Heralds Digest

  “ For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ” Romans 15 : 3 , 13 NKJV Without genuine faith and sincere love, hope is bound to be self-serving  and resentful with disappointments. Everyone can use the helpful hope of Jesus Christ, while dealing with the realities of life. Rather than walking away by our expectations from relationships, we can focus on discovering the divine purpose in satisfying the expectations of others. Whenever any believer is privileged to find the divine purpose for his existence and assignment in relationships, it becomes engrossed with the realities of being used of God as His battle axe and weapon of wars. Invariably, while helpful hope is focused on the needs of others, hurtful hope is only obsessed by the satisfaction of personal needs. Sin...

  “ A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle. A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ” Proverbs 18 : 19 , 24 NKJV Relationship takes a great commitment to build, but it breaks easily, cheaply, and probably ceaselessly. This is because a brother’s brokenness is too deep to fix, except by the special grace of God. Without the intervention of God, a brother is apt to hide his brokenness with a carefully cultivated smile, cautiously established culture, and consistently regulated practices. For example, the fight against suicide bombers, kidnappers, and all kinds of social insecurities is hard to win because the broken offenders are often dressed and dine as brothers. Even in religious assemblies, friendly families, and our functional institutions, the challenges with business and project management or family relationships are readily influenced by the often d...

  “ Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts .” Romans 13 : 7 , 10 , 14 NKJV While there is no doubt in the fact that it is God’s will for His children to be good citizens, many do readily have concerns about believers’ submission to bad government. For example, what if the governing authorities are not God’s ministers, but instruments of the Devil? The fundamental truth in all relationships, including government, family members, project partners, and co-citizens, is that relationships with our earthly elements is a reflection of our relationship with God. When the scriptures attest to the fact that “ the authorities that exist are appointed by God” , it called out believers’ faith in the sovereignty of God. With the supreme ...

  “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. ” Romans 12 : 1 - 2 NKJV Since the making of saints attracted divine sacrifice by the mercies of God, divine plead for saintly sacrifice should be a privilege accorded to any living soul. In the saintly sacrifice economy, there is no longer need for the bodily sacrifice of animals or humans; the final sacrifice was paid for by the offering of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. Notwithstanding, the saintly sacrifice now connotes believers’ unwavering offering of their talents, time, and treasures for the service of humanity, especially in the face of extreme confrontations, conflicts, and controversies. Anyone can claim to offer worldly services on...

  “I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him, I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him.” Psalms 89 : 20 , 23 NKJV From times immemorial, God’s calling has never been cheap. Casually, anyone can readily say that what David’s anointing oil attracted into his life, at his calling, was wilderness experience, with affliction and persecution. Notwithstanding, the testimony of God’s best beat stands out, testifying “ I will beat down his foes before his face, And plague those who hate him ”. And while it is always true that God has the best beat, we are often discouraged and devastated by human’s bitter beat…forgetting the fact “ For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11 : 29 )”. The bitter beat of this world can and will always threaten the worst of loneliness, loss, and limitations; but these are definitely incomparable to the love of the Lord and His lifting at the end of the race. When the troubled Apos...

  “ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” ” Romans 10 : 14 - 15 NKJV If the words of a tale bearer are like tasty trifles, the gospel in the mouth truth bearer must bring gracious goodness. Little wonder, only wise people share these glad tidings of good things. When the scripture says to Joshua “ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses (Joshua 1 : 3 )”, it wasn’t a declaration of 100% promise to irresponsible souls. The good news or gospel is actually the declaration of 100% peace, promotion, and preservation to responsible souls, who would accept the escape route from punishment, penury, and perdition. Unfortunately, “ How t...

  “ And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.” As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. ”” Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭29‬, ‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ The story of redemption for the people of Israel in the Old Testament is synonymous to the salvation experience of the New Testament’s believers in Jesus Christ. The saved seeds are the remnants who believed in the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross for salvation from dead works and justification by faith in the finished works of grace. Although the provision is finished and dusted, our response to the provision is still voluntary and personal:  “ Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame ”. The primary benefit of the saved seeds is that they are the planting of the Lord; and they cannot be up...