We hear in that warning of our Lord, that there is only one way that will get us to the kingdom of God, and that is through this everlasting door that has been provided, everlasting door of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, any other way those who try to take hold of this kingdom or enter in there, will be regarded as a thief and a robber and God will not allow them to take part therein. Our Lord often spoke when He was on this earth, and He used the word Shepherd, and He used sheep as an example so that we could understand what He was talking about.

We must understand that He used sheep as the example for a very good reason. Sheep are those animals in the world that is one of the only group or flock of animals that will never go feral, they cannot go wild – we never hear of wild sheep. The reason being that they are and have to be tendered for, if they went wild and there was no one to shear them, the heat would kill them, they are a group of animals that follow the leader, and if any of us watch a flock of sheep we will see that when one jumps, they all jump, they are the group of animals that could provide full sustenance to the people. They could provide clothing, they could provide milk, they could provide meat, and they did provide and still provide today, many of the medicines of the world and things used.

We see that they were a precious group. That is why our Lord refers to the Church as the sheep and He the shepherd. We in this land, do not understand fully the meaning of what our Lord was speaking, because on sheep properties they are fenced and all the sheep that are within that property belong to the one owner. If we were to travel to the Middle East we would find no fencing there, we will find all the shepherds working together and all the sheep mingling together and at the end of the day, all of the sheep are brought into a sheepfold to protect them in that evening, and in the morning all the sheep are mixed together. We would think that it would be a very big job to sort them out, but it is very simple.

Each of the shepherds had a different call, some played the flute, some sing, some call their sheep by their name, others used different whistles, and when the shepherds came to all these sheep together and they call their sheep, the sheep sort themselves out and follow that shepherd one by one, until they are all sorted out.

Our Lord is telling us that we live within the world, a world made up of many people but we should not be fearful, we should not be frightened, because the good shepherd knows the sheep and His sheep know His voice and His voice is the Word of God, the word of God that is proclaimed unto us, the kingdom of God that is preached and if we hear this Word of God and we take it to heart, we then will be known by the good shepherd and when He calls us and leads and guides us, and takes us and feeds us, takes us into His care, to water us, and to look after us, we will know who we should follow. The good shepherd will be the only door that will lead us to the kingdom of God. That is why we have the Holy Spirit, God is within us so that we can discern the word of God, so that we can understand so that we can be led, so that we can understand the sacraments, so that we see what they are doing for us, that we are not led away through false doors, for the world is full of false doors. They are known as anti-Christs. Anti in the English language means against, but anti in Hebrew language means instead of, and there are many anti-Christs in the world. Many things drive them to say follow me and I will lead you to your destiny, fortune-tellers, reading the stars, and all of these things, they are anti-Christs. There are anti-Christs coming into the world and saying that we no longer need the sacraments of God, it is sufficient to do this or that and that will lead you into the sheepfold. The false gods are coming into the world and many are following and worshipping these false gods, but we must remain true and firm in our faith, in our belief and in our trust, that we only follow the Word of God. In that we must place our trust, our faith is in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, our belief is in everything that He has established for us and if we trust in His word, and we can be assured that we will be led to the Kingdom of God.

We see in that promise so many years before our Lord came, the promise of a resurrection for those who follow the Lord. “Come unto the Lord”!, the prophet implored the people, come unto Him, make again a new testimony in our life, a new commitment to come unto Him for He will show us His love. He has shown that He has torn us and surely we can see that mankind was torn away from the love of God, by the deceit of Satan and yet the prophet prophesied that He will heal us. Surely that healing came about on the cross. Surely that healing was for all mankind. We have heard and we understand, and we have heard it so often that on the cross He took the sins of the whole world upon Himself, and yet when we look into the world today, there is as much sin here as there ever has been. We in our lives, commit as much sin as those people that were torn from God. So what does it mean to have the sins of the world taken away from us? We can liken it in our natural life. It is not the sin or the committing of that sin that is taken away from us, but it is the penalty or the retribution that we have to make, that is taken from us and replaced by the love of God through Christ. He is prepared to take that penalty upon Himself and that retribution. Each of us should understand that as we go through life, if we break a law of the land, whether it be a minor law on the roads, we have to pay a penalty, we have to pay a retribution. If we break the major laws which are against God and the land, we have to pay the penalty often of imprisonment, or sometimes in some countries, even death. We have to pay a retribution. If we deliberately do something against our neighbour and he has suffered with a harm, the law dictates unto us that we have to pay a retribution to try and balance his life back to where it was. When we look at this in God’s sight, which is what the people, the children of Israel and the whole world had to do before the love of God came with Christ. When they sinned, they had to pay a penalty or a retribution to God and it was not possible that that penalty or that retribution eventually could be accepted by God. Since our Lord took the sins of the world upon Himself and declared it finished, we now live in a period of time where provided we believe and provided we accept the grace of Christ. In our lives when we commit a sin, we are not tormented or tortured with that understanding that we have to pay a penalty or a retribution that has been paid for us by Christ on the cross, and we can go through life being peaceful with God. Peaceful with one another, knowing that no sin requires a retribution or a penalty from God. That does not mean that we can become blatant and say that we will continue to sin so that this grace will abound, God forbid said the Apostle Paul. But to know in our hearts, in our spirit, in our inward being we have this knowledge that the sins of the world have been taken away. The penalty and the retribution to God no longer apply and that should allow us to live in peace and be reconciled to God, because we know then that He has indeed healed us. He has healed us and according to the prophet, He will once again bring us back to life, not the life of this world, but the life that will come when our Lord returns and we resurrect again from the grave and we become a converted being.

As this Grace is extended freely from our Lord to all believers, we too, must be prepared to extend this to others. We must never judge or condemn each other for those things done in life, because if God has seen fit to heal us, and to bind us up, we too, must follow that example.

Continue in fellowship.
In what we all have in common. How glorious it is to be in such a fellowship.

A fellowship where there is love for each other, where all carry each other’s burdens. (I John 3: 17-18; Galatians 6:2)

A fellowship where no one slanders of another, where one honours the other. (Romans 12:10) A fellowship of peace, rest, and joy.
A fellowship wherein the light of CHRIST shall be seen by the deeds of His people. (Mathew 5: 13- 14)
A fellowship where the Will of GOD is done and not the will of man. Where we find one for all and all for one.
A fellowship without hatred, envy, jealousy or high-mindedness.
Being humble, gentle and loving; where the widow and orphans are cared for; where there is no looking down on the poor, or the unfortunate uneducated.
A fellowship which continues steadfastly in the doctrine of the Apostles. In obedience and humbleness, where respect is shown in all directions up or down.
A fellowship which bring all honour and praise to GOD.
In the breaking of the bread (word) (CHRIST).
Such a fellowship is only possible, IF everyone LOVES GOD ABOVE ALL; and their neighbour as thyself. If you have love. (I Corinthians 13:1-5)

Persevere in prayer. In your closet says CHRIST, not your bedroom or lounge, etc. No, your closet – your heart. (Learn from CHRIST; read Mathew 6:5-7). Lock your door to the world.
A fellowship of “Holy Brethren” (Hebrews 3:1). A Royal Priesthood, a Holy People (I Peter 2:10). Every one of the Ministry, brothers and sisters, should ask themselves: “am I part of such a fellowship and do I contribute to the Fellowship?” “Am I prepared to crucify my own will and do GOD’s will?” (Read Mathew 7: 16-23).

Are we prepared to do the law of CHRIST and make His commandments true in our life? “BE YE THEREFORE PERFECT, EVEN AS YOUR FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT.” (Mathew 5:48)
If you do not believe in sincere love, it won’t benefit: Paul exclaims: “and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned (what a sacrifice), and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” “FOR I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD: YE SHALL THEREFORE SANCTIFY YOURSELVES, AND YE SHALL BE HOLY; FOR I AM HOLY.” Leviticus 11:44 and I Peter 3:13- 16

There are times in life when we feel our own limitations. Not because we are weak, but because of circumstances, worries or challenges weigh heavily on us. It is precisely in such moments that Jesus invites us to trust in his grace.

The song “What a friend is our Jesus” celebrates this wonderful truth: It reminds us that we in all situations in life – in fear, stress or loneliness – we can bring everything to Him. Where our strength is not enough, He is there. His grace is enough.

Jesus meets us in weakness: – He has shown this time and again. There was the woman at Jacob’s well. Her life was full of challenges, she was lonely and full of shame. But Jesus sees not only her situation, but her as a person. He promises her that He wants to give her living water – a spring that fills everything she lacks (John 4:6).

There was Levi, the tax collector. He was not a respected man. Many avoided him because of his profession, because the tax collectors of the Roman occupiers were not well regarded in Israel at that time. But Jesus approached him, directly into his everyday life of weaknesses, and said, “Follow me!” Levi left everything behind because he experienced that this invitation changed him (Luke 5:27). Such stories show that God does not call us weak. He looks at us and says:  Your weakness is not an obstacle for me – it is the place where my grace can take effect.

A friend who is with us in every situation: – The song “What a friend our Jesus is” speaks of how we can turn to Jesus when worries weigh us down or “storms rage around us”. In such moments we need not be afraid. Jesus remains faithful. He understands what we are going through. He hears us and gives us peace and strength. Perhaps we have experienced that it is not easy to bring everything to Jesus. But that is exactly what we can learn:  If we entrust ourselves to him, his grace will take hold of us – as it did with the woman at the well or with Levi. The encounter with Jesus changes us and lets us experience that He is enough – for you and me.

Grace that carries us: – Weakness is not a flaw. It is the space in which Jesus wants to meet us. His grace carries us and gives us the strength we need. The song quoted goes on to say, “Who can say and measure how much salvation is lost if we do not turn to him and seek him in prayer!”

We can bring everything to Jesus – He remains the friend who is with us in every situation. His grace is the source that never runs dry, but always replenishes what we need.

In this Text we are reminded of the three (3) sources of temptations, namely: Our Flesh, the World and Satan. We understood that temptation itself is not sin, because we know that our Lord was tempted and yet remained sinless and pure. When we fall to temptations, then sin comes in and we know that we then have to call on the Grace of Christ. Romans 3:23 (both physical and spiritual). “For all have sinned and, come short of the Glory of God.”
These three sources of temptations are evident in the story recorded in Genesis. Eve fell into the temptation, and we can see from this story the manifestation of these 3 temptations; (1) The lust of flesh or eyes (Gen 3:6), World or the creation – the forbidden fruit itself (Gen. 3:3); (3) Satan himself – the Serpent (Gen 3:4-5). This can also be seen in the 3 temptations from Satan himself as recorded in Matthew 4. (1) Lust of flesh – stone to bread to fulfill the desire of flesh. (2) Kingdoms of this world (3) Satan, when he attacked the validity of God’s word.
As Christians, we are in a spiritual warfare, and we need to put on the “armour of God” as recorded in Ephesians 6 which represents Christ Himself. We must put on Christ, His robe of righteousness, and His virtues in order for us to overcome these temptations which are our spiritual enemies. Interestingly, our Lord gave us a solution so we can overcome these temptations, and this can be found in Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”. To overcome the first temptation is to first deny ourselves. The lust of the flesh is our first enemy and to overcome this is to deny ourselves to humble ourselves and fully trust and submit to God’s will and His ways. The second enemy is the temptation from things of the world such as love of money, material wealth, creations, fame, etc. To overcome this is to carry our cross. The one thing we ought to carry from this world is the message from the preaching of the Cross of Christ which was given to us through His gospels. The Cross of Christ carries the message of hope, peace, humility, forgiveness, grace and most importantly divine love. Therefore, we should always carry these heavenly virtues and treasures wherever we go. The last enemy is Satan himself, to overcome him is “to follow Christ”. We must obey the teachings of the Lord, follow in His footsteps and let the works of the Holy Spirit manifest in us to overcome these temptations.
Like our Lord Jesus Christ, He has defeated God’s three enemies for our sakes: Sin, Hell and Death. He defeated these three enemies using the same principle – Denied His throne in heaven and came to us in the form of a bondservant; He carried His Cross; and He followed/obeyed His Father in heaven. Our Lord leads us by setting an example, and we ought to follow His footsteps.
Let us remember this teaching that our Lord gave us, walk, and live by it faithfully. We must never forget that we are called to be more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Romans 8:37). Indeed, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).

The mark of authority of the Church of Christ is its foundation Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Christ promised to build His church upon the testimony of Peter who spoke by the Holy Ghost. “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” He referred to this as a rock. He then made a promise to the Apostles – Matthew 16:19, “And I will give unto thee the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.” (The word of God). Today this follows on as the ministry of the Apostolic Church.

In the parallel of the two kinds of foundations and two kinds of builders (Matthew 7:24-27) the Lord points out how different a man’s attitude can be towards his teaching. As the Children of God we are taught not just to hear the word of God but live according to it. In so doing we are also assuming an attitude not of our own opinion, but one that is as a result of the ministration of the Spirit of Christ. It should be our striving to build upon this attitude every day by accepting the word of God and implementing it. Then the Lord spoke about the houses being lashed by the elements, water and wind represent in this picture the many opinions, teaching, philosophies of life, and sin, error and deception is the driving power.

How would our spiritual house weather such a tempest? We would be weather proofed by the word brought by the faithful messengers of Jesus today and fulfilling it. And we must continue doing this until the end! The word of God gives us security, giving in to the foreign spirits no matter how insignificant they might seem is to court danger and risk the collapse of our spiritual house. This would mean tremendous loss to us, while the work of salvation strides on toward completion.

Although the waters of the various philosophies do push up against the work of God, it stands firm. If we want to remain safe in the face of the influences, the wind and water of our time, we must do what the Lord admonishes. “Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is” (Mark 13:33). We are waiting for the Lord daily, and at His appearing may He find that we have built on rock-like ground and living according to His teaching.

We can see John describes a natural wonder in the centre of New Jerusalem, “the river of the water of life as clear as crystal flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city.”

The water is very important because the city is a centre of human life and water is an essential part of life. We know Spirit’s don’t need water, but human bodies do. We know what it is like to be thirsty but the people who live in a bone-dry climate willingly grasp the wonder of constantly available fresh water, pure and uncontaminated, able to satisfy the thirst, notice that the source of this powerful stream is the throne of God and occupied by the Lamb who is our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the course of all-natural beauty and wonders. The great river reflects His thirst quenching, and needs satisfying nature. He always meets His people’s needs and fulfills their desires.

The city has many other streets, of course, but none like this for this leads directly to the Lord’s throne and one need only follow the river up to its source to arrive at the Lamb’s throne.

Verse 3 “And there shall be no more curse but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.”

Genesis 2:9-10 “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted and became into four heads.”

This river is described by its fountain head — the throne of God and its Lamb. The four heads signify the four faithful ministries given to the church. Ephesians 4:11-12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

All our springs of grace, comfort, and glory are in God and all our streams from Him are the mediation of the Lamb. The quality of our streams are clear and pure but the streams of worldly comfort are very unclear or dirty but these are clear, and uplifting, giving life, and protecting life, to those who drink of them and they shall be full of understanding and comfort, and continue walking in the light of the Lord Jesus Christ and this not for a short period, but for eternity.

John 4:13-14  ^“Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

God is Light

“We learn without the heat of the sun and its Light, the earth would be a lifeless ball of ice- coated rock”. Similarly, without God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and the Towering Light above us, our lives would be cold, meaningless, lifeless and in darkness. We have the choice between Light or darkness. As Apostolic children of God, we should choose Light – where God is, there is no darkness for God is Light and the bright guiding force in our lives.

As the sun supplies the earth with energy to grow plants to provide food and oxygen for life, so too does God (the ultimate source of light), through His radiant beams guarantee us an abundant supply of (a) food that will never perish, (b) drink that quenches our thirst forever and (c) everlasting oxygen.

(a) John 6:27 Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat that endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed.

(b) John 4:14 But whosoever shall drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

(c) Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

We have to remain steadfast and pray to God, through Christ, to stay within this Light!       John 12:35-36: Then Jesus said unto them, “Yet a little while is the light with you”: Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not wither he goeth. While ye have light believe in the light, that ye may be children of the light.

So also are we blessed to have been anointed with the Holy Spirit, which is God with us. This illuminates our paths and guides us from one truth to another.

We sing: Thy Holy Spirit Lord alone can deeper Love inspire; His power within our souls can light the sacred fire.

“We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of the darkness and into his marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9).” Let us cherish this blessing and act.