Heralds Digest

  “ Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The sacrifice of praise to God is only complete in a warm service fellowship or communion within the community. Interestingly, while every human being belongs to and interconnected with another through many fellowships, including church, family, workplace, neighborhood, institutional alumni, social, etc, he is readily tempted to promote racism, partiality, discrimination, and the services of nepotism better than the desirable sacrifice of praise to God. The sacrifice of praise to God is just exactly what it is; the sacrifice of treasure, talent, and time to trust the purpose of God in the lives of others; endeared to everyone by virtue of fellowship. When we open wide our doors to the community through fellowship, and break the...

  “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:20-21‬ ‭KJV‬‬ Everyone loves peace at home, workplaces, and in fellowship with people; the only challenge is the lack of agreement on the perfect path to peace. While the world would readily promote a selfish path to a perceived peace, the following characteristics of the godly path to perfect peace must be embraced: 1. The preference for seeking the will of God through prayer; 2. The pursuit of satisfaction in all requirements towards knowing and doing the Will of God; and 3. The perfect submission to the praise of the glory of God in all of life’s engagements and accomplishments. Therefore, the only path to perfect peace in life is the point of ...

  “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:17‬ ‭KJV‬‬ The security and prosperity of the body have often demanded loyalty and respect for organizational rules, as supervised by superiors. Unfortunately, these rules are not just sometimes designed to jeopardize the security of a believer's soul; they are mostly drawn towards the personal profit of corrupt supervisors. Invariably, the activities of all supervisors (spiritual, corporate, social, etc) have either a positive or negative influence on the security and prosperity of every believer’s soul. Therefore, for an enhanced security and prosperity of the believer's soul against the influences of carnal supervision, believers must 1. recognize the positive activities of selfless supervisors and remember them always in prayer (verse 7); 2. respect th...

  “For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭KJV‬‬ The popular preacher has rightly summarized the pursuit of opportunities, position of privileges, prosperity, and powers in this world as ‘vanity upon vanity, all is vanity’ . Likewise, the exhortation to the Hebrews declared “ For here have we no continuing city… ”. But the good thing and the most amazing comfort against believers’ world of confusion and confrontation is that we have a continuing Captain, the High Priest, the Author, and the Finisher of our salvation. When we seek Christ daily and get prepared to bear His reproach, we can hardly see any personal challenge, affliction, persecution, and trial along the way. Even while Apostle Paul was held in stocks and imprisonment, he could still lead an amazing and inspiring campaign of the gospel through the grace freely bestowed by the continuing Captain. Therefore, the latter glories in the pursuits of the possibilities of grace from our ...

  “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:20-21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Good work and good workers on every project in life are the basic requirements for great accomplishments. Even in spiritual accomplishments, the combination of good work and great Shepherd (speaking of the earthly accomplishments of the Jesus Christ in his humanity) should have been sufficient or complete. Whereas, the imperative of the God factor is presented here to “ make you complete in every good work to do His will ”. Therefore, above the limits of human diligence and the unquestionable selection of laudable projects lie the incredible measure of God’s grace for all complete accomplishments in life. Even if acceptable to man, good w...

  “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ In territory prone to insecurity, aggression and all forms of lawlessness, everyone is prepared to adopt a jungle lifestyle and watch out for himself. Even the instructions from reputable leaders and those in authority are mostly treated with suspicion. While these concerns, relating to social insecurity, are valid, the concern about soul security and the lifestyle of brethren under the influence of the Spirit is expected to be different. Obedience and submission to leadership by believers are synonymous to obedience and submission to God and His commandments. This is because the soul in disgruntled fellowship is exposed to attacks from the enemy’s camp, especially in an atmosphere that encourages insubordination. Whereas, obedience and submission set the...

  “For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The transient nature of the best of hope in this world should naturally limit the drive for earthly achievements. Unfortunately, many are often caught in the mad race until it is time to face the endless eternity. Hope in academic excellence, business breakthrough, family achievements, career and ministerial accomplishments, etc, are great but transient. While the scriptures refer elsewhere to singularity in this type of hope as miserable, it suggests here the existence of a happy hope. Fortunately, happy hope makes the heart happy or joyful always, even in the midst of inevitable negative experiences and disappointment of this wicked world. It is the hope of heavenly glory that defiles the possible interjection with earthly gory. After all, earthly glory or gory has no continuing City or citadel; there is always peace and contentment in the pursuit of the happy hope in Christ’s promise...

  “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Hebrews‬ ‭13:4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Those who rule their world with corruption and covetousness are obviously not concerned about the curses attached to their games. Like it works with the temptation of coveting someone else’s properties and positions, pre-marital sex defiles the bed and the foundation of creativity in life. Otherwise, the matrimonial bed is presented as the sacred room or studio for creativity and the theatre for the pronouncement of divine blessings. Unfortunately, today’s parade of youthful exuberance, immoral relationships, and all acts of covetousness will rather play game with God’s pronounced source of dominion and productivity in life. Yet, godly marriages remain the oasis of love, contentment, peace and satisfaction; and especially, a relief from the theatre of war, unrest, and dissatisfaction. Therefore, those who respect the blest bed in their relationships; an...