Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?

Because sin is a deceiver, many have been misled into thinking that they can save themselves by their own good works. 

In a recent survey in three cities of America, the question was raised: Who goes to heaven and who goes to hell?

The typical answer in every city was: 

those who are good go to heaven and those who are bad go to hell.

But the Bible clearly teaches that “by observing the law [trying to be good], no one will be justified [declared righteous]” (Galatians 2:16). Paul repeats the same statement in Romans 3:20, and then adds, “Through the law we become conscious of sin.”

The Jews of Christ’s day made the tragic mistake of believing that they could be saved by keeping the law alone. For this reason, in the beginning of his ministry, Jesus invited these sincere Jews who desperately tried to work their way to heaven, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened [very discouraged], and I will give you rest” [Matthew 11:28].

Let us depend on Jesus's shared blood, the word of God and the Full help of the Holy Spirit, these are what the grace of God is all about.

The GRACE teaches us to CHOSE AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND ACCEPTABLE TO GOD Titus 2:11-15

1. God’s grace brings salvation to all people (2:11).

When Paul writes, “For the grace of God has appeared,” he is referring to the embodiment of grace in the person of Jesus Christ, who was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). It is not that God’s grace is missing from the Old Testament. No one was saved in the Old Testament apart from God’s grace. But as John 1:17 states the contrast, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” God rightly could have sent His Son to condemn us and judge us. But instead (John 3:17), “For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

2. God’s grace trains us who are saved in godliness (2:12-14a).
The word “instructing” means, “child-training.” It includes teaching, but also, correcting and disciplining. It is a process that begins at salvation and continues until we stand before the Lord. 
But, note that grace does not mean, “hang loose and live as sloppily as you please.” Rather, grace trains, disciplines, and instructs us in godly living. 

Paul mentions three ways that grace trains us:

A. GRACE TRAINS US TO DENY UNGODLINESS AND WORLDLY DESIRES (2:12A). means, living in a self-controlled manner, not yielding to various passions and impulses.

B. GRACE TRAINS US TO LIVE SENSIBLY, RIGHTEOUSLY, AND GODLY IN THIS PRESENT AGE (2:12B). This refers to a life of integrity and uprightness in your dealings with others. It means conforming to God’s standards of conduct, as revealed in the commandments of His Word.

(3). GRACE TRAINS US TO LIVE GODLY.This refers to holiness and devotion to God, beginning on the heart level. It means to live a God-ward life, knowing that He examines your heart. You confess sinful thoughts to Him and live in the love and fear of God. As Paul expressed his concern (2 Cor. 11:3), “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

C. GRACE TRAINS US TO LIVE IN GODLINESS BY LOOKING AHEAD AND BEHIND (Titus 2:13-14)
The forward look is toward the second coming of Jesus Christ. The backward look is toward the cross and its implications on our lives.

(1). LOOK AHEAD TO THE BLESSED HOPE OF CHRIST’S SECOND COMING (2:13).
God’s grace instructs us to look “for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”
If your focus is set on the hope of Christ’s return, you will purify your life from every known sin (1 John 3:2-3).

(2). LOOK BACK TO THE SUPREME DEMONSTRATION OF HIS LOVE, WHICH REDEEMED US FROM SIN AND MADE US HIS OWN POSSESSION (2:14A).
“Who” refers back to “our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” None other than He “gave Himself for us”! If that thought doesn’t grip your heart, you’re in deep spiritual trouble. Paul shows that this past grace that was shown to us produces godliness in us.

Divine meditation.

The Art of Divine Meditation by Joseph Hall

Joseph Hall endeavored to teach the art of meditation. It is a heavenly business that does benefit the soul! 

Joseph tells us that it is wrong to conceal meditation from many, for its benefit may  be universal.

This is the kind of meditation pursued by the divine psalmist who upon viewing the glorious frame of the heavens was led to wonder at the merciful respect God had toward so lowly a creature as man.

His view is that 'some of the ancient monks proved so excellent in this divine business because they intermixed bodily labour with their contemplations! 

Joshua 1:8

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

What's that? Did you say 'Laminin' ?

11 days ago, my sister-in law Pauline sent me a message and somehow I missed it! Not because it was enigmatic but because I have been skimming through all the rubbish I do get in my in-box. Anyway, tonight I'm thinking that I'd better delete a few of those messages, suddenly I see Pauline's and wow, I was absolutely astonished! Somebody I've never heard of (I must say) talking about the Laminin (what's that? ) on youtube! Play it! You will be amazed! 

I had to check what the Laminin was! The stuff that holds our body together is the perfect shape of the cross of our Lord Jesus-Christ. In Colossians 1 Paul speaks about the supremacy of Christ, Colossians 1-16 Paul says 'by Him, all things have been created' Things in the heaven and things in earth! All things were created by Jesus and for Jesus. Jesus is before all things and in Jesus-Christ, all things hold together! Of course they do. Colossians 1-19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Him (Christ)! 

Have a blessed evening. Yours in Christ, N.

I'm a Citizen of Heaven

“The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t supply is proof that Heaven must be our home”–C.S. Lewis.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ”–Philippians 3:20.

“Life is short. Eternity is long. And my home is in heaven, where I will spend eternity. This simple yet radical thinking begs an important question: Why should I invest so much time, energy, and resources in what is short? Why should I focus on my (or even my children’s) very temporary life here on earth, when heaven is real and coming and calling?”–Journey of Generosity.

Who can reach our soul?

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Power is the special and distinctive prerogative of God, and God alone. Power belongs to God. God is God: and power belongs to him. If he delegates a portion of it to his creatures, yet it still is his power. The sun in the heavens, although it is “…like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course” [Psalm 19:5], yet it has no power to move through the universe except as God directs it. The stars, although they travel in their orbits and no one can stop them, yet they have neither power nor force except that which God daily infuses into them. The tall archangel, near God’s throne, who outshines a comet in its brilliance, and who excels in strength and listens to the voice of the commands of God, still has no strength except that which his Creator gives to him... And when we think of man if he has might or power, it is so small and insignificant, that we can scarcely call it such; yes, when it is at its greatest-when he waves his scepter, when he commands vast armies, when he rules nations-still the power belongs to God.
This exclusive prerogative of God is to be found in each of the three persons of the glorious Trinity. The Father has power: for at his word the heavens were made, and by his strength all things continue, and through him they fulfill their destiny. The Son has power: for like his Father, he is the Creator of all things; “Without him nothing was made that has been made” [John 1:3], and “in him all things hold together” [Colossians 1:17]. And the Holy Spirit has power.

It is concerning the power of the Holy Spirit that I will speak this morning; and may you gain a practical example of that attribute in your own hearts, when you sense that the influence of the Holy Spirit is being poured out on me, so that I am speaking the words of the living God to your souls, and the power bestowed on you when you feel the effects of it in your own souls.

1. First, we note that the inner spiritual power of the Holy Spirit has power over the hearts of men and women.
Normally, it is very hard to affect a person’s heart. However, if you want to get at them for any worldly purpose you can do it. A cheating world can win the hearts of men and women, a little gold can win their hearts, a bit of fame and a little applause can win their hearts. But there is not a minister alive, who by himself, can win the hearts of men and women. He can win their ears and make them listen; he can win their eyes, and cause those eyes to look at him; he can win their attention, but their hearts are very slippery. Yes, the heart is like a fish that all gospel fishermen find difficult to hold on to. You may sometimes almost pull it out of the water; but slippery as an eel, it slips between your fingers, and evades capture. Many a minister has imagined that he has caught the heart but has been disappointed. It would need a strong hunter to overtake the deer on the mountains. It is too fast for a human on foot to approach.

Only the Holy Spirit has power over the hearts of men and women. Did you ever try your power on a heart? If any person thinks that a minister can convert the soul, I wish they would try. Let them go and become a Sunday-school teacher. They will take their class, they will have the best books that can be obtained, they will have the best rules, they will draw their lines of defenses around their fortified spiritual city, they will take the best child in their class, and if they are not tired in a week I will be very much surprised. Let them spend four or five Sundays in trying, and in the end they will say, “The young person is incorrigible.” Let them try another. And they will have to try another, and another, and another, before they will manage to convert one. They will soon find it is “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.” [Zechariah 4:6] 

Can a minister convert anyone? Can he touch the heart? David said, your “…hearts are callous and unfeeling.” [Psalm 119:70] Yes, that is very true; and we cannot break through such a hard heart...Many pieces of the true steel that God has put into the hands of his servants has had the edge dulled by being used against the sinner’s heart. We cannot reach the soul; but the Holy Spirit can. He can give a sense of blood-bought pardon that will dissolve a heart of stone. He can,
“Speak with that voice which wakes the dead,
And commands the sinner to rise:
And makes the guilty conscience dread
The death that never dies.”
He can make Sinai’s thunders audible; yes, and he can make the sweet whisperings of Calvary enter into the soul. He has power over the hearts of men and women. And here is a glorious proof of the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit that he has rule over the heart.

2. But if there is one thing more stubborn than the heart it is the will.

Some believe in freewill. Many dream of freewill. Freewill! Where is that to be found? Once there was freewill in Paradise, and freewill made a terrible mess there, for it spoiled all of Paradise and turned Adam and Eve out of the garden. Freewill once existed in heaven, but it turned the glorious archangel out and a third part of the angels of heaven fell into the abyss. I want nothing to do with freewill, but I will try to see whether I have a free will within me. And I find that I have. I have a very free will to commit evil, but a very poor will to do that which is good.

 I demonstrate my freewill when I sin, but when I want to do good evil is present with me, and I cannot carry it out. Yet some boast of freewill. I wonder whether those who believe in freewill have any more power over other person’s wills than I have. I know I have no power. I find the old proverb is very true, “One man can bring a horse to the water, but a hundred cannot make him drink.” I find that I can bring all of you to the water, and a great many more than can fit into this church; but I cannot make you drink; and I don’t think a hundred ministers could make you drink. I have read all about the great preachers, Rowland Hill, and George Whitfield, and several others to see what their secret was; but I cannot discover from them any plan that would work in turning your wills. I cannot coax you; and you will not yield by any other means. I don’t think any man has power over his fellow creature’s will, but the Spirit of God has. “I will make them willing in the day of my power.” He makes the unwilling sinner so willing that he is eager for the gospel; he who was obstinate, now runs to the cross. He, who laughed at Jesus, now begs for his mercy; and he who would not believe, is now made by the Holy Spirit to do it, not only willingly, but eagerly; he is happy, he is glad to do it, rejoices in the sound of Jesus’ name, and delights to obey God’s commands. The Holy Spirit has power over the will.

Source:  The Power of the Holy Spirit
June 17, 1855
by C. H. Spurgeon  (1834-1892).

Colours of day

This is one of my favorite hymns not just because of the tune but also for the powerful lyrics, and we sang it at our local pub the Bank House for a special Harvest celebration.  Oups. It was a fantastic evening as the event was well-attended, the music was outstanding and you felt relaxed and joyful. Hearts and ears open to something new, a glimpse of heaven maybe who knows! Regular customers, parishioners from Mid-trent churches and outside the village such as Great Haywood. We were privileged to have John at the mandoline, Maureen at the violin, Helga at the keyboard and Steve at the guitar. At the interval, I was going to say the entr'acte, we were offered a selection of tasty food bites, courtesy of Carol and Tom Brannon. I may be biased but the other attractive feature of this event was the opportunity given to everybody to request their favorite songs. So we can't wait for another evening of worship there. If you live nearby and have never been, why don't you join us next time! 

Colours of day dawn into the mind,
The sun has come up, the night is behind.
Go down in the city, into the street,
And let's give the message to the people we meet

So light up the fire and let the flame burn,
Open the door, let Jesus return,
Take seeds of His Spirit, let the fruit grow,
Tell the people of Jesus, let His love show.

Go through the park, on into the town;
The sun still shines on, it never goes down.
The light of the world is risen again;
The people of darkness are needing a friend.

Refrain

Open your eyes, look into the sky,
The darkness has come, the sun came to die,
The evening draws on, the sun disappears,
But Jesus is living, His Spirit is near.

Even though I had more free time in my hands than now, I'm sharing this with you a month later.Have a blessed evening!

On the road to Emmaus

Of all the accounts made by  the different witness who met Jesus after he resurrected, this passage is my favorite. Both Mark and Luke mention this emotional scene. 

Luke 24:13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him,and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

If you are interested to have this passage reenacted for a school assembly or a youth club, you can download an excellent script on Nige's Christian drama. Have a blessed day, your sister in Christ. N.

Heaven and earth will pass away..

Photo courtesy of  http://njministries.org/1Heaven/heaven5.html

H

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Matt.24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33

Treasures in heaven?

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money

 and be content with what you have,

 because God has said,

   “Never will I leave you; 

   never will I forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5

In 1 Timothy, Paul tells us that money is root of all evils. This statement is verified every day when we hear or read about crimes being committed in order to obtain more money. 

If one is grumbling on one's condition and always thinking  that if one had more money, one's life would be more enjoyable, it implies that one is forgetting God's blessings in our life. 

Does it mean that we must stop working, be lazy ?

 Certainly not, we must remember that our Lord provides,

 let us put our trust in Him.

Jesus himself gives this warning:

¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, 

where moths and vermin destroy, 

and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ 

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, 

where moths and vermin do not destroy, 

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

 (Matthew 6:19-20)

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, 

or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. 

You cannot serve God and mammon" 

(Matthew 6:19-24).

I found out that the meaning of mammon,  (more correctly spelled "mamon" from the original language) was a transliteration of a common Aramaic word. It was derived from the Hebrew word that meant "to be established" or "to be certain" ('ãman)¹; and thus originally meant "to entrust"².  In time, the meaning of the word changed from the positive idea of "that which is entrusted"  to the negative idea of "that in which a man puts his trust".

 Depending on who you talk to, the conversation may very quickly turn on money, 

whether people deplore the lack of it

 or on the contrary boast about what they have bought with it. 

Sometimes money can hijack your relationship with a loved one.

 If you are not on your guard, it can rote everything

Do you think that having a good job, a title, a good spouse satisfies you? 

Maybe your aim in life it to become famous,

 you treasure all the certificates that bear your name, 

the articles in the local or national press.

The reason why we always need money is that nothing 

we buy with it gives us lasting pleasure.

 ²¹ Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 

²² But when the young man heard this statement, 

he went away grieved; for he was one who owned much property. 

In Matthew 13:44  Jesus tells us that 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, 

which a man found and hid again;

 and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

 

A prayer, Lord, thank you for your Love, thank you for Jesus, our saviour and redeemer. 

Help us to get rid of our material cravings.

 We seek you Jesus, our treasure, Light of the World, our true friend. In Jesus-Christ, Amen

 

Awesome resurrection!

One thing in life is that the unusual becomes the usual. Flying for instance, we take it as normal. Twenty years ago, most of us did not have a computer. Also, now we all have a mobile phone or the latest android in our pocket. We can get accustomed to things. Monday evening, your young child is shouting 'boo' to you unexpectedly which causes you jump out of your skin. If he/she keeps on doing it all week, by Friday, you won't even react. The unfamiliar becomes familiar. Think about a new car and all the little gadgets, we love them for a while and they surprise us, three months later, we take them for granted. 
We've lived with Jesus for a while, has He become familiar too?
We start with an empty tomb and the disciples are scratching their heads, they are puzzled. By the time Jesus was buried, he had been battered out of recognition, beaten, whipped, bruised, spat upon, a spear stuck into his side. He was a mess and he was dead.The disciples were shattered.
What was unusual was that the strips of linen left there, the only thing that was of value.
We read in John 20 : 6 - 7 Simon Peter arrived after him and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there. 7He also saw the cloth that had been on Jesus' head. It wasn't lying with the strips of linen but was rolled up separately.   Another unusual thing was to admit that they had not understood what happened (v.9) 9They didn't know yet what Scripture meant when it said that Jesus had to come back to life. They are being very honest. Jesus has told them that he would die and resurrect three times, i.e. 18 month before, in the town Caesarea Philippi  Mark 8:27-30, their ears got blocked, they didn't hear it. John is honest. If it was made up, they would have been sitting waiting in front of the tomb!  Something else very unusual to note. Jesus appears to women. This was a patriarchal society where the women were not deemed as reliable witnesses in court. Jesus loves to break the rules. Some suggest that he revived in the tomb but as I mentioned it before, it is out of question, since he had been crucified.  Jesus is not recognised until he says Mary. Why? Raising up from the dead, he has been transformed. Go back to 1 Cor 15: 53-54  For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.  This transformation is for us in eternity.The New Life is for us today. What has happened at Easter? Death has been defeated, new life is born.
Do we stand by our convictions? Do we draw it to others despite what they say. Jesus brings life! We must be careful not to get too familiar whereby we lose a sense of awe and wonder! Let us share it with others! Let's ask them: do you know what Jesus did ? He rose from the dead ! Isn't it awesome! with the same freshness as more than 2000 years ago.
These are my notes from this morning Easter service, courtesy from Rev S. A. 
My friends, have a blessed Easter. In Jesus' name. Amen. N.

Heaven

A man dies and goes to heaven. St. Peter meets him at the pearly gates. 
St. Peter says, "Here's how it works. You need 100 points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things you've done, and I give you a certain number of points for each item, depending on how good it was. When you reach 100 points, you get in." 
"Okay" the man says, "I attended church every Sunday" 
"That's good, says St. Peter, " that's worth two points" 
"Two points?" he says. "Well, I gave 10% of all my earnings to the church" 
"Well, let's see," answers Peter, "that's worth another 2 points. Did you do anything else?" 
"Two points? Golly. How about this: I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a shelter for homeless veterans." 
"Fantastic, that's certainly worth a point, " he says. 
"hmmm...," the man says, "I was married to the same woman for 50 years and never cheated on her, even in my heart." 
"That's wonderful," says St. Peter, "that's worth three points!" 
"THREE POINTS!!" the man cries, "At this rate the only way I get into heaven is by the grace of God!" 
"Come on in!"
Hubby did not particularly find this funny. Could it be because since the beginning of they year he's had to take five funerals and there are more to come!  There are more, worse and better here. Do you have a favourite joke? Let us know! Blessings. N