The Fruit of the Spirit :- LOVE

The Fruit of the Spirit :- LOVE 

What is 'Love'? 

The Bible says that God is love and that humans crave love from the moment of existence. But the word love describes an emotion with vastly differing degrees of intensity.

Four unique forms of love are found in Scripture. They are communicated through four Greek words (Eros, Storge, Philia, and Agape) and are characterized by romantic love, family love, brotherly love, and God's divine love.

To know more about these four kinds of love please refer to the following link:-

https://www.learnreligions.com/types-of-love-in-the-bible-700177

How can we truly love one another without pretence? 

We can only do that with the help of God's own Spirit. First He will teach us to love God with all our heart, mind and soul and He will pour His love into us so that we can love everyone like we love our own selves. 

God IS Love!

The Bible says God is the embodiment of Love. We are called to.love one another as God loves us. We call ourselves, the followers of Christ Jesus.  If so, then should we not be loving God and others as Jesus Himself showed us how to love? Are we deceiving ourselves and others by calling ourselves Christians?

1 John 4:7-12 ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. [8] Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. [9] In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. [10] In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. [11] Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 

What is Godly ❤️ love? 

It is:-

To see everyone with the eyes of God and to treat them with God's mercy and compassion in our hearts. God says he wants mercy and justice and not sacrifice. 

Hosea 6:6 ESV

For I desire steadfast love(mercy) and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Godly love  is to love the unlovable; the one who keeps hurting us with his words or actions, the one who falsely accuses us, the one who shuns and ignores us, the one who often misunderstands us, the one who envys us and all that happens in our lives, the one who is rude in mannerisms  and /or words towards us, the one who refuses to forgive us even after we sincerely apologise to them, the one who keeps harbouring past hurts and traumas in his mind, the one who is bitter towards us, the one who is hostile towards us for imaginary reasons & for things we never did and the one who refuses to respond to sincere love shown to him; It is also to love the homeless, the marginalised, the poor, the orphans, the widow, the needy, the lonely, the sick, the drunkard and the drug addict, the murderer, the prostitute and the terrorist and to have a heart to help them and pray for them. (If the love of Christ Jesus does not flow through us to them,  how can they be transformed?)

Oh wow! Is that not a tall order? Is that even possible? How? Continue reading...

Abide in God, to love as He does!

How can we love like God does? We must abide in God to love as He does, then His love will abide in us. We must soak ourselves in the Word of God to know Who God is and only then can we confidently say that we are abiding in Him. Only when we know the heart of God, can we love as He does. Only then can His love be formed and perfected in us.

1 John 4:12-16 ESV

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. [13] By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. [14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. [15] Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. [16] So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

The Heart of One Who Loves Genuinely. 

The heart of the one who loves like God, will ache for the people who do something wrong or sin. He will stand in the gap to intercede for,  not only his family but also his acquaintances, his neighbourhood, his church and all the churches, his nation and the world. He will never turn away and ignore them but will pray for them and point the right way to them. He will not laugh at, or gloat over their mistakes. He will willingly forgive the ones who wronged or hurt him. His heart will ache for the one who is unable to forgive him and love him back. He will, with compassion, understand that this person has unresolved hurts and bitterness in his heart and will pray for his hurts and bitterness to be healed.

When Misunderstandings Occur.

When a misunderstanding or friction happens between him and his family member or close friend, he will, with God's help, find a way to have an amicable and peaceful relationship with that person. But if that person is just an acquaintance,  he will just forgive and maintain a peaceful demeanour whenever the need arises to meet that person. If the family member or close acquaintance does not respond to him or accept his sincere apology for something he had said or done, and chooses to alienate himself or herself from him, then he will bring the matter before God and surrender the whole situation to the Almighty. But he will continue to love that person and pray for that person. 

There is a Reason for a Family Nucleus.

God placed us in a family nucleus so that we will be united in love and by our love the world will come to know God's sacrificial love. From the beginning of the creation of the man, Satan has come against family unity by causing division. He plants doubts in man's heart and then induces him to blame the other. Division is Satan's strategy against God. We must win back our families from him. The one who truly loves, will desire all to be in heaven with him and therefore will pray for everyone day and night. He will battle for family unity by abiding in Jesus and doing what it takes to bring about unity. He knows that if he does not forgive others, God will not forgive him. He will always want to be in right standing before his Creator. 

Matthew 6:14-15 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, [15] but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

God's Heart.

God not only forgives us but in His Word, the Bible, He says that once He forgives, He will no longer remember our sins. 

1 John 1:9 ESV

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 Isaiah 43:25 ESV

"I, I AM He Who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

Struggles are real but we can overcome.

We are fallen human beings. From the moment Adam disobeyed God and fell from God's grace, humanity has been blaming one another instead of trying to do what is right. It is we, who are struggling to forgive and love as God does. It is we, who are unable to forget the wrongs done to us after we say, "we have forgiven them".  We may say that we need to remember what happened so that it does not happen again. We can and should remember the reason something happened so as to avoid it from happening again. Albeit, we must not purposely keep thinking of all the other actions and behaviour of that person, because then we will be harbouring bitterness in our hearts for life. We can only overcome our struggles when we seek the help of the Holy Spirit. 

The Litmus Test.

The litmus test is this:- when we remember why something happened and the words and behaviour of that person comes to mind, does it sting and hurt us, as it did on the first occasion? If it does hurt and brings back all the ill feelings and bitterness into our hearts and gets us all worked up and miserable again, then, we have not truly forgiven that person. We need to humbly ask God to help us truly forgive till it stings no more. The love of Christ Jesus which is shed abroad in our hearts will blot out all offences, heal our hearts and minds and it will not sting anymore.

We need to take the Initiative.

A normal human being cannot love in all of the above ways. We normally choose whom we want to love and how we want to love them. We marvel at someone who is able to forgive and love his son's murderer. We are amazed by the wife who forgives, loves and accepts back her husband who commits adultery when he repents. Yet, when it comes to us, we seldom go out of our comfort zones to love as God does. Humanly speaking it is impossible. But with God it is possible. We need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit and take the initiative to genuinely love others whom by ourselves we cannot forgive or love.

From Normal to being Extraordinary.

We are not called to be just normal or ordinary. We are called to be extraordinary in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, when we love as God does, the earth will seem like heaven. Words spoken from a loving heart will build a person up instead of tearing him down. Jokes made will be truly clean and humorous instead of being lewd or sacarstic. Mistakes will be corrected in a loving firm tone instead of adding unnecessary words and sacarsm, which breaks the person's spirit. 

Godly love is Genuine love.

Genuine love, never takes advantage of a person or situation for selfish reasons and never manipulates others. Love hopes the best for others just as for one's own self. 

Genuine love believes not in untruth but trusts in God and believes that God is in control of every situation. It will know that God is able to turn the hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It believes that God will work in and through others to change them and help them achieve their full potential in His own time and His own way. Genuine love never trusts one's own heart, but trusts God completely. It does not believe in this world's slogans and sayings but believes in the 'Whole Counsel of God' in His Word, the Bible, and strives to obey it.

Not Me, But Jesus Says This. 

Godly love, will show the other cheek to be slapped when humiliated and will carry the burdens of others for an extra mile. It is the complete opposite of what the world teaches us. 

Matthew 5:39-48 ESV

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. [42] Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. [43] "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? [48] You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Growing into the Image of Christ Jesus. 

To grow into the character of Jesus is to love like Jesus does.  Paul describes this kind of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 

1. Love is patient

2. Love is kind; 

3. Love does not envy

4. Love does not boast; 

5. Love is not arrogant 

6. Love is not  rude. 

7. Love does not insist on its own way; 

8. Love is not irritable or resentful; 

9. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, 

10. Love rejoices with the truth. 

11. Love bears all things, 

12. Love believes all things, 

13. Love hopes all things, 

14. Love endures all things. 

15. Love never ends. 

Genuine Love encompasses all other virtues. 

Love, is the first fruit or virtue, of the Spirit. We cannot produce it by ourselves, in ourselves. We are just bearers of the ninefold fruit in our souls. It can only be produced by the Spirit of God in us, slowly and steadily. He moulds and shapes us through various trials, problems and trying situations in our lives. It may just take days or even years. Only when we humble ourselves and surrender our wills to God, He will produce His love in us sooner. If it delays, then it is not Him but us, not submitting to His moulding. 

This is what our flesh desires. 👇

Galatians 5:16,19-21 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, [21] envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

How can we then Love as God does?

The answer is to surrender our wills to Him. Total surrender to God and cooperating with the Holy Spirit Who abides in us, is the key, to love as God does. Only then we can abide in God, immerse ourselves in Him and love as He does.

Galatians 5:16-17,22o23 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Love is all encompassing!

Love is the first, of all the other fruit (virtues) and it enfolds all others in itself. Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self-control follow Love. 

Notice that we don't say 'fruits' but 'fruit'. It is because all these nine virtues, formed in a person turn him into the image and likeness of God, just as when God created Adam. When Adam disobeyed God, sin entered us human beings and marred God's image in us.

But when we abide in Christ Jesus,  we will love as He does. Then we will also bear the rest of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Then we will be recognised as the bearers of the image of Christ Jesus and we will glorify Him by our lives. 

Mark of a Person Who Genuinely Loves and belongs to Christ.

The person who loves like God,  will be a joyful person at all times. God's peace will abide in him even in the midst of stormy situations because he trusts solely in God. He will be a very patient, forbearing person and kind to all in every way. He will wait upon God for his prayers to be answered. Being patient and forbearing does not mean condoning and tolerating a sinful action by someone. When he sees someone doing something against God,  a sinful action he will be quick to instruct and correct that person firmly yet lovingly and gently, and teach him/her what is right. 

Goodness will flow from him at all times and he will be gentle mannered. He will be faithful to God, his spouse, his family, his employers, his co-workers, friends and faithful to complete the work he has begun. He will be recognised mostly by his humility and self-control. He will put others before himself and not glory in himself nor boast about his achievements but will give God all the praise and glory.  He will also give thanks and credit to those who have helped him along the way. He will measure every word he speaks, because he knows that he has to give God an account for the words he uses. He will not be rude, will not be critical, will not speak ill of others, will not gossip, will not curse but will bless everyone,  will judge correctly by God's standards and not assume. He will practise self-control not only in his speech but also in his thoughts, in everything he eats and does. Yes, he would have crucified his flesh with Christ Jesus on the cross to love as Jesus does.

Galatians 5:24-26 ESV

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

Perfect Love casts out all fear!

Do we have the confidence that we can stand before God on 'Judgement Day' without fear, look Him in the eye and say, "I loved as You did!" We can, only if we truly abide in Jesus. Then as we have the Love of God in us, we would have loved as He does. Then we will have the confidence to face God boldly because then we would be as Jesus is, 'Love personified'. We will have no fear on judgement day. 

1 John 4:16-18 ESV

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. [17] By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. [18] There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Then we who loved as He did on earth, while we lived, will go on loving in heaven continually. 

Love never Ends.

That's why the Word of God says, all other gifts like prophesy and speaking in tongues will end but not love. Love will never end because we will continue to love one another in heaven eternally. 

Recap:- Surrendering of our Wills, Humbly to God is the Solution.

It will surely take a lifetime to bear all the nine fruit in our character, but when we surrender our wills to God humbly, it is possible for these virtues to be evident in us, sooner and in God's time. 

Examine our Conscience Daily. 

We human beings are not perfect. That is why we need to examine our conscience daily and repent and seek forgiveness from God and our fellowmen if we have wronged them. We need to humbly correct our ways with God's help. When we repent, He is willing to forgive us without questioning us.

Agape Love.

Volumes can be written about 'Agape Love' which is God's love, but instead let me end by showing you the embodiment of love.  He is Christ Jesus the Saviour of humanity. He suffered and died a cruel death on the cross to save us from sin and eternal hell fire. He gave up His own life for us while we were still sinners. But He rose victoriously on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. When we repent of our sins and believe in Him, He washes away our sins and we will become spiritually white as snow.  He will send the Holy Spirit into our hearts to teach us to love as He does. He has promised that we will live with Him forever even when our bodies die on earth.

Reminder for Me & You.

I will expound on each of the other fruit(virtues) in my forthcoming articles.  Till then, let's continue to seek the Holy Spirit's help, to love God and others as Jesus loves us. This article is a reminder, for me to walk in the love of Christ Jesus every moment of my life, just as it is for you. I am far from perfect and rely completely on God's mercy and grace. Whenever we fail let's be gracious to repent, say sorry, and forgive one another and continue to love as Jesus does.

Are we challenged?

This whole command to love as God does, may seem to be challenging to us who are of flesh and blood. But as we continue to abide in Jesus and know our own weakness, we will humbly seek the help of His Spirit living in us to love as He does. God's Word says that if we say we love God but do not love our 'brother', we are liars.

1 John 4:20-21 ESV

If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. [21] And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

All that we have read above in this article may seem unattainable now. But when we ask His Spirit to help us, we have the confidence in Him Who is faithful, that we will be empowered to love as Jesus does. So let us ask Him now.

Let us pray!

Fsther we repent of all the times we have sinned against  You and our fellowmen. We are truly sorry. We repent and we humbly seek Your help to forgive and love and to be a reflection of Jesus in our lives. Come Holy Spirit, come, cleanse us and fill us. We surrender our wills to Father God and resolve to stay rooted in Jesus our Saviour. We humbly surrender to Your moulding and shaping of us into the image of Jesus. We need Your constant reminder and help, to stay surrendered. We need Your help to love everyone with the perfect love of God. We are weak but You Lord are strong.  Breathe Your fresh anointing upon us today. Empower us to think, say and do everything that pleases Abba Father. Let Your perfect love be evident in us. Unite us and all whom You have given us, in Your love ❤️ so that the world will know Jesus through us. Help us glorify the Father through our daily lives. Stay in us, with us and never leave us Holy Spirit. We cannot love as Jesus does, without Your help.Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on us. Revive us now.  We pray this in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. Amen. 🙏🔥🔥🔥

Read:- Ephesians Chapter 4

A good article to read and contemplate:-

 https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/january-web-only/joseph-brothers-relationship-broken-reconciliation-genesis.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=article

God bless us and be gracious to us in our love journey. 🙌

Mary Augustine ✍️🌹

24th January 2023

Parable of the Ten Virgins

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Let's observe what happened here to both the wise and foolish virgins.

All ten virgins took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. The very fact they took their lamps shows that they all wanted to shine bright light along the way. It was dark and they needed light to walk. In this dark and dreary world when we need to be the light of Christ Jesus,  we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the knowledge of Who Jesus is in our lives. We need to go out with zeal 🔥, which is the first love💓 which was shed abroad in our hearts for Jesus, to fulfill His 'Great Commission'.

All ten are said to be virgins. Spiritually speaking, that means they have kept themselves pure without blemish, for the bridegroom.

5 wise virgins. 

1. Virgins

2.  Took along their lamps which had oil in them, that were lit (also took along jars of oil) (preparedness)  (prepared with the Word of God in their hearts and minds). 

5 foolish virgins.

1. Virgins

2. Took along their lamps which had oil in them, that were lit.

After some time all the ten virgins, were tired and sleepy and they slept. They could have been both physically and spiritually tired and weary doing what they have been doing all along.Their human strength could have been depleted. They all wanted a little rest.

When we set out to fulfill the Great Commission,  we are bound to meet with those who reject Jesus, those who believe half heartedly and those who do not care. Serving others, to bring them the love of Christ Jesus and to make Him known, usually takes a great toll on us. If we do not have an ongoing, intimate relationship with Jesus we are bound to be exhausted easily.

At midnight the cry rang out: "Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!"

The call was sudden. This is what we usually call the 'Rapture of the saints' when Jesus comes to call His church home. This is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

It can also be the suddenness of our individual home going with Jesus, our death; whichever is earlier. 

All the ten virgins woke up to that voice which they were expecting. They have been eagerly awaiting His arrival. They got up excitedly and trimmed their lamps. 

Alas, some of their lamps were not burning brightly.  They were about to go out. Those who brought along oil in jars, topped up their lamps with oil and their lamps burned brightly. The ones who did not bring along extra oil, said to the wise ones, "Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out."

The bridegroom was there to meet them. They had to hurry along, with their brightly shining lamps, to meet Him.

“No," the five wise virgins replied, "there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves."

Were they being selfish? No, not at all. The wise virgins could not give them the oil they had, even if they wanted to. When we go out to do God's work, we cannot depend on someone else's spirituality or their intimate relationship with and knowledge of Jesus.  We cannot depend on their anointing. We have to be filled with the Holy Spirit and with our own intimate relationship and knowledge of Jesus and with the zeal to spread His love and to tell the world Who Jesus is and what He has done for us. 

We are human beings and we need to be constantly recharged with the 'first love' from on high. Daily quiet time with God, daily praise and worship and daily reading and meditating on God's Word is the right way to be spiritually recharged. That is how the five wise virgins topped up their lamps. The five wise virgins had that kind of relationship with the Bridegroom. Sadly the five foolish ones lacked that kind of zeal. They had compromised with the world somewhere along the way and had inadvertently lost their 'first love', even as they were about God's business. 

What could have happened? Looking around at the world today, there are so many various kinds of ideologies and worldviews, so many kinds of fatal attractions and if we are not rooted deeply into God's Word, we can easily fall prey to the ideologies of this world and the wrong worldviews and can become spiritually lethargic. We can easily make compromises with the world. Our motives may change. Instead of doing it all for the glory of God, we may start doing it all for our own glory. What we started with God's anointing may have been damaged by the eagerness to prove who we are, to others and by the pride to glorify 'self' that has entered our hearts. Thus our lamps start to burn dimly and eventually get extinguished because of the lack of the first love for Jesus and the zeal to glorify Him. 

The Word of God must be on our minds and in our hearts at all times as required in Deuteronomy 11:18 and Proverbs 3:3-4.  Only then the Holy Spirit can fill us with the fresh oil of gladness, which He takes from the Word of God to enlighten us as stated in John 16:13-15.

Apparently, the 5 foolish ones were on their way to buy the oil, when the bridegroom arrived. They realized too late that they have lost their first love and that they were far far away from Jesus although they professed to do His Kingdom Works. They were trying to make ammends when it was already too late.  The virgins who were ready with their lamps burning brightly, went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

Later the others also came. "Lord, Lord," they said, "open the door for us!"

But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you."

Jesus does not tell us whether they got the lamps filled with oil. All He said was, they came asking to be let in.

It was a little too late! Will they be given another chance to repent and start all over again? Jesus does not mention that here. But we know from God's Word, that as long as we are alive, we still stand a chance to repent and we are assured complete forgiveness for our sins. So this Parable seems to warn us of the final moment when death has separated us from our mortal bodies or the 'Rapture' when those who are prepared and ready, will be suddenly caught up with Jesus in mid air. It is Now or Never! 

Is this not alarming? To hear, "Truly I tell you, I don’t know you, " is a devastating admonition to those who were once burning brightly for the Lord, until their lamps ran out of oil.

If this could happen to the five foolish virgins, it could happen to any one of us. 

The question is not, "Are we eagerly waiting for the Rapture?" But it is, "Are we prepared to meet our Bridegroom Jesus when He calls us home suddenly?" 

Let's not go around chirping, "I hope 'Rapture' happens soon!" and "Cannot bear the way people treat me lah! I hope we are raptured soon!" 

If we cannot bear the trials and problems posed to us in this world patiently, and want to be raptured while the rest do not know Jesus, aren't we being selfish? 

We can all start at the same starting line in a race. But the winner will be the one who runs steadily, persistently and patiently and finishes the race well.  Then we will hear Jesus saying,  "Welcome home. Well done my good and faithful one, you have finished your race well!"

Jesus ends this Parable with this loving warning, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

As we meditate on this Parable let us each, therefore, watch and pray and be rooted in Jesus, filled with the first love for Him. Filled with the Holy Spirit, our Advocate. Let the image of Christ Jesus be evident in us as we bear the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,  goodness, gentleness,  faithfulness and self-control) in our character. Then our light will shine brightly and we will be ready to meet Jesus when He suddenly calls us 

God bless you 🙌

Mary Augustine ✍️🔥

23rd January 2023

The Importance of Daily Surrender to God!

Surrendering our daily lives first thing in the morning to our Creator God will help us in ways we cannot imagine. Reading His Word every day without fail and spending time meditating on it and obeying His Word, helps us look at situations with His eyes and look at people with His compassionate and understanding heart. At the end of each day when we rest we will realise that it is He who works in us, through us and for us. It is He Who circumvents every situation and works it all according to His good purposes for those who love Him.

Then our hearts will sing with thankfullness, "Thank You Father for each success and each failure, because Failure or Success, You turned it around for my good.  You mercifully have granted me a life to know You, love You and thank You! I don't know what my future holds but I know that my future is safe in Your hands. 

Thank You Father God!"

Be Blessed as you surrender yourselves and your family to Father God  🙌

Mary Augustine 

3rd December  2022

Just Existing or Truly Living?

Are you Just Existing or Truly Living?

Anyone can exist.

Plants exist.

All Creatures exist.

Many people exist.

To Just Exist,

One just has to eat, sleep,

work, rest & enjoy life.

But to Truly Live,

A Human Being made in God's image, needs the empowerment and enablement of the Holy Spirit.

Life without God's Holy Spirit.

If one does not have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in him, then he goes about life, just existing. There will not be much of a difference between him and the plants and creatures, except that man has a soul. They all live and die without knowing Who God truly is.

The man who does not have God's Spirit dwelling in him, will not know where he will go after his death. He will have many differing theories about life after death, but not a definite one. All that matters to him will be, this one life and after physical death, either extinction or re-birth, which is not true. So he will work and earn, just to eat, sleep and enjoy life. He may be moved by his conscience and may do good works but it will be of his own wisdom and strength. Not the wisdom and strength which comes from God. 

He who does not have God's Spirit dwelling in him, will end up like King Solomon, the once wisest king in the entire world, who eventually rejected God's authority and wisdom, relied on worldly wisdom, let his heart go astray and began to worship idols. He rejected God and His authority and at his end and his kingdom's end everything was desolate. 

The one who claims to be a Christian but in reality rejects Jesus by his way of thinking and living, does not really have the Spirit of God in him. God knows his thoughts and motives. How will He send His Spirit to live in a man who has not accepted Jesus as his Lord in truth, but just for an outward show? This man does not repent for his sins although God prompts him through his conscience. He  will be like Judas, one of the apostles who was with Jesus, heard His sermons, saw the miracles Jesus did and was at the last supper with Him. He rejected Jesus for money. He sold Jesus. He later despaired when he realised what he did. But he did not repent and ask God for forgiveness. His end was devastating.

Life with God's Holy Spirit.

When one is filled by the Holy Spirit of God, he will first of all be a humble repentant. He will abide in Jesus, obey God's commandments and will be submissive to the Spirit of God and do what God prompts him to do. He will do good works for God's glory and not his own fame. Though he fails and does mistakes at times, he will submit to the conviction of God's Spirit, will repent and walk in sweet fellowship with Jesus again. He will live in intimacy with the Holy Spirit, with Jesus our Saviour and with Father God. He will truly live, because he has been born again.

Ask! Think! Ponder! Pray!

So my dear brethren in Christ Jesus, are you born again? My dear family and friends do you know Jesus? Are you  just existing or truly living? If you are not truly born again,  or if you do not know Jesus, I humbly suggest that you go on your knees before God and repent of all your sins and ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life. Father God will send His Spirit to live in you. Make a commitment to live your life in cooperation with God's Holy Spirit.

God speaks in...

Ezekiel 36:27

I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Paul says in...

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Jesus says in...

John 11:25-26 ESV

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

Let us truly live and glorify God and shine the light of Christ Jesus for all to see Him and run to Him. 

Let us pray,

Father God, help me abide in Jesus steadfastly always. Never let me reject Jesus and go my own way, chasing after worldly things. Give me a humble and undivided heart which repents, obeys Your Word and cooperates with Your Spirit. Help me keep Your temple which is my body, holy at all times. Keep me under the shelter of Your wings and within Your hedge of protection, covered by the precious blood of Jesus. Help me truly live to glorify You. I pray in Jesus' precious name. Amen. 

Praying for you always 🙏

Mary Augustine ✍

12th September 2022

I Love Jesus, I will never give Him up, But...

Have you heard of someone telling you, "Love God and do what you please!" Or "Follow your heart and don't worry what others will say!"

You who have been following those mantras, have you found peace and rest for your souls? Is your life blissful? Do you feel God's presence with you?

Now hear what Jesus says in His Word!

In Deuteronomy 31:8 God spoke through Moses to Joshua, saying, 

"The LORD is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged."

In Matthew 28:20 Jesus promised His disciples this,

"... And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus has personally promised me this and till this very moment, He is with me, never left me nor has He forsaken me! 

I on my part must choose to dwell in Him, love Him, serve Him and obey Him with His power and strength. Thus His promises have become 'Yes & Amen' in my life.

You who call yourself a Christian, can you safely say that Jesus is with you and He is ordering your life?

Jesus tells is in,

John 14:15,23-24

"If you love me, you will keep my commands." 

And in John 14:23-24

[23] Jesus answered, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. [24] The one who doesn't love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me."

So it is clear that those who truly love Jesus will obey His every word. If one goes on living the way he  likes to, is deceiving himself when he says he loves Jesus. 

When you spit at your mum's face and tell her you love her, do you really love her? 

Likewise telling Jesus you love Him and then continuing in your sin is like spitting on His face and mocking Him with the words, " I love you Jesus!"

 

Many have this wrong notion and go about saying, "I love Jesus and He loves me. I will never give up Jesus, but I cannot give up my alcoholic habits, partying with my friends and living in with my boyfriend/girlfriend. Jesus will understand."

No  my friend, NO!

It does not work that way.  You can only choose Jesus or the devil. You cannot choose both. If you truly love Jesus, flee from the devil and it's temptations.

In Matthew 26:41 Jesus says,

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

In James 4:7 God speaks through James, saying,

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

What does God's Word say about drunkards and fornicators? Look below...

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 the Holy Spirit speaks through Paul,

"Don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God's kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters, adulterers, or males who have sex with males, [10] no thieves, greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God's kingdom. [11] And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [12] "Everything is permissible for me," but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me," but I will not be mastered by anything. [13] "Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will do away with both of them. However, the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. [14] God raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. [15] Don't you know that your bodies are a part of Christ's body? So should I take a part of Christ's body and make it part of a prostitute? Absolutely not! [16] Don't you know that anyone joined to a prostitute is one body with her? For Scripture says, The two will become one flesh. [17] But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. [18] Flee sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. [19] Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body."

 

God's Word clearly states that drunkards and fornicators will not go to heaven. When you are truly washed by the blood of Jesus you will not go back to your former way of sinful life. By continuing to live in sin, and saying that you love Jesus, shows your unwillingness to give up the pleasures of this world.

Give up everything, give up sin,  for Jesus. Only then can He and will He, bless you with things you know not of, things so undeserved, things beyond your imagination, it may not be what you desire on earth but it will benefit your soul now and for all eternity. His peace and His presence will eternally find a home in you, if you obey.

The father of the prodigal son did not run to the pig sty and live in it with his prodigal son because the son loved him. No it is the other way round.  

The prodigal son left behind the pig sty and the pig's feed he was feeding on and ran to his father asking him to forgive him. He made a resolution never to go back to the pig sty or eat the pig's feed. He repented and vowed never to go back to his sinful lifestyle again.

Come to Jesus empty handed and He will fill you up. Come to Him leaving behind your past sinful life. He will cover your shame and clothe you with His righteousness.

Once you come to Him, please do not look back or turn back to your sinful ways. No one who turns back after you hear His call, is fit for His kingdom.

Jesus said in 

Luke 9:62 

But Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Come to Jesus now my child but leave everything of this world behind, including sinful relationships no matter how painful they are.

Jesus says in

Matthew 11:28 

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Come now! Jesus is waiting for you!

Blessings in Jesus' name.🙌

Mary Augustine✍

27th July 2022 🔥

Save our Children before it's Too Late!

Save our Children before it's too late!

Our Newspapers are filled with numerous reports about  teen suicides, educated professionals taking upskirt videos, cheating spouses, embezzlement in offices, divorces, school shootings in countries where guns are available, rebellious kids running away from home, mentally unsound individuals suddenly attacking innocent people  on the roads, etc

Why is all this happening?  Where did we go wrong? Can we as Christian parents and leaders do something about it?

Most parents go to work and rely on elderly grandparents, foreign domestic helpers or child care centre teachers to raise their kids. They are concerned about providing for their family's financial needs and children's educational needs. Therefore working hard and long hours has become the norm. Holidays are spent on indulging in simple pleasures such as travelling and getting their kids what they ask for. For the most part, the whole family on vacation will be on their own social media devices.

Social media has stolen the interaction between individuals; husbands and wives, parents and children.

Reels on social media seem entertaining and  fun to watch. Most portray husbands as docile and submissive to their wives and wives slapping husbands and being rude to them; also children talking back to parents which is posted as a joke. This is a complete reversal to what God teaches us in His Word.

Then there are reels validating and supporting transgender and lgbtq individuals and their activities. Again this is against God's Word. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of this sin.

There are also seemingly harmless reels showing couples swaying hips and  dancing, make-up artistry reels, fashion show reels etc. These may seem harmless but encourage those who watch it, want to indulge, in what they see, instead of doing what God wants them to do and be.

All these reels are enjoyed as fun and time-passing material.

Next come TV shows, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney channels, cartoons and other programs. These are numerous.

Everyone watches movies don't they? "What is wrong in that ?" You may ask.

It is not wrong to watch movies or cartoons or anything else as long as, we as Christians keep God's Word as our guiding light. Thus we can avoid all dangers including the hidden ones, which harm our souls and warp our minds. There are many good Christian movies and cartoons out there. If you do a diligent search for them you will find them. Most are on Youtube.

There is so much violence, usage of cuss words, immodesty and occult in most, if not all recent movies. People these days seem to accept it as part of life.

The hidden dangers in social media especially movies and cartoons have brainwashed most people.  These have been injected into the minds of innocent children as young as 2yrs old. Just a lace of poison is applied everytime they  watch it. Soon the innocent minds and hearts get filled with lethal poison.

Over time they become immune to it and their minds want more of it to satisfy their souls. Now there are cartoons like Peppa the Pig, Frozen, even Aladdin and other seemingly entertaining cartoons, which teach kids to break free and break all rules. 

Transgenderism, which was unthinkable in our days, is introduced in most of the children's cartoons. Duty to the heart and feelings is emphasized as the right thing and duty to doing God's will is played down. Heaven in cartoons is portrayed as a place where you can do anything you want and a place where there are no rules.

 Occult was introduced to kids through Harry Porter books, cartoons and movies and through Pokémon games, cartoons and other children's movies. Good is portrayed as weakness and bad. Evil is portrayed as strength and good. Now a new cartoon entitled, 'Little Demon' has come out. Although the TV rating is MA, because it is cartoon, many uninformed parents will sit with their children to watch it. Check out about this movie and about deception and spiritualism in Hollywood in the links below.👇

A Satanic Revolution: Little Demon👇

https://youtu.be/btbMXMjy3Dw

Hollywood Spirit: unplugged series👇

https://youtu.be/QsA8UaFDlSk

Hooked on Social Media: unplugged series👇

https://youtu.be/JpMV957CKjY

New Movies 2022 demons in your house👇

https://youtu.be/1VLVajtGFP4

Dark history of Nintendo👇

https://youtu.be/ZjkfMjXvyTQ

Occult and lgbtq in kids cartoons 👇

https://youtu.be/IATtM8ImBe4

You can source out more on YouTube and warn everyone against the dangers.

Next, for the youth there are thrillers, murderous plots in movies, paranormal and occultic movies and Netflix series where an entity lives inside the hero and the hero embraces it with acceptance.

Check this out about Dr Strange  and the Series Stranger Things 👇

https://youtu.be/bpyyAiFmPWY

https://youtu.be/wHZB5HrI-5Y

It does not end there. What do kids and teens and adults do when not watching movies and when they are bored? Yes, play games. Not physical games but computer games.  Most modern games involve violence, bloodshed, occultism, demons which are assigned to help the players,  etc. in the quest to win at all cost. Pokémon cards have an assigned demon for each card. It brainwashes children.

Check it out here below👇

 https://youtu.be/bpyyAiFmPWY

Most individuals, even while eating, travelling or with family and friends are on their own devices and in their own world watching either cartoons, movies, serials or playing games. A hand phone or tablet or iPad is propped in front of babies on their prams. Children, teens, youth and adults have it before them on their dining tables.  These become their baby sitters and comfort distractions while eating.

The upcoming Metaverse trend is not going to be any less harmful. It is in fact going to lead people completely away from God.

This is what I read in the Vulcan post today:-

“Experts believe it will not be unusual for people to spend 12 to 15 hours a day in the metaverse to communicate, work, learn, shop, capture data and more,” the report states, speculating on the next five years.
“By 2030, we could be spending more time in the metaverse than in the real world. People will be applying for jobs, earning a living, meeting with friends, shopping, even getting married using the virtual capabilities of the metaverse.”

https://vulcanpost.com/795964/people-will-spend-more-time-metaverse-2030-kpmg/

Although one may say that Metaverse  will help organise lives, I beg to differ.

The devil is constantly clamouring for and bombarding the minds of babies all the way to adulthood and what are we Christian parents and teachers and leaders and pastors doing about it?

Thus says God's Word in,
Isaiah 26:3 KJV
³ Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Are the minds of our Christian children, teens, youth and adults stayed on the Lord? NO! When their minds are constantly filled with such thrash, how can they have perfect peace?

Is this not the cause for divorce, drug addiction, depression, suicide, murder, and all other vices?

When their children go wayward Christian parents begin to despair. Not knowing what to do, they run to councillors and pastors hoping that they will magically change their children, teens and adult children.

Sending them to boarding schools, punishing them nor getting them to empty their minds through trancedental meditation, yoga and martial arts will not help. In fact transcendental meditation, yoga and martial arts have demonic origins in them. How else can we help them?

What did Jesus say in
Matthew 12:43-45
"When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn't find any. [44] Then it says, 'I'll go back to my house that I came from.' Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. [45] Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person's last condition is worse than the first. That's how it will also be with this evil generation."

How can we ensure that our minds and our children's minds are not empty? 

By filling it with God's life giving Word.

To solve this major issue, we the 'Watchmen' of the Church need to create an awareness and educate parents and children and the youth in our churches. We need to lovingly point out the hidden dangers in the media and games to the Christian parents, children and the youth of today. We need to get them to read the Word of God daily so that God's Word can saturate their minds. God's Word will wash out all the filth accumulated in their minds and hearts over the years and transform them to be whom God created them to be; His children.

Punishment, involvement in other activities or meditation will not help. Only meditating on God's Word will help. The brainwashing done by the devil must be and only can be reversed by God's Transforming and Living Word.

Until we do that, we will never have our Christian children, teens, youth and young adults shining the light of Christ everywhere. Instead we will only have walking zombies, playing to the tune of the devil in their heads and submitting to their feelings and desires instead of God and His authority.

Watchmen, it is time to Arise! Do not delay!
Time is short!

Blessings. 🙌
Mary Augustine✍
20/07/2022

Ask, Think, Ponder Pray!

What does the Christian term 'Saved' mean? 

1. Saved from what?

Ans:- Saved from God's wrath and subsequently from Hell Fire.

2. Saved by What &  through Whom?

Ans:- Saved by God's grace through Jesus, the only begotten, sinless, Son of God.  [Jesus came in human form, suffered, shed His blood to wash our sins away, was crucified and hung on a cross, died, was buried, on the 3rd day He resurrected victoriously. After 40 days with His disciples He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father interceding for all who believe in Him.]

In John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to His disciple Thomas and all His disciples, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

3. What must one do to get saved?

Ans:- 

👂Hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

❤Believe that Jesus, the sinless Son of God Himself paid for our sins by His cruel death on the cross and His resurrection.

💔Repent of all our sins.

🤝Willingly accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and follow Him. 

[To follow Jesus is to do the will of the Father, that is, to do what Jesus tells us to do. From then on there must be no looking back. That means we should give up all our former practices of religion, idol worship and sin. We must willingly obey Jesus out of love for Him.] 

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' [23] And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Luke 6:46-49 ESV

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? [47] Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: [48] he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. [49] But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

4. What happens when one gets saved.

Ans:- When we get saved:- 

🔺 All our sins get washed away supernaturally by the blood of Jesus. 

🔺 We receive God's Holy Spirit as an assurance of our salvation. 

[He is known as 'The Helper, The Comforter, The Advocate' etc and is only given to those who truly believe in Jesus, as a seal, to ensure our close walk with Jesus and our sure entry into heaven by the narrow gate.] 

In John 14:26 Jesus tells His disciples,

"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have told you."

[Then with the help of the Holy Spirit, we who are saved will begin to live a transformed life in Christ Jesus. We will begin to do good works as a result of our being saved. We will not do these good works to earn salvation as we did before we were saved, because good works will never save us. Only faith in Christ Jesus will save.] 

5. How do we keep that position of being saved?

Ans:- We can't keep it by ourselves. It's impossible. We are sinful creatures. This work is done in us by the Holy Spirit.

[The Holy Spirit will give us the power not to sin and empower us to live a life pleasing to God. That does not mean we instantly begin to live lives without a single sin. Yet, it means He will create a repulsion for sin in our hearts. We will not look at sin like something that gives us satisfaction or pleasure any longer. Even if we, through years of practising sin, do something wrong, He will convict us and give us no peace of heart till we repent and be transformed through the renewing of our mind.

Romans 12:2 ESV

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We also get the strength from the Holy Spirit to cooperate with  Him to 'work out our salvation in fear and trembling'.

Philippians 2:12 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,]

6. How can we work out our salvation in fear and trembling?

Ans:-

🔸By having a deep reverence for God and His Word.

🔸By  reading the Bible daily and staying rooted in Jesus.

🔸By meditating day and night on God's Word.

🔸By praising and worshipping God through hymns, our daily lives, our speech, our actions and our sacrifices.

🔸By loving God and showing it by obeying every command of Jesus with the Holy Spirit's help.

🔸By being humble and bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 7. What if a person who is saved continues to sin? 

Ans:- The Holy Spirit will sanctify the person who is saved.

[One who is truly saved will have his conscience pricked every time he rebels against God and sins. God is merciful to the sinner. He gives chance to each one to turn away from sin until the last minute.  The Holy Spirit using various methods will get that person to turn away from sin and into repentance. He takes over this moulding and pruning process of each believer in Christ Jesus, which is known as sanctification. We will be progressively sanctified until we are transformed into the very image of God. A new branch when grafted onto a tree takes time to bear leaves and fruit. It does not happen instantly.

For those who keep backsliding this sanctification process  will be painful but will be employed by the Holy Spirit for the good of him/her. He will never let them go. Just like a grafted branch is constantly monitored and pruned to bear leaves and fruit, the Holy Spirit constantly does His work of regeneration in each believer.]

Jesus said in,

John 10:27-30 ESV

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. [30] I and the Father are one." 

[If you continue to rebel and do not hear the voice of Jesus and follow Him(obey Him) then you are not His sheep and you are not saved. You are a branch which is superficially grafted into the tree and will soon wither away.]

8. What is the evidence of being saved?

Ans:- Matthew 7:16 – “You will know them by their fruits," says Jesus. 

🔹Those who are truly saved will have the reverent fear of God in them. They will shudder to offend a merciful and loving God by their sins. With the help of God's Spirit who lives in them, they will repent and avoid all situations that make them sin. 

🔹They will bear fruit. They will exemplify love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in their character. This character is produced by the Holy Spirit in those persons who obey Jesus.

🔹They will walk humbly before God and men.

🔹They will love God and love their neighbour as themselves.

🔹Their lives will be marked by an obedience to God's Word.

9. Are all who profess to be Christians, or Believers truly saved?

Ans:- No. Some just take on a Christian sounding name and say they are Christians. Some go to church but do not repent of their sins nor live the life God wants them to live. Many are born into Christian families but have not repented nor accepted Jesus on their own accord. They continue to live the same sinful and prideful lives as before without any form of repentance. Sadly many of them have said the sinner's prayer as a form of ritual and also have been baptised because they were forced into it or all their friends got baptised so they followed suit. The sinner's prayer and baptism are not magical formulas. There must be true repentance of heart and a total submission to the will of the Father. Remember not all vehicles parked in a carpark are cars. Not all who go to church are true Christians.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 that we will know them by their fruit. Here Jesus was warning his disciples to be wary of false prophets.  This was His context:-

Matthew 7:15-16 ESV

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

He also said in  

Matthew 7:19 ESV
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 

He was at the same time warning his disciples and all who were gathered there, that if they themselves did not bear good fruit, they will be thrown into fire, that is hell. 

Let us look at the following analogy:-

Imagine you just cut a branch and graft it to a tree. If you do not graft it properly, the sap {Sap is a sugary liquid filled with water and nutrients that are carried throughout the tree via two types of tissue called phloem and xylem. Phloem carries nutrients from the leaves to other parts of the plant, while xylem carries nutrients upwards from the roots.} from the tree will not flow into the branch. Then the branch will wither away because it is devoid of nutrients needed to bear fruit. 

In the same way if we are not honestly abiding in Jesus, obeying Him out of love, then we are not truly sincere and will not receive the Holy Spirit Who is 'the nutrient' needed to bear spiritual fruit. Thus we will be cut off.

Jesus went on to say this:-

Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' [23] And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

This clearly shows that not all who call themselves Christians will go to heaven. Only those who are sincere in their repentance and acceptance of Jesus and have a reverential fear of God and are obedient to His Word are saved by the blood of Christ Jesus and will enter heaven. That is, those who bear good fruit.

Jesus told Nicodemus in

John 3:5 ESV

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Being born again is the second  birth, which is spiritual, when we repent and accept Christ Jesus and obey Him.

[Now before I sound judgemental, let me say this:- Although I said not all who go to church are true Christians, we must remember that our Sovereign and merciful God can draw them to Himself at any given moment.  He is God and we are not. We will only know if they are truly saved if we meet them in heaven. 

Therefore, we will be making a grave mistake if we keep looking at others for their fruit instead of bearing fruit ourselves. 

Let us look at ourselves and examine ourselves and see if we are truly saved. Just by saying we are 'Believers' and living in the old sinful ways of our flesh, we will be mocking God. 

If we truly believe in Jesus and have surrendered our lives to Him, 

💠 we will have a repulsion for / a disgust for sin, 

💠 the desire to turn from our old sinful habits, 

💠 we will humbly yield to the sanctification of the Holy Spirit and

💠 obey Jesus.

Only then can the Holy Spirit produce the fruit in us and we will be able to bear it.

🔺If we continue to have pride and unforgiveness in our heart;

🔺If we continue to slander or curse others and plot wicked plans as we did before;

🔺If we do not repent and come under the Lordship of Jesus till our death;

Then we might seriously doubt our own salvation. 

Having said all that, only God knows and weighs each person's inner motives and heart condition. 

Proverbs 16:2

All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD.

We must not go around telling others that they are not saved. If we are truly saved, our hearts will be filled with a holy compassion for their lost souls. The Holy Spirit will prompt us to pray for their salvation.]

10. What must one do after he truly repents, believes in Jesus and accepts Him as the Lord of his life?

Ans:- The next step is to get Baptised. 

11. Is Baptism necessary to be saved? 

Ans:- Baptism does not make you a follower of Jesus. It alone does not save you. 

Baptism has been described as an outward expression of an inward commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a public proclamation of a personal decision to identify with Christ. In baptism, we illustrate the powerful truth that, in Christ, we have died to sin and are raised to new life in Him (Rom. 6:4).

12. If Baptism does not save a person, why do we need to be baptised then? 

Ans:- We need to be baptised because it is a 'Command' of Jesus. In Matthew 28:18-20 ESV, before Jesus ascended into heaven on the clouds He called His disciples together and told them this:-

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

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Dearly beloved, 

Jesus, the Son of God did not come to save just one single race, the 'Jews' nor only the Christians. It was God's plan to save the entire human race from Satan's grip, after Adam and Eve sinned and surrendered their lives and subsequently all the lives of their descendants (entire humanity) to Satan. 

In order to save the entire humanity, God had a plan. Abraham was chosen and promised by God that, "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you," in Genesis 12:3.   By this, God meant that all people of all nations will be blessed through Abraham, by a specific descendant of his, who will come after David . That descendant of Abraham Who came after David is Jesus.

The phrase, 'All the people of every nation' refers to you and me. Adam and Eve sinned and that separated them from a holy God. We who are born with Adam's and Eve's sinful nature continue to sin and are separated from God. The entire humanity has been living under the evil grip of Satan. Only the blood of one who is sinless can be shed to wash away every sin we have committed. No blood of a goat or lamb can wash our sins away. Therefore God sent His only begotten Son Jesus to be born as a human being, through the bloodline of Abraham and David and live a sinless life and be sacrificed for our sins. God did this for every human being born on earth, from Adam till the last one on earth. Jesus after His resurrection commanded His followers who believe in Him, to go and tell the Good News to all the nations until the ends of the earth. 

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

God has given us a free will. He does not want us to be robots. Those who exercise their free will to *hear the Good News of Jesus Christ and *repent, *believe in Jesus and accept Him as their Lord, will be washed clean by the blood of Jesus and become God's children. They will inherit heaven. 

God is merciful and has given everyone a chance to hear the Good News, through numerous mediums. Those who do not repent, believe and accept Jesus will not be able to enter heaven nor become God's children. I am not saying this. Jesus Himself said this.

Here is a chance for you to discover for yourself Who Jesus is. Do not blindly believe me. Do your own research. Ask God to reveal the truth to you. When God removes the blinders from your eyes you will see. Do not stop searching and asking questions. Get a copy of the bible and read it. Read my posts on fb. In many of them I have shared the Good News in bite sizes.  When you stand before God after you die, you will not have any regrets if you allow God to remove the blinders and reveal the truth to you. 

I am praying for each one of you...

🙏 those who do not know Jesus, 

🙏 those who keep rejecting Jesus and 

🙏 for those who are not bothered about what happens after death. 

May you surrender yourself to God Almighty 🙌 and let Him open your eyes 👀 to the Truth 🔥. 

Come to Jesus when you still have time!

For further questions please refer to the following link below:-

https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-doctrine-salvation.html

Praying sincerely for you!🙏

Mary Augustine🔥

15th May 2022✍