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Wondrous Works

  “ Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, Saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world .” Acts 15 : 12 , 17 - 18 KJV While the scriptural context unveils the wondrous works of God towards the extension of His redemption plan to the gentile world, anyone can take away the perilous drawbacks of the wilful works in the heart. If everyone sincerely admits himself as a model of God’s works and truly believes that “ known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world ”, there will be no struggle with calls for absolute submission to the Will of God in all of life’s engagements. Unfortunately, the wilful works have always struggled to overturn the divine agenda in life’s relationships and affai...
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Wise Walk

  “ And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.” 1 Kings 9 : 4 - 5 KJV For carnally minded people, wise walk is limited to a public display of sycophancy, diplomacy, and wastefulness. Therefore, “ And if thou wilt walk before me, as the Devil thy father walked, in the intelligence of heart, and in waywardness ” is readily preferred to “ And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness“ . The argument has always been that the wayward walk is considered smart and proactive, especially when it appears no one is watching. Whereas,  “ And if thou wilt walk before me “ suggests God is always watching the st...
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Pure Place

  “ And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD. ” 1 Kings 8 : 6 , 10 - 11 KJV While it is generally believed that the Ark of covenant represents the presence of God, the belief does not readily underscore the relevance of retaining the Ark of covenant in the most holy place - the heart of man. Yet, it was not until after king Solomon brought the Ark of covenants from the city of David to the most holy place in the newly built temple (and the priests came into the congregation of meeting from the most holy place) that “ the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not stand to minister because...
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Light Lift

  “ Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, Unto thee do we give thanks: For that thy name is near Thy wondrous works declare. I said unto the fools, Deal not foolishly: And to the wicked, Lift not up the horn: Lift not up your horn on high: Speak not with a stiff neck. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the south. But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another .” Psalm 75 : 1 , 4 - 7 KJV One of the agony of the human heart is its foolishness of light lifting and the assessment of promotion on the basis of personal efforts. Unfortunately, this agony also contributes to the deception of believers in God, who are readily tempted to prioritize their personal efforts and human networking to obtain questionable references towards prosperity, promotion, and popularity, rather than wait patiently for God. “ God is far away” , says the deceiver; whereas, the scriptures declare “ For that thy name is near Thy wondrous works declare” . ...
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Wise Work

  “ As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. ” Acts 13 : 2 - 3 KJV Through the benefits of hindsight and the canonical scriptures, we know that Paul (known as Saul at this time of his divine call for separation) was engaged in wise work. He wrote 13 books (or epistles) out of the 27 New Testament books, and established many churches throughout his 3 missionary journeys. And it all started by a wholesome awakening to “ Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them”. While it’s difficult to tell if Barnabas maintained the same wholesome awakening to the end, we can confirm that these partners parted not at the instance of “ As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said…”. It implies that a dutiful engagement into wise work in life and ministry requires (1) ...
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Clean Cleave

   “ Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. ” Acts 11 : 23 - 24 KJV The simple take from the exhortation of Barnabas to the church at Antioch is that God in the race of life is the essence of grace. Grace provides the glue that binds man with God. Unfortunately, there is no option B for cleaving unto the Lord. Anyone who fails to cleave leaves; there is no such thing as lean c-leave (i.e., c-leave is simply clean c-leave; otherwise, what is left is leave). And only in every believer’s prayer room (not in the courtyard of backsliders and unbelievers), grace is founded and fortified. For example, when Barnabas saw the evidence of the grace of God among the brethren at Antioch, he encouraged the fortification of such grace through consistent prayer fellowship. And like St. Joh...
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God’s Gift

   “ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 10 : 44 - 45 KJV While socialization among human beings is driven by gifts, gift is equally the dominant factor in our relationship with God. And the power of gifts from human beings is so dreaded that the scriptures warn man to be wary of gifts.  Gifts, without a sincere attachment of the Holy Spirit, draw the hearts of men away from the purpose and plan of the living God. Cornelius’ world, before his encounter with Simon Peter, was controlled by these bubbles of human gifts. However, the post Simon Peter experience of Cornelius showed that the greatest gift in life is the possession of the presence of God through the baptism of the Holy Ghost. God’s gift of the Holy Ghost is the singular unifier of purpose and ...
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