JOHN 18:18-40. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

The high priest questioned Jesus about His disciples and His teachings and He said He always spoke publicly in the temple. Those who heard Him should answer. One of the soldiers slapped Him asking why He spoke to the high priest like that. Jesus asked Him to show where He was wrong, and asked why He slapped Him if there is nothing wrong with Him.

He asked for justice but never fought for it. It's not wrong to ask for justice where we are but not to fight over it.

Annas sent Jesus bound to the Caiphas the high priest.

Pilate asked the crowd their accusation against Jesus and they had nothing specific to say they only said if He was not an evil doer, they would not have brought Him to him. The Pilate told them to judge Him according to their laws and they said they were not allowed to kill anyone.

Pilate went back and summoned Jesus whether He was the king of Jews. Jesus asked whether the question was from him or others.

Jesus answered that His kingdom is not of this world otherwise His servants would be fighting. His kingdom is of another realm.

He is a king and He was born to testify to the truth and anyone of the truth hears His voice. Pilate asked what is truth.

He went out and said He found no guilt in Him.

We see here injustice in this world. Though there was nothing wrong found in Jesus, He was still condemned. He was not the last, many believers throughout the centuries have experienced injustice just because they were Christian. We see that Jesus did not cower with fear but He stood up knowing the Father, He declared His kingdom was not of this world and thus couldn't fight for anything in this world, not His title or position, or reputation, or possessions.

This is the attitudes the we need to develop as His disciples. To stand with dignity as children of the king knowing that our kingdom is not of this world. Even if we experience injustice in this world, this we cannot escape, but we will not compromise. We will face everything with confidence for we know that our King is still in control.

We will not fight for our reputation, or title or position or anything of this earth. In John 19:11, Jesus says Pilate had no power over him except what was given him from above.

The devil and the authorities have no power over true disciples except what God permits. The devil has to ask for permission before doing anything to true disciples. His power is limited. You need not fear the devil, he was defeated on the cross and we have power over all his power.

When Pilate asked whether He should release Jesus, the crowd said no; but they asked for Barabbas, who was a robber.

All this injustice until crucifixion had a purpose in Gods plan for Jesus. He had to die for the sin of the world. In the same way, the world even today crucifies the true disciples, but even that has a purpose in Gods plan for each life. It is the in way of the cross that we receive the resurrection power of God. The reason why the church is powerless today is that we left the way of the cross. If we die with Him, we shall be reign with him. 

2Tim 2:11-12, Phil 3:10, Gal 2:20.

Do you ever wonder why it has hard to hear the messages on the cross, the death and resurrection of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, repentance, but what is mostly heard is material prosperity, healing and breakthrough? 

The devil has sidetracked us from the way of power, so that we be powerless against Him. Unless we are walking the way of death, we cannot overcome satan. Jesus did not overcome satan by healing or miracles or casting out demons, but it was through death that He destroyed satan and set free those who were the captives of the devil. Heb 2:14-15.

If we want to to overcome the devil and set people free who are captives of the devil, we have to walk the way of death, the way of the cross.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 18:1-17. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus after speaking to His disciples went with them to the Kidron valley where there was a garden. Judas knew the place for He went there many times. Judas came with the soldiers, they were with torches and weapons. Jesus asked them who they sought and they answered Him Jesus. Jesus admitted it was He and they went back and fell to the ground. 

This is the only recorded falling backwards in the gospels, and it was not the disciples but the Roman soldiers. The disciples always fell prostrate on their faces towards the ground in worship and reverence.

Today we see many people fall like these Roman soldiers and many get excited and are in a hurry to rise and testify and then continue to live the selfish way of life they are used to be revealing that the experience did not change them but only excited them.

What is from God will only lead you to God. To know Him more, to love Him more, to deny yourself more....

Jesus asked again and said He was the one they were seeking and they should let the disciples go free.

Peter drew his sword and cut of the ear of a soldier but Jesus picked up and healed Him.

Jesus asked Peter to put back His sword, for the Father had given Him the cup to drink. The sword was not to defend Jesus. Jesus did not need Peter to defend Him. He already heard the voice of the Father concerning the situation He would face and the Lord said that He had to go through that way for Him to fulfill His purpose. Even the disciples, God does not exempt us from all the sufferings others face in the world, but He allows us to experience part of it mostly for our chastening and purification. 1Pet 1:6-7, 4:12-13, Heb 12:5-11. Each disciple have their own share of afflictions, and if we are listening to God, we will not be stranded. The most important thing that every disciple must learn is to develop a listening ear to the voice of God. This we learn through meditation on God's word and spending time in prayer. 

The voice of God always leads you to the way of the cross. To crucify your self-life will and it's desires to do God's will. The voice of God always brings deep peace within. Rom 8:6, 13-14, Gal 5:16-17.

Jesus was arrested and taken to Anna's. Simon Peter followed Jesus together with John. He could not have entered but because to the high priest, they were allowed to enter. If Peter came alone he could not have entered, and also he could not have been tempted to deny Jesus.  

We learn here that God will not shield us from facing temptations, but in the temptations, He wants to make us conquerers. It is through facing temptations and overcoming them that we grow spiritually, just like it by doing tests in a school that students move from a lower class to a higher class. Therefore, whenever you face a temptation, you should know that you have been given an opportunity to go to a higher level, a higher maturity, to a greater glory than before. God has promised that He will never allow you to be tempted beyond your ability but with every temptation He will make a way out so that we can endure it. 1Cor 10:13. This means that you can overcome every temptation that will ever come to you and there is a way out of every temptation, thus you need not fear.

Peter denied Jesus three times as we know. Why did God allow that. This was to humble Peter. He was self confident and even had said He would never do such a thing and He was even to die with Jesus even if all the others wouldn't. Luk 22:33-34. 

God allows failure even today to humble our self-confidence. God must bring us to a point where we acknowledge that without Him we will definitely fail. Where we cannot dare do anything without seeking His power. Where we recognise that there is nothing good in our flesh and that our flesh is capable of committing every manner of sin that men commit. To reach us here, God has to humble us repeatedly through failure and in most cases He does not succeed because many do not surrender completely. 

It is only when we are brought to this place that God gives us His authority. Many are powerless because God has not succeeded in breaking them.

Have the failures you have experienced succeeded in humbling you?

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 17:23-26. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

  

Jesus continued praying that we maybe perfectly one that the world may know that you sent Him and that God loves Jesus disciples exactly the same way He loves Jesus.

 Are you a true disciple of Jesus, one who continues in His word? John 8:31, One who denies his own will and everyday chooses to do God's will, Luke 9:23, and one who loves Jesus supremely, more that parents and siblings and friends, more that your own self, one who have given up his grip in everything he possess and is willing to lose anything for Jesus' sake, Luke 14:26-33. If you are such, God loves you in exactly the same way He loved Jesus. If this is true, for the true disciple, not just anyone who claims to be a Christian, the God will do for you what He did for Jesus while He was on earth. He will protect you from premature death before finishing your assignment, in other words, you are immortal until your work is done, you cannot die before you finish Gods purpose for your life. God will give you all the gifts you need to serve Him, not all the gifts you want, but the gifts you need to serve His purpose. He will give you all the wisdom you need to face every situation that comes your way. He will give you all the health and strength that you need to fulfill His purpose. He will give you all the counsel and guidance you'll need. He will give the fellowship of brothers and sisters that you need, He will give you all the encouragement and warnings that you need. 

He will provide all your needs, whether material, emotional, psychological or spiritual.

Are a true disciple, are you continuing to keep Jesus commands? You must first of all know them by studying the gospel especially, are you walking the way of self denial, denying your own will and ways, to do God's will and walk His way? Do you love Jesus more than Father, mother, wife, husband, child, brother sister, and friends? Have you listen your grip on your possessions that you will always be ready to lose anything for Jesus sake?

Jesus prays for these disciples to be with Him and share in His glory, and be with Him for He was loved from before the foundations of the world.

Even you, God chose you before Genesis 1:1. Eph 1:4-5, tells us that God chose us from before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love. He predestined us in love to be adopted as His sons through Jesus and the brought great delight to His heart.

The world doesn't recognise Jesus but His disciples do.

It is in knowing the name of God that we experience God's love. His name is Faithful, provider, protecter, healer, shield, just and righteous.....

Jesus reveals God's name to us and it becomes a reality in our lives as we experience it practically. 

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 17:17-22. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus prayed that the disciples maybe sanctified with the truth. God's word is the truth. 

To be sanctified is to be set apart for God's purposes. It is through God's word that we are set apart to fulfill God's purpose for our lives. Unless we are willing to be guided by God's word everyday of our lives, we will frustrate God's purposes for our lives. 

How much has the word of God gone through you through and through, cleansing your thoughts and motives and speech and attitudes and deeds? Is there progress in the last one year? How much do you meditate on God's word?

Jesus sent His disciples just like the Father sent Him in the world. How did the Father send Jesus into the world? Philippians 2:5-10 tells us that Jesus humbled himself to a man, then humbled himself further to a slave, and then humbled himself to die like a criminal on the cross. God sent Him to humble himself not to exalt himself over others. This is the attitude that every disciple should have, that of humbling ourselves in every situation. God also sent Jesus not to do anything out of His own initiative but to always depend on Him for guidance and for everything. In the same way, the disciple is not above His master, we are not sent to lead ourselves but to live in humble dependence on God for everything. We are to constantly listen to His voice and obey it.

God sent Jesus on earth with a specific mission; in the same way, there is a specific mission for every disciple on earth which we have to fulfill.

He said that He sanctified Himself for the sake of the disciples, that they might be sanctified. A leader is to be an example by His life of what He preaches. He also prayed for the disciples in the coming generations, He thought about you and I, that we might be set apart for Gods purposes.

He prayed that we maybe one in spirit as we saw in the previous study, that the world might know the God sent Jesus.

He also said the glory He was given He gave to the disciples, that they maybe one. God wants His disciples to be one in spirit. He has made provision for everything we need to be one. But a disciple is not everyone who calls himself a believer or a Christian, a disciple is one who loves Jesus supremely, more than father, mother, wife, husband, children and his own life and more that his job and everything he owns. He lives a life of self denial, denying his own will everyday to do God's will. He has made Jesus His example and is willing to follow in His footsteps. 

When such disciples meet, it will be very easy for them to be one in spirit and fellowship. The others who are not disciples, who are just seeking their own interests, who Jesus has not been exalted to the first place in their lives, for such, it's impossible to for them to be one in spirit.

Are you walking the way of the cross? Are you walking the narrow way which only few find?

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 17:12-16. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

  

Jesus explains that He kept His disciples through the name of God and none is lost except the son of perdition that the scripture maybe fulfilled.

We see again it's through the name of God that we are kept and preserved. God Faithfulness is our shield and protection. Ps 91:4b 

Jesus spoke those words so that we may have fulness of His joy in ourselves. The lives of the disciples must always be filled with joy and peace. If joy and peace are lacking in your life, you are missing the most important things that you need in this journey. Don't let sin or the devil rob you of joy and peace in your heart.

Isaiah 57:21 says there is no peace for wicked people. In other words, if you want peace in your life, confess and forsake all your sin.

Jesus gave us His word and the world hated the disciples because they are not of the world just as Jesus is not of the world.

Do you know there is a gift that Jesus left for His disciples? Have received and opened it to see what your master left you? He gave us His word.

Have you ever considered God's word as God's gift to you?

How would you feel if you gave someone you love deeply a gift 🎁 and they tell you that they also love you but don't bother to open the gift and see what you spent your money and energy preparing?

In the same way, we disappoint God by not taking the gift of His word and studying it seriously to see what's inside.

It's not late to start; in the days of this ignorance, God overlooks, but now He commands all men everywhere to repent. Study the word of God. They say a chapter a day keeps the devil away. 

Read from Mathew 1, if you have not started systematically, each day a chapter, and read it as God's gift to you, receive it and let it transform your life.

The world doesn't love the disciples because they have a different set of values from the world.

Jesus did not pray that we be taken out of the world, but that we be kept from the evil one. 

We must realise that we have a purpose in this world which we have to fulfill before exiting, but also we have an enemy who is always trying to corrupt us thus we must always be sober and watchful and vigilant, always praying that we may stand and overcome everything.

We are not of the world. We are strangers and pilgrims here, for a short period to fulfill God's purpose for our lives.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 17:4-11. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus said that He glorified God by finishing the work He was given to do.

We as His followers, is there a different way for us to glorify God? Definitely not, Jesus is our example and if we are to glorify God, it has to be finishing the purpose God made us to fulfill in our generation.

Eph 2:10 tells us that there are good works that God has prepared for us to do. Ps 139:16 tells that that before we were conceived in our mother's womb, God wrote down everyday of our lives and all that He planned for us.

It easy to assume that we are doing things for Gods glory when we are just doing our selfish interests. The only way to know if we are indeed seeking to glorify God is to ask ourselves whether we are seeking to find out Gods purposes for our lives and then walking in that direction in our generation.

To many believers, God is a way to satisfy our needs; He exists for our good, and with such attitude, we'll live blinded until we give God the rightful position in our lives. He created us to please Him not the other way round. Rev 4:10.

Jesus then asks God to glorify Him with the glory He experienced before the world begun. In the same way, if we fulfill God's purpose for our lives, at the end God will glorify us, He will transform us to be like Christ when Jesus comes. 1John 3:2-3.

Jesus said that He manifested God's name to those He was given. He revealed the character of God to His disciples. At the end of His earthly life, Jesus did not have a mega church, but only eleven disciples; but they turned the world upside down. God is more interested in quality not quantity. 1Cor 3:12-14.

The disciples got to know that everything Jesus had He was given by the Father. In the same way, the leaders should not act as special class but should acknowledge that what they have they were given by God and it doesn't make them superior in any way to those they are leading. Jesus always referred Himself as the son of man, and told His disciples that they must be servants of all men.

Jesus gave the disciples words from the Father. It was not His thoughts but what the Father told Him to say; it's unfortunate that many preachers have no time to listen to God, to what He wants them to say. Many rely on their experience and their bible knowledge instead of having the attitude of listening like Samuel, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening". This attitude every disciple must learn if we are to be effective in our specific calling God has for us.

Jesus did not pray for the world but for His disciples. The source of His authority is that He gave everything to the Father and when the Father saw that, He also gave Jesus everything that was His. 

We learn here that God treats us the way we treat Him. If we give everything, He gives back everything, If We give wholeheartedly, He gives back wholeheartedly, if we are calculating on how much to give God, He also calculates on His giving to us. 

Let us learn to give everything of ourselves to God, strength, time, ambitions, resources, every part of our body, and consequently we shall receive spiritual riches. 

It doesn't mean that we give all our money in the offering box or spend all our time in church, but we must recognise and acknowledge God in everything and give Him absolute right to tell us what to do. 

He prayed that God may keep us by His name. The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe. What is God's name? It's His character. He is faithful, He is provider, He is our shield, .... It's is Gods character that keeps us. He cannot change.

He also prayed for unity amongst disciples just as He and the Father are one. 

Paul explains that unity of the spirit is in the bond of peace. Eph 4:3,13, until we come to the unity of faith. In other words, in our minds we will not agree on everything, but we can be one in spirit if we are all seeking to be at peace with God, and with others. Our not seeing eye to eye in certain areas should not bring division amongst us, but in our spirits we can still be united if our ambition is to seek peace.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 16:28-17:3. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus said He came to the Father and now He was going back to the Father. His purpose on earth was accomplished. 

At the end of your earthly life, will you be able to say that?

The disciples said that now He spoke plainly. 

He said they would be scattered and leave Him alone yet He was not alone. He was secure in His Fathers love. Though He enjoyed His Fellowship with His disciples, His security did not lie on that. His security was in the Father.

We are called to follow Him in the same way; though we may enjoy fellowship with other, our security must lie in the fact that God loves. If every other believer who you are in fellowship with leaves you when you are in trouble, that should not disturb you or cause you to be bitter against them because your security didn't come from them but from God. David says that vain is the help of man. Ps 60:11,108:12.

The purpose of the words of Jesus is to give us peace. In the world we will have tribulations, many trials and sorrows, but Jesus whom we are following have overcome the world. No tribulation should take away our peace, and there is no tribulation that can ever come to us which we cannot overcome. Our forerunner has overcome and we will overcome the same way He overcame.

Jesus then begun praying asking God to glorify Him as He glorified Him on earth; if we glorify God on earth, we will be given glorified bodies in Heaven; 1Cor 15:43

The purpose of God giving authority to Jesus was that He may give eternal life to those under Him.

This is the purpose of spiritual leadership and authority. God does give authority so that we can lord it over those under us, controlling their personal lives and manipulating them and coerce them to submit to us, but it is that we may give them eternal life.

What is eternal life? We have been taught that it is life that never ends but those who go to hell also have life that never ends, but that is not eternal life.

Eternal life is knowing the Father intimately and Jesus Christ as the sent one of God. It is not in religious activities but a relationship with God.

A true leader is not one who manipulates and controls their members, but one that empowers them.

It's unfortunate that there are many in spiritual positions who have to be consulted in everything, what to buy, who to marry, what to do, and many other things. They have made themselves god's to their members.

God wants each one to know Him individually. He desires to speak to each one. We must know God as a Father.

Just like in a home, every child can speak to the Father without consulting the elder ones, and the Father speaks to each child without consulting any others. There is no mediators between us and the Father but Jesus Christ. Some make Mary a mediator, others make their pastors a mediator and all are equally wrong. Each one must be connected to Christ individually.

The purpose of spiritual authority is to lead others to be connected to Christ individually without trying to be a mediator.

There is no one to know God for you; if those over you wants to only control your life and not connect you to Christ, you are in the wrong place. The purpose of spiritual authority is to give eternal life to those under us, not to lord it over them, coercing them to do what you want, manipulation and threatening them if they don't obey. Jesus never threatened even those who persecuted Him. He never coerces anyone to do anything for Him. 1Pet 2:21-23, 5: 2-3

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 16:14-27. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus continued explaining that the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Him. By this one statement, we now understand how what many claim to be of the Holy Spirit is of the flesh or of the devil. Just this acid test will give light to many things and experiences we claim to be of the Holy Spirit. Just ask yourself, is this thing am thinking is of the Holy Spirit bringing glory to Christ or bringing glory to a man or to self? Is it promoting Christ or self? Many things only seek to exalt man and thus we can conclude that they are not of the Holy Spirit.

If you are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, He will show you the beauty of Christ in the scriptures and seek to transform your character, your thoughts, your motives, your attitudes, and your speech to be like Christ more and more. 2Cor 3:18. The more you fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the more your individual life will be transformed to that of Christ. If you claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit yet there is no transformation to Christlikeness in your life, you are just deceiving yourself.

He also reminded them for a little while they wouldn't see Him but would see Him after a little while because He was going to His Father.

He told them they would lament and weep but their sorrow would be turned into joy just like a woman is in labour pains but rejoices after a child is born. He also explained that when He sees them, no one would be able to take away their joy.

There is a joy promised which no man or situation can take away from you. Whatever man may try to do to you, and in every circumstance, that joy will not be affected. But this joy is as a result of seeing Jesus. As long as your eyes are fixed on Jesus, no man or circumstance can take your joy from you. Paul tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always. Phil 4:4. Always means 24/7. Not just on Sundays but on every day of every week. They were not to rejoice in their circumstances or on their leaders or on anyone but on Jesus alone.

The Holy Spirit will show us the glory of Christ and as long as we are seeing the glory of Christ, our hearts will rejoice 24/7.

Jesus also explained that we can pray to the Father directly in His name because the Father loves us. We don't need anyone one to act as a mediator between us and God, only Jesus, not Mary and not out pastors, we can pray to the Father directly in the name of Jesus and He will hear us.

We also need to pray for one another and also our spiritual leaders can pray for us, but no one should act as an intermediary between us and our Father.

He said that it's because they have asked nothing and that is why they have nothing. Even today, we lack many things God is willing to give us just because we don't ask. Ask that your joy maybe made full.

Jesus spoke in proverbs but would speak plainly. He desires to speak plainly to us but we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Father dearly loves Jesus' disciples because they love Christ. 

This is why God will answer the prayer of the disciples, because they love Christ. To love Christ means that you are not willing to do even the smallest thing that will offend Him and are willing to obey Him in everything, even the smallest thing. It means that Jesus is first in your life and there are no rivals for Him in your heart. He is above your family members and friends, above ambitions and plans, above your desires, above your wealth and reputation.... Nothing matters to you more than Him. It doesn't mean you are perfect, but it means that you have set your heart and mind to go in this direction all your life.

To such, They will ask and receive.

Have you set your mind to go in this direction???

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 16:8-13. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.

The Holy Spirit convicts, but the devil condemns. The difference between conviction and condemning is that conviction given us hope and encourages us to repent, condemnation leaves us with no hope at all. It just points out sin and gives no hope at all. The Holy Spirit does not condemn, but He convicts. Conviction is from the Holy Spirit but condemnation is of the devil.

He convicts of sin because people don't believe in Christ. Remember in John 3 we saw that believing and obedience are like two sides of a coin. The evidence of your faith is your obedience.

Of righteousness because He was ascending to His Father.

He overcame and ascended to heaven, we also can partake of His righteousness and overcome as He did.

Of judgment because the devil has been judged.

The devils doom is sealed. There is no redemption for him, and he knowing that, he is seeking more people to join him in the lake of fire at the end of their lives. He has deceived many into to to believe in Jesus, and He has blinded many believers to their true inheritance in Christ. 

Many preachers have been misguided to preach the good of this world to their congregation, prosperity and healing and breakthrough. Everyone believers and unbelievers want that. The devil will any preacher to build a mega church on the condition that that is what they will preach. They must never preach the way of the cross, the message of the cross, the death of Christ, the blood of Christ, the true power of the Holy Spirit which is to make you holy not just give you gifts, God's judgement, heaven and hell... Have you wondered why the church does not hear such topics today, they only hear about material prosperity and healing and breakthrough? Study the gospels to see what Jesus preached, and then compare it with the preachers preach today, you'd see how far astray we gone. We have to test everything the preachers say against God's word. How can you test if you are ignorant of the scriptures... Most sermons don't lead to obedience to God but to try to use God for own selfish gain and interests.

The curse in these generation is that many want their pastors to read the bible for them and with such ignorance of the scriptures it's very easy to deceive them.

Jesus said that He had many things to say that He cannot say to them now. Even today, He has many things to say to His children but cannot because many have not sought to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Many have not obeyed the light they have. Just like a teacher saying to a student in class 1, that she has many things to teach that child but the child must pass their class one test to go to higher levels where she can teach more complicated topics on science and maths.

Are you passing the tests that come to you or do you just fail. There is a timeline to which God wants to reach for you to understand certain things but, if you keep repeating classes through failing, it will take much longer time. 

You must learn always to keep your conscience clear and always humble yourself if you want to make progress in your spiritual life. We must value the Holy Spirit who is our teacher and guide.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 16:1-7. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus explained the reason He warned His disciples on what would come so that they would not fall away from faith. 

The warning on persecutions and rejection were to equip them to be ready to face them head on when they came. It's unfortunate that many are not prepared beforehand on the coming persecution. It's important to understand that if you are to be a true disciple of Jesus, if you want to live a godly life without compromise, you will face persecution. 2Tim 3:12

The true disciples would even be thrown out of some churches and some will be killed by religious people because they choose to believe the bible rather than the churches traditions. They will be killed as way of cleansing the church from wrong teachings and the killers will think that they were serving God in cleansing the church.

The reason for the persecution is because they don't know God. 

We see here that for us to be protected from deception, we must have a personal knowledge of God, and intimate relationship with the Holy, a daily inner walk with Him. We must continually seek Him in prayer, and study His word. But also remember these religious folks also pray and read the bibles but they don't have contact with God. 

We can pray and never have contact with God. We are just doing it to fulfill a duty, and reading the bible can be like reading a science book. 

A living contact with God in prayer and bible reading is what makes one spiritual and another religious.

Do you have a living contact with God? If you seek Him, not an experience, not a gift, but if you seek God with all your heart, you will find Him. Jer 29:13

It's impossible to have contact with God and your life remains the same. He will change you, your perspectives from earthly to heavenly, and so on.

Seek Him.

Jesus reminded them He was going to His Father but that should not bring sorrow in their hearts because it is to their advantage that He went away, otherwise the Helper would not come.

Can you imagine what your life would be if you lived physically with Jesus in the same house. Guiding you, protecting you, walking with you and so many things.

How would your life change if Jesus physically lived with you wherever you are? We'd see the whole world in a new perspective, there would be no fear, it would be very easy to overcome temptations to sin. 

Remember He said He is not leaving us as orphans. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to carry out the same function in our lives which Jesus would if He lived physically with us.

 This is the reason that the devil has brought a lot of confusion in the body of Christ concerning the Holy Spirit because He does not want us to enjoy the promise of the Father. He has blinded many believers on the Holy Spirit and made others to just be satisfied with an emotional experience without inner reality. I believe in speaking in tongues as a gift of the Holy Spirit but it's not a sign that you are filled with the Holy Spirit. Just open your eyes to all the tongue speakers and look at their lives outside the prayer house, many are powerless just like any other person. Don't be deceived or satisfied for just having a gift without inner reality of the power of the Holy Spirit.

He is called the Holy Spirit because His primary reason is not to give us emotional experiences or gifts but to make us holy in our private lives. Looking at the sensuality of the lives of many, the only possible explanation is that they are not filled with the Holy Spirit; maybe there was a time they were but now they are not; just like you can say you had filled your car petrol tank but today, it is empty.

Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Seek inner power and inner reality and transformation. Don't be satisfied with outside transformation but you know your inner life is corrupt. Go for the real thing.

You don't need anyone to lay His hands on you; you only need to thirst and believe. God is more eager to fill you with the Holy Spirit that you are eager to be filled.

Just seek Alone in private and He will meet with you. Take whatever gifts He chooses to give but don't exchange it for the power.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 15:17-27. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus reminded His disciples to love each other. It's unfortunate that in todays church we concentrate more on what separates Christians rather than love. For example, some believe in infant baptism and others believe in believers baptism, some believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit ended with the apostles, others believe they are for today, some believe speaking in tongues is if the devil, others believe it's of God, some believe that the only sign you are filled with the Holy Spirit is when you speak in tongues, others believe it's power to be transformed to Christlikeness more and more.... Because of these differences, we may not be able to work together but we can still love each other despite us seeing things from a different perspective.

Any true child of God you come across has something to teach you. It's like going to the market, you buy something from one person and leave the rest, then go to another and buy something else and leave the rest, and so on, from grocery, to general shop, to hardware, to garage, to hotel, electrical shop,....you don't buy everything you find there. You only buy what you need. In the same way, every child of God has something of Christ which can bless you and if instead of concentrating on where you don't see eye to eye, if you pick out something of Christ and leave the rest, then go to another child of God and pick something of Christ, and to another in the same way, at the end, you will be a spiritually very rich person.

You have wasted alot of opportunity in the past through fault finding, but now you can decide to look at the good you can pick form believers who don't see eye to eye with you. Start loving people to finding faults with them.

He reminded them that the world would hate them because they are not of the world but He has chosen them out of the world.

He gives the disciples a new sense of values, and they way are in contrary to that of the world. 

The disciples would be despised and rejected by the world just as Jesus was. The world has not changed, in fact it's worse. It crucified Jesus and today it crucifies His disciples. There are many forms of persecution for Christians. Have you experienced it? If no, it's because you are a compromiser. Be a true disciple of Jesus.

The reason for this is because they don't know Jesus.

If He didn't speak to them, they'd have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sins.

In other words, the more you hear God's word, the more accountable you will be. Those who don't know Gods word will be judged only by their conscience, but for those who know Gods word, that word will judge them.

If you are not interested in obeying God, it's safer to be far from God's word and that to continue listening and adding to your judgement.

Are you interested in obeying God or do you only want God's blessing s? God is good, He gives material blessed both to the righteous and the wicked. Just look around you and see the richest and healthiest people are not Christians. You don't need to be a Christian to be healthy or rich materially. God is good that He gives this to all. 

Christ has something better than material prosperity and health, seek for it

Jesus again reminded them of the Helper, the Holy Spirit who He will send in His name. He will testify of Christ to the believer and the believer will testify of Christ to the world. It's an inworking and then outworking. In other words, God is interested in changing my life first of all and then using me to reach others and bless them.

We see that What Jesus is insisting on is obedience to His commands and the Helper the Holy Spirit.

The most important thing that disciples can do is to obey Jesus but for that they need the Helper, the Holy Spirit.

What's your passion and ambition in life? Is it to please God or something else?

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 15:16. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus reminded that they did not choose Him but He chose them. This should bring liberation in our lives. God chose, and if He chose me, I am His responsibility. It's He to make me as He desires me to be, it's He to teach and equip me with everything I need to be able to accomplish everything He wants me to accomplish in my generation. My work is only to yield fully to Him and trust Him. He's working on me. I am a work in progress but my maker can see the end from the beginning. 

What a fool would I be not surrender completely to His workings in my life. All the knowledge I need is with Him, all the wisdom is His, all the health I need, all the counsel, all the experience, all the warnings, all that I need; He has everything. Why should I not go boldly to Him. Why should I not obey what He commands me? To resist His will is to say to Him to His face that I am wiser than Him. Could I a mortal man who do not even what will happen in the next hour make a better plan for my life that He who sees everything in the future and has good interest in me, and loves me and is all wise? I must learn to submit myself to God. 

He chose me that I may bear much fruit. In the earlier verses we saw that is is by Abiding in Him, by relying on Him and trusting in Him completely and obeying Him.

Trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

It's the brach that bears much fruit that is pruned to bear much fruit; therefore the Lord will continually purge us of everything unlike Christ in us that we bear much fruit. 

If we remain faithful in our walk with God, as our days increases, our fruitfulness should increase as well. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience....Gal 5:22-23

If you are walking in the direction God wants to to Go, you should be becoming more loving, to God and others, have more joy, have greater peace, be more patient with others, be kinder, do more good to others, be more faithful to God and to your centre of influence,  be more humble, have more self control.....

Examine yourself; are becoming more godly or less godly? In which direction are you moving.

Remember that your fruit should last. Run the race unto the end. Don't give up in your Christian walk. Don't compare yourself with others, we are told to run the race fixing our eyes on Jesus.  If your eyes are fixed on in one direction, you will not be discouraged because Jesus will never discourage you, you will always be humble because you will see how unlike Christ you are, and you continue pressing on as Jesus is always calling up upward and forward ↗️✈️

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo

JOHN 15:12-15. THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPELS

 

Jesus gave a command that we should love other disciples as He loved us. The former command was to love ones neighbor as yourself. This new commandment is in a higher level. To love as Jesus loved us.

How does Jesus love us? 

1. He loves us with all our weaknesses and failures.

2. He loves us even we we fail Him and disappoint Him.

3. He loves us even when we don't respond to His love.

4. He loves us even when we do something intentionally to hurt Him. 

5. He loves us even when we are ignorant of so many things.

6. .......

You can continue the list. We see now to love others as we are loved by Him is a very high standard; but don't be discouraged. He promised to give us a Helper, the Holy Spirit to help us keep this commands which are impossible to fulfill in our own strength. Unless we receive the powerof God, it's impossible to keep this commands.

Are you trying to obey Jesus with seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit? You will be disappointed if you do, you will never God's rest in your heart, not peace nor joy which no circumstance can take away from. Seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

You don't need anyone to lay His hands on you. Seek God alone. He will meet you in your secret place and you will experience the true power of God. 

The evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is not speaking in tongues as we have often heard, the bible says in Acts 1:8 that when the Holy Spirit comes, you will receive power to be my witnesses....

Power to be a witness of Christ is the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit. To be a witness is different from witnessing. Witnessing is by your words, to be a witness is first of all by your own life and it overflowing through your mouth. Your life is changed primarily and people can only say that Jesus is living in this person.

There are many today who speak in tongues who still live just like any other person in their private lives; these are deceived by an experience.

Don't be deceived by an experience when there is no reality in your life. Seek power, don't be satisfied with an outward form of godliness without the inner power and inner reality.

Jesus lay His life for us His friends. John says that we also must lay down our lives for our brothers. 1John 3:16. To lay down our rights, our desires, for our brothers sake, it's our call.

Jesus said we are His friends if we do what He commands us. 

Again and again we see in the last sermon Jesus preached to His disciples that He repeatedly talked about keeping His commandments. 

In today's church what we hear preachers repeating is prosperity, healing and breakthrough. Jesus insisted in obedience to His commands. The devil took the church away from it's true calling to something else. 

How much will that matter in eternity. We are taught to think just like the world. 

Every person who is not born again is thinking about material prosperity, healing and breakthrough, and of course if that is what is preached, we will have many mega churches. The sad thing is many are deceived that they are serving God when they are only serving their own interests.

Jesus revealed His secrets He heard from His to His disciples. Even today, there are many secrets God have for His disciples, only a disciple can hear them.

A disciple is one who loves Jesus more than everyone and everything else. More than his own self.

You are blessed to be a blessing 

Feel free to share 

@Blessed Mshindi Mambo