Heralds Digest

“For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭15:28-29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.15.28-29.nkjv While conservative minds pride themselves in their precious relationship with God based on strict moral commitments, the extreme generalization of these commitments often lead to undermining the working of God's grace and faith towards salvation for all men. Having resolved the bias attachment of the Jews to the law of Moses and the extension of the work of grace to the gentile world, the apostles and leaders in the early church still agreed on the efficacy of grace: "that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality". Clearly, the grace of God is not a freedom...

“Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭14:27‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.14.27.nkjv The first missionary journey of Paul introduced converts from Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derby into the kingdom of God. It was a taste of the consequence of God's call, commission, and consecration. Apart from the privilege to deliver other scriptural teaching and admonition, Paul gave priority to the need of commending the converts to the grace of God, while returning to each of the cities to confirm their new faith in Christ Jesus. Commendation can simply be conceived as the consecration of believers' time and material resources on the altar of service. Albeit, there is always a struggle within, whenever the flesh has to part away with these resources on the basis of commendation. However, Paul's conception of commendation appears to p...

“Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!”....Then Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead.” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭14:11, 19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.14.11,19.nkjv The restiveness in the religion of the people of Lystra is indicative of the unstable state of the mind of man. Without a coordinated measure of control system in place, it is believed that the undeniable level of madness in every man will become exposed. At one point by seeing the miracles through Paul, he would be sacrificed to as god; but later by listening to the inciting motivation from Jews, he should be stoned and sacrificed to gods. Obviously, and in the intervening words of Paul, a religion that demands sacrifice to a god without any relationship with the god is useless and helpless. Li...

“Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭13:46-47‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.13.46-47.nkjv The priority of preaching the gospel message first to the Jews represents an undeniable passion of Paul. He had openly preferred the adoption of the outreach to the gentile world as a secondary mission. Obviously, the submission to the heavenly calling does not take away his sentiments for the spiritual welfare of his people. This type of sentiment influences the passion in almost all of human relationships. Except in environment with automated system of operations, accommodation of certain level of legitimate sentiments or discretion in human operations is ...

““For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭13:36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.13.36.nkjv The difference between king Saul and David is apparently the position of self in the service delivered. The scriptural reference to the time when Saul was "little in his own eyes" suggests that God has a serious problem with the consideration of self in the service rendered before Him. Obviously, self-will and the will of God cannot co-exist. David wasn't a perfect man of God, but was always prompt in dropping self considerations in the pursuits of the will of God. Attractiveness of self to pleasures, privileges and positions in our generation is nothing different from the temptations before David in his generation. Sensitivity to the will of God above all self considerations, in all family, workplace, and fellowship service deliveries, is the only safe haven. Therefore, th...

“Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭13:9-10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/act.13.9-10.nkjv Natural intervention in the course of life debate and business transactions demands growing taller for appreciable recognition. Elymas the sorcerer had employed the strategy for a deliberate interruption and a strategic perversion of the mission of winning the soul of Sergius Paulus for Christ. Even when the strategy is easily noticed to be deficient in providing the needed soul satisfaction, it is always proven to be efficient in the business of soul distractions. Saul would have offered a counter defence with another natural intervention strategy, based on the elevation of his personal profile: Saul the defender of the Jewish religion. However, he chosed the path of ...

"I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright." Leviticus 26:13 KJV The promised comfort and indulgence in the social media and the entertainment system of this world have a subtle way of camouflaging the chain or bands on possible freedom of the soul of man. While the eyes is feed with hilarious and seductive contents, the soul of the unrestrained man is poisoned or weakened, making the regular voyage to the throne of grace an unattractive or impossible exploration. It is absolutely impossible for anyone to wine and dine in Egypt and expect freedom from fear, dominion over demons, and authority in the presence of all the agents of darkness, even if a seldom visit to Canaan is professed. Breaking away from the bands of the wicked is no trivial business. Some celebrated relationships have to be deliberately unfollowed, unjoined, and absolute...