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My response to Ben

“There’s a call to answer. A call to minister the gospel and to lead men in the way of truth. A call to walk not as a fool, but as wise and understanding of the will of God for the times I am in”. This is very true, but we must be guided by the words of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:27, when he said” But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” The context is, Paul failing to obtain his goal of winning others, not somehow earning salvation. Paul recognizes that even he can be disqualified from his prize (The runner in a race is disqualified for running off the course, either intentionally or through ignorance) This simply means that we should strive not to be disqualified from receiving a reward at the judgment seat of Christ where our lives and work will be judged.
Every one of us must be on the watch for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must prepare for his coming by. Living a holy life, preparing our hearts, and living life as if today is the day.

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Writing in the first person, share what comes to your mind when you contemplate the soon return of our Lord in a discussion titled: “When I Think of the Coming of Christ”.

Our Lord Jesus Christ promised that he would come again, and all the people would see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). Every time I think about this, I see the day approaching when Jesus will come again. The question in my mind is how many will be ready.
The second coming of Jesus Christ is when Jesus returns to Earth to judge all people, both living and dead. It will be a time of great significance and will mark the climax of redemption. Jesus is coming again, He is coming back in power and glory, to consummate his redemptive mission and to establish his eternal kingdom.
The second coming of Jesus and the church rapture are separate events, which should not be confused with the other. The exact time of the second coming is unknown, but the Lord has revealed some signs and events that will precede it.
• The calling of the gentiles (Mathew 24 ;14)
• Wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes (Mathew 24:6, 7)
• Great apostasy and Tribulation (Mathew 24:9 -13)
• Signs and wonders ( Mathew 24 29. 30)
• Conversion of Isreal (Romans 11:25,30)
Many bible scholars say the Rapture will happen before the rest of the tribulation, and Christ will remove his church to protect his people from the evil unleashed on the earth during the antichrist’s reign. Other Christians believe that the tribulation will take place before the rapture. These two events are expected to occur before the second coming of Christ, which will happen seven years after the tribulation period. The prophet Daniel in the Old Testament has a peek into the future when he saw a little of what will happen just before the 1,000-year reign of Christ (Daniel 12 :1 -3)
The coming of Jesus Christ will be to rule and to bind Satan, for 1,000 years and defeat the Antichrist by throwing him into the lake of fire. It will be a time when Jesus Christ will return with his saints, It will be a time when Christ will descend to the Mount of Olives as a prelude to his earthly reign, It will be a time when Jesus Christ will bring judgment to those who have rejected him.
When I think of the coming of Jesus Christ, I see
• a time when Satan will have no say whatsoever in anything about the activities in the world
• I see a time of new Heaven and earth
• I see a time when people will be living in peace and in harmony
• A time when the New Heaven and Earth will be known as New Jerusalem
• everyone in the New Jerusalem will live and reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4)
• the 1,000 years reign of Christ will be a joyous time for the saints
In conclusion, our Lord Jesus Christ is coming because he promised he would come (John 14: 1 -3) He is coming again to complete the plan of salvation, which includes our resurrection, our presence in the sight of God, and life with him eternally in the earth made new. (John 5:25 – 29).

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My response to Ben

“There’s a call to answer. A call to minister the gospel and to lead men in the way of truth. A call to walk not as a fool, but as wise and understanding of the will of God for the times I am in”. This is very true, but we must be guided by the words of Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:27, when he said” But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” The context is, Paul failing to obtain his goal of winning others, not somehow earning salvation. Paul recognizes that even he can be disqualified from his prize (The runner in a race is disqualified for running off the course, either intentionally or through ignorance) This simply means that we should strive not to be disqualified from receiving a reward at the judgment seat of Christ where our lives and work will be judged.
Every one of us must be on the watch for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must prepare for his coming by. Living a holy life, preparing our hearts, and living life as if today is the day.

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My response to Ben.

Here are some additional things to consider about good works and witnessing:
The authority to witness comes from Jesus Christ himself. Mathew 28:19 -20 says, that Jesus gives the authority to witness. The Holy Spirit gives the power and boldness to witness and the willingness to witness is a personal decision. Furthermore, when the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us, he prompts us to do things that glorify God. John 14:26. Our desire to please God grows as our understanding of him grows, and that desire to please God results in good works.
In another analogy, God wants to produce fruits in our lives, Galatians 5:22 – 23 He is he vine dresser, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The branches are naturally attached to the vine. From the vine, they get support and the ability to produce fruit. Jesus said, I am the vine, you are the branches, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit John 15:5. This is the purpose of the vineyard – to produce “much fruit” Good works follow salvation. So bearing in mind that, we are not saved by good works (Ephesians 2:8 -9} but when we are saved, we should produce good works that will glorify our Father in heaven.

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I particularly love what you said in your second lesson about “God having good intentions in his will for us., and that, when we go to him in prayer just like Jesus did, we should look past the overwhelming circumstances and seek his will in prayer as well as pray his will for our lives”. God’s intentions for us are in his word. We can have good intentions however, but if they are contrary to God’s word, then we are moving in rebellion to God’s word – and that is not a good place to be Proverbs 3:7,
In Mathew 26: 38, Jesus told his disciples that the soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: and in verse 39, the bible said he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed to God, that if it were possible that the cup should pass from him. All this tells us that, he was overwhelmed by the situation in front of him, the burden he had to carry, but thank God, he quickly submitted to the will of God by saying, Not my will, but thy will be done.
The lesson for us here is that we should always align with the Will of God for our lives. And that prolonged seasons of waiting that we experience sometimes is not an indication that God has forgotten about us, it is either that it is not yet the time for it to manifest, or that it is not in his will because God always has good intentions for his children.

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I particularly love what you said in your second lesson about “God having good intentions in his will for us., and that, when we go to him in prayer just like Jesus did, we should look past the overwhelming circumstances and seek his will in prayer as well as pray his will for our lives”. God’s intentions for us are in his word. We can have good intentions however, but if they are contrary to God’s word, then we are moving in rebellion to God’s word – and that is not a good place to be Proverbs 3:7,
In Mathew 26: 38, Jesus told his disciples that the soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: and in verse 39, the bible said he went a little further and fell on his face and prayed to God, that if it were possible that the cup should pass from him. All this tells us that, he was overwhelmed by the situation in front of him, the burden he had to carry, but thank God, he quickly submitted to the will of God by saying, Not my will, but thy will be done.
The lesson for us here is that we should always align with the Will of God for our lives. And that prolonged seasons of waiting that we experience sometimes is not an indication that God has forgotten about us, it is either that it is not yet the time for it to manifest, or that it is not in his will because God always has good intentions for his children.

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DISCUSS THE THEME: “FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST” SHOWING WHAT FOUR VITAL THINGS FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ENTAILS AND HOW TO UTILIZE THIS FAITH. IS THERE ANOTHER KIND OF FAITH FOR THE BELIEVER? IF THERE IS, THEN WHAT IT IS?

The finished work of Christ refers to his death on the cross. That is where Jesus Christ endured God’s judgment against our sins. He became our substitute in order to become our Savior. Jesus was not our savior until he suffered and died for our sins on the cross of Calvery. Salvation is both free and costly at the same time. On one hand, salvation is a gift to anyone who accepts our Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, on the other hand, salvation is very costly because it requires the sacrificial death and blood of the son of God. John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head. and gave up the ghost. KJV.

Three key words to describe “the finished work of Christ”

Propitiation.
Romans 3:25 “whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” KJV.
Propitiation is a Greek word that means. “to satisfy wrath by sacrifice” The bible says in Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death” Before God’s mercy can be extended to mankind, something must be done to remove the blockade for sin as well as to satisfy the righteous claims of God; wrath against sin. This is where Jesus Christ came in as the propitiation for our sins.

Redemption
Redemption deals with our enslavement by sin. Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” KJV. To redeem means “ to buy out of to remove from to set at liberty. We have been brought back and set free from the slave market of sin, and we have been placed in the family of God.

Reconciliation:
Reconciliation completes the threefold view of the finished work of Christ, and it relates to our fellowship with God. Romans 5:10 “ 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” KJV. To reconcile means to “change completely” this is in relation to salvation. This is the means by which God brings mankind into a completely changed relationship with himself.

How to utilize faith in the Finished work
Ephesians 2:4 – tells us that by God’s favor, we are seated together with Christ at the right hand of the Father. To be seated in Christ is to rest, to trust completely in him, to have confidence, and to set aside any worry or anxiety.

Is there another kind of faith for the believer?
James 2:14 – 26. According to James, there are two different kinds of faith: mere faith and saving faith. Saving faith always involves deeds, and always acts on what it believes. Faith without deeds is useless, for it is the deeds that complete it and make it real faith.

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USING MATTHEW 26:36-46, WHAT LESSONS MAY ONE LEARN FROM JESUS’ PRAYER IN GETHSEMANE.

Mathew 26: 36 – 46 highlights the human side of Our Lord Jesus Christ, by referring to his grief, anguish and sorrow. In his prayers, he asked God the father is there is another way for his plan to be accomplished. However, almost as soon as he said this he realizes and accepts that God’s will must be done. Mathew 26: 36 -29. NKJV.
He acknowledges that the “hour has cone” for the son of God to be glorified by “finishing the work” he has come to do. Mathew 36: 44- 46. NJKV, Then he prayed for his disciples to be protected as they take the truth into the world. He also prayed for those who will believe in him through the message delivered by the disciples.

There are so many lessons to be learnt from Jesus’s prayer in Gethsemane. Some of them are :

• Jesus Christ demonstrates the priority of submitting to the Fathers will. Verse 39 “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” He remained reverent, he was not demanding or harsh towards his father, he did not lose his grip on the faithfulness of God even in the situation he was. We must always pray in line with the will of God. We must submit to the will of God.

• He taught us how to take full advantage of the privilege of prayer Mathew 26 : 40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour? This teaches us that we should always pray to God just as Jesus prayed to the father.

• He taught us how to deal with sufferings and temptation. Mathew 26: 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Jesus taught us to pray for victory over temptation.

• The need for intercessors / prayer partners. Mathew 26: 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” This gives some ease to the troubled soul, when he has some trusted friends or confidants praying with him

• We also leant that we should be watchful at all time. (watch and pray) in verse :45, “Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” We leant the importance of keeping watch in Prayer.

• Most time we use our suffering as justification for blaspheming God’s name or talking about him like he is not a good God, But from Jesus’s experience in Gethsemane, we see how wrong. God dis not allow Jesus suffer because he did not care, rather, he allowed him go through all that because he cares so much. Jesus shows his belief that God is still good all the time.

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DISCUSS THE THEME: “FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST” SHOWING WHAT FOUR VITAL THINGS FAITH IN THE FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST ENTAILS AND HOW TO UTILIZE THIS FAITH. IS THERE ANOTHER KIND OF FAITH FOR THE BELIEVER? IF THERE IS, THEN WHAT IT IS?

The finished work of Christ refers to his death on the cross. That is where Jesus Christ endured God’s judgment against our sins. He became our substitute in order to become our Savior. Jesus was not our savior until he suffered and died for our sins on the cross of Calvery. Salvation is both free and costly at the same time. On one hand, salvation is a gift to anyone who accepts our Lord Jesus Christ as his savior, on the other hand, salvation is very costly because it requires the sacrificial death and blood of the son of God. John 19:30 “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head. and gave up the ghost. KJV.

Three key words to describe “the finished work of Christ”

Propitiation.
Romans 3:25 “whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” KJV.
Propitiation is a Greek word that means. “to satisfy wrath by sacrifice” The bible says in Romans 6:23 “The wages of sin is death” Before God’s mercy can be extended to mankind, something must be done to remove the blockade for sin as well as to satisfy the righteous claims of God; wrath against sin. This is where Jesus Christ came in as the propitiation for our sins.

Redemption
Redemption deals with our enslavement by sin. Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” KJV. To redeem means “ to buy out of to remove from to set at liberty. We have been brought back and set free from the slave market of sin, and we have been placed in the family of God.

Reconciliation:
Reconciliation completes the threefold view of the finished work of Christ, and it relates to our fellowship with God. Romans 5:10 “ 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” KJV. To reconcile means to “change completely” this is in relation to salvation. This is the means by which God brings mankind into a completely changed relationship with himself.

How to utilize faith in the Finished work
Ephesians 2:4 – tells us that by God’s favor, we are seated together with Christ at the right hand of the Father. To be seated in Christ is to rest, to trust completely in him, to have confidence, and to set aside any worry or anxiety.

Is there another kind of faith for the believer?
James 2:14 – 26. According to James, there are two different kinds of faith: mere faith and saving faith. Saving faith always involves deeds, and always acts on what it believes. Faith without deeds is useless, for it is the deeds that complete it and make it real faith.

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WRITE A DISCUSSION ON: “THE SUBTLETY OF LEGALISM” SHOWING HOW BELIEVERS MAY SLIP INTO LEGALISM AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO PREVENT FALLING INTO IT.

Definition:
Legalism is much more subtle and serious than we can imagine. Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance through obedience to God. In other words, a legalist is anyone ho behaves as if they can earn God’s approval and forgiveness through personal performance.
Legalism can also be seen as a strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code of life. Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” KJV
In Christian theology, Legalism (or Nomism) is a term, applied to the idea that “by doing good works or by obeying the law, a person earns and merits salvation This has been criticized by certain Christian tradition such as conservative Anabaptists who have said that being a disciple of Jesus means being obedient to New Testament commands such as head covering, feet washing etc, as crucial evidence that an individual has repented or has yielded to Christ”

How Believers can slip into Legalism
It is very easy to get prideful and start thinking legalistically and making up rules God did not give us. The following are some of the ways believers can slip subtly into legalism:
• When one focuses only on obeying bare rules, thereby destroying the context of God;s love and redemption.
• When you justify yourself by comparing yourself to others always.
• Always pointing out someone else’s sin publicly
• You read your bible to get a check mark rather than to meet with God.
• You refuse to forgive others
• You separate your spiritual life from your natural life.
• You love the praise of men and reject the truth tellers who come into your life.

How a believer can prevent falling into legalism:
A believer should recognize legalism as an opposition to grace, Galatian 5:1 – 4: Legalism is a Yoke of bondage, this means to be under the powerless regulations of religion. We were saved through grace not by our works. Jesus Christ paid the price for our salvation. He has finished the work. We cannot add anything to it.
We can fight legalism by doing the following:
• Focus on the part of the bible that emphasize God’s grace. Don’t read passages that tells you to do good works out of context
• Be conscious of the fact that, God is not the one telling you to try harder. Roman 4:3-5. Verse5: “however, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” NIV.

• Recognize that, your salvation is not based on your ability to perfectly keep the law, instead, it is through faith n Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the law on our behalf. Only the grace of God provides the means for us to experience forgiveness, restoration and internal transformation.

• As a church do not focus on rules that may or may no reflect biblical truth.

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WRITE A DISCUSSION ON: “THE SUBTLETY OF LEGALISM” SHOWING HOW BELIEVERS MAY SLIP INTO LEGALISM AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO PREVENT FALLING INTO IT.

Definition:
Legalism is much more subtle and serious than we can imagine. Legalism is seeking to achieve forgiveness from God and acceptance through obedience to God. In other words, a legalist is anyone ho behaves as if they can earn God’s approval and forgiveness through personal performance.
Legalism can also be seen as a strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code of life. Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” KJV
In Christian theology, Legalism (or Nomism) is a term, applied to the idea that “by doing good works or by obeying the law, a person earns and merits salvation This has been criticized by certain Christian tradition such as conservative Anabaptists who have said that being a disciple of Jesus means being obedient to New Testament commands such as head covering, feet washing etc, as crucial evidence that an individual has repented or has yielded to Christ”

How Believers can slip into Legalism
It is very easy to get prideful and start thinking legalistically and making up rules God did not give us. The following are some of the ways believers can slip subtly into legalism:
• When one focuses only on obeying bare rules, thereby destroying the context of God;s love and redemption.
• When you justify yourself by comparing yourself to others always.
• Always pointing out someone else’s sin publicly
• You read your bible to get a check mark rather than to meet with God.
• You refuse to forgive others
• You separate your spiritual life from your natural life.
• You love the praise of men and reject the truth tellers who come into your life.

How a believer can prevent falling into legalism:
A believer should recognize legalism as an opposition to grace, Galatian 5:1 – 4: Legalism is a Yoke of bondage, this means to be under the powerless regulations of religion. We were saved through grace not by our works. Jesus Christ paid the price for our salvation. He has finished the work. We cannot add anything to it.
We can fight legalism by doing the following:
• Focus on the part of the bible that emphasize God’s grace. Don’t read passages that tells you to do good works out of context
• Be conscious of the fact that, God is not the one telling you to try harder. Roman 4:3-5. Verse5: “however, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness” NIV.

• Recognize that, your salvation is not based on your ability to perfectly keep the law, instead, it is through faith n Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the law on our behalf. Only the grace of God provides the means for us to experience forgiveness, restoration and internal transformation.

• As a church do not focus on rules that may or may no reflect biblical truth.

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The divine grace which God shows towards humanity will be observed by angels. Moreover, the ministry of angels did not stop with the ascension of Jesus. Angels were also busy ministering to people after the time of Christ. During his early days, when the church was growing, angels were seen to be ministering to God’s people, and the church is a testimony to angels of the wisdom of God. Angels witnessed the beginning of the Church. The presence of Angels continued to strengthen the apostles as they went about their first work and undertook their first missionary journeys.
When the Lord ascended into heaven, two angels were amid the apostles to remind them of their duty “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” Acts 1:11.
There are many deep lessons for us in the Acts of the Apostles, not in the least of which is the intimacy and active cooperation between the angels and the early Christians. It should be a model for us as we undertake our missions for Christ and his church.

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WHAT ROLES DID ANGELS PLAY IN THE LIFE OF THE EARLY CHURCH AS SEEN IN THE BOOK OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES?

Angels are the messengers of God, They played a significant role in the life of the early church as seen below:
• Angels provide Protection and Deliverance to the Apostles.
In Acts of the Apostles 5:19 -20 “But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” NKJV. That night, an angel intervened to protect the apostles and set them free.

• Acts 10: 1 – 3 There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea. A devout man who feared God with all his household. An Angel came to him as an answer to his prayers. The Angel instructed him to send for Simon Peter who would tell him the message of Jesus Christ.

• Acts 12:11 “11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” An Angle helped to get Apostle Peter out of jail.

• Acts 27:23 – 26. An Angel encouraged Apostle Paul when he faced a storm on his way to Rome. “23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.”

• Acts 12:23 NKJV. “Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died”. The evil and wicked king Herod was killed by an Angel, because he did not give glory to God, and so the angel struck him dead.

• Acts 8:26- 28 NKJV. An Angel appeared to Philip and directed him toward the Ethiopian eunuch Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is desert. 27 So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship”

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Reply to Paul Praise

Thank God for hearing your prayers and for giving you another chance to be what you are today. Your experience has given me an insight. Although, yours was in the university, but my son is still in secondary school. He is 15 years old and in SS1 because we made him repeat JSS twice. Just this afternoon, I was discussing with my husband, that I regretted that action because it did not yield any positive result. His result has not improved, rather, he is feeling too old in his present class. You cannot catch him reading, instead of reading his books, he will be writing songs. He has been made the head of junior choir in our local church and that is all that interest him. We tried to encourage him to be serious with his academics and that he has all the time to be what God says he will be in the future. I know that the grace of God is sufficient for him indeed. We are all products of his grace. According to Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:10, KJV “But by the grace of God, I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain…”

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