husband and by society for her apparently illegitimate pregnancy, she replied with these simple and humble words:
Luke 1:38: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.
With such unwavering faith in the Lord, it is no wonder Gabriel said that the Lord is well pleased with her (Luke 1:28).
After Garbiel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he was just as committed to walk in obedience and praise the Lord.
3. God is praised in Heaven
Revelation 4:8-11: “And each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around and within. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
And whenever the living creatures give glory, honour, and thanks to the One seated on the throne who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.””
John’s vision of heaven reveals the extent of praise that our God deserves. As He is the source of all life, He is worthy of constant unceasing praise. These heavenly beings are created for this purpose and so are we. Our praise looks different in our daily lives, after all we need to eat, drink, sleep and work. But our hearts must reflect the kind of praise displayed in heaven.
4 Come before Him with praise
Psalm 100: “Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name. For the LORD is good, and His loving devotion endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations.”
Psalm 100 tells us how to approach God. God is not our magic 8 - ball or our genie in a bottle. We do not use Him to answer our questions or grant our wishes. When we approach Him, we are approaching the King of kings. We must enter His gates with thanksgiving. We should honour and praise Him, not only as a prelude to a request, but as the main subject of our prayers. When we ask Him what we need with a heart that is truly in praise and gratitude, He hears us and answers us.
We were created to praise the Lord. This is not a mystery. Mary and Joseph knew it when they instantly submitted to God and gave their lives for His purposes. Paul and Silas didn’t need to feel joyful to praise and sing hymns and David used his talent for music to praise the Lord. As men and women of God we should enter His gates with thanksgiving. Our lives should be characterised by praise, as God placed us on earth with the distinct purpose of worshipping Him and being His light on a dark and evil planet. Our praise should be without ceasing, “whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do . . . we do it all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) We must live with a posture of praise, with our hearts always turned to the Lord.
This article is summarised by Christine Van Reenen from the semon of Ps Marko Kiroglu on 18 February 2024
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What does your church life look like? If you nod politely to your fellow church members, go through the motions of singing, listening and praying with your thoughts wandering to Sunday lunch; something is missing. You are missing out on fruitful Christian living, connection and growth in Christ. This may come as a surprise, but you need to adhere to some requirements of the church to become fruitful, to serve in the body and grow closer to God. Read on and discover how your fellowship with Christians and walk with Jesus can be transformed by applying the five requirements of church life.
1. Agreement on Faith and Doctrine in Humility
I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree together, so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be united in mind and conviction.
1st Corinthians 1:10
Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:1-3
Paul calls to the churches in Corinth and Phillipi to be united. To achieve unity agreement is necessary. Church members must submit to the leadership of the church and be in agreement about doctrine and theology. Contrary ideas and views cause division, which is the very opposite of the unity and like mindedness that Paul is preaching. Our agreement must be loving and humble, therefore there will be no place for haughtiness or forcefulness when it comes to matters of faith and doctrine. We must carry one another’s interests and burdens with sincerity and be gentle in dealing with differences.
3 - Commitment to Gathering and Encouraging One Another.
Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:23-25
No man is an island. If life is generally lived best with companions, our faith lives can be no different. We are the bride of Christ, a body of believers. There is no space for singularity in these definitions. If we are to encourage each other, as Paul suggests, we must build relationships with one another. Regular church meetings is a definite requirement. Church must be high on our list of priorities. It is not somewhere to go when we have no other plans. We must grow together in prayer, laughter and tears. To carry and be carried by one another in this way is sure to be a blessing to us all.
3 - Teachable and Humble Attitude
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!
(Psalm 143:10)
Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
(Psalm 86:11)
These are the words of King David. Even as a great king, David had a humble and teachable attitude before the Lord. Can you and I say that we are this humble and teachable? Are we prepared to be vulnerable, admitting that we do not know all the answers and being willing to receive correction? If king David could do this, so can we.
In order to walk out of church meetings refreshed and perhaps a little wiser, we must empty ourselves of arrogance and our “know it all” attitudes and receive God’s teaching with a teachable and humble attitude. If we are arrogant and stubborn, we will surely gain nothing.
4 - Servanthood and Humility
The greatest among you shall be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Matthew 23:11-12
To be a Christian means to be a servant. In John 13 : 1 - 5 Jesus sets the blueprint of servanthood in washing the feet of His disciples. The King of kings, our Lord and saviour bows down and does the work of the lowliest servant. He commands His disciples to do the same. In Matthew 23: 11 - 12, He equates greatness with servanthood. The Church will be a place of growth and greatness, if we can use our various gifts to serve one another. Whether it is through welcoming someone at the door, teaching or cooking, we must all use the gifts God gave us to serve in His church. God made us unique. This is where the metaphor of believers as the body of Christ is very effective. As each of our body parts have a unique and important function, so each child of God has a different role to play in the body of Christ. Some people serve by teaching, others with prayer and encouragement. Some of us are more practical and serve in areas such as hosting or organising. Our service to God is also not limited to actual church meetings. In some stages of our lives, we are called to parent our young children, in others we might nurse an elderly family member.
5 - Love and care for one another
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
Our greatest acts of service would be empty, if we did not have love. Love needs to be the intention and motivation behind all of these requirements. Without love, you would agree on doctrine only to keep the peace. Your church attendance would be to please people, your humility and encouragement would be false.
Love must be the foundation of our church lives. If we are a body, the one hand cannot enjoy riches and pleasure if the other hand is suffering. We must have sincere love for our fellow church members. Their spiritual, physical and even financial well being must be a priority to us. True biblical love is self - sacrificial, it aims to give and not receive. The world loves whatever or whoever they stand to gain something from. But we are called to love in a radically different way. It is easy to say we love one another, but do we pay attention to the rest of Jesus’ words in John 13: 34 -35? We must love as Jesus loved us. He gave His life. He withheld nothing from us. So we too must love genuinely and sacrificially as Jesus did. By this genuine and sacrificial love the world will know that we belong to Jesus. This love is the difference between someone who merely knows their Bible front to back and can debate theology all day long and someone who loves with the love of Jesus. Let us be characterised by this kind of love.
Conclusion
For some, church is a mandatory tradition. For others it is just another option on a Sunday morning. But for those who wish to mature in Christ, it is an indispensable anchor. These people know the value of attending regularly, submitting and being teachable, they are humble and serve where they can. Above all, they act in sincere love, seeking not only for their own interests but the best interests of others as well.
This article is summarised by Christine Van Reenen from the semon of Ps Marko Kiroglu on 11 February 2024
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