Reconciliation

Reconciliation

When one looks at the Ten Commandments in the Bible, what does one see? What do you see? Basically what I see are set of rules which help us differentiate right from wrong, justice and injustice. Taking a closer look however, I find that these rules aren’t just there to keep us in check and restrict or deprive us from the lust of the flesh, but are there to protect and guide us in the path of everlasting life and Joy. For the thoughts of Our Father in heaven aren’t those of evil but are those of good towards us.

Psalm 139:17-18

17 How precious also are thy

thoughts unto me, O God! how great

is the sum of them!

18 If I should count them, they are

more in number than the sand: when

I awake, I am still with thee.

Nonetheless, in my opinion we humans from the time of Adam and Eve haven’t really changed at all. That is our Father in heaven giving us an instruction and we being who we are, disobeying Gods instruction. What am trying to point out is that in my opinion the first man (Adam) choosing to eat the apple in the Garden of Eden and disobeying God’s instruction, was inevitable. I remember when I was first told the story of Adam and Eve in catechism, back then I thought to myself that if they had chosen not to eat it. I mean everything in human history would have turned out differently. ”so I thought”.

However now I realize that the situation basically hasn’t changed at all because even in this our 21st century every one of us still has his or her apples which God commands us not to eat. Yet just like Adam and Eve we keep eating them making the same mistakes over and over again. Thereby suffering the same consequences i.e. losing our comfort zones (Garden of Eden) and being banished into the wilderness (the reality of life). This brings about a reoccurring cycle of events which doesn’t have any end in sight for we are all sinners.

Fortunately it is for this reason that that our Father in heaven sent His only begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth (the second man) to die for the sake of our sins thereby reconciling us to God and allowing us reclaim that which Adam (the first man) lost in the past and is still being lost by us on a daily basis. Thus reclaiming our status in Christ Jesus to be able to stand in God’s presence not as outcasts or prodigal sons but as sons of God, as coheirs in Christ Jesus.

Revelation 5:9-10

9 And they sung a new song, saying,

Thou art worthy to take the

book, and to open the seals thereof:

for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed

us to God by thy blood out

of every kindred, and tongue, and

people, and nation;

10 And hast made us unto our God

kings and priests: and we shall reign

on the earth.

For we are no longer justified by the Law as it was in the Old Testament but are justified in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Romans 5:8-10

8 But God commendeth his love

toward us, in that, while we were yet

sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified

by his blood, we shall be saved

from wrath through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies,

we were reconciled to God by the

death of his Son, much more, being

reconciled, we shall be saved by his

life.

Once again I just have to point out the fact, that Jesus is the only way, the truth and light and without our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there is no salvation.

Have a blessed day

Nonso B-Anyeji.

The Way

Hi everyone Once again I feel the need to air my thoughts… “Wait a minute that sounded too cocky”. Once again I have been able to drag myself back into the chair to continue what I started, “yep sounds better”. Because by starting this Blog I committed myself to sharing my thoughts on the word of God. Thereby getting the message of the kingdom out there. Because I believe that in one way or the other everyone should consistently strive to work for God. No matter how insignificant the action taken may be. Anyway that’s a topic for another day.
Moving on to chapter 5 in the book of Revelations.
1 And I saw in the right hand of
him that sat on the throne a book
written within and on the backside,
sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming
with a loud voice, Who is
worthy to open the book, and to
loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in
earth, neither under the earth, was
able to open the book, neither to
look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no
man was found worthy to open and
to read the book, neither to look
thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto
me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of
the tribe of Juda, the Root of David,
hath prevailed to open the book, and
to loose the seven seals thereof.
6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the
midst of the throne and of the four
beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been
slain, having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven Spirits of
God sent forth into all the earth.
7 And he came and took the book
out of the right hand of him that sat
upon the throne.
8 And when he had taken the book,
the four beasts and four and twenty
elders fell down before the Lamb,
having every one of them harps, and
golden vials full of odours, which are
the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof:
for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by thy blood out
of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

While reading and this chapter I was struck particularly by verses 5 and 10. Now there is talk of this book sealed with seven seals that needs to be opened and read. What the book signifies and entails? Frankly I don’t know but I’m guessing that as we go on reading, we are likely to find that out. However another interesting observation is where the book came from. Now from the verses above, it’s written that the book is seen in the right hand of Him who sits upon the throne, our Father in heaven. It then follows that the book belongs to God and to access the book, one will need, not only direct access to our Father in heaven but also be qualification to stand at his right hand side. Another interesting fact is that both in heaven and on earth there was no one except our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, found worthy to open the Book neither was there anyone to look thereon.

Through these observations, I came to understand, better a common fact which we all know i.e. our lord Jesus Christ is the light and only true way and without him you can’t get to God the father neither can one attain salvation. Just as stated in John chapter 14 verse 6:

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 14:19-21 also states

19 Yet a little while, and the world
seeth me no more; but ye see me: because
I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I
am in my Father, and ye in me, and I
in you.
21 He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he it is
that loveth me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I
will love him, and will manifest myself
to him.

And John 8:12 also states

12 Then spake Jesus again unto
them, saying, I am the light of the
world: he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.

The message I’m trying to convey out there is that we should not be deceived the End time is coming and there are going to be rumors of wars and a lot of false prophets claiming to offer salvation.

Matthew 24: 4-8

4 And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Take heed that no man deceive
you.
5 For many shall come in my name,
saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive
many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and
rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom:
and there shall be famines, and pestilences,
and earthquakes, in divers
places.
8 All these are the beginning of
sorrows.

Therefore do not fear or be shaken and always let your heart be filled with the joy of our Lord Jesus Christ, always be in right standing with God and let your faith always be strong. For we have all sinned and come short of glory, but by Faith in Christ are justified. For if we lack any of these; the fear of the world, the fear of wars, of hardship, of Ebola, the fear of tomorrow seeps in and settles in our hearts. Unfortunately it is not only the fear of the world that settles in one’s heart but it allows the lies of the devil to become reality in one’s life. For the devil will want you to believe that the third world war is upon us and that Ebola will soon kill off the whole of humanity, however faith in Christ Jesus will tell you that a thousand will fall by your left and ten thousand by your right and nothing will befall you.
Believing the lies of the devil causes unnecessary paranoia in ones life and makes one vulnerable and an easy target for any false prophet out there who can assure one a false sense of security.
Nonetheless as you have read above, only our Lord Jesus Christ can save from the great tribulation that is going to follow the End time and there is no other way to salvation outside Jesus. So sit tight, do not tire of doing good and with patient endurance “OVERCOME”

Matthew 24: 13

13 But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved.

Stay blessed,
Nonso B-Anyeji

Views of Justice amongst the winners and the losers.

What is true Justice?
Sometime ago I stumbled upon a quote which intrigued and stuck to me. It referred to justice, it referred to a common phrase which we all know “justice shall prevail”.
Here’s the quote: “Kids who have never known war have different values from kids who have never known peace” Those who stand at the top get to define evil in this world. Justice will triumph you say? Of cause it will, because the strongest will become justice!”
Now In this context they are two warring factions, I mean two armies literally at war, with each army pushing at the other. Although one side is clearly fighting for a morally just cause while the other side is doing the opposite, fighting for a morally unjust and inhumane cause. Yet both sides keep going on and on, about justice.
However what intrigues me is the analogy of the situation: both factions keep stating that justice will prevail while claiming to be champions of justice. Believing each that they are fighting a righteous battle. Yet ironically, irrespective of which faction wins “worldly justice” will surly prevail because Justice gets to be defined by the winner i.e. the party or individual with greater power.
That’s totally not true, I thought. I mean, in life, I believe that there is a clear demarcation between what’s right and wrong, unjust and just because true justice comes from our Father in heaven Jehovah Nissi.
Nonetheless I couldn’t help but see reason in the first part of the quote which implies that depending ones background, country etc. people seem to have different views of justice. If not, how can one rationalize this perverted sense of Justice behind the inhuman and despicable actions of terrorist groups like IS, Boko Haram and co. How can one rationalize genocide, slavery, racism, tribalism, holocaust etc.? Ironically the perpetuators of such inhumane crimes often, truly believe that their causes are just.
Even so, the sad truth of the matter is that, often individuals or Groups with such perverted sense of justice often rise to power, institutionalizing their perverted sense of justice and enforcing it on a greater population. Just like the Nazis did and the terrorist group IS are trying to do right now, selling evil for good, painting black white.
This brings us back to main question, what is justice, what is true justice. With so many versions of justice, it can be hard to keep the oversight. Assuming we believe/adhere to the quote I mentioned earlier. The definition of justice, is as a result of power and authority i.e. (Power and Authority = justice). It then follows; to find the meaning of true justice we should look for that entity which holds true power and authority. I don’t know about you but finding the one who holds true power and authority was as easy as counting my fingers because it’s clearly written in the Bible.
First the book of Isaiah chapter 43 verse 8 to 13 states:
8 ¶ Bring forth the blind people
that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears.
9 Let all the nations be gathered
together, and let the people be assembled:
who among them can declare
this, and shew us former
things? let them bring forth their
witnesses, that they may be justified:
or let them hear, and say, It is truth.
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the
LORD, and my servant whom I have
chosen: that ye may know and believe
me, and understand that I am
he: before me there was no God
formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD; and
beside me there i s no saviour.
12 I have declared, and have saved,
and I have shewed, when there was
no strange god among you: therefore
ye are my witnesses, saith the
LORD, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was I am he;
and there is none that can deliver
out of my hand: I will work, and
who shall let it?
The book of Psalms chapter 66 verse 7:
7 He ruleth by his power for ever;
his eyes behold the nations: let not
the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

Yep, you guessed right our Father in heaven Jehovah Jireh is the One who gets to define Justice, thereby defining the meaning of evil, because He is the creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of all creations, because He rules by His power forever and there is no one greater or above Him.

I’m sure some of you will then ask;

1. So how does our Father in heaven then define justice?
2. What about all the perverted views of justice we find in the world today and why do they sometimes seem to overshadow Gods true justice?

1. For the first point. That’s a topic for another post. Cause one can end up writing a book for this question alone. However it is important to note that God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit are one and the same i.e. The justice of God the Father is the same as that of God the son because our Lord Jesus Christ did not come to do away with the law of the Prophets, but came to fulfill them. To understand this, I implore you to read the book John chapter 17.
The justice of our lord Jesus Christ is that of tolerance, non-violence, love and patience to our fellow human beings, which may appear to those who are ignorant as weakness. For our Lord Jesus Christ says in Luke chapter 6 verse 29:

29 And unto him that smiteth thee
on the one cheek offer also the other;
and him that taketh away thy cloke
forbid not to take thy coat also.

For our Lord and savior Jesus Christ teaches us that we war not against flesh and Blood. We war not against the young ignorant men and women who have been brainwashed by the devil through groups like IS, boko haram and so on. However we war against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world and against spiritual wickedness in high places and our weapons of warfare are not carnal but mighty in pulling down strongholds. Just as stated in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10-18:

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong
in the Lord, and in the power of his
might.
11 Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh
and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the
whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, and having
on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the
preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to
quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is
the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer
and supplication in the Spirit, and
watching thereunto with all perseverance
and supplication for all saints;

2. As for the second point. Which asks why the world’s perverted sense of justices sometimes seems to have the upper hand against Gods true justice? To answer this I would implore you to read the book of Psalms chapter 37. Here’s a small except from verses 34-36 of the chapter, to give you an idea.

34 Wait on the LORD, and keep
his way, and he shall exalt thee to
inherit the land: when the wicked
are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35 I have seen the wicked in great
power, and spreading himself like a
green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, lo, he
was not: yea, I sought him, but he
could not be found.

Well I believe that the above verses and Psalm 37 are quiet self-explanatory. Ironically Psalms 37 also confirms the famous phrase that “Justice shall prevail”. However we now know that true justice will surely prevail not because of anything but because the will of our father in heaven will surely come to pass.

Have a blessed day,

Nonso B-Anyeji.