Light of The World

“No one patches up an old coat with a piece of new cloth, for the new patch will shrink and make an even bigger hole in the coat. Nor does anyone pour new wine into used wineskins, for the skins will burst, the wine will pour out, and the skins will be ruined. Instead, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins, and both will keep in good condition.” Matthew 9: 16-17; The Scripture presents to us two parables; A New Cloth and A New Wine. They can also be found in Mark 2: 21, 22 and Luke 5:36-39. In order to understand this parables, we have to understand why Jesus said them. First let’s establish the context. In the preceding verses, Matthew 9: 14-15 says; Then John’s (the Baptist) disciples came and asked him,” How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered,” How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast. ...

John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?"—Matthew 11:2–3 How would you feel if someone you loved and trusted began to question you? You might feel offended. What do they know, after all? When John sent word to Jesus from prison and asked, "Are you the Messiah we've been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?" (Matthew 11: 3), Jesus didn't rebuke him. He didn't say, "How dare John doubt Me? My own cousin! He should have known better" or "John? Come on, give Me a break! You know he's a little strange, right? The animal skins . . . and who eats locusts? That's My cousin! Maybe it was something in his diet." It was a good opportunity to throw someone under the bus. But Jesus didn't do that. Instead, he brought John b...

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled   —Matthew 5:6 Have a nice day. We throw that expression around a lot in our culture. When you make a purchase, the cashier might say, "Thank you. Have a nice day." Or, maybe you want to return something, and you're told, "No, we cannot take that back again. Have a nice day." It's really their way of saying, "You can go now." But what does it really mean to have a nice day? I suppose it would be a day free of sickness, conflict, and hardship—a day that is, well, nice. That is how God is sometimes perceived. We might imagine Him thundering from Mount Sinai, "Have a nice day!" We like to think of Him as perpetually smiling, wanting us all to be happy, healthy, and wealthy. I'm not suggesting that God cannot or will not bless us with health or even wealth. Nor am ...

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. - 1 Corinthians 3:6 Last night during our Youth Fellowship, our Minister ran a study on active and dormant Christians. He said that dormant Christians are Christians that have accepted Christ but are not growing spiritually. They are still being influenced by the things of this world. Active Christians are Christians that have fully accepted Christ in their lives and are growing and are being lead by the Holy Spirit. I understood that when a men accepts Jesus Christ in their lives, a seed is planted in their lives. Any men plants a seed. But it is only God who is able to make it grow. An active Christian avails himself to that growth and allows the Lord to take control of his life. But a dormant Christian does otherwise. Are you willing and allowing God in your life to make that seed grow? It is only God who can make you grow and take control of your life. Let God take control of your life today by the power of the Ho...

The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being. - Proverbs 20:27 A lamp is used to see where we are and where we are going. It helps us to do what we are doing. It also provides warmth in a room. Without a lamp it's very difficult to move around in a dark room. Your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light to my path - Psalms 119:105 The Word of God is very important for us Christians, without the Word as blind as a man in a dark room. We wouldn't know where we are headed. Whatever that is hidden the Word of God through His spirit searches it out. Nothing is hidden. Everything exposes. Through the Word Jesus can direct our path (Proverbs 3:5,6)

I know your afflictions and your poverty - yet you are rich! - Revelation 2:9 Recently my family went through a rough situation where we nearly lost our family home. In this rough storm we learnt a very powerful lesson about God. Those who stand firm in the Lord, that even though they are afflicted and are in poverty, but God says they are rich. The world will not understand this statement because it is very hard to live in poverty yet may be rich. But what the world does'nt understand is that our God is a rich God. Those who do not have Christ in their lives will surely fall when they are faced with situations and circumstances because without Jesus your burden is heavy. Only Jesus can give you rest (Matthew 11:29-30). When you are faced with rough storms in your life, do not run to other things but run to God because he will give you riches in your poverty.

Therefore, I will always remind you about these things--even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. —2 Peter 1:12 It's amazing how the Word of God can revitalize the heart. You can be going into a tailspin of doubt and fear when someone will quote a Scripture verse that suddenly pulls you out of your discouragement. No matter how long you have been a Christian, you need to be reminded of spiritual truths. That is why Peter wrote, "Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live" (2 Peter 1:12–13). When we lose sight of spiritual truths, the Word of God corrects us. It revives us. As Psalm 19:7 says, "The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul." The two discouraged disciples on the Emmaus Road had lost all hope after Jesus wa...