The Lord’s Prayer – Deliver us from evil November 19, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: deliver, evil, Poneros, The Lords Prayer
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Matt 6: 13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
Today we are going to talk about the father delivering us from evil.
Evil is the Greek word Poneros (Strong’s no. 4190) and it means
- full of labours, annoyances, hardships
- pressed and harassed by labours
- bringing toils, annoyances, perils; of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness; causing pain and trouble
- bad, of a bad nature or condition
- in a physical sense: diseased or blind
- in an ethical sense: evil wicked, bad
Isn’t it interesting how broad the definition of the word evil is? In fact, we usually associate wickedness to evil but from looking up the Greek meanings of evil, I realise that you can separate wickedness from evil.
One evil I have found is in labours. We are so full of labour, annoyances and hardships, pressed and harassed by labours and toils that it prevents us from having a proper relationship with the father.
It is seems to be easy to wake up to go to work than to wake up to pray. It seems easier to engage oneself in some sort of activity than to spend time in the presence of God. Yet we find time and time again, Jesus retiring or drawing back to pray.
We are TOO BUSY TO BE BLESSED! A quality time with the father regularly brings us an inspiration, direction, instruction which delivers us from hardships, toils and labours which profits us nothing both physically and spiritually.
Can we follow what Jesus did and do what he say… that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Luke 18: 1
Stay Blessed
The Lord’s Prayer – Forgive us as we forgive other. November 17, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Afiemi, forgive, forgiveness, God resisteth the proud, heart is lifted up, pride
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Matt 6:12
And forgive us our debts, as * * we forgive our debtors.
Today, we are going deal with one of the rules of the kingdom of God; forgiveness.
Forgive is the Greek word Afiemi (Strong’s no.863) and it means, among others,
- to send away
- to bid going away or depart
- of a husband divorcing his wife
- to send forth, yield up, to expire
- to let go, let alone, let be
- to disregard
- to leave, not to discuss now, (a topic) 1c
- to bid going away or depart
Of this prayer which the Lord Jesus taught His disciples, this is the only bit which was explained further by Jesus.
Matt 6:14
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Matt 6:15
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
It was explained in no uncertain term: forgive and you will be forgiven, do not forgive and you will not be forgiven.
What is the Lord trying to tell his disciples? That offence WILL come in one way or the other. It means we WILL offend God in one way or the other. On the journey of life in Christ, we will still make mistakes and others WILL make mistakes or offend us.
But in other to obtain forgiveness from the Father, we must forgive others who offend us. So in effect, the key to our liberation from judgement of our sin is in our own hands.
One of the things about unforgiveness is that it does not affect the offender in any way, it affects you. It only affects the offender when you actual act on your unforgiveness to perpetuate something harmful to the offender.
Unfortunately, forgiving others is often seen as weakness and an affront to our ego and pride. Now this is what the scriptures say about God’s reaction to pride.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
It was pride that sent Lucifer tumbling down from a high position and closeness to God to eternal condemnation. That is how much God resists the proud!
Eze 28
4 “By your wisdom and understanding
You have acquired riches for yourself
And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries.
5 “By your great wisdom, by your trade
You have increased your riches
And your heart is lifted up because of your riches–
6 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, `Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,
7 Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,…
8 `They will bring you down to the pit, …
(NASB)
Stay Blessed
The Lord’s Prayer – Give us this day our daily bread November 14, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: daily bread, daily devotional, Epiousios, Hemera
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Matt 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.
This is a very interesting prayer that demands a lot of faith in the provisions of the Father. This is because the word daily used here is not the usual word daily, the Greek word Hemera (Strong’s number 2250).
The word daily used in this context is the Greek word Epiousios (Strong’s no. 1967) which means
-
- the bread of our necessity
- the bread that suffices for each day
In order words, Give us this day, the bread of our necessity or Give us this day, the bread that suffices for each day.
Now remember the disciples had left everything they were doing to follow Jesus. Nothing else is more important than following Jesus but then we also acknowledge that our needs ought to be met each day.
So what happens to many believers is that we place the importance of our daily needs being met above following Jesus and preoccupy ourselves with activities that will cause our needs to be met. However, Jesus is encouraging us to follow him (and his example) and ask (entrust) our father to meet our needs.
In Luke 18:22, the treasures of the rich young ruler prevented him from following Jesus though he voluteered to follow.
Again, we can see from this scripture that all needs to be met are the needs for a day! This is why this particular prayer demands a lot of faith. Now you ask, isn’t it wise to plan for tomorrow, invest to make sure there is a return for tomorrow?
All your questions about tomorrow are valid, but Jesus is trying to get us to PREOCCUPY ourselves with following him. The truth is this, PREOCCUPYING ourselves with tomorrow is what leads to “…laying up treasures…Matt 6:19” and prevent us from following Jesus and enjoying the governance of the Father.
When we are preoccupied with following Jesus, he gives us direction on when to invest and when not to invest; where to invest and where not to invest.
In Luke 10 verse 3-16, Jesus sent his disciples to go and minister; and he told them to take no money or anything with them. They went and did not lack anything… each day their daily bread was provided.
Later on in Luke 22:35, he asked them, “Did you lack anything when I sent you without purse and scrip and shoes, did you lack anything?” But now, he that has a purse, let him take it, and his scrip and invest in a sword!
When following Jesus, our decisions are not based on income or comfort. When you do this, you go where He wants you to go and do what He wants you to do and entrust the Father to take care of you. This is a great act of faith.
Let us learn to say this prayer, from the heart.
Father, give me the provision of my necessity, that which suffices me for each day!
Stay blessed.
The Lord’s Prayer – Thy Will Be Done November 13, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: devotional, Will, Thelema
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Matt 6:10
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
We are continuing on the Lord’s prayer and today we are dealing with the WILL of God.
The word Will is the Greek word Thelema (Strong’s No. 2307) and it means
- what one wishes or has determined shall be done
- of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ
- of what God wishes to be done by us
- commands, precepts
- will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure
So in prayer, Jesus is teaching us to pray that our Father’s desires, choices, inclination, pleasure be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This means that in heaven, God’s choices, desires and inclinations work perfectly and eternally. Under his domain or governance, things work perfectly, and we are required to pray to the Father to extend that influence into the earth realm.
What is the difference between the Father’s choices and our choices? The Father’s choices are seen in His word and His counsel. This is what the bible have to say about that:
Ps 33:11
The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
Pr 19:21
There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
Jer 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
You see, God’s plans for you are better than your plans for yourself. In fact, often it is difficult to fully know or understand God’s plans for us but as long as we desire to please God, when we pray this prayer, we pray for the grace to follow God’s word or choose God’s way instead of our way in any given situation.
This prayer is so essential because choosing God’s way sometimes (if not often) will lead you into a perceived trouble or difficulty. I use the word perceived because the immediate or logical implications of choosing God’s way (based on our carnal knowledge) IS difficulty. But God who knows beyond what we know HAS factored in things beyond our natural knowledge which will ensure we have the final victory.
Victory on earth (or in the realm of our senses) are not eternal and should not count for much to us.
Luke 10: 17
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
One thing that we often miss about what God sees as ultimate victory is NOT the results on earth but results in heaven; a realm beyond our natural senses.
Christ’s death on the cross could be seen as a temporary defeat and it was scary and painful for Him to go through it.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
However when He made this prayer (which He taught His disciples) he not only gained the ultimate victory in heaven but he gained victory in our natural realm and transferred that power to all those who will believe in Him.
When we set our focus on earthly, natural, carnal things, it will lead to self preservation but when we are focused on heavenly gains; then can we pray this prayer honestly, mean it and choose God’s divine ways.
Stay Blessed
The Lord’s Prayer – Thy Kingdom Come November 12, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: devotional, THY KINGDOM COME, Erchomai, Basileia
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Matt 6: 10 Thy kingdom come…
Sometime ago, I wondered, if God should come on earth, what will he teach us or show us?
If Jesus is the son of God and He is God then we should study what he came to teach.
His teaching on prayer is what we call the Lord’s prayer in Matt 6: 9-13.
In all of Jesus’ teaching, the recurring theme is about a ‘Kingdom’. Sometimes it is he talks about the kingdom of God and in other times, he talks about the kingdom of heaven.
We know that Jesus begins His ministry (Mk. 1.14, 15 · Lk. 4.14, 15) with the message of the kingdom
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 4:17
Then when he was sending his disciples to go and preach, this is his instruction
And as ye go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt 10:7
First the word Kingdom is the Greek word Basileia (Strong’s no.932) meaning
- royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
- not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
- of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
- of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom
- a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
- used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah
Now I have heard the validity of this prayer being questioned. It is said that, at the time Jesus was teaching this, the kingdom had not yet come because Jesus had not yet resurrected… or something to that effect.
Well this is the revelation I have on this scripture. Remember he PREACHES that the Kingdom of heaven is AT HAND but when he was teaching the disciples to pray, he taught them to pray for the kingdom to COME.
What is the difference? I believe that the kingdom at HAND meant it was NEAR or available and to pray for it to COME is to pray that you can have the knowledge (revelation) of how it works and to access it or be able to use it.
So Jesus basically taught that there are supernatural influences on men on this earth. These influences are either from God or from the Devil (John 10:10). Jesus taught that it is now possible to tap into the influence of God but we must PRAY for the revelation of HOW to tap into it; that is for the influence to affect our earthly life and to prepare for us for eternal life.
The COME is the Greek word Erchomai meaning
1. to come
a. of persons
1. to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving
2. to appear, make one’s appearance, come before the public
2. metaph.
a. to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence
b. be established, become known, to come (fall)
But I like this definition… to come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, become known.
So we pray… thy kingdom come into being, arise, come forth, show itself, find place or influence, become known.
So there are two things here, teach people that the Kingdom of God is NEAR or AVAILABLE and it is up to people to pray that it become established in their lives. Prayer and study of the word will bring revelation of the word which will cause the kingdom of heaven to be come forth, show itself, find a place or influence or become known in YOUR life.
May the understanding of God’s kingdom (the influence of a domain beyond the natural realm) come to us. May we be kingdom conscious or minded. May we grasp the concept of kingdom living. We ought to be intrigued about the kingdom. We need to enquire about the kingdom. We need to have knowledge (epignosis) of the kingdom. How does the kingdom work?
Stay Blessed
The Lord’s Prayer – Hallowed be thy Name part 2 November 11, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: The Lords Prayer, The Names of God, Shadday, Shaddai, Hallowed be thy name, Dimensions of God
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The Names of God
Matt 6:9
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
In Exo 6:3, the scriptures tells us of how Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew God; God Almighty, but they did NOT know God as JEHOVAH.
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
JEHOVAH is Strong’s number 3068 meaning “the existing One” the proper name of the one true God. The name describes God in His absolute terms; not as one thing or the other. He is “I AM WHO I AM” or ‘I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE” as revealed to Moses at the burning bush, Ex.3. This name of God, too sacred to be uttered, abbreviated ( . . . . ) or written “YHWH” without vowel points.
The name Jehovah is used directly in Ps 83:18, Isa 12:2, 26:4.
That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
Now when God revealed Himself as God Almighty to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he revealed himself as Hebrew word Shadday (Strong’s no. 7706) meaning almighty, most powerful, Shaddai, the Almighty (of God) . The scriptural references of when God appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are Ge 17:1, Ge 28:3, Ge 35:11, Ge 43:14, Ge 48:3, Ge 49:25.
If you look at the text in these references, you will realise that God appeared to them as the God who BLESSES; causes favour or favourable conditions to come to one. But there are other dimensions of God.
So the question is WHO IS GOD TO YOU. How do you HALLOW His Name? Who can God be to you today?
Whilst writing this piece, I found someone has written a nice article on the names of God in the Old Testament. Please click this link to read the article.
Some of the other Names of God are
El Shaddai (Lord God Almighty)
El Elyon (The Most High God)
Adonai (Lord, Master)
Yahweh (Lord, Jehovah)
Jehovah Nissi (The Lord My Banner)
Jehovah-Raah (The Lord My Shepherd)
Jehovah Rapha (The Lord That Heals)
Jehovah Shammah (The Lord Is There)
Jehovah Tsidkenu (The Lord Our Righteousness)
Jehovah Mekoddishkem (The Lord Who Sanctifies You)
El Olam (The Everlasting God)
Elohim (God)
Qanna (Jealous)
Jehovah Jireh (The Lord Will Provide)
Jehovah Shalom (The Lord Is Peace)
Jehovah Sabaoth (The Lord of Hosts)
Stay Blessed.
The Lord’s Prayer – WHICH ART IN HEAVEN November 7, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: devotional, The Lords Prayer, Ouranos, heaven
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Matt 6:9
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Here, Jesus is trying to make us remind ourselves; in our daily prayers, where our father resides.
Life is a journey into eternity. We move into eternity when the body EXPIRES!
Jesus is showing us where OUR FATHER resides in eternity – HEAVEN!
Christ calls it his “Father’s house” (John 14:2).
According to the dictionary, these are two of the definitions of heaven.
heaven n
1: the abode of God and the angels and the souls of those who have gained salvation
2: any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
The Greek word for heaven is Ouranos strong’s no.3772 and it means among others, the region above the sidereal heavens, the seat of order of things eternal and consummately perfect where God dwells and other heavenly beings
The believer’s heaven is not only a state of everlasting blessedness, but also a “place”,
A PLACE PREPARED FOR THE BELIEVER (John 14:2) - a place of BLISS WITHOUT END!!!
Think about it, if God (OUR FATHER) dwells in a place of peace, delight and bliss then
“… the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ” Phil 4:7
This should be your confession for today
“And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Tim 4:18
Stay Blessed
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – 1 October 20, 2008
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2 Peter 1:2-10
…Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,…
The above scripture teaches us what we ought to know and do in order to go through this earthly phase of life successfully because God has given us ALL the tools to do that.
Let’s examine the scriptures above and find out what the Holy Spirit wants us to know.
1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
The more you know Christ, the more grace and peace is MULTIPLIED to you.
1:3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
The deeper your knowledge about Christ, the more you become empowered to handle all the issues that pertain to godly living.
1:4
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The deeper your knowledge about Christ, the more you BECOME like him. In other words, you become a partaker of His divine nature. That should be the ultimate goal of every Christian; to be LIKE HIM… For in him dwells ALL THE FULNESS OF GODHEAD BODILY. (Col 2:9)
Col 1:15
Who (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
1:19
For it pleased the Father that in him(Christ) should all fulness dwell;
The word Partaker is the Greek word Koinonos and it means a partner, associate, comrade, companion
It means we become a partner, an associate, comrade, companion of Christ’s nature. The goal of God is for everyone to become like Christ. That is the original intent of God for mankind.
When God said in the beginning, Let US MAKE MAN IN OUR OWN IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS… that is the original man God created; people who are partners, associates, comrades and companions of God.
Being a born-again Christian is therefore the beginning of a journey of becoming like Christ – a partaker of His divine nature.
Christ (the son of God) came to earth to show us how children of God on earth ought to live.
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, * (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
God has qualified us to be partakers of Christ’s divine nature.
Col 1:12
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
So how do we need to know or what do we need to know about Christ in order to become like him?
What should be our pursuits in this Life? What did Christ pursue? What was His passion and goals? What did he study most and taught most?
From verse 5 to 10 of 2 Peter 1, we are taught the kind of knowledge we ought to have about Christ.
In the coming days, lets examine the rest of the scriptures what things Peter teaches that we should know about Christ and emulate.
Have blessed day!
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – 2 October 21, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Knowledge, godliness, brotherly kindness, gnosis, virtue, faith, Temperance, Patience, partaker, George France, fruitful, abound, diligence, divine nature
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2 Peter
1:5
And * * beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge (gnosis);
1:6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
1:7
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
1:8
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yesterday, we talked about how Christ (the son of God) came to earth to show us how children of God on earth ought to live and how God has qualified us to be partakers of Christ’s divine nature.
We finished by asking the following questions
So how do we need to know or what do we need to know about Christ in order to become like him?
What should be our pursuits in this Life? What did Christ pursue? What was His passion and goals? What did he study most and taught most?
Lets continue…
The scriptures shows us to DILIGENTLY seek to know His Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Temperance, Patience, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, Charity (Love).
2 Peter 1:5
And * * beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge (gnosis);
DILIGENCE
The scripture expressly shows us the ATTITUDE we ought to have in our quest to be a partaker of the divine nature of Christ.
The Greek word for Diligence is Spoude (Strong’s Number: 4710) meaning
1. haste, with haste
2. earnestness, diligence
a. earnestness in accomplishing, promoting, or striving after anything
b. to give all diligence, interest one’s self most earnestly
The attitude described here is that of haste, business like, earnest in accomplishing, promoting, striving, eagerness, urgency!
One of the things I have realised is that our faith, the foundation of every believer is just that, a foundation, with no effort on our part to BUILD ON THE FOUNDATION.
We all know the scripture “Without faith, it is impossible to please Him…” Hebrews 11:6
But what we have often missed in the same verse is this “…he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. ” Hebrews 11:6
We cannot be like Christ if we do not DILIGENTLY seek to know him.
And yes, let’s check our ATTITUDE towards the things of God, whether we showing due diligence.
Do you think your thought pattern is that of Christ right now, today, this week? What will be Christ’s attitude towards the challenges you are facing today? Can your response towards situations be like Christ today.
Are we passionate about the things that Christ was passionate about? What was He passionate about? I dare say that Diligence is normally driven by Passion.
Be Blessed!
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The faith of Christ October 22, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Knowledge, godliness, brotherly kindness, epignosis, gnosis, virtue, faith, Temperance, Patience, partaker, George France, fruitful, abound, diligence, divine nature, father, pater
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Yesterday, we talked about the ATTITUDE we need in order to partaker of Christ’s divine nature.
Today, we are going to talk about the things we need to know about Christ in order to be like Him or be a partaker of His divine nature.
2 Peter 1:5
And * * beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;…
We notice from the above scripture that the fundamental requirement of a believer is to have Faith. So here Peter was not admonishing us to have faith but actually teaching what we need to ADD to the faith.
As I said yesterday, Faith is the foundation on which we BUILD our christian lives.
Faith is the Greek word Pistis (Strong’s No:4102) and has the following meanings
1. conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it.
Also of relating to Christ, a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.
2. fidelity, faithfulness; the character of one who can be relied on.
So let’s look at the Faith of Jesus Christ.
What do we know about the faith of Christ? Do we have his kind of faith? Can we have his kind of faith?
Mark 11:22
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
11:23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
11:24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
From Mark 11:22, we can see how Jesus relied absolutely in the existence and character of God; so much so that his relationship with God is that of Father and son. It is not an imaginary relationship; a REAL relationship. God was as real to him as his physical parents.
First, the existence of God must be real and absolute to you without a shadow of doubt. Jesus referred to God as His REAL FATHER and encourages everyone to relate to God as such when he taught his disciples how to pray.
Matt 6:9
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
The definition of FATHER is Greek word pater meaning the ancestor, originator or source of anything.
Christ’s life was governed absolutely by what the Father wants Him to do and is determined to do anything to please the Father and ONLY the father.
John 8:29
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
Have faith in God; desire, pray, believe and receive;
Christ’s conviction of the father is in his heart; the centre and seat of his spiritual life!
How real is God to you? We need to know God as Christ sought to teach us to know Him – as our Father.
Be blessed
George France
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The Knowledge of Christ October 23, 2008
Posted by epgf in Uncategorized.Tags: abound, brotherly kindness, diligence, divine nature, epignosis, faith, fruitful, George France, gnosis, godliness, Knowledge, partaker, Patience, Temperance, virtue
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Yesterday, we dealt with the faith of Christ. Today we are going to deal with the Knowledge of Christ.
There are two kinds of knowledge which Christ had which we need to have; His natural (gnosis) intelligence and divine (epignosis) knowledge.
2 Peter 1:2
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge (epignosis) of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
1:3
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge (epignosis) of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
1:5
And * * beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge (gnosis);
Epignosis (1922)
1. precise and correct knowledge
a. used in the NT of the knowledge of things ethical and divine
Gnosis (1108)
1. knowledge signifies in general intelligence, understanding
What do we know about Christ’s general intelligence and how he dealt with general, carnal or natural issues of his time?
What about his divine knowledge? Can we get that? Can we learn from his lifestyle and what he taught about both natural knowledge and divine knowledge?
For most parts, we know that studying and experience brings knowledge but what about divine knowledge?
According to 2 Peter 1, we need to have two kinds of knowledge. Most people in the present world have one kind of knowledge – gnosis, a mental knowledge concerning things they can see, or things which appeal to their senses.
However, of God and Jesus Christ, it goes beyond that. We need to have epignosis, divine knowledge which is why most people find it difficult to grasp.
Even bringing the bible does not necessarily bring epignosis, it brings gnosis. That is why the devil can also quote scriptures in Luke 4, but he did not have divine revelation (epignosis) of the word.
It takes the workings of the Holy Spirit to bring divine revelation of the word (logos) to rhema (living).
Let us strive for the help of the Holy Spirit to energise us to understand and do the will of God.
Stay Blessed.
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The Virtue of Christ October 27, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Knowledge, godliness, brotherly kindness, epignosis, gnosis, virtue, faith, Temperance, Patience, partaker, George France, fruitful, abound, diligence, divine nature
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We have been studing on partaking of Christ’s divine nature. This should be the goal of everyone who follows Christ; that we should be like Him. 2 Peter 1 is teaching us what we need to know about Christ in order to be like him.Today we are going to talk about his virtue.
2 Peter 1:5
And * * beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;…
There are two Greek words for Virtue: dunamis (strongs no:1141) and arête (strongs no: 703). The word dunamis denotes POWER but the word used in 2 Peter is arête meaning
1. a virtuous course of thought, feeling and action
a. virtue, moral goodness
2. any particular moral excellence, as modesty, purity
What do we know about Christ’s virtue?
One mistake that we have often made is attribute moral excellence to ACTS which are seen by men. This is the issue Jesus had with the Pharisees. Although we can perform a lot of acts of morality, God looks beyond the acts and sees the spirit behind the acts.
Looks of humility, purity, modesty does not necessarily mean the spirits behind those acts are the same.
Some of us are unaware that the appearance of our actions are based on subjectable influences.
Ones act of humility may be interpreted as pride by someone else depending on who is observing. Therefore the only true act of humility is spiritual and seen by God. Many peoples act of moral excellence, modesty and purity are actually foul to God, as Jesus said of the Pharisees many times.
As with the woman caught in adultery, we can see from Jesus’ reply that there are a lot of things going on in the heart of men, which because they are not seen, gives people a false sense of security and those same people judge harshly, those whose bad actions are made public.
On the other hand, Jesus was thought to be proud by the way he spoke by the Pharisees. How easy do we find those who tell us the truth about ourselves proud! How often do we excuse our mistakes, yet judge the mistakes of others.
So lets remember that virtue (modesty, purity, moral excellence) should first be an issue of the heart before it is seen of men.
Prov 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Stay Blessed
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The temperance of Christ October 28, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Knowledge, godliness, brotherly kindness, epignosis, gnosis, virtue, faith, Temperance, Patience, partaker, George France, fruitful, abound, diligence, divine nature
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We are still talking about how we can be partakers of Christ’s divine nature and today we are dealing with Christ’s temperance.
2Peter 1:6 And to knowledge temperance; …
Temperance – Greek word Egkrateia (Strong’s no:1466) meaning: self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)
One of the most difficult things to control is the self (flesh) and we need to study how well Jesus was able to master his natural desires. Now we read in John 8:29 that Jesus did ALL those things that pleased the father.
John 8:29
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
But did he have any inclinations of doing otherwise? Did he have any natural desires? Of course he did; why, because any temptation is a TEST against your temperance. Anything that does not appeal to you does not tempt you so if Jesus was tempted in Luke 4, then what ever he was faced with appealed to his natural desires.
First, he was tested to use the anointing on His life to satisfy his flesh.
Luke 4:2
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing *: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.
4:3
And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
How many times are christians (even ministers) tempted to make spiritual decisions purely to gain material things. Also how difficult is it for christians to make correct spiritual decisions when it means losing something materially. Essentially, doing the right things for the wrong reasons.
Again Jesus was tempted with meeting the wrong perception or expectation of the Jews of the messiah. A man of power politically, who will deliver them from crisis and lead them into victory over their enemies and into prosperous times…
Luke 4:5
And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
4:6
And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
4:7
If thou therefore wilt worship me *, all shall be thine.
The temptation here is to channel His anointing into the politics of his day. Politics also involves courting the appeal of people. Again Jesus controlled himself from that and preached what he had to preach and did not care who was offended as long as His heavenly fathers’ message has been preached. Worship is an act of reverence and it is important that we reverence God more than men.
What messages pleases us more? Messages of prosperity or messages of soul winning?
For me, one of my greatest challenge is that of self control – the virtue of mastering my natural desires and passions over what God wants me to do. Sometimes, the ‘good’ things comes naturally to us. We find it easy to fast because we naturally dont eat much, we find it easy to wake up early to pray because we naturally dont sleep much, we find it easy to witness because we naturally find it easy to make up conversations with people we meet. So we would rather pray than to fast and witness, witness than to fast and pray, pray but not fast and withness, etc. Self-control means crucifying the flesh DAILY and its my prayer that for each day with its temptations, we overcome by the power of the word and the grace of God.
Stay blessed
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The Patience of Christ October 29, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Knowledge, godliness, brotherly kindness, epignosis, gnosis, virtue, faith, Temperance, Patience, partaker, George France, fruitful, abound, diligence, divine nature, hupomone, Makrothumia, devotional
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2 Peter 1:1-10
2 Peter 1:6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience;
Today, we are going to study the patience of Christ as a character of his Divine nature.
In the new testament, there are at least two basic Greek words for patience; Hupomone (5281) and Makrothumia (3115) both of which basically mean endurance, constancy, steadfastness and perseverance. However they are both used in distinctly different circumstances.
Hupomone is used in the NT as the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Makrothumia however is used more for forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs. One (hupomone) is used in relation to faith whilst the other (makrothumia) is used in relation to another person.
In 2Peter 1, the patience used is hupomone which reflects the character of Jesus as a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Paul also had that characteristic but the desciples (notably Peter) who though did not initially have that sort of patience (hupomone) later got the hupomone of Jesus.
It is important to note however that the hupomone the desciples later had came as a result of the infilling of the Holy Ghost. That was when Peter, who initially denied Christ, later was able to say … we cannot be speak the things which we have heard and seen…Acts 4:20
Acts 4:8
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel…
4:18
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
4:19
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
4:20
For we cannot * but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
A person who has patience (hupomone) is definitely one who is filled (or continually filled) with the holy Ghost.
Luke 11:13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father * * give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Stay Blessed
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The godliness of Christ October 30, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Knowledge, godliness, brotherly kindness, epignosis, gnosis, virtue, faith, Temperance, Patience, partaker, George France, fruitful, abound, diligence, divine nature, hupomone, Makrothumia, Eusebeia, reverence, piety
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2 Peter 1:1-10
2 Peter 1:6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
Today, we are going to talk about the godliness of Christ.
The word godliness is the Greek word Eusebeia (2150) meaning reverence, respect piety towards God.
How much do we reverence the things of God, the call of God on our lives, the men whom God has chosen to lead us?
It is interesting to note that just after patience (the character of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings) is godliness (reverence). A man who has reverence (towards God and godly things) is likely to be a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.
Jesus’s reverence towards the father enabled him to get to the cross and complete the task he came to accomplish – set man free from the bondage of death. John 10:10
Walking in reverence could also be described as walking worthily…
Eph 4:1
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, (NASB)
Col 1:10
so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please {Him} in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (NASB)
1Th 2:12
so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. (NASB)
Rev 3:4
‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. (NASB)
Stay blessed
Partaking of Christ’s Divine Nature – The Love of Christ October 31, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: abound, agape, brotherly kindness, charity, devotion, devotional, diligence, divine nature, epignosis, Eusebeia, faith, fruitful, George France, gnosis, godliness, hupomone, kardia, Knowledge, Makrothumia, partaker, Patience, philadelphia, Temperance, virtue
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2 Peter 1:1-10
2 Peter 1:7
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
Today, we are going to talk about the last two ingredients Peter taught we need to be partakers of Christ’s divine nature; brotherly kindness and charity.
Both of these are different kinds of love; brotherly kindness (philadelphia – strong’s no.5360) and charity or love (agape – strong’s no.26) which describes more of a general affection to all.
Philadelphia means love of brothers or sisters, brotherly love
in the NT the love which Christians cherish for each other as brethren
Paul also describes beautifully how we ought to know the love of Christ in Ephesians 3
Eph 3:17
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
The heart (Greek word Kardia:strongs no.2588) is that organ in the animal body which is the centre of the circulation of the blood, and hence was regarded as the seat of physical life.
It denotes the centre of all physical and spiritual life the vigour and sense of physical life. It is the centre and seat of spiritual life the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavours.
It is of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate.
When Christ is in the centre of our innermost being, that is where love will be found.
3:18
May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
Here Paul is talking about the dimensions of the kind of love we need to understand and have. What is the breadth of Christ’s love, how long is it? How wide, high and deep is it? What does it include? Who does it include?
3:19
And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
It is only when we understand the dimensions of his love beyond our natural knowledge (gnosis) that we become filled with all the fullness of God.
Now notice the distinctions here between the brotherly love (used of one christian to another) and general affections for all. In Jesus’s prayer in John 17, he made clear distinctions in the kind of prayer he offered to God for the disciples specifically and to all believers generally.
John 17:9
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
John 17:20
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
For those who berate ministers for making special prayers for various groups (eg those who give tithes and special offerings), this verse (John 17) supports their actions. You can make distinctions without being discriminatory.
Let us study the word to know the dimensions of love we need to be filled with all the fulness of God and to be partakers of his Divine Nature.
Stay blessed
The Lord’s Prayer – Our Father November 6, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: devotional, The Lords Prayer, our father
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“Teach us how to pray,” the disciples said to Jesus. (Matt 6:9-13, Luke 11: 1)
He answered by teaching them the prayer we call The Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is a basic Christian prayer. As a model of prayer, every Christian learns it by heart. It’s a prayer Christians treasure and indeed should.
However Jesus did not teach us to memorize and repeat mechanically or without thought. There have been many teachings on this prayer, and the validity of some aspects of this prayer has even been questioned with regard to whether it ought to be prayed today. For instance, in the part … thy kingdom come… some argue that at the time the kingdom had not yet come but after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the kingdom came. I am not going to go into that now.
When properly studied, the Lord’s Prayer shows us who we (human and spiritual beings) are and where we are going. Its purpose is to awaken and stimulate our faith.
Through this prayer Jesus shows how to relate to and approach a timeless, dimensionless transcendent God.
It is very important to note that ALL ASPECTS of the prayer Jesus taught deals with the requirements of the SOUL – the inner man. That is why bible says that “Guard your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life” Prov 4:23
Let us look at this prayer microscopically and see what we can learn.
OUR FATHER
There is an infinite gap separates us from God – who lies beyond our ordinary range of perception.
However, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to draw near to God who is beyond human understanding and without dimension, who dwells in mystery, who is all holy. How do we do that? By entering into a RELATIONSHIP with God.
Calling God “Our Father” allows us to PERSONIFY God and allow us, first, into a RELATIONSHIP with God. This indeed allows us ’see’ God in a dimension we (as humans) can relate to. That is how Jesus himself related to God – the Father.
Calling God “Father” does not mean that God is masculine. God is beyond the categories of gender, of masculine or feminine. None of our descriptions of God is adequate.
Here is the Hebrew definition of FATHER – ‘ab as in Chief, ruler, founder or Head.
If God is KING or the CREATOR (founder) and God is YOUR father then you are an HEIR.
Christ’s ultimate Goal was to OBEY or please the father.
And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.
This is what the lord that created you says
Isaiah 43:1-3
“… Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
43:3 For I am the LORD thy God,
Stay Blessed.
The Lord’s Prayer – Thine is the Kingdom November 20, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Basileia, daily devotional, Kingdom, thine is the kingdom
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Matt 6: 13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
The Kingdom belongs to the Father
The word Kingdom used here is the Greek word Basileia (Strong’s no.932) meaning
- royal power, kingship, dominion, rule
- not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom
- of the royal power of Jesus as the triumphant Messiah
- of the royal power and dignity conferred on Christians in the Messiah’s kingdom
- a kingdom, the territory subject to the rule of a king
used in the N.T. to refer to the reign of the Messiah
The idea Jesus was trying to get across is that the Father had the RIGHT or AUTHORITY to rule over the kingdom. In other words, the SEAT OF AUTHORITY; the supreme source of all authority belongs to God.
The right to rule usually covers a particular domain and the execution of those rights usually comes to those who have expert or above average knowledge of every aspect of that domain.
So here Jesus points us to the source of all authority, NOT our bosses, kings, presidents, prime ministers but God the Father. And in order for those rights to be extended to us and to be able to execute those rights, we need to seek to know the Father more but coming to His presence constantly through prayer and the study of His word.
That is why Jesus said in Matt 28:18 “…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”
Some people enjoy certain rights which affect only certain parts of this earthly domain but Jesus here says that “I have been given authority both in heaven and here on earth”.
Notice here what Jesus said, He has be GIVEN that authority. That means he obtained that authority from the Father. And the question is this; HOW do we obtain that authority? Do we get it when we become born again?
Becoming born again qualifies us but it does not ENABLE to execute those rights. We experience that divine authority in operation when we DO what Jesus said His declaration in Matt 28:18. The following verses show us exactly what to do…
Matt 28: 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NASB)
GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES of ALL nations… I am with you ALWAYS…
When you are involved in the above activity, you experience the presence of Jesus and you see His authority in action.
The Kingdom belongs to God!
Stay Blessed.
The Lord’s Prayer – Lead us not into temptation November 19, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: Peirasmos, temptation
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Matt 6:
13And lead us not into temptation,
Now can God lead into Temptation? What is temptation?
Temptation is the Greek word Peirasmos (Strong’s no. 3986) meaning
- an experiment, attempt, trial, proving
- trial, proving: the trial made of you by my bodily condition, since condition served as to test the love of the Galatians toward Paul (Gal. 4:
1. the trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy
-
an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from the desires or from the outward circumstances
-
an internal temptation to sin 1b
2. of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus the Messiah from his divine errand
-
of the condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from the faith and holiness
-
adversity, affliction, trouble: sent by God and serving to test or prove one’s character, faith, holiness
3. temptation (i.e. trial) of God by men
-
rebellion against God, by which his power and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show themselves
Often, we think of temptation as the desire to do evil or something wrong but sometimes temptation is resisting wrong, pain, discomfort, pleasure. The prayer Jesus taught is the kind of prayer he had to pray himself and the challenges and faith required for this prayer, he experienced. Jesus prayed to be lead out of temptation in the garden of Gethsemane when he prayed so that he will NOT resist the evil coming to him. To define temptation generally, it is the desire to do something usually wrong but not necessarily evil.
Lead us not to into temptation could also read lead us AWAY from temptation. It is possible for us to pray for things and God will respond but it will not be the perfect will of God.
Matt 26
52Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. 53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Notice that Jesus said that when He prays, His Father WILL respond, but then he was able to know that the evil he was about to face was necessary.
Look at the temptations of Jesus in Luke 4 and you will realise that it only the fulfilment of the word of God in your life that is necessary.
Stay Blessed.
The Lord’s Prayer – Hallowed be thy Name November 10, 2008
Posted by epgf in Daily Rhema.Tags: devotional, The Lords Prayer, Onoma, Hagiazo, Hallowed, Name
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Matt 6:9
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Who is God to you? In what capacity or name can God make himself manifest to you today? That is why we need to pray daily! Today’s challenges or evil requires today’s manifestation of God, specific to the evil you are facing today.
God appeared to holy men in various capacities according the challenges of the day.
But first let’s look at the Greek meaning of two words; Hallowed and Name.
Hallowed is the Greek work Hagiazo (Strong’s no. 37) meaning
- to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow
- to separate from profane things and dedicate to God
- consecrate things to God
- dedicate people to God
- to purify
- to cleanse externally
- to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin to purify internally by renewing of the soul
Also Name is the Greek word Onoma (Strong’s no.3686) meaning
- name: univ. of proper names
- the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.
- persons reckoned up by name the cause or reason named: on this account, because he suffers as a Christian, for this reason
In other words we must REVERENCE the NAME of God.
Exo 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain;
Also the name should provoke the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.
So again, who is God to you? Jesus prefers (as we are learning from this prayer) to refer and relate to God as a father – the originator and source of everything both in heaven and on earth.
In the Old Testament, God revealed himself to different people in different ways and different people related to God in different ways mainly due to the challenges they faced in specific times.
And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
Next time we will look at the different names of God and the context in which it was used and how it affected those who used it.
Stay blessed
