Rev.4:1 "Then as I looked, I saw a door standing open in heaven..."
Luke 19:13 " Before he left, he called ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, 'Invest this for me while I am gone.'
Dear breathren,
Greetings to you in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savour.
It is another great opportunity to be alive before God and have time to share the truths of the Word of Christ amongst ourselves. Today's message is a reminder that we have a job to do before he comes! Did you ever think about that fact? Indeed we have a task to be accomplished before he comes, for each and every one of us will give an account when he appears.
The portion of the scriptures above reveals great truths. In the Book of Revelation , John was shown an open door in heaven! To me this verse teaches and reminds of the wonderful love and grace which God has bestowed on us! What a privilage to us sinners saved only by grace! The heavenly door is indeed open to all who are ready and willing to repent and turn to God. The Lord is ready to admit you and me once again into his family and waw! the door to enter into this wonderful fellowship is OPEN!
If you read from the book of Genesis 3:23 you will find that after Adam and Eve sinned against God, they were 'banished from the Garden of Eden', and the entrance (the path to) the tree of life was closed out and guarded by a mighty Cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth! What does this mean to us? It means mankind was lost! We lost hope and we were shut out of the life of God. This is the price of sin and it is called 'DEATH' or separation from the living God! But thanks be to God whose love and mercies endures forver! May Glory and honour be unto him! He did not forsake us and did not treat us the way we deserved. By His great mercy and unfailing love he pledged to restore us into Himself, to make us 'His People'! In Gen 3:15 the pledge was made and in the fulness of time Christ came to redeem us from the slavery of sin and destruction!
In Galatians 4:4-5 Paul got this wonderful revelation and writes:
"But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman...to buy freedom for us who were slaves..., so that he cpuld adopt us as his very own children.' What a great love! The Bible says it is not we who chose to love him but him who chose to love us! As a loving father, God was (is) so much concerned with our well being. Remeber the story of the prodigal son? It speaks about God's love more openly and better than I could tell it here! (See Luke 15:1-17). Although the prodigal son was suffering out there, the doors in his father's house were open for him to come back, and,indeed, his father was eager to see him back. Perhaps he would stare at the doors hoping and wishing to hear someone calling out! And you can see the joy he had when the son returned home! But one thing in that story is that the son came after thinking carefully and coming to his own senses! Many people today are out of their senses and uncounscious of the deadly effect of being away from God and in devil's territory. They do not know, and if they do, they never mind of the danger of rejecting God in their lives!!
My friend, God is good and loving. He has an open door for you and me to come back and enter into his eternal joy, share his everlasting love and bring others to it too. Since the door is open still, we have the chance to come in and bring others with us to the house. Bringing others in is the assignment we have been given.
For us who have received the invitation to come in, and who have tasted the goodness of the Lord in this land of the living, we have the task, an assignment or a job to do! The Lord in the parable of the ten servants shows clearly that each of us have been given something to use as our capital to bring others to the Kingdom. You and I have something special and which none other than you or me can use it. You are supposed to use it for the Lord. In Ephesians 4:11 Paul talks of the gifts which Christ gives to the Church. In 1Corinthians he speaks of the 'special abilities' which the Spirit gives to an individual. He even talks of 'different services' given by God to individuals . All in all, the crux of the matter is that YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO bu using what you have been given!
Use what you have NOW! For the Master is coming and we will give account! Are you sitting on that 'Investment capital' or investing it? Think as we hope to enter 2011 and ask yourself, 'I am I going to live like 2010;business as usual or I am going to make a difference?' The door is still open. Your are not late yet. You can bring in treasures for the master, even in 2011. For you who might not have had the opportunity to receive Christ in your life, better you do it now when the door is still open. Just imagine. In days of Noah, people were told to build the Ark. Many refused, mocked Noah and were scornful. The Ark was ready, and its door was OPEN. Perhaps Noah called out for people to get in. But, as usual, none gave heed to his call except his own family that was God fearing. The rest of his generation rejected the plea to enter through the OPEN DOOR. And, guess what! The OPEN DOOR was CLOSED! Who closed it? Not Noah but God Himself! And, John,the apostle in the Book of Revelation, much as he was shown an open door, he was also told that when God closes the door none can open it. So, for you who is yet to receive the Lord, did you know that 'He is the that Open Door? (See John 10:9 where Jesus made it clear that he is the GATE (Door). Will you reject him till the door is shut? (when grace is no more there but judgement?) Think and make a sober decision.
If you want to receive him, will you just pray this simple prayer of faith to invite him NOW?
Here we go:
Dear Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I am sorry and repent from my sins. I ask for your forgiveness. I believe you came and died on the cross to pay for my sins. I believe you rose again and can count me righteous as I put my faith in you. Cleanse by your blood and register me in you Book of Life today. Come into my heart and be My Lord and My Saviour for ever. Amen.Congrats! You are now born again. It is by such a simple faith.
You can now find a True Christian Church that believe in the Bible and teaches the truth about it, share with them your experience and learn more about your new life in Christ. You can write to me:
nangela@yahoo.co.uk, Tel.+225 755-654129.
Until then,
God Bless you.
Ev. Deo John Nangela.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
‘KULIIMARISHA AGANO’
‘KULIIMARISHA AGANO’
Kumb: 8:11-19
‘BALI utamkumbuka BWANA Mungu wako , MAANA NDIYE AKUPAYE NGUVU ZA KUPATA UTAJIRI; ILI alifanye IMARA Agano lake ....’
Mpendwa Msomaji wangu!
Salamu nyingi tena katika Jina lile zuri tulilopewa; Jina la Yesu!
Karibu katika wakati mwingine wa ‘Makala ya Baraka’.
1. UTANGULIZI
Leo tunajifunza juu ya ‘Kuliimarisha Agano’. Agano ni makubaliano baina ya pande mbili upande mmoja ukiwa na mamlaka zaidi lakini ukujishusha na kufikia makubaliano ambayo yana kanuni zinazowafunga watu wote wiwili. Pamoja na kuwa ni ‘mkataba’ agano lina nguvu zaidi kuliko mkataba wa kawaida. Ndani ya agano kuna viapo. Katika utaratibu wa jamii nyingi agano lilifungwa kwa damu! Hata katika Israeli watu waliingia katika agano la damu kwa kumchinja mnyama na kumpasua vipande viwili kisha kila upande kupita katikati yake kama ishara ya kuingia makubaliano na kuapiana kutoyakiuka.( Bwana alifanya hilo na Ibrahim (Mwa.15:8-18). Katika agano mafanikio yako ni mafanikio yangu. Na Mafanikio yangu ni mafanikio yako. Taabu yangu ni taabu yako na taabu yangu ni taabu yako. Vita vyako ni vyangu na vita vyangu ni vyako. Adui zangu ni adaui zako nk. Kulikuwako na namna mbalimbali za kuthibitisha maagano. Mfano mwingine mzuri ni agano la Daudi na Mwana wa Sauli Yonathani. (1Sam.18:1-4). Yonathan alimpenda Daudi kama nafsi yake mwenyewe. Naye Daudi aliliheshimu hata baada ya kifo cha Yonathan bado Daudi alimtendea mema mwanaye –yule mlemavu Mefiboshethi. (2Sam. 9:1, 7)
Katika kipindi chetu cha Agano Jipya Mungu pia ametupenda kuliko upeo na kuingia katika Agano na sisi yeye mwenewe alilithibitia na kulitia muhuri kwa njia ya Kifo cha Kristo Yesu Mwanawe wa pekee.(Yoha.3:16 inasema ‘kwa maana jinsi hii (yaani mateso na kufa kwa Yesu msalabani) Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu hata akamtoa mwanawe pekee ...” Sharti moja katika agano hili ni ‘Imani’ kwa huyo aliyemtoa kwa ajili yetu ‘yaani’ YESU. Ndani ya Agano hili kuu zipo ahadi na Baraka tele. Hata hivyo Baraka na mafanikio yaliyopo yana malengo na makusudi maalumu. Hapa ndipo tunapo anzia katika somo letu la leo.
2. LIPOKUSUDI LA MUNGU KUKUFANIKISHA
Mungu hutufanikisha kwa kusudi maalum. Yanipasa/yakupasa kujua hilo. Mafanikio yako ya kifedha, kielimu, kiuchumi, kibiashara, kiafya, kifamilia, kihuduma nk si kwa ajili yako binafsi wala usijitwalie utukufu kwa hilo! La hasha! Ni kwa ajili ya kusudi maalumu ambalo ni hili: ‘Kuliimarisha' Agano la Mungu na Wewe. ‘Hukuokolewa bure (yaani bila sababu) na pia hufanikishwi bila lengo!
Katika fungu la maandiko yaliyopo kwenye mistari tajwa hapo juu (Kumb.8:11-19) Bwana anaanza na TAHADHARI.
Anasema: (Mstari wa 11-19:
‘‘JIHADHARI’, usije ukamsahau BWANA, Mungu wako, na kutozishika amri zake, na hukumu zake ninazokuamuru leo. Angalia, utakapokuwa umekula na kushiba, na kujenga nyumba nzuri na kukaa ndani yake; makundi yako ya ng’ombe na kondoo yatakapoongezeka, na fedha yako na dhahabu yako itakapoongezeka, na kila kitu ulichonacho kitakapo ongezeka; basi hapo MOYO wako usiinuke, ukamsahau BWANA, Mungu wako, aliyekutoa katika nchi ya Misri, katika nyumba ya utumwa; aliyekuongoza katika jangwa lile kubwa lenye kitisho, lenye nyoka za moto na nge, nchi ya kiu isiyokuwa na maji; aliyekulisha jangwani kwa mana, wasiyoijua baba zako, apate kukutweza, apate kukujaribu, iliakukutendea mema mwisho wako.
Hapo usiseme MOYONI mwako , Nguvu zangu na uwezo wa mkono wangu ndio ulionipatia utajiri huo. BALI utamkumbuka BWANA Mungu wako , MAANA NDIYE AKUPAYE NGUVU ZA KUPATA UTAJIRI; ILI alifanye IMARA Agano lake alilowapa baba zako, kama hivi leo. Lakini itakuwa, kama ukimsahau BWANA, na kuiandama miungu mingine na kuitumikia na kuiabudu, nawashuhudia LEO ya kuwa mtaangamia bila shaka (hakika).’
Tuanzie hapo na tujiulize maswali kadhaa:
• Je ni kwa nini Bwana anasema tujihadhari?
• Je mtu aweza kumsahauje Bwana (au) ni mambo gani yanayoweza kumfanya mtu akamsahau Mungu na Neno lake (amri zake) ?• Ni mazingira gani ambayo kwayo Bwana alitoa maonyo haya?
Labda tuanze na swali la mwisho la mazingira au muktadha (context) yaliyopelekea Bwana atoe angalizo hili! Kwangu mimi naliona hili ni angalizo linalobeba ‘Siri’ ya kuendelea vizuri na kuendelea kufanikiwa ukiwa ndani ya Kristo au ndani ya Wokovu.
Lengo kubwa la kitabu cha Kumbukumbu la Torati lilikuwa ni kuwakumbusha wana wa Israeli yale yote ambayo Bwana aliwafanyia na kuwatia moyo (ikiwa ni pamoja na kuwatahadharisha) kuhusu ‘umuhimu wa kujiweka wakfu upya kimaisha kwa Bwana’. Mambo haya wana wa Israeli wanaambiwa wakiwa ngambo yam to Yordani (kabla hawajavuka kuingia kwenye mbaraka wa Bwana aliowaahidia! Wamekwisha sota Jangwani kwa miaka kadhaa na sasa wapo ukingoni mwa ‘kutoboa maji’. Kwa lugha nyingine ni kama vile mchimba madini aliye karibia kutoboa mwamba wenyewe wa dhahabu tupu!Karibu shimo lianze kutema baada ya muda mrefu wa kusota na jasho jingi kumwagika! Kwa wale waliooa/olewa ni kama usiku mmja tu kabla ya kuingia kwenye ‘siku yenu’ mliyo ingojea sana kwa shauku na matarajio. Hebu piga picha! Kunakuwepo na tashwishi Fulani na matazamia makubwa yanayofunika hata ule muda mreeefu wa kusubiri! Katika hali hiyo ndipo Bwana analeta ‘ANGALIZO!’ Ana waambia ‘Jihadharini msije mkanisahau au mkasahau sheria yangu!’ Kwa ufupi hiyo ndio muktadha ya kitabu hiki cha Kumbukumbu la Torati na msingi wa sura hii ya Nane.
Sasa turejee katika maswali mawili yaliyobakia: Je mtu awezaje kumsahau Bwana?
Yapo mambo kadhaa ambayo nimeyatilia mkazo katika maadiko tuliyosoma hapo juu. Mpendwa mafanikio ni kitu kizuri sana na Mungu anapenda kila mtu afanikiwe.Katika (3Yoh 1:2) tunaona hilo: Ansema “ Mpenzi (yaani ewe liye pendawa!) naomba ufanikiwe katika mambo YOTE na kuwa na AFYA yako!” Ni makusudi ya Mungu tufanikiwe tena tuwe na afya zetu kikamilifu. Tena kama tulivyoona yeye Bwana ndiye anayehusika na kutufanikisha kwa kutupa ‘nguvu’ (anointing) (upako) wa kufanikiwa! (Lakini kumbuka upako hauji bila kusudi! Mdo: 1:8’.... mtapokea ‘nguvu’....nanyi mtakuwa mashahidi wangu katika....’)Hayo ndiyo masharti ya upako! Na ndivyo yalivyo ya upako wa mafaniko!
Katika mambo niliyotilia mkazo hapo juu kwenye andiko letu la somo utaona kitu cha kipekee! Bwana anatoa tahadhari. Anasema kuwa MAFANIKIO ni kitu cha kuchukulia kwa TAHADHARI. Kwa nini? Kwa vile yana uwezo mkubwa sana wa kukutoa kwa Mungu! Baraka zinaweza kukufanya ukamsahau Mungu kuliko shida! Mara nyingi shida hukuleta kwenye magoti! Lakini si rahisi kwa mafanikio kukuleta kwenye magoti, japo ndivyo inavyotakiwa iwe! Kama hujajifunza somo kama hili hutaelewa. Lakini nataka leo tujifunze pamoja na tuelimike kwa kuupata ujuzi huu wa kweli ya Mungu kwamba: MAFANIKIO YANATAKIWA YAKULETE KWENYE MAGOTI ZAIDI KULIKO HATA SHIDA! Kwa lugha nyingine wakati ufanikiwapo ‘mtafute Mungu’ zaidi kuliko kabla ya kuyapata! Tafuta kuujenga ushirika na Mungu zaidi kuliko awali! Hii ndiyo siri ambayo wengine walipoikataa walijikuta wamefunikwa na mafanikio yao wakamsahau aliyewapa yaani Mungu!
Bwana anasema: Chukua tahadhari :
(a) Wakati umekula ukashiba (yaani unachakula chakukutosha)
(b) Umejenga nyumba (wewe si ‘homeless’).
(c) Makundi yako yameongezeka (biashara, una assets mbalimbali, elimu ya kiwango kizuri nk)...
(d) Fedha yako na dhahabu imeongezeka...(una uhakika wa mshahara mzuri au akiba unayo benki..nk)
Basi chunga sana ‘ Moyo wako’! Oh! Moyo, moyo wa mwanadamu mpendwa ni kitu cha ajabu sana! Wakati fulani tajiri mmoja alikuwa na magari mawili mapya, mazuri. Yalikuwa magari yake ya kwanza katika maisha yake kuwahi kuyanunua. Siku moja akawa anayasafisha na anayaangalia. Ghafla moyoni akajiambia ‘du! Yaani na mimi nina magari mawili! Ama kweli...” Wazo hilo la kujisifia lilimpa fundisho maana siku si nyingi gari moja na upya wake likapata ajali mbaya na kuharibiwa vibaya! Ndipo alipozinduka na kugundua kuwa ‘moyo’ wake ulikuwa unatukuka na kupoteza mwelekea sahihi ikambidi atubu mbele za Mungu wake! Je wamkumbuka Nebukadreza? Jinsi alivyojitukuza? Soma mwenyewe (Dan 4:28-33).
Biblia inasema katika Yeremia 17:9-10 “ Moyo huwa mdanganyifu kuliko vitu vyote, una ugonjwa wa kufisha; nnani awezaye kuujua? Mimi ,Bwana, nauchunguza moyo, navijaribu viuno, hata kumpa kila mtu kiasi cha njia zake, kiasi cha matunda ya matendo yake.’
Mafanikio ni kitu kimoja ambacho kinaweza kuugeuza moyo wa mtu ukadanganyika na kujitukuza juu ya kazi ambayo aliyeifanya ni Mungu wala si wewe. Tuangalie tena habari ya mfano wa mtu mmoja.
‘Mwana kijiji mmoja alikuwa ameokoka. Hakuwa na mali yoyote, tena kwa kweli, alikuwa maskini tu na mhitaji. Lakini alikuwa mwombaji na hakukosa ibada hata moja Jumapili na katikati ya wiki. Alikuja na Biblia yake kwenye kamfuko alikokaning’iniza begani kila siku! Hakutembea barabarani bila kamfuko kake na Biblia yake ndani yake ili apatapo hata fursa kidogo asome Neno au ashuhudie habari za Yesu. Alikuwa na bidii na mambo ya Mungu. Katika familia yake alikuwa hana kitu ila yeye, mkewe na binti zake wawili. Ilikuwa familia ya watu wa Mungu wanaoishi kwa kumtegemea Bwana. Siku zikapita na miaka ikaenda. Kwa neema binti zake wakakua na wakapata wachumba na kuolewa. Mahari zikaletwa, na moja ya sehemu ya mahari ile ilikuwa ng’ombe wanne. Tayari Mzee yule akabadili maisha yake maana sasa pale kijijini akawa mmoja wa watu wenye mali na ng’ombe wake wakaanza kuzaa na kuongezeka. Lakini jambo moja baya kwa upande wake ni kuwa mara baada ya kupata utajiri wa ng’ombe Mzee yule akaanza taratibu kutoonekana kanisani na ibadani. Yuko wapi? Yuko ‘bize’ na fimbo begani (sio tena mfuko wa Biblia) akichunga ng’ombe wake. Mwishowe akaacha wokovu kabisa! Moyoni aliweka ng’ombe akamsahau aliye mpa hao ng’ombe!
Mpendwa wangu,
Jambo hili ni rahisi kutokea hata katika mazingira mengineyo yasiyofanana nay a kupata ng’ombe!
Kama hukuchukua tahadhari ni rahisi mno kumwacha Bwana kuliko unavyofikiri . Ni rahisi mno kujivuna na kujiambia ‘la lakini nilikuwa nafanya bidii wewe! Ndio maana nikafanikiwa namna hii!’ SAWA! Ulikuwa na bidii, na Bwana anatakila kila mtu awe na ‘bidii ilele’ wala usiwe mvivu (Waebrania 6:11-12); lakini kumbuka kuwa ni Bwana ndiye akupaye nguvu, afya, mawazo mapya nk ili kupata hicho ulichopata. Kwa hiyo MTANGULIZE YEYE, MJULISHE KWA WENGINE KUWA YEYE NDIYE ALIYEKUFANYIA!
Je umegundua kitu mpaka hapo? Ni kitu gani kinachoweza kukufanya ukamsahau Bwana? Jibu ni rahisi: MAFANIKIO.
3. SASA TUFANYEJE ILI MAFANIKIO YASITUTOE KWENYE UWEPO?
Kumb.8: 17 inasema: ‘Utamkumbuka Bwana, Mungu wako MAANA NDIYE AKUPAYE NGUVU ZA KUPATA UTAJIRI.
Nilipokuwa nasoma habari za Yakobo alipotoka kwa Labani na Mali, ng’ombe, kondoo, punda, ngamia, wafanyakazi kemkem na watoto na wake zake, niligumdua kuwa mara alipokutana na ESAU kaka yake, Esau alipomuuliza ‘nini hii yote na hawa ni akina nani’ YAKOBO alijibu jibu la mtu aliyekutana na MUNGU na kujua kuwa kwa kweli katika hili si mimi wala sina mkono ndani yake hata nijivune! Ukisoma Mwanzo 32: 9-10 utaona maombi na ukiri wake mbele za Mungu na jinsi alivyosema baadae na Esau. Anasemaje YAKOBO mbele za BWANA:
‘Yakobo akasema,Ee Mungu wa baba yangu Ibrahimu, na Mungu wa baba yangu Isaka, BWANA, uliyeniambia, “Rudi uende mpaka nchi yako, na kwa jamaa zako, name nitakutendea mema”; mimi sistahili hata kidogo hizo rehema zote na kweli yote uliyomfanyia mtumwa wako; maana nalivuka mto huo wa Yordani na fimbo yangu tu, na sasa nimekuwa matuo mawili!...’
Ukisoma alipokutana na Esau katiika Mwanzo 33:5 Esau alimuuliza : ‘...Ni nani hawa pamoja nawe?’ Tazama majibu ya Yakobo: (mstari wa 5b) ‘Akasema: ni watoto Mungu aliompa mtumwa wako kwa neema yake.’ Mtu huyu alimjua BWANA na kutambua kuwa kama si Mungu na Neema yake, hangalikuwa na kitu! Hivyo aliimtambulisha Mungu na Neema yake kwa watu kuhusu mafanikio yake. Tazama tena majibu yake kwa Esau kuhusu zawadi alizotuma kwake (Mwanzo 33:8 Esau anauliza : ‘Kundi hili lote nilililikuta maana yake ni nini?’ (alishikwa na butwaa). Naye Yakobo ana mtambulisha Mungu kwa habari ya mbaraka alioupta anasema (Mwa: 33:11 ‘ Pokea tafadhali mbaraka wangu, ulioletewa kwa sababu MUNGU amenineemesha...’ (Nani aliyemneemesha: Mungu!).
Mithali 8:17-21 inaweka bayana kuwa Mungu ndiye mwenye utajiri wote na kuwa ndiye awarithishaye mali wale wampendao. Tunarithishwa maana sis ni watoto wake na warithi turithio pamoja na Kristo. (Gal.4:6-7).
Hivyo basi: Ilikuepuka kumsahau BWANA au kuepuka uwezekano wa kufunikwa na Baraka hata ukamsahau Mungu: CHUKUA TAHADHARI KILA SIKU! Jiambie mwenewe na yeyote akuulizaye kuwa ‘Ni BWANA aliyenineemesha’. Kumbuka hilo na kamwe usikubali shetani akusahaulishe! Wala Moyo wako usikudanganye! Mkabidhi Bwana Moyo wako 100% maana anasema ‘Mwanangu nipe moyo wako!(Mithali 23:26)’ Timiza wajibu wako kwa Bwana. Kwa mfano wengine wanapofanikiwa sana wanaacha kutoa mafungu ya kumi. Na ni rahisi mno kuacha maana kama biashara imekubali ukafikia kupata , kwa mfano faida ya million 100, je ni rahisi kuto milioni 10 kama zaka? Moyo huwa mdanganyifu sana katika hili. LAKINI nakuambia toa hata kama ni bilioni! Usitekwe na adui kusema ‘lakini zote hizi mh?’ Bali utamkumbuka Bwana...’ itakusaidia. Kumtanguliza Mungu na kushika sheria (Neno) lake ni dawa ya kushinda kishawishi cha kufunikwa na mbaraka hata ukamsahau aliye kubariki. Lakini yakupasa kujifunza haya na kuyatendea kazi.
4. UTAJIRI (MAFANIKIO) YAKO NI KWA AJILI YA AGANO!
Kusudi la Mungu kukufanikisha ni ili wewe uliimarishe AGANO lake. Kuimarisha maana yake ni kufanya kitu kiwe imara zaidi au kisitikisike kinapopitishwa au kukumbana na mikikimikiki. Urafiki uliimarika ni ule wa kushibana sawasawa. Pete na kidole waswahili wanasema. Ukiondoa kimoja na chapili nacho kitaondoka! Kadiri tunavyo uonesha upendo wetu kwa Yule tuliye naye katika agano ndivyo linavyozidi kuimarika! Hata katika agano la ndoa, kwa mfano, kadiri mnavyoendelea kupendana ndivyo mnavyozidi kufanana hadi mnafikia mahali pa kuwaza kitu kilekile kimoja! Kila agano halina budi liimarishwe.
Tunaweza kuliimarisha agano letu na Mungu kwa kutimiza yale mashari tuliyokubaliana na Mungu alipotuokoa. Wote tulimwahidi Mungu kumtimikia kwa Mioyo yetu YOTE, Nguvu zetu ZOTE na Akili yetu (nafsi yetu) YOTE. Hii ni pamoja na mali, fedha,elimu , biashara nk. Vyote hivi ni lazima vilenge kutimiza mkusudi ya Mungu. Kama ni elimu umepata basi angalia itumie kuujenga Ufalme. Kama ni fedha au nafasi yoyote uliyo nayo kumbuka Mungu amekuweka mahali ulipo, nafasi uliyo nayo na kila kitu ili UMKUMBUKE BWANA MUNGU WAKO kwa kutenda sawasawa na sheria yake! Toa ulivyo navyo kwake, mafungu ya kumi, sadaka na matolea, misaada kwa wenye uhitaji, fadhili kazi ya Injili kwa bidii, fanya kitu katika ufalme maana wewe ni wakili tu wa mali ambazo Mungu ameziweka mikononi mwako.
5. MWISHO:
Kumbuka siku zote ya kwamba ukijisahau na kuzitumikia mali badala ya Mungu. Ukijisahau elimu yako ikachukua nafasi ya Mungu, fedha na biashara yako ikachukua muda wako na Mungu kama Yule mzee na ng’ombe wake wanne, BWANA anashuhudia akisema : ‘UTAANGAMIA BILA SHAKA’ maana hiyo mali itakuwa na mafanikio yatakuwa ‘TANZI’ badala ya ‘BARAKA’ kwako nawe ‘UTAANGAMIA bila shaka! Mali yaweza kugeuka ikawa ibada ya sanamu! Elimu yaweza kuwa ibada ya sanamu! Cheo nk vyote vyaweza kugeuka kuwa ibada ya sanamu kama havitakabidhiwa katika mikono ya BWANA aliyekupa. Hivyo mpendwa wangu:
JIHADHARI...na MKUMBUKE BWANA MUNGU WAKO (Ufanikiwapo) Maana ndiye akupaye NGUVU za kupata UTAJIRI ili kusudi ALIIMARISHE AGANO LAKE (na wewe) ndani ya Kristo!
Hadi majira mengine tukijaaliwa na Bwana,
Kaa na Amani ya Kristo,
Ni mimi mjoli wako,
Mwinjilisti Deo John Nangela,
Kumb: 8:11-19
‘BALI utamkumbuka BWANA Mungu wako , MAANA NDIYE AKUPAYE NGUVU ZA KUPATA UTAJIRI; ILI alifanye IMARA Agano lake ....’
Mpendwa Msomaji wangu!
Salamu nyingi tena katika Jina lile zuri tulilopewa; Jina la Yesu!
Karibu katika wakati mwingine wa ‘Makala ya Baraka’.
1. UTANGULIZI
Leo tunajifunza juu ya ‘Kuliimarisha Agano’. Agano ni makubaliano baina ya pande mbili upande mmoja ukiwa na mamlaka zaidi lakini ukujishusha na kufikia makubaliano ambayo yana kanuni zinazowafunga watu wote wiwili. Pamoja na kuwa ni ‘mkataba’ agano lina nguvu zaidi kuliko mkataba wa kawaida. Ndani ya agano kuna viapo. Katika utaratibu wa jamii nyingi agano lilifungwa kwa damu! Hata katika Israeli watu waliingia katika agano la damu kwa kumchinja mnyama na kumpasua vipande viwili kisha kila upande kupita katikati yake kama ishara ya kuingia makubaliano na kuapiana kutoyakiuka.( Bwana alifanya hilo na Ibrahim (Mwa.15:8-18). Katika agano mafanikio yako ni mafanikio yangu. Na Mafanikio yangu ni mafanikio yako. Taabu yangu ni taabu yako na taabu yangu ni taabu yako. Vita vyako ni vyangu na vita vyangu ni vyako. Adui zangu ni adaui zako nk. Kulikuwako na namna mbalimbali za kuthibitisha maagano. Mfano mwingine mzuri ni agano la Daudi na Mwana wa Sauli Yonathani. (1Sam.18:1-4). Yonathan alimpenda Daudi kama nafsi yake mwenyewe. Naye Daudi aliliheshimu hata baada ya kifo cha Yonathan bado Daudi alimtendea mema mwanaye –yule mlemavu Mefiboshethi. (2Sam. 9:1, 7)
Katika kipindi chetu cha Agano Jipya Mungu pia ametupenda kuliko upeo na kuingia katika Agano na sisi yeye mwenewe alilithibitia na kulitia muhuri kwa njia ya Kifo cha Kristo Yesu Mwanawe wa pekee.(Yoha.3:16 inasema ‘kwa maana jinsi hii (yaani mateso na kufa kwa Yesu msalabani) Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu hata akamtoa mwanawe pekee ...” Sharti moja katika agano hili ni ‘Imani’ kwa huyo aliyemtoa kwa ajili yetu ‘yaani’ YESU. Ndani ya Agano hili kuu zipo ahadi na Baraka tele. Hata hivyo Baraka na mafanikio yaliyopo yana malengo na makusudi maalumu. Hapa ndipo tunapo anzia katika somo letu la leo.
2. LIPOKUSUDI LA MUNGU KUKUFANIKISHA
Mungu hutufanikisha kwa kusudi maalum. Yanipasa/yakupasa kujua hilo. Mafanikio yako ya kifedha, kielimu, kiuchumi, kibiashara, kiafya, kifamilia, kihuduma nk si kwa ajili yako binafsi wala usijitwalie utukufu kwa hilo! La hasha! Ni kwa ajili ya kusudi maalumu ambalo ni hili: ‘Kuliimarisha' Agano la Mungu na Wewe. ‘Hukuokolewa bure (yaani bila sababu) na pia hufanikishwi bila lengo!
Katika fungu la maandiko yaliyopo kwenye mistari tajwa hapo juu (Kumb.8:11-19) Bwana anaanza na TAHADHARI.
Anasema: (Mstari wa 11-19:
‘‘JIHADHARI’, usije ukamsahau BWANA, Mungu wako, na kutozishika amri zake, na hukumu zake ninazokuamuru leo. Angalia, utakapokuwa umekula na kushiba, na kujenga nyumba nzuri na kukaa ndani yake; makundi yako ya ng’ombe na kondoo yatakapoongezeka, na fedha yako na dhahabu yako itakapoongezeka, na kila kitu ulichonacho kitakapo ongezeka; basi hapo MOYO wako usiinuke, ukamsahau BWANA, Mungu wako, aliyekutoa katika nchi ya Misri, katika nyumba ya utumwa; aliyekuongoza katika jangwa lile kubwa lenye kitisho, lenye nyoka za moto na nge, nchi ya kiu isiyokuwa na maji; aliyekulisha jangwani kwa mana, wasiyoijua baba zako, apate kukutweza, apate kukujaribu, iliakukutendea mema mwisho wako.
Hapo usiseme MOYONI mwako , Nguvu zangu na uwezo wa mkono wangu ndio ulionipatia utajiri huo. BALI utamkumbuka BWANA Mungu wako , MAANA NDIYE AKUPAYE NGUVU ZA KUPATA UTAJIRI; ILI alifanye IMARA Agano lake alilowapa baba zako, kama hivi leo. Lakini itakuwa, kama ukimsahau BWANA, na kuiandama miungu mingine na kuitumikia na kuiabudu, nawashuhudia LEO ya kuwa mtaangamia bila shaka (hakika).’
Tuanzie hapo na tujiulize maswali kadhaa:
• Je ni kwa nini Bwana anasema tujihadhari?
• Je mtu aweza kumsahauje Bwana (au) ni mambo gani yanayoweza kumfanya mtu akamsahau Mungu na Neno lake (amri zake) ?• Ni mazingira gani ambayo kwayo Bwana alitoa maonyo haya?
Labda tuanze na swali la mwisho la mazingira au muktadha (context) yaliyopelekea Bwana atoe angalizo hili! Kwangu mimi naliona hili ni angalizo linalobeba ‘Siri’ ya kuendelea vizuri na kuendelea kufanikiwa ukiwa ndani ya Kristo au ndani ya Wokovu.
Lengo kubwa la kitabu cha Kumbukumbu la Torati lilikuwa ni kuwakumbusha wana wa Israeli yale yote ambayo Bwana aliwafanyia na kuwatia moyo (ikiwa ni pamoja na kuwatahadharisha) kuhusu ‘umuhimu wa kujiweka wakfu upya kimaisha kwa Bwana’. Mambo haya wana wa Israeli wanaambiwa wakiwa ngambo yam to Yordani (kabla hawajavuka kuingia kwenye mbaraka wa Bwana aliowaahidia! Wamekwisha sota Jangwani kwa miaka kadhaa na sasa wapo ukingoni mwa ‘kutoboa maji’. Kwa lugha nyingine ni kama vile mchimba madini aliye karibia kutoboa mwamba wenyewe wa dhahabu tupu!Karibu shimo lianze kutema baada ya muda mrefu wa kusota na jasho jingi kumwagika! Kwa wale waliooa/olewa ni kama usiku mmja tu kabla ya kuingia kwenye ‘siku yenu’ mliyo ingojea sana kwa shauku na matarajio. Hebu piga picha! Kunakuwepo na tashwishi Fulani na matazamia makubwa yanayofunika hata ule muda mreeefu wa kusubiri! Katika hali hiyo ndipo Bwana analeta ‘ANGALIZO!’ Ana waambia ‘Jihadharini msije mkanisahau au mkasahau sheria yangu!’ Kwa ufupi hiyo ndio muktadha ya kitabu hiki cha Kumbukumbu la Torati na msingi wa sura hii ya Nane.
Sasa turejee katika maswali mawili yaliyobakia: Je mtu awezaje kumsahau Bwana?
Yapo mambo kadhaa ambayo nimeyatilia mkazo katika maadiko tuliyosoma hapo juu. Mpendwa mafanikio ni kitu kizuri sana na Mungu anapenda kila mtu afanikiwe.Katika (3Yoh 1:2) tunaona hilo: Ansema “ Mpenzi (yaani ewe liye pendawa!) naomba ufanikiwe katika mambo YOTE na kuwa na AFYA yako!” Ni makusudi ya Mungu tufanikiwe tena tuwe na afya zetu kikamilifu. Tena kama tulivyoona yeye Bwana ndiye anayehusika na kutufanikisha kwa kutupa ‘nguvu’ (anointing) (upako) wa kufanikiwa! (Lakini kumbuka upako hauji bila kusudi! Mdo: 1:8’.... mtapokea ‘nguvu’....nanyi mtakuwa mashahidi wangu katika....’)Hayo ndiyo masharti ya upako! Na ndivyo yalivyo ya upako wa mafaniko!
Katika mambo niliyotilia mkazo hapo juu kwenye andiko letu la somo utaona kitu cha kipekee! Bwana anatoa tahadhari. Anasema kuwa MAFANIKIO ni kitu cha kuchukulia kwa TAHADHARI. Kwa nini? Kwa vile yana uwezo mkubwa sana wa kukutoa kwa Mungu! Baraka zinaweza kukufanya ukamsahau Mungu kuliko shida! Mara nyingi shida hukuleta kwenye magoti! Lakini si rahisi kwa mafanikio kukuleta kwenye magoti, japo ndivyo inavyotakiwa iwe! Kama hujajifunza somo kama hili hutaelewa. Lakini nataka leo tujifunze pamoja na tuelimike kwa kuupata ujuzi huu wa kweli ya Mungu kwamba: MAFANIKIO YANATAKIWA YAKULETE KWENYE MAGOTI ZAIDI KULIKO HATA SHIDA! Kwa lugha nyingine wakati ufanikiwapo ‘mtafute Mungu’ zaidi kuliko kabla ya kuyapata! Tafuta kuujenga ushirika na Mungu zaidi kuliko awali! Hii ndiyo siri ambayo wengine walipoikataa walijikuta wamefunikwa na mafanikio yao wakamsahau aliyewapa yaani Mungu!
Bwana anasema: Chukua tahadhari :
(a) Wakati umekula ukashiba (yaani unachakula chakukutosha)
(b) Umejenga nyumba (wewe si ‘homeless’).
(c) Makundi yako yameongezeka (biashara, una assets mbalimbali, elimu ya kiwango kizuri nk)...
(d) Fedha yako na dhahabu imeongezeka...(una uhakika wa mshahara mzuri au akiba unayo benki..nk)
Basi chunga sana ‘ Moyo wako’! Oh! Moyo, moyo wa mwanadamu mpendwa ni kitu cha ajabu sana! Wakati fulani tajiri mmoja alikuwa na magari mawili mapya, mazuri. Yalikuwa magari yake ya kwanza katika maisha yake kuwahi kuyanunua. Siku moja akawa anayasafisha na anayaangalia. Ghafla moyoni akajiambia ‘du! Yaani na mimi nina magari mawili! Ama kweli...” Wazo hilo la kujisifia lilimpa fundisho maana siku si nyingi gari moja na upya wake likapata ajali mbaya na kuharibiwa vibaya! Ndipo alipozinduka na kugundua kuwa ‘moyo’ wake ulikuwa unatukuka na kupoteza mwelekea sahihi ikambidi atubu mbele za Mungu wake! Je wamkumbuka Nebukadreza? Jinsi alivyojitukuza? Soma mwenyewe (Dan 4:28-33).
Biblia inasema katika Yeremia 17:9-10 “ Moyo huwa mdanganyifu kuliko vitu vyote, una ugonjwa wa kufisha; nnani awezaye kuujua? Mimi ,Bwana, nauchunguza moyo, navijaribu viuno, hata kumpa kila mtu kiasi cha njia zake, kiasi cha matunda ya matendo yake.’
Mafanikio ni kitu kimoja ambacho kinaweza kuugeuza moyo wa mtu ukadanganyika na kujitukuza juu ya kazi ambayo aliyeifanya ni Mungu wala si wewe. Tuangalie tena habari ya mfano wa mtu mmoja.
‘Mwana kijiji mmoja alikuwa ameokoka. Hakuwa na mali yoyote, tena kwa kweli, alikuwa maskini tu na mhitaji. Lakini alikuwa mwombaji na hakukosa ibada hata moja Jumapili na katikati ya wiki. Alikuja na Biblia yake kwenye kamfuko alikokaning’iniza begani kila siku! Hakutembea barabarani bila kamfuko kake na Biblia yake ndani yake ili apatapo hata fursa kidogo asome Neno au ashuhudie habari za Yesu. Alikuwa na bidii na mambo ya Mungu. Katika familia yake alikuwa hana kitu ila yeye, mkewe na binti zake wawili. Ilikuwa familia ya watu wa Mungu wanaoishi kwa kumtegemea Bwana. Siku zikapita na miaka ikaenda. Kwa neema binti zake wakakua na wakapata wachumba na kuolewa. Mahari zikaletwa, na moja ya sehemu ya mahari ile ilikuwa ng’ombe wanne. Tayari Mzee yule akabadili maisha yake maana sasa pale kijijini akawa mmoja wa watu wenye mali na ng’ombe wake wakaanza kuzaa na kuongezeka. Lakini jambo moja baya kwa upande wake ni kuwa mara baada ya kupata utajiri wa ng’ombe Mzee yule akaanza taratibu kutoonekana kanisani na ibadani. Yuko wapi? Yuko ‘bize’ na fimbo begani (sio tena mfuko wa Biblia) akichunga ng’ombe wake. Mwishowe akaacha wokovu kabisa! Moyoni aliweka ng’ombe akamsahau aliye mpa hao ng’ombe!
Mpendwa wangu,
Jambo hili ni rahisi kutokea hata katika mazingira mengineyo yasiyofanana nay a kupata ng’ombe!
Kama hukuchukua tahadhari ni rahisi mno kumwacha Bwana kuliko unavyofikiri . Ni rahisi mno kujivuna na kujiambia ‘la lakini nilikuwa nafanya bidii wewe! Ndio maana nikafanikiwa namna hii!’ SAWA! Ulikuwa na bidii, na Bwana anatakila kila mtu awe na ‘bidii ilele’ wala usiwe mvivu (Waebrania 6:11-12); lakini kumbuka kuwa ni Bwana ndiye akupaye nguvu, afya, mawazo mapya nk ili kupata hicho ulichopata. Kwa hiyo MTANGULIZE YEYE, MJULISHE KWA WENGINE KUWA YEYE NDIYE ALIYEKUFANYIA!
Je umegundua kitu mpaka hapo? Ni kitu gani kinachoweza kukufanya ukamsahau Bwana? Jibu ni rahisi: MAFANIKIO.
3. SASA TUFANYEJE ILI MAFANIKIO YASITUTOE KWENYE UWEPO?
Kumb.8: 17 inasema: ‘Utamkumbuka Bwana, Mungu wako MAANA NDIYE AKUPAYE NGUVU ZA KUPATA UTAJIRI.
Nilipokuwa nasoma habari za Yakobo alipotoka kwa Labani na Mali, ng’ombe, kondoo, punda, ngamia, wafanyakazi kemkem na watoto na wake zake, niligumdua kuwa mara alipokutana na ESAU kaka yake, Esau alipomuuliza ‘nini hii yote na hawa ni akina nani’ YAKOBO alijibu jibu la mtu aliyekutana na MUNGU na kujua kuwa kwa kweli katika hili si mimi wala sina mkono ndani yake hata nijivune! Ukisoma Mwanzo 32: 9-10 utaona maombi na ukiri wake mbele za Mungu na jinsi alivyosema baadae na Esau. Anasemaje YAKOBO mbele za BWANA:
‘Yakobo akasema,Ee Mungu wa baba yangu Ibrahimu, na Mungu wa baba yangu Isaka, BWANA, uliyeniambia, “Rudi uende mpaka nchi yako, na kwa jamaa zako, name nitakutendea mema”; mimi sistahili hata kidogo hizo rehema zote na kweli yote uliyomfanyia mtumwa wako; maana nalivuka mto huo wa Yordani na fimbo yangu tu, na sasa nimekuwa matuo mawili!...’
Ukisoma alipokutana na Esau katiika Mwanzo 33:5 Esau alimuuliza : ‘...Ni nani hawa pamoja nawe?’ Tazama majibu ya Yakobo: (mstari wa 5b) ‘Akasema: ni watoto Mungu aliompa mtumwa wako kwa neema yake.’ Mtu huyu alimjua BWANA na kutambua kuwa kama si Mungu na Neema yake, hangalikuwa na kitu! Hivyo aliimtambulisha Mungu na Neema yake kwa watu kuhusu mafanikio yake. Tazama tena majibu yake kwa Esau kuhusu zawadi alizotuma kwake (Mwanzo 33:8 Esau anauliza : ‘Kundi hili lote nilililikuta maana yake ni nini?’ (alishikwa na butwaa). Naye Yakobo ana mtambulisha Mungu kwa habari ya mbaraka alioupta anasema (Mwa: 33:11 ‘ Pokea tafadhali mbaraka wangu, ulioletewa kwa sababu MUNGU amenineemesha...’ (Nani aliyemneemesha: Mungu!).
Mithali 8:17-21 inaweka bayana kuwa Mungu ndiye mwenye utajiri wote na kuwa ndiye awarithishaye mali wale wampendao. Tunarithishwa maana sis ni watoto wake na warithi turithio pamoja na Kristo. (Gal.4:6-7).
Hivyo basi: Ilikuepuka kumsahau BWANA au kuepuka uwezekano wa kufunikwa na Baraka hata ukamsahau Mungu: CHUKUA TAHADHARI KILA SIKU! Jiambie mwenewe na yeyote akuulizaye kuwa ‘Ni BWANA aliyenineemesha’. Kumbuka hilo na kamwe usikubali shetani akusahaulishe! Wala Moyo wako usikudanganye! Mkabidhi Bwana Moyo wako 100% maana anasema ‘Mwanangu nipe moyo wako!(Mithali 23:26)’ Timiza wajibu wako kwa Bwana. Kwa mfano wengine wanapofanikiwa sana wanaacha kutoa mafungu ya kumi. Na ni rahisi mno kuacha maana kama biashara imekubali ukafikia kupata , kwa mfano faida ya million 100, je ni rahisi kuto milioni 10 kama zaka? Moyo huwa mdanganyifu sana katika hili. LAKINI nakuambia toa hata kama ni bilioni! Usitekwe na adui kusema ‘lakini zote hizi mh?’ Bali utamkumbuka Bwana...’ itakusaidia. Kumtanguliza Mungu na kushika sheria (Neno) lake ni dawa ya kushinda kishawishi cha kufunikwa na mbaraka hata ukamsahau aliye kubariki. Lakini yakupasa kujifunza haya na kuyatendea kazi.
4. UTAJIRI (MAFANIKIO) YAKO NI KWA AJILI YA AGANO!
Kusudi la Mungu kukufanikisha ni ili wewe uliimarishe AGANO lake. Kuimarisha maana yake ni kufanya kitu kiwe imara zaidi au kisitikisike kinapopitishwa au kukumbana na mikikimikiki. Urafiki uliimarika ni ule wa kushibana sawasawa. Pete na kidole waswahili wanasema. Ukiondoa kimoja na chapili nacho kitaondoka! Kadiri tunavyo uonesha upendo wetu kwa Yule tuliye naye katika agano ndivyo linavyozidi kuimarika! Hata katika agano la ndoa, kwa mfano, kadiri mnavyoendelea kupendana ndivyo mnavyozidi kufanana hadi mnafikia mahali pa kuwaza kitu kilekile kimoja! Kila agano halina budi liimarishwe.
Tunaweza kuliimarisha agano letu na Mungu kwa kutimiza yale mashari tuliyokubaliana na Mungu alipotuokoa. Wote tulimwahidi Mungu kumtimikia kwa Mioyo yetu YOTE, Nguvu zetu ZOTE na Akili yetu (nafsi yetu) YOTE. Hii ni pamoja na mali, fedha,elimu , biashara nk. Vyote hivi ni lazima vilenge kutimiza mkusudi ya Mungu. Kama ni elimu umepata basi angalia itumie kuujenga Ufalme. Kama ni fedha au nafasi yoyote uliyo nayo kumbuka Mungu amekuweka mahali ulipo, nafasi uliyo nayo na kila kitu ili UMKUMBUKE BWANA MUNGU WAKO kwa kutenda sawasawa na sheria yake! Toa ulivyo navyo kwake, mafungu ya kumi, sadaka na matolea, misaada kwa wenye uhitaji, fadhili kazi ya Injili kwa bidii, fanya kitu katika ufalme maana wewe ni wakili tu wa mali ambazo Mungu ameziweka mikononi mwako.
5. MWISHO:
Kumbuka siku zote ya kwamba ukijisahau na kuzitumikia mali badala ya Mungu. Ukijisahau elimu yako ikachukua nafasi ya Mungu, fedha na biashara yako ikachukua muda wako na Mungu kama Yule mzee na ng’ombe wake wanne, BWANA anashuhudia akisema : ‘UTAANGAMIA BILA SHAKA’ maana hiyo mali itakuwa na mafanikio yatakuwa ‘TANZI’ badala ya ‘BARAKA’ kwako nawe ‘UTAANGAMIA bila shaka! Mali yaweza kugeuka ikawa ibada ya sanamu! Elimu yaweza kuwa ibada ya sanamu! Cheo nk vyote vyaweza kugeuka kuwa ibada ya sanamu kama havitakabidhiwa katika mikono ya BWANA aliyekupa. Hivyo mpendwa wangu:
JIHADHARI...na MKUMBUKE BWANA MUNGU WAKO (Ufanikiwapo) Maana ndiye akupaye NGUVU za kupata UTAJIRI ili kusudi ALIIMARISHE AGANO LAKE (na wewe) ndani ya Kristo!
Hadi majira mengine tukijaaliwa na Bwana,
Kaa na Amani ya Kristo,
Ni mimi mjoli wako,
Mwinjilisti Deo John Nangela,
Sunday, September 19, 2010
SASA UMEKUWA KIUMBE KIPYA
SASA UMEKUWA KIUMBE KIPYA
2WAKORINTHO 5:17
‘Hata imekuwa, mtu akiwa ndani ya Kristo amekuwa kiumbe kipya; ya kale yamepita tazama! Yamekuwa Mapya.’
__________________________________
Salaam katika Jina la Yesu!
Ndugu msomaji.
Ni dhahiri wala sio siri ‘UKIOKOKA UNAFANYIKA KUWA KIUMBE KIPYA’. Mambo yote ya zamani (katika dhambi yaletayo uadui na Mungu) yamepita (yamefutwa/yameondolewa/yametupwa nje) na tazama YOTE yamekuwa MAPYA! Hilo ndilo Neno la Uzima Mpya: Kufanyika kuwa KIUMBE KIPYA!
Mara nyingi nimekuwa nikiwasikia baadhi ya watu (hata walio katika madhehebu ya Kikristo) wakisema ‘haiwezekani kuokoka ukiwa duniani’. Kwa jinsi ya kibinadamu ni kweli kuwa hakuna mtu yeyote anayeweza kujiokoa. Lakini kulingana na Biblia inavyoufunua ukweli wa kazi ya Yesu pale msalabani Wokovu ni SASA, LEO, WAKATI HUU! (2 Wakorintho 6:1-2).
Neno linasema ‘usipokee neema ya Mungu bure! Kwa lugha nyingine ‘neema’ ambayo Mungu ameileta kwa njia ya kifo cha Kristo na kufufuka kwake haikuletwa iliikae bure bila kutendewa kazi. Yakupasa kuichukua (appropriate the Grace of God Now!)
Yesu hakwenda msalabani pasipo sababu au pasipo matokeo ya kile alichokiendea! La hasha. Aliimaliza kazi na kulipa kila madai na hitaji la adhabu ambayo tuliistahili kwa sababu ya dhambi. Alipokuwa akifanya malipo hayo kwa njia ya mateso yake na alipokiendea kifo cha aibu msalabani, aweka tamko la hadharani akisema ‘IMEKWISHA’. Kwa lugha nyingine YOTE yaliyohitajiwa KULIPWA ili tupatanishwe na MUNGU na KUINGIA katika USHIRIKA MPYA na MUNGU YAMELIPWA KIKAMILIFU!
Ili mtu yeyote aweze kufaidi mbaraka wa Mungu unaoambatana na yale ambayo Kristo aliyaleta kwetu kwa njia ya kufa na kufufuka (Gal.3:13-14) (Isaya 44:3) kwake ni LAZIMA KWANZA UFANYIKE KIUMBE KIPYA!
Labda utauliza: Je inakuwaje kufanyika kiumbe kipya? Swali hilo ni zuri na wengi wamewahi kuliuliza. Ukisoma Yohana 3:4 utamwona mwalimu mmoja wa Torati akihoji inawezekana je? Ndiyo! Inawezekana: maana yote yanawezekana kwa yeye aaminiye! (Mk 9:23). (Taz. Pia Luka 1:37). Wokovu ni neema ya bure tuipokeayo toka kwa Mungu kwa njia ya IMANI katika Kristo. Kule tu kusikia Injili isemavyo na kumkubali Kristo kama mwokozi huleta mabadiliko ya PAPO KWA PAPO!
Ndiyo maana 2Wakorintho 5:17 inasema mambo muhimu yafuatayo:
1. Ikiwa.... (ikiwa nini?)...
2. Mtu (mtu gani? Yeyote? bila kijali alivyo?) Ndiyo! Yeyote..hata wewe!
3. Akiwa (wapi?)...
4. Ndani ya Kristo (sio ndani ya dini? La).
5. amekuwa (saa hiyohiyo? ).(Ndiyo).
6. kiumbe (maana yake kuna badiliko la ndani la kiuumbaji)..
7. kipya. (maana yake kuna kiumbe cha zamani kimetolewa/kuna kufanyika/ kuna kuzaliwa upya, mara ya pili (Yohana 3:3) (Yohana 1:12).
Kufanyika kiumbe kipya ni Muujiza wa kipekee sana ndani ya mtu! Ni jambo linalowezekana pale tu mtu anapoingia ndani ya Kristo. Unaweza ukawa na dini na ukasifika kama muumini mzuri. Lakini kuwa ndani ya dina hakukufanyi kuwa kiumbe kipya! Ndio maana hutaona badiliko lolote hadi utakapoingia kaburini! Wengi walioko magerezani kwa makosa mbalimbali kama vile uuaji, ubakaji, wizi, ujambazi, ulawiti, ulevi nk si kwamba hawana dini zao. Wote wako ndani ya dini moja au nyingine! Lakini kuwa ndani ya dini sio ndani ya Kristo.
Sasa utauliza: Je niweje ndani ya Kristo? Kitu gani kiniingize ndani ya Kristo? Wokovu (Kuokoka) ndiyo tiketi ya kukuingiza ndani ya ushirika na Kristo. Najua utauliza bado: sasa niokokeje? Swali lako si jipya. Liliulizwa kwanza kule Efeso na askari mmoja wa Kirumi aliyekuwa mlinzi wa gereza. Huyu alitaka kijiua! Lakini kwa vile neema ya Mungu ilikuwa imeingia ndani ya Gereza lake kuponya wala si kuamngamiza Ukisoma Matendo 16:28 Mtume Paulo alipaaza sauti yake akasema: USIJIDHURU!
Na kweli, wengi sana leo hii wamekata tama ya maisha na wana taka kujiua! Wengine wanataka kutoa mimba ambayo aliipata bila kutarajia na sasa anataka kuficha uhalisia wa maisha aliyokuwa akiishi (uzinzi/uasherati) kwa kuitoa mimba hiyo! Sikiza rafiki: USIJIDHURU! Iko nafasi ya kuyafanya mambo yako yote kuwa mapya! Unaweza kusamehewa na kuanza UPYA ndani ya YESU! Ukisoma Matendo 16:30, utaona swali lile muhimu ambalo umekuwa ukijiuliza: Nifanye nini basi nipate KUOKOKA? Paulo na Sila walilijibu swali hilo kwa ushauri huu ambao ni wa Mungu mwenyewe: ‘MWAMINI BWANA YESU, NAWE UTAOKOKA, PAMOJA NA NYUMBA YAKO!
Haya ni maneno muhimu sana kwako LEO! Huna haja ya kukata tamaa juu ya maisha yako ya nyuma. Huna haja ya kujiangamiza au hata kumwangamiza mtoto huyo aliyeko tumboni mwako! Iko njia sahihi ya kukuponya wewe na nyumba (mtoto) wako! Ni njia rahisi kabisa: AMINI LEO! MPOKEE YESU LEO! Atayafanya upya maisha yako! Atakufanya KIUMBE KIPYA! Inawezekana.
Tena, Biblia yasema hivi: TAZAMA!
1. Mambo yote ya kale yanaondolewa
2. Tazama YOTE yamekuwa Mapya!
Mpendwa wangu, Kuwa ndani ya dini (hata kama ni ya Ki-Kristo) sio kuwa ndani ya Kristo. Ukristo (Wokovu) na Dini ni vitu viwili tofauti. U-Kristo ni ushirika na Mungu NDANI ya Kristo Yesu. Dini ni utaratibu wa watu kumtafuta na kutumikia kile wanachoamini ni ‘mungu’. Ndani ya dini kuna ‘taratibu’ au sheria na kanani za kufuata katika kumtafuta huyo ‘mungu’ na ‘msaada wake’ kama anaweza kuutoa! Hakuna ushirika. Lakini ndani ya Kristo kuna ushiriki. Mara tu unapokuwa ndani ya Kristo unaingizwa katika ushirika na Mungu. Mungu anahamia ndani yako! (2Wakorintho 6:16 inasema hivyo!)
Kama hujampokea Yesu Kristo na KUOKOLEWA Unangoja nini? Waweza kuokoka sasa, mara hii unaposoma makala hii! Kama wajua hakika ya kwamba huja okoka na hauko ndani ya Kristo bali una dini tu waweza kufanya uamuzi na kufanya toba nomba toka moyoni mwako rehema za Mungu na neema ya WOKOVU nawe UTAKOKA! Ukiamini:
Sala hii yaweza kukusaidia:
‘Bwana Yesu, ninakuja mbele zako. Ninatubia uovu na dhambi zangu na kutokukuamini kwangu. Naomba unisamehe leo. Nakupokea Moyoni mwangu. Takasa Maisha yangu kwa Damu yako. Asante kwa kunisamehe na kunifanya mwanao Leo. Sasa mimi nimeokoka! Asante Yesu kwa kuniokoa! AMINA!
(Na kweli: SASA UMEKUWA KIUMBE KIPYA
Wasiliana name: nangela04@yahoo.co.uk
Mobile: +255-755-654 129.
2WAKORINTHO 5:17
‘Hata imekuwa, mtu akiwa ndani ya Kristo amekuwa kiumbe kipya; ya kale yamepita tazama! Yamekuwa Mapya.’
__________________________________
Salaam katika Jina la Yesu!
Ndugu msomaji.
Ni dhahiri wala sio siri ‘UKIOKOKA UNAFANYIKA KUWA KIUMBE KIPYA’. Mambo yote ya zamani (katika dhambi yaletayo uadui na Mungu) yamepita (yamefutwa/yameondolewa/yametupwa nje) na tazama YOTE yamekuwa MAPYA! Hilo ndilo Neno la Uzima Mpya: Kufanyika kuwa KIUMBE KIPYA!
Mara nyingi nimekuwa nikiwasikia baadhi ya watu (hata walio katika madhehebu ya Kikristo) wakisema ‘haiwezekani kuokoka ukiwa duniani’. Kwa jinsi ya kibinadamu ni kweli kuwa hakuna mtu yeyote anayeweza kujiokoa. Lakini kulingana na Biblia inavyoufunua ukweli wa kazi ya Yesu pale msalabani Wokovu ni SASA, LEO, WAKATI HUU! (2 Wakorintho 6:1-2).
Neno linasema ‘usipokee neema ya Mungu bure! Kwa lugha nyingine ‘neema’ ambayo Mungu ameileta kwa njia ya kifo cha Kristo na kufufuka kwake haikuletwa iliikae bure bila kutendewa kazi. Yakupasa kuichukua (appropriate the Grace of God Now!)
Yesu hakwenda msalabani pasipo sababu au pasipo matokeo ya kile alichokiendea! La hasha. Aliimaliza kazi na kulipa kila madai na hitaji la adhabu ambayo tuliistahili kwa sababu ya dhambi. Alipokuwa akifanya malipo hayo kwa njia ya mateso yake na alipokiendea kifo cha aibu msalabani, aweka tamko la hadharani akisema ‘IMEKWISHA’. Kwa lugha nyingine YOTE yaliyohitajiwa KULIPWA ili tupatanishwe na MUNGU na KUINGIA katika USHIRIKA MPYA na MUNGU YAMELIPWA KIKAMILIFU!
Ili mtu yeyote aweze kufaidi mbaraka wa Mungu unaoambatana na yale ambayo Kristo aliyaleta kwetu kwa njia ya kufa na kufufuka (Gal.3:13-14) (Isaya 44:3) kwake ni LAZIMA KWANZA UFANYIKE KIUMBE KIPYA!
Labda utauliza: Je inakuwaje kufanyika kiumbe kipya? Swali hilo ni zuri na wengi wamewahi kuliuliza. Ukisoma Yohana 3:4 utamwona mwalimu mmoja wa Torati akihoji inawezekana je? Ndiyo! Inawezekana: maana yote yanawezekana kwa yeye aaminiye! (Mk 9:23). (Taz. Pia Luka 1:37). Wokovu ni neema ya bure tuipokeayo toka kwa Mungu kwa njia ya IMANI katika Kristo. Kule tu kusikia Injili isemavyo na kumkubali Kristo kama mwokozi huleta mabadiliko ya PAPO KWA PAPO!
Ndiyo maana 2Wakorintho 5:17 inasema mambo muhimu yafuatayo:
1. Ikiwa.... (ikiwa nini?)...
2. Mtu (mtu gani? Yeyote? bila kijali alivyo?) Ndiyo! Yeyote..hata wewe!
3. Akiwa (wapi?)...
4. Ndani ya Kristo (sio ndani ya dini? La).
5. amekuwa (saa hiyohiyo? ).(Ndiyo).
6. kiumbe (maana yake kuna badiliko la ndani la kiuumbaji)..
7. kipya. (maana yake kuna kiumbe cha zamani kimetolewa/kuna kufanyika/ kuna kuzaliwa upya, mara ya pili (Yohana 3:3) (Yohana 1:12).
Kufanyika kiumbe kipya ni Muujiza wa kipekee sana ndani ya mtu! Ni jambo linalowezekana pale tu mtu anapoingia ndani ya Kristo. Unaweza ukawa na dini na ukasifika kama muumini mzuri. Lakini kuwa ndani ya dina hakukufanyi kuwa kiumbe kipya! Ndio maana hutaona badiliko lolote hadi utakapoingia kaburini! Wengi walioko magerezani kwa makosa mbalimbali kama vile uuaji, ubakaji, wizi, ujambazi, ulawiti, ulevi nk si kwamba hawana dini zao. Wote wako ndani ya dini moja au nyingine! Lakini kuwa ndani ya dini sio ndani ya Kristo.
Sasa utauliza: Je niweje ndani ya Kristo? Kitu gani kiniingize ndani ya Kristo? Wokovu (Kuokoka) ndiyo tiketi ya kukuingiza ndani ya ushirika na Kristo. Najua utauliza bado: sasa niokokeje? Swali lako si jipya. Liliulizwa kwanza kule Efeso na askari mmoja wa Kirumi aliyekuwa mlinzi wa gereza. Huyu alitaka kijiua! Lakini kwa vile neema ya Mungu ilikuwa imeingia ndani ya Gereza lake kuponya wala si kuamngamiza Ukisoma Matendo 16:28 Mtume Paulo alipaaza sauti yake akasema: USIJIDHURU!
Na kweli, wengi sana leo hii wamekata tama ya maisha na wana taka kujiua! Wengine wanataka kutoa mimba ambayo aliipata bila kutarajia na sasa anataka kuficha uhalisia wa maisha aliyokuwa akiishi (uzinzi/uasherati) kwa kuitoa mimba hiyo! Sikiza rafiki: USIJIDHURU! Iko nafasi ya kuyafanya mambo yako yote kuwa mapya! Unaweza kusamehewa na kuanza UPYA ndani ya YESU! Ukisoma Matendo 16:30, utaona swali lile muhimu ambalo umekuwa ukijiuliza: Nifanye nini basi nipate KUOKOKA? Paulo na Sila walilijibu swali hilo kwa ushauri huu ambao ni wa Mungu mwenyewe: ‘MWAMINI BWANA YESU, NAWE UTAOKOKA, PAMOJA NA NYUMBA YAKO!
Haya ni maneno muhimu sana kwako LEO! Huna haja ya kukata tamaa juu ya maisha yako ya nyuma. Huna haja ya kujiangamiza au hata kumwangamiza mtoto huyo aliyeko tumboni mwako! Iko njia sahihi ya kukuponya wewe na nyumba (mtoto) wako! Ni njia rahisi kabisa: AMINI LEO! MPOKEE YESU LEO! Atayafanya upya maisha yako! Atakufanya KIUMBE KIPYA! Inawezekana.
Tena, Biblia yasema hivi: TAZAMA!
1. Mambo yote ya kale yanaondolewa
2. Tazama YOTE yamekuwa Mapya!
Mpendwa wangu, Kuwa ndani ya dini (hata kama ni ya Ki-Kristo) sio kuwa ndani ya Kristo. Ukristo (Wokovu) na Dini ni vitu viwili tofauti. U-Kristo ni ushirika na Mungu NDANI ya Kristo Yesu. Dini ni utaratibu wa watu kumtafuta na kutumikia kile wanachoamini ni ‘mungu’. Ndani ya dini kuna ‘taratibu’ au sheria na kanani za kufuata katika kumtafuta huyo ‘mungu’ na ‘msaada wake’ kama anaweza kuutoa! Hakuna ushirika. Lakini ndani ya Kristo kuna ushiriki. Mara tu unapokuwa ndani ya Kristo unaingizwa katika ushirika na Mungu. Mungu anahamia ndani yako! (2Wakorintho 6:16 inasema hivyo!)
Kama hujampokea Yesu Kristo na KUOKOLEWA Unangoja nini? Waweza kuokoka sasa, mara hii unaposoma makala hii! Kama wajua hakika ya kwamba huja okoka na hauko ndani ya Kristo bali una dini tu waweza kufanya uamuzi na kufanya toba nomba toka moyoni mwako rehema za Mungu na neema ya WOKOVU nawe UTAKOKA! Ukiamini:
Sala hii yaweza kukusaidia:
‘Bwana Yesu, ninakuja mbele zako. Ninatubia uovu na dhambi zangu na kutokukuamini kwangu. Naomba unisamehe leo. Nakupokea Moyoni mwangu. Takasa Maisha yangu kwa Damu yako. Asante kwa kunisamehe na kunifanya mwanao Leo. Sasa mimi nimeokoka! Asante Yesu kwa kuniokoa! AMINA!
(Na kweli: SASA UMEKUWA KIUMBE KIPYA
Wasiliana name: nangela04@yahoo.co.uk
Mobile: +255-755-654 129.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
SEEK PEACE AND THAT HOLINESS AT ALL COST
Dear brethren,
Karibu tena (Welcome Again) to share the cake with me!
'Seeking Peace and Holiness at all cost' is our subject today!
Hebrews 12:14 'Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord.'
Holiness has been connected to peace in this portion of the scripture. There is a reason for this and a lesson to be learnt. When you are in grievance and anger with others you are the looser! You loose your patience and your territory or position in God. You are in fact distancing yourself from God. You destroy or spoil your heart and sin can easily creep in and take you down in a suprising manner! The Spirit of God through the Bible teaches us that he who thinks that he stands should watch lest he falls! When you seek peace with those who are angry with you and battling you out in their mischivious schemes without any reasonable cause, you are not the looser even if in the eyes of this flesh you seem to loose! You are infact gaining more favour before God and even those who are in enmity with you will come to recognise it though late on their part. So we should not let our living in harmony with God and others be overshadowed by anything, no! Not even our own personal interests should overshadow it!
Disharmony sometimes occurs even from those whom we count as brothers in the family of God (the church). We even might have helped some of them to be where they are today but, because they are not grateful and observing, they may turn against us and be a thorn to our relations trying to spoil, not only the brotherhood or brethren fellowship but also, our relationship with God. The fact is that the devil can use anybody who is not careful. Always a careless person falls into a trap easily! And, because of that, you will find that many families have broken apart and many friendships have been shattered! But what does the Spirit of God through the Bible teaches us to do in times when disharmony erupts? He says "SEEK PEACE AND BE HOLY". He says maintain the Bond and the Holiness with the Lord. He says rest your case not in men's hands but in God's hands. God knows how to guide wisely, handle things properly and judge righteously! So rest your case with Him and pursue peace will all.
In Genesis 13:5-9 we see how people who knew God reacted when they faced potential conflict, or a near breaking up of the treasured family love and brotherly harmony! Abraham was that man who knew the God who called him to 'come out' from the ways how people handle their matters, and he pursued the way of how a man of God should live and handle the affairs of this world. Here Abraham came into a trap of being brought into a quarell with Lot, his nephew, over pasture lands. Thes pasturelands were a treasure to both, and Abraham had the promise of God that the land was to be given to him! He could count himself more righteous than Lot. But he was wise in God. Instead of letting the family break up he was ready to seek peace at all cost, even if it meant endangering his own interests! And he indeed took the risks. He told Lot to make a choice of which direction he would like to go with his flock and then Abraham would choose to take a different one.
In principle, and customarily, Abraham being more older than Lot was the one supposed to make the first choice. But he sacrificed it for the sake of peace. He showed the willingess to take the risk. And, indeed, Lot made a haste choice to take the advantage and choose what seemed to be 'the best choice' according to his own eyes!(Gen.13:10-11).
Abraham's decision to risk for the sake of peace is an important lesson we must emulate in our lives as we walk with the Lord. He believed in peace with men to protect his relationship with God. He did not want to give the enemies a chance to devour the harmony he had maintained with Lot. He overcame evil with good. So what can we say? Their quarell was a family one. But how he wisely resolved it is what we should learn abd take into practise in our lives.
When you are faced with a similar situation in your house:
1. Take the initiative in resolving the conflict.
2.Let the other party make a first choice even if it will mean not getting what you want, i.e, even if your interests are sacrificed.
3.Put family peace above all personal interests or desires.
4. Rest your case in God's hands for better guidance.
Doing so will pay off to your side. You may be seen as a looser but you are the gainer! You may be seen as a fool but you are the wisest man/woman before God. And, God will immediately 'appear to you' for guidance (Gen.13:14). You can see here: After Lot had gone the Lord God appeared to Abram and he was given a big land than he could dermacate by his own eyes! He was told to look to as far as he could see- North, South, East and West! God knows the path you treads! Rest your case in his hands!
Stay blessed!
Nangela.
Karibu tena (Welcome Again) to share the cake with me!
'Seeking Peace and Holiness at all cost' is our subject today!
Hebrews 12:14 'Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (holiness) without which no one will see the Lord.'
Holiness has been connected to peace in this portion of the scripture. There is a reason for this and a lesson to be learnt. When you are in grievance and anger with others you are the looser! You loose your patience and your territory or position in God. You are in fact distancing yourself from God. You destroy or spoil your heart and sin can easily creep in and take you down in a suprising manner! The Spirit of God through the Bible teaches us that he who thinks that he stands should watch lest he falls! When you seek peace with those who are angry with you and battling you out in their mischivious schemes without any reasonable cause, you are not the looser even if in the eyes of this flesh you seem to loose! You are infact gaining more favour before God and even those who are in enmity with you will come to recognise it though late on their part. So we should not let our living in harmony with God and others be overshadowed by anything, no! Not even our own personal interests should overshadow it!
Disharmony sometimes occurs even from those whom we count as brothers in the family of God (the church). We even might have helped some of them to be where they are today but, because they are not grateful and observing, they may turn against us and be a thorn to our relations trying to spoil, not only the brotherhood or brethren fellowship but also, our relationship with God. The fact is that the devil can use anybody who is not careful. Always a careless person falls into a trap easily! And, because of that, you will find that many families have broken apart and many friendships have been shattered! But what does the Spirit of God through the Bible teaches us to do in times when disharmony erupts? He says "SEEK PEACE AND BE HOLY". He says maintain the Bond and the Holiness with the Lord. He says rest your case not in men's hands but in God's hands. God knows how to guide wisely, handle things properly and judge righteously! So rest your case with Him and pursue peace will all.
In Genesis 13:5-9 we see how people who knew God reacted when they faced potential conflict, or a near breaking up of the treasured family love and brotherly harmony! Abraham was that man who knew the God who called him to 'come out' from the ways how people handle their matters, and he pursued the way of how a man of God should live and handle the affairs of this world. Here Abraham came into a trap of being brought into a quarell with Lot, his nephew, over pasture lands. Thes pasturelands were a treasure to both, and Abraham had the promise of God that the land was to be given to him! He could count himself more righteous than Lot. But he was wise in God. Instead of letting the family break up he was ready to seek peace at all cost, even if it meant endangering his own interests! And he indeed took the risks. He told Lot to make a choice of which direction he would like to go with his flock and then Abraham would choose to take a different one.
In principle, and customarily, Abraham being more older than Lot was the one supposed to make the first choice. But he sacrificed it for the sake of peace. He showed the willingess to take the risk. And, indeed, Lot made a haste choice to take the advantage and choose what seemed to be 'the best choice' according to his own eyes!(Gen.13:10-11).
Abraham's decision to risk for the sake of peace is an important lesson we must emulate in our lives as we walk with the Lord. He believed in peace with men to protect his relationship with God. He did not want to give the enemies a chance to devour the harmony he had maintained with Lot. He overcame evil with good. So what can we say? Their quarell was a family one. But how he wisely resolved it is what we should learn abd take into practise in our lives.
When you are faced with a similar situation in your house:
1. Take the initiative in resolving the conflict.
2.Let the other party make a first choice even if it will mean not getting what you want, i.e, even if your interests are sacrificed.
3.Put family peace above all personal interests or desires.
4. Rest your case in God's hands for better guidance.
Doing so will pay off to your side. You may be seen as a looser but you are the gainer! You may be seen as a fool but you are the wisest man/woman before God. And, God will immediately 'appear to you' for guidance (Gen.13:14). You can see here: After Lot had gone the Lord God appeared to Abram and he was given a big land than he could dermacate by his own eyes! He was told to look to as far as he could see- North, South, East and West! God knows the path you treads! Rest your case in his hands!
Stay blessed!
Nangela.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
The Marks of a Great Church: Revelation 2-3.
Dear Reader,
Greetings in the Might Name of Jesus as I welcome you again to share with me thsese great truths of the Word of God. The Word of God my dear friend is LIFE. It created all what we see and hear of -the visible and invisible. It is His Word that sustains all things and so through His Holy Spirit and His Word, God is sustaining His Church even today.
There are 7 Things which I would like to share with you about the Church (whether it is a local church or the Universal church or an indivudual). These great truths were revealed to John the Apostle of Christ when he was in the Island of Patmos. The Book of Revelation open our eyes to see ourselves where we are positioning ourselves in Christ. It is important to examine yourself/myself and ourselves to see where we should rightly be positioned as we see the day, that Great day, drawing closer than ever!
Greetings in the Might Name of Jesus as I welcome you again to share with me thsese great truths of the Word of God. The Word of God my dear friend is LIFE. It created all what we see and hear of -the visible and invisible. It is His Word that sustains all things and so through His Holy Spirit and His Word, God is sustaining His Church even today.
There are 7 Things which I would like to share with you about the Church (whether it is a local church or the Universal church or an indivudual). These great truths were revealed to John the Apostle of Christ when he was in the Island of Patmos. The Book of Revelation open our eyes to see ourselves where we are positioning ourselves in Christ. It is important to examine yourself/myself and ourselves to see where we should rightly be positioned as we see the day, that Great day, drawing closer than ever!
- The number one mark is THE LOVE OF CHRIST. (Rev.2:1-7) speaks of the Church at Ephesus. This church was reminded of the first love which it had lost! Have you ever fallen in love with someone in life? how was your first days of that love? Indeed they are great with a very strong bond! That kind of love need to be maintained. The church at Ephesus lost such a bond and since the Lord is always full of love reminded it to restore that treasure or otherwise its lampstand would be taken away! The lesson here is that our relationship with the Lord need be maintained throughout to the end. The first mark of a church is how it mauntains this LOVE. The Love to God and to one another. The First commandment is anchored in loving God. And so is the second- Love to one another. Love is the fulfilment of all the Torah (Law).
- Number two: Willingness to Suffer for Jesus' sake. Rev.2:8-11 speaks of the Church at Smyrna. This was a church with people amidst persecution. It represents times of difficult yet sticking together for Christ's cause. Indeed the Bible teaches that we were not only called to believe in Him but also to suffer together with Him! Peresecution is part of our perfection. The Church of Smyrna under the leadership of Bishop Polycar was amidst its time of testing. In life expect trials and trubulations but remember to stand firm.The Ministry we render to Christ is always that way. It will cost you time, money, reputation, etc, etc. It may even cost your own life! There are, however, three things to remember- (i) You are not alone. The Lord is right where you are for he was tried beyond comprehension and He is able to utterly save all those who are being tried! (ii) He is in Control (Rev.2:10) (iii) There is future hope : so be faithful unto the end to be worth of receiving the reward. (Rev2:10-11)
- The Truth of Doctrine: This is the third Mark of a Great church. A church that will never compromise its teaching. A church that will not tolerate sin by giving it a soft approach or a cover-up. Revelation 2:12-17 speaks of the church of Pergamum . It was passing through difficult times of heretic doctrines. But the Lord reminded it that He is the one with the sharp two edged sword (the Word of God is a sharp two edged sword -Heb 4:12). People even today are easily becoming captive of the false doctrines and demonic teachings and the sad story is that even those who had started in good foundation are falling pray! As a true believer you must stand with the Bible as it says without compromising! People are today blessing homosexuality and teaches that it is not sin! But what Romans 1 teaches? Please Know the Truth, Speak the Truth and Live the Truth. His word is Truth, and when you know the Truth, it sets you free immediately. Rev.2:14-16 shows the message to those few who were faithful and to those who had gone astray. Please lets turn back and hear what the spirit says in the Word of God.
- Number four mark: (Rev.2:18-29) Holiness of Life. The Church of Thyatira was a compromising church. We are called to be Holy.(1Pt 1: 15-16) Holiness is the Character of God and we have been called unto this character as imitators of Christ. As God is Holy so are supposed to be. But you will ask; how possible? Yes it is possible. His blood was shed for our sake that we might be the true partakers of the divine nature of God. Today we are struggling with the spirit of fornication and adultery in every corner! People are legalising divorce in church and re-marrying! It has become a fashion today! Woe to the unbelieving and hyporicy of the heart. The Lord is calling us to repent for his searching eyes sees everything. We cannot hide anything before Him (Rev 2: 18-19).Yes the church loved God. Yes it struggled to keep the faith, the service, patient and endurance BUT it compromised sexual immorality!It covered it up and gave it a soft name! A true church will not tolerate such and it will not! It must value Holiness to its very nature. So is my life and your life. May the Lord help us to understand!
- Number five Mark: Authenticity: Rev.3;1-6 is about this. The church in Sardis was a church in a city which was well of. People had financial security and selfsufficient.This affected the church. It clothed with a life jacket of Christianity while inside it was dead! This is a life of NOMINAL CHRISTIANITY! A life of confessing that one is a Christian but what he/she does in the closet is awful! In truth people had completely left the truth they had cherished so much in the past but the material prosperity made them forget to depend and trust God. They were lured away slowly and slipped back to unbelief. When weighed on the scales of truth it was found 'wanting' ! This depict a life of Nominal Christianity. Yes you may go to church, yes you may be baptised, yes you may tithe, yes you may do what you can , but do you measure in God's standard! Is your heart regenerated (born again) or are you just being religious? God does not call unto into nominal christianity but to his Life in Christ! Christianity is not a mere religious practice. It is God's Life in a person who is in Christ!
- Number six mark is Commitment to Mission. (Rev.3: 7-13.) The Church of Philadelphia was a mission going church. This was a church that apart from taking into account all the rest of the marks, it also put up this mantle of missions. A Going Church...and not a sitting chuch. One missionary said the greatness of a church is not its seats nimbers but its frequency in mission field! The church in Philadelphia , though small was a big church as it was always out there harvesting! Because of its committment to missions, God OPENED A DOOR for it which None could shut! Not even the devil! Glory to God! The church was always alert to seize every opportunity that opens up! Thnk a bit with me....How many openings have been placed before you which you failed to seize? We are constantly travelling here and ther and meet so many people. Yes, I know you may not speak to all, but there is one or two chances or even more, when you will have a closing in with one of them. DO YOU SHARE THE GOOD NEWS or you just let the moment lapse, vanish like that? You may never ever see the person again! So, Ecclesiastes 11: 6 says sow you seeds in the morning and do not hasiste to do so in the even tides! You may not know wjhich one will sprout.
- Number seven Mark is Whole Heartedness in everything. Rev.3:14-22. The Church of Laodicea lacked this mark and the Lord reminded it. God is not after a half-way christianity! Lukewarmness is absurdity !People in this city were selfsufficient and religious but not Godly!They clothed themselves with religious superficial life which lacked sincerety. God loves a sincere heart and life! The church was a lipservice paying church! People worshipped but their hearts were not in the worship. They thought they were contented and lacked nothing but the truth is they were blind, poor and needy! God reminds us here that we are to depend on him all the time ropund. It is not the bountfulness of your stores that will save you from hunger! It is God who supplies our we need for OUR SUFFICIENCY comes from God. I once heard a certain man confessing after the dreadful Katrina Hurricane in US that he never thought he would ever beg bread or cloth to put on from a neighbour until when all his insecurity was exposed by the hurricane! This is a lesson to us and the Laodecian church was so reminded.
Let us not be taken by things that never last. God is our only Hope and Strength. As a church leader, or a lay member, you can measure yourself as I also have to do, to find where I am falling in these seven churches and marks. We are supposed to embrace all the marks in our lives and ministryto God and to one another.
Until then, God Bless you,
Your friend and servant,
Ev. Deo John Nangela.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Missions fields ....
Dear Reader....I salute you in the Name of Jesus. Have you ever thought of taking part in Mission fields for the Gospel of the Kingdom?
Read from what our predecessors in the fields had to say:
Read from what our predecessors in the fields had to say:
- "I have but one candle of life to burn, I would rather burn it in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light." (John Keith Falconer).
- "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." (Hudson Taylor, a-missionary to China).
- "The Great Commission is not an option to be considered, it is a command to be obeyed". (Hudson Taylor.)
- "God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on Him." (Hudson Taylor)
- "Expect great things from God, attempt great thing for God."(William Carey-Father f modern missions)
- "To know the will of God, we need an open Bible and an open mind" (William Carey)
- "We are debtors to every man to give him the Gospel in the same measure in which we have received it." (PF Bresee-founder of Church of Nazareth)
- " In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen , in the morning sun, the smoke of thousand villages where no missionary has ever been." (Robert Moffat- inspiring David Livingstone.)
- " If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honour, how can a commission by a Heavely King be considered a sacrifice?" (David Livingstone).
- "Sympathy is no substitute for action." (David Livingstone- missionary to Africa).
- " No one has a right to hear the Gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once." (Oswald J Smith)
- " Any church that is not seriously involved in helping fulfill the Great Commission has forfeited its Biblical right to exist." (Oswald J. Smith).
- "We talk of the second coming, half of the world have not heard about the first." (Oswald .J. Smith)
- " Let my heart be broken by the things that break the God's heart." (Bob Pierce)
- When James Calvert went out as missionary to Cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the ship captain tried to turn him back saying, " You will lose your life and those with you if you go among such savages." And Calvert replied: "We died before we came here."
- "The Gospel is good news if it reaches there in time" (Carl H.F. Henry)
- " Our God of grace often gives us a second chance, but there is no second chance to harvest a ripe crop.' (Kurt Von Schileicher)
- " You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." -Amy Carmichael
- "Put your ear down the Bible, and hear how he bid you go and pull sinners from the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonised heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand the gate of hell and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers, sisters, servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face -whose mercy you have professed to obey- and tell Him whether you will join heart, soul and body and circumstance in the march to publish his mercy to the world.' -(William Booth -Founder-Salvation Army).
- "The mark of a great church is not its sitting capacity, but its sending capacity." - (Mike Stachura)
- The true greatness of any church is not how many its seats but how many it sends" (Unknown).
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Having Faith in What God Has Said in His Word; PART I
Matthew 8:5-17.
Dear Beloved Reader and Brethren,
I greet you once again in the magnificent name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the Most High. I am grateful to God for yet another opportunity to share with you the message of hope and good tidings. You can trust what God has said in His word. Have faith in what He has said. No matter what... Keep on and just hold fast the WORD of Life. He who has said is faithful to accomplish it.
God, as the Creator, created us. We are spiritual beings living in a fleshly body. This clay house is of this world of the visible. But you and me are spiritual beings. God is Spirit. We are also of the Spirit for that is our nature. Our nature is not of this flesh and blood, the visible but the invisible. For those who have surrendered their lives to Christ as their Lord and Saviour through faith in this only begotten Son of God; for those who through faith have trusted the blood of covenant which was shed to cleanse us from all wickedness, then, we have been linked to the all-powerful and invincible God in the spiritual realm, and from there, we reign with Christ in God.
Since salvation through faith in Christ links us back to God, we have to know the workings of the Kingdom in which we have been restored. The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent takes it, so says the Bible. The Kingdom is not earthly but spiritual although we in this flesh, walking in the Spirit we partake of this kingdom here on earth. So the Lord taught us 'Thy Kingdom Come!' We can experience the blessings and benefits of the Kingdom NOW ! But you will ask ..."how?". Oh, YES! It is possible. We can touch the spiritual world, live the spiritual world and experience the spirit world through FAITH and in Faith. That faith comes by hearing , the the hearing of the WORD of Christ! We experience the physical realm through the five senses. But we cannot experience the spiritual world through the same way! The knowledge of God who is Spirit is one that surpasses our common understanding. It is beyond and operates in a different realm called the realm of faith.
Having laid down that foundation, it is important to understand that God's kingdom is a kingdom of 'Promises.' These promises are YES and Amen. This means that they are what has been said by God they are. But to reach to them or to acquire then it needs FAITH! Only believe! All things promised by God are possible. They are Yes and Amen. A big lesson about FAITH in Christ and His Word is that ' Faith brings us to the abundance of God's treasures.' We need it and must always strive to build it or stir it up to reach or come into contact with God's hand! And what is the key to all this? What God has said, dear reader and brethren, is the key element in building our faith. Few basics are listed below to help you and me to build our faith in God and His word if we dare to grasp them to heart:
'5.When Jesus Returned to Capernaum, a Roman Centurion came to him asking for help.6."Lord", he said,"my servant lies at home paralysed and in terrible suffering." 7.Jesus said to him, " I will go and heal him."8. The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just
say a word, and my servant will be healed. 9.For I myself I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,'and he goes; and one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this ' and he does it."10.When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you many will come from the east and the west,and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of the teeth."13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour. 14 When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and begun to wait on him. 16 When an evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:"...He took our infirmities...and healed our diseases."
Dear Beloved Reader and Brethren,
I greet you once again in the magnificent name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Son of the Most High. I am grateful to God for yet another opportunity to share with you the message of hope and good tidings. You can trust what God has said in His word. Have faith in what He has said. No matter what... Keep on and just hold fast the WORD of Life. He who has said is faithful to accomplish it.
God, as the Creator, created us. We are spiritual beings living in a fleshly body. This clay house is of this world of the visible. But you and me are spiritual beings. God is Spirit. We are also of the Spirit for that is our nature. Our nature is not of this flesh and blood, the visible but the invisible. For those who have surrendered their lives to Christ as their Lord and Saviour through faith in this only begotten Son of God; for those who through faith have trusted the blood of covenant which was shed to cleanse us from all wickedness, then, we have been linked to the all-powerful and invincible God in the spiritual realm, and from there, we reign with Christ in God.
Since salvation through faith in Christ links us back to God, we have to know the workings of the Kingdom in which we have been restored. The Kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent takes it, so says the Bible. The Kingdom is not earthly but spiritual although we in this flesh, walking in the Spirit we partake of this kingdom here on earth. So the Lord taught us 'Thy Kingdom Come!' We can experience the blessings and benefits of the Kingdom NOW ! But you will ask ..."how?". Oh, YES! It is possible. We can touch the spiritual world, live the spiritual world and experience the spirit world through FAITH and in Faith. That faith comes by hearing , the the hearing of the WORD of Christ! We experience the physical realm through the five senses. But we cannot experience the spiritual world through the same way! The knowledge of God who is Spirit is one that surpasses our common understanding. It is beyond and operates in a different realm called the realm of faith.
Having laid down that foundation, it is important to understand that God's kingdom is a kingdom of 'Promises.' These promises are YES and Amen. This means that they are what has been said by God they are. But to reach to them or to acquire then it needs FAITH! Only believe! All things promised by God are possible. They are Yes and Amen. A big lesson about FAITH in Christ and His Word is that ' Faith brings us to the abundance of God's treasures.' We need it and must always strive to build it or stir it up to reach or come into contact with God's hand! And what is the key to all this? What God has said, dear reader and brethren, is the key element in building our faith. Few basics are listed below to help you and me to build our faith in God and His word if we dare to grasp them to heart:
- Accepting without wavering that there is "Power" in what God has said. As we all know, all creation came into existence by the 'Power of His word.' (Hebrews 1:3). Whatever God said came to pass and all creation exist on the Spoken Word to date.The world of God is the only one that sustains all creation. Hebrews 1:3 says, among other things, that He (CHRIST) upholds all things by the word of his power! Our salvation is based on the word which God spoke (see Gen.3: 15). What God says has power and it produces results in its appointed time. Our faith, therefore, is produced through accepting the word without any shadow of doubts. (Romans 10:17) proves that.
- Scaling in Faith without Doubts. This is yet another point to take note of. The more a person believes the word, the more he acquires the ability to unlock the treasures of heaven. The two incidents we read in Matthew 8:5-13; 14-17 are important to clarify this. The centurion knew or might have heard what Jesus can do or had done. He believed what he heard in toto,and with no doubts at all. By the way, he knew the Power of Words, he himself being a man of authority. He transposed what he does in the physical to what could be done, even beyond, in spirit. And, I we learnt earlier, the spirit world is as real as the physical world. So things can be done in the spiritual world to affect the physical world. In fact it is the Spiritual that rules and dictates what happens in the physical! That is the supreme reason why Paul, the Apostle of Christ, admonishes us as believers to 'walk in spirit!' (Galatians5:16). We can conquer our battles in spirit before they manifest in physical! How? By walking in Spirit of God! The Spirit gives us light and guidance of what to do and how to it at best! What a victory my friend! Determine as I do and pray that I will not give up for despair is for the defeated. I am not among the defeated nor those who doubts God's word and its Power! So continue believing no matter what the circumstances you are going through are. You know,... the centurion knew all the circumstances through which his servant was undergoing. He even rendered an account of it. He also knew that he was a Roman and not a Jew, in fact that could have been a reason to let Jesus go since 'I am not even one of his", the man could say! But that did not make him to ignore the faith he has built on what he has heard about Jesus. There are people who suffer today and ignore the free gift of salvation, healing and deliverance which is in Christ, simply because ' I am not a Christian by the way!' What a pity to die of hunger while food is plenty in a neighbourhood that is open to all? Christ was not given to Christians! Christ was given to the whole world so that whoever believes in him shall not be condemned but have everlasting life! (John 3:16). So even if you who may feel rejected, the door of faith, healing, restoration and acceptance into God's family and plan is open to you. Behold! it is open (Revelation 3:20 is clear to all).
- Understand that when God Speaks His Word is Life. When the word of God comes to you it carries with it the nature of God. God is life, he is light and in him there is no darkness, nor death! When Christ rose from the dead, death was conquered by LIFE! When Jesus raised Lazarus from dead (John 11:17-44) he SPOKE WORDS and the dead man was alive again! God's words are Spirit, they are LIFE. (John 6:63). His Spirit goes with his word and God's own life goes with his word! God's authority to accomplish whatever needed, goes with his word! And this is what the centurion knew and believed to the point that he did not need the Lord physically in his house! He believe in the authority of His Spoken Word! And indeed it paid him!
I challenge you dear brethren and readers! Dare to believe the word of God as revealed to you in the Bible! Dare to take it with unwavering faith! Dare to deep yourself in its depths by reading and meditating on it! It will pay you benefits in due time. Until then, I hope to come back to you next time with part 2 of this message of Faith. For those who would like to take a step of faith and invite Christ in your life, making Him the Lord and Saviour please repeat, with full commitment of faith in your heart, the following prayer of repentance and live by the new confession as a forgiven person free from the past. The simple prayer of faith is below:
Dear Jesus, I come to you as a Sinner. I repent of my sins and ask for your pardon Lord. I am sorry for all my past and my disobedience to you and to your word. I accept your sacrifice which you paid for my sake at the Cross of Calvary. Wash me clean by your precious blood and restore me into your love once again. I believe that you came in flesh, died on the cross for my sins, buried and you rose from the dead. I confess you as the son of God and surrender my entire Life to you oh my King. Thank you for saving me and making me a child of God. Thank you for writing my name into your book of life. I pray all this in your holy name. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer, please find a community of believers who truly believes in Jesus so that you may learn more about your NEW LIFE IN CHRIST. (2Cor.5:17) and they will also help you to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Until then.....Bye!
Ev. Dr.Deo J. Nangela.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Defining Moments
Proverb 14:34 says:
"Righteousness exalts (builds) a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people."
Roman 14:17 says: "For the Kingdom of God is.... righteousness, peace and the joy in the Holy Ghost.'
On the basis of the two scriptures above I want yo share with you, my dear reader, one important issue regarding your, (our) defining moments. You may wish to ask: what do I mean by defining moments? By this concept I mean those precious moments or opportunities which unfold before you (us), and which, if you (we) miss them they are gone irretrivably.They are moments so precious that once grabbed they have the potential to change the course of an entire nation, family, generations, and destinies (you may add the list ad infinitum!)
One thing thing about these opportunities is that they are rare, and rare indeed! However, they do exist. Propery seized they produce a long lasting reward. Just think of the moment a sinner who has no future and whose destiny is so uncertain receive the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ! He immediately become a son (child) within God's family, a heir with Christ, and he immediately become elevated to a quite different position- a position of being higher than angels! His future is secure and his destiny is sure! Why? Because he was able to grab one of his defining moments!
Think of that woman who met Jesus at Jacob's well (John 4:7-29). She was changed the very day from being a prostitute to becoming a preacher of Good news! Or think of Miriam (Lazarus sister) in John 12: 1-3. This was the only golden opportunity she had to anoint Jesus' feet by a precious gift of love! How many moments of similar nature have you (we) lost! Oh that we may be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit!
Have you ever imagined what would have happened to Bartimeus (the blind beggar in Mk.0:46-48) had he kept quiet after knowing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by? This blind man was not so ignorant to be quelled down by others while he was so sure that this was the golden opportunity! And Lo! He seized it to the light!
Dear reader, as I sit down to ponder on all these things, I wonder how many opportunities are you (we) ready to let go just like that! Will you also loose the only one perhaps remaining ahead of you?
As salt amidist the tasteless world, we can change the course of things in our nations, businesses, schools, streets, (name them)just by being alert and sensitive to grab the unfolding defining moments in our lives.Many governments in different corners of the globe, and mostly in Africa, are plagued by corruption, misconduct, and all sorts of eveil. But so many time most of us have been given the opportunity to change the course of things only not to realise that that was the opportune time to do so! Some of us even fail to live up their true faith which is precious than gold and succumb to the 'business as usual class!' We must remember: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to many. It is shameful indeed that we have had a class of African elites for the past 50 or so years now but our people are living in a miserable life! The problem is that most of us do not recognise our defining moments. (This point I wont go far with it than here!)
Finally, I would like also to speak to your heart, especially for those of you who might not have made a decision to walk with God by having Christ as your personal saviour. You have had time to decided and you have kept on postponing your miracle. You are indeed running out of time if you won't make a decision to grab the open invitation that has been placed on you today! It is easy. You just repent, forsake your evil ways, invite Christ as your saviour and grab your reward of forgiveness and eternal life! Having done so...be a transformer of the world and no longer a mere conformer to the ways of the world! You will live up your defining momements with great success and without regrets!
Until then,
God bless you.
Your friend, Evangelist Deo John Nangela.
(ndewawiosia, Ndeamtzo, ndeshiwona, ngaendaku, Nangela. (May26th 2010. )
"Righteousness exalts (builds) a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people."
Roman 14:17 says: "For the Kingdom of God is.... righteousness, peace and the joy in the Holy Ghost.'
On the basis of the two scriptures above I want yo share with you, my dear reader, one important issue regarding your, (our) defining moments. You may wish to ask: what do I mean by defining moments? By this concept I mean those precious moments or opportunities which unfold before you (us), and which, if you (we) miss them they are gone irretrivably.They are moments so precious that once grabbed they have the potential to change the course of an entire nation, family, generations, and destinies (you may add the list ad infinitum!)
One thing thing about these opportunities is that they are rare, and rare indeed! However, they do exist. Propery seized they produce a long lasting reward. Just think of the moment a sinner who has no future and whose destiny is so uncertain receive the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ! He immediately become a son (child) within God's family, a heir with Christ, and he immediately become elevated to a quite different position- a position of being higher than angels! His future is secure and his destiny is sure! Why? Because he was able to grab one of his defining moments!
Think of that woman who met Jesus at Jacob's well (John 4:7-29). She was changed the very day from being a prostitute to becoming a preacher of Good news! Or think of Miriam (Lazarus sister) in John 12: 1-3. This was the only golden opportunity she had to anoint Jesus' feet by a precious gift of love! How many moments of similar nature have you (we) lost! Oh that we may be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit!
Have you ever imagined what would have happened to Bartimeus (the blind beggar in Mk.0:46-48) had he kept quiet after knowing that it was Jesus of Nazareth passing by? This blind man was not so ignorant to be quelled down by others while he was so sure that this was the golden opportunity! And Lo! He seized it to the light!
Dear reader, as I sit down to ponder on all these things, I wonder how many opportunities are you (we) ready to let go just like that! Will you also loose the only one perhaps remaining ahead of you?
As salt amidist the tasteless world, we can change the course of things in our nations, businesses, schools, streets, (name them)just by being alert and sensitive to grab the unfolding defining moments in our lives.Many governments in different corners of the globe, and mostly in Africa, are plagued by corruption, misconduct, and all sorts of eveil. But so many time most of us have been given the opportunity to change the course of things only not to realise that that was the opportune time to do so! Some of us even fail to live up their true faith which is precious than gold and succumb to the 'business as usual class!' We must remember: Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to many. It is shameful indeed that we have had a class of African elites for the past 50 or so years now but our people are living in a miserable life! The problem is that most of us do not recognise our defining moments. (This point I wont go far with it than here!)
Finally, I would like also to speak to your heart, especially for those of you who might not have made a decision to walk with God by having Christ as your personal saviour. You have had time to decided and you have kept on postponing your miracle. You are indeed running out of time if you won't make a decision to grab the open invitation that has been placed on you today! It is easy. You just repent, forsake your evil ways, invite Christ as your saviour and grab your reward of forgiveness and eternal life! Having done so...be a transformer of the world and no longer a mere conformer to the ways of the world! You will live up your defining momements with great success and without regrets!
Until then,
God bless you.
Your friend, Evangelist Deo John Nangela.
(ndewawiosia, Ndeamtzo, ndeshiwona, ngaendaku, Nangela. (May26th 2010. )
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