Heralds Digest

  “ And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” I Thessalonians 3 : 12 - 13 NKJV If the psalmist in the midst of his wilderness experience and affliction of life could pray “ With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! ( Psalms 119 : 10 )”, little wonder that Apostle Paul in his chains wasn’t burdened by his personal affliction. Therefore, the concern of holy hearts is singularly the abundance of love and fellowship with God and His holiness, and less and less of the care for convenience and comfort. Most often than not, the primary agenda of every desire for convenience and comfort in life is the compromise of the believer's relationship with God. Therefore, with every desire for pleasure and prosperity, there can be no wants for hurt...

  “ For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake .” I Thessalonians 1 : 5 NKJV When the scriptures posited that “ Blessed are the undefiled in the way, Who walk in the law of the Lord ( Psalms 119 : 1 )”, it is important to underscore that the undefiled in the way or the redeemed of the Lord are not blessed because they walk in the law of the Lord. Actually, true believers walk in the law of the Lord because they are blessed. The gospel represents an inspired instruction for total transformation of the hearts of men. The transformation is simply the evidence of the power of the gospel. When any gospel minister is totally surrendered to the potter’s crucible in the furnace as God’s vessel and instrument of service, the inspired instruction or gospel message from him carries the full ability of the gospel to transform the lives of his listeners. Little...

  “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. ” Colossians 4 : 5 - 6 NKJV Recovery of assets and stolen properties in our sophisticated world  is like a chess game with lots of tactics. Experienced and greedy gamers have the ability to simulate a long sequence of moves to checkmate their opponents. Whereas, when the scriptures admonished believers to “ Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside “, it wasn’t recommending the engagement of greedy tactics….but rather “ Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt ”. While greed is interested in material prosperity and earthly gains, grace is focussed on soul-winning for the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the grace game requires lots of patience, perseverance and peace-making efforts. After all, being outside the commonwealth of peace implies the possibility of reckless display of wrat...

  “ And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3 : 17 , 23 - 24 NKJV Crèche, as a nursery for formative minds, holds the curriculum for learning the basics about life. Whenever anyone goes to crèche (kids, parents, and teachers, etc) with the understanding of its fundamental purposes, focus on character moulding becomes a priority even in the face of misinformation, misunderstanding, and mismanagement. When Jeremiah found himself in the crèche named Judah with affliction and persecution, he found the precious words of the Lord: “ Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts ( Jeremiah 15 : 16 )”. Likewise, believers ...

  “ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2 : 8 - 10 NKJV The problem of religion without relationship with Christ has always queried the essence of grace in the minds of people. Most often, aliens to the household of faith have proven to be made of higher moral standards, compared to those who claimed to be stakeholders in churches. Apparently, religious practices have the huge potential of offering a cheat charge in the minds of those who solely run the race with them. When Apostle Paul admonished the brethren at Colosse on the benefit of a complete charge in Christ, the sophistication of principalities and powers in the church then would be less than those in our days. Whenever the tradition of ...

  “ For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2 : 1 - 3 NKJV Jesus Christ being the Way, the Truth, and the Life suggests that truth is one of the treasures in every believer’s relationship with God. Conversely, the absence of truth in any believer’s actions and dealings is clear evidence of being alienated from Christ. The truth has never been based on the appearance of things, events and circumstances, but on the revelation of Christ and His abiding presence at any time and in every moment. Even though the brethren in Colosse haven’t seen Apostle Paul physically, due to his incarceration and discouraging af...

  “ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God”  Colossians 1 : 10 NKJV Artificial intelligence overview has it that the rate of human knowledge growth is exponentially, transitioning from doubling every century to doubling every 13 months. Unfortunately due to digital technologies, internet of things (IoT), data capture, processing, and collaborative sharing, things made by the blessings of God are rubbing the people of God of the knowledge of God. Actually, the human minds embarked on wasteful walks, like robots, when the hearts become devoid of every good work and decreasing in the knowledge of God. Therefore, every home, assembly, and institution needs spiritual anchor on men with bended knees, like Apostle Paul, who will not cease to pray and ask for every believer’s worthy walks “ that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding ( Colo...