Heralds Digest

  “ And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ From this man’s seed, according to the promise, God raised up for Israel a Savior—Jesus—” Acts 13 : 22 - 23 NKJV It is instructive that the raising of king David teaches justification as a joint-venture between God and man. God found a submissive shepherd boy in David and justified him as a picture of Jesus Christ - ‘a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ And even today, in just Jesus, we have a complete justification through the understanding of His grace for salvation and consistent revelation as the truth personified. Those who still struggle with self-will after their claimed encounter with Jesus are truly not submissive to the complete work of grace. Whereas, just as David endured the wilderness experience after being found by God, submission to the will of Go...

  “ Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. But the word of God grew and multiplied.” Acts 12 : 23 - 24 NKJV It is often said that every believer needs three types of conversion, including conversion to Christ, conversion to His church, and conversion to His cause. Unfortunately, many supposed followers of Christ are readily distracted by a conflict of personal pursuits, promotions, and prosperity, primarily against the cause of Christ. Since the scriptures recorded that an Angel of the Lord struck king Herod because he did not give glory to God, it implied that his appetite for personal glory, appraisal as god for his political power and almighty sagacity at the expense of the spread of the words of God is destructive. Little wonder the scriptures quickly added to the heavenly verdict “ But the word of God grew and multiplied” , showing that the God of glory is always unstoppable by the pride a...

  “ When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord .” Acts 11 : 23 - 24 NKJV Except to expose the basis of inconsistency in the testimonies of compromising Christians, the singularity of the grace of God and the God of grace is wholesome. For example, Barnabas saw the grace of God in believers in the Antioch assembly and quickly admonished them to continue with the God of grace; because without a consistent fellowship with the God of grace, the fraud in any believer’s claim to the grace of God will soon be an open scam. Unfortunately, today, there is too much religiosity hype without relational righteousness and holiness. We readily abuse the grace of God because we disuse the delightful relationship with the God of grace. Whereas, for Barnabas and every true Christian, the onl...

  “If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. ”” Acts 11 : 17 - 18 NKJV Reflecting on the danger of self service in the account of apostle Peter, it became alarming how the scriptures are awash with many characters of strong worth and sacrifices who struggled and slumped on the altar of self service. Notable among these characters is Abiathar the priest at the close of his service before king David. Considering the ties between David and Abiathar which were cemented by the blood of 85 peoples in his household and several other sacrifices, it was incredibly touching how Abiathar fell alongside Joab by following Adonijah in rebellion against the counsel of God (1 King 1:7). Peter probably remembered how self service led to his denial of Jesus Chris...

  “ While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them. ”” Acts 10 : 19 - 20 NKJV Another day and week of service comes with great gratitude to God. Unfortunately, Sunday services without spirit surrendering have always made religion out of every believer’s service renderings. And like the experiences of Peter, spirit services are not our usual Sunday-sunday experiences. The whole of the previous chapter was devoted to Peter’s account of spirit services at Joppa and Lydda. And while resting at Joppa before the next assignment, the spirit beckoned again “ Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them. ” Little wonder Jesus had said earlier “ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I dep...

  “Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests? ”” Acts 9 : 21 NKJV The pursuit of justice in this world is limited to the sincerity of prosecution, so it is no longer news that there is no true justice for the persecuted and the oppressed in the hands of an ill-manipulated justice system. But when Saul was arrested by the Lord Jesus on his way to the next field of persecution and oppression, even the brethren would not initially trust the transformation in the justice system. The heavenly justice system provided an amazing arrest of an injurious fellow and brought him into the fold to become a fearless labourer and sufferer of the gospel. Little wonder when Stephen handed over his persecutors into the hands of God for mercy instead of malice and vengeance, he knew so well how the heavenly justice system works. Even to...

  “ Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And there was great joy in that city.” Acts 8 : 4 - 5 , 8 NKJV With scattered experiences in families, workplaces, and societies, it is normal for the people to wear the scourge on their sleeves. Scattered experiences produce emotional outbursts, bitterness and unrest, and possibly by transferred aggression. But Phillip went down to the city of Samaria to spread scents instead of scourge. Someone rightly said our scattered life’s experiences merely revealed the stuff we are truly made of, whether it is kindness and mercy or wickedness and malice. Most often than not, scattered scents are crushed and crunched by the challenges of life for easier production and transportation of the aroma and the flavour of mercy, love and kindness to the world around them. Since there was great joy in the city of Samaria after Philip’s visit, we know...