Category: Gospel

“Sincerely wrong” is still wrong

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

2 Timothy 1:12 (KJV)

For several days in June 2023, the world was fascinated by the saga of the Titan. A submersible with five wealthy, intrepid passengers aboard which had gone missing on a tourist dive 13,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean to view the wreck of the Titanic. What had happened to the Titan and its passengers? Were they lost in the depths? Adrift on the waves? Did they have enough air? Food? Water? Whole broadcasts were dedicated to the tale, with an ominous countdown showing how much air they would have in the best-case scenario.

Unfortunately, as it turned out, air was the least of the Titan’s problems. It imploded on the way down on Sunday, 18th June 2023, killing all five aboard. Even before the news broke out on Wednesday, however, news had come out about how deepsea diving industry professionals and even the staff of the company had expressed grave concerns about the safety of the Titan. CEO Stockton Rush, who perished along with four others, had been warned multiple times from multiple quarters that the vessel needed much more testing, but he refused to listen, even responding to one person that he was “personally insulted” by their warnings.

The thing is, Stockton Rush wasn’t just talking a good game. He genuinely believed riding in the Titan was “safer than crossing the street,” to use his own words. We know he believed it because he went down personally on that ill-fated voyage last week.

Unfortunately, just because you sincerely believe something is safe does not mean that it is actually safe. To quote C. H. Spurgeon,

If you sincerely drink poison, it will kill you: if you sincerely cut your throat, you will die. If you sincerely believe a lie, you will suffer the consequences. You must not only be sincere, but you must be right.

This applies not just to submersibles but also to our eternal destinies. No matter how long you live, you will eventually die. Maybe not in a submersible, but something will get you in the end. Or perhaps Christ will come before then. Either way, what will become of your soul? Is what you’re trusting to hold you truly capable of sustaining you in that day?

It’s not enough to “believe” or to “have faith.” The object of that faith must hold up. And the Word of God plainly tells us that “…there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)” and that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).“So if today you are trusting in any other Titan to hold you in the day of judgment, abandon false hope, repent and believe the gospel.

If the 6500 psi of pressure that crushed the Titan was fearful, how much more the anger and judgment of the one who created that pressure out of nothing? I pray that anyone reading this will stop ignoring warnings, stop hoping nothing happens, stop listening to the false assurances of the world and turn to “Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10).” May God have mercy on us all.

Passing Thoughts…

I am not sure what title to give this or what it is even about but it is almost 11pm on the 18th of February 2023 and I could not really sleep as thoughts of Christian Atsu swirled in my mind. His lifeless body was recovered today which was not the news that any of us wanted to hear. I do hope at least that despite the pain of loss, it brings some measure of closure to his family so they can properly grieve his passing.

I have read articles and seen videos about his kindness and generosity through all the philanthropic works he would do and I am grateful he got the opportunity to do all these.

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the Christian’s response to the Coronavirus (read it to get some context) which sought to explain the state of this world and how believer’s should process such occurrences and again a few days before this earthquake I posted a series of verses from Matthew 24 about the signs of the end. Alas, something like this was on the way. Definitely not a ‘prophet’ as these are written down by the Lord to help us understand each day and situation as it comes.

My thoughts have recently been on these verses spoken by Jesus in Luke 13:1-9

13 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had [a]mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4 Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it [b]use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 [c]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ”

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2013&version=NKJV

What Jesus is saying here is that everyone has been given time and space by God to repent and turn to Him for forgiveness because it is only in that state that we can bear fruit that is pleasing to Him.

In every disaster, pandemic or pestilence, both believers and unbelievers will perish so this is not to suggest in any way that those who died in the quake were all unbelievers but rather that everyone will leave this earth one day and the question is will fruit be found in us? He uses the reality of physical death to prompt us about the reality of spiritual death without repentance and faith in Christ.

Thankfully, this does not need to be your situation Dear Reader!

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16-17 (Biblegateway)

God desires to give us life, true everlasting life that cannot be interrupted by even a disaster. Whether we die in whatever circumstance, provided we are in Christ, we are safe. What stops you from turning to Him right now?

Evangelism Resource: Living Waters Youtube Channel

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.”

Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)

On the 15th of March 2020, the president of Ghana took the unprecedented step of ordering all religious services to be suspended for a month as a countermeasure against the spread of the COVID-19 disease. Most schools are out, social gatherings are discouraged, Ghanaians’ ‘favourite’ funerals are limited to 25 persons maximum.

These are strange and confusing times to be sure, but the larger numbers of housebound folk, smaller gatherings and scared friends posting all kinds of dire messages on WhatsApp all mean greater opportunities for witnessing and evangelism.

But what do you say, and how? How do you make sure you are sharing the true gospel and not confusing people or, worse, giving them a false sense of assurance? There are many helpful resources online and offline about how to evangelize. Here is one I highly recommend: Living Waters on Youtube and its accompanying website Living Waters.

According to their “About” page, ” Living Waters seeks to train the members of Christ’s Body in the principles of biblical evangelism and to provide them with practical tools to proclaim the gospel.”

To that end, they provide many, many examples of founder Ray Comfort talking to people of all backgrounds about the gospel of Christ, from your everyday person on the street to others with a wide variety of beliefs, including atheists, agnostics, Satanists and Hare Krishnas. Some encounters go well, others not so well. Some people are open, others are not so welcoming.

Either way, the videos along with Ray Comfort’s penetrating article “Hell’s Best Kept Secret” present a simple and effective approach to evangelistic encounters. First share the bad news and help others understand how God sees them. Then share the news that Jesus died to take away the penalty we deserve as guilty sinners, so that in Him we can fulfill God’s standards for righteousness and be acceptable in His sight.

There is no guarantee the people we speak with will accept the message in faith, but that is not our command. Ours is to share the full, true message and leave the rest up to the Holy Spirit.

BTW, in addition to videos about evangelism, the Living Waters channel also has resources discussing contemporary issues such as the coronavirus, celebrity news (!), politics and evolution. Plus they also have a many short movies on topics like Christmas and Hollywood which are far more interesting and profitable to our souls than the latest telenovelas and juju movies.

Together with Scott Gilchrist’s sermon expositions that I recommended some years ago, you should have plenty of material to keep you busy until the president’s directive is lifted approximately a month from now. May God be with us all.

What I Learned In Church – 29th July, 2018

Prepare to Meet Christ – Truth Missionary Baptist Church

So today was another Sunday and as always it was a blessed time to be with other believers in Church to give glory to our God and to hear His timeless word preached by Pastor Ferguson Kcofie. The title of his sermon was ‘Prepare to Meet Christ’ and it was taken from Matthew 25:1-13 also known as the ‘Parable of the Ten Virgins’. Let us take a look at it below and then we shall consider the lessons that we took from this:

1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom [a]is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour [b]in which the Son of Man is coming.

 

Context

Before the key lessons, it would be helpful to understand the cultural context behind this parable as the original hearers would have understood clearly what Jesus was teaching. In those days, marriages were in 4 stages:

a. Betrothal – A short and simple ceremony in the bride’s home (think today’s engagement). However, this was a binding agreement in that culture showing the importance placed upon marriage.

b. Period of Preparation – Typically lasted 1-3 years and required the man to prepare a place where he will come and live with his bride.

c. Procession – A date was set when the groom would come from out of town and would be welcomed by selected bridesmaids (virgins) as we can see in our parable to take him to the bride.

d. Marriage – Vows were made and the marriage was finalized with the groom taking his bride to their new home.

Our parable therefore takes place between the second and the third stages of the marriage. Christ represents the Groom and the Virgins represent mankind and it is all about how one will enter the kingdom of heaven as verse 1 clearly outlines.

Lessons

  1. There are 2 Classes of People (v 1-5)– We see 5 wise and 5 foolish virgins compared and contrasted in this parable. This is similar language from Jesus as He used earlier in Matt 7:24-27 when He talks about the wise and the foolish builders. This is exactly how it is in the real world. There are basically only 2 kinds of people. Wise or Foolish in the sight of God depending on their standing with God. Men may make much fuss about people of different races and abilities and personalities etc and all these are important in their own place but in the grand scheme of things, there are only 2.

Wise

  • The ‘Wise’ were those who possessed spiritual life.
  • They had a reverence for God. They knew to be alert and ensured they had oil.
  • Realized the privilege they had to be selected and granted grace. Not everyone got to be a bridesmaid during this ceremony.

Foolish

  • Hebrew word stands for ‘moron’ or one who is thoughtless and cannot reason.
  • Many are like that today and are very careless with their souls. They live without regard to their eternal state.
  • They assumed they would go to heaven based on the externals of life and had no inward reality of salvation (represented by the extra oil).

2. Time will soon end (v 6) – We notice the groom arrived at midnight. Basically, it was at an unannounced time. We do not know the day nor the hour that Christ will come. We also do not know the time of our own departure from this earth so we must be ready at all times. It is an act of grace that God has waited so long before Christ coming and we know it is so as many as will may come in.

However, the delay is also a test. True Christians will be proved through many trials and will endure to the end 1 Peter 1:6&7.

3. Grace can not be shared (v 7-9) – No one can share their spiritual life with another. That is why the wise virgins told the foolish ones to go and buy their own oil. Salvation is a personal thing. Your parent cannot believe for you, your spouse cannot believe for you and no man can confer it upon you during infant baptism or any other such religious ceremony. Every person must individually be born again by repenting and putting their faith in Christ.

4. The Door of Grace will be shut (v 10) – The time and space to repent will not go on forever. God has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in Christ Jesus. Never put off coming to Christ till tomorrow or till a more opportune time. That may never come for you. Remember the story of Noah’s Ark and the Flood. Eventually, the flood came and we are told that God Himself closed up the door of the ark and no one could enter in afterwards. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.

5. Foolish Virgins Disowned and Rejected (v 11 & 12) – Finally, the most fearful saying that any person could every imagine is Christ saying on that day that “I do not know you.” Can you imagine the terror of that statement when you swing out into eternity?  In Matt 7:21-23, Jesus says this again. On the last day, many will come to Him with all kinds of activities claimed to have been done for Him and He is going to tell them He never knew them. Please do not think this is talking about someone who was saved and lost His salvation (The Bible does not even teach that but that is for another day). He says He never knew them. Not, He knew them and then the relationship got broken along the way. HE NEVER KNEW THEM! How many people sit in churches today are making these very assumptions without having true life in them?

To conclude, let us all seek the Lord while He may be found. What is the priority in your life? What consumes your affections and desires? Can you in all honesty say Christ is the centrepiece of your life and not an accessory you call upon when you are in some need?

Let us prepare to meet Christ!

Psalm For the Week – 29th July, 2018

Psalm 32 (NKJV)

The Joy of Forgiveness

A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.

32 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not [b]impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
7 You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

 

This is where I just pretend there has been no break since the last Psalm post 🙂

This week, we consider Psalm 32 which I must confess is one of my favourite psalms and I am sure you can understand why as you read through it. A friend asked me in the past week how one becomes a true Christian and I could not help but remember this Psalm as I believe it captures succinctly and accurately the message of the gospel.

What/Who is a Christian apart from one who has found reconciliation and peace with God?

The first 2 verses start with such joy and blessing and you can immediately feel David’s jubilation at having his sins forgiven and indeed that is true blessedness and joy. The one who has had his sin covered and to whom God does not impute iniquity. One whose spirit has been cleansed and is no longer duplicitous.

However, David did not always feel this way as verses 3 & 4 make very clear. On the other hand, he was weighed down heavily by his sins and he knew that the very hand of God was upon him. Oh! How this is true about any and all of us prior to redemption. All men know this and many seek relief from this real and gnawing sense of guilt by turning to many varying devices.

Some try to find peace by burying themselves in work. Others try a deadly cocktail of sinful pleasures. Some also attempt to perform good works in order to assuage their conscience and become a bit appealing to God. Still others decide to do away with the knowledge of God altogether in the thinking that if there is no God then there is nothing to give an account for.

All these are futile! They may promise some comfort initially but ultimately will disappoint all who attempt this.

In Verse 5, David discovers the real answer to man’s dilemma (sin). He no longer keeps silent about the main issue and acknowledges his sin to God and confesses and the Lord true to His character forgives the guilt of his sin.

Remember dear reader, God desires to forgive our sins. We see this in 2 Peter 3:8,9

“8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

This is the exact reason Jesus Christ came upon this earth. To pay for the sins that we have committed in order to bring us to God. What we have to do is turn from our sins and put our faith in Him for the forgiveness of our sins.

Do note also that there is a warning here as well from David. As we continue in verse 6 of our psalm, we see that there is a time in which the Lord may be found. Do not tarry and presume upon the grace of God for none of us know for certain how many days the Lord will grant us upon this earth or how long it will take for Christ to return.

The rest of the psalm from verse 8 is the Lord Himself giving all who would truly hear the exhortation of this psalm with encouraging words of how He himself will uphold us. Indeed all those in the Lord can rejoice knowing for certain that the Lord will preserve us come what may. He will guide us and He will keep us.

May the Lord bless us all as we go through this week and may we seek Him daily in His word and in prayer!!!