REST – Part 2

Read Part 1 HERE

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.

Matthew 11:28-29 (NKJV)

From the first part of the REST series, we get to understand that rest is a triumph God promised man after THE FALL.

THE MANTLE OF PURITY

 

A mantle is a piece of cloak worn to symbolize authority. It is normally not the main dress, but a piece of cloth worn on the actual dress. Very often we only attribute a mantle to its way of projecting authority, but in this article I am going to reveal the ability of a mantle to symbolize purity. Authority is very important but purity is much a dangerous arsenal to wag a good warfare. With purity as a mantle the enemy is silenced once for all from accusing and pointing his finger of contempt at you.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

     The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Romans expressed his zeal to preach the gospel of Christ without shame. Though he had not been to the church in Rome, Paul wrote this letter to teach them that the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel of Christ. The Gospel of Christ, however, is the sum total of the teachings and life of Jesus Christ. It was in those days a great challenge for a Jew to proclaim the gospel because the Jews had rejected Him (Christ) and even called Him a devil. Not only that but He was delivered into the hands of gentiles (that is, the Romans) to be killed.

HOW TO ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The gospel according to John has the central theme of bringing believers into a fuller understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, wherefore it places emphasis on the subject of having a new life as a prerequisite for entering into the kingdom of God in chapter three. This life as presented in this chapter is introduced with Nicodemus, a Jewish teacher of the Law who sought entry into the kingdom of God but contrary to his expectation was the revelation of becoming born-again. Jesus’ answer of becoming born-again was a revelation i.e. a secret knowledge or a mystery, basically a divine truth. It was a knowledge which was hidden from Judaism and still is because they do not believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah.

ANCESTRAL MISFORTUNE – IS IT MINE TOO?

The issue of ancestral misfortune is one of the most mishandled, both in ancient times and present day. As the ancient fathers accepted it to be, so the modern day believers in God accept it. They believed that the punishment or weaknesses of their forefathers will linger till many generations, and thus were in expectation of the particular punishment. Very interestingly the current day people of God believe the same.

For example, “If our forefathers were alcoholics then we are no different”, “It is generational”, we often say, “We are just having our share of the family cake”. Yes these things do happen. I have met people who have problems with marriage because all their forefathers had such problems. And others with barrenness issues, and thus struggle before giving birth to at most one. Some others I have encountered die at around age forty because of diabetes. All these are generational and thus do we believe that it is a form a chastisement upon the family that we cannot be left out.

We do believe that as far as you carry the family blood you are tied to all blessings and shortcoming of the family. And sure it does happen the way we see it. Truly our beliefs become our strongholds. What we believe and trust becomes the very ruler for our souls by the influence of powers which work either righteously or evilly. 

7 TRUTHS OF JUSTIFICATION (PLUS 1 BONUS)

JUSTIFICATION

Hebrew: Tsaw-Dak meaning "to make right, or righteous, in a moral sense" (Gen. 44:16; Ps. 51:4, Isa. 43:9, 26)

Greek: Diakaiow meaning " to make righteous" or "to show one to be righteous, to acquit of a charge, to pronounce guiltless" (Lk. 10:29; Matt. 12:37; 1 Cor. 6:11; James 2:21, 24-25)

Thus justification according to both Hebrew and Greek thought; is to make righteous, to acquit of a charge and to absolve from guilt. Justification is the act of God whereby He declares righteous anyone who believes in Jesus Christ.