THE GLORY OF CHRIST X

STUDY X And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. Mat 8:14-16 Here we see that Jesus cares. He never ignores our bodily infirmities and He is willing to heal us so that we can serve Him. Are you sick or in a problem,go to Jesus and seek His help. Why should you worry when you can pray to one who loves you and cares for you and has all power and authority? When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he instructed his disciples to cross to the other side of the lake. Mat 8:18 Why did Jesus leave the crowd yet they had come to Him? Because that were only interested in the miracles He performed for them, and not Him or His message. Are you like that crowd? Are only interested in what God will do for you and not His word or Himself? Christ and His message should be central, with or without the miracles. And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Mathew 8:20 Why did Jesus call Himself the Son of man? He had completely identified himself with man. Son of man is simply, a normal human being. He was like man in every aspect and was tempted also like us so that He can be a merciful high priest who understands us in our weaknesses and temptations. Heb 2:17, 4:15 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Y For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. Heb 2:17-18 When you are suffering, Jesus understands. When you are tempted, Jesus understands. Thus we can confidently go to Him for mercy and grace to help us in our time of sufferings or temptations. Have you seen the humanity of Christ? He is the son of man. Don't fear to go to Him no matter the temptation you maybe facing or whatever suffering you maybe going through. Even when you have failed Him numerously, He is a merciful high priest. Go to Him for mercy, go to Him for grace. He became like us and He understands us completely. He loves us perfectly, and He is always willing to give us mercy and grace for every trial, suffering or failure. Another of his disciples said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.” Mathew 8:21-22. Jesus will never accept a second position. He has to always be first. If you anything or anyone else before Him, He won't take that. The man said, let me first, that was His grave problem. Jesus has to be first in everything. He has to be first before our parents, siblings, friends, career, ministry, ourselves. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. Col 1:18 Do Jesus have first place in everything in your life? You can start now, ask Him to show you areas in your life where something else is first so that that you can set it right. Make Him to be first in the areas the Holy Spirit convicts about. He is willing to help you. Remember, He is our Merciful high priest. He will receive you again and help you to start again. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

THE GLORY OF CHRIST IX

STUDY IX When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside.Mat 7:28-29-8:1 Jesus is not a boring teacher. His teaching is with authority. When we submit to His teachings, we will be amazed and mesmerized at the gracious words that proceed from His mouth. Luke 4:22 Have you sat at Jesus feet to listen to Him teach? He is an interesting teacher who speaks directly to your heart. He doesn't speak in sophisticated language you can't understand but He speaks simply and a way you cannot mistake. He says often, Do not fear, be of good cheer, peace be unto you. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Mat 8:2-4 Jesus is not only interested in our spiritual needs but is also interested in our physical needs. He didn't give the leper a summary of what He had taught in the mountain but simply healed Him. If you are sick or in pain, Jesus will not ignore that, He will heal you, He will provide what you need for He cares for you. Jesus didn't want to be publicised by what He did. He warned the leper not to tell anyone. In the same way, when we follow Christ, when He uses you to bless someone, you will not use that person or that miracle to publicize yourself. You will be content that a soul has been blessed. But the centurion replied to Him, Lord, I am not worthy or fit to have You come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant boy will be cured. For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my slave, Do this, and he does it. Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. Mathew 8:8-10 Jesus praised the centurion publicly for His faith. In fact He said that He had the greatest faith in the whole nation of Israel. Jesus was not mean in praising people for something good. In the same way, as we follow Him, we will also be praising people publicly for something good. The centurion was an army commander who had killed many people in war, but Jesus still praised Him. We ought also not to be mean in praising others when they do good no matter their past or their weaknesses. Another thing we learn concerning faith, is that the centurion felt unworthy to host Jesus, and also was subject to authority. True faith comes from genuine humility and submission to authority. The more humble you are, and the the more subject you are to authority, the more true faith you'll have. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

THE GLORY OF CHRIST VIII

STUDY VIII And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them,. Mat 4:25-5:2 Though large clouds followed Him when they saw the miracles, Jesus was not impressed, rather, He went up the mountain and when the disciples followed, He begun to teach them. The miracles were temporary and couldn't sustain the people, what they needed was to be taught. To have a miracle or an experience with God is not enough, if we are to last, we need to be taught. He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. Psalm 103:7 The difference between Moses and the children of Israel is seen in God teaching Moses His ways, but performing miracles for the children of Israel. Is it miracles and experiences that you are seeking or are you seeking to be taught of Christ. A disciple is a learner and a follower. You are not a true disciple unless you are sitting at Jesus feet to be taught of Him. He is a wonderful teacher who longs to teach you personally. Christ longs to be your personal tutor. Stop missing His classes. Every day seek to be taught. The disciples followed Jesus up the mountain? Why did Jesus go up the mountain? Why couldn't He teach them in the plains where they were? There was a sifting He was doing. To separate those who were only interested in miracles from those seeking something higher. To climb a mountain was tiresome, thus for those who valued convenience more, they missed the most important thing they needed. Jesus always sifts us, those who don't want to be inconvenienced cannot reach the highest God has for those. The call of Jesus is always to a higher plane, but in that there is being inconvenienced. If we are reserved and don't want to sacrifice, if we don't want to be inconvenienced, then we will never experience the fullness of God in our lives and ministry. We need to sit down and be taught. Don't just seek for miracles and experiences, but seek to be taught of Christ. Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 1Thes 4:9 We see here there are things the Thessalonians didn't learn from Paul or the other apostles, they were taught by God. In the same way, there are things that God desires to teach us if we give Him room for that. Allow God to teach you from His word. Don't just rush through scriptures but ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the things of Christ. What has Christ been teaching you? Are you learning from Him. He is called Rabbi, meaning teacher. The disciples always referred to Him as Rabbi. Why did they always call Him teacher? It must be because He was always teaching them. The thing He did most of the time with them was to teach them, otherwise they couldn't be always calling Him 'teacher'. Mark 9:5, 10:51,11:21,14:45John 1:38, 3:2,26, 4:31,6:25,9:2,11:8. Christ is a teacher. Allow Him to teacher. The disciples never once referred to Him as a miracle worker even if He performed many miracles. Be attending the classes of Christ everyday and never miss a lesson. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

THE GLORY OF CHRIST VII

STUDY VII And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Mathew 4:19 Whenever Christ called His disciples, He took responsibility for them. He says, 'I will make you'. No matter how a person is, no matter how destroyed once life is, if Jesus calls you, it is His responsibility to make you to be what He wants you to be. Christ hasn't called us to leave us as we are but He has called us to make us what He wants us to be. He is responsible for every soul that comes to Him. He is not an irresponsible person, He can be trusted. When we see this, the only thing that remains for us is to completely yield ourselves to Him. We must surrender completely in His hand for Him to make us. He stayed for three and a half years making His disciples to be apostles. Christ is willing to make us, but the time we'll take to be made will be directly dependent on our yieldedness. Have you seen the glory of Christ in taking responsibility to all those He calls. We also ought to take responsibility for what God places in our hands. We must stop blaming others and pointing fingers but trust God to help us. Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. Mat 4:23. And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38. The summary of Jesus life was that wherever He went, He did good and healed those who were oppressed by the devil. If we see His glory, we would desire to follow Him in doing good wherever we go as the psalmist say that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Wherever you go, whomever you meet, that person must be left with some goodness or mercy. We are also told that it is because God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. This means that it's not from us or by our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. We thus need to be constantly seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Not just once, but everyday. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

THE GLORY OF CHRIST VI

STUDY VI When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Mat 4:12,14,17,19. We learn that there was a blueprint for the life of Jesus as was prophesied in the old testament. God had a plan for His life. When He heard that John was arrested, He didn't go to the prison to the check him. Why? Because He sought God about the matter and felt the Lord wanted Him to go to Galilee. In the same way, God has a plan for each of our lives. Before making decisions, we ought to also seek Gods will for us not just responding to circumstances. The natural response then would have to go to see John in prison and seek lawyers to seek justice but after seeking God, God must have told Him that John's assignment was over and that was the place God had appointed He would end up. Whatever may happen around you, it shouldn't take your attention. You need to seek Gods mind on every matter and seek His will and obey His voice. God told Him to now begin preaching and He did. He also began calling His disciples and whenever He called, they immediately left everything and followed Him. They didn't know Him before, so what made them immediately leave everything and follow? Because God gave them a strong conviction in their hearts that it was Him who sent them. It's amazing to see how God confirm ms the word of His servant in the hearts of those listening to Him. In the same way, when we seek Gods will in everything, when we seek to obey God in everything, God will always back us up and give a strong conviction to those who are listening to us. It's not noise or high volume that brings conviction but God's backing us up. We see how Cornelius sent some people to Peter but before they reached, God told Peter that it was He who sent those men. Acts 10:7-20. It's wonderful when God backs up a man. Christ was fully submitted to God's will for His life and that is why His word came with great conviction. If we follow Him in this, God will also back us up in whatever He has called us to do. Learn to follow the will of God for your life. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

THE GLORY OF CHRIST V

STUDY V But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God. Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. Mathew 4:4,7,10 In the temptations, Jesus always answered with what was written in the word of God. How did He know what was written; He was a student of the word of God. At the age of twelve we see Him discussing with the bible teachers the word of God and asking questions. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. Luke 2:46 From a young age Jesus had a hunger for the word of God and that was the sword He used to defeat the enemy. If we are following Jesus, then we must follow Him in the love for God's word. We must love the word of God and study it. Not for others, or to preach sermons but for our own, to hear God speaking to us. How often do you read God's word? How hungry are you for God's word? How much do you overcome temptations of the enemy with Gods. To truly follow Jesus, God's word must become part of us. The only way to overcome daily temptations is using the word of God. Paul exalts us to allow the word of God to dwell in our hearts richly. Col 3:16. You have to create space and time for God's word in you schedule and in your heart through meditation. You must discipline yourself to read and study God's word daily. We must seek to be consistent. If Jesus studied God's word, who are you not to study it? Are you better than Jesus? Are you greater or wiser than Him? Let us therefore follow His example in our daily lives. Value God's word like Jesus did. Study it and seek the understanding of it. Meditate constantly on it and you will always have a word to help you in every circumstance you gave and you also will not lack a word for those whom God will bring near you. You will be like a tree planted by the waters, whose leaves do not worthy and whatever they do prospers. Psalm. 1:3. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

HIS GLORY IN USING SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND AUTHORITY

THE GLORY OF CHRIST STUDY IV Y Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” Mat 4:1-4 Before Jesus begun His public ministry, and after being filled with the Holy Spirit, we see the Holy spirit leading Him to the wilderness to be tested. God allowed the devil to come and tempt Him. Testing was necessary for Jesus before the public ministry. In the same way, we must be tested before God can entrust us with public ministry. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end. Deut 8:3,16 The purpose of the wilderness experience is that we maybe humbled and broken. Before God can use use, He has to break us, He has to humble us. Jesus was broken first, we are to follow Him. In His eyes, personal brokenness is more important than public ministry. Do you seek to be broken or do you only seek to be blessed? In the first temptation, we see the purpose to which God gives us spiritual authority and spiritual gifts. The temptation was for using the gifts for personal profits. Jesus had the power to change stones into bread, and He was hungry, but His reply shows us that the gifts and authority are not for us to use as we would want to, but we are to listen constantly to God on how to use the spiritual gifts and authority God gives us. God hadn't told Jesus to change stones to bread, and therefore He wouldn't do it even if He had power to, and he had a personal need, and no one could claim He had stolen His bread. We see the attitude of Jesus which we are to follow; the attitude is, that the gifts and authority God gave Him is not to serve His onlwn purposes but the purposes of God who gave it. If God has given me a gift, it is to serve His purposes not mine. If God has given me authority over people, it so that I can use the authority to lead them to God's purposes. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1Cor 12:7. This means spiritual gifts are to be used to bless the entire body of Christ. What is your attitude towards spiritual gifts? For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:2-3 We see here the purpose for which God gives us authority over others is so that we can lead them to a deeper knowledge of God. Are you exercising the authority God has given you to lead others to know God more or are you taking advantage of those whom God has placed over you? It's unfortunate that today many misuse their God given authority and gifts to extract money, get honour, and sex with those whom God has brought under their authority. But we see none of this in Jesus. His Glory is seen in using His spiritual gifts and authority to bless others and lead them to God. Oh that God may raise leaders armed with the same attitude of Christ in the use of Spiritual gifts and authority.

THE GLORY OF HIS HUMILITY

THE GLORY OF CHRIST STUDY III Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. Mathew 3:13-15 John was baptising sinners who came to repent. Jesus who had no sin came to be baptized by Him. He was baptised to identify Himself with the sinners. He humbled Himself to be identified with those of the lower rank than Him. He didn't sin so as to be like them, but. We also must follow Him in this, to identify ourselves with those who are lower in ranking with us. We must seek to always humble ourselves and not have a superior attitude towards others. This is not to say we compromise, Jesus never compromised but he ate together with sinners. and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Mathew 3:17. He earned the commendation of the Father, God was well pleased with Him. This commendation came before beginning His public ministry. This is to say that His private life got God approval. We also must follow Him in this, that our private life must get God's approval before our public ministry. We must be concerned about our reputation before God. We must seek to hear Him say that He is well pleased with us. This is to say that we must always be seeking to please God in our private lives when no one is watching. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. Verse 16. Jesus though the son of God, never dared to enter the public ministry before being filled or baptised in the Holy Spirit. No matter what was happening around Him, He had to wait until He was filled with the Holy Spirit. If we are following Him, we also would never step into public ministry without being filled with the Holy Spirit no matter the need around us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a once for all event but one where we must continually seek to be filled as our capacity increases, as we grow more, the more the need for being filled. Are you seeking to always be filled with the Holy Spirit? Are you so yielded to God that you wouldn't dare do any form of ministry without first seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit or are you merely moved with the need around you? Whatever ministry God has called you to fulfil in he body of Christ, you are not qualified until you are first of all filled with the Holy Spirit. Remember that Jesus was born by the power of the Holy Spirit yet He had to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In the same you, even if you are born again, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit first. You are blessed to a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo

THE GLORY OF HIS NAME

*THE GLORY OF CHRIST* *_STUDY II_* * She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel—which, when translated, means, God with us. _Mathew 1:21,23_ Here we see that His name has a meaning. It means that He will save His people from their sins. It is His people He will save from the power of sin so that sin will not rule over them but that they will rule over sin. If sin defeats you as a child of God, that is not God's will for you, God desires that you overcome conscious sin in your life ( _Rom 6:14, Gen 4:7_ ) and that is why He gave Jesus which means saviour from sin. There is a difference in being saved in sin, and being saved from sin. Being saved from sin means receiving power to overcome conscious sin in our lives. Have you seen the glory of His name? When you in prayer, 'in the name of Jesus ', know that it's one who wants you to save you from your sins and make you and overcomer. Do you want that? Jesus came for that. We also see that His name is Emmanuel, meaning that God is with us. When you have Jesus in your life, you have God with you. This verse is quoted in _Isaiah 7:14_ Verse 15 continues in saying of Him refusing evil and choosing to right. The presence of God in your life is not for excitement but to help you refuse evil and choose good. His name is to help you in your daily choices so that you will choose good not evil. Have you known His name? Have you seen it's power? Have you seen the glory of His name? Have you known His presence. Remember that it is He who will save you from your sins, not your own power and intellect. You have to go to Him for salvation from that sin that has been defeating all the years. He says, whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. _Act 2:21, Rom 10:13_ Call upon Him and ask Him to save you from those sins that have defeated you for years. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @ _Blessed Mshindi Mambo_

THE GLORY OF CHRIST

STUDY I For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; We have been called to follow the example that Christ left for us in His earthly life. The first thing we need to learn is in overcoming sin and daily temptations, overcoming using our mouths to deceive others, overcoming when we are falsely accused or reviled, overcoming when others subject us into suffering or any form of torture, and living a life of committing ourselves to God and committing everything that happens around us to God who judges righteously. The only place we can learn about Christ is in Gods word, and in these studies we shall look into the new testament. Whenever Jesus called His disciples, He always called them to follow Him. He always said, follow me. The glory of God is His Character. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. Heb 1:3 When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God showed Him His character, Exod 33:18-19 The glory of Christ is His character. but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2Cor 3:16,18 We are told we must first turn to the Lord for the veil to be removed which hinders us from seeing Christ. Isaiah says, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:22. Our face is initially facing the world, but we have to turn and look to God. As long as our face is facing the world, we will never see the character of Christ. Turn your face from the world, from it's ways, from seeking it's help, from taking its values, and turn completely to God, to His ways, to His help. The Holy Spirit will then open our eyes to see the glory of Christ in the word of God which is the mirror. James 1:23. When the Holy Spirit shows us the glory of Christ, He then proceeds to change us so that the character we have seen in Christ, will be inplanted in us and we become partakers of the divine nature of God. We have to see before we are changed. This is a lifelong process. We don't become completely like Christ overnight. Still in our human nature, Paul says that we see through the glass dimly. 1Cor 13:12. But when our bodies will be transformed to heavenly body, only then we will be like Him completely. 1John 3:2. Between now and then, we keep on looking through the glass though dimly and allow the spirit of God to transform us. If we are seeing the glory of Christ constantly, the evidence will be that at the end of every year we will be more Christlike than the previous. We will move from glory to glory in becoming more like Christ. In fact the purpose of God for you, the destination that God has planned for you is that you become like Christ. Rom 8:29. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; We have to constantly see the glory of Christ if we are to fulfil God's purpose for our lives. Having established that, we will look in the character of Christ in the next studies. You are blessed to be a blessing Feel free to share @Blessed Mshindi Mambo