Heralds Digest

“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” ‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jud.1.3.nkjv Consistency in the faith of believers represents a difficult concern in Christendom. Challenging experiences of life appear to be increasingly consistent in posing an overwhelming threat on the evidence of faith. For the convincingly called and commissioned believers, the burning concern would be how can we earnestly contend for the faith in today’s world value system? When social liberalism and the consistent struggle for political correctness have succeeded in stamping out the knowledge of God from the home affairs of people (needless to mention the pervasion in the society and public places), the power of faith in believers become increasingly vague. For example, the position of facts appears to explain mor...

“All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs: If they are shaken, They fall into the mouth of the eater.” ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭3:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/nam.3.12.nkjv In times of economic, health, and social instability, offer of human assistance is greatly resourceful. Particularly, the favour of God brings people who are capable of influencing a positive change of situation and circumstances in the affairs of those who put their confidence in Him. However, the search for favour leads man into the temptation of replacing the favour of God with a trust in the favour from fellow men. Favour from men is always okay, but a trust in this favour is shakeable. Nineveh had put all her confidence in the strength of her business partners, political allies, intellectual capabilities, and the abundant human resource. These are strongholds with no design consideration for the unpredictable force of the wind. And a time-dependent prosperity in life means an abject poverty at sunset is p...

“For the LORD will restore the excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel, For the emptiers have emptied them out And ruined their vine branches.” ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭2:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/nam.2.2.nkjv If favour is equitable and fair, breakthrough in career, family, business, and professional life will be strictly based on brilliant performances. In real world, favouritism is a tool in the hands of corrupt minds in the world’s ivory towers. Oftentimes, the excesses of the emptiers in every human excellence drive is a test of the righteous’ humility and consistency. Like in the deplorable experiences of Jacob and Israel, application for recognition and rewards saps out the juice from the upright’s vine branches. And the pressure to achieve breakthrough attracts compromises and a deviation from the truth, leading to the celebration of transient restoration. However, real restoration comes from the Lord; and His unfailing promises are more reliable. Actually, all emptied inve...

“Behold, on the mountains The feet of him who brings good tidings, Who proclaims peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, Perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off.” ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/nam.1.15.nkjv The pride of the wicked is always his prosperity, while the problem of the righteous remains a disregard for the sense of poverty of Spirit. Meanwhile, the God of both the righteous and the wicked is often more concerned about the character than the circumstances of His people. For example, the wicked Nineveh cannot abuse the mercy of God without attracting His Judgment; while the righteous Judah cannot abuse the grace of God without facing the same judgment with the wicked. Therefore, and unlike Jonah, consistency with the preaching the gospel of peace is encouraged. Like the ferocious messages of immortality and materialism consistently invade the social, educational and entertainment spaces, the righteou...

“But the LORD said, “You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭4:10-11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.4.10-11.nkjv The major conflict of interest in Jonah against absolute submission to the will of God is his misconception about the God of justice. In today's world, society, and institution with diverse culture, convictions, and conflict in correspondences, God's warning about any impending judgement is difficult to attract a uniform level of selfless service from men. From Jonah's perspective of his subjective interest, Nineveh's sin and wickedness attract nothing less than God's judgement, irrespective of the difficulty in his personal sacrifice to the 120,000 populatio...

“And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day’s walk. Then he cried out and said, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭3:4-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.3.4-5.nkjv The phase of challenges and difficulties in life and ministry is often designed to a transient moment of useful character formation, rather than a perceived means for useless character deformation. Otherwise, divine partnership is mostly a call to celebration of success and breakthrough, especially for those who are called according to God's purpose. For example, what is spectacular in Jonah's message presentation "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"? Obviously, the most significant part of the message is the partnership between God and Jonah, especially after a turbulent period of character formation in the belly of whale. Although ...

““Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.”” ‭‭Jonah‬ ‭2:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ http://bible.com/114/jon.2.8-9.nkjv The undeniable access of a worthless mortal into the merciful pavilion of the Creator of heaven and earth is the greatest privilege that any man should preserve. While sin and trespasses shut the door to a sinner and the unregenerate man into the presence of the Lord, the grace of God bestows salvation and restores access into the mercy seat. But like Jonah, conflict of interests to the will of the Master of the soul of the redeemed drive man into the state of unreasonable forgetfulness. The material riches and superficial conveniences from position, places, and properties - the worthless idols - are subtly given priority over the pursuits of the will of God. Why does the soul of man easily forget the meaningful mercy of God, while embracing the ...